A/N: Hope you enjoy.
Chapter Five: Misunderstandings
In Hogsmeade, Harry and Draco made their ambling way to Hermione's house. Once there, they were escorted into a smallish, but infinitely welcoming parlor. Harry, who knew the house well, refused Hermione's offer of tea and cakes in favor of packing all of his belongings. Draco sat with Hermione, in an almost comfortable fashion and discussed one of the few things they had in common. Potions. Hermione had some excellent theories to improve upon existing potions, and even to create a few of her own. But she would do none of those until she had the go ahead from a Potions Master or Mistress. The only one she currently knew would be Professor Severus Snape.
Draco waited only until Harry had reappeared before making his excuses. When he left the house, however, he held a thick, tightly bound roll of parchments detailing all of Hermione Granger's theories. The main one being the work she was doing to help cure those affected with the Cruciatus Curse.
Draco entered his godfather's office with casual arrogance. Dropping the parchments on the book that Severus was reading, he settled his lean frame into a comfortable chair.
When Severus merely questioned him with a raised brow, he waved his hand in dismissal.
"Miss Granger has requested that you peruse these at your leisure."
Severus' expression grew more intent at hearing that, as he knew very well what Miss Granger was currently devoting her time to. He was interested to see what she had come up with, but now was not the time. He set the scroll to the side of his desk and faced the Malfoy scion with a glare.
Before the older wizard could speak, Draco voiced his own thoughts.
"Tell me something, Uncle Sev. Why were you so concerned about Potter?"
"What makes you think I was concerned about Potter?" he fairly spat the name as if it were a curse.
Draco gave a short, cynical laugh.
"Come off it, Sev! You were concerned enough to send an owl that was guaranteed to bring me hundreds of miles from home. What else could it be, if not concern?"
"The issue is not my concern or lack thereof, Draco. The issue is that we cannot have a Defense Professor breaking down in front of the students!"
Draco lifted a brow in return.
"So your concern is for the students then? I have never known you to show any feelings other than disgust for the students."
"What I show and what I feel are neither your concern, nor your business. My position is not one of coddling students like so many of my colleagues do. I am here to prepare them for the world they will face, not the one they dream of. Therefore, my concern about a colleague crumbling like so much old stone is justified."
"So you are concerned about Potter," Draco replied with a trace of superiority in his voice. "Then it will please you to know that Harry is currently gathering his belongings from Hogsmeade to move them here. I will, of course, be staying for an indeterminate period of time as well. I do hope that pleases you?"
"You know it pleases me whenever we have the chance to spend time together."
"Incidentally, do you have any Dreamless Sleep available? I don't fancy another night of being kicked out of bed by one of Harry's nightmares."
"I would have thought that Potter's nightmares stopped with the demise of the Dark Lord? But apparently you would know more about that than I."
Draco was no fool. He hadn't missed his godfather's countenance grow stonier, nor the hardness that entered his eyes. 'Yes,' Draco thought. 'I hit the target there.'
"Well, Sev. As much as I would love to stay longer, it seems as though I have my own arrangements to make now."
'Yes. Arrangements that involve a certain stubborn Potions Master and an even more stubborn boy-savior.'
While Harry and Draco settled into their new quarters, with full blessing from Albus, Severus Snape seethed and paced his dungeons.It was a good thing for the students that it was not yet September First as his black mood would have guaranteed points lost from all houses. Even Slytherin. Perhaps especially Slytherin, with the direction his thoughts were going regarding a certain blonde one.
His mind raced through possibilities. How the two had gotten together. How they were together. Did they fit each other perfectly? Did one mould into the other so seamlessly it was difficult to tell where one ended and the other began? Because that is how he, Severus Snape, thought of himself and the Gryffindor. He knew, instinctively knew, that if they were to come together, they would fit together like a Muggle puzzle. But now, with his godson in the picture, he would never know. Draco didn't know his own feelings on Potter, and he was well versed in the art of cloaking them. And he would never take from his godson that which makes him happy. Potter appeared to do that if Draco was willing to move in indefinitely for him.
Turning his mind to more agreeable matters was difficult, but essential to his well-being. So he retrieved the parchments from Miss Granger and began with the topmost one. If he surmised correctly, that would be the most important to her. And it was. She had given theories on mixing different potions and spells together, and asking in her own way how they would interact. This was where he excelled. He hadn't had a mind as brilliant as hers come to him since he first got his Mastery. His own demeanor and disposition curtailed that. Only someone as driven to succeed would have dared approach him. But he was glad, in a way, that she had. Here was a ready made excuse for him to forget reality for a while. This was why he became a Potions Master. The ability to lose oneself in ones work was allluring, and he welcomed it with open arms.
A/N: I know it's short, but it was a good place to end it. Read and review, please! Thanks to all my wonderful reviewers so far.
elven-angel-khalia ~ Thanks.
Ayelet ~ Wait no longer. Here you go.
Sabrina451 ~ As soon as I can get them on paper, they'll be
here. I hope this story will continue on for quite some time yet.
Ruth ~ Yes, unfortunately. It was very necessary to the plot.
Hope you like.
Mikee ~ I know. I have a penchant for really short chapters.
I honestly couldn't make this one go on, tho. I did try, but nothing worked
well enough to stay. Yes, Sev was hurt. But we have fixed that, I think.
Here is the talk for you. I know it probably doesn't live up to expectations,
but it got across what I wanted. Thank you again for sticking by this story,
as well as my other which I will TRY to update soon. If I can get past
the block I have on that one.
oracale ~ Thank you. Hope you enjoy.
Kimdalia ~ I'm glad you like my Draco! Thank you for your praise.
I don't like when they move too fast, either, unless it's a given at the
beginning that they know of the other's desire for them. The switching
was a point I had a problem with, but you put that issue to rest. Thanks
for that. Here's more.
selua ~ As I said, the talk probably didn't own up to expectations,
but I hope you enjoyed it anyway. I rather think Sev liked running into
Harry like that. *grins*
fyresdestiny ~ Thank you, dear. I enjoy your writing as well.
Hope you update Hullo, Professor Snape soon. *grins*