Their school letters arrived not long after Harry's birthday, and Harry had a note in his that said that Albus would personally escort them to Diagon Alley the next day if that was what they wished. After some discussion, it had been decided that Severus would also attend Hogwarts this year, staying in the Headmaster's office during class time and with Harry and Ron the rest of the day, and night. Harry was not unhappy with that decision, as he had no desire to abandon Severus for the school year, and definitely didn't want to miss his last year of school. As difficult as the NEWTs were, Harry needed them to have a career, and even Severus couldn't stand in the way of that; Harry never even considered staying at home and living off his fortune – it just wasn't in his nature to do so.

Ron was happy to take the trip to Diagon Alley with Harry and Severus, and Midgy took a note to Molly with words to that effect. She wrote back that they would be met by her and Mr Weasley there, something that made Harry indescribably nervous. He wasn't sure he was ready to be a parent in front of Mrs Weasley, and he had a feeling she had several words to say to Ron about his decision to invite himself over to Harry's home without clearing it with her first. Ron didn't seem too concerned, but then he'd had more practice being in trouble with Mrs Weasley than Harry had. Albus had promised to speak to her, and Harry could only hope that she would wait until she was alone with him to begin scolding – Severus wouldn't understand her concern or her very vocal method of parenting.

"What are we doing today, Harry?" Molly's youngest son caught his attention, and Harry shook himself back to the present. Breakfast was barely over, and Sev had a milk moustache that would have had Hermione cooing at him sappily. Harry had been surprised how mushy the girls had gotten over Sev, and the boy hadn't been too pleased either.

"I thought we might check out the Smugglers hut today," Harry suggested, keeping his eyes firmly on Sev, "Now that you can fly we could get to the island and have a look around."

"Really?" Sev gasped, "Wicked! I'll get dressed!"

Ron shared a solemn wink with Harry who did his best not to laugh. They'd flown across to the island last night and salted it with a map and a treasure – a chest of things that a Dread Pirate might find useful in his tree house, bits and pieces that they had located in amongst the boxes and furniture stored in the attic. There was one map for the treasure, and another map buried with the treasure to find the key.

Ron went downstairs to fetch out their brooms while Harry ducked into the kitchen for the 'provisions' that he'd asked the elves for last night. Sev would have a small rucksack to carry, with his lunch in, and Harry would carry his and Ron's while Ron carried the small crowbar and shovel. Sev met them down on the lawn and they carried their brooms carefully down the steps to the beach, with the little boy practically vibrating with excitement. Harry was glad he had a racing broom, because it took Sev only a few seconds to mount and take off over the incoming waves. Ron was left behind, but the redhead didn't seem to mind, smiling cheerfully enough at Harry when they landed.

They stowed the brooms in the stone hut, Ron's Magic warming Harry's skin. The redhead had used a few construction charms to make sure the old hut was safe to enter and walk around in, not that it was terribly big. He'd also put some weatherproofing and climate charms on the hut, so they would have somewhere to shelter if they needed it.

What followed was a day of hunting and excitement, the kind which Harry had often wished to have himself when he was Sev's age. Not even Dudley had spent a day so actively excited at this age, and the fact that Sev was so chuffed about his 'treasure' at the end of the day, even though to Harry it was just a load of cast off junk, made the effort worthwhile. Sev had an official 'pirate' seal to use on his letters to Grandfather (actually an old coin attached to a handle from an old stamp), and a cutlass and belt of his very own – which Harry had personally cast a series of spells on last night to ensure that no one was skewered, maimed or scratched. There was even a model ship that sailed on the water when Sev waded out and tried it.

"Good thing it didn't sink," Ron whispered in Harry's ear, as neither of them had thought of that ahead of time. The model had been designed to sit on a stand as a decorative piece. Harry cast a surreptitious series of charms on it when Sev wasn't looking, and that was that. There were several other items in the chest, and they strapped it to Sev's broom before heading back to the tree house with their haul. The elves had prepared dinner to be eaten in the tree house, and Ron lit the lamp Sev had found to give them some light as they ate, even though it really wasn't that dark.

It took him a full hour to get the child to sleep that night. Sev couldn't stop talking about the wonderful things he had found and the games he would play with them. Harry's patient pats may as well have been bestowed on Dragon for all the good they did. Eventually the excited voice slurred and quietened and Sev went to sleep almost in mid-word. He was smiling though, and his sleep was peaceful and well earned.

Ron was sitting in the parlour, the French doors still open to let in the evening breeze. The sun was slowly beginning to set and Harry flopped down on the couch beside his friend, groaning tiredly. Ron chuckled and threw an arm out to rest on the back of the couch, his long legs stretched out comfortably.

"I thought you'd be longer," Ron confessed, "He was over the moon about his treasure."

"I thought I'd be forever," Harry mumbled, "He went off in mid word, still going on about the cutlass. I think. It was hard to tell at the end, he was slurring his words pretty badly. He'll have plenty to tell your Mum tomorrow when he meets her."

"Maybe he'll be able to out talk her," Ron offered the idea, "She'll certainly get an earful from him."

"Maybe," Harry frowned, wondering what Molly Weasley would make of his parenting style, "Ron, do I spoil him? He runs pretty wild most of the day…"

"Harry," Ron sounded surprised, "He is the least spoiled kid I've ever met. He's got rules and regs to follow, and you keep him polite. He doesn't get away with stuff he shouldn't… what makes you think he's spoiled?"

"We just spent a day on an elaborate pirate treasure hunt," Harry pointed out, "That's not normal."

"Mum used to do stuff like that for us now and then," Ron grinned, "Once or twice a year I think. She'd hide stuff in the house or garden and turn it into a game to find it. Usually it was a second or third, or even fourth hand toy. We didn't mind, it was the game that mattered."

"Ok then," Harry breathed and Ron slid the arm off the back of the couch and pulled him in for a one armed hug. The green eyed teen didn't mind the manhandling, in fact he was almost too tired to do anything other than slump against his friend and sling his arm over Ron's middle.

"Silly git," Ron muttered affectionately and planted a kiss on Harry's hairline. Both teens froze, and Harry's heart leapt in his chest as Ron tensed. Was this a sign that Ron wanted the same thing as Harry, or had the redhead simply been too tired to think about what he was doing? Harry made himself stay still and relaxed, lifting his face up to Ron curiously, hoping against hope that his friend wouldn't take the sentimental gesture back.

Ron didn't. He had a look of determined terror on his face, not the most romantic expression in the world, but he lowered his lips again and kissed Harry cautiously on the mouth. Harry returned the tentative pressure, matching it eagerly, parting his lips just a little to get Ron to deepen the kiss. He tightened his arm around Ron's middle and turned more to face his friend.

Ron made a pleased sound and settled into kissing Harry thoroughly, taking his time to explore Harry's lips and mouth. The green eyed teen returned the favour whole heartedly, blood pooling in a critical area, his skin flushing with need and want. A glance at Ron's lap showed the redhead to be in a similar state and Harry shouted a mental 'hallelujah' in relief.

A cautious nudge had Ron sliding to lie on the couch with Harry poised above him. The world dissolved into long heated kisses.

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