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Chapter Text

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man, in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a spouse. Or, at least, that is the belief of every mother in the wizarding world anyway, especially when it came to the children of the former Death Eaters, who had all recently regained their family fortunes. 

The 31st of October 1981 would forever be remembered as the day that James and Lily sacrificed themselves, using the power of their love for each other and their baby to defeat the Dark Lord Voldemort for good. His Death Eater followers had quickly been rounded up afterwards and thrown into Azkaban which had been a wonderful thing in the eyes of the wizarding world until they were stuck with what to do with the Death Eaters’ children. There was no magical orphanage and no one thought it was a good idea to foist them on muggles. The idea of having them around other wizarding children was met with criticism as well and, when some people started to suggest that the children be imprisoned as well, Severus Snape stepped in and volunteered to raise them away from the rest of wizarding society. 

The man had apparently been working at Hogwarts as the Potions Master and had come into an inheritance from his grandfather so proposed using that to set up an orphanage specifically for all of those children. There had apparently been few neigh-sayers at the time, especially as Snape had been linked to Voldemort himself at one point. Dumbledore stepped in, however, throwing his full support behind Snape and saying that he fully backed the plan and would put himself and the rest of the Hogwarts staff at his disposal. That had eased the public and the house at Spinner’s End had become a secondary school. 

Time, as ever, had become a great healer and, as some of the younger children came of age, talk went to whether the children should continue to be punished for their parents’ mistakes. Most of those children had been babies when the war was over so they could hardly be held accountable for their parents’ actions. The various family fortunes had been seized at the time but, as the younger children came of age, talk turned to reinstating the fortunes. There was a little push back at first, with the Ministry not wanting to give up control of things, but eventually they relented, especially as most of the actual monetary assets had already been used up and the Ministry had no use for the buildings. 

The various wizarding families were very excited by the prospect, however, especially the non-pureblood families who were looking for a quick pay day. It’s why, whenever one of them came around, the whole area tended to go a bit crazy trying to get to know them. The Weasleys were no different, or at least Mrs Weasley wasn’t, so when news that Draco Malfoy would be moving into his family property, just a few counties over, she was getting quite excited. 

“Arthur, have you heard, Draco Malfoy is returning to his family home,” Molly Weasley exclaimed. 

“Is he?” Arthur murmured, pulling out the morning paper to peruse. 

“He is,” his wife insisted. “Everyone in the village is talking about it. They are wondering if he will be hosting a ball.”

“Why would he host a ball?”

“To look for a spouse of course!” Molly huffed and Arthur frowned. 

“Why would he be worrying about a spouse yet? The boy can't be older than 18.”

“He’s 19,” Molly corrected, “a few months younger than Ronald. I should also remind you that you were 19 when you married me.”

“True, but times were different then. There was a war on and everyone was rushing to tie the knot. Young people today don’t have the same pressures and I won’t be the one to put that on them.”

Molly gaped at her husband. “What do you mean? Are you saying you won’t go round to call on him.”

Arthur flipped the top of his paper down to smile at his wife. 

“That is exactly what I am saying.”

“Arthur Weasley!” Molly yelled. “How could you put our children at such a disadvantage!”

“What disadvantage?” Arthur asked, looking genuinely confused. 

“Because you know that everyone else in the area will be going round to pay him a visit, I wouldn’t be surprised if some come from Scotland to welcome him into society. We are locals, we should be among the first to go, to welcome him to the neighbourhood.”

“I would hardly say that Wiltshire is in the neighbourhood of Devon,” Arthur chuckled. 

“It’s more local than Scotland!”

“I suppose,” Arthur chuckled, “although, if that is the case, I am sure we will see him about soon enough. Introductions can be made then and it will be better for not being forced.”

“That could take weeks, maybe even months if he is not inclined to leave the estate,” Molly wailed, clearly becoming exasperated with her husband. 

“True, although if it is that important to you, you can always go down and greet him yourself.”

“With the feud that existed between the Weasleys and the Malfoys?” Molly exclaimed. “You and Lucius Malfoy hated each other. If I, your wife, went and greeted his son before you it would cause a scandal, and what of Ginny’s marriage prospects then?”

“Ah, so that’s your game,” Arthur smiled. “You mean to force a union.”

“I mean no such thing!” Molly huffed. “I simply want to find a good match for Ginny, one where she can have everything she deserves, including a partner who loves her, and I want to give her the opportunity to find it. I would never force anything, although there are countless who would, which is why I need you to go as soon as possible. That young man has grown up sheltered, he has no knowledge of how conniving some mothers can be.”

“If that is the case, perhaps you should simply send Ginny on her own,” Arthur suggested. “She is independent enough and would probably be able to get a much better idea of whether she likes him or not without any interfering adults looking over her shoulder.”

“Surely you jest! That would be the biggest scandal of all. They would be forced to marry each other then!”

“And your dreams of a good union for Ginny would be fulfilled,” Arthur said, beaming at his wife even as her face reddened with rage. 

“Arthur Weasley! How could you even joke about compromising our daughter’s reputation like that? Wizarding society might be accepting of a lot of things but a child born out of wedlock isn’t one of them!”

“Now dear, calm down, you are starting to get yourself worked up,” Arthur soothed, although there was still a smile playing around the corners of his lips which only caused his wife to scowl at him further. 

“I do believe that you are purposely trying to wind me up!” Molly groused. 

“Now when have I ever done that?”

“When the twins took the new flying carpet out when they were 15 and all you did was ask them how it flew!”

“I was curious,” Arthur reasoned, “and they were clearly fine.”

“That is besides the point and you know it!” Molly huffed. “I swear, our children will send me into an early grave and you will be in the background cheering them on.”

“I am sure you are exaggerating,” Arthur smiled, “and that you will grow to see all our children well settled.”

“There is not much chance of that happening if you never go and visit anyone who comes around here!” 

Mr Weasley had a wicked sense of humour at heart, something a number of his children had inherited, and he did take joy in teasing his wife on occasion, good-naturedly of course. Mrs Weasley was a bit of a worrier and someone who wished for the best for all seven of her children, and their adopted son Harry. At times, however, she could be a little overbearing, pushing what she thought was best on them as opposed to letting them pursue their own dreams, and Mr Weasley liked to remind her to take a step back at times. He loved his wife dearly, however, and would always do what he could to make her happy, even if he liked to keep things as a bit of a surprise. 

Mr Weasley had actually been among one of the earliest to call on Mr Malfoy, anxious to end the long standing feud between the families and make sure the young man was welcomed. It had been his plan from the start, even before Mr Malfoy had decided to return to his ancestral home. He continued to insist that he wouldn’t go though, keeping his intent a secret until the evening after. 

Harry Potter, who had grown up with the Weasleys since losing his own parents, was just showing off a new set of robes he had bought when Mr Weasley had walked in. 

“Very nice Harry. I wonder if Draco Malfoy would be impressed by them.”

“I doubt we will ever know what Mr Malfoy likes,” Mrs Weasley groused, “since I doubt we will ever be visiting him.”

“Except there is the Ministry ball coming up,” Harry pointed out, “and Mr Lovegood has said that he will introduce us.”

“Chance would be a fine thing,” Mrs Weasley scoffed. “He has his own daughter to worry about, and that is if he remembers at all. I swear that man becomes increasingly more scatterbrained each day since his wife passed. I wouldn’t pin your hopes on him.”

“Nor would I,” Mr Weasley agreed, earning him a dark look from his wife. At that moment, Ron sneezed. 

“Must you sneeze like that, Ron,” Mrs Weasley snapped. 

“Yeah Ron, how could you do something so awful,” Fred laughed. 

“I mean it’s not like it’s not a natural bodily function,” George added. 

“When is the next ball anyway?” Ginny asked. 

“Two weeks tomorrow,” Mr Weasley smiled. 

“And Mr Lovegood doesn’t come back from his trip to Norway until the day before so it would be impossible for him to introduce us anyway,” Mrs Weasley sighed. 

“Well, in that case, perhaps it is you that will have to be the good neighbour and introduce Mr Lovegood to Mr Malfoy,” Mr Weasley smirked. 

“I don’t see how,” Mrs Weasley scoffed. “We would have to know Mr Malfoy ourselves first.”

“True,” Mr Weasley nodded. “It is difficult to say that you truly know someone after just a few weeks. I do believe, though, that we at least ought to make the effort. It is the neighbourly thing to do after all, and young Luna deserves to have a shot at Mr Malfoy as well, should she wish.”

The children all turned to look at Mr Weasley with various degrees of confusion, excitement and intrigue. 

“What nonsense are you talking about now,” Mrs Weasley huffed, eyeing her husband shrewdly. 

“Do you think the tradition of introductions is nonsense?” Mr Weasley asked in mock outrage, his twinkling blue eyes belying his true feelings. “Percy, did you hear what your mother said? You must have an opinion on that as I know you always strive to uphold the rules of etiquette or, indeed, any rules.”

“Well, the point of introductions was always meant as a way of ensuring that someone was who they said they were,” Percy explained. “With so many extended pureblood families, it was easy for people to lie, as a way of getting to move in higher societal circles, and it led to a couple of scandals if I remember.”

“Quite,” Arthur chuckled. “I do sometimes wonder how many of those ‘distant cousins’ were actually half bloods or Muggleborn, either by accident or design. I have a feeling Mr Malfoy is very much a pureblood however.”

“Who cares about Mr Malfoy?” Mrs Weasley fumed, throwing her arms up in exasperation, clearly having had enough of this conversation. “I wish I had never even heard his name at this point.”

“Oh dear, I wish you had told me that sooner,” Mr Weasley exclaimed, looking stricken. “If I had known you didn’t want anything to do with him I wouldn’t have gone round to see him this afternoon. Now I fear that you will have to hear of him at least once when he returns the visit.”

Mr Weasley laughed as Ginny and her mother shrieked in joy and the twins cackled in delight at their father’s jest. Even Percy seemed amused and Harry was happy to hear that the family was mending fences. He had never really understood the reason for the feud, beyond Mr Lucius Malfoy and his wife being Death Eaters, although there had been rumours that Mrs Malfoy was more guilty by association as opposed to anything she had actually done. 

Nobody could remember how the feud had started, just that it existed, and, in Harry’s mind, that had just been completely ridiculous. Surely it was better to forgive and forget as opposed to holding on to a grudge? That said, Harry had never really experienced anything worthy of holding onto a grudge, at least outside of his adopted family anyway, and Mrs Weasley was always insistent on families making up as soon as they could. She said that you never knew when they would be gone and you didn’t want to carry regrets to the grave. Harry supposed that some war related traumas didn’t heal, even with time, but it was why he always endeavoured to make up with his adopted siblings as soon as possible. 

His musings were cut short when Mrs Weasley suddenly began bustling about the room, saying that she needed to check all of their wardrobes to make sure that they had suitable items to wear. Harry had never known her to care much about status, preferring to be comfortable about the house, but, he supposed, she would have to make more of an effort now that she was looking to find a good match for Ginny. Harry could understand that. Having grown up with her, he saw Ginny like a little sister, and loved her dearly as one, although he knew she had her flaws. She could be very headstrong and independent when she wanted, a side effect from growing up in a house full of boys, and Harry wondered how she might cope with the confines of being the wife of a prominent pureblood. She could be seen practicing on a broom more often than she could be seen practicing her dance steps although she was still far more graceful than Harry was on the dance floor. 

He had no doubt that Mr Malfoy would ask her to dance at least once but he couldn’t help wondering if the young pureblood would ask anyone else to take to the floor. Same sex marriages weren’t unheard of in the wizarding world, much to Harry’s relief, and he couldn’t help feeling a bit intrigued about what Mr Malfoy would be like. There hadn’t been many women to ever catch Harry’s eye and, while he appreciated the attractiveness of men more, he had never felt the draw that some people talk about and he wondered if Mr Malfoy might be the one to make Harry’s heart race. 

Chapter Text

Mrs Weasley and her children tried all sorts of ways to try to get information on Mr Malfoy out of Mr Weasley but to no avail. Whether it was straight forward questions, quiet musings out outright assumptions, Mr Weasley remained steadfast, refusing to divulge even the slightest bit of information. 

“He’s going to be blond, isn’t he?” George suggested while they sat down to dinner. “I mean, his father was blond, wasn’t he?”

“How would I know,” Ron huffed. “I was a baby when he went to trial and no one had seen anything of him since.”

“He was, but Mrs Malfoy wasn’t completely blonde if I remember correctly,” Percy said. “It could be that her son inherited from her and the Black side of the family.”

Mr Weasley simply continued to happily tuck into his roast lamb, even when the twins, Fred and George, insisted that he must be incredibly pompous and stuck up. They began coming up with increasingly ridiculous ideas like him having ten fingers on each hand and his head just being one enormous talking wart. Still Mr Weasley remained silent and the family began to despair that they would never find out what he was like. Thankfully, Harry and Ron’s friend from school, Hermione Granger, came through for them. 

There had been some worry about having so many pureblood, and pureblood related, children in a group, especially given the former ideals promoted by the Death Eaters. Dumbledore had come up with the idea of introducing the Muggleborn from Hogwarts with Death Eater children, almost like a cultural exchange, so Hermione had spent a fair amount of time with Draco Malfoy. 

“He’s smart, and I suppose he’s good looking, although when he was younger his face looked quite pinched,” Hermione explained. 

“What do you mean ‘pinched’?” Ron asked. 

“Well, it looked almost weasley, like someone had forced it into a funnel,” Hermione replied. “It might have been because of his snooty expression though, as he seemed to look more, well normal, as he got older.”

“That’s good at least,” Harry chuckled, “although I was warming up to the idea of him being a talking wart.”

Ron snickered. 

“Don’t get me wrong, I still think he’s an idiot,” Hermione insisted. “He never had any interest in muggle culture and said muggle things were boring.”

“Well, I’m with him on that,” Ron laughed. “Who wants to play a game of chess where the pieces don’t smash each other up.”

“Someone who isn’t a barbarian,” Hermione scowled. 

“And don’t get me started on the sports!” Ron continued, not even hearing Hermione. “Who wants to watch something where they only have one ball that they kick between each other and everything is over after 90 minutes, sometimes meaning that nobody scores.”

“I’m not into sports so I don't care about either,” Hermione sniffed. 

“Perhaps, but you have to admit that muggle stuff is boring compared to wizarding stuff,” Ron argued. “I like muggles, and I’m perfectly happy letting them do their thing, but even you have to accept that the wizarding world is superior. I mean, muggles don’t even have a way to get clean water or disappear their waste.”

“The water situation is an issue,” Hermione admitted, “but they are improving rapidly which is more than I can say for the wizarding world.”

“You think that muggles will be better than wizards some day?” Harry asked. 

“It’s possible,” Hermione replied. “I mean, just look at the Hogwarts Express. Wizards would never have come up with that.”

“Alright, I’ll give you that one,” Ron agreed, “but you can’t tell me that a spinning top is anything but pointless.”

That led into an argument about the various benefits and issues between muggle toys and wizarding ones and Harry mostly sat back and left his friends to it. He was satisfied. Mr Malfoy wasn’t ugly and seemed to have typical wizarding views towards muggles. It wasn’t earth-shattering in any way but Harry was sure the man’s fortune would more than make up for that in most people’s eyes. 

Mrs Weasley was particularly interested in the closeness of them and loved the idea of one of them getting set up well nearby. Her eldest, Bill, had moved to London with his wife but his work as a curse breaker meant he was often out of the country. Her second oldest, Charlie, was off working at a Dragon Sanctuary in Romania so it could be difficult to visit. Harry often thought the idea of all her children moving far away was a great fear of hers, which is why she was so set on the idea of Mr Malfoy. 

That idea only increased when Mr Malfoy returned Mr Weasley’s visit. The children had been outside, de-gnoming the garden meaning they were absolutely filthy so Mrs Weasley refused to let them be seen. Ginny did manage to catch a sight of him as he left, though, and said he had a good figure and wore very nice slate grey robes. 

Sad that her children had yet to meet the young man, Mrs Weasley sent an invitation out the next day, asking Mr Malfoy round for dinner. She immediately began to plan for the meal, wanting it to be special, and was immensely disappointed when Mr Malfoy turned the invitation down, saying that he was going out of town that evening.

“Why in Merlin’s name is he going out of town when he has only just arrived,” she huffed. “I do hope this won’t be a habit of his in the future.”

“It’s possible he went to invite some of his friends to visit,” Hermione, who had come to the Burrow for a visit, suggested. “I know I get bored at home on my own and I can’t imagine how much worse it would be in a huge mansion.”

“Is that why you are always hanging around here?” Fred smirked. 

“Now Fred, Hermione is welcome here anytime, you know that,” Mrs Weasley chided. “Inviting his friends to visit would make sense and it would be a good sign that he is planning on staying in the area.”

The idea of more children of Death Eaters coming spread like wildfire and soon everyone was speculating which of them might be joining Mr Malfoy at his Manor. According to Hermione, there were quite a few that were a similar age to her, Ron and Harry, as Malfoy was, and they soon began wondering just how many would be arriving. Malfoy Manor was huge after all and many people assumed that Draco would be filling all of the rooms there. The Ministry ball was just around the corner so it would make sense that these people would all like to use the opportunity to make a debut in society, especially as they could do it together. 

The day of the ball came and Harry was surprised to see Mrs Weasley taking extra care over all of their outfits. Normally she didn’t care too much, so long as their robes were clean and not torn. Today she was clearly more concerned about the impression they might give and even took the time to change the colour of Fred and George’s lime green robes. 

“We were trying to show our support,” George argued. 

“Yeah,” Fred agreed. “I mean, we all know those people would have ended up in Slytherin if they were at Hogwarts so we assumed that they would be used to seeing a lot of green.”

“Then colour them emerald green,” Mrs Weasley argued, flicking her wand to change them to that. “That is Slytherin green, although I understand you not knowing that since that house was basically non-existent in your time. I will agree that emerald green is an acceptable colour for robes.”

“Lime green is as well,” George argued. 

“Just look at Healers,” Fred added. 

Mrs Weasley just smiled. “When you are Healers, then I will accept you wearing lime green robes to events, not before.”

The twins grumbled, but knew better than to go against their mother in front of her, knowing there would be consequences. That being said, Harry would bet money that the robes would change back to lime green as soon as Mrs Weasley was distracted by the ball. Ron was complaining about having to wear a maroon monstrosity that was covered in frills but he was too tall to get robes off the rack and the Weasleys couldn’t afford anything tailor made meaning he was stuck wearing ones that belonged to great aunt Muriel’s father: the only person in the family that was as tall. 

Harry had offered to buy him some, having some inheritance from his parents, plus a monthly stipend from his grandfather’s hair care company, but Ron had refused. Harry having his own money had always been a bit of a thorn in their friendship, with Ron frequently jealous of what Harry could get, so Harry didn’t like to push things. It was hard at times, though, especially at events like this, with Ron becoming a little prickly around him, and Harry planned on giving him a wide berth at the ball. 

Mr Malfoy’s arrival could not be missed, mostly as at least half of the ball turned to watch him and his party enter. He did have a party with him, although only a small one, and Harry couldn’t help wondering if it was done to make himself look better. The two men and two women with him didn’t look half as good as the young blond man, especially as one of the men was clearly older, and Harry found his opinion of the man dropping as he mentally compared him to a peacock. 

Mr Malfoy made a point of greeting all of the top Ministry officials and Harry found himself watching the party as they made their rounds. He had never been one for dancing anyway and, as he was steering clear of Ron right now, he had little better to do. It was certainly intriguing watching Malfoy work the room and Harry found his opinion of the man changing a bit. Every person he left, he left smiling, that met their eyes, which seemed to imply he was leaving a good impression on them. He seemed to be able to converse with people from all sorts of departments as well, including Unspeakables, which made Harry think that he couldn’t be a complete idiot. At least in contrast to the others in his party, two of which seemed to have set themselves up by the buffet table, Bulstrode and Goyle from what Harry could make out. The other woman, Parkinson Harry believed, was standing at the edge of the dance floor with her nose in the air, looking like she was constantly smelling something horrid. 

The other gentleman seemed to keep drawing Harry’s attention. He was not handsome, not in the classic sense of the word: with his beak-like nose, his thin lips and the heavy scowl on his forehead. There was something about his hard dark eyes that kept drawing Harry’s attention, though, and he found his ear pricking up to any information about him.

Apparently he was the mysterious Severus Snape, former Potions Master at Hogwarts, who used his inheritance to ensure the children of the Death Eaters had a safe place to grow up and learn. It explained why he was escorting Malfoy around, taking great pains to make sure the young man was accepted, practically glaring down anyone who approached as if daring them to say something untoward. It made Harry think of the Weasleys and how they had taken him in and raised him and Harry couldn’t help thinking well of the man, despite his appearance. 

At one point, Mr Malfoy got into a lengthy conversation with Percy. Harry had to admit to being a little surprised at how long they seemed to converse, having never had anything to talk about with his adopted brother that much. He wasn't about to judge, however, and Harry’s attention became diverted to the former teacher. The man had fallen into his own conversation with the Minister while seemingly still keeping an eye on his ward. Harry was sitting to the side at a little distance but still close enough to hear. 

“Now Snape, it seems as if all of your little ones will soon have flown the nest,” the Minister, Cornelius Fudge smiled. “When they have gone, will you be returning to Hogwarts or are you planning on setting up a family of your own now that you will be a free agent?”

“I have not thought that far ahead, Minister,” Snape replied. “My wards are still very much my priority.”

“Of course, of course,” Fudge nodded, “but that doesn’t mean you can’t keep an eye out, make the most of your freedom as it were. I know from my talks with Albus that he is desperate to have you back on staff but even he couldn’t drag you away if you decided to start a family. Let’s face it, the demands on staff at Hogwarts don’t exactly make it a very family friendly job.”

“As someone who is available to my wards 24/7, I doubt I would see the difference,” Snape smirked. “It is why I couldn’t even contemplate a relationship at this time.”

“Maybe not with any young filly,” Fudge agreed. “Some of those can be very demanding on your time, even when you have important work to do. There are sensible people about, though, that would understand, and possibly even support you. Mr Potter, for instance, is a fine young man, and very handsome as well, or so my secretaries tell me. Not surprising really, given who his parents were, and I think you would make a fine pair: the surviving child of heroes and the hero who saved the children.”

“No offence, Minister, but I fear your secretaries need their eyes tested if they think the Potter boy is anything more than slightly attractive,” Snape sneered. “I imagine his arrogance makes them think he seems better than he is, that was certainly the case with his father, and I would hazard that the son is the same. The fact that he has come to this ball and yet chosen to sit at the sides, waiting for people to come to him, speaks volume to me.”

Harry was shocked. He couldn’t believe that this man was making such assumptions about him, let alone disparaging his father. James Potter was a hero, everyone knew that, so why was this random person trying to bring his name into disrepute. 

“Well I know that Mr Potter isn’t the biggest fan of dancing,” Fudge said, clearly not as shocked by Snape’s opinion as Harry was. “It’s possible that he is just trying to hide from would be partners. He often comes across as a little shy and awkward to me.”

Harry appreciated the Minister’s effort in trying to stand up for him but Harry wasn’t sure he liked being thought of as shy and awkward anymore than he did being considered arrogant. 

“I wouldn’t let his act fool you,” Snape smirked. “I saw that he had been looking a little suspicious when he was standing by the punch earlier and, when I checked it shortly after he moved on, I found that the punch had been contaminated and had to vanish it.”

“I had wondered where the punch had gone,” Fudge mused. “Are you sure that it was Mr Potter, though?”

“I saw no one else in the area,” Snape replied and Harry cursed the twins for managing to perfect their invisibility charm. He knew they had planned something and he would almost bet money that they had purposely worn bright robes as a way of hiding what they were up to. All they would have to do was persuade Ron to swap for a bit and no one would be any the wiser. 

“Perhaps you should consider a career with the Aurors,” Fudge chuckled but Snape shook his head.

“I believe I am even less likely to do that, than I am to dance with Mr Potter,” Snape smirked. 

Out of the corner of his eye, Harry noticed Mr Malfoy asked Percy for a dance and Harry beat a hasty retreat, lest Snape decide he actually did want to dance with Harry. 

The rest of the evening passed fairly enjoyably. Percy managed to make a number of connections and many people were talking very highly of him. Mr Malfoy, in particular, seemed very interested in the man and actually danced with Percy twice. Even his friends had spent time talking with him, including Mr Snape, and the twins were already making jokes about seeing a wedding in the near future, when they pretended to read his tea leaves. Percy remained quiet under their onslaught although Harry could have sworn that he had a bit of a glow about him despite their teasing. Harry saw it, though, and felt a bit of joy on his adopted brother’s behalf. He wasn’t necessarily Percy’s biggest fan all the time, but the man was still family and Harry genuinely wanted him to be happy in life. 

Percy wasn’t the only one pleased with the ball though. Ron had heard himself praised as a potential Grand Master at wizarding chess and a number of older members of the Wizengamot had requested a game with him at some point. It was a game that none of his brothers had been interested in the past which meant that Ron didn’t feel second best to them, if only because they had gotten their first. Harry could get that, although he’d never experienced the feeling himself, having always had his own identity, despite growing up with the family. 

Despite not getting to try their latest product, the twins hadn’t been caught so that classed as a win in their books. 

Mrs Weasley was happy on Ginny’s behalf as her daughter had had a partner for every dance and she took a lot of pleasure in recanting them to her husband who had opted out of attending the ball in favour of tinkering with his muggle artefacts. Mrs Weasley always blamed that as the reason why he never managed to get higher in the Ministry but Mr Weasley said there was a good reason why he tended to avoid these balls as much as he could. 

“I do not see the point in wasting my time simply watching a lot of people dancing, nor do I care about hearing it talked of. No offence Ginny, but I half wished that you had sprained your ankle in the first dance so that my sleep wasn’t so interrupted.”

When Harry was heading up to bed that night, he noticed Percy sitting on his bed, staring out of the window and sighing; a small, sweet smile was on his face. 

“It seems as if you really did have a good time at the ball,” Harry grinned. 

“Is it that obvious?” Percy asked. 

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you smile like that,” Harry admitted. Percy laughed, even as an embarrassed blush came to his cheeks. 

“If I’m honest, I didn’t think that I would ever smile like this. Draco Malfoy certainly is something else.”

“Really?” Harry asked, not having seen it himself. “In what way?”

“Well the Minister introduced us and informed Mr Malfoy that I was proposing some new legislation. He asked, naturally, and I informed him of my desire to standardise the thickness of cauldrons as I believed it was the reason why we were seeing an increase in accidents. Mr Malfoy listened intently, even asking about my research into it, and even proposed pushing for brass to be favoured over pewter as it was more inert and stronger in nature.”

“Um, fascinating,” Harry said, hoping his eyes hadn’t completely glazed over with Percy’s recitation of events. 

“I know most people don’t get it, which is why I was so surprised when someone like Mr Malfoy was,” Percy smiled. “And it wasn’t just cauldron thickness that he was interested in either. We talked about all sorts of legislation that has been proposed recently.”

“Is that why you ended up dancing with him twice?”

Percy’s blush deepened. “Noticed that, did you?”

“Yes,” Harry chuckled, “but honestly, I’m happy that you’ve managed to find someone who shares your passions and I truly hope for the best for you.”

“Thank you. I just hope I made a good impression on his friends, especially Mr Snape. I know that Mr Malfoy thinks very highly of him.”

Harry nodded and kept a smile on his face, even though his doubts swirled around his head. The Parkinson girl had been glaring daggers at Percy whenever Mr Malfoy wasn’t looking so Harry doubted she would say anything in his favour. He also didn’t think Mr Snape would say anything in anyone’s favour, whether it was deserved or not. The man was clearly a cantankerous old bastard who wanted everyone to be as unhappy as him. Neither of them had said anything at the ball though, being friendly enough to Percy’s face, so Harry hoped that he was wrong. 

Chapter Text

It was no surprise to anyone when Hermione came to the Burrow the next day and Mrs Weasley instantly pulled her into a conversation, going over the events of the ball, likely because her own children refused to engage her on the subject. 

“You must have been happy last night,” she started. “You were the first person Mr Malfoy danced with.”

“I think that is only because we knew each other already,” Hermione smiled. “I was a known entity, not someone who is particularly favoured, not like some other people.”

“Oh, you mean Percy?” Mrs Weasley queried, quite unartfully. “Yes, they did seem to spend a lot of the night together.”

Harry had wondered how much Mrs Weasley had noticed the pair, since she had seemed to be concentrating on Ginny and what was happening with her. In hindsight, Harry should have known that Mrs Weasley could be aware of what more than one of her children were up to at any given time so of course she was aware of the attention her son was getting. 

“I believe something was said by Madam Bones regarding Percy,” Mrs Weasley continued, “but I forget what was said.”

“Do you mean the conversation I overheard between Mr Malfoy and Madam Bones?” Hermione asked. “She was talking to him about rising stars of the Ministry and said that Hogwarts had produced some very forward thinking individuals in recent years. Mr Malfoy agreed and made a point of mentioning Percy’s name, saying he thought Percy would be someone who would do wonders for the wizarding world.”

“High praise indeed,” Mrs Weasley beamed, and Harry couldn’t be sure if she had genuinely forgotten or if she just wanted to hear the praise her child got repeated. 

“It was certainly better praise than Harry got,” Hermione giggled. “Imagine being considered arrogant and only slightly attractive.”

“I wouldn’t put any weight behind that man’s opinion,” Mrs Weasley sniffed. “I am of the opinion that it is actually better to be thought poorly of by someone who has such bad manners themselves. Did you know that he sat next to Griselda Marchbanks for half an hour and didn’t say a word to her.”

Harry felt his feelings for the woman warm. That she felt the slight against him so strongly.

Percy frowned. “Are you sure? I swear I saw him talking to her at one point while I was dancing.”

“Yes, but that is only because she spoke to him about the calibre of the students he had sent to her for their practical examinations and he thanked her for the compliment,” Mrs Weasley explained. “That was the entirety of their interaction.”

“Mr Malfoy said that he is a very insular person who keeps to himself in large crowds and only really opens up with people he is close to,” Percy argued. 

“I find that hard to believe,” Mrs Weasley huffed. “I have heard of Slytherin pride before but that man really takes it to another level. I imagine that he heard somewhere that Mrs Marchbanks had petitioned to lower the difficulty of the standardised tests to try to increase the number of pass rates for some subjects as certain professions are struggling to recruit.”

“I can understand his sentiments regarding Madam Marchbanks,” Hermione groused, “but I don’t understand why he had to say what he did about Harry.”

“If I were you, Harry, I wouldn’t give him the time of day if your paths should cross again,” Mrs Weasley sniffed. “I don’t care what good he might have done, his opinion clearly isn’t worth anything.”

“Don’t worry, Mrs Weasley,” Harry grinned. “I think I can safely say that I will never talk to him about anything unless it is completely necessary.”

“Personally, I don’t take issue with his pride,” Hermione said. “From what I can understand, he has put a lot of effort into teaching his wards and, as someone who put a lot of effort into their own education, I can understand why he might be upset at the idea of people who didn’t put the same effort in, getting as high a grade. It cheapens the whole process.”

“Yes, but it is also an issue if the exams become too difficult and we begin running out of Healers and Aurors,” Ron argued. 

“I don’t see how having under qualified Healers and Aurors is better,” Hermione countered. 

“I don’t care what the reason for his pride is,” Harry said, hoping to derail the upcoming argument. “I simply wish that he hadn’t felt the need to demolish mine for no reason.”

“Did he injure your pride though?” Percy questioned, “Or did he injure your vanity? Pride and vanity are two different things, although they are often, wrongly, used synonymously, probably because they are both quite common failings. Most of us have something about us that we are happy about and wish others to notice and praise, whether they exist or not. That being said, a person can be proud without being vain. Pride typically refers to our opinion of ourselves whereas vanity typically refers to what we want others to think of us.”

“I can't see Snape being vain,” Fred mused with a grin. "Not with that nose."

“True, but who knew our little Harrykins cared that people thought him attractive,” George chuckled. 

“To be fair, I think anyone would be offended if someone as ugly as Snape thought they weren’t attractive,” Ginny smirked. 

“Children!” Mrs Weasley scolded. “What have I told you about judging people based on their looks, even if it is fully justified in this case.”

Harry smiled. There was little that could come between Mrs Weasley and those she considered family and Harry was once again happy to have been raised in this family. 

The Weasleys invited the whole party from Malfoy Manor to come for tea, although only the ladies were free to come. It led to a somewhat awkward meeting, although the ladies were polite enough, at least in what they said, praising Mrs Weasley for managing to raise such a large family, and Mrs Weasley’s opinion of the rose. Harry couldn’t quite warm to them, however. Their faces didn’t quite match what their mouths said and they didn’t even bother trying to engage the younger Weasleys in conversation. 

They spoke to Harry a bit, seemingly deeming him more worthy of attention, and Harry tried to be polite in return, if only for Percy’s sake. He kept remembering how happy Percy had been after the ball and, while they had never been overly close, Harry still considered Percy one of his brothers and he wanted to see that smile on his face again. The problem was that these people, along with Snape, could end up being a large obstacle to that. Their low opinion could easily make Mr Malfoy sour on Percy, so Harry made a concerted effort with them, even if he didn’t like them. 

When the invitation was returned, and the Weasleys took tea at the Manor, it became increasingly clear that Mr Malfoy did like Percy, with the two of them often falling into conversations of their own, almost forgetting that anyone else was in the room. Mr Malfoy was incredibly open, and easy with his smiles whenever Percy was about; his eyes almost dancing with joy. Percy’s pleasure was there as well, although Harry wondered if it was perhaps a little less obvious to the world at large. 

Percy had always been a lot more closed off regarding his emotions. It hadn’t helped that he had always been the twins’ favourite victim, mostly because he was older so it was considered fairer game, and things that he took great joy in were frequently forfeit. It had taught him to be cautious about showing his feelings when he really liked something. His family could easily see the change but Harry was aware that the rest of the world might not be able to see the difference. 

“It might be better for him, in this instance, to actually show more than he feels,” Hermione suggested, after Harry had confessed his worries to her. “There are many instances where a person is better off hiding their true emotions, but I don’t think a potential relationship is one of those instances. People like to know that their feelings are returned and are more likely to to feel more if they are. If we think people don’t like us, that our feelings aren’t reciprocated, they are more likely to wither. Human beings are quite vain after all, and there are few people out there who will continue to pursue what they think is a lost cause. I would almost argue that a person is better off pretending that they like someone more than they do as it can encourage those feelings to grow deeper with time.”

“But Percy does encourage him,” Ron argued. “I mean, even I can see that, and that’s saying something!”

“Yes, but you are Percy’s brother,” Hermione argued. “You know him better than the rest of the world so you can see subtle things that others wouldn’t see.”

“But Percy isn’t hiding his feelings so, unless Malfoy is a complete moron, he must be able to see it eventually,” Ron huffed. 

“Perhaps he would, if they spend enough time together,” Hermione reasoned. “But they don’t see each other very often and, when they do, it is always in large groups, so they don’t actually get each other’s undivided attention. It’s why I believe that, if Percy is truly serious, he ought to do everything he can to let Mr Malfoy know how he feels.”

“I suppose that does make sense if you are trying to secure any random person,” Harry mused, “but I don’t think Percy is that worried about that. He never intended to feel like this and is still trying to work out his own feelings for Mr Malfoy so I can understand him holding back. They have only known each other for two weeks after all.”

“Yes, but they have been in each other's company numerous times over that period and Percy isn’t an idiot so he must have a good idea of his feelings,” Hermione huffed. 

“Yeah, they know that they both have a thing for the thickness of cauldrons,” Ron laughed. 

“They both have a strong desire to help improve the Wizarding World,” Hermione countered. “That is a better foundation for a relationship than a lot of people have. Honestly, I wish Percy all the best in this and I firmly believe that if they married tomorrow they would have as much chance at happiness if they waited a year.”

Ron laughed. “Careful, Hermione. With this talk of speedy marriages, you’re starting to sound like my mother.”

Harry was so busy worrying about Percy and Mr Malfoy, he wasn’t aware that he had become the object of someone else’s attention. It had started out innocently enough, with Snape wanting to try to catch Harry doing something he shouldn’t. He didn’t see anything, but found himself intrigued by Harry, especially his bright green eyes that were always so expressive. Harry’s figure was slim but seemed to hide a certain amount of strength and his personality may come across as impertinent, but there was a cheekiness to him that seemed to bring joy to those around him. Harry’s opinion of him remained unchanged, however, and he would have been more than happy if Snape were to disappear for good. 

Mr Snape found himself wanting to know more about Harry, and what drove him, and, consequently, found himself trying to listen in to his conversations as surreptitiously as he could. His figure was quite imposing though, especially in a bright ballroom, and his lurking was eventually noticed. 

“What do you think Mr Snape is up to?” Harry asked Hermione, quietly, when they were at Madam Bones’ ball. “He was listening in on my conversation with Mr Doge.”

“Only Mr Snape can answer that,” Hermione chuckled, but Harry was not mollified. 

“Well if he does it again I will let him know what I think. He has such a dry cutting wit and I know that, if I don’t confront him straight away, I shall constantly worry that he is planning on using something against me.”

Mr Snape neared them shortly afterwards, seemingly still not planning on conversing with them. Hermione dared Harry to be true to his word which, obviously, he did. 

“Mr Snape, don’t you think I expressed myself well when I teased Mr Doge by saying that it was his turn to host a ball next?”

“You argued your point quite zealously,” Mr Snape replied, “but you appear to enjoy these occasions a lot so it isn’t overly surprising.”

“I am not sure where you got that idea?” Harry frowned. “It is more that I try to find ways to occupy myself at them, when I cannot simply spend time with my friends, that is. I even attempted to learn the piano at one point, as a way of keeping off the dance floor, to little avail.”

“At least it was better than Ron’s current endeavour,” Hermione chuckled. “He took the Wizengamot members’ offer to play chess seriously and he is currently trying to flag each of them down when they are more interested in smoking and drinking and playing cards.”

Harry groaned. “Does he really think that the ball is the place for that?”

“Apparently so,” Hermione smiled. “Perhaps we should go and distract him before bothers the wrong person.”

The pair walked off and Mr Snape was left to wander around the ball, once again lost for what to do, at least until enough time had passed where he could approach Harry again. He became lost in thought, trying to determine how long he should wait before moving, and he didn’t notice Cornelius Fudge nearing him. 

“It’s wonderful to see you here again, Mr Snape,” he beamed, “and I can only assume that your continued presence at these events is a sign that you are considering my suggestion.”

“Which suggestion is that?” Mr Snape asked, quickly trying to catch up with what the Minister was saying. 

“That you are looking for a partner of course,” Fudge grinned. 

“Ah,” Snape said. “No, I am still here in a supportive capacity only.”

“I don’t know, I think you can be persuaded,” Fudge chuckled. “Here comes Mr Potter, Harry my boy, surely you would accompany an old man to the dance floor.”

“I am honoured that you wish to stand up with me, Minister,” Harry said. 

“Oh, not me,” Fudge chuckled. “I was talking about Mr Snape here.”

The Minister had grabbed Harry’s hand and Snape was just about to take it, realising that dancing with Harry might not be as distasteful as he had previously thought. Before he could take it, however, Harry whipped his hand away. 

“Thank you for considering me, Minister, but I did not come over here because I am looking for a dance partner.”

“I am sure,” Fudge assured him, “but it would please me a lot to see you stand up again; it is such a rare sight after all.”

“There is a reason for that,” Harry chuckled. “My dancing skills are far from exemplary.”

“Perhaps, but Mr Snape has taught all of his wards and I am sure that he can give you a few pointers,” Fudge argued. 

“Mr Snape is all kindness,” Harry scoffed.

“He is, certainly,” Fudge chuckled, apparently missing Harry’s sarcasm, “although I can’t say I am surprised given the inducement. Who would turn down you for a partner?”

“Who indeed?” Harry smirked, raising an eyebrow in Mr Snape’s direction before walking off. The Minister was soon called away himself and Mr Snape was left alone, staring after Harry. 

Pansy Parkinson sidled up shortly after, smirking to herself. 

“I think I can guess what is on your mind.”

“Can you, now?”

Pansy nodded. “You are thinking about how utterly deplorable it is to spend your evenings in this way and I must say I quite agree. These people are so noisy while saying absolutely nothing, so full of themselves without having achieved anything. I can only imagine all of the scathing analysis you have made of them all and I would dearly love to hear your thoughts.”

“Actually you are completely mistaken. I was, in fact, considering the joy that can come from seeing a pair of fine eyes in a handsome face.”

“And, pray tell, which pair of fine eyes has inspired such musings?” Pansy asked, her surprise clear in her voice. 

“Mr Harry Potter,” Snape muttered. 

“Harry Potter!” Pansy exclaimed. “How long has he been a favourite of yours and can I expect to hear wedding bells in your future?”

Snape rolled his eyes. “Why must women always jump straight to marriage the second someone mentions even the slightest partiality in another?”

“Because it is fun,” Pansy laughed. “Really, now I am going to assume it is a done deal and I can just imagine the entire family taking over the old Prince estate when we have all left, although hopefully not before.”

Snape simply rolled his eyes again, knowing that there was no stopping her when she was like this and let her find her enjoyment in this imaginary future matrimony. 

Chapter Text

Harry had his own fortune, courtesy of the Potter family which had been a major player in the wizarding world since the Medieval period. The family apparently had a long history with potions, despite it being something Harry had never had much time for, although many of his ancestor’s potion recipes were still used in the present day. In more recent years, his grandfather had created a hair product called Sleekeazy that had actually been sold all over the world. Fleamont Potter’s company had quadrupled the family fortune at the time. Harry’s father had not had any desire to run the company though, and had happily allowed a group of managing directors to do all the hard work, while he accepted his dividends. 

The managing directors had run the company well, as far as Harry was aware, but some of them had been worried that Harry might not follow in his father’s footsteps and might try to take a more active role in things. He had some voting and veto rights and, while he had yet to use them, some people worried he might. They had taken pains to try to block Harry from having any say in their actions, which became an issue when they hired Gilderoy Lockhart to be the face of the company. Harry wasn’t a fan of the man, although he knew Mrs Weasley was enamoured by him, and Harry had tried to get them to find someone else. This had sparked some tensions at the time and the Sleekeazy directors had threatened to block everything except the most basic stipend from being paid to Harry. 

Thankfully that was still more than enough for Harry’s meagre expenses but he had hoped to find a way to work things out with the company amicably. He was sorry to say, though, that didn’t seem to be the case. The managing directors were adamant that they were keeping Lockhart, and wrote to Harry to say that they were sending him to the Burrow so that Harry could meet him and hopefully see what the draw of him is. Harry wasn’t sure but Mrs Weasley was over the moon at the idea and insisted Harry reply that they would be happy for Mr Lockhart to come over at his earliest convenience. 

The thought of Mr Lockhart coming was soon forgotten, however, as Ottery-St-Catchpole became the location of a Quidditch exhibition tournament. Teams from all over the country began coming to the town that was just a short mile away from the Burrow. It caused a lot of excitement in the Weasley household, especially with Ron and Ginny, who would often find excuses to go into town to see which new players had arrived. Harry joined them on occasion although, unlike Ron and Ginny, he had never developed a favourite team and didn’t care that much about the game unless he was playing, or actually watching it. He was happy to join his adopted siblings in their adventures, however, and they had soon worked out where everyone was staying and where they liked to practice. 

They were discussing who the better players were one morning, or at least Rob and Ginny were, much to Mrs Weasley’s consternation, when an owl arrived, an eagle owl, landing in front of Percy, and Mrs Weasley’s eyes twinkled. 

“Who’s that from?” she asked. 

“It’s from Malfoy Manor,” Percy said, a tinge of awe in his voice. 

“Mr Weasley,” he read, “I would like to invite you to dine with Millicent, Gregory and I as we would like to discuss some of the legislation changes that are going to be coming before the Wizengamot in the near future. We have been out of mainstream Wizarding society a lot and we would like to better understand what is going on. Draco and Mr Snape will be at the Ministry. Yours ever, Pansy Parkinson.”

“That’s annoying that Mr Malfoy will be out,” Mrs Weasley mused. 

“Do you think we could connect the floo?” Percy asked. “I remember Mr Malfoy saying that the apparition point on his property is out in the woods and I probably wouldn’t be able to find it at night, especially as it looks like a storm is coming in.”

“Yes, I heard it would be quite the storm,” Mrs Weasley murmured, eyeing the near black clouds gathering on the horizon. “But no, we can’t possibly connect the floo to theirs at short notice. You will just have to make your way from the apparition point and, with any luck, you will have to stay overnight.”

“They could simply connect the floo on their end,” Harry said but Mrs Weasley shook her head. 

“It would have to be Mr Malfoy to make that request as it is his property. It would be a bad show if anyone could link anyone’s property to anywhere after all.”

“But what if I have a fall trying to make my way to the house given how dark those clouds are making it?” Percy exclaimed. 

Mrs Weasley just smiled. “Then you had best set off quickly before the storm clouds come in.”

Percy knew things were often a lost cause with his mother when she set her mind to something so he quickly got ready and set off, hoping to beat the storm. The crack of Percy’s apparition was almost instantly followed by the crack of thunder, however, and Harry began to worry. Mrs Weasley didn’t seem as worried though, possibly a layover from growing up mostly surrounded by purebloods so she had a different idea of danger. Harry had been the same until he met Hermione who managed to instil a healthy dose of fear in him and Ron over their time at Hogwarts. 

Harry’s fear didn’t wane in the slightest, especially as the wind and rain battered against the house all night and, in the morning, Mrs Weasley received a letter from Percy that worried Harry immensely. 

Dear Mother, 

I find myself unwell this morning, possibly as a side effect of getting soaked through on my way through the woods. Mr Snape has given me a Pepper Up potion but it doesn’t seem to have helped much so they have called a Healer. Don’t worry though, I am fine except for a headache and a weak stomach and I’m sure that whatever it is will pass shortly. 

I’m sure I will be home soon, 

Yours always, 

Percy 

“Well,” Harry huffed, after Mrs Weasley had read the letter out, “if Percy is to die, at least you would know it was in the pursuit of Mr Malfoy.”

“Oh pish!” Mrs Weasley scoffed. “Wizards don’t die from trifling colds. The Healer will come and he will be absolutely fine. I would go and visit him so I could assure you myself but I have some potion orders to fulfil and it's the weekend so we can’t get the Floo connected.”

“That’s fine, I can head over there on my broom,” Harry said, standing up and heading to the door. 

“On your broom?” Mrs Weasley exclaimed. “It is over 100 miles away!”

“That’s fine,” Harry smiled. “The storm yesterday has cleared and it looks like it will be a nice day. I think one of us should go and make sure Percy is alright at least and it’s not like anyone else is available. The twins are out collecting ingredients and Ron and Ginny have already arranged to go and visit with Oliver Wood in the village.”

“But you will be in a state when you get there after such a flight!” Mrs Weasley argued. 

“I shall be fine to see Percy and that’s all I care about,” Harry insisted. 

“If I pull some strings, I might be able to find someone to connect the floo,” Mr Weasley said but Harry shook his head. 

“Thank you for the consideration but I promise I am fine. I’m actually looking forward to making the journey; it has been a while since I was able to go that far.”

“We think you’re nuts, Harry,” George chuckled. 

“Yes,” Fred agreed. “We like flying as much as anyone but even we wouldn’t think about doing that journey on a broom.”

“At least not over country,” Ginny nodded, “although going around a pitch might be a good practice.”

Harry couldn’t agree, he loved the idea of getting to see the British countryside whizzing by beneath him and he soon set off, making good time as he sped through the crisp morning air. He hadn’t taken into account some of the morning mist that hung in the air and hadn’t cast any impervious charms before he set off. It meant that his robes were quite wet when he arrived, especially around his shoulders, where he was zipping through the air. His hair was even more of a mess than normal, with moisture beading all through the bird’s nest on his head. His face was glowing from the exercise, however, as he was shown into the parlour and made his greetings. 

The whole party was there, except for Percy, and everyone was astounded that Harry should make such a journey on his broom, so early in the morning. They all greeted Harry politely and Mr Malfoy seemed to be particularly happy to see him. Mr Snape and Mr Goyle said nothing: the former was admiring the brilliancy the exercise had done to Harry’s complexion and the latter was too interested in his breakfast. 

Harry was a little disconcerted to hear that Percy hadn’t had a good night. He had had a fitful sleep and hadn’t been interested in any food leaving him too weak to leave the bed. Harry was anxious to be shown to Percy immediately and Percy, who had held back in his letter for fear of making his mother feel guilty or anxious, had held back on how bad things were. He had wanted someone to visit, however, although he didn’t really seem up to talking, simply turning his head into the pillow as tires silently fell down his cheeks. Harry had no idea what was wrong, but he silently attended Percy, holding his hand and hoping his adopted brother got better soon. 

Pansy and Millicent came up after breakfast and spent some time with Percy, telling stories of their time growing up, especially some of the more humorous stories, trying to lift his spirits, and Harry felt himself warming to them. The Healer came after lunch but he wasn’t all that much help. He had apparently been worried that it was Dragon Pox but the lack of any kind of sneezing ruled that out. That was heartening in one aspect, in that the potential for it being life threatening had lessened. The problem was that the Healer was at a loss as to what was causing the issues. 

“Has Mr Weasley eaten anything that no one else has eaten?” the Healer asked and Harry shook his head. 

“Not as far as I’m aware, although he only arrived here yesterday afternoon. Why? Do you think Percy was poisoned?”

“Not necessarily intentionally,” the Healer said, “but it is certainly a possibility. If he has only been bedridden for half a day though, it might be worth seeing if whatever it is will simply work its way out of his system on its own. I advise pushing water, especially if you conjure it yourself, and I can prescribe a sleeping draught to help him rest. If there is no improvement in a couple of days call me again and we can see if any other symptoms show up. Of course, you should call straight away should he deteriorate, but I don’t think that is likely from what I’ve seen.”

Harry thanked the healer for his time and spent the rest of the day in the room, making sure Percy was comfortable and encouraging him to take sips of water whenever he could. The ladies were there quite a bit as well, seemingly concerned, although Harry was also aware the men were out so their own amusement would be limited. At three o’clock, however, Harry feared that he had stayed as long as he could, especially as he would have to fly home. He hated leaving Percy looking so wretched but he took heart in knowing that at least he had a sleeping draught that night. 

Harry was relaying what the Healer had told him about Percy’s care but something of his concern must have come across as Mr Malfoy invited Harry to stay. Harry accepted immediately and an owl was sent to inform the Weasleys of the change of plans, as well as collect some clothes, and Harry returned to Percy’s side with a huge sense of relief. 

Harry was summoned to dinner at half past six. Everyone asked after Percy, especially Mr Malfoy, who seemed particularly concerned with Percy’s health, and Harry was sorry that he couldn’t give his host better news. Percy was by no means better: still not eating, although he had been drinking well with prompts and he had taken his sleeping draught so should have some good sleep at least. Pansy and Millicent both declared how horrible it was, how they were sure that Percy must have some sort of illness, not a poison, and how they both detested being ill themselves. They then immediately switched to what the latest fashions were and Harry was a little happy to note their indifference to Percy, when her brother wasn’t in the room, as it meant Harry could go back to disliking them. 

Draco seemed to be the only one who was worried in the slightest and seemed to want to do everything that he could that might potentially aid Percy’s recovery. His anxiety over Percy was clear, and his relief at Harry being there was palpable, which went a long way to stopping Harry feeling like he was imposing on the man’s hospitality. He was the only one who seemed to care that Harry was there. Mr Snape seemed to be deep in thought most of the time and Harry could swear Pansy was mooning over Mr Malfoy, although he didn’t seem to notice. Mr Goyle was mostly interested in the food and lost all interest in Harry when he said he preferred a roast dinner to overly rich food. Harry seemed to lose Millicent’s respect when he opted to read as opposed to joining the card table. 

As soon as the meal was over, Harry returned to check on Percy and, almost as soon as he was out of the room, the abuse of him started. 

“He might be the child of heroes but I swear there is absolutely nothing to recommend him,” Pansy announced. “His manners are appalling; nothing but a mix of pride and impertinence. He has no style, no taste and he is hardly the most handsome man in the world, despite what I’ve heard some claim. He really is nothing special.”

“Except that he is excellent at flying,” Millicent added. “I don’t think I can ever forget his appearance this morning; he looked positively wild.”

“Quite,” Pansy agreed. “I can’t understand why he felt the need to travel such a distance because someone he isn’t even related to is a little under the weather. His hair was an absolute state, even more than usual!”

“And his robes were soaking! I swear he was actually dripping when he came to greet us and I wasn’t entirely sure it wasn’t sweat!”

“That may be true,” Malfoy said, “but I didn’t notice any of it. I thought Mr Potter looked very well when he entered the parlour and I barely noticed he was damp.”

“I’m sure Mr Snape noticed it,” Pansy smirked. “I can’t imagine you would be happy if any of us made such a journey at that hour.”

“Certainly not,” Snape agreed. 

“I mean, to fly what must be 100 miles when the mists hadn’t even cleared!” she continued, barely having registered his ascent. “Such an abominable, conceited independence! It truly shows a lack of breeding.”

“To me it shows an affection for his adopted brother that I can only find admirable,” Draco argued and Pansy frowned before turning to Snape. 

“I can only imagine that this little adventure has somewhat diminished your preference for his fine eyes.”

“On the contrary,” Snape smirked. “The exercise brightened them.”

Pansy scowled but seemed at a loss for what to say. Thankfully, for her, Millicent managed to switch the conversation. 

“I do feel sorry for Percy. He is really a very smart and driven young man but I can’t see him get anywhere being part of such a family. I heard that his father is part of some obscure branch of the Department of Magical Law enforcement that barely has an office.”

“Quite,” Pansy snickered. “And his two older brothers have had to go off and work from the ground up in their chosen careers.”

“You say that as if it is a bad thing!” Draco huffed, rolling his eyes. “Most people don’t have connections to allow them to jump straight to higher levels in their chosen professions.”

“It would typically give them a better understanding of the job,” Snape mused, “but, given how long wizards can live, it can make moving up the ranks difficult. People don’t like to demote people, even if someone better qualified is available.”

“Yes,” Pansy agreed, “and I can only imagine what the general lack of ambition shown by the parents will have on the children.”

Millicent nodded in agreement and the conversation moved to discussing what some of their friends had gotten up to since joining the wizarding world, with frequent comparisons being made to the little the Weasley siblings had achieved in comparison. The party eventually set up a card table as a way to spend the evening and, after a few hours, Harry came back down. 

“Is everything alright?” Malfoy asked, and Harry smiled. 

“Yes. Percy took the sleeping draught and appears to have settled into a deep sleep but I didn’t want to linger in the room and risk disturbing him.”

“An excellent idea,” Malfoy smiled, “and we are happy to have you with us.”

“Would you like to join us?” Millicent asked, although she didn’t even attempt to pull up a chair so Harry was partly inclined to, just to be contrary. He imagined they were playing for high stakes, however, and Harry had never been a fan of gambling so he declined and opted to read instead. He wasn’t the biggest fan of reading but it did offer him a chance to ignore them if he wanted and he could easily use Percy as an excuse to leave if needed. He had only come down as he thought it would be rude to Malfoy if he stayed away. 

“You prefer reading over cards?” Goyle asked incredulously. 

“Oh, Harry Potter is a great reader,” Pansy smirked. “He takes no pleasure in anything else.”

Harry laughed. “That is patently not true. I am not a great reader and I derive pleasure from many things.”

“You seem to take a lot of pleasure from looking after Mr Weasley,” Malfoy said, “and hopefully that will increase when he makes a recovery.”

“Well I consider Percy as a brother so it is really no hardship,” Harry smiled, walking over to a table that had a few books on.

“There is a library nearby,” Malfoy exclaimed, half jumping out of his chair in an effort to accommodate Harry. “The room is probably a bit cold as the fires haven’t been lit but I can always have something brought in if you let me know what you like.”

“Thank you, but these will be fine,” Harry assured him. He didn’t care that much for what pureblood families did during the witch trials but he didn’t want to impose on Mr Malfoy further. 

“I do hate that my own family left our library in such disrepair,” Pansy sighed. “I wish it could be as good as Draco’s.”

“Libraries require effort,” Snape said. “You simply have to wish to improve it and it will happen.”

“Didn’t you have to buy a whole bunch when you began teaching us?” Malfoy queried, and Snape nodded. 

“Yes, and it took some time to build it to what it is now,even though I had quite a decent personal collection already. I feel it is such a shame when families neglect their libraries.”

“Or any of their properties,” Pansy moaned. “I swear my property is in such a state of disrepair that I might never make it liveable. I may have to keep pressing on Draco’s hospitality.”

“You could always return to Severus’ home in Derbyshire, Pemberley,” Draco suggested. “It’s not like you would be the only one, Astoria is still there.”

“Oh yes, dear Astoria!” Pansy gushed. “How is she? Has she grown? She was such a darling petite thing last I saw her.”

“I think she has,” Snape said. “I had a message recently, asking me to get some new robes for her as she had grown out of her old ones.”

“Please let me have a say in what you get,” Pansy pleaded. “She will be making her appearance in society soon and we need to make sure she looks the part. She is such a delightful and accomplished young woman after all.”

“Aren’t all witches and wizards who achieve a good education, accomplished?” Draco queried. “I mean, it takes a lot of skill to be able to achieve your N.E.W.Ts so achieving multiple is definitely something to be proud of.”

“I am sure there are many people who use the word ‘accomplished’ in such a manner,” Snape sniffed, “but, in my opinion, that is far too liberal a definition for such a compliment.”

“Then what does a person need to achieve to be deemed accomplished, in your opinion?” Harry asked, unable to let such ridiculousness pass without comment.

“A person must surpass what is typically seen,” Snape replied. “They must take pains to improve their education and skills beyond what is merely academic, doing a deep study into their preferred field and looking at material outside of what can be found on the shelves at Flourish and Blotts, although constantly improving their mind through reading is also a must.”

Harry shut his book with a snap. “I find it hard to believe that you know anyone who manages to fit such criteria. I certainly don’t think I have come across such a person.”

“How can you say such a thing!” Pansy exclaimed. “Perhaps Hogwarts is lacking but Mr Snape made sure that all of us reached our utmost potential under his care which means that many of our number fit such criteria!”

“Pansy! Will you concentrate on the game,” Millicent huffed. “We are waiting on you.”

That ended the conversation and, as silence filled the room, only disturbed by the sound of shuffling cards, Harry soon left to check on Percy.

Pansy scowled at Harry’s retreating back and, when the door closed behind his back, she let her thoughts be known. 

“Harry Potter is one of those detestable people who makes himself seem better by bringing down everyone around them. It is a very low and underhanded way of trying to gain attention.”

“One could argue that all ways of getting attention are underhanded,” Snape argued, “as one person getting attention usually means that someone else loses out.”

Pansy frowned, not happy with the answer but not able to think of a way to get the answer she wanted. 

A House Elf arrived shortly after, however, with a message from Harry that Percy’s sleep still seemed to be disturbed despite taking dreamless sleep and he asked for the Healer to be called again. Snape, especially, seemed concerned, and left the card table to the library. 

Chapter Text

Harry spent the whole night by Percy’s side, not sleeping as he tried to make sure that Percy was comfortable and still sleeping, even as he wiped away the tears that kept falling down his cheeks. Percy woke up, seemingly refreshed and, when the Healer came, the man was a little perplexed as to why he had been crying while under dreamless sleep. Percy didn’t seem any worse, physically, however, and even managed to stomach a little porridge, even if he was still weak and in a low mood. 

Mr Malfoy had sent a note to the Burrow the night before and, in the morning, opened up the Floo to allow Mrs Weasley, Ron and Ginny to come through. Mrs Weasley was concerned, right up until she saw Percy eating, at which point she relaxed. She had seen her children ill enough to know that what Percy was suffering from wasn’t life threatening and, as such, was sure he would make a recovery given time. She wouldn’t hear of Percy being moved, however, even when Harry suggested getting the flying carpet, and the Healer agreed that it was a bad idea. 

After they had sat with Percy a little while but the Healer suggested another dose of dreamless sleep to allow him some more rest and the Weasleys were invited to have some breakfast downstairs. 

“Is Percy worse than you expected?” Draco asked. 

“I’m afraid he is,” Mrs Weasley sighed. “The Healer said he mustn’t be moved so I’m afraid we must trespass on your kindness a little longer.”

“Of course he shouldn’t be moved!” Mr Malfoy exclaimed. “I wouldn’t dream of letting him travel unless he was better.”

“That is kind of you to say,” Mrs Weasley smiled. “I am so glad that we are able to class someone as kind as you among our friends. I honestly don’t know what we would do without your gracious support. I know Percy is suffering greatly, although he takes such pains to hide it: he always did try to put on a brave face so as not to worry people. His older brothers are quite a bit older, you see, and Percy always saw it as his job to look after his younger siblings so pushed his needs aside in favour of theirs. I often tell my children that I wish they would be more like him sometimes. You do have a lovely house here though, Mr Malfoy, it really is the finest I have seen in the Wizarding World. I do hope you plan on staying here a while, I know some young people are wont to travel.”

“I must admit I have no plans on travelling any time soon,” Mr Malfoy smiled, “but I cannot guarantee that won’t change. I know some of my friends were talking about going on a Grand Tour. I haven’t made any decisions yet, though. That isn’t strange, however; I tend to act quickly whenever I decide to do something.”

“I heard that used to be a thing,” Harry said, “and it seems like just the sort of thing I can see you doing.”

“You think you are coming to know me, do you?” Malfoy chuckled. 

“I think I have a good idea of you, yes,” Harry smiled. 

“I fear that isn’t a compliment,” Malfoy sighed. “It can’t be a good thing if you can read me so easily.”

“I don’t know,” Harry mused. “I don’t think a deep and intricate character is necessarily more difficult to discern than one such as yours.”

“Harry!” Mrs Weasley scolded. “Mind what you say in someone’s house! I know you are wont to run your tongue at home but I raised you better than this.”

“I didn’t know that you studied people,” Malfoy continued, seemingly ignoring Mrs Weasley’s outburst. “It must be quite an interesting pastime.”

“It is,” Harry smiled, “although intricate characters are my favourite.”

“It is a shame that you must come across so few of those living in the country as you do,” Snape said. “You mustn’t see that many people here.”

“Perhaps,” Harry nodded, “but people can change over their lives, sometimes even day to day, so there is invariably something new to observe.”

“Quite!” Mrs Weasley huffed. “The people in the country are no worse than people in the city.”

Everyone looked a little surprised and Snape turned his head away to hide his expression. 

“I think you are mistaken, Mrs Weasley,” Harry said cautiously. “Mr Snape didn’t mean he thought country folk were worse, just that we don’t see as many people in the village as one might in the City. You have to admit that that is true.”

“Of course,” Mrs Weasley bristled, “but Ottery-St-Catchpole is no backwater village. Why, we must dine with at least two dozen families around these parts.”

Pansy smirked at Harry as he suppressed a groan and tried not to see the pity in Mr Malfoy’s eyes. He certainly didn’t dare to look Mr Snape’s way. He knew Mrs Weasley was just trying to defend her family and neighbourhood but, in doing so, she only made the situation worse. Someone who was well connected didn’t need to brag about being well connected and, in doing so, she actually sounded like she was a social climber. Harry knew she wasn’t, but he was also aware of how her ill-thought comments might be taken.

“Has Hermione been by while I’ve been away?” Harry asked, desperate to change the subject. 

“She did,” Mrs Weasley replied, “but she didn’t stay long. She is a very smart girl but I fear that her muggle parents need her at home at times. It is a shame. Personally try not to rely on my children too much for day to day matters but I know that isn’t the case for everyone. She is a good sort of girl and very smart, it is just a shame she isn’t prettier. Not that I think she looks bad, at least not when she makes an effort, but she is such a good friend to my children.”

“She does seem like a lovely young lady,” Mr Malfoy said, and Mrs Weasley’s face seemed to fall a bit. 

“Oh, she is, yes, but she is so very plain. Just look at that hair! She never takes care of her appearance either; her head is too stuck in a book. She does have to study so hard to keep up. Not like my Percy. Of course, as his mother, I am far from impartial, but the Minister himself has noted Percy’s talents on more than one occasion and is apparently scouting him for a high ranking position, although we haven’t heard anything yet.”

A pause followed and Harry became a little worried that Mrs Weasley might say something more to embarrass them. He longed to fill the silence himself but he couldn’t think of anything to say. Thankfully all she did was to repeat her thanks to Mr Malfoy, as well as to thank him for taking Harry in as well. Mr Malfoy dismissed her concerns, saying that he was happy to have both of them and Mrs Weasley made to leave. That seemed to spark Ginny into action and she accosted Mr Malfoy. 

“Don’t you think it would be a good idea to have a ball,” she suggested. “It would be a good way to introduce yourself to the area, especially as there are Quidditch players in town, which means you can meet people from all over the country.”

Harry was amazed at her audacity but Ginny had always been a favourite of Mrs Weasley, as well as quite popular, which had meant that she didn’t see many consequences to her actions. He was worried how Mr Malfoy might take her actions, though, but thankfully Mr Malfoy merely laughed. 

“That sounds like an excellent idea and, when your brother is better, you can name the date, as I’m sure you wouldn’t be able to enjoy yourself while he’s still recovering.”

Harry wasn’t sure Ron and Ginny would actually care that much if Percy were there or not, especially if Quidditch players were around but, thankfully, they didn’t say as much. 

“That’s a good idea and, by that time, there will probably be a few more players by then,” Ginny grinned. “When you have your ball, I may even be able to get the players to host one as well.”

As soon as Mrs Weasley and her younger children left, Harry fled back up to Percy’s room, fearful of how the actions of the Weasleys would be taken. Pansy and Millicent did have a lot of fun at the Weasleys’ defence and Mr Snape joined in a little as well, although he couldn’t be pushed to say anything against Harry himself. 

The rest of the day passed much the same as it had the day before. Percy woke up around lunchtime and drank well, eating some soup as well, much to Harry’s relief and, for a little while, he looked a little brighter. Pansy and Millicent came in to check on him in the afternoon but Harry felt as if their conversation was becoming a little strained, as if they were running out of things to talk about. It didn’t take Percy long to claim fatigue, giving them an excuse to leave, and Harry wasn’t sure if it was due to his illness or if they had actually bored him to exhaustion. 

A wave of melancholy seemed to come over him as the day wore on though, but Harry pushed things to make sure Percy drank plenty and had some more soup in the evening, worried about his intake, especially with how much he was crying. He gave him another dose of dreamless sleep afterwards but he was starting to worry about that as well. The Healer had said that they didn’t like to prescribe it for long periods, due to its addictive nature but Percy was far from recovered and Harry didn’t know what they would do if the Healer cut them off. 

He went down to the drawing room, after checking on Percy after dinner, to see if he could find anything on sleep aids. His potions knowledge was far from extensive but he did know a bit. A part of him wondered if he should ask Snape for advice but Harry was loath to do it, still harbouring a strong dislike of the man. He might have been tempted to say something if the man was on his own but Harry was too emotionally wrought from caring for Percy to handle a verbal tongue lashing in public, especially knowing that Pansy would jump on the chance to use it against him. 

Of course the whole party was in the drawing room at this hour: Malfoy, Millicent and Goyle were playing exploding snap and Snape was writing a letter. Pansy was watching him, practically leaning over him, and Harry had to wonder if she actually had her eye on him, not Draco, although it was possible she was after anyone with a fortune. Harry had heard her wax-lyrical about Snape’s house, Pemberley, on multiple occasions, usually when bemoaning her own estate, so it was possible she was able to look past his looks when her eyes were on his bank account. 

Harry managed to find a book on magical herbs by the sofa that looked like someone had been skimming through it quite recently. It had been discarded, however, so Harry picked it up now as he let the conversation in the room wash over him, and tried not to laugh at Pansy’s ridiculous behaviour. 

“Astoria will be delighted to receive such a wonderful letter.”

Snape ignored her. 

“You write uncommonly fast.”

“You are mistaken, I actually write quite slow.”

“But your writing is so wonderfully even.”

“That is because I take my time. If I rush, I assure you it is much more of a scrawl, although I find people sometimes struggle to read that.”

“How many letters you must have to write through the year. Letters of business and to the Potions journals as well. I would find that so odious.”

“Then it is a good thing you don’t have to write them.”

“Tell Astoria that I look forward to seeing her again.”

“I did earlier in the letter already, at your request.”

“It looks like you don’t like your quill, let me fix it for you. I’m actually pretty good at it.”

“Thank you, but I always fix my own quills. I am quite particular about them.”

“I am not surprised when you write such charming, long letters.”

“My letters are often long although I don’t think they are usually charming.”

“I am of the opinion that no one who writes a long letter with ease cannot write a bad one.”

“But you forget,” Draco smirked, “that Snape doesn’t write his letters with ease as he thinks about what he says for an age, trying to find words with four syllables or more.”

Harry bit his lip to stop from laughing and he was a little surprised when Snape cracked a small smile. 

“You and I have very different styles, Draco.”

“I wish Draco would mirror your style more sometimes,” Pansy moaned. “His style is good, at least what you can read, but he misses out half the words and ends up smudging half of what he does write.”

“That is just because my ideas come too quickly to me to be able to properly get them out on the page,” Malfoy chuckled. “The problem is that it often makes my letter completely illegible for the recipient.”

“How very humble of you to admit that,” Harry mused. 

“Be careful, Mr Potter, not to get deceived by false humility. It is either from them not truly understanding their character, or it is an indirect boast.”

“And which of those are you accusing me of?”Draco asked. 

“It is an indirect boast,” Snape stated. “You are actually proud of your careless letters because you believe them to be because of a quickness of mind which you think gives you an air of greater intelligence. For some reason people who do things quickly are always proud of them, with little regard for the quality of what they do. It was the same when you told Mrs Weasley that you move quickly when you decide to do something. Your words made it sound as if rashness was something to be admired but you don’t consider that planning is usually preferable.”

“Oh Merlin, that is underhanded of you, using what I said in the morning at this hour of the night!” Draco exclaimed. “That being said, I do believe that to be true. Planning was never my strong suit and I do have a tendency to act on impulse so, if it is a boast, at least it is the truth.”

“The only misstatement you made,” Snape said, “is not continuing and explaining that you would stay with equal speed. You could be completely set on leaving but, if a friend were to stop you, as you were about to apparate, and say that they thought you ought to stay another day, you would instantly change your plans. Another word and you would likely stay a month.”

Harry laughed. “I think you actually made Mr Malfoy sound even better than saying that than he did himself.”

“Thank you Mr Potter,” Malfoy smiled, “for turning that into a compliment on my good nature but I really don’t think that Severus intended it that way. He would certainly rather I tell the friend ‘no’ and leave the next instant.”

“So Mr Snape would consider the rashness of your original action negated by obstinately clinging to that original idea?” Harry queried. 

“I would certainly never dream to speak for Severus,” Malfoy chuckled. 

“Please do not bring me into this if you insist on trying to foist opinions on me that aren’t my own,” Snape huffed. “If I must try to explain my position, however, Mr Potter, I should point out that the friend who asked him to change his plans didn’t actually give any reason for him to stay and change his plan, merely giving a desire for it to happen.”

“And you don’t think that is enough?” Harry questioned. “To yield to the request of a friend?”

“To yield without so easily is no compliment to either him or his friend.”

“So, what you seem to say, is that you don’t allow for mere affection or friendship to have any influence over you,” Harry mused. “How close you are to a person can greatly affect how much you accept a request from them and how little you require from them by way of explanation. Of course, it is difficult to judge in a hypothetical situation so it might be best if we wait until it actually happens. In general, however, I do believe that, when it comes to friends, if one of them wishes the other to change their decision, when that decision was made on a whim, I don’t think that it would be a bad thing for someone to change their mind again, without waiting for an explanation.”

“If we are going to determine how close the friendship is, should we not determine the importance of the reason to leave, as well as stay?” Snape suggested and Malfoy rolled his eyes. 

“By all means and, while you’re at it, you may as well determine all of the variables, including the other person’s height and size because that would obviously give more weight to their argument. I swear that if Severus weren’t as tall or broad of shoulders as he is, I am sure I wouldn’t defer to him half as much as I do.”

Mr Snape cracked a smile but Harry didn’t think it met his eyes so he held back his own laugh. Pansy wasn’t quite so restrained. 

“Draco! How can you say that after all that everything Severus has done for us!” 

“It’s alright Pansy, I can see what Draco is up to. He disliked the argument and sought to end it.”

“Quite,” Draco agreed. “Arguments are too much like disputes in my mind. If you are happy to wait until I leave the room, however, I give you leave to continue and say anything you want about me.”

“That is no hardship on my part,” Harry smiled, “and it would give Mr Snape time to finish his letter.”

Mr Snape nodded his head in Harry’s direction before turning back to comply with his suggestion. When he was done, he requested Pansy play some music and she happily went to the pianoforte. Harry returned to his reading but couldn’t help noticing that Snape’s eyes frequently strayed to him. He didn’t think that he had become an object of admiration to someone such as Mr Snape, but the idea that he looked at Harry so much because he disliked him was, frankly, absurd. 

The music changed from an Italian melody to a Scottish gig and, as it did, Mr Snape moved towards Harry. 

“Are you in the mood to dance?” he asked. 

Harry cast him a smile but said nothing and returned to his book so Mr Snape repeated the question. 

“Oh, I heard you the first time,” Harry replied, “but I was trying to determine how to reply. You see, I was sure you asked only so that you might have a chance to mock me and I always enjoy ruining people’s schemes when they do that so my answer is no, I do not want to dance. Now you can despise me if you dare.”

“I don’t dare, in fact,” Snape said with a bow, leaving Harry feeling even more confused. The truth was that, while his manner was impertinent, there was an element of humour in it that was not actually designed to cause offence. Snape was coming to actually enjoy and appreciate Harry’s humour. That, along with Harry’s looks, were causing a stirring of emotion that might have Snape worried if not for the myriad of reasons why he and Harry would not make a good match. 

His partiality didn’t go unnoticed and Pansy now had two reasons for wishing for Percy’s speedy recovery. With Draco, she reminded him of the issues with Percy’s family and, with Snape, she continued to joke about his preference, talking about his marriage to Harry and discussing their potential future. 

“I hope,” she said, when walking in the shrubbery the next day, “that, when you marry, you suggest to Mrs Weasley that she learn to hold her tongue: silence really can be golden. It may also be a good idea to curtail the younger ones’ habit of running after Quidditch players, it really is quite distasteful. Of course, it may be difficult, but you might also want to curb your future spouse’s impertinent streak that will likely get him into trouble one day.”

“Do you have any other suggestions for my future domestic felicity?”

“Indeed. Do let the portrait of the eldest brother, who works for Gringotts, be placed next to the portrait of your great-grandfather who was the Minister for finance; they work in similar fields after all. Although you shouldn’t bother to have dear Harry’s likeness taken as what artist could do justice to his fine eyes.”

“Catching their expression, no,” Snape agreed, “but there should be an artist who can capture the shape and possibly the colour, as well as the lashes which are so fine.”

They rounded a corner and happened across Harry and Millicent coming the other way. 

“I didn’t realise you were coming out,” Pansy said, clearly worried they had been overheard. 

“I’m not surprised,” Millicent huffed, indicating that they hadn’t been. “You rushed off so quickly and didn’t bother asking.”

Millicent let go of Harry’s arm and immediately took Snape’s spare one. The path they were on was just wide enough for the three of them and Snape seemed to see the rudeness of the situation. 

“Perhaps we should find a wider path,” he suggested but Harry shook his head with a smile. 

“No, stay as you are. You are so charmingly grouped, it would be a shame to ruin this by adding a fourth. Enjoy your walk.”

With that, Harry quickly walked off in the other direction, happy for the solitude and fervently hoping that he could return to the Burrow shortly.

Chapter Text

That evening, after dinner, Harry rushed upstairs and, seeing that Percy was more alert than previously, made sure he was warm and comfortable and helped him downstairs to the drawing room. Everyone greeted him warmly, although some were certainly warmer than others. Pansy, who’s attention had been focused on Mr Malfoy all through dinner, switched to Snape when Percy arrived as Malfoy became wholly focused on him. He quickly moved a chair close to the fireplace, building the fire up to an almost uncomfortable level. Snape seemed concerned with Percy’s comfort as well, helping to adjust the blankets he was wrapped in to make sure he didn’t overheat. 

“What is this,” he asked, eyeing a small scratch at the base of Percy’s neck. 

“Oh, that is just a scratch I got on my way here,” Percy said, moving his hand to cover it as if he were embarrassed, although it was difficult to tell with how warm the fire had already made his cheeks. 

Snape stopped him from covering it as he took a closer look. 

“It seems like more than a mere scratch.”

“Well I thought that it was a bite but the Healer said it wasn’t.”

Snape hummed and Harry was going to ask if he had thought of anything but the man didn’t linger long enough to say anything, sweeping out of the room in a billow of robes. Millicent and Goyle greeted Percy but soon set up a card table when it was clear that no one would get a word in as Mr Malfoy was taking Percy’s full attention. He pulled a chair up near Percy’s and the pair fell into conversation, acting as if the rest of the world fell from existence. Malfoy was incredibly animated with Percy less so, but Harry assumed that was mostly due to his illness, especially as they were apparently talking about international legislation, a subject that was close to Percy’s heart. 

Harry decided to write a letter to the Weasleys, to let them know of Percy’s improvement and Pansy seemed at a loss as to what to do until Snape returned with a book on Magical Creatures of the British Isles. He sat down on the sofa and she quickly took up a seat next to him, her own book in hand, although she didn’t seem to be particularly interested in it. She seemed to constantly be trying to peek at his page, or ask him what he was reading about. She didn’t manage to get anywhere, however, with Snape simply humming or giving one word answers to all of her questions as his attention barely wavered from the page. Harry saw the whole exchange from his desk and barely managed to contain his laughter at the ridiculousness of it all.

“What an enjoyable way to spend an evening,” she said eventually, with a yawn, putting her book aside having barely turned any pages. “I swear there is nothing better than reading a book; one grows bored of other entertainment so easily but not reading. I shall be so miserable if I cannot have access to a good library after I marry; my family’s one is so pitiful.”

No one seemed to pay her any attention, even when she yawned again and looked about for some sort of entertainment when she overheard Malfoy mention the ball he was planning again and she couldn’t help commenting. 

“By the way, Draco, do you really think it’s a good idea to go ahead with this ball? There are some people who are staying here who would find it less pleasure and more pain.”

“If you mean Mr Snape,” Malfoy smirked, “he can simply go to bed, it’s not like this place isn’t big enough if he wants to hide himself away. As for the ball, it is a done deal. I am just waiting for Mr Weasley to get better, then the House Elves to make enough white soup, before I send out the invitations.”

She didn’t seem to pay him much attention, though. “You know, I would much prefer balls if they were carried on in a different way. There is something so insufferably tedious about the usual state of affairs. It would be so much better if conversation, instead of dancing, were the order of the day.”

“That might be more rational, Pansy dear,” Malfoy chuckled, “but you could hardly call it a ball.”

Harry didn’t think Pansy liked that reply but she knew she couldn’t say anything to rebut it. Instead she got up and began to walk about the room. She had an elegant figure and moved with grace but neither man, who’s attention she was trying to draw, paid her any attention. 

“Mr Potter,” Pansy exclaimed, turning a shark-like grin on him, apparently having come upon a new idea. “Let me persuade you to take a turn about the room. I assure you that it is most refreshing after spending too long sitting.”

Harry was surprised, but had begun to feel a little stiff so agreed and Pansy all but squealed in delight when Mr Snape looked up. Apparently he was as surprised at Pansy’s sudden attention as Harry was and unconsciously put his book aside. 

“Would you like to join us as well, Mr Snape?” Pansy asked, apparently wishing to capitalise on the moment. 

“Thank you, but no. I can think of only two reasons you would decide to walk about the room and my joining you would improve neither.”

“I wonder what he could mean?” Pansy asked in a dramatic whisper, clearly designed to be heard. “Do you know what he could be talking about?”

“Not in the slightest,” Harry chuckled, “I can only assume that he means to censure us in some manner and the surest way for us to disappoint him is to ask him nothing on the subject.”

Pansy paused but, apparently not wanting to disappoint Snape, asked him pointedly what he meant. 

Mr Snape smirked. “I have no issue explaining myself. You either are in each other’s confidence and are choosing to take a walk about the room to discuss some secret affair, or you are aware that your figures look much better when you walk. If it is the former, I would certainly be in your way joining you and, if it is the latter, I can admire you much better sitting by the fire.”

He gave Harry a heated look when he said that and Harry felt his cheeks flame as their eyes met, and he barely registered Pansy exclaiming about how shocking it was. He was too confused: partly because he wasn’t aware that Mr Snape had begun to admire his figure and partly by the tumultuous emotion roiling inside him. He should hate that the man was admiring him in any way, he detested the man after all. Still, he couldn’t help feeling a little flattered by the attention, even if he hated himself a bit for it. 

“How shall we punish him for his speech?” Pansy asked, placing a hand on Harry’s arm and drawing him out of his mental maelstrom. 

“Nothing would be easier, if you are inclined,” Harry replied, blinking as his mind tried to catch up with what was happening. “Anyone can annoy or vex another person, if they so wish. Tease him, laugh at him; you’ve known him all your life so surely you must know how.”

“Upon my word, no!” Pansy exclaimed. “A lifetime wouldn’t be enough to learn that! Tease a deep intelligence and sharp wit? No, he will merely laugh at us then. As for laughing at him, I fear we will just open ourselves to ridicule. I believe Mr Snape may rest easy.”

“Now that is surprising,” Harry laughed. “I have never known anyone that didn’t have something about their person that we could poke fun at, something that I am happy for as I dearly love to laugh.”

“I fear Miss Parkinson is giving me credit that I don’t desire nor deserve,” Mr Snape said. “The wisest and best men, nay, the wisest and best of their actions, can be made ridiculous if someone is so inclined to make them that way.”

“Well yes, there are such people in the world,” Harry agreed, “but I hope I am not one of them. I hope I never ridicule what is wise and good in a person. I do like to poke fun at a person when they do something ridiculous or silly, or when they act in a contrary or unthinking way. Those do amuse me and I laugh at those whenever I can. I suppose that those are the things that you don’t have.”

“Perhaps that is not entirely possible,” Mr Snape mused, “but I have endeavoured to not make sure that I don’t do anything that might open me up to ridicule in my life.”

“Such as pride or vanity?”

“Vanity is a weakness, yes, but pride, where it is properly placed, such as superiority of mind, is not ridiculous, no,” Mr Snape stated and Harry turned away to hide his smile. He wondered why Snape was guarded about his weaknesses but he was happy to discover he wasn’t as free from fault as Pansy suggested. 

“I presume that your analysis of Mr Snape is complete?” Pansy queried. “Do share your findings with the rest of us.”

Harry smiled. “Oh, I am perfectly convinced that Mr Snape is without fault; he doesn’t bother trying to hide who he is.”

Mr Snape laughed, a rich sound, and Harry was momentarily entranced. “No, I made no such assertions. I have plenty of faults, the same as any person, but I hope they are not ones that are fatal to my character. I know that my temper is something that people have complained about on occasion: I can be harsh and unyielding at times. I have a tendency to hold onto grudges and don’t forget slights made against me and I am not easily moved when people try to change my opinion. I have often been called resentful; my good opinion, once lost, is lost forever.”

“Well that is certainly a failing,” Harry exclaimed. “Implacable resentment is a serious flaw however, you have chosen well as it is not one that I can easily make fun of. You are safe from me.”

“I do believe that there is a propensity to some sort of failing in every individual that no education or effort that person makes can overcome,” Snape said. 

“Your defect is the propensity to hate everyone,” Harry smirked and Snape raised an eyebrow. 

“And yours is to wilfully misunderstand them.”

“I think it is time for some music,” Pansy announced and opened up the pianoforte and Snape went back to his book, grateful for the distraction. Apparently speaking to Harry could be almost addictive and he needed to stop himself getting involved. He wanted to get the young man out of his immediate circle as soon as possible and, thankfully, he thought he may have come up with a way of doing that, he just needed to check one thing in the morning, when the sun came up. 

The next morning, while Percy was having breakfast, Mr Snape came into his room and thrust some green leaves with red spots in his face. 

“Chew and swallow these.”

“I beg your pardon!” Harry exclaimed. 

“Mr Weasley is improving but he is not yet recovered. Chewing this will cure him right here and now,” Snape stated. 

“Are you sure?” Harry queried. 

“Positive.” It was said with a confidence and that was apparently enough for Percy who put the leaves in his mouth and chewed a bit before swallowing. Harry was sceptical, although he supposed Snape had no reason to harm Percy, but the man had no medical training as far as Harry was aware so how could he possibly have figured out a cure when the Healer had been stumped? 

Suddenly Percy started to giggle, then he began to laugh, and, for a moment, that laughter became almost uncontrollable as his body bent forward, only for it to stop with a sigh. As Percy sat up, Harry saw the colour come back to him: his face glowing, his eyes alight with mirth, as if the black cloud that had been hanging over him the last couple of days had suddenly disappeared. 

“What was that?” he asked Snape, a smile still on his face as Harry gazed between them in wonder. 

“Alihosty,” Snape replied. “I had a feeling the mark on your neck was the sting from a glumbumble, especially given how you were presenting and, when I checked near the apparition point, I saw a beehive in one of the trees.”

Harry blinked. “So, you mean Percy is cured?”

“I would have a Healer come to check but, to put it simply, yes.”

Harry was astonished but barely got to add his thanks to Percy’s when Snape swept out the door in a billow of robes. It was a little jarring, and Harry could only wonder why, so used to being around people that wanted nothing but praise for their hard work. That Snape could cure his brother and expect nothing in return was bizarre to him and he couldn’t help thinking that it might simply be a way to get them out of the house as he was sick of having them around. 

If that was the case, his actions would definitely make sense, and it suited Harry as well as it allowed him to keep thinking less of the man. Still, he had apparently cured Percy, and also helped Harry’s endeavours as he had also hoped to get them away soon anyway. He was grateful for Snape’s efforts and he would show his gratitude in Flooing to Mrs Weasley to let them know that they were leaving that day. 

Unfortunately for Harry, and Snape, those plans were forestalled. Mrs Weasley wouldn’t hear of sending the flying carpet, not liking the idea of her freshly recovered son being exposed to the elements like that, even though that is precisely why he had gotten ill in the first place. She also voiced concerns about Percy using the Floo, fearing it would be too jarring for him. Harry tried to argue that Percy was fine; that he had eaten well at breakfast and even gone for a walk around the garden, but she wouldn’t hear it. 

Mr Malfoy wouldn’t hear of it either, insisting that Percy stay another day to ensure that there was anything else wrong. When the Healer, who came to check Percy over, also suggested Percy have one more day of rest, Harry knew that he had been beaten. His one solace was in seeing how much Mr Malfoy seemed to mourn the idea of them leaving, going so far as to suggest staying for two days to be sure. Percy was resolute, however, feeling that they had already pressed on his hospitality too much, and resolutely declined his kind invitation. 

Pansy was glad to see Percy leave. She didn’t overly dislike him as a person, but she did dislike how much Draco doted on him. Harry, however, she was happy to see the back of. In her mind, Percy at least had the drive and intelligence to warrant the attention he got whereas Harry seemed to simply coast by on his name. 

Mr Snape was also glad to see the pair leave, although, more specifically, Harry: he was attracted to the young man more than he wished to admit. It didn’t help that Pansy became particularly catty around Harry, or that her teasing if himself increased in Harry’s presence. His one worry was that he had inadvertently let Harry know about his partiality for the man and that Harry might try to use that to further ingratiate himself to Snape. Snape was determined to make sure that Harry knew he wasn’t special to him in anyway and spent the last day ignoring the man and offering single syllable answers, only when required. At one point they were sat together alone in a room for half an hour and Snape applauded himself for never once allowing his eyes to stray from the book. 

When they left the next day, Pansy embraced Percy as a friend, her affection for the young man increasing as the perceived threat to her potential future happiness decreased. She even seemed to warm to Harry a little and suggested that they should arrange to get together some time in the future. Harry couldn’t help thinking that she meant somewhere else, preferably when Mr Malfoy and Mr Snape weren’t present. He didn’t mind though; he was too happy to be leaving to care. 

Mrs Weasley was happy to see them back, right up to the point where she learned that Mr Malfoy had requested that they stay another day. At that point she began to scold them for rushing back unnecessarily and potentially putting Percy’s health at risk. Mr Weasley was happy to have them both back, however, although the younger Weasleys were more glad about Harry’s return and, on occasion, joined in with their mother in saying that Percy should have stayed away longer. Harry was happy to be home and was happier still to see that things hadn’t really changed. The twins were still dabbling with their experimental pranks, determined to be ready for the next ball, and Ron and Ginny cared about little other than the exhibition matches that were being played in the village, in the newly erected stadium. Apparently the Canons had lost again and Ginny was having a fun time teasing her brother over his pitiful team. 

Chapter Text

The next day, Mrs Weasley was busy bustling about the kitchen, cooking up a storm. 

“You seem to be going to some effort with dinner today,” Mr Weasley mused. “Are we expecting a guest? Young Miss Granger perhaps?”

“I would not be going to this effort for her,” Mrs Weasley huffed. “She is a nice enough girl but I should hope my regular dinners are more than adequate for her. No, this is for someone special, although I wish I had more information on his preferences.”

Mr Weasley’s eyebrows raised “A special gentleman, you say. It isn’t that young Mr Malfoy, perhaps. I should quite like to see him again.”

“No, no, it is Mr Lockhart,” Mrs Weasley huffed. 

“Mr Lockhart?” Mr Weasley exclaimed. “The author of Gadding with Ghouls? What in Merlin’s name is he doing coming to dine with us?”

“Well dear, you know that he is the face of Sleekeazy.”

“Yes, and I am aware that Harry isn’t overly fond of that idea.”

“Quite, although I do not know why. The managing directors don’t know why either, especially as sales have doubled since he became their spokesman. Anyway, the company is quite desperate to keep him and so contacted me, asking if we didn’t mind putting him up for a bit. They are hoping that Harry might change his mind, once he gets to know how wonderful Mr Lockhart really is. Of course I agreed and he is coming tonight.”

“I do wish you had consulted me on this dear,” Mr Weasley sighed. 

“Why?” Mrs Weasley asked, genuinely perplexed. “You always agree whenever I have a good idea.”

This was true, of course, although oftentimes more because Mrs Weasley, once she had her mind set on something, would not be deterred, come hell or high water. Mr Weasley had simply learned that going along with things was simply easier for everyone in the long run. 

“He has apparently gotten a job as the new Defence against the Dark Arts Professor at Hogwarts so this is the only time he could come,” Mrs Weasley continued, as if she feared her husband might kick up a bit of a fuss at having this knowledge thrust upon them. 

“Well if Albus is hiring him he must be a sound sort,” Mr Weasley mused. “I will admit that I had heard some rumours that questions were being asked about his research and I worried but I can’t see Albus hiring anyone incompetent for a position. I presume Harry is alright moving in with Ron to make room?”

“Well, I did actually put Harry in with Percy,” Mrs Weasley admitted. “Ron was so happy to finally have his own room when Charlie moved out and Harry got his and Bill’s old room that I didn’t have the heart to take that away from him, plus Harry he and Harry seem to have gotten a little closer after Harry looked after him at Malfoy Manor.”

Mr Weasley wasn’t so sure; one shared experience wasn’t really enough to get over a vast difference in personalities. He did wish that it could be the case, however, as he did worry that Percy sometimes became a bit isolated in the house, now that his older siblings had moved out. It’s why, as usual, Mr Weasley said nothing and kept his fingers crossed. 

Harry wasn’t best pleased by the news, when it was divulged to the rest of the family but he agreed to go along with the managing directors’ hair-brained scheme, if only to keep the peace. He had always had his doubts about Lockhart; there was something about his smile that seemed fake to Harry, no matter how charming Witch Weekly, the infamous gossip rag, claimed it to be. 

Ron was in two minds about the whole affair, although neither of them directly related to Lockhart. A part of him was happy that he got to keep his own room but a part of him was annoyed that his favourite brother, and best friend, was sharing a room with his least favourite brother. The twins were looking forward to the visit, if only to have someone new to test their pranks on. Ginny couldn’t care less, however. She had heard that her favourite Quidditch team, the Holyhead Harpies, were coming for an exhibition game and she couldn’t think of anything else. 

Mr Gilderoy Lockhart arrived at the Burrow exactly on time, his flamboyant robes flapping as he jumped out of the Floo with barely a speck of soot on him. The whole family was there to greet him and he shook Mr Weasley’s hand warmly before bowing to kiss the back of Mrs Weasley’s hand. 

“And this must be your lovely younger sister,” he said, indicating Ginny who rolled her eyes as her mother tittered with delight. 

“Oh Merlin no, but thank you for the compliment sir,” Mrs Weasley beamed. “I don’t think I was even half as beautiful as my Ginerva was, even in my prime.”

“I find that hard to believe,” Mr Lockhart smiled. “She must have gotten her good looks from somewhere. You are right though; I think Miss Weasley is one of the most beautiful women I have had the pleasure to meet, and I spent time amongst veela.”

“Really?” Percy queried. “I have heard they can be quite vicious.”

“Percy!” Mrs Weasley scolded. “Please remember that your sister-in-law is veela.”

“Fleur is only quarter veela,” Percy pointed out, “so I’m pretty sure most genetic traits have been bred out.”

“She is French though so you can’t be sure,” Ginny whispered, although not too quietly, causing the twins and Ron to snicker. 

“As an Englishman I may have to agree with you on that,” Lockhart smirked. “English women certainly have more in the way of class than the French, in my experience, as well as more natural beauty. I always think there is a reason that Sleekeazy sells so well over there.”

That seemed to warm him to Ginny a bit, but Harry wasn’t sold yet. He had never had a problem with Fleur himself and, as a bit of an outsider in such a big, close-knit family, he had always felt a bit of a kinship with her. 

Mr Lockhart hadn’t finished with his charm offensive, however, complimenting Mr and Mrs Weasley on having so many fine sons and saying that the staff at Hogwarts had many good things to say about them all, although the stories about the twins were more interesting.

“I must say I was amazed at the ingenuity that must have gone into your infamous canary creams,” Lockhart said, “and it reminded me of one of my adventures in Romania-”

He was interrupted by a call to dinner and Harry couldn’t help feeling glad about that. He couldn’t help feeling that the man was as self-involved and supercilious as Harry had suspected. The man had spent so much time complimenting the Weasleys that he had completely overlooked Harry and Harry had half hoped to keep it that way. Unfortunately, his once fabled luck had apparently run out as Mrs Weasley made sure to sit Harry next to their guest of honour. 

“I do hope you don’t think I didn’t notice you earlier, Mr Potter,” Lockhart smiled, giving Harry a smouldering look, although it just made Harry’s skin crawl. “I do like to pay compliment to my hosts first, as it is the polite thing to do, and the Weasleys have so many children. Even still, you are not someone that anyone with eyes can overlook.”

“I imagine I stand out quite a bit among all the redheads.”

Lockhart laughed. “Indeed, although, I confess, there is more than that. You have an air of intelligence about you, Mr Potter, that I am very pleased to find. The managing directors often worry that you had your father’s head for business but, I am starting to think that perhaps that isn’t the case.”

Harry bristled. “My father was a hero!” he hissed. 

“Oh of course, of course,” Lockhart agreed, “but he was also human which meant that, by nature, he had some flaws. We all do, of course, although some of us have worse flaws than others. Mine is that I am too handsome, of course, and I assure you it really is a curse. There are several people who have questioned whether I should teach at Hogwarts because they fear that the students might fall for me and it would cause a scandal.”

Harry really didn’t think that his students falling for him was the reason why they questioned Lockhart teaching as he was really starting to think that his initial assessment was right and the man really was an idiot. Still, he smiled, and tucked into his meal, hoping that Lockhart would get too distracted with complimenting Mrs Weasley cooking to try to draw Harry into conversation again. 

At the end of the meal, Mr Weasley decided to engage Mr Lockhart in conversation himself and asked about the year he spent with the Yeti. 

“Ah yes, the year I spent in the mountains,” Mr Lockhart mused. 

“How did you get up there?” Ron asked. “My friend, Hermione, says that the Himalayas are massively higher!”

“Oh I flew Mr Ronald,” Lockhart smiled. 

“On a broom?” Ginny queried, suddenly interested in the conversation. “Wouldn’t that be very difficult at such high altitudes? I was talking to some of the professional Quidditch players and they said that flying gets trickier the higher you go, something about the air getting thinner and the broom not flying as well.”

“The air getting thinner!” Lockhart scoffed. “I’ve never heard of anything so ridiculous! Air is already nothing, so how can it get thinner?”

“He has a point,” George mused, and Fred nodded. 

“He does indeed. In fact, I almost think there is a product in there somewhere.”

“Will you two quit it with your products,” Mrs Weasley huffed before turning a bright smile on Mr Lockhart. “By any chance, did you use a Moontrimmer? I’ve heard they can fly among the stars.”

“I did indeed,” Lockhart smiled, that bright, fake smile that Harry loathed. “I was lucky to be at school with Gladys Boothby and she was kind enough to offer me one for my endeavour.”

“You have some wonderful connections,” Mrs Weasley sighed. “It’s a testament to your good character.”

“Oh, I don’t know about that,” Lockhart chuckled, “but I do like to connect people.”

“Like old Slughorn,” Arthur smiled. 

“I like to think that I’m better than that old coot,” Lockhart laughed, dismissively, which caused Mr Weasley to frown slightly. He had a lot of patience for the old Potions Master: partly because he was an old friend of Dumbledore’s but mostly because the man had helped tutor Arthur through his Potions N.E.W.T. Hearing Lockhart dismiss the man who had helped so many achieve their dreams, as seen by all those miniatures in his office, left him with a bad taste in his mouth. He could not have any respect for the man after that and listened to him talking about nearly giving the yeti a head cold with only half an ear, wondering if the ridiculous story was even true. 

After dinner, Mr Lockhart was called on to share one of his stories and, to many of the children’s horror, and Mrs Weasley’s delight, he opted to read from his own autobiography instead of talking about his adventures. It was incredibly dull and dry and Harry found himself dozing off so he was quite grateful when Ginny started talking loudly over the top of him. 

“Did I tell you that the team from the Pride of Portree is coming soon, all the way from Skye!” she exclaimed. “Can you imagine coming all the way from Scotland?”

“Well Hogwarts is in Scotland,” Percy pointed out. 

“Well yes, but that’s different,” Ginny huffed, waving her hand dismissively. 

“Yeah, Skye doesn’t have the Hogwarts Express,” Ron said. 

“But everyone can apparate,” Molly scowled, “so it’s no more impressive than anywhere else. Now, you can talk about Quidditch in the morning. Now, listen to Mr Lockhart tell us all about his exciting life.”

“Thank you, Mrs Weasley, but it is quite alright,” Lockhart assured her. “Miss Weasley is very young and can’t be expected to appreciate fine prose over the instant gratification of a sport like quidditch. It is a shame, I think much can be learned, and people can improve themselves a lot, by studying what some great people of our time have done. Unfortunately some people are very much stuck in their ways. Mr Weasley, would you be kind enough to play me at a game of gobstones?”

“That would probably be a good idea,” Mr Weasley agreed. “I think it would be a wise decision to leave my children to their preferred pastimes.”

“Ginny! That was incredibly rude! You should apologise to Mr Lockhart!” Mrs Weasley scolded. “It is a great honour that he was reading to you. Mr Lockhart,” she said, turning to the man with a smile. “If you would be so kind as to return to your reading, I promise my children will pay attention this time.”

“I assure you, madame, that it is perfectly fine. I feel no ill towards your children, I was young myself once, not too long ago. We cannot begrudge them a little foolishness, it is how they learn and grow after all.”

Mrs Weasley settled, and Mr Lockhart took up his game, leading to a quiet, if slightly awkward, evening. 

From what Harry could see of Mr Lockhart, he was not a sensible man. He knew this as Mr Lockhart seemed to frequently seek him out and spoke, at length, about his life and achievements, although he seemed to concentrate on being voted as having the most charming smile as much as his defeat of the Wagga Wagga Werewolf. He had clearly been successful, his literary career was proof of that, and he was now enjoying being the spokesman for the Sleekeazy company. 

“Don’t you think that we should form an alliance,” Lockhart mused to Harry, the following day. “It is well known that your family was behind the creation of the company, but it is my face that people are now associating with it.”

“For now,” Harry pointed out. “That wasn’t always the case, however, and it likely won’t always be the case in the future.”

“I don’t know about that,” Lockhart smirked. “The managing directors are perfectly satisfied with my current performance and have given me their full backing. They have even said that they would consider adding my own creation, an Occamy egg yolk shampoo that will guarantee luscious locks.”

“Occamy egg yolk?” Harry queried, frowning in confusion. “Wouldn’t that be expensive to make? I’m not sure how profitable it could be?”

“Well, I just invented the potion,” Lockhart sniffed. “It is up to the researchers to actually make it work but the managing directors assured me that it was possible.”

Harry hummed, unsure of the directors’ logic in pursuing such a project. “It still seems like an unnecessary risk to me and I must admit that it makes me worry. One of the reasons why I have been happy to continue taking a backseat in things, as my father did, was because I assumed that they had my grandfather’s company’s best interests at heart, and that they had better knowledge than me on how to run it. If these are the sorts of decisions they are making then I wonder if I have to pay more attention to some of the decisions they are making. I do still have some voting rights after all.”

“Do you?” Lockhart murmured, although he didn’t seem overly surprised by that information. “By the way, Mr Potter, have you ever considered returning to Hogwarts? I know from my discussion with the teachers there that you were a firm favourite among them and they all seemed to think you had a lot of fun while you were there. Apparently you even ran a Defence study group at one point. It seems as if we were made to be together.”

Harry was confused as to what Lockhart might be talking about but he didn’t really have time to contemplate it as Ginny and Ron came bursting into the room, informing Harry that they were on their way to the village and invited him to go as well. Harry was happy for the excuse to be done with the awkward conversation but his happiness didn’t last for long. Mrs Weasley insisted that Mr Lockhart accompany them, since he had yet to actually see that village. Harry couldn’t help but feel as if his adopted mother was planning something, especially given the conspiratorial smile she had on her face. 

He looked to Mr Weasley for assistance but, unfortunately, the man only backed up his wife, looking for his own respite from Mr Lockhart who continually regaled the man with tales of his adventures. Harry then tried to put Mr Lockhart off by claiming that the roads to the village weren’t good and the sprinkling of muggles meant that there were no good apparition spots that wouldn’t require equal amounts of walking. Mr Lockhart was not to be deterred, however, insisting that the impervious charm woven into his boots was excellent and he happily offered his arm to Harry claiming he would hate to see the man trip and fall. Harry tried to refuse, but Mrs Weasley, unfortunately, mentioned how terrible he could be on his feet. 

“He is graceful as can be on a broom,” she gushed, “but a bit of a nightmare anywhere else. We can’t have anything near the fireplace for fear that he should hurt himself coming out of the floo.”

Harry was too mortified to put up any more of a fight and made his way to the village, ignoring Ron and Ginny’s whispers and laughs while wishing that the earth might swallow him up. He would rather face Mr Snape’s cutting tongue than have to walk about with his hand securely held in the crook of Lockhart’s elbow. 

Thankfully Ron and Ginny’s attention was soon distracted as they entered the heart of the village and saw all of the quidditch players milling about. Their attention was partially caught when they saw Oliver Wood, the keeper for Puddlemere United, with a somewhat familiar looking man. He was very tall and very handsome, with a strong build, and Harry wasn’t the least bit surprised that he drew the eyes of everyone who saw him. 

“Harry,” Oliver said, having greeted them all in turn, “I imagine you remember Cedric Diggory, he was the Hufflepuff Seeker for a few years.”

Harry did remember him and, while he had been handsome as a youth, Harry was happy to note that he had only grown into his chiselled features more over the years. He happily extracted his hand from Mr Lockhart’s arm and held it out to greet the man. 

“Mr Diggory, it is wonderful to see you again. I hope you have been well.”

“As well as one can be in the Scottish isles,” Diggory chuckled. “The climate isn’t exactly forgiving and it has been some time since I have been able to see my friends and family.”

“Diggory is the seeker for the Pride of Portree,” Oliver informed them. 

“Of course we already knew that,” Ginny huffed, rolling her eyes. “He is one of the best seekers in the league and is pipped to play for the national team.”

“I am not surprised,” Harry smiled. “I remember you being an excellent player when we were at school.”

“You weren’t too bad yourself,” Diggory chuckled. 

“And yet I remember you beating me quite soundly.”

“I also remember you being distracted by the storm at the time and falling off your broom when lightning struck nearby.”

“The referee said it was a fair win.”

“Still, I remember being very concerned about you. I was very glad that you weren’t seriously hurt, at least not more than magic couldn’t handle,” Diggory confessed. “I had wanted to go and see you in the hospital wing but I wasn’t sure how welcome I would have been.”

“You would have been very welcome,” Harry admitted, feeling a faint blush come to his cheeks. The truth was that he had had a bit of a crush on Cedric Diggory at the time and now those feelings were coming flooding back. He found himself looking up at Diggory through his lashes and was a little surprised at his desire to flirt with the man, in public as well, but had no desire to curtail his actions until fate decided to step in. 

Mr Snape, who had come to Ottery-St-Catchpole in search of some potions supplies, had spotted Harry and found his feet walking in that direction. He had refused to entertain the idea that it was because the blush on Harry’s cheeks had looked particularly fetching and, on greeting the young man, enquired about Percy Weasley, insisting that he wanted to make sure there were no lasting effects from his ailment. Harry replied that there hadn’t been, but the warm feelings that Diggory had brought forth caused a rush of gratitude towards Snape and he found himself once again thanking the man for his help in Percy’s speedy recovery. 

Snape bowed in acknowledgement but, as he did, he noticed Diggory standing there. Harry saw the tense look that passed between them and was intrigued to say the least. Snape looked shocked and Diggory looked angry and Harry could only wonder what had happened between them to warrant that reaction. Snape took his leave and Harry was desperate to ask Diggory what that was about. Unfortunately the man was on his own way, in a rush to see his father whom he hadn’t seen in years. Harry felt the loss of his presence before he had even left but he was happy when Ginny stepped up and suggested they have a family supper. 

“It has been so long since we dined with you and your father and I’m sure my parents would be delighted to see him again.”

“I will admit it would be nice to spend some more time with you all so I’ll see what I can do,” Diggory smiled and, while he spoke to the whole group, Harry couldn’t help but feel that the other man looked at him in particular. 

Chapter Text

The dinner at the Diggory house was given the go ahead and the go ahead and, the next day, the inhabitants of The Burrow received their invitation. It brought a buzz of excitement, slightly dampened by the fact that Lockhart had been included in that invitation, but Harry supposed that couldn’t be helped. Propriety said that their guest would also have to come, regardless of how many of the house may wish otherwise.

Strangely, Mrs Weasley was not one of those people. She seemed happy to have Mr Lockhart coming along, although she seemed to be more interested in pushing him near Harry than talking to him herself. Harry knew she was trying to get them to be more friendly with each other but Harry really wished she would let up. 

“Did you know that Dumbledore sets up the rooms for the teachers however they want,” Lockhart said and Harry suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. 

“I assumed as much.”

“Indeed. He said he would accept all requests and I made a point of requesting mahogany panelling in there, it really is the most gorgeous wood. I am bringing in my own furniture though. No offence to him but I don’t trust that he won’t simply transfigure what is already there and it’s just never as good as the genuine article.”

“I wouldn’t know,” Harry mused. The Weasleys had always gone more for functionality and comfort as opposed to what was in fashion and often ended up transfiguring things they needed as opposed to buying more. 

“Oh, I assure you it is,” Lockhart insisted. “I know it is not necessarily the ‘done’ thing in the wizarding world, and I am aware that many people like to show off their skills that way. I have tried furniture transfigured by some of the best in the business, and articles I have transfigured myself, and none of them are on the same level. You should come and visit one day and you will see.”

Harry hummed noncommittally. While going to Hogwarts wouldn’t be a terrible idea in theory, he certainly had no intention of going as Lockhart’s guest. He figured he should wait until the man invariably got himself fired which, from what Harry had seen of the man, wouldn’t be too long into his tenure. 

“Of course I have my writing area,” Lockhart continued. “My writing is very important to me and I was planning on creating a new Defence Against the Dark Arts textbook, the old one is quite out of date as I’m sure you remember. There have been so many new spells invested, as well as new uses for old spells, since the Medieval period, that an update is sorely needed.”

“I completely agree,” Harry nodded, not adding that he didn’t think that Lockhart was the ideal person to do that. He talked a big game but, unlike Harry’s friend Hermione, Lockhart never talked about specific spells. It always seemed to be “I bet you can’t guess what spell I used”, which invariably led to a discussion. One of them would be proclaimed correct eventually but Harry couldn’t help thinking that Lockhart just picked whichever sounded best.

“Perhaps you would collaborate with me,” Lockhart suggested and Harry’s head had never whipped around so fast. 

“I beg your pardon!”

“I suggested you collaborate with me on a new Defence textbook,” Lockhart smiled. “Minerva said that you had your own little tutor group at Hogwarts and you apparently did a wonderful job with it. Some of the teachers had wondered if you might teach yourself one day and collaborating on a book would be a logical mid-step.”

“But I don’t know anything about writing a book!” Harry exclaimed. 

“Well that’s alright,” Lockhart chuckled. “I have plenty of experience in that sector, that is why I think we would make the perfect pair.”

Harry suppressed the urge to gag and simply turned away, biting his lip to stop himself from saying something that could cause issues. Thankfully they were not far away from the Diggory property and Harry hoped he would be able to find a distraction somewhere. 

That distraction was found very easily, thankfully, in the form of Cedric Diggory himself. Harry had seen him in quidditch robes, and even his school uniform before, but he wondered if he had ever actually seen the man before. The form fitting formal robes he was currently wearing showed him off amazingly and Harry’s weren’t the only eyes that were drawn to him that evening. Harry felt a slight flare of jealousy at noting that but that only lasted until dinner, when Cedric made sure to take the seat next to him. He graced Harry with a warm smile and, while their conversation was nothing but trivial comments about the weather and the upcoming match, to Harry, they may as well have been the only two people in the room. 

After dinner, a gobstones table was set up but Harry had never been particularly fond of the game so was very grateful when another table was set up for exploding snap. Cedric found himself seated between Harry and Ginny and, for a short while, Harry despaired that she would take all of Cedric’s attention: Ginny always was the more outgoing of the two of them. Thankfully she was also the more competitive and so was soon distracted by the game, allowing Harry to continue his conversation in relative peace. 

“So, Snape is in the area?” Cedric questioned, and Harry shook his head. 

“Not living, but he is currently staying with one of his former wards, Draco Malfoy, who has property in Wiltshire.”

“So quite close,” Cedric mused with a frown. 

“Yes, although I don’t know how long he will be staying,” Harry admitted. “He has been here a good month already and I believe he still has a ward back at his residence in Derbyshire.”

“He does,” Cedric nodded, “although I will not make assumptions as to what Mr Snape will or not do regarding her. I have my own opinions of the man, and the lady in question. They are based on my own experiences though, and I fear they will differ vastly from the general consensus which is why I am loathe to talk about them too much."

“I fear the general consensus may only exist because they don’t actually know him,” Harry smirked. “I was unfortunate enough to spend four days in his company and I found him extremely disagreeable.”

“I can’t say I’m surprised,” Cedric chuckled. “I would tell you of my own misfortunes but they are of a personal nature and, while I have no issue deriding his character, I am wary of saying too much against her. After all, I don’t know the intention behind her behaviour, only the result of it. He, however, I am more than ready to believe the worst of.”

“I can certainly believe that,” Harry smiled. “Even on my own short acquaintance I can tell he is a very ill-tempered man.”

Cedric shook his head, but Harry noticed a small smile on his face as the next round of exploding snap started up. It wasn’t long before they were both knocked out of the game and Cedric turned back to Harry. 

“By any chance have you heard anything about how long he plans on staying in the area?”

Harry shook his head. “I haven’t anything about him leaving. I hope that won’t affect how long you stay in the area.”

“I’m obviously restricted by where the team needs to go, but I plan on staying in the area for as long as absolutely possible,” Cedric informed Harry. “It is certainly not for me to be driven out of anywhere by him. His behaviour was at fault, not mine. I did nothing wrong, but his own prejudice and calculating actions almost ruined me. Given his actions taking the orphans in, I expected him to be an honourable man but that appears not to have been the case.”

“Really!” Harry exclaimed, desperately trying to keep his voice below the din of the room to avoid drawing attention. 

“Oh yes. You see, after I finished at Hogwarts, there was an exhibition tournament at Pemberley as Snape had some of his own students who were looking to turn professional as well. They hadn’t had the same exposure that Hogwarts students get, you see, and I think Snape was purposely trying to push them however he could, even calling back some of the older students who had been struggling to make a break. Now, I’m not saying he purposely planned anything, but he is known for being sneaky and cunning and I am firmly of the opinion that he twisted the situation to his advantage.”

“What did he do?” Harry asked, far too curious to pay heed of anything like propriety or tact. 

“He ruined my reputation. Now, I will accept that I wasn’t entirely without fault. Miss Astoria Greengrass was a very mature and intelligent young woman, or so I thought, and the fact that she wasn’t accompanied by an adult led me to assume that she was older and I let myself be alone with her on more than one occasion. We did nothing but talk, I assure you,” Cedric said, when he saw Harry’s face darkening, “but it was noted that we had spent time together by people. It’s why, when she suddenly disappeared from the group and news spread that she had come down with a mysterious illness, rumours started that something inappropriate had happened between us. When it came out that she was only 15 at the time, those rumours went into overdrive and nothing I said seemed to be heard.”

“How awful!” Harry gasped. “Surely Snape could have let people know that that wasn’t the issue though. The rumours certainly couldn’t have helped the poor girl’s reputation at all.”

“He did,” Cedric muttered darkly, “but not before one of his former students was picked for the position I had been a favourite for. My dad had been in talk with the Falmouth Falcons for the previous year, knowing they were a good team and that it was local so that I could commute from home. He has been a bit lonely since my mum passed away you see, and was looking forward to seeing more of me now that I had finished school. They didn’t want to touch me with the rumours and, very curiously, they took Adrian Pucey instead, one of Snape’s students. Snape made a public announcement of my innocence very shortly after Pucey signed the contract.”

Harry frowned. “That seems suspicious.”

“Doesn’t it,” Cedric said, looking at Harry pointedly. “Obviously I have no proof and, eventually I did manage to get a position with the Pride of Portree, which is a good team, but Skye is such a way away that travel is a pain and this is the first time that I have been able to see my father since last Christmas.”

“That is horrible!” Harry exclaimed. “Really, I thought the worst of Snape before but the fact that he could act in such an underhanded and callous manner shows that he is the very worst of all people. I hope you called him out on it.”

“I would if I could,” Cedric sighed. “Unfortunately there is absolutely nothing to show that he purposely waited to allow Pucey to get the position, it is just the logical conclusion.”

“Still, as you said though, it is the logical conclusion,” Harry pointed out. “Perhaps you should publicly shame him and let the rest of the wizarding world judge his actions.”

“Perhaps,” Cedric mused, “but, if I’m honest, that may backfire on me. Snape has managed to gain a lot of supporters over the years, thanks to looking after the orphans, not to mention those under his care who have managed to find influential positions in society. They could ruin me if they so choose, so I would rather keep my position in a less than ideal club than risk losing it and getting blacklisted from every one.”

“I understand that,” Harry huffed, “but it still doesn’t seem right that he should get away with treating you in that manner. You were fresh out of school and had done nothing wrong.” Still, Harry couldn’t help feeling sorry for Cedric, being put in that position. It was so tragic and somehow made the man seem even more handsome in his eyes. Harry wanted to help him desperately, but he knew there was nothing he could do. 

“In his defence, I was seen with his underage ward, but I didn’t know she was underage and she wasn’t supervised.”

“Precisely! It’s his fault that she got into that situation,” Harry argued. “He shouldn’t punish you for his mistake.” They got pulled into another game after that and, while he was playing something else came to Harry’s mind which he brought up at the next opportunity. 

“That being said, he did say something, when I was at Malfoy Manor, about someone who lost his good opinion, losing it for good. He really must be the most deplorable person.”

“I don’t think I can speak to that,” Cedric chuckled. “I am hardly want to be just.”

Harry just shook his head. “Honestly though! To treat a young man in such a way! Who made a simple error due to inexperience! As if he had never made any mistakes in his own youth!”

“If he didn’t he must be a saint,” Cedric smiled. 

“Mr Snape is far from a saint,” Harry snapped, “although I imagine his pride would have him remember his past as such.”

“I have a feeling that all of his actions can be traced back to pride,” Cedric mused. “It was a trait of his Hogwarts house, Slytherin, and I believe it is something that drives all of his actions, especially regarding his wards who almost certainly would have ended up in that house as well. That being said, I sometimes wonder if there was something more to his actions than mere pride.”

“I can’t imagine such pride ever doing him any good.”

“I don’t know, I believe that his pride was what drove him to take the wards in in the first place. He has a great pride in his house and also a great pride in his work, which has apparently led him to make a great many breakthroughs in the field of potions.”

They were called on to play again and Harry was almost getting frustrated with the distraction, so much so that he ‘accidentally’ put down multiple cards at once in order to get out sooner. 

“I’m surprised about his friendship with Mr Malfoy,” Harry supposed, when he had the opportunity next. “I understand that Snape essentially raised him but Mr Malfoy has been so sweet and engaging whenever I have met him, it makes me wonder how he can continue to be close to the man, have him staying with him for a long time even.”

“I never met Mr Malfoy so I can’t say for sure but I would say, almost for sure, that Snape doesn’t show his true colours to everyone. From what I heard at the tournament, all of them thought very highly of Snape and were grateful for everything he did for them. Given that Snape, at one point, was a Death Eater himself, it is likely that he treats those wards very well: I can’t imagine his pride letting him do anything else.”

Harry nodded. “Yes, I can certainly see him showing them favouritism, while looking down on others for no reason. It’s why I can so easily see him treating you as you suggested.”

Unfortunately for Harry, the gobstone table broke up soon after that and Lockhart took a seat next to Harry, with Mr Diggory sitting nearby as well. 

“Are you sure you’re alright, Mr Lockhart?” Mr Amos Diggory, Cedric’s father, asked. “I don’t believe you won a single game.”

“It is of no consequence,” Lockhart laughed. “The truth is, I was purposely holding back, to allow everyone else a chance. I do not need the ego boost, I have all of my wonderful fans for that, and I would be a terrible guest if I beat everyone every game.”

“I suppose,” Mr Diggory nodded. “That would definitely have been miserable for my guests and I am grateful to you for your charity, especially after people decided to start making bets.”

“Think nothing of it,” Lockhart said, waving his hand dismissively. “I know some people might baulk at the loss of a few Galleons but I am fortunate enough to not only have my books and my role as spokesperson for Sleekeazy, but also my new position as Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. I really am most fortunate in my position.”

The last comment seemed to pique Cedric’s curiosity. 

“I am most surprised at Mr Lockhart being offered that position as I was under the impression that it might be going to Snape.”

Harry looked at him with a confused frown. “Mr Snape was going to be teaching at Hogwarts?”

“That was the gossip among some of the people when I was at the exhibition,” Cedric replied. “Mr Snape’s wards are almost all grown up now and, as he had a teaching position there before, it was widely suspected that he would be going back. He had apparently always had his eye on the DADA position and there was the assumption that he would use his current position to try to leverage that but it appears that wasn’t the case.”

“I honestly don’t know which would be worse: forcing those poor children to endure Snape or Lockhart as a teacher,” Harry laughed, and Cedric joined him, the pair sharing a conspiratorial smile. 

“I must admit,” Cedric whispered, “that Mr Lockhart had quite an impressive reputation but, from the little I have seen of him, I can’t help but feel it wasn’t well earned.”

“Trust me when I say he is even more ridiculous than he has shown here,” Harry sighed. “I really don’t know why the company insists on keeping him on, or why Dumbledore saw fit to hire him as a teacher. Maybe the old headmaster really is going senile in his old age.”

“Perhaps,” Cedric nodded. “I know my father doesn’t speak overly highly of him, although he respects what Dumbledore did in the past.”

Harry nodded. “Mr and Mrs Weasley are the same. They keep telling me that Dumbledore is a master strategist and that it is all part of some grand plan that will be revealed when the time is right. My issue is that I'm getting to the point where I’m not even sure I want to know what it is.”

Cedric laughed again, a beautiful sound, with the expression lighting up his face even more and Harry found himself falling for the man a little bit. This didn’t diminish when they games broke up and they sat down to supper. The noise and bluster of the meal prevented Harry from talking to Cedric again but that didn’t stop him, or everyone else in fact, from admiring the young seeker. Whatever he said, he said well and whatever he did, he did gracefully. Harry could think of nothing else but the man and what they had talked about, even on the way home, not that he had a chance to talk about anything. Mr Lockhart seemed intent on dominating the conversation and Ginny seemed intent on denying him as much as possible. Harry couldn’t blame her but it created an awful din on the flying carpet ride back to The Burrow. How they managed to talk about one evening for so long, Harry would never know, especially since nothing of note actually happened. Still, he was inordinately glad when he could escape to the quiet sanctuary of his bed. 

Chapter Text

Harry couldn’t help thinking over his conversation with Cedric all night and, in the morning, felt a desperate need to talk it over with someone. The problem was that most of the people in the house had very little actual knowledge of Mr Snape and most had already formed very strong opinions against him. Mrs Weasley detested him for having spurned Harry, the twins and Ginny thought him utterly pompous and Ron practically cursed him with every breath.

Mr Weasley was the only person who had anything good to say about him but, as he only had something good to say about nearly everyone, Harry didn’t think that counted. Hermione would have been a good, neutral person, although she didn’t really know Snape either, which left Percy. 

Thankfully the eldest remaining Weasley child was more than happy to sit down with Harry and listen to Harry’s rendition of Cedric’s tale with an open and sympathetic ear. He was probably the only person Harry knew who would actually be astonished to hear how Mr Snape acted, or apparently acted anyway. Percy knew Cedric quite well as well, though, having only been a year ahead of him in Hogwarts, and knew Cedric to be an honourable person. 

“I cannot think that Cedric is lying about what happened but I also can’t help thinking that there must be more to the story than Cedric is aware of. It could truly just be a coincidence that Mr Snape’s response came about after Cedric lost his place.”

“Of course,” Harry smiled, rolling his eyes good-naturedly. “Miss Greengrass’ mysterious illness completely took all of Mr Snape’s attention only to miraculously clear the second Mr Pucey got the position.”

“You can scoff if you want, Harry, but you will not change my mind. In my experience there aren’t many people around who act with genuine malice. I know sometimes it can feel that way, especially when we hear so many stories about it, but I genuinely believe that most people have good intentions on their actions.”

“The path to hell is paved with good intentions,” Harry pointed out. 

“Perhaps,” Percy agreed, “but, given the good that I know that Mr Snape has done, especially in regards to all the orphans, I have a hard time believing that he could turn around and do something so dastardly and underhanded. How can a person treat one set of children so favourably, but turn around and treat another child so poorly?”

“I think you might be surprised,” Harry sighed. “Isn’t it the truth, throughout history, that a person can treat those they see as their own impeccably, while treating those they see as ‘other’ with scorn? Cedric’s story was sound, spoken fluidly and with great detail, and I have no reason to doubt what he said.”

“His story regarding the facts can be true,” Percy argued, “but that doesn’t mean that his suppositions are. There could be a reasonable explanation.”

“I sincerely doubt it,” Harry scoffed. “I can think of nothing that would explain Snape’s complete disregard of the rumours, nor the strange timing of his correcting them.”

Harry knew that they would never truly agree. Percy was too wont to see the best in people, until they completely betrayed him, and, even then, it tended to need to be a big betrayal, and usually against someone he cared about. That didn’t matter though. If anyone would have been able to persuade Harry that he was misjudging the situation, it would have been Percy, or Hermione. He knew his dislike of Snape was already firmly entrenched but the fact that even Percy couldn’t come up with a reasonable explanation for the story gave Harry leave to use it to fuel that dislike to new depths. 

Percy didn’t have the chance to persuade Harry further, though, as they were soon called down due to the arrival of Mr Malfoy and Miss Parkinson. Mr Malfoy had apparently set the date for his ball and had come to give the Weasleys their invitation personally. Miss Parkinson had apparently come along as she wanted to see her dear friend Percy, although Harry had his doubts. 

“Percy! It’s been an absolute age! How have you been?” Pansy exclaimed, as soon as Harry and Percy entered the room, practically barging Mr Malfoy out of the way, before he could offer his own greeting. 

“I’ve been well, Pansy, thank you. And you? What brings you to The Burrow, not that I’m not happy to see you of course.”

Pansy groaned. “I am awful, I have been absolutely rushed off my feet, what with Draco insisting on holding this ball of his.”

“The ball is going ahead?” Harry asked, looking at Mr Malfoy in surprise. 

“Indeed it is,” Mr Malfoy smiled. “In fact, that is why we came here today, to personally invite the whole Weasley family. I thought it only fitting seeing as how we have come so far since settling the feud.”

“Indeed,” Mrs Weasley agreed, although Harry couldn’t help noticing the calculating look in her eye as she glanced between Mr Malfoy and Percy. She felt the honour of the personal invitation and couldn’t help but wonder if there would be a certain question might be coming soon. In her defence, Mr Malfoy did seem to be trying to get Percy’s attention but, unfortunately, Pansy seemed determined not to let him get a word in edgewise. 

“What have you been up to since I last saw you?” Pansy asked Percy. 

“Actually I have been looking over some research from the International Confederation of Wizards regarding the composition of Floo powder and how it might not be as standardised as people think. How about you?”

“Discovering that balls are by no means easy to organise,” Pansy sighed. “Draco is a dear, and he has impeccable taste, but execution is not his forte. As usual, it fell to others to pick up the slack and, while Severus is good in some areas, this one definitely fell squarely on my shoulders. I sometimes wonder what he would do without me.”

“Well, I imagine Mr Malfoy can be quite capable when pushed,” Percy argued. “Perhaps it would be better to take a step back, and let him find his own feet. It could be that knowing you are there is stopping him from pushing his limits.”

“Oh dear Merlin no!” Pansy gasped, “he gets such a bundle of nerves under pressure. Trust me, I know, I have known him all my life after all.”

Harry had to wonder just what Mr Malfoy thought about being talked to like that. As Pansy seemed to get lost in thought for a second, Harry glanced over at Mr Malfoy who, to his surprise, seemed more concerned with waiting for an opening to talk to Percy than what was actually being said. As soon as Pansy paused, he opened his mouth to ask a question, leaning in his seat to try to grab Percy’s attention. Pansy apparently had other ideas, however, grasping Percy’s hand as soon as she saw Draco move. 

“But tell me, Percy, you must have been up to something wonderfully interesting with your work at the Ministry.”

Harry had to stifle a laugh at the repeated question as Percy frowned slightly. 

“Well yes, I already said, I was reading a paper about the composition of Floo powder.”

“Fascinating,”Pansy repeated. “I can only imagine how important that could be to the wizarding world.”

“Well, yes, although not if the ICW steps in and regulates its production,” Percy explained. 

“Quite, although I must admit that that is beyond me,” Pansy admitted. “My skill set is definitely more for organising social events than trawling through dusty scrolls like you. Honestly, that would bore me to tears, I really hope you don’t have a relapse of your illness.”

“As I already said, I am perfectly fine.”

Harry did let out a laugh at that and everyone turned to look at him. 

“Oh, sorry, I just remembered a joke the twins made the other day but it’s, er, a bit of an inside one so I don’t think you would get it.”

Pansy scowled at Harry before turning back to Percy before Malfoy could say anything. 

“I’m not surprised, Severus is an absolute genius when it comes to healing potions. He could have made a brilliant healer but he definitely had a lot of practice with us growing up. His anti-acne draughts were an absolute godsend when we were younger and he could probably do something about your freckles if you asked.”

Percy frowned a bit. “I quite like my freckles and they aren’t that bad.”

“I suppose they aren’t something that bothers you,” Pansy nodded. “Ministry employees don’t really need to care about their looks.”

“Well no, not really,” Percy admitted. 

“But I am sure you’ll make an effort for this ball Draco and I are planning, it really will be quite the event. Speaking of-” She cast a quick tempus charm. “Oh, Draco, we really must be going, we don’t want to be late for the robe fitters. Mr Tatting really doesn’t like tardiness. See you at the ball, Percy.”

With that, she took her leave, forcing Mr Malfoy to make speedy farewells before following her through the Floo to London. It took the family a little by surprise, and Harry had to marvel at how much planning Pansy must have done to ensure that their visit was so short. Not that her behaviour was commented on by anyone, they were too occupied with thoughts of the upcoming ball. Mrs Weasley couldn’t help thinking that the ball was being held in Percy’s honour and that, along with the personal invite, indicated that there might be a proposal on the horizon. As such, she was at great pains to make sure the family looked their absolute best for the occasion. 

Everyone was excited about the ball. Percy looked forward to getting to spend more time with Draco while Harry was hoping to get the chance to dance with Cedric. He wasn’t normally a fan of dancing but the idea of getting to be in Cedric’s arms had Harry’s heart racing.

It wasn’t often that people got to be physically close in society, even between men, and Harry was more than happy to risk embarrassing himself for the chance to be in Cedric’s arms: it was an idea that Harry was sure would be haunting his dreams for some time. Ron and Ginny were looking forward to getting to see Cedric as well, although they were happy to get to spend time with all of the players. The twins were hoping there would be a new crowd for them to try out their products on. 

The good mood produced by the news didn’t seem to dwindle, even after a day, possibly due to Harry’s wonderful dreams, so much that he even deigned to ask Mr Lockhart if he would be accepting Mr Malfoy’s invitation as well. 

“Of course,” Lockhart laughed. “There is no better place for the face of Sleekeazy to be than at such a prestigious ball. I can only imagine what sort of investors will be there so it would be entirely remiss of me not to go. I plan on dancing with many people while I’m there but I hope to be able to have the first two dances with you, Mr Potter. It seems only proper, after all, since the two of us are supposed to be presenting a united front, especially in public.”

Harry felt his stomach drop. The first two dances were the most important ones, where everyone at the ball would be watching and usually used to show a special preference for a partner. Harry had been planning on dancing them with Cedric but, unfortunately, he had no reason to turn Mr Lockhart down, without massively insulting him, and that would be tantamount to social suicide. Harry cursed his own miss-timed happiness that led to this situation. 

“Why thank you, Mr Potter,” Mr Lockhart smiled after Harry stiffly nodded his ascent. “We will make quite the couple as we cut across the dance floor and I can’t help hoping that this might be the first of many balls we attend together.”

Harry gaped as the weight of Mr Lockhart’s words hit him and he realised that Lockhart intended on pursuing Harry with marriage in mind. The very thought made his stomach heave and he was pretty sure he literally turned green. He hoped he was wrong but the more Harry looked, as the day went on, the more he saw the preferential treatment Lockhart showed him. What made it worse was that Harry noticed that Mrs Weasley seemed to be pushing them together as well, apparently more than happy with the pair of them marrying. 

He was a little disgusted, and despaired at not having her as an ally in this, knowing that she could be quite unyielding when she got an idea in her head. Harry had to bite his tongue to stop himself from saying anything. Mrs Weasley didn’t change her mind easily and Harry didn’t see the point of getting into such a massive argument when there was a chance Lockhart would never actually ask the question. 

Harry hoped to be able to divert himself from this terrible, shocking news by arranging some time with Cedric, and hopefully booking the man in for some dances. Unfortunately the weather did not work in his favour and Harry joined Ron and Ginny in bemoaning the fact that they wouldn’t be able to go out and see the quidditch players. Even their robes had to be ordered in, or, at least, bits for them that would allow Mrs Weasley to tweak things ready. For once, Harry made sure to reuse something he had worn before, not wanting to give Lockhart reason to admire him any more. Being stuck in the house with the man was awkward and uncomfortable and Harry couldn’t wait for the ball, if only for a chance to get away from him, preferably into Cedric’s arms. 

Chapter Text

Harry hadn’t had a doubt about Cedric’s presence at the ball and he had even tried to fix the mess that was his hair. He was in such a state of anxiety that he didn’t think twice about using some of the Sleekeazy that Lockhart offered him. He groaned when he realised what he had done as Lockhart commented what a true miracle the product was for managing to get even his hair to lie flat. At least Harry didn’t have to worry about his hair getting messed up as he Flooed to Malfoy Manor. He stepped out, quickly scanning the crowd for signs of Cedric, hoping to at least spend time with him before the dancing started. Unfortunately, when Harry looked, Cedric was nowhere in sight. 

A thought struck him, that perhaps Cedric had been purposely excluded from the invitation, at Mr Snape’s request perhaps, and Harry was quite surprised to learn that wasn’t the case. Of course, he hadn’t been the only one to notice Cedric’s absence and Ginny wasted no time in asking Oliver Wood why he wasn’t there. 

“He had been invited,” Oliver said, “and he had responded that he would come but he said something came up at the last minute that forced him to go back to Skye and he hasn’t returned yet. If I’m honest, though, I don’t think he would have been half as inclined to go if a certain gentleman wasn’t here.”

Ginny missed the reference at the end but Harry caught its meaning. In his mind it meant that Mr Snape was no less responsible for Cedric’s absence than if he had specifically asked for Cedric to be overlooked. He felt such an anger and loss at finding out that his pleasant dreams had been ruined and he wouldn’t be seeing Cedric at all that night. When Snape came over shortly afterwards to offer his greeting, Harry had to force himself to not simply grunt at the man. He refused to sink to Snape’s level though and replied with the bare minimum while simply imagining untold torture on the man. He was determined that he would not say more to Snape than was strictly necessary that evening and even the presence of Malfoy, whom he had nothing but warm feelings for, couldn’t shift Harry’s foul mood. 

Harry wasn’t made for ill-humour, though, especially after growing up with the Weasleys. He couldn’t stay down, at least when the object of his annoyance was out of sight, and, after he had vented his frustrations to Hermione, whom he hadn’t seen in a week, he had already begun to feel much better. It helped that Hermione was often the more pragmatic of their trio and, while she listened to everything Harry said with a degree of sympathy, she also gave him a look that said she thought he was being a little ridiculous. It’s what led Harry to shift to talking about Lockhart and how Harry thought him an incompetent fool. Unfortunately Hermione wasn’t on the same page as Harry with that one either. 

“I understand that Mr Lockhart is a bit more pompous and self-involved than is typically acceptable in a person but you have to accept that he has done some amazing things. Someone who has done all the things that he did in his books ought to be given some allowances when it comes to personality, in the same way we allow Dumbledore his eccentricities.”

That didn’t fill Harry with much hope though as he was already starting to doubt how great Dumbledore was. When he had been at school, Harry had been a big part of Dumbledore’s fan club but, since growing up a bit, he had questioned some of the man’s actions a bit. The fact that he had hired Lockhart was only increasing those doubts. That feeling didn't lessen when Lockhart came over to lead Harry in the first two dances. If anything it increased as Mr Lockhart only seemed to get more farcical in Harry’s eyes.

Lockhart always seemed so poised in all of his photos but, on the dance floor, he was no more graceful than Harry was. He stepped on Harry’s toes at least as much as Harry stepped on his, but at least it meant that Harry didn’t have to feel guilty about his own miss-steps. It also meant, at least in Harry’s mind, that people would probably not be considering them a ‘good’ match, the way Lockhart had hoped, and for that Harry was grateful. Dancing with the man was still ridiculously painful though, and Harry breathed a sigh of relief when it was over, practically running from Lockhart lest he get pulled into a conversation or, Merlin forbid, another dance. 

Harry managed to bump into Oliver Wood who invited Harry for a dance. Harry was happy to accept, especially as it meant he had an excuse to talk about Cedric. Harry worried that he might come across as a bit rude but Oliver was happy to wax lyrical about Cedric’s performance as a seeker and Harry was happy to hear that he was truly well liked among his peers. When the dance finished, Harry was happy to go find Hermione, hoping to catch up with his friend some more. 

“So how have you been these last couple of weeks while I’ve had to deal with Lockhart.”

Hermione rolled her eyes. “Yes Harry, you are clearly so put out with that man that you are off gallivanting with Mr Diggory as well.”

“I would hardly call a couple of chats ‘gallivanting’,” Harry chuckled, although he had to admit that he wouldn’t say no to that actually happening. 

“If you say so. As for me, I have been lamenting my future in the wizarding world.”

“Why?” Harry asked, suddenly becoming concerned. 

“Because, despite what Hogwarts promised me, the wizarding world isn’t really that accepting of Muggleborns as I had hoped,” Hermione sighed. “Maybe if I had been able to prove myself in some way things would have been different.”

“What do you mean, ‘prove yourself’?” Harry exclaimed. “You got the best grades of everyone in our year.”

“I know,” Hermione huffed, “and that was fine for getting me a position in the DMLE but apparently nepotism is alive and well in the wizarding world and I can’t hope to advance with any sort of speed without them.”

“Well that’s hardly fair,” Harry scowled. 

“Unfortunately, life isn’t fair. One day you might see that, Harry, although you have been blessed enough so far that it might never come. I was hoping to be able to make my own way in the world but I’m starting to think that I might have to look at other options.”

At that moment Harry heard a cough beside him and he looked to see Mr Snape standing there. The man asked Harry for the next two dances. The shock of the question, along with his confusion over what Hermione had said, was the only explanation Harry could think of as to why he said yes. Mr Snape walked away with a small smile on his face and Harry suddenly began to panic. 

“I love you, Harry, but you really can be dramatic sometimes,” Hermione sighed as Harry began to fall apart a bit. “I would be surprised if you don’t find him quite agreeable.”

“Don’t say that!” Harry groaned. “That would be the absolute worst outcome! I have already resolved to hate the man, why would you want me to like him? You can be surprisingly evil sometimes, Hermione.”

Hermione rolled her eyes again. “How can you say you hate him when you don’t even really know him? You are simply being led by your wounded pride and your growing obsession with Diggory.”

“I do not have an obsession with Cedric!” Harry hissed but Hermione just gave him a baleful look. 

“He is all you have talked about since he came to the neighbourhood but you’re right, you aren’t obsessed at all. My point is, that you shouldn’t close yourself off and risk alienating someone like Mr Snape; it might come back to haunt you in the future.”

Harry frowned, but he was prevented from saying anything else as the dancing started up again and Mr Snape came over to claim his hand. Harry accepted it, knowing that it would only harm his own reputation to refuse, and took his place opposite the man. Everyone around them seemed surprised to see him there and Harry felt a little smug, realising it was deemed an honour and they were a little shocked it had been bestowed on him. It made Harry feel a little better about standing up with him. 

They stood opposite each other in silence for a while and Harry was perfectly happy to continue that way until he realised Mr Snape might actually enjoy that. Knowing how much he tended to prefer silence, Harry decided to try to put him out of sorts by engaging him in trivial conversation. 

“The band is playing very well, don’t you think, Mr Snape? They are keeping very good time.”

“Indeed,” Mr Snape replied, only to fall back into silence.

Harry smiled, feeling like he had hit the proverbial nail on the head and he was determined to keep needling the man while he could. 

“It is your turn to say something now, Mr Snape. I remarked on the music, now you should say something about the number of couples or the size of the room.”

Mr Snape actually smiled at him. “As you wish. I am happy to say whatever it is that you wish.”

Harry hummed and flashed Snape a cheeky look. “I suppose that response will do for now. Perhaps, in a while, I might observe that private balls are much nicer than public ones but for now we may be silent.”

“Do you always talk by rule while dancing?”

“Sometimes,” Harry smiled. “One must speak a little, you know, and I find it much easier to do if I have some sort of framework in mind. I find it is a good way of keeping conversation to an acceptable minimum.”

“Are you trying to reduce conversation for your own sake, or are you doing what you think I would prefer?”

“Both,” Harry smirked. “I feel there are points where our minds are truly similar. Neither of us are actually overly social, preferring to stick to our small circle of acquaintances, preferring not to speak unless we feel that what we say will astound the whole room, repeated for generations like some sort of proverb.”

“I don’t think that is a good description of your character at all,” Mr Snape mused. “I won’t bother saying how close I feel it is to mine, although it is clear that is how you see me.”

“Well I certainly can’t judge my own character either.”

They fell into silence again as they continued to dance and Harry refused to think about how easy it was to move with Snape. The man moved with an effortless grace himself but, somehow, Harry didn’t feel as if he was a baby foal, just finding its legs. He was almost amazed at how easy it all felt and he was a little surprised when Snape started talking again. 

“Do you and the Weasleys often walk into Ottery-St-Catchpole?”

Harry blinked. “Um, yes. It is a good way of seeing different people as even a large house can feel repetitive at times. In fact, when you met us in the village the other day, we had just been reacquainting ourselves with an old school friend.”

A look of horror, or possibly regret, came over Mr Snape’s face and Harry couldn’t help but feel a bit smug about reminding the man of his former ill behaviour. He fell back into silence, hoping to let the man stew in his own discomfort for a while. After a short time, Mr Snape spoke again. 

“I am happy that Mr Diggory’s manners are so good that he can so easily make friends. He has faced some horrible rumours in the past and I would hope that he never has to face them again.”

Harry bristled. He might be wrong but he couldn’t help feeling like that was meant to be some sort of threat: that he would start the rumours up if Cedric started making waves. He was happy to go through the rest of the dance in complete silence but, unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. Minister Fudge, who had been making his way through the set, stopped by them and gave Mr Snape a deep bow; a gracious show of respect. 

“You dance incredibly well, Mr Snape, a true delight to watch, especially with such a partner on your arm. I hope that I get to watch you again some time in the near future when a certain happy event takes place.” 

He glanced over to where Percy and Mr Malfoy were dancing and Harry felt a wave of mortification at the man making such an obvious suggestion. It didn’t help that Mr Snape also looked over at the dancing couple and the man became quite stone-faced, barely noticing when the Minister said goodbye and moved on. Snape remained staring at Percy and Mr Malfoy for a long moment before he seemed to catch himself and continued on with the dance.

“Apologies, with the Minister’s interruption, I had completely forgotten what we were talking about.”

“If I recall, we weren’t talking about anything at all,” Harry laughed. “The Minister couldn’t have interrupted a couple speaking less. We had tried several subjects that fizzled out very quickly and I am at a loss as to what to try next.”

“I could always talk to you about books,” Snape smirked and Harry groaned. 

“Please, no. I doubt we read the same thing and, if we did, there is little chance that we had the same thoughts on it.”

“Surely that is all the more reason to broach that subject. If our opinions differ so much we will have plenty to talk about in comparing them.”

Harry shook his head. “No, no, I cannot talk about books in a ballroom; my head is always too full of something else.”

“I assume your mind is always on the present,” Snape said, raising a disbelieving eyebrow. 

“Of course,” Harry huffed, although his mind hadn’t actually been on the present, as proved when Harry uttered his next statement. “You once said, Mr Snape, that people who lost your good opinion could never get it back, or something like that. I suppose that means you are careful before you form that bad opinion.”

“Of course.”

“You would never allow yourself to be blinded by prejudice?”

“I should hope not.”

Harry hummed and looked at him assessingly. “That’s good to hear. If someone is so steadfast in their opinion of people, they should definitely take care before forming it.”

“Is there a reason for you questioning?”

“I am trying to gauge your character,” Harry said, trying to make it sound like a joke but failing. 

“And what conclusion have you come to?”

“I can’t make you out,” Harry said, shaking his head. “I have heard such varying opinions about you.”

“I can only imagine,” Mr Snape sighed. “I would ask that you not form your opinion of me yet as I have reason to believe that that opinion will be misguided.”

“Ah, but if I don’t form an opinion of you know then I might never get another chance.”

“And Merlin forbid anyone should deny you pleasure.” He rolled his eyes and the pair of them fell into silence as they finished the dance. Neither was satisfied, however. Harry was annoyed that he wasn’t able to discern Snape’s character any better while Snape still thought well enough of Harry to forgive his impertinence and direct his anger at others. 

Pansy came over shortly after Harry and Snape had parted. 

“So, Harry, I hear that Cedric Diggory has caught your fancy; dear Percy has been talking my ear off about it. I gather that you heard that he is at Pemberley recently but I would advise, as a friend, not to put too much stock in what he said. He doesn’t know the full story and is far from completely innocent in the whole debacle.”

“Are you suggesting that something actually happened between him and Miss Greengrass?” Harry asked, disbelief clear in his voice. 

“Merlin, no!” Pansy exclaimed. “If he had I can guarantee that none of us would ever have forgiven him. That being said, he was seen alone with a young woman on multiple occasions, very much of his own choice, so clearly he is not of the soundest judgement.”

“One could say that about the young lady as well,” Harry argued, “walking around unaccompanied like that.”

“Oh yes, a 15 year old girl is definitely at fault for walking around her own home without a chaperone, as she had for 15 years prior to that,” Pansy snark, her voice dripping with sarcasm. 

“Just like we should expect perfect judgement from an 18 year old boy fresh out of school,” Harry scoffed. “Really, if that’s the worst you can say about him then I am of the opinion that the rest of you are more at fault for letting this young lady wander around on her own and then come down with whatever serious ailment she happened to get.”

“Well I never! All I was doing was trying to help!” Pansy exclaimed, before walking off in a huff. 

Harry just laughed to himself. As if such a desperate attempt to change his mind would actually work. It was clear that she was worried that her dear Snape would be shown in an unforgivable light if word got out. He might not have been announcing it to the world for fear that poor Cedric’s name would be dragged through the mud again but that didn’t mean that he would willingly involve himself in a cover up, especially for the sake of Snape of all people. If anything, Harry wanted to tell everyone about his actions and he sought out Percy to see if he had been able to find out any more information from Mr Malfoy. 

Percy was practically glowing when Harry found him and, despite trying to keep his more stoic ‘public’ face on, Harry couldn’t help noticing the small smile playing around the corners of his lips. It was clear that he had been enjoying his evening with Draco and Harry was very happy for him. While he might not always see eye to eye with Percy on things, the man was still his brother, albeit adopted, and Harry genuinely wanted the best for him. Since it seemed that the best was Draco Malfoy, Harry mentally gave the match his full support and, for a moment, all thought of Cedric and his troubles was all but forgotten. 

“I was going to ask if you had learned anything about Cedric from Mr Malfoy,” Harry grinned, “but I have a feeling that you may have been too distracted by the man himself. If that was the case, though, I forgive you wholeheartedly.”

“I hadn’t forgotten,” Percy said, with a small laugh, “but I’m afraid that I have nothing of note to report. Draco was on his Grand Tour when the tryouts were happening so he only has second hand knowledge of what occurred. He did seem to suggest that Mr Snape actually helped Mr Diggory though and, when I queried it, he said he could well believe it as it was completely within Mr Snape’s character. I’m sorry to say, Harry that, between his account, and Pansy’s, I’m starting to believe that Mr Diggory is quite mistaken as to what happened.”

“From whom did Mr Malfoy learn of the incident?” Harry queried. 

“From Pansy and Mr Snape, I believe,” Percy replied. 

Harry smirked. “Then, no offence to Mr Malfoy, but his knowledge of the situation is someone biased. I don’t expect Mr Snape to go around recounting all of his nefarious deeds in detail to whomever might be listening. Likewise, I am sure Mr Malfoy is wont to think well of the man who raised him. I do not believe him insincere in his defence of his mentor, merely ignorant of a number of facts. That said, I do not want to risk ruining this evening by getting into an argument so let’s change the subject to something more agreeable: how were your dances with Mr Malfoy?”

Percy actually blushed. “They were as enjoyable as ever.”

“No need to be coy with me, Percy,” Harry laughed. “I know you better than that.”

“Fine,” Percy scowled, although he couldn’t quite keep the smile off his face. “My dances were highly enjoyable. Mr Malfoy is a handsome and intelligent man whom I very much enjoy spending time with.”

“Careful Percy or you might actually say that you love him,” Harry laughed, only to stop short when Percy’s face fell. “What’s the matter?”

“Is it that obvious?” Percy asked, worriedly. “I fear that I look like a love-struck fool whenever I’m anywhere near him.”

“You don’t look like a fool,” Harry assured him, “although it’s clear to me how much you like him, just as it’s clear he feels the same way for you.”

“Do you think so?”

“I know it,” Harry smiled, laying a hand on Percy’s arm comfortingly, “and I am sure that everyone else knows it as well.”

“I’m not sure that I want everyone else to know how I feel,” Percy sighed. 

“It is a good thing,” Harry smiled, although he was prevented from saying anything more by the arrival of Mr Malfoy who wanted to talk to Percy about some sort of legislation regarding experimental potions. It was not a topic Harry was interested in at all so he took his leave of them and went in search of Hermione. Harry had barely had a chance to greet his dear friend, however, when Mr Lockhart came bounding over. 

“You know, I heard the most intriguing news just now. Apparently, according to the Minister at least, Mr Snape is going to be taking up a teaching position at Hogwarts again,” Lockhart gushed. “The Potions Master potion, if the Minister is correct, and I can’t say that I am surprised as Slughorn is getting on in years. He wasn’t young when he taught me, not that that was very long ago.”

Lockhart laughed at his own joke and Harry was sorely tempted to tell him how many wrinkles he got around his eyes when he did. 

“Well, at least you will have something to talk to him about when you meet at the school,” Harry said. 

“Oh Merlin, no,” Lockhart chuckled. “I fully intend to introduce myself to him now.”

Harry’s face fell. He didn’t have the highest opinion of Snape but he did not want the man to associate Harry with a fool such as Lockhart. That would be giving the man too much of a reason to ridicule him, especially if Lockhart emphasised how he was a spokesman for Sleekeazy. 

“I really don’t think that is a good idea,” Harry pleaded. “If the news about his appointment isn’t official, there may be a reason for that and you wouldn’t want to get yourself into a sticky situation with your new colleague and employer.”

“Nonsense!” Lockhart scoffed. “The Minister made no such insinuation when he told me and I sincerely doubt he would be so crass as to spread false gossip. No, the deal is clearly done and, as a fellow Hogwarts Professor, it is only right that I introduce myself to him straight away, and also apologise for not greeting him sooner. Loath as I am to admit ignorance on anything, I would hate him to think that I was ignoring him all this time. That would hardly be the way to start a new working relationship with the man.”

With that, Mr Lockhart left to go and greet Mr Snape and, while Harry groaned as he watched the interaction, he couldn’t help but secretly revel at how uncomfortable Lockhart’s presence made him. It probably didn’t help that Lockhart seemed intent on getting into one of his seemingly unending stories, calling nearby individuals over to hear, and pronouncing Snape’s new position to everyone. By the end, Harry was pretty sure Snape was attempting a wordless killing curse, if his scowl was anything to go by, while Harry was simply happy that someone else had to suffer Lockhart’s presence. As ever, though, Lockhart was completely oblivious and came back to Harry in remarkably good spirits.

“A fine fellow, that Snape,” Lockhart announced. “He could do with some pointers regarding personal care but he certainly has an excellent mind. It might not hurt to have him with me on some of my adventures, just in case I get into trouble of course. We would need to sort out his image though; don’t want to scare away any would-be fans by putting that face on the cover. I did tell him as much, although not in so many words of course, but I did offer to let him try some new products Sleekeazy was planning on putting out when they branched out into skin care. We could do a before and after picture; there wouldn’t be better advertising! Snape didn’t seem overly enthusiastic although who wouldn’t want free products and the chance to get famous? I suppose I can continue to work on him when we both teach at Hogwarts.”

Harry hummed noncommittally but a part of him could help thinking that Snape made the right decision. The man wasn’t handsome by any stretch, at least not classically anyway, but Harry thought he would rather see the harsh lines of Snape’s face than Lockhart’s artificial smile. The idea left Harry feeling a little uncomfortable and he turned his attention back to Percy and Draco. The pair seemed so happy together and Harry couldn’t help thinking that a marriage proposal might not be far away. It would probably make them the political power couple of the wizarding world. Harry could see Percy settling into the house, taking over one of the rooms and filling it full of scrolls of legislation. It was a comforting thought and he hoped with all his heart that it would become a reality. 

Chapter Text

Harry was pretty sure Mrs Weasley’s mind was also leaning in the direction of a marriage between Percy and Mr Malfoy. She kept eyeing the couple as they spoke, and whispering to people around her. Harry understood that she was really just happy with the idea that Percy could be marrying well, and moving nearby, but he had to admit that he felt uncomfortable about her going on about it before it was official. Harry worried that it would make her come off as desperate, or gold digging, but he also knew that nothing he said would change her attitude. That only became more clear when they sat down to supper. 

Harry was near enough to Mrs Weasley and could hear her talking to Amelia Bones, the head of the DMLE, about how she fully expected a marriage between them soon.

“Honestly, Madame Bones, it is really quite the boon for Percy to have made such a match,” she said. “Mr Malfoy is such a handsome young man and it seems like such a perfect way to put the old feud to rest. The Malfoys were always such a political force and Percy is only going to be a benefit for that, pushing the family in the right direction. I can just imagine how history will paint that union.”

“Potential union,” Harry pointed out. “It’s not set yet so it might be a good idea not to get carried away with ourselves.”

“Oh please, Harry, it’s all but confirmed at this point,” Mrs Weasley huffed, waving her hand dismissively. “Honestly, I am so happy that Percy has made such a good match, that he is going to live in such a wonderful home and have everything that he could desire. It was such a hardship trying to make ends meet when the children were growing up and it is so nice to think that Percy isn’t going to have to worry about that.”

“I understand, but maybe supper isn’t the ideal place for this conversation,” Harry suggested, “or at least it might be an idea to not talk about it so loudly in public.” His eyes unconsciously slid to Mr Snape who was sitting on the opposite side of the table and could clearly hear every word. 

“Why ever not?” Mrs Weasley scoffed. “I am not ashamed of our financial situation, in fact I am very proud of how we managed as a family. That doesn’t mean that I don’t hope that my children won’t have to suffer the same hardships which is why I am so happy for the match as I know it isn’t just Percy who will benefit. I know the twins are looking for investors in their business; I might prefer they get a more stable job but I will be happy if they can make it work. Hopefully Bill can benefit as well, getting a position in England as opposed to having to go gallivanting across the world. It could help Ron get a good position as well and it would be wonderful if Mr Malfoy can take Ginny out to balls. I must say these events are starting to tire me a lot these days and I am sure Mr Malfoy will be able to help her find a better match than I can. It would certainly be nice to have multiple children well matched.”

“I know, I hope for the same for my niece, Susan,” Madame Bones nodded. 

“Well yes, although dear Susan is such a wallflower, she would probably benefit from being a bit more outgoing, like my Ginny.”

Madame Bones gave Mrs Weasley a look that seemed to say ‘Percy isn’t outgoing and look what he’s got’. Harry could only agree and, if he were honest, Ginny could probably do with being a little less outgoing, especially as she was starting to get herself a bit of a reputation. Harry knew she wasn’t doing anything inappropriate, but the amount of attention she was showing some of the Quidditch players was causing tongues to wag. Harry wished Mrs Weasley would say something to her but she was too proud of how independent Ginny was and claimed not to want to stifle her daughter. 

Harry had long since learnt not to fight losing battles which was why he was happy when Madame Bones seemed to lose interest in what Mrs Weasley was saying, turning her attention to her food. Without an active audience, Mrs Weasley soon lost interest in talking, and Harry hoped that that would be an end to embarrassing conversations he had to be privy to. He only hoped there weren’t any that others were privy to either. Harry had found himself glancing at Mr Snape to see if he heard. Harry was pretty sure he had. He hadn’t said anything, or even looked their way, but Harry had seen his expression shift from indignation and contempt, to a serious contemplation that piqued Harry’s curiosity. 

Unfortunately he wasn’t able to study the man much more as supper soon came to an end and was taken over by dancing and socialising. Harry wasn’t a particularly big fan of either, although he did enjoy listening to music. He half wished that he had learned to play but the Burrow was never big enough to allow a piano even if they had been able to afford one. Instruments were one of those things that were too delicate to transfigure well and, consequently, cost a small fortune. Hermione had tried to transfigure one from a table one year and, even with her skill, it had still sounded awful. It’s why Harry was so happy to get to listen to a proper instrument and why he was so annoyed when his enjoyment was cut short. 

The twins were in their element at the ball; not because they particularly liked dancing, but because there was a whole bunch of people they hadn't met before in a nice confined area. In other words, it was the ideal testing area for both their new and old joke products and apparently the twins were ramping up their testing, likely ready to start going public with their joke shop idea. Most people who knew them, knew not to accept anything that the twins offered them to eat, or eat anything that they had been lingering by for any period. These new people weren't so wary and there was suddenly a whole bunch of canaries appearing by the dance floor, courtesy of whatever the twins had smuggled in.

Harry winced and cursed that he was on the other side of the room, unable to intervene in the train wreck. He looked to Percy who was closer, but he was too deep in conversation with Mr Malfoy to notice. Ginny and Ron were no help either. They had seen what was going on but were too busy laughing at the twins' actions to actually see that there might be an issue with his behaviour. 

Harry scanned the room for help but, as he did, he caught sight of Mr Snape who looked increasingly serious, his scowl now so severe he had started to look constipated. It might be funny if it wasn’t Harry’s family that was being judged. He normally wouldn’t care but there was something so galling about the idea that Snape of all people was casting judgement over them. Harry could only imagine what he might be thinking and began moving across the room in an effort to stop Ron from making things worse. Before he could get there, however, Mr Weasley appeared by twins’ side. Apparently the Wizengamot members had been signalling him and Mr Weasley got the hint. Harry would have been relieved but, unfortunately, Mr Weasley wasn’t the most subtle of people. 

“Very funny, boys, although I don't think the ball is the ideal place to show of your products,” Mr Weasley chided. 

“Actually it's the best place," George argued. 

"Yes," Fred agreed. "It's just the thing to liven the place up."

"This dancing around the room over and over was getting boring," George added. 

“Except no one wants canary feathers in their formal robes, except perhaps you where they might be an improvement," Pansy muttered, quite loudly, to someone next to her that Harry didn’t know, causing them both to snicker. 

"If you're bored of dancing you should try chess," Ron suggested, and Harry bit back a groan. 

“I quite agree,” Mr Lockhart chimed in. “Card games can be enjoyable but there is little skill involved with them. Chess is the game of the true intellectual wizard who wants to test his mind. I enjoy nothing better than a game in the evening, especially when my day hasn’t been too mentally taxing, and I need a little extra stimulation. That being said, I'm sure I will have a lot of mental stimulation when I start teaching at the school, needing to focus my concentration on moulding those young, impressionable minds. I’m sure that most of my free time will be taken up in such a manner, when I am not writing my next book that is. I am sure that Hogwarts staff are all ready to help each other, though, and I am glad to have made a friend in one before I even start.”

He wasn’t speaking directly to Snape, but he was clearly speaking about him, and speaking loudly enough for the man to hear, as well as half the ballroom. Mr Weasley sighed and shook his head while Mrs Weasley commented to whomever would listen that it was proof that Lockhart was a very intelligent man and an excellent choice as a teacher. 

Harry couldn’t help feeling like his family was trying to be as embarrassing as possible. Perhaps it was because they were used to being in less formal situations, where people already knew them and accepted them with all of their various eccentricities. This was a different group, however, and, while he usually admired the Weasleys for always being true to themselves, this was one of the times he wished they had a public face as well as a private one. It might stop some of the judgemental looks that Snape kept casting over them all. He wasn’t sure which was worse: Snape’s silent contempt or the insolent smiles and snickers Pansy kept exchanging with her friends. 

The rest of the evening didn’t get any better. Mr Lockhart stuck to his side like a limpet. He kept pestering Harry to dance with him again which was annoying, but at least he stopped anyone else from approaching either. He put people off coming to talk as well, though, meaning that Harry was subjected to nothing but his inane chatter as his stories that Harry could swear were starting to repeat. Harry thought he was going to lose his mind and offered to introduce the man to anyone else if he wished to dance. 

“Thank you, Mr Potter, but I am afraid that I must decline. You see, while I enjoy dancing, my main goal in being here is to endear myself to you. It is you, therefore, who will have my undivided attention, lucky thing that you are, and I shall be at your side all evening.”

Harry had to bite back his groan, lest he risk embarrassing himself at this event even more. He could have kissed Hermione when she came over to join them and actually engaged Mr Lockhart in conversation so that Harry didn’t have to. It was possibly a little mean to use his friend like that but at least Hermione seemed genuinely interested in talking to the man. 

Mr Lockhart wasn’t the only person intent on standing near Harry, though: Mr Snape also kept close. Not close enough to actually engage Harry in conversation, thank Merlin, but close enough to hear Harry’s conversation. The only reason for this behaviour that Harry could come up with was that the man was worried that Harry would start telling people about his awful behaviour with Cedric. He was likely worried about his reputation taking a hit, especially if he was hoping to get a teaching position at Hogwarts. The thought that he had that sort of power over Snape gave Harry a bit of a thrill and he couldn’t help smirking in the man’s direction from time to time. 

The Weasleys were the last group to leave the ball thanks to some manoeuvring on Mrs Weasley’s part. She had ‘accidentally’ left their flying carpet out in the rain while they were dancing and the thing had to be thoroughly dried before it could take flight again, the floo being held up by people who had to travel a much further distance than them. It meant that they were there for over a quarter of an hour which was enough time for Harry to see how little they were actually welcome in the house. As soon as the other guests had left, Pansy and Millicent said nothing except for how tired they were and how they longed for bed. They ignored every attempt by Mrs Weasley to draw them into conversation. 

It was a shame really as it put a dampener on the whole party which wasn’t helped at all by Mr Lockhart’s long speeches praising Mr Malfoy, his home and his excellent hospitality and saying that he was glad to be able to count the man amongst his close acquaintances. Mr Snape stayed silent the whole time, as did Mr Weasley: one looking on the party with amusement and the other with contempt. The only ones who truly seemed to be enjoying the delay were Percy and Mr Malfoy who were standing slightly off to the side, lost in their own little world, and Harry found he couldn’t begrudge them that little moment. No one else seemed particularly interested in talking except for Ginny who let out a large yawn and loudly announced “Merlin, I’m tired!”. 

When they were finally able to leave, Mrs Weasley made a distinct point of thanking Mr Malfoy again and said how she hoped to see them all at the Burrow some time soon.

“Especially you, Mr Malfoy. Our house is unfortunately in no way large enough for a ball such as this but I would be very happy to have you over to dine with us one day. I assure you I do a fine roast and you are welcome any day, no formal invitation needed.”

“Thank you madam,” Mr Malfoy smiled, as Mrs Weasley was grasping his hand. “I would be more than happy to take you up on your kind invitation soon. Unfortunately I have some business in France so will be at my family home there for sometime. I will return as soon as possible, however, and I assure you that you shall be among the first I call on when I return. I can’t imagine I will be gone for more than a day or two though.”

Mrs Weasley was satisfied that she had done all she could to help her son for now and was of the opinion that, given the need for a socially acceptable courting period, she calculated that she would see Percy married within three or four months. The idea that Harry might be married to Mr Lockhart soon, as well, gave her pleasure as well. It was not quite equal pleasure; not because she didn’t care for her adopted son as much as her own, but because she couldn’t be as happy about the match. Mr Lockhart was only slightly inferior to Mr Malfoy, in her eyes at least, but she couldn’t be as happy about Harry moving to Hogwarts as she was about Percy moving to Wiltshire. 

Chapter Text

The next morning, as his visit was ending the following week, he decided that it was high time he made his declaration. He went down to breakfast and, seeing Mrs Weasley, Harry and Ron were sitting in the kitchen, he addressed the matriarch. 

“Madam, I was wondering if I might have a private audience with Mr Potter at some point this morning. I have a matter to discuss with him of some importance.”

A smile spread across her face as she quickly figured out what he was planning. Before Harry could object she had already begun bustling out of the room, pushing Ron out as she went. “Of course, I can’t imagine Harry having any objections to that. Come on Ron, we need to go and see if the chickens have laid any more eggs.”

“Didn’t the twins do that first thing?” Ron questioned. 

“Yes, but we had best check again.”

“Please don’t!” Harry exclaimed, trying to get up to block their way. “I can’t imagine that there is anything Mr Lockhart has to say that he can’t say in front of everyone.”

“No, no, sit back down Harry,” Mrs Weasley commanded, in her no-nonsense voice. “There is no need for you to come out as well and, in fact, I insist that you sit right there.”

Harry’s formerly flustered look was replaced with a scowl as he sat down with a huff. Harry couldn’t argue with such a command; it was basically ingrained into him from childhood at this point. That said, when he thought about it, he realised that this might actually be for the best. Mr Lockhart was unlikely to give up on this idea and would probably only become more desperate as his time to leave got closer. It was much better to get this farce over and done with quickly, in private, as opposed to risking the idiot blurting it out in the streets, and Harry definitely wouldn’t put it past him. 

No, Harry would listen to him now, quickly, then turn him down so thoroughly that there would be absolutely no reprisals of this ridiculous idea. He sat himself down as he tried not to fidget too much. It was difficult though: he was restless, unsure whether to laugh or cry at the situation. He was only glad that he didn’t have to wait long to get this awful situation over with as Mr Lockhart started the moment Ron and Mrs Weasley were out the door. 

“I must say, my dear Mr Potter, that I am quite surprised that you do not seem to be aware of what I am about to say. That being said, I find it speaks to a modesty that I feel only adds to your other perfections. In fact, I think you would have been less desirable in my eyes had there not been this little unwillingness. Being who I am, I am surrounded by men and women who are constantly throwing themselves at me and your hesitancy only shows to highlight how superior you are to them. Don’t worry though, your wonderful adopted mother has given me her full support and assured me that you will see what a wonderful match this is in due time. You cannot be completely without understanding after all; you are an intelligent young man and my attentions to you have been too marked to be mistaken. I knew even before I met you that you would be the perfect match for me and that feeling has only grown during my stay here.”

‘Before you met me?’ Harry thought, but he was far too confused to actually say anything out loud in Mr Lockhart’s short pause and he soon began again. 

“I’m sure you are quite surprised at my wanting to marry. I am a handsome, successful man in the prime of my youth after all, and I’m sure many would assume I would be off sowing my wild oats. I am sorry to say, however, that I am older than you likely think I am.” Harry tried to smother his scoff. “I am also entering a new chapter as a teacher and think it only right that I set a good example to the students by having a steady partner. As I have said before, this is especially true as I want everyone to know that I am off the proverbial market so as not to bring myself or the school into disrepute. 

“That is why I wish to marry in general, though. Why I have chosen you, Mr Potter, as the person to bestow the honour of becoming my husband on, that is another matter. As I said, I planned on asking you to marry me before I even got here as, on paper, you were the perfect candidate. As the spokesperson for Sleekeazy it seemed only right that I at least try to court the heir of the company. After all, imagine the powerhouse we could be: my charm and social skills and your, well, business pedigree. We could really take the company places and the managing directors completely agreed.”

Harry frowned. “What do you mean the managing directors agreed?”

“Well, you see, they were a bit worried about you, which is part of why I came here in the first place,” Lockhart admitted. “You have voting powers but no business expertise and it was felt by some that you could be a bit of a loose cannon in the future. It was suggested that I come here to try to teach you a few things and assess how much of a liability you might be. Mr Burke, in particular, floated the idea of me potentially courting you. He is one of the people who believes in my occamy egg shampoo idea but he doesn’t think it would get passed the board, especially if you vote against it.”

“So that’s your plan!” Harry exclaimed. “Marry me to get my votes and then use them to push through your hair-brained ideas!”

“Of course I wouldn’t do anything as underhanded as that!” Lockhart huffed, but he couldn’t quite meet Harry’s eye. That was clearly the plan but Harry was torn between believing that Lockhart was the mastermind behind it, or just a willing stooge. 

“But you think I will just go along with this plan?” Harry asked, practically seething.

“To be quite frank, Mr Potter, you don’t exactly have many better prospects,” Lockhart said, flashing one of his fake smiles that he thought made people swoon. In his defence it often did, but it just made Harry’s stomach churn. “Let’s be honest, your income from the company is adequate but hardly what could be considered a fortune, with your family’s wealth wrapped up in the products and buildings as opposed to actual cash. You are wealthy on paper, but that is about it. There is also the fact that your parents were heroes but you, yourself, are no one, having fallen into obscurity over the years. You have potential to be great, potential to be rich, but you need the right person to draw that out. As it stands right now, you don’t have much to offer to a potential partner. At my side, however, you will have a greater impact on the financial and business sides of the magical world than even your grandfather.”

“What do you mean will?” Harry questioned. “I have not agreed to this endeavour and, before you begin to think otherwise, I must hasten to add that I never will. I am sure you meant proposing to me as a compliment, although you had a funny way of wording it, but I cannot accept under any circumstances.”

Mr Lockhart smiled. “How very apt, Mr Potter. You forget, though, that I know you are the modest type and so must have taken it upon yourself to turn me down, feeling like I am too good for you and can’t imagine that someone like me would want you. I can assure you, however, sir, that I am quite taken by you. My interest started out with a purely business but I have come to admire you, even be attracted to you, and I look forward to being with you in all aspects of our marriage.”

“Really, sir!” Harry shouted, jumping up in disgust. “I don’t know how much clearer I can be but I assure you there is nothing you can do or say that will entice me into marrying you. We are not in any way a good match and I cannot see either of us being happy together, especially as I am not attracted to you in the least.”

“Not attracted to me?” Lockhart scoffed. “My dear Mr Potter, you do say some of the most absurd things. Of course, if you weren’t attracted to me, things certainly couldn’t go ahead between us as I could never link myself to someone of such questionable taste. You are too intelligent, however, for that to be the case I think.”

“I assure you that it is the case,” Harry insisted. “I have no interest in being associated with you in any way, least of all binding myself to you for life!” 

Harry stood up and was just about to leave the room when Mr Lockhart addressed Harry again with a stern look on his face. 

“When I speak to you again on this subject, Mr Potter, I hope for a more favourable answer. I know that it is practice among the younger generation of not accepting a proposal the first time, not wanting to seem too desperate, but this attitude of yours is really starting to test my patience. I would think that you were being purposely cruel at this point had I not already learned that that is not in your nature. I can only think that your modesty, and awareness of your position in society, make you believe that I am not serious in my proposal, or that you are somehow undeserving. I assure you that I am serious and, given your intelligence, I can only assume that you will see it in time.”

“Mr Lockhart, I don’t know how to explain myself more clearly,” Harry huffed. “What can I say that will convince you to stop this ridiculousness?”

“The fact is, Mr Potter, that I know you must see the benefit of my proposal, and that it is the best that you are ever likely to receive. I know you are intelligent and must realise that so, when you take some time, you will see that accepting my proposal is the only sound option for you. You are handsome, but your position isn’t one that would benefit anyone other than me so I doubt there are many people who would be able to look past that. It’s why I can only assume that your modesty is the only thing stopping you from accepting me and that time will allow common sense to win the day.”

“I promise that time will not change my mind,” Harry assured him. “I am not as modest as you seem to think I am and, if you would give me a trait, I would rather you think me honest than naive. I am fully aware of what you are saying, what it means, and what my prospects are in the future. You say that I am intelligent so please believe in that statement and believe that I speak the truth when I say that I will not now, nor will I ever agree to marry you.”

“You are intelligent but young and naive,” Mr Lockhart said, “and I am sure that when you speak to Mr and Mrs Weasley, you will see what a prudent match we are.”

“Argh!” Harry growled, literally pulling at his hair in an effort to try to stop the headache that was building from Lockhart’s sheer stupidity and obstinacy. He genuinely didn’t know how to get through to the man when he simply wasn’t listening to him. Harry didn’t know whether it was wilful ignorance or plain stupidity. It was clear he wasn’t getting anywhere, though, and, in an effort to forestall his impending insanity, Harry fled the room in an effort to find someone who could help him possibly get through to Mr Lockhart or, failing that, something heavy to potentially knock some sense into the man. 

Mr Lockhart was left alone in the room, but not for long. Contrary to what she had suggested, Mrs Weasley hadn’t gone to check the chickens and had actually been waiting in the hall. When he saw Harry storm out the room and out the front door, she dashed into the kitchen ready to congratulate the man, as well as herself, for having another child on their way to, what in her mind, would be a happy marriage. 

“Well, Mr Potter hasn’t said yes yet,” Mr Lockhart admitted, “but I am sure that is only his modesty talking and that he will see sense in time.”

“Modesty, you say,” Mrs Weasley murmured, looking towards the door with a frown. While not exactly boastful, Harry was far from overly modest, accepting and owning his skills and qualities where they existed. 

“Indeed,” Mr Lockhart nodded. “I am aware that it is normal, or at least occurs among younger people, that they turn down an initial proposal so as not to seem too keen. Mr Potter is very intelligent, however, so I know that he will see sense in due time. That being said, Madam, I don’t think a word from you would be amiss.”

“You can depend upon it sir,” Mrs Weasley huffed. “Harry can be quite headstrong at times and he doesn’t think about the future. Believe me, though, I will be having words with him and getting him to actually engage his brain for once.”

Mr Lockhart frowned. “I was under the impression that Mr Potter was quite intelligent?”

“Oh he is,” Mrs Weasley assured him, “but he unfortunately suffers with the same affliction that most young people suffer from, and that is not being able to see what is best for them in the long run. Unfortunately all of my younger children suffer the same, with the twins insisting on setting up a joke shop of all things, as opposed to getting a proper job. Rest assured, though, sir, that I will have words with my husband and we shall get Harry to see sense.”

Then, without waiting for him to respond, she breezed out of the room to head to Mr Weasley’s workshop in the garden. Mr Weasley had a love of muggle artefacts and his favourite pastime was tinkering with them to see how they worked, and if he could make them work better. His workshop was his little haven and Mrs Weasley knew that he was holed up in there more often than not. 

“Arthur, I need you to try and talk sense into Harry! He’s being quite unreasonable,” she announced, walking in without even knocking on the door, completely missing the fact that Harry was already in the room, having hoped to find his own peace in the house. 

Mr Weasley, who hadn’t noticed Harry come in himself, looked up from the box of matches he was examining. 

“Harry?” he frowned. “Are you sure? Harry is usually one of the more reasonable of our brood.”

“Usually yes,” Mrs Weasley agreed, “but when he decides to be headstrong on something he ends up beyond obstinate which is why I need you to help me to get him to see reason.”

“See reason on what?”

“On Mr Lockhart!” Mrs Weasley wailed. “The man has proposed to Harry and Harry absolutely refuses to accept.”

Mr Weasley caught sight of Harry at that moment and turned to address him with a smile. “Is that true, Harry?”

“Yes,” Harry nodded, alerting Mrs Weasley to his presence for the first time, causing the woman to give him a look of consternation. 

“Harry, you must accept Mr Lockhart!” she begged. “He is a fine man, with wonderful prospects, and will give you the life that you deserve. I truly cannot fathom why you would turn him down.”

“Ah, my dear,” Mr Weasley smiled. “This is apparently a point on which we greatly differ. You say you cannot fathom a reason why Harry would turn down Mr Lockhart and I cannot fathom a reason why he would accept.”

“Arthur!” Mrs Weasley exclaimed as a wide grin spread across Harry’s face. He hated disappointing his adopted parents and it was hard enough standing his ground against Mrs Weasley’s onslaught. It would have been impossible to stand against Mr Weasley as well, so knowing he had the man’s support was a huge relief. 

“Molly, dear, I know you are dazzled by Lockhart’s smile but I am afraid that I find him an insufferable fool and honestly couldn’t imagine Harry attaching himself to anyone worse. Now, if that is all, I would like to get back to working out how muggles are able to cast incendio from these tiny, red-tipped wands.”

Harry gave Mr Weasley a quick hug before practically skipping back to the main house, happy that the potential threat Mr Lockhart posed was now all but passed. 

Chapter Text

Of course Mrs Weasley wasn’t actually done yet. She, herself, was a headstrong woman who had a habit of being absolutely positive she was right, right up until the moment she was proven wrong. The subject of Mr Lockhart was no exception. As far as she was aware, he was a handsome, successful and talented wizard, according to his books anyway, and there were few people who would make a better match for Harry, especially with his connection to the Sleekeazy company. It was why she was sure that Harry simply wasn’t thinking straight and, if he looked at the match rationally, he would see how perfect it actually was. 

Mr Lockhart, on the other hand, was sitting in the sitting room in solitude, contemplating what had just transpired. He certainly thought too well of himself to believe that he was the reason for Harry’s refusal. That didn’t mean that his pride wasn’t hurt though, although that was all, and he was weighing up the pros and cons of potentially offering his suit once more. 

While the family were thus occupied, Hermione Granger came by for a visit and was greeted by Ginny in the hallway. 

“I am so glad you are here,” she grinned. “We have had an incredible morning. Mr Lockhart proposed to Harry but Harry is adamant he won’t have him!”

Hermione didn’t have time to answer before Ron came in to repeat the news and was quite put out that Ginny had jumped in and told his friend first. They went into the kitchen where Mrs Weasley was busy baking some biscuits and she took no time in calling on Hermione for help. 

“You have always been such a good friend to Harry, Miss Granger, and so intelligent as well. You must agree that this is a most prudent match, nay, probably the most prudent match Harry will ever receive and he is an absolute fool to turn it down. You have to help me to get him to see reason.”

Before Hermione could say anything, Percy and Harry walked into the kitchen. 

“There you are!” Mrs Weasley exclaimed. “Now see here, Harry. You march into the sitting room and apologise to Mr Lockhart right now and beg him to offer again or so help me there will be trouble. I know you have it easy living here on the little stipend you get but I assure you it won’t last. I can’t have you turning down every good proposal that comes your way or you will end up on the streets when Mr Weasley and I are gone.”

“Don’t say things like that, Mum!” Ron exclaimed, looking forlorn. He had a tendency to be a little overlooked in the family but that didn’t mean that he didn’t care for them fiercely. 

“But it is true,” Mrs Weasley insisted. “None of us live forever which means that some day, be it sooner or later, your father and I won’t be with you any more and you will have to make your own way in the world. It’s why I am fighting so hard to make sure you will be secure in that future, which means finding a good job or a good spouse.”

“Or, in Percy’s case, both,” Ginny laughed, causing Percy to blush brightly. He was saved further embarrassment when Mr Lockhart walked into the kitchen. Mrs Weasley beamed at him in greeting before turning to her children. 

“Now, off with you all and find something useful to do about the house. Mr Lockhart and I need to have a talk.”

Harry and Ron didn’t need to be told twice, hoping this would be a good excuse to get their brooms out and go for a fly. Percy said there were some new proposals from the Ministry he had to go over. Ginny, however, stood her ground, not wanting to miss out on what she was sure was going to be an amusing conversation. Hermione was initially detained by Mr Lockhart’s pleasantries: asking how she was, talking about the weather, and then getting diverted talking about how it reminded him of the day he was captured by trolls in Stockton-on-Tees. By the time Mrs Weasley drew Mr Lockhart away, it seemed too late to leave so she merely edged her way to the window, where it didn’t look like she was listening but she could still hear perfectly well. 

“Oh, Mr Lockhart!” Mrs Weasley exclaimed. 

“My dear madam, let us not continue down this pointless endeavour,” Mr Lockhart announced, his annoyance lacing his voice despite his forced smile. “I will not hold Mr Potter’s behaviour against him. I am not one who is used to dealing with failure but I am not so weak as to be brought low although I admit that his refusal is a blow to my ego. That being said, I am starting to begin to wonder if Mr Potter might have been right and that we would have been a terrible match. I hope you will understand, then, when I say that I will not be renewing my offer to Mr Potter and I hope that it will not diminish me in your eyes at all. I always planned to find myself a partner before I take up my position at Hogwarts and Mr Potter seemed like the ideal candidate. I had thought that Mr Potter might be amenable but, if that wasn’t the case, it would certainly be wrong of me to push things.”

With that, the matter with Mr Lockhart was almost at an end. The whole issue left Harry with a mild sense of unease, not helped by the huffy nature of Mrs Weasley who wasn’t shy about letting her feelings on the situation be known. Mr Lockhart made his feelings of hurt known as well. He didn’t say anything on it but he did change his attitude towards Harry completely; giving Harry the cold shoulder whenever he could and acting very stiffly towards him whenever they were forced to, reverting to resentful silence when he could. All the attention he had previously bestowed on Harry was transferred to Hermione, who seemed quite enamoured with him. Harry didn’t understand what she saw in him but he was glad Lockhart was distracted. 

Things were still the same the next day, with Mrs Weasley still in a huff and Mr Lockhart still full of bruised, angry pride. Harry had hoped that the spurned proposal would cause him to end his visit early but apparently Harry wasn’t that lucky. He said it was because he was a man of his word although Harry had a sneaking suspicion it was because he didn’t want to have to explain the change of plans and risk further humiliation. 

Ginny and Ron were worried about what had happened to Cedric the day before and decided to head into the village to see if he was back. Harry decided to go with them, partly because he was worried about Cedric and partly to get out of the oppressive atmosphere in the Burrow. Of course there was no guarantee they would see him but Harry couldn’t deny the relief and excitement that ran through him when they spotted him almost as soon as they arrived. He and Oliver had been discussing the merits of the various teams and they happily called the Weasleys and Harry over to join them. Ron soon got into an argument with Oliver over how good the Chudley Cannons’ chances were in this exhibition tournament. Ginny was quite happy on the side lines, encouraging both sides of the argument, which left Harry and Cedric to drift into their own little world. 

“I must admit,” Harry said to him quietly, “that I was very surprised not to see you at Mr Malfoy’s ball. Given our last conversation, I was sure that you would make an appearance.”

Cedric sighed. “I’m not surprised and, in my defence, I had fully intended to go at that point. After I left you, however, I was plagued by voices of doubt. While I know I am in the right, I also know that the ball would have been filled with his friends. It wouldn’t have taken much for Snape to start the rumours about me up again and cause them to spread before I could counter them. It was hell to live through that before and the thought of potentially going through it again had me acting like a coward and backing out.”

“I don’t think it was cowardly,” Harry insisted. “I can’t imagine how hard it was for you before and I think it was actually the smart move. This way you can get your side of things out and force Snape to have the uphill battle.”

“Thank you, Harry,” Cedric said, flashing Harry a bright smile that had Harry feeling warm all over. “Honestly, your support means so much to me. I don’t know what I would do if Snape or his cronies had been able to persuade you to their side.”

“That will never happen,” Harry scoffed. “There is no argument that Snape, of all people, could make that would have me turning against you.”

“I cannot say how happy it makes me to hear that,” Cedric beamed and Harry couldn’t help but feel like there was a deeper connection forming between them. Their eyes lingered on each other for a moment and Harry felt as if there was an invisible force pulling them together. If they hadn’t been in public, Harry couldn’t help feeling that he might have been tempted to do something that was definitely frowned upon in society. He felt a little scandalised with the direction his thoughts were going but the encouraging look in his eyes had him pushing those negative thoughts down. 

Ron and Oliver’s argument seemed to come to a head and they eventually agreed to disagree. Oliver offered to take them to watch a practice and Ron and Ginny readily agreed. Cedric made a point of accompanying Harry and Harry felt it was a particular compliment. He had not seen Cedric give anyone else that kind of attention before. He knew he was smiling the whole way to the practice as he and Cedric continued to talk about nothing in particular. Harry was pretty sure he must be glowing, his cheeks had definitely begun to ache a bit, but he still couldn’t stop smiling. 

They were out the entire morning and Harry was disappointed when they eventually had to leave for lunch but there was no way they could simply invite themselves to dine with the teams out of the blue. Harry was sorry to leave Cedric, and the seeker seemed reluctant to say goodbye to him as well. That was the thing that kept Harry going and what allowed Harry’s high to continue until he got to the Burrow. 

Unfortunately, it stopped almost as soon as he stepped into the house. Apparently Percy had received an owl shortly after Harry had left for the village and was still pouring over it when Harry returned; a deeply pensive look marring his features. 

“Is everything alright?” Harry asked, looking at his adopted brother with concern. 

“Oh, yes,” Percy replied, plastering a smile on his face. It seemed fake though, not reaching his eyes. 

“You know, you don’t have to lie to me,” Harry insisted. “I’m here if you need to talk.”

“It’s nothing, really,” Percy sighed, “and it’s probably nothing. It’s just that this letter came from Pansy earlier and I can’t help but worry. She said that the whole party has already been left for France and they don’t plan on coming back again.”

“At all?” Harry queried. “That doesn’t sound right. Surely she is exaggerating.”

“I don’t think so,” Percy frowned. “She said, and I quote: ‘the only thing I shall miss from my time in Wiltshire is your company, my dear friend, and I hope that we will have a chance to see each other in the future. Until then, we can exchange letters to keep contact and I promise to reply faithfully.’”

Harry listened to the letter and couldn’t help agreeing with Percy that something wasn’t right. What he didn’t agree with Percy on, however, was what exactly was wrong. 

“You do remember that it is not actually Pansy’s house,” Harry pointed out, although he was aware of how much Pansy wished it was hers. “Just because Pansy isn’t set to return, doesn’t mean that Mr Malfoy won’t; those two are not connected at the hip. Mr Malfoy is a sensible man and I cannot see him forsaking his ancestral home for all but the most serious of reasons. If that was the case, you can be sure that it would be mentioned, or you would have heard something at the Ministry. As it stands, I can only imagine that whatever job drew him out there in the first place is a little bigger than he first anticipated and Pansy has found something better to keep her occupied while she is in Paris.” 

Harry didn’t mention that there was a very real possibility that Mr Malfoy might be using this trip as a way to get rid of Pansy. Harry knew he would, if he were in the man’s position. Percy was the sort of person who was used to giving things up, having spent his whole life making way for Harry and his siblings, so likely wouldn’t see what a burden Pansy might have been. 

“It is a shame,” Harry continued, “that we couldn’t say goodbye to them properly before they left the country but, as Pansy didn’t state a reason for their absence, there is every chance you will see them again, sooner than she expects. Even then, Mr Malfoy may come back without them and then you will have the joy of being even closer to Pansy as the spouse of her childhood friend.”

Percy shook his head. “You are mistaken, Harry. Pansy said, in no uncertain terms, that none of them will return to England this winter. Here: ‘When Draco first left, he imagined that his business would be done in a few days. We believe that that was a woeful underestimation on his part plus, knowing Draco, once he gets to Paris, we are sure he will be in no rush to leave. It is why we have decided to follow him there, so he will not be bored, rattling around his property there on his own. Paris is so wonderful in the winter and it would be lovely if you could join us as well but I know you are too busy at the Ministry for that to happen. I hope that your Christmas is a joyous one and that you have lots of friends to spend it with.’. This is how I know he won’t be back this year.”

“You know that Pansy doesn’t think he will be back,” Harry argued. 

Percy rolled his eyes. “Yes, but she must have reason for believing that. Mr Malfoy is his own man, Pansy doesn’t dictate what he does. That is not what really upsets me anyway, Harry: listen. ‘Mr Snape has arranged for Astoria to join us and, I must confess, we are all excited to see her again; Draco, especially. He was always particularly doting of her when we were at Pemberley and, between you and me, I always thought there was a bit of an attachment there. I know Astoria always used to seek him out, using any excuse, to the point that her sister used to tease her about it. For all our jokes, though, I don't think there is anyone among our group that isn’t secretly hoping for the match. With so many good wishes going their way, I think it is bound to happen sooner or later’.” 

Percy’s eyes were glistening with un-shed tears by the end of it and Harry’s heart went out to him. It was clear that this felt like a betrayal on his friend’s part, albeit unintentional in his mind. He would assume that this meant that Mr Malfoy never actually cared about him and Harry wanted to dissuade him of that thought as soon as possible. 

“I know what you are thinking, Percy, but I can’t say that I agree. It is clear to me that Pansy saw that Mr Malfoy had a preference for you but she doesn't want the match so has gone to France to try to put him off and writes to you about Miss Greengrass in an effort to do the same with you. Pansy is no fool and is far more scheming than you like to believe. I am pretty sure that if Mr Malfoy showed her even half the attention he showed you, she would already be planning the wedding, proposal or no. She might be your friend on paper but don’t forget that she is also your rival for Mr Malfoy’s attention.”

Percy shook his head. “She doesn’t see Mr Malfoy in that way. She would never have befriended me if she was. Also, why talk about Miss Greengrass if the woman is also a rival?”

“Because she knows you and knows that you will accept an unknown rival much more easily than you would accept her,” Harry argued. “I am fully of the opinion that Pansy has been trying to get between you and Mr Malfoy the entire time she has been here which is why I strongly recommend that you completely ignore what she had to say on the matter. I doubt Mr Malfoy thought of Miss Greengrass once while he was here, he certainly never mentioned her name in our company. Just because Pansy says something is so, doesn’t mean that is the truth.”

“You only say that because you never particularly liked Pansy,” Percy pointed out. “To me, she has been nothing but an honest and loyal friend and I can only think that she said all this to me as a warning, so that I could prepare myself and not keep pining pointlessly. My only hope now is that she is mistaken in her beliefs.”

Harry rolled his eyes. “Fine, think that way if you will. I will happily support your belief that Pansy is completely mistaken in thinking of Mr Malfoy having any preference for Miss Greengrass and you can rest easy in not having to think ill of your friend.”

“Thank you for trying, Harry,” Percy sighed, “but it is still no good. It is clear to me that Mr Malfoy’s friends would all much rather he marry this girl as opposed to me. How can I, in good faith, continue to pursue him knowing that we won’t have their support?”

“You have to answer that one yourself,” Harry huffed. “If, however, you find yourself thinking that marrying Mr Malfoy will not bring you enough happiness to warrant slightly annoying your friend then, by all means, refuse him.”

“Harry!” Percy chided, although there was a slight smile playing around the corners of his lips. “Of course I don’t want to upset my friends but I would never dream of turning him down should he ask.”

“I never thought you would,” Harry smirked, “but that is precisely why I have little compassion for your situation. You are worrying about things that haven’t happened, based on, at best, suppositions and second-hand information.”

“That may be, but the chances of what Pansy said are only more likely with the passage of time. Each month that he is away only increases the chance of him forgetting about me and finding someone else.”

“That information is no more certain than anything else in that letter, Percy! It is not even that Mr Malfoy has said that he will be gone all that time. Pansy just wishes or assumes that it is so. Mr Malfoy is an independent young man, however, with a sizeable fortune. He is free to go wherever he likes and I doubt that he would stay in France just on Pansy’s say so, not if he was set on leaving.”

“I suppose,” Percy smiled. It wasn’t much, but Harry was happy to see that Percy had moved from melancholy to tentatively hopeful. Harry was sure that he would still have his bouts of depression from time to time and only hoped, along with Percy, that Mr Malfoy would return soon and put any worries to rest. 

They both agreed to tell Mrs Weasley only the barest information from the letter but even just hearing that the rest of the party had left Malfoy Manor was enough to set her off. She moaned, loudly and frequently, about what a shame it was that Pansy had left as well, when she and Percy had been getting on so well. She did, however, quickly agree with Harry, that Mr Malfoy would be back himself soon, believing that he wouldn’t quit his family home when he had only recently gotten it back. She decided that the family dinner she had planned would be upgraded to a welcome home feast when he did. 

Chapter Text

Hermione joined the Weasleys for dinner the following evening where she spent the majority of the time engaging Mr Lockhart in conversation, much to Harry’s relief. 

“Thank you so much for that,” Harry said, when he had a moment to talk to her alone. “He is always so much more agreeable if he has an audience but I do not have the patience.”

“It is no trouble,” Hermione insisted. “Honestly, I find his stories quite fascinating. It is not often. That I get to hear about someone living with vampires.”

“Who would want to,” Ron sneered, pulling a face. “They are disgusting blood-sucking creatures. Personally I think it’s a bit worrying that he would want to spend so much time with them.”

“Well, how else is he going to learn about them?” Hermione huffed.

Ron frowned. “Why would we want to learn about them though?”

“To better understand them,” Hermione argued. “How else are we going to learn to accept them in society?” 

“Why would we want to accept bloodsuckers into society?” Ron countered. “You know that they kill people, right? For food!”

“So what would you do? Promote genocide and kill them all?”

“Well of course not!”

“Then what do you suggest happens with them then?” Hermione questioned and Harry could see that Ron was getting increasingly frustrated, not being able to come up with an answer to Hermione’s rapid-fire questions and looked about to explode.

“Whatever the reason, I think the rest of us are all glad that we are the ones having to listen to his stories anymore,” Harry interjected, hoping to forestall the brewing argument. 

“I don’t think Mum is happy having Hermione take all of his attention,” Ron pointed out. 

“Well, Mrs Weasley isn’t particularly happy with me at the moment so I didn’t notice the difference,” Harry chuckled. 

“She has been particularly frosty to me,” Hermione agreed, “but I can put up with that if it guarantees that you don’t have to worry about any more proposals.”

“And, for that, I am extremely grateful,” Harry smiled, before quickly darting away as Mr Lockhart returned to his most attentive partner, with a drink in hand. Harry noticed that Hermione accepted it gratefully, smiling coyly and looking up at Mr Lockhart through her lashes as she tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear. It was strange behaviour that Harry had never seen from her before and he was a little curious what it could mean. He wanted to ask her what it was about but he didn’t get the chance to before it was time for her to leave. Hermione looked particularly forlorn when she had to leave and Harry thought that Mr Lockhart seemed a little distracted that evening, turning in for the night earlier than usual. 

In the morning, Harry wasn’t overly surprised when he found that Mr Lockhart had breakfasted early and gone out before Harry came down but he was very surprised when he found out where Mr Lockhart had gone. It seemed that Hermione’s attention had caused Mr Lockhart to take an interest in her and, when she had noticed it, had only encouraged him. The man was a well known, well respected, handsome and powerful wizard after all, one who had written numerous well-received books. He was also planning on writing a new Defence textbook and Hermione couldn’t think of a better option for herself, especially as Ron didn’t seem to have any ambitions to do anything any time soon. 

Hermione had assumed that she was just second best, especially given how strongly he had pursued Harry. When Mr Lockhart spoke to her of the depths of his devotion for her, then, she was quite taken aback. Mr Lockhart was effusive with his praise of her beauty, but also her mind, which impressed Hermione more than anything else. The fact that he specifically said he hoped that she would help him write his new Defence textbook was just the cherry on the cake and a large part of why she readily accepted when he finally proposed, after such a lengthy speech. 

Mr and Mrs Granger were spoken to directly and they soon agreed to the match. They were very happy that such a handsome and successful man was willing to take their daughter under his wing, especially when he spoke of her being a part of his next book. One of the things they had liked about the wizarding world was how much more index women could have and they loved the thought of their daughter getting to make a name for herself, especially with a man who seemed to have had some very exciting experiences in the past. 

The fact that he had a lot of sway at Sleekeazy also helped. The thought of potions confused them at first, until Hermione described it as a pharmaceutical company, at which point both Mr and Mrs Granger became quite intrigued and kept asking about different potions that were available, much to Mr Lockhart’s consternation as he had to keep coming up with different potions that Hermione wasn’t entirely sure existed. 

The date for the wedding was set for as soon as possible, partly due to his need to start at Hogwarts and partly due to Hermione’s preference. She had never been particularly interested in things like romance and the thought of needlessly extended courtship didn’t appeal to her one bit. 

There was some discussion as to whether to have a ceremony in the muggle world or the wizarding one. The Grangers wanted the chance to show off that their daughter had made a successful match before she disappeared into the wizarding world but Mr Lockhart wanted a wedding that would be on the front page of the Prophet. Eventually it was decided that both could happen and Mr Lockhart became particularly happy when he realised that that meant that he could have two lots of wedding robes. 

Hermione was pleasantly satisfied with how things had turned out. She had begun to suspect that Mr Lockhart wasn’t as knowledgeable or as talented as he made out, based on some of the things that he had said but, in her mind, that worked to her advantage. It meant that he would be relying on her more than she had initially thought which meant that she would theoretically have more leverage when it came to asking for credit. She also figured she could make a point of attending events with him, to make herself known in her own right. 

Before this wedding, she was just a no-name Muggleborn witch that most wizards wouldn’t pay any attention to no matter how smart she might be. Now, at least, she was Mrs Gilderoy Lockhart. The man might be a bit of a fool but people thought he was smart and they wouldn’t be surprised if his wife was smart as well. It was a little calculating but she was tired of not having any prospects. She was looking forward to getting to be someone in this world, even if it was through someone else. 

The one point about this affair that caused Hermione to worry was Harry Potter. Harry and Ron had been her dear friends for nearly a decade at this point and it was clear that they both disliked Mr Lockhart strongly. Their opinion wouldn’t dissuade Hermione from her decision, as she was sure she was right, but she knew it would hurt to hear their negative opinions on the matter. It was why she was determined to give them the information in person, as soon as possible, so that, hopefully, they could begin to move past it. 

Mr Lockhart, having feared what the Weasleys would say himself, had made no mention of his intentions before he had left that morning. Hermione made him promise to keep it that way, when he returned to the Burrow in the evening, not wanting even a hint of what had transpired to get out, lest one of them be able to work it out. Mr Lockhart soon regretted this promise, however, as the mystery of his whereabouts that day was one of the main topics of conversation. 

He was due to head to Hogwarts first thing the next day, ready for an early morning meeting, so would be leaving long before most of the family were up. As such, he bid farewell to everyone as they were heading for bed. 

“I do hope you have enjoyed your stay with us,” Mrs Weasley said, clasping Mr Lockhart’s hands tightly. “Please feel free to call on us should you ever be in the area again; we would be most happy to put you up.”

Mr Lockhart beamed. “Thank you so much, madam! That is a very kind invitation and I must admit, I may have the need to take you up on it quite soon.”

All the Weasley children looked astonished at the response, especially Harry. 

“But you can’t be returning that soon,” Mr Weasley pressed, looking particularly worried. “I mean, you will be too busy with your work at Hogwarts to think about visiting people, surely.”

“Indeed sir,” Mr Lockhart chuckled, “but I will not be teaching all of the time and there will be occasions where I am particularly free to visit family and friends.”

“Like Christmas,” Mrs Weasley nodded, “and I can say now that we will be most happy to see you then. The Hogwarts Christmas feast is a fine thing but, for fear of sounding boastful, I do cook a mean Christmas dinner myself.”

“But might it not be best for you to spend your first Christmas as a teacher at the school,” Mr Weasley argued. “There is always a need for some staff to stay, as there are, unfortunately, nearly always children who can’t spend the holiday with family and friends. Wouldn’t it be better, as the newest member of staff, to be the one to stay. It would be a way to foster a good relationship with your colleagues as opposed to looking like you were taking liberties. We won’t take offence if you choose to stay there while they may take offence if you leave.”

“Thank you for your concern, sir,” Mr Lockhart smiled. “It is gratifying to know of your concern but I assure you that I would never dream of doing anything that would diminish my standing in anyone’s eyes. That said, I plan on penning you a letter of thanks as soon as I am settled, along with a signed copy of my latest book. While I have a feeling that I won’t be gone long enough for it to be necessary, I wish you all the best health and happiness in the future, even you, Harry Potter.”

Harry was too shocked at that address to say anything more and climbed the stairs to bed still feeling a little dumbstruck. He wasn’t the only one, either. Mrs Weasley, in particular, wondered if his talk of a quick return might mean that another one of her children had caught his eye. Ron could certainly do worse and she was pretty sure she could persuade him to accept. It helped that she had been a big fan of Mr Lockhart’s for some time, always picking up a copy of the gossip rag, Witch Weekly, if he was featured. His time with them hadn’t changed her opinion of him at all and she could only see him joining the family as a good thing. 

That thought, however, was soon dashed when Hermione came to visit the next day and called Ron and Harry to have a private talk so she could inform them of her engagement. 

“To Lockhart!” Harry exclaimed. “Are you mad!”

Ron just gaped at her, too stunned to say anything. 

“Why would I have to be mad to want to marry a rich and well regarded wizard?” Hermione asked. 

“Because he’s an idiot,” Harry replied and Ron nodded enthusiastically. 

“I will admit that I am starting to question him a bit, although I have yet to find issue with any of his works,” Hermione said. “That said, I don’t think any of you realise how good this will be for me; what a chance it opens up for me to really make my mark on the wizarding world.”

Ron frowned. “What do you mean? You’re brilliant Hermione; everyone is bound to see that eventually.”

“Eventually maybe,” Hermione sighed, “but I don’t think either of you realise how difficult it would be for me to achieve, nor how uncertain the possibility is. You are both well known, in one way or another, so people know you and are willing to listen to you. I don’t have that. Some people know of me and my achievements at Hogwarts but to most of the wizarding world I am just another Muggleborn. Even those who accept Muggleborn have a tendency to overlook me and there are many who would actively try to prevent me from making a name for myself if I tried.”

“But you could easily show them how wrong they are,” Ron argued. 

“Perhaps,” Hermione shrugged, “but it would be a long, hard-fought battle and I’m not sure that I would be willing, or able, to fight it. Marrying someone like Lockhart means that I don’t have to. I will instantly have a name, and a position in society where my background will basically become redundant. I can use that position to make my own name for myself, in a way that wouldn’t be possible to me otherwise, not without doing something massive for the wizarding world, and I couldn’t even imagine what that would need to be short of somehow helping to destroy Voldemort all over again.”

“Couldn’t you just do what Lockhart did?” Harry suggested. 

“I could,” Hermione nodded, “but I doubt that I could get the book deals that he did, and I certainly wouldn’t get the publicity. As his wife, I could get it almost automatically. Look, I knew that you two wouldn’t agree with my decision to do this, but I thought that you would support me at least, as my friends, if nothing else.”

There was a look of forlorn desperation that came over Hermione’s face that broke Harry’s heart and he let out a heartfelt sigh. 

“Of course we support you, Hermione, but we can’t help worrying that you are throwing your life away.”

“If I am, it is my decision to make, not yours.”

“Fine!” Ron huffed, “but I’m not supporting this.”

He stormed out of the room in a huff and Harry noticed Hermione’s eyes begin to shine with un-shed tears. He could understand. He had half hoped that his friends would eventually work things out and get together since they clearly cared about each other so much. Unfortunately, they didn’t seem to have anything in common beyond a certain level of affection for each other and never seemed to have a reason to get past their differences. That didn’t mean that Ron wasn’t heartbroken over the idea of Hermione marrying someone else. It was obviously also affecting Hermione and Harry didn’t have it in him to leave her alone. He would talk to Ron later, for now it was Hermione who needed him most. 

“He’ll come around,” Harry assured her, “it’s just a bit of a shock, for both of us. I had a feeling that Lockhart might switch his attention to you, since you were listening to him so much. I never imagined you would actually welcome those intentions. That said, if you truly think what is best for you, we will support you, it will just take a little time to get used to the idea.”

Hermione didn’t stay much longer and Harry was left to try to come to terms with what he had just learned. It was strange that Mr Lockhart had made two proposals in three days but, somehow, that was easier for Harry to accept than Hermione actually accepting him. He had known that Hermione didn’t have any romantic notations regarding marriage but this seemed more calculating than Harry normally gave her credit for. That being said, Hermione could be very practical at times and it was perfectly plausible that she had worked out that this was truly what was best for her, even if Harry couldn’t see it. 

He couldn’t help worrying though. The wizarding world at large might see Lockhart as some great wizard, including Mrs Weasley, but Harry had a strong suspicion that that wasn’t really the case. The thought that Hermione might end up binding herself to a fool for the rest of her life was a cause of great concern for Harry, and the reason he couldn’t really be happy for her. How could he, when there was such a chance that Hermione wouldn’t be happy herself. 

Chapter Text

Harry and Ron had been talking quietly the following morning, about whether or not they should tell the rest of the family about Hermione’s news when they walked into the kitchen for breakfast, only to see Mrs Weasley slamming the paper down on the table. 

“That Rita Skeeter is up to her old nonsense again!” she huffed. “I swear that woman is nothing but lies and slander.”

“Has she said something bad about Dumbledore again?” Fred chuckled, as George snickered along with his brother’s joke. 

“No, thank Merlin, although I am not sure that this isn’t just as bad,” Mrs Weasley sighed, shaking her head. “The woman has the audacity to announce that Gilderoy Lockhart is engaged to Hermione Granger of all people.”

Ginny let out a loud, boisterous laugh. “Marry Hermione? How absurd! Why in Merlin’s name would he do that when he was so set on Harry.”

“Precisely,” Mrs Weasley agreed. “It is quite preposterous!”

“It’s not actually,” Ron said. “Hermione told us herself just yesterday.”

Harry nodded. “He’s right. She told us that almost everything had been settled already.”

“Well I never!” Mrs Weasley huffed. “After everything that I’ve done to help her in this world and this is how she repays me! Talk about ungrateful! Not that I fully believe it anyway.”

“Hermione wouldn’t lie about something like this!” Harry insisted, remembering how strongly Hermione had fought to convince them that she was making the right decision. 

“Well then, perhaps she has tricked him with a love potion,” Mrs Weasley scowled. “I remember her being very interested when I told her I dabbled in brewing them, asking lots of questions about how they work.”

“That’s because she disagrees with their use and has been looking for ways to try to get them banned,” Harry argued. “Not that anyone seemed to be interested in that idea.”

“Of course not!” Mrs Weasley scoffed. “They are a wizarding tradition and mostly almost completely harmless.”

“It’s why we plan to sell so many in our shop,” Fred grinned. “Everyone knows they sell like hot cakes.”

“Although we will only be selling the fun ones of course,” George insisted. “The ones that don’t last very long and don’t really affect people.”

Harry had his doubts about the idea of anyone being unaffected by a love potion regardless of how short a time it lasted but that was likely because he’d had to listen to Hermione ranting on about the subject so much. He was pretty sure the others had at least heard her on the subject which is why he was a little surprised that it was even getting suggested. He could only think that it was because they hadn’t actually been listening to her which left Harry feeling a little uneasy. Maybe there was some merit to what Hermione said about her status. 

“I can assure you that Hermione never gave Mr Lockhart any food while he was here,” Harry argued, feeling the need to stand up for his friend. “Mr Lockhart brought food and drink for Hermione multiple times, however, so, if anything, it is he who dosed her.”

Mrs Weasley rolled her eyes. “As if he needs to do that. He gains nothing from marrying her and I can’t see them being happy together. They have nothing in common.”

“What are you talking about?” Ron scoffed. “They are both smart, going by Lockhart’s books anyway. The man must have done a lot of research to write them, if nothing else, and there is nothing Hermione likes more than researching.”

Harry flashed Ron a smile. Ron might still not be completely comfortable with the situation but he obviously still cared about Hermione a lot and this speech made it clear that he would eventually come round to it. 

“Precisely!” Mrs Weasley huffed. “She loves researching, not Mr Lockhart. He is a sensible and intelligent man, however, so I am sure he will realise that soon enough, and will end this ridiculous engagement to come back here.”

“Even if he did end the engagement, I doubt he would come back to me!” Harry laughed. 

“And who’s fault is that?” Mrs Weasley scowled. “I tried to help you by setting you up with a prosperous match that would have had you set for life and you threw it back in my face. I thought I had raised you better than that, Harry. I certainly never imagined you being so ungrateful and spoiled.”

She stormed out of the kitchen and Harry was just left gaping after her. She had never scolded him in all his time living at the Burrow and he couldn’t believe it was this of all things that was the final straw. He hoped that she would eventually see sense, that he and Lockhart were even worse of a match than Lockhart and Hermione but apparently that wasn’t to be the case. It was weeks before she would even look at Harry and she refused to cook dinner for him until Christmas. Harry didn’t even get a jumper that year and he couldn’t help feeling a little a little hurt by it, although not enough to actually marry Lockhart. 

Thankfully, Mr Weasley was a source of a lot of support for Harry over that period, fully backing his decision to turn Lockhart down. Harry found himself taking refuge in Mr Weasley’s shed whenever the atmosphere in the Burrow became oppressive, which was quite often. He hadn’t really seen the draw of muggle artefacts before but there was something intriguing about taking them apart and seeing if they could work more effectively with magic. Harry only wished he had actually studied runes so that he could maybe do more himself. As it was, most of what Mr Weasley did went over his head. 

Hermione didn’t come to the Burrow for a while, since Mrs Weasley’s behaviour was even worse to her than Harry. Instead they met in Hogsmeade and Harry was happy for the chance to get away from everything, plus it was a nice change of pace, having not had much excuse to visit since leaving the school. They resolutely avoided the topic of Hermione’s upcoming marriage, instead choosing to reminisce about their times at school. The subject was never far from Harry’s thoughts and he couldn’t help wondering if he might be visiting more often, especially if Hermione moved into the school with her husband. It seemed to be an option at least. Harry never asked her directly but he caught her looking at the school with a fond smile more than once. 

Hermione truly seemed content in her choice and so Harry’s chief source of worry reverted back to Percy. The rest of the Weasleys seemed to be oblivious that something was wrong but Harry seemed to be acutely aware that Percy was in far worse spirits than usual, despite him trying to put on a brave face. He had yet to hear anything of Mr Malfoy and it was clear that he was starting to really worry, especially as he had already replied to Pansy and had had nothing in return, despite her assurances of frequent correspondence. 

Mr Lockhart’s letter of thanks came a few days after his departure and Harry felt sorry for the poor owl that had had to deliver that monstrosity of a letter. At least it gave him hope that Lockhart and Hermione would be a good match as the letter there had to have been at least three feet of parchment used and Harry was pretty sure Lockhart had scoured the thesaurus to find all the longest words he could in an effort to sound like an intellectual. It made Harry wonder if him and Mr Snape might get on as well; a thought that brought a large smile to his face. 

Unfortunately his smile didn’t last long, however, as Mr Lockhart also mentioned that Dumbledore had given him leave to take off whatever days he needed for his weddings and he hoped to set the date as soon as possible. He mentioned again about the previous invitation to stay and he said that he hoped to take it up as soon as he could. There was paragraph after paragraph explaining how grateful he was for the offer since Hogwarts was apparently an ‘absolute pain’ to travel to and from and he dared not risk staying in a pub for fear of being mobbed by his fans. 

When put like that, neither Mr nor Mrs Weasley could rescind their invitation, although Mrs Weasley now contemplated the visit with nothing but disdain. It didn’t help that Mr Lockhart had continued to do interviews in Witch Weekly, with something in the gossip rag about his upcoming nuptials in every edition. The wedding was the talk of the village and Harry couldn’t help thinking it was actually a good thing that Hermione still lived in the muggle world as it meant that she was relatively protected from the circus. Wizards might think themselves better than muggles but they had no idea how to look someone up in the muggle world. 

Unfortunately, Mrs Weasley wasn’t equally as protected meaning that every venture into the village, or every customer who came round to buy her potions, meant more talk about Mr Lockhart and his upcoming nuptials. Mrs Weasley was clearly getting quite annoyed with the subject, even going as far as to say that Mr Lockhart wasn’t a good house guest whenever she could. It might not sound like much, but there was a reason for that. Firstly, Mrs Weasley still thought a lot of Mr Lockhart and his work and, secondly, she still put most blame at the feet of Harry and Hermione. 

There was another reason Mrs Weasley was in a terrible mood at that time as well. Mr Lockhart’s upcoming wedding wasn’t the only news on the villagers’ lips, the other source of gossip being Mr Malfoy’s move to France. It was something Mrs Weasley laughed off at first but, as the weeks went by with no more news on the subject. 

Percy began to despair and wondered if Mr Malfoy had ever actually cared for him at all. He didn’t show it, of course, throwing himself into his work at the Ministry and painting a fake smile on his face. The other Weasleys didn’t seem to notice but Harry could see how brittle it was, how fragile, and he couldn’t help but worry about his adopted brother. It didn’t help Mrs Weasley seemed to bring the subject up at least once a day, to either scoff at how ridiculous the rumours were or to ask if Percy had received any news, or to say that Mr Malfoy had treated him very poorly if he didn’t return. How Percy managed to keep calm under all that was beyond Harry, and his respect for his brother grew. 

Harry began to worry as well, though; not that Mr Malfoy didn’t have a preference for Percy but that his so-called friends wielded more power than he had first expected. He didn’t like to think that way; he didn’t think it did justice to either person. Percy may not always be his favourite person but he was still Harry’s brother in his heart and Harry hated thinking that someone would find him so forgettable. He also hated to think that someone as sensible as Percy had fallen for someone so changeable. Still, the thought kept coming back to him, stronger every time. He couldn’t help remembering how cold Pansy could be at times, and how overbearing Snape almost always was. Add to that the attractions of Paris, and whatever Miss Greengrass might offer, and Harry couldn’t help thinking the worst. 

He wanted to keep a closer eye on Percy to make sure he was alright and he was actually happy to share a room with him again when Mr Lockhart returned. It wasn’t long at all before that happened, although Mr Lockhart didn’t have quite the same welcome on his second visit to the Burrow. Thankfully, he didn’t seem to mind, actually spending very little time at the Burrow, much to everyone’s relief, leaving early in the morning and not returning until late in the evening. 

He apparently had a busy schedule of dates with his soon to be wife, visiting various famous sites all over the UK, seemingly with an entourage of reporters in tow since there was a report in the gossip rags every day. How Mr Lockhart was able to get a whole week off from teaching Harry didn’t know. He couldn’t help wondering if perhaps Lockhart wasn’t a particularly good teacher and maybe Dumbledore was happy to see the back of him for that. That was until he realised that Hogwarts had practically broken up already, what with Christmas around the corner, but Harry still held onto his doubts.

The one bright spot in this whole affair, at least from Harry’s perspective, was that Mrs Weasley cancelled her subscription to the paper since it currently brought her nothing but misery. It was likely only a temporary thing but he was glad to not have to hear about gossip in the Wizarding world for some time and he hoped that this was a sign that things could soon return to normal. 

Chapter Text

Soon a letter arrived from Pansy and all hope was dashed. She spoke of them all being well settled at Mr Malfoy’s Paris home with the young heir already looking into renovations and buying some new furniture to make it more fashionable and functional for modern living. Apparently they were all having a wonderful time and looking forward to seeing what the season looked like in a foreign capital. It seemed that Mr Malfoy’s only regret was that he hadn’t said a proper farewell to all of his new acquaintances in England before he left. 

Of course, this wasn’t the worst news in the letter as far as Percy was concerned. Harry heard it all, since he was sharing a room with the other man, and he couldn’t say he was impressed with the correspondence. Part of that was because of how miserable it made Percy but he also had a healthy dose of scepticism. He doubted Pansy would outright lie but Harry was pretty sure there was more than a little embellishment in it. 

As Mr Snape had been invited to stay as well, Miss Greengrass had been brought to stay with the group as well, so she wouldn’t be alone for Christmas. It was a nice thought, Harry supposed, but he couldn’t be happy about it when it clearly made Percy so miserable. Every other line that Pansy wrote was full of nothing but rapturous praise for the young woman: whether it was her looks, her elegance, her taste. There were whole paragraphs dedicated to what the group did together, with special mention to any time Mr Malfoy and Miss Greengrass interacted. They were mostly inconsequential things, like Mr Malfoy picking up her handkerchief, or moving to make sure she didn’t step in a puddle. 

Added together though, even someone as sceptical as Harry was couldn’t deny that they suggested a growing affection at least. He might not have worried, but he was starting to suspect that Mr Malfoy might be more prone to persuasion from his friends than he had first assumed. He supposed it shouldn’t be too surprising in the face of the twin demon that was Pansy and Mr Snape but he couldn’t help being a little disappointed in the man. That disappointment was only mild, however, compared to the anger that Harry felt towards Pansy and Mr Snape. 

It had been obvious that Mr Malfoy and Percy were smitten with each other and the fact that people, especially people who claimed to be friends, would go out of the way to try to destroy the love that was growing, hurting those people, angered Harry beyond words. It was now clear to him that Mr Malfoy had a weakness of character, a lack of resolve, that he would so easily bend to the will of others, causing him to fall in Harry’s estimation. There were weak willed individuals in the world, though, so Harry wouldn’t have minded too much if Malfoy’s weak character hadn’t caused such pain to Percy. 

Harry spent many an hour contemplating the situation. Wondering if Mr Malfoy’s feelings had really waned or if they had just crumbled under the force of his friends. Wondering if he had been aware of Percy’s feelings or if he had been blind to them. None of that mattered in the end though. While he remained away, Harry could have no first-hand knowledge of what was happening in Mr Malfoy’s mind. Actual knowledge of his thought process would only affect how much he went down in Harry’s estimation though and, regardless of the truth, it didn’t change the fact that Percy was still hurt by the whole thing. 

Percy couldn’t even bring himself to talk on the subject after having read the letter to Harry, remaining completely silent until after one of Mrs Weasley’s particularly long tirades on the subject of the man. She had stormed out of the room afterwards, leaving Percy and Harry alone. 

“I do wish my mother wouldn’t go on about Mr Malfoy all the time,” Percy exclaimed. “Every time she does it only re-opens the wounds. I won’t wallow, however. He will soon be forgotten about and then we can all move past this sorry ordeal and get back to how we were.”

Harry stared at Percy in shock. 

“You doubt me!” Percy scoffed. “I suppose I can understand that but I assure you it is true. Mr Malfoy was one of the most kind and intelligent men that I had ever met but that is all he ever was to me. He has done nothing to hurt me, nor could he; he doesn’t have that power. I will miss him, but that will fade with time. It was never more than a mild attraction on my side and, thankfully I never did anything to cause hurt to anyone but myself.”

Harry gulped as he felt tears come to his eyes. “You know, Percy, you are a far better person than most people give you credit for and I am sorry to say that I used to be one of those people. You are too good and kind though and deserve more in life than you currently get.”

“You are exaggerating, Harry,” Percy chuckled. “You only say that as my brother, so want to see the best in me.”

“Oh please,” Harry scoffed. “You are the one who goes out of your way to think well of almost everyone in the world but complains when I try to compliment you. Don’t worry though; me thinking highly of you won’t harm anyone else’s standing in my eyes. There are few people I love in this world and even fewer that I think well of. The more I see of people, the more I feel let down by them and it leaves me thoroughly dissatisfied with the world. We just have to look at recent events to see that. Obviously there is one I won’t talk of, but you have to agree that Hermione’s marriage is utterly mind-boggling.”

“Now Harry, have to put yourself in other people’s shoes,” Percy chided. “Yes, you have seen that Mr Lockhart is a fool, but he has fooled the rest of the wizarding world into thinking highly of him. Conversely, you have had the honour of knowing how brilliant Hermione is thanks to attending school with her, but the rest of the wizarding world hasn’t had that privilege. Mr Lockhart gives Hermione a greater standing in the world that she would struggle to get on her own. Hermione’s feelings aren’t your own either, and she may see something in him that we do not.”

Harry laughed. “Oh, please don’t say that, Percy. If I thought that Hermione had actually developed feelings for Mr Lockhart I think I would think even less of her than I do at the moment. Mr Lockhart is a conceited, self-absorbed, petty fool, you know this as well as I do. How can you think that anyone who chooses to marry him willingly is in their right mind? I know that you like to try to argue for people but you can’t do it in this case, even if it is Hermione. To try would be to change integrity to mean the same as inconstancy, to pretend that selfishness is a form of prudence; to think that being blind to danger can lead to happiness.”

Percy shook his head. “You are exaggerating because you feel betrayed by Hermione’s actions but I hope that you will see the error in your assumptions when you see how happy they are together. You mentioned another instance, however, that caused you to question the decency of people and I am worried that you are referring to my own situation. I hope that you don’t think he is to blame for any unhappiness I feel, or that you think any less of him because of that. There is nothing to suggest that he intentionally meant to hurt me. He is also a friendly young man and there is every chance to think that I imagined there to be more on his side than there actually was.”

“You are not that blind, Percy,” Harry argued. “Even I saw that he showed you more attention than others.”

“But you wanted to see a preference, like I did,” Percy countered. “There is every chance that he simply could have enjoyed talking to me though. Don’t get me wrong though, if he had acted that way to purposely make me think he liked me then that would be terrible. There is nothing to suggest that is the case, however, no matter how much my mother tries to suggest otherwise.”

“Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think Mr Malfoy purposely set out to hurt you with his actions. That said, there are other ways that someone can act poorly or unthinkingly and still cause hurt to someone. If they are thoughtless in their actions, don’t consider how others might feel, or change their mind too easily, then they are just as guilty in my mind.”

“And you think one of those applies to Mr Malfoy?”

“Yes, the last one,” Harry stated. 

“So you still think that Pansy is acting to change his mind?” Percy sighed. 

“And Mr Snape,” Harry nodded, but Percy shook his head. 

“I cannot believe it. What would be the point? If they believe that he truly likes me then trying to push him to someone else isn’t going to help him be happy, which is presumably what his friends would want.”

“Except his happiness might not be their chief concern,” Harry argued. “They might want to increase his wealth or standing in society and, no offence, but Miss Greengrass would achieve that more than you would.”

“I don’t disagree that they would definitely prefer him to marry Miss Greengrass,” Percy agreed, “but their reason might not be as mercenary as you assume. They have known her much longer than they have known me so it wouldn’t be surprising that they would prefer him to marry her. That being said, I can’t see them promoting her if he did truly prefer me. What would be the point unless there was something truly objectionable in that person? If they truly thought he liked me then they wouldn’t even try to separate us and, if he truly liked me, they wouldn’t be able to if they tried. You assume that he did like me, which is why you think that everyone acted maliciously in this. I can only ask that you stop, though, as you continuing to push that idea is only upsetting me more. I am not ashamed for thinking that he felt more for me than he did, at least not really anyway. It is less than I would feel if I thought I had been truly duped by him or his friends, however. It’s why I choose to see everyone in the best light and I wish that you would do the same.”

Harry couldn’t argue with that request and, from that moment, Mr Malfoy’s name was rarely uttered between them. The same couldn’t be said for the rest of the family, though. 

“What in Merlin’s name could be keeping Mr Malfoy away so long?” Mrs Weasley could be heard muttering, in some form or another, at least once a day. 

“Presumably his French property needs more work than expected,” Harry would reply, in an exasperated tone, every time, not that it seemed to make any difference. 

“But it is nearly Christmas!” Mrs Weasley would invariably wail, causing Harry to roll his eyes. 

“That could well be why he is staying. He and all of his friends are already there so it is probably easier to hold their celebrations there as opposed to trying to drag everyone back here and try to organise their celebration.”

“Not all of his friends,” Mrs Weasley would argue, “and how can he be expected to make good connections here if he is going to be away for all the important celebrations. I don’t even know who would even want to spend Christmas in France anyway.”

The French was an obvious answer to that, although Harry knew it was pointless to try to point that out. Mrs Weasley had the typical British negative attitude towards the French which bordered on discrimination that was annoyingly common among certain generations. Having a French daughter-in-law had yet to properly educate her on how wrong her casual xenophobia was so Harry doubted anything he said would make a difference. 

“You would think that he would at least come back to spend the season with Percy, given how close they were before,” was the other musing Mrs Weasley usually made, requiring Harry or Percy to try to correct her. 

“I don’t think there was actually a real preference. It was most likely a common, transient kind of liking that prevailed while they were together but was quickly forgotten when they were apart, probably replaced by something similar with someone else.”

As time passed, Mrs Weasley was forced to agree that that was probably the case, although it didn’t stop her bringing it up on occasion. Her once conciliatory thought was that summers in France tended to be on the hotter side and that would almost certainly force Mr Malfoy back to England. Harry was under the impression that cooling charms would be sufficient to counter that but he kept those thoughts to himself. 

Mr Weasley’s take on the matter was significantly different to that of his wife. 

“So it seems that our Percy has suffered a heartbreak,” he said to Harry one day. “It is a unique distinction, I think, given how many of us marry our childhood sweethearts, and I imagine that Percy will come to appreciate the state, since it will give him an air of maturity above his peers, something he has always enjoyed. I can’t help thinking that you might face a similar fate as well though, Harry, especially given your somewhat competitive nature. You have long shunned the idea of matrimony but, with all the quidditch players in the area, I can’t help thinking that at least one of them will catch your eye. Perhaps young Diggory will be the one. He is handsome, and popular enough that he might be drawn away, even from you.”

Harry could only smile at that but he couldn’t help hoping that Mr Weasley’s words weren’t foreshadowing. He still enjoyed Cedric’s company, and couldn’t deny being quite taken with the man as well, and he would hate for things to sour between them in some way. It didn’t help that the man was often called upon as a way of dispelling the gloom that had permeated the Burrow as of late. It wasn’t only the Weasleys that he had apparently gotten close to either. 

With the immediate threat posed by Mr Snape gone, it seemed that everyone in the village had now heard of Cedric’s plight at the man’s hands. All of the details, and suppositions, that Harry had previously heard in confidence, were now openly acknowledged by everyone and frequently discussed. It made Harry chuckle to hear everyone state how they had always disliked Mr Snape, even before they had heard anything on the matter. 

Percy remained the only person, possibly in the whole of wizarding Britain, who would even suggest that there might be more to the story than was currently circulating. He always pointed out that we only had Cedric’s side of the story, which had a lot of suppositions about Snape’s feelings and motives, and they should withhold judgement until the other man was given a chance to speak. He had always been someone who fought to uphold a fair trial in court and apparently that extended to the court of public opinion as well. He was the only person, at least in Harry’s acquaintance, with everyone else condemning Snape as the worst of wizards. 

Chapter Text

The week soon went and, officially, Mr Lockhart and Hermione were married, courtesy of a special licence from the muggle world. It had only been a small ceremony for her family though and, so far, the wizarding world was none the wiser. Mr Lockhart was leaving the Burrow for now, partly to spend some time with his new family and partly to make room at the Burrow as Mrs Weasley’s eldest son, Bill Weasley, and his wife, Fleur, were coming. He said that he looked forward to seeing the Weasleys at his ‘proper’ wedding, in the wizarding world, and he wished the family a happy Christmas. 

Bill and Fleur arrived a few days later and Harry was struck once again with how inferior Lockhart was to them in almost every way. Bill was dashingly handsome, with his long ginger hair and warm smile that invariably left Harry feeling a little gooey inside. He was smart too, working as one of Gringotts top curse breakers despite being out of school less than a decade. His wife, Fleur, worked as an investment manager in the Paris branch of Gringotts. She was no slouch herself, having quickly risen through the ranks in her job and was set to get another promotion when her current boss retired in a few years. 

Fleur was beautiful and elegant and, on marrying Bill, had given them man a touch of class; probably the one thing Bill had been lacking. He had kept his earring though, which Harry had been eternally grateful for. He kept his work robes for rolling around various ancient tombs but, when he scrubbed up, he wouldn’t look out of place at any ball, even standing besides the likes of Pansy or Mr Malfoy. He had always been kind and friendly, able to fall into conversation with anyone easily and full of interesting anecdotes from his adventures although, unlike Lockhart, he only spoke of them when specifically requested. It was part of why Bill was a firm favourite among his siblings and everyone always looked forward to his visits with great excitement. 

There was a lot to catch up on but Bill and Fleur ended up mostly just listening as Mrs Weasley recounted everything that had happened in the last couple of months: from the arrival of Mr Malfoy’s party, to having two of Bill’s siblings nearly married. 

“Of course it is not Percy’s fault that things with Mr Malfoy didn’t work out,” she sighed. “He did nothing wrong in that situation. Harry, on the other hand, now that situation is entirely his fault. The fact that he could be married to Mr Lockhart right now but turned him down is something I will never understand. It is worse to know that Hermione, of all people, decided to swoop in and steal him away as soon as Harry did. I am not sure that I will ever forgive her for that underhanded action, especially against someone that is supposed to be her friend. It really is a poor show in my mind. Friendships just aren’t what they used to be with so many people out for themselves. It is why I am so glad that you have come. I feel family is so much more important when friends let you down.”

Bill, who was the person Mrs Weasley was chiefly talking to, was already fully aware of the situation thanks to Percy who always diligently wrote to his overseas siblings to keep them apprised of things. As such, he only made small non-committal noises to his mother and quickly changed the subject to ask what was going on in the rest of the village. When he was alone with Harry in the evening, however, he was more inclined to speak on the subject. 

“This Mr Malfoy sounds like he would have been a good match for Percy. It is a shame that it seems to have fizzled out although I can’t say that I’m too surprised. I remember how often my crush used to change when I was younger, especially when I first left Hogwarts and entered the greater wizarding world. There are so many interesting people in the world to meet that it isn’t uncommon for someone to forget about things completely when they are not in front of their faces. Just look at how terrible I am at replying to letters. These things happen, unfortunately, and that is just life.”

“If only that was the case here,” Harry sighed. “I could more easily accept things if it were just a fact of life but, unfortunately, I am sure that things happened here by design. People might accidentally fall out of love all the time but it is far more rare for an independent young man to be persuaded away from someone he was so violently in love with just a few days before.”

Bill rolled his eyes. “That sounds like a bit of an exaggeration, Harry, when you say ‘violently in love’. It doesn’t actually describe anything either, so I have no idea how you came to that conclusion. Do me a favour and explain what happened to make you think that.”

“Everything!” Harry exclaimed. “Honestly, I have never seen two people so besotted with each other before. They would both gravitate towards each other whenever they were in the same room and, once they began talking, it was as if nothing else existed. Even at his own ball, Mr Malfoy missed two or three dances because he was too busy talking to Percy to ask anyone else. He when Percy was dancing as well. Twice I tried speaking to him that night only to be completely ignored because he was watching Percy. Can you honestly tell me that someone who is that distracted by someone isn’t completely in love?”

“I agree, that does sound like a sounder kind of love than I initially thought,” Bill nodded. “It sounds as if Percy felt the same and for that I am sorry. He is much more sensitive than most people realise and I worry that this will affect him for a long time. No offence, Harry, but I half wish it had happened to you. You probably would have just laughed it off straight away and moved on. I would bet money that Percy is spending most of his spare time analysing every conversation and trying to figure out what he did wrong.”

“I agree,” Harry sighed, knowing how often he had seen Percy silently staring off into space. 

“Perhaps we should do something to help him then?” Bill suggested. “Maybe he could take some leave and come to France with us when we go back. Mr and Mrs Delacour have a lovely vineyard in the west of the country and I’m sure Percy could be easily distracted learning about wine production and, who knows, he might even be able to put that knowledge to use here. Let's face it, mum and dad would benefit from any additional income.”

“Actually, I think that will be a brilliant idea,” Harry agreed. “Being here only reminds him of what could have been. Going somewhere new will hopefully spark his curiosity, especially as Percy has never been anywhere on his own before, other than work. He will get to do what he wants for once, instead of being forced to go along with everyone else.”

“So long as no one is under the impression that they might accidentally meet he is there,” Bill warned. “The vineyard is in the country, at least as far from Paris as Hogwarts is from here, possibly further. We almost never go to the city and, if we do, it isn’t anywhere the fashionable young witches and wizards like to visit. I can guarantee that Percy won’t see Mr Malfoy unless the man specifically searches him out.”

“And I can’t see that happening,” Harry huffed. “I see no chance of Mr Snape allowing Mr Malfoy to go gallivanting across a foreign country just to see Percy and I never see Malfoy act without Mr Snape’s express permission.”

Bill frowned. “I must admit that I don’t remember much of Mr Snape, only having had him as a professor for a year before he left Hogwarts. I do remember him being very strict though, keeping a tight grip on the class, but I always assumed that’s because he was so young and needed to make sure us children didn’t mess about with ingredients that could be dangerous and cause a major incident. I always figured he would have mellowed with age but I guess there is a chance he could have gotten worse over time. That being said, it probably is best for Percy if they can’t meet; the sooner he can move on the better. Isn’t he writing to Mr Malfoy’s friend, though, Miss Parkinson. I can’t imagine them not arranging to meet up if Percy is nearby.”

“On the contrary,” Harry scoffed, “I can imagine her coming up with any conceivable reason not to meet. Percy won’t tell you, but it is in Pansy’s best interest to cut ties with him as she has her eye on Mr Malfoy herself.”

“Well that is a difficult situation,” Bill mused, “and, if I’m honest, I am happy that Percy is out of it, and as soon as possible. He is a sensitive soul and tends to invest a lot of himself in relationships, far sooner than is prudent, but he always pretends that he isn’t hurt afterwards. It would be much better for his friendship with this woman to fizzle out the way his relationship with Mr Malfoy did as I worry that having her as a love rival would kill him.”

Harry nodded in agreement but, even as he did, he couldn’t deny a flame of hope flickering away in him; hope that things between Percy and Mr Malfoy weren’t over for good. They were just too perfectly suited in Harry’s mind and had been so very much in love. Surely the spark would rekindle should they just get the chance to see each other again. Then it was almost certain that Mr Malfoy would gain the strength of character to stand up to his friends and do what would clearly make him happiest. 

It didn’t take much persuasion for Percy to agree to go to the vineyard and even less for his boss to agree, since Percy hadn’t used any of his leave again that year and the Ministry wouldn’t roll them over another year. Percy had always been a bit of a workaholic, though, and even now was looking into spending some time at the French Ministry to see if he could learn anything from how they worked. Harry tried to persuade him to take an actual break but Percy just shook his head. 

“I’m not that kind of person, Harry. I can’t just sit about doing nothing. I have to at least read, or study. Life is too short to waste it.”

“You know wizards can live for hundreds of years, right?” Harry chuckled, and Percy smiled. 

“Yes, I know, but so many do so little with that time. For all his faults, I have to applaud Mr Lockhart for actually putting new books into our society. It is more than most people manage.”

“Perhaps, although I have to admit that I don’t know how much he actually wrote,” Harry mused. “I mean, you know what an idiot he is.”

“He is,” Percy agreed, “in some aspects at least, but in other areas, such as marketing, he is an absolute genius. Even if he didn’t write all of the books, it is he who is encouraging so many people to read them, and that is never a bad thing.”

“He hasn’t persuaded me to read them,” Harry groused. 

“Perhaps you should, before passing judgement,” Percy suggested. “I know that you are as likely as Ron to pick up a book willingly, but you really should know what you are talking about if you are going to lambaste the man’s work like that.”

“Or I could just stick to critiquing the man himself, since I have first hand knowledge of how ridiculous he is.” Harry flashed Percy a cheeky grin causing a bright smile to break out on Percy’s face. 

“Dammit, foiled again!” Percy huffed, jokingly. “One of these days I will get you to read something other than Quidditch through the ages.”

“Maybe when hell freezes over.”

Percy chuckled slightly, only for a slightly more serious expression to come over his face. 

“Thank you though, Harry, for all your help these last few months. I know we haven’t always seen eye to eye on things which is why I am so grateful for everything that you have done for me.”

Harry gulped. “There is no need to thank me, Percy. We are family, it’s what we are supposed to do.”

“Still, I wouldn’t want you to think me ungrateful.”

Harry shook his head. “I wouldn’t, although I might if you don’t enjoy yourself while you’re away. You’ve been through a lot recently, you deserve to have some fun.”

“I will,” Percy assured him, “but you have to accept that my idea of fun isn’t necessarily the same as yours. I may go and visit some of the muggle attractions though, as I’m sure dad will be very interested in hearing about those.”

“On your own?” Harry queried. 

“Well, I might ask Pansy if she wants to join me,” Percy replied. “But don’t worry, I won’t be trying to push myself into Mr Malfoy’s path. If he wants to see me, it is up to him to make the effort.”

Harry didn’t know quite how to feel about that. On the one hand he was happy that Percy was adamant about moving on from his heartache. On the other hand, he was sure that seeing Percy would spark Mr Malfoy’s feelings again but he didn’t want to push things, especially if Percy wasn’t ready to risk going through all that again. In the end, he decided to leave it and let things happen as they would. He was not normally one for believing in fate but, if any couple were destined to unite despite the odds then surely it was Mr Malfoy and Percy. 

Bill and Fleur stayed at the Burrow for a week and, between catching up with their neighbours, and the ongoing exhibition matches keeping the quidditch players around, there was never a day when they weren’t busy. In fact, there was barely a day when the family dined at home alone. At least a couple of the quidditch players would always form a part of the group when they were at home, mostly because many of them had attended Hogwarts at the same time as him and Mrs Weasley thought it would be nice for them to catch up with each other. Cedric was often one of these people, more because he grew up near them as opposed to knowing Bill, since they hadn’t been at school together and Cedric had barely been born before Bill had begun attending Hogwarts. 

It put Bill in a somewhat unique opportunity, meeting the man for the first time while having a completely unbiased perspective on his interactions with Harry. To his eye, it was clear that the pair had a distinct preference for each other although he was almost unhappy to admit that he didn’t think them actually in love. They would gravitate towards each other whenever they were in the same room, but they were always very much aware of what else was going on, never completely engrossed with each other. 

They were always quite aware of what was going on around them and Bill observed more than one occasion where one or both got drawn into conversation with others, or even drawn into other activities. It was possible that he was biased, as Bill was loath to be away from his wife any more than necessary, even after years of marriage. Even when Harry and Cedric were apart, though, there were no furtive glances, no flare of jealousy should someone else take the other’s attention. 

Of course there were different kinds of love, or so Bill had heard anyway, but both himself and his parents had been lucky enough to find the deep, all-encompassing kind, and Bill wanted the same for his siblings as well. What he saw between Harry and Cedric was more of a weak kind of attraction, the sort that developed between people who were a good match in a small set, and not necessarily something that would bring long lasting happiness. Bill knew that he would have to talk to Harry before he left to make sure that Harry didn’t get carried away and accidentally take the relationship too far. He was sure that it would fizzle out quickly in both their minds once Cedric went back to Skye. Bill just wanted to make sure that Harry didn’t get carried away and take things too far before that. 

Bill had the chance to talk to Harry the following day and, in true older brother style: namely, with a lot of awkwardness. 

“So, Harry, about Cedric.”

“What about Cedric?”

“Well, how do you actually feel about him?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, you seem to pay him a lot of attention.”

“Well yes,” Harry chuckled. “He’s nice and we get along well.”

“I know,” Bill nodded, “but is there anything more between you than that?”

Harry blushed. “No. There is nothing more between us than friendship.”

“But you want there to be something more?” Bill pushed. 

“I have to admit, I wouldn’t mind,” Harry replied. 

Bill frowned. “Do you really think that would be a good idea?” 

“Why wouldn’t it be a good idea?” Harry asked, frowning himself. 

“You mean other than the fact that neither of you are in a good position to get into anything serious,” Bill sighed. “Your fortunes are fine for you while you are staying at home, but not really enough to support anyone else on.”

“Cedric has his own income though,” Harry pointed out. 

“For now,” Bill agreed, “but a Quidditch player’s career isn’t necessarily long lived. It only takes one major injury or, as he found out before, a scandal, and his career is done. Then what will you do?”

“We would find a way,” Harry insisted, “although that is assuming that something is actually going to happen between us.”

“You mean that you’re not actively trying to start a relationship with him?” Bill queried and Harry shook his head. 

“No, not actively. That’s not to say that I would be upset if anything were to happen. I understand that it probably isn’t the most ideal match but it is certainly far from the worst. I would hate to upset anyone with my choice in a partner, and I am in no rush to tie myself to anyone, so I won’t pursue anything. That being said, I won’t turn down anything that might happen naturally.”

“If you are just going to let things happen naturally, it might be an idea to not encourage him to come here so often,” Bill suggested. “At the very least, it would be a good idea not to remind mum to invite him on the off chance she forgets.”

“Like I did the other day?” Harry chuckled, scratching his head awkwardly. “I suppose you have a point on that one and I’ll watch myself in the future. I should point out that he isn’t usually here as much as he has been recently. Mrs Weasley has had people around purely for you, wanting to make your visit as enjoyable as possible. You do have a point though, and I will make sure to check my behaviour to make sure that I don’t get myself, or Cedric into any situations inadvertently. He has already had to deal with something along those lines once and I would hate to be the reason it was all drudged up again.”

“That’s good to know,” Bill nodded. “I can rest easy knowing that you aren’t putting yourself in a difficult situation.”

“I’m glad, and thank you for your advice. I hadn’t realised how casual we had gotten. People around us know that we are just friends so have probably just turned a blind eye to our behaviour, knowing it will never come to anything,” Harry sighed. 

“Perhaps,” Bill said, flashing Harry a knowing smile. “I should also add that, if something were to happen between you and Cedric, naturally of course, I will say that you will have my full support.”

“Thank you,” Harry beamed, hugging Bill as a wave of relief washed over him that he didn’t particularly want to analyse. 

Chapter Text

Bill and Fleur left just before Mr Lockhart’s wedding and Harry half wondered if that was by design. They claimed that it was because they wanted to celebrate New Year’s with Fleur’s family, since they spent Christmas with Bill’s. Mrs Weasley didn’t understand why they would want to go to France when they were going to be having a perfectly respectable celebration in England but Fleur was very insistent. 

“I am sure you will be having a wonderful celebration, Mrs Weasley,” she said, “but New Year’s in Paris is truly amazing. The fireworks over the Eiffel Tower are absolutely divine and Gringotts has got permission for us to hover on flying carpets in a designated area so we will have a perfect view.”

“Well, I’ve never seen the point of those things anyway,” Mrs Weasley huffed. “Wizards can do much more with our wands. I hear that Mr Lockhart has hired numerous performers for his wedding on New Year’s Day, wanting to celebrate the wonderful new year as well as this new step in his life. He has even been kind enough to invite the whole family.”

Mr Weasley raised an eyebrow. “I take it from that reaction that you have accepted on all our behalf?”

“Of course!” Mrs Weasley exclaimed. “He was even going to try to find places for Bill and Fleur although I will have to owl him now to let him know that that effort isn’t necessary. He really is such a generous soul, wanting to make sure he repays our previous kindness in putting him up. I wish him all the happiness for the future.”

The rest of the family gaped at her in various degrees of shock at that sentiment but none of them dared to press the subject to figure out what caused this miraculous change in sentiment. Percy assumed that it was merely time, easing the perceived hurts, and allowing her to see that this truly was the best outcome for everyone involved. Harry believed that it was because Mr Lockhart intended to keep the connection and Mrs Weasley hoped that that would open up the possibility for even better matches for her children in the future. He couldn’t complain, though, as it meant they no longer had to sneak about to spend time with Hermione. 

Hermione spent New Year’s Eve with the Weasleys, needing a break from wedding stuff and wanting to spend a bit of time with her friends before she moved to Hogwarts. Unfortunately, it seemed that Mrs Weasley’s good mood towards the happy couple only extended towards Mr Lockhart as, while Hermione was accepted into the house, she wasn’t accepted very warmly. Harry was a little annoyed, but was happy for the chance to say goodbye to his friend, since he knew the wedding would be too hectic for them to be able to get a word in edgewise. 

“In case I don’t get a chance to say it tomorrow, I hope you have a wonderful day and wish you all the best,” Harry said, taking her hands before she stepped through the floo. 

“Thank you Harry,” Hermione smiled. “I will try to make time for you tomorrow but Gilderoy has invited so many people. All of the Sleekeazy board will be there though, and I will be putting in a good word for you, to get them off your back.”

“You don’t have to do that,” Harry chuckled. 

“Yeah,” Ron agreed. “I assume they think their little pet is safe now. Harry would never go after the husband of his best friend.”

“I suppose you’re right about that,” Harry sighed. “As much as I would love to tell the world what a moron he is and have him ridiculed, I couldn’t risk dragging Hermione down as well. And at least he has someone smart now so I imagine Hermione will improve him soon enough.”

“I’m going to try to, anyway,” Hermione laughed, although Harry couldn’t help noticing her eyes were glistening a bit. “It is going to be strange not popping round here every other day, and being back at Hogwarts. It’s exciting at the same time though, like an adventure. That doesn’t mean that I want to lose touch with you guys though, so you need to sort yourselves out and actually owl me from time to time.”

“I promise,” Harry grinned, and Ron nodded. 

“And you both promise to come and visit me?” Hermione queried, and both boys nodded again. 

“Of course!” Ron insisted. “You won’t be able to keep us away!”

“Well, his teaching schedule might,” Harry pointed out. “We can always pop up on weekends and we can all visit Hogsmeade, although maybe not on a Hogsmeade weekend. No offence but I would rather not be swarmed by students.”

Hermione frowned. “Well, maybe I can talk to Dumbledore or something. I want more than just an afternoon with you guys but I don’t know if I can wait until Easter.”

“Well, if you manage it, we will come,” Harry promised, and Hermione left the Burrow in high spirits. 

The wedding took place at Hogwarts as it was one of the few venues big enough to hold all of the people Lockhart wanted to invite. There were delegations from all over the world present thanks to Lockhart’s Sleekeazy connections and Dumbledore seemed more than happy to get to show off his school to everyone. It helped that the House Elves had done such a wonderful job of decorating the place to the point that Harry barely recognised the Great Hall as they were ushered into their seats, at the front, on Hermione’s side, much to Mrs Weasley’s delight. 

Dumbledore officiated the ceremony and Harry was happy to hear him lavish praise on his friend. People might not have known how brilliant Hermione was before this but now there would be little doubt by anyone that she was worthy of him or, in Harry’s mind, worthy of more. It was certainly one bright side of this whole affair and Harry hoped that Hermione would be able to use this new platform to make a proper name for herself and try to make her mark on the wizarding world. 

“Lovely ceremony, don’t you think, Mr Potter,” an older, smartly dressed man said and Harry nearly choked on his gigglewater as he turned to face the head of the Sleekeazy. His grey-flecked red hair was slicked back, as it had been every time Harry had met him previously, and he couldn’t help thinking that it made the man seem slimy. He understood promoting your own product but surely there was such a thing as less is more. Harry had contemplated telling him that before, but he didn’t like the man enough to help him in any way. 

“Mr Winickus,” Harry greeted, plastering a fake smile on his face to cover up his true feelings. “You must be very happy with the turn out; it’s such good publicity for the company after all.”

“As you should be,” Rufus Winickus smiled. “We may even be able to discuss increasing your stipend.”

“Provided I accept Mr Lockhart as the spokesman for Sleekeazy,” Harry griped. 

“Are you telling me that you would want to put the new Mrs Lockhart through a potential scandal, so soon after her moment of glory? I know that they say the only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about but I promise you that there is such a thing as bad publicity. Who knows, perhaps she may even be blamed for any issues Gilderoy might face.”

“Is that a threat?” Harry scowled. 

“Of course not!” Winickus laughed. “I would have to be a fool to do something so short-sighted. I have lived over half a century in the wizarding world, however, and, in that time, I have learned a thing or two in that time. People can act in peculiar and unexpected ways, Mr Potter, so it is best to use caution in your actions and not do anything that could come back to bite you.”

“So you are telling me not to rock the boat?”

“More like, let sleeping hippogryphs lie,” Winickus smirked. “Anyway, I do hope you enjoy the rest of the party, Mr Potter and, should you ever wish to attend more events like this, all you need do is ask. Sleekeazy has numerous promotional events like this throughout the year.”

“And how much would such a privilege cost me?” Harry queried. 

“Nothing, of course,” Winickus laughed. “Your family were the founders of the company after all. It would be awkward if we were seen to be at odds though; it would risk taking away from the actual product promotion after all. As such it would probably be best if we come to certain agreements before you attend but I could easily draft up something. Just drop me an owl should you be interested.”

“I’ll think about it,” Harry said, hoping his smile didn’t look too much like a grimace. He didn’t trust Winickus even slightly and dreaded to think how much of his soul the man would want him to give up for such a ‘privilege’ as attending some promotional events for his own company. Harry wished he could oust the slimy, smarmy git sometimes but Harry also didn’t want the hassle of running a company so he just put up with the man instead. Winickus might be a devil but didn’t they say better the devil you knew? The man was at least competent at his job; Harry would hate for someone like Lockhart to be in control, even if the man did have Hermione at his side now. 

Along with Bill, Percy had also missed the ‘wedding of the century’, or so it had been proclaimed in The Daily Prophet. He had left with his brother and sister-in-law and Harry had to wonder if he had had a more enjoyable time than Harry had. He didn’t need to wait long to find out. True to form, Percy wrote after just a few days: a short note, but letting the family know he had settled in safely and was enjoying the change of scenery already. Harry worried that Percy wasn’t going to be candid over owl but he figured that was only to be expected. 

Harry could only imagine what would happen if Mrs Weasley learned Percy’s real feelings on the Malfoy situation, or any of the younger siblings. Harry loved Ron to bits but even he loved to stir things to gain an advantage with his siblings, especially if it was at Percy’s expense. It made Harry feel guilty but at least that guilty about taking away Percy’s support like that. That guilt helped push Harry into steady replies and he reminded himself that at least Percy had Bill and Fleur for support. 

Hermione was another matter, although she at least seemed to be settling into Hogwarts quickly. Harry was actually looking forward to her letters more than Percy’s, if only because he was desperate to hear what Hermione actually thought of her new husband. Unfortunately, there was nothing salacious in Hermione’s letters, which Harry should have suspected, given who Hermione was. She never was one for gossip, at least not spreading it anyway; Harry caught her listening in from time to time, presumably because she liked to collect information. 

Hermione’s letters were unsurprisingly long and detailed, discussing every aspect of Hogwarts life: from their old haunts to their old professors to how small the new students seemed to be. Harry was happy to hear that Hermione was enjoying her time and had already been sitting in on Lockhart’s lessons. Apparently it had been Dumbledore’s suggestion, since the quality of Defence Professors hadn’t always been the best in the past and he thought having some extra support in classes would be a good idea. Harry thought Lockhart wasn’t likely to increase the calibre of the teaching but at least Hermione ought to help. She was also helping him write his new text book and was apparently already neck deep in research, which was likely Hermione’s idea of heaven and Harry expected not to hear that much more from her for some time. 

Percy was a different matter. He wrote regularly and, in his next letter, spoke of how he was surprised not to have heard anything from Pansy, having let his friend know that he would be in France for a visit. Harry wasn’t particularly surprised, although it did make me chuckle to read Percy trying to explain it away by suggesting that the owl had somehow been waylaid. He did say that he would be visiting the French Ministry the following week and Percy hoped to visit them, since he would be in the area. 

Harry was delighted by the idea and wished Percy the best of luck in his endeavour, only annoyed that he wouldn’t be there to see the look on Pansy’s face when Percy arrived on their doorstep. Harry looked forward to Percy’s next letter with some impatience and he was very happy that Percy was such a diligent writer as the reply came just a few days later. 

Dear Harry, 

I must say that I wonder if Pansy has become unwell while she has been in Paris. She was very out of sorts when she saw me at the door and scolded me for such a surprise visit which surprised me as I knew that I had owled her just the day before. She invited me in for a cup of tea but insisted that she couldn’t stay long because she had arranged to go shopping with Miss Greengrass in the afternoon. Apparently Mr Malfoy had gone out to Marseilles for a couple of days, hoping to see some traders about some exotic wood for renovations and Pansy didn’t know when they would return. 

She was as perplexed as I was about why my owls hadn’t gotten to them thus far but she promised to come and call on me at the Delacour’s vineyard later in the week. 

I do not hope that Mr Malfoy comes with them but I will not turn him away should he arrive. 

Take care and I will write again soon, 

Percy 

Harry applauded Percy’s optimism but he couldn’t help feeling that it was entirely misplaced. He strongly doubted Pansy would keep her word and he thought it would be little short of a miracle if Mr Malfoy made an appearance. Of course he didn’t tell Percy that, simply reiterating his wish for luck for Percy and asking about what new law was being debated in the French Wizengamot. He didn’t actually care about that, but he knew Percy did and he wanted to try to distract his brother from what was sure to be a depressing situation. 

It took two weeks for Percy’s next letter to arrive. 

Dear Harry, 

I hope you don’t celebrate too much when you read this, but I think I have been completely deceived by Miss Parkinson. I feel that you were right and she never actually considered me a friend. That’s not to say that I think I was wrong for thinking otherwise, given how she acted, although I do understand why you were so suspicious. I will admit, I can’t understand why she would want to get close to me like that, and I have to admit that I would probably fall for it again, fool that I am. 

Pansy didn’t actually visit until this morning and didn’t bother to send any note, or offer any explanation for the delay. When she did finally show up it was clear that she didn’t actually want to be there. It was as if she was there in body because she had to be but her mind was constantly elsewhere. I had to frequently prompt her multiple times to reply to me and those were the only moments she actually spoke to me, not once asking about my trip. We spent several long stretches in complete silence and she practically bolted out the door at the first opportunity. Suffice it to say that I will not be bothering to continue our friendship any more. 

I am angry at her: she was the one who initiated the friendship in the first place. That being said, I also pity her a bit. I think that she must know that her actions were wrong and I’m sure the guilt must have affected her. The only reason I can come up with for her actions was from a fear for her friend. Of course, we both know there was no actual need for her to worry, but I can understand why she might not realise. She can’t feel that way anymore, however, as, if he had cared about me, he would have gotten in touch with me long ago. He can’t not know that I am in France now, in fact I am sure of it, thanks to an off-hand comment from Pansy, which makes me more curious as to why he hasn’t gotten in touch with me. 

One point that I am sure will be a bit of relief to you: I am now certain that Mr Malfoy doesn’t favour Miss Greengrass. The way Pansy was talking, the one subject she would voluntarily broach, seemed to be more about trying to persuade me that there was something there, as opposed to giving evidence that it actually was. I can’t understand why she would do that and, if I wasn’t worried about judging her too harshly without evidence, I might think that there was some underhanded motive in her actions. 

I want to concentrate on what makes me happy though: yours and Bill’s constant support through this as well as the kindness of the Delacours. I hope to have a reply from you soon; I have been so impressed with your constant correspondence during my stay. I would be interested in hearing if there is any news regarding Malfoy Manor in England. Pansy mentioned something about Mr Malfoy never returning, something about too many ghosts although I didn’t see any when we were there. She was very vague about it, however, so I am not sure how much truth there was in that statement.

I’m glad to hear that Hermione is settling in well and I hope you go and visit her soon: you will have no better proof of her happiness than what you see with your own eyes. 

Yours gratefully, 

Percy Weasley 

Harry was a little annoyed by the contents of Percy’s letter but he was at least happy that his brother wouldn’t be duped by Pansy anymore. His opinion of Mr Malfoy was now rock-bottom, however, and Harry didn’t think that he would even want Mr Malfoy to start pursuing Percy again. He almost hoped that Mr Malfoy would end up marrying Miss Greengrass as, according to Cedric, she had a very weak and sickly nature and, in Harry’s mind, would make a wonderful partner for a cad such as him. Perhaps that would help him appreciate what he threw away by spurning Percy. 

Harry received a letter from Bill at the same time, letting Harry know that Percy’s mood seemed to have improved and asking how things were progressing with Cedric. On that front, Harry’s news was about as positive as Percy’s. The Appleby Arrows had arrived and, with them, their new seeker: Cho Chang. Cedric and Cho had been close at Hogwarts and the pair seemed to naturally gravitate towards each other again, leaving Harry completely forgotten. The upside of this was the realisation by Harry that he wasn’t actually hurt by Cedric’s actions. His vanity was wounded, without doubt, but his heart was completely unaffected letting him know that he had never been truly set on the man. 

He wondered if he might have had more of a look in if he had known Cedric better at school but it was too late to change that now. It helped Harry, however, as he could convince himself that the attention he now gave Cho was more out of nostalgia than a real preference and he told himself that Cedric may turn back to him once he had caught up with her. Not that he had anything against Cho, they had gotten on well enough in school, when they had talked anyway. Cedric and her had been quite insular when they were together, practically neglecting anyone else. It reminded Harry a little of how Percy and Mr Malfoy had been. 

The truth was, however, that it led Harry to realise that he had never actually been in love, more in lust. He was strongly attracted to Cedric, both in looks and personality, but there was nothing deeper there. He bore no ill will towards neither him nor Cho for them suddenly deserting him and he was happy to write as much in a letter to Bill. 

So, Bill, I am now convinced that my feelings were little more than a passing fancy as I am still perfectly happy to be friends with him and have no ill feelings towards her. I will admit, however, that my desire to go to the village to see the other quidditch players has dwindled somewhat although Ron and Ginny still head out almost daily. I am not sure what their ultimate goal is in this: whether they are just looking for some sort of diversion or after something more. 

Chapter Text

A cold January gave way to a wet February and the upside of that was Harry had plenty of excuses for not heading into Ottery-St-Catchpole with Ron and Ginny. March marked when Harry was due to visit Hermione and he was actually starting to look forward to it. Hermione hadn’t been able to arrange for Harry to visit sooner than Easter and Harry was actually grateful that it was early this year. Enough time had already passed for him to start missing Hermione, as well as for Harry to start forgetting how horrible Lockhart was.

He was a little worried about leaving the family, especially as Percy wasn’t back yet, since Mrs Weasley only seemed to be struggling to control the actions of her younger children more as they got older. His one source of relief was that the twins were currently busy trying to source financing to open their own joke shop so hopefully wouldn’t be causing too much mayhem in an effort to look good. They were even writing up a proposal to send with Harry in an effort to try to persuade Mr Lockhart to invest. Harry hoped that that meant they would be more concerned with putting on a good front and wouldn’t get into anything too crazy. 

Harry was able to say farewell to Cedric as well, before leaving. It was very friendly but somewhat short and distant, not helped by Cho standing nearby, clearly waiting for Cedric to finish talking to Harry. 

“Since when did Cho pull all of Cedric’s strings?” Ron asked, frowning after the girl as Cedric walked off. 

“Since she got here about two weeks ago,” Harry shrugged. 

“But wasn’t he interested in you before that?” Ron questioned. 

“Possibly,” Harry replied, “although there was never anything serious between us.”

“It certainly looked like he was serious,” Ron chuckled. “I actually had a bet with Ginny and the twins about when the two of you would be married. I said by your birthday, Ginny said you’d make a lovely June bride. Come to think of it, George actually bet that it wouldn’t happen so maybe we had best not say anything yet, especially as he might change his mind again. It does seem to have happened quite suddenly.”

“Well she has only just gotten into town,” Harry pointed out, “and they were very close at school.”

“True,” Ron nodded, “but I don’t remember them keeping in touch after he left. If he had, he might not have been involved in that scandal.”

“That was hardly his fault,” Harry huffed, “and being with Cho is still no guarantee that he would have been safe. People do have extra-marital affairs after all.”

“I always forget that,” Ron chuckled, “what with mum and dad being so close. Still, I can’t help thinking this sudden switch to Cho is strange. You don’t think it’s got anything to do with her inheritance do you?”

“What inheritance?” Harry queried. 

“Just something I heard from Oliver. Apparently Cho’s granddad died recently and left her a mint. It’s why all the Appleby players have new brooms.”

“What, like some sort of bribe to get her on the team?”

Ron shook his head. “No, as far as I know she got there on merit. The brooms are just meant to be a bonus. She has been flashing the cash all around the village.”

“Good for her,” Harry insisted, “but I don’t think that has anything to do with his renewed interest, although so what if it did? Why shouldn’t Cedric choose the person who would give him a more comfortable life, especially if he liked us both equally. We both know how annoying it is to have to struggle and even Bill pointed out that me and Cedric marrying wouldn’t necessarily be a good idea because of our financial situations.”

“Maybe you should think about getting a job then,” Ron joked. 

“I will when you do,” Harry laughed. 

“So we’re both at the Burrow unless we can dupe someone rich into marrying,” Ron chuckled, laughing along with Harry until they got home. When they arrived at the Burrow, Harry was happy to see a letter from Bill waiting for him. Apparently Bill didn’t completely believe that Harry was ‘fine’ regarding Cedric and offered to take Harry with them when they took a trip to the Peak District later on in the year. Bill said it was because he felt a little guilty for giving Percy a holiday and not him but Harry had a feeling that Bill was feeling a little sorry for him. He did worry that Ron and the others might feel a little jealous at the offer but apparently that wasn’t the case. 

“Why would I want to go on a boring sightseeing holiday,” Ron scoffed. “You know that Bill is just going to want to look through old ruins to see if there is anything magical in them.”

“Well yeah,” Harry smiled, “but don’t you think that’s fun?”

“I might if we didn’t always have to walk to get everywhere! Do you remember that trip we took to Wales when we were younger? Between Bill searching ruins and Charlie trying to find a Welsh Green, I think I walked enough to last a lifetime. Even my blisters had blisters after that: not something I want to experience again.”

“Who knows, maybe I can fly a bit if it’s just me, Bill and Fleur,” Harry mused. 

“Only if there are no muggles about,” Ron chuckled. 

“Fingers crossed then,” Harry grinned. 

Another letter arrived from Percy the following day, letting Harry know that he was fine and talking about all of the things he’d seen at the French Ministry when he had visited, noting ideas that he thought would suggest implementing in the British one. Harry was glad that Percy seemed to be in good spirits, moving on from the whole situation, and he headed for Hogwarts in a great mood, especially as he had the trip to look forward to as well. 

It was interesting to step out of the Three Broomsticks after flooing to Hogsmeade and turning up the road to Hogwarts. It had been a few years since he had trodden that path but Harry’s good mood helped bring back all of his old memories of making the same journey with Ron and Hermione by his side. Hogwarts was a good time for Harry, full of happy memories of hanging out with his friends, and he was looking forward to walking the old corridors again. It would be fun to relive the good old times like when the twins had created a bog in the corridor to trap that awful Ministry inspector, Umbridge, or when Ron had saved all of the goals in a Quidditch match and had a song created in his honour: Weasley is our king. 

Harry heard his footsteps echo as he walked through the now empty corridors, thanks to many of the students being gone. The portraits were still there though, and still very much awake, greeting Harry as he walked through the school. It was strange to ignore the moving stairs that he had taken so many times to Gryffindor tower. Instead, Harry took a jaunt across the courtyard, the early spring flowers just starting to poke through the frost covered grass.

The Defence classroom looked completely different to how Harry remembered when he entered, although it was hardly surprising given who the new professor was. Portraits of Lockhart were all over the room and their simultaneous greetings to Harry were very off-putting and Harry remembered why he had disliked the man’s visit so much. Still, Harry hoped that his new position as guest, and not as a love interest, would mean that this visit was a lot less awkward. 

It was, in a way, with Lockhart spending most of the time pointing out all of the changes he had made to his quarters to help accommodate Hermione, including having the castle create a little reading nook for her. It was as if he were trying to show Harry what he could have had if he had accepted Lockhart’s proposal. It didn’t work in the slightest, although Harry was happy to see that his friend was being well cared for. Unfortunately, Harry’s lack of contrition only seemed to encourage Lockhart and he went on, at length, of all of the appearances they had made since the wedding, all of which Harry had already been aware of, courtesy of the numerous articles pushed in Witch Weekly. Hermione had the decency to blush a bit as Lockhart listed every attendee according to their importance. 

“I’m sure Harry saw the articles,” Hermione said, carefully. “Didn’t your publisher need your latest chapter by the end of the week? If you want me to look it over before then you had best finish it as I will need a couple of days to look it over. There are the lesson plans for next term to review as well. Dumbledore says they need to be done before the children come back.”

“Yes, yes; no rest for the wicked,” Lockhart laughed. “It really isn’t easy trying to juggle two jobs. I honestly don’t know what I would do without my lovely wife, remembering all of my important deadlines.” 

He leaned down as if to give her a kiss but Hermione turned her head at the last moment so it landed on her cheek. Lockhart flashed Harry a bright smile, as if that had been his intention all along before walking out of the room, presumably to go to his own study, since Harry couldn’t imagine him sitting in the library. 

“It is a neat little space you have here,” Harry remarked, looking around the little corner that was so clearly Hermione’s own; discernible by the picture or her parents on the shelf, as opposed to her husband, who adorned every other available surface. 

“It suits my needs,” Hermione smiled, looking around with a sense of pride at the few dark wood bookcases practically bursting with books; the comfy but worn, deep red velvet chair that Harry was currently sitting on and the little desk with a hard wooden chair that Hermione was currently using. It was cosy, but a little dark and cramped in Harry’s mind, especially as there was only a small window above the desk that would likely barely give enough light to write by. 

“Couldn’t the castle make the window a little bigger?” Harry queried. “I would hate for you to strain your eyes when working.”

Hermione shrugged. “I get on well enough with a lumos. Gilderoy always likes a lot of space and light when he works, though, so he tends to use the classroom, especially when he doesn’t have lessons, so he can spread his papers about properly.”

Harry smiled as things suddenly fell into place. What better way to keep Lockhart away than by making a space the complete antithesis of his preferences. 

“How is the book coming along?” Harry asked, happy to change the subject. 

“Reasonably well, I think,” Hermione replied. “It does seem to be a lot though, what with the deadlines and trying to teach, so I have been taking on more of Gilderoy’s lessons, to free up more of his time to work on it.”

“Isn’t that a lot of work for you as well though,” Harry queried, “I mean, if you are editing the book for him as well?”

“Actually, I have been finding it quite informative,” Hermione admitted. “It has helped me offer quite a few helpful ideas which Gilderoy has been happy to add.”

Harry smiled wryly. He didn’t doubt that Lockhart was happy to have Hermione’s input on the book. In fact, Harry half suspected the man actually relied on Hermione’s input to actually put together something credible. 

“I hope that he will remember to give you credit for anything that you put into it,” Harry said, not wanting his friend to be used in any way. 

“He will,” Hermione smirked. “He was a little reluctant at first, I will admit, but I was talking to Professors McGonagall and Flitwick about things that they thought might be helpful to include, especially when it came to wand waving and pronunciation, and I told them about a few ideas I had had myself. Being a Muggleborn, I thought, gave me a bit of a unique perspective on things you see. Well it seems Gilderoy made the mistake of speaking to them about the things I suggested as well, only he forgot to say that they were my suggestions and, well, Professor McGonagall got a little upset with him.”

“I can imagine,” Harry chuckled, and Hermione smiled. 

“Well, yes. Gilderoy was forced to admit that it was a collaborative effort and Professor McGonagall was overjoyed to hear that, even get Professor Dumbledore to write to the publishers to say that he looked forward to putting the foreword in the book written by the both of us. So, you see, my name on the front is practically a done deal now. I’m still keeping separate notes, however, of all the ideas I bring. Professor Dumbledore suggested it would be a good idea, so that I could show future publishers what I had contributed, should I decide to write anything myself in the future.”

“That’s a good idea,” Harry agreed, “and I think you writing something is a great idea; you have certainly read enough.”

Hermione blushed a bit and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “Thank you, Harry. I must admit, I do find the idea appealing and Gilderoy is giving me some good pointers on how to improve my writing.”

“I find that hard to believe!” Harry scoffed, but Hermione shook her head. 

“It’s true. While I will be the first to admit that my husband’s writing lacks any real substance, I do have to say that he has a way with words. His style of writing draws you in, almost to the point that you forget that what he says is contradictory, or down-right ridiculous. It’s made me think about how to make what I write more engaging, so that people actually want to read it.”

“Well, if you can get Ron to read it willingly you will know you managed it,” Harry laughed and Hermione rolled her eyes. 

“Oh please, Harry! Like you’re any better!”

At that moment, Mr Lockhart came bounding back into the room.

“Mr Potter! Excellent news! I have just had word from Professor Dumbledore. He has asked that we all join him for supper in his private quarters tonight.”

Harry blinked in surprise. He had no idea that that was even a thing, having fully expected to be eating in the Great Hall, and he wasn’t sure whether to be honoured or feel disappointed that he wouldn’t get the chance to sit at the head table. Lockhart seemed to think this was some sort of great honour and Hermione explained that they had never heard of Dumbledore doing this for anyone since they had been there, even the Minister. Harry supposed that was a good thing then although he couldn’t help questioning what had brought on this sudden invitation. 

Harry didn’t have long to wait to find out, although it was longer than he would have preferred. Unfortunately, Lockhart insisted on doing ‘something’ with his hair. He wasn’t the only one, though, with even Hermione taking the time to smooth her normally frizzy mane into a manageable style. 

“It wouldn’t do for the spokesman of Sleekeazy to be seen with two people with rats’ nests for hair,” Lockhart explained. 

“Does he always insist on you doing your hair?” Harry whispered. 

“Only when we are in public,” Hermione replied, although Harry thought she looked a little downcast. 

“You shouldn’t let him change you,” Harry pushed. “There’s nothing wrong with your hair.”

“Thanks, Harry,” Hermione beamed, “but it’s really not too bad and I’m starting to not notice the effort.”

Harry wasn’t completely convinced but didn’t have time to question things further as Lockhart shooed them out of the door, complaining that they would be late. 

Harry had been up to the headmaster's office a few times while he was at school, but never into his private quarters which were apparently situated just below. Seeing his private quarters for the first time made Harry wonder what the office had looked like before as, like the teachers rooms, it had clearly been done up to Dumbledore’s style, if a little less garish. There wasn’t much in the way of soft furnishings in the main office but Dumbledore’s settees in his drawing room looked like it had been created from some of his old robes; several of them, all stitched together. Given that Dumbledore was a former transfigurations professor, they may well have been. 

The dinner table wasn’t much better, complete with mismatched chairs and tableware and Harry was reminded a little of the Weasley’s house. The difference was, however, that theirs was mismatched out of necessity, with old sets being used as spares or as extra whenever they needed to make up numbers. Dumbledore’s, on the other hand, seemed to be done by design, as Harry realised when he took a seat at the table. The chair he sat in was so comfy, it was as if it had been made for him but, as he looked over, it seemed as if Lockhart had been given a throne, albeit one slightly smaller than his own. 

Even their place setting seemed tailored to them, with Harry’s having red and gold Gryffindor motifs while Hermione’s were simple and elegant. Harry looked up and caught Dumbledore’s eye, his blue eyes twinkling knowingly over his half-moon frames and found himself sitting a little straighter in his chair. There was a reason Dumbledore was considered such a great wizard, and it wasn’t just for defeating Grindelwald. 

“So, Harry, my boy, how are you enjoying being back at Hogwarts?” Dumbledore asked, as they sat down to eat, with each person seemingly getting their favourite dishes: Lockhart had some sort of steak with a sauce, Hermione had salmon, Harry had roast chicken and Dumbledore had pork with apple and what Harry could swear was caramel sauce. 

“It’s nice, sir,” Harry replied. “I always thought of Hogwarts as a second home.”

“That’s good to hear. I always like to think that I’ve created a school that is safe and welcoming for all, although old homes are always much nicer when you return to visit after taking some time to fly on your own.”

“You should tell that to Hermione,” Harry chuckled but Dumbledore shook his head. 

“I don’t know that Miss Granger, sorry, Mrs Lockhart, ever saw Hogwarts as a home,” he reasoned, “nor do I imagine she will languish while she is back here. Hogwarts is simply her springboard to greater things.”

“Yes, quite,” Lockhart agreed. “My wife is a brilliant person, it’s part of why I married her after all, and she will soon take the wizarding world by storm.”

“I’m glad you agree, Gilderoy,” Dumbledore beamed, “and I hope that you will be supporting your wife in all of her endeavours.” There was another twinkle, although this one seemingly less friendly, directed towards Lockhart, and Harry couldn’t help wondering if Dumbledore was threatening the other man somehow. Harry was a little curious what dirt he could have on Lockhart that he could control him like that, and how Harry could get in on it as well. 

His excitement at the thought of Lockhart getting put in his place was soon quashed, however, when Dumbledore turned back to him. 

“It is always so heartening to see my students moving on, to achieve the best that they can in life, as it is a sign that we did a good job in their education. It would be nice to see you move on and achieve something with your life, Harry. Whatever happened to your Auror training? You seemed so set on it at one stage.”

“Well, I did start the training,” Harry admitted, “but both Ron and I found that it wasn’t really the job for us.”

Dumbledore sighed. “I am sorry to hear that. I always thought you would have made an excellent Auror, and I could have seen you rising through the ranks quickly. You were always someone I had high hopes for, like Hermione, and I often dreamed of seeing you and Hermione in top positions in the Ministry: her as Minister for Magic and you as the Head of the Auror division.”

He gave Harry his disappointed grandfather look and Harry gulped. The truth was, he had been set on becoming an Auror back in his 5th year, after meeting Kingsley and Tonks, helped by the Ministry school inspector, Dolores Umbridge, telling Harry he would never get to be one. The problem was that the job didn’t quite live up to the hype. With all of the Death Eaters locked up after Voldemort’s defeat, the job had been more paperwork and stake outs that led to nothing than actually chasing down bad guys.

There hadn’t been any actual arrests in the six months of training Harry had endured and both he and Ron had soon thrown in the towel. Unfortunately, now he felt as if he had somehow failed, letting Dumbledore down in the process, and he got the urge to try to fix it somehow. As guilty as he felt, however, he didn’t think that he could put up with that mind-numbing drudgery for the rest of his life, not if he didn’t have to. 

“Professor Dumbledore is right, Harry,” Lockhart said. “You really ought to do something with your life. Your grandfather was a great potioneer and your parents were heroes. Don’t you think you are letting your family down.”

Lockhart’s words were enough to undo whatever spell Dumbledore’s had woven with his. How dare that idiot look down on him like that! Harry may not have anything by way of a career but he would rather have that than be little more than a vapid face. 

“You may have a point, sir,” Harry smirked. “While it seems unlikely that I will be able to achieve what my parents did, with no evil Dark Lords on the horizon, perhaps I should take a more of an interest in my family’s company.”

Lockhart looked shocked. “But why?”

“I’m afraid I have to agree with Lockhart here,” Dumbledore mused. “Potions weren’t always exactly your forte.”

“That was just because I needed time to find my feet,” Harry argued. “Didn’t Professor Slughorn tell you I started doing very well in my 6th year.”

Admittedly that was because he had managed to find a second-hand copy after accidentally destroying his original one. That copy had had some genius’ notes written in it, courtesy of someone called the Half-Blood Prince, and they had saved Harry more than once. He would love to find the Prince, or someone like them, and get them into his company to start innovating properly, as opposed to what Winickus and his team seemed to do which was put a new label on and pretend it was a new product. Unfortunately Harry didn’t know anyone like that, no one who he thought might actually work for him anyway, which left him a little stuck. 

“Horace is an old friend and was an excellent teacher but he is getting on in years,” Dumbledore sighed. “I fear he may have been a little mistaken when it comes to your talent in potions: you certainly don’t seem to have kept an interest in it since leaving school.”

Harry looked away from Dumbledore’s searching gaze, fearing that if he met the man’s eye, the headmaster would learn his secret about the book. 

“If Slughorn is becoming unreliable, perhaps it is time you got a replacement for him,” Lockhart suggested, and Hermione nodded. She had never been a particularly big fan of Slughorn who had never been overly impressed with her skills in class. Harry always thought it was because potions wasn’t really Hermione’s strongest subject, as she struggled when things weren’t explicitly stated in the books. Hermione always said it was because he was biased. 

“I do actually have a replacement in mind,” Dumbledore smiled, the twinkle coming back to his eye, “and I hope that he will be coming to visit over Easter to discuss a contract.”

Harry had no idea who this person could be but he had to admit that he wouldn’t mind someone else coming to the castle, if only for the fact that it would give him someone else to talk to and, hopefully, an excuse to keep away from Lockhart. 

Chapter Text

Whatever Harry had expected from his visit, it wasn’t what was actually happening. Harry had hoped to get some time with Hermione but unfortunately she was too busy. Between researching and proof-reading Lockhart’s book, as well as marking students’ work and coming up with lesson plans, Harry was lucky if he got to talk to her for half an hour each day. That left Lockhart as the remaining talking companion, much to Harry’s horror, and he made a point of taking a walk every day, just to make sure he wasn’t around. Thankfully the weather was unseasonably warm, allowing Harry to walk the grounds each day. Lockhart never joined him, complaining that the sun was too bright, risking premature ageing of his skin. Harry would argue that it was a little too late for that, but he didn’t want to risk Lockhart actually joining him, so agreed and enjoyed the peace instead. 

Harry was happy he had remembered to bring his broom with him as it allowed him to fly; something he hadn’t had much chance to do since Percy’s illness. There didn’t seem to be any Quidditch players practicing so Harry had the pitch to himself although it didn’t take him long to grow tired of flying laps. Thankfully, not being a student any more, Harry didn’t have a problem shaking off the old Quidditch shackles and began swooping over the Hogwarts grounds and even venturing over the Forbidden Forest a bit. It was quite exhilarating, getting to weave and dive as much as he wanted to, not having to worry about muggles seeing or students getting in the way. It was wonderfully freeing, getting to move however and wherever he wanted and Harry hoped that he would get a chance to fly like this when he went away with Bill and Fleur. 

Harry took the rest of his meals in the Great Hall, with the teachers and the handful of students that had remained. He had enjoyed seeing his old teachers at first, but that had soon lost its draw when they all seemed to look a little disappointed at hearing he wasn’t doing anything with his life. It didn’t help that living with the Weasleys still meant that Harry didn’t have much to talk about, nothing that Hermione hadn’t already told them anyway, and he soon became quiet, choosing to simply listen to the various converse going on around him. 

It was quite interesting, if he was honest with himself, and he found himself learning all sorts of things. For instance, Hufflepuff were practically a shoe-in for the Quidditch Cup that year; something that hadn’t happened when Harry was at Hogwarts, even when Cedric was playing, and he couldn’t imagine McGonagall was very happy about that fact. Frills were apparently in fashion; not something Harry was interested in himself, but he looked forward to laughing at Lockhart in some ridiculous robes when he found out. Hagrid was currently trying to get his Blast-ended Skrewts registered as official magical creatures and the person Dumbledore had been expecting was due any day. 

According to the gossip, the person was none other than Severus Snape; not the person Harry particularly wanted to see again, although he couldn’t help chuckling to himself when he heard it. If Snape was in line to take up a teaching position at Hogwarts then Pansy Parkinson was plum out of luck. Harry could not see her being happy being the wife of a teacher, stuck in the depths of the Scottish Highlands for most of the year. That meant that she would have to start looking elsewhere for a rich husband, unless Mr Malfoy suddenly had a complete change of mind and started seeing her in a different light. Harry hadn’t seen the slightest spark of attraction on Malfoy’s side when he stayed at his Manor before. He might even have to suggest Mr Snape look out for love potions in their food.

Harry soon spotted Snape when he arrived a few days later: he had been flying in the morning, as usual, and had just happened to be looping over the main entrance when he spotted the dark clad man passing through. He didn’t count how many loops he had done over the area before Snape appeared, and he told himself it was only because he was curious to see if Snape would actually show up. He wasn’t particularly surprised to see Snape, if he was honest, although he was surprised to see someone else following behind Snape and Harry was half inclined to swoop in for a better look, despite knowing how rude that would be. He would just have to wait for dinner to learn who it was. 

Harry had never been particularly patient though, and he quickly returned to the Defence rooms, hoping to tidy himself up a bit before he went snooping again. He had barely had time to put his broom away and run a comb through his hair when there was a knock at the door and Hermione informed him that Mr Snape and his friend, Theodore Nott, had come to visit. 

“I wonder if he is here because of you,” Hermione murmured, before leaving Harry’s room. Harry doubted that, but he had to admit he was at a loss to explain why Snape was visiting. He had not struck up any sort of friendship with Lockhart when they met and he had hardly spoken to Hermione at all. 

The meeting didn’t provide any answers either. Mr Snape greeted him cordially enough but then sat in a corner in silence. Mr Nott was another matter entirely, however, greeting everyone in a jovial, friendly manner and more than happy to extend the branch of friendship to one and all. 

“I’m a bit of an inventor, you see,” Mr Nott explained. “It’s why I asked to come with Severus to Hogwarts, you see. There are so many creatures around here that are so difficult to come across in the wild and I am after some items for my experiments.”

“Do you dabble in potions?” Harry asked, much to Lockhart’s surprise, but Mr Nott just laughed and shook his head. 

“No, that is Severus’ domain, although I have managed to pick up a few tricks from him over the years as there is a pit of overlap in our specialities when it comes to ingredient prep and Severus is a genius for coming up with little hacks that you would never find in a standard text.”

Harry found his eyes flashing to the man. He remembered that Snape was good at thinking outside of the box, it was how he had managed to heal Percy after all, but Harry didn’t realise that extended to other aspects of potions as well. He had a brief recollection of his old Half-Blood Prince textbook, where the author of the notes had mentioned about crushing sopophorous beans to get the juice out, instead of cutting them like the book said, and he wondered if, perhaps, Snape and the Prince were one and the same.

Harry shook his head to clear that ridiculous thought. That was impossible. The Prince was snarky and witty; his comments frequently had Harry chuckling and he reread them frequently. Snape, on the other hand, was a self-centred boor who lacked any sort of wit or humour, or so Harry told himself. His brain, annoyingly, reminded him of some of the ways he had rebuffed Pansy, while Harry had been staying at Malfoy Manor with them, and, suddenly, he didn’t feel quite so sure of that assessment. 

Harry realised he had been staring at the man for too long and was just about to look away when Snape looked up and their eyes locked. Snape’s eyes were so dark, Harry had considered them black in the past, like the man’s soul. In the light of Lockhart’s drawing room, however, Harry couldn’t help noticing that they were actually a very dark grey. He found it a little surprising; surely dark brown would have been normal but that was definitely not the case here. 

Snape raised an eyebrow and Harry blushed as he realised he had been staring unnaturally long. He looked away but Snape apparently decided to capitalise on Harry’s apparent interest. 

“I trust your family are well, Mr Potter,” Snape said, and Harry thought he saw a small smirk on his lips. He bristled; how dare this man have the audacity to ask such a question having just come from concealing Mr Malfoy in France. Harry let his own smirk form on his lips. 

“Oh, they are very well, thank you for asking, Mr Snape. Fred and George are currently looking for investment in their new joke shop and they have had a lot of interest; not surprising given how genius some of their ideas are. Percy is currently visiting his eldest brother in France.”

“Really?” Snape asked, and Harry was a little shocked to note genuine surprise on his face. That couldn’t be the case though; Harry was sure that the man had been actively working against Percy. 

“A joke shop you say? Do they have a lot of new products?” Nott asked, stopping Harry from pressing Snape any further. 

“Yes they do,” Harry replied, happy to talk his family up. “They have been developing products since their school days and have a whole host of things that they are looking forward to introducing to the wizarding world.”

“That’s fascinating!” Nott smiled, his eyes sparkling with delight. “I would love to talk to them some time. I am always interested in talking to other inventors and discussing what their process is, specifically coming up with ideas and testing them. Severus has always made sure that I have the strictest safeguards in place whenever I try something for the first time. What about your brothers, Mr Potter?”

“Oh, they just give products to people and hope for the best,” Hermione scoffed. 

Harry squirmed a bit. Mr Nott seemed like a very nice, very conscientious person and Harry felt bad as he shot him a surprised look. He had never really thought about how the twins’ habit of giving people products without really explaining what they were and how that might not be advisable. It had all been done as a laugh, with the twins enjoying seeing the surprised reactions on people’s faces, but, in hindsight, there maybe should have been a bit more of an explanation. That was what Mr Nott’s expression, Mr Snape’s scoff and Hermione’s shaking head told him anyway. 

It was something that didn’t sit well with him, and Harry decided to try to forget about it for now. He couldn’t change the past, after all, and he fell into silence, allowing Mr Nott and Hermione to get into some discussions about potential new inventions that would be useful. Instead Harry tried to think about why Snape had pretended to be surprised to hear Percy was in France. 

Harry wasn’t the only person in the room to fall into silence. Lockhart fell into silence because he had nothing to add to the conversation his wife and the young inventor were having. Severus, however, fell into silence as he was too busy studying Harry. He had sensed a level of animosity coming off the man when he had first entered the room but, at some point, that had shifted somewhat to more curiosity, about the time he had mentioned Percy Weasley being in France. Severus hadn’t known that bit of information although he was definitely glad that Draco had never learned that. 

Still, Harry’s interest in him intrigued him. It was dangerous, in his mind, yet he couldn’t find that he hated it. He could feel whenever Harry’s searching emerald gaze fell on him and it affected Severus in a very specific way whenever it did. He should leave, he knew he should, and yet he couldn’t bring himself to give the sensation up, even going so far as to look away in an effort to encourage Harry’s gaze. 

It had been some time since he had last seen Harry yet the time apart hadn’t diminished Severus’ feelings even slightly. The second Minerva had mentioned that he was here, visiting his friend, Severus had been making his excuses to come for a visit. He was grateful that Theo had opted to come along as well so that he didn’t have to face any awkward questions or silences while here. He was sure that his young former charge had noticed something in his behaviour and had tagged along just to find out what was going on. Severus was sure he would face a deluge of questions when they got back to their guest quarters later. The thing was that Severus found himself thinking that some probing questions would be a fair price to pay from spending some time in Harry’s presence again and, if Severus was honest, that realisation scared him more than anything. 

Chapter Text

Both Harry and Hermione agreed that Mr Nott was a thoroughly pleasant individual and both hoped to see him again while he was at Hogwarts. Harry was a little worried that that might mean that Snape would show up as well and he felt strangely ambivalent when Mr Nott turned up the next day on his own. There was a sense of relief that he wouldn’t have to put up with Snape’s presence which always seemed oppressive, even when he was sitting in the corner doing nothing. That was how Harry felt about him anyway, when he said that to Hermione, she didn’t know what he was talking about. Surprisingly, though, Harry also felt a little empty when he didn’t show up and found himself wondering what Snape was doing with himself. 

Mr Nott came by on a couple of occasions and Harry found himself smiling as he and Hermione ended up getting into deep conversation, discussing and sketching out various ideas, pulling on several different skill sets like runes, charms and potions. There was a very small part of Harry that was a little jealous that Hermione seemed more willing to put her work aside for Mr Nott, a stranger, than himself, someone who was supposed to be her best friend. He could understand though. Harry was someone who she could see again quite easily in the future and they already knew a lot about each other. Mr Nott was someone new, who had ideas that excited Hermione that were beyond Harry, with the fact that she didn’t necessarily know if she would see him again. Harry hoped she would though: there was a brightness about her in Mr Nott’s presence that Harry had never seen before and he didn’t want her to lose that spark. 

Harry began to wonder if he would see Snape again during his visit, since the man didn’t even join them for meals, apparently choosing to eat in the guest quarters he had on the Dungeons. Mr Nott had mentioned that fact during one of his visits and Harry had confirmed thanks to the marauders map he had acquired from the twins when he was at school. Harry was a little confused as to why he was down there since the only thing in that part of the castle was the old Slytherin dormitory which hadn’t been used since the house had essentially fallen at the end of the war when all of the almost all of the house had left the school to learn with Mr Snape. The few remaining students had ended up getting re-sorted, since the house was too small to really function, and Slytherin had existed in name only since. 

It was assumed that the house would come back into being in the future, the main question in people’s mind was when. The fact that Snape had taught all of the former Death Eater children for the last 20 years, and he was currently being housed in the old Slytherin territory, Harry thought that it might be sooner rather than later if Snape really was going to take over teaching. He wouldn’t be Harry’s first choice for the position, probably not even the fifth; he honestly thought Mr Nott would make a better teacher if he didn’t seem so invested in his inventing. 

Harry had gotten to the point where he assumed that he wouldn’t see anymore of Snape for the rest of his visit, so he was quite surprised when Dumbledore stopped him after breakfast one day to invite him to a celebration in his quarters that evening. It turned out that his mother had been a devout Christian and he had grown up seeing Easter as a special holiday and liked to celebrate it as a day of renewal and rebirth. Harry didn’t get that himself, but he didn’t have a good reason to turn the man down. 

They arrived exactly on time, thanks to Hermione hurrying them out of the door, but not before Lockhart had made sure that they were all presentable. Snape was already in Dumbledore’s rooms when they arrived, along with Mr Nott, who greeted Harry and Hermione warmly. Hermione was soon pulled into a conversation with Professors McGonagall and Flitwick leaving Harry to talk to Mr Nott on his own. He was a little worried at first, having not spoken to Mr Nott on his own before. He didn’t have half the knowledge Hermione had and he had to admit that he was a little worried about what they would talk about. 

Thankfully, it turned out that he had nothing to worry about. The second that Harry mentioned he liked flying, Mr Nott began talking about brooms, how they were made, the work that went into them and how the differences in the brooms were created. Harry was fascinated. He didn’t know anything about what Mr Nott was talking about but the man had a way of explaining things that made them really engaging and informative and he was soon chatting away in an animated way. He could understand why Hermione enjoyed talking to him so much and he wondered if he had a similar glow to what Hermione got when she spoke to him. 

Harry didn’t have a glow, but his enjoyment was noted by Dumbledore, as well as Mr Snape. Dumbledore seemed pleased but a frown marred Snape’s face and he took the first opportunity to move away from his current conversation and move closer to Harry to find out what they were talking about. The talk of brooms had shifted to other wooden products that were created in the magical world, including chess sets. At the mention of wizard’s chess, Harry let slip that his adopted brother, Ron, was quite the player and Mr Nott quickly insisted on playing a game with him. 

Harry wasn’t sure, but the decision was soon taken out of his hands as Professor McGonagall brought out a board and announced that she would challenge the winner. That pushed Harry to try; not because he thought he had a real shot against Mr Nott but because he didn't want to let his former head of house down. As Harry got himself into position, however, he noticed Mr Snape moving as well, where he would have a good view of what Harry was doing. Not wanting to let the man think that he was intimidated for even a second, Harry turned to him. 

“I suppose you have come over here to scare me and put me off, Mr Snape. You waste your time though, I am afraid: I don’t scare easily and I am a mediocre chess player at best anyway, so I am sure Mr Nott will beat me with ease.”

“You are working under a false assumption, Mr Potter, but don’t worry, I won’t bother pointing it out to you. I have known you long enough now to know that you have a love of being contrary, often when there is no cause.”

Harry laughed out loud and turned to Mr Nott.

“I am afraid your friend will give you a very strange idea of me and will teach you not to believe a word I say. I must say that it is a shame that I have met someone who is so capable of exposing my true character to the world, in a place where I had worked so hard to portray a favourable image in the past. I must say, Mr Snape, that it is very unfair of you to bring up your knowledge of my faults like this and, dare I say, perhaps a bit unwise as well. You forget, I learned things about you as well, things that may shock your former ward to hear.”

“Do your worst,” Snape smirked, although Harry thought he saw a glint of trepidation in his eye, as if he thought Harry didn’t have anything really damning on him but he feared something terrible all the same. 

“Oh, now you have to tell me,” Mr Nott laughed. “I would love to hear how he acts around strangers.”

“Then I shall tell you,” Harry grinned, “but prepared to hear something truly dreadful. You see, the first time I met Mr Snape was at the Ministry ball and, would you believe, he only danced with two people all night. Scandalous I know, but I swear it is true. He danced only with Miss Parkinson and Miss Bulstrode, despite partners being scarce, and I know of at least one person who left to sit out because he refused to dance.”

“Perhaps that is because I do not like forcing myself on anyone outside of my acquaintance,” Snape suggested. 

“Indeed, because everyone is forced to accept whoever asks them to dance; no one can possibly turn anyone down,” Harry said, rolling his eyes as he moved one of his pieces at random. 

“Perhaps I should have sought an introduction,” Snape admitted. “Unfortunately I have a hard time talking to people I don’t know.”

“Should we ask Mr Nott why that might be?” Harry asked, sarcastically. “Why a man who has lived, what, 40 years in this world, who has intelligence and an education, might not be able to have a conversation with someone they have just met?”

“Oh, that is easy,” Mr Nott laughed, taking his next move with ease. “It is because he can’t be bothered to make the effort.”

“I have never been a fan of small talk and I don’t have the talent for making subjects sound interesting to uninterested parties,” Mr Snape said in his defence. "My personality can be abrasive and I have not learned the talent of appearing interested, even though people bore me, as I have observed in others.”

“I do not have the talent in chess that some people, like my brother Ron, have,” Harry said. “I will admit that a certain amount of that is natural talent, but I also never bothered to try to improve my game, the way Hermione did. I could be a lot better at the game if only I had taken the time to improve.” He moved another piece in a manner he thought was random, but the small smirk on Mr Nott’s face implied that he had been set up: he had seen a similar look on Ron’s face countless times before. He wasn’t particularly upset though, as it only served to furnish his point. 

Mr Snape smiled; a genuine smile that seemed to soften his face a bit and make his eyes glow, so much that Harry found himself momentarily distracted. 

“Perhaps, Mr Potter, although I think you do yourself a disservice. I think you play better than you claim. Perhaps it is that you do not know Theo’s style of play but, even without much effort, you move pieces as if you know what will be played. I wonder if, perhaps, we both perform better around those we know.”

Harry felt a blush come to his cheek as he registered the compliment. It wasn’t as if people hadn’t called him smart before but, for some reason, it felt a little different coming from Snape. Perhaps it was due to how rare it was for the man to compliment anyone, at least in Harry’s experience anyway. It hadn’t even been that big a compliment, but Harry still found himself flustered, so much so that he didn’t even notice Hermione coming over until she was right next to the board. 

“Oh, Harry! I do wish you would pay more attention to where you are placing your pieces! You have left your rook wide open! Mr Nott is definitely going to take it next turn.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” Mr Nott chuckled. “You seem to have missed his bishop, waiting in the wings to take any piece that did.”

“I just assumed you would take my bishop with your queen,” Harry mused, aiming for an air of innocence. He didn’t think he achieved it, however, as Snape let out a derisive laugh. 

“I would be very worried if he did make such a move, Mr Potter. If he missed your knight and allowed his queen to be taken, I would be very worried about my teaching skills indeed.”

“Quite, Severus,” Dumbledore beamed, coming over to join in the conversation. “I was always of the opinion that you would make an excellent teacher, if you learned to smooth some of those edges of yours.”

Dumbledore continued to beam at the man, somewhat expectantly, but Snape only let out a non-committal hum. Harry was intrigued: it seemed as if the man wasn’t set on returning to Hogwarts although Harry wondered how well he would be able to stand up to Dumbledore’s pressure in the long run. 

Harry continued to play although, under the increased scrutiny, he found himself second guessing his moves and it wasn’t too long until he lost the game quite resoundingly, with Mr Nott retaining nearly half of his pieces while Harry lost almost every one. 

“Well played,” Mr Nott said, shaking Harry’s hand. “That was a lot closer than the final tally would suggest. There was one point where I was sure you had me.”

“Thank you, Mr Nott, but there is no need to exaggerate. There was never a chance of me beating you but I thank you for winning so graciously.”

Mr Nott looked as if he were about to say something more, but then stopped and gave Harry a warm smile instead before setting up the board, ready to play McGonagall. 

“Before, I thought that your modesty was just a way for you to fish for compliments, but now I am having to re-evaluate my opinion,” Mr Snape murmured, coming up behind Harry as he went to get himself a drink. Harry felt a shudder pass through him at the man’s proximity but, with the way his dulcet tones caressed his ear, Harry didn’t think it was a shudder of disgust. 

“I have heard more than my share of empty praise in my life,” Harry said, “given who my parents are; it would be ridiculous for me to try to get more of it now. Contrary to what you may believe; I am well aware of my failings and am not so weak as to need people to sugar coat that information for me.”

A small smile played at the corner of Snape’s lips. “I am glad to see that you inherited your mother’s strength, as well as her eyes.”

Harry spun round to face him in shock. 

“You knew my mother?”

“And your father as well,” Snape nodded. “I am glad to see that the only thing you seem to have inherited from him is your flying skills.”

Harry frowned. “I inherited his bravery as well.”

Snape scoffed. “James Potter was a coward, regardless of how he met his end.”

“A coward!” Harry exclaimed. “I’d like to know what you did in the war that was so much better if you think his sacrifice was so meaningless!”

A dark smile came over Snape’s face. “My dear Mr Potter, you have no idea.”

With that, he turned and left the party. His parting expression had sent another shudder through Harry’s body, although this time Harry was sure what he felt was fear. He had heard that Snape had actually been a dark wizard in the past, of course, but now he began to wonder just how ‘past’ that actually was. 

Chapter Text

Hermione went out to a meeting with her husband the next day so Harry decided to make the most of the quiet and write a letter to Percy when there was a knock at the door. Assuming that it was one of the teachers with something for Mr Lockhart, Harry opened the door and was surprised when Mr Snape walked in, only to look very surprised himself when he found Harry on his own. 

“I thought Mrs Lockhart would be here as well,” he stated; a look of uncertainty and, Harry thought, a touch of fear on his face. 

“They had a meeting with Mr Lockhart’s publisher,” Harry informed him. 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know.”

“Would you like some tea?” Harry asked, out of habit, regretting it the second the words were past his lips but knowing that he couldn’t rescind the invitation now it was made. 

"Yes, thank you,” Snape replied, apparently just as automatically, if his mild look of surprise was anything to go by. 

Harry called a House Elf to provide refreshments and invited Snape to sit while they waited. The wait was a little strained: once Harry had asked after Mr Malfoy, and they had both discussed what being back at the school was like, they fell into an awkward silence. Feeling a little desperate, Harry jumped on the first thing that came to his head. 

“You left Malfoy Manor quite suddenly last November, which was most surprising since Mr Malfoy himself had only left the day before. He must have thought you had divined that he would stay, for you to have all followed him so closely.”

“No such thing, I am afraid. I did not like the idea of staying in Draco’s home while he was away and Pansy had already made plans with some people she knew from Beauxbaton to spend Christmas in Paris. I hadn’t planned to leave the country until Miss Greengrass got invited to go and I followed out of habit. It was a happy coincidence.”

Harry smiled, although he didn’t believe the story in the slightest. He would bet good money that Pansy Paris plans materialised the second she learned Malfoy was leaving. 

“I hear that he plans to stay in France indefinitely,” Harry continued, figuring he would make the most of having a source of information that was apparently willing to talk. If nothing else, he could come out of this awkward conversation with something to tell Percy. 

Mr Snape frowned. “I have not heard him say that, but the property in France is in quite a state of disarray so he may well stay while it is getting sorted out. The Manor is steeped in so much family history, I think he is hoping to make something that is his.”

“Still, it seems a bit of a waste,” Harry mused. “As you said, there is so much wizarding history in that house, and it has been locked up for the past 20 years. It would be a shame if it were locked up for another 20 or more.”

“Well perhaps Draco will allow historians to go round and study it, should any ask to look.”

Harry blinked. Mr Snape’s statement was said in such a deadpan tone that he wasn’t entirely sure if the man was joking or not. 

Not wanting to talk about Mr Malfoy any further, for fear of making Snape think he was fishing for information. Harry tried to think of something new to talk about and, while he was thinking, Snape decided to pick up the burden instead. 

“These rooms are certainly different to any Defence Professor I have ever seen before.”

“Yes,” Harry chuckled. “Mr Lockhart seems to be quite a unique individual, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.”

“On that we can agree,” Mr Snape smiled. “I assume that we can also agree that Mr Lockhart has been very fortunate in his choice of spouse.”

“Yes, I think all of his friends should rejoice that he was able to find the one smart, sensible person who was willing to marry him. There is even a chance that they can be happy together. It was probably the smartest thing he ever did and, and certainly very prudent of her, in hindsight.”

“It must be nice for her to be in such easy travelling distance to her parents’ home. As someone who grew up in the muggle world, I can imagine that she would want to keep some links to it.”

“I imagine she will as well,” Harry agreed, “although I would hardly say that Hogwarts makes it easy for someone to travel. Hermione can’t even set up a floo in these quarters!”

“Well yes, but it’s hardly much effort. All she has to do is walk to the castle limits, or use one of the communal floos. It is hardly much effort; some muggles don’t manage to get permission to link to the floo network and the nearest apparition point could be over a mile away. Unless you are suggesting that someone should only ever marry someone in the same neighbourhood or, at most, flying distance away?”

There was a teasing smile on Snape’s face as he said this and Harry realised he was hinting at Percy and Mr Malfoy, which caused Harry to blush in embarrassment. It was a point that had been brought up often regarding that couple and perhaps Harry was being influenced by some of Mrs Weasley’s ideas. After Bill had moved to France and Charlie to Romania she had seemed to worry that all of her children would end up moving far away and, perhaps, she might now be over-compensating a bit. If he were honest with himself, he would personally like to end up at some distance from his family; not because he didn’t like them, but because he liked his independence more. 

“Well, I would say that a person might end up settling too near their family. I do think that the idea of ‘near’ and ‘far’ are relative to each individual person. What is a justifiable effort to one person may not be for another. Circumstances would definitely play a part as well. Mrs Collins is working, as her parents work as well, which means that it can be difficult to arrange time to go see them, thus any impediment to travel can be seen as a burden.”

Mr Snape suddenly shifted forward in his chair. “That is not the case for you though, is it? You cannot be so bound to that town that you would not wish to leave.”

For a second, Harry thought that the man might be making some reference to the fact that the Weasleys were not his family by blood, and he was about to protest that his ties to them were as strong as any. There was a look in Snape’s eyes though; intense, with something Harry couldn’t quite place, but he had a strange feeling that the man was about a second from reaching out to take his hand. That was shocking in itself although, what disturbed Harry more, was the realisation that he might not dislike that action. 

As Harry was questioning his sanity, Mr Snape must have done something similar as he suddenly withdrew, sitting back and picking up the nearby paper as if to put a physical barrier between himself and Harry. 

“Are you enjoying being back at Hogwarts?” he asked, in a flat tone, devoid of feeling, to the point where Harry wondered if he had been momentarily possessed a second ago; he had seemed like a completely different person. It shocked Harry a bit and he had to take a moment to collect himself before answering, although he wasn’t entirely certain Snape noticed. 

“It is nice enough, although I can’t help feeling the nostalgia is starting to wane. I walked these corridors so often in my time here that it is easy for me to lose interest.”

“You crave new experiences then?” Mr Snape queried, still in a flat tone, although Harry thought he could detect a note of interest. 

“Not always,” Harry clarified, “sometimes there is a great source of comfort in what is familiar. I think, though, that it was my friends that made this castle feel like home, not the place itself. Without them it has lost some of its warmth. It is a useful tool to help jog some memories although, more often than not, those seem to return to the idea that it takes far too long to get anywhere.”

“It is considerably bigger than the home you grew up in,” Snape mused. Harry bristled a bit and was about to interject at the perceived insult when the man continued. “I can understand; it was the same for me when I first started. Just count yourself lucky that your dorm wasn’t in the dungeons. I had to climb what felt like a mountain of stairs every day just for breakfast. It was quite a shock at first and it took my body a while to adjust.”

“At least you got to deal with that in the morning,” Harry chuckled. “I had to deal with that mountain at the end of the day when I was already tired.”

“I suppose you have a point,” Snape smirked, and Harry felt a warmth bloom in his chest at the sight. A soft smile pulled at the corner of his lips and Harry noticed Snape’s face seemed to soften as well. For a moment, time seemed to stand still as their eyes met and Harry felt as if the rest of the world fell away; only they existed in the entire world. He had no idea how long they stayed in that comfortable silence, but Harry almost jumped out of his chair when Hermione returned. 

“Oh! Mr Snape! What a pleasant surprise.”

“Mrs Lockhart,” Snape said, standing up to greet her. “I apologise for the intrusion. I came by for a visit not realising you were out and Mr Potter was kind enough to offer tea.”

“Was he now?” Hermione turned to give Harry a significant look and he hoped that he didn’t blush. 

“It is the polite thing to do,” Harry insisted. 

“It is,” Hermione nodded, “and I am here now. I hope you weren’t waiting long.”

“Not long,” Harry lied, glad that there was a warming charm on the teapot already, not that he thought Hermione believed him anyway. 

“Well I am here now. Is there something you wanted to discuss in particular, Mr Snape?”

“Nothing too important,” Mr Snape replied, “only that I was interested in what sort of things you were planning on covering in your Defence textbook. I have always had a fascination with the subject and, as an educator myself, I was wondering if I might offer my opinion.”

“I would be more than happy to hear it,” Hermione smiled, “although I will admit that I offer no guarantee that I will use any of your suggestions.”

Snape nodded in understanding and the pair drifted into talk about what sort of spells would be good to include and what information would be best included in the book. Harry was relegated to being a third wheel which was awkward, not because he didn’t like being left out, but because it gave him too much time to think about his strange interactions with Snape before. He hated the man, after all that he had done to Percy. Still, what Harry had briefly felt didn’t feel anything like hatred and, if he was honest, he kind of hated himself a bit for that. He was actually relieved when Snape left after a short while but he couldn’t say that he liked the look on Hermione’s face when he did. 

“You know, I have a few more meetings coming up in the next couple of weeks. I was thinking that perhaps I should let Mr Snape know when I’ll be out.”

“To make sure that he doesn’t make the same mistake again,” Harry agreed, but Hermione just smirked. 

“Perhaps. Or maybe it will encourage him.”

Harry scowled at her. “Hardly. We barely spoke of anything while he was here. I had to practically pull conversation out of him because, when I didn’t, we just sat in silence. The one time he did venture a topic, it was to essentially goad me about Percy and Mr Malfoy.”

Hermione looked at Harry quizzically. “Are you sure you have the right read on the situation?”

“Oh, please!” Harry rolled his eyes. “What were we actually doing when you arrived?

Hermione frowned in thought. “Well, you were sitting apart and Mr Snape had the paper in hand.”

“Precisely! He found talking with me so stimulating that he reached for the paper.”

“You’re exaggerating, Harry.”

“How can I be exaggerating when you saw it with your own eyes?”

“But why on earth would he come and why would he stay with just you? It makes no sense.”

“Maybe he did genuinely want to talk to you about your book.”

“Gilderoy’s book,” Hermione interjected, only for Harry to laugh. 

“With how much research you are doing for it, I would beg to differ, but fine: yours and your husband’s book. He may well have assumed that you would be back soon and thus waited.”

“I suppose that would make sense,” Hermione mused. “I mean, there can’t be that much to do around here, especially if Mr Nott takes him off for his own research. There is hardly much difference between sitting in silence on your own as opposed to silence with someone else.”

“Yes, he was clearly just bored,” Harry nodded. That was what Harry told himself anyway, and no looks from Hermione, or voice of doubt in his own mind, would stop him. 

This want of company did seem to be the most logical explanation as both Mr Snape and Mr Nott began making more of an appearance, both at group meals and in the Lockharts’ quarters, sometimes together, sometimes separately. Mr Nott was always welcome, by Hermione and Harry at least. His warm manner and friendly personality recommended him to them, although Mr Lockhart always seemed a little frosty to him. Harry presumed it was because he generally drew too much attention away from him: Merlin forbid Lockhart not be the centre of everyone’s word. 

The most frequent visitor to the Lockhart residence, however, was Mr Snape although Hermione was at a loss to explain why. He couldn’t really be coming for social reasons since he spent most of the time sitting in silence, only talking when propriety deemed it absolutely necessary. It wasn’t surprising to Hermione but, apparently, it was absolutely shocking to Mr Nott who frequently made fun of Mr Snape for his seemingly shocking behaviour. Hermione had never known the man to be particularly chatty but, if he was, she was at a bit of a loss to explain the change. 

The obvious answer was that he was in love with someone and the most likely candidate for that would be Harry. It seemed a little far-fetched but, at the same time, it was the one explanation for why Snape seemed compelled to come, despite how awkward he clearly felt. It was this idea that led her to observe the man more closely but, unfortunately, that didn’t offer any more insight into the conundrum. Mr Snape certainly looked at Harry a great deal, of that there was no doubt, but the feeling behind the look was quite indiscernible to her. It was intense but seemed to lack any actual warmth and Hermione couldn’t help wondering if sometimes the stares were more an accident; that Snape was actually staring off into space, his mind on something else, and Harry just happened to be opposite. 

She had suggested to Harry, on more than one occasion, that Snape might be partial to him. Harry had always laughed it off though, and Hermione didn’t see the point in pushing the subject. Harry was obstinate; he had decided he hated Snape and now looked for every small incident that could be used to justify that. She couldn’t help wondering, however, if that attitude might change should Harry realise that Snape was attracted to him. 

Chapter Text

The weather was still quite balmy and Harry liked to take flights around the grounds, but especially liked skirting along the edge of the Forbidden Forest, swooping down to a delightful little glade where he would stay to watch some of the creatures that came to play. On more than one occasion, Harry saw Snape wandering through and he was starting to get annoyed. The first time it happened, Snape had seemed quite surprised so Harry made a point of saying that that was his favourite spot which was why he was surprised to see Snape there a second time. The third it happened he was absolutely astounded. 

Harry had no idea what kept drawing the man to the area, time after time, and he certainly didn’t know what induced the man to stay. If he were just collecting some herbs or something, that Harry didn’t have the skills to notice, then surely all he had to do was collect it and leave. There was definitely no reason for him to linger or, Merlin forbid, try to engage Harry in conversation. Not that he was particularly successful with that and, more than once, the two of them slipped into a long, drawn out silence. He even once asked Harry if they should walk back together. 

“Um, not necessary. I flew here on my broom,” Harry said, awkwardly lifting it up. 

“Ah, of course. I must say I find your trust in brooms commendable. Personally, I have always found them far too temperamental.”

“Really?” Harry frowned. “I have never had an issue with them.” Even as he said it, though, a memory flashed through his mind of his friend Neville’s broom going crazy in their first year so he presumed that it was possible. 

“Then you either have a great deal of bravery or a lack of understanding of the dangers. Personally I would always rather get around under my own steam.”

As if walking was so much better, Harry thought. Flying was infinitely preferable, especially for how freeing he felt doing it, although he could understand Snape’s sentiment slightly. The one time he had ridden a hippogryph had been absolutely terrifying, since had zero control of the beast, and Harry certainly didn’t want to repeat that experience ever again. 

Harry was reading a letter from Percy one day, hoping to have a little privacy as he went over it, trying to decipher what felt off with them. He started when he heard the snap of a twig and was just about to groan at the idea of being interrupted by Mr Snape again when Mr Nott popped his head around a tree. 

“Sorry, Mr Potter. I didn’t mean to startle you. Apparently I am not as stealthy as I had hoped.”

“Mr Nott!” Harry beamed. “How surprising to see you! I didn’t think that you ever came out this way.”

“Oh I don’t,” Mr Nott chuckled, “but Severus let me know that there were some items around this area that I might find useful for my experiments and I thought I would check them out.”

“Oh, that is interesting. Do you plan on performing many experiments while you are here?”

“Hopefully not,” Mr Nott laughed. “We were meant to have left last week, but Severus put it off, saying that he had his own ingredients that he wanted to harvest while he was here. Personally I would have thought he would get everything he needed within a day but that, then again, potions ingredients aren’t my speciality.”

“True,” Harry agreed. “Do you know when you will be leaving then?”

“This weekend, hopefully anyway. There is always the chance Severus may find another rare ingredient he just desperately has to get.” He gave Harry a significant look as he said this and Harry felt his cheeks warm, although he wasn’t entirely sure why. 

“Mr Snape does seem to enjoy exerting his will onto others. I almost wonder if it is his only pleasure, forcing others to do his bidding. I can imagine he must have thoroughly enjoyed being a teacher.”

“Actually, I think he always resented having to teach, it took away from his precious brewing time, but he did it because he felt he had to. I didn’t understand that feeling as a child and resented him a bit at the time but, now, I think I am starting to understand. It is hard to put aside your own desires at times but, as an adult, it is sometimes essential.”

“l don’t know, you don’t look like much more of an adult than me,” Harry smirked, and Mr Nott laughed. 

“I suppose 20 isn’t that old, but it is technically an adult. I do still have a lot to learn though, but hopefully many years to do it.”

“On that we can agree,” Harry nodded, “although I feel you are using your time better than I am.”

“That is simply because I was lucky enough to find my passion in life at an early age. I am sure you will find yours soon enough.”

“I don’t know about that,” Harry chuckled. “I don’t know if my father ever found his, unless you count my mother. From everything I’ve heard, he was besotted with her almost from the very start.”

“I would think that would count,” Mr Nott mused, a little wistfully. “I think finding a partner you could truly devote yourself to would be a wonderful passion, one that I hope you are lucky enough to experience one day.”

“Not yourself?” Harry queried, and Mr Nott flashed him a coy smile. 

“I must admit, I may have found someone who could fit the bill although I am not entirely sure how much I will be able to interact with them, given our different situations in life.”

“You mean like how you seem to be at Mr Snape’s beck and call,” Harry smirked. “Perhaps he should find himself a spouse so that he might always have a companion to hand and so you can be freed up to do as you wish. I may even know of someone who would happily take on that role.”

“Do you, now?” Mr Nott asked, raising an inquiring eyebrow in Harry’s direction. “Well I would ask their name but I know that a gentleman would never pry in these matters. That being said, Severus did say that he wouldn’t do anything while he still had wards to look after so it may not make a difference.”

“Ah yes, Miss Greengrass. I have heard about her and I wonder if, perhaps, Mr Snape has his hands full with her.”

“What makes you say that?” Mr Nott frowned and Harry started, realising that Miss Greengrass would be well known to Mr Nott and that he may have said too much. News of the issues between Miss Greengrass and Cedric wasn’t well known, at least outside of Ottery-St-Catchpole anyway. Not wanting to risk saying something he shouldn’t, Harry tried to quickly backpedal. 

“Oh, um, no reason. I am just aware that she is still a teenager and, remembering what I was like at that age, and knowing what my sister Ginny can be like, I just assumed that she would be a handful.”

“I can imagine,” Mr Nott grinned. “Astoria is nothing like that, though. She is a sweet, quiet person, very kind and thoughtful, and would never dream of making Severus’ life harder than it needed to be. I am not the only one who says this. My friends Pansy Parkinson and Draco Malfoy both adore her; I believe you have met them before.”

“I met them a few times, yes. I believe that Mr Malfoy and Mr Snape are particularly close.”

“Yes, Severus was always particularly fond of Draco,” Mr Nott smiled. “From what I can tell, Severus was close to Draco’s mother, before she was arrested after the war. He takes a special interest in him, making sure he doesn’t get himself into trouble. I remember him telling me about an incident that happened quite recently. From what I could gather, Draco was on the verge of making a very undesirable match. He didn’t mention any names of course, Severus is always more discreet than that and would hate to be linked to gossip. That said, I assumed that it was Draco as he is the one among us for whom Severus is most likely to step in to interfere with, and who Severus was most recently in contact with.”

Harry bit back a gasp and tried to school his features into something neutral. “Did Mr Snape give any reasons why he felt the need to interfere in this match?”

Mr Nott frowned in thought. “I don’t remember him mentioning anything specifically, just that he had several strong objections against the potential partner.”

“And what, pray tell, did he do to stop it?”

“Oh, Severus would never divulge those types of secrets,” Mr Nott chuckled. “He does so love to try to keep an air of mystery about him.” 

Mr Nott was clearly making light of the situation but Harry was too angry to even try to pretend not to be. He fell into silence as he tried to reign his emotions in and Mr Nott seemed to notice. 

“Is there a reason you are suddenly so thoughtful, Mr Potter?”

“I can’t stop thinking about what you said. It doesn’t sit right with me: what right did Mr Snape have to interfere in other people’s lives like that!”

“You are offended by his actions?”

“Of course!” Harry exclaimed. “Mr Snape apparently took it upon himself to pass judgement on people and interfere in their lives without ever once asking their opinions or discerning what they wanted. I mean, did he even have the decency to ask Mr Malfoy’s opinion or at least talk to him first before sticking his big nose in where it wasn’t wanted?” 

Harry then caught himself. He was getting overly excited and, if he wasn’t careful, he was going to start raising Mr Nott’s suspicions. Neither of them were supposed to know who the affected parties were and, if he wasn’t careful, he would have Mr Nott asking questions that Harry didn’t want to answer. 

“But,” Harry continued, “as you said, we don’t actually know any of the details about who was involved. I can only guess that there wasn’t much affection between these individuals.”

“That’s a logical assumption,” Mr Nott agreed, “although I can’t help feeling like it would diminish Severus’ triumph.”

The glint in his eye suggested that Mr Nott had meant that as a joke but Harry could so easily see Snape boasting about his achievement to people that he didn’t trust himself to say anything, lest he give himself away. Thankfully, the wind suddenly began to pick up a bit; not down in the glade, but Harry saw clouds scuttling through the sky overhead. 

“It looks like the weather’s turning, I had best be getting back,” Harry said, indicating his broom as the reason for the sudden announcement. 

“True,” Mr Nott nodded in agreement. “I had best hurry along as well. I didn’t realise how quickly the weather in Scotland could change.”

“Oh yes,” Harry chuckled. “Up here, you shouldn’t be surprised to see at least 4 seasons in a day, potentially more.”

“Well thankfully my impervious charm is good,” Mr Nott chuckled. “Anyway, it was lovely to talk to you as always, Harry. Hopefully I will see you again before I leave.”

Harry waved goodbye to the man before hopping on his broom, flying full pelt back towards the castle. His mind was racing with everything Mr Nott had let slip and Harry could not seem to get his anger under control. Mr Nott had said there were strong objections against the ‘potential partner’. That idea had Harry truly baffled: what possible issues could Snape have against Percy of all people. Was it just that the family was poor and Percy had little influence, apart from what he was making for himself in the Ministry? Surely the man couldn’t have any objections to Percy, himself. 

There were few people Harry knew who were as intelligent or hard-working as Percy; fewer still who were as conscientious. Percy never asked for anything from his parents, knowing their financial situation wasn’t great, and Harry had even known him to slip money to them when he could. Even when he was younger, Percy always insisted that he couldn’t stand chocolate frog, despite the fact that he actually had quite a sweet tooth, and would always give his to Ron, knowing that his younger brother really wanted to collect the whole set of trading cards. Ron would never have been as close to collecting the whole set if it hadn’t been for his brother’s help. 

Harry didn’t think anything could be said against the Weasleys either. Mr Weasley was an honest and hard-working person as well, even if his position at the Ministry didn’t reflect it. He was also quite intelligent, although that did sometimes get lost in his insistence on discussing random muggle artefacts. Mrs Weasley might be another situation, however. Harry loved her dearly but he knew she could be a bit overbearing at times and her tendency to speak her mind did sometimes rub people the wrong way, especially as she didn’t necessarily think before she spoke sometimes and, unfortunately, had never learned the meaning of the word ‘tact’. 

That being said, Harry didn’t think she was that much worse than many mothers out there so was she really why Mr Snape felt the need to interfere? It seemed unlikely in Harry’s mind. Mr Snape had been friends with Mr Malfoy’s family after all, or so Mr Nott had said; back before the war when the Malfoys were at the height of their influence and power. Snape was obviously trying to get his wards to the level of influence their parents had had and would clearly go out of his way to achieve it. He had done it before with getting Cedric out of the way so it made sense that he would do the same with Percy as well. 

Harry was so distressed by the time he returned to Hermione’s quarters he had actually made himself feel sick and begged off going to dinner with everyone, choosing to stay in his room instead. He wasn’t particularly hungry and he certainly didn’t want to risk coming across Snape in this state for fear that he would curse the man into oblivion on sight. 

“Perhaps you should go and see Madam Pomfrey,” Hermione suggested, looking at Harry with concern. 

Harry shook his head, and then winced a bit at the action. “No, I don’t think it’s anything serious. I think I just sat out in the sun too long. It’s cool but the sun was bright, especially in that glade. I’m sure I will be fine if I drink plenty and have a rest. I promise I will see her if I don’t feel better in the morning.”

Hermione accepted Harry’s choice and made sure to have some soup sent up for him. Mr Lockhart didn’t accept Harry’s assessment quite so easily, however, seemingly of the opinion that Harry was feeling embarrassed, now that more students were returning, and suggested he would feel much better after a bath. Hermione managed to stop the man bodily dragging Harry into the tub, but he did insist on leaving products on every available surface as a way of ‘prompting’ Harry. 

Chapter Text

As soon Hermione and her husband had left, Harry dived through all of the letters he had received from Percy since being at Hogwarts, determined to find out the full extent of Mr Snape’s crimes. Percy being Percy, there wasn’t any actual complaint in them, nor did he ever dredge up the past. In every line, however, at least to Harry’s mind, there was a lack of cheerfulness, as if Percy were desperately trying to pretend he was happy but somehow failing. 

Percy had never been overly jokey or flowery with his style, but there was a certain level of wit about his letters that usually brought a smile to Harry’s face, which had been noticeably absent of late. There was also a level of uncertainty in his words as well, conveying an anxiousness that Harry had missed the first time he read them. It made Mr Snape’s boast of the misery he had caused hit that much harder. He was only glad that Mr Snape’s visit was due to end any day and, even if it didn’t, Harry would be leaving at the end of the week and he could be there for Percy in person. It was strange to think that Harry hadn’t been particularly close to Percy, even just the summer before: the events since Mr Malfoy’s arrival had really brought them together. 

The one point of regret, as far as Harry could see, was that Mr Snape’s departure would also mean that Mr Nott would be leaving as well. Harry enjoyed the young man’s company, although not as much as Hermione seemed to. Harry could well understand that. Mr Nott definitely offered more stimulating company than her husband and, in Harry’s opinion, someone better to look at as well. If he wasn’t mistaken, Harry was pretty sure Mr Nott was interested in Hermione as well and he couldn’t help thinking it was a shame that she had jumped on Mr Lockhart so quickly. There was nothing to do about it now, however, but Harry did hope to be able to tell Hermione ‘I told you so’ sometime soon. He didn’t get many opportunities with her and he planned to milk it as much as he could. 

Harry was just getting lost in a daydream of how he might bring up Hermione’s missed opportunity when there was a knock at the door to the quarters. Assuming it was one of the newly returned students, Harry went to answer the door, only to be nearly bowled over when Mr Snape all but barged in. 

“I was told you were unwell,” he said, as if to explain his visit. 

“I was,” Harry replied, with a cold tone. “I have rested a bit in my cool room, however, and already feel a lot better.”

Mr Snape offered him a relieved smile. “That is good to hear. I was going to see if you needed any potions and I am glad that is not the case.”

They fell into a tense silence and Mr Snape stood in the middle of the room somewhat awkwardly as Harry contemplated the least rude way to tell him to leave. Before he could throw caution to the wind and tell Snape to go to hell, the man suddenly darted towards Harry and grabbed his hands. 

“I’ve tried to fight my feelings but it is no use. I try to keep away but somehow are continually drawn to you, like a moth to a flame. It is as if I cannot help but find some excuse to be in your presence. I had thought it merely a passing fancy at first but, instead of diminishing, my feelings have grown with time and now I feel I must tell you how ardently I admire and love you.”

Harry could only gape at the man as colour rose in his cheeks, although Harry was unsure whether it was from anger or second-hand embarrassment. This had to be some kind of joke, someone polyjuiced as Snape, because there was no way that bastard would say something like that to him. Apparently it was the man, however, as became entirely apparent as he continued thanks to Harry’s protracted silence. 

“I cannot tell you exactly when my feelings for you began; I certainly wasn’t interested when we first met. I saw nothing particularly appealing about you, except, perhaps your eyes, and the knowledge that you were doing nothing with your life except living with your adopted family of the proceeds from your grandfather’s company led me to believe that you were just as lazy and arrogant as your father was. I watched you, looking for more evidence to back-up that assessment but, somewhere along the way, that reason stopped. At that point I began watching you as I was curious; curious why you didn’t seem to be adhering to any of my preconceived notions. Intrigue fell to interest and then I was hooked.”

“And yet you say you tried to fight it,” Harry snarked. 

“Of course I did, for multiple reasons,” Snape scoffed. “Firstly you are the son of my sworn enemy. Your father made my school days a living hell, looking for any excuse to taunt me or hex me and deriding me whenever I dared to stand up for myself. He was a bully and a coward and still he managed to take my one true friend away. He was an arrogant arse hole and the thought of tying myself to his son turns my stomach. Still, at the same time, the thought of seeing you with someone else is like a dagger to the heart which is why I choose the lesser of the two evils. Secondly, there is your family -”

“My family!” Harry exclaimed. “Pray, tell me sir, what great crimes have they committed that make me such an undesirable match? Let me guess, they are too poor?”

Mr Snape frowned. “I couldn’t care less about their financial situation. My mother ran away from her family and I grew up in far more dire straits than the Weasleys so it would be highly hypocritical of me to hold that against them. That being said, there are those who would, so I can understand why you might feel that way. There are also those who, if they were rich, would turn a blind eye to their terrible behaviour, as so many did with your father, but I am not such a man. The thought of having to attach myself to people who behave so boorishly pains me and, still, I offer my suit.”

“You believe my family behave boorishly? You?”

“Indeed. Miss Weasley is practically a hooligan. She behaves however she wants, says whatever she wants, with few checks from anyone in the family and is actually encouraged by her mother, likely under the mistaken belief that she is encouraging her daughter to be independent as opposed to obnoxious. It is unsurprising, however, as Mrs Weasley is equally as bad: if that woman ever learns the meaning of the words ‘tact’ and ‘subtlety’, I am pretty sure the world would end. She has no control over any of her children and doesn’t seem to see that as an issue. Your friend Ronald isn’t too bad although he has terrible control of his temper, has no manners and is woefully prejudiced.”

“And you would know all about that!” Harry spat, only to cause Snape to raise an eyebrow. 

“On the contrary, Mr Potter. I am not prejudiced. I do not judge anyone for where they come from or who their parents are.”

“You literally just said that you thought I was lazy and arrogant as that is what you believe my father was.”

“No, I believed you were lazy and arrogant, like I know your father was, based on the fact that you have done nothing with your life and are living with your adopted family, surviving purely off the stipend from your grandfather’s company, despite the family clearly struggling. If that doesn’t scream lazy and entitled then I don’t know what does.”

“I don’t see how it is any different to any of your wards living off their inheritance,” Harry argued. “Plus Mrs Weasley actually wanted me to keep living with them and it’s not as if I don’t help out with things while I am there. It is giving me the chance to work out what I want to do with my life; it’s not as if I plan on living there or doing nothing forever.”

“That is gratifying to hear,” Snape smiled and Harry felt a little happiness bubble up at the man’s praise which he was quick to burst. Snape was a bastard after all; it was actually an insult to be thought well of by him. 

“You know,” Harry mused, “I think I actually have to question your judgement on things. You didn’t even mention the twins when denouncing my family.”

“That is only because I was interrupted,” Snape informed him. “That pair is quite possibly the worst of the lot, and that is saying something, although their father is almost as bad.”

“You think Mr Weasley is as bad as the twins?” Harry gaped. 

“Of course,” Snape said, as if it was the most logical thing in the world. “Have you ever heard the saying that a man who sees a crime happening and does nothing is equally as guilty as the one perpetrating it?”

“You class Mr Weasley to be on the same level as the twins because he doesn’t stop them?”

“No, I class him as worse than them because he encourages them. The pair foist their products on unsuspecting individuals, a crime known as poisoning if you didn’t realise, and their father not only doesn’t punish them, but has the audacity to laugh at their antics.”

“Don’t you think that you are exaggerating by calling it poisoning?” Harry chuckled. “The twins’ products are perfectly safe.”

“Are they?” Mr Snape queried. “Have they tested all variables? Are there any potions that cause adverse reactions if taken in conjunction with their products?”

“Well no,” Harry frowned. “At least not that I am aware of. I don’t know the results of their testing but they gave stuff to students while they were at school and there were never any issues.”

“And likely no reprisals either,” Snape moaned, rolling his eyes. “I am not surprised at Albus’ behaviour in the slightest; why learn from your mistakes when you can just keep repeating them. That is also, for the record, a very inadequate testing method. Firstly because the children technically are old enough to consent to being test subjects and, secondly, because the test pool is too limited. Those children likely weren’t on long-term potion regimes for any serious or progressive ailments so there is no way to know if there might be any adverse reactions, making Messers Weasley’s behaviour so much worse.”

“But no one had any issues so there wasn’t any poisoning,” Harry argued, feeling the need to defend his family somehow. 

“No one needs to die, or even be severely injured for it to be classed as poisoning. Anything that is taken that affects normal bodily function is classed as a poison, in the medical sense. Last I checked, turning into a canary wasn’t a normal bodily function.”

“It was just a bit of fun.”

“At other people’s expense.”

“No one minded.”

“Are you sure?” Snape questioned. “Did you ask everyone?”

“No one complained,” Harry pointed out. 

“And, of course, one ever put up with something because they knew complaining wouldn't make any difference and might even bring further ridicule,” Snape scoffed. 

“The twins wouldn’t ridicule someone because they stood up for themselves!” Harry insisted. 

“Really?” Snape gripped Harry’s chin, tilting his head back to look in his eyes. “Can you honestly tell me that there would be no reprisal at all if someone had spoken up?”

“Well, there would probably be some good natured ribbing,” Harry admitted, trying not to squirm under the man’s probing gaze. He wanted to be able to meet Snape head on but he couldn’t help feeling the man was right on this point, as much as Harry was loath to admit it. Not everyone was brave enough to be the one contrary voice in a crowd so even some light-hearted push-back could be enough to keep them quiet. 

Snape smirked. “I rest my case. Those men have been allowed to get away with increasingly questionable behaviour, with the excuse that it was done as a joke, and, while society in general is partly to blame for that, their family is the principal culprit. As I said, however; I am not particularly surprised to learn that. Your father and his friends experienced the same dismissive attitude when they were younger, encouraging their behaviour to become increasingly bullying. They once even held me upside-down, causing me to flash my undergarments in public and even threatened to strip me.”

“Perhaps you did something to deserve it,” Harry snarled, although even as he said it, he doubted that was true. Despite his anger at Snape, he couldn’t imagine anything that would justify such behaviour. Snape just continued to smirk. 

“I suppose it depends on your position. Your father and his friends certainly thought my mere presence was enough.”

Harry rolled his eyes. “Have you quite finished disparaging my father, the hero who helped defeat Voldemort, or do you plan on staying here all night?”

“I do not think that is necessary,” Snape smiled. “I think it is clear enough why pursuing you was not something I would want, yet want you I do. My love for you is a flame that only continues to grow with time. Even when I move on, trying to get on with my life away from you, it only takes one look, one mention of you, and you once again overtake my thoughts. I am aware that we have not courted prior to this, and I have no understanding of your feelings towards me, but I hope that I have explained my feelings well enough and that you will accept my proposal.”

Snape stood strong, although there might have been an actual touch of uncertainty in his eyes but that wasn’t enough to stop Harry from telling the man exactly what he thought of his proposal. Shaking his head to dislodge Snape’s hand, which was still on his chin, Harry took a step back but still lifted his head to meet Snape’s eye. 

“You know, propriety says that I should be grateful for your proposal, at least on some level, but I can’t seem to muster even the smallest ounce. I never sought nor wanted your affection, or your good opinion, and I couldn’t care less if I should lose it now. I am sorry that your feelings for me have caused you pain; I would not want even someone like you to suffer unnecessarily, that is not the sort of person I am. I do take heart, however, in the knowledge that the reasons why you were so against attaching yourself to me in the first place will almost certainly speed up your recovery and help you move on.”

An intense light came into Snape’s eyes as Harry spoke; a mixture of surprise and intrigue. Harry also thought he detected a touch of anger in the man’s furrowed brow, as if he couldn’t believe that Harry had the audacity to turn him down, which only served to feed Harry’s righteous fury. A silence stretched out between them and, after a moment, Snape raised an inquiring eyebrow. 

“Is that all the reply that I have the honour of receiving? Normally one would expect a reason as to why they are rejected, especially as you did it with so little civility. I can only assume, however, that your reluctance to speak means that it is something you don’t wish to admit out loud. Don’t worry though, Mr Potter; I had already accepted that I was likely too ugly for you to even consider my proposal. I didn’t realise, though, that you would take it as such an insult to your person.

“Of course you consider me that shallow!” Harry scoffed. “You have endeavoured to insult me in every other way during your proposal. I don’t know why I didn’t think this would be in there as well. You say that I was uncivil but wasn’t telling me every reason why you were against a match between us at least equally uncivil? Why should I behave in a way that you, the supposedly older and wiser individual choose not to? Not that it really matters. My feelings against you were decided long ago and they only become more entrenched the more I hear about you. Why you thought I would even contemplate joining myself to you when you were the means of ruining the happiness of my dear brother, perhaps forever, is completely beyond me!”

Snape blinked a bit, almost looking surprised. “You speak of Mr Percy, I presume?”

“Of course I am speaking of Percy,” Harry huffed, “unless you have been interfering in the lives of any more of my brothers that I don’t yet know of. You cannot deny that you were the principal, if not the only reason they were driven apart, leading one to gain the reputation for being flighty and fickle while the other is subjected to the pain of crushed hopes. Or are you going to stand here and deny your crimes?”

“I do not deny my part but I do deny the accusation that they are crimes. I acted in a way that was far kinder to Draco than I was able to be to myself.”

Harry almost rolled his eyes at Snape choosing this moment to start acting civil although it did nothing to detract from the meaning of his words. 

“You may be proud of this so-called achievement here but it is hardly your only offence. Even before you determined to ruin the lives of people I loved, I learned from Mr Diggory just what sort of person you were. You only care about yourself and your precious wards and don’t care for who you destroy in the process, or do you consider your wards above anyone else in the world?”

Snape frowned. “You seem very interested in that man’s affairs.”

“Of course! I don’t see how anyone who has heard of his misfortunes can not feel for him.”

“You speak as if he were wholly innocent in the affair?”

“And you speak as if what happened to him wasn’t by your design!” Harry yelled. “I don’t know how much you orchestrated for Miss Greengrass to get close to him but even you have to admit that it was very convenient for her to suddenly fall ill like that, causing all sorts of rumours to bubble up and for Cedric to lose out on the Falmouth position.”

“Yes, but he got a job with Pride of Portree, an equally good team.”

“How good they are is besides the point!” Harry hissed. “Falmouth is near to his father and so would have actually been convenient for him to visit him, something he wanted to do after his mother died. That wasn't something you cared about though. He lost out on the position that would have benefited both him and his father and instead is stuck in another country, able to see his father less often than when he attended this school, all because you wanted the prime spot for your ward and would do anything in your power to make it happen.”

Snape huffed a laugh and ran a hand through his hair. “And this is why you judge me! This is what has caused you to form such a low opinion of me, and continue to judge me in a harsh light.” He calmed a bit and looked at Harry searchingly. “You know, I can’t help wondering if this is the truth or simply an excuse. Would you not, perhaps, have conveniently overlooked all these things if your pride hadn’t been wounded by my honesty. If I had fanned your ego with false flattery instead of truthfully stating all of the issues that exist between us, would you not have happily told me ‘yes’. But dishonesty is not the basis for any relationship and I have always endeavoured in life to tell the truth, having learned at a young age what pain a lie can cause. I am not ashamed of my feelings for you, nor am I ashamed for having enough insight to see the truth of what those feelings would bring me. Can you truly not see what an issue being with you would be for me; for how pointless it would be for me to bind myself to someone who could bring no benefit to me outside of my happiness?”

Harry gaped at Snape. “I can assure you sir, that the manner of your proposal did nothing except spare me any concern at having to turn you down. If you had acted with any decency, I might have worried that I was breaking your heart, instead of realising that you had none. Believe me when I say, however, that there is absolutely no way you could have made your proposal that would have actually enticed me to accept. From almost the very moment I have met you, I have known you to be nothing but arrogant, conceited, and to have nothing but selfish disdain for the feelings of anyone not closely connected to you. It is that which formed the groundwork of my dislike for you, which subsequent events built to be an immovable dislike, such that within a month of knowing you, I already knew you were the last man I would ever marry.”

Snape’s nostrils flared in anger. “I believe you have said quite enough, sir. I fully comprehend your feelings and am only ashamed that I wasn’t able to discern them before. I am only sorry that I took up so much of your time. I wish you all the best for the future in your health and happiness.”

He nodded his head towards Harry by way of a goodbye gesture and promptly left the room leaving Harry’s mind in utter turmoil. If he had been feeling bad from his anger earlier, it was nothing to the anger and confusion he felt now; unsure whether to laugh or cry. It wasn’t as if going over the conversation helped him in any way either. It was all just so preposterous, each bit more unbelievable than the last. That Mr Snape should propose marriage, and admit that he had been in love with Harry for months was truly mind boggling. The only thing that seemed even remotely in character was his insistence on listing off all of the Weasleys’ faults, in his mind at least. 

Harry had to admit that it was a little heady to think that he could stir in Snape such emotions as to render palatable what, for Mr Malfoy, had been too much. Harry’s and Percy’s situations were similar after all;  if anything, Percy would benefit Mr Malfoy in significant ways just on his own. The man’s pride was too much to make his proposal do more than flatter Harry’s vanity a bit. His shameful admission for what he had done to Percy, and his brief acknowledgement of what he had done to Cedric were enough to ensure that Harry couldn’t regret his decision in turning Snape down. 

While he thought things over in his head, however, Harry was aware that he was in a fit state to talk to Hermione about this so holed himself up in his four poster bed, with the curtains drawn. Hopefully sleep would help make things a bit clearer. 

Chapter Text

Harry woke up the next day with the same things swirling around his mind as had occupied it the day before. It was the shock of it more than anything else. Harry would never in a million years even consider that a possibility and it left him so dumbfounded trying to figure out how and why it happened that he wasn’t at all fit for anything else. Hoping that a bit of fresh air might be good, and he jumped on his broom, initially heading towards his normal glade. The memory that Snape frequently found him there stopped Harry and, instead, he turned and headed for the Quidditch pitch to run some laps. His mind was distracted anyway and Harry hoped the monotony of the action would help his brain climb out of the chaos. 

Not that it helped much. Harry had done 5 laps of the entire pitch and was still no closer to settling his thoughts than he was at the start. The only conclusion he had come to was that spring was very much underway in the highlands, with the trees in the distance looking considerably more green than when he had first arrived. As he continued his laps, Harry thought he noticed some movement in one of the stands. He moved closer to get a better look only it didn’t take him long to realise that the black clad figure was likely Snape. He jerked his broom into a dive, trying to pretend he hadn’t seen the man and was just finishing his flight. Snape shouted his name, however; the sound reverberating around the empty pitch, and Harry felt himself naturally pull up. A part of him definitely wanted to ignore the man and run away but he was no coward. He had faced Snape head on yesterday, he could do it today as well. 

Snape had been standing in the teachers box and moved to stand at the front of it as Harry pulled alongside. He held out a note towards Harry. 

“Miss Granger said that you had gone out for a fly and I had been on my way to the Forbidden Forest when I noticed some movement on the Quidditch Pitch and came to investigate. I am glad that I didn’t waste my time waiting where you weren’t. I hope you will do me the honour of reading my letter.”

The second Harry took it, Snape turned and left, leaving Harry feeling even more confused than he had before. A part of him wanted to rip the letter up, or burn it, but his curiosity stopped him. Harry had never been able to leave a puzzle unanswered and he had faced few things more puzzling than this man. There was also the possibility that there might be something in it to help explain things and Harry was getting a little desperate for some answers to the endless questions that were swirling around his head. 

Wanting some privacy to read it, and knowing that Snape would likely not seek him out again that morning, Harry turned his broom and headed towards his favourite glade, hoping the tranquillity of the place would help him through whatever he was about to read. 

The handwriting was not like the elegant script that Harry had spied before, when he saw Snape writing to Miss Greengrass; more of a scrawl, indicating heightened emotions, and Harry was happy to think that he had been able to put Snape that much out of sorts. There was a sharpness to the letters, but there was something strangely familiar about it as well, although Harry couldn’t put his finger on why. It was dated with that day’s date and Harry could only think that Snape had written it first thing that morning, especially considering its length. 

Do not worry upon receiving this letter, Mr Potter; it doesn’t contain any of the  sentiments, or a renewal of the offers that you received last night which you found so abhorrent. I do not want to distress you, or humble myself, by dwelling on wishes that, for the sake of the happiness of both of us, cannot be forgotten soon enough. I would not have written to you at all but, in your refusal of me, you called into question some things about my character that I cannot let stand. I know that you would rather continue to think ill of me but I hope your sense of justice will prevail. 

There were several offences that you laid at my feet last night that I feel compelled to address. The first is the fact that, despite their feelings, I separated Mr Malfoy from your brother. For some, this may seem like a minor offence: the affection of two young people who had only known each other for a few weeks would generally not be that great. The severity of blame which you laid at my feet last night with your accusation, however, would have many questioning that and I would like now to address my actions and motives in more detail, that I might redeem my character in some way. Of course, I am aware that some of the things I will say may be offensive to you and for that I apologise. Contrary to what you may believe from my actions yesterday, I do not actually enjoy hurting you but, as I said, I always endeavour to be truthful. 

I had not been with Mr Malfoy long when, as others did, I noticed that he had a strong preference for your brother, Mr Percy Weasley. I had seen him show preference for people before so didn’t think much of it until the ball at Malfoy Manor. While I had the honour of dancing with you, I heard from the Minister himself that Draco’s attention had been so noticed that the general public now expected their marriage. I was surprised, especially with the level of certainty this event was spoken of, and took it upon myself to observe the couple. It was clear to me that Draco was far more taken by your brother than I had ever seen him before. Your brother, however, was another matter. He did indeed appear to be cheerful, open and engaging with him, but no more so than anyone else I saw him with. It led me to believe that, while he wasn’t against Draco’s attentions, he didn’t necessarily encourage them either. 

When you accused me before, you spoke to me of two people who were attached. I assume, given how much closer to your brother you are, that you are better acquainted with his true feelings and so I can only assume that it was I who erred here. If this is the case and my miscalculation has caused me to act in a way that has caused your brother undue pain then your resentment is wholly reasonable and I cannot apologise enough. My only justification is that your brother is so careful and reserved in his actions that any acute observer would come to the same conclusion. I will accept that I did wish for Mr Percy to be unaffected by Draco, but I can assure you that I would not have ignored any evidence to the contrary if I had actually observed it. 

My objections to the marriage weren’t only what I mentioned last night regarding my own feelings towards you. The want of wealth or connections is not something that would affect Draco as much as it would me. There were other causes for concern as well, such as I stated last night, from the younger Weasley siblings, their mother and, yes, even their father, as much as I know that offends you. That being said, I feel that I must say that both you and Mr Percy have both conducted yourselves commendably whenever we met. That evening at Malfoy Manor, however, confirmed everything that I had been feeling about your family up to that point and I felt compelled to extract my charge from what I could only feel would be a truly unhappy union. 

Mr Malfoy left his family home for France the day after that ball, as I am sure you remember, with plans on returning soon after. I wasn’t the only one of our group that was uneasy about Draco’s attachment, with his friends divulging their fears as soon as Draco left, and we decided on trying to separate him from Mr Weasley as soon as possible. We arranged to join him in France and, when there, I took it upon myself to point out all of the issues with the match. It may please you to hear that, despite my strong assertions, Draco remained undeterred and it was only the assurance that Mr Percy was not interested in him that caused his feelings to wane. He had believed Mr Percy to feel at least as strongly as he did, or nearly so. He has long respected my opinion, however, so it wasn’t too difficult for me to convince him that he was wrong. Once I had done that, it was easy to persuade him to stay in France. 

Given the information I had at the time, I do not think I was wrong to act as I did. The one point on which I do question my conduct was my part in concealing Mr Percy’s presence in France from Draco. I learned of his coming from Pansy but Draco is still ignorant of his being there. Though I knew it was possible that they could have met on friendly terms, I couldn’t help fearing that Draco’s feelings were still too strong to risk it. It is possible that this action was too underhanded, beneath my character, but it is done now and, I assure you, done with the best intentions. I offer no apology for my actions and, if I hurt your brother’s feelings, it was unintentionally done. I am aware that you may not deem my motives in this adequate but I have not yet learned to condemn them. 

With respect to the somewhat more weighty accusation you set against me regarding Mr Diggory, in that I purposely set about ruining him in order to allow one of my own charges to advance, I can only refute it utterly. I am unaware of the specifics of what he has accused me of, but I can point you towards several witnesses who can verify what actually occurred at that time. 

As you know, I had arranged with some of the quidditch teams to put on an exhibition at my home in Pemberley as I had noticed that my own wards weren’t getting the same attention that Hogwarts students were. The Hogwarts students were invited as well, including some of those who had already left, because I didn’t want there to be any unfairness. Of course, I still had some students with me at the time, as well as those who had just come of age who were trying to reclaim their inheritances and, in hindsight, I probably wasn’t around as much as I should have been. There were numerous adults around, however, between the various teams, as well as some of the candidates, and I thought things would be well covered when my absence was required. 

That didn’t seem to have been the case, however. Mr Diggory, from what I have heard, was a handsome and sociable person, with more than a fair talent in the sport, and soon became a firm favourite of many, including my youngest ward, Miss Astoria Greengrass. She is the youngest that I have with me and, as such, she has been quite sheltered by all of the other students. That being said, she is also quite precocious, not unlike yourself, and often found ways to sneak off to see her new idol, or so I later learned from her. She was not aware of how her behaviour would look to outsiders, however, although I would have hoped that Mr Diggory would have had more sense than to encourage it. Perhaps he was swayed by a pretty face; he certainly seemed to be quite taken by yours, if rumours are to be believed. 

As I said, however, I was unaware of how much time the pair had been spending together when I was called back as Miss Greengrass fell suddenly and violently ill. Now, what I tell you next, I tell you in the strictest confidence. Few know of it and fewer still are aware of what it all means. I have, however, received permission from Astoria herself to tell you this and I hope you will not betray her trust by divulging it unnecessarily. 

You said that her illness was quite convenient, especially given its sudden onset and apparent severity, but I assure you that isn’t the case. You see, Miss Greengrass has been ill since before she was born, subject to a blood curse that had been steadily building over time and finally came to a head on her 16th birthday. You see, unbeknownst to Mrs Greengrass, when she was incarcerated in Azkaban she was actually pregnant. How she managed to carry the child to term in that hell hole is beyond me and, frankly, little short of a miracle, which is part of why Astoria has always held a special place with me. It didn’t help that, like you, she was also prone to being headstrong and did her best to suppress how ill she actually was until it was too late. 

When she collapsed, I rushed back, desperate to try to work out what was wrong. She had always been a slight thing, ever since birth, and I hadn’t realised that it was actually a symptom. Growing up surrounded by dementors had apparently tainted her blood, leaving her weakened, sucking the very life out of her each day. She will never have a long life and she is more prone to dangers in the future, including with childbirth, which is part of why I do not want knowledge getting out about her condition; for the damage it will cause her reputation, as well potentially my other wards. 

Of course, I knew nothing of this when she first collapsed; I learned it as I worked to try to heal her. I had known of her birth, however, which is why I worked alone and didn’t contact St Mungos. I worked diligently, day and night, solely focused on saving her fragile life, which is why I had no idea about the rumours that were spreading surrounding Astoria and Mr Diggory. The first I knew was when she was stable and Pansy came to me, distraught at the things that were being said about her friend. I put an end to the rumours straight away, at least to the best of my ability anyway, although the fact that I couldn’t give specifics of Astoria’s illness didn’t help. 

It was only later that I learned that those rumours had prevented Mr Diggory from getting a position: I had no idea he had a specific preference for that position and had had nothing to do with Mr Pucey getting it instead. I must admit that I wasn’t impressed with his behaviour, although the fact that he hadn’t realised her age was a mark in his favour. I did not like the idea that he had lost out due to a rumour however: I know how much damage they can do from experience, and how much that hurts when the rumour was unfounded. That is why I personally approached the next best team that was still searching, Pride of Portree, and personally assured them that Mr Diggory was not at fault, asking them to judge his performance and not be swayed by baseless rumours. I was relieved when they took him on and I had no idea that my actions would cause more harm than good. My intentions were to help and I am sorry if that wasn’t the case. 

If you are in doubt as to the veracity of this tale, please consult with Mr Nott. Theo was with one of the people I was helping and was pivotal in helping me discern what the issue with Miss Greengrass was, as well as treating her so he is well acquainted with the situation. He will be more than happy to corroborate this story. 

You also seem to have taken offence to my mentions of your father being a bully and, while you may not like the idea, I can assure you that it is the case. You may not be aware, but I actually attended school at the same time as your father, although I knew your mother even before that. She grew up near to me and, when I realised she was a witch, we became quite close friends and looked forward to attending Hogwarts together. Unfortunately, when we got there, I was placed in Slytherin while your mother was in Gryffindor. We tried to maintain our friendship but growing tensions in the outside world, as well as interference from your father and his friends, meant that that was never going to last. 

You see, your father took an interest in your mother from when he first met her on the Hogwarts Express and he took great offence to me being friends with her. He used the excuse that it was because I was in Slytherin, but the fact that he and his friends liked to call me Snivellus, a reference to my large nose, made me think it was because of my looks as well. Even from the start, your father and his friends, Black, Lupin and Pettigrew, all took a lot of joy in making my time at Hogwarts a living hell and trying to drive a wedge between your mother and I. 

One such occasion was when Black took it upon himself to tell me how to get to the secret location where Lupin was kept on a full moon. I had already begun to suspect Lupin of being a werewolf and Black thought it would be a good idea to send me after him. I was under the impression that a creature as dangerous as a werewolf would be locked up safely, especially so close to the school, but that wasn’t the case. Lupin was wandering about in the shack completely free and would have ripped me limb from limb if your father hadn’t intervened. Dumbledore called him a hero for saving me, apparently missing the fact that Lupin would have been put down if I had been killed, not to mention what would have happened to him and Black. 

What really galled me, however, was the fact that they spun lies to your mother about what had happened. Despite how much they apparently cared for her, it seems that they didn’t trust her enough, not then at least, and made me seem like a liar when I told her about it. They had already been whispering in her ears about how I was untrustworthy, because of who my housemates were, claiming that I had to be like them because, ignoring the fact that I had to spend time with them due to lessons and sharing a dorm. 

This set things up for, what I must admit, was the worst moment of my life, not only because of the humiliation I suffered, but for the fact that it caused what would be the final break in mine and your mother’s friendship. In my 5th year, after my defence exam, I was looking over some notes when your father and I confronted me for no reason. They had attacked me before, as was their want, hexing whichever student took their fancy, although I was always their favourite target. I acted first, out of habit, but that only made things worse. Your father caused me to hang upside-down midair, courtesy of my own spell no less, and filled my mouth with soap suds, almost causing me to choke. What was worse, due to being poor, I hadn’t been able to buy any new trousers after my previous growth spurt so, when he did, I ended up flashing my underwear to most of the 5th year students. 

Your mother came over, telling your father to put me down, but she didn’t speak with much conviction, seemingly more interested in talking to your father than actually helping me. That was how it seemed to me, which annoyed me no end, and, in my annoyance, I called her a mudblood. I regretted it immediately but it was too late and she walked off, just as your father threatened to strip me completely. Thankfully a teacher intervened before he did but it was enough to scar me. What made it worse was the fact that your mother couldn’t forgive my infraction; in her mind it was one infraction too many. She believed me as bad as my classmates thanks to your father and his friends and, from that day, your mother never spoke to me again. That didn’t stop your father, however, and he and his friends continued to torment me through the rest of our time at school, either as a group or hiding himself somehow; managing to keep himself invisible, although I was never able to find out how. 

It is that reason why I call your father a coward and a bully; because he enjoyed tormenting people and he always picked on those less able to defend themselves, or purposely maintained an advantage, as opposed to meeting people one on one. Of course, I don't actually expect you to accept what I say at face value so I have included my memory of that shameful day with this. I know that some people don’t always trust memories, but I hope the fact that I keep my own faults in will be enough to show you that this is the truth. I have learned that Mrs Lockhart has a pensieve, should you wish to view this. Dumbledore lent it to her, although he did not specify why. 

I do not intend to try to make myself out to be some sort of saint, however. I have failings, of which I am fully aware, and, if you are going to judge me, then judge me on my actual shortcomings. As I have said, I have previously insulted your mother, however unintentional it was. I also wasn’t a passive when it came to your father and his friends. Unlike them, I didn’t target anyone weaker than me but I definitely retaliated as much as I could. I am ugly, and yes, prideful, and, as I have said, I do hold grudges. That is why, when given the opportunity, I still initially only asked to save your mother and not him. 

After school, I will admit that I was at a loss. My grandfather didn’t accept me and the only things I had even resembling friends were followers of Voldemort and I found myself getting drawn into that side of things. It didn’t help that they seemed to actually appreciate my talents for potion making and spell craft. It was enough to keep me off the front lines at least, although I was sent on spying missions, likely because I could bend into crowds, and was also not deemed bloodthirsty enough to be on the front lines. It was mostly a pointless exercise, seemingly based on guesses as opposed to any actual information, unless the information they had been given was false. There was one time, however, which turned out to be fruitful; possibly too fruitful in fact. 

I happened upon a meeting of Dumbledore’s and overheard a part of a prophecy. “The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches… Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies”. I will not forget those words for the rest of my days. I repeated them to the Dark Lord, not believing they were worth anything and, for a time, he didn’t seem to either. Then, in the summer of 1981, he decided that that the prophecy meant that a child would be born who would kill him and determined upon you as the person of that prophecy. I instantly asked him to save your mother and he agreed, as a reward, but I didn’t trust him. 

I went then, to Dumbledore, who took the information to your parents who were able to use it to ultimately defeat him. Because of that, I cannot completely regret what happened. I am sorry you lost your parents, although I am happy you ended up with a family who care so much for you; a trait that even I can mark in their favour. It was this act that allowed Dumbledore to vouch for me and what kept me out of Azkaban. If you are going to judge me by any actions, let it be this, and I will be satisfied whatever the outcome.  

Chapter Text

When Harry received Snape’s letter, he hadn’t, in fact, expected a renewal of his proposal; Snape was far too proud to stoop to begging. He also didn’t expect any sort of apology; that would require a just sense of shame for his actions that Snape was equally unable of feeling. He fully expected to be able to dismiss whatever the man said as readily as he had the night before and it was with this prejudice in mind that he began Snape’s recount of the Malfoy Manor ball. 

Harry could scarcely believe what he wrote about and was so desperate to read the next sentence that he barely registered the one that was in front of his eyes. The idea that he genuinely thought Percy indifferent to Mr Malfoy was clearly a lie and Harry gave it less than a moment’s thought before dismissing it. His continued assertions against the Weasleys truly incensed Harry as well and he was in no way interested in giving the man any sort of grace or leniency. It helped that he wasn’t actually repentant in any way; he was all pride and haughty justification and Harry gave this section little credence. 

It was then that Harry moved on to the section regarding what had happened with Cedric and that was another matter entirely. Cedric had been so sure that something underhanded had happened and Harry had been so ready to believe it, but this new account of things, if true, put a whole new light on things. Of course nothing could have been said about Miss Greengrass if that was the truth about her illness and, if Harry were honest, there was some evidence that it could be. Voldemort was defeated a few months after Ginny was born, with the Death Eaters being rounded up and imprisoned shortly after that. If Miss Greengrass was even younger than that then it meant that she must have been born in Azkaban and Harry was almost surprised that no one had actually thought of it before. He wondered if the secluded nature of Snape’s wards, as well as people not wanting to think about things like that, that kept the information under wraps. 

This section seemed to suggest there was some truth to what Snape was saying, something that didn’t sit well with Harry, especially when he moved onto the next section. The idea that his father was a bully was so abhorrent to Harry’s mind that he couldn’t even begin to entertain it. His father had always embodied everything regarding the best of Gryffindor traits in Harry’s mind: bravery, courage and honour. He had sacrificed his life for the good of the wizarding world; there was no way that he would have been a bully. 

The fact that there were a few little details that suggested some truth to Snape’s words were besides the point. The mention of his father appearing out of nowhere to attack did hint at him using the invisibility cloak that Harry had inherited and put to good use himself while at school. Dumbledore and Alastor Moody had been the only ones who had ever been able to see through it, although there were other ways wizards could become invisible so Snape could just be grasping at straws. 

Of course the mention of the spell didn’t help Harry either. Snape didn’t mention the name of it but Harry did recognise his description of it. He had come across it before, in the Half Blood Prince’s notes, and he had asked his old Defence Professor, Remus Lupin about it. Lupin was the same person mentioned by Snape and had said that the levicorpus spell Harry had come across was very popular at one point while he was at school. Harry had liked it at the time, wondering if the Prince was someone who attended Hogwarts at the same time, although he now felt a little annoyed. It almost as if the Prince had betrayed him somehow and that only added to Harry’s already bad mood caused by Snape. 

Of course, none of that meant that what Snape had said was right. Harry had been so annoyed by the assertion, though, that he had barely paid any attention to what Snape had said after he had started disparaging his father. Straightening the letter out again, where he had screwed it up in anger, he reread the passage with a slightly more critical eye, albeit no less bias. The mentions of his father’s friends was accurate, as was the knowledge of Lupin’s lycanthropy, something that came out when Harry was at school when Remus had accidentally forgotten to take his Wolfsbane potion. It’s possible that Snape had heard about that afterwards, although he would have been busy with so many students of his own. 

There was the fact that he didn’t paint himself in the best light, talking about how he retaliated, and when he insulted Harry’s mother, but somehow his father was still painted in a worse light throughout. It was one of the things that stopped Harry from accepting Snape’s account, which is when he remembered the reference to the memories. As Snape had mentioned, memories could be altered, and Harry doubted Snape would be dumb enough to give a memory that showed something different to what he had described. It was part of the reason why Harry hesitated. The other part, the one Harry didn’t really want to admit, was that he was aware that seeing something happen would hit a lot harder and then it would be a lot harder for him to deny. 

Part of the problem was that Harry didn’t actually have much knowledge of what his father was like. All Harry knew was that he looked like his father, his father had died defeating Voldemort and that he had been considered a good person by everyone who spoke to Harry. Everyone except Snape that was. A voice at the back of his mind reminded him that people rarely speak ill of the dead and it was unlikely they would have told him his father had been a bully, even if he had been. Harry ignored that voice, although it did remind him that he did technically have access to people who could potentially verify what happened, away from the memories. 

Snape had directed Harry to contact Mr Nott regarding what happened with Cedric. The fact was, though, that Mr Nott had already already spoken to Harry on the subject, suggesting that things hadn’t been what Harry had thought, and Mr Malfoy had said something similar as well, when Percy had questioned him on the subject. Harry was at the point where he was willing to accept that Snape’s account of what happened was true here. It helped that Harry could mentally condemn him for not apologising to Cedric in person, or asking where he would want a position. Admittedly, this may have caused Cedric to ask awkward questions, but Harry refused to give Snape too much credit. 

The comments about Harry’s father were what Harry truly found galling and, while they fit Snape’s character, given what he had said about the Weasleys, Harry didn’t want to admit that any of it was true. He clung to the idea that Snape was lying and Harry quickly gathered up the letter and the memories and jumped on his broom to find Hermione. She was just heading out, wanting to return some books to the library that she had been using for research. 

“I’m pretty sure, as a teaching assistant, you aren’t going to get fined,” Harry chuckled. 

“It’s the principle of it!” Hermione huffed. “I can’t tell the students off for something I do myself.”

“I suppose. You always were on top of all those due dates, although I never knew how.”

“It’s called organisation, Harry, you should try it one day. Now, as lovely as it is to talk to you, is there something you need? Only normal you don’t bother to stop me.”

“I do,” Harry argued, “but you are normally too distracted to notice. That’s not a complaint by the way. Now that you mention it, though, do you have a pensieve?”

“Oh, um, yes, I do actually,” Hermione replied. “Apparently it’s the Hogwarts one, that the founders found and used to mark the sight of the castle. He said it would help me sort my ideas, although he didn’t want me telling Gilderoy about it. I think he was worried Gilderoy would be upset at Dumbledore giving me preferential treatment.”

“I can see that being an issue,” Harry agreed. “Is there any chance I can use it? I promise I’ll make sure your husband doesn’t see.”

Hermione hesitated. “It’s not that, Harry; I trust you, but I have so many ideas floating around in there. I need time to sort them but I need to get these books back now or I will forget and you know I’m as loath to get on Madam Pince’s side as Professor McGonagall. I’ll have a look through them when I get back.”

“Don’t rush,” Harry smiled, although he didn’t really mean it. He was in a rush to get to the bottom of things so he decided to jump on something Hermione said. He remembered that McGonagall had been a teacher when his dad was at school and might be able to shed light on things herself, he only hoped she was free. 

She was, much to Harry’s relief, and she greeted him warmly. 

“Mr Potter, what a surprise. I was just thinking that it was a shame that I hadn’t gotten to see you much while you were here. Come, have a seat.”

“So long as I’m not disturbing you.”

“Now, Mr Potter, am I really the sort of person who would offer if I wasn’t?”

“True,” Harry chuckled, pulling up a chair to her desk and having a brief reminder of his school days, thankful he wasn’t in this position very often. 

“Now, Harry, what brings you here today?”

“Can I not just want to come and see my old Head of House?”

“You can, of course,” McGonagall smiled, “but, since you have never done so before, I can’t help but wonder what brought about this change.”

Harry scratched his head awkwardly. “Guess I’m more obvious than I thought. I was hoping to talk to you about my father. I was talking to Mr Snape.”

“Ah!” McGonagall said, in the same tone Mr Weasley used whenever one of the neighbours complained about one of the twins’ pranks. They were never dangerous, but they were sometimes a little destructive and Harry could swear he still sometimes saw traces of orange on Mr Brackley’s house, despite years of magical scrubbing. 

“Mr Snape said that my father was a bully.”

“Your father wasn’t a bully,” McGonagall insisted. 

“So he didn’t randomly hex people for fun?” Harry questioned, and McGonagall frowned. 

“Well, he did, but it was never done with the intent to harm. Your father was the sort of person who bored easily; he needed a lot of stimulation, not too unlike the Weasley twins, except that your father preferred hexes and jinxes to food based products. He never targeted anyone specifically though.”

“Not even Snape?”

McGonagall winced. “Severus Snape was a special case and, I have to say, he didn’t really help himself. Unlike others, he always fought back. That’s not to say that I blame him, I probably would have in his situation as well, but it did give your father and his friends to keep targeting him.”

“Didn’t anyone do anything about it though?” Harry asked. “None of the teachers?”

McGonagall sighed. “We kept an eye on things, to make sure they didn’t get out of hand but, if I’m honest, we did leave them to it a lot of the time. It was thought it was better if your father concentrated on Mr Snape more than others. There had been some complaints from parents.”

Harry frowned. “Weren’t you worried that Snape’s parents would complain?”

“Not really, in the same way that I never worried about hearing from Mrs Lockhart’s parents. Professor Slughorn, who was his head of house at the time, checked on Mr Snape regularly, however, and he always insisted that everything was fine.”

Harry was a little confused by what McGonagall said. From Snape’s letter, Harry knew that he was aware of magic before his Hogwarts letter which would indicate that he couldn’t have been a Muggleborn like Hermione. He wondered if Slughorn had been mistaken, in the same way that he was mistaken about Snape being ‘fine’ all that time. Harry had never had an issue with Slughorn when he was at school, although Hermione hadn’t been overly impressed with him. At the time, Harry had assumed, somewhat meanly, that that had been because he hadn’t fawned over her the way some other teachers did. With what he was learning now, however, it was possible that Hermione was right about him. 

“Mr Snape told me about one incident in particular,” Harry said. “I don’t know if you heard of it. He said that my father cast a spell that held him upside-down and stripped him.”

“He most certainly did not!” McGonagall exclaimed. “I know the incident that you spoke of and that boy’s state of undress was entirely his own fault! He was quite lucky that I didn’t take points off for him being so scandalously dressed!”

“Did my father get in trouble for that incident?” Harry queried. 

“Not that one,” McGonagall admitted. “He hadn’t intended to expose Mr Snape, merely utilising a spell that had become quite popular with his peers. He also said that he did it because Mr Snape had insulted your mother, a fact that Mr Snape didn’t deny.”

“So he would never have actually completely stripped him as Mr Snape suggested?” 

McGonagall hesitated. “Now Harry, please remember that your father wasn’t a bad person but, as much as he had his qualities, he had his flaws as well. One of those flaws was a love of attention, which is why playing quidditch was always somewhat inevitable for him. I actually remember your grandparents telling me how relieved they were that he found your mother so early as they were worried about all of the broken hearts he would leave in his wake.”

“So you’re saying that he might have completely stripped him?” Harry clarified. 

“Possibly,” McGonagall affirmed carefully, then let out a tired sigh. “I did tell you that Me Snape was a special case as far as your father was concerned. It wasn’t just because he retaliated though. Mr Snape had also been friends with your mother and your father objected to that, working to try to separate them. I can’t help but think things would have been easier on Mr Snape if he had just given her up sooner. A Gryffindor being a friend with a Slytherin was never going to work and it wouldn’t have really changed anything anyway.”

Harry frowned. “Aren’t we always told to make friends with other houses, though?”

“Now yes,” McGonagall agreed, “but you have to remember that it was a different world back then. The threat of you-know-who meant that tensions were very high and Mr Snape’s friendship with your mother only aggravated that.”

“Right,” Harry nodded, feeling bile build up in his stomach as the realisation that Snape had been being completely truthful in everything he said. His father was not only arrogant and attention loving but also a bully. The only thing McGonagall hadn’t confirmed was James Potter being a coward but Harry had a sinking feeling that the memory Snape had given him would show that as well. 

“Now Harry, please don’t let what I have said change your opinion of your father unduly. I know Albus likes to make a big deal about your father being a hero but he was a human as well, and he did have some flaws. Whatever mistakes he made as a child, however, he was a very brave young man, who willingly sacrificed himself for the good of the world. Most of all, Harry, you can be sure that he did love you and your mother.”

“I know, and I’m sure it will only help in the long run but, like you said, I idolised him for so long, imagining him as this perfect hero figure, so it is a bit of a shock to hear that wasn’t true.”

“I would have thought you would realise by now that none of us are perfect, Harry,” McGonagall chided mildly. 

Harry nodded and stood up from his chair. “Thank you for your time Professor. I do appreciate what you told me.”

“No problem, Harry, and I do hope you will pop in again in the future. It is nice to catch up with old students and I never say no to getting to talk to other adults. I love my colleagues but, after all these years, the conversations can get a little repetitive. Mrs Lockhart truly has been a breath of fresh air around here.”

“I’ll be sure to tell her you said that,” Harry said, flashing his former head of house before taking his leave. He needed time to sort his thoughts out and he finally felt ready to view the memory Snape had given him. He only hoped Hermione had cleared the pensieve as promised. 

Hermione wasn’t in when Harry arrived back, but she had emptied the pensieve and left it, along with a note explaining that she and Lockhart were out to a dinner, that he had neglected to tell her about, so that Harry would have to fend for himself that night. If he was honest, Harry was a little relieved, glad of the peace so that he could try to deal with the world shattering revelations he had had that day. 

The memory was about as bad as Harry had expected. His father and Black had targeted Snape for no reason and, while James had been the main instigator, it had definitely felt one-sided, like when the twins and Ginny sided against Ron in something and Harry felt obliged to stand up for Ron, even if he didn’t completely agree. Snape had done nothing to warrant what they did in that moment and they had seemed to take a lot of joy in his humiliation. At least his mum had tried to help but, if Harry were to compare her actions to how Hermione had stood up for him in the past, Harry would definitely consider Hermione the better friend of the two, by a long shot. 

It had Harry feeling sorry for Snape, which was a new feeling for him, and it didn’t really sit right in his gut. It left him feeling a little restless and he found himself wandering the corridors, half hoping that he might run into Snape so that he might try to apologise for his poor behaviour. He realised that he had been acting under so many misconceptions with the man and had used them to judge him in the worst light at every turn, making him out to be the villain in all this, when that was very far from the truth. 

That’s not to say that Harry thought Snape a hero: the man’s own words attested to that, not to mention his abrasive personality. Like his own father, however, Snape was human, complete with his own virtues and flaws. The man was clearly quick to judge, and didn’t seem to have much patience, and Harry could only imagine how hellish he had been as a teacher. He was honest though, perhaps too honest, but at least Harry didn’t have to guess where he stood with him. He was smart as well, and caring in his way: Harry could remember how he helped Percy when no one else could and never asked for payment or thanks for his effort. He clearly commanded a lot of loyalty from his wards as well which Harry thought could only stand in the man’s favour. 

It made Harry contemplate what Snape had said about Percy and Mr Malfoy. When he had first read about his justifications of his actions, Harry had dismissed them instantly but, now that he had a better understanding of Snape’s character, as well as his own prejudices, Harry thought there was, perhaps, a chance the man had a point. Harry was a little loath to admit it but Percy was a bit reserved with his emotions, learned from habit since things he really liked had a tendency to get used or abused by his younger siblings. He remembered even Hermione commenting that Percy should have been more obvious with his feelings, lest Mr Malfoy not see. Harry had dismissed her at the time but it seemed, as often happened, she was right on this as well. Snape, who had been looking for a reason to dismiss things, and had been able to persuade Mr Malfoy they weren’t there. He thought, perhaps, that he shouldn't be so dismissive of his friends' council in the future; it might save him a lot of heartache and trouble.

Chapter Text

Harry was so lost in thought, revising all his opinions of Mr Snape later that evening. The quiet of Hermione’s rooms that had been a relief when he arrived, had begun to feel oppressive as Harry’s thoughts seemed to swirl and multiply. Memories of events brought up memories of conversation and it wasn’t long until Harry was analysing what felt like every moment since Mr Snape had come into his life. Feeling restless, he has opted to go for a walk, letting his body guide him around the place that had been a second home for 7 years of his life. His feet walked the well worn paths along the corridors with ease, so much so that Harry wasn’t really paying attention to what he was doing and walked right into Dumbledore coming around the corner. 

“Ah! Harry, my boy! It’s you disturbing my portraits. I had wondered if it was young Severus, come back for a wander around.”

“Young Severus?” Harry queried, causing Dumbledore to chuckle. 

“I suppose that idea might seem strange in your mind, yes. Compared to you, Severus is indeed old, but, I promise you, if you reach over 100 like me, almost everyone seems like a spring chicken in comparison.”

Harry nodded although, if he were honest, he was still a little confused. He had never actually thought of Snape as old. In hindsight, the man was the same age as his parents so he supposed he could understand why people might think that. To Harry, though, Snape didn’t seem that old. Possibly because he was significantly younger than Mr and Mrs Weasley, as well as most other parents, like Amos Diggory, that Harry knew. 

“Were you planning on meeting with Mr Snape?” Harry asked, feeling a slight bubble of hope spring up that he might get the chance to see the man again, and maybe apologise. Unfortunately that hope was almost instantly dashed. 

“Oh no, Severus and Theo left shortly after breakfast although I did think Severus seemed particularly reluctant to leave which is why, when the portraits told me a young man was wandering the halls, I came to investigate. I wondered if, perhaps, his nostalgia for Hogwarts had set in and he was getting himself reacquainted with the place ready to teach.”

“He is definitely coming here to teach then?” Harry asked, ignoring the comment about nostalgia: between the letter, the memory and what McGonagall had said, Harry really didn’t think Snape had fond memories of this school. 

“Oh, I definitely presume so,” Dumbledore smiled. “He was certainly here longer than I expected, which can only be a good sign. Horace said he went out almost every day to the Forbidden Forest looking for potions ingredients as well; I always knew that would be a good inducement for him.”

Harry hummed noncommittally, not quite as sure as the Headmaster about Snape’s plans, given what he knew had actually transpired. 

“Have you enjoyed your stay with us then, Harry?” Dumbledore asked. “I know you were not feeling too well last night. Severus was asking after you this morning and went to try to check on you earlier. I don’t think he stayed long though, but I do know that Mr Nott stayed there for quite some time. Mr Lockhart was quite worried that they would be late for Mr Winickus’ dinner.”

“I am not sure why anyone would want to have dinner with that man,” Harry huffed, remembering his last meeting with him. 

Dumbledore hummed. “I know that Rufus isn’t the most amicable person you might meet but he is very competent and I have heard that your Grandfather’s company is doing well under him.”

“That’s what I’ve heard,” Harry sighed, “but listening to Lockhart has me worried.”

“Now Harry, I don’t think you need to worry too much on that front. Mrs Lockhart will keep her husband in check, and I imagine she will end up keeping an eye on the company as well. She is very competent and I can see her making some excellent connections there, which can only help her in any future endeavours.”

“I suppose, and it would be good for Hermione to make a name for herself. It’s definitely something that she has worried about.”

“I’m glad you agree,” Dumbledore beamed, only for his face to become stern, “although I wish you would give your own career as much thought as you do your friend’s. Kingsley told me you showed great promise as an Auror before and he was very disappointed when you decided to leave.”

Harry squirmed slightly. Seeing Dumbledore disappointed always made him feel awkward and guilty. 

“I’m sorry to hear that. Auror Shacklebolt was really helpful, and a great trainer, but I don’t think I was the right sort of person for the Auror department.”

“Kingsley would strongly disagree with you,” Dumbledore argued. “As would I. You have a wonderful sense of justice, Harry, and great instincts, and I can see you going very far in that career. I think it would be a good idea for you to think about it again. Kingsley said that he’d have you back any time.”

“Thank you, sir. I’ll think about it,” Harry said, flashing Dumbledore a smile as he beat a hasty retreat, desperately wanting to get away from that conversation before Dumbledore pressed him anymore. 

He had always looked up to the Headmaster in the past, almost imagining him to be infallible but, after that last conversation, Harry could only question that conviction. Like James, Dumbledore was also only human and could make mistakes, the same as his father could. He was certainly wrong about Snape’s motivations and he was clearly wrong about hiring Lockhart as a teacher so there was no need for Harry to think he was right about Harry needing to be an Auror either. This realisation didn’t feel quite as earth-shattering as learning the truth about his father, but it did help alleviate Harry’s guilt over his choice. 

Harry was leaving the next day and he was a little surprised to see Hermione looking upset. 

“Are you sure you have to go? I feel like we have barely spent any time together.”

“And who’s fault is that?” Harry chuckled. He had meant it jokingly and he felt bad when he saw Hermione’s face fall. 

“I can’t help that I’m busy, you know, but there is so much to do between the book and teaching.”

“I know,” Harry assured her. “I was only joking.”

“Alright,” Hermione sighed, “but are you sure you can’t stay a couple more days?”

“Ron is missing me as well,” Harry smiled. 

“How do you know?” Hermione questioned. “He hasn’t written to you.”

“No, but Percy has. Apparently Ron has started to get a bit annoying recently, especially as I am going away with Bill and Fleur soon as well.”

“Well, he could go with you on that trip as well if he wasn’t so lazy,” Hermione huffed, but then gave Harry a curious look. “You seem to be very close to Percy now.”

“Yes, after this whole Malfoy thing,” Harry agreed. “I felt bad for him, especially with how it all happened, and no one else seemed to notice or care how much he was hurting.”

“I told you he was too reserved. You can’t hide your feelings and then moan because no one sees that you are upset.”

“I know, you were right,” Harry agreed, thinking back on the letter that he now almost knew by heart. “But Percy is another reason why I want to head back. I want to make sure that he is holding up well.”

“I suppose,” Hermione sighed. “It would be nice to see you again someday though. Maybe in the summer, when I’m not so busy.”

“Perhaps,” Harry smiled. 

“Who knows,” Hermione smirked, “Mr Snape might even be teaching here by then.”

Harry smiled, knowing that she was only joking about that being an inducement only she didn’t realise how wrong she actually was. 

Harry’s feelings regarding Mr Snape were still very confused. The conceited and arrogant way Snape had proposed still made Harry angry but, when he remembered how equally rude, not to mention wrong, he had been, Harry felt a wave of shame. It was clear that Harry had hurt him with his rejection, as well as his accusations, and that, along with the knowledge of how Snape had suffered at school, led to feelings of compassion. Harry respected Snape’s actions, was grateful for the honour he showed with his proposal but, the more Harry thought about it, the less Harry regretted his refusal and the more he felt he didn’t want to see Snape again. 

It didn’t help that Harry, with hindsight, could only agree with Snape’s sentiment regarding the Weasleys. Harry loved them, but he couldn’t deny that even he had been exasperated by them in the past. Mr Weasley was too busy laughing at the twins’ pranks, so long as they were actually dangerous, to even contemplate reining them in. The only time Harry had ever known him to yell at them was when they almost made Ron make an Unbreakable Vow; even killing Ron’s Pygmy Puff had only resulted in a mild scolding. Ginny had been encouraged to be ‘independent’ all her life and was not given any reason to act differently, especially by Mrs Weasley who tended to be just as loud and outspoken herself. Even Ron, who usually acted well, would frequently get wound up by his siblings and let his temper overwhelm his sense. There was little either Harry or Percy could do to correct that and Harry wondered if things would ever change. 

The one point of regret that Harry did feel was on Percy’s behalf. Snape’s words proved that Mr Malfoy was completely innocent in the whole affair and his feelings had run exactly as deep as Harry had suspected. The problem was that that only heightened the sense of loss at what could only have been a truly wonderful match. Percy could have been so happy, as could the rest of the family, and it was their own actions that had prevented something they all wanted. 

Harry was leaving the next day but, with how restless he had been in the last couple of days, he had already done most of his packing and was finished far sooner than expected. He walked out of his room, hoping to say a final goodbye to Hermione before leaving, but was surprised to see Mr Lockhart there instead. 

“Ah, Mr Potter. I don’t know if my wife has had the opportunity to tell you yet, but I know she has been immensely grateful for your visit. I know the attractions of your old school can’t be that much, not to a young person such as yourself, but I hope you have had some fun while you were here; I know you certainly made the most of the good flying weather.”

“I did, and I enjoyed myself immensely, thank you,” Harry assured him. “It has been a nice break and it was lovely to get to see Hermione again.”

“Quite, quite. Well, I am pleased to hear that you have enjoyed yourself. I am sorry that we weren’t able to spend as much time with you ourselves but, as you can see, I am quite busy with work and engagement and Hermione is very supportive as well. I hope that you can pass on to her friends that she is settling in well and is making quite a name for herself, not only among the school inhabitants but at Sleekeazy as well. I hope that you can see that your friend has done well for herself in her choice, although, perhaps, it is best not to say too much on that. I am not so indelicate as to dredge up the past. Let sleeping lions lie and all that. I will say, however, that I bear you no ill will. If anything, I am grateful to you for your decision. It led me to my dear Hermione and I don’t think I could have picked a better life mate if I had tried, and I hope she feels the same.”

Harry smiled, not feeling up to lying to the man’s face. He didn’t doubt that Hermione was a much better partner for him than Harry had been, but he was also equally sure that Hermione could do much better than him. Harry was almost sad to have to leave his friend, but at least he knew that there was a chance that she would be too busy to  notice too much, at least until the school broke up in the summer, anyway. She had made her choice as well, with her own free mind, he only hoped that her meeting with Mr Nott hadn’t made her regret her choices too much. 

Hermione, herself, arrived at that moment, however, giving Harry a tight hug before grabbing her cloak to walk down to Hogsmeade with him so he could floo to the Burrow, since Dumbledore was too busy using the main one for meetings. Harry didn’t mind, as it gave him a few extra moments with his friend. 

“You have been here for weeks but I swear it feels like just yesterday that you arrived,” Hermione sighed as she walked down the Hogsmeade road, arm in arm with Harry. 

“I know what you mean,” Harry agreed. “At the same time, it feels so long as well.”

Hermione nodded. “I don’t think it helped that I was busier with things than I expected.”

As was I, Harry thought, although he didn’t feel up to voicing it. He loved Hermione, but telling her about Snape’s proposal would bring up more questions than either of them had time for right now. It would make no difference to what happened either. The only person who the information might make a difference to was Percy, at least in the idea that he had been right in his pursuit of Mr Malfoy, and had been lucky enough to hold the man’s heart, if only for a while. It might not be much, but Harry hoped that it would help renew some of Percy’s self-confidence. 

He had never said, but Harry had felt that Percy had started to question himself a bit when Mr Malfoy suddenly disappeared and Harry hoped that knowing that disappearance hadn’t been because of Percy’s actions, or a want of affection on his side. The fact that it was also proof that Harry was right was simply the cherry on the cake. 

The pair of them stepped into the Three Broomsticks, and Harry was surprised to be greeted by Ron and Ginny. 

“Harry! Hermione! Surprise! We thought we would come to join you for lunch, although you may have to pay. Ginny and I did some shopping while we were waiting for you.”

“At least I didn’t waste my money on sweets,” Ginny huffed. 

“Well I don’t know when you are going to use those quidditch gloves either,” Ron argued. “It’s not like we are going to get to play much when the exhibition matches end in the next couple of weeks and the teams all go back to their training grounds ready for the start of the new season.”

“That’s a shame,” Harry said, although he didn’t feel the same loss that Ron and Ginny did. There would have been a time when he mourned the loss of Cedric but, for some reason, Harry was feeling very indifferent. It’s not that he didn’t feel sorry for Cedric at all; it was certainly a shame that he had missed out on his preferred team due to rumour. The problem was, the reason those rumours started in the first place was because Cedric had been very indiscreet. From what Harry could tell, Cedric quite liked attention and, from Harry before, and apparently Astoria as well. He had brought attention on himself both times so clearly hadn’t learned his lesson, and Harry couldn’t help feeling he had dodged the metaphorical shot.

“I would love to go and train with them,” Ginny sighed. “Oliver said that some of them allow people to join, to see if they can spot any new talent, and I think it would be fantastic to try my luck.”

“Mum would never let you do that,” Ron laughed, and Harry nodded his head in agreement, grateful that he and Mrs Weasley would at least be in agreement about that, albeit for different reasons. Harry knew that Ginny was less discreet than even Cedric was and he dreaded what would happen if she went off on her own. Mrs Weasley simply didn’t think that a Quidditch player was an appropriate career because it was often so short lived. 

“I can try to persuade her,” Ginny sniffed. “I don’t think she would have a problem with me going if I went with someone I know. She probably wouldn’t mind if I went with someone like Cedric.”

“I don’t think Cho Chang will be happy to hear about that,” Harry said, hoping to put a stop to the idea before it started. 

“Oh! You didn’t hear, did you?” Ginny grinned. “Cho and Cedric broke up. Apparently she went away with her family to Ireland, Merlin knows why, but they met these muggle pagans over there and she fell in love. Word is she’s already married!”

“Already!” Harry exclaimed. 

“Well, if he’s pagan it might be a hand-fasting,” Hermione suggested. “Those can be done for a year and a day so it is almost like an engagement.”

“That still seems quite quick!” Harry argued. 

“You’re missing the point,” Ginny grinned. “It means Cedric Diggory is free.” She gave Harry a pointed look but Harry rolled his eyes. 

“Why should that bother me? Cedric will be going back to Skye shortly and, even if he wasn’t, we were never more than friends.”

“Sure you were,” Ginny scoffed, as Ron bit back a laugh. Harry gave them both withering looks. 

“You know, mum still hasn’t gotten over you not marrying Mr Lockhart, Harry,” Ginny added. “She’s been telling people that Hermione was purposely scheming to take him from you from the start.”

“I was not!” Hermione exclaimed. 

“We know. Who would scheme to get Lockhart,” Ron snickered.

“I don’t know why you rushed to get married,” Ginny said. “It seems boring to me. Unless it was to get out of the home; that I can understand. It would be nice not to have to answer to mum and dad all the time. Life would be so much easier if I could do what I want, when I want.”

“Don’t you basically do that anyway?” Ron queried. 

“No,” Ginny scowled. “If it was up to me, I would stay with the quidditch players much later, but mum always insists on us being home for dinner, unless it’s a formal dinner. It’s annoying. Oliver and Cedric were going out last night, swooping over the village to give the muggles a scare.”

“That’s not nice,” Harry frowned. 

“It’s not allowed either,” Hermione pointed out. “What if the muggles saw you?”

“They disillusion themselves, of course,” Ginny huffed. “I doubt the muggles would realise what was happening even if they did though. They would probably just think it was ghosts or something, as if ghosts would bother going around, knocking on their windows in the middle of the night; they are invariably too busy with their second lives to be bothered doing something like that.”

“I don’t see what the problem is,” Ron added. “It’s not like anyone’s getting hurt. You could say the twins’ pranks do more damage than that.”

“Precisely,” Ginny agreed, “and Cedric says they do it all the time up in Skye without issue. Apparently, when they get ships passing by, the team goes out and darts in and out of the water. Cedric says the muggles now think they have mermaids in the port and keep searching for them.”

Ron and Ginny laughed while Hermione continued to frown. Harry could understand; families like the Weasleys didn’t have a problem with muggles, not in the way the Death Eaters did, but that didn’t mean they respected them. Even Mr Weasley, who liked to tinker with muggle things, only did so because he was intrigued not because he actually appreciated them. His view was always to try to add magic somehow to ‘make it better’. Harry had seen it nearly all his life so he mostly just ignored it, although he couldn’t help noticing that Ginny had mentioned Cedric’s name a couple of times. It left him feeling a little concerned, but the arrival of food soon distracted him, and, after that, it was time to return to the Burrow. 

Not that Ginny and Ron wanted to stay at the Burrow long when they got back. Harry hadn’t even finished unpacking before they were talking about heading into the village, wanting to make the most of the quidditch players being there while they could. Harry managed to persuade them against it thankfully, pointing out the fruitlessness of the excursion given the late hour. Ginny relented, opting to practice in the garden instead, and Harry breathed a sigh of relief. He did not want to see the players, wanting to stay away from Cedric if at all possible; it would be awkward to see him and have to explain his change in attitude. Harry also thought it would be good to give things a rest anyway, since Ginny was already getting a reputation for always wanting to be around the players. 

Chapter Text

Harry couldn’t wait long to talk to Percy about what he had learned on his trip and, once everyone was heading for bed, he slipped into Percy’s room to talk to him. The first order of business was Mr Snape’s proposal and, as he was recounting the story, Harry was struck by the fact that Percy really was the only person he could go to with this. 

He loved Hermione and Ron but sometimes Hermione was overly clinical with these things, analysing them in an almost detached manner which could be useful, but wasn’t what Harry wanted when he was looking for support. Ron, on the other hand, had a tendency to jump to conclusions and, if Harry told him this, Harry would almost certainly have to stop his redheaded friend from ranting about it for the next 5 years. Percy was a sort of happy medium between the two; offering an understanding ear while also acting as the voice of reason. 

“I must admit that I am surprised that Mr Snape proposed to you Harry: not that he did, from a personal standpoint it only seems natural to me that he would see what a wonderful person you are. What surprises me is the suddenness of his proposal, as well as the language he used. I can understand where he is coming from in some of what he said but it would have been nice if he had been a bit more tactful about it.”

“That’s an understatement,” Harry laughed. “Honestly, I had no idea that he was even interested in me; it caught me really off guard.”

Percy frowned. “Did you really have no idea? When you were helping to look after me at Malfoy Manor, I had an inkling that he was interested in you. I always thought that might have been why he went out of his way to cure me.”

“Really?” Harry queried. “I always assumed that was to get us out of there as quickly as possible.”

“Perhaps,” Percy mused, “although, if I remember, his eyes did seem to follow you a lot. I believe even Mr Malfoy commented on it once.”

“Likely because he thought I was up to something and wanted to keep an eye on me,” Harry groused. 

Percy laughed. “Given that he just confessed his love for you, I doubt that was the only reason.”

“I suppose,” Harry sighed, “and, don’t get me wrong, I am grateful that he helped you then. I don’t know how much longer you would have suffered if he hadn’t stepped in.”

“I am as well,” Percy agreed. “It’s part of why I feel a little sorry for him.”

“How so?”

“Well, your refusal must have been quite a blow for him, if he felt hurt enough to write you a letter afterwards, explaining himself.”

“I suppose. You don’t think I was wrong to turn him down, do you?” Harry asked hesitantly, starting to question his hastiness a bit. 

“Definitely not,” Percy assured him quickly. “You said that you weren’t interested in him and it would have been wrong of you to accept just to spare his feelings: it wouldn’t have done either of you any good in the long run. You were maybe a little harsh in your response as well, but, who knows, maybe he will learn something from the experience.”

“That would be something,” Harry chuckled, thinking it would be little short of a miracle if his words caused Snape to be less stuck up.”

“Now Harry, I think that’s a little unfair,” Percy chided. 

“You’re right,” Harry sighed. “I spent so long judging him on so little, however, that it is a hard habit to break. I thought myself so clever believing I had discerned his character when no one else had, and I delighted in laughing at him, but it seems as if I was the fool all along, especially for believing my father was entirely above reproach.”

“I don’t think that is a failing on your part, Harry. We all want to think the best of our parents, more so you when they are no longer with you.”

“I know,” Harry sighed, “but I can’t help feeling like a fool; of course he had faults. I do take heart, however, in knowing that my father’s reputation had been so high and Snape’s personality had left so much to be desired that I can’t help feeling my assumptions were natural. I think it’s part of why I found Cedric’s suggestion so believable as well. Why wouldn’t someone as cantankerous as Snape plot against someone like that.”

“I suppose,” Percy smiled, although I have to admit that I never found Snape as cantankerous as you did.”

“Speaking of Cedric though,” Harry said, “I don’t know if I should say something. His story is bringing Miss Greengrass’ name into disrepute when the poor girl has done nothing wrong except spend a little too much time with a man she admired. It’s not like he has learned discretion since then either, given how many rumours are around about him and me, although I admit that I was at least equally to blame in that instance.”

“At least you admit your faults,” Percy laughed, “and I do understand where you are coming from: it doesn’t feel right to let people cast aspersions about an innocent girl who has already been through so much. My only worry is, though, that saying something will make things into a bigger deal than they need to be. This young woman will likely never visit this area and, if she does some time in the future, the likelihood is that no one will even remember the story by then, let alone her name.”

“I suppose you’re right,” Harry sighed, “although I still have this nagging voice in my head telling me to warn people to be on their guard around Cedric, if only because I don’t trust him to be. He seems to like attention too much so I doubt I will be the last person to be entangled with him.”

“I don’t think we have too much to worry about on that front either,” Percy assured Harry. “He will be gone from this area shortly so, unless you plan on sending a letter to warn the young people of Skye, I don’t think saying anything will make any difference.”

“You’re right,” Harry agreed, before flashing Percy a smile. “Thanks for this though. I feel as if I have been going around in circles with this forever. It has been such a relief to finally be able to sort my thoughts.”

“Any time, Harry. It’s what brothers are for.” He sent Harry his own warm smile and, for what felt like the millionth time, Harry remembered how glad he was to have been adopted by the Weasleys. He felt a little bad that Snape’s character would continue to be completely disparaged by the neighbourhood but, at the same time, it was also partly due to the man’s ill temper; he would not have had people turn against him so easily if he had just been nice. Harry was starting to learn that that just wasn’t his way though and, while difficult to get to know initially, Snape wasn’t half the villain that he seemed want to portray. 

He had managed to get two of his secrets off his chest as well, and with someone he knew he could trust. Snape had clearly been worried when he divulged the information about Miss Greengrass, and rightfully so, but Harry was glad that he had been given leave to share it with select individuals and he felt that he had chosen well with his older brother. The one secret he hadn’t been able to divulge to Percy had been the part of the letter regarding Mr Malfoy. 

It hadn’t taken Harry long to be home to realise that Percy wasn’t actually over Mr Malfoy. The gentle warmth that the man’s name still produced in Percy’s face whenever he heard it which told Harry what he felt was more than a passing affection. Harry felt that the match had all the hallmarks of one that would only keep getting stronger over the years and he was crossing his fingers that it would happen. It was part of why Harry hadn’t said anything to Percy about Mr Malfoy. 

Percy was coping at the moment, throwing himself into his work at the Ministry. Harry still caught him daydreaming, though, and that’s another part of why Harry kept quiet. Percy was currently coping and, while Mr Malfoy was still in France, there didn’t seem much point in reopening old wounds. At the moment Mr Malfoy was a wonderful dream and there was a chance he would remain that way. If he ever did return, however, Harry vowed that he would tell Percy everything and make sure he pushed his brother to get his man. Unfortunately that really did seem like a pipe dream. 

“Do you think Mr Malfoy will ever return to England?” Mrs Weasley asked Harry one afternoon. “I have spoken to everyone I know, as has Arthur, at my insistence of course. He is a wonderful man but would never think of doing something like that on his own. No one seems to have heard of his returning this summer, here or at the Ministry. It makes me very sad. Poor Percy was so hard done by over it all and I have half a mind never to speak of the subject again.”

“That might not be too difficult as I heard there is a chance he will remain in France indefinitely,” Harry replied truthfully. He knew from Mr Snape that Mr Malfoy was enjoying doing up his properties in France and, believing Percy indifferent to him, in Harry’s mind the man had no reason to return. 

“That is probably for the best then; I doubt there is anyone here who wants him to come back anyway,” Mrs Weasley sniffed, her attitude changing drastically at the perceived insult to her son. “I will always say that he used Percy terribly and, if I were him, I would be cursing the Malfoy line till the day I died. Percy is more sensitive than that, however, and I shall not be surprised if he dies of a broken heart. Then Mr Malfoy will know what he has done.”

Harry fought to roll his eyes. Percy was far from at risk of dying although Harry didn’t doubt that Mrs Weasley had already contemplated some curses. He didn’t want to risk encouraging such thoughts, however, for fear of the trouble it could cause, so stayed quiet. Some subjects were best left alone, so they could quietly vanish into the ether. 

It would be nice if all subjects would pass away as well as the topic of Mr Malfoy did but, unfortunately, that wasn’t always the case. The latest one to keep rearing its ugly head was the matter of the Quidditch training sessions. Ginny seemed determined to go and, while Mrs Weasley had her reservations about that career, she also had a hard time denying her daughter anything. It didn’t help that she seemed so despondent when the Quidditch players finally left, with Ginny swearing that there was absolutely nothing to do anymore. 

“Why don’t you just do what you did before the quidditch players arrived?” Harry suggested. 

“Don’t be so unfeeling, Harry!” Ginny huffed. “You know it’s not the same. It’s like having to play in the back garden after you’ve experienced the joys of playing at Hogwarts, only worse because playing with professionals was even better! Their training regimes were astounding, and the drills they used to run!”

“Yeah, I’m glad we never did anything like that at Hogwarts,” Ron chuckled. 

“Can’t you just recreate them?” Harry asked. 

“What’s the point?” Ginny huffed. 

There was more than one conversation like this in the week following the end of the matches, with Ginny looking increasingly despondent as the days passed. It was clear to see how such a picture would prod at Mrs Weasley’s heartstrings and, with a little more cajoling, it wasn’t long before Mrs Weasley caved and agreed to Ginny going for a try out. Once she agreed, the thing was essentially a forgone conclusion, but Harry couldn’t help have his reservations, so turned to Mr Weasley in a last ditch attempt to get people to see reason. 

“It’s not that I am against Ginny going to try out but, perhaps, it’s not a good idea for her to go far away on her own.”

“Ginny is a headstrong young woman,” Mr Weasley said. “She will do what she wants to do, and woe betide anyone who dares to get in her way.”

“I’m aware,” Harry sighed, “but surely that is more reason to try to limit her. At least have someone go with her.”

“But who, Harry? Percy and I will be at work and you will be off with Bill when these trials are. There’s no point in suggesting anything to Molly either; you know she has no interest in Quidditch at all.”

“Surely for her daughter,” Harry pleaded. 

“You can ask, but I would be surprised if she would agree. You would have more luck with Ron.”

That was true, although Harry had his reservations with the idea of Ron as chaperone. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust his brother and friend, but Ginny and Ron had a tendency to bring out the worst in each other.

“I don’t know what you are fretting about though, Harry. It is only for a day. Even Ginny can only get up to so much trouble in that time.”

“I know,” Harry sighed, “but I can't help thinking about what happened to Cedric. If Ginny goes on her own to a place where there are lots of single men it could easily damage her reputation.”

“I suppose you have a point,” Mr Weasley agreed. “I’ll talk to Ron. Who knows, maybe he will want to try out as well.”

Ron wasn’t particularly interested in trying out at first. 

“Why do I have to be the one to go with Ginny?” Ron moaned. “She’s an adult now, surely she’s old enough to go on her own.”

“Precisely!” Ginny huffed. “I don’t need a minder. I can look after myself.”

“No you can’t!” Mrs Weasley argued, having come round to the idea of Ginny needing supervision when Mr Weasley pointed out the potential risks. “You are a capable witch but there are all sorts of horrible people out there and, if something were to happen to you out there on your own, I would never forgive myself.”

“I don’t see how much Ron would help in that situation,” Ginny groused. 

“Hey! I did do Auror training!” Ron argued. 

“Not for long,” Ginny scoffed. 

“Poor Ron, he is a bit lost as far as his career is concerned,” George sighed. 

“Perhaps he should try out as well,” Fred mused. 

“I don’t want to be a professional quidditch player,” Ron huffed. 

“I suppose that’s for the best,” George nodded. “No offence, but I don’t think you’d have gotten very far.”

“Yes,” Fred agreed. “You’re good enough for a Hogwarts team but I don’t know if you are good enough for the big leagues.”

“I’m not that much worse than Ginny!” Ron argued. “Why aren’t you saying anything about her not being able to make it?”

“Maybe because I actually am that much better than you?” Ginny smirked. 

“Oh yeah? Well maybe I will go, and maybe I will try out myself and we’ll see who gets in.”

Ginny’s face fell slightly and Harry could somewhat understand. Lots of people tried out for the seeker position because it had all the glory, and you also had the chance to practice on your own, as opposed to the chasers which required a lot of teamwork. The keeper, on the other hand, wasn’t a popular position; you could be the greatest hero, or the greatest villain of the team, as Ron had learned in school. It’s why keepers were sometimes short lived on teams, not helped as they tended to get targeted by beaters in an effort to free up the goal and, as such, they were often sought after. 

It probably explained why Ginny suddenly decided that the team she wanted to try out for most was the Holyhead Harpies, an all female team. She had supported them for some time, principally their beater, Gwennog Jones, so it wasn’t completely strange, although Ron was adamant that she picked it just so that he wouldn’t be able to play as well. Harry was relieved with the decision though as it meant there would be less chance for Ginny to accidentally get herself in trouble. Mrs Weasley agreed, although she wasn’t too happy with how far away Holyhead was. Harry reminded her that it was significantly closer than Montrose or Portree and she kept quiet, cutting her losses. It probably helped that she secretly hoped that Ginny wouldn’t succeed. She still had hopes that her only daughter would find herself a nice, successful wizard to marry and settle down with. 

Chapter Text

Harry had often wondered about Mr and Mrs Weasley’s relationship. He had grown up with tales of his parents’ epic love story that was strong enough to defeat the greatest evil. When he was younger, he had assumed that Mr and Mrs Weasley’s love was the same. As he got older, however, he had begun to re-evaluate that opinion. 

It was widely assumed that there had been a great love at one stage, although Mrs Weasley’s penchant for making love potions did cause some to question that. Harry thought that was probably a bit of a stretch, what with how many children the Weasleys had, but he was hardly an expert on these things. If Mr Weasley had loved Mrs Weasley in the past, it had definitely tempered with time, however. While the pair had a deep affection for each other, and clearly tried to support each other, Harry couldn’t help feeling that there was a bit of a rift. 

Mr Weasley had his job and any free time he had was spent in his shed, tinkering with his muggle items, usually only coming out at meal times. He lived almost entirely separate from the rest of the family, which seemed to be entirely Mrs Weasley’s domain. Family seemed to be the thing that kept her happy, which probably accounted for the number of children, as well as the ever decreasing age difference between them. It was a union that worked for them, but it wasn’t one that Harry wanted to emulate himself. 

It had other issues as well. Mr Weasley’s absence meant that only Mrs Weasley was around to help entertain her children but, unfortunately, she had very little in common with them. She had a penchant for potions but, unlike the twins, Mrs Weasley firmly believed that the recipes they had were the best they could get and she saw now reason to mess with them. It had caused many arguments over the years and had long meant that potions were a topic that couldn’t really be discussed in the house. Mrs Weasley also had zero interest in quidditch and no head for chess, preferring cooking and knitting, meaning she had absolutely nothing in common with any of her children. 

It meant that, without the exhibition matches, the mood in the Burrow was very dull, more obvious with how lively things had been before. It didn’t help that the weather had turned as well, as it so often did in England; the few weeks of steady sun had been quite strange after all. It meant that everyone was stuck inside, not even wishing to go down the road, let alone further, and everyone felt very fed up. Harry was just grateful that he had his trip with Bill around the corner. He felt a bit bad that he would be leaving the others to wallow like this, but at least they had work, or the try out to look forward to as well. There was also a chance that the terrible weather would hold out and ruin most of Harry’s trip, but that was the joy of living in England. 

The rain did keep up most days but, by the time Bill and Fleur arrived two weeks later, it had mostly petered off. It was not yet as nice as it had been over Easter, but at least it was dry and Harry hoped the dull weather would keep other travellers inside so that he could get some flying in. He didn’t know how much chance he would get, however, as Bill took complete control of their itinerary. 

“Hermione did me a favour looking up a few things for me,” he explained. “You see, as with the Malfoys, it was presumed that a few other wizards used to help royals back in the day. I asked her to see if she could find any reference to names and she thinks she came up with something. The name is a little off, but there is a Peverell in Godric’s Hollow and, apparently, there was a Peverel who was a knight back in Norman times. The spelling is a little different, but that could easily be a scrivener’s error and I want to see if I can find anything. 

“There are two castles associated with that name: Peveril which is mostly a ruin and Bolsover which was redesigned back in the 17th century. I would like to have a look at them both.”

“Can we please have a look at the renovated one,” Fleur pleaded. “I would like the chance to find cover should it start raining again. Impervious charms are good but they don’t stop the humidity and your British weather is always hellish on my hair.”

“I suppose,” Bill smiled, dropping a kiss on the top of Fleur’s head. “There is a nice inn we can use as a base near Bolsover anyway, which would be good to use as a base. You know you are beautiful, bad hair or no.”

“In your eyes maybe,” Fleur huffed, although Harry saw a small smile play around the corners of her mouth. “I will be around unknown people, however, and want to look my best.”

“Even when we will likely be looking around dusty rooms?” Bill queried and Fleur smirked. 

“I managed to keep looking good throughout the TriWizard Tournament didn’t I? I don’t think a few dusty halls will break me.”

Harry smiled, always thinking the pair of them were completely adorable together, and he couldn’t help thinking that Percy and Mr Malfoy would have acted in a similar way if they had got together. 

The trip to Derbyshire was easy enough, with apparition points in nearby Bakewell where they stopped for tea as Fleur was desperate to try one of the famous Bakewell tarts. Bolsover was a little way away from there but Bill was able to hire a cab to take them the distance since Fleur refused to trek that far and Harry was eternally grateful to her. 

The castle itself was an impressive sight although Harry had to admit that his perspective was slightly tempered by Hogwarts that was both older and bigger than that. Half of it was clearly newer and Bill wanted to completely bypass it but the only way to look around it was with a guided tour and that was the bit that they concentrated on. As they neared the older part, Bill cast a surreptitious confundus spell on the tour guide and then waited for her to leave. 

“How often do you do that?” Harry whispered, thinking that his adopted family did like to break rules when it suited them. 

“A few,” Bill admitted. “Mostly for work but the practice does come in handy for these trips.”

Fleur set up some notice-me-not and muffling spells around them as Bill began casting spells to try and reveal any secrets. Harry felt a little redundant, but he contented himself looking over the paintings to see if he could notice anything that could be of use. They were quite boring in Harry’s mind, although that could be because he was used to moving portraits, and he found himself looking at them from different angles to see if he could detect any, despite knowing that muggle paintings were still.

As he looked at one, a portrait of someone called William Peverel the younger, he thought he noticed a mark on the man’s tunic: a triangle around a circle, with a line down the middle. Stepping closer, Harry used his finger to trace it. 

“Just like my cloak,” Harry muttered. 

“So you have the cloak,” a voice said, causing Harry to look up and yell when he noticed the man was now looking at him. 

“You’re a magical painting!”

“Yes, although I wish I wasn’t. It is immensely boring here, having to pretend to be still all the time. I almost wished I had been destroyed at some time.”

“I can understand that. I’m curious how you knew about my cloak though.”

“Oh that,” the portrait, William, smiled. “My cousin made it, along with his brothers. He would wear the cloak and come along with me to meetings with Stephen’s supporters so that he could relay information. His brothers had some objects as well. They were trying to find ways to help beat Stephen and get Empress Matilda on the throne. It didn’t work, unfortunately; we didn’t realise how hard they would fight to ensure that a witch never ruled England.”

“Wait! The queen was a witch?” Harry exclaimed loudly, then covered his mouth, only to remember that the muffling spell would make it so that they weren’t heard anyway. 

“Matilda was never queen,” William informed him, “despite being the daughter of the previous king. It didn’t matter in the end, though. Her son became King since Stephen didn’t sire any children. They accepted him because he couldn’t wield magic although, like me, he could sense it.”

“You’re a squib?” Harry queried. 

“What’s one of those?” William asked. 

“Someone who is born to a magical family but can’t use magic,” Harry explained. 

William sniffed. “That sounds quite derogatory to me. But the answer to your question is yes, he was, although I can’t imagine what would have happened to you if you had dared to refer to the King by that word.”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to offend you. If this was your castle, though, I was wondering, are there any magical secrets in it.”

“Of course!” William scoffed. “I needed to keep things hidden for whenever Stephen’s men came around.”

Harry waited for a moment to see if the portrait would continue but, apparently, he hadn’t gotten the hint. 

“Would you tell me where it is?” 

“And what will I get if I do that?” William countered. 

Harry frowned. “What would you want?” He was at a loss as to what he could possibly offer a portrait. 

“I need you to get me out of here,” William said. “I cannot handle any more centuries in this place staying silent. I want to go to the magical world.”

“You want me to steal you!” Harry exclaimed. “I can’t just walk out with you here, now. We are meant to be on a guided tour, they’ll notice.”

William rolled his eyes. “Then come back later, when it’s dark. There is basically no security on this place and I’m sure you can think of some way to do it if you can do magic.”

“Are you going to wait until I steal you to tell me then?” 

William paused in thought. “No, if you are a wizard then I assume you are trustworthy; the people my son met at Hogwarts seemed like the good sort.”

“Hogwarts is a great school,” Harry smiled. “I had lots of fun there.”

“You attended Hogwarts did you? Well, that is heartening to hear. Presumably you should be able to get into the area with ease. My cousin, Ignotius, invented this spell for opening locks, and the wand movement is based on the Deathly Hallows insignia here.”

William traced the inner circle of the symbol with his finger and something sparked in Harry’s mind. 

“Alohomora!”

“That’s the one!” William beamed. “Beastly handy when you’re spying on the enemy, I can tell you. I know Henry taught it to all his friends when he went to school though; I had several letters from the Headmaster. Still, the symbol will be on one of the columns in the Great Hall here and, if you cast that spell at it, a whole room will open up inside. How Ignotius was able to make it fit I don’t know but Ignotius said the space was available because he was a wizard.”

“Thank you, sir,” Harry smiled, “and I promise to be back to get you later.”

Harry ran off to find Bill and Fleur to let them know what he had learned. Bill was fascinated with what Harry learned and was half inclined to talk to the portrait himself, except that he was conscious of how much time they had left, before someone noticed them. It wasn’t too difficult to set up the wards again to find the mark, but it did take a while to find it, at the bottom on the far side of the furthest column.

There definitely was an impressive wizard’s space inside, especially as it seemed to have been created from a small space behind a stone, and there were far too many scrolls for them to go through then. Knowing that they probably wouldn’t have a chance to come back, short of finding some polyjuice potion somewhere, the trio shrank everything down as quickly as they could and sneaked out before the castle was locked up for the night. 

“These look like some sort of military documents,” Bill said as he scanned over the scrolls back in their room at the Pebley Inn later that night. It was a quaint but comfortable place and there was something about the name that was familiar to Harry, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. 

“William said that his cousin used it to store information he gathered when spying on Stephen’s forces,” Harry informed them. 

“I still can’t believe how close England was to having a magical queen,” Fleur sighed. “It makes me wonder if there is still magic running through the veins of the royal family or if it has been lost over the years.”

“It might be interesting to see,” Harry agreed. “I can see Hermione having a field day with all this.”

“She would definitely be a good person to consult,” Bill nodded. “My knowledge of muggle history is woefully slim I’m afraid. I can see what these documents say but I don’t know what it could mean in the grand scheme of things.”

“I suppose we could ask William,” Harry suggested. “I did promise to go and steal him away anyway plus he seems to have a great love of wizards. Apparently his son went to Hogwarts.”

“If I were you I would go soon then,” Bill said. “It’s a full moon tonight and you will be too visible once it reaches its zenith.”

Harry couldn’t argue with that wisdom and grabbed his broom, leaving the others to keep looking everything through. 

It was already surprisingly bright as Harry set off, swooping over the reservoir, aiming for the magnificent castle on the hill. It reminded him a little of when he was back at Hogwarts, although he hadn’t done any late night flying when he was there over Easter. Wanting to take in the sight, and relive some of his school day adventures, Harry flew down to hover just above the trees: at this angle it did almost resemble Hogwarts. 

Harry was lost in thought when, out of the corner of his eye, he thought he saw some movement. Squinting in the dark, Harry looked to his left, wondering if it was a non-magical owl going out for a hunt. The dark thing suddenly burst out from the tree line, over the reservoir and Harry could only stare in shock. It was far bigger than any bird he had ever seen, possibly even as big as he was, and it was cloaked entirely in black. He remembered learning about dementors when he was at school and, fearing one had escaped and was going to attack muggles, Harry gave chase. 

The creature seemed to sense him, or at least it sped up, and, while it had had a head start, Harry was still amazed that it managed to keep ahead of his broom, although he was gaining slowly. It didn’t help that he was only reacting since the thing seemed to be flying over a forest in the middle of nowhere. Suddenly the air seemed to shimmer and a large stately home appeared on the horizon. A magical house, it only made sense; of course that’s where a dementor would attack! 

Fearing what might happen if the residents were attacked in their sleep, Harry got low to his broom and flew as fast as he could, hoping to manage to get in front of the thing. He was close, so close, but, as he hit where the air shimmered, however, his broom began to spin out of control and buck wildly, almost as if someone had put a curse on it. Harry held on for dear life, desperately trying to get the broom under control. In the distance, he spotted the lawn and tried to steer in that direction. He wasn’t paying attention to what was around him, however, and he seemed to hit something. Harry was surprised, but he was still too distracted to pay it much heed, barely registering a splash as he collided with a grass bank, hitting the ground hard as he and his broom rolled end over end. 

Harry lay on his back and tried to catch his breath as he scanned the sky in search of the dementor. He couldn’t see anything and frowned, until he remembered the thing he had hit mid-air. It hadn’t felt cold, in fact it had felt pretty solid, and Harry was just questioning his initial assessment when he saw something dark emerging from a lake. Harry grasped his wand and was just trying to think of a happy thought when the thing flung back what Harry thought was a hood, only to reveal a sight that filled Harry with more dread than a dementor probably could: Severus Snape. 

Harry was dumbstruck, his brain stuck trying to decide whether to run like a coward or stay and beg forgiveness. He was waiting for Snape to lay into him, hoping that would kick-start him into gear somehow, but Snape, apparently, had other priorities. With a flick of his wrist, the long line of buttons on his robes came undone and Snape threw the garment off as quickly as the heavy, sodden fabric would allow. Underneath was a waistcoat and thin, white undershirt and Harry was suddenly caught by how it clung to the man’s arms and shoulders. The fabric seemed to glow in the moonlight, highlighting the shadows of the contours, making Harry think that there must be some definition there. 

Harry shook his head, trying to dislodge his wayward thoughts: he was not supposed to be mooning over Snape, period. It was clearly just a trick of the light. As the waistcoat was removed, however, the ties on the shirt loosened and Harry got a glimpse of the man’s pale, toned chest, causing him to gape. He had always known Snape wasn’t built, he was too thin for that, but Harry had always assumed that meant he would be scrawny. He had not expected tight, compacted muscles with just a hint of definition that left Harry wanting to run his hands over it to see if it was really there. 

Then Snape fully removed his shirt and Harry could only gape as his eyes traced a glistening water droplet slide down between Snape’s pecks, down his faintly defined abs, only to disappear into a line of dark hair that led underneath Snape’s breeches; breeches that hid a very distinct bulge. Harry gulped. 

“Ah, Mr Potter,” Snape drawled, apparently just noticing Harry sprawled on the lawn. “It seems that I owe you thanks for my current predicament.”

“I am so sorry,” Harry gushed. “I saw a dark figure flying through the air and, well, I, er, thought it might be a dementor.”

Snape smirked, and Harry felt his blood begin to heat up again. It was stupid, he had seen that expression on the man countless times; why was it suddenly starting to affect him? 

“I’ve been called worse. If it makes you feel any better, I thought you were some sort of bandit, aiming to attack me. That’s why I pulled you into the wards around here; I thought they would take you out completely. I’m impressed that they only knocked you out of control.”

Harry felt a faint blush rise to his cheeks at the compliment that he hoped would be hidden in the dark. 

“It was a close thing,” he admitted, looking down at his mangled broom and sighing. The tail had got completely splattered when he hit the ground and he wasn’t even sure he could take off again to get back. 

“You’re welcome to come into the house to try to fix it,” Snape offered. 

Harry frowned. “Wait, this is your house?”

“Indeed. This is Pemberley, where I have lived these past 20 years. It’s where I raised my wards as well so there are several broom repair kits in there.”

Harry paused. He didn’t particularly want to go into the house with Snape but he didn’t exactly have many options. The broom wouldn’t fly as it was and he didn’t know where the nearest apparition point was to the inn, even if he could simply apparate off Snape’s property. The place was muggle owned as well so there was no chance that it would be connected to the floo. Seeing no other option, Harry nodded. 

“Thank you, that would be greatly appreciated,” Harry replied. 

“In that case, please follow me,” Snape smiled, bending down to pick up his wet clothes before turning to lead Harry towards the impressive looking mansion. 

The lawn Harry had landed on led to a large pond, almost a small lake, that Snape had landed in, and he couldn’t help wondering what sort of creatures might live in there. The area that the house was on was apparently far more expansive than Harry had realised from the air and he wondered just how impressive all of the gardens were in the light. The building itself was impressive enough, with its countless windows across the front of the building. It obviously wasn’t Hogwarts size but it still seemed enormous compared to the Burrow and the thought that this could have been his home had he given a different answer fluttered across Harry’s mind. It would have been interesting to see Mrs Weasley’s reaction on seeing it, but then he caught himself. Given Snape’s opinion of most of his family, Harry doubted they would ever be allowed to visit.

It was like a bucket of cold water being poured on him, which he was thankful for; there was no point in dwelling on what ifs, especially if there was no chance of them ever happening now. Mr Snape had once said that his good opinion, once lost, could never be regained. Harry had no doubt that his severe refusal of Mr Snape’s proposal had put him firmly in that category. He was sure that this current politeness was purely to get Harry off his property as quickly as possible. There was certainly something in Snape’s posture that seemed tense and Harry could only think that his presence there put the man on edge. 

Chapter Text

Harry rubbed his eyes and yawned for the fifth time since starting to try to fix his broom and he was starting to wonder if it was even possible. Not that he thought his broom was beyond repair; he had dealt with far worse damage from the twins’ bludgers before. It was late though, and he was too tired to really concentrate on the delicate job of repairing and re-aligning the twigs in the tail. He sighed and sat up to stretch, just in time to see Snape walk into the room. The man had changed into a casual robe, black of course, but he had left it only loosely tied, giving Harry a full view of his chest once more. 

Harry felt his eyes drawn to the flesh once again and he mentally berated himself. He couldn’t help it though. Outside, where it was lit by the pale moonlight, Snape’s chest looked to be made of fine porcelain. Under the candlelight, however, it took on a faint golden tone, reminding Harry more of marble, and he wondered if the muscles were just as hard. He found himself wondering what it would feel like to trace the contours with his fingers.

Harry shook his head, wanting to dislodge any wayward thoughts. It was wrong to lust after the man like that and he wondered why his mind kept conjuring up such inappropriate thoughts. He hoped that he hadn’t been obvious with his stating but he wasn’t sure. He thought he had caught the flash of a smirk on Snape’s face but it disappeared so quickly that he couldn’t be sure. 

“Out of curiosity, why were you out flying so late at night, Mr Potter?” Snape asked as he sauntered over to Harry. There was usually an elegance about the way Snape moved but, now, his moves seemed almost predatory and Harry felt his pulse begin to race, only he didn’t think it was due to fear.

“Oh, um, I was hoping to steal a portrait," Harry stuttered, wondering why it seemed so difficult to form words all of a sudden, and did the room just suddenly become warmer.

Snape raised an eyebrow. “I didn’t realise things were so desperate for you that you were reduced to larceny?”

“They aren’t!” Harry huffed, feeling a flush rise to his cheeks. “We were visiting Bolsover Castle and I found a portrait there that was magical and he asked me to take him out of there. I felt sorry for him having to stay quiet all the time, and being lonely, so I agreed.”

“Interesting,” Snape drawled. “I have been to Bolsover Castle a few times and didn’t notice any magical portraits there.”

“To be honest, I didn’t either at first. It was only after I recognised a symbol as being the same on my father’s cloak that he spoke. He told us where to find a secret magical hideaway that was used to store documents from the war. Me stealing him and taking him somewhere was the payment. It’s why I feel extra guilty about hitting you.”

Snape hummed before walking over to look at Harry’s work, standing so close that Harry could feel the warmth from Snape’s body all along his back. Harry tried to suppress a shiver that passed through his body at the man’s close proximity. He had a feeling Snape noticed it, though, as he pressed a little closer, his breath brushing over Harry’s ear as he looked over Harry’s shoulder.

“You don’t seem to be getting very far with your repairs.”

Harry gulped as he felt his body react despite his best efforts. “I know. I think I’m too tired for this at the moment. Would it be too much to ask if I could borrow your broom?”

“I don’t have one.”

Harry spun around, staring at the man in shock, leaning back against the table to look at Snape aghast due to their closeness. 

“What do you mean you don’t have a broom? Did it get lost in the lake or something?” It seemed crazy to Harry to think that the lake was so big that Snape couldn’t summon it, but it was the most logical explanation his brain could come up with. 

“Hardly,” Snape scoffed. “I don’t use a broom when I fly.”

Harry frowned. “How do you fly then?” He was getting confused: Snape had definitely been flying before. 

“I use my magic to levitate and propel myself through the air,” Snape explained. “I have never trusted brooms. They are far too temperamental in my opinion.”

Harry could only gape at the man. “Is that even possible?” 

“You saw me flying didn’t you,” Snape smirked. “Did you see a broom?”

Harry shook his head, unsure what to say at first. Before he could think of something, Snape leaned in and whispered in his ear. 

“Does it impress you as much as my body did?”

Harry felt his jaw drop at the man’s audacity, even as his pulse began to pick up. 

“I don’t know what you mean,” Harry claimed, looking away but Snape only smirked. 

“Don’t try to deny it, Mr Potter. I saw you staring, and where your eyes went; it was like I could feel them travelling over my body, same as they did when I walked in just now. You know, if you only wanted a carnal relationship with me then you should have said; I would have been more than amenable to that.”

Harry shook his head. “We can’t do that, it isn’t proper.” He couldn’t deny that a certain part of him was very interested in that idea, however, and he hated himself a bit for actually contemplating the idea.

“For a man and a woman, no,” Snape agreed. “A little sexist, perhaps, but there is always a possibility that those relationships can result in issues.” He ran his hand down Harry’s stomach to make his point and Harry let out a gasp as his blood began pooling in his groin at the gesture. “With two men, though, or two women, that isn’t a risk, so society has a tendency to turn a blind eye, provided people are discreet of course.”

Snape pressed in closer and Harry gulped. “That doesn’t mean that we should though,” Harry argued, somewhat weakly. If he were being honest with himself, he hoped that Snape would be able to persuade him that this was a good idea.

“We don’t have to, of course; there isn’t much that we have to do as adults. If we want to, though, why shouldn’t we?” Harry wasn’t sure, but he thought, perhaps, that there was a note of uncertainty in his voice.

“Who says I want to?” Harry questioned, although he looked up at Snape through his lashes, almost begging Snape to persuade him with his eyes, and any uncertainty that might have existed in the other man vanished.

Snape smirked again. “The fact that you are still here is definitely a sure sign, and that you haven’t let out a verbal tirade at my audacity. You also seem to have a bit of a growing problem.” He moved the hand that had still been on Harry’s lower stomach to cup his groin and Harry let out a gasp. Snape leaned in to murmur in Harry’s ear. “I am perfectly happy to help you with that if you want.”

Harry gulped. “What do you have in mind?” He hated his brain at times, but his curiosity was too great; he had no idea what Snape was actually suggesting and he couldn’t bring himself not to find out. His curiosity only grew as Snape seemed to slide down Harry’s body to kneel in front of Harry and began to undo the laces on Harry’s breeches. 

“Just say stop if this gets too much, at any point,” Snape said, loosening the front of Harry’s breeches, allowing Harry’s cock to spring free as he pushed them down to the tops of Harry’s thighs. He leaned in, nuzzling the base of Harry’s cock, causing him to gasp. He had sometimes wondered what it would be like to be with someone, in a sexual way, but he had never expected it to feel so good, and with Snape of all people! 

Harry let out a small moan as felt Snape’s tongue come out to run along his cock, leaning back against the table, grateful for the support, looking down at the man as he seemed to be worshipping Harry’s cock. He had no idea why Snape would want to put his mouth on his cock but he certainly wasn’t about to complain; not when Snape’s tongue traced the veins and not when swirled around the head of his cock. It was like Snape was savouring Harry, as if he were some delicious treat, and didn’t that thought just add to Harry’s growing desire.

It all felt so good and Harry didn’t want it to stop at all. Nothing could possibly get better than this, or so he thought When Snape sucked on the head, though, Harry thought he had truly gone to heaven, and when he swallowed his cock whole, Harry threw his head back and screamed. 

Harry wasn’t even sure that his mind was in his body any more and he barely felt it when Snape began to grope his arse. It felt like he was pushing Harry further down his throat and Harry was amazed, and a little worried. He put a hand on Snape’s head, stroking his hair, hoping to make sure he was alright. That seemed to get Snape’s attention, looking up at Harry with a spark of mirth in his dark eyes. He seemed completely fine as he continued to bob his head, which had Harry seeing stars, something that only increased when he felt one of Snape’s fingers brush over his hole. 

“Did you enjoy that?” Snape asked, pulling off Harry’s cock to gently nibble along the shaft. Harry could only make vague, unintelligible sounds though, as all blood seemed to have been redirected from his head to his cock. Harry wasn’t sure if he’d been clear enough when he tried to say ‘yes it felt good’ because the finger disappeared from his arse, only to slide alongside Snape's mouth when he swallowed Harry back down. It felt a little strange, almost redundant, especially compared to what Harry had felt before, and Harry was a little confused as to the point of the action. It became clear, however, when Snape moved his now wet finger back to Harry’s hole and pushed gently but firmly against the tight muscle until it slipped in. 

Harry gasped at the intrusion, but it wasn’t a bad thing. There was a slight burn but it felt good, too good even, and he felt his pleasure crashing over him like a tidal wave that had Harry sobbing due to the delight as well as the loss. His hands slipped into Snape’s hair, gripping the strands as if his life depended on it and he cried out as wave after wave of pleasure coursed through him; Snape’s mouth working his cock the whole time, as if he was trying to suck the very life from him.

Eventually Harry seemed to come down from wherever his mind had gone, his throat strangely hoarse, and he realised that he had accidentally pulled out some of Snape’s hair. 

“Sorry,” Harry muttered, feeling a little awkward as Snape pulled off and stood up. He missed the feeling of the man’s mouth on his cock but he thought he missed the finger in his arse more. 

“You have no need to apologise, Mr Potter; this was my suggestion after all.”

“Harry. I think, after what we just did, we are a little past using titles.”

“If you insist, Harry, although you should call me Severus then,” Snape, no, Severus, smiled, and Harry felt a small smile of his own form on his lips. “Now, as you said, it is late and I do not have a spare broom. It would be remiss of me, then, not to suggest that you stay the night.”

Severus stood up, tilting Harry’s head back, and he was just leaning in when something sparked through the lust filled haze of Harry’s brain. 

“I can’t! Bill! He’ll wonder where I am.”

“Who’s Bill?” Severus asked, stepping back, a scowl forming on his brow. 

“My eldest brother, Bill Weasley. I’m here on holiday with him and his wife Fleur.”

“Of course,” Severus sighed, his body seeming to relax. “You could always simply let him know where you are. Send him a patronus message.

“What’s one of those?”

“Can you cast a patronus?” 

Harry nodded. 

“Alright, cast one then, and I’ll teach you how to use it to send a message.”

Harry found his wand and stepped away from the table, trying to think of happy thoughts, like Remus had taught him. The strange thing was, amongst the usual memories of his friends, and vague images of his parents, thoughts of Severus kept cropping up. 

“Expecto patronum!”

The image of his usual stag coalesced brightly in front of him and Harry breathed a sigh of relief.

“Impressive,” Severus murmured, stepping up behind Harry again, only this time Harry actually welcomed the closeness. 

“A stag, like my father,” Harry beamed. 

Snape hummed. “Really? I thought it was a buck.”

Harry frowned and looked at the man over his shoulder. “What do you mean? It’s clearly a male deer.”

“Yes, but the antlers seem a bit vague in shape so I thought it was a roe deer, as opposed to a red deer, which would make it a buck, not a stag.”

“Oh, I didn’t realise there was a difference.”

Severus hummed again and began nuzzling the back of Harry’s neck. 

“You are getting distracted, Harry. Now look at your patronus and think about who you want him to go to and then tell him your message.”

Harry nodded and tried to concentrate but Severus was very distracting, especially when his fingers began stroking over Harry’s hips as well, paying particular attention to the delicate skin at the juncture of his thighs.

“Um, hey Bill, it’s Harry. I had a bit of an accident when I was flying and broke my broom. I’m fine, don’t worry, but I’m not gonna be able to get back tonight. I landed in, um, Snape’s property, though, and, er, he’s letting me stay here.”

“Well done,” Severus murmured into Harry’s neck. “Now point your wand at it and tell it where to go. That's it.” Harry could feel the man’s smile against his skin when he complied. “Now, do I need to bother the house elves to make up a new room or will you just share with me.”

Harry gulped as Severus’ hands moved further around and began brushing against the top of his cock which was starting to come to life once more. 

“I, er, suppose I can stay with you.” It might not be the best idea ever but Harry couldn’t help hoping that Severus might suck his cock again. He wasn’t even sure he could get hard again but he definitely hoped so. It seemed as if he might be able to if Severus had his way. He seemed to have something in mind, at any rate, as his hands slipped lower to cup Harry’s balls. 

“That is good, especially as you seem to have be getting a bit excited again. Would you like me to help you with that?” There was note of eagerness in his voice and Harry was glad to think he wasn’t the only one getting excited by all this. The only problem was, Harry didn’t quite know what to do next, although he felt a little guilty being the only one having received any attention so far.

“Er, would you like me to help you as well?” Harry asked, feeling Severus’ own hardness pressed against his backside. He gasped as Severus lightly bit his neck as he gave Harry’s balls a slight squeeze. 

“I thought you would never ask, Harry.”

Harry gulped again. He wasn’t sure what he had gotten himself into but he was quite looking forward to whatever it was.

Severus led Harry through the halls. His breeches were still open and hanging low on his hips but Harry couldn’t bring himself to care as his blood thrummed with anticipation of what was to come. He half hoped that Severus would suck his cock again although he wondered if Severus had something else planned. He also wondered if he should try sucking the other man’s cock first. He hadn’t done anything to help Severus after all and Harry didn’t want Severus to think he was selfish. He was just wondering how to bring the subject up when Severus opened a door and led Harry straight over to the large four-poster bed. 

“Now, if you’re alright with the idea, take off your clothes and get into the middle of the bed,” Severus said, undoing his own robes. Harry felt himself being to stare and quickly began stripping himself completely, in an effort to distract himself; he didn't want to risk getting caught staring and Severus getting annoyed. He clambered across the bed and got himself settled, only for Severus to come and roll him onto his hands and knees. 

“Is something wrong?” Harry asked. 

“No at all, Harry,” Severus purred, nuzzling his face against Harry’s arse, causing Harry’s mind to stutter. “There is something that I want to do, though. Remember, you can tell me to stop at any time if I do something you don’t like.”

“Alright,” Harry nodded, pressing his face into the mattress as he felt his arse cheeks pulled apart and a strange bubbling sensation, as if his hole was being cleaned, before something wet and warm stroked over it. 

“Oh Merlin!” Harry gasped. Snape simply hummed before continuing to lick and nibble around Harry’s hole. It felt incredible to Harry and he could only moan, pushing back against Severus’ questing tongue, wanting more. 

“So greedy,” Severus murmured. “Do you want more?” 

“Please!” Harry whined, groaning when he felt Severus pushing fingers in, stretching him open so Severus' tongue could get deeper. It felt good, so good, and Harry was soon verbally begging for more. Thankfully Severus seemed more than happy to oblige. 

“I don’t think my fingers are enough for you, Harry. I think you need to be filled with my cock instead.” There was an eager delight in his voice that Harry could definitely understand.

Harry could only whimper, though. He was so turned on, but Severus was right. His fingers and tongue weren’t enough, Harry definitely needed more. A small voice in his head told him he was going too far, that this was all a terrible idea, but Harry was too turned on to listen to it. He was riding on a sea of bliss and barely aware of what Severus was doing until he felt something large and blunt pressing against his hole.

Harry cried out as Severus slowly pushed in; it burned as his body was forced to stretch around the intrusion but it still felt good and Harry pushed back, wanting more 

“So good, so tight,” Severus gasped, gripping Harry’s hips tightly as he slowly rocked himself deeper into Harry. “Keep pushing back against me though, that's it. I think you are enjoying this even more than I am though.”

“Yes, so good!” Harry groaned. He was slowly losing himself in an ocean of pleasure that only grew more turbulent when Severus bottomed out. Then, almost instantly, he began to move again, setting an almost gruelling pace as he began to pound into Harry’s hole, as if he were as desperate as Harry was with all this. Harry felt incredible and he hoped that Severus felt the same; he wondered if this amazing feeling would last forever. 

“So good! You feel so good, Harry!”

Harry wanted to agree but he couldn’t seem to get himself to form actual words, simply letting himself drown in the wonderful feelings. He felt Severus shift, pulling Harry willingly against his chest as he continued to thrust up while he took Harry’s own cock in hand. The new position felt amazing, causing something wonderful to spark within him with every thrust from Snape. The duel sensations had Harry racing to completion again and he could only hold on for the ride as his orgasm ripped through him once more. 

Harry woke up the next morning, in a strange bed, completely naked; a strange ache in his arse although he wasn’t as sore as he had expected to be. He knew he ought to feel regret, or at least guilt for what he had done the night before, but he didn’t. He knew, arguably, that it was morally wrong but Harry had enjoyed himself too much for regrets. At the same time, though, he couldn’t help worrying that Severus would now think less of him now.

“How are you feeling this morning, Harry,” Snape asked. 

“Good,” Harry responded, pulling the sheet up to his chest even though he was sure that it was a bit pointless. Severus had seen everything last night after all, although things seemed a little different in the cool light of day. It didn’t help that Severus had clearly been up for some time and had already dressed. 

“Would you like some breakfast?” 

“Please, although I should probably get dressed first.”

“Of course,” Severus agreed. “Sorry for the intrusion but I just wanted to make sure that I didn’t take things too far last night. I know I wasn’t as gentle as I could have been and that was obviously your first time." There was a touch of worry on his brow and Harry felt a wave of relief: if Severus was worried about his well-being then he had to still care for him on some level.

“No, it was fine. Great even.”

“That’s a relief,” Severus smiled, his warm, true smile that seemed to soften Severus’ face, and Harry felt himself smiling as well. 

“I, um, really enjoyed things so, um, thank you. I hope that you enjoyed yourself as well.”

Severus looked momentarily surprised but then he caught himself and his face gained an almost seductive look.

“Oh very much,” he purred, standing up and stalking towards Harry. Harry gulped, sitting back against the pillows, causing the sheet to slip down a bit. “If I’m honest, Harry, I would quite like to do it again.”

“Sure,” Harry nodded, his eyes wide with surprise and desire as Snape crawled onto the bed and over him. Harry slipped down, letting Snape’s body cover his own as his pulse raced again. He wondered if this would be a regular thing now, at least when he and Severus could both sneak away, and he had to admit that he quite liked that idea. A small voice at the back of his mind told him that, if he had agreed to marry the man, this could happen all the time, and he wouldn’t have the little ball of guilt at the pit of his stomach. He was doing something he shouldn’t after all, but he still couldn’t bring himself to stop Severus as he leaned down, his lips only a whisper away from Harry’s. It was like they were about to kiss and Harry found himself desperately yearning for it. 

Suddenly someone coughed nearby. 

“Apologies sir, but theres bees someone at the door for you.”

Harry felt his stomach drop. It was the reminder that he was doing something he really wasn’t supposed to. That was clear when Severus suddenly moved off him, leaving Harry feeling completely bereft. 

“Thank you, Kasper. Apologies for the interruption Harry, but you should probably get dressed.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t realise that you were expecting guests.”

“I am, but not until tomorrow. These guests are for you.”

Harry frowned. “Who would be coming here for me?”

“Mr Bill Weasley and his wife of course,” Severus smiled. “I sent him an owl this morning to let him know the apparition point for this place, so that he could make sure you were safe himself.”

Harry blinked. He had never imagined that Severus would willingly invite any Weasley to his house and he was wondering if something had happened, or if this was some sort of big joke. Unfortunately he would have to think about that later; for now he needed to get dressed, lest Bill start asking questions about what he’d been doing the night before. 

Chapter Text

Harry got dressed as quickly as he could and ran down the corridor, hoping he was going the right way. He had been glad when Severus had given him space to get dressed but he kicked himself for not asking where to go once he was done. Apparently his luck was on his side, however, when he found the main staircase and saw Bill and Fleur at the bottom. 

“Careful, Harry. We don’t want you to have another accident,” Bill joked. 

“It wasn’t my fault I crashed my broom,” Harry huffed. “I’m not that clumsy.” Still, he took care to watch where he put his feet as he descended, not wanting to accidentally fall on his arse, especially as it was still a little tender.

“Mr Potter is correct, the crash wasn’t his fault. If anything, I am impressed that he managed to make it through my wards with so little damage.”

Harry looked up in shock, nearly slipping from the surprise of hearing Severus practically compliment him. He managed to grab the banister to steady himself, but not without Bill noticing and letting out a sigh. 

“I must admit, they are very impressive wards,” Bill said, turning to address Severus. “I hope you don’t mind, but I had a little look as we passed through.”

“Not at all. I imagine that one of Gringotts top curse breakers would be able to examine my wards without affecting them,” Severus smiled. 

“I don’t know if I would say I am one of the top curse breakers,” Bill chuckled, an embarrassed blush colouring his cheeks. 

“Ignore him, Mr Snape. He is one of the best, if not the best, and he knows it!” Fleur stated with a huff. “Honestly, I will never understand this ridiculous British modesty of yours. You don’t benefit anyone by pretending to be worse than you are.”

“Quite, Mrs Weasley, and I am not surprised at your husband’s standing. I may have only taught him for a year but I remember him showing great promise, and I am glad he lived up to it.”

“He really is brilliant,” Fleur sighed, looking at her husband lovingly before turning back to Severus. “But please, call me Fleur. Mrs Weasley is always my mother-in-law in my mind.”

“Fleur then,” Severus bowed, flashing Fleur an understanding smile. “And please, call me Severus. You are guests in my home after all.”

“Thank you, Severus,” Bill said, somewhat haltingly, apparently also having trouble referring to an old teacher by their given name. “Thank you for taking care of Harry. We don’t intend to burden you any further, you have already done more than enough.”

“It was no bother, honestly; in fact, it was my pleasure.” Severus gave Harry a heated look as he said this. Harry was glad that he had already reached the bottom of the stairs when he did or he might have fallen over with it. He was certain his cheeks must be flaming due to a mixture of embarrassment, shame and desire. 

“Still, I was hoping to go out to see Peveril castle today anyway,” Bill admitted, “although it might be an idea to talk to that portrait Harry spoke to yesterday, to see if he knows anything.”

“In that case you need to head to my portrait gallery,” Snape informed him. “When Harry told me about the portrait, and how he couldn’t get him last night, I got my house elf Kasper go instead. He was even able to make an inanimate copy of William as well so the muggle will be none the wiser.”

“You did? Thank you, Severus!” Harry gushed, barely restraining himself from rushing over to embrace the man. He tried to show all of his feelings of gratitude through his eyes, though, and he thought Severus had gotten the message when he gave Harry a warm smile. 

“No thanks is needed, Harry. Like you, I was moved by William’s story and would have gone to get him even without you having made the deal. He was quite excited when he was hung up here and he realised he could travel to other paintings.”

“He could be anywhere then!” Bill groaned. “Maybe we should just visit the castle without talking to him.”

“No!” Fleur stated, shaking her head resolutely. “I refuse to risk spending all day looking around a complete ruin of a castle and risk getting rained on.”

“What are you talking about?” Bill huffed. “It is a beautiful day: warm sun and only a slight breeze.”

“That is the weather now,” Fleur agreed, “but I have been in this country enough to know how the British weather is. Any minute it can turn and suddenly start raining. I have even known it to rain when the sun is shining!”

“That is only because the clouds are in another place and the wind has merely blown the rain over,” Bill explained. 

“That may be, but it still ends up catching me completely unawares,” Fleur complained. “It is why I refuse to spend all day looking around in the open when I don’t have to.”

“But even if we look for William, there is just as little chance of us finding him here,” Bill argued, “and I am sure Mr Snape, Severus, doesn’t want us traipsing around his house like that.”

“Actually, it is no bother,” Severus informed them. “This house is huge and there are parts even I haven’t looked over yet. The front may look modern but it has been added to over the years and parts of it date back to the Medieval period, possibly even earlier.”

“It belonged to the Prince family, didn’t it?” Bill queried. 

“Yes,” Severus nodded. “My mother was a Prince by birth. They were purebloods but, like with the Potters, there was always the assumption that there had been muggle blood at some point so they were never included in the sacred 28.”

“I’ve always been under the impression that list was a load of rubbish anyway,” Bill chuckled, “but if this is the Prince’s ancestral property then I would be delighted to look around, so long as you are sure it is alright.”

Fleur rolled her eyes. “Severus already said it was alright, why are you second guessing the man? Personally I am fascinated by the idea as we are never able to look around magical properties and I am curious how they compare to French ones. We learn so little of your history in school after all.”

“Plus, if we are inside then you don’t have to worry about our terrible British weather,” Bill joked and Fleur smirked. 

“Of course, that goes without saying.”

Severus gave them a quick tour of the house, concentrating on the older parts in an effort to see if they could spot anything interesting. Harry found the house fascinating, especially with all of the various levels that had apparently been added by various generations over the years meaning that floor levels didn’t necessarily meet up. There were several places where you had a few steps or a short, awkward corridor connecting different areas. It gave the inside of the house a bit of a mismatched feel and put Harry in mind of the Burrow, but on a much larger scale. The place was huge; not as big as Hogwarts, but definitely designed to house numerous generations of family and plenty big enough and more than big enough to cater to the needs of the orphans. 

As Bill and Fleur were busy looking all around the rooms for hidden secrets, Harry was distracted by the view. The house was interesting enough, but Harry had never cared much for history. Unlike Fleur, Harry preferred being outside and he couldn’t help pausing at each of the windows they passed, looking at Severus’ gardens that he had only been able to peek at the night before. They were truly impressive, with different areas seemingly set up to suit different plants or creatures and Harry had a lot of fun trying to see what he could recognise. He was busy looking at a herd of porlocks grazing in a field when Severus came up behind him. 

“Is everything alright, Harry? You seem a little distracted.”

“Oh no, I’m fine,” Harry said, flashing him a reassuring smile. “I was just admiring your lovely gardens.”

“That’s good,” Severus sighed. “I was worried that you might… be having regrets… about last night.”

“Oh no!” Harry exclaimed, casting a look over his shoulder to make sure Bill and Fleur were out of earshot and lowering his voice anyway. “I enjoyed it a lot and, um, I was wondering if maybe we could, um, do it again.”

Severus looked surprised but then a heated look came over his face. 

“Do you, now? Well, I can’t say that I am against that idea. Were you thinking tonight, or now?” The last part was said with his own look towards where Bill and Fleur were tracing along the wainscoting to see if there were any differences. 

“Um, Bill? Fleur? Do you mind if I leave you to it and go for a look around the gardens while the weather is so nice.”sa

“That might be a good idea,” Bill mused, pausing his exploration. “Especially if there are some older sections.”

“I can show Harry some spots that contain old artefacts,” Severus suggested. “There are some areas I left untouched when landscaping before.”

“In that case, you should probably go quickly,” Fleur suggested, “before the weather changes.”

Harry looked out at the cloudless blue sky and fought the urge to roll her eyes. He loved Fleur but she really did have some strange preconceptions regarding British weather. Just because she had been caught out once or twice didn’t mean that it would always happen. He wasn’t about to complain, however, since it almost guaranteed that he and Severus wouldn’t be disturbed. He knew he should probably feel guilty about sneaking off to do something so untoward but he really couldn’t bring himself to care when the possibility of being able to feel that bliss again was so close at hand. 

Severus led Harry back through the winding corridors and interconnected rooms and Harry felt his pulse race more with every step. He hadn’t noticed how quiet everything was when they walked through before but, now, every echoing footstep reminded Harry how alone they were, as well as what had happened last night when he and Severus were alone last night. 

They turned a corner and Harry suddenly felt himself slammed against the wall with Severus pressing up against his front. 

“Did you want something from me, Harry?” he leered, leaning in until their noses brushed. “I have felt your eyes burning into my back ever since we left your brother and sister-in-law.”

“Perhaps,” Harry said; his mind wanted more than this but his mouth didn’t know how to voice it. Apparently Severus had some idea what Harry was trying to say as he leaned in and began running his nose along Harry’s neck. 

“Are you wanting me to ravish you right here?” Severus purred, and a shiver ran down Harry’s back. “My, Mr Potter, I didn’t realise you were so debauched.”

“I thought you had agreed to call me Harry.”

Severus placed a gentle kiss on the sensitive skin on Harry’s neck, causing Harry to gasp. 

“You are right. My apologies, Harry,” he murmured, lifting his head slightly to place another kiss on Harry’s slightly parted lips. Harry moaned as the kiss continued, deepening. Severus’ lips were thin and his tongue could be sharp, but this kiss was somehow both firm and tender and Harry felt himself melting into the other man. He was grateful when Snape’s arms wound around his back, offering support, or Harry feared he would have ended up as a puddle on the floor, especially when Snape’s tongue slipped into his mouth. Harry could remember how wonderful that tongue had felt on his cock last night and he groaned into Snape’s mouth. Grasping the front of Snape’s robes, Harry pulled him forward, grinding his hard cock against the man. 

Snape broke the kiss, much to Harry’s consternation. 

“So delightfully needy,” he murmured, nibbling a line along Harry’s jaw. “Perhaps we had best head out into the garden before we do anything. We would have a lot of explaining to do if Bill were to walk in and see us here. There is a spot in the maze that has been around for centuries, however, and there would be no chance of anyone walking in on us so we could take our time.”

The hand that was behind Harry’s back dropped down to cup his arse, to emphasise Severus’ point, and Harry could only gulp and nod. It seemed a shame to risk the time they had rushing and Harry definitely didn’t want to risk Bill finding them in a compromising position. Bill was generally a pacifist but he was also a powerful wizard and Harry didn’t want to think about what might happen if he thought Severus had compromised Harry’s virtue. 

Agreeing that discretion was definitely the better part of valour at this moment, Harry reluctantly allowed himself to get extricated from Severus and followed the man towards the main staircase, desperately trying to calm himself down a bit. He was only partially successful but he was quite glad that he tried as, just as they were crossing the main foyer, a voice called out from one of the rooms. 

“Oh, there you are, Severus! I asked Kasper where you were but he was a bit vague and just said you were giving some guests a tour.”

“Astoria!” Severus exclaimed. “What are you doing here? I wasn’t expecting you for a few days yet.”

“I know, but I must admit I was getting a little bored. I love Pansy but I swear the robe makers she kept taking me to all sold exactly the same things.”

Severus sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Astoria, what have I told you about being impertinent and reckless?”

Astoria drooped. “I know, I’m sorry, Severus, I just couldn’t handle another day of shopping and thought that I would come back early to help you make sure the house was ready, especially now only Kasper is here to look after things.”

“I can understand that, I don’t like shopping either,” Harry smiled, causing Astoria to notice him for the first time. 

“Oh, hello, I’m Astoria Greengrass, it’s nice to meet you.”

She held out her hand and Harry shook it gladly. 

“Hello Miss Greengrass, I’m Harry Potter. It’s lovely to meet you as well.”

Astoria’s eyes went wide. “You are the Harry Potter? I didn’t realise that you would be visiting.”

“Neither did I,” Harry admitted, trying to ignore the pointed look Miss Greengrass seemed to be sending Severus’ way. 

“Mr Potter accidentally crashed his broom here last night,” Severus explained. “When I learned that he was on holiday with his brother trying to find lost magical artefacts I suggested that they could have a look around some of the older parts of this home.”

“Oh, which brother?”

“My eldest, Bill,” Harry replied. 

“Not someone Pansy or Draco met,” Severus added. 

“That’s a shame,” Miss Greengrass sighed. “I would have quite liked to meet Mr Percy. I heard such varying accounts of him and I’m curious which is true.”

“Did you now?” Harry smiled, looking over at Severus as the man groaned. “Well, I would be more than happy to add my opinion to the mix. Percy is a wonderful brother: very caring, and he would do anything to help his siblings. He is very intelligent and insightful, although what he finds interesting is not necessarily what anyone else would.”

“Ah! That would explain why Draco said he was the most fascinating man he had ever met and Pansy and Millicent said he could be a bit of a bore.”

“Astoria!” Severus said, giving her a warning look. Her face fell and Harry felt obliged to try and reassure her. Severus was obviously worried she was saying something wrong but, as far as Harry was concerned, it was exactly what he had supposed. 

“Honestly, that doesn’t surprise me. I love Percy to bits but even my eyes glaze over when he starts talking about the importance of regulating cauldron thickness so I can fully understand why Pansy wouldn’t be interested.”

“But Draco would definitely lap that sort of thing up,” Miss Greengrass agreed, nodding her head. “That makes sense now. Honestly, I find it fascinating how different people’s personalities can affect how they view others. Sometimes it is not that the person is bad, per se, as an example, just that their personality doesn’t necessarily fit with yours.”

Harry nodded. “It’s why I try to form my own opinion of people, as opposed to listening to what others say. That being said, I can sometimes still make mistakes and jump to the wrong conclusion about things.”

His eyes flashed to Severus, hoping the man got the hint. Harry had truly taken in everything that had been said in the letter and he was sorry for the mistakes he had made. It didn’t make being in the man’s presence any easier, though. Added to his previous guilt was now also desire as well as regret for having made a hasty decision in turning down an offer of marriage that Harry now felt could have made him quite happy. 

Severus met his gaze. 

“We are all human and, as such, are bound to make mistakes from time to time. The best we can do is learn from them.”

Harry nodded in agreement, only wishing that the price of this lesson wasn’t so steep for him. 

“I remember,” Miss Greengrass giggled, seemingly unaware of the tension that passed between the other two. “You have told me that many times in the past.”

“And I am always grateful that you listened,” Severus said. He gave her such a warm, fatherly smile after, with such a look of pride on his face, that Harry wondered if he should reassess what sort of educator the man had been. In the past, Harry had always assumed that Severus was a cold taskmaster who would accept no nonsense in his lessons. He still thought that was the case, but Severus could also clearly be supportive as well, although it was possible that only a favoured few saw this side of him. 

“Are you staying for dinner?” Miss Greengrass suddenly asked, turning to Harry, making Harry jump a bit. 

“I had not been asked,” Harry replied honestly. 

“Oh please do!” Miss Greengrass gushed. “Severus is wonderful but it would be so nice to have some different company for a change.”

“It’s possible Mr Weasley has already made plans,” Severus suggested. Harry doubted it since Bill still hadn’t gotten used to food not simply just being there, courtesy of his mother, so often forgot to think about meals until he became hungry. It was possible that Severus was looking for an excuse for them not to stay, however, so Harry kept quiet. 

“True, although we won’t know unless we ask,” Astoria argued and Harry couldn’t help warming to the girl. There was a quiet insistence about her nature that was forceful without being crass. She then called for Kasper. “Would you be so kind as to find Mr Weasley if he has any plans for dinner and, if not, if he and his wife would like to join us? You don’t have any plans, do you, Mr Potter?”

“No, I don’t,” Harry admitted with a smile, “and please, call me Harry. Everyone else here will be.”

“Astoria,” she beamed. “Now, were you heading out to the gardens? Let me join you, I would love to show you my favourite spots.”

She looked so happy and hopeful that Harry didn’t have the heart to say no to her. Unfortunately it meant that his tryst with Severus would have to be put on hold for a bit. He supposed he could theoretically sneak by later that night, he would just have to make sure he found time to fix his broom, and found a quiet moment with Severus to actually arrange it. 

Chapter Text

Harry didn’t manage to find a quiet moment to arrange a new tryst with Severus but, as it turned out, that was entirely unnecessary. Harry wasn’t at all surprised when Bill admitted to having no dinner plans and was incredibly grateful for the invitation to dine at Pemberley, accepting it readily. He wondered how Severus might react, since Harry thought he was hoping that Bill would turn him down. The strange thing was that, unless Harry was much mistaken, the man actually seemed happy at that turn of events. That was until Severus had another surprise visitor by way of Mr Malfoy. 

Apparently the whole group was due to come by but, like Astoria, Mr Malfoy had gotten bored and decided to show up early. While Severus didn’t seem happy to receive his early guest, he seemed more concerned as opposed to actually upset and Harry wondered if, perhaps, that stemmed from guilt at knowing what he had done regarding Mr Malfoy’s potential happiness. Harry did wonder if, maybe, Severus might keep them separate over dinner, to ensure that Harry didn’t spill his secret. On the contrary, however, Severus sat Harry right next to Mr Malfoy allowing them to speak as freely as they wished. A part of Harry was glad for it but he also couldn’t help feeling upset about how much distance his current position put between him and Severus. 

At least Mr Malfoy seemed happy to see Harry, as well as meeting Bill and Fleur, who he greeted warmly and even spoke to Fleur a little in French, much to Fleur’s delight, essentially guaranteeing an ally in her for life. He did speak to Bill a bit about his work but the majority of his attention was spent conversing with Harry. He was very polite and attentive throughout, asking after all of their mutual acquaintances, everyone except Percy that was. Harry thought he had wanted to ask; there were several pointed silences where a question could have been but, for whatever reason, Mr Malfoy never voiced them. It was possible that he didn’t feel comfortable bringing Percy’s name up around Snape yet, so Harry made a pointed effort of doing it for him. 

“Percy is doing well as well. He is keeping himself very busy with his work as undersecretary at the Ministry.”

“Has he managed to implement any of the things he picked up while he was visiting us in France?” Bill asked and Harry felt like he could kiss his eldest brother for mentioning that.

“I’m not entirely sure, I will admit that my eyes do have a tendency to glaze over a bit when Percy starts talking politics but I know he is keeping himself very busy with things.”

“Was your brother in France recently?” Mr Malfoy asked. He tried to look casual when he said it but Harry noticed an alertness in his eyes that said he was very interested in Harry’s answer. 

“Indeed he was,” Harry replied. “He went to visit Bill and Fleur at her parent’s vineyard. I am surprised that Pansy didn’t mention it as she called on Percy while he was there.”

“Did she?” Mr Malfoy’s surprise was too genuine to be faked and, should Harry have ever doubted that he knew nothing of Percy’s visit, he had more than enough proof there. 

“She did,” Harry nodded, “and I believe that Percy called on her, although I believe she said something about you being with Severus in Marseilles at the time, or so Percy said in his letter.”

Mr Malfoy flashed Severus a confused look but said nothing more and the subject was dropped. Harry wondered if Severus would be having a serious conversation with the young man in the near future but he refused to get his hopes up that it would lead to anything happening. 

Conversation moved on to France after that, with Bill and Fleur asking which places the others had visited. 

“I spent most of my time in the Place Cachée,” Astoria sighed. “It was pretty enough, but everything felt very same-y, if you know what I mean. There were plenty of shops but they all seemed to be selling the same things and I should know, I must have visited every one multiple times. I did enjoy the tea shops though.”

Fleur just shook her head. “Those are not tea shops! If they do not sell tisanes then you know they are simply there to please the tourists.”

“I did wonder why so many people there were speaking English,” Astoria mused. 

“I never could get my head around tisanes,” Bill chuckled. “There is just too much choice in those shops sometimes and it just isn’t as refreshing as a proper brew.”

“I do despair that I fell in love with such a philistine,” Fleur sighed, although there was a teasing smile on her face. 

“I assure you that a cup of herbal tea can be just as refreshing as a cup of black tea,” Severus said. “Perhaps you could come by again tomorrow to try, if you do not have any other plans of course.”

“Actually, that would be wonderful,” Bill beamed. “I was actually going to ask you if we could come back anyway. I think I have found a secret passage but I want to come back with some of my detectors, to make sure it’s not booby-trapped.”

“It would be nice to explore during the day as well,” Fleur added. “I do so hate exploring these places in the dark.”

“That’s why you cast lumos,” Bill teased but Fleur just raised her eyebrow at him. 

“It is the principle of the thing, as you well know.”

“Well, if you would like to maximise how much daylight you have, you are welcome to stay here overnight,” Severus suggested. “We have plenty of rooms here and it would mean you could start as early as you wished.”

“So long as you are sure,” Bill said. “I wouldn’t want to be an imposition but I will admit it would be easier. I have no issues with muggles but it can be a bit annoying having to come up with explanations for things like Harry’s broom.”

“I imagine it must be even more difficult for Harry to fix it,” Severus said, giving Harry a pointed look and Harry felt his cheek become warm. 

“I haven’t exactly had a chance yet,” Harry admitted quietly. 

“Well you are welcome to stay here as well, Harry, and then you might have more chance.” There was a spark of lust in his dark eyes and Harry unconsciously gulped as he felt his pulse begin to race. Staying in Severus’ house probably wasn’t the smartest idea but it certainly would make things a lot easier for him and he found himself gratefully accepting the offer. 

Dinner passed without any further incident. Harry was glad for it as it gave him the opportunity to watch Mr Malfoy and Astoria interact and, he was happy to note, he was very pleased by what he observed. Mr Malfoy definitely spent a great deal of time watching Astoria and talking to her. It was more brotherly though, as opposed to being a lover: telling her to eat more as she was looking too thin or saying that she should have worn a shawl as the wind was creating a draft. He could understand why Pansy might think that a sign of something more but his comments put him more in mind of how Bill spoke to him as opposed to how Bill spoke to Fleur: more nagging, less teasing. 

It wasn’t like how Severus acted with him either, although arguably that was more lust than love. Harry had only managed to look Severus’ way about half a dozen times during the meal but each time his dark gaze burned with passion but, in Harry’s mind at least, there was also a touch of tenderness. There seemed to be something softer about his person as well, less haughty than before. Harry had thought the man’s manner had improved when they spoke yesterday, although Harry worried that it had been in his imagination, or possibly a fleeting change, purposely curated as a way of seducing Harry. It hadn’t faded, however, even in the company of others, and Harry now hoped that the change might be more permanent than he had feared. 

It caused a great deal of confusion for Harry, regarding his feelings for Snape, and it had him very distracted that evening as he tried, in vain, to finish fixing his broom. The job really shouldn’t be that hard but his mind refused to concentrate on his task and he kept having to go back over parts he had already ‘fixed’ as he hadn’t done a good enough job the first time. 

“Are you making any progress yet?” came the voice of Severus, making Harry jump as he turned around in his chair to see the man standing just inside the door.

“You could have knocked,” Harry groused, picking up the tools he had dropped, even as he felt parts of his body begin to stir. 

“I did, though admittedly not loudly. I didn’t want to disturb you in case you were already asleep.”

“Not yet,” Harry said, not wanting to admit that he had been waiting for a time when he thought it might be an appropriate time to go and see Severus. He hated how much of a thrill that he got from seeing the man in his room but he could definitely now understand why some people got carried away with things and got themselves into trouble. He knew he should feel guilty about wanting this and he did, or at least a small part of him did. The problem was that that part was getting drowned in a sea of desire and Harry was having a hard time remembering why he should listen to it. 

“I wasn’t sure whether my presence would be welcome tonight,” Severus said. “I know that you said you wanted to continue things this morning but I wondered if you had, perhaps, changed your mind.”

Harry shook his head vigorously. “Not in the slightest.” It wasn’t a complete lie and Harry was glad he had said that when Severus’ face instantly brightened. 

“That is good to hear. Perhaps you would like to get on the bed then. I leave it up to you how much clothing you want to wear.”

Severus began to get undressed and Harry was at a loss as to whether to watch Severus or not but, as the man began slowly undoing the numerous buttons of his robes, Harry figured he didn't have time to wait and quickly stripped himself bare, kicking his breeches of even as he jumped into the middle of his soft, comfortable bed. He wriggled into the velvet quilt, gently stroking himself as he continued to watch Severus. The man seemed to appreciate the attention and took his time peeling off every layer as Harry allowed his eyes to roam. It felt like a treat to have such an opportunity, one that Harry wasn’t sure he would get again, so he was certainly going to indulge. 

Eventually Snape was also completely nude and he once again crawled over the bed and along Harry’s body, causing him to shudder with anticipation. This was how things had begun the night before and Harry felt his body heat up as he remembered how good Severus’ mouth had felt on his cock. He moaned as their lips met, parting his lips slightly almost straight away, hoping to encourage Severus to deepen the kiss quickly. Severus seemed to have other ideas, however, and soon pulled away, only to start kissing his way down Harry’s body. Harry sighed, allowing his legs to fall open, hoping that Severus would accept his unvoiced request. Severus just chuckled as he moved lower, using his teeth to gently bite and pull Harry’s nipple, making him gasp even as his cock jumped in interest. 

“Are you getting impatient Harry? You do know that there is no reason for us to rush things. We have all night tonight.”

“I know,” Harry sighed, “and I hope to make the most of it. Maybe, maybe I can try sucking your cock as well?”

“At the same time?” Severus queried, as his lips continued to make their way down Harry’s body? Are you sure that is what you want? We might get a little carried away, although I will admit I enjoy oral sex as well as anal.”

“Please! I want, I want to pleasure you as well.”

Severus groaned. “That really isn’t necessary, Harry. I am perfectly satisfied taking my fill from you.”

“Please!” Harry begged, his voice keening in desperation, and that was apparently enough to cause Severus to cave. As his mouth reached Harry’s cock, he shuffled his body around so his hips were level with Harry’s head. He then pulled Harry on top of him as he pulled Harry’s cock into his mouth. Harry tried to copy his motions, but it was a bit more difficult than he had first anticipated. It didn't matter too much, though, as Severus carried on regardless and Harry was soon so lost in desire that breathing seemed to become an afterthought and his body seemed to react more on instinct than anything else. 

He didn’t know how much time had passed: it felt like an eternity and a second all at once. Before he knew it, though, his orgasm was rushing over him and he didn’t even have time to warn the man before he was filling Severus’ mouth with his cum. He groaned as he did, swallowing around Severus’ cock, which was apparently enough to send Severus over the edge himself. Harry choked a bit as his mouth filled with Severus’ seed and he pulled off, only to end up with the rest on his face. 

“Are you alright?” Severus asked, and Harry nodded, even as he continued to cough. “I should apologise, I should have warned you.”

“I don’t think it would have made any difference,” Harry croaked, trying to flash Severus a smile. The man, at least, now looked relieved. 

“Well I hope that you enjoyed yourself regardless, Harry.”

“I did,” Harry nodded, licking his lips. “I should probably go and clean myself up now though.”

“It’s a shame, you look quite delightful like this,” Severus murmured, stroking a finger along Harry’s cheek. He scooped up a dollop of cum as he did and fed it to Harry, allowing to lick it clean. 

“Well, it is still early, perhaps we can go again later,” Harry suggested, with what he hoped was a seductive look. Unfortunately it didn’t seem to work very well. A pained look came over Severus’ face as he shook his head. 

“You might be able to, but I likely will not,” he sighed. “It’s why, as loath as I am to admit it, we are probably best calling it a night. Discretion is key after all.”

“Right,” Harry sighed, but he couldn’t help feeling disappointed at the thought. He thought it would have been nice to spend some time with the man, just the two of them, together. With so many people in the house now, Harry couldn’t help feeling that they wouldn’t get much of an opportunity. He began to miss the days they had been at Hogwarts together and he wished he hadn’t wasted so much of his time there, allowing himself to be ruled by petty prejudices. As Snape bid him goodnight, Harry a sharp pang of regret at his hasty decisions in the past. There was no point in wallowing in what could have been, though. Instead, as he washed his face clean, he decided to do his best to make the most of the time he had and try to learn from it so that he didn’t make such stupid mistakes again. 

Chapter Text

Harry’s loneliness hadn’t abated when he woke up in the morning and, as comfortable as his bed was, he couldn’t help feeling that it was cold, despite the fire in the grate roaring to stave off the late spring morning chill. It’s why he didn’t linger, choosing instead to get up straight away and go downstairs in an effort to spend some more time with Severus. He didn’t know what the man’s plans were that day, but, if he were lucky, he might even be able to persuade Severus to actually show him the maze he had talked about the day before. 

That idea was quickly disregarded, however, when Harry went down to breakfast, only to come face to face with Pansy Parkinson. Harry had always been of the impression that Pansy’s dislike for him was, at least in part, due to jealousy that Harry was getting Severus’ attention when she wasn’t. Of course, they had serious personality clashes as well, which is why she could stomach Percy, despite her preference for Mr Malfoy as well. She saw Harry as uncultured and crass and Harry thought she was an utter cow. Harry was pretty sure she only barely tolerated her because she had to and that idea was cemented in his mind when he stepped through the door. 

The early morning sun was just cresting over the northern hills, illuminating the room and, more specifically, Pansy, giving Harry a clear view of the look of disgust as it flashed over her face on viewing Harry. It was quickly covered up to a neutral expression but Harry couldn’t help wondering what must be going through her mind. For Harry to be at the house so early meant that he must have stayed the night and then, Astoria greeted him warmly, by his given name, and Harry thought Pansy might spontaneously combust right there. She must be wondering if Severus had proposed to him already, and he had in fact; Pansy’s reaction, however, was just another reason Harry regretted his hasty decision. He wasn’t about to give her the satisfaction of knowing that there was now no chance of her fear being realised, though, and Harry made a point of greeting Astoria with equal warmth, as if they had been friends for a long time. 

“Good morning, Astoria. I hope you slept well.”

“Surely I should be the one asking you that,” Astoria laughed and Pansy looked suddenly quite constipated. Harry bit his cheek to hide his smile. 

“I hope the room was to your liking,” Astoria continued, oblivious to her friend’s discomfort. “I had thought to put you in one of the old student rooms, so you would be near Draco and I, but Severus insisted that you were a guest so should be in the guest quarters, which makes sense really. Of course Bill and Fleur had one of the family rooms but I am surprised that he put you across the hall from him as opposed to being closer to them.”

Harry had to bite his tongue to stop from laughing out loud at the look of horrified shock on Pansy’s face at that announcement. 

“I’m not complaining,” Harry interjected quickly, before Pansy had a chance to say anything that might spoil his fun. “The room has wonderful views of the gardens. I was actually thinking that, if he wasn’t busy, Severus might show me around the maze today, like he had planned to yesterday, before things got busy.”

“I imagine he will be too busy today as well,” Pansy blustered. 

“That’s true, although he usually tries to make time for guests, and he does seem to hold you in particularly high regard, Harry.” Astoria flashed Harry a smile, that Harry was more than happy to return, as if they were sharing some sort of secret conspiracy between them. He didn’t know how much Astoria actually knew but, if she were merely working off assumptions, she was obviously very sharp and Harry was warming more to her every moment. 

“I don’t know what you are saying, Astoria,” Pansy huffed. “Severus never puts anything before his duty.”

“I don’t know about that, but he is a stickler for things sometimes,” Astoria mused, grudgingly. “If he is too busy, Harry, I will happily show you the maze although, if I’m honest, I would rather show you the waterfall in the woods. It’s my favourite place; I just find it so calming.”

“That sounds lovely,” Harry smiled, “and that way I can save the maze for when Severus is free.” That suited Harry anyway; he liked the idea of exploring the more private areas with Severus. 

“You aren’t supposed to go to the waterfall on your own, Astoria, you know that!” Pansy scolded. “Who knows what is lurking around the woods these days but there are definitely kelpies by the waterfall, they love the roar and splash of it.”

“Kelpies are only dangerous if I go in the water,” Astoria huffed, “even you should know that. So long as I stay on the bank I’ll be fine.”

With that, the three of them fell into silence as they helped themselves to food. Even as he ate, however, Harry couldn’t help getting distracted by the thought of Severus arriving. Harry was excited by the prospect of seeing Severus again but, at the same time, he also dreaded it. Seeing Severus always reminded Harry that, whatever this was between them, it was only temporary really and would one day come to an end. It was a bit depressing, when Harry thought about it, but it also made him determined to make the most of this opportunity he had been given. That being said, the second he stepped into the room, Harry was overcome by a feeling of dread. Severus stirred up such a mix of feelings in Harry that he didn’t know how to deal with, not in public anyway, any he half wished he could go back to hating the man; things were a lot simpler then. 

Harry resolved to remain calm in the man’s presence, although that was easier said, or rather thought, than done, as he suddenly became the object of intense scrutiny, from the ladies as well as the gentleman. Severus seemed to catch Harry’s eye the second he sat down at the table; his gaze was as intense as ever and Harry had to look away instantly when their eyes met.

Harry didn’t know why, but he had a feeling that Severus would have tried discerning Harry’s very thoughts if he held it, like he was some sort of master legilimens or something, and Harry definitely didn’t want to risk the man seeing his thoughts in case he was. Harry had a hard enough time dealing with the feelings he already had, he didn’t want to add crippling embarrassment to it as well. 

“Do you know if Bill and Fleur will be joining us for breakfast?” Astoria asked, and Harry could have kissed her for introducing a new topic of conversation and, consequently, a distraction. 

“Unfortunately no,” Severus replied. “They wanted to have an early start on looking around the property so they breakfasted in their room.”

“That’s a shame,” Astoria pouted. “I was curious to talk to Fleur about the best places to go in France for the next time I’m there.”

“Who is this Fleur?” Pansy asked. 

“My eldest brother’s wife,” Harry said. 

“Oh, I didn’t realise there were more of you,” Pansy sniffed, an unrestrained sneer on her face. It meant meanly but Harry was glad for it. He understood meanness, and how to parry it, which gave him something secure to hold onto in the quagmire of emotions that Severus evoked. 

“There is another brother as well,” Harry smiled. “He works in Romania, though, so you are unlikely to meet him.”

“Oh, what a shame,” Pansy drawled, clearly not caring even slightly. “By the by, have the quidditch players moved on from Ottery-St-Catchpole, yet? I couldn’t remember if the exhibition matches were over yet or not. Your siblings must be so upset if they have moved on, although perhaps some with family connections lingered a bit?”

It was a reference to Cedric of course, although Pansy was careful not to mention his name in Astoria’s presence, likely so as to not upset her. She was clear enough for Severus to understand her references, however, and Harry instantly felt the man’s gaze on him, scrutinising his reaction. Harry just huffed out a smile, however. It had been some time since Cedric had excited any emotions in him and he could respond with perfect calm. 

“They have already left, yes, and I believe that my siblings are looking forward to the league starting as their next source of entertainment.”

“Well that should at least be a less social activity,” Pansy snickered, clearly referring to the poor behaviour of the Weasleys at the ball. Harry assumed she was trying to remind Severus of why he had thought Harry a bad match and Harry couldn’t help chuckling. It hadn’t been enough to stop him proposing and he doubted that it would make a difference now. The talk of quidditch, however, was clearly making Astoria feel unnecessary, so Harry felt the need to move the conversation on. 

“It is certainly nice to be able to listen to the games on a wet summer day,” Harry said. “British weather can be a pain in that way. I quite envy you for getting to grow up in such a house as this; I’m sure you had endless fun, regardless of weather.”

“Oh we definitely did!” Astoria gushed, her shoulders instantly losing all of the tension they had previously held as she jumped on the topic with unrestrained glee. It was clear that she had had a very happy childhood and Harry’s heart warmed at that. Astoria was such a lovely girl and Harry was glad to see that she had obviously had such a nice childhood and, he had to admit, that it made his feelings for Severus soften further. The man had been young and single, with no siblings of his own, yet he had taken it upon himself to raise these children the best possible start in life. 

Harry found his eyes looking over at the man in question, and he was glad to note that Severus’ own shoulders had now relaxed as well. There was a small smile playing around the corners of his mouth but, when he raised his head and met Harry’s eye, that smile seemed to vanish. Harry felt himself frown slightly, wondering what Severus could have seen in his face to make him suddenly upset. It had Harry worried and, as soon as he had finished his breakfast, he excused himself saying that he wanted to go and check on Bill and Fleur. 

Almost as soon as he was out the door, Pansy instantly started her abuse of Harry. 

“I must say, I hardly recognised Harry when he walked in here this morning. He has become so brown and coarse since the winter: I have never known someone to change so much in such a short time. I imagine how much time he must have been spending outside to gain such a colour in England of all places.”

“Did he?” Severus queried. “I didn’t notice any difference than a slight tan, although I know that he spent many afternoons in the grounds when he was at Hogwarts in the spring and the weather was unseasonably nice then.”

“Was Harry there when you were at Hogwarts?” Astoria asked. “How wonderfully fortuitous. It’s almost like it was fated.”

“Hardly,” Pansy scoffed. “His friend had just gotten married to the teacher so it is hardly surprising that he wouldn’t go for a visit once the holidays started.”

“I suppose,” Astoria sighed, “although I must say, Pansy, that I don’t think I can agree with your assessment of Harry either. Personally I think being tanned quite suits him.”

“Perhaps that is what it was then,” Pansy drawled. “I remember, when we first met him at the Ministry, we had been informed that Harry was one of the most handsome wizards and we were quite surprised to find that he wasn’t actually that special. Perhaps it is due to growing up around people like Draco and Blaise but I remember thinking that he looked quite average. There was no strength in his jaw and his face lacked symmetry, made more evident thanks to that scar of his. You thought so as well, at the time, Severus. I remember, quite distinctly, after that ball, you saying: ‘Mr Potter handsome! I would sooner call his adopted mother witty’. After that, though, he seemed to somehow improve in your opinion and I believe, at one point, you thought him quite attractive.”

“Yes,” Severus said, tersely, unable to hold back any longer. “That was only when I had first met him, however. It has been some months, however, since I have considered him one of the most handsome men in my acquaintance.”

With that he left the room and poor Pansy was left with the bitter satisfaction of forcing Severus to confess something that caused no one any pain but herself. 

Chapter Text

Harry was left with his own thoughts as he walked through the halls in search of his eldest brother. He didn’t normally care all that much for searching buildings with Bill but, for some reason, he didn’t mind the thought of looking around Pemberley and was quite interested in learning what secrets it held. The fact that it was also a great excuse to get away from Pansy and all the turbulent emotions Severus evoked didn’t hurt either. He did wish that this secret wasn’t in the most disused part of the house. The corridor that the House Elf directed him down had nearly half an inch of dust down it, although it wasn’t overly visible. Harry could barely see Bill and Fleur’s footprints in it and he almost missed the long disused cupboard Bill was currently searching. 

“We didn’t think we would be seeing you this early, Harry,” Fleur said, as Harry stepped into the light coming from her wand. “I thought for sure that you would be out enjoying the gardens.”

“It’s a little bit cold yet,” Harry said, by way of an excuse, “and I was a little curious about what you had found.”

“I’m not quite sure,” Bill admitted, “or at least I am not sure what it means. There are lots of roses around, carved into the wood. They even seem to be made of a different wood, a lighter one, almost white, although I don’t know enough about woods to be sure. Almost wish I could consult Ollivander to find out.”

“I don’t think the type of wood is that important,” Fleur said. “Personally I am more curious about the style. Two lots of 5 petals; I have never seen anything like it before.”

“I have,” Bill said, “Although the ones I’ve seen were never in a specifically lighter wood like this. I don’t know if it is a style choice or done for a reason.”

“Personally I think the coat of arms on the suits of armour would be more important than some carvings,” Fleur argued. 

“You only like that because it has fleur-de-lis on it,” Bill chuckled, “although that does have the roses on it as well.”

“Does it?” Fleur queried, turning to look under where a lion and a stag were standing rampant around a shield. “Oh, so it does. Maybe they are important after all.”

“Not as important as that light,” Bill groused jokingly. “Please come back here so I can look in this cupboard; I am sure there is some sort of secret space in here.”

“It seems like you don’t really need me,” Harry chuckled. “I don’t know if I would be of any use except to provide a little extra light.”

“Extra light would be appreciated,” Bill said, popping his head out the cupboard with a smile on his face. “By way of thanks, I can always give you Percy’s letter to read while you’re here.”

“Oh, so he wrote to you. I was curious why I hadn’t heard anything from him yet.” Harry accepted the letter gratefully as he cast a lumos and began to read. 

Dear Bill (and Fleur and Harry), 

I do hope you are enjoying your little jaunt and I can’t wait to hear about any new secrets that you have discovered. As wizards, we often talk about the statute of secrecy and seem to forget that there were centuries of history before that where muggles and wizards were more closely intertwined and I am always interested to see just how closely that was. I was amazed to hear that a witch had almost been queen and even more amazed to hear that her squib son had taken the throne. I wonder if there were ever any actual royals who could do magic and I’m almost inclined to try to research to see. 

If I had a bit more time I might, but work at the Ministry is keeping me so busy right now. There were a number of changes I had wanted to implement, and, while people had seemed initially interested, that interest seems to have died out somewhat. I am sure it is because I learned them at the French Ministry; you know how funny some British wizards can be with French ideas. 

I wish I wasn’t so busy and I was free to go to Ginny’s tryout with her. I love Ron but, if I’m honest, he isn’t the most responsible of people and, with how headstrong Ginny is, I don't know that he will keep a close enough eye on her. There is even a good chance that Ginny will do something precisely because it is Ron watching her; you know how much those two like to wind each other up. I keep trying to persuade mum to go instead, or at least with them, but she refuses to accept that there is any danger. In her mind Ginny is too innocent and pure to risk getting into trouble and I don’t know how to open her eyes to the potential dangers, even without doing anything. 

I don’t want to worry you unnecessarily though. I am sure I am worrying unnecessarily and, just in case, I will make sure I return home early tomorrow, just in case. 

Enjoy the rest of your trip and I am sure I will be able to write to you tomorrow to tell you all about Ginny’s trial and how I worried for nothing. 

As ever, 

Yours, Percy

Harry couldn’t help sharing Percy’s worries and once again wished that he had been able to stop Ginny’s tryouts completely. 

“Bill, can you do me a favour and let me know as soon as Percy’s next letter arrives.”

“Are you worried about Ginny as well?” Bill queried. “I am sure that Percy is exaggerating the risk. She is going to Holyhead after all, isn’t she?”

“Well yes,” Harry replied, “but that doesn’t mean that she can’t get into trouble. You know what she can be like.”

“Ginny is headstrong and can be a bit rude but do you really think she would do something to put herself in jeopardy?” Fleur asked. 

“Possibly,” Harry admitted with a sigh. “Ginny has a tendency to act on emotion, as opposed to thinking rationally; taking the first option open to her as opposed to thinking about whether there is a better option.”

“True, but that doesn’t mean that she is going to run off with a man and jeopardise her future,” Bill said, but Fleur rolled her eyes. 

“You do know there are things that she can do with a man that won’t risk causing her issues.”

“I am aware,” Bill hissed, and Harry wondered if he was blushing a bit. “Ginny isn’t aware though, and neither is Harry, and I would rather keep it that way.”

Fleur smirked. “On the contrary, I think Harry has a very good idea about what I am talking about. He and Severus do seem particularly close.”

“It’s not like that,” Harry denied, although he knew his cheeks must be flaming under the wand light. 

Fleur frowned. “Do you mean that you haven’t had sex with Severus yet?” 

It was said in a way that made it seem as if they obviously had and Harry could only gape at his sister-in-law: partly due to her ability to discern his actions and partly for her audacity in saying it out loud. Unfortunately, Harry’s lack of an actual denial only seemed to confirm Fleur’s suspicions and a Cheshire-like grin spread across her face at Harry’s continued silence. 

“I knew it! Well done Harry, I knew I liked you for a reason.”

“Fleur!” Bill exclaimed. “Please don’t encourage my little brother to act recklessly.”

“What’s reckless about it?” Fleur asked. “It is not like Severus and Harry can accidentally get pregnant together so I don’t understand what the issue is. Honestly, you can be so annoying British sometimes, worrying about things like propriety when it really isn’t an issue.”

“Pregnancy isn’t the only problem that can arise from situations like that and I don’t want to see Harry getting hurt,” Bill reasoned. 

“How do you know that he will get hurt?” Fleur questioned. “How do you know something won’t come of it? There is obviously something between them. What will doing nothing achieve? Nothing, that’s what. If you want something to happen, the best thing to do is to do something about it. You British are too good at sitting back and then moaning when opportunities pass you by. Yes, sometimes you might fail if you try but, if you don’t try, then you will definitely fail every time. Is that not why you go searching around these buildings in the hopes that you will find something?”

“I suppose,” Bill sighed, although he sent a worried look Harry’s way. 

“Don’t worry Bill,” Harry assured him. “I can promise you that Severus won’t do anything to hurt me.” 

It was true after all, Severus’ intentions had been to marry him in the beginning and it was Harry that turned him down; if anything, Harry had been the one to hurt him. There was something about what Fleur said that struck Harry. He had been under the assumption that Severus would never propose again and so he was making the most of being able to indulge in something that was turning out to be a lot of fun without any risk of consequences. The problem was that there was a consequence, and that was that Harry was finding himself developing feelings for the man. 

It had started off as mere attraction and curiosity, after he had gotten over his previous prejudices against Severus. The more Harry saw of him, however, the deeper his feelings grew, and the more he wished he could somehow persuade Severus to propose again, or at least get to a position where Harry could propose without fearing Severus would laugh in his face. He had thought it nothing but a pipe dream and had been on the verge of giving up hope when Fleur had said what she said about trying. Harry already regretted turning the man down once, did he really want to risk this visit ending with nothing but more memories? 

It wasn’t an easy decision, and Harry spent all day trying to build up the courage to go through with it. He had always considered himself a brave person but the thought of Severus potentially laughing in his face had Harry cowering for some reason. Having Severus think he was misguided in his assessments was one thing but having Severus think him pathetic was another. He didn’t want to end up like Percy though, being left always wondering ‘what if’. Even if Snape did laugh in his face, there was a good chance that he would never have to see the man again after this trip so was there really any loss? With that in mind, it was Harry who made his way quietly across the corridor that evening, as soon as everyone had retired for bed. 

“Harry!” Severus exclaimed after opening the door to Harry’s knock. “I didn’t expect you to come to me tonight.”

“Do you not want me here?” Harry asked, suddenly worried that he had made a big mistake. 

“No, no, come in,” Severus insisted, opening the door to let Harry in. “I was surprised that’s all, not unhappy.”

If anything, the heat that Harry could see in Severus’ dark eyes suggested he was far from unhappy and Harry felt a shiver of desire run through him. 

“I thought it would be unfair if I always expected you to come to me.”

“I’m very pleased to hear that. Now, Harry, do you have any thoughts on what you want to happen here, since you are the one who sought me out?”

Harry gulped. “I hadn’t thought that far ahead but, um, maybe we could have sex again.”

“Enjoyed that, did you?” Severus purred, stepping towards Harry and running a hand along the underside of Harry’s chin. He tilted Harry’s head back, leaning his own head down to press their lips together. The kiss started off delicate but all it took was a moan from Harry and Severus’ hand was threading into his hair, pulling Harry closer, as Harry wrapped his own arms around the other man. There was a sense of desperation as tongues met and Harry felt his blood quickly heating up. 

Severus suddenly pushed him back, only to pull out his wand and cast a spell, causing Harry’s clothing to disappear and reappear on a chair, neatly folded. 

“Onto the bed,” Severus ordered, “and lie on your back with your legs spread.”

Harry did as he was told, watching in fascination as Severus quickly stripped himself and stalked over to Harry. He wasted no time in taking Harry’s cock into his mouth, causing Harry to groan as he slipped his fingers through Severus’ hair. He didn’t mean to, but it felt so good, as if the man was using every skill he could to tease Harry but not get him too close to completion. Harry found himself a little confused, though, since he hadn’t felt Severus’ fingers in the slightest. He was just about to say something when Severus pulled off, lifting up onto his knees before sliding himself down onto Harry’s cock. 

Harry screamed with a mix of surprise and delight as he felt his cock slowly enveloped with a tight heat. He gripped Severus’ thighs, unsure whether he was trying to stop Severus or pull him down harder. It didn’t help that Severus was moving so slowly, gently rocking himself down, groaning as Harry filled him. It felt incredible, and Harry looked up with a feeling of wonder. Severus looked back at him as well and there was something shining in his eyes that almost looked like pain. 

“Are you alright?” Harry asked, stroking Severus’ thigh once he was fully seated in Harry’s lap. 

Severus took a deep breath and shook his head. “No, I am fine, I just need a minute.”

“If you’re sure,” Harry said, a slight frown of worry marring his face. It didn’t stay there for long though. Before he knew it, Severus had raised himself up, only to slam down again, causing Harry to scream out once more. The older man then set a gruelling pace, riding Harry with abandon, shifting slightly every now and then, crying out loudly when he did. Harry felt as if all he could do was hold on and enjoy himself and he quickly felt his orgasm building. 

“Not yet,” Severus growled. “Don’t cum yet. I want to enjoy the feeling of you filling me for as long as possible.”

Harry whimpered. He wanted to do as Severus asked but it was difficult enough as it was and the man saying things like that really didn’t help. He closed his eyes, trying to think about anything except the wonderful man he was filling, in a desperate attempt to stave things off. It was difficult though as, even when Harry closed his eyes, all he could see was Severus’ face, contorted in ecstasy as he rode Harry like his life depended on it. 

All of a sudden Harry felt Severus constrict around his cock and he opened his eyes just in time to see Severus scream out as his cum shot all over Harry’s chest. The normally prim and proper man looked so utterly debauched in that second that it was too much for Harry and he quickly followed his partner to completion. Severus collapsed, boneless, onto Harry’s chest and Harry thought that was the best moment of the night. He brought his hands up around the other man, hoping to wallow in this feeling of bliss for just a little bit. The fizz of a cleaning charm tingled across his chest and Harry couldn’t help feeling like it was a shame; he wouldn’t mind being marked by Severus, even if it was only in a temporary way. 

Severus didn’t make any other move, however, and Harry wondered if it was safe to ask if he could stay the night, at least until dawn anyway. Perhaps he would even have to say anything, he could just pretend to fall asleep like this and see what happened. There was a chance Severus could wake him up, of course, but the man had also wrapped his arms around Harry so Harry began to hope. He was just starting to doze when a bright light filled the room. That was strange; he thought he might have fallen asleep but he didn’t think it was morning already. 

“Harry! If you’re asleep, you need to wake up and pack your bags. We need to get back to the Burrow now. Ginny has disappeared!”

Chapter Text

Severus jumped off Harry as soon as he heard the message and Harry briefly mourned the loss until his clothes landed on his lap and Harry remembered that there were more important things than his hopes of anything potentially happening with Severus going down the drain. Ginny was potentially in danger, plus Harry had to quickly rush to his own room lest Bill be confronted with Harry’s secret assignation. 

“I apologise, Severus, but it seems I will have to give up your kind hospitality,” Harry said, as he quickly pulled his undershirt on, suddenly hating that there were so many layers to put on. 

“No need to apologise, Harry, although I must say that I am intrigued as to how Miss Weasley has disappeared. Has she run away from home?”

“I’m not sure,” Harry admitted, cautiously. “I can’t think that she would have a reason to run away. That said, she did have a tryout yesterday with the Harpies but Ron was with her; he was supposed to be watching her.”

“The Holyhead Harpies?” Severus queried, looking at Harry questioningly, and Harry nodded.

“Yes. I had been worried about going out to one of these tryouts as she doesn’t always consider the consequences of her actions. An all female team shouldn’t have been a risk though, not with Ron there, so I can’t imagine what could have happened.”

“It is possible your brother has more information than he conveyed in his message to you,” Severus suggested. 

“I suppose,” Harry sighed. “I can’t help fearing the worst though. I had a feeling Ginny going off was a bad idea and I tried to stop her; I should have tried harder.”

“There is no point in dwelling on what might have been; there are too many possibilities for you to contemplate. If you had succeeded in preventing her attending the trial, she may well have run off to participate it anyway. There is no guarantee that you could have prevented this from happening.”

Harry hummed in a vaguely agreeing way but he had to admit that he didn’t quite feel it. He appreciated Severus trying to help but that didn’t stop his worry. For all her bluster, Ginny was quite innocent to how harsh the world could be at times since things always ended up working out for her. Even when she messed up she never faced any consequences: she was always the poor baby of the family, the beloved only daughter. His actions might not have made a difference this time but he could have tried more to reign Ginny in more before. He always used the excuse that it was Mrs Weasley’s fault before, for spoiling her, but it was the rest of their fault really, for not stepping in. 

His thoughts were racing in that vein and he almost missed Severus storming out the door, causing Harry to try to race after him as he frantically tried to pull his boots on. He knew he must look a state, with his clothes in disarray, but he hoped that that would be put down to him being woken up with such shocking news, as opposed to why it actually was. 

“There is a chance that there is nothing to worry about and she has simply decided to hide somewhere, as some sort of prank,” Severus suggested. 

“Perhaps,” Harry sighed, “especially if the twins weren’t home: I can see them thinking it was quite funny to watch everyone panic. I can’t help thinking that Percy would have already considered that. I doubt Bill would have messaged me like that unless he was really worried and I don’t think he would be really worried unless they had already ruled out the obvious options.”

Harry couldn’t see Severus’ face as he strode down the dark corridor, lit only by the light of the moon, streaming in from the staircase at the end. His back was rigid though, and his pace was brisk: Harry dared not wonder what was going through his mind. For Ginny to disappear on her own without telling anyone was the height of impropriety and would completely ruin her in the eyes of society if it ever got out. Mrs Weasley would likely be beside herself with the thought of Ginny’s marriage prospects now dashed should news of this ever get out. Severus was likely thinking how glad he was that he hadn’t ended up attached to a family that was rapidly racing towards ruin and Harry felt the last flame of hope in him get snuffed out. 

He had not realised how desperate he had been for there to be a chance of things working out between him and Snape and now there was no chance. No one in their right mind would connect themselves to a family so mired in scandal and Severus had already shown that he cared a great deal about these sorts of things. He had barely wanted to propose to Harry the first time, when he had only suspected that there were issues with Ginny. Now that there was no doubt about her character Harry doubted his charms would be enough to persuade him. Harry was pretty sure he had fallen in love with the man, or was well on the way to anyway, but now he would be joining Percy in pining over what could have been. The worst thing was that Harry couldn’t blame Severus in the slightest. 

Harry had been so lost in thought that he hadn’t realised that they had already gotten to the end of the corridor and almost ran right into Bill and Fleur coming the other way. 

“Ah, Severus, I’m glad Harry got you up. I was just on my way to see you, it seems that we will have to leave straight away. I don’t know how much Harry told you…”

“He told me everything that had been explained to him,” Severus said, causing Fleur to give Harry a pointed look, her eyes sweeping up and down his body as if taking in every bit of his hastily put on attire. Harry had the decency to blush at that: it did seem a little ridiculous that they were worrying about the possibility of Ginny doing something inappropriate when Harry had done that himself already. It was different though, as Severus had pointed out before, and it wasn’t like Harry made the rules of society, he just lived by them. 

“Well, I am sorry to have burdened you with such news but I am sure we can count on your discretion with this?” Bill queried and Severus nodded. 

“Without a doubt. I will open up the floo to allow you to leave straight away. Do not worry about your things, I will have them packed up and sent to you. Go, be with your family, they need your support right now. I only wish I could be of more service.”

“You have done more than enough, I assure you Severus,” Bill said, flashing the man a relieved smile. “I am only sorry that we aren’t parting under better circumstances.”

“It has been a delight to have you,” Severus assured him, “and I hope that things are resolved in a way that is better than you are currently hoping.”

“Can you please pass on my apologies to Astoria for leaving without saying goodbye,” Harry added. “It has been wonderful to meet her and I promise to write to her and explain what I can.”

“Don’t worry about that,” Severus assured him. “I will let her know that there has been a family emergency and she will understand. You need to concentrate on being there for your siblings and parents at this time.”

“Thank you Severus,” Bill smiled. 

“Yes, we are most grateful for your support in this,” Fleur said, flashing Severus a grateful smile. “You have been a wonderful host to us and, should you ever find yourself in France again, we would be more than happy to return the honour.”

Severus bowed his head in gratitude as he led them down the stairs to a large fireplace in an antechamber, clearly set up to operate as a visitors entrance. Bill lit a fire and threw a handful of powder into it, calling out the Burrow to cause the flames to turn green. He went to encourage Harry to step through but Fleur stopped him. 

“You had best go first to find out what the situation is, Bill. That way you can quickly work out what needs to be done.”

“Alright,” Bill agreed, leaning in to give her a peck on the cheek before stepping into the fire. Once he had gone, Fleur turned back to look at Harry. 

“I will make sure everyone is distracted so no one questions your absence but don’t be too long.”

With that she left, leaving Harry feeling confused as to what she could mean. He looked at Severus who merely looked back at Harry with concern, which only confused him further. 

“Take heart, Harry. Remember that your sister’s position in society means it is unlikely that any unscrupulous person has had a hand in her disappearance. I am sure that she will be found soon enough, completely unharmed, and you can all move on from it in due time.”

“I hope so,” Harry replied, although, if he were being honest with himself, that hope was only very slight. He did not imagine that Ginny had been kidnapped in some sort of ransom plot; the Weasleys did not have enough money or standing for that to be an option. That didn’t mean that there wasn’t any risk to her reputation and Harry dreaded to think what this would do to her already lowered marriage prospects. Not that Ginny would care about that, at least not yet anyway. At the moment she was too young and independent to think about her future in that way, but Harry wondered if she would be as devastated somewhere down the road as Mrs Weasley almost certainly was now. 

If he were honest,though, the people Harry truly mourned for with this incident was himself and Percy. Whatever small hope he had held that either of them would wind up with the men they had fallen for had now been snuffed out entirely. Severus had barely managed to bring himself to propose to Harry when Ginny’s behaviour was merely questionable, and he had been able to put Mr Malfoy off. Now Ginny had actually done something worthy of societal scorn there was no doubt in Harry’s mind that they would both be running a mile. 

It’s why Harry wanted to make the most of this moment. He wasn’t sure how long he stood there staring at the man, but however long it was, it wasn’t enough. Of course this was when he realised that he had fallen for Severus Snape completely and utterly. Harry wasn’t entirely sure when it had happened, but he knew it without a doubt. Somehow the man had managed to worm his way into Harry’s heart and Harry wasn’t sure he would ever leave. He now had a strong feeling he would be joining Percy, whiling away the days, pining over a relationship that could have been, if only he hadn’t been so rash, or timid in Percy’s case. 

Severus cleared his throat and Harry thought he saw a pained look flash across his brow. 

“As happy as I would be for you to stay, I think your family probably needs you most now, Harry. Please don’t despair though. I know that everything might seem lost now but, I have learned over time, that hope should never be extinguished.”

Harry nodded, even though he didn’t quite agree. He was pretty sure that maintaining hope would eventually kill him as he whiled away his days, wishing for something that could never be. He felt, in his very soul, that stepping through that fire would mean losing Severus from his life forever. It had been sheer coincidence that had allowed them to meet here, in the Peak District, and Harry doubted even his luck would allow for such an event to be repeated. It was why he couldn't just walk away from things without saying, or at least doing something. 

In a move that was at least equal parts bravery and desperation, Harry gasped Severus’ face and crashed their lips together, trying to convey everything that he felt for the man in one final kiss. He might have already accumulated a fair number of regrets in his short life but he was determined that this last moment wouldn’t be one of them. Sorrow, regret and love poured out of Harry as his lips moved over Severus’ but, as much as he might want to, he knew he couldn’t stay. With a herculean effort, Harry wrenched himself away, just as he felt Severus’ hands come up around his waist. He felt his eyes moisten with un-shed tears but he managed to hold in his tears as he stepped in the fire and left. 

Severus brought his hand to his lips as he watched Harry disappear in a plume of green flames. He had already decided to use his, admittedly limited, resources to try to help Ginny Weasley in any way he could. Now though, as he watched the man that held his heart walk out of his life once again, Severus knew that he would do absolutely everything he could to ensure that Harry and those he cared about wouldn’t suffer.

Chapter Text

The Burrow was in utter chaos when Harry fell through the fireplace and he was a little relieved to know that his delay wouldn’t have been noticed. Nobody except Fleur anyway, possibly Bill, but they were already well aware that there had been something going on between him and Severus and, thankfully, didn’t seem likely to judge him for what he had done.

Not that Harry thought anyone would be judging him at all at the moment since they were all too busy blaming each other for what had happened to Ginny. The twins and Mrs Weasley blamed Ron for not keeping a better eye on her, Ron blamed his father for not stopping Ginny in the first place, Mr Weasley blamed his wife for letting Ginny run rampant and poor Percy blamed himself for not taking the time off work to go with her instead. 

“Where could she even have gone?” Mr Weasley asked. “She was in Holyhead. We don’t know anyone anywhere near there.”

“She could have apparated somewhere,” George suggested but Ron shook his head. 

“She said she wanted to go for a fly around the pitch after learning that she hadn’t made the cut and she definitely started going around the pitch, I watched her.”

“Well you obviously didn’t do a good job since she disappeared!” Mrs Weasley screeched. 

“I already told you, I had to go for a wee!” Ron yelled. “What did you expect me to do, stand there and wet myself, all to keep an eye on your precious daughter?”

“Of course not,” Percy assured him. “No one would want you to do that.” He said that but, looking at Mrs Weasley’s face, Harry wasn’t sure about that. 

“How far could she have realistically gotten if Ron only went to the toilet quickly?” Bill queried. “Surely he would have seen something if she had just been flying around.”

“That’s what I thought,” Ron huffed. I looked around as much as I could, even borrowing a broom to take to the air. I couldn’t see her anywhere which is why I assumed that she must have come home without me.”

“Ginny wouldn’t have done that!” Mrs Weasley argued. “You should have looked for her harder, she’s your baby sister. Someone must have come in to kidnap her.”

“No one would have kidnapped her,” Mr Weasley sighed. “We are not able to pay any sort of ransom and everyone knows it.”

“They could have kidnapped her for other reasons!” Mrs Weasley wailed. “That is even worse!”

“I don’t know about that, Mum,” George said. 

“Yeah, I can’t imagine any would-be attacker coming out unscathed against Ginny,” Fred agreed. “She’s far too potent with that bat-bogey hex of hers.”

George nodded. “There definitely would have been some evidence of carnage if people had tried to kidnap her.”

“And there wasn’t anything!” Ron insisted. 

“Did you even look?” Mrs Weasley scoffed, causing Ron to scowl at her. 

“I will go back there and check,” Bill said, trying to calm some of the anger that was quickly rushing to boiling point. “If you can give me the apparition coordinates, Ron, then I can get there straight away and start looking. I know several detecting spells that Ron wouldn’t be aware of that can help me find out if any magic has been used.”

“Wouldn’t it be a good idea to inform the Aurors?” Harry asked, feeling a little confused, only to be met with a resounding “no” from everyone. 

“I work within the DMLE and they aren’t always the most discreet people,” Mr Weasley said. 

“We can’t risk Ginny’s reputation getting ruined!” Mrs Weasley exclaimed. “She should not suffer because of other people’s mistakes.”

Harry could understand that, when he thought about it. The rumours about Cedric and Astoria had lingered for a long time and Harry had a feeling that it might have been even worse if Astoria hadn’t been underage at the time. Many people might have given her some grace, especially as she seemed to be suffering as well; that always made people more sympathetic to others. Ginny had nothing like that to work in her favour and it wouldn’t take long for news of her headstrong nature to get out, at which point she would likely have more blame placed on her shoulders for what happened, even if it wasn’t her fault. It wasn’t fair but, unfortunately, life wasn’t most of the time and a lot of people still had issues with louder, more independent women, even if they wouldn’t openly admit it. 

If Harry were being honest with himself, he couldn’t help thinking that Ginny may actually have had a hand in her own disappearance. For all Ron’s faults, and as Mrs Weasley might be trying to put the blame on him, he was not that irresponsible. Hot-headed, prone to act without thinking and, on occasion, lazy, but he always stepped up whenever he was given any sort of responsibility. Harry didn’t doubt that he had looked for Ginny when he came back from the toilet and had only come back to the Burrow when he was sure she wasn’t there. 

Ron wouldn’t have overlooked any obvious signs of attack which would imply there weren’t any. If there was no attack, that would imply that Ginny went wherever she went willingly and, as horrible as it was to think something like that about his sister, Harry couldn’t help feeling that it fit Ginny’s personality to a T. Harry had a feeling he wasn’t the only one who’s thoughts were moving in that vein either, which would explain why no one was in a rush to get any authorities involved.

If it came out that Ginny had been attacked, that would be bad enough but, with time, there was a chance she could move on and her reputation recover, as Astoria’s had done. If it came out, however, that she had purposely flaunted societal rules and knowingly run off on her own, that was another matter entirely and she would likely be ruined for life. It was why Bill wasted no time in leaving again, not even bothering to pack an overnight bag before apparating off to Holyhead. 

The attitude in the house was somewhat tense after that. Ron stormed off to his room as soon as Bill left, muttering about how they would see when Bill got back. Mrs Weasley took herself up to Ginny’s room, saying that she needed to be nearer to her daughter. Harry heard a lot of shuffling about up there, however, and didn’t doubt that she was snooping around, under the guise of tidying up, likely looking to see if she could find anything to shed light on things. Mr Weasley took off to the shed, looking to find solace in his muggle devices as he usually did. The twins went off to the apartment they had above their shop, planning on opening as usual, not wanting to let people know anything was amiss. 

“How are you holding up?” Harry asked Percy, when it was just them and Fleur left in the sitting room.

“Oh, I am fine,” Percy smiled, although it was a weak one and Harry just gave him a baleful look. 

“You don’t need to put on a brave face for us, Percy; you are as pale as a sheet. Why do I get the feeling you are taking on too much in this.”

“Of course he is,” Fleur scoffed, rolling her eyes. “Who else is going to mediate the arguments between that lot?”

“Everyone is just worried,” Percy sighed, “and, really, I could have rearranged my day to go with her.”

“It wouldn’t have made a difference,” Harry insisted, “not if Ginny was determined to go off somewhere and, while I hate to even think it of her, I can’t help thinking that is what happened.”

“Of course it is what happened!” Fleur huffed. “What do you expect when you encourage a girl to be independent and then try to force her to follow some unwritten societal rules. You cannot have it both ways.”

“And Ginny really had no interest in getting married,” Percy sighed. “She was determined to have a Quidditch career and I can imagine that she was very disappointed not to get into the Harpies, although they are always inundated with women who want to play for them, thanks to people considering them safe for their daughters. I know that she has some skill in playing, but she only had a couple of years at Hogwarts, especially since Madam Umbridge banned the sport for a large part of Ginny’s 5th year, and aside from that, she has only played a few pick up games with the family. There are many people with far more experience than her, she couldn’t have truly thought that she would succeed on her first attempt.”

“Of course she did,” Fleur scoffed. “That girl has always had everything she wanted, why should this be any different.”

Harry wanted to deny it but, when he thought back, he couldn’t actually remember a time when Ginny didn’t have things. She hadn’t even had to have hand-me-down uniform thanks to being the only girl, although it wasn’t necessarily new. He couldn’t remember Ginny ever being forced to go without, unlike Ron, and he had a feeling she did actually believe she would get in. 

“Do you think, perhaps, she has gone to tryout somewhere else?” Harry suggested. 

“I suppose that is a possibility,” Percy agreed, “and I assume that Bill will consider it when looking for a sign of her.”

“I can send him a message just in case,” Fleur said, before summoning her patronus and sending it off. “With any luck she has gone somewhere near, hopefully near some friends of hers, and she is perfectly safe.”

“Unfortunately I don’t remember her having any friends in the area and her making a cross country journey on her own might still cause some issues,” Percy sighed. “That said, I wasn’t at school with her in her later years so she may have gotten new friends, or some of them may have moved. Do you have any more recent information, Harry?”

Harry blinked owlishly. “I didn’t know Ginny had any friends except Hermione and Luna.”

Percy rolled his eyes. “Well I suppose I can ask Luna in the morning, under the guise of wanting to organise a surprise party for her or something. Her birthday may be months off but hopefully my reputation for being organised will work in my favour. For now we had probably best try to get some sleep. Bill will need some time to investigate things and it would probably be a good idea if we were at least somewhat well rested when he brings us news.”

Harry tried to get some sleep that night, he truly did, but guilt and regret kept him tossing and turning well into the early hours. He thought, perhaps, that he had managed to get a few hours sleep as dawn broke over the horizon, but he couldn’t be entirely sure. He certainly didn’t look like he had when he checked his reflection in the mirror while cleaning himself up when he finally roused. The upside was that there weren’t many people there to see the state they were in. Mr Weasley and Percy had gone into the Ministry early, to keep up appearances, and the twins were busy with their shop.

Ron was either still asleep or keeping out of his mother’s way and Mrs Weasley was bustling about everywhere, cooking up a storm, which seemed to be more of a nervous habit than anything as she seemed to have already cooked enough for about 50 people. 

“You know, Bill really has become quite impertinent since getting married,” she huffed, putting 2 more sausages on Harry’s plate, despite there being 3 on there already. “He always used to be so good at sending messages or writing letters, to let me know how he was getting on with things but now, nothing.”

“He is still good at that,” Fleur insisted, as Harry tried to surreptitiously pocket the extra sausages to take to Ron later, knowing that his adopted brother and friend would likely be ravenous. “Bill just doesn’t write when it isn’t convenient, such as when he is in the middle of a job.”

“Well that is highly inconsiderate of him,” Mrs Weasley sniffed. “How are we supposed to know what is going on if he doesn’t let us know?”

“I am sure that Bill will let us know what is happening the second that he gets a chance,” Fleur said, a slight hiss in her voice as her body radiated tension: she clearly didn’t like Bill being questioned. “He is likely busy looking for your wayward daughter and is prioritising that over worrying about telling us every little detail of what he is doing.”

“Well I still say it is inconsiderate,” Mrs Weasley groused. “Here we are worrying, unable to do anything, fearing the worst. I raised Bill to be better than that, I can’t think why he changed.”

It was an unsubtle dig at Fleur and Harry put a hand on her arm as an offering of silent support. Harry loved Mrs Weasley but she did have a tendency to get a little mean and snarky when things didn’t go her way. She had been the same when the twins set up their store, when Bill and Fleur had first started dating Bill and when there had been a rumour in the papers about Harry and Hermione dating in schools. It was a bit petty, in Harry’s opinion, but it was a part of who she was and they had all basically just accepted it.

Fleur wasn’t as used to it yet, which is why Harry wanted to show her support in the only way that wouldn’t wind Mrs Weasley up anymore. The only thing that was more likely to get her back up than things not going the way she wanted was for her to feel outnumbered. 

Ron eventually came downstairs around lunchtime, having been sustained thanks to Harry’s extra sausages. Unfortunately Mrs Weasley was in no better a mood when he did come down and the two of them were soon snarking at each other, their bickering only broken by the arrival of Bill’s patronus. 

“Sorry for the delayed reply. I learned that Ginny did indeed fly off from the Harpies ground yesterday and, from what I can gather, travelled in a north-northeast direction. I don’t know where she is heading but I am on her tail. She does seem to be alone, however, thank Merlin for small mercies, and hopefully I will be able to catch up with her. If you know anyone who she might know and be planning on staying with in the north, it might be worth letting them know. I think Ginny sent a message to someone before she left but I don’t know who it was for or where it was headed. I’m currently searching around the Isle of Man but, if I can’t see anything, I will keep heading north.”

Unfortunately no one in the house had any idea about who Ginny might know who lived north of Holyhead, with Ron not even realising that there was a place called ‘The Isle of Man’. It was annoying that they could offer no further help and now simply had to wait and hope that Bill could catch up with her. It was why they all waited anxiously for a message later that day. When an owl arrived early the next morning, everyone clamoured to see if Bill had any news. There was great disappointment, however, when the letter turned out not to be from Bill but Mr Lockhart. 

My dearest Mrs Weasley, 

I heard just this morning that your dear daughter, Ginevra, has disappeared and I wanted to tell you that you have my deepest sympathies. I can only imagine how trying this must all be for you and I wanted to say that if there was anything I could do to help, please do not hesitate to ask. You gave me the warmest hospitality before and I like to count you among my friends. It is why I cannot help but think that there must be something naturally bad about her. You are such a warm and welcoming family so I cannot imagine you would have taught her that such behaviour was in any way acceptable. 

It was Mr Dumbledore who told us, having heard that there was some sort of search for her going on and asked my dear wife if she had heard anything. She hadn’t, of course, but we will undoubtedly let you know the second that we do. 

I only worry about what this might mean for Miss Weasley’s marriage prospects. Perhaps you could ask your daughter-in-law to keep an eye out for prospects on the continent. They are meant to be more relaxed about these sorts of things so hopefully she will be able to find a decent prospect despite her behaviour. 

Best of luck with finding her, 

Yours ever, Mr Lockhart 

Mrs Weasley was, to put it mildly, not best impressed, tearing the letter up instantly and setting it alight before storming back off into the kitchen. Harry, Ron and Fleur decided that it would be a good idea to stay out of her way as much as possible, heading out to the garden for some flying to try to build up an appetite for what would likely be a substantial lunch. 

Another patronus from Bill arrived in the afternoon to say that he had made it as far as the west coast of Scotland but that Ginny’s trail was growing cold. That sent Mrs Weasley into a state again, fearing that Ginny would be lost for good and Harry feared that there would be no food left in the village by the time Ginny was found. It didn’t help that Mrs Weasley clearly expected news any moment and was always clearly disappointed when none came. 

Not that Harry was much better, nor anyone else, and they all lingered around the dining table after lunch the next day, waiting for another patronus, only none came. It only seemed to cause the tension in the room to ramp up and no one seemed to want to travel very far from the house for when news did finally come. Harry was pretty sure that all his nails were bitten to the quick by the time dinner rolled around and Bill’s patronus appeared to simply ask to keep a large meal aside for him as he was coming back and he was hungry. 

“What does he mean coming back?” Mrs Weasley demanded. “And why only a meal for him? What about Ginny? Is he not bringing her back?”

“I am sure that he wouldn’t leave her anyway unless she was safe,” Harry assured her. 

“I don’t care if she is safe or not. I want her back here!” Mrs Weasley yelled. 

“Ginny might not want to come,” Ron reasoned. “What if she doesn’t want to come back. Is Bill supposed to put her in a full body bind curse and drag her here?”

“Yes!” Mrs Weasley huffed, as if it was the obvious answer. 

“Bill will invariably explain everything when he arrives,” Fleur reasoned. “Patronus messages are only so big and you can’t answer any questions. Bill isn’t irresponsible so returning is obviously going to have been the best option, but we don’t know why because, unlike Bill, we don’t know what went on. I would advise you to save any questions until he returns, since he is the only person who can answer them. I would also advise you to not bombard him with too many questions at once: he can only give one answer at a time after all.”

“I don’t know why you are wasting your breath saying that,” Mrs Weasley huffed. “You act as if I will behave like some sort of deranged lunatic.”

Fleur barely managed to hide her scoff as she walked off and Harry bit his tongue, hoping to find the fortitude to keep the peace until Bill arrived, and sending a quick message to Percy to suggest he come back early as well. 

Chapter Text

“So, where is Ginny?” Mrs Weasley demanded, the second that Bill stepped through the front door. 

“Enjoying her honeymoon in Portree,” Bill replied with a grin, seemingly enjoying shocking his mother. 

“Honeymoon!” Mrs Weasley shrieked, and Harry had to admit that he was equally as shocked. 

“So she eloped then,” Fleur mused, looking a little amused by the whole thing. “So that is why she ran off like that.”

“Ginny would never do something like that!” Mrs Weasley insisted. 

“Well it seems like she did,” Bill said, walking into the kitchen and taking a seat at the table. He didn’t make eye contact with anyone as he said it but, as he began to pile his plate up. Harry assumed that that was because he was so hungry that he could only concentrate on his stomach. 

“She wouldn’t though!” Mrs Weasley argued. “She would not deny me the opportunity to attend her wedding and she certainly wouldn’t end up marrying someone in Portree, wherever that is.”

“Skye,” Harry said. “Up in Scotland. She married Cedric, didn’t she?”

“Um, yes,” Bill admitted, somewhat sheepishly, and Percy sent Harry a sympathetic look. 

“The Diggory boy!” Mrs Weasley exclaimed. “Well that is something I suppose, but he had best give up that ridiculous quidditch career of his and get a proper job at the Ministry. I will not have my only daughter living all the way up there. Amos said that he never gets to see his son.”

“Ginny is such a liar!” Ron laughed. “She told me that she had no interest in marrying Diggory and she just wanted to concentrate on her career.”

“Her career?” Mrs Weasley questioned. “What do you mean her career? Ginny doesn’t have a Quidditch career.”

“Not yet,” Bill said, cautiously, watching Mrs Weasley as if trying to gauge her reaction. “I do believe that was one of the inducements for her marrying Mr Diggory, however. She wants to pursue a Quidditch career and Mr Diggory is not only someone who will encourage that, but also someone who can help make it happen.”

“Well I never!” Mrs Weasley huffed indignantly. “If I had known that that was her plan all along then I would never have let her go off gallivanting with all those players when they were here.”

Ron frowned. “What are you talking about, Mum? We told you we wanted to talk to the players about improving our game.”

“I thought you meant for when you play in the garden, not that you wanted to actually play professionally!”

Ron looked at his mother with genuine confusion and Fleur burst out laughing. 

“I don’t know why you are so upset, Mrs Weasley; you have another one of your children married, just like you wanted. He will also presumably move into his father’s house at some point which means that she will live just down the road.”

“Who knows when that will be, though,” Mrs Weasley groused. “And I also didn’t get to attend her wedding. Why did she have to run off like that? Why couldn’t she court this boy normally, like everyone else.”

“Well, Ginny isn’t really like everyone else,” Bill pointed out. “She has been doing things her own way for some time now.”

Harry thought that, perhaps, Bill had tactically left off the latter part of that sentence which would have been ‘with your encouragement’. Mrs Weasley had always been the first to praise Ginny for standing out from the crowd or, in other words, doing her own thing. It was hardly surprising that she had concocted this plan and, if Harry were honest, he was actually more surprised that it involved marriage. He didn’t doubt that Ginny had told Ron that she wasn’t interested in marrying Cedric, she had vehemently insisted that she wouldn’t get married in the past, and he couldn’t help wondering what might have happened for her to change her mind. 

“Well, I am still disappointed in her for doing such an underhanded thing,” Mrs Weasley sniffed, “and I will be writing to her to let her know exactly how much she has hurt me doing this.”

She went off to do just that, pulling out a regular piece of parchment, and Harry couldn’t help rolling his eyes at the action. If it had been Ron or the twins pulling such an action, he was sure they would be receiving a howler, not a strongly worded letter telling them that their mother was ‘disappointed’ in their actions. It was still possible that such words would affect Ginny though, having never managed to disappoint her mother once before that, and Harry wondered if it might actually lead to some level of contrition on her part. 

A part of Harry doubted it, though, and he wasn’t overly surprised when Mrs Weasley received a perfectly pleasant reply the following day. It was a reply that held good news, at least in Mrs Weasley’s mind anyway, and Harry woke to find her busily cleaning the house and looking over her planting for that year. 

“Aren’t most of the crops in already?” Harry queried. 

“They were, but I was wondering if I could squeeze in some late stuff so that I would be able to send some to Ginny. I know that the team will likely have something but I want to know that she is getting well fed. You know that she was never particularly interested in cooking and I doubt that Cedric learned how without a mother to teach him.”

“You plan to send food up to Skye regularly?”

“Of course not!” Mrs Weasley scoffed, “but both Ginny and Cedric have got places on the Tutshill Tornadoes team so I only have to send it across the Bristol Channel.”

“Not the Tornadoes!” Ron whined, coming into the Kitchen for breakfast. “Anyone but them! People only like them because they keep winning the league.”

Percy, who came in behind Ron, frowned. “If they are that popular then I am surprised that Ginny and Cedric were able to get positions.”

“Why?” Mrs Weasley questioned, becoming defensive. “Ginny is an excellent player, and I am sure Cedric is adequate enough.”

“Except that Ginny apparently wasn’t good enough to get into the Harpies which are a lower team,” Percy reasoned. 

“They clearly didn’t know talent when they saw it,” Mrs Weasley huffed. “It probably explains why they aren’t doing as well.”

Percy clearly wasn’t convinced though and, while Mrs Weasley was busy, he pulled Harry to one side. 

“I can’t help worrying that Bill did something to get Ginny and Cedric that position,” he whispered. 

“What do you mean?”

“That Ginny is a fair player, and Cedric has some skill clearly, to get in the league at all, but the Tornadoes? There is no way that the pair of them got positions, without tryouts as well, and I can’t help thinking that Bill did something to help them get that.”

“Something like what?” Harry queried. “You are not suggesting that Bill did something underhanded are you?”

“I don’t know,” Percy sighed, running a hand through his hair. “I hate to even consider it but it is just so strange. I have heard of teams taking on players before, for back hand deals, although it is usually for things like new brooms, since the teams only have limited funds and the newer brooms keep getting more expensive.”

“But surely Bill doesn’t have the money to buy a whole team new brooms!” Harry exclaimed, only to be quickly shushed by Percy.

“I don’t know,” Percy sighed. “I know that he and Fleur were saving up. They wanted a nest egg for when they have a family; I think they wanted to make sure that they didn’t end up short and having to struggle like we did.”

“You think that he might have spent that to help Ginny get her position?” 

“It’s the only thing I can think of that explains things,” Percy groaned quietly, “and, if that is what happened, I have no idea how we will ever pay him back for it, especially as it must have been thousands of Galleons.”

“For brooms? But of course it must,” Harry huffed in exasperation. “No team would accept Ginny, let alone the both of them, with no trial, without some sort of inducement, regardless of how good Ginny is.”

“Precisely,” Percy sighed. “I can see Bill feeling like he needed to do something for the sake of the family but this feels like too much. As soon as I know how much he spent and on what I will definitely be doing what I can to pay him back. I know he is the eldest but I don’t feel like he should have to shoulder this burden alone.”

Harry nodded in agreement. “As much as it irks me, I might have to talk to Winickus as well. I hate having to dance to his tune but you’re right, Bill shouldn’t be the only one having to pay for Ginny’s mistake.”

Percy flashed him a smile of understanding, and commiserations, and Harry felt a burst of gratitude for his brother. He was really starting to wish that he had made a move to sort things out with his grandfather’s company before all this. If Lockhart knew of Ginny’s imposition, Harry had no doubt that Winickus knew about it as well and he would definitely find a way to use that information against Harry somehow. Harry was beginning to wonder if he would ever gain any significant funds but he wanted to try to do something to help Bill out. 

Suddenly they were shooed out the way and Mrs Weasley cast a spell to make the dining table bigger. 

Percy frowned. “Are we expecting guests?”

“Didn’t I say?” Mrs Weasley asked, in a somewhat distracted way, as if she were contemplating too many things at once. “Ginny and Cedric will be joining us for lunch, once Cedric has gotten his things in Skye packed up. They will be heading to Tutshill tomorrow but wanted a day to celebrate with their families first. They are having lunch with us but dinner with Mr Diggory, and spending the night there as well. Personally I think it is quite wrong, they should be spending the night here as well, and then we would see them for breakfast to say goodbye properly. I presume it is all Cedric’s doing and I will be having words with him when they get here. A marriage should be a partnership and Ginny should have an equal say in things.”

“Yes,” Ron sassed, rolling his eyes. “I am sure Cedric had to really bully Ginny to stay with his father instead of here. I can’t imagine why she could possibly want to stay in a nice little house with only Mr Diggory to deal with, as opposed to this dump with all of us around.”

“This place is not a dump!” Mrs Weasley snapped. “And the number of people here wouldn’t make any difference. It’s not like I would spy on what my married daughter was up to!”

The fact that she felt the need to mention it suggested to Harry that she actually just might and he made a mental note not to stay there with his future husband. Not that Harry imagined getting married anytime soon. He couldn’t even picture doing what he did with Severus with anyone else, here or anywhere. He was beginning to wish that he’d had the guts to just propose to the man himself on that first night. It would have made things a bit awkward and possibly would have cut down their time together but, as they had only had 3 days in the end, Harry thought it might have been worth it. Hindsight was a pain though and now Harry had to live with his regrets. 

It was almost a shame that Severus knew all the details of the terrible affair. Not that Harry thought that Severus would say anything; at this point Harry would trust Severus with his life. It was more that, with Ginny married, there was the possibility that Harry could have kept things from him, at least until it was too late anyway. Not that Harry was sure he could pull off something so underhanded, but it would be nice if he had a little hope of something happening, as opposed to now when Harry had none. Oh, how he wished beyond anything that he had a said yes to Severus when he had proposed before Ginny had ruined things for him entirely. It was now his biggest regret in life and Harry took himself up to his room to look over the letter Severus had given him and mourn. 

Harry wondered if he ever regretted sending them. They had been written in haste: the first few paragraphs were relatively neat and carefully written but the writing descended rapidly into a scrawl as his emotions got the better of him. Harry could almost feel the anger in each sharply formed letter. Despite the clear, negative emotions in the letters, Harry felt a strange feeling of comfort reading them, like a feeling of nostalgia, although he wasn’t entirely sure where it came from. He assumed it was because of his feelings for the man which were now well into love. 

Unfortunately, Harry didn’t think this love was returned, though. Snape may have had some feelings of passion towards Harry before, likely rooted in lust if their interactions at Pemberley were anything to go by. Harry didn’t doubt that he had already moved on from all of that though, and was probably breathing a sigh of relief that he had escaped being associated with such chaos, especially as it would likely have caused a lot of issues for poor Astoria as well. He would also probably feel a certain delight in knowing that the proposal that Harry so callously spurned just a few months ago would now be gratefully accepted. Severus was kind, but he had a petty streak, much like Harry, and Harry couldn’t help imagining him triumphing in that knowledge. 

Harry was coming to the realisation that Severus was exactly the sort of person who would suit him perfectly. He was calm the majority of the time, waiting to act where Harry tended to rush in, working as the perfect temper to Harry. He was also slow to praise, doling his love out to a very few, that appealed to Harry a great deal. Harry hated empty compliments, having heard his fair share through his life, and, after the issues with Cedric, Harry was thinking that finding someone with a limited friendship group worked in his favour. Cedric gave his attention out freely, almost too freely, and Harry could see that grating on him over time. With Severus, there was no risk of that, with him more likely to put people off, which was something that Harry quite like the thought of. Harry also thought that his own liveliness and playfulness would help lighten Severus’ own stern character, making theirs a perfect union, if only it had actually happened. 

Chapter Text

As lunchtime neared, Harry felt a growing unease at Ginny’s arrival. Harry’s feelings for Cedric had changed drastically since they had last seen him and he was also very aware that Cedric wasn’t aware of it. When they had last met, Harry had been, not necessarily actively pursuing the man, but actively encouraging this attention. Harry couldn’t think of anything worse than getting Cedric’s attention at the moment; partly because he was essentially Harry’s brother-in-law now and partly because Harry had zero interest in him now whatsoever. Mrs Weasley, however, was desperately looking forward to this, having even demanded that Mr Weasley come home for lunch so that the whole family could be there to greet the happy couple. 

Their arrival was heard before it was seen, with Ginny yelling out loudly in greeting as she bounded through the front door, clearly in high spirits. Percy looked a little surprised at her behaviour and Bill let out a small sigh, as if he were resigned to the fact that she had no feelings of contrition over what she had done. It wasn’t something that seemed to bother Mrs Weasley though, who quickly rushed forward to embrace her daughter and gush over how happy she was about the news.

“You should have said something though,” Mrs Weasley chided, mildly. “I have been putting aside money for your wedding for years now, and had all sorts of ideas for what we could do.”

“Well now you can use the money for someone else’s wedding, if they ever find someone,” Ginny smiled, and Harry had to bite his tongue to stop from growling. He and Percy had found people and it was frustrating that Ginny was completely unaware of the fact that her actions had gotten in the way of their happiness. 

“But still,” Mrs Weasley sighed, “it would have been nice to be able to celebrate your wedding with our friends.”

Ginny rolled her eyes. “No offence, mum, but that is what you wanted, not me. I never wanted any of that fuss, hell I was never even that interested in getting married, so this elopement was actually great.”

“But how will our friends even learn about the happy news?” Mrs Weasley asked, a slight whine in her voice. 

“I am sure that you will be more than happy to tell them,” Ginny laughed, “plus it will soon be all over the news anyway. The Tornadoes are apparently looking at making a big deal about having a newly married couple joining the team. Apparently it’s a hook, or so the owner says, and he says it will be good publicity for them.”

“Why do the Tornadoes need publicity?” Ron scoffed. “Are the team struggling or something?”

“Given the limited size of the wizarding world, as well as the type number of clubs, it is always a good idea to keep interest in a club up,” Cedric replied. “It’s easy to keep fans but it can be difficult to get them. It only takes a few losses for views on a team to turn.”

“Don’t worry, Ron knows all about that,” Ginny chuckled. 

Cedric frowned. “I thought he managed to pull things back when he was the Gryffindor goalie, or so Cho told me.”

“Oh, I was talking about his love of the Chudley Cannons, although his Hogwarts Quidditch career is a good example as well,” Ginny mused, not even blinking at the casual mention of Cedric’s ex, which seemed a little strange to Harry, given that she was supposed to be so besotted with him that she flew across the Irish Sea to marry him. “Ron was hated when he let in a load of goals and adored when he blocked them but Harry, the heroes’ son, was adored regardless of his record. That is why the manager wants to promote us.” Ginny grinned, and Ron frowned at her.

“Well I think it is wonderful,” Mrs Weasley beamed. “Does that mean they will be giving you interviews and everything?” Ginny nodded. “Oh, wonderful! I was so jealous when Mr Lockhart had his spread covering his wedding. It is amazing to me that he got that and I have to admit that I was a little jealous. I would have loved for Harry to have that sort of attention and it is wonderful that you will be getting something similar, even if it is after the fact.”

Harry was now a little clearer as to why Mrs Weasley had been so hell bent on one of them marrying Mr Lockhart and he suddenly became very grateful to Hermione for taking one for the metaphorical team. He honestly didn’t think he could imagine something worse than having reporters trailing after him while he was trying to enjoy a quiet outing with the person he loved. That said, he didn’t remember Hermione having much love for Mr Lockhart so there was a chance that she hadn’t actually minded. 

They sat down to lunch and Harry found himself seated opposite Cedric, much to his annoyance. Not because Cedric was acting in any inappropriate way, in fact he was acting as his usually friendly self, and that is what rubbed Harry the wrong way. It was as if neither he nor Ginny understood the wider repercussions of their actions, carrying on as if they didn't have a care in the world, and a part of Harry felt like screaming, made worse because technically no one was acting in a way that would justify his anger. 

“I don’t think I’ve actually seen you since you went to go visit your friend Hermione at Hogwarts. How is she settling in there?” Cedric asked, completely unaware of how memories of that time would affect Harry Harry. 

“She had settled in well,” Harry replied, with forced politeness as his wrestled with his regret, not that Cedric seemed to notice. 

“Oh, that’s good, not that I’m surprised. She did always love learning, if I remember correctly, and Hogwarts has such a wonderful nostalgic feeling now. I did consider going to visit back when I was living in Skye but the training schedule was always so hectic and it was actually much further away than I realised.”

“Yes,” Harry agreed, although his mind was on Pemberley and not his old school. It was arguably only a few counties over, maybe a couple of hundred miles, easily traversable for a wizard. Still, in Harry’s mind, it may as well have been half a world away since he knew he would not be seeing it, nor its residents, any time soon. 

“I suppose there is even less chance of me going to see it now,” Cedric mused, unaware of Harry’s inner turmoil. “I imagine that the Tornadoes training will be even more rigorous than the Pride’s, plus we will be expected to visit often, I’m sure.”

Harry bit back a groan. He didn’t have anything against Cedric, honestly, but it was immensely annoying how things had managed to work out for the man, despite his seemingly bad decisions. He got too close to a young girl but still managed to get the job he wanted, even if it wasn’t in the ideal place. Then he gets into another inappropriate situation with Ginny and, not only does he keep his job, he gets one in a better place, as well as a publicity boost as well. Harry wished his luck would allow him to fail up for once, although he would also need Severus to suddenly become blind to all the failings of his family, and Harry didn’t see that happening any time soon. 

Harry was distracted from his self-deprecating spiral by Ginny, who was obliviously carrying on a conversation with her mother. 

“To think I was only gone a few days and have come back married. I must admit that I never thought it would happen when I left but, in hindsight, I’m quite glad it did.”

Harry looked at his sister in shock at her admission. Did she really not consider eloping with Cedric when she ran off? Percy seemed equally as confused when Harry looked across the table while Bill seemed to be studiously looking at his food. Harry couldn’t help feeling that there was more to Ginny’s story than they realised. 

“Well I’m glad you did, although I do wish you would have gone about things in the proper way,” Mrs Weasley sighed, getting as close to scolding as she ever had with her daughter. 

“That would be far too boring,” Ginny chuckled. “This way is much more interesting, even Rita Skeeter said so. She’s apparently already writing up an article about us and I’m curious what she’s going to say.”

“Did you not sit for an interview with her?” Percy asked, looking slightly aghast at his sister. 

“Of course I did,” Ginny huffed, rolling her eyes as if what Percy said was utterly idiotic. “She said that she was going to enhance some parts of it though, to appeal to her readers more, so I’ll be interested to see what she adds.”

“And you didn’t think it would be a good idea to insist on proofreading it before it’s published?” Percy queried, apparently horrified at his sister’s flippant attitude. 

“I can’t imagine her saying anything terrible,” Ginny laughed. “She’s a reporter, not a monster.”

“There have been some questions over what Miss Skeeter has written in the past,” Percy pointed out. 

“That’s only when she tries to get the scoop on the gossip,” Ginny argued, “when she has to get things printed quickly and doesn’t have time to check facts. This is different though, she has the time to get things right.”

“That’s what is worrying me,” Percy muttered. 

Harry had to admit, he was a little worried as well. It wasn’t as if there had been any indication of a match between Ginny and Cedric before this although, looking at them now, he could notice a few stray glances between them which made him wonder if, perhaps, there was more feeling there than he had initially assumed. It caused a niggle in his mind that he just couldn’t shake so, when lunch was over, he took the opportunity to pull Ginny to one side. 

“Ginny, did you really not intend to marry Cedric at first?” 

“Merlin, no!” Ginny laughed with a gaiety that indicated she didn’t grasp the seriousness of the situation. 

“Then what was the point in you going to see him?”

Ginny rolled her eyes. “To get some tips on Quidditch of course. Before he left, I was complaining to Cedric about not getting the chance to practice properly and Cedric said that I could practice with him, if I was ever in the area. Well, when I was told that I hadn’t made it onto the Harpies I knew I needed more practice and Skye wasn’t exactly a million miles away from Holyhead -”

“It’s over 400 miles, Gin!”

“It doesn’t take that long on a broom!” Ginny huffed. “It wasn’t even midnight by the time I arrived.”

“You went to a man’s room at midnight, Ginny! What in Merlin’s name were you thinking! Do you want to completely ruin yourself?”

“What are you talking about, Harry? How would that ruin me? Nothing like that would have happened between us, I only went to see Cedric for training, what is wrong with that?”

“What is wrong is that you are a single woman going to see a man in the middle of the night! Anyone is bound to assume that something happened!”

“Oh stop being so stupid, Harry!” Ginny frowned. “Why are you assuming that something would happen between us just because Cedric is a man and I am a woman? I hate to break it to you Harry but something could also happen if I went to go see one of the female players but I know for a fact that you wouldn’t be making this much of a fuss if Cedric had been a woman.”

Harry had to admit that she was right on that account, knowing exactly what had happened when he had been alone with Severus. That wasn’t the point though, there were reasons why two men or two women being together wasn’t frowned upon by society, and he needed Ginny to understand that. 

“What did or didn’t actually happen doesn’t matter,” Harry argued. “What matters is what society will think and how they will judge your actions, not to mention how they will judge the rest of us for your poor decisions.”

“Oh Merlin! Now you’re sounding exactly like Snape!” Ginny huffed, rolling her eyes again and missing the look of pure shock on Harry’s face. 

“What are you talking about? What has Snape got to do with anything?”

“Oh please! I heard his lectures so many times I practically have them memorised and you aren’t saying anything that he wasn’t. Oh!” Ginny suddenly started. “I wasn’t supposed to say anything about him being there, was I.”

“Why was he even there in the first place?” Harry asked, feeling completely perplexed. There was absolutely no reason for Severus to have anything to do with Ginny’s situation. In fact, he had every reason to run a mile in the opposite direction. 

“I don’t know why he was there,” Ginny scowled, “and, if I’m honest, I half wish he hadn’t shown up. All he did was lecture me about how stupid I’d been and how I needed to marry Cedric, which I had absolutely no intention of doing. Cedric was quite happy to not marry me either, until Snape showed up and said something about the incident with Miss Greengrass and how society wouldn’t be as quick to forgive two offences. I was still adamant on not getting married, even when Cedric changed his mind, and the only reason I agreed was because he said that he would try and get us both a good position somewhere. I had my doubts of course, I mean what kind of influence could he have in Quidditch; he’s practically a nobody. Apparently I was wrong though, he’s some sort of genius in potions and promised the Tornadoes that he would brew some special healing potions for them, stuff you can’t buy off the shelf. I don’t know if that means ‘illegal’, I certainly wouldn’t put it past Snape, but it got us the job so I’m not complaining.”

Harry blinked several times in disbelief as he tried to get his head around this new information. 

“Why would he do all that?” Harry truly couldn’t fathom the man’s actions. It was one thing to step in and help save Ginny’s reputation, it was another thing entirely to sign up for extra work for Ginny’s sake. He could almost understand the former from some misplaced guilt over what had happened to Cedric but the latter was truly going above and beyond. 

“I don’t know,” Ginny huffed. “I don’t know what goes on in the mind of that grouch. To be honest, though, I don’t know if I should even be telling you any of this. Snape said not to say anything to anyone about the deal which I assume means that he is up to something untoward and I would hate to lose my position just because I accidentally blabbed. Not that I imagine there are too many people you would talk to about it. Anyway, I had best get off. I need to say goodbye to mum before going to Mr Diggory’s and I know she is going to be a nightmare and take ages for us to leave.”

She walked out the room with a wave over her shoulder in Harry’s vague direction. Harry didn’t have the thought capacity to be insulted, however. He was too busy trying to get his head around Snape’s actions and trying to figure out what they could mean. He knew he needed more information so, when Ginny was distracted saying goodbye, sighing and acting put out as Mrs Weasley fussed, but accepting the actions regardless, Harry pulled Bill aside to see if he could pump him for information. 

“I don’t know if I can tell you any more than Ginny did,” Bill admitted quietly. “Severus was already at Portree before I got there. I don’t know how he managed it but somehow he had worked out where Ginny was heading and went straight there. Not that it seemed to make any difference since Ginny wasn’t listening to a word he said. When I got there, he suggested I speak with her, to try to get her to understand the severity of her situation. She didn’t seem to care though. The way she saw it she hadn’t done anything wrong and marrying Cedric was tantamount to admit that she was wrong when she wasn’t. She said society’s rules were stupid and she didn’t care how much everyone else was hurting because things needed to change and they wouldn’t if everyone always buckled and gave in to these ‘ridiculous unwritten rules’.”

“Did she not care how much everyone else was being hurt?” Harry queried and Bill shook his head. 

“She seemed to think I was exaggerating and said that it would all blow over soon enough so why should she risk ruining the rest of her life for a little discomfort.”

“A little discomfort!” Harry exclaimed, appalled at his sister’s attitude when he considered how much both he and Percy had lost due to her selfishness. 

“I agree,” Bill sighed. “Unfortunately she wouldn’t budge, even when Cedric begged her to reconsider, as he had realised that his own career was in jeopardy. Finally Severus asked what she actually wanted, which was to play of course. He tried to explain that she was less likely to get a position with a scandal behind her but she just dismissed him. He then suggested the idea of getting married if he could get her a position. I was against the idea myself, it felt too much like rewarding her bad attitude, but Severus said it was the only way. I stayed with the pair of them while he went off, to make sure they had a chaperone for at least most of their time together to try to minimise issues. When he returned he said that he had gotten them a position with the Tornadoes but that it was on the proviso that they were married as the team refused to risk any scandal in their ranks. 

“I will admit that I was amazed and asked him how he managed it when he said about the deal regarding potions. That didn’t sit overly well with Cedric, who seemed to be under the impression that it was cheating, until Severus explained that nearly all players got their role thanks to some extras. Apparently his old rival, Mr Pucey’s father had promised to supply the teams entire contingent of murtlap essence for the duration of his tenure. Cedric, it seems, hadn’t been aware that most people didn’t get in on skill alone which soured him a bit. It didn’t matter though, not in my mind, since Ginny was then forced to marry him anyway, since she had given her word.

“I stayed for the ceremony, then came back, since Ginny wasn’t that interested in having me there and I trusted Severus to finish sorting things. Honestly Harry, he really is the most capable person and I actually feel bad about thinking so poorly of him before. I genuinely now class him as one of the best people in my acquaintance and I hope to keep in contact with him in the future. He is really very knowledgeable, and not just about potions.”

Harry smiled. “I’m glad to hear it. I feel exactly the same.”

“I am not at all surprised to hear that,” Bill smirked. “In fact Fleur and I have already been discussing how soon we might be called back for another wedding.”

The look Bill gave Harry clearly indicated that he thought Severus might be extending a proposal to Harry shortly but Harry had no such feelings. He wished it, with all his heart he wished it, but he just couldn’t reconcile Severus with being the sort of person to grovel at the feet of someone who had so soundly rejected him; there is no way his pride would allow it. There was a more reasonable explanation after all. Harry had previously called out his failings in regards to Cedric and, while it was understandable why things had happened the way they had, it was a mark against him when one didn’t know all the facts. He could well have stepped in to ensure that Cedric didn’t suffer any further hardship. The making of the potions seemed like a step above what was necessary though, and Harry couldn’t help hoping that, perhaps, that had come about due to some lingering affection for him. 

Chapter Text

Mrs Weasley spent the whole of dinner bemoaning the fact that Ginny could not be with them. Harry was a little annoyed because she seemed to completely ignore the fact Bill and Fleur would be leaving for France again that evening. She barely seemed to even say goodbye to them, more interested in trying to come up with a way to justifiably pop to the Diggory’s in the morning to have a chance to say a final goodbye to her. Harry did try to call her out on her behaviour but Mrs Weasley only dismissed his concerns. 

“It was Bill’s choice to move to France and it’s not as if he doesn’t have Fleur’s family there to look after him,” Mrs Weasley reasoned, and Harry could tell by her tones exactly what she thought of that decision. “Ginny is going to be all on her own, though, so I want to make sure she knows that she can come back whenever she feels the need to.”

Harry did consider explaining that it was also Ginny’s choice to move to Tutshill and that she would have her husband and the whole of the team to look after her, including a whole host of support staff. Mrs Weasley could be immensely obstinate when the mood took her, however, so Harry didn’t see the point in wasting his breath.

Bill leaving did free up Harry’s room again, with him having moved back in with Percy to let the couple have some space. Theoretically he could go back there now, thanks to them having left but he opted to spend one last night with Percy so that he could let his brother know what he had learned from Bill and Ginny. 

“It was really all Severus?” Percy queried. “Bill didn’t do anything to help them get the positions with the Tornadoes.”

Harry nodded. “That is how it seems. I’m not sure exactly what potions he is making for them but that seems to be the thing that got them the job so at least we don’t have to worry about Bill having been put out.”

“Yes, that is a relief,” Percy agreed. “I feel bad at Mr Snape having been put out since I assume that he didn’t put himself out with his kind offer and, as you said, he seems to have felt a need to make things up to Mr Diggory. I do feel as if we owe him a little though, as it was a very kind thing for him to do.”

“I don’t know, I think it is adequate to make things up to us as well,” Harry said. 

“Well, you would think that,” Percy smirked and Harry was momentarily confused. It took him a moment to remember that, as far as Percy was concerned, Severus’ worst crime as far as they were concerned was him making a few biting comments about Harry. Harry had never told Percy about Severus’ part in separating him and Mr Malfoy and, at that moment, Harry was very glad that he hadn’t. Severus had been maligned by too many people for crimes he hadn’t committed. In Harry’s mind it balanced the scales a bit if he didn’t get censure where he probably should. Not that Percy would likely think too badly of the man anyway, but at least he could now think well of the man without issue. 

With the family returned to its now normal size, Harry thought that things would be peaceful once more and he could go back to trying to get over his unrequited love once again. Unfortunately his luck seemed to be against him once again as, no sooner had Ginny and Cedric left, but Mr Weasley came home with news that Mr Malfoy would be taking up residence at Malfoy Manor again. 

“The Minister came to give me the news himself,” Mr Weasley said, “although I can’t for the life of me think why that would require him to come down to see me in person. I honestly thought it was because I had recently come across a new muggle toy called the pinning top, so called because it spins around on a large pin, or so I had heard. Some wizards had managed to enchant one to spin indefinitely and it let off different coloured sparks every half an hour. It was quite spectacular, although clearly prohibited under the statute of secrecy. Such a shame though as I had lots of fun playing with it.”

“Of course the Minister of Magic isn’t going to be interested in that,” Mrs Weasley huffed. “He was clearly thinking about how much attention Mr Malfoy showed Percy the last time he was here although, with how he left things, I would be more than happy if that man didn’t show his face in my presence. He used Percy appallingly and I will certainly not be encouraging any further association with him.”

Harry was surprised, not at Mrs Weasley’s reaction to the news; he was quite sure her opinion on this matter would change as it suited her. He wasn’t entirely sure if there was a correlation between the subjects she was flakey on, and those she was obstinate about, but, after all these years, he had become pretty adept at judging them. 

No, the thing that surprised Harry the most was the news itself. He had been under the impression that Severus’ involvement in Ginny’s scandal had been partly to make up for his part in separating Malfoy and Percy. He had assumed that that would mark the end of things and Harry had been quite content to draw a line through the whole affair. The fact that Mr Malfoy was now returning to England suggested that Harry had been quite mistaken in his assumption and he now needed to re-evaluate.

Of course, there was the possibility that he had already designed to reunite Mr Malfoy and Percy, since Harry didn’t see Mr Malfoy acting without Severus’ permission, and his help with Ginny had been to ensure that that would not get in the way of that reunion. That caused a dangerous flare of hope to burst up in Harry’s heart and his eyes unconsciously went to Percy. There was a deep blush covering his brother’s cheeks and he seemed to be trying to make himself as small as possible as the family discussed what had happened the last time Mr Malfoy was in England, as well as how much had changed in those few months. 

That evening, it was Percy who sought out Harry to talk. 

“I know you were looking at me earlier, Harry, when dad told us about Mr Malfoy, and I just wanted to say that, whatever you might think you saw, I promise that I wasn’t upset. People kept mentioning me and looking at me and it was the fact that they thought they should that upset me, not the news itself. Malfoy is nothing to me, and has been for some time now; that doesn’t change if he is here or in France. I am glad that he seems to be coming alone, however, as that means that we are less likely to be invited there to dine, or for a ball. Not that it matters to me of course. I could go there without issue but I do so loathe it when people whisper about me behind my back and that is sure to happen at such events.”

Harry thought that they would do that anyway, but he sent Percy a reassuring smile regardless. 

“I promise you that, with me at least, you can be sure that such subjects will never be brought up unless, that is, you should suddenly find yourself wishing to speak on them, whatever that reason might be.”

Percy sent Harry a shrewd look and Harry had to bite his tongue to stop himself smiling. He knew that Mr Malfoy still had feelings for Percy and, despite his protestations, or possibly because of them, Harry felt sure that Percy still carried a torch for the man as well. Harry didn’t doubt that the flames of their affection would be re-lit as soon as they set eyes on each other but he didn’t want to say anything yet for fear of jinxing things.

Percy was usually very level headed but, on occasion, he had been known to dig his heels in on certain subjects and Harry didn’t want to accidentally make things harder than they needed to be. Mr Malfoy had enough people working against him already, he didn’t need Percy added to that mix as well.

For all Percy’s insistence, however, it was clear that Mr Malfoy’s imminent arrival was affecting him. Of course, it didn’t help that Mrs Weasley, who was also adamant that she cared nothing for Mr Malfoy, insisted on sharing every bit of gossip she learned about him every day at dinner. As a result, Percy wound up spending more time than usual at the Ministry and taking himself off to his room whenever he could while at home. Given the inanity of some of the conversation, however, Harry half wanted to follow him. 

“Now you must go and visit Mr Malfoy as soon as he returns,” Mrs Weasley said to her husband who looked quite perplexed at the instruction.

“Why in Merlin’s name do I need to do that?” Mr Weasley questioned. “I went to see him before and we buried the proverbial hatchet, putting our families on friendly terms, so what more is there to be done?”

“It is the very fact that you are on friendly terms now that you have to make the visit. It will be expected,” Mrs Weasley argued. 

Mr Weasley sighed. “I do so hate all these little social contrivances, they seem so pointless to me, such an unnecessary excursion. If Mr Malfoy wants my company, he can come to me. I don’t see why I should have to spend my precious free time running after people just because they decide to go away and come back again.”

“Well I never! I never imagined you to be so incredibly rude!” Mrs Weasley scolded her husband. 

“Not rude, my dear, I simply am now aware of how few hours there really are in the day and like to spend them doing things that I actually enjoy, like tinkering with my artefacts.”

“Well I will still be inviting him to dine with us whether you visit him or not!” Mrs Weasley huffed. 

Harry wasn’t the least bit surprised at this change in attitude from his adopted mother and he knew very well that, while she accepted her husband’s attitude, she was secretly fuming. You couldn’t always tell from looking in at the family but she secretly hated being behind the crowd. She was always very proud of how many children she had and wore their relative lack of funds like a badge of honour caused by that fact. She also considered the Weasleys as quite high ranking, despite their lack of wealth, so Harry imagined that it would strongly grate on her if they were seen to be lacking. 

It’s why he also wasn’t surprised when he saw her marking the day when he officially returned and then counting down until it would be appropriate to send an invite; in other words, when they would have naturally heard and been able to arrange something so it didn’t seem like they were stalking him. Percy, however, would have preferred to take Mr Weasley’s approach and ignore Mr Malfoy altogether. 

“I’m really beginning to wish Mr Malfoy didn’t come at all,” Percy sighed. “It is not him, I know I could see him without issue. It is the way practically every other sentence mentions him that is driving me crazy. I know she means well but it really is too much and I will be more than happy if Mr Malfoy returns to France within days of his arrival.”

Harry wished he had something to say to console Percy but nothing came to mind. It didn’t help that he was sure Percy was not as indifferent to Mr Malfoy as he insisted. He still wanted to try to find a way to distract Percy, though, especially on the weekend when he didn’t have work to keep him busy. When Saturday rolled around, however, Harry was no closer to coming up with an idea when, from the living room window, Harry noticed someone walking down the garden path. They must have apparated to the outskirts of the property, meaning that they weren’t a regular visitor. That stirred the excitement of everyone there and Ron ran to the window to look as well. 

“Who’s that walking with Mr Malfoy? They’re so dark and close they could almost be his shadow.”

“If I am not mistaken I believe that is the gentleman who was with him before: Mr Snape,” Mrs Weasley replied, a slight curl of disgust in her lip. “It is a shame that Mr Malfoy can’t find better friends but it would be rude to turn him away, more’s the pity.”

Harry felt his own shock and surprise at this news, not helped by Percy shooting him a concerned look. Of course, Percy knew very little of what had happened between him and Harry at Pemberley so likely thought this was the first meeting since Harry had so soundly refused his proposal and he likely thought that Harry was feeling completely awkward about seeing him again. Harry was, of course, but due to entirely different circumstances. Partly it was because he was one of only a few people who were aware of what a debt the whole family owed to the man for what he had done to help with Ginny. There was also the fact that Harry felt about as strongly for Severus as Percy felt for Mr Malfoy; not as tender, of course, but definitely more passionately. 

Those feelings were currently overwhelmed by pure surprise, however. Harry hadn’t thought that he would ever see Severus again, so the thought that he was coming to the Burrow, where he knew Harry would be, was utterly astounding to him. It seemed quite out of character, given what he had said about the Weasleys during his ill thought out proposal. That said, he was very welcoming to Bill before, so Harry had to wonder if he had changed his mind about the family completely, or if he had simply become more accepting of their flaws for some reason. 

The idea that he could, perhaps, have become more accepting of them because he still had feelings for Harry came to his mind and wouldn’t quite go, no matter how much Harry tried to dismiss it. It brought a slight blush to his cheeks, even as his reawakening desire brought a fire to Harry’s eyes and, while he loathed how uncomfortable this meeting would be, Harry began to become very excited by it. He would wait to see how Severus behaved towards him first, before he got his hopes up too much, but those hopes remained regardless. 

Hoping to seem nonchalant when he arrived, Harry picked up a book and hoped to seem as if he wasn’t waiting for Severus to walk through the door, even as everyone else scurried around, frantically trying to straighten the room a bit ready for Mr Malfoy’s arrival: apparently he wasn’t the only one on edge. Percy seemed a little more pale than usual but he seemed more calm than the others, including Harry, even as Mr Malfoy and Severus came in. 

Harry felt his pulse race as his eyes met and he had to gulp as his mouth suddenly went dry. Would it be wrong to try to find a way to meet up with the man again for a secret assignation? He hoped those thoughts weren’t too obvious on his face as he greeted the men and he tried to behave in a way that was natural. He didn’t think that he would feel up to holding an actual conversation though so he took himself to the corner of the room to read again, or at least pretend to as he surreptitiously watched the room over the top of the book. 

He could see Mr Malfoy clearly, although he seemed to be a little awkward, even as a warm smile lit up his face. He was as warm and welcoming of the family as ever, though, and Harry was once again reminded as to why he had liked him so much. Severus was as cold and distant as he had always been, though, which only seemed to stand out more when placed next to Mr Malfoy. It confused Harry a bit; why would he come here with Mr Malfoy if he was just going to sit and brood the whole time?

“How is your brother, Bill, and his dear wife?” Severus asked, causing Harry to frown in confusion. 

“They are well,” Harry replied, wondering why the man asked when he had seen Bill only a few days before with Ginny. “They returned to Fleur’s family in France the other day and are likely on their next expedition for the Goblins already.”

“That is good to hear. From what I could tell, they both seemed to really enjoy their work.”

With that he sat back and returned to silently observe the room. It struck Harry as a little odd. When they had been at Pemberley, Severus had simply talked to Bill or Fleur if he hadn’t been able to talk to Harry for some reason. Here, however, he seemed to ignore the rest of the Weasleys and Harry wondered if it was because he had been more comfortable in his own house or if it was because he held Bill and Fleur in particular regard and barely tolerated the rest, with the exception of Percy. 

Percy Harry saw him watching quite a bit, almost as much as he watched Harry himself, as if he were watching for something in both, although he frequently just looked at the floor. It was as if he couldn’t be bothered to even try to be social which annoyed Harry a bit. Then he remembered that he didn’t have a right to be annoyed which only annoyed him more. It didn’t help that Harry wasn’t feeling particularly sociable himself: he only wanted to talk to Severus but he didn’t have the courage to bring up any major topic of conversation.

“How is Astoria?” was the best Harry could muster, and he cringed as soon as the words were out of his mouth. Severus had been busy with Ginny’s since Harry had left Pemberley so had likely not seen much more of his ward than Harry had. 

Severus seemed to be of the same opinion of that question as Harry was and he flashed Harry a wry smile. “She was well the last time I saw that.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” Harry said, trying not to cringe and falling into silence lest something more dumb than that. It didn’t help that the rest of the room seemed to fall into an awkward silence at about the same moment. Never one to suffer silence for long, Mrs Weasley jumped on the first thought that came into her head. 

“It has been some time since you were last in England, Mr Malfoy, and, I will admit, that some people wondered if you would ever return. There certainly were rumours on that point but I hope they are all as rubbish as I believe them to be.”

“I can’t say anything for sure,” Mr Malfoy admitted, “but I don’t have any plans to return to France any time soon.” His eyes flashed momentarily to Percy who blushed slightly, as if he discerned some deeper meaning in those words. 

“I do hope that is the case,” Mrs Weasley beamed, drawing Mr Malfoy’s attention back to her, and Harry bit back a groan at her unnecessary interruption. “You have missed so much while you were away. You may have heard that Hermione married Mr Lockhart and my own dear daughter was recently married as well. You may have heard about it. They both got positions to play for the Tutshill Tornadoes and Rita Skeeter recently did a full page interview with them. Admittedly most of it was on the team in general but they did get a mention as a newly wed couple, with Moss Skeeter wishing them all the best both on and off the pitch.”

“I had seen it,” Mr Malfoy admitted, “as I had been visiting a friend in England at the time. “Congratulations, by the way. You must be very proud.”

Harry desperately wanted to look at Severus during Mrs Weasley’s speech, to try to learn what he thought, to possibly offer some kind of understanding. He didn’t dare though. He wasn’t supposed to know about Severus’ involvement in things and he didn’t want to risk accidentally letting others in on the secret. 

“I am very happy to have another one of my children married and, I must admit, I am happy that she hasn’t settled too far away. Of course, it was such a relief that dear Cedric wasn’t stuck all the way up in Skye but, thankfully, it seems that some people were able to see his talent despite some people seeming to try to suppress it.” The last dig seemed to be levied at Severus and Harry bit back a groan of horror. 

“It is so nice that they have settled so near as well,” Mrs Weasley continued. “It is wonderful to see one’s children take the next step in life’s journey but it is so upsetting when they settle far away. It would be so nice if more of my children could settle closer to home in the future.”

Mrs Weasley was as subtle as a bludger to the face and Harry could only sit, dumbstruck, as he saw the events of last autumn replaying before him, only worse this time as he could see everything repeating but he felt powerless to do anything about it. At that moment Harry wished to be anywhere else since listening to that conversation was more painful than crucio to him. The one redeeming fact in everything was that he couldn’t help noticing how often Mr Malfoy’s eyes strayed to Percy. If he had ever been unsure of Mr Malfoy’s feelings for his brother, any doubts were now long gone. He was sure they might talk more, if only Mrs Weasley gave them the chance to get a word in, instead of trying to fill the void with her own voice. 

When the gentlemen rose to leave, Mrs Weasley took the opportunity to invite them both to dine the next day, although Harry was pretty sure she only extended the invitation to Severus out of politeness as opposed to desire. 

“Do not forget that you owe me a dinner, Mr Malfoy,” she chided mildly. “You were due to come over before you were called away and I haven’t forgotten.”

“Indeed,” Mr Malfoy replied with a smile, though he seemed a little awkward at being called out like that, as if he wasn’t quite sure how to respond. Harry thought he should count himself lucky. He had no doubt that Mrs Weasley would have wanted to invite them to dine that very evening and probably only stopped herself to be able to make sure she cooked up a feast for the man she planned to marry one of her children to. Harry could already feel his stomach groaning at the thought of all that food and made a note to hold back that evening in preparation. 

Chapter Text

As soon as their visitors were gone, Harry excused himself to go out to the garden in an effort to try to wrangle his jumbled thoughts. Try as he might, he just couldn’t make sense of it. If the man hadn’t wanted to be social, he could have stayed away instead of coming to the Burrow to sit stoically in the corner for most of the time. If he had wanted to be social, why didn’t he even try to talk to anyone other than Harry? If he had wanted to talk to Harry specifically, why had he not made more of an effort to engage in an actual conversation? The man’s behaviour made no sense in Harry’s mind whatsoever and he made up his mind not to think on it anymore since he was only going around in circles.

Thankfully, he was able to keep that vow, albeit inadvertently, as Percy came out to join him looking very pleased with himself. 

“There we have it, Harry. The first meeting is over and I can be done with all my anxieties as they all came to nought. There was absolutely no issue and, when he comes to dine tomorrow, we can meet as perfectly indifferent acquaintances.”

“Yes, completely indifferent,” Harry agreed, hoping that his tone wasn’t too mocking; it was hard enough to stop himself rolling his eyes to check his tone as well. Of course, Percy noticed anyway, despite Harry’s best efforts. 

“You can’t really think I am in danger of falling for him again, Harry?” Percy frowned. 

“On the contrary, I think there is a very real danger of you making him fall in love with you at least as much as before, maybe even more so.”

Percy was not convinced, however, but apparently saw the futility in trying to argue with Harry. Instead, he simply shook his head and left Harry on his own to try and not analyse Severus’ actions, and failed as miserably as he did in trying to regulate his tone. 

The next day Mrs Weasley was busy cooking up a storm while her mind was occupied with all sorts of schemes to encourage Mr Malfoy’s affection for Percy; an idea that had been completely revived with the half hour meeting the day before. It almost seemed as if all of Percy’s previous anxiety had switched to her and she breathed a visible sigh of relief when their guests arrived perfectly on time; something that only served to raise them higher in her eyes. 

The party retired to the sitting room for some pre dinner drinks and Harry’s curiosity was piqued once again. At all other meetings, Mr Malfoy’s place had always been at Percy’s side, nowhere else, and he was quite curious to see if the man would renew the tradition. Mrs Weasley seemed to be having a similar thought as she bit her tongue instead of inviting Mr Malfoy to sit next to her, as was the norm with guests. Harry wondered if that lack of courtesy threw Mr Malfoy slightly as he hesitated when he stepped in the room, seemingly unsure of where to go. Thankfully, at that moment, Percy looked up and flashed the man a smile and all was decided: Mr Malfoy reclaimed his prized spot. 

Feeling a little smug at such a triumph, despite the fact that he had had nothing to do with it, Harry looked to Severus to try to gauge his reaction. To Harry’s surprise the man seemed entirely indifferent. He almost wondered if Severus had given his blessing to pursue Percy now except he saw Mr Malfoy flash him an embarrassed smile, almost as if he was asking forgiveness for some inadvertent blunder. It gave Harry a moment of worry, but that soon gave way to a sense of relief. If Mr Malfoy was pursuing Percy by his own choice and not directed by others then all the better: it certainly boded well for their future happiness. 

They soon moved into the dining room and Harry was happy to note that Mrs Weasley’s machinations had worked out for once, with Percy and Mr Malfoy seated conveniently next to each other. It allowed for their natural connection to flourish as they once again lost themselves in a discussion that only interested themselves. Harry found himself smiling as he thought that, without any outside interference, the pair of them could easily fall in love again and may yet end up very happy together.

It was the one bright point in the evening for him. Unfortunately, while Mrs Weasley’s planning had placed Percy and Mr Malfoy together, that same planning had ended up putting him and Severus as far apart as the table could allow. Harry was currently seated on one side of Mr Weasley while Severus was seated on the other side of Mrs Weasley of all people, at the other end of the table. It was annoying for Harry, least of all because Mrs Weasley was the absolute worst person Severus could be sitting next to. 

The two of them had little in common other than their mutual dislike of each other and, while Harry couldn’t hear what they were discussing, he could easily see the tension in each growing as the meal progressed. It wasn’t like they spoke to each other much either. It was just that their postures were so stiff and formal when they did that Harry could only despair. They owed this man so much, especially Mrs Weasley, and Harry was sure that she would be singing the man’s praises if she knew what he had done to help Ginny. It was ridiculous as well as Harry was sure that a good part of her dislike for Severus came from him being mean to him that one time and even Harry had gotten over it but she was still holding a grudge.

Harry hoped that the after dinner coffees in the sitting room would allow him to spend some time in conversation with Severus, in the hopes that his entire evening wasn’t tainted. Of course, that required Severus sitting next to Harry when they retired to the next room and Harry wasn’t entirely sure that would happen. There was a voice of doubt in his mind that suggested that Severus had already moved on and Harry came to the conclusion that, should Severus ignore him for the rest of the evening, he would move on as well. 

In Severus’ defence, when they set up in the sitting room, he did look like he planned on joining Harry. Unfortunately, Harry had been charged with pouring the coffees and the twins decided to crowd around Harry, not letting anyone else near, not that they really needed extra caffeine, hyper as they were. Harry’s eyes followed Severus as he moved about the room and he silently cursed anyone the man spoke to. He was so distracted, he kept having to be prompted to actually pour the coffee, which only made Harry angry with himself. Of course Severus wasn’t actually interested in him, not seriously anyway, not after he had spurned the man’s proposal so resoundingly. Harry was fine for sating his lust but there was no way a man as proud as Severus would lower himself to propose to Harry again. He would likely have even laughed if Harry had ever proposed himself! 

Unfortunately, just as Harry had convinced himself to put all thoughts of a relationship with Severus out of his mind, the man made a point of coming over as soon as Harry was free to ask for a top-up, despite his cup still being partially full. 

“It has gone a little cold for my liking,” was his excuse and Harry felt his heart flutter a bit at how flimsy it was. Wanting to try to make the most of the opportunity, Harry jumped on the first topic that came to mind. 

“Is Astoria still at Pemberley then?” 

“Yes, she is.”

“On her own?” Harry queried with a slight frown, not sure how he felt about that. Astoria was technically an adult but he still felt protective of her. 

A slight smile appeared on Severus’ face. “No, she isn’t. Theo is with her at the moment since Pansy has gone to visit her friend Tracey in Upper Flagley.”

Harry let out a small sigh of relief and he thought he saw Severus’ smile grow a bit. Unfortunately he was now at a bit of a loss as to what to say. The only thing on his mind was what Severus had done for Ginny but he knew he couldn’t bring that up here. Instead he waited, hoping that Severus would take over the conversation. He didn’t, although he continued to linger even after Harry had refilled his cup, which gave Harry hope, he just didn’t understand why it had been easier to talk to the man when he hated him. Before either of them could think of something to say, though, Fred decided that he needed a refill as well. 

“Move over, Snape, some of us are waiting here!”

Snape moved, although he looked annoyed, and Harry was definitely upset. He did so loath it when his family insisted on proving why Severus had such a low opinion of them. Thus Harry remained stuck for the rest of the evening, secretly cursing that it had fallen to him to do this duty that night. His one consolation was that Severus seemed to be looking at him at least most of the time that Harry was looking at him. 

Harry was pretty sure that Mrs Weasley was hoping to keep the two gentlemen late and had just pulled out the firewhiskey when Severus announced that they should be getting back as it was so late. Mr Malfoy was quick to comply, not wanting to impose on his host, although he seemed as reluctant as before to leave Percy’s side. When they had left, however, Mrs Weasley congratulated herself on a job well done.

The meal had turned out perfectly with even Mr Snape complimenting her on her partridges. Percy and Draco had been completely inseparable as well, and she certainly felt that her dream of seeing one of her children settled at Malfoy Manor would come true. Even Percy seemed to be of the same opinion, although he was still in denial on some counts. 

“It was a wonderful meeting, don’t you think?” he asked, as he and Harry were tidying up after. “Everyone had a good time and there were no incidents to speak of. It makes me feel as if we should invite them again.”

“Of course it does,” Harry agreed with a smile. He had held back his laugh but Percy still took offence. 

“Harry! Really, this is too much. I can’t believe that you still doubt me after seeing us spend a whole meal treating each other as nothing but friends. Am I not allowed to even talk to him without having even you start to make assumptions about what might be happening between us? For me it is clear from how he acts now towards me that he never saw me as anything more than a friend. It is only that he is so polite and friendly, so quick to smile, that people assume that he feels more than he actually does.”

“Oh, now this is unfair!” Harry exclaimed with a laugh. “You have a go at me for simply smiling then you persist in saying things that seemed designed to make me laugh.”

Percy threw his hands up in exasperation. “What am I supposed to do? How am I supposed to try to convince others when even you, my closest confidant in all of this, refuses to believe me? I don’t understand why you, more than anyone, want to insist that I feel more in this than I actually do?”

“I’m sorry Percy, I don’t mean to upset you and I honestly don’t want to see more. I cannot help but draw my own conclusions as to what I see, though and, while you may know your own mind, it doesn’t necessarily affect what is in mine. I won’t try to influence your mind, of course, but I ask that you not keep coming to me if you are going to insist on nothing being there. I care about you, but I fear we will not see eye to eye on this matter.”

Percy may not have been happy but Harry felt justified in his opinion when, just a few days later, Mr Malfoy came to visit again, sitting with them for a good hour. He was on his own, with Severus having apparently gone out ingredient hunting and Mr Malfoy informed them that he would be gone for a few days. 

“You should stay for dinner then,” Mrs Weasley suggested, her eyes alight with excitement. “It is so dull to have to dine alone.”

“Thank you for the kind offer. Unfortunately, someone else already invited me tonight or else I would have been happy to come.” He looked genuinely upset at having to turn down the invitation, as upset as Mrs Weasley looked. 

“Well, hopefully we will have more luck the next time you call on us,” she sighed. 

“Of course,” Mr Malfoy agreed. “I would be more than happy to wait on you at the earliest opportunity.”

“Are you free tomorrow?” Mrs Weasley asked, with an air of feigned innocence and Harry had to gape at the woman’s audacity. He was sure Mr Malfoy must have been put off by her actions but he simply smiled. 

“I have no plans for tomorrow, no.”

“Then we will expect you at 5,” Mrs Weasley beamed, and Harry wondered if Percy’s luck was now changing in his favour. It definitely felt like a minor miracle that those plans had been made although, as much as he was happy for Percy, he was also happy for himself. Mrs Weasley was in a positively jubilant mood, even as she saw Mr Malfoy off, meaning that the rest of the family were in for a quiet evening as she prepared for the next day. 

Mrs Weasley gave Percy strict instructions the next day to make sure he came home early and hurried him upstairs to freshen up the second that he stepped through the floo. Unfortunately for her, Mr Malfoy actually showed up a little early, which put Mrs Weasley into a bit of a panic, rushing upstairs as quickly as she could. 

“Quick Percy, come down and entertain Mr Malfoy, but make sure to put on that robe I put out to you.”

“I am still in the bath!” Percy sighed. “I was stuck going through dusty scrolls all day. Ron should be free now if you are busy with the food.”

“Who cares if Ron is free?” Mrs Weasley huffed. “Just hurry up!”

She went back down to check on the food and Percy took advantage of her distraction to make sure to grab Ron to ensure that he wasn’t alone with the man. Mrs Weasley didn’t seem to be too happy with that outcome but, luckily for her, another opportunity arose after dinner. The twins left to go brew some more stock for their shop and Mr Weasley left to go tinker with his muggle artefacts in his shed. That only left two children for her to deal with. The only problem was that these two children, for one reason or another, didn’t pick up on her subtle hints to leave. 

“Are you alright, mum?” Ron asked. “You keep winking at me for some reason.”

“I am not winking at you!” Mrs Weasley huffed, even though she clearly had been. She then managed to sit still for about 5 minutes before she could hold back from meddling any more. “Ron, come with me, I need to talk to you about something.”

Ron looked perplexed but didn’t complain as Mrs Weasley practically shooed him out of the room. Percy immediately guessed what his mother’s plan was and shot Harry a pleading look that seemed to beg him not to give in as well. Unfortunately, almost as soon as she was out the door, Mrs Weasley called back “Harry, this involves you as well. Come here, please!”

Percy looked distraught but, having no real reason to deny her, Harry left as well, but he felt a stab of guilt at the betrayed look Percy sent him. He couldn’t help wondering if he had made the right decision, though, as Mrs Weasley beamed at him the second he was in the kitchen. 

“We may as well leave them for a bit,” she said. “I’m feeling a little drained from all the cooking so I’m going to rest upstairs for a bit. You can do the washing up and clear the table.”

She went upstairs and, as soon as she was out of sight, Harry found his eyes straying to the sitting room. It would have only caused a scene if he had refused to come before but now he felt he had little reason to leave Percy on his own when he clearly didn’t want to. 

“Go,” Ron said as he began stacking the dishes in the sink. “This won’t take me too long and I’m pretty sure it’s my turn to do the dishes since you and Percy did them the other day.”

Harry shot Ron a grateful smile and quickly darted back to the sitting room only to find Percy and Mr Malfoy deep in conversation about magical wood farms and the issues the farmers were having with muggle loggers. It was as if they hadn’t even noticed Harry’s absence and Harry didn’t know whether to be relieved or annoyed. 

Chapter Text

Mrs Weasley’s scheme came to nought, with nothing more occurring between the pair except the in depth discussion, even after Harry left them again to help Ron, since he would rather do that than sit in the sitting room being ignored. Mrs Weasley only had to mention the possibility of staying for supper for Mr Malfoy to agree to join them, and still he left late in the evening with no change happening in his and Percy’s relationship. He was invited to join them the next day as well, since Mrs Weasley insisted that he shouldn’t dine alone, but Harry began to wonder if it would actually make a difference. Maybe Percy had been right all along and there really was nothing more than friendship between them? 

Of course, Percy never brought the subject up again with Harry, not after their last talk, but Harry was sure he saw a smug smile flash across Percy’s face as they went to bed, as if the other man felt he had been proved correct. Harry couldn’t agree with that idea, though. Friends didn’t become completely oblivious to the rest of the room every time they talked. In his mind it was more likely that Mr Malfoy was simply trying to build up the courage to pop the proverbial question. 

The other possible source of delay was that he was building up the courage to go against Severus in this decision but, the more Harry thought about it, the more he felt Mr Malfoy had to be acting with Severus’ blessing. The man wouldn’t have gone and left Mr Malfoy, after he had reconnected with Percy, for days on end, if he wasn’t prepared for the possibility of something happening. It made more sense that Mr Malfoy was acting with Severus’ blessing and that thought made Harry smile. If Severus was happy with the union then he was more likely to be around in the future which meant that Harry had a higher chance of seeing the man again in the future and that could never be a bad thing in Harry’s mind. 

Mr Malfoy arrived punctually the next day but, unfortunately for Mrs Weasley, Percy was delayed in a meeting and Ron and Harry had gotten carried away in a pick up quidditch game. This meant that only Mr Weasley was available to entertain Mr Malfoy before dinner. Having not spent huge amounts of time with the man since he first took up residence at his old family home. He was surprised at how sensible the man was and the pair got into an interesting discussion on how muggles have developed transportation routes to trade items from different countries. 

After dinner, Mrs Weasley seemed determined to try to set Percy and Mr Malfoy up again. Thankfully for her she didn’t have to worry about Harry since he had received a letter from Hermione that afternoon and he took himself off to his room to respond. Everyone had been in the sitting room when he left so he thought everything would be fine for Percy, at least for the time needed to write a response. He didn’t think he had been gone that long but, when he returned downstairs, he realised that Mrs Weasley had been more effective in her scheming than he had anticipated. 

When he opened the door, Harry spotted that Percy and Mr Malfoy were indeed alone but, more importantly, were standing by the fireplace, seemingly having a very earnest conversation. That might not have been too telling in and of itself but, as soon as they noticed Harry, both men flew away from each other with similar looks on their faces, as if they had both just been caught doing something they shouldn’t be. An air of awkwardness filled the room and Harry was on the verge of leaving when Mr Malfoy, who had previously thrown himself into a chair to get away from Percy, suddenly jumped up again. He walked over to Percy, whispered a few words in his ear, then promptly left the room. 

As soon as Mr Malfoy had gone, Percy dashed over to Harry and pulled him into a tight hug. 

“I swear, I am the happiest creature alive!” he gushed. “It all feels like too much but, at the same time, I don’t want this feeling to end. Oh why can’t everyone be this happy all the time?”

“I would ask why you are so happy but I think I can guess,” Harry chuckled. “Congratulations, Percy! I don’t think that I can express in words how happy I am for you.”

“Thank you, Harry. I honestly can’t believe that that just happened but, if I am dreaming, I hope that I never wake up.”

“You are not dreaming, I promise you,” Harry assured him. “And while you may be struggling to believe things, I will remind you that I saw this happening some time ago.”

Percy sighed. “You are not going to hold that against me, are you?”

“Perhaps,” Harry laughed, “but not right now. I will let you have your happiness and even insist that you go and share it with the rest of the family, as I know you must be desperate to do.”

Percy gave Harry another squeeze before dashing off to share his good news. He assumed that Mr Malfoy had gone to talk to Mr Weasley already, as a matter of formality of course, and he braced himself for the shrieks from Mrs Weasley when Percy shared his news with her. As to Harry, he just sighed as he made the most of his temporary solitude to bask in the happiness of the situation.

It really was the best possible outcome for things. It was the perfect end to all these months of worry and Harry couldn’t help revelling in the thought that all of Pansy’s falsehoods and convincing had been for nought. He could already imagine the look on her face when she heard what had happened while she was away and that almost made Harry as happy as the news itself. 

After a moment, however, Mr Malfoy came back into the room, his meeting with Mr Weasley apparently having been short and to the point. 

“Is Percy here?” 

“No,” Harry replied. “He has gone upstairs to share the good news with Ron and his mother but I’m sure he will be back shortly.”

“That’s good,” Mr Malfoy beamed, “and I am glad that you consider it good news.”

“I consider it the best news, Mr Malfoy.”

“Draco, please. We will be family soon enough.”

Harry smiled. “You should call me Harry then. And you are right, we will be family, so I am sure we will be seeing much of each other.”

A strange look passed over Mr Malfoy, Draco’s, face momentarily before he returned Harry’s smile. “Yes, I suppose we will.” He grasped Harry’s hand, warmly, and Harry shook it as a soon to be brother. Harry couldn’t help but feel as if this would be a really fortuitous union for the whole family, but most especially him. Harry had no chance to dwell on that happy thought, however, as they were soon joined by the rest of the family and all attention was on the happy couple as congratulations were reiterated again and again. 

Mrs Weasley seemed to be beaming as much as Percy was and Harry was sure she was already planning a lavish wedding that would allow the happy couple to be shown in the best light to as much of the wizarding world as possible. It was likely a good thing that Draco had such a fortune as he doubted she would be working to any kind of budget, as they had with Bill’s wedding. Harry was at least glad that Draco seemed to be too besotted with Percy to care. In fact, given the looks of utter adoration Draco kept sending Percy, Harry had a feeling that he would be more than happy to agree with anything that was suggested. It almost seemed a shame that Ginny and Cedric were forgotten so soon but Harry could easily understand why it happened. At least it seemed unlikely that any of them would out-do Percy with their match and make him as equally forgettable. 

Draco became a regular feature at the Burrow from that day, with the odd exception of when he or Percy had to attend some meeting at the Ministry. Those days were always marked by a particularly vitriolic tirade from Mrs Weasley on how the Ministry should have more respect for families and keeping ‘normal’ hours, even though she had never complained in the past, even when she had had to look after multiple young children on her own. 

Harry had little time to talk to Percy on his own now, with his attention taken up entirely by his new fiancé. Not that Harry minded, of course, and he was perfectly happy to act as a substitute for both should either of them have to unavoidably be absent for some reason. Should Percy be delayed at the Ministry, or have to answer some late arriving owl, Draco would latch on to Harry as a conversation companion. When Draco left, or was likewise otherwise detained for some reason, Percy would jump on Harry for a chance to gush about whatever the latest sources of happiness was. 

“Can you believe it Harry!” Percy exclaimed on one such evening. “Draco told me that he had no idea that I had ever been in France before! I thought he was purposely ignoring me but apparently it was completely accidental.”

“I thought as much,” Harry smiled, glad that Percy had learned the truth without him having to say anything himself. “Did he say how that happened, given that Pansy was well aware of your presence?”

“I can only assume that she purposely kept it from him,” Percy sighed. “I can understand it. I am sure there were countless individuals that they would rather have Draco married over me. I hope that they will see how happy we are together, though, and that they will soon manage to be happy for us in return, or at least content. I would hate for us to be enemies although I can’t imagine us ever being real friends again.”

Harry smiled. “Good for you! I was worried that you would try to suck up to them again, for Draco’s sake, but I’m glad to hear that you are standing your ground.”

“Not likely,” Percy chuckled. “He told me that he had already been in love with me when he first left for France and was actually contemplating asking me to marry him before Christmas. It was only his friends’ insistence that I didn’t feel the same that prevented him from following through and that is what kept him away so long before. I don’t think I could ever truly forgive Pansy when she must have surely known how I truly felt.”

“I am surprised that he wasn’t sure himself, although possibly it is a sign of modesty on his part,” Harry mused. “Did he ever say what caused him to change his mind and come back.”

Percy frowned. “Not in so many words. He said that he actually met up with you when you were in Derbyshire, which you never told me by the way, Harry, so I must admit that I am a little cross with you. But he said that, shortly after you left, he began to question my actions and that gave him the desire to come back here and see if he could work out if he had been right and I truly did have feelings for him. I was annoyed that you had kept a secret from me but I will admit that I am happy that it worked out so well in the end. What did you say to him?”

“I honestly can’t remember,” Harry laughed, hoping to move things on since it was obviously Severus who had said something. “With everything that happened afterwards, that time is a bit of a blur. I am just glad that he finally came to his senses and realised how perfect you two are for each other.”

“It’s only because he is so modest that he didn’t think I could like him,” Percy argued. “I’m sure it would have been different if he had grown up with his parents but living with so many people and only Mr Snape to look after them, with the shadow of their parents’ wrong-doing hanging over him, I do believe that tempered him somewhat. He really is the most wonderful person now. Oh, how I do wish you could find someone equally as wonderful, Harry, so you could be just as happy as I am.”

Harry shook his head. “No, I don’t think so. I do not imagine I would appreciate someone like Draco. He suits you wonderfully but I fear he would bore me senseless.”

“Then perhaps we need to find someone who does excite you then,” Percy smirked. 

Harry smiled even as the face of a man who did just that flashed through his mind. It was impossible though, so, as a way to distract himself from any depressing thoughts, Harry decided to crack a joke. 

“Perhaps I should ask Mr Lockhart if he has a brother then. I imagine I will be as happy with him as I would be with someone like Mr Malfoy.”

Percy laughed. “You jest, Harry.”

“I do,” Harry grinned, “but I am also somewhat serious. I genuinely don’t think someone like either of those men would make me particularly happy.”

“Then I suppose we will just have to find someone who will.”

Harry was in half a mind to tell Percy just who would make him happy: he was sure Percy would bend over backwards to help him if he knew. He worried that it might put a strain on Percy and Severus’ relationship if he turned Harry down completely though, and Harry didn’t want to risk that. So he simply smiled and agreed they would keep an eye out when Percy suggested holding a ball at Malfoy Manor after he was married, as a celebration of his and Draco’s union. Harry doubted that he would find anyone better than Severus but at least a ball might offer him a chance to dance with him again. He couldn’t help feeling that he hadn’t truly appreciated the last time they had. 

Of course the news of Percy’s engagement only stayed secret for as long as it took Mrs Weasley to go into the village where she ‘accidentally’ ended up letting slip to a number of vendors that she was looking out for things for Percy’s wedding. It didn’t take long for it to spread further after that, although it didn’t help that Harry had his own part in that, with him informing Hermione the next time she wrote to him. She seemed excited by the news and said that she would be letting all the staff at Hogwarts know as well. 

Chapter Text

One day, nearly a week after Percy’s engagement to Draco had been announced, the family had not long finished breakfast when there was a knock at the door. It was too early for them to be expecting anyone, especially as everyone except Harry, Ron and Mrs Weasley would be leaving shortly. When the door was opened, however, they were all surprised to see none other than Dumbledore standing there. 

“Ah, Molly my dear, how are you? I hope you are well.”

“Headmaster!” Mrs Weasley exclaimed. “How lovely to see you? Were we expecting you?”

“Not at all I’m afraid,” Dumbledore replied, looking vaguely apologetic, although it seemed to completely mollify Mrs Weasley against the somewhat rude intrusion. “I would have given you some notice but a spot in my very busy schedule suddenly opened up and I thought I would take the opportunity to talk to young Harry.”

“Harry!” Mrs Weasley exclaimed, sounding as surprised as Harry was. For a moment it seemed as if she might actually question the Headmaster’s actions, but then she seemed to catch herself and simply smiled. 

“Of course, Headmaster, whatever you need. Would you like to use the sitting room?”

“No, thank you my dear. It is a lovely morning and I get so little chance to enjoy the British countryside these days, what with all the hats I have to wear, so I think a walk in the garden would be preferable.”

“Indeed, and the garden is looking quite lovely at the moment, if I do say so myself.”

“I’m sure it is,” Dumbledore smiled, breezing into the house and straight out the back door with barely a glance in Harry’s direction to let him know he should follow him. Harry did follow, after a moment’s hesitation, and ended up having to rush after the man as he briskly strode across the garden towards the orchard. The Headmaster stopped on the outskirts, seeming to admire the last of the blossoms still present on them. 

“Ah, there you are, Harry, my boy. I do hope I haven’t caught you too unaware.”

“No, not at all,” Harry replied, although he had to question the strangeness of the visit. “Is everything alright with Hermione?”

“Mrs Lockhart? Oh, indeed, yes, perfectly well. She was elbow deep in research for her husband’s book last time I saw her.”

Harry smiled. “That sounds like Hermione. I’m glad to hear she is still doing what she enjoys most although, if she is well, I have to wonder why you have come here so suddenly.”

“You cannot think why?” Dumbledore queried, looking at Harry curiously; a questioning glint in his eyes as they peered at Harry over his half-moon spectacles.

Harry shook his head vehemently, feeling uncomfortable under his old Headmaster’s intense gaze. “No sir, I cannot. I mean, I hadn’t heard anything from you in the years since I finished Hogwarts and, apart from a couple of meals while I visited Hermione, I had assumed you had completely forgotten about me.”

“No, my boy, no. I never forget any of my former students although, I must admit, there are some that I follow closer than others, especially if I think they have potential.”

Harry frowned in confusion. “You think I have potential?”

“I do, in fact,” Dumbledore smiled, “although I don’t think you are really living up to it at the moment. You really should contact Kingsley in the Auror department, you know.”

Harry shook his head. “I said before, sir, but being an Auror really isn’t for me.”

“So what is your plan then? Being someone’s house husband?” Dumbledore questioned, looking a little stern and disappointed. “Really Harry, you can’t expect me to believe you are happy sitting around doing nothing all day. You were always so inquisitive at school, even if the actual work itself failed to inspire you.”

“Why do you think I have to be a house husband if I don’t become an Auror?”

Now Dumbledore looked a little confused. “Well I can only assume that your reluctance to join the Aurors stems from your engagement to Severus and I can’t see what you would do as his husband other than sit around his quarters all day.”

“Is Severus planning on teaching at Hogwarts?” Harry asked. Really, he should have denied the engagement but a part of him wished it was true too much to face reality at that moment.

Dumbledore frowned again. “Of course he is going to come to Hogwarts. It is what he was doing before he set up his house as a school and, now that his students have all grown up, it is obvious that he will come back.”

“Surely that is up to Severus to decide. He might have other plans.”

“What other plans?” Dumbledore scoffed. “Severus is as likely to work for the Ministry as you are. Neither of you have the personality to be paper pushers in the bureaucratic machine.”

“There are more job opportunities in this world than teaching or working at the Ministry,” Harry laughed. “Maybe Severus will start up his own potions business.”

“Severus doesn’t have the people skills for that,” Dumbledore says dismissively. 

“Well I do,” Harry grinned. “I could always run the store while he does the brewing. Personally I think that will work wonderfully.”

“I don’t see that suiting Severus,” Dumbledore huffed. “The man would never be happy brewing the same potions over and over when he could be at Hogwarts researching new ones, which has always been his preference. As his fiancé I would assume you would know that.”

“I do,” Harry lied, “but that is more reason why I don’t think Hogwarts would be the right fit for him. I remember how little time Professor McGonagall used to have so I can’t imagine a teaching position would suit him that well, if we agree that researching is his preference.”

Dumbledore scowled. “I had hoped that you would be more reasonable in all of this, Harry. It is bad enough that you are letting your own position in life dwindle but I find it unconscionable that you are bringing down a man you claim to care about as well. By insisting in this nonsense you are not only ruining Severus’ life but also all of the future students that Severus could help mould.”

“So you hoped to push me into the Aurors in an effort to help persuade Severus to go into teaching?” Harry laughed. “Severus will always do what he wants to do and neither you nor I can change that.”

“That is where you are wrong, Harry,” Dumbledore smiled, although the smile seemed a little cold; it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “If I were you I wouldn’t start making any wedding plans yet.”

“I wasn’t going to anyway,” Harry muttered under his breath. Dumbledore seemed to hear him anyway and looked at Harry sharply. 

“Do I detect trouble in paradise? That is interesting.”

Harry squirmed under the man’s piercing gaze. 

“If that is all, Headmaster, perhaps you should be going. You have said your peace but I fear I am going to have to decline your suggestion.”

“So it would seem,” Dumbledore beamed, his mood suddenly shifting, giving Harry a sinking feeling about what it could mean. “You are right, though, I probably should go. I can see that I won’t make any headway with you. I must admit that I am surprised, I am sure that you weren’t this stubborn when you were at school, but perhaps I just didn’t realise as you never went against me before. Never mind, though, as I am sure that I will have more luck with Severus when I talk to him about this.”

Harry gulped, not because he was worried what Severus would think of his attitude, more because he would probably get annoyed that Harry hadn’t actually corrected Dumbledore about the state of their relationship. He wondered if the man sent howlers like Mrs Weasley sometimes did? It had been stupid of him, he knew, and would probably ruin any chance of Harry being able to continue even their illicit relationship with the man. 

Mourning the relationship that he had clearly lost without ever truly having. Of course that was mostly his fault, for having been so bloody prejudiced before, but, unfortunately, there was no changing the past. Wishing he could, however, Harry went back into the house and straight up to his room, glad that Mrs Weasley was too busy saying goodbye to Dumbledore to notice Harry darting up to his room. He wanted to spend some time looking over the letter Severus had sent to him before. It had once caused so much pain and confusion but, as it was the one thing that he had in the man’s hand, it had now become precious. It was probably not the best way for him to spend the day, going over words that were sounding increasingly more reasonable with every read. 

Harry made the mistake of responding to Mrs Weasley, when she asked what Dumbledore had wanted, by saying that Dumbledore had been pestering him about joining the Aurors. It was partly true, and did stop her asking more questions, but that was mostly because she had decided to take up the Headmaster’s cause and pester Harry about rejoining as well. Harry managed to dodge the pushing fairly well until Mr Weasley said that he would have a word with Harry after dinner. Harry was worried, always having more issue withstanding Mr Weasley gentle pressing as opposed to Mrs Weasley forcefully shoving. Thankfully Mr Weasley put him at ease the second Harry stepped into the man’s shed. 

“Don’t worry, Harry, I’m not actually going to talk to you about your career. As far as I’m concerned, it is up to you to decide what you want to do in life and you know that better than I do. That said, I did want to talk to you about a letter I received while I was at work today.”

“A letter?” Harry questioned, feeling very confused. “Concerning me?”

“Indeed. I take it from your reaction that you don’t know what it is concerning? Well, I can’t say that I am overly surprised. Here, let me read it to you; it might shed some light on the situation.”

Dear Mr Weasley, 

My apologies for not having the chance to write to you before this. I was very grateful to you for your hospitality in the past and would have happily written more, as a way of continuing our friendship, if I hadn’t been quite so busy with teaching and writing my book. That being said, when I heard the latest news, I knew that I had to write to you; not sending congratulations on such an occasion would be seen as completely unforgivable. That is why, good sir, I would like to offer you congratulations, not only on the engagement of your son, Mr Percy Weasley, but also of your adopted son, Mr Harry Potter. 

“Now, Harry,” Mr Weasley said, interrupting his recitation, “does that give you indication of things?”

“Not in the slightest,” Harry replied, although he felt a sinking feeling in his stomach. 

“Indeed? You have no indication of whom you could be engaged to? Well, I shall read a bit more then and perhaps that will shed more light on things. 

Mr Percy’s partner, Mr Malfoy, is not someone I know personally but I hope, through our own connection, to get to know him better in the future. Linking yourself with the infamous Malfoy fortune, I will admit, is quite the coup, and an excellent feather in your cap. 

“I fear that Mr Lockhart thinks that we will be lording Percy’s connection over everyone,” Mr Weasley sighed. “Of course that won’t be the case and hopefully time will show that all we want is our children’s happiness.

“Of course,” Harry agreed, although he thought there would probably be at least a little ‘lording’ on Mrs Weasley’s part. He was impatient to hear the rest of the letter though, dreading what it would say but also needing to have his fears confirmed. “What of me, though? Who am I connected to?”

“I’m just getting to that.”

While I don’t know Mr Malfoy, I count myself lucky to be personally acquainted with Mr Potter’s fiancé, Mr Snape. He was at Hogwarts at Easter to get reacquainted with the school since it has been said that he will be taking up a teaching position there. I can only imagine that that means that Mr Potter will be joining the man as well. I know I had previously hoped to join Mr Potter in union myself but, as the husband of my colleague, and the friend of my wife, I hope that means that we can have almost as close a relationship as we might have done if he had accepted me. 

“See!” Mr Weasley beamed. “He says it plainly: Mr Snape. I knew that man was ridiculous but I never realised it was this bad.” Mr Weasley let out a loud laugh at the idea and Harry felt his heart break a bit. The thing he desired most was apparently considered a huge joke by the rest of his family. 

“Really,” Mr Weasley continued, his eyes growing moist with mirth. “I can’t think of anyone less likely for you to be connected with. I am curious where such an idea came from, Mr Lockhart always did have a fanciful imagination though. It is ridiculous, of course, but I thought you would enjoy hearing about it. I will obviously reply and let Mr Lockhart know that he is mistaken but I thought you ought to hear the rumour yourself, so that you aren’t caught completely unawares.”

“Thank you,” Harry said, trying to muster a smile before ducking out of the shed as quickly as possible. Thankfully Mr Weasley was soon distracted with his tinkering so didn't notice Harry’s hasty retreat. He needed some peace to deal with what he could only call grief. He wasn’t sure when Mr Snape would be coming back from his ingredient collecting but Harry hoped it wouldn’t be any time soon as he could just imagine the sorts of ridicule he would put Harry through for letting such rumours spread. 

Chapter Text

When he heard that Severus had definitely returned to Malfoy Manor, Harry half hoped Draco would bring a letter to say that Severus wouldn’t be joining him. Of course that wasn’t the case and Harry was left trying to decide if he was more distraught at potentially having to face the man or more happy at simply getting to see him again. 

It was a Saturday, and Harry was a little surprised when the gentlemen arrived early although, in hindsight, he probably shouldn’t have been since Draco seemed to want to make the most of every opportunity to see Percy. They arrived with little notice, although that was also not uncommon for Draco. The pair had barely stepped foot in the Burrow, however, when Draco suggested they go for a walk to the village. Apparently he wanted an excuse to be alone with Percy without causing any issues and the walk was deemed the best way to do it. It helped that Mrs Weasley wasn’t really one for walking, claiming she had to look after the chickens, and Ron said that there was a Quidditch game he wanted to listen to later. 

Harry was happy to join them, however, although he wasn’t entirely sure how happy he was once they set off. Not having any business in the village, Percy suggested taking a walk through a nearby wood instead, which was likely done for privacy reasons, although that didn’t stop them from slowly falling behind, allowing Harry and Severus to get further and further ahead. A part of Harry was grateful for some alone with Severus but Harry also worried a bit. Severus could be cutting enough in public; Harry didn’t want to find out how much worse he would be in private. Wanting to get ahead of things, and possibly dictate where the conversation went, Harry wasted little time once Draco and Percy were far enough behind them. 

“Severus, I just want to take this opportunity to thank you for everything that you did to help Ginny. I know that you wanted to keep it a secret but she let slip about your involvement and I just want you to know how grateful I am for that. I know that Ginny wasn’t the easiest person to deal with, isn’t the easiest person to deal with at times. I am not sure what sort of thanks she gave you before but I want to add mine and Percy’s to it, as well as the rest of my family, although they aren’t aware of what you did.”

“I am sorry,” Severus sighed. “I never meant for you to know. I didn’t want you to feel indebted to me in any way. It was my choice to do something to begin with. I remembered how difficult things were for Astoria when things broke about her, although thankfully she was unconscious for most of it. I didn’t want your family to suffer that way, although I admit that I had extra incentive to help as well.”

“You mean because of getting to help Cedric as well?” Harry queried. 

Severus cracked a slightly awkward smile. “There was that. Although it was more helping you that I was concerned about. Mr Diggory was merely an added bonus.”

“You wanted to help me?” Harry exclaimed. “Why?” He was truly confused. He was nothing to Severus, a burden at best. Why would Severus go out of his way to help Harry so much? 

Severus seemed equally as dumbfounded as Harry. 

“Can you really-? Surely you must-?” His confusion was so much that he couldn’t even seem to finish his sentences. Shaking his head, Severus took a breath, pausing as if trying to sort out his jumbled thoughts. 

“Harry, I feel like I need to tell you about an interesting conversation with Albus Dumbledore yesterday and I was wondering if you might be able to shed some light on it as, I must admit, the topic left me quite bewildered.”

“Did it now,” Harry said, letting out a steady breath in an effort to stay calm. He could already feel his heart rate increase as his anxiety kicked in and he locked his eyes forward in an effort to keep walking without stumbling. 

“I did indeed. It was quite an interesting conversation. He started by telling me about how impertinent my fiancé was and, I have to admit, I was more than a little confused. I had to ask him which fiancé he was talking about, which only seemed to confuse Dumbledore who questioned if I had more than one. Naturally I replied that it was possible, it was so difficult to keep track of who one had proposed to sometimes so asked him to give me a name. To my great surprise he responded with your name.”

Harry bit back a groan as he willed the ground beneath his feet to swallow him up. Even as he felt his cheeks flame with embarrassment, though, he also felt his heart swell. This was the snarky, teasing man that had pulled Harry in from the start, even while Harry had been actively fighting against his feelings. That, along with the fact that Severus hadn’t complained about the news, gave Harry the courage to respond in kind. 

“To be honest, I was quite surprised when he arrived, myself. He seemed to be under the impression that, since you would obviously be teaching at Hogwarts, I should look for a job myself, so I don’t end up getting bored waiting for you to finish teaching. He suggested I reapply to be an Auror.”

“He has been trying to get you to rejoin the Aurors for some time, hasn’t he?”

“He has,” Harry agreed with a smile, gradually feeling more comfortable as they slipped into their repartee. “It seems to be becoming a bit of a habit now. ‘Hello Harry, how are you, my boy? Have you thought more about joining the Aurors?’”

“The old man probably likes the idea of having an Auror so close,” Severus huffed, shaking his head. “He has been getting sidelined more and more as the years have gone by so having someone at Hogwarts with their finger on the pulse is probably too good an idea to pass up. I do think the man might be going senile, though. I mean, does he really think it would be a good idea to have someone running in and out of a school at all times of the day and night. Not to mention the fact that you could become a target while going against all those dark wizards. Does he not realise that you could potentially put the students in serious danger that way?”

“Probably a good thing that it isn’t going to happen then,” Harry chuckled. 

“That’s good to hear.”

“Why Severus, anyone would think you cared about my safety.”

Severus paused mid-step then turned to look at Harry. 

“I do believe you are ignoring the proverbial elephant in the room. You are aware that we are not actually engaged.”

“Ah, yes,” Harry grimaced. “What with me being an idiot and turning you down. A part of me had wondered if you had somehow forgotten about that.”

Severus raised an eyebrow. “A bit hard to forget such a scathing refusal.”

Harry winced. “Quite true. How silly of me. I imagine that it is my turn to receive something equally scathing for not correcting Mr Dumbledore and carrying on with the idea.”

“Perhaps, that all depends on the answer to my question: why did you continue with the ruse?”

Harry let out a deep sigh and looked up at Severus sheepishly through his lashes. “Would you believe me if I said that I wished it was true?”

Severus gaped at him. “You wished that you were engaged to me?”

“Yes,” Harry admitted, his brow creasing with a mix of pain and despair. 

“Since when?”

“I don’t know exactly!” Harry huffed in exasperation. “Certainly since I saw you at Pemberley, probably when I fully understood your letter and wasn’t simply dismissing it out of turn. Possibly even when you actually proposed, if I hadn’t been so damn pig-headed, insisting on only seeing the worst about you and exaggerating even that.”

“You have wanted me for that long?”

“Yes!” Harry exclaimed, half sobbing. “Our time at Pemberley was agony for me, exquisite agony, and I loved every minute of it except saying goodbye. I hated Ginny, not for putting herself and the family at risk but for giving you yet another reason to never want to see me again.”

“Never want to see you? Harry, I love you! I have been falling in love with you since shortly after meeting you and it has been growing with meeting, even when you weren’t there.”

“Despite me only being ‘slightly attractive’? I overheard your comment to the Minister when I first met you at the Ministry ball,” Harry explained, on seeing Severus’ confused expression. On hearing the explanation, Severus let out a mirthless chuckle. 

“Ah yes, hubris is a dangerous thing: you are not the only one who jumped to negative assumptions at the beginning of our acquaintance. Of course, I had already heard about you by reputation and I had determined you were a mini version of your father and I wanted to put you in your place at the earliest opportunity. As soon as I had put you down publicly, however, I was forced to actually look at you and, when I did, I found I couldn’t look away. It wasn’t long before I found myself actively drawn to you, to the point where I couldn’t keep away, and then I couldn’t fight it any longer.”

“Oh, I remember how much you fought it,” Harry laughed, “although not nearly as much as I did.”

“At least you had actual reasons for your poor opinion of me.”

“Hardly!” Harry scoffed, “as you pointed out so well in your letter. Don’t get me wrong, I railed against it at first but, the more I read it, the more I saw you had a point.”

“Clearly not with regards to Draco and Percy.”

“Yet you weren’t the only one to question Percy’s feelings,” Harry admitted. “Hermione did as well, although I dismissed it at the time. I was biased as his brother and forgot that outsiders wouldn’t have the same perspective. It’s why I didn’t hold it against you for long. By the time I was at Pemberley I had completely forgiven you.”

“Is that why you gave in to my advances so easily?” Severus asked with a smirk that got Harry’s blood racing for a reason other than anxiety. 

“One of the reasons,” Harry agreed with a smile. “I was actually very happy that you made those advances, although they made me regret turning you down.”

“At least that part of my plan worked,” Severus chuckled. “When I saw that you were attracted to me, I thought that I could push my luck a bit, to try to have your body, if I couldn’t have your heart. My plan was to spoil you, to show you how good things could be so that your future partner may not be able to live up to me. It was selfish of me, though. I should not have taken what wasn’t mine to take.”

“It was mine to give,” Harry insisted, stepping forward to place a hand on Severus’ arm. Severus let out a small gasp at the contact but didn’t move away. Harry took that to be a good sign and took another step closer, until they were almost chest to chest. Harry looked up, locking eyes with Severus so the other man knew that he was serious. 

“I think your ploy did work, though. You have utterly spoiled me for any other man and, when I was forced to leave you at Pemberley, I was sure that I would be alone for the rest of my life as I couldn’t see how anyone else could live up to you.”

“But you couldn’t bring yourself to actually marry me?”

“That’s not it at all!” Harry exclaimed, lifting his other hand to cup Severus’ cheek. “I wanted to marry you, I was even on the verge of proposing myself at Pemberley when the news came about Ginny and I believed that I would have no hope.”

Severus frowned. “Why would that cause you to have no hope?”

“Why wouldn’t it?” Harry laughed, somewhat mirthlessly. “You had barely been able to look past my family’s foibles before, I saw no way you could see past things after that.”

“Oh, Harry! My dearest Harry!” Severus brought his own hands up to cup Harry’s cheeks as he pressed their foreheads together. “I was an idiot when I said I couldn’t look past things. I was looking for an excuse so I could blame you when you inevitably turned me down. I didn’t mean it though, any of it.”

“You’re saying you don’t despise Mrs Weasley?” Harry quipped with a smile, even though his eyes were closed as he revelled in the closeness of the man he loved. 

“She is not my favourite person,” Severus admitted with a chuckle, “but she is certainly not enough to keep me away from you. Nothing is. I would spend every moment of every day with you if I could.”

“Is that another proposal from you, Severus Snape?”

“I do believe it is,” Severus replied, and Harry opened his eyes to see Severus smile. “So, what is your reply?”

“Yes!” Harry exclaimed, just before he threw himself into Severus’ arms, crashing their lips together. If Severus didn’t understand his words then there could be no denying his actions. He pressed forward, wanting to be as close to Severus as he could, making up for all the unnecessary lost time. 

“See, I told you we should have given them more time.”

“Draco! If we had given them any more time we would likely have been too late.”

Harry pulled back, somewhat reluctantly, and turned around to see Percy and Draco; one grinning at them widely, the other only smiling reluctantly while also trying to look cross. 

“I imagine that Severus would have made good on things should they have gone any further.”

“He already has!” Harry interjected, before Percy could complain about the position he was already in. He didn’t want to check how dishevelled his clothes had gotten already although he was sure he would have to straighten himself out before they went too much further down the path. Thankfully, his announcement was enough to shock Percy out of his concern and he beamed at Harry. 

“Really! That is good news!”

“I’m glad that it is no longer just rumour,” Draco laughed. 

“You and me both,” Severus smirked. 

“Still, I must say I am surprised though,” Percy said, as he pulled Harry forward and began walking down the lane, clearly trying to have a private word with his brother. “I had no idea this was even a possibility.”

“I didn’t dare hope,” Harry said with a laugh, looking back over his shoulder to try to let Severus know everything was alright.

“Harry, what I mean is that the last I heard on the subject was that you had turned him down quite resoundingly. Why do I get the feeling that a lot has happened since then that I know nothing about. 

Harry suddenly felt a little sheepish. “There was a bit, but it was more of a slow change of feelings on my part when I realised that he wasn’t an absolute villain. Some things did happen at Pemberley but what happened with Ginny overshadowed everything somewhat and, when it was done, I genuinely thought that it wouldn't make a difference because I didn’t think anything would come of it.”

“But you wanted something to come of it,” Percy pushed. “That is a change that you could have told me about.”

“True,” Harry chuckled, “but I didn’t want to be put in a bad position where you might be persuaded to think badly of your husband’s friend because he didn’t return my feelings.”

“Perhaps,” Percy agreed, somewhat begrudgingly, “but I feel like I could have helped if I’d known, maybe channel mum and try to manoeuvre situations where you could be together.”

“Well it doesn’t matter now,” Harry assured him. “There is no need to play matchmaker as the match is already there.”

Percy smiled, and linked arms with Harry. “I suppose, and I will admit it is good that you are happy about this. It is nice that we can continue to be closer in the future.”

“I second that!” Draco called, showing that they had likely heard everything that had been said and Harry was a little embarrassed to realise that he and Percy hadn’t exactly been quiet while conversing. He cast a shy glance back to Severus who merely smiled, to let Harry know everything was fine. Harry supposed that nothing he said to Percy wasn’t what he had already said to Severus anyway. It was also quite nice to think that he didn’t have something hidden from Severus and wondered if it might be worth being open with the man in the future. So much of their relationship had been marred by erroneous assumptions and miscommunication that it would be nice to not have to worry about that again. Harry’s thoughts were interrupted, however, when Percy brought up an interesting point. 

“So, Mr Snape-”

“Severus. We will be related soon.”

“Severus, then,” Percy smiled. “I was just wondering if you were actually planning on teaching at Hogwarts.”

“I don’t think so,” Severus huffed, with a certain level of indignation. “I have done my time trying to teach young children and it is not my ideal position. Personally I was intrigued by Harry’s idea of us opening up a shop together.”

Harry let out an embarrassed laugh at having further proof of his ridiculous conversation with Dumbledore. 

“I can see Mrs Weasley loving that idea,” Draco chuckled. 

“Draco!” Percy exclaimed, although he didn’t actually deny it as even he knew it was true. “That said, I am not sure Harry would be able to open up a shop that was in direct competition to himself.”

“I would hardly consider the Sleekeazy company on the cutting edge of things these days, no offence Harry.”

“None taken. I have nothing to do with that side of things.”

“Perhaps you should take more of an interest,” Severus suggested, “or you might find that you do not have a company much longer.”

“What do you mean?” Percy asked, sounding concerned. 

“Because I have a lot of questions regarding their ‘new’ formulas and I think that there is going to be a serious issue with them soon.”

Harry looked at him sharply with a mix of shock and horror. He had issues with Winickus but the grave expression on Severus’ face caused him to seriously worry and he spent the rest of the walk back to the Burrow wondering what he could do. 

Chapter Text

The news of Harry’s engagement was quickly spread around the family once the two couples returned to the Burrow. Severus went to talk to Mr Weasley, as a courtesy since his blessing arguably wasn’t required. Harry went to inform Mrs Weasley, feeling that it would probably be best if he broke the news to her himself as he wasn’t entirely sure what her reaction would be. She had made her feelings on Severus very clear since shortly after his arrival and Harry worried that she might not accept the match without a fair amount of explanation on his side. 

Of course, he needn’t have worried. As he had previously suspected, Mrs Weasley’s dislike of Severus stemmed solely from the fact that he took an early dislike of Harry, as opposed to anything else. As soon as she realised his opinion of Harry had changed, something that was only natural in her mind, her opinion of the man changed as well and she couldn’t be happier for the union, especially as they both seemed completely besotted with each other. She was actually over the moon to hear that Severus wasn’t taking up a teaching position at Hogwarts as well. Much to Harry’s surprise, said that she wouldn’t be supporting Dumbledore’s offensive on that front. Admittedly, Harry suspected that would be more of a passive thing, with her simply not pushing from her end as well, but Harry still considered it a win. 

“Honestly, I don’t know what Dumbledore is thinking pushing it,” she huffed when they were all sat down to dinner, celebrating the news. “Those teaching positions take up so much of a person’s time. I remember the Headmaster had almost no time for us Gryffindor’s when he was our Head of House.”

“He did have other demands on him then,”Mr Weasley pointed out. 

“That is besides the point. Harry knows how little he saw of Hermione and Mr Lockhart when he visited before and you know it won't be any different if Mr Snape was teaching. No, it is better that he is brewing potions instead, something he can do quite comfortably from home, as I well know. Might I be so bold as to suggest a move though? That house must be too big on your own, now that your students have all gone, so maybe finding somewhere else is in order. May I suggest Devon? It is such a lovely county and there are so many wonderful ingredients that you can forage around here.”

Harry had wondered why Mrs Weasley would suggest Severus give up his big home until she mentioned moving to Devon and then he almost groaned at how blatant she was being. He shot a cautious look to Severus to see how he was taking the scheming. Thankfully the man just smiled. 

“Thank you for your suggestion, ma’am, but I am afraid I still have one ward with me and, while she is, I’m afraid that I actually still have one ward in my care and, while she is with me, I’m afraid that moving is out of the question. Pemberley is her home and I wouldn’t dream of taking her away from her home unless she chose to move.”

“Well obviously,” Mrs Weasley agreed, somewhat begrudgingly. “Things will be different in the future, though, and there is no harm in looking now though, so that you are ready.”

Severus inclined his head but Harry had a feeling that Astoria would be staying at Pemberley for some time, if only as cover. He didn’t mind, he quite enjoyed the young woman’s company and he thought that it would be a nice thing to have someone else to talk to, having come from a big family. 

“Do you think you’ll only be brewing your own stuff or do you think that you will get a job at Harry’s company?” George asked. 

“I will not be getting a job at Sleekeazy!” Severus bellowed, making Harry jump a bit. “They are a bunch of charlatans who wouldn’t know how to brew potions if a decent recipe jumped up and hit them on their heads.”

“Really?” Mrs Weasley frowned. “I thought their products were quite good.”

“They were in the past,” Severus agreed, “but their latest products leave a lot to be desired. You just have to look at their latest lavender version of Sleekeazy.”

Fred frowned. “I thought that was doing really well. Women say they love it.”

“They might, but all the company did was add some lavender essence to the product and don’t seem to have taken it into account. Lavender is a potion ingredient after all and even adding the essence can have an effect on the product itself, in this case diluting its effectiveness.”

“I didn’t realise that,” Harry murmured. “Maybe I need to take a closer look at what goes on at the company.”

“It’s up to you,” Severus said, “although it might not help if you don’t know much about potions. I would say bring someone with you who does, although the company may argue that the information is a trade secret so that no one outside the firm can know it.”

“Shame you’re not already my husband,” Harry said, half jokingly, but Severus just smiled in response and Harry got the impression that the man wasn’t adverse to the idea. 

“Oh no, there will be no more eloping in this house!” Mrs Weasley huffed. 

“It would mean that my wedding wouldn’t risk over-shadowing Percy’s wedding,” Harry pointed out. That caused Mrs Weasley to pause as she seemed to do some mental calculations. To have two big weddings with equal pomp and circumstance would require at least one of them to wait for things to die down and Harry was not inclined to wait any longer than he had to. They said that asking for forgiveness is sometimes better than asking for permission and he wondered how difficult it would be to arrange one like Ginny had. 

“Not too difficult,” Severus informed him when they were sitting outside after dinner, enjoying the late evening sun. “Are you sure you want to do that? It would just be us and two witnesses, no family.”

“That’s fine with me. It’s not like I need them there for the actual ceremony; they aren’t going to disappear so we can celebrate afterwards. I love them but I love you and I don’t want to wait longer than I have to to become your husband.”

Severus took Harry’s hand, his eyes glowing with warmth and love as he gazed at Harry. “I am glad you feel that way, I am just worried that you will end up regretting it.”

“I don’t think I could regret marrying you in whatever way that happened, especially not if it happened sooner.”

A gentle smile spread across Severus’ face as he leaned forward as if to kiss Harry. Their lips had barely touched, however, when they were disturbed by a banging on the window. 

“You’re not cold out there, are you Harry?” Mrs Weasley called, opening the window wide. 

“No,” Harry replied, as he moved away from Severus slightly. He didn’t fail to notice that she purposely kept the window wide and suddenly decided to wash the dishes by hand so she had an excuse to stand in front of it. 

“Truly, the sooner the better,” Harry whispered, looking at Severus pleadingly. 

“Give me a day, then find a reason to leave the house for a period over lunch.”

A conspiratorial smirk spread over Harry’s face as he nodded. It had been a while since he had sneaked around like this, not since school really, and it felt like a lot of fun to do it again. It was just a shame that he even had to wait a day; it felt like so long at that moment and Harry knew he would need a chance to distract himself.

Thankfully the weather was bad the next day, a freak summer storm that kept everyone cooped up inside. Even Draco didn’t come by in the morning, likely not wanting to spend the whole morning under Mrs Weasley’s watchful eye, using the excuse that he needed to start planning some things for his and Percy’s wedding. It was the first moment that Harry had a slight pang of regret about having a rushed ceremony, since he didn’t get a chance to enjoy the whole planning stage. He didn’t want to risk dwelling on things, however, so he spent the day in his room, finding and cleaning his nicest robes. 

There was still a bit of time until dinner once he was done so Harry decided to pull out his old potions textbook to see if he could find any information in there that might help him when going through the Sleekeazy books. The Half Blood Prince had been an absolute genius in Harry’s mind, with ideas about brewing that Harry had never seen suggested anywhere else. The fact that he might be able to impress Severus a bit with this knowledge was just an added bonus. 

Excitedly, Harry opened the book on his desk, knocking Severus’ letter, the last thing he had read there, out of the way, only to pause. He looked at the letter, then at the book, and repeated the action multiple times, wanting to slap himself for not realising it before. Of course the snarky, acerbic man he fell in love with was also the boy who had made all the snarky, acerbic comments in the book. He had always wondered what ‘his prince’ would be like and he was happy to realise that the person was not only a wonderful person, but also someone who loved Harry dearly. It gave Harry a new reason for Harry to read through the book, only this time he pictured Severus actually writing each of the comments. 

It left him feeling like a love sick fool, as he floated down to dinner, only to plummet back to earth when he got down and found out that Severus wouldn’t be joining them. Draco had brought his apologies saying that Severus was busy with something at the Ministry. Mrs Weasley didn’t seem particularly happy with that idea, and Harry had to admit that he wasn’t particularly happy with it either, even if he was fairly sure that the reason he was busy was due to organising their ceremony for the next day. It was why he was fairly quiet through the meal, something that didn’t seem to go unnoticed by others. When, after dinner, Draco brought out some samples of things he had gathered while trying to organise his and Percy’s wedding, he made a point of asking Harry his opinion as well. 

“What do you think of flowers at the wedding, Harry?”

Harry frowned in confusion. “Do you mean for Percy to wear in his hair?”

“I was thinking more to use in decorating the drawing room but I have no problem with him wearing flowers in his hair,” Draco chuckled. 

“Oh, that is a wonderful idea!” Mrs Weasley gushed. “The Ministry is always so against any sort of decoration but a wedding should be a celebration in my mind and flowers are the perfect way to show that. Roses would be lovely, especially if you wait a couple of weeks until they are in full bloom and they will smell lovely.”

“Perhaps,” Draco mused, “although personally I like jasmine for scent. I think yellow jasmine would look lovely in Percy’s hair plus it has the added benefit of meaning modesty, elegance and grace in floriography which I think encapsulates him perfectly.”

Percy blushed. 

“What about lilies?” Harry queried, thinking about his mother, but Draco shook his head. 

“Lilies are typically associated with death and funerals so I wouldn’t have them. That said, lily of the valley is an option. It is often associated with happiness, purity, and a return of happiness, so those would work. They have a nice fragrance as well.”

The purity angle put them out of Harry’s mind, given what he had done with Severus previously. He didn’t regret it on the slightest, especially as they were getting married anyway, but it did feel like a bit of a lie to associate himself with that now. He let out a sigh as he looked out the window at Mrs Weasley’s garden. 

“Lily of the valley has mostly gone over already,” Mrs Weasley said, almost looking a little sorry for that. “Peonies are still in bloom and they have a lovely scent as well.”

“Aren’t they a little showy?” Percy frowned, clearly not impressed with that idea, although Mrs Weasley seemed to disagree. 

“Nonsense, Percy. They are very delicate and beautiful and will be very impressive in Mr Malfoy’s drawing room.”

“Perhaps in the room,” Draco agreed. “That room is very grand so a big, blowsy flower will go well. As for Percy himself, however, I think something with a more understated beauty would work well.”

“I don’t need flowers on me,” Percy insisted. 

“I don’t know,” Draco smiled. “I think you would look adorable with a crown of daisies on their head.”

“I like forget-me-nots,” Harry mused.

“They do match Percy’s eyes,” Draco agreed, “and they do mean remembrance, fidelity and eternal love.”

“That’s nice,” Percy sighed, “although I still think it should be you who wears the flowers in his hair.”

“Oh, if it’s me then I definitely want something that is more impressive than daisies or forget-me-nots,” Draco grinned. 

Percy rolled his eyes. “Of course, how silly of me to forget. Of course you need something more showy than a simple garden flower.”

“And the fact that you know that shows just how perfect we are for each other,” Draco chuckled, looking at Percy adoringly, causing another blush to colour Percy’s cheeks. Their eyes locked for a moment and Harry almost felt like he was intruding on something private. Before anything could happen, however, Draco shook his head, as if to dispel an idea, and Harry was suddenly quite happy that they wouldn’t have to wait long to be married either. 

“What about your robes?” Draco asked suddenly, as if desperate to find something to think about other than his intended. 

“I have some that are perfectly serviceable,” Percy insisted. 

“Nonsense!” Mrs Weasley huffed. “You need brand new robes and I agree with Draco, I think blue would look lovely on you and really bring out your eyes.”

“Blue I can live with,” Percy said with a slight sigh of relief. “For a moment there I was worried that you were going to suggest white.”

“Is there some reason why you wouldn’t be able to wear white?” Mrs Weasley asked, looking at Percy sharply. 

Percy shook his head vehemently. “No! Of course not! But I know full well that the twins would find some way to add colour with something so bland.”

“No white then,” Draco smiled, before Mrs Weasley could offer some sort of protest that everyone else in the room already knew was utter rubbish. 

“Green can be nice,” Harry mused absentmindedly as he continued to stare out the window, his eyes looking at the imaginary scene of his own wedding as opposed to the garden before him. 

“The right shade of green, perhaps, although I still think that blue would look better on Percy.”

“Silver for you then,” Percy said, with a bit of a smirk. “If we are choosing each other’s robes that is.”

Draco smiled. “I can live with that.”

Harry looked over his shoulder at the happy couple. It was easy to see how devoted they were to each other by the way they smiled: somehow a little brighter each time that their eyes met. Harry was pretty sure that they forgot anyone else was around half the time. It seemed strange that anyone could think that the two of them weren’t madly in love, although even Harry had to admit that Percy had been a little more free with showing his emotions since they announced their engagement. He wondered if he and Severus looked just as in love to other people. 

He hoped they did, or, at least, that Severus thought so. He would hate for the man he loved to doubt his feelings in any way. They had been through so much together, he would hate for things to fall at the last hurdle. He was glad that the ceremony was happening so soon so that he wouldn’t have to worry for too long. At least once they were actually married, there wouldn’t be anything to worry about. Well, nothing except whatever was going on at Sleekeazy anyway, but Harry was currently ignoring that for now. That would be Harry Snape’s concern, or should it be Harry Potter-Snape? He really should have discussed it with Severus ahead of time and he wondered if he might have a chance before the ceremony. 

Chapter Text

At breakfast the next day, Harry was just contemplating if he could get in touch with Severus before the ceremony, as well as trying to think about how he could excuse himself for the day, when an owl arrived for him with a letter. Harry hesitated over opening it at the table, what with the rest of the family there, but, annoyingly, they were all too curious to let it go. 

“Is that from Severus?” Mrs Weasley asked. “I hope it is a decent apology for why he didn’t come for dinner yesterday.”

Feeling unable to leave things, Harry opened it, hoping that Severus was smart enough not to put their plans in plain language. He needn’t have worried, though, as it wasn’t even from Severus in the first place. 

“It’s from Astoria actually, Astoria Greengrass, Severus’ ward whom I met at Pemberley. Apparently she is visiting Draco at Malfoy Manor and has invited me round for lunch.”

“Well that is a shame,” Mrs Weasley sighed. “I was hoping to get some help with planting some flowers ready for Percy’s wedding. It's late, but a decent magical fertiliser should have the non-magical flowers ready for the wedding. I was hoping you would help me select some for your own wedding, Harry.”

Harry fought down a wince at his pang of guilt at that comment, knowing full well that any choice he might make would be pointless after today. 

“That’s fine. I can always take a look at what Draco has growing in his own garden to maybe save you a job.”

“How very thoughtful of you, Harry,” Mrs Weasley beamed, “plus I still have Ron here to give me a hand.”

Ron let out an audible groan at that idea, having never been a fan of gardening in any form, including with herbology. Harry had the urge to help his friend which caused an idea to spark that helped alleviate some of his growing guilt. 

“Actually, I was hoping that Ron could accompany me as well. Astoria is still Severus’ ward so I wanted to start introducing her to the family but, as she does still suffer from her illness, I thought it would be a good idea to introduce her to us all slowly.” It wasn’t a complete lie; Astoria did still suffer from the curse, it just didn’t make her frail or weak, at least not regarding her personality anyway. 

Mrs Weasley frowned slightly. “You do have a point, I suppose. And it would be a good idea to work out what I need to grow myself and what we can source. I may use the chance to go down to the market and see what they have there, since I assume Draco will be sparing no expense for Percy’s big day.”

Draco and Percy’s big day, Harry thought, although he didn’t bother to correct her for fear of her changing her mind and pushing Harry to stay. Instead he collected his robes, quickly scrunching them up in a bag, and grabbed Ron to head to the floo. 

Astoria was waiting for them on the other side. 

“Oh good, you’re early, and you brought a friend. I was planning on standing for you but it’s nice that you’ve got someone who’s supporting you in this. I’m Astoria Greengrass, by the way. Nice to meet you.”

She held out her hand in greeting and Ron took it, shaking it in a haphazard way as he mumbled a greeting. Harry could only smirk at his friend’s clearly bewildered expression. 

“I thought you said she was ill?” Ron hissed, and Harry winced slightly since he remembered that wasn’t exactly meant to be common knowledge. Astoria just grinned, however. 

“Oh I am, I just don’t see why I should act all ‘woe is me’ because of it.”

“Oh, well, that makes sense,” still looking a little dumbfounded, although Harry thought he seemed a little impressed as well. 

“Anyway, enough of this chit-chat, we have a wedding to prepare for,” Astoria grinned, causing Ron to gape again. 

“Wedding? I thought we were here for lunch?”

“Well there is a lovely wedding breakfast arranged for after,” Astoria said. 

“Sorry, Ron. I couldn’t tell you back at the Burrow because of your mum but the lunch was just a ruse to cover for the fact that I’m eloping with Severus,” Harry admitted, a little sheepishly. 

Ron shook his head. “I don’t blame you for that although, at this point, can it really be called an elopement. Mum and dad are possibly the only ones who would come who don’t know.”

“And Percy,” Harry added, “although now I’m starting to feel guilty again.”

“Ah, ah Harry, no getting cold feet on me now,” Astoria chided. 

“Miss Greengrass is right,” Ron said. “If you pull out now then you are going to have to wait until the ruckus from Percy’s wedding dies down, and that could take months.”

“Plus we have already gone to the trouble of arranging everything. By the way, Mr Weasley, you can call me Astoria. Technically Miss Greengrass is my older sister and I never saw the point in adding ‘Miss’ to my name.”

Ron smiled. “In that case you can just call me Ron as well. As someone with 5 brothers it’s what I’m most used to.”

Astoria returned his smile and Harry had the feeling that pair were going to end up becoming close friends, possibly more, especially with how they were currently teaming up against him. 

“I suppose I had best get ready then.”

Harry pulled his robes out of his bag and shook them out, only to see that they were still massively creased. 

Astoria let out a heartfelt sigh. “I can’t see you becoming a house husband any time soon, Harry. I am glad that Draco suggested getting you some new robes though.”

“New robes?” Harry queried. “Astoria, you shouldn’t have.”

“Draco, Harry, not me. He said it was only right since he was insisting Severus got some as well. I swear, every item in that man’s wardrobe was black; not suitable for a wedding in the slightest. He wanted you to have new ones as well, so that you stand together as equals.”

Harry felt his heart swell. “Thank you. That is very kind.”

“That said, Draco chose them so maybe you should save your thanks until you actually see them,” Ron joked. 

Not wanting to waste any more time, Astoria hurried them up the stairs to a room that had apparently been put aside for Harry to get ready. There was a set of robes hanging up on a screen: a pale, mint green with some charcoal grey embroidery depicting cauldrons and brooms. It made Harry chuckle, especially after what he had learned the night before. The robes were clearly very fine though, and they must have cost Draco a fair amount to get them made, especially on such short notice. 

“I can’t accept these.”

“You have to,” Astoria insisted, “especially as they are already made now, to your size as well. It’s not like you can take them back.” She pushed Harry behind the screen with a surprising amount of force. “You have 10 minutes to change before I cast a spell to force you to change and I have to admit that I am not particularly good at it. It would be a shame if certain parts of your anatomy got caught somewhere they should.”

If Harry had hoped to get any help from Ron on the matter, that thought went out the window when Ron guffawed with laughter. Knowing a lost cause when he saw one, Harry let out a deep sigh as he began to change. The new robes felt wonderful against his skin, so soft and smooth, and Harry wondered if he had been missing out on something all these years, merely getting basic ones from Madam Malkin’s. They seemed to fit him perfectly as well, and Harry couldn’t keep the smile from his face afterwards. 

“Very handsome,” Astoria beamed, “and they will do perfectly for your something new.”

Ron looked confused. “What do you mean ‘something new’?”

“It’s something I heard when I was visiting a muggle tea room with Theo, up near Pemberley,” Astoria explained. “There’s this little rhyme muggles have that is supposed to bring good luck to a bride: something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue, and a sixpence in your shoe. Theo said that it almost sounded like a spell so I thought it would be good to do for Harry and Severus.”

“You think we need luck in our marriage?” Harry asked, with a slight chuckle. 

“Not necessarily,” Astoria assured him. “But there is nothing wrong with trying to send a little extra your way. You forget, Harry, we owe Severus a lot for the wonderful, peaceful childhood we had, that is why we want to do what we can to give something back. It’s why Draco got you the robes and Theo asked if I could give you these shoe buckles. They apparently belonged to his father but he says they just get in the way for him so he is happy for you to have them.”

They were silver but seemed to have a very delicate design and Harry half wondered if they were conjured as opposed to crafted by a metal worker. He didn’t have a chance to examine them, though, or try to give them back, as Astoria very quickly conjured two strips of leather and wrapped them around Harry’s boots, using the buckles to secure them. Not that they had any function other than decoration and Harry wouldn’t have been quite so comfortable wearing them if the robes didn’t mostly cover them. 

“And this is from me,” Astoria smiled, lifting up a flower crown made of forget-me-nots. “Your something blue: Draco told me that you were interested in them and I found a nice patch of them near the woodland. Now, I managed to get a sixpence from the muggles, the only thing I haven’t managed to come think of is your something borrowed.”

“Let me sort that,” Ron said, handing over his wand. 

Harry gaped at him. “Ron! You can’t do that! I mean, you’re a wizard. How can you not have your wand?”

“Well, it’s only for the ceremony, right? And it’s not like I’m going to be at risk here, am I?” Harry went to refuse him but Ron pushed his wand into Harry’s hand. “Are you really going to stop me, of all people, being part of your big day?”

The guilt trip proved to be too much for Harry and he reluctantly accepted Ron’s wand, tucking it into the opposite sleeve to where his own was stored. 

“Thanks Ron, that was really kind of you.”

“It was,” Astoria agreed, a look of admiration in her eyes. “You know, you never can be too careful. You should be safe during the ceremony, but perhaps you should stay by my side during the ceremony. I might not have a lot of power but I am very capable with what I can do, I assure you.”

“I don’t doubt it,” Ron grinned. “I know from my siblings that you can do a lot of damage with jinxes and hexes.”

“Smart man,” she said, offering her arm to Ron who seemed more than happy to accept it. Harry felt himself smile as he looked at their budding friendship and wondered how much Ron would be visiting Pemberley in the future. 

Harry had had to walk very carefully down the stairs and even then he was happy that Astoria had placed a temporary sticking charm on his flower circle. It felt a little feminine but it did have the benefit of covering up Harry’s messy hair without him having to resort to the more extreme methods like Sleekeazy. Sure, it was his family’s product, and apparently specifically designed to tame the infamous Potter hair, but Harry really didn’t like how it made his hair feel. The circle may feel ridiculous but at least it didn’t make him feel like his head was covered in something solid. 

Astoria led them to the ballroom that had been decorated with some lovely blue flowers, similar to what Mrs Weasley had in her garden, as well as some large clusters of tiny white flowers that had a strong sweet, almost citrusy scent. 

“The blue ones are hydrangeas; Draco said you were staring at them quite intently the other day. They are said to represent devotion and fidelity making them a perfect decoration choice. The white ones are Elder flowers. They are favoured by fairies and the elder tree is said to offer protection so, as they are in bloom, I thought it would be good to have some in the arrangements, especially as the hydrangeas don’t have much of a scent.”

“Should I warn my mother that you may end up taking over planning Draco and Percy’s wedding,” Ron chuckled. 

“There is no ‘may’ about it,” Astoria huffed. “That said, I would rather she didn’t know in advance. I always find it much easier to persuade people to my way of thinking if they don’t think they are being manipulated.”

Ron looked at Astoria, mouth slightly agape, with a look on his face that was equally surprised and impressed. Not that Harry was paying too much attention to them. He was too busy admiring the beautiful room, until his eyes were drawn to another person in attendance. 

“Hermione! What are you doing here?”

“Attending your wedding, what do you think?” Hermione huffed, sounding quite indignant. “Honestly, I am so grateful to Theo for telling me about it or I would never have known. I had half a mind not to attend though. Really, you say I’m your friend but you don’t even try to let me know what’s going on!”

“I assumed you would be too busy,” Harry admitted, although the excuse sounded half-hearted as soon as he said it and Hermione seemed to agree. 

“As if I wouldn’t move everything to attend your big day.”

“I’m sorry,” Harry sighed, flashing her his best kicked kruppy look, which thankfully seemed to work. 

“You’re forgiven, since I got here, although you should be grateful to Theo. If he hadn’t come up with an excuse to get me here and I had missed this, you would be making it up to me for the rest of my life.”

“What is your excuse for coming here?” Ron queried. 

“Oh, some apparent defence expert Mr Malfoy met in France is visiting London. They will turn out to be a complete fraud though, only pretending to know a bunch of spells, so I won’t need to back anything up.”

Hermione shared a conspiratorial smirk with Theo and Harry couldn’t help wondering if his wedding was the only incentive Hermione had for coming here, or if the chance of spending some time with Theo had been an added inducement. He didn’t mind if it was, in fact Harry almost wished he had a way of getting Lockhart out of the picture so Hermione wouldn’t have to sneak around in order to spend time with a man who was clearly better suited to her.

Harry's musings were suddenly stopped short when Severus entered the room and seemed to pause just inside the doorway. He rarely missed when the man entered a room normally, but this time he particularly drew Harry’s attention. He assumed Draco must have bought Severus new robes as well since they were almost the opposite of Harry’s: charcoal grey but with the embroidery done in a pale green. It helped cement the idea of their unity and Harry absolutely loved Draco for doing that for them.

Harry lifted his eyes to meet those of his husband-to-be and Harry truly did feel as if the rest of the world disappeared; no one in the world mattered except the man who was about to become his husband. Harry was only vaguely aware that Severus was walking towards him, but he felt his smile grow with every step the man took. When they met in the centre of the room and Severus took Harry’s hand, it felt like all would be right with the world. Harry wanted nothing more than to kiss this man, but Draco slapping his hand on Severus’ shoulder was enough to knock Harry out of his daze. 

“Should we get on with proceedings, then?” Draco suggested. “Since everyone is here?”

“I’m half surprised you didn’t end up bringing Percy along,” Harry chuckled. 

Draco winced. “I would have, but unfortunately he had an important meeting which he couldn’t really get out of. Not that I mentioned that I needed to see him for your wedding so I’m sure we will both have a lot of making up to do once he finds out. It’s why I am happy to be officiating your ceremony: at least I can guarantee that I will be at one wedding this year.”

Harry chuckled, knowing that Draco was exaggerating. There was no way that Percy wouldn’t go through with the wedding, he loved Draco too much not to. He would definitely be joining Mrs Weasley in holding it against them for the rest of their lives. Standing with the man he loved in front of their friends though, Harry knew it was a small price to pay, and one he would happily pay several times over if it meant that he could have this. Harry would have willingly accepted a simple ceremony with just Severus’ friends as well, but the fact that his friends were there just helped make everything perfect in his mind. 

“Dearly beloved,” Draco began, “we are gathered here, in the sight of magic, to witness the union of Severus Snape and Harry James Potter. If there is any reason why these two cannot be wed, let it be shown to us now.”

Despite knowing that there was no issue, Harry still found himself holding his breath while Draco paused. 

“Good,” the blond continued. “Not that any of us had any doubt.” 

The guests let out a slight chuckle at the joke and Harry found himself blushing slightly. He hadn’t had doubts, not really, except for the fact that everything was going so well and he was just waiting for the other shoe to drop. He looked up into Severus’ eyes and, as he had predicted, all worries melted away as he saw nothing but love and adoration reflected back at him. 

“Now, where was I, oh yes. Marriage is a sacred vow, meant to unite people in body, soul and magic with a bond that only magic itself can tear asunder. The promises said today should not be taken lightly. With that in mind, do you, Severus, take Harry James Potter, as your lawful husband. Do you promise to love, honour and support him, through all of the highs and the lows that the future might bring, for as long as you both may live?”

“I do,” Severus said, with such a conviction that Harry felt his love for the man grow even more. 

“And do you, Harry, take Severus Snape, as your lawful husband. Do you promise to love, honour and support him, through all of the highs and the lows that the future may bring, for as long as you both shall live?”

“I do.” Harry felt his face split into a wide grin at the words as tears of joy pricked at the corners of his eyes.”

“Then, by the power vested in me, by magic and the Ministry, I now pronounce you husband and husband.”

A cheer went up from the guests and Harry didn’t know whether to laugh or cry as he gazed at his new husband, whose face was also lit with joy. 

Harry suggested that Hermione could be the second witness, alongside Theo, when they signed the official contract; partly as a way of making things up to her and partly because he didn’t want to split Ron and Astoria up. He seemed completely taken with her although Harry wasn’t overly surprised, especially as she was currently wearing some lovely peach robes. She had claimed that she was making the most of it as Pansy always refused to let her wear them: peach apparently made Pansy look washed out whereas it made Astoria glow and Harry could definitely see the other woman not liking that. Ron seemed to take offence to that on Astoria’s behalf, although it was unsurprising that he would support someone who also loved the colour orange, or at least a shade of it. 

The wedding breakfast was a sumptuous feast, although it could have been sawdust for all Harry cared: he was just happy that he got to be with the man he loved and openly show his affection. 

“No come on Severus, say ‘ah’.”

Severus scowled. “I am not an infant, Harry. You do not need to feed me.”

“I don’t need to, but I want to,” Harry replied with a cheeky grin. 

“I want to feed you as well Harry,” Severus said, in a low purr, “but what I want to feed you will definitely have to wait until all the guests have gone.”

There was a sudden heat in his eyes that reminded Harry of their time at Pemberley and he gulped even as his blood made a sudden dash for his groin. Yes, they would get to do that again, and Harry realised that he was definitely looking forward to that side of married life.

“You know, I can cover for you if you want to spend the rest of the day with Severus,” Ron suggested. “The twins would do it from time to time and I picked up a few tricks from them.”

“Thanks Ron, although, I must admit, that I would almost rather spend the afternoon looking over the accounts at Sleekeazy, as crazy as that sounds.”

“No, it is a good idea,” Severus agreed. “Firstly it means that we are more likely to catch them unawares and, secondly, it will be nice to enjoy our married life without having all that to worry about.”

“Just be careful if you do go there,” Hermione cautioned. “Winickus is no fool and I certainly wouldn’t put it past him to have some way of covering his tracks if he is hiding something.”

“Don’t worry, Hermione. Severus and I have each others’ backs.”

Harry clasped his husband’s hand as he realised how true that was. The man beside him would always be beside him from now on and Harry didn’t think he could be any happier. 

Chapter Text

Since Severus agreed that they should deal with Winickus early, and since Harry already had cover for being away, since he was meant to be having lunch with Astoria. Ron wrote to Mrs Weasley to let her know they had been invited to stay for dinner, which they had, although Harry didn’t know if he would actually be dining with the rest. He was looking forward to spending some quality time with his new husband just as soon as they had sorted things out at the company. He had never really thought much about his family’s company before but it felt like he ought to now, what with having married a potions genius, it seemed wrong to let the company potentially fall to ruin. 

When the wedding breakfast broke up, Harry and Severus went to change out of their wedding clothes, with Harry making sure to fold these ones with care. They were now at the heart of a very precious memory for him and he didn’t want to risk ruining them with his usual carelessness. It was almost strange to see Severus back in his usual black when Harry met him by the floo a little while later. The man had looked good in something a little lighter, less washed out, and Harry wondered if he might be able to persuade the man to alter his wardrobe slightly. 

They flooed to the pub in Godric’s Hollow, the former home of the Potters and the nearest village to the headquarters of Sleekeazy. It had started as a small barn that Fleamont Potter had bought initially as a place to tinker with his potions, safely away from the populace. When Sleekeazy had taken off, Fleamont had bought the land around the barn as a way to increase production without drawing attention from the local muggles. That had only grown as the product had grown and the area now resembled a sprawling farming estate, although the only crops grown on it were ingredients for the various products that the company produced. 

Harry had never actually visited the company before, although he had heard about it, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t shocked to see it was almost as big as Severus’ own estate, possibly even bigger. It made him wonder why he was given such paltry stipend given that the company was apparently doing so well. 

“It is possible that the money is all locked up in property,” Severus suggested. 

“Perhaps,” Harry sighed, “although the twins said the lavender version is doing well and that can’t have cost a lot to produce if all they are doing is adding lavender essence as you said.”

“Of course, the likely alternative is that they are purposely trying to push you out of the company and they are simply hoping that you just leave on your own.”

Harry chuckled. “It would certainly explain why they tried to push Lockhart on me. Shame for them that that idea failed.”

“Yes, a great shame,” Severus drawled. “And even more of a shame that they don’t really have an excuse to side line you anymore. After you,” he said, holding the main door open for Harry, earning him a warm smile of thanks. 

“Can I help you gentlemen?” asked a petite young witch sitting behind a desk just inside the door. 

“Yes,” Harry beamed. “We are here to see Mr Winickus.”

The witch frowned. “Mr Winickus is in a meeting at the moment.”

“Ah, then we’re late. I told you we needed to hurry,” Harry huffed, looking briefly over his shoulder at Severus. “I assume the Winickus’ office is at the top of those stairs.” He pointed to the grand staircase just behind the desk but didn’t wait for the witch to affirm things before dashing up them, telling Severus to hurry. He wasn’t sure if the witch had a way of warning Winickus someone was coming but he didn’t want to take his chances. Thankfully the door to his office was obvious, what with it being the only ornate double set in the corridor, and Harry didn’t bother to knock before barging through them. 

“Mr Potter, what a surprise,” Winickus said, standing up from behind the desk as soon as Harry entered the room. “I was just about to contact you to arrange a meeting.”

“How lucky it is that we are here then,” Snape drawled, walking in behind Harry. 

Winickus frowned. “Who are you?”

“Severus Snape,” Lockhart replied, alerting everyone to his presence in the room. 

A slight sneer came over Winickus’ face. “Well, Mr Snape, I am afraid that what I need to discuss with Mr Potter is confidential so, if I can ask you to wait in reception, I will speak to you when this is over.”

“Potter,” Severus smiled, causing Winickus to frown in confusion. 

“I beg your pardon.”

“You called me Mr Snape, Mr Winickus, and I was just correcting you. My name is now Severus Potter, not Severus Snape, which is part of the reason why I am here in the first place.”

“Is that so?” Winickus questioned, with a pensive frown in his face. “This must have been a recent development then, since Gilderoy here was only under the impression you were only engaged.”

“It is quite recent,” Severus said, only to have to quickly throw up a protectago as Winickus shot an incarcerous spell straight at Severus. Harry hadn't even registered the threat and pulled his own wand out, apparently a second too late. 

“Petrif-” Winickus yelled, this time pointing his wand at Harry who called out his own spell. 

“Expelliamus!”

The spell hit, knocking Winickus’ wand right out of his hand, but not before he’d finished incanting his spell. Harry watched, seemingly in slow motion, as the wand flew through the air and the curse light seemed to come towards him, or at least where he had been standing. As he’d finished casting his spell, he’d felt Severus slam into his side, knocking Harry out of the spell’s path. The full-body bind hit Severus square in the chest, just as Lockhart fell into him as well, seemingly having fallen to a wordless tripping jinx Severus cast moments before. 

Winickus’ wand had landed near Harry and Harry scrambled to pick it up and get back into some sort of fighting stance. He felt decidedly outnumbered without Severus to back him, even though Winickus didn’t have a wand and Lockhart seemed to have gotten his stuck when the curse clamped Severus’ arm against his side. 

“What are you waiting for?” Winickus groused at Lockhart, even as he made a step towards Harry. 

Harry levelled his wand at the man, forcing Winickus to stop his advance, but he didn’t look too worried, which only put Harry on edge. Even without a wand, the man was still confident, implying that, like Severus, he likely had a few wandless spells up his sleeve. Harry couldn’t dismiss him as a threat, but he couldn’t dismiss Lockhart either since the man was clearly still armed, even if his wand was temporarily stuck. 

Harry half wished that he’d stayed training with the Aurors so that he knew how to properly duel wield. The second wand in his off-hand felt more like a distraction, although he knew he needed to keep hold of it to reduce the threat. 

Winickus took another step forward and Harry knew he needed to do something before the man got close enough to try to tackle him. 

“Incarcerous!” It was what Kingsley had taught him to use, when you thought you might need to question someone. The magical ropes wrapped around Winickus but the man just let out a loud laugh. Harry was momentarily confused but, as he turned to face Lockhart, that confusion melted away. Apparently he had hesitated too much and Lockhart had managed to yank his wand free. 

“Obliviate!” Lockhart yelled, and Harry’s face crumpled in despair as he felt all was lost. He had closed his eyes against the impact - only to open them as he heard something clatter against the far wall. Winickus had stopped laughing as well and now scowled at the fallen man. 

“Lockhart! What are you doing? Hurry up and wipe Harry’s memories so that we can get on with things!”

“Who’s Harry?” Lockhart asked, standing up and looking genuinely confused. “For that matter, who’s Lockhart?”

It was Harry’s turn to let out a burst of laughter as he noticed that Lockhart’s wand had apparently gotten broken when it was trapped and that had seemingly caused his spell to backfire. Not wanting to risk hesitating again, though, since that had almost cost Harry everything before, he quickly cancelled the curse on Severus and sent a patronus off to Kingsley, to call the Aurors in. 

The Aurors came quickly and Harry wasn’t sure if that was because he had previously been one of them, albeit briefly, or if they had simply had a quiet afternoon. Either way, Harry was glad for the help. They took over questioning Winickus and Lockhart, although the latter didn’t seem as if he would be giving any information any time soon. This allowed Harry and Severus to look over those books supervised by a DMLE agent of course, who made copies of any incriminating evidence, which there was apparently a lot of. It took the rest of the afternoon but eventually, between them, Harry, Severus, and the Aurors managed to figure out what was going on. 

Apparently, almost since he took over from James, Winickus had been watering down the potions as a way of saving the company money but, instead of reinvesting it into the company, Winickus had been pocketing it. It had only been small at first, increasing marginally with every batch, but it meant that the product was slowly becoming less productive over time. 

“If it’s weakening, though, that might explain why no one noticed the difference with the lavender one,” Harry mused. 

Severus nodded. “Perhaps, although, at the rates that I am seeing, the product was due to fail shortly, due to there not being enough magical components for it to be a magical potion. It makes me wonder what Winickus’ long term plan was.”

The plan, it seemed, was to draw as much money out of the company as possible and then run away, with, to Harry’s surprise, Lockhart’s help. Harry had always thought that Lockhart was some sort of useful idiot who was just employed to use his face to sell products, but apparently he was much more integral than that. Harry had been right that Lockhart didn’t have much by way of skill, except one. He had an amazing skill with the obliviate charm that had allowed him to take credit for a number of other people’s achievements. People had been coming suspicious of this, however, namely Dumbledore, which was part of the reason why he had gone to work with Winickus. 

Winickus had given Lockhart a lot of money to help him with making shady deals and with falsifying documents, which came out when a number of people were confronted with deals that they had no memory of making. 

“What was your end goal, though?” Severus queried, when he stepped into the interrogation to confront him with his findings. 

“What end goal?” Winickus asked, seemingly honestly confused, given that he had been dosed with truth serum and had realised the game was up. “I planned on carrying on as things were. I had a good thing going here and Harry was the only possible threat to that. It’s why I wanted him to marry Lockhart, to keep him under control. Obviously that had become more difficult with him marrying you but I had hoped that Gilderoy would be able to wipe his memory of that and get Harry to marry him as well. Multiple marriages may have fallen out of favour in the wizarding world but they aren’t exactly illegal and I planned on playing up the fact that Harry and Hermione were good friends and wanted to be more.”

“You don’t think that I would have objected to that?” Snape scoffed, but Winickus just smirked. 

“You could have, but Gilderoy’s memory charms are very good and no one has yet worked out how to reverse them. You could have complained until you were blue in the face but it wouldn’t have made a difference.”

A look of pure fury passed over Severus’ face and he gripped his wand, as if he was about to curse the man into oblivion. Winickus just laughed though. 

“Don’t!” Harry begged, grabbing Severus’ arm. “He isn’t worth it.”

“You would only be doing him a favour anyway,” Kingsley reasoned. “Many think death is preferable to spending the rest of your life in Azkaban.”

That thought, at least, caused Severus to smirk as Winickus paled. 

“We will take him in for sentencing then,” Kingsley said. “I have enough that I shouldn’t need your testimony and I will give the records to the finance guys in the DMLE so they can make sure you can recover the company’s money. It’s not like he will need it anymore. It’s going to cause quite the scandal though.”

“Perhaps we can use that to our advantage,” Severus mused. “If we can make out that Winickus was a lone bad apple that Harry, the son of heroes, was able to root out, then we may be able to spin the narrative and mitigate a lot of the damage. The issue will be Lockhart, though.”

“To be honest, I can see a lot of people wanting to cover that up as well,” Kingsley sighed. “I don’t know about the rest of the Ministry but I know that I don’t want people to get the idea that they can get away with any crime so long as they master obliviate. My Aurors have enough to worry about with curses as it is, plus it might cause people to start questioning the obliviator squad.”

“I don’t mind keeping his involvement quiet, if only for Hermione’s sake,” Harry said. “People are just starting to realise how brilliant she is and, with Lockhart out of commission, she might actually start getting the recognition she deserves. If people realise that he stole all of his previous work then it might cause them to doubt hers as well.”

Kingsley nodded. “In that case I will have him taken to the Janus Thickey ward at St Mungos and tell them he was the victim of some unknown curse. I will leave it up to you to explain what you want to his wife: you will know better than me how much she can be trusted. I will also leave you to clear up the mess at your company.” 

The last comment was said with a smirk and Harry couldn’t help thinking that Kingsley was laughing at Harry’s current predicament. Admittedly, he probably wouldn’t be in it if he had taken up the Auror position Dumbledore kept pushing on him but, watching as the Aurors rounded up their perpetrators and evidence, Harry couldn’t help thinking he was coming out better in the long run. They still had to catalogue everything and write reports, not to mention getting Winickus processed without him creating too much of a fuss. All Harry had to do was call an emergency board meeting and get all the old farts on side. 

Even just a few days ago, that would have seemed like an insurmountable task but, now, Harry had a feeling it would be a breeze. They had all relied on Winickus for so long they would likely be happy for someone to take that place. There was also the risk to the company if they didn’t look like they had everything in hand, not to mention the fact that Harry suspected some of the others had been at least accepting bribes. Those people would be more than happy to see things hushed up and would hopefully vote Harry in with little fuss. 

Chapter Text

The board meeting went as well as Harry suspected it would. It probably helped that Severus was there as well and could explain, in detail, all the ways that Winickus had been defrauding the company: from watering down potions to skimping on ingredients. Apparently even the occamy eggs in Lockhart’s shampoo had been switched out for chicken eggs that happened to have a pale blue shell. Suffice it to say that the board voted Harry in as CEO unanimously and no one batted an eye when Harry appointed Severus COO. It would give Severus carte blanche as well, regarding new products, as well as the existing ones, and Harry looked forward to what he could come up with. 

“Have you got any ideas yet?” Harry asked, after they flooed into Pemberley late in that night. It had taken longer than Harry had anticipated to get everything sorted and now he just wanted to spend some time with his new husband. 

“I have been a little busy going over the disaster that is your company’s books to think about any potions recipes.”

“Our company,” Harry corrected, “but I know how your mind works so I know that you must have been considering something, even when you were going over everything.”

“How do you know how my mind works?” Severus asked, giving Harry a cool, calculating look and Harry couldn’t help smiling at how he changed the subject. A part of him wanted to call the man out on it but, at the same time, this was the perfect opportunity to make a bit of a confession. 

“I have gotten to know you quite well over these last couple of months. That said, I feel like I have known you even longer than that. You see, when I was in my 6th year I accidentally destroyed my Advanced Potions textbook and Professor Slughorn gave me a spare one he had to use. The thing is, this spare one had a previous owner, someone who called themselves The Half Blood Prince.”

“Ah,” Severus said, looking a little concerned. 

“It’s all good,” Harry assured him, placing a hand on Severus’ upper arm and stepping closer to the man. “I loved The Half Blood Prince; I found him witty and insightful and may have had a bit of a crush on him when I was younger. Realising that he was you, after I had already fallen in love with you, it felt like fate; as if we were always supposed to be together, we just didn’t realise it until recently.”

“I’m not sure. I think we needed to go through everything that we did to get to a point where we both truly care about each other. We might have gotten there eventually but I don’t know if it would be as good.”

Harry smiled. “I think it would. I can’t imagine loving anyone else but you and I can’t imagine not loving you once I actually got to know you, instead of making assumptions.”

“Well, I am certainly glad that you do love me and perhaps you are right, maybe I do have a few ideas but I am not sure that we have time to discuss them now. It’s very late; Mrs Weasley must be having kittens wondering where you are.”

Harry scratched his head awkwardly. “Probably not since I already sent her a letter telling her about our wedding. I’m sorry if you didn’t want me to, but I figured that news of our wedding would be out tomorrow anyway and I would rather she hear it from me, even if it is just in a letter.”

Severus chuckled. “Don’t get me wrong, Harry, I am not complaining. In fact, I am quite happy to hear that as I assume that means that you will be staying here tonight.”

“Well, I had hoped to stay here a little longer than that,” Harry said, flashing Severus a cheeky grin. “I was thinking more the rest of my life.”

“That is good news,” Severus smiled, the flame of desire sparking in his eyes. “Now, my dear husband, do you actually want to hear about my ideas to improve the hair care products that will also be low cost, or would you rather simply go to bed. It has been a very busy day after all.”

“Bed does sound good,” Harry smirked, “although I can’t say I am feeling particularly tired.”

“Is that so,” Severus drawled. “Well, in that case, perhaps we should think of something that might tire you out.”

“That is exactly what I was thinking,” Harry grinned, pulling Severus in for a quick kiss before turning and running off to Severus’ room, happy that he still remembered the way. Severus seemed to hesitate a little before following, as if he, too, almost couldn’t believe this was happening. A part of Harry wondered if he was actually dreaming, or had possibly died somewhere and was now in heaven, because everything had just worked out so perfectly. At this moment he wouldn’t change a single thing as he burst into Severus’ room and quickly began to strip off his clothes. 

“Are you really that eager?” Severus asked, raising an eyebrow at his now half dressed husband. 

“Are you not?” Harry countered, slipping off his shirt to begin working on his breeches. 

“Oh I am, Harry, do not doubt that. I have replayed memories of when you were last here many times over and I am very much looking forward to making new ones with you.”

“Then you had best hurry up and get undressed then,” Harry laughed, kicking his breeches off and jumping, now naked, onto the bed. He watched avidly, lazily stroking his cock as he watched Severus disrobe. Severus seemed to be very aware of Harry’s attention and apparently had no issue with it, making a show of slowly undoing his buttons. 

“Out of curiosity, Harry, I showed you a few things when you were here before and I was wondering if there were any you wanted to revisit tonight?”

Harry hummed. “I did have some ideas. Is there anything that you wouldn’t want to do again?”

Severus paused, his robes halfway down his arms, to look Harry dead in the eye. 

“Harry, I want you to fully understand: there is nothing that you could do to me that I wouldn’t happily accept.”

Harry smiled. “That is good to hear, and I feel the same, although there is something I particularly want to try now.”

“Colour me intrigued,” Severus purred, now quickly removing his breeches and Harry was happy to see that Severus’ cock was already beginning to fill. 

Severus wasted little time in joining Harry on the bed, their lips almost automatically coming together in a deep kiss that conveyed all their love and desire for each other that had been steadily growing since they had first met. Their previous encounters had been mostly led by lust, with each of them being too unsure of each other’s feelings. Now things were different, though, and Harry could feel the warmth of their affection in their kiss, weaving into the burning lust that was quickly growing. 

Harry put a little weight on Severus’ shoulder, pushing him onto his back. 

Severus broke the kiss and looked up at Harry. 

“So you are planning on taking charge this time, are you?”

“Well, you said that you purposely tried to make things great for me, to spoil me for future partners. I want to return the favour.” 

There was also a part of Harry that wanted to prove himself, that he could at least stand up to the previous partners that Severus had clearly had. He didn’t want to admit that, though, but he had a feeling Severus may have guessed his thoughts anyway, from the way he lovingly stroked the side of Harry’s face. 

“You don’t need to prove anything to me, Harry. You have already spoiled me for everyone else.”

Harry bit his lip as he felt his love for this man grow even more, and he crashed their lips together. 

“I still want to do this for you,” Harry admitted, and he felt Severus smile through the kiss. 

“Then I leave myself fully at your mercy.”

Harry felt a wave of relief wash over him and he began kissing along Severus’ jaw to nibble down his neck. He had not had much chance to explore Severus’ body before. It’s why he took the time to explore now, using his fingers and lips to try to discover all of the sensitive spots. He loved every moan, groan and sigh he was able to pull from Severus’ lips. It gave him a thrill of power, especially when Severus seemed to naturally spread his legs, allowing Harry access to all of him without the slightest hesitation.

Even though Severus had previously ridden Harry, Harry would never have imagined being in the position of stretching Severus, especially with Severus giving himself over so willingly. Harry had to concentrate on trying to remember everything that Severus had done to him before, wanting things to be as wonderful for his new husband as it had been for him before. 

When he did finally slide into his husband, Harry did feel like he had actually died and gone to heaven and he had to bite his tongue hard to stop himself from finishing too soon. 

“Are you well?” Severus asked, sounding a little out of breath himself. 

Harry chuckled slightly. “Shouldn’t I be the one asking you that?”

“I assure you, Harry,” Severus replied, making sure to hold Harry’s eyes, “I have never been more ‘well’ in my life.”

“I feel the same,” Harry beamed, before leaning down to seal his husband’s lips in another deep kiss. 

Harry’s movements were slow, which seemed to annoy Severus slightly, although he didn’t actually complain, especially when Harry found the spot inside Severus that caused him to cry out. Harry decided that it was his new favourite sound and he did his best to make sure that Severus made it as often as he could. It felt amazing, the way Severus’ body gripped his cock, the man’s legs almost mirroring that, coming up around Harry as if he were trying to hold Harry as close as he could. Harry didn’t mind, and he held Severus’ eyes, letting his love for the man flow through them as he continued to rock until they both reached completion. 

He collapsed beside Severus afterwards, cuddling up with his husband, not caring about the mess that was rapidly cooling between them. 

“I’m looking forward to doing that every day.”

Severus opened one eye slowly to give Harry a baleful look. 

“Not every day.”

“Well not every day, no,” Harry agreed. “I am looking forward to you taking me again soon.”

“I meant having sex every day,” Severus corrected. “I am not a spring chicken like you. It took me days to recover from your visit here.”

“Maybe you can look into creating something for your stamina then, to help you keep up with me then.”

Severus groaned. “Why do I get the feeling that you will be the death of me?”

Harry chuckled. “Maybe eventually. I want to get a lot of use out of you first.”

“You do realise that sounds like a threat when you say it like that,” Severus groused, but he snuggled into Harry’s side anyway, but not before casting a wandless and wordless cleaning charm to clean them. It left Harry feeling quite impressed: clearly just another of Severus' apparently many talents, and Harry looked forward to learning every one of them in due time. He did have plenty of time as well, getting to spend all of his time with his wonderful husband, and Harry was looking forward to it immensely. 

Harry was happy for the security and privacy that Severus’ home offered, especially when news broke of his takeover of the company the following day. It was met with mixed views, which only seemed to feed the press as all sorts of wild theories came out about how everything unfolded. From Harry seducing Severus as a way of getting a potions genius onside to accomplish the takeover, to Severus seducing Harry as a way of getting his hands on the company, now that he had more freedom, and everything in between. It made Harry chuckle as the truth, them having a misunderstanding and then slowly falling in love, seemed to be the one idea that nobody came up with. He didn’t care though, as he knew that they both loved each other dearly, and the fact that Severus was willing to sit through dinner at the Burrow the following day was proof of that. 

Not that he didn’t try to duck out of family dinners as often as possible, and he definitely used the excuse of Astoria as often as he could at the start. Unfortunately that didn’t last too long, especially when her friendship with Ron continued to grow, and Astoria soon became a regular addition to the dinner invitations. It started with Mrs Weasley wanting to include Severus’ ward in their family unit and then, as Ron and Astoria became closer, her invitation was given for an entirely different reason. 

The visits to Pemberley had started as a way for Ron to escape the Burrow himself, since he was the only one left at home and he could only handle so much of his mother’s well meant pushing. With Harry and Severus busy sorting out the company, the friendship Ron and Astoria had struck up at the wedding only grew, as did their initial attraction. Astoria was a little reluctant at first, what with the curse meaning that she wouldn’t be able to have children without her life being put at risk. It was why she had planned on never getting married to anyone, and her love for Ron only added to that. 

Ron assured her that wasn’t an issue for him though. As the 6th son, and one of 7 children, several of whom were now married, children weren’t really a necessity for him, and he would be happy to spend his life with Astoria and simply look after cousins. It still took a little time for Astoria to believe him but, as some of the only single friends in their group, it wasn’t long until she caved, especially when most of their friends were pushing them together.

Well, Theo and Hermione anyway. It didn’t help that those two had become equally inseparable, especially after Hermione took over the Defence Against the Dark Arts teaching position. With Theo taking on the Potions Master position, those two saw each other as much as Harry and Severus, especially as they seemed to want to spend all of their free time with each other as well. It made Harry question if the pair of them might end up getting married one day. Hermione didn’t seem to be in a rush, though. The success of her Defence Against the Dark Arts textbook went a long way to cementing her reputation plus her new students could hardly deny her talent. She had married before to forge her place in the wizarding world and, now she had it, Harry wasn’t sure if she would ever give it up. Theo, at least, seemed happy enough with the way things were but the future was a curious thing and who knew what would become of them down the line. 

*

Ron and Astoria eventually moved into Pemberley along with Harry and Severus. Severus was worried about Astoria potentially having a relapse from her condition as the years went by and the house was more than big enough for them all. Harry certainly didn’t mind having the extra company although he did worry a little bit about Mrs Weasley being left on her own, now that she had achieved her dream and all of her babies had flown the nest.

He didn’t have to worry for too long, though. A few years into her career, Ginny became pregnant, much to her despair. She hated having to give her career up, although she didn’t have to stay away for long. Mrs Weasley jumped at the chance to babysit her grandchild and Ginny was soon taking to the air again. Harry worried a bit about how spoiled that child would end up becoming, with such a doting grandmother, but the company kept him surprisingly busy.

Draco and Percy did their bit as well, though. The pair had become quite the political powerhouse and were behind a number of bills that got passed. One that surprised a lot of people was the Wizard Adoption Bill. It wasn’t something that a lot of wizards thought about, since they usually believed that they would live very long lives: magic giving them the mistaken impression that they were almost invincible. That wasn’t always the case, however, and the wizarding world was sometimes left at a loss as to what to do with these children, especially as there was only a few.

The Bill was the solution to that, utilising Pemberley, with Severus' permission. The four of them hadn't needed to use the old dorm rooms from Draco and Astoria's time so the place already had the perfect set up, with Ron and Astoria around to supervise. The fact that Harry and Ron also now had an excuse to invite Ginny’s son over more often was just an added bonus.