Renewing Secret Promises
Harry James Potter, now seventeen and in his final year of Hogwarts, sat at the Slytherin Table within the Great Hall after his re-sort that year to promote house unity among the school and he was pondering over the latest problem in his life that had been dragged up unexpectedly whilst he was vaguely attempting to eat some breakfast though he was not very hungry at the current moment in time and his peers noticed and were perhaps concerned, but said nothing at the table yet. School had began nearly three months ago and Harry sat there remembering how Ron and Hermione had forsaken him and his friendship with their promises of loyalty to him when he had told them that this year he would be spending it amongst the Slytherin territory trying to convert some of their views for Albus and the Order of the Phoenix for their tide of the war efforts and promote school unity to ease war tensions slightly. They had not believed him or that it would be possible and they had told him if he was truly doing that then shouldn't he be down in the dungeons with the rest of them and socializing with them and not who he was previously friends with?
Harry had soon realized then that Ron and Hermione's friendship was all false and fake to him over the years whereas his own friendship that he had freely given to them despite his bad past upbringing had been true and genuine to this very day until now and he realized he needed to be more observant and careful to whom he was associated with in the future lest this occur again. After his re-sort, the school had looked at him with odd glances and the Slytherin House was especially suspicious of this movement at first and hardly anyone would talk to him or breathe a word to him edgewise. He was feeling very alone at school except for the select few who would still associate with him when they could.
Harry sat there trying to eat breakfast in silence, but an upset gaze was in his downcast emerald eyes and this was all whilst not knowing another set of dark black eyes were watching him with their own sadness and knowing exactly how Harry must feel right now from the Head Table. Severus Snape had always admired Harry for his determination and inner strength in some way or another, but never freely admitted it to the young man and right now these traits that were normally visible in him; they seemed as if they were non-existent. Harry's secret watcher and self-appointed protector had been attracted in a more than just professional or friendly way to Harry ever since his fifth year when he seemingly had grown some more maturity by the end of the year and then by his seventh year now he had become an adult who's power and strength were unmatched and his maturity was astonishing when you delved to look at his eyes that led to his soul. It also help that Harry was also a very attractive young man as well in appearance. His appearance sort-of still resembled his father James in some ways, but he was his own person now as well without being a look-alike carbon copy as Severus had previously thought he would be like in the end of all these years.
But despite his friends' broken friendship to him; there were still many people here at the school that looked as if this was just the opportunity they had been waiting for. For his friend's fake faces to reveal themselves and for them to be able to move in on him while they were pretending as if they cared because they wanted the notoriety that came with being close to Harry as a Wizarding celebrity and one of the most eligible bachelors their world had to offer upon his graduation when the time came now that was so close at hand. His admirer scowled once more to himself secretly while he ate his own morning meal at the staff table and as he was thinking over these horrible thoughts to himself during the meal he seemed to become rather agitated for some reason or another. The only three students here who really seemed to care about Harry and his well-being overall were Neville Longbottom and his girlfriend Luna Lovegood, as well as one of his own house-mates in Draco Malfoy.
However Severus did have his doubts about Draco and his sense of sincerity to Harry sometimes. Malfoy's motives for being close to his person of affection were what bothered him the most at the current time. Draco may be innocent in all accounts right now; but it seemed highly unlikely that he would be later since Severus knew all to well that Draco was going to be forced to be a Death Eater in some time nearby and that his father Lucius Malfoy would never hear of a relationship between them with peace and tranquility in mind. Lucius would more likely allow them to be in it until Draco became a Death Eater, and then Draco would be ordered to hand Harry over to his Lord in return for his services to the war as a sacrifice to their causes, which Severus also knew that if Draco truly did care for Harry; would cause both of them their lives trying to escape when Draco refused and betrayed Lord Voldemort and his father as Riddle's right hand in his war operations.
Severus had noticed more recently that Harry also still seemed so depressed and silent more often than not despite the three people who either did care about him or were just using him altogether anyways because they could do so without easily getting caught by Harry or anyone else around him who cared enough to point it out in the end. Out of the corner of his eye, Severus saw Draco enter the hall for breakfast with a content, collected, but genuinely casual and semi-happy demeanor to him and that he had actually decided to sit across from Harry today and the other teen's mood seemed to have lifted a little as he gave a hesitant, wary, and small smile in Draco's direction with a faint redness to his cheeks for some reason or another. Severus wondered what this meant as he narrowed his eyes between them and watched as they slowly conversed over something or another.
It was now a full week until Christmas Holidays were to start, and Severus just sat there watching Harry and Draco become closer and closer every single day since the day Harry had entered the Slytherin House. Jealousy that was nearly unbearable always rose up from deep within him as he feared he may lose his chance if he wasn't careful and watchful of Draco's actions of late. Severus grit his teeth together and knew that he needed to somehow show Harry that he cared for him without being too obvious and too much cause suspicion to Draco and the rest of the school. But how was the next question that rang in his mind as he knew the meal was nearly over now?
The bell rung shortly thereafter and classes were about to begin for the day as people started quickly moving about the Hall to wherever they needed to go. Students hastily grabbed their belongings and rushed to wherever they needed to be by now and any other professors' headed to wherever they needed to be as well for the day, himself included to this congregation.
Harry Potter sat in the common area of the Slytherin House and he now pondered about the newest revelation he had discovered both about himself yet again the next evening and about Draco Malfoy that he learned totally by accidental means the other night. What was this revelation you ask? The revelation that was so earth-shattering and had put a pause in his life today and last night? The revelation was that Harry could no longer deny to himself that he was attracted to the blonde Slytherin in a more than just friendly way and that he was truly and honestly gay, but the problem was that Malfoy seemed to be the same way and yet neither would admit that they actually liked the other enough to be in a relationship together...and the other problem; well, it was that Harry was secretly was attracted to his Potions Professor a lot more than he was to Draco and it had created a nearly invisible tension between him and Draco when Malfoy would subtlely be acting as though he were interested, but then Harry would decline the advances Draco had made onto him in his own way to negate the progression of a relationship between them totally due to his secretly harbored crush on Professor Snape. All these thoughts were giving Harry a headache and he just sat there wondering if all these things would eventually sort themselves out while he worked on his Charms homework during his free period before Draco came inside wanting to spend the rest of the evening together chatting again and possibly playing a few rounds of wizard's chess with him too.
Draco came in carefully and silently as he watched the emerald eyed teen he wanted so badly to be his do his homework with a soft small smile on his face right now. Draco wondered if he would ever be able to admit to him that he wanted to be more than just friends with him and that he didn't want to follow his father's footsteps as a Death Eater, but knowing it may be impossible to avoid getting the Mark and if he had to; with Harry's permission and blessing, he would become a spy for Albus and the Order as Severus was if it came to that. Suddenly, an owl came through the disguised and magical windows made for deliveries in the dungeon. Draco saw Hedwig approach Harry with some sort of small parcel and message for her master. Draco noticed too that Harry seemed confused by it since he had not ordered anything recently.
Harry,
I know not what to say to you to make you want to believe this is true or to help you understand that things have been the way they are for a specific reason at current times through all these years at this educational institution. Just know and be aware that I do care about you and that I admire not only you and your personality for who you are personally, but also all the innumerable deeds you have done for us and our community as the distasteful name of the 'Boy-Who-Lived' everyone seems so fond of calling you. I have here a small token of appreciation to show you just how much I do care and I hope you will accept it.
Your secret admirer
Harry sat there on the sofa with a very shocked face on his expression before it became neutral again and he gently started to open the small parcel he had received from whomever had sent the package to begin with. Inside the wrapping paper was a small box in a pendant looking shape. This was something Harry had never expected to find inside, but regardless, he continued to open the package further as his curiosity peaked and mounted higher. Inside this small pendant box was his mother's true birthright pendant of the Evans crest that proved she was indeed actually of the extinct pureblood Evans' Wizarding bloodline and not a muggle lineage as she had been told over the years just as he had been told so too.
Harry's eyes began to water around the edges faintly and he very gently took hold of the pendant as held it tenderly to his chest for a moment and had a small amount of tears come down from his eyes to his cheeks at whoever may have sent this package to him and knew how dearly he wanted to know for sure of his true lineage. Harry hoped a small amount that he was right in his guess and who may have sent it to him right now. If Harry was correct and Severus did send this to him directly as a gift in his promises made before to him; he must really have cared about him since Severus must know that Harry knew next to nothing of his family at all, and especially his mother's side of his family and because Harry knew James, Lily and, Severus grew up partially together before Hogwarts. James and Severus were second-cousins by blood and Lily though she was presumably adopted into a muggle family at this point; she had grown up within the very same neighborhood that Severus did and they had a friendship to each other that was rocky in the beginning and then more so even after Hogwarts and her marriage to James Potter.
Draco stood still in the shadows and he watched all of this happen in some sort of rapt fascination and curiosity as these many emotions played across Harry's face while he was wondering what had just happened to cause such a conflicting display from his friend who he wanted to be more than just friends with.
"Harry, are you alright?" Draco asked his friend softly as he stepped forward finally as if he just came inside the doorway.
Harry turned to the soft voice he knew only too well by now, "Yes Draco, I am fine now. I just received an unexpected package with something that was close to me and my familial heritage of my mum's that I never expected to find at all ever. It was sent anonymously, so I may never know who sent it. However, whomever did send this to me...I am eternally grateful they did so because it proves my mum was indeed pureblood and now truly of the extinct wizarding Evans family blood lineage." Harry said gently
Draco remained neutral to this for now as his mind went haywire with suspicions and ideas of what this item was and who could have sent it to Harry so anonymously, "I see. What was the item, exactly? If you want to tell me?" He asked curiously
"My mother's birthright family crest pendant." He whispered to Draco in an almost inaudible tone.
Draco Malfoy was now suddenly rooted to the spot where he stood very still and with his mind going crazy and narrowing in suspicion at ideas over this occurrence. Obviously, this person went to great lengths and expenses to get a hold of this pendant to send to Harry if they had not had it in their possession previously. Who would know where to find something of that nature to send to Harry in the first place since his past history to his family was always so seemingly shrouded in mystery?
Draco's eyes were getting narrower by the very second the more he thought about this scenario that had just happened between them. Either this mysterious person was once close to his mum and thought it was time to give him the pendant and had held onto it, which was possible, but not very likely since it was done anonymously…or it was someone who was close to them in the school area and wanted to court Harry for themselves and had searched long and hard to find this object that Harry held so tightly close to him currently.
Draco's eyes narrowed more and became hardened like steel ice. He knew now that someone was trying to move-in on whom he wanted and that someone was within the castle most probably; of this he was sure, but whoever it was…Draco was going to make sure it didn't work out like they wanted it to and would not happen if he could at best? Harry had gone to the dorm to put away the letter and his mother's pendant in his trunk for now, and so Draco came up to ask him whatever had been on his mind lately as he decided he was not going to lose this opportunity as had just witnessed when Harry now obviously had more people starting to vie for his attention now.
Draco cautiously knocked on Harry's door and he was allowed entrance soon afterward. The blonde Malfoy heir entered the room in some level of uncertainty and an almost sort-of nervousness feeling about him that Harry immediately picked-up, but regardless…Draco had to know where they stood at present with their seemingly much closer relationship than before.
"Harry, I have been meaning to ask you some things that have been on my mind lately but I could never seem to find an opportunity until now?" Draco said to him carefully.
Harry looked up to meet Draco's gaze momentarily and his emerald gaze held some intrigue to them, but also some hesitance and perhaps some form of reluctance to allow him to ask these questions of his?
"Yes Draco, what did you want to know?" He said finally in a sigh.
Draco seemed distant now a little bit and unsure of himself, "Harry...I know that both of us in the beginning of our schooling here never really got along too well and were seen as rivals to each other not only us, but also the rest of the student body here. However, that first year…I really and truly did want to be your friend then and you rejected me. I now understand why you did so and I do not begrudge you that you made that decision despite my anger by it then at you. Now that you have been re-sorted however; we have become good friends, probably closer than that in my opinion…" Draco said as he noticed that Harry had tensed slightly in his shoulders.
"I just need to know what you feel for me and if this is a relationship between us that is even worth pursuing? Honestly, I-I do like you…more than many of the people in this house and the other three because you gave me a chance to just be myself around you when they didn't. I will, however, let you go if you already have someone or if you do not feel the same or if you feel this isn't what you want?" Draco asked hesitantly.
Harry's eyes had gained an emotional turmoil to them internally as he had closed them tightly by now listening to Draco's voice and trying to decide once more between what was right and what would be easy for him to do in this moment of time. Harry knew that he did like Draco enough to be in a relationship with him romantically, but he also knew that if they were found out; both would be in tons more danger than they were before on either side of the war too. Harry also knew that the only one person in the entire school who could've given that pendant to him would have been Severus also. Seeing as he was literally one of his mum's only friends still alive during this war period and one of few who were alive and sane enough to give it to him personally through owl mail delivery so anonymously as he may have done so.
Not only that but since his sixth year of schooling too, Severus and he had been training in various things by the direct order of the Headmaster for the upcoming war they were to be fighting in. Harry felt some sort of unexplainable closeness and deeply rooted connection to the surly potions master that was comforting to his soul somehow in a romantic lover's kind of way that he could never verbally out loud express well to himself or Severus either.
Harry stood quickly from his bed, he paced a moment before he then turned around and walked over to Draco as he looked him in the eyes intently, "Draco…I do know that I cannot deny that you are attractive and that I do like you the way you say you do with me; but as much as I want to be in a relationship with you…I am afraid I cannot be in one, I'm sorry. It is nothing personal about you and neither does this decision come from your family's background because you know it doesn't. You know me now well enough to know better, or at least I would hope you do. It is more of the fact that I have started to feel some sort of connection to another person here that leads me to believe they might be my soul-mate despite our problems at the moment in this world of ours." Harry said gently as he reached out to touch his shoulder comfortingly.
Harry's eyes filled with shimmering tears, "Before these feelings started Draco, I wanted so very badly for you to tell me that you wanted me that way and I would have given in to what you wanted. Now, it is too late because of the renewed bond between me and my soul-mate for some reason or another now. If I had a choice in this matter…I honestly do not know what I would've done because I care greatly for you as my friend and as a person in general. I never wanted this decision to hurt you and I especially don't want this to cause a very damaging rift between us and the friendship we already share together, but I fear it may in the end." Harry said hoarsely as he turned away to face the window and hide his tears from his friend now.
Draco's mercury orbs gleamed with a lot of evident sadness in knowing that his denial of his true feelings and his damn stubbornness to admit his feelings for Harry to him had allowed Draco to wait much too long to be able to capture the heart of the one he had wanted to share his life with in the end of all this.
"Draco, I know you must be hurt right now by what I just told you…but, please will you just promise me one thing if what I think about this situation hold true now?" Harry asked him hesitantly with tears still sparkling in his eyes as he looked towards his friend and pleaded with him to say something back.
Draco looked at him warily, but could not deny Harry his wish at this point.
"Draco please, whenever you figure out who my soul-mate is and have your opinion of them...just please promise me; please really and truly promise me that you will not kill yourself or become bitter and resentful towards me because of this and decide to become a Death Eater because of me. I know you said you never wanted to in the first place, but I also know that sometimes if you care for a person enough to give your life for them or spend eternity with them and then have to do that willingly or not...and then they reject you in a certain manner for what you've done already for them…It will drive you over the edge to do something you may regret but could never ever take back." Harry told him softly.
Draco's eyes seemed to understand what Harry had asked of him and responded gently, "I understand what you mean Harry, and I promise you I won't do either of those things when it comes to me who your soul-mate is." Draco said softly as he left Harry's Head Boy dorms in the Slytherin territory across the hallway from the other seventh year Boys dorm rooms. Harry watched in great sadness and compassion as Draco left and Harry let him go on his own and he felt the hurt his heart was feeling roll over him in great and crashing waves. After Draco had been gone for a few minutes, Harry shut and locked the door to his room and then his knees gave out from under him as he crashed to the floor and Harry literally cried hard for the first time since the beginning of the year when everyone cast him away except Draco, Neville and Luna.
"Forgive me one day please Draco; I didn't want to be the one to hurt you like this and I am really sorry it had to be this way. I truly am so very sorry for this hurt I have placed upon you now." Harry whispered to the dark ceiling as glistening salty tears ran like flooding rivers down his face due to heavy rains from the skies of heaven above. Unbeknownst to Harry inside the room, Draco stood outside the door to keep a check over his friend and his emotional state as well. Draco was sad himself to this outcome with his own set of tears in his eyes at overhearing Harry's words and being so hurt at having to push him away for another person who was his soul-mate and he was having difficulties with right now because of some reason or another. Draco hadn't known exactly how much Harry really cared about him and valued his companionship until right now in that current moment, but that just proved it in one swift go that Harry was truly loyal to his true friends once he gave his friendship and loyalty to them freely. Draco felt honored that he had gotten a chance to know the true side of Harry Potter and vowed to stay close as friend to him now, even if they could not be together in a relationship like he wanted forever.
They had both secretly fallen in love for the other and were now being forcefully pulled apart by Fate as usual because of the soul-bond Harry had to another male or female student within the castle and the bond between them didn't like where Draco and Harry's relationship was going between Harry and his mate at all, and so the bond then decided that now it needed to be known that Harry was claimed already by birth and heritage to someone else and no one else was to have him but his mate.
Draco then left after he was sure Harry would be alright and recover fine from this ordeal they went through. Draco also left further away from his rooms before Harry suddenly came out of them and realized Draco had heard what he had said and became angry for unintentionally eavesdropping on him to make sure he was alright.
The whole week that had lead up to Christmas holidays was like a very rocky and bumpy roller-coaster ride of emotions between Harry and Draco through their classes they needed to focus on now for mid-terms this week as they sat for them. This mysterious soul-mate of Harry's was someone who was causing Harry some great distress on some level. Draco had seen Harry's lines of tiredness in his face and the way he was now not so genuinely able to smile and relax around him anymore. Draco also knew by now that Harry's soul-mate was either another pureblood or at least another very wealthy half-blood that had good taste and manners, despite the stress they were putting on his friend. Harry had kept receiving gifts from this person much to the school's curiosity and piqued interest, though they hardly expected to truly know what the real situation was since most of them had stopped associating wsith Harry at some point this year.
Finally, mid-term exams were over and it was Christmas Eve. The castle for those who stayed during the holiday season was decorated magnificently and the time now was late at night, almost midnight to be exact and it was just now that Harry had very cautiously and easily slipped out of his dorm room underneath his invisibility cloak to ensure that Draco nor anyone else in the dormitory could follow him to where he was headed tonight if they saw him by mere luck of chance somehow.
Harry was lost in his thoughts as he wandered very leisurely and slowly, as well as carefully to the Potions Masters office knowing Severus would still be awake even at such a late hour due to papers he graded late at night when there were less things to cause him any disturbances. Harry knocked softly on the office door and was permitted entry with an answer in a cold and seeming biting tone of voice that Harry remembered all too well from his early years there.
Severus gazed warily when the door opened and closed but no one had seemed to enter and be there until Harry took of his family's invisibility cloak. Severus probably should have reprimanded him for being out of bed after curfew and breaking the rules right now, but for some reason inside of him...he just didn't have it in him today to do it.
"Severus, I need to talk to you about something fairly serious right now. Can we do this now or do I truly need to wait until tomorrow morning after breakfast when the whole school will be awake, active, and have more of a chance to overhear this?" Harry asked him softly, but still kind-of in a firm tone
The dour man sighed and then he merely nodded his head as he seemed to tense up and his muscles in his back seemed to stiffen while waiting for an attack of some sort from Harry verbally. Harry sat down in the armchair in front of the desk with an anxious look before he began what he wanted to say to Severus.
"Is what you told me in those letters true for real this time, Severus?" Harry asked the Potions Master suddenly with a look of intent on his face that held some sort-of meaning to the older man for some reason inside of him deep down.
Severus had at this point in time, tensed a lot more than he had expected to at the question, but regardless to his now seemingly very uncomfortable position in demeanor with Harry...the dour and surly seeming Potions Master tried to answered Harry without any sort-of delay or hesitance to his voice, but found he could not do so yet and the tone he had started to use with him had held some sense of deeply ingrained insecurity to him from his past long behind him Harry felt as he watched Severus struggle for the first time in a long while to find words to answer with.
"Please Severus," Harry pleaded with him distraught, "I just need to know if I am doing the right thing for myself for real this time around because of these letters and gifts you sent me so very suddenly to get me to come back to you after the last fight we had and what I told you needed to be able to happen between us if you wanted me back and this to work out for us together?" Harry asked carefully.
Severus shifted uneasily, "What do you mean by that, Harry?" He asked softly.
Harry glared slightly at him now, "Severus, you and I both know that despite the closeness we have to each other from our training hours these last two years together that our bond as soul-mates is relatively weak because of our roles in this war and because we are constantly fighting the other due to appearances for the roles we play here for the war itself. We are never seeming to grow any closer to the other at all, and you very well know this as much as I do right now. You also are aware that this not due to a lack of effort to try on my end either, but more so because of your own insecurities and denial over the situation between us after all these years between my father and I and then what you have gone through between us. Yet, we made some sort of recognition last year and came to sense of respect for the other. Or, at least I had thought so anyways. Then when I am re-sorted into your own House this year and I become closer to Draco, of all people to become close to when everyone else forsakes me and my mission for the school and society at large and eventually become friendly with him enough to where I know I could trust him and to be in a relationship with him after we had many arguments and not spoken over at least 3 months to each other...this friendship you saw evolve to something possibly more has lead to jealousy on your part of our near deadened bond and then when you think enough is enough; our bond flares with some sense of life again to break the notion I could even have a relationship with Draco at all. How is this fair on me if we just end up fighting all the time when you will not keep your word to me? How can I trust you to be honest when you lied to me for the first time now? I am at a loss and losing what little sanity I may have left at this point?" Harry told him in an even, icy tone that said he was angry at Severus very clearly.
"I want to know personally from you tonight before I leave this office Severus that if I accept what you have offered me through these letters you wrote to me and the gifts you have sent to me for the past week as a binding promise to your committment to this bond between us…that in return if come back to you that you'll keep your promises you made to this time around to me? You know that Draco and I are close by now and I know it has hurt you to watch us sometimes, but I cannot deny that you somewhat deserved it. You also know I turned Draco away once already because of our rather weak bond that I thought had died and I never told him it was you to whom I was destined to spare him the pain of total hurt because you are his godfather, after all. I never wanted to hurt Draco like that and I'm sure you did not either, but this bond is maybe a bit stronger than either of us realized and your inner jealousy didn't help us any for the record. If you intend to not hold true to what you promised me this time around…I can and I will walk away for good this time Severus Snape, make no mistake that I will do just as I have said because I won't sit around and wait for years for you to come to another realization that you had made a terrible mistake and then suddenly want me in your life again when I have already moved on past this. I won't be the victim here, not this time or ever again." Harry told him firmly with sharp eyes pointed to him directly
Harry's gaze was smoldering in intensity and so very heated with an inferno-like fury while told all of this to the potions master who was sitting at his desk rather tense and rigidly now from Harry's explosion of emotional distress for what he had been through for the first three months of his final year already at him.
"I enjoyed the gifts and letters Severus, sure, but if you can't keep your promises to me because of what was written in them due to lingering denial and you will still deny this bond and the situation between us at any given point in time…what use to me are the gifts and letters you sent or were these things used in hopes to gain something you knew you could not promise to me, but you still hoped that you could obtain my personal affection with the negligence of the promises made for a second time, be able to hold onto this affection and me to keep me with you because of the bond between us despite no promises that were supposed to made and kept, and then practically keep me captive after you obtained it without regard to the dihonesty you used to do all of this to me?" Harry asked icily.
Severus flinched very hard in his mind as he dared to listen to Harry's very trenchant and chilling words to him in full capacity. He suddenly felt very humble and very dressed down by these questions and statements Harry made to him directly as his destined soul-mate, which in turn made Severus realize now that what he had done before had unintentionally hurt Harry deeply as he thought to himself. He knew this was a big problem between them that needed resolved for all of them. Severus himself to keep calm the rest of the year, Harry as his soul-mate and the need he probably felt to be closer to his mate due to lack of contact recently, and their bond to each other to strengthen over time and heal the wounds that had been made between Harry and himself this year already.
"Harry, I know you are angry at me for what I did to cause you and our bond such distress. You have every right to be so angry and vent your anger at me since I know our roles in this war have separated us far worse than most in the war period we are experiencing. I do not, however, dictate the actions that the bond between us uses to pull us together again somehow and I never have in any way. I do not know where to begin to even tell you how sorry I am for what I did that evening. The only explanation I could give you would sound more like and excuse to you, but I have say this anyways. I have lived a very lonely life so far Harry, just like you had to a degree at Privet Drive for most of the time, and you know that I haven't been a man of many words for many years now when in regards to emotional words or actions. It is hard to change such a habit in a small space of time for someone like myself who has been this way for so long of time. I know that you understand this since you have been through some of this yourself at certain times, Harry." Severus sighed as Harry seemed to notice he was quite upset now.
"You and I both know this is true for both of us on some level of variation and levels of severity due to our childhood pasts and other contrasting variables we could not control, but in event of all of this Harry...I do know one thing that I hope can be for certain in time before us now if you will let it?" Severus said gently as seemed to expose the gentler side of himself to Harry that was more vulnerable in more ways than one.
"The bond between both of us as individual wizards of some level of power clearly wants us both to be together, and if I have to end my spying duties inside of the Inner Circle to somewhat placate the bond in the end of all things entirely...I will do so for real this time. I did really try to explain to you that I only broke my promise that once because Lord Voldemort had come up with some plan as to how to capture you from Hogsmeade a couple weeks ago without anyone noticing until someone sensed you weren't there anymore and I wanted to ensure I knew what it was he was using to capture you and plan to do when had done so to better protect you from it he attacked Hogsmeade the last time. I was driven internally by...I guess a sense of fear that I would lose you if I didn't find anything out about that plan he made. However, you also never let me finish explaining the details to you before you became so angry at me and walked out that night on me. I was also afraid you would not come back that time either, if I truly honest to both myself and you now. You are my soul-mate Harry, and no matter what past history stands between us because of the wars we have been through both personally and for our safety and survival of wizard-kind; I do love you as my mate and I truly do care for you as my own heart and soul." Severus said carefully as he hesitantly gazed at Harry meaningfully while hoping these words sank into his mate somewhat.
Harry sighed in regret now and he seemed wanted scream and cry in outrage of the situation before him, "I feel so torn apart right now Severus; I hated hurting Draco the way I did the first time because we both felt something akin to a new love for the other, but then I also knew it wouldn't last too long either with our bond pushing so much upon me as of now. I knew when I left last time that something felt wrong internally within me and I needed to come back to at least talk to you, but I was too hurt by your broken promises to me and I couldn't face you yet. I don't want to be the reason Draco will either hate me from now on and never talk to me again or become resentful enough about me and you that he does something he will regret despite his own promises to me that he wouldn't do something like that."
"I understand Harry." Severus told him, "But you need to understand that Draco has to make up his own mind about what will happen after this point when he figures it out and may or may not be angry."
"I believe that I already have." Draco said softly as two heads turned to the voice.
"Draco?" Harry said hesitantly as he appeared cautious.
Draco sighed in dismay, "Harry, I am not angry at you for this turn of events. I am sad we could never be more then close friends yes, but I see now it would be useless to try and interfere due to your bond and how it wage war on you if we did become ivolved into a relationship. I wouldn't wish that on you or anyone, so I will give you my blessing and wish you both well from now on."
"Harry, I know I promised you that I would not become a Death Eater…but surely you must understand how important Severus's role as a spy is to the Order currently? If he were to call off his job as one, the Light would suffer greatly because of their lack of gaining important information. Possibly information that could lead to the end of the war totally?" Draco asked his friend seriously now.
Harry nodded sadly, "I know how important the role he has is to the Order, but I also cannot help the bond and how it feels on my end when he has to go see the monster to whome he is attached to currently. It is unbearable for me and also pain ful when he is gone for those hours…especially when he had the Cruciatus cast upon him several times and I could feel the curse as if it were upon me too." Harry sighed as Severus seemed very sad for his mate nowand wished there was a way to resolve this issue fully.
Draco nodded in turn, "Which is why I will offer a compromise, if you'll let me?" He asked Harry carefully.
Harry seemed hesitant to the idea, but told him to speak freely anyways now.
"Harry, we both know that my father will force me to get the Mark when we leave here after our graduation in any way or form he can do so without using the Imperious on me and to be willing to take the Mark for his Lord when I should get it from him. If Severus has to give up his spying for you and your bond because it is so unbearable; our side will suffer no doubt, so my compromise to both of you is that with your blessing Harry and a promise from you that you will vouch for me if needed when the war is over; I will go to Albus with you two and explain that I can take over for Severus since I will be guaranteed a place in the Inner Circle after my initiation?" Draco said carefully
Severus and Harry seemed shocked that Draco had taken things so well as he had and how maturely he had taken it too, but both nodded in acceptance to the offer very hesitantly.
"If this is truly what you want Draco, then we shall accept the offer?" Harry said softly.
Draco nodded in confirmation silently and with a small, but also genuine smile that it was what he wanted to do if it protect his friend and helped them win the war finally.
"Very well. We thank you for this and soon you shall know how much so when I win the war for us and it will all be over eventually." Harry semi-smiled.
This early Christmas surprise had worked out and seemingly everybody in the whole school knew something was now going on between Professor Snape and Harry Potter that no one else but Draco could seem to explain. No one ever found out the true details between this until much, much later about what the real truth was between them and the war they fought in.