A/N: So, here's chapter six. Snape comes for dinner, as do two other familiar characters..
This is Harry/Draco, post-Hogwarts, though the slash content is extremely light. There are very vague suggestions of other relationships as well.
I've got this all written out, though I'm not 100 percent sure of the chapters, yet. There are 46 sections, but I may combine some of the smaller sections with the ones around them.
Disclaimer: Not mine.
Dedication: To Foodie, who still betas me despite my predilection for slash, and for FionaFawkes, who read and reviewed every single chapter, and gave me such excellent feedback. Also, for everyone who's read and loved my Harry/Draco. This one's for you.
-----6
They were both a little quiet that afternoon, and though they spent several hours wandering through the shops in Diagon Alley, neither of them bought anything. Draco was both emotionally and physically exhausted when they returned home, so they made up some sandwiches then settled down for the night.
The next day, Harry set out a roast from the freezer to thaw after breakfast, then insisted they clean the house from top to bottom, because he wasn't going to, "Let that Greasy Git have an excuse to criticize the way I keep house."
Draco shrugged at this, not willing to argue, seeing as how Harry'd stood up for him with Shacklebolt just the day before.
By two, they were both exhausted again, so they both went to have a nap before Severus arrived.
To be honest, Draco was a bit nervous about his former mentor's visit. The last time he had seen the man, they had been preparing for the Dark Lord's final assault on Hogwarts, and had had little time to talk. Snape had never been anything less than civilized to him throughout the time they had spent in the Death Eaters' camp after, but now Draco knew that Snape had been wearing a mask at the time that no one had known about. Had he ever even liked Draco at all, or had it all been an act so that Snape could stay close to him?
Draco tossed and turned for nearly an hour before deciding he'd get no sleep this way and stumbling into the bathroom to take a quick shower.
Clean and dressed in the most comfortable and fashionable clothing he could fit into, Draco went to the kitchen and set the roast and potatoes into the oven so that it would be ready by suppertime, then went into the living room to wait for Harry to wake up.
Once Harry reappeared, the two of them chatted in the living room until Snape arrived. When they heard the knock, Draco turned to look at Harry for permission to answer the door. Harry nodded, following Draco into the foyer to watch Draco greet their guest. They weren't allowed to be alone, but Draco could see that Harry seemed willing to fade into the background as long as he wasn't needed.
When the front door was opened, the sight of their former professor made Draco feel almost as though everything was as it should be. He smiled. "Hello, sir."
Snape looked down at him, examining him carefully. "You're looking as well as can be expected, Draco."
"Harry's been taking good care of me," he replied his smile growing just a bit.
"Has he now?" Snape looked up, and his eyes met Harry's. Draco could practically feel the clash of wills between the two men. He suppressed a grin. Some things never really changed.
"Can I take your cloak, sir?" he asked, distracting the man from staring down his host.
Snape nodded, and handed him the cloak, which Draco hung in the closet next to the door. The two settled onto the couch, and suddenly Draco felt uneasy. It had been wonderful to see him, but what were they supposed to talk about? All of the Death Eaters who had died or gone to Azkaban? How Snape had nearly given up his own life in protection of Draco's?
"I am pleased to see you looking so well, Draco," Snape said, and Draco looked up to see the man studiously watching him. "It upset me greatly that I was unable to do more for you during our time with the Dark Lord. I had always hoped I would be able to convince you to try another road. I hope you will accept my apologies that I was unable to do so."
"Sir?" Draco was startled. Snape blamed himself for the fact that Draco had joined the Death Eaters? "I'm sure there was little you could have done, to be honest. Quite frankly, I'm surprised you bothered with me as much as you did. As Harry has frequently pointed out to me in the last month, I was rather a spoiled brat when I was in school. You would have been well within your rights to abandon me to my fate."
Snape shot a glowering look at Harry, then turned back to Draco. "I would never have abandoned any of my Slytherins, Draco. Albus often chided me on how I stood up for you all, that I was the one spoiling you. But how could I abandon those so like myself? You were all my charges, and I would still do whatever I could for you."
"Is that why you created this potion?" Draco asked. He had wondered what, exactly had possessed the man to think of such a thing.
Snape inclined his head once. "I found an old article in a tome about experimental potions, and the effects such a thing would have on a person. By regaining temporary youth, the person in the article had managed to learn things much easier—such as new languages, as well as new habits. I approached the Ministry with the idea, and with the help of a few colleagues, I was able to convince them that all of you might not be such lost causes as they believe." He scowled. "Many of them still believe that you are all lost causes, but there is little I can do to change their mind. All of you will have to do that for me," he said, looking pointedly at Draco.
Draco smiled. "We'll do you proud, sir. We all passed this time around. That's something, right?"
Snape sniffed. "I suppose. Shacklebolt owled me your results. He seemed to think I would find them enlightening."
That didn't sound encouraging. "Did you?"
"I thought it fascinating that you felt it was all right to leave a Muggle child to its own devices in a park," he said, directing another glare at Harry.
"And what was I to have answered?"
"No child should ever be left unattended, Draco," Snape responded. "Surely even you, only child though you might have been, must have been around children younger than yourself once. I know your father has many relations who have young children."
Draco stiffened at the chastisement. "Father felt my best example was him. And that children should be cared for by their nannies. I was never expected to watch other children," he responded grudgingly.
Snape's lips thinned. "This might be something you and Potter should address, then."
Draco saw Harry's eyes glint in response, but before Harry could say anything scathing in return, the oven alarm went off.
Draco stood with a pleased sigh, grateful that further criticism had been postponed. "Dinner's ready. Shall we?"
Snape nodded and followed the two into the kitchen, standing out of the way as Draco and Harry arranged the table to their satisfaction.
Snape and Draco talked on a number of different topics, most of which were a great deal less uncomfortable for Draco for much of the meal. Harry contributed little to the conversation beyond snorts and glares, but Draco was pleased to have the chance to talk to their former professor.
By the time Snape departed, Draco was quite sad to see him go, but Snape assured him that he would be back as soon as Harry and the Ministry allowed it.
◦♦☼♦◦
Though Draco had been thrilled that Harry had invited Severus over for a visit, he was far less pleased when Harry's friends came for a visit several days later. Draco still hated Weasley with a passion, and while he could admit to himself that Granger might not be as bad as he'd thought during their school years, her over-eagerness to prove she knew everything still drove him up the wall.
Unfortunately, Draco still had to be in the same room as Harry, unless he wanted to go to his bedroom for the evening, so he had to try to suffer the visit in silence.
It had started out well enough. He'd taken a page from Harry's book and decided that he wouldn't say a thing, no matter how Weasley provoked him. But deciding something and pulling it off were two very different things.
The second Weasley stepped through the door, he started on Draco immediately. "How's it hanging, Ferret?" he'd smirked.
"Ron," Harry'd said, rolling his eyes. "How can you possibly expect him to react in any way but negative to that?"
Granger's lips had pursed, but Draco couldn't tell if she was annoyed more at Weasley, Harry, or himself. Instead of responding, he had retreated to the far side of the room, a book in his lap, hoping that Harry wouldn't expect him to do any socializing with their visitors.
The three friends seemed to quite forget Draco was even there after a few minutes, and Draco found himself listening in on their conversation as they caught up. After all, Harry had been with him all month, so they could hardly have gotten together very often, though Draco did discover that Harry and Weasley had gone out drinking the night Lupin had come over for the evening. Apparently Granger hadn't been too pleased with either of them, and Draco smirked to hear that Harry had had to go home half drunk and half hung over because Hermione had refused to supply him with a hangover potion.
"Served you both right," she said in a particularly sanctimonious tone, and Draco was hard-pressed to contain his snicker.
Unfortunately, while he could fade into the background in the living room, when it came to dinner, he found himself front and centre, and Weasley's favorite topic for debate.
"I don't understand how you can possibly still have him around, Harry, I mean, why even bother with the git? I saw how upset he made you that day. He doesn't deserve all the work you're putting into this. Besides, who's going to want him out on the streets, reformed or not? Why'd you even bother?"
Draco was rather startled by Harry's reaction to this. "Ron, Draco is hardly deaf, you know," he growled.
"So? Why should I care what he hears?"
"Let's just say that I have an intimate acquaintance with how it feels to be treated like I'm not even there, and I'd rather you didn't treat my guest the same way. Got it?" Draco had to wonder what that meant. Surely no one who knew Harry would have been able to ignore him, would they?
"Guest?" Weasley asked incredulously, but Harry's green eyes were so narrowed that there was almost no hint of colour left. The redhead mumbled, "Sorry," but he didn't sound sorry at all, and Draco noticed that Granger had held her tongue through the entire exchange. It was obvious to Draco that both of them were rather annoyed with Harry for even bothering with him. Rather like Shacklebolt, really. It didn't make him too happy. He'd always thought that being able to separate Harry from his friends would be the best thing in the world. Instead, it just made him feel miserable.
Harry seemed to be thinking about their dislike of the situation as well. "Have all the former Order members been meeting behind my back to try to figure out why I'm bothering with Draco, or something?" he asked snidely.
"What is that supposed to mean, Harry?" Granger asked.
Draco watched as Harry stabbed into his food particularly viciously before responding. "Just that Kingsley nearly bit my head off when I went to pick Draco up from Azkaban, and again when I took him in for his first test earlier this week. Felt like I'd suddenly become the enemy, or something."
Weasley shrugged. "Shacklebolt always scared me. I don't know how you handle him, Harry. He's so grim. I'm glad Bill got me a job at Gringott's. Frankly, if I'd had to train under Shacklebolt, I wouldn't have lasted a day."
Granger sighed. "You know he never quite got over the fact that you changed your mind at the last minute and didn't become an Auror, Harry. He'd made sure to put your name forward personally. That's got to hurt. Particularly after the way he'd been guiding Tonks before. I think he sort of felt like you would be her replacement, really…"
Harry scowled. "I'm no one's replacement, Hermione. I don't want to be. If he can't get that, well…"
Granger leaned forward, and Draco watched as she tried to catch Harry's lowered gaze. "He means well. We all just want you to be happy, Harry. You know that, right?"
Draco had to clench his teeth to keep from ranting at them for being so insensitive to someone who was their friend. If they wanted him to be happy, why didn't they let him do what he wanted? Interfering morons. Draco took a big bite of his casserole to keep himself busy rather than lay into the good-for-nothing know-it-all.
"Just drop it, okay?" Harry'd said sourly.
"But Harry…" Granger said, only to be cut off by Harry.
"Look, I knew no one was behind me on this, but I can't help feeling it's the right thing to do. I'm not working right now, and until I figure out what I want to do, it seems like a good way to spend my time. I mean, the rest of you all have jobs to do, so that leaves me with a lot of free time."
Draco was about to say something biting about being Harry's pet project, when Weasley spluttered at Harry. "You took him in cause we can't spend as much time together as before? Why didn't you say so? We could have figured something out." Draco decided that if the Weasel didn't like it, maybe it wasn't as bad as he'd thought, and smirked slightly, turning back to his plate and taking another bite.
Harry sighed. "It's not because I'm lonely. I just needed something to do. And sixth year…" He looked up and caught Draco's eyes before continuing. "I saw something in him that I hadn't seen before. He deserves the right to at least try." He looked at Granger. "Look at Snape. We were all so sure he was evil—"
"Yeah, cause he killed Dumbledore!" Weasley snarled. "I'm still not sure the portrait didn't lie for him…"
Harry sighed. "I remember exactly how he proved himself Ron. Without him, you'd be on your knees to Voldemort right now. Is that what you want?"
Weasley glowered, but shook his head. Draco's smirk grew. Take that, Weasley, he thought.
Granger sighed. "I understand you want to help, Harry, but did you really think we'd be able to understand your choice?" She glanced in Draco's direction, and he made a show of picking a particularly large chunk of potato from his plate and chewing it very slowly, before she finally looked away. "I know how you feel, Harry," she said, her voice low, as though Draco wouldn't be able to hear her. "But maybe he's not who you think. Maybe he's doing this to trick you. Have you ever considered that?"
There was a clink as Harry's fork dropped to his plate. "You know, I think we'd better call it a night. I don't want to hear this, I highly doubt Draco wants to hear this, and I don't think I'd be able to listen much longer and contain my temper. I think it's time you guys left." Granger looked as though she were about to protest, but Harry held up his hand. "I'm not saying I don't want to spend time with you guys, but I don't think it's wise to do so with Draco around, obviously. I'll come to your place when I have a chance, okay?"
Weasley and Granger looked at each other for a long moment, obviously doing the couple-mental-communication thing Draco hated in others so much. He stood up. "Are you finished, Harry?"
Harry looked surprised. Draco never cleared the table, if he could help it. Harry always had to force the issue. "Um, yeah." He handed his plate to Draco, who turned to the now-astounded couple looking at him. "Would you like me to pack your supper in a doggy bag?" he asked sweetly.
Granger blinked at him for a long moment, but Weasley scowled. "Like I'd eat anything you touched, Ferret."
Draco grinned. "You already have, Weasley. I helped Harry make the casserole."
Weasley turned a bit green at that, then red in anger. "Look, you ferret-faced…"
"Ron!" Harry cut across him. "That's it. I want you to leave. Now."
"But Harry—" Weasley said, turning to his friend.
"No, I'm sick of it. You're not even trying. You need to leave, before this becomes something neither of us wants."
Granger had been silent through the whole exchange, but now she tugged on Weasley's sleeve. "Harry's right, Ron. It's time to go. I'm sorry about all this, Harry." Then she turned to Draco. "You, too. I…"
Draco sneered. "Don't bother, Granger. I know exactly what you think of me."
Her cheeks reddened. "Yes, but…" She sighed. "Dinner was lovely. Both of you. Maybe next time…"
But Draco was already walking away. He didn't want to hear her platitudes any more.
