A/N: Hello from camp! Thanks to the wonderful people here at camp, I
have Internet access! Bows down and worships at their feet However,
due to the nature of my job, the updates will be few and far between. I
am, however, able to update. Nice, huh? I hope you all enjoy! Sylvia
Severus rolled over and opened his eyes. The events from the night before came rushing back to him and he sat up. He froze when he saw Draco in bed next to him. He frantically wondered what the boy was doing there, if he was okay, and sighed when he remembered that Draco was also sedated on the spot to ensure Weasley's survival to the next day. Severus decided to leave him there and went to get ready for the day. He stumbled into his bathroom and started his shower.
Once he made it into the shower, he leaned against the wall and cursed Dumbledore and Pomfrey under his breath for stopping him from killing the Gryffindor bonehead last night. That boy richly deserved to die. Slowly and painfully as possible. Perhaps even be turned over to Malfoy for his sheer stupidity. Severus grinned to himself as he thought about what Malfoy could do to the son of Arthur Weasley. Torture most likely, and perhaps some other activities that completely escaped Severus's imagination.
He finished his shower and drew on his usual black robes. Severus went into his living room and collapsed on his couch and reached up to rub away a tension headache this early in the morning. He wondered briefly if this was completely normal at all, having tension headaches this early in the morning, or if it was just the lot of a teacher who only took on too much of what he should not be doing. He growled to himself and called for a house elf so that he and Draco could have breakfast. A bright little creature popped into his rooms and inquired what Severus needed.
"Two breakfasts, please. Also, I need a uniform, a Gryffindor uniform, for Draco." The little creature nodded and popped away. Two minutes later, the requested items came into view on the table. Severus picked up the whole uniform (thank Merlin the house elf was competent enough to include undergarments!) and placed it on the chair next to the bed in which Draco still slept.
He reached out and shook Draco's foot. The boy mumbled and rolled over. Severus sighed. Teenagers. He shook the foot harder this time and Draco's eyes finally opened. "Good morning, Draco." Severus said, watching as Draco sat up and rubbed his eyes.
"Morning, Severus." He yawned, causing Severus to roll his eyes. "What time is it?" He asked.
"Time to be up. Your uniform is on the chair, you know where my shower is, and breakfast is here. Hurry up now." Severus swept out of the room and started on his newspaper, sneering at the actions of the Ministry. Thank goodness that the boys were not due in court until later that day. Hopefully, Harry would be stabilized enough so that he could still attend. Severus sincerely hoped that Harry would be able to keep up his public persona to the best of his abilities. The less the public doubted him, the more likely that public sympathy would be with him while the jury decided Tom Riddle's fate. Harry would need to show that he was not harmed while under the care of Tom Riddle. Few people would let Harry just be taken anywhere. In fact, when Harry had disappeared, several people had threatened the Minister's life for losing the boy. Severus frowned. Too bad no one had acted on his or her threats. The wizarding world would be a lot better off for Fudge's absence. Well, the world couldn't be perfect.
Draco wandered out into the main room, hair still wet from his shower and yawning. Severus wondered if he had managed to tie his tie correctly. One glance told him that he had, but his hair was still wet. Amazing. Simply amazing. Draco fell into his seat and pulled his plate of breakfast towards him. Teenagers had one-track minds. Severus decided to add a book on teenagers to his reading list, especially if he carried out his plans, which he fully intended to do. Just a matter of when.
Severus pulled out his wand and gave Draco's hair a quick drying spell and ran a comb through it. Draco smiled his thanks and fully tucked into his breakfast. Severus gave a small smile and started on his own with lots of strong tea to counter-act the effects of Pomfrey having sedating him the night before. He poured some for Draco as well. He figured that that was the reason for the boy's sluggishness this morning. "You have morning classes, and then are due at the court house at one o'clock." Draco nodded and swallowed before answering.
"Do you think that Harry will be able to go?" Draco asked, wondering about his friend's well being after the misguided attempt from Weasley. "Can we still kill Weasley?" Severus smiled at Draco and shook his head.
"I'm afraid that Albus won't allow us to do that. However, Albus never said anything about me not giving him the worse detentions imaginable for the rest of his natural life." The last comment got the grin from Draco that Severus wanted. "After breakfast and before your first class, we'll go see Harry and find out how's he is doing, okay?" Draco nodded eagerly and started eating faster. Severus didn't dare tell the boy that he would have to wait for Severus to finish before either of them went anywhere. Draco waited patiently, but practiced glaring while Severus took his time over his toast. The boy was getting better, but he changed too often to be very effective. They would have to work on that. Sometimes the most effective part of a glare was the amount of time that one could maintain it on a single person. It was just a matter of waiting the other person out.
Draco led the way to the hospital wing and found Harry quickly. Severus checked the boy's breathing and took a blood sample to check the levels. He poured the blood into a little vial with some of his specially made testing powder and shook it. It turned blue. "Very good!" He said, showing Draco the results. Harry was stable and would be able to go to court today, with only two needed doses. Pomfrey came out and glared at the two standing next to Harry's bed.
"Do you not trust me to do my job?" She asked rhetorically as she set about waking Harry up for the day. "I'll have you know that Mr. Potter here must be spending too much time with the two of you, because I caught him trying to sneak out of here no less than three times last night. The last he actually managed to get down the hallway. Thank goodness for sleeping charms, for that was the only way I could get him to sleep."
Draco grinned, unashamed, in full approval of his friend's actions. Severus only rolled his eyes mentally. Severus himself couldn't stand to be in the hospital wing for too long himself. He figured that he knew his body much better than any mediwizard could, even with all their spells and charms. If Harry thought the same way, well, he could only encourage such actions, as long as Harry was right, and not being plain stubborn, as the boy was stubborn to a fault.
"Will he be released today, Poppy?" Severus asked. "He has court today." Pomfrey rolled her eyes.
"Against my better judgment, yes, he will be released. Albus told me that he must go to the court house today, for his testimony will be taken today." She went over to the cabinet and pulled out a small box. "These are his doses. You are going to be in charge of them, Severus. I only ask that no one see you give the doses to him. They are in pill form and will dissolve on his tongue instantly. No evidence that you even gave him anything. All pink pills are the Mind's Snare. The white one is a Calming Potion. Give that to him as he is ready to give his testimony. It will keep his heart rate down so that the effects of the Mind's Snare will not wear off in the middle of his testimony and he doesn't start withdrawal in the middle of explaining that he came under no harm while with Tom Riddle." Pomfrey explained. Severus nodded and put the tiny box into one of his many pockets.
"Let's go see what has been done about Weasley." Severus said, taking Draco around the shoulders. Draco nodded and set off ahead of Severus again. One of the few things he could find fun in was guessing the Headmaster's password. Severus caught up to him in front of the gargoyle and gave a small smile to see various sweets names spilling out of Draco's mouth.
"Lemon Drops!" He shouted. The gargoyle leaped aside and Draco promptly went up the stairs, leaving Severus behind and having to deal with the gargoyle. Snape glared at the offending statue, which surprisingly jumped aside for the potions master. Severus gave another small smile, glad that no students were around so that they wouldn't see him smiling. It was necessary to keep up his snarky exterior with some of them.
He found Draco and Dumbledore already talking cheerfully. He noticed a funny little bulge on the right side of Draco's mouth. He glared at Albus until the man looked up. "Really, Albus. The boy has just had breakfast and you have given him sweets." Albus merely smiled at the younger man and sighed.
"I know, Severus. Think of me as the spoiling grandfather who has little regard for the rules." Severus rolled his eyes and took a seat, declining the offered lemon drops. Albus rested his face in his hands and looked at the two of them. "I suppose that you want to know what I have done with Ronald Weasley?" Draco nodded eagerly and waited for his answer. Albus grinned at him like a co-conspirator and sat back in his chair. "Ronald Weasley has been suspended and sent home for the next week. Molly Weasley will think of far worse punishments for him, especially after I told her exactly what treatment Harry was under and that her son had interrupted." Albus saw Draco's eyes light up.
"Can I listen in?" He asked. "I remember that Howler that she sent to him in second year, and if his punishments are anything like that, well, it'd be fun to hear." Albus merely shook his head no before continuing.
"Mr. Weasley also has detention with his head of house for the first full month that he is back. Several other teachers have also asked that they be allowed to give him detention." Severus shook his head.
"They'll have to be in line after I." He told Dumbledore. "I've worked with Harry for quite a while and we almost had him free of the Snare. Then Gryffindor Bonehead came along and messed up everything." Albus had no heart to tell Severus that he had just whined about something. He deserved it, but he still had no heart to tell the fully-grown man that he had whined.
Draco almost chocked when he heard Severus's name for Weasley. That was perfect. He could definitely use it against the boy when he came back, and he would continue to use it until Harry himself stopped him.
"Granted, Severus. No torture or death, I'm afraid, but bubotuber pus collection might make him re-think his motives somewhat." Severus merely grinned, leaving Albus with some ideas as to what he planned to do that were within the boundaries that Albus had just set. Draco watched his guardian and decided that he would make a list that would easily horrify the Gryffindor student to no end. Like discussing Potions. Or making Harry's antidote. Wait, that wasn't a good idea. Weasley was very bad at potions. He would poison Harry. Perhaps make him eat some of Hagrid's cooking! Give Weasley to Malfoy! He made a mental note to tell Severus that idea. That was a good idea. Malfoy would have a wonderful time with a Gryffindor student.
"Well, I know that the two of you have classes to attend, so I'm going to leave the two of you now and head down to breakfast in the Great Hall. I'm sure that everyone is anxious to know what happened." Dumbledore stood up to leave the room.
"Albus, make sure not to tell them about the Mind's Snare. Some of the Death Eaters are loyal to Malfoy now, and he would definitely try something if he knew that Harry was weakened at the moment." Dumbledore nodded.
"Believe me, Severus. I had no intention of saying anything outside that Mr. Weasley is being suspended for reasons that I cannot disclose, and that Harry is fine and almost ready to released from the hospital wing." Albus left the two of them and went down to breakfast. Severus looked over his young charge and stood.
"Let's get you to class." He said, noticing that Draco had had the foresight to gather his school bag before bolting from the quarters that morning. He and Draco walked down the Defense classroom. Before leaving Draco, he placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed it gently. Draco nodded, knowing what Severus had meant, and entered the classroom. He watched as the seats filled around him. Neville plopped down next to him and demanded to know what exactly was wrong with Harry.
"You should ask Harry himself tonight when you see him. I'm not allowed to say." Several Gryffindors nodded, intent on doing just that that night when they saw their taciturn friend. The door opened and a familiar person walked into the room.
"Good morning, class. Some of you may remember me. My name is Remus Lupin and I am taking over the Defense classes, just as the headmaster announced at breakfast this morning, as your former professor had to leave unexpectedly." Draco's mouth dropped open and he stared. He knew who this man was! He was Moony from Harry's Maurader's Map! His eyes grew wide. From what Harry had said, this man was Harry's honorary godfather. He wondered if Harry knew he was here.
Remus almost fell over in shock at seeing Draco Malfoy talking freely with Gryffindors. Wait a minute, was that...a Gryffindor patch! On his uniform! He took a deep breath and started into his lecture, mind already whirling with the implications of a Malfoy being in Gryffindor. Where was Harry? Was he alright? What, exactly, had happened while Remus had been away on that mission? He needed answers and he would get them as soon as he found the headmaster. His eyes landed on Hermione. Never mind the headmaster. Hermione would be able to supply the answers he needed to hear.
"Miss Granger, please stay after." Remus said as the class was going out the door. A small puzzled frown pulled at her lips, but she nodded and stayed next to her desk while the room emptied. As soon as the last student was out the door, Remus gestured for her to sit down. "Miss Granger, do you know where Harry is?" he asked. Hermione gave a small smile.
"I thought that that might be it." She said, smiling at her former professor. "Yes, I know where he is. He's in the hospital wing. There was a missed step in his medicine. The headmaster told me this morning before I went into the Great Hall. He said that that was what had happened yesterday. It's why Ron was suspended." Remus's mouth dropped open.
"Ron was suspended? And it has to do with Harry?" He asked. Hermione looked at her teacher, trying to figure out how much the man already knew.
"Ron made Harry miss a step in his medicine, which made Harry really sick." She explained patiently. "Ron didn't know that Harry needed medicine every so often, but he ignored Harry when he said that he needed to take his medicine and wouldn't let Harry leave." She said, and then shook her head. "Professor Snape has been monitoring Harry's medication since the Christmas holidays, and they were almost to the point where he wouldn't need it anymore. Now, they have to go back to half-doses. They left those behind last week." She smiled. "He almost died, you know. Ron, that is." She said hurriedly, in case he thought that she meant Harry. "Professor Snape grew really quiet when he saw what happened and had finished stabilizing Harry. The minute Harry was safe, he started off through the door. Professor Dumbledore had to use a Stupefy twice on him. The first time didn't last long enough to really affect him outside of an awful headache." She giggled suddenly. Remus raised an eyebrow.
"You should have seen Professor Flitwick moving Professor Snape down to his quarters to be sedated. And then Draco!" She giggled again. "He was out for Ron's blood as well last night. He took off when he heard that Professor Snape was being taken to his quarters. I thought he was going after Ron, but he wasn't. He headed straight for the professor's quarters, to make sure Professor Snape was okay." She smiled. "Draco's really changed." She told him.
"Changed? How so?" He asked. Hermione shrugged.
"I have no idea. We came back from the holidays, and Draco was polite and acted totally opposite to what he had been acting. If you call him Malfoy, he just ignores you until you saw Draco. He doesn't even use Malfoy on the assignments he turns in anymore. Just Draco, and the rest of the staff and school accept it." She said. She paused, as though almost afraid to say something. "Sir, it's almost time for class." Remus stood.
"Ah yes!" Remus quickly wrote out a note for Hermione in case she was late and signed it. "Thank you for speaking with me, Hermione. I'm glad we had this talk." Hermione smiled and thanked him for the note.
"Me too, Professor. I'm glad you're back. The other one, well, Harry could have taught better than him." She said, leaving the room. "Hi, Draco!" Remus heard as she made it out the door. "We'd better hurry." Remus shook his head and checked his class schedule. No classes again until after lunch. He decided that he would go and see Harry. He would get some answers from him. Thank goodness for the hospital wing and the fact that Harry wouldn't be able to escape from it without a huge fight from Madame Pomfrey.
Remus almost ran through the castle several times in the hallway, before he reminded himself he was a professor again and must conform to a strict guidelines of behavior. He steeled himself to deal with the surly teenager he remembered after Sirius's death and sighed. He wished he could have been here for the boy, especially after the kidnapping. Oh, how the entire wizarding world had completely lost its mind when that had happened. He had not found out until just a week ago when he had finally made it back to civilization. How frightened and upset Harry must have been. He had no idea how the boy had gotten away from his captors, but it seemed that he had hidden himself away from them and managed to make it back to school.
Remus reached up and pushed open the doors of the hospital wing. He looked around and saw only one bed occupied. He went over and pulled the curtain aside and saw black hair spread out on the pillow. He leaned down and saw the scar on Harry's forehead. The boy had grown his hair long. Okay, teenage rebellion. He could deal with that. Teenage rebellion was normal, right? After all, Remus himself had been a teenager once before. He should be able to deal with Harry's rebellion. He jumped as green eyes opened and looked at him. A huge smile spread out on the child's face.
"Remus!" Harry sat up and hugged the werewolf in obvious joy of seeing him. "When did you get here?" He asked, sitting back. Remus took in the boy sitting in front of him. Long black hair that brushed his shoulders, bright, carefree eyes. Something else was different. He had grown quite a few inches and looked to have gotten some serious exercise. He was well muscled and it showed.
"I arrived early this morning. I'm taking over the DADA classes for the rest of the year. Your other professor had to leave suddenly. I was here, and the headmaster asked. Here I am." Remus said. Harry smiled. "But look at you. I was expecting that scrawny little kid I'm used to seeing, with his hair everywhere. What happened to you?" Remus asked. Harry chuckled a bit.
"Well, a hair growth potion did my hair, because I needed it to grow quickly to aid in my disguise from my kidnappers. I liked it so much that I decided to keep it." Remus frowned.
"Did those kidnappers hurt you, Harry?" Harry shook his head.
"Didn't lay a finger on me. I escaped and hid." Harry told him. "They were at the train station though, and the hair helped hide me." Harry frowned. This lying to Remus wasn't fair. He didn't want to lie to Remus. Not now. He threw off the covers and stood up.
"What are you doing?" Remus asked. "You shouldn't be out of bed if you're not released." Harry grinned.
"Madame Pomfrey will have to catch me. She just started a cup of tea and it always takes fifteen minutes for her to drink it. I have ten minutes to make a getaway. If you don't stop me that is, but I was being released in two hours anyway." Harry said as he went behind the other curtain and started pulling on his uniform. He fixed his tie and pulled back his hair. "Let's go." He said, motioned towards the door.
"I did not help you do this." Remus said as he followed Harry.
"Of course not, Remus. I told you I was being released and you believed me." Harry consoled him. Remus nodded and smiled.
"Exactly right." Remus followed Harry to the Headmaster's office. Harry started on his list of sweets and found Lemon Drops to be the correct one today. Remus followed Harry up the stairs and watched as Harry was immediately admitted.
"I see you escaped from Madame Pomfrey, Harry." Dumbledore said as he motioned both people inside. Harry nodded happily.
"Yes, I did. If she didn't want her prison, um, patients, to escape, she wouldn't have such a set schedule. It'll be another eight minutes before she even notices that I'm gone." Harry said with a small smile. "Could you call Severus and Draco up here, please? I need to tell Remus something, and it's almost time for my next dose." Dumbledore nodded and called two house elves to retrieve the two requested persons. Harry gave Remus a reassuring smile while they waited. Dumbledore supplied tea and Harry declined, knowing that tea right now would not be a good idea.
Severus swept into the room as usual and his eyes landed on Harry. "Escaped, did you?" Severus asked. "Well done. It's a good thing that I'm here, so that she won't accuse me of coaching you." Harry chuckled.
"Ah, I learned everything I know about sneaking about from you. That and the Marauder's Map." Severus's eyes narrowed.
"That's not sneaking. That's avoiding confrontation." Severus told him. Harry rolled his eyes and smiled again.
"And you don't have one that tells you where all of the Gryffindor students are?" Harry asked.
"No. Mine tells me what level Gryffindor I have, their name, and their potions grade." Harry laughed a little bit and noticed Remus was staring. Draco chose that moment to come through the door. When he saw Harry, he shouted, and jumped his friend. The chair in which Harry had been sitting tipped over, causing both boys to tumble to the floor.
"Ack! Draco! Get off!" Draco stood up, laughed at his friend, and offered a hand up.
"Avoided the dragon's claws, did you?" Draco asked, referring to Pomfrey. "Good for you!" He pulled Harry to his feet and righted the chair. Harry smoothed his uniform and sat back down. "How you feeling?" Draco asked.
"A little shaky." Harry admitted. Severus snorted.
"You have a wonderful gift for understatements, Harry." Severus said. Remus stared. The Potions Master, calling Harry Potter by his first name and acting friendly towards him. Remus thought back to see if he had heard anything about Hell freezing over, or the sun rising in the west. A quick check made him realize that neither had happened. What in the world was going on? He watched as Severus took out a small vial and handed it to Harry, who promptly downed the entire dose and sat back, looking immensely happy. "The vial, Potter." Harry toyed with it a few seconds before handing it back to him. "Do that again, and I'll be handling the vials." Harry nodded, apologized, and then looked over at Remus.
"I have something to tell you, Remus. I couldn't bear lying to you." Harry said. Severus motioned Draco to a seat and settled himself in his favorite chair. Everyone in this room knows the full truth, as well as two other people, one house elf, and one Dark Lord." Remus took a deep breath and chanted to himself that he must stay calm. "It all started with my kidnapping." Harry started.
An hour later, Remus was speechless. Did this kid never get a break? He looked over at Severus in a new light. He almost wanted to kiss the man, he was that happy that someone had known how to help Harry. Severus had told his part of the story, and so had Draco. Remus would not believe anything about Tom Riddle until he saw it for himself, but Harry's word was almost enough for him. He thanked Harry for telling him before gathering the boy in a hug. Harry wrapped his arms around Remus and sighed. Remus still cared for him. This was great. He looked up at Dumbledore when the man cleared his throat.
"I think that it is time for two young men to have their lunches. They are due at the courthouse very soon." Draco and Harry got to their feet. Harry hadn't wanted to leave Remus just yet. "Why don't the four of you have lunch here?" Dumbledore said. "I'm sure that the entire school will be more than happy to avoid their Potions Master for a little while longer. All of his classes are cancelled for the afternoon because he goes to the courthouse with the boys. Yes, some of the Gryffindors will be more than happy to avoid him the rest of the day." Dumbledore called a house elf and ordered lunch for the four of them. He disappeared soon after. A table appeared in front of them and all of them took a place.
"So how have your classes been going Harry?" Remus asked as he sat down next to Harry. Severus snorted and somehow managed to control his laughter. "What? What am I missing?" he asked.
"Harry here has managed to mystify the entire teaching staff with his new found studious nature. He has no trouble in any class at all, and in fact, manages to take on extra studies to keep himself amused." Severus told Remus, trying to keep his sarcasm to a minimum. "My class is one of the ones in which Harry has sought extra studies. He often brings Draco along, so I am forced to deal with two Gryffindors at the same time." Draco rolled his eyes.
"He really loves us though. He even complimented Hermione by calling her actions 'very Slytherin'." Draco informed Remus, getting ready to move should Severus's wand come out. Severus only glared at him. It didn't work, because Draco returned one equally intimidating. Severus changed his and Draco's broke.
"You're getting better. You just need to hold it longer and not let anything break your concentration, nothing at all." He counseled. Draco nodded his understanding and looked over to Remus.
"See? He loves us. He is teaching Harry and I how to glare." Harry snorted at Severus's look of disbelief. Remus laughed as Harry fell off his chair in laughter.
"I'm sorry, Severus, but it seems that Harry has temporarily lost his good sense." Remus said, trying to keep his own laughter in at the look on Severus's face.
"Oh, you mean he had good sense? I have had no evidence to the contrary." Severus said, questioning the idea of a Gryffindor having good sense, Harry in particular.
"Hey!" Harry said, sitting up with indignation on his face. "I have better sense than Draco. I didn't run from Voldemort our first year." Draco threw his napkin at Harry.
"I call your actions Gryffindor stupidity!" Draco told him. "' Oh, look at that! Something's flying this way and my scar's hurting. Let's stick around an d see what it is!' " Draco rolled his eyes.
"Be nice to me." Harry whined. "I am in hiding from Madame Pomfrey." He said.
"In hiding is right, Mr. Potter, because if I had my way, you would be there right now, and away from the influence of Professor Snape. I swear that he is teaching you how to leave without me noticing. I've been searching the entire castle for you, and instead, I find you in the Headmaster's office, having lunch with your partner in crime!" Harry grinned at her, unable to help him. She scowled. "Be sure he gets his doses, Severus, including the one I told you about, just in case the prosecution gets nasty with him. I wish you two luck." She nodded to both boys and disappeared down the stairs, muttering all the while about how Severus was helping students escape from their beds.
"I thought she was going to hex me there, for a minute." Harry confided. Severus nodded.
"Yes, I thought so too, until I remembered her oath. 'Do no harm' does limit her quite a bit." Severus stood and motioned to the two teenagers. "If you are both ready, I think that we should arrive a little early, to avoid the main crush." Harry nodded and threw an arm around Remus in a kind of a half-hug.
"See you later, Remus!" Harry said brightly. Remus returned the hug.
"Bye, Harry. Be good." Harry grinned and nodded. He and Draco left through the Floo system, Snape close behind them. Remus sat back for a few minutes. He wanted to hug Tom Riddle now. He had done something for Harry that Sirius and himself had never been able to do. Support him fully in a home environment. Remus may not be able to keep Harry, but he would support anyone who had such a way with him. He would see Harry that night, he was sure of it.
Harry and Draco entered the courtroom and headed for their usual seats. They knew the whole trial method now and were heartily sick of it. Harry wanted to do nothing more than call the prosecutor nuts and take Tom home and avoid all of this. He and Draco settled into their seats and both sighed at the same time. Both lawyers came in, and Tom came in right behind him. Harry waved, which caused Tom's face to brighten up and he waved back. Draco nudged Harry in the ribs with his elbow and grinned. Draco heard Severus slide in behind them and he tapped them both on the shoulders to let them know he was there.
Harry smiled at him and turned to face the front. He was surrounded by people who knew the real him. This was a good thing, he decided, and settled down to watch the prosecutor make a big fool of himself again. The prosecutor stood and took a deep breath. Harry imagined the tiny man flapping his arms and screaming "Up, up, and away!" from the amount of breath he took. "I call Lucius Malfoy to the stand!" The doors opened and the reigning Dark Lord came into the room. The second he entered the room, Harry's scar felt like it was going to split open. Next to him, Draco clutched his arm and sank further into his seat. Snape's hands shot out and clutched the boys' shoulders, to ensure that they stayed in their seats. When Lucius Malfoy saw the two of them, he gave a feral grin. He had always enjoyed court, and the presence of the two he had been seeking was only going to make it better.
A/N: No review answers anymore. If you really want an answer, just enter your email address and I might be able to answer you on my time off. As always, thanks for the wonderful reviews! Sylvia
Severus rolled over and opened his eyes. The events from the night before came rushing back to him and he sat up. He froze when he saw Draco in bed next to him. He frantically wondered what the boy was doing there, if he was okay, and sighed when he remembered that Draco was also sedated on the spot to ensure Weasley's survival to the next day. Severus decided to leave him there and went to get ready for the day. He stumbled into his bathroom and started his shower.
Once he made it into the shower, he leaned against the wall and cursed Dumbledore and Pomfrey under his breath for stopping him from killing the Gryffindor bonehead last night. That boy richly deserved to die. Slowly and painfully as possible. Perhaps even be turned over to Malfoy for his sheer stupidity. Severus grinned to himself as he thought about what Malfoy could do to the son of Arthur Weasley. Torture most likely, and perhaps some other activities that completely escaped Severus's imagination.
He finished his shower and drew on his usual black robes. Severus went into his living room and collapsed on his couch and reached up to rub away a tension headache this early in the morning. He wondered briefly if this was completely normal at all, having tension headaches this early in the morning, or if it was just the lot of a teacher who only took on too much of what he should not be doing. He growled to himself and called for a house elf so that he and Draco could have breakfast. A bright little creature popped into his rooms and inquired what Severus needed.
"Two breakfasts, please. Also, I need a uniform, a Gryffindor uniform, for Draco." The little creature nodded and popped away. Two minutes later, the requested items came into view on the table. Severus picked up the whole uniform (thank Merlin the house elf was competent enough to include undergarments!) and placed it on the chair next to the bed in which Draco still slept.
He reached out and shook Draco's foot. The boy mumbled and rolled over. Severus sighed. Teenagers. He shook the foot harder this time and Draco's eyes finally opened. "Good morning, Draco." Severus said, watching as Draco sat up and rubbed his eyes.
"Morning, Severus." He yawned, causing Severus to roll his eyes. "What time is it?" He asked.
"Time to be up. Your uniform is on the chair, you know where my shower is, and breakfast is here. Hurry up now." Severus swept out of the room and started on his newspaper, sneering at the actions of the Ministry. Thank goodness that the boys were not due in court until later that day. Hopefully, Harry would be stabilized enough so that he could still attend. Severus sincerely hoped that Harry would be able to keep up his public persona to the best of his abilities. The less the public doubted him, the more likely that public sympathy would be with him while the jury decided Tom Riddle's fate. Harry would need to show that he was not harmed while under the care of Tom Riddle. Few people would let Harry just be taken anywhere. In fact, when Harry had disappeared, several people had threatened the Minister's life for losing the boy. Severus frowned. Too bad no one had acted on his or her threats. The wizarding world would be a lot better off for Fudge's absence. Well, the world couldn't be perfect.
Draco wandered out into the main room, hair still wet from his shower and yawning. Severus wondered if he had managed to tie his tie correctly. One glance told him that he had, but his hair was still wet. Amazing. Simply amazing. Draco fell into his seat and pulled his plate of breakfast towards him. Teenagers had one-track minds. Severus decided to add a book on teenagers to his reading list, especially if he carried out his plans, which he fully intended to do. Just a matter of when.
Severus pulled out his wand and gave Draco's hair a quick drying spell and ran a comb through it. Draco smiled his thanks and fully tucked into his breakfast. Severus gave a small smile and started on his own with lots of strong tea to counter-act the effects of Pomfrey having sedating him the night before. He poured some for Draco as well. He figured that that was the reason for the boy's sluggishness this morning. "You have morning classes, and then are due at the court house at one o'clock." Draco nodded and swallowed before answering.
"Do you think that Harry will be able to go?" Draco asked, wondering about his friend's well being after the misguided attempt from Weasley. "Can we still kill Weasley?" Severus smiled at Draco and shook his head.
"I'm afraid that Albus won't allow us to do that. However, Albus never said anything about me not giving him the worse detentions imaginable for the rest of his natural life." The last comment got the grin from Draco that Severus wanted. "After breakfast and before your first class, we'll go see Harry and find out how's he is doing, okay?" Draco nodded eagerly and started eating faster. Severus didn't dare tell the boy that he would have to wait for Severus to finish before either of them went anywhere. Draco waited patiently, but practiced glaring while Severus took his time over his toast. The boy was getting better, but he changed too often to be very effective. They would have to work on that. Sometimes the most effective part of a glare was the amount of time that one could maintain it on a single person. It was just a matter of waiting the other person out.
Draco led the way to the hospital wing and found Harry quickly. Severus checked the boy's breathing and took a blood sample to check the levels. He poured the blood into a little vial with some of his specially made testing powder and shook it. It turned blue. "Very good!" He said, showing Draco the results. Harry was stable and would be able to go to court today, with only two needed doses. Pomfrey came out and glared at the two standing next to Harry's bed.
"Do you not trust me to do my job?" She asked rhetorically as she set about waking Harry up for the day. "I'll have you know that Mr. Potter here must be spending too much time with the two of you, because I caught him trying to sneak out of here no less than three times last night. The last he actually managed to get down the hallway. Thank goodness for sleeping charms, for that was the only way I could get him to sleep."
Draco grinned, unashamed, in full approval of his friend's actions. Severus only rolled his eyes mentally. Severus himself couldn't stand to be in the hospital wing for too long himself. He figured that he knew his body much better than any mediwizard could, even with all their spells and charms. If Harry thought the same way, well, he could only encourage such actions, as long as Harry was right, and not being plain stubborn, as the boy was stubborn to a fault.
"Will he be released today, Poppy?" Severus asked. "He has court today." Pomfrey rolled her eyes.
"Against my better judgment, yes, he will be released. Albus told me that he must go to the court house today, for his testimony will be taken today." She went over to the cabinet and pulled out a small box. "These are his doses. You are going to be in charge of them, Severus. I only ask that no one see you give the doses to him. They are in pill form and will dissolve on his tongue instantly. No evidence that you even gave him anything. All pink pills are the Mind's Snare. The white one is a Calming Potion. Give that to him as he is ready to give his testimony. It will keep his heart rate down so that the effects of the Mind's Snare will not wear off in the middle of his testimony and he doesn't start withdrawal in the middle of explaining that he came under no harm while with Tom Riddle." Pomfrey explained. Severus nodded and put the tiny box into one of his many pockets.
"Let's go see what has been done about Weasley." Severus said, taking Draco around the shoulders. Draco nodded and set off ahead of Severus again. One of the few things he could find fun in was guessing the Headmaster's password. Severus caught up to him in front of the gargoyle and gave a small smile to see various sweets names spilling out of Draco's mouth.
"Lemon Drops!" He shouted. The gargoyle leaped aside and Draco promptly went up the stairs, leaving Severus behind and having to deal with the gargoyle. Snape glared at the offending statue, which surprisingly jumped aside for the potions master. Severus gave another small smile, glad that no students were around so that they wouldn't see him smiling. It was necessary to keep up his snarky exterior with some of them.
He found Draco and Dumbledore already talking cheerfully. He noticed a funny little bulge on the right side of Draco's mouth. He glared at Albus until the man looked up. "Really, Albus. The boy has just had breakfast and you have given him sweets." Albus merely smiled at the younger man and sighed.
"I know, Severus. Think of me as the spoiling grandfather who has little regard for the rules." Severus rolled his eyes and took a seat, declining the offered lemon drops. Albus rested his face in his hands and looked at the two of them. "I suppose that you want to know what I have done with Ronald Weasley?" Draco nodded eagerly and waited for his answer. Albus grinned at him like a co-conspirator and sat back in his chair. "Ronald Weasley has been suspended and sent home for the next week. Molly Weasley will think of far worse punishments for him, especially after I told her exactly what treatment Harry was under and that her son had interrupted." Albus saw Draco's eyes light up.
"Can I listen in?" He asked. "I remember that Howler that she sent to him in second year, and if his punishments are anything like that, well, it'd be fun to hear." Albus merely shook his head no before continuing.
"Mr. Weasley also has detention with his head of house for the first full month that he is back. Several other teachers have also asked that they be allowed to give him detention." Severus shook his head.
"They'll have to be in line after I." He told Dumbledore. "I've worked with Harry for quite a while and we almost had him free of the Snare. Then Gryffindor Bonehead came along and messed up everything." Albus had no heart to tell Severus that he had just whined about something. He deserved it, but he still had no heart to tell the fully-grown man that he had whined.
Draco almost chocked when he heard Severus's name for Weasley. That was perfect. He could definitely use it against the boy when he came back, and he would continue to use it until Harry himself stopped him.
"Granted, Severus. No torture or death, I'm afraid, but bubotuber pus collection might make him re-think his motives somewhat." Severus merely grinned, leaving Albus with some ideas as to what he planned to do that were within the boundaries that Albus had just set. Draco watched his guardian and decided that he would make a list that would easily horrify the Gryffindor student to no end. Like discussing Potions. Or making Harry's antidote. Wait, that wasn't a good idea. Weasley was very bad at potions. He would poison Harry. Perhaps make him eat some of Hagrid's cooking! Give Weasley to Malfoy! He made a mental note to tell Severus that idea. That was a good idea. Malfoy would have a wonderful time with a Gryffindor student.
"Well, I know that the two of you have classes to attend, so I'm going to leave the two of you now and head down to breakfast in the Great Hall. I'm sure that everyone is anxious to know what happened." Dumbledore stood up to leave the room.
"Albus, make sure not to tell them about the Mind's Snare. Some of the Death Eaters are loyal to Malfoy now, and he would definitely try something if he knew that Harry was weakened at the moment." Dumbledore nodded.
"Believe me, Severus. I had no intention of saying anything outside that Mr. Weasley is being suspended for reasons that I cannot disclose, and that Harry is fine and almost ready to released from the hospital wing." Albus left the two of them and went down to breakfast. Severus looked over his young charge and stood.
"Let's get you to class." He said, noticing that Draco had had the foresight to gather his school bag before bolting from the quarters that morning. He and Draco walked down the Defense classroom. Before leaving Draco, he placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed it gently. Draco nodded, knowing what Severus had meant, and entered the classroom. He watched as the seats filled around him. Neville plopped down next to him and demanded to know what exactly was wrong with Harry.
"You should ask Harry himself tonight when you see him. I'm not allowed to say." Several Gryffindors nodded, intent on doing just that that night when they saw their taciturn friend. The door opened and a familiar person walked into the room.
"Good morning, class. Some of you may remember me. My name is Remus Lupin and I am taking over the Defense classes, just as the headmaster announced at breakfast this morning, as your former professor had to leave unexpectedly." Draco's mouth dropped open and he stared. He knew who this man was! He was Moony from Harry's Maurader's Map! His eyes grew wide. From what Harry had said, this man was Harry's honorary godfather. He wondered if Harry knew he was here.
Remus almost fell over in shock at seeing Draco Malfoy talking freely with Gryffindors. Wait a minute, was that...a Gryffindor patch! On his uniform! He took a deep breath and started into his lecture, mind already whirling with the implications of a Malfoy being in Gryffindor. Where was Harry? Was he alright? What, exactly, had happened while Remus had been away on that mission? He needed answers and he would get them as soon as he found the headmaster. His eyes landed on Hermione. Never mind the headmaster. Hermione would be able to supply the answers he needed to hear.
"Miss Granger, please stay after." Remus said as the class was going out the door. A small puzzled frown pulled at her lips, but she nodded and stayed next to her desk while the room emptied. As soon as the last student was out the door, Remus gestured for her to sit down. "Miss Granger, do you know where Harry is?" he asked. Hermione gave a small smile.
"I thought that that might be it." She said, smiling at her former professor. "Yes, I know where he is. He's in the hospital wing. There was a missed step in his medicine. The headmaster told me this morning before I went into the Great Hall. He said that that was what had happened yesterday. It's why Ron was suspended." Remus's mouth dropped open.
"Ron was suspended? And it has to do with Harry?" He asked. Hermione looked at her teacher, trying to figure out how much the man already knew.
"Ron made Harry miss a step in his medicine, which made Harry really sick." She explained patiently. "Ron didn't know that Harry needed medicine every so often, but he ignored Harry when he said that he needed to take his medicine and wouldn't let Harry leave." She said, and then shook her head. "Professor Snape has been monitoring Harry's medication since the Christmas holidays, and they were almost to the point where he wouldn't need it anymore. Now, they have to go back to half-doses. They left those behind last week." She smiled. "He almost died, you know. Ron, that is." She said hurriedly, in case he thought that she meant Harry. "Professor Snape grew really quiet when he saw what happened and had finished stabilizing Harry. The minute Harry was safe, he started off through the door. Professor Dumbledore had to use a Stupefy twice on him. The first time didn't last long enough to really affect him outside of an awful headache." She giggled suddenly. Remus raised an eyebrow.
"You should have seen Professor Flitwick moving Professor Snape down to his quarters to be sedated. And then Draco!" She giggled again. "He was out for Ron's blood as well last night. He took off when he heard that Professor Snape was being taken to his quarters. I thought he was going after Ron, but he wasn't. He headed straight for the professor's quarters, to make sure Professor Snape was okay." She smiled. "Draco's really changed." She told him.
"Changed? How so?" He asked. Hermione shrugged.
"I have no idea. We came back from the holidays, and Draco was polite and acted totally opposite to what he had been acting. If you call him Malfoy, he just ignores you until you saw Draco. He doesn't even use Malfoy on the assignments he turns in anymore. Just Draco, and the rest of the staff and school accept it." She said. She paused, as though almost afraid to say something. "Sir, it's almost time for class." Remus stood.
"Ah yes!" Remus quickly wrote out a note for Hermione in case she was late and signed it. "Thank you for speaking with me, Hermione. I'm glad we had this talk." Hermione smiled and thanked him for the note.
"Me too, Professor. I'm glad you're back. The other one, well, Harry could have taught better than him." She said, leaving the room. "Hi, Draco!" Remus heard as she made it out the door. "We'd better hurry." Remus shook his head and checked his class schedule. No classes again until after lunch. He decided that he would go and see Harry. He would get some answers from him. Thank goodness for the hospital wing and the fact that Harry wouldn't be able to escape from it without a huge fight from Madame Pomfrey.
Remus almost ran through the castle several times in the hallway, before he reminded himself he was a professor again and must conform to a strict guidelines of behavior. He steeled himself to deal with the surly teenager he remembered after Sirius's death and sighed. He wished he could have been here for the boy, especially after the kidnapping. Oh, how the entire wizarding world had completely lost its mind when that had happened. He had not found out until just a week ago when he had finally made it back to civilization. How frightened and upset Harry must have been. He had no idea how the boy had gotten away from his captors, but it seemed that he had hidden himself away from them and managed to make it back to school.
Remus reached up and pushed open the doors of the hospital wing. He looked around and saw only one bed occupied. He went over and pulled the curtain aside and saw black hair spread out on the pillow. He leaned down and saw the scar on Harry's forehead. The boy had grown his hair long. Okay, teenage rebellion. He could deal with that. Teenage rebellion was normal, right? After all, Remus himself had been a teenager once before. He should be able to deal with Harry's rebellion. He jumped as green eyes opened and looked at him. A huge smile spread out on the child's face.
"Remus!" Harry sat up and hugged the werewolf in obvious joy of seeing him. "When did you get here?" He asked, sitting back. Remus took in the boy sitting in front of him. Long black hair that brushed his shoulders, bright, carefree eyes. Something else was different. He had grown quite a few inches and looked to have gotten some serious exercise. He was well muscled and it showed.
"I arrived early this morning. I'm taking over the DADA classes for the rest of the year. Your other professor had to leave suddenly. I was here, and the headmaster asked. Here I am." Remus said. Harry smiled. "But look at you. I was expecting that scrawny little kid I'm used to seeing, with his hair everywhere. What happened to you?" Remus asked. Harry chuckled a bit.
"Well, a hair growth potion did my hair, because I needed it to grow quickly to aid in my disguise from my kidnappers. I liked it so much that I decided to keep it." Remus frowned.
"Did those kidnappers hurt you, Harry?" Harry shook his head.
"Didn't lay a finger on me. I escaped and hid." Harry told him. "They were at the train station though, and the hair helped hide me." Harry frowned. This lying to Remus wasn't fair. He didn't want to lie to Remus. Not now. He threw off the covers and stood up.
"What are you doing?" Remus asked. "You shouldn't be out of bed if you're not released." Harry grinned.
"Madame Pomfrey will have to catch me. She just started a cup of tea and it always takes fifteen minutes for her to drink it. I have ten minutes to make a getaway. If you don't stop me that is, but I was being released in two hours anyway." Harry said as he went behind the other curtain and started pulling on his uniform. He fixed his tie and pulled back his hair. "Let's go." He said, motioned towards the door.
"I did not help you do this." Remus said as he followed Harry.
"Of course not, Remus. I told you I was being released and you believed me." Harry consoled him. Remus nodded and smiled.
"Exactly right." Remus followed Harry to the Headmaster's office. Harry started on his list of sweets and found Lemon Drops to be the correct one today. Remus followed Harry up the stairs and watched as Harry was immediately admitted.
"I see you escaped from Madame Pomfrey, Harry." Dumbledore said as he motioned both people inside. Harry nodded happily.
"Yes, I did. If she didn't want her prison, um, patients, to escape, she wouldn't have such a set schedule. It'll be another eight minutes before she even notices that I'm gone." Harry said with a small smile. "Could you call Severus and Draco up here, please? I need to tell Remus something, and it's almost time for my next dose." Dumbledore nodded and called two house elves to retrieve the two requested persons. Harry gave Remus a reassuring smile while they waited. Dumbledore supplied tea and Harry declined, knowing that tea right now would not be a good idea.
Severus swept into the room as usual and his eyes landed on Harry. "Escaped, did you?" Severus asked. "Well done. It's a good thing that I'm here, so that she won't accuse me of coaching you." Harry chuckled.
"Ah, I learned everything I know about sneaking about from you. That and the Marauder's Map." Severus's eyes narrowed.
"That's not sneaking. That's avoiding confrontation." Severus told him. Harry rolled his eyes and smiled again.
"And you don't have one that tells you where all of the Gryffindor students are?" Harry asked.
"No. Mine tells me what level Gryffindor I have, their name, and their potions grade." Harry laughed a little bit and noticed Remus was staring. Draco chose that moment to come through the door. When he saw Harry, he shouted, and jumped his friend. The chair in which Harry had been sitting tipped over, causing both boys to tumble to the floor.
"Ack! Draco! Get off!" Draco stood up, laughed at his friend, and offered a hand up.
"Avoided the dragon's claws, did you?" Draco asked, referring to Pomfrey. "Good for you!" He pulled Harry to his feet and righted the chair. Harry smoothed his uniform and sat back down. "How you feeling?" Draco asked.
"A little shaky." Harry admitted. Severus snorted.
"You have a wonderful gift for understatements, Harry." Severus said. Remus stared. The Potions Master, calling Harry Potter by his first name and acting friendly towards him. Remus thought back to see if he had heard anything about Hell freezing over, or the sun rising in the west. A quick check made him realize that neither had happened. What in the world was going on? He watched as Severus took out a small vial and handed it to Harry, who promptly downed the entire dose and sat back, looking immensely happy. "The vial, Potter." Harry toyed with it a few seconds before handing it back to him. "Do that again, and I'll be handling the vials." Harry nodded, apologized, and then looked over at Remus.
"I have something to tell you, Remus. I couldn't bear lying to you." Harry said. Severus motioned Draco to a seat and settled himself in his favorite chair. Everyone in this room knows the full truth, as well as two other people, one house elf, and one Dark Lord." Remus took a deep breath and chanted to himself that he must stay calm. "It all started with my kidnapping." Harry started.
An hour later, Remus was speechless. Did this kid never get a break? He looked over at Severus in a new light. He almost wanted to kiss the man, he was that happy that someone had known how to help Harry. Severus had told his part of the story, and so had Draco. Remus would not believe anything about Tom Riddle until he saw it for himself, but Harry's word was almost enough for him. He thanked Harry for telling him before gathering the boy in a hug. Harry wrapped his arms around Remus and sighed. Remus still cared for him. This was great. He looked up at Dumbledore when the man cleared his throat.
"I think that it is time for two young men to have their lunches. They are due at the courthouse very soon." Draco and Harry got to their feet. Harry hadn't wanted to leave Remus just yet. "Why don't the four of you have lunch here?" Dumbledore said. "I'm sure that the entire school will be more than happy to avoid their Potions Master for a little while longer. All of his classes are cancelled for the afternoon because he goes to the courthouse with the boys. Yes, some of the Gryffindors will be more than happy to avoid him the rest of the day." Dumbledore called a house elf and ordered lunch for the four of them. He disappeared soon after. A table appeared in front of them and all of them took a place.
"So how have your classes been going Harry?" Remus asked as he sat down next to Harry. Severus snorted and somehow managed to control his laughter. "What? What am I missing?" he asked.
"Harry here has managed to mystify the entire teaching staff with his new found studious nature. He has no trouble in any class at all, and in fact, manages to take on extra studies to keep himself amused." Severus told Remus, trying to keep his sarcasm to a minimum. "My class is one of the ones in which Harry has sought extra studies. He often brings Draco along, so I am forced to deal with two Gryffindors at the same time." Draco rolled his eyes.
"He really loves us though. He even complimented Hermione by calling her actions 'very Slytherin'." Draco informed Remus, getting ready to move should Severus's wand come out. Severus only glared at him. It didn't work, because Draco returned one equally intimidating. Severus changed his and Draco's broke.
"You're getting better. You just need to hold it longer and not let anything break your concentration, nothing at all." He counseled. Draco nodded his understanding and looked over to Remus.
"See? He loves us. He is teaching Harry and I how to glare." Harry snorted at Severus's look of disbelief. Remus laughed as Harry fell off his chair in laughter.
"I'm sorry, Severus, but it seems that Harry has temporarily lost his good sense." Remus said, trying to keep his own laughter in at the look on Severus's face.
"Oh, you mean he had good sense? I have had no evidence to the contrary." Severus said, questioning the idea of a Gryffindor having good sense, Harry in particular.
"Hey!" Harry said, sitting up with indignation on his face. "I have better sense than Draco. I didn't run from Voldemort our first year." Draco threw his napkin at Harry.
"I call your actions Gryffindor stupidity!" Draco told him. "' Oh, look at that! Something's flying this way and my scar's hurting. Let's stick around an d see what it is!' " Draco rolled his eyes.
"Be nice to me." Harry whined. "I am in hiding from Madame Pomfrey." He said.
"In hiding is right, Mr. Potter, because if I had my way, you would be there right now, and away from the influence of Professor Snape. I swear that he is teaching you how to leave without me noticing. I've been searching the entire castle for you, and instead, I find you in the Headmaster's office, having lunch with your partner in crime!" Harry grinned at her, unable to help him. She scowled. "Be sure he gets his doses, Severus, including the one I told you about, just in case the prosecution gets nasty with him. I wish you two luck." She nodded to both boys and disappeared down the stairs, muttering all the while about how Severus was helping students escape from their beds.
"I thought she was going to hex me there, for a minute." Harry confided. Severus nodded.
"Yes, I thought so too, until I remembered her oath. 'Do no harm' does limit her quite a bit." Severus stood and motioned to the two teenagers. "If you are both ready, I think that we should arrive a little early, to avoid the main crush." Harry nodded and threw an arm around Remus in a kind of a half-hug.
"See you later, Remus!" Harry said brightly. Remus returned the hug.
"Bye, Harry. Be good." Harry grinned and nodded. He and Draco left through the Floo system, Snape close behind them. Remus sat back for a few minutes. He wanted to hug Tom Riddle now. He had done something for Harry that Sirius and himself had never been able to do. Support him fully in a home environment. Remus may not be able to keep Harry, but he would support anyone who had such a way with him. He would see Harry that night, he was sure of it.
Harry and Draco entered the courtroom and headed for their usual seats. They knew the whole trial method now and were heartily sick of it. Harry wanted to do nothing more than call the prosecutor nuts and take Tom home and avoid all of this. He and Draco settled into their seats and both sighed at the same time. Both lawyers came in, and Tom came in right behind him. Harry waved, which caused Tom's face to brighten up and he waved back. Draco nudged Harry in the ribs with his elbow and grinned. Draco heard Severus slide in behind them and he tapped them both on the shoulders to let them know he was there.
Harry smiled at him and turned to face the front. He was surrounded by people who knew the real him. This was a good thing, he decided, and settled down to watch the prosecutor make a big fool of himself again. The prosecutor stood and took a deep breath. Harry imagined the tiny man flapping his arms and screaming "Up, up, and away!" from the amount of breath he took. "I call Lucius Malfoy to the stand!" The doors opened and the reigning Dark Lord came into the room. The second he entered the room, Harry's scar felt like it was going to split open. Next to him, Draco clutched his arm and sank further into his seat. Snape's hands shot out and clutched the boys' shoulders, to ensure that they stayed in their seats. When Lucius Malfoy saw the two of them, he gave a feral grin. He had always enjoyed court, and the presence of the two he had been seeking was only going to make it better.
A/N: No review answers anymore. If you really want an answer, just enter your email address and I might be able to answer you on my time off. As always, thanks for the wonderful reviews! Sylvia