Author's Note: What is time? What day is it?...All safe and healthy here, and not too stir-crazy yet. Hope you're all safe and healthy!
Chapter 40 (I think): School and Kisses
Draco took glowered down at his cup of tea and Severus rolled his eyes. He'd been petulant all afternoon, and now he was on the verge of downright sulking.
"Harry had lunch with you?" the blond asked.
"I believe I just said that."
Draco's lips pursed.
Severus sighed and set his own cup down perhaps a little harder than he'd intended. "What in Merlin's name is bothering you about that?"
"It's just...well, he hasn't owled me at all."
Severus blinked. "You cannot be serious. That is what has you upset?"
"We'd been doing so well...or so I'd thought. And then after the cinema he simply stopped owling me. Didn't reply to my last, either."
"He may be too busy preparing for his entry into the Aurors."
"I'm not surprised he's taking the Ministry up on their offer to skip his NEWTs."
"Nor am I." Severus eyed the tea sandwiches and selected one carefully. "Nor am I surprised that you are. Not after last year."
Draco snorted. "But you are going back. You know Father would gladly assist in any endeavour you'd rather pursue."
He waved a hand dismissively. "I've never taught without something other than exploding cauldrons looming over my shoulder. I thought I should sign on for at least a year."
Well, close enough to one version of the truth, anyway. He simply had no idea what to do with himself. Working as a brewer meant dealing with morons. He didn't have the backing to experimental work, even if Lucius would likely be glad to dig deep into the Malfoy coffers. He didn't want an apothecary. He just... didn't. His whole life had been "stay alive and keep Harry Potter alive" for too long. He'd never gotten this far.
He was so busy frowning into his sandwich that he nearly missed what Draco had said. Said sandwich dropped to the plate. "I'm sorry—she's what?"
"Going back to Hogwarts," Draco repeated impatiently. "I mean, I suppose I'm not too surprised, it's Hermione, she'll want the best NEWT scores in a decade."
"She hadn't told me," he mused. "Last we spoke she had yet to decide."
"Well, apparently she has." Draco shrugged. "I'll be finishing my essay today, then sending it off. At least if I get accepted to St Mungo's I'll be close enough to the Ministry that Harry and I could go for lunch once in a while, assuming he ever owls me back."
"Draco...are you pursuing him?" Severus shot a careful look at the door. When Lucius had excused himself to attend a meeting, he hadn't specified where the meeting was taking place.
"I thought I was."
"Does Lucius know?" More to the point, thought Severus, was if Potter knew. The boy was unfortunately rather oblivious at times.
"Mother does." Draco studied the lace tablecloth. "I know it's expected of me to marry and provide an heir or two. I don't mind that bit. But if he's alright with it, I thought, perhaps..."
"That you'd have Harry Potter as a mistress?" Severus couldn't keep the incredulousness out of his voice.
"Well, if he wanted to be? I meant more of an open arrangement," Draco said a little helplessly. "I know he likes the Weasley girl."
Severus stared at him. "I don't think I could be more relieved that the two of you idiots are not returning to the school."
Draco snorted. "Yes, you'll only have to deal with Hermione and thirty-foot essays with no drama to distract her."
He grimaced. "Merlin save me."
"Hey Lav! I brought cookies—oh, hi 'Mione!" He blinked in surprise.
"Hey Ron," both girls said, looking up at him briefly.
He stood there, staring at the scene before him.
"Er..."
Lavender looked up at him. "Yes? You can sit down, you know. You're not next unless you'd like to be."
"Er...what's going on?"
"We're painting our nails," Hermione replied calmly, applying another layer to Lavender. She glanced up at him again. "Did your mum bake again?"
"Yeah, Dad thinks it may be a coping thing." He edged around the bed and sat in his usual seat. Lavender was wearing her bandages today, he noticed. So either the wounds were bothering her, or she was covering them up. "So, what...brought this on?"
"Lavender and I were catching up," Hermione said. She used her thumb to flick some excess polish off of Lavender's finger. "My turn."
Ron watched warily as Lavender shook a little bottle of pink polish and took Hermione's hand.
After the first coat, the girls exchanged a confused look before turning to him. "Ron, what's wrong?"
"It's just...you're being a bit, yanno...girly."
Hermione and Lavender burst into laughter. "Ron, did you think I lived in vacuum?"
Lav scoffed at him. "Ron, we've been dormmates for years. We've painted each others' nails loads of times."
"I thought you didn't like each other for a while there."
"We got on well enough," Hermione said. "It took a while for me to find this sort of thing fun. I didn't mind if she experimented with design or colour and I just usually took it off after. I mean, pale pink is my usual and it's not terribly noticeable, so I'm not too surprised, Ron."
He was quiet for a long moment, still a bit flabbergasted. "Oh. Alright, then."
He opened the bag and took out a cookie. Lav leaned closer and opened her mouth for a bite and he gratefully gave her some. Hermione smiled at the two of them and watched Lavender work.
Harry stood awkwardly by the table, worrying the brim of his stupid hat while Draco finished in the lav. It hadn't been...too bad. Draco had definitely teased him about taking so long to owl him, but Harry couldn't tell if Draco liked him...like that.
And of course Ginny's advice kept rattling around his head and kissing Draco had been all he could think about as he'd managed to reply about the Auror questions and..well, he'd been a bit mechanical about the whole thing, he thought. But Draco had seemed pleased that he'd suggested a walk after lunch.
"Sorry, back." Draco flashed him an easy grin, looking sharp as ever in his neat suit. Harry, wearing his usual trainers and jeans, didn't really measure up.
"No worries." He smiled awkwardly. "There's a park around the corner, unless you'd rather browse the shops?"
"The park is fine," Draco replied. He held the door for Harry.
The day was overcast, and a few of the vendors wandering the park did carry umbrellas for sale, he noticed. It would probably rain, he thought morosely, before he could figure out what to do.
Draco kept pace with him, sedate and peaceful.
Harry wondered what he'd do if he just...reached over and held his hand. But though his fingers twitched he didn't reach over. There weren't many Muggles out for a walk, but he wasn't really sure if it would be the right thing to do in public.
Let alone just...kiss him.
They'd had a late lunch, talked of Hogwarts and their plans—he'd been surprised that Draco was going into healing, but he'd seemed earnest enough about it. They followed the park's path, away from vendors and Muggle walkers, when the sky suddenly opened up in earnest.
Both boys swore and drew their wands, umbrellas sprouting from the tip with a simple word, and they took cover under a nearby copse of trees for cover more than anything else. The charm looked enough like a clear plastic umbrella that the Ministry had approved its use in front of Muggles, but it still wasn't wise to run about with it.
"Bloody England," Draco said. His hair was wet, his eyes holding Harry's. "I rather prefer our summer house."
"I've never been anywhere," Harry confessed. Droplets were caught in Draco's eyelashes. He could stare at them forever.
"You could visit, if you'd like," Draco said.
Was it Harry's imagination, or was Draco staring at his mouth now?
Just kiss him, Ginny had said. Get up the nerve and snog him.
Well.
Harry screwed his eyes shut and kissed him.
Rather, he kissed somewhere in the vicinity of Draco's mouth and reeled back, mortified.
But Draco was grinning and shaking his head. "You're terrible, Harry. Try again."
Harry swallowed hard. "Alright."
The second kiss was much, much better, and just as confusing. He was attracted and very much liked Draco Malfoy.
Hermione tapped the bricks in quick succession, her supply list for the school year folded crisply in her pocket. The air in Diagon Alley made her close her eyes briefly. She loved the sudden change of smells, from city and pub to...magic.
Gringotts begrudgingly exchanged her pounds for Galleons and she was back on the sunny, crowded street in no time. She felt a twinge of nostalgia seeing the small group of children waiting for their turns at Ollivanders. It had taken fourteen wands before he'd found the one meant for her, and she could still remember how that first surge of magic with it had felt.
Robes were her second stop. The design had a changed a bit this year, she noticed. The ends of the sleeves were folded up to reveal her House colour. A nice touch, she thought.
Books were next, and she gleefully added a few extra tomes for additional reading to her pile. It was an interesting collection of titles. Some she had read before, others were new, and some she'd been hoping to read, so being assigned them was especially lovely.
Books and robes shrunk and stored in her beaded bag, Hermione headed for Slug and Jigger's. Her potions kit was in dire need of a refill as well as her supplies for the year.
Inside, she bumped into a very familiar and welcome face. "Severus!"
He turned, wary at first, but then his severe expression warmed minutely. "Hermione. Shopping for the year?"
She nodded. "And you?"
He scowled. "Yes. I have to undo Horace's frivolity, though."
"So you are coming back, then?" She liked that. "For potions?"
"Well it won't be defense," he said sourly, picking up a jar of snail shells for inspection. They must have passed, for the went into his basket.
Hermione made a face, passing him for the scoop of beetle eyes. "Who've they got, then?"
"No idea," he said with a grimace. "I hope Minerva is better at selecting professors." Than Dumbledore was unspoken, but he seemed to know she'd heard it, for his back was stiff. She didn't push it.
"It's going to be odd," she said, picking out the seventh year kit, "having you as a professor again."
He snorted and carted his heavy basket to the counter. "It won't be that odd."
She waited until he'd paid and moved out of her way to reply. "But it will, don't you think?"
"Not as soon as I take points off Gryffindor for waving your hand in the air," he said, but he was joking, amusement crinkling his eyes.
Hermione counted out the change and paid, stowing her purchases. He'd must have secreted his somewhere on his person. "And what if I don't raise my hand?"
"Extra points off," he said, and she laughed.
They spoke a bit longer, until he'd mentioned he had to take the more delicate ingredients to the school for proper storage, and she watched him walk towards the Apparition point. It would be nice, Hermione thought, to have a friend at Hogwarts.
