"Now, there's a tasty-looking treat!" Seamus declared, as he gazed down at the street below from the large window of their loft.

"We talked about this, love. I'm going to have to punish you, if you can't stop window shopping." Dean sat with his feet perched on the tea table, a large drawing pad propped against his knees. "I thought you were meant to be working on a set list for the soft opening."

"Nearly there, darling. Nearly there. You should come and take a gander. They're bikers!" He sipped his tea. "Probably straight though. Oh! Looks like they're coming into the building! Wonder who they're visiting."

"Probably Fitzroy on the other side," Dean replied, focusing on a charcoal sketch of Lavender Brown. He'd approached Professor McGonagall about creating a series of portraits for the common rooms. Already, he'd finished Fred Weasley and a preliminary drawing of Colin Creevey.

There was a knock at the door and Seamus set his teacup down as he went to open it.

"Oh, my! Someone's got some explaining to do!" he exclaimed. Dean turned around as Harry entered, a bike helmet tucked under his arm, Draco in tow.

"Harry? What's going on?" he set aside his drawing pad, cleaning his hands with a sanitary wipe, and looked warily at the couple.

"He was going a little stir-crazy, so I decided to get him out of the house," said Harry.

"Could you possibly rewind to the part where Draco Malfoy is living at Twelve Grimmauld Place, and the two of you have become bikers?" Dean looked like an annoyed parent as he spoke.

Harry explained about his return trip to Boston and how he'd discovered Narcissa at St. Mungo's upon his arrival back in the UK, along with their suspicions about Lucius' plot to force Draco into an unwanted marriage, leaving out the details of their plot to con Lucius and expose his misdeeds.

"So, Draco needs to stay out of sight in the meantime." They sat side-by-side like nervous teens, on the divan, facing the couple on the opposite couch.

"So, you're the reason that me cousin was targeted by tha mob?" Seamus leveled an accusatory gaze at Draco.

"No," Draco rolled his eyes. "That idiot bent copper you decked is the reason the Rafferty family was after your cousin. I'm the reason that the mob is no longer looking for him."

"It's true," said Harry. "I was there."

"Okay, okay. Let me get this straight. Draco fled to America, to avoid an unwanted marriage, and opened a BDSM club with an unknown partner—do you know who this person is?"

"Yes, but I'm not at liberty to share that information," Harry replied.

"Fine, worrisome, but fine—moving on—he opens a BDSM club, starts pulling heists and con jobs, one of which lands my partner in jail, leading you to come to his rescue. Then, in payment for his help, you accept a date with him, and eventually end up shagging one another. After that, he sneaks back in country just to see you, and you wind up soo smitten that you follow him back to America, where he finally manages to collar you…" Dean pointed to Harry's bracelet.

"How did—" Harry began, but Dean cut him off.

"Takes one to know one, love. Now you're risking everything to come back here for Harry." He stared Draco down.

"I am here to see to my mother's well-being. I was perfectly content to wait for Harry's return, as he'd promised he would do." Draco held Dean's gaze. "Look, Thomas, I know you have no reason to believe what I am saying, but my recent actions in certain matters should be enough to convince you of my sincerity, and frankly, if you were any type of friend to Harry, your desire to see him happy should persuade you not to make him choose between us."

"So, if he told you that he chose us and his other friends, you'd let him go?"

"I've let Harry go time after time over the last nine years. I never want to be placed in that position again, but if it meant that he was happy…" Draco took Harry's hand.

"Jaysus, Harry! He's really in love with ye!" Seamus exclaimed.

"Does that mean this interrogation is over?"

"Almost," said Dean. "It goes without saying that if you ever hurt him, you have the entire might of Dumbledore's Army and the Order of the Phoenix hunting you down." He gave Draco a hard stare for several moments before his face broke into a wide grin. "Now then! How did you manage to get the Boy-Who-Lived to kneel for the likes of you?"

"My magnetic Slytherin charm of course!" Draco smirked, and Harry nudged him in the ribs as he laughed.

"Oh, please! He was whinging and crying like a prat."

"Malfoys do not whinge!" Draco protested.

"I beg to differ!" Seamus rebutted. "I seem to recall a lot of 'wait until my father hears about this!' going on when we were in school."

Dean and Harry broke up with laughter as Draco rolled his eyes.

"Well, he won't be hearing about this! Imagine, me consorting with blood-traitor Gryffindors!" he chuckled.

"Imagine the look on his face when he finds out his son is shaggin' Harry Potter!" Seamus said.

"Oh, I'm waiting for the perfect moment—that will be the pièce de résistance."

"I can imagine his response," said Harry, attempting to mimic Lucius' expression. He tossed his head, lifting his chin. "I have no son!"

Seamus and Dean howled with laughter, leaning on one another for support. Draco picked up Dean's drawing pad.

"This is quite remarkable, Thomas," he said. "Lavender Brown, right?"

"Yes."

"Didn't she have a thing with Weaselb—erm, Weasley a little while back?"

"That's what you remember?" Seamus gave him a hard look.

"I remember what that filthy savage, Greyback, did to her," he said. "A terrible waste. She might have been a bit sentimental and vapid, but I do recall that she was a relatively talented witch."

"Dean's doing a set of memorial portraits for each of the house common rooms," said Seamus.

"Well, I shan't bother asking if there will be any for Slytherin," said Draco.

"What about Regulus Black?" said Harry.

"Regulus was a Death Eater," Draco reminded him.

"Regulus died in an attempt to defy and destroy Riddle. Just like Severus, he'd discovered that his loyalty was misplaced and tried to make amends for that. I found out after Dumbledore's funeral." Draco tensed beside Harry at the mention of Dumbledore's death. He squeezed his hand. "I'm sure I can provide you with a picture, Dean." Dean shrugged and gave a nod. Draco set the pad back on the table, and looked around at the paintings that adorned the walls.

"You know, Harry, I think perhaps the place on Spinner's End might be brightened up quite a bit with the right piece of art. Do you take commissions, Dean?"

"Erm, yeah, I do—Spinner's End? What's that?" he asked.

"A little preservation project of mine," Harry replied. "Fancy a jaunt to the Midlands?"

"Alright, Harry? Good to see you! I see you've brought reinforcements."

"Dave! Lucy! C'mon in!" Harry stepped back to allow their neighbors to enter Number Twenty-Two Spinner's End.

"We brought takeaway." He indicated the bag he carried, filled with cartons of Chinese food. "Lucy figured you guys might be hungry with all of the work."

"It's never easy sorting through the belongings of someone after they're gone," said Lucy. "What can we do to help?" She held a styrofoam cooler.

"Brilliant!" he exclaimed. "Where's Blythe?"

"Mum and Dad have stolen her from us for the weekend," said Lucy with a wide grin.

"And instead of having an uninterrupted cuddle, you're spending it buying takeaway for the neighbors?" Harry ushered them into the sitting room where Dean, Draco, and Seamus were each huddled among towers of books. "Dave, Lucy, these are our friends, Dean and Seamus."

"Wow!" Dave exclaimed. "Now I know why we almost never saw Snape outside of his home! I wonder if he actually read every one of these books." He picked up the nearest tome.

"Oh, trust me, he definitely did!" declared Seamus.

"There's a table on the terrace," said Draco. "It's just warm enough that we'd probably be more comfortable there. Harry, love, I think there were a couple of extra chairs in the storeroom." He took the food from Dave and led the way out to the terrace. Once the muggles' backs were turned, Harry flicked his wand and conjured extra folding chairs that he carried out with him.

"Huh. That's funny, I could swear that table didn't look quite so large when we first stepped outside," said Lucy, accepting a chair from Harry.

"It's amazing the magic simply wiping down a grungy table can make," Seamus shrugged. In actuality, he'd cast a nonverbal enlargement spell as he 'wiped' the table clean.

"So, did you guys grow up together?" Lucy asked.

"We all met at school. These blokes were all in the worst house." Draco picked up a pair of chopsticks, loading his plate with lo mein.

"Lies!" Seamus, Dean and Harry chorused, laughing heartily.

Conversation over the meal highlighted many topics, and before long, the table was littered with empty food cartons and beer bottles. The sky had darkened and streetlights ignited with a buzz before Dave and Lucy made their farewells, waving as they crossed the street to their own home. The wizards stood amongst the piles of books with slight expressions of defeat.

"What are we going to do with all of these books?" Dean picked one up. "Mortiferum et Veneficiis Elixirs. Sounds a bit—"

"Scary," said Seamus.

"We certainly can't simply bin them," said Harry. "There's no telling what dark information some of them might contain."

"Yeah, look at this one—Ars Moriendi," said Dean.

"That's a muggle text, darling," said Seamus.

"It is? How do you know?"

"Half-blood, Catholic."

"It's a religious text," said Harry. "The Art of Dying. This looks like the long version, Tractatus Artis Bene Moriendi—A Treatise on the Art of Dying Well."

"How do you know that? I thought the Dursleys never took you anywhere."

"Seven years hanging out with Hermione Granger." Harry rolled his eyes. "What doesn't she know?"

"Ah, of course. I wonder if this book may have belonged to Snape's father."

"Does anybody know if Snape had a will?" asked Seamus. Harry shrugged.

"Well, naturally, the local council had no record of his death, and there was no will or grant of representation in his name either. I had Hermione check at the ministry, and she came up with the same result. The Wizengamot was 'happy' to grant me a letter of administration and the Muggle Liaison Office helped us create the appropriate documents for the transfer of property."

"Uhhh, so does that mean that you get to decide what happens to all of this stuff?" Dean asked.

"Basically, but of course Draco is his godson, so if he wants to do something specific, I'll defer to him." Harry turned over a book, flipping through the pages. A photo fell out. He turned it over to find that it was a picture of the Hogwarts staff dated 1982. "Look at this." He passed the picture around.

"Oh, wow. McGonagall's hair is on her shoulders!" Seamus exclaimed.

"We should probably check these books for documents or things before we crate them," Dean suggested.

"I have an idea," said Seamus. "What if ye select tha books ye want and donate tha rest."

"Some of these are quite rare. I don't know that they should be left to the carelessness of students," Draco mused. "We could donate the others to Hogwarts. Old McGonagall would probably faint dead away at the idea of me making a philanthropic donation to Hogwarts."

"Not if I'm endorsing the idea," said Harry. "What about that large hall in the dungeons? I'm certain you could persuade Slughorn to convert it into a potions library for students in Snape's name."

"That'd definitely give McGonagall a coronary!" Seamus exclaimed with a laugh.

"I rather like that idea," said Draco.

"McGonagall having a coronary?" Seamus grimaced.

"Prat," he rolled his eyes. "The Severus Snape Memorial Potions Research Library," Draco declared with a note of fanfare.

Harry and Draco agreed that once their more pressing business was completed, they would approach Slughorn and McGonagall about the idea. It was well past midnight when the group, bleary-eyed and sneezing frequently, decided to call it a night and figure out sleeping arrangements.

"Well, there's two rooms upstairs," said Dean. "Looks like one of them hasn't been slept in for ages."

"That's probably his parents' room. We'll take that," said Draco.

"Oh, my!" Seamus grinned wickedly. "You and me in leaba an ollamh!" he waggled his brows. The others rolled their eyes, and Dean grabbed Seamus' collar.

"C'mon!" he led him up the narrow staircase and the others heard the bedroom door close a few seconds later.

"Maybe we should have taken that room," Draco said, warily. "Can you imagine what they'd do with any secrets they might find?" Harry snorted.

"At this hour, those rainbow kids have one goal—to get even with Snape by having hot, kinky sex on his bed." Harry rolled his eyes, brushing dust from his jeans as he got to his feet. He pulled Draco to his feet and he did the same. Draco gave him a baleful look, and followed him up the stairs.

"Oh, for fuck's sake! Cast a privacy spell!" Draco gave the door, behind which barely muffled moans and cries could already be heard, a kick when they reached the small landing. Harry pushed open the opposite door and they stepped into the neatly furnished room. He flicked his wand to banish the layer of dust that coated every surface.

At some point, the bedroom suite had been a prized possession, probably purchased at the beginning of a marriage. All of the furniture pieces coordinated. There was a vanity with a large circular mirror, a bureau and bed with a headboard that mimicked the design of the vanity, as well as matching night tables. The double bed had clearly seen better days, its sagging mattress covered with a threadbare chenille bedspread. A crocheted doily was laid across the top of the bureau, and a trio of small, framed photos was arranged atop it.

Draco crossed to the dresser and examined the pictures. There was one of a couple, possibly on their wedding day. The woman held a small posy, and the man, who looked a great deal like Severus, appeared slightly uncomfortable in his suit as he smiled stiffly for the camera. In another, the woman smiled brightly as she held a tiny dark-haired baby wrapped in a light green blanket. The third photo was the only one in which the subjects moved. It appeared to have been taken in Diagon Alley, and showed young Severus and his mother standing outside of Ollivander's wand shop. Severus gazed rapturously at the wand in his hand.

"Feels almost like an intrusion, yeah?" Harry asked, sliding his hands around Draco's waist.

"A bit, but I realize there's so much I never knew about him," he replied.

"I doubt anyone ever really knew him at all. I didn't learn the things that I know until he gave me those memories. By then it was too late." He kissed Draco's neck and tugged at his hand. Draco turned around to see that the bed had been expanded, and the mattress plumped. Harry had also conjured a fluffy duvet, which was folded at the foot of the bed. "That's better, right?"

"It's brilliant," said Draco.

"Dibs on the shower," Harry announced.

When Draco returned from his shower, he found Harry and Adrestia cuddled in the bed, backs against the headboard, deep in discussion.

"What's all this, then?" he asked, drying his hair with his wand.

"She got here a few minutes ago. Just wondering what the next move is," said Harry.

"Did he pay?" Draco climbed into the bed and settled in front of Harry, passing him a silver-backed brush. Harry took it, looking nonplussed. Adrestia nodded at Draco. Harry made a face, rolling his eyes as he began to brush the blond's hair.

"Seven-fifty in good delivery," she replied. "He was skeptical that I didn't already know you. I threw him off the scent though."

"When is he expecting you to show up with Draco?" Harry asked.

"I told him to give me three to seven days. I think anything quicker than that will make him suspicious. Maybe in about two days I send him an owl saying I have a lead. That ought to keep his appetite whet." She settled down with her head in Draco's lap.

"Excellent, my love," he stroked her hair.

"Maybe that will give us some time to figure out what kind of deal he has with Nott, or possibly get him to confess to poisoning Narcissa. I didn't go into detail as to what we were doing after she owled me, but I assured her that we had things under control. She's quite concerned."

"She may also be a bit pissed off because she found the love bite I put on his neck," Adrestia said. Draco and Harry pulled faces of disgust. She shrugged. "It's all in the details, baby. It's under a glamour intended to wear off once he comes into contact with her."

"Do you think we should call in Neville for this next bit? There will be quite a few moving parts, and I don't know if I want you and Lucius crossing wands if it goes pear-shaped," suggested Draco.

"Well, I do rather have a plan B, but it might not be a bad idea for Neville to get involved."

"Plan B? What's that?" Draco asked.

"It's best if you don't know just yet, love. I will say that the idea is to try to get Lucius to incriminate himself."

They crawled under the covers and talked over their next plans until finally dozing off in their general tangle.

Harry woke to the sensation of warm lips closing around his penis. He opened his eyes and discovered Adrestia looking up at him as her head bobbed up and down, her tongue swirling around the head of his cock each time she pulled back. He let out a soft moan and placed his hand on top of her head to guide her.

Bereft of the warm comforter, Draco rolled over and opened his eyes to find Harry in the throes of ecstasy from the morning blow-job that Adrestia was giving him. Not one to be left out, he rolled up onto his knees and grabbed Harry's wrists, pinning them above his head.

"Let's not be greedy," he said. "Open." Draco straddled him, pushing his cock into Harry's mouth. Harry moaned around him as Adrestia licked up his shaft. Draco braced one hand against the wall above the bed. "Mmm! Fuck!" he thrust into Harry's mouth.

"Mmmmmm!" Harry moaned, closing his eyes. He rocked his hips as Adrestia took him in.

"Look at me!" Draco commanded. "You like waking up like this? With a cock in your mouth and a mouth on your prick? Fucking whore! Oh! Shit!" Harry swallowed, relaxing his throat and Draco shuddered from the sensation. He pulled out, and grabbed Adrestia by the hair, forcing her onto her back.

"I want you to make her cum, while she makes you cum, and you make me cum!" he declared. Harry gave him a curious look before pushing her legs apart and shoving into her wet cunt.

"Merlin! You have the best pussy!" Harry exclaimed. He gripped her hair, pulling her head to the side and sucking eagerly at her neck.

Resigno Apertus! Illitus Inlitus!

"Fuck!" Harry cried, looking back over his shoulder just as Draco tossed his wand aside and sank two slick fingers into his ass. "Oh! Mmmm! Unngghh!" Draco stimulated his prostate. He pushed back against Draco's hand.

"Oh, my god!" Adrestia exclaimed as Harry thrust hard into her, sliding off Draco's fingers.

"Oh, sonofa—ohhh, Godric!" Harry moaned, stilling as Draco pushed his prick into him.

"Fuck! Gods in the sky!" Draco declared as Harry clenched around him. He settled in, bracing himself against Adrestia's raised legs. She grunted with the weight of both wizards atop her.

"Fucking, fuck!" Harry pushed back against Draco, then slammed into Adrestia, losing his breath with the alternating sensations. "Fuck! Fuck! Shit! Fucking shit!"

"Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh Bondye mwen, Fuck m '! Wi! Wi! Oh my god, fuck me! Yes! Yes!" she screamed.

"Oh! Fuck! Oh! Fuck!" Draco wailed.

Adrestia bucked beneath them, clenching around Harry's cock. He groaned, shuddering inside her. Draco grew weak in the knees, his cock pulsing as Harry gripped him tightly.

"Fuck!" Harry cried.

"Salazar!"

"Godric!"

"Tituba!"

A bleary-eyed Seamus and Dean emerged from the room across the hall.

"That sounds like—is there a woman in there?" They gave one another a curious look as they listened to the noises coming from the opposite room. "Bloody hell!"

"Oi! Cast a fucking privacy spell! It's early, yeah?" Dean kicked the door and Seamus snickered before they went downstairs in search of breakfast.

"Well, what have we here?" Dean drawled when the ot hers finallydragged themselves into the tiny kitchen nearly half an hour later.

"You guys came to the club with Harry, right?" Adrestia asked, pouring a cup of coffee and perching herself on the counter.

"I'm Dean, and this is Seamus." Dean glanced from her to Harry and Draco with curiosity.

"You're Draco's sub?" Seamus blurted the question.

"Yeah," she said. "Well, sort of. I'm under his protection. By the way, I've heard of people being so caught up in the sex that they don't notice anything else around them, but damn! You guys were so lost that you looked directly at me and never said a word!" She pointed at Dean. "Or did you see me, and thought it was such a massive turn-on that you wanted to see how I would react? Hell, I almost considered joining you, but I wasn't sure that was your thing."

"What the hell?" Draco exclaimed.

"Portkey dropped me in their room," she shrugged.

"Trust me, darling, had we realized that ye were there, Dean most definitely would have invited ye to join in—provided your Sir didn't mind sharing." Seamus smirked, lifting his coffee cup. "He flipped open the pink box at the center of the table."

"We figured you guys would be in need of energy replenishment," said Dean. "So, Shea and I located a bakery in town and got pastries. This box is muffins." He pointed. "That one is scones."

Everyone helped themselves to pastries and either tea or coffee, summoning the chairs from the previous night and crowding the tiny kitchen table.

"So what's this?" Draco pointed to a stack of periodicals at Seamus' elbow. "Aren't we a bit old for comic books, Finnegan?"

"I'd have to agree with ye, if they were mine, but Dean and I discovered 'em beneath the bed! Looks like der professor wasn't quite as bookish as he'd have had us believe, innit?"

"If Ron were to ever learn that he and Snape both enjoyed The Adventures of Martin Miggs, he'd eat his own wand!" Harry chuckled. "Anything else of interest up there?"

"Nah. We hadn't really looked about though—occupied with less investigative activities, ye know." Seamus spread jam over his scone and took a bite.

"What about you guys?" asked Dean. "Do any late night snooping before your sunrise orgy?" Draco rolled his eyes.

"We did not. Other than a few family photos, there was nothing of interest that jumped out at us."

"There's a desk in Snape's room. We tried to open it, but it appears to be locked. You think there might be a will or something inside?"

"We can tackle it after we eat," Harry suggested. "You and Seamus take Severus' bedroom. Adrestia, you take the parents' room, and Draco and I can continue sorting the sitting room. Agreed?" The others nodded their assent and were soon consumed with their tasks.

By noon, Adrestia edged into the sitting room, skirting the small mountains of books that surrounded Harry and Draco, and slumped onto the shabby imitation Chesterfield.

"You know, I really feel sorry for this guy's mother. I know that witches and wizards come from all walks of life, as do No-Majs, but it just seems as though she could have done so much better than his dad. She must have hardly used her magic at all! I would have hexed the shit out of any man who thought I was gonna live like this Snape guy and his wife!"

"What did you find?" asked Draco. Harry looked up with interest.

"Not a whole lot. I don't think this woman had five dresses. There were some bundles of letters from her son, a handful of photos, mostly of her and the boy. Lots of demands for payment on things like electricity. There were a few check stubs from the mill for a Tobias Snape. He didn't have much either. Two suits, two pairs of shoes, a couple of pairs of trousers and a broken watch. She had a couple of nice pieces of jewelry that looked like heirlooms—there was a pearl necklace and earrings, as well as a silver brooch with a serpent on it. What about you guys? Any treasure among the pages?"

"Nothing to write to the press about—ACHOO!" Draco sneezed.

"Hey, Malfoy!" Seamus called down from the top of the stairs. "Ye should come an' look at this!"

The other three rushed up the stairs and into the room that had belonged to Severus Snape. They stopped short when they entered, expecting to see some frightful sight, but only found Dean sitting on the bed and Seamus in the chair beside the desk holding a package about the size of a large shoe box.

Unlike the other room, it was clear that this one had been fitted out with second-hand furniture. None of the pieces matched and there were scratches and chipped veneer on just about every piece. The walls were unadorned, save for a Fulham football poster which was torn and hanging somewhat ragged. On either side of the small window, bookcases reached from floor to ceiling, and they recognized several Hogwarts textbooks among the volumes. The roll-top desk was badly damaged, its lock broken, and the wood around the latch singed.

"Could you not have used something less damaging than Portaberto?" Draco asked in an exasperated tone.

"Certainly, if ye wanted ta be here aul night figurin' out a password," replied Seamus with a shrug. "This has yer name on it." He passed over the bundle wrapped in paper and string.

"It does?" Draco took the package, eyeing it curiously. He slid the envelope free of the string that held the wrappings about the box, opening it to find a note and another sealed envelope.

Dear Draco,

If you are reading this, I sincerely hope that it means that Voldemort has been defeated and the war is finally over. I dare not have risked informing you of its presence while he was still undefeated, lest he discover my duplicity. Nonetheless, I've always known you to be a clever lad, and that is the reason I chose to leave it in such a place that it may be found by you.

I have ever only had two important loves in my lifetime. Though the second was only an intimate friendship with someone who was more like an understanding confidante for a very brief time, I loved her all the same. The other was the deepest love of my heart. She was my first friend, and I ever regretted hurting her in such a way that she eventually found her heart in the hands of my most despised rival. Sadly, the Dark Lord was responsible for taking her from this realm. It is my sincere hope that one day you will find someone who encourages you to believe in yourself and who makes your heart sing as Lily Evans made mine.

Draco, you are as close to a son as I might ever have known. I have made some grave mistakes in my life, and I hope that I did not encourage the same ideas and mistakes in yours. I did attempt to appeal to Lucius not to allow you to take the Dark Mark, and I made an unbreakable vow to your mother to help you in any way that I could. I feel safe in revealing within this letter that Dumbledore knew you had been tasked with his assassination. He wished to spare your eternal soul from the damnation of being ripped in two. That is why he begged me on the tower, and why I cast the curse that sent him to his fate. Do not carry that guilt with you. I know that it is not in your nature to murder callously. Albus was already slowly sinking into his demise before that night. He wished not to go to his end in slow and painful agony.

I have done you a great disservice as a godfather, and I believe that I owe you an apology for creating a situation in which you did not feel at ease to share with me what you were feeling. I am aware, Draco, that your physical and emotional inclinations are not towards the opposite sex. My one great regret is fostering the enmity that existed between you and Harry Potter. I admit that much of my own dislike of him was based on childish bitterness that I allowed to fester and color my opinion of him. If he too has survived the war, as I have every confidence he has, given that you are now reading this letter, please make an effort to at least reconcile your differences, if nothing else. Someone once told me that even the darkest among us have a little light. We just have to remember it's there, and we must be willing to let it shine. I have seen the light and the dark within you both, and I know that the light is the more powerful force within you. When you find the courage to finally accept and reach out to your soul match, if he should return your affection, treat him as if he is your beginning and your end, let nothing stand between your hearts and place his needs first.

I have only one request now. Please give Harry the enclosed letter and the contents of this package, so he might find even the slightest light in me. As you go forward, Draco, let your light shine upon others, so that it is your good works that they remember.

Always,

Severus Snape

Draco sniffled and blinked several times to clear his watery eyes. He took a deep breath and looked at Harry before holding out the box and envelope.

"Ahem." He cleared his throat. "These are for you," he said in a soft, husky voice. Harry knit his brow as he reached for the items. When their hands touched, Draco let his fingers linger.

Harry met his eyes briefly before turning his attention back to the parcel in his hands. His name appeared on the front of the envelope the moment that his fingers touched it. He broke the seal and unfolded the parchment inside.

Dear Harry,

If you are reading this, I can assume that the war is over, and again, you have saved them all. I hope that it was Draco who delivered this missive to you. I would very much have preferred to have this conversation with you in person. It has been one of my deepest longings of late, to right the wrongs that I have done in my lifetime.

Harry, I must make a confession. I judged you unfairly because I carried the pain of bearing what I felt was unfair treatment on behalf of your father. I was jealous. James Potter was wealthy, well-liked, and a Quidditch star, while I wore second-hand clothing, and had only one true friend. I didn't want to share her with anyone else, least of all the person who took his fun from constantly tormenting me.

I do not attempt to justify my behavior by blaming your father. It is wrong to speak ill of the departed. I saw much of the same antagonism between you and Draco Malfoy, and I admit that I chose not to interfere because I felt I owed a small debt to Lucius for intervening at least once and providing me with what I believed at the time were powerful connections in our world. I didn't know then, the price we would all pay as a result.

I know that you blame me for the death of Albus Dumbledore, but you must understand that I had no choice, and Albus was at peace with the prospect of the end of his life. He did not wish to go in painful agony, nor did he wish for Draco to damn his soul to be rent in two. I had come to look upon Draco as the son I did not have, and I had made an unbreakable vow to his mother to help him.

As I have previously stated, there has only ever been one true friend in my life. Lily Evans was my first real friend. She became my unrequited love, and I drove her away by taking out my frustrations in a hateful way towards her. My greatest regret is the part that I played in her ultimate demise. I hope you will learn that I did what I could to repent for my grave mistake and I will meet Death knowing that nothing I could have done afterwards will ever be enough to overcome my guilt over my actions.

I owed a debt to both of your parents to protect you. I do not believe that I always gave you my best, for reasons that I have already declared. I came to learn the error of my ways, but again it was too late. By then, we had learned of your connection to the Dark Lord, and I could not risk him learning of my duplicity through you. Apologies will never be enough, but I sincerely wish that whatever little thing I may have done to help the cause to conquer the Dark Lord will illuminate the virtue that your mother had once found in me when we were children.

Harry, if Draco is the messenger bearing this letter to you, I hope that in this postbellum world, the two of you can find inspiration to make peace and be ambassadors of accord for wizarding society. I know that much has already been placed upon your shoulders at such a young age, but you have borne it with a grace that I envy. If anyone is able to influence others to put aside antiquated ideas and differences and work for the greater good, it will be the two of you.

Someone I knew once encouraged me to remember my own light, and let it shine, and I lament that I did not remember to hearken to those words. I have seen the light in both you and Draco, and I know that it is a formidable force. I have no right to ask anything of you, but I would like to encourage you to engage in discourse.

Please accept this parcel with the understanding that I salvaged these items and held on to them, waiting for the appropriate opportunity to present them to you. I hope that it will help you to learn more about your parents, and perhaps you might find even the faintest sliver of light in me.

Always,

Severus Snape

Harry untied the string and removed the paper, hesitantly lifting the lid from the box and looking inside. He let out a sound somewhere between a gasp and a sob, his knees buckling as the bundle fell from his hands. When the fragile box hit the floor, the thin cardboard gave way. The others were stunned as photos and small mementos scattered onto the threadbare rug.

"Merlin!" Dean exclaimed, clutching Seamus' hand.

"What's all this?" Adrestia asked.

"It's my—It's my—" Harry hiccoughed, falling to his knees and pawing indiscriminately through the pile, as flashes of early memories appeared in his mind. Draco knelt beside him, gripping his shoulder and giving it a squeeze. "He must have gone there, after. He saved these things!" Harry picked up a small silver baby rattle with the letter H engraved onto the surface.

There were photos of his parents on their wedding day, pictures of a pregnant Lily. He gazed in wonder at images of Sirius and Remus each holding him as an infant. There was also an older couple that he assumed was his grandparents. He found a Head Girl badge and a small envelope containing a lock of black hair held with a ribbon. There was a small stuffed owl which looked remarkably like Hedwig, one wing bent awkwardly out of place. He discovered from the many pictures showing him with the owl, that he'd clutched the wing when he held it. Tears began to stream down his face in earnest when he picked up one photo in particular. It featured Harry on a miniature broom, zooming in and out of frame as James laughed and clapped for him—he'd found a torn copy of this same picture along with a letter from Lily among Sirius' belongings when he, Ron and Hermione arrived at Number Twelve after escaping the Death Eaters who attacked Bill and Fleur's wedding. This intact photo showed Lily beside her husband, smiling as they watched their son.

Draco gently rubbed Harry's back, softly kissing his neck, urging him to calm himself as he hyperventilated. After a few moments, Harry managed to control his breathing, leaning into Draco as he continued to clutch the owl and photo to his chest. He swiped his face with the back of his hand.

"You all must think I'm a bloomin' pilchard, carrying on so," Harry sniffled.

"Nonsense, mate!" Dean protested. "When my father left to go into hiding, he took everything magical he had with him. Around Christmas last year, I received a small parcel from Professor McGonagall. She'd reached out to a few people she recalled being mates with him and they sent pictures and letters from their time in school. Mum and I cried for hours."

"We get it, and we don't, Harry," said Adrestia. "I couldn't imagine not having my parents and the amazing memories they've helped me create, but I understand how I think I might feel if I ever lost them and what my precious mementos would mean in their absence."

"Yeah," said Seamus.

"Definitely," Draco agreed. He waved his wand and the torn cardboard box transfigured itself into a highly polished mahogany keepsake box with a velvet lining in scarlet. The group helped Harry gather all of the items and carefully placed them inside. Harry included the letter from Snape before he pointed his own wand to lock it. Tracing his fingers over the lid, he let out a sigh and turned to Draco, giving him a chaste kiss.

"Thank you." He smiled, touching their foreheads. Draco blushed, smiling back.

"Always."