Disclaimer-Still not mine. If it were, I wouldn't be driving a Ford POS.
Harry spent a wonderful night in Draco's arms. When he woke he was no longer under the influence of either the Calming Draught or the Veritaserum and was furious. Strangely enough, he also felt raw and wanted to cry. His entire past was something he had put behind him. Buried it deep inside and never thought about again. But Draco and Snape had dragged it out of him last night. He wanted to wake Draco up and scream at him, curse at him, perhaps even hex him. But the comfort of his arms around Harry was too needed.
He snuggled into his boyfriends arms and felt the warmth surrounding him. Even after everything he had learned last night, his blond god hadn't looked at him in disgust. Instead he had taken Harry upstairs and proved to him for hours how much he loved Harry.
Harry realized he couldn't bring himself to yell at Draco. He loved him and needed him too much. But Snape on the other hand was fair game. As long as he didn't do anything to upset Remus that was. It was a devious smile that graced Harry's face and had Draco woke at that moment he would have been afraid for good cause.
Several hours later, in the kitchen of the house they had bought as a group, Hermione and Harry were arguing fiercely. Harry was trying to make a change in plans. Hermione felt that it was unfair to the pureblood wizards.
Finally Harry pulled out his bag of dirty tricks. "But Hermione!" he whined. "Dudley used to go every summer and I always had to stay behind. He used to talk about cotton candy and fudge and all sorts of stuff and I have never even gotten to try it! What is cotton candy like?" He asked the last question with a wide eyed innocence that was full of curiosity and Hermione wondered not for the first time how it was that after so many years, Harry could still talk her into these insane adventures.
"FINE! But I am NOT going to be the one to tell Severus. I absolutely refuse," she asserted.
Harry smiled at her brightly. "Don't worry. I'll take care of Snape." Hermione might call him by his first name…and Draco and Pansy, but Harry had never felt comfortable enough. In spite of sharing a house with him when he wasn't at school.
Harry was practically bouncing in his excitement by the time game night rolled around. His eyes narrowed with a confirmed suspicion when the Gryffindors won the game that night by a very narrow margin. He knew what was going on and no way did Draco actually know that question about the American baseball player. How dumb did they think he was?
Mentally he added another chore to his list of things to do on Saturday. First was to go to work. He still hadn't told Draco about his job. Part of him was afraid his boyfriend would be mad at the "menial job" that Harry had taken. Another part was almost more afraid that he would be so turned on by what the job entailed and would insist upon going with him just to listen to him talk to the snakes. Harry didn't think he could handle it if Draco started molesting him between the snake pens.
Assuming he could sneak away from his own snake for his job, he would run to the store and pick up a new version of the game. He remembered that there were numerous versions and perhaps he could get one over on his little sneak of a boyfriend. Not to mention his boyfriend's bastard godfather.
It was once again Monday and Harry had gone to his job on Saturday without Draco finding out. That took some scheming and Hermione and Remus covering for him to pull off and promises that he would tell Draco soon. He had run his errands; including arranging for a portkey and purchasing a new version of Trivia Pursuit questions and now it was almost time for the portkey to be activated.
A series of "pops" indicated the arrival of all of his roommates. Quickly he got them together and it was only moments before the familiar tug could be felt. When they landed Harry tucked the candy tin that was being used as the portkey into his pocket and looked at his travel companions.
Hermione was chewing lightly on one of her nails waiting for the explosion. Harry simply looked at Snape with a smirk as the look of horror growing on his face. He took a quick glance around to see similar expressions on the faces of Pansy and Draco but mixed with some curiosity. Remus looked torn between laughter and shock.
Slowly Harry began counting in his head…five…four…three…two…one!
Right on time the explosion began.
"Potter! You cannot possibly expect that I would willingly allow myself to be dragged to these depths. Not even for you! Especially not for you!" came the snide tones of the Potions Master.
"Harry James Potter! Just what in Merlin's name do you think you are doing to me?" cried Draco.
"Hermione!" yelled Pansy. "How could you agree to bring me here? I thought you said an amusement park! This isn't a park; there isn't even a single blade of grass anywhere near."
Harry was overcome with laughter, completely unfazed by the anger that was being directed at him. Hermione was trying to defend herself and explain that an amusement park wasn't like a park where you go on a picnic. Suddenly the air was filled with the very loud, very shrill tones of a sharp whistle.
Everyone looked up to see Remus with an unusually stern look on his face. "Good. I have everyone's attention. Now, Harry, Hermione, THIS was not part of the plans," he held up a hand to stem off Hermione's attempt to defend herself. "Too late, what's done is done. Pansy, Hermione attempted to tell you what was going on. You got more than what the rest of us were given," he gave a soft glare to his godson who looked at the ground ashamed. "However, I will say that it would seem that we are simply stuck in the middle and will have to make the best of the situation. I believe that like the previous trips, we will enjoy ourselves."
At this point Remus paused. He turned his glare on his lover and continued, "Whatever it is that you and your godson have done to Harry, I dare say that you deserve what he has done. Severus, I would think that knowing he is the only child of the Marauders, with the intellect of Lily as well as the cunning of being half Slytherin, you of all people would think twice before crossing him. Especially when you know you have a bet to fulfill." The professor had the look of someone who wanted to say far more but knew better than to cross his mate, so therefore he held his tongue, and settled instead for glaring at the offensive boy.
Harry couldn't resist. He was feeling high on the success of pulling off this trip, something he had always wanted to do and never truly believed he would AND he had the cooperation of the two people least like to do it. He was feeling great and when he saw his former professor glaring at him, he stuck his tongue out at him.
Immediately he felt Draco smack him in the head and Remus and Hermione exclaimed "Harry!" and Pansy started giggling. Snape looked like he was trying desperately to keep from reaching out and strangling Harry. As the look in the older man's eyes grew more murderous, Harry decided on a strategic retreat. He grabbed Draco's hand and raced to the entrance.
"Come on! I want Cotton Candy!" he yelled to the others. He had to giggle a little when he heard Draco muttering about strange Muggles eating cotton and calling it candy.
He paid their fees quickly and motioned for everyone to enter the gates. There was only a brief stand-off between him and Snape before Remus intervened, giving his lover a look before he followed it with a slight push. Harry wished he could have been suddenly struck deaf when he heard the snarky man muttering something about "Bloody wolf will make it worthwhile. All night long."
He shuddered slightly as he passed through the gates. Then his eyes beheld the most wondrous sights to the neglected child he had been. The numerous rides, the stands selling foods he had only heard of, the people and the shows being advertised everything was almost too much for him. He froze in place, his eyes wide with amazement and glistening slightly.
'Damnit!' he thought violently. 'It's entirely Draco and Snape's fault, making me talk about that shit! Now I'm turning into a bloody waterfall.'
He felt Hermione touch him lightly on the arm. He turned to her and met her questioning eyes.
"I'll be fine Hermione. It just seems like…a dream you know? I mean…I never thought…I feel like I can finally be…" he drew in a deep breath trying to get hold of his emotions and thoughts. "I guess I just feel like for once, I can finally be normal. When Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon would take Dudley, he would come back and tell all sorts of stories. I never knew how much was true and how much he was exaggerating just to make me feel bad. But at night I would lie in bed and imagine what it would look like. Pretend that I was going with my friends or my Mum and Dad never died and we did normal things like this. The zoo and the mall, they had memories and you guys helped to make them better memories. Get rid of the bad parts and just leave them happy. But this, this is what I always wanted." His words were spoken very quietly but everyone in the group heard.
Remus stepped forward and laid a hand on Harry's shoulder. "I know I am not your parents, but I hope that I will do."
Harry nodded and slowly raised his eyes to his godfather's. "You will do perfectly. Fit requirements, family and friend." He smiled and saw Remus' answering smile with a glimmer of tears in his eyes. He felt a pair of arms slip around his waist and pull him back. He leaned into Draco and relaxed.
"I am here too. Whether I would have come or not if you hadn't tricked me I don't know but now that I am, we are going to have a blast!" the silky voice whispered across Harry's ear causing him to shiver slightly.
He pulled away from his lover before he decided to say to hell with it and drag the blond off somewhere private. When he started to look around he suddenly found his arms full of female bodies. One in each arm pulling him tight. When he found himself unable to breath he looked up in a panic trying to find someone to help untangle him. His eyes met with Snape's and the older man's expression was completely unreadable.
"Once again Mr. Potter, you have made it entirely impossible for me to maintain my righteous anger. Very well, I will go along with this…caper and if you even THINK about pulling a stunt like this again, I will find several fantastic uses for you in my potions. My Apprentice would love to learn some of the lesser brewed draughts," with a glare to prove he meant it.
The man then strode forward, grabbed both girls by the shoulders and gave them a tug backwards. "Ms. Parkinson, Ms. Granger, you will cease this horrid display at once." The sharp tones cause both girls to lose their grips on Harry who had been pulling backwards against them. He stumbled backwards and would have landed on the ground but for his boyfriends arms suddenly once again reaching for him.
Harry righted himself and gave a small bounce. "Merlin!" he exclaimed. "Can't we have one little outing without me getting all weepy and turning into a bummer! I feel like a bloody girl!" The last was met with a pair of punches that didn't feel very feminine in the least.
Harry and Draco snickered and suddenly the tension wasn't nearly as thick. Harry looked around again, this time taking careful note of where everything was.
"You guys go look at the map over there and decide where we want to go. I'll be right back!" Harry darted to a stand that was selling large bags of cotton candy. He bought lemonade for everyone and since only Hermione had ever had cotton candy he only bought four bags. He figured they could all share them since he was pretty sure that Snape wouldn't want one of his own and Hermione said that she had liked it but it was really bad for their teeth.
Carefully, hand overfull he made his way back to the group. Everyone grabbed a drink, Draco holding Harry's while Harry then sorted out the candy. He gave one to Pansy, one to Remus, held on to one himself and swapped the other with Draco for the lemonade.
The group of wizards all opened the bags carefully. Harry wanted to laugh at the expressions on the others faces but even he was very hesitant about trying the stuff. He wasn't sure how you were supposed to eat it.
Finally there was a huff, followed by, "Oh for heavens sake! Like this!" Hermione reached into Pansy's bag and tugged on the fluff, breaking off a small bit and popping it into her mouth. The others followed suit, except Snape who was watching the actions with no intention of participating in such foolishness.
Harry felt the strange almost bristly candy on his tongue for only the briefest instant before it melted away leaving an extremely sweet taste in his mouth. He looked around and saw Draco's strange expression, Pansy wasn't looking too much better, but Remus had the look that indicated he felt he had died and gone to heaven. Harry giggled and grabbed another handful. Draco was tentatively reaching for some more himself and Pansy had apparently decided she liked it and was also reaching for more.
Moments later Harry heard sputtering from Snape. "That stuff is foul! Why bother with making it fluffy, just eat the sugar plain!" Evidently Remus had convinced his partner to try some of the candy. Harry was glad he didn't get Snape his own. He heard Hermione giggle and start in on an explanation of how the candy was made.
The group made their way around the park until they came to the ride that Hermione had explained she wanted to ride. It was the Ferris Wheel. Upon seeing what he would be getting on, Snape froze.
"Absolutely not! I refuse to get on that…that…thing!" Harry was taken aback by the way the other man had gone absolutely white. Harry suddenly remembered the other times he had seen the man that white. The first was when he was refereeing the game first year and he was on a broom. The second was when Dumbledore had asked Snape to return to spying on Voldemort.
"Sir? Are you afraid of heights?" he queried before he thought.
"Absolutely not!" was the indignant response. "I merely have a very healthy respect for them."
Harry bit back a smile and suggest "Perhaps you would prefer to wait for us on the bench over there. You could keep an eye on our drinks and candy!"
After watching the professor agree they left their stuff on a bench beside him and went to get on the ride. Since schools were already in session, there was no line to wait in and they were able to get on immediately. The seats were large and round designed to hold six so all of them got into one car. Harry clung to the middle bar tightly as the ride swung around. It wasn't long before he started to feel the freedom of flying. He let go of the bar and felt secure in not holding on so he could snuggle into Draco. The other boy wrapped his arms around Harry and nuzzled his neck eliciting a giggle.
"Remus," Harry said, noticing the werewolf scanning the ground below them. "He is doing fine down there. Better than he would be up here. Besides, this gives him a break from us 'annoying brats' and all."
In no time the ride was over and Harry decided to drag them to a ride he wanted to go on. Rampaging Waters. He knew that this one he could convince Snape to get on and by the time he realized everything there was to the ride, it would be too late.
It wasn't until they were getting onto the ride that another, far more dangerous thought occurred to him. Draco gave him a strange look when Harry sat between Hermione and Remus instead of sitting next to his boyfriend. They buckled themselves in and the ride started. Draco's answer came in the form of a large waterfall that coincidently fell right across the top of him and Severus completely soaking both of them.
The shriek that came from Draco was followed by a growl from Severus and laughter from the rest of the riders. Except Harry who was watching his blond lover with eyes wide and bottom lip firmly between his teeth.
"Potter," Draco snarled. It was interrupted by a large wave splashing over the side of the carriage. "When this ride ends…RUN"
Harry snickered slightly but nodded emphatically. Snape was scary, but Draco pissed was downright terrifying. Harry wasn't stupid. Mentally he was wondering if there were perhaps too many people for him to try Apperating to safety.
By the time the ride came to a stop, all the occupants were damp and laughing. Except the two for whom every wave and waterfall seemed to be aimed directly for. They were soaked and murderous. Their hard glares were aimed directly for The Boy-Who-Was-About-To-Die. Harry's feet hit the ground and he tore off towards safety. It was that look that reminded him just how well acquainted the two were with Unforgivables and they both looked quite capable of using them at that moment.
It wasn't long before Draco caught up with him, his longer legs covering the ground much faster. He was thrust up against the side of a building and Harry was gasping for breath after the sprint. Funny thing about being a wizard, one forgot to do simple things like running when you could Apparate. He took a look at Draco's bedraggled appearance, hair wet and hanging limply and started laughing between gasps of breath.
"It isn't funny Potter! It took me an HOUR to get my hair done! One stupid ride and LOOK at it! It looks like…like…a shaggy DOG!" he wailed the last part and Harry started laughing even harder.
He wrapped his arms around Draco's neck and gasped for air. Finally he leaned forward and whispered, "I like when you look like a shaggy dog. Tonight, want to do it doggy style?"
He felt Draco's breath hitch and lips met in a deep kiss. After several years together they just fit together better each day. They broke apart at the sounds of throats clearing and Harry grinned at his friends over Draco's shoulder.
Draco pulled away from Harry trying to regally sweep his wet hair off his face. As Draco and Snape tried valiantly to straighten their wet appearances and strode away the rest of the group followed smothering giggles. Even Remus was trying his best not to laugh at the two wet men ahead of them.
They lost the battle when Hermione showed them a computerized picture she had purchased at the end of the ride. It showed the entire group with the focus on Snape and Draco as they had passed under one particularly wet waterfall. They had matching looks of horror and Draco was caught mid-shriek.
They tried to quiet the two in question turned to them with matching death glares. Hermione quickly stuffed the photo into her bag. Harry hurried to catch up to his partner and Remus decided that it was time to play peace maker. He pointed out that there was a performance scheduled nearby shortly with motorcycle stunts that they should all go watch and dry off during.
The rest of the day passed in the same vein. Some rides that Snape refused to get on because of the heights, some they all enjoyed and some that Draco and/or Snape threatened Harry's life over. The upside-down roller coaster in particular was one that Draco was ready to kill Harry for dragging him on. But the result was another fantastic photo that Hermione had purchased at the end of the ride.
They had eaten junk food, ridden rides, watched shows and played games. Harry was tickled pink when Draco won him a giant stuffed toy snake. Snape was the biggest surprise there. He turned out to be very good at the games and won several prizes. He gave each of the girls smaller stuffed toys and with an evil grin proceeded to win a giant stuffed wolf for Remus. It seemed any game that required accurate aim and a gentle touch Snape was a shoo in to win. The final surprise came when Snape noticed Harry lingering behind his eyes on a mid-sized teddy bear.
He looked at Harry and said quietly so not to attract the attention of the others, "You never had one did you Potter?"
Harry shook his head. He braced his shoulders and said, "Doesn't matter. Let's go."
He took off after the others catching his boyfriend around the waist. It was several minutes later when the group stopped for some fudge treats that Snape caught up with them. In his arms was the bear that Harry had been eyeing. He didn't say a word and didn't give any indication who the bear was for, but Harry knew. He would be getting the toy later, when the attention wasn't on them.
It was that moment that Harry forgave his godfather's lover. He gave the other man a slight smile and received an almost unperceivable nod in return. They continued on with the day, interspersing rides, food and shows and junk food. All sorts of junk food. Everything Harry had heard about but never got to try. He finally noticed the time and realized the portkey was soon going to activate. He was very glad it was time to go home. His feet hurt, his stomach was rather queasy from all the junk he had eaten and he was getting tired of carrying all the toys and gifts and everything they had bought.
He didn't think however about the effects of the portkey and its stomach wrenching sensation. Until he got home. They landed back in the kitchen and Harry scrambled to his feet making a dash for the bathroom.
Behind him Hermione started to giggle slightly. The others were looking on in confusion.
"What was that all about?" Draco demanded worried.
"Well," Hermione said. "Harry said he wanted the whole experience from childhood right?" the others nodded.
"Every time we got a new snack or some sort of food, we mostly shared it, but Harry always ate a whole one himself," again the others nodded. She continued. "What happens when a child eats too much sugar and then gets spun and twisted around?" She waited for the realization to hit everyone else.
"They get…OH!" exclaimed Remus, the first to catch on. Snape rolled his eyes and strode out the door, muttering about children that should be old enough to know better.
"He wanted the full childhood experience, well," Hermione giggled. "He just got it. Every bit of it, including the less fun parts. But at least he didn't get sick on one of the rides!"
The others shuddered at that thought. Draco thought he should go check on his boyfriend. When he reached the bathroom door, there were voices in there already. He paused to listen.
"Thank you sir," said Harry.
"It's just a potion. I have plenty," said Snape, his voice lacking its usual sharpness.
"Not just that sir. Everything. The trips, making Remus happy…the teddy bear," Harry whispered the last bit so Draco almost didn't hear him. So that was who the bear had been for!
"If I have to be dragged into reliving YOUR childhood, might as well do it right. Now, if you are feeling better, perhaps we should get back to the others. I am certain that godson of mine is standing outside the room already listening in," Snape said with a sarcastic twist.
Draco was bright red both at being caught and being so predictable when the door opened and Harry snickered. He moved to hold his boyfriend and noticed the empty vial in one hand and a teddy bear in the other. Harry set the bear on the stairs to go up before the two of them went back to the kitchen to reassure the others that Harry was fine.