AN: Hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving. Here's a little post feast reading. I hope you all enjoy it.

Chapter 2

"Harry, are you okay?" Severus asked as he entered the bathroom. Harry was lying on the floor next to the toilet and was sweaty and pale.

Harry looked up and tried to smile, "Yeah, I think I'll be okay. I guess the stress is finally catching up with me. You don't have to hang out here. I'll be out in a minute I just want to rinse my mouth out."

Harry tried to get up but his legs were a little shaky so Severus stepped forward and helped him up. He noticed Harry was shaking slightly and his hair was plastered to his forehead. As Harry was rinsing his mouth, Severus got a washcloth and ran it below some warm water then wiped Harry's neck and had him wipe his face.

"Thanks Severus, I appreciate that." Harry smiled at his formerly fearsome professor and thought about how much their relationship had changed in such a short period of time. He also absently wondered if Severus and Draco had more going on than just Godfather and Godson. "Oh well," he thought, "as long as I don't have to see or hear it, I don't care." Seeing others happy wasn't something he was ready for at this point. It was still too soon.

Draco cleared his throat as he walked into the bathroom doorway, "Is everything okay in here?"

Severus smiled, "Yes, I believe we are on our way back out now." Harry nodded.

"Good because Harry's owl just arrived with a few letters and she's pecking the hell out of my hand because he's not there."

Harry chuckled as he walked by and didn't see the look that past between Draco and Severus. They were both worried about Harry and this latest nightmare and another sleepless night was obviously weighing on him.

Draco watched Harry walk back to the kitchen and he noticed that Harry's clothes were hanging more loosely on his frame and that his usually shiny hair seemed to have lost its luster and was just hanging around his face. Draco had always thought Harry was an attractive man, even when they didn't get along.

Harry was sitting at the table removing the cargo from Hedwig's grip and giving her some treats and praise. As he sorted through the usual advertisements and requests for interviews that he'd been getting, he saw a letter with a very familiar return address. The rest of the mail fell to the ground as he stared at the letter held in his shaking hands.

"It's from The Burrow," he said quietly as he looked up at the watching men. He held it out to Severus while shaking his head, "I can't…"

Draco took the letter, opened it and read it out loud.

"Dearest Harry –

I'm sorry we left the campus without saying goodbye but it was all too much and I needed to get the boys home to tell them about Arthur.

I'm sure by now you've heard about what Bellatrix did. I wanted to make sure you know that you are NOT to blame for any of this and we welcome you back here anytime you would like. Family is never shut out of our home.

We have already buried Arthur and I apologise we didn't have you out for it but it was quick and Minerva thought you might not be up to being seen yet.

I hope you are well and that Severus and Draco are treating you well. I'm sure it's a little uncomfortable for you there so if you would like to come and stay with us, please do. I know Ron would love to spend some time with you.

Harry, I want to thank you for doing what you did and giving us all the courage we needed to fight that night. I know the Order would have done it, but without seeing how hard you were fighting, I'm not sure we would have all been able to rally as many people as we did to fight.

Arthur was so proud of how you rose to the occasion and took leadership of the students. He was always saying that if given the chance, you would shine.

I love you dear.

Molly"

Draco finished the last with a tear in his eye and around the lump in his throat. No one had ever expressed such feeling about him. He silently folded the note and handed it back to Harry who held it to his chest while looking at the men before him.

"Um…" he was embarrassed and didn't know what to say. He didn't have to worry about it though as his stomach chose that moment to growl very loudly and everyone laughed, lightening the mood.

Severus took a deep breath, pulled Harry up and into a hug and said, "Okay, I guess we need to feed you."

Draco and Harry watched as Severus pulled together a light lunch of soup and sandwiches and they decided to sit outside at the table on the porch to take in some sun while it was out.

The men sat eating and watching the animals that cavorted in the garden. None felt the need to break the companionable silence that had settled between them, so when Draco finally spoke, the other two jump slightly.

"Harry, I was thinking maybe you would like to get your things from the castle so if you would like, I'll be happy to go with you and help."

"Thank you Draco, I appreciate that but I don't know that I'll need any help."

"Actually Harry, Dobby has already brought your things as the castle has been sealed off for the time being. Minerva made sure everything was packed and sent it along with a note. I had Dobby place it all in your room."

"Oh, okay. Thanks." Harry got up and went inside to see if everything was indeed there. He didn't doubt Minerva but he also didn't think she would get it all.

He found his trunk, Hedwig's cage and a note on his bedroom floor. He took the cage and put it on top of the armoire, leaving the door open for her then sat on a chair by the window to read the note. His bedroom overlooked the garden so he could see Draco and Severus still sitting at the table. They appeared to be having an argument so he looked away. He looked back though taken with the way Draco looked in the sunlight. His blond hair glowing as he sat there in a pair of black pants and light grey jumper.

He shook his head to get his mind back to the task at hand and looked at the note he held. He was almost afraid to open it after the letter from Molly which was nestled in his pocket.

It was on official Hogwarts letterhead and straight to the point.

Harry - Here are your things. If anything is missing please let me know.

Minerva McGonagall
Headmistress

Harry blinked and realised it made sense that she now held that post. He got up and began unpacking his trunk. He found that the only things missing were his shave kit and a couple of his old shirts that had been in the laundry. He wasn't going to worry about any of that because it was all replaceable. The important stuff was accounted for.

A knock on his door interrupted his unpacking and he opened the door to find Draco standing there. He marveled again at how good Draco looked standing there fidgeting a little and rocking back and forth with his hands in his pockets.

"Harry, I wanted to see if there was anything you might need from town. I'm going to head into London to do a bit of shopping."

"Come in Draco," Harry said as he stepped aside and let the man in. "Um yeah there are a few things I need but I also need to talk to Severus quick. Can you wait to leave for a bit?"

Draco was a little confused. He didn't intend for Harry to come with him, he had planned on getting whatever Harry needed for him. He shrugged noncommittally and followed Harry outside to see Severus.

"Severus, I'm going to go into London with Draco so I can pick up a few things that didn't make it back here. Do you know when Albus' service is? My note from Professor McGonagall didn't say."

Severus cleared his throat and stood, "Yes Harry, his pyre will be lit at sunset on Saturday at the Black Lake on campus. If you are up to it, you both may accompany me but there won't be many students present. I believe Mr. Weasley will be there as well." He watched as Harry's face dropped a little but he continued, "Do you think it wise to go into London alone. Maybe I should accompany you?"

"No I don't think you need to," Draco said, he was hoping he and Harry could get some unchaperoned time.

"Well, you two be careful and have a nice time." Severus was a little nervous but as the escaped Death Eaters were keeping a low profile, he didn't think anything would be wrong with the boys going to a muggle city alone. "Merlin knows they can certainly defend themselves well enough," he thought.

Harry didn't question why they would go to London instead of Diagon Alley mainly because he didn't care. He just wanted to be out of the manor for a while.

Harry kept a firm grip on his wand in his pocket as the boys sat on the muggle bus and watched the building go by. They had traveled by floo to the floo station nearest the shops that Draco wanted to look through but had decided to hop on the bus and go into the city proper. It had been a long time since Harry had used the muggle transportation and Draco never had so Harry had to take the lead on which bus to take and how to pay the fare.

As the bus slowed to a stop to pick up some passengers, Harry felt Draco stiffen next to him and followed Draco's gaze to see what had caused this. Harry saw a bright red head walking up the stairs onto the bus and held his breath as he drew his wand.

Both boys released the air in their lungs in a gush as they saw the hair belonged to a lovely young girl who was with her mother. Both put their wands away and Draco quietly said, "Sorry. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea."

"Draco, we can't hide away forever. You wanted to come to London for shopping so here we are."

"How can you always be so brave? Don't you ever feel fear?"

Harry shifted in his seat so he was partially facing his blond questioner, "I'm scared out of my mind right now. But if I let that rule my life, I'll never leave my room or bed. That's no way to live. I spent too much of my childhood in a cupboard and under the rules of people who hated me and I refuse to hide away if I don't have to."

Draco shifted so his knee was touching Harry's and shivered a little when they connected, "I understand how you feel and I'm sorry that my family was part of the reason you had to hide away and live with those awful Muggles. Severus told me a little about your family one night in an attempt to get me to understand why people are so protective of you. I didn't get it then, but I do now."

Their stop had arrived and the boys began to wander down the streets looking in windows and slipping into stores to try different clothes on. Harry had never been "shopping" and was enjoying himself immensely. He didn't realise just how many choices for things to wear there really were and was having a hard time deciding on what to get. He knew he needed some clothes that fit but didn't have any idea what looked good and what didn't.

"Harry, I'll help you pick out a few things and then you can try them on. If you like them, we'll get them."

"Ok thanks."

Draco handed Harry various styles and colours of pants, button down shirts and jumpers. No jeans or flannels as they were too much of a reminder of his past.

When he was overloaded and could barely see over the pile, Draco led him to a changing room and shoved him inside. "If you need any help, let me know. I'll wait out here."

Harry walked into the room and hung the hangered clothes on the wall and layed the folded stuff on a little table by a mirror. Feeling a little overwhelmed, he grabbed the first pair of pants and shirt he touched and put them on.

Draco's mouth fell open as Harry emerged in a pair of black corduroy pants and an emerald green jumper. Harry's eyes jumped right off his face with the reflected colour of the jumper and Draco couldn't help but stare.

"Is something wrong? Did I not put the right stuff together?" Harry was nervous now, seeing how Draco was looking at him. He turned to look in the mirror and gasped. He didn't recognize himself. Looking back from the mirror was a man not "The Boy Who Lived." He looked himself up and down and found he liked the way he looked in the tightish jumper. It hugged his chest and arms nicely.

Draco finally snapped out of his daze and quickly said, "Yeah, that's nice but the pants are a little big. We should go down a size. Why don't you try the grey pants and jumper next?"

Harry went back into the room and changed into the outfit he was told to. When he emerged, he saw that Draco was talking to a woman who appeared to work in the store. He walked over to them and the woman stopped talking the minute her eyes fell on him.

Draco turned and saw the stunning man that was waiting nervously for his opinion. "Um Harry, that's quite nice." He turned to the saleswoman to hide his flushed cheeks and said, "We will be taking these and a few other things. Do you have these pants in Black?"

Harry turned and walked back to the changing room missing Draco's eyes popping out of his head as he saw Harry's arse in the pants.

Draco leaned over to the woman and added, "Well need some boxers as well. Silk and no novelty patterns."

The boys left arms laden with packages and decided they should be heading home since it was getting late and they knew Severus would be getting worried.

Harry still couldn't wrap his mind around the fact that not only did he go on his first shopping spree but that Draco had paid for everything. The pairs of cashmere pants and jumpers, the new trainers and dress shoes, even, Harry thought blushing, his new boxers. Draco had insisted and Harry didn't want to spoil the nice day they were having by arguing about it.

"I need to get one more thing. I need a new shave kit. Mine's still somewhere in the castle."

"Oh, I know a great shop in Diagon Alley where you can get a really nice one and they we can head home from there."

"Great. And thanks again for all of this."

"I'm glad to do it. I know you can afford it, but so can I and I wanted to do something nice for you."

The boys slipped through the Leaky Cauldron and out the back to the walled entrance to Diagon Alley. Draco tapped on the bricks and the wall receded granting them entrance. As they walked the street Harry noticed there weren't as many people around as he expected and was glad of that. There was much less chance of him being noticed this way.

After finding the perfect shave kit, just like Draco said he would, they walked toward the floo station to head back to the manor. They were talking and laughing and enjoying the walk when they were brought up short by a voice neither could forget.

"Well Draco, better late than never. Finally decided to see things our way?"

Harry dropped his packages, drew his wand and spun in one fluid motion to face Fenrir Greyback. He threw the first curse that came out of his mouth only to have Greyback block it and laugh at him. Draco jumped in front of him, his wand drawn and said, "Leave us be Greyback or the Ministry will descend on you and haul you away to Azkaban."

Greyback threw his head back in laughter and growled, "Cub, you have no idea how funny that is. The Ministry can't stop me and neither can you. You should join me Cub; your parents would have wanted that."

"Stop calling me 'Cub' and don't tell me what my parents wanted. My mother is in hospital and I have no father. You know nothing about me or what I'm capable of but if you keep standing here, you will."

Harry couldn't believe Draco was holding a conversation with Greyback and tried to get out from behind him to kill the werewolf. "I'm going to kill you Greyback you filthy beast!" Harry yelled.

Draco held him back and noticed that many of the shopkeepers had stepped out now to see what the commotion was about. "Greyback, I will summon the Ministry Aurors if you do not leave Harry and I alone. You are a wanted murderer and I'm sure they would be thrilled to have you in Azkaban."

Draco saw a couple of the shopkeepers duck back into their stores and hoped they would take the hint and summon the Aurors. Just then a ginger head popped up next to Greyback and a smiling Ginny stood before them.

"Hello Harry. I'm surprised to see you here and with Malfoy no less. How'd that happen?"

Harry's wand dropped slightly as he stared at the girl he'd always thought of as his little sister and suddenly felt sad, "Ginny, why did you do this? Why did you go to their side?"

Ginny laughed as did Greyback and she answered, "Why? Are you really that thick Harry? Why wouldn't I go where I'm valued? Where I'm treated as an equal? You could be so powerful if you came with us. You would want for nothing."

Harry lowered his arm as the street filled with Ministry wizards and said, "I have enough power and I don't want for anything except my little sister back. Come home Ginny. Did you even know your father was murdered? Did you cry for him or the bitch that killed him?"

Ginny looked confused for a brief moment before Greyback picked her up and took off with her as the Aurors closed in on them. Harry hoped for the sake of the Weasley's that Ginny wasn't killed.

"Harry, Draco are you boys okay?"

"Yes Madame Bones, we're fine." Draco replied. Harry was still looking in the direction Ginny had gone and seemed to not hear the question.

Draco picked up the dropped packages and nudged Harry to get him to snap out of it. Harry shook his head, "Sorry Draco, I guess I'm just surprised they were here."

Draco handed some of the bags to Harry; they could sort out whose was who's when they got back to the manor.

"Who threw the curse?" Kingsley asked as he came upon the pair.

Harry looked up and replied, "I did. But he blocked it."

"Harry, where did you learn Sectumsempra? That's very dark magic."

"Uh, it was in a book I read last year. Am I in trouble?"

Kingsley led them to the Three Broomsticks to floo home and said, "No boy you aren't. If the curse had connected, you might be though. You have to be careful with that stuff. Don't go running into trouble."

"I don't," Harry began before Draco interrupted and finished for him, "I just seems to find him."

They exited the floo in the study of the manor to be greeted by a pacing Severus, who when he saw them, grabbed them into a bear hug and didn't let go until they both began to beg for air.

"Thank Merlin you are okay." He paused and then hollered, "Have you lost your minds!? What do you mean by trying to take on Greyback in the street alone? Do you two have a death wish?" He finished, "Answer me?"

Draco laughed nervously and said, "No, he approached us and No."

Snape, who had been pacing again, stopped in mid stride, turned to face the blond and smiled, "Merlin, you are such a brat. Okay, tell me what actually happened."