Disclaimer: I don't own, J.K. Rowling and friends don't sue... Deal?

cinnamin: Well I had to add a little bit of fluff dear. I don't do angst well. I annoys me. I tried. I failed. Thus the category change, lol. Thank you for the review. I really appreciate it.

Mego225: I updated! I updated! Hope you enjoy sweetheart. Not as fluffy as the last piece but still good... I hope. Thanks for the review!

Author's Note: For those of you who don't know already, I'm from Texas, so any endearments I use while responding to you (i.e. honey, doll, dear, sweetheart, etc.) are not meant to be interpreted as either derogatory or flirtatious. It's just the way I talk! Lol.


"Are you ready?" Severus asked, standing stiffly in the middle of Harry's doorway. The teen was sitting on the edge of his bed, tying his shoe. The messy hair had, by some miracle, been tamed and the stubble that Harry typically let grow on his face had been shaved off, making him seem impossibly young considering all he'd accomplished.

"As I'll ever be." Harry answered with a sigh. His jade eyes sparked with fear and the former Potions Master sighed, coming to sit next to his former love's son on the bed.

"You will do fine Harry." Severus said, patting the boy awkwardly. "After all, you're the great Harry Potter. The Wizengamot will fall to your feet and hang onto every word that falls from your mouth."

Harry gave an uneasy laugh. "Yeah. Sure. And the next thing you know they'll be telling me I'm honorary Minister of Magic."

"I wouldn't be surprised in the slightest." Snape replied with a smile. Gaze turning serious, he waited until Harry was looking at him before continuing. "You will do fine. Tell the truth when you go in there and it will all work out as it should."

"But what if it doesn't. What if Narcissa goes to Azkaban or worse, Lucius goes free?" True fear shone in Harry's eyes. "I don't think I could handle Draco's disappointment if that happened."

"Draco's or yours?"

Harry gave a half-smile, well aware of what his former professor was trying to ask. "Either. Draco, because of how desperately he wants his father dead and his mother free, and mine, because I made a promise and would hate to break it. Not when Draco has put so much faith in me."

Severus nodded. "Harry." He paused. "I'm going to be blunt with you."

"Go ahead Sev."

"Do you like Draco?"

"Of course I do. He's a great friend."

"That's not what I meant."

Harry stood from the bed and paced nervously to the window. His history with relationships hadn't been great, something the professor well knew. Cho, well, what kind of boy loves a girl who's still in love with a dead guy? And Ginny was just a creepy mistake all around. They would've never suited, even if it hadn't been for the fact that he saw her as a little sister. "I know what you mean professor. And until my life has reached a more stable point, I'd prefer not to answer."

Dark eyes clashed with green ones until Snape relented. "I'll take that as a 'Yes but I'm not ready for relationship' then. Just know this Harry, I'm sure Draco feels similar to you. And that will not change no matter what happens during his parents trials. Nor we he stop being your friend, even should his mother be imprisoned and his father set free."

Harry let out a long sigh. Smiling, he patted his prof… no, his friend's shoulder. "Thanks Sev. I needed that."

"Obviously. Why do you think I'm here?" Snape replied with a cheeky grin. "Come along now. I'm sure Draco's worn a hole in the rug at the fireplace waiting for us."

"Probably. Who knew he was such a worrier."

Severus stopped Harry with a firm hand on his shoulder. "Everyone who took the time to get to know him. I know many, including your friends Mr. Weasley and Ms. Granger, believe he is just like his father. In reality, he is exactly like his mother, who, by the way, reminds me quite a bit of Lily. Narcissa has the same wide capacity of love and compassion that your mother did, if not the bravery Lily possessed."

The Boy-Who-Lived smiled sadly. "I know Draco isn't like Lucius. And I did know Draco was a worrier. We may have fought all the time, but we still watched each other. Draco probably knows me better than Ron and Hermione, and I know him better than Blaise ever will. As for Narcissa, I don't know what my mother was like, but I know Narcissa is a good woman. She risked her life by lying for me, and she did it for her son. If nothing else, that proves she's not the monster Lucius is."

The Potions Master nodded grimly. "Good. Let us go. We'll be late if we don't hurry."

Professor and student left the room in companionable silence, each consumed in their own thoughts.

~*~GREY~*~

Harry, Draco, and Severus walked quickly through the Ministry's entrance hall, intent on getting to the elevators and, subsequently, the courtrooms as quickly as possible while attracting the minimal amount of attention.

Of course, being who they were, that was impossible. Harry was stopped no less than six times by witches and wizards intent on thanking him, and had to threaten three others when they had the gall to threaten his companions. Both Severus and Draco kept coldly amused smiles plastered to their face while this happened, but after the last threat, Harry could feel Draco almost desperately clutching a small part of Harry's cloak and Severus was grinding his teeth so hard Harry was sure they would break. When an elderly witch with malice imprinted on every feature of her face slapped Snape, Harry lost it.

He gave the witch a sound dressing down before pulling Draco and Severus into a small alcove and pulling his invisibility cloak out from where he'd stashed it in the pocket of his robes.

"Harry. We'll be fine. We don't need to hide. They can't really hurt us." Draco protested, even as Harry arranged the cloak over his friends.

"It's not for your protection. It's for theirs." Harry growled out, jerking his head to encompass the magical beings milling about in the entrance hall. "If one more person threatens you two, I will hex them, and I'm not quite ready for the wizarding world to know I can do wandless magic yet."

Draco opened his mouth to object, but Severus's hand on his shoulder stopped him. Leaning down, the older whispered, "Leave it be Draco. Tolerate it for Harry's sake if nothing else."

The blond clenched his jaw but gave a slight nod of agreement. Harry sighed in relief and motioned for them to follow him, casting a subtle confundus charm ahead of him to help clear a path to the elevators. Anyone attempting to approach him was met with an angry glare that had them scurrying in the opposite direction. Finally, they made it to the lift and Harry slammed the door behind him, effectively warning everyone within distance that he didn't want company.

Draco drew off the cloak as soon as the lift started moving and drew in a deep breath. "Well that was fun. What will happen when we leave Potter? The invisibility cloak again? Or will you just go ahead and stun everyone who comes near us."

Harry leveled a burning stare at Draco that had the blond backing up slightly. "You are my friend. Severus is my friend. And I will not allow you to be assaulted by misinformed, prejudiced IDIOTS who don't know half of what the fuck they're talking about."

Severus stepped in between the two boys. "We understand that Harry. And we appreciate it. But what Draco is trying to say is you can't protect us from everyone. People are going to hate us for a long time to come, no matter what your opinion of us is. You must allow us to handle these things on our own and control your temper while it happens."

The brunette teen deflated against the far wall. He hated this. Hated that there was still such angry in the wizarding world. In himself. He had hoped to leave all of that behind after the war. "I know. I'm sorry. It just…"

"Part of your hero complex." Draco interrupted with an understanding smile. "I know. I'm sorry too Harry. I'm… We're," He gestured between himself and Snape, "are just not used to someone protecting us. We've taken care of ourselves for so long, it's odd to have someone else trying to step in."

Severus nodded his head in agreement. "We can handle the crowds. Having you stand beside us and show your support is enough."

Harry nodded in defeat, knowing his friends wouldn't back down on this. He should count himself lucky they're being so open for him. The lift dinged, shuddering to a stop, and the three stiffened. It was time for the trials and to leave this petty disagreement behind them. There were bigger problems to solve.


~*~Read and Review please~*~