His Heart
I watch him as he follows his friends dutifully. I hate them with a passion, but not for the reasons that most believe they know. Not because the sanctimonious Gryffindors think that I'm jealous of them, and not because the Slytherins think that I look at them as scum... well, I do see them as scum: because no one in their right mind would treat my Angel the way those fools have a nasty habit of doing. The self-righteous, brave and loyal pack of lions is more blind by their own foolishness to see past their arses and see that they hurt the only one that really matters.
But of course, I can do nothing about this. I have my place, as does he and we all have a role to play in this vast story tale - small pieces in an enormous game of chess that is played by forces far too big for us to comprehend.
There is something new that is bothering my poor Gryffindor, and I know that the Know-It-All hag has been bugging him. She's insufferable, has to know everything, and has to fix everything. Does she not understand that sometimes there is no "fixing things"? There is only slow healing that leaves scars behind that make us stronger if left to contemplate long enough. I guess not.
He looks so dejected there and no one has noticed. Eurgh, there is that uncouth Weasel. I still have no idea what my Angel sees in such a creature. He truly has a big heart and such a tolerance, if he has to put up with the likes of that... oh, and there goes the She-Weasel. Another one that can't see past her own nose, does she not realise that her insatiable fluttering is nauseating?
Green eyes rise and meet mine and I knew in that instant what the problem was.
He was tired. He was tired of fighting, of conforming, of hiding.
Our final year has just started and the Dark Lord is still at large. I'm the son of Lucius Malfoy, right hand man to the psychopathic half-blood. He is the only hope for the Light. We're engaged. Not that many people know that. Including my family, the werewolf and Severus, I think that only McGonagall is aware of our relationship. That's right; the headmaster is none-the-wiser. So that brings the total number to seven people.
I did mention before that we all have a role to play. Harry and I haven't been together once, since the school started two weeks prior, and it has taken a toll on me. I hate being away from my love, but now I can see how much it's killing him.
It takes me a second to come to a decision and I make my move.
To hell with Voldemort, to hell with the Headmaster, and the idiotic Gryffindor and vindictive Slytherins; Father will understand why I broke my oath to play the charade and he will stand by me. Right now, the only one that is important is my lover. He comes before any other; that is the only oath that I will never break.
He needs me more than this damn war needs me, because if he has to fight in this foolishness along side that pathetic excuse for an army, I will make damn well sure that he gets all the support that he needs.
Harry had averted his eyes away from me just before I made my move – I will suppose that he found it too hard to find me so close and yet too far, at least I hope so, because that's how I feel. But no one else seems to have become oblivious to me, quite the contrary in fact. Every eye turns to me like moths to a flame. No one breathes.
I reach my destination rather fast and I stand behind my small lover for a few seconds before I make a move. I lean forward, "baby," I whisper gently against his ear.
He stiffens in surprise before turning very slowly. He looks up at me confused.
"Come love, I've missed you." I say a little louder so that he can hear me, now that I'm standing up and he is still sitting down.
"What-?" He half asks in disbelief, not quite squashing the hopeful flicker from his eyes.
I smiled encouragingly but don't give him the opportunity to stir as I scoop him into my arms and kiss him chastely on the lips, giving him the time to recover from the sudden shock.
He blinks quickly, focusing his eyes and orienting himself; again he tries very hard not to get his hopes up but fails at the very last second. "Sweetheart," he whispers breathlessly, "you're supposed to be hiding." He rushes anxiously, worry now covering his eyes but his body is relaxing against mine.
"Forget about it love, you're far more important than some old corpse." I whisper back against his lips, tightening my hold on his waist.
"You foolish thing," he smiles affectionately, and I find myself melting and falling in love with him all over again. "I'm the Gryffindor; you're supposed to be the smart one." He shakes his head.
"What can I say; you've made me a fool. I will go through hell and back for you and still nothing will ever stop me." I pecked him on the lips. "I am so in love with you." I whisper theatrically, as though whispering a big secret, which is fitting, as all those who heard me knew nothing about us.
"My sentimental Slytherin, I love you so much." He smiled beautifully and I knew I died in that moment, but just before I could take my last breath, he gave my life back with the most heavenly and the sweetest kiss ever created in man and wizard kind.
There are gasps of shock and outrage. I know that most are completely confused, and his so called friends are fuming. Any second now they will pull us apart and demand that I realise their friend from my evil clutches and magic. Pathetic.
A small gasp of pain pulled us apart and I look around to see Hermione Granger cradling her hand protectively and Ronald Weasley is almost foaming at the mouth in anger.
I chuckle in confusion as I take in the scene and Harry buries himself closer to me. I don't mind. "She tried to take me from you." My love whispers in way of explanation and that is all I need. Now, I can clearly see the light blue orb around us that sizzles in random intervals. He put a force field around us so that we weren't disturbed - and so I wasn't hurt from any threatening hexes. He is not as naive as he looks. My silly Gryffindor.
"Thank you, my love." I kiss him chastely and he warms up against me, clearly indulging his self in my gratitude and attentions.
"Harry!" A voice shrilled. "Get away from him!"
"Why?" Harry turned to the redhead that broke from her stupor long enough to chastise him.
"What do you mean, why?" Ginevra Weasley frowned, crossing her arms across her chest.
I growled but Harry kept me from moving forward and physically attacking the youngest member of the hero Gryffindor group. "My Darling, you have already exposed our relationship, and made yourself vulnerable to Voldemort, I do not want you attacking a supposed ally and endangering yourself from the side of Dumbledore too."
I pout, knowing that I am making it hard on Harry, he now has to worry about keeping me safe from both sides because in spite the fact that the Weasley family are as foolish as they can be, Albus Dumbledore has given them enough public power for them to say anything and the general population would listen to their noble bullshit, even if Harry goes against them, they would counteract and make it look like my love has been brainwashed, or worse, that he has turned Dark.
"Come, I think we need to meet with Severus and Madam Minerva... I have to get in contact with father and let him know of my latest blunder." I pulled Harry away, stalling his conversation with the Gryffindorks.
"I love your blunders, they're just little ways of you showing me how much you love me." Harry smiled gently, blushing coyly.
"You would see my mistakes as cute, but father just sees them as more work that he has to rectify to keep us alive whilst you and I get ourselves sorted." I whisper into his ear. There is one thing exposing myself to the public, I cannot do the same to my father and mother, they are too close to the Dark Lord.
"I'll make it up to you and him – not in the same way – I couldn't take a moment longer without you and I'm glad you were stronger than me and took the initiative." He pushed the door open and we walked out of the dinning hall, everyone else forgotten.
"If I was strong I would have held back and found another way to get to you without exposing us to more danger and putting more stress on the others." I whispered remorsefully - the consequences of my actions bursting through and guilt weighing me down.
"Please don't feel bad, my darling. We'll work this out." He paused and brought me around, peering at me through his veiled green eyes. I stifled a groan, realising that I didn't just miss my conversations with my fiancé and the warm proximity. I missed his touch, his taste, his sex. "Come, we really must get to the dungeons." Harry pulled us into movement again, but his blushing cheeks told me that he must have seen the hunger in my eyes. He knows me so well.
"I love you, I don't regret anything; I just wish Voldemort didn't exist." I mumbled as we descended down the stairs and the air chilled gradually.
"I know, I feel the same way... and I love you too." I know he does, and he always will. I can live with that. So long as he's by my side, I can take anything this world throws at me.
It isn't until we reach my godfather's office that we realise that we had company. "You should be more wary of your surroundings, you have enemies everywhere, no matter what the headmaster may think about his prowess and the safety provided by this walls. Hogwarts may be able to keep the enemies out, but she can't keep their allies from harming you if they are already here." Severus pushed the door to his office open and indicated his consent for us to enter.
"Did anyone else follow us?" I asked the moment the door closed and the silence and locking charms vibrated into life.
"No, but Dumbledore's finest tried. I cast a Notice-me-Not charm on you the moment you were out of sight behind the dinning hall doors. They didn't see you, in spite of the fact that you took your time to leave the front entrance. I do have to wonder about the education in this school, at the best of times."
"You cannot fault them, dear Severus; you are one of the few most powerful wizards in our generation, there is simply no comparison." Remus Lupin stepped out from the shadows and nodded his greeting to the room in general before walking up to our potions master and caressing his jaw.
"In any case, I'm sure your little friends are looking for you this very moment and Professor McGonagall is making her way down as soon as she has got enough information on the happenings upstairs." Severus waved his hand carelessly, kissing Remus' hand, then quickly proceeded to show us to his private quarters were a lively fire played in his sitting-room fireplace.
"Shouldn't you be upstairs? I would have thought that the headmaster would have called a professors meeting." Remus sat on the arm of the dark green armchair that Severus now occupied.
"No, he made to keep everything as normal as possible. I was on my way out when Draco decided to announce his relations, so my leaving was not thought of twice. Professor McGonagall is deputy head and Dumbledore's closest confident here in the school – apart from me – if anything is to be said, there is a chance that she could be present for it to be said." I frowned, not liking the way in which Severus made a jab at my actions. I know I was wrong, but I won't take it back.
"I need to get in contact with my father." I spoke up quietly, my arm pulling my love closer, subconsciously, but Harry didn't object.
"He will be making his way here shortly, there is too much of a risk of being overheard in the floo otherwise and you cannot leave the safety of Hogwarts." Remus said quietly, I nodded.
