HP: Alliances 9
The next few days moved so quickly and so fucking slow. Draco felt as though he were made of lead. He moved on slow, heavy feet while the people around him seemed to be walking at five times their natural speed. Time moved like old, slowly crystallizing honey. Draco wanted for the students to have arrived, the feast to be over, and the potion to be in his hand. Like Christmas, a birthday, or the end of term the day refused to arrive. It had been decided that no one was to know that Draco had lost his memory. They thought the boy would be safest if no one knew the truth but he was worried and he didn't want to pretend to know himself, he wanted to actually know himself. The desperation he felt for getting the potion was getting worse by the hour. And then suddenly, with no warning at all, students were spilling out of carriages onto the castle's driveway. Watching from a third story window Draco gasped when he saw the hideous beasts that had been pulling the coaches. From behind him, Harry saw what Draco was looking at and said, "Thestrals are frightening but they're useful. I wouldn't talk about them if I was you: most people can't see them."
"How can they not see them? They're hideous!"
Harry snaked his arms around Draco's waist and stood on his toes to hook his chin over his taller lover's shoulder as he said, "You can only see them if you've witnessed a death."
"Typical. It couldn't be something nice? Blue ponies with gold manes. It couldn't be something that you'd feel privileged in seeing? Something to ease the burden. No we get to see something hellish."
"I've ridden one," said Harry, "It was freeing in a way. Very intelligent animals." Harry saw that Draco was turning steadily more green and he said, "You gonna be okay?"
"All those kids," Draco said softly. "How am I supposed to fool them? I can't fool myself. I don't know how to be me." He knew he had no friends but what if no one even wanted to talk to him, or sit near him? What if someone saw through the sham and called him on it? He felt slightly dizzy as he watched the students mill into the castle. "What am I playing at? How the hell am I supposed to do this?"
"We still have forty-five minutes before the feast begins, come back to the tower with me?" Draco just nodded and allowed himself to be led. By the time they got to the portrait hole Draco's breath was sporadic and shallow in his chest. He felt Harry pull him through the doorway. After being pushed into Harry's favourite seat he found that he had a lapful of Head Boy whispering into his ear, "Breathe… breathe… breathe." Once Draco's breathing evened out Harry said, "You'll be fine. It'll be easy to act like yourself. You just remember that you are a pureblooded Malfoy who's too fucking good for this school and all who inhabit it. You're a prefect, in your seventh year, and a more powerful wizard than most of the professors. Be cool, don't dignify anyone with much eye contact. If someone asks you a question you don't like or can't answer? Don't: just sneer. If someone asks you a question you feel you can answer? Go for it, but keep sneering. If someone seems genuinely nice or concerned or nervous don't be mean, drop the sneer, but don't be warm either. You'll be fine."
Draco sighed, "I guess it won't be too hard. I'll just focus on the potion instead."
Sliding off his lover's lap Harry looked up and the boy and asked a question even though he thought he already knew the answer, "Can I come with you to the infirmary?"
"I," Draco thought rapidly. The potion was bound to cause him pain and he didn't want Harry to witness it. And what if it went wrong? What if it turned him blue? He would need some time to fix it so he said, "I would really rather do it alone. A self-reliance thing."
"I get it," said Harry softly and he took his lover's hands. "I know we haven't spoken about it much but I know just from your face that whatever you're doing is dangerous. And if you're doing this to find out if you lo-"
His words were cut off by the sudden opening of the portrait hole. A shaking Ron was standing there clutching the scrap of parchment on which McGonagall had written the password for him. "You," he pointed at Draco, "everyone thinks you're a hero. But there are those of us who know you for what you really are. You're a killer you killed my sister and I'm not about to forget that. Some of us see through your martyred son act. You probably begged him to beat you; it makes you look so trustworthy. I know that you're just out for the main chance. You changed side because you got something out of it. And if you're thinking about strutting into the Great Hall you've got another thing coming. Because I'm not gonna let you gain anything else from this pathetic episode."
Standing slowly Harry said, "Malfoy, go upstairs." He was pleased to see that his lover sneered at Ron as he left the room. The boy was a quick study in acting himself.
"I see you got yourself a dog," said Ron as he watched the blond obediently leave. "Cool trick, does he also roll over and beg?"
"Ron, as Head Boy, if you verbally attack him again I will be forced to write you up," Harry said calmly as his innards ached with anger.
"Like you've never insulted him!" shouted Ron angrily.
"There's a difference between calling someone a ferret-faced git and calling him a murderer. No one could have saved Ginny but he tried. It isn't his fault that she died. She shouldn't have been there. She wasn't ready. I should have realized that or Dumbledore should have. And it wasn't your fault for being in the infirmary. No one could have saved her. I'm sorry, I miss her too. She wouldn't want you to still be miserable. Allow yourself to grieve and forgive. But, for Merlin's sake, you have to stop blaming Draco it isn't healthy or rational." He wished Hermione was there as he could hear her in his own words. He had read Hogwarts, a History after she'd died. He had missed her so badly it only seemed right. And at some point he had started hearing her condescending, "boy's are idiots and I must explain everything," tone in his head and he had felt happy about it as she calmly explained things to him. Draco had said he was hearing his mage powers and common sense but Harry was positive she was helping him from beyond the grave.
"Draco? He really is your dog, isn't he?" Ron scoffed.
"Go down to the feast. We will be there shortly." He turned away to show the redhead that the conversation was over. As he walked up the stairs he heard the portrait slamming closed.
At the top of the stairwell Draco was having a full blown panic attack and as Harry pulled the boy into an embrace his lover said, "Cunt, bastard sure okay. Murderer? No no no, not that, please, not that." He said it over and over as Harry petted him and whispered endearments to him.
"Breathe, Co… breathe… breathe, good boy." When Draco's respiration became regular again Harry said, "You protected her 'til the very end. You did nothing wrong. And you made me very proud that day." Draco seemed to relax a little against him and Harry tried to ease the memory of the incident by going back to the earlier discussion. "I know this treatment you're going for is dangerous. And if you're doing it to find out if you loved me, don't. I can tell you."
"I thought you didn't know?" asked Draco slowly trying to keep the accusation out of his voice.
"I was lying to both of us. You didn't love me." Harry smiled softly and then gestured between them, "This? Was safe and comforting but you didn't love me."
"Why were you with him?" asked Draco angrily once again attempting to separate himself from the old Draco with a clever pronoun.
"Because I liked having you for my own," Harry reached out to touch Draco but the blond shied away from the touch.
"But you didn't have me," his tone was angry but the ire was directed solely at his past. "Let's go to the goddamned feast. I'm fucking ravenous."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
By the time they reached the feast the first years had been sorted and Dumbledore had announced that Draco had been relocated to Gryffindor be he needed copious amounts of sunlight to fully recuperate. Everyone in the Hall was talking and apparently no one believed Dumbledore's explanation as to the reason for the move. Undoubtedly there would be some amazing gossip and leaps of reasoning floating around the school for the next week.
Harry hated the rumor mill more then than ever before. This wasn't about his reputation as a crazy, dangerous, attractive megalomaniac. This was his lover they were talking about and it made him seethe inside. As Harry and Draco walked into the Great Hall the immense room went quiet. Draco felt his face blanch. Harry tried to ease it all with a gentle reminder. Whispering so that only Draco could hear he said, "Chin up and look haughty."
As they sat down Neville smiled and said, "Wotcher, Harry. Hi, Malfoy."
"Neville, how are you?" asked Harry warmly. Neville had been one of the first Gryffindors to accept that Draco was really on their side.
"Fine, fine. How was your summer?"
"Brilliant," replied Draco dryly, "except for the bulk of it where I was in a coma."
Harry gave his knee a sharp squeeze under the table sending an easily understood message, "Ease up and be less of a dick."
"Yeah," said Neville looking embarrassed and apologetic, "I'm sorry about that. My gran kept all the articles in her scrapbook!" he said with false cheer as though it was some sort of a consolation prize. "She says she always knew you were a good egg."
"Thank her for me," Draco said coolly, "it's nice to know that someone thought well of me." Looking around and saw that he was getting a lot of looks from around the room. Lots of boy's were eyeing him with reserved respect or unsure judgment while groups of girls were openly studying him and then giggling amongst themselves. "I didn't used to get this attention."
"You don't care and don't notice," advised Harry softly. Then he added audibly for the table's benefit, "Malfoy, you're a celebrity now. Been all over the papers as the unwilling hero. Get ready for mothers hugging you in the street and third year girls following you around the castle." He laughed. Most everyone thought they were friends. It had been a good cover for their relationship and now it was easy to talk playfully with him in front of groups. "We make a right pair: Scar Boy and the Coma Breath Kid."
During the feast Draco ate a little of everything. He wasn't hungry but it was best not to take potions on an empty stomach. Unsure of his tastes he sampled all of the various dishes and had an oh-so-civil conversation with Dean about classes. After a half hour he saw Madame Pomfrey and Severus make to leave together. "That's my signal," he said softly, squeezing Harry's hand tightly before he stood, and then said with an almost polite smirk to the table, "see you in the tower."
"Good luck," Harry wished he could go too.
"Thanks, but I don't need it," he smiled cockily as he strode out of the Hall as though he owned the place and wasn't leaving before it was polite to do so. After all, he was a Malfoy: he could do whatever the fuck he wanted.
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In the infirmary the adults were already waiting for him. Madame Pomfrey pointed him towards a cauldron filled with electric blue potion sitting in a bucket of ice. It smelled faintly of glass cleaner and bleach and Draco was pleased that he wouldn't be swallowing it. Indeed, a small tray had been set down next to the cauldron with cleansing swabs and a hypodermic needle. Many archaic potions were designed to be injected into a muscle, the potions were heat sensitive and could only remain effective for short times inside the heat of the human body. Swallowing the liquid would cause it to become too warm before it could take effect. If the potion was injected directly into a muscle the liquid had seven seconds of potency before blood heat killed it.
Picking up the short needle he smiled as Severus said, "You're sure about this? Madame Pomfrey and I won't be offended if you've had second thoughts."
"Yes, I am sure. Thank you." Draco pulled a measure of the potion into the syringe, cleaned his upper arm with the swab, and said, "Here goes nothing." Flinching, he stabbed the needle into his flesh. As he pushed down the plunger he concentrated on his goals. But as he pulled the needle out of his arm he thought it had failed. He sadly shook his head at Madame Pomfrey. Suddenly, he felt himself crumble to the floor. Writhing in pain he felt all of his memories trying to cram their way into his skull in under seven seconds. Severus knelt and tried to put something in his mouth to stop him from biting his tongue. But Draco wasn't having a fit he was just in agony. He spat out the bit in time to vomit into Severus' lap. He remembered being born with frighteningly clear details, and being breastfed, he remembered how frustrating learning to walk was. He remembered meeting Harry in the robe shop and thinking he was strange. He remembered numerous throw downs they'd had in front of large groups and alone. He remembered being inside of Harry for the first time and kissing the boy's forehead while he slept. He remembered killing his aunt Bella a moment too late; he couldn't save Ginny. Standing slowly he banished the sick with a wave of his wand saying, "Well, that was… enlightening. I think it went pretty well. Thank you very much, Madame Pomfrey, for everything. I owe you a great debt. If you'll excuse me I'll be off to bed."
"Draco, you need an examination," she was shocked that he thought to leave so quickly.
"The potion can't be active for more than seven seconds. It's run its course. If you're looking for side effects, don't worry. My left leg is still slightly shorter than my right. If the potion had been apt to change anything it would be that. Ergo, it can safely be assumed that nothing has changed." His eyes were colder now and they held no trace of the unassuming and shy boy she'd gotten to know. The man in front of her was most certainly the Malfoy heir. "Thank you, again, you've been more than kind," he said with a polite nod and left the infirmary quickly. Severus caught up with him a few seconds later.
The man pulled him into a brief, unexpected, but welcome hug. As he pulled back he begrudgingly admitted, "I was worried."
Draco just smirked before saying, "Before I thought you were bizarrely intimate with me. How is my mother?"
"She's well," Snape smile self-deprecatingly.
"And my father still believes she's dead?"
"The Order did a thorough job of faking her death."
"Apparently," Draco smiled, amused with himself, "Send her my love and tell her that, no matter where she is, I will come to her at Christmas. And I'll be bringing a friend."
"Not that blighter of a boy you call lov-"
"I have never called Potter ‘lover’ in front of you," said Draco coolly as he walked towards the stairs that led to the dungeon, "It'll be a cozy Christmas: just the four of us."
"Where are you going?" asked Snape who was surprised Draco wasn't running to the Gryffindor tower.
"I need to talk to Blaise. And, believe it or not, Potter and I have been known to go for hours before losing control and rutting on the floor." His godfather rolled his eyes and as they reached the Slytherin corridor Draco asked, "Would you mind fetching him for me? I'd rather not get mauled by my housemates." Looking up he saw Severus studying him and asked, "What?"
"You make me very proud, Dragon," with that Severus walked into the dorms. Draco smiled slightly at the retreating man's back. His godfather, a literal motherfucker, and the closest thing he'd ever had to a dad.
After a few moments he was back with a confused looking Blaise in tow. Clearly, the boy thought he was in trouble but when he saw Draco he broke away from the professor, "Did it work?" Draco nodded with a look of smug satisfaction, "That's brilliant! That's- why aren't you with Harry?" he asked cutting himself off.
"Does no one believe I can exist without Potter?" He heard Severus snickering and gave the man's back a two fingered salute.
"No, I just figured you'd tell him first."
Draco didn't want to go to the tower. He wasn't quite ready to have that discussion, "Well, I didn't! I came to see you."
"I'm glad," said Blaise in a placating tone. He could tell that Draco was wound-up tightly and was liable to go off bang. He nodded slightly to show that he understood Draco's actions. The short dreadlocks he'd been cultivating over the summer bounced around his face.
"That hair is fucking ridiculous. You're too angular for it, shave your head," Draco said waspishly, still brooding over Harry.
"It's good to have you back, Co."
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"How can they not see them? They're hideous!"
Harry snaked his arms around Draco's waist and stood on his toes to hook his chin over his taller lover's shoulder as he said, "You can only see them if you've witnessed a death."
"Typical. It couldn't be something nice? Blue ponies with gold manes. It couldn't be something that you'd feel privileged in seeing? Something to ease the burden. No we get to see something hellish."
"I've ridden one," said Harry, "It was freeing in a way. Very intelligent animals." Harry saw that Draco was turning steadily more green and he said, "You gonna be okay?"
"All those kids," Draco said softly. "How am I supposed to fool them? I can't fool myself. I don't know how to be me." He knew he had no friends but what if no one even wanted to talk to him, or sit near him? What if someone saw through the sham and called him on it? He felt slightly dizzy as he watched the students mill into the castle. "What am I playing at? How the hell am I supposed to do this?"
"We still have forty-five minutes before the feast begins, come back to the tower with me?" Draco just nodded and allowed himself to be led. By the time they got to the portrait hole Draco's breath was sporadic and shallow in his chest. He felt Harry pull him through the doorway. After being pushed into Harry's favourite seat he found that he had a lapful of Head Boy whispering into his ear, "Breathe… breathe… breathe." Once Draco's breathing evened out Harry said, "You'll be fine. It'll be easy to act like yourself. You just remember that you are a pureblooded Malfoy who's too fucking good for this school and all who inhabit it. You're a prefect, in your seventh year, and a more powerful wizard than most of the professors. Be cool, don't dignify anyone with much eye contact. If someone asks you a question you don't like or can't answer? Don't: just sneer. If someone asks you a question you feel you can answer? Go for it, but keep sneering. If someone seems genuinely nice or concerned or nervous don't be mean, drop the sneer, but don't be warm either. You'll be fine."
Draco sighed, "I guess it won't be too hard. I'll just focus on the potion instead."
Sliding off his lover's lap Harry looked up and the boy and asked a question even though he thought he already knew the answer, "Can I come with you to the infirmary?"
"I," Draco thought rapidly. The potion was bound to cause him pain and he didn't want Harry to witness it. And what if it went wrong? What if it turned him blue? He would need some time to fix it so he said, "I would really rather do it alone. A self-reliance thing."
"I get it," said Harry softly and he took his lover's hands. "I know we haven't spoken about it much but I know just from your face that whatever you're doing is dangerous. And if you're doing this to find out if you lo-"
His words were cut off by the sudden opening of the portrait hole. A shaking Ron was standing there clutching the scrap of parchment on which McGonagall had written the password for him. "You," he pointed at Draco, "everyone thinks you're a hero. But there are those of us who know you for what you really are. You're a killer you killed my sister and I'm not about to forget that. Some of us see through your martyred son act. You probably begged him to beat you; it makes you look so trustworthy. I know that you're just out for the main chance. You changed side because you got something out of it. And if you're thinking about strutting into the Great Hall you've got another thing coming. Because I'm not gonna let you gain anything else from this pathetic episode."
Standing slowly Harry said, "Malfoy, go upstairs." He was pleased to see that his lover sneered at Ron as he left the room. The boy was a quick study in acting himself.
"I see you got yourself a dog," said Ron as he watched the blond obediently leave. "Cool trick, does he also roll over and beg?"
"Ron, as Head Boy, if you verbally attack him again I will be forced to write you up," Harry said calmly as his innards ached with anger.
"Like you've never insulted him!" shouted Ron angrily.
"There's a difference between calling someone a ferret-faced git and calling him a murderer. No one could have saved Ginny but he tried. It isn't his fault that she died. She shouldn't have been there. She wasn't ready. I should have realized that or Dumbledore should have. And it wasn't your fault for being in the infirmary. No one could have saved her. I'm sorry, I miss her too. She wouldn't want you to still be miserable. Allow yourself to grieve and forgive. But, for Merlin's sake, you have to stop blaming Draco it isn't healthy or rational." He wished Hermione was there as he could hear her in his own words. He had read Hogwarts, a History after she'd died. He had missed her so badly it only seemed right. And at some point he had started hearing her condescending, "boy's are idiots and I must explain everything," tone in his head and he had felt happy about it as she calmly explained things to him. Draco had said he was hearing his mage powers and common sense but Harry was positive she was helping him from beyond the grave.
"Draco? He really is your dog, isn't he?" Ron scoffed.
"Go down to the feast. We will be there shortly." He turned away to show the redhead that the conversation was over. As he walked up the stairs he heard the portrait slamming closed.
At the top of the stairwell Draco was having a full blown panic attack and as Harry pulled the boy into an embrace his lover said, "Cunt, bastard sure okay. Murderer? No no no, not that, please, not that." He said it over and over as Harry petted him and whispered endearments to him.
"Breathe, Co… breathe… breathe, good boy." When Draco's respiration became regular again Harry said, "You protected her 'til the very end. You did nothing wrong. And you made me very proud that day." Draco seemed to relax a little against him and Harry tried to ease the memory of the incident by going back to the earlier discussion. "I know this treatment you're going for is dangerous. And if you're doing it to find out if you loved me, don't. I can tell you."
"I thought you didn't know?" asked Draco slowly trying to keep the accusation out of his voice.
"I was lying to both of us. You didn't love me." Harry smiled softly and then gestured between them, "This? Was safe and comforting but you didn't love me."
"Why were you with him?" asked Draco angrily once again attempting to separate himself from the old Draco with a clever pronoun.
"Because I liked having you for my own," Harry reached out to touch Draco but the blond shied away from the touch.
"But you didn't have me," his tone was angry but the ire was directed solely at his past. "Let's go to the goddamned feast. I'm fucking ravenous."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
By the time they reached the feast the first years had been sorted and Dumbledore had announced that Draco had been relocated to Gryffindor be he needed copious amounts of sunlight to fully recuperate. Everyone in the Hall was talking and apparently no one believed Dumbledore's explanation as to the reason for the move. Undoubtedly there would be some amazing gossip and leaps of reasoning floating around the school for the next week.
Harry hated the rumor mill more then than ever before. This wasn't about his reputation as a crazy, dangerous, attractive megalomaniac. This was his lover they were talking about and it made him seethe inside. As Harry and Draco walked into the Great Hall the immense room went quiet. Draco felt his face blanch. Harry tried to ease it all with a gentle reminder. Whispering so that only Draco could hear he said, "Chin up and look haughty."
As they sat down Neville smiled and said, "Wotcher, Harry. Hi, Malfoy."
"Neville, how are you?" asked Harry warmly. Neville had been one of the first Gryffindors to accept that Draco was really on their side.
"Fine, fine. How was your summer?"
"Brilliant," replied Draco dryly, "except for the bulk of it where I was in a coma."
Harry gave his knee a sharp squeeze under the table sending an easily understood message, "Ease up and be less of a dick."
"Yeah," said Neville looking embarrassed and apologetic, "I'm sorry about that. My gran kept all the articles in her scrapbook!" he said with false cheer as though it was some sort of a consolation prize. "She says she always knew you were a good egg."
"Thank her for me," Draco said coolly, "it's nice to know that someone thought well of me." Looking around and saw that he was getting a lot of looks from around the room. Lots of boy's were eyeing him with reserved respect or unsure judgment while groups of girls were openly studying him and then giggling amongst themselves. "I didn't used to get this attention."
"You don't care and don't notice," advised Harry softly. Then he added audibly for the table's benefit, "Malfoy, you're a celebrity now. Been all over the papers as the unwilling hero. Get ready for mothers hugging you in the street and third year girls following you around the castle." He laughed. Most everyone thought they were friends. It had been a good cover for their relationship and now it was easy to talk playfully with him in front of groups. "We make a right pair: Scar Boy and the Coma Breath Kid."
During the feast Draco ate a little of everything. He wasn't hungry but it was best not to take potions on an empty stomach. Unsure of his tastes he sampled all of the various dishes and had an oh-so-civil conversation with Dean about classes. After a half hour he saw Madame Pomfrey and Severus make to leave together. "That's my signal," he said softly, squeezing Harry's hand tightly before he stood, and then said with an almost polite smirk to the table, "see you in the tower."
"Good luck," Harry wished he could go too.
"Thanks, but I don't need it," he smiled cockily as he strode out of the Hall as though he owned the place and wasn't leaving before it was polite to do so. After all, he was a Malfoy: he could do whatever the fuck he wanted.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In the infirmary the adults were already waiting for him. Madame Pomfrey pointed him towards a cauldron filled with electric blue potion sitting in a bucket of ice. It smelled faintly of glass cleaner and bleach and Draco was pleased that he wouldn't be swallowing it. Indeed, a small tray had been set down next to the cauldron with cleansing swabs and a hypodermic needle. Many archaic potions were designed to be injected into a muscle, the potions were heat sensitive and could only remain effective for short times inside the heat of the human body. Swallowing the liquid would cause it to become too warm before it could take effect. If the potion was injected directly into a muscle the liquid had seven seconds of potency before blood heat killed it.
Picking up the short needle he smiled as Severus said, "You're sure about this? Madame Pomfrey and I won't be offended if you've had second thoughts."
"Yes, I am sure. Thank you." Draco pulled a measure of the potion into the syringe, cleaned his upper arm with the swab, and said, "Here goes nothing." Flinching, he stabbed the needle into his flesh. As he pushed down the plunger he concentrated on his goals. But as he pulled the needle out of his arm he thought it had failed. He sadly shook his head at Madame Pomfrey. Suddenly, he felt himself crumble to the floor. Writhing in pain he felt all of his memories trying to cram their way into his skull in under seven seconds. Severus knelt and tried to put something in his mouth to stop him from biting his tongue. But Draco wasn't having a fit he was just in agony. He spat out the bit in time to vomit into Severus' lap. He remembered being born with frighteningly clear details, and being breastfed, he remembered how frustrating learning to walk was. He remembered meeting Harry in the robe shop and thinking he was strange. He remembered numerous throw downs they'd had in front of large groups and alone. He remembered being inside of Harry for the first time and kissing the boy's forehead while he slept. He remembered killing his aunt Bella a moment too late; he couldn't save Ginny. Standing slowly he banished the sick with a wave of his wand saying, "Well, that was… enlightening. I think it went pretty well. Thank you very much, Madame Pomfrey, for everything. I owe you a great debt. If you'll excuse me I'll be off to bed."
"Draco, you need an examination," she was shocked that he thought to leave so quickly.
"The potion can't be active for more than seven seconds. It's run its course. If you're looking for side effects, don't worry. My left leg is still slightly shorter than my right. If the potion had been apt to change anything it would be that. Ergo, it can safely be assumed that nothing has changed." His eyes were colder now and they held no trace of the unassuming and shy boy she'd gotten to know. The man in front of her was most certainly the Malfoy heir. "Thank you, again, you've been more than kind," he said with a polite nod and left the infirmary quickly. Severus caught up with him a few seconds later.
The man pulled him into a brief, unexpected, but welcome hug. As he pulled back he begrudgingly admitted, "I was worried."
Draco just smirked before saying, "Before I thought you were bizarrely intimate with me. How is my mother?"
"She's well," Snape smile self-deprecatingly.
"And my father still believes she's dead?"
"The Order did a thorough job of faking her death."
"Apparently," Draco smiled, amused with himself, "Send her my love and tell her that, no matter where she is, I will come to her at Christmas. And I'll be bringing a friend."
"Not that blighter of a boy you call lov-"
"I have never called Potter ‘lover’ in front of you," said Draco coolly as he walked towards the stairs that led to the dungeon, "It'll be a cozy Christmas: just the four of us."
"Where are you going?" asked Snape who was surprised Draco wasn't running to the Gryffindor tower.
"I need to talk to Blaise. And, believe it or not, Potter and I have been known to go for hours before losing control and rutting on the floor." His godfather rolled his eyes and as they reached the Slytherin corridor Draco asked, "Would you mind fetching him for me? I'd rather not get mauled by my housemates." Looking up he saw Severus studying him and asked, "What?"
"You make me very proud, Dragon," with that Severus walked into the dorms. Draco smiled slightly at the retreating man's back. His godfather, a literal motherfucker, and the closest thing he'd ever had to a dad.
After a few moments he was back with a confused looking Blaise in tow. Clearly, the boy thought he was in trouble but when he saw Draco he broke away from the professor, "Did it work?" Draco nodded with a look of smug satisfaction, "That's brilliant! That's- why aren't you with Harry?" he asked cutting himself off.
"Does no one believe I can exist without Potter?" He heard Severus snickering and gave the man's back a two fingered salute.
"No, I just figured you'd tell him first."
Draco didn't want to go to the tower. He wasn't quite ready to have that discussion, "Well, I didn't! I came to see you."
"I'm glad," said Blaise in a placating tone. He could tell that Draco was wound-up tightly and was liable to go off bang. He nodded slightly to show that he understood Draco's actions. The short dreadlocks he'd been cultivating over the summer bounced around his face.
"That hair is fucking ridiculous. You're too angular for it, shave your head," Draco said waspishly, still brooding over Harry.
"It's good to have you back, Co."
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