'Mes - glad you like it, I know, Sev's a meanie. Don't worry; they'll have the charms off soon. Thanks for the review!
Palanmenel - all shall be revealed soon I hope soon anyway, my parents are threatening to ban me from the Internet because I should be revising not writing stories :-( I don't think so, for some reason!
Chapter 3"Father!" Draco exclaimed with surprise as Severus suddenly appeared near them. Neither of them had heard him approach.
"Come on, back inside now," Severus instructed them.
Once back inside they ate a quick lunch and then Draco and Harry done any homework they had to do whilst sat at the table under Severus' watchful eyes. Severus had had house-elves move all of his son's stuff down from their dormitories into their room in his quarters.
After finishing their homework Harry and Draco dropped their books in their room and went back out to the dining area to find Severus studying two pieces of paper. Draco looked confused but Harry gulped. He knew what was on those sheets of paper. Draco shot him a half confused, half worried look.
"I'll bet you anything that those are our end of year exam results," Harry whispered.
"Oh no," Draco groaned quietly. "Not good!"
"Not good at all," Harry agreed.
"Well," Severus said, startling them both. They both looked at him nervously. "Well," the repetition done nothing to help the twins' nerves. "Sit down." The twins sat.
Harry fixed his eyes on the table and Draco fixed his on the wall opposite. Neither would look at their father. "All in all not a bad set of results from either of you," Severus told them eliciting sighs of relief from both boys "But they could be better."
"Yes Father," they said together.
"Therefore you will both spend some time over the summer holidays studying. Both of your History of Magic results where poor. Draco, your Defence Against the Dark Arts could do with some work, as could your Herbology, Harry."
"Yes Father."
"Now run along outside before Dinner," Severus instructed them both. Once they where gone he flooed to The Three Broomsticks and then apparated to Lord Voldemort's side.
"Ah, Severus, how lovely to see you again. And pray do tell how the twins are." Voldemort instructed him.
"Harry and Draco are fine my Lord," Severus told him whilst quickly dropping to one knee in front of Voldemort and then standing.
"Good, come and walk with me and I will now be using my name, not Lord Voldemort. Please address me as such."
"Yes Tom."
"I am glad for your loyalty Severus. Not many will believe that I have changed but with your help... with YOUR help the whole nation of wizards can become stronger than ever. It's going to be quite simple really."
"As you say." Severus shifted from foot to foot.
"Ah, yes, you must get back to the twins. I take it the know that I am back?"
"Of course."
"Very well, I shall see you later tonight Severus. I would like to see the twins, though I will probably call on you quite late, so they will most likely be in bed."
"Of course Tom, as you wish."
Severus quickly apparated back to Hogsmeade and then walked back up to Hogwarts; he didn't much feel like using Floo.
Harry and Draco were still outside when he got back and Severus decided to go down to his classroom to check that it hadn't been destroyed. Flitwick had covered most of his lessons today and Binns the others so who knew what state the dungeon would be in.
He spent about half an hour checking that everything was ok before heading back up to his quarters. The sight that met his eyes when he walked into the dining room pleased him very much indeed. Draco and Harry had obviously took what he had said that morning to heart and where sat at the table studying. A quick glance over both their shoulders showed that it was History of Magic, the subject that neither of them had done too well in.
"Need any help?" Severus asked quietly whilst taking a seat at the table. Both Harry and Draco jumped; both had been so absorbed in their work that they had not heard him enter the room.
"No thank you, Father," Harry answered looking up briefly. He had decided to write out all of his notes neatly whilst adding some things in. He had also started to colour code them. He knew that the reason he had done poor in the exam was because he didn't pay attention in class but it was hard to pay attention with Binns droning on. All you wanted to do was fall asleep.
Severus let them both study for another half an hour before sending them to put that books and notes away. When they went back out into the main living room they saw Severus sitting on the couch reading a Potions book. Both shared a long look, they had just been discussing whether or not their Father was going to feed them at all that night. They had joked on about how it was probably a punishment for their bad marks in History of Magic and how that they were so hungry they would never do poor in another subject ever again.
Crossing the room they sat down one on either side of him and curled up close. Harry managed to duck under Severus' arm and Draco followed suit. Severus smiled and began to read from the book aloud even though neither Draco nor Harry shared his love for Potions.
By half eight both boys were thoroughly bored and very hungry. "Go get changed into your night clothes," Severus instructed. He was obeyed instantly, neither boy was in the mood to be rebellious, it might mean that they wouldn't get fed tomorrow!
Getting changed into their black nightclothes they both went out into the living room to say goodnight to their Father. It was very early but the day now seemed to have been impossibly long to Harry and all he wanted to do was sink back onto his pillows and have a conversation with Draco.
After giving them both a hug and a quick kiss on the forehead Severus sent them both to bed even though it was only nine o'clock.
Harry sank back on his pillows and sighed. "This doesn't seem as good as it did this morning," he commented, knowing his twin would catch what he was going on about.
"I know, but maybe that's because were hungry," Draco suggested.
"Maybe, it must really have been a punishment, you know, send the naughty child to bed without supper," Harry said.
"I know, and I can't say that I like it," Draco replied.
"You know, if anyone told me two weeks ago that I'd be sharing a room with Draco Malfoy and that we'd be getting along really well I'd have told them to go see a mental health doctor and then would have thrown myself off the top of the Astronomy Tower at the very thought," Harry told his twin.
Draco burst into laughter and didn't manage to smother the sound in time as Severus walked in and both of them looked at him guiltily.
Severus just chuckled to himself and then, leaning on the doorframe, he opened his arms to both of the lads who jumped out of bed and ran to him. Wrapping an arm round both sets of shoulders Severus led them to the dining room where a platter of sandwiches sat. "Did you really think I'd send you to bed without anything to eat?" he asked them.
"We didn't know, Father," Draco whispered.
"Well, the answer to that is a definite no. You're both too skinny as it is, especially you Harry," Severus told them and left them to eat. He returned in a few minutes and had a sandwich himself. Neither boy actually ate enough for his liking but he knew it would be useless to try and force them to eat.
Once Severus came back the three sat in the dining room talking until half nine when Severus said "Bed time," and this time he meant it.
"Is half nine our definite bed time now?" Draco asked. "Because you sent us to bed at half nine last night as well."
"Yes it is."
Both boys got back into bed and discovered a glass of milk sat on the bedside table for them both.
Once the candle was out and both twins tucked up in bed Severus went and sat down in his favourite armchair and got lost in thought. Lost in thought of times he had shared with the twins when Lily was alive before her false marriage to James Potter, he still hated the man but he had been one of Lily's closest friends. Of times before he and Lily had separated quickly so they would be safer, of times before Lily had took Harry and he had took Draco, only to have to put his son up for adoption. He had not been thrilled when Draco had become a Malfoy but that couldn't be helped now.
Severus jumped slightly when the fire turned green and dropped to one knee and stood up again quickly when Tom Riddle had got out of the fireplace.
"I take it the twins are in bed?" Tom asked.
"Yes and they should be asleep by now, I was just going to check on them," Severus told him.
Harry and Draco, however, were not asleep. They quickly shut their eyes and lay still when Severus entered the room. They heard the two sets of footfalls but did not open their eyes, the fear of getting into trouble greater than curiosity.
As soon as he was sure that no one was in the room apart for himself and his twin Draco opened his eyes. "Who do you think was with Father?" he asked.
"Your guess is as good as mine," Harry told him. "Maybe we should get some sleep, who knows what tomorrow will bring?"
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