AN: Howdy, everyone! I'm so sorry that this chapter took so long to get out. I've had bits and pieces of it done for a while, but my life was very hectic for the past few months. I am now a college graduate! Classes took a lot of my time and energy, tbh. Now I'm working full time and juggling a long-distance poly relationship with three of my partners.
Anyway, I hope that now I can focus on writing a bit more. I've missed being able to. I really hope you enjoy this chapter because it is a bit of a mess, honestly. It's all over the place, but that's what happens when stories are beginning to wrap up.
I'm not sure how many chapters are left in this story, but I know the end is drawing near. (I know, I know. I've been saying that for a while now, but I can foresee maybe five chapters left. Give or take.)
The following morning, Harry woke up feeling well-rested and far too comfortable. On instinct, he pressed closer to the intoxicating warmth and snuggled further into the firm chest. A few moments later, he felt his face burn with a dark flush, the memories from the other night slamming into him. Before he could start to internally panic, long fingers carefully burrowed into his hair and started to slowly stroke the untamed curls. The contact took his breath away and Harry found himself sinking into the touch, melting further into the warm chest. Whenever Severus' elegant fingers found their way into his hair, his body seemed to relax on its own accord, almost turning into goo at times.
As he sinks further into Severus, Harry withholds a sigh of pleasure when those fingers add the perfect amount of pressure to his scalp. When thinking about it, this action was a common thing lately. How often had Severus' fingers managed to land in his hair on a stressful night? On the nights when Dumbledore had been staring at him for far too long, Severus would notice something was off. When they would sit together and do their respected work, Harry would always lean into the fingers that landed in his hair, the stress from Dumbledore starting to quickly filter away.
Severus knew his mannerisms' to a t these days, able to tell when there was a problem with a single look. Sometimes they didn't even need to verbally communicate. All it took was a single look in their eyes to know what the other was conveying. In all of his life, there hadn't been anyone to who he felt so close to. His closeness with Fred, George, and Hermione were the only exceptions, and even then, it was different than what he had with Severus. Severus understood him on a level that Hermione likely never could. It wasn't for any bad reasons, but his best friend would never understand what it was like to grow up how he did. The only person who could remotely understand the horrors he dealt with were Severus and Tom, respectively.
Hermione was as understanding as they came, but he knew she would never consider aligning herself with the dark. She would strictly proclaim herself as being neutral, like Amelia Bones, and Harry loved that about her. Truthfully, the light side had some good points, but because many of them were so twisted by Dumbledore's manipulation, their ideals were misguided. Had Dumbledore not twisted their views, Harry could have easily found himself as a neutral wizard, with leanings towards the dark.
But the longer he studied the perspective and ideas of the dark, the more he began to understand what their goals were. It wasn't about removing muggleborns (although some of the purebloods were elitists) but rather being able to reclaim certain spells and rituals. Dumbledore and the ministry had deemed spells like blood magic, and blood runes, to be too dark and needed to be banned. From what Severus had told him about blood runes, they were powerful in curing fatal illnesses. Illnesses that other magical countries had long since developed cures for. While he agreed that there were some dark spells that needed to be banned (like the Horcrux curse that Tom used on himself too much) there were other dark spells that needed to return. If they could help society, why ban them in the first place? A dark spell or ritual shouldn't be banned for the fact it was dark.
The ministry and Dumbledore were trying to censor what they believed to be wrong.
Harry's deep thinking was brought to an end when skillful fingers stroked the hair on his nape slowly. The pleased sigh that he had been holding back finally escaped, a small shiver nearly escaping with it. With the gentle petting, Harry was finding it harder to stay awake, his mind and body at ease. Before he started to drift off, he instinctively reached for Severus' free hand and laced their fingers together, savoring the rush of warmth. With his eyes closed, he would miss the soft look in Severus' eyes and the flush that painted the man's cheeks.
And when he began to wake up for the final time, it wasn't the morning bell that woke him, but lips ghosting across the top of his head. All of the air was knocked out of him, his heart stuttering and close to beating out of his chest. In his sleep-clouded mind, Harry could envision himself leaning up and letting Severus' lips ghost across his lips instead. He could imagine threading his hands through the dark hair and tugging him impossibly closer.
But the version of himself he envisioned was much braver than he truly was.
As much as he wanted to tilt his head and capture Severus' lips with his own, something was holding him back.
It wasn't fear holding him back this time. He wasn't paralyzed and incapable of moving. No, it was something simple and complicated at the same time.
The moment didn't feel right. He wanted to do something for Severus before taking a leap. He wanted to show his affection in a way that wouldn't be too obvious.
But it had to be something that Severus would understand and appreciate as well, something that they both enjoyed.
His breath nearly hitched low in his throat when the idea came to him, and the fact that they had done it together the night before.
Severus, like him, enjoyed spell crafting. His dark eyes had formed a gleam in them last night when the prospect of creating a new spell came forth. Even if he had originally made the basis for the spell with Tom, it was Severus who had helped place the finishing touches.
They had worked side by side for hours, not stopping until the spell was perfected. There had been a satisfaction in completing the spell, which was increased tenfold at the fact that they completed the spell together. It made a small smile form on his lips, warmth flaring through his chest.
Spell crafting was their love language. The sharing of knowledge and ideas was enticing to them.
It meant that he had the perfect idea for Severus' Yule gift.
"You've been studying more than I have lately," Hermione remarked one day, looking impressed as she gazed at her friend. "Not that it's a bad thing, but it is surprising considering you already study quite a bit." Harry gazed up from one of the potions books he was reading and gave a sheepish smile, a small flush on his cheeks.
"I've been doing some research before I start constructing a new spell," Harry confessed. "It's focused more on potions and poisons, so I'm out of my depth here." Hermione tilted her head, humming.
"Professor Snape could easily help you with that. There's no telling how much knowledge he would have about that subject." Harry sighed, nodding in agreement.
"Yes, but I can't use him for this." He bit his lips a bit. "I'm creating a new spell for him. I want it to be one of his Yule gifts." Harry watched as his friend's eyes widen at the information, her shock giving way to one of appraisal.
"I think that would be a wonderful gift to give him," Hermione admitted. "What do you plan on having the spell do? Maybe I can help find some books for you?" His chest swelled with gratitude, a bright smile on his face.
"There aren't many spells to help pinpoint if someone has been poisoned. It can be a good thing if you're the person doing the poisoning, but it's a bad thing for the victim." The bushy-haired witch frowned at that, giving a nod.
"I've never thought of it that way. You have a point though. There are a ton of antidote spells, but that isn't useful if you don't know which type of poison it is."
"My first thought was to make a spell that could at least indicate what type of poison was used." Harry began, already brainstorming again. "From what I researched so far, there are three types of poisons. Ones that are consumed, inhaled, and touched." Hermione's eyes had lit up, shining with awe.
"I think that's a perfect spell." She hastened to say. "Because there are so many poisons, I think it will be impossible to pinpoint which one was used. However, if you can narrow it down to the method of poison, that would be a monumental breakthrough." Harry chuckled at his friend's enthusiasm, his own mood automatically brightening.
"I'll definitely need more books about the three types of poisoning, in that case." Hermione was scribbling on her quill, humming.
"Most of these books will either be in the restricted section, or outright banned." She reminded. "The only one that will potentially be here is a book about ingested poisons. There might be others here and there, but you might need to go outside of Hogwarts to find books like that."
"I was thinking that too. There are a few places I can try, like the family vaults. I bet the Black vaults would have something useful. Either that or Tom…" Hermione snorted and Harry rose an eyebrow at her. "What?"
"Honestly, going to him might be your best bet. You've told me how extensive his study was, and that's just his study. If he prides himself on studying all sorts of knowledge and all areas of magic, he will have a lot of books about poison. Dumbledore always made sure to hammer in the fact that Riddle tried to gain as much knowledge as he could." Hermione rolled her eyes, which caused Harry to give a soft chuckle.
"Isn't that the most ironic thing?" Harry asked, shaking his head. "Now, I'm not saying that Tom didn't do horrible things when he was younger. He certainly wasn't an angel." Harry clarified. "But Dumbledore made it sound terrible at the fact Tom traveled the world to gain more knowledge. Some of it might have been dark, but magic is just magic. It's the way you use it that matters." Harry took a breath. "That should have been a red flag back then, but it is now, especially with what Tom told me."
"What did he tell you?" Hermione asked, tilting her head.
"Tom wanted to be a professor. The defense professor, actually." Harry clarified. "Dumbledore rejected him for the fact that he was a Dark wizard." Hermione blinked in confusion, opening her mouth.
"He refused to let him teach because he had studied Dark Magic?" Hermione asked slowly, looking aghast.
"Yes. Dumbledore believed that Tom had gone 'too far' in his drabbles in dark magic and believed him to be unsuitable for a professor. Granted," Harry held up a hand. "Tom did go too far, but that was in one area of dark magic. Still, there is no reason to discriminate against someone for practicing the dark arts. It's part of the reason he advocates for the dark arts so much."
"Merlin, that makes sense." Hermione huffed, covering her face with her hand. "Harry, how much control does Dumbledore have over the muggleborn population?" The sudden question made Harry falter, his green eyes narrowing on his friend's-stricken expression. "He's part of the reason there is still so much discrimination between both sides! I didn't see it before, but Dark Wizards are discriminated against these days. A lot of it is from the Muggleborns, who get told that the Dark side wants them removed from this world."
How much of the tension between both sides was due to neither side taking the time to know each other?
"There needs to be a compromise." Harry agreed. "Purebloods and half-bloods need to understand muggle culture, but it shouldn't be one-sided. Muggleborns need to understand wizard culture and traditions as well. The discrimination won't stop until everyone is on level ground."
"Do you think Tom Riddle will be able to do that?" Hermione asked and Harry paused, turning to give her his full attention.
"I do have faith in him," Harry confessed, but there was a hint of hesitation in his tone. "He is an incredibly charming and influential person. There's something about him that will draw people in. It's part of the reason he has so many followers." Tom could sway crowds and make people join his cause. "But there are things that he struggles with as well. I trust he can overcome them, but it will take time."
Hermione looked at him, her eyes gleaming in interest.
"If I have to step in, I will," Harry mumbled softly. "I don't want to get involved with this war, but if my advice or insight is needed, I will provide it. Not that Tom doesn't have emotions, but when he makes plans, he tends to use more data and logic. He needs someone to provide an emotional and considerate outlook." The green-eyed wizard explained, chewing on his bottom lip. "He already uses advisors to help him with important decisions, but a lot of them can be biased. It's why I might have to step in at some point, even if it means we butt heads."
"You and Tom would make an interesting team." Hermione couldn't help but voice, watching Harry with a curious look in her eyes. "You two are eerily similar, yet different at the same time. It's interesting." She mumbled out loud, deep in thought. "Honestly, if you weren't in love with Professor Snape, I could envision you and Tom together." Harry nearly choked at the words, his eyes widening as his mouth parted in shock.
"What? Why?" Harry was quick to ask, his brows furrowed in confusion.
"Partially your shared experiences," Hermione admitted. "Had we not been as observant or suspicious of Dumbledore, you two would have been foils to each other. You would have focused on the differences, instead of the similarities you share." Hermione paused after she said this, looking thoughtful as her eyes peered into Harry's emerald eyes. "However, since that wasn't the case, recently you've been able to focus on the similarities that you two share. From what you've told me about him, you two have a sadly similar past."
Harry nearly flinched at that reminder, knowing all too well that it was true. The pain they had suffered in their childhood was almost the same. They both knew what it was like to be tormented by others for being different.
"He also knows what it was like to be stalked by Dumbledore," Harry confessed softly. "He regrets a lot of the things that he has done, but.." Harry hesitated, unsure how to continue. "Tom told me that the moment he was sorted into Slytherin, he was ignored by Dumbledore…until he started to focus on the dark arts." There was a small sigh. "From there, Dumbledore tried to invade his mind, tried to corner him to 'talk'"
"That's what he's been doing to you," Hermione had a frown on her face, eyes clouded with worry.
"Dumbledore has a tendency to try and control the people that are a threat to him or at least keep tabs on them," Harry muttered. "He wants to use me for his master plan, which would involve my death, as well as Toms." Harry reminded.
"There's one thing I don't understand about that," Hermione confessed. "If his plan was for Tom to kill you because you're a Horcrux, what would that do? If you're the one that was supposed to defeat him, what would happen when he was still standing after that?"
Suddenly, something occurred to Harry that hadn't before, and his magic began to boil in his chest. Had it not been for his control over it, his magic would have burst from his body and exploded around them. That was the last thing he needed to deal with right now.
"Because he would swoop in and save the day." Harry hissed darkly, his eyes practically glowing with anger. "When their supposed savior is dead on the ground, that leaves Dumbledore to finish the job and gain more loyalty from his adoring fans. I mean, he'd likely gain even more support if he were to use my death as a turning point. He would take it upon himself to avenge me, or something similar."
Hermione stared at Harry with wide eyes, her face paling as the words sunk in.
"This entire time." She was breathless. "This entire time, he planned for you to die in order to take the glory of vanishing the dark side for himself, and all to gain more support." Hermione almost laughed at the obscurity of it all, but she barely held it back as her heart broke for her friend and all of those who Dumbledore moved around on his chessboard.
However, there was a silver lining, and it was creeping closer and closer.
"There is good news about Dumbledore at least," Hermione reminded with a small smirk, wanting to shift Harry's anger before something happened, knowing that the longer it festered and burned within him, the harder it would be for her friend to control it. "Yule will be here in a few weeks."
The anger that had gnawed at Harry was slowly beginning to ease, a forced breath flowing past his lips. With it, some of his anger was blown away.
"Then he'll discover he can't get into Grimmauld Place," he said. "And that the borrow is off-limits too." Hermione smiled in relief when her friend seemed to calm down. There was still an edge of anger around him, but she knew it would likely vanish when he saw Snape. "Sorry about that." Harry apologized after releasing another breath, more of his anger vanishing.
"Don't." Hermione held her hand up. "You have more reason than anyone else to be upset, Harry. You don't need to apologize about anything. Your response was normal. I can't think of anyone who wouldn't have reacted in a similar fashion."
Harry opened his mouth to say something else, but a faint glow from one of his journals made him falter. "I can't say I'm surprised." He reached for the journal, pulling it closer as Hermione rose an eyebrow.
"Who is it?" She knew it was either Tom or Snape, but it was a fifty-fifty chance.
"Tom," Harry said sheepishly. "I bet he felt how angry I was earlier and is checking up on me,"
"You've mentioned in the past that you two can feel emotions from each other. What does that all entail?" She asked, catching harry off-guard with the inquiry.
"It usually has to be extremely strong emotions, like fear to anger." Harry began. "When Dumbledore cornered me that one night, he felt how terrified I was in that moment. See," Harry laid the book down for a moment, wanting to explain as best as he could. "It's true that we have a mind link and that our minds are connected, but there's more to it. Because we've both mastered occlumency, we also have a mind block set up. Our minds are connected all the time." Harry explained. "It's only lowered in moments like now, where our emotions and magic seep out of us."
"I see," Hermione nodded in understanding, despite more questions forming. It looked like she wanted to question him more about the link, but she stopped herself and shook her head. "Don't let me keep you," She giggled. "I could distract you all day with all my questions."
Harry snorted at her words, tilting his head. "Mione, I love your questions." He teased as he opened the book, smirking at the familiar script.
Are you alright, Harry? I felt an alarming amount of anger coming from you moments ago. What did that manipulative old fool do now?
I had a realization about Dumbledore that made me furious. Remember when we talked about how he wanted us to kill each other because I'm your Horcrux? Harry could a throb of anger that didn't belong to him, making him almost smile.
Unfortunately.
Well, what if I told you Hermione and I pieced something together about it? She brought up the fact that if I had to die because I'm a Horcrux, where would that leave you? If in order to defeat you, I had to die, then that would mean someone else would kill you. We were supposedly destined to fight one on one in Dumbledore's interpretation, right?
Harry, where are you going with this?
Tom, think about it. If I were dead, how in the name of Merlin could I defeat you? That would mean someone else would need to step up in order to destroy you. Someone that isn't me. The only person who fits the bill is Dumbledore. He wanted me to destroy your Horcruxes first. Then he was probably going to tell me that I was one myself so I would seek you out to fight, only to sacrifice myself in the end. After I was dead, he would swoop in and deal your final blow. All so he could take the glory and gain more support from defeating a Dark Lord for the second time in his life.
Instead of feeling a throb of anger, Harry felt it erupt through him like a volcano. He felt sorry for whoever was in the manor with Tom at the time. They would have no doubt felt the man's magic rolling off of him in waves.
Looks like you're angry now too. Sorry about that.
The only person who needs to apologize for anything is Albus, Harry. Don't you dare apologize when you aren't to blame. This information was needed because it will make his downfall all the more pleasant. His desire to send you to your death will resort in hours of torture for him after he is removed from Hogwarts. I will ensure that he will regret the moment he even thought of harming you.
Harry felt a small flush spread across his face at the words, being reminded of the other night when Tom had promised something similar.
He had a strong feeling that if he were there right now, strong arms would be wrapping around him and tugging him into a warm chest.
If it weren't for the fact that he's set to leave soon, I'd beg you to get rid of him. Harry felt like a weight was lifted from his shoulders as he confessed to Tom. As much as he wanted to tell Severus the same, the other man was already doing far too much for him as it was. Telling him how on edge he was with Dumbledore would only make Severus worry more. I'm worried he's going to target Hermione next. I've already put protective charms and spells on the family necklace I made for her, but I don't want her to be the target of his next attack.
The closer Yule drew, the more he dreaded what the headmaster was going to do. Coming after him one last time was one thing but coming after Hermione was another. Dumbledore was going to be desperate, and that meant he was going to be unpredictable.
I trust your protection charms. Tom wrote back. If you can effectively create a spell to block the killing curse, I trust that you can singlehandedly protect her.
The compliment from Tom did help ease his nerves slightly, a breath escaping that he hadn't been aware of holding.
If the plans you made hadn't been set in motion yet, I would apparate there myself to rid of him for you.
Suddenly Harry paused, nearly hitting his head at his lack of insight.
Tom, why did it occur to me just now that you have the ability to apparate to Hogwarts too? For some reason, he could already imagine Tom chuckling at him. Why did you never do that? Wouldn't it have made your plans easier?
Truthfully, I had issues appariting before I started to regain parts of my soul. I was still powerful, but some areas of magic were difficult for me. Apparting is something that I have recently regained.
That would be a fun way to scare the shit out of Dumbledore. Merlin, imagine if you got to apparate here right after he tried to do something else.
If the Board is slow in their removal, I will not hesitate.
Before Harry could say anything else, the bell chimed for breakfast to begin.
I have to go. Don't be surprised if I visit later.
Oh, joy. Harry smirked a bit, unable to stop from writing one more time.
I'll have cauldron cakes and ideas for a new spell? And maybe a butterbeer if you ask nice enough.
Brat.
Harry snorted at the message as he gathered the rest of his supplies, leaving the journal open. Right before he closed it, he saw the last message.
Fine. Please bring a butterbeer too.
"What's so funny?" Hermione smirked a bit, glancing at her laughing friend and the notebook that was in his hands.
"Getting a Dark Lord to say please."
"What do you hope to accomplish with this spell?" Tom asked, reading over Harry's notes.
"I want it to tell how the person was poisoned," Harry responded. "From what I've researched, there are three types of poisonous potions and substances. The ones you drink, inhale, and touch. It's impossible to create a spell that will tell you the exact potion used, but I figured creating one like this would be doable."
"It will be," Tom agreed, eyes narrowing on something. "You already have a fair amount of research put into this. I assume you will need to use my libraries to find another book about inhaled and dermal poisons?"
"Even the restricted section at Hogwarts was lacking on the subjects. I found a few, but not enough to create a feasible spell with," Harry confessed. "And it's supposed to be one of the best libraries." Tom laughed humorlessly.
"It was until they started to remove books left and right. All of the Dark Arts had been moved to the restricted section from what I remember as Quirrell." Tom scribbled something down and waved his hand. Suddenly, two thick books flew from the shelves and neatly placed themselves on Harry's lap.
"That was surprisingly quick," Harry smirked, looking up at Tom who fondly rolled his eyes. "Why do I have a feeling that you know where every single book is?"
"That's what it means to be organized." Tom shot back with a smirk when Harry huffed, opening the new books to begin another round of research.
After a while, Harry looked up and rubbed the back of his neck. "Hey, Tom?"
The man was doing paperwork, while also reviewing a book for him.
"Yes?" The wizard asked, not bothering to look up.
"Thank you, by the way. For helping me with this and letting me use your library." As much as he thanked Severus for all he did, it felt needed to do the same for Tom. The wizard looked up from his work to stare at him, humming.
"I can never pass up the opportunity to help create a new spell," Tom said nonchalantly, but the slight twitch of his lips gave him away. "Or say no to bribes of sweets."
"Not even my company?" Harry had a mock pout, missing the slight flush on Tom's pale cheeks.
"I suppose I enjoy it," Tom teased back, looking back to the notes. "Besides the lack of adequate spells for this," He began. "What pushed you to create it?"
"It started from a conversation I had with Severus a few weeks ago when I made a joke about us poisoning Dumbledore." Tom's lips twitched at that, unable to stop his chuckle. "Which lead to the conversation about different poisons and the different ingredients that go into them based on region."
"I see," Tom wrote a note next to Harry's own, pausing when the younger spoke up again.
"I figured this would be a sentimental gift to Severus for Yule," Harry confessed, missing the twinge of Tom's jaw. "He's the potions expert and I wanted to give him something related to that. He's also a spell-crafter too, so I thought it would be a fitting gift."
"It is." Tom agreed, scribbling more on the paper. "I've no doubt that Severus will appreciate all you have put into this." Harry smiled to himself as the words washed over him.
"He's done a lot for me this year," The younger wizard confessed, looking to the fire that was blazing in the fireplace. "At the opening feast, Dumbledore sought me out and Severus stopped him. He offered me a place to hide and be myself. Even if he says I shouldn't thank him for it, I will always be grateful." Harry's eyes were trained on the fire, watching the flames flicker. "I'm sorry that you had to face him on your own. I don't know what I would have done if I was in your place,"
"Something tells me that you would have visited far too often," Tom smiled when Harry laughed, the younger wizard being brought out of his thoughts.
"Probably. Hell, I would have likely lived here at that point," Harry grinned. "Either that or I would have begged you to be a professor so you would be forced to deal with Dumbledore too." Tom laughed softly, piling his papers together.
"Merlin, that would have been torture seeing the fool every day and being unable to hurt him," Tom said with a small shake of his head.
"But think of all the students you could teach and even change their views." Harry noticed the gleam that entered Tom's eye and rolled with it. "You mentioned wanting to teach defense in the past. For what it's worth, I think you would have made an amazing professor." He added. "And to top it off, an unlimited supply of cauldron cakes at your disposal."
"You're really trying to get me to consider being a professor, aren't you?" Harry innocently shrugged.
"It would have been interesting to be taught by you," He admitted with a chuckle. "And to plot Dumbledore's demise, just like I do with Severus during my 'detentions.' I think you would have loved to help me master defense and the dark arts, knowing that Dumbledore was none the wiser. Merlin, we could have made his life even worse than it is now."
As Harry went back to reading and taking more notes, he wouldn't see the look in Tom's eyes, or hear the wistful words.
"That would have been nice," Tom mumbled under his breath, licking his bottom lip as his chest constricted in longing.
It would have been wonderful, wouldn't it?
"Where were you this morning?" Hermione asked as they took their seats in the library, having already placed their privacy charms.
"I accidentally fell asleep while with Tom last night," Harry confessed, but there was a brightness to his eyes. "He had a lot of books about poisons, and we were able to create the spell. I crashed on the sofa in the library right after." He had woken up with a warm blanket tossed over his body and a small pillow shoved under his head, but he decided to leave that part out.
Hermione lit up, a look of awe crossing over her features.
"You mean to tell me you created a complicated spell like that in one day?" She looked flabbergasted at him, mouth parted in shock.
"Thanks to Tom, yeah. He was really helpful and had a lot of books that pushed us in the right direction. I also had a lot of research on it, to begin with, so it wasn't technically done in a single day." Harry had spent at least a week alone with his portion of the research, and it helped to finish the spell sooner rather than later.
Hermione shook her head, still in awe about what her friend had told her.
"That's wonderful, Harry! I'm excited that you were able to create the spell." She smiled at him. "I bet you're excited to give it to Severus for Yule. Was there anything else you planned on getting for him?
"There was an enchanted spell journal I saw at Diagon Alley one day. It wards off people from opening the book and finding your spells. It only opens for those that the person trusts." And from getting to know Severus for so long, trust was important to the older wizard.
"What about you? Any idea on what you plan to get Viktor?" Harry watched as his friend smiled, nodding.
"Viktor can be a little rough with his Quidditch gear, so I not only got him some new attire, but I got it with a lifetime warranty for him. This way he doesn't have to spend so much on replacing his gear."
"I've seen him play. I can't say I'm surprised that he breaks his gear so often. Merlin, I can only imagine the price of replacing all of that." Hermione grimaced, shaking her head.
"Viktor gets paid well, but the team will only repair so much before it makes him pay out of pocket. Even if he could afford it easily, it was still a wasteful expense."
The two of them continued to talk as they reviewed for their classes tomorrow, only stopping when the dinner bell rang.
"You really ought to eat dinner tonight," Hermione reminded as she started to pack her stuff. "Snape noticed you weren't at dinner last night and that you weren't at breakfast this morning." Harry swallowed hard, nodding.
He probably should have told Severus where he was going, but it hadn't occurred to him at the moment.
"Did he look worried?" Then again, with all Dumbledore had put him through in the past three months, it was warranted.
"A little." Hermione nodded. "He also looked a little suspicious, like he was thinking you were about to plan something or were actively doing something." Harry merely smirked.
"Well, he wasn't wrong. Tom did have a plan in mind last night if the Board was too slow in apprehending Dumbledore," Harry chuckled. "I have my training with Severus tonight anyway. I'm sure he'll ask what I was up to during that time."
"And what will you tell him?" Hermione giggled as her friend nearly faltered in his step.
"Damn. I never thought about that," Harry groaned suddenly. "I could say that I needed to use Tom's library for research?" It was still true. "Because I truly needed it. Even the restricted section here was lacking in the material." There had been some other books he had looked through that didn't pertain to poisons, thankfully.
And he was always thinking about new spells.
"That would work. I'm sure Snape has noticed the lack of dark arts books, even in the restricted section." Hermione commented, placing her bag around her shoulder. "I bet his library was impressive."
"You've no idea, Mione. There was an array of books that I doubt Hogwarts has ever had, and if they did, it would have been hundreds of years ago. Tom had a few books about Parselmagic, actually. Skimming through them was interesting."
Walking into the Great Hall with Hermione, Harry felt a familiar set of eyes on him, and he barely resisted the urge to smile. When he took his usual seat, he glanced to the Head Table, smiling when he caught the sight of onyx orbs.
"I think it's sweet how excited you are when you see him," Hermione stated calmly, grinning to herself when Harry flushed a dark shade of red. "You really ought to see your eyes, Harry. They lit up as soon as you saw him."
"Merlin, Mione." Harry huffed, blushing more. "You really like to make me blush in front of him, don't you?" He fondly huffed when his friend smiled sweetly at him.
"I am curious about something," Hermione admitted, scooping some fresh vegetables on her plate and some fruit. "Are you planning to confess to him before or after Yule? Or are you still deciding?" Harry paused, placing his drink back on the table.
He really shouldn't have been surprised that Hermione had figured something out so soon.
"I honestly don't know," Harry mumbled with a small shrug, running a hand through his hair. "It's not so much that I'm planning on confessing at a specific time," He began, unsure how to explain what was going on in his head. "but more like I'm waiting on the right moment?" He questioned, noticing the way Hermione regarded him.
"Right. I can understand that." She nodded, tapping her chin in thought. "It's difficult to plan something like that anyway. For Viktor and I, it was more simple for the fact of the Yule Ball." She paused. "It might have gone differently had that not been an event." She shrugged. "He would have still asked me out, but it would have been different."
"Exactly," Harry nodded, taking a few bites of his mashed potatoes. "I'm just waiting on the right moment to do it." He shrugged. "I don't know how or when that will be, honestly. I could have kissed him yesterday morning," At Hermione's wide eyes, he smirked, deciding to tell her the event some other day. "But it didn't feel right. Not in that moment at least."
"How will you know when the moment is right though?" She asked, buttering a roll. Harry merely shrugged again.
"I don't know," He confessed. "I guess I'll know when the moment comes. How did you know that Viktor was the one you wanted?" Hermione paused mid-bite, shaking her head mutely.
"I guess I didn't know until I did," She confessed. "It was sudden and unpredictable. No plans were made. It just happened."
"I figured," Harry nodded, taking a helping of fresh vegetables as well. "And that's what it is like for me right now. I don't know how I plan to do it, or when I plan to do it. I just know something will happen when it does, and we'll see from there." Harry forced a small smile, still apprehensive about some aspects.
There were still parts of him that wanted to shake off the idea that Severus felt the same and blame it on the hope that had blossomed. But he couldn't do that. Not after Luna's words from nearly a week ago. Ignoring it didn't feel right, even if there were still lingering bits of denial swimming about.
"No matter what, you and Snape care deeply about each other," Hermione cut into his thoughts, gently touching his hand to lace their fingers together, squeezing gently. "To people who know what to look for, they would see how much he cares about you, Harry." She whispered, a smile forming on her lips as he blushed, his emerald eyes twinkling.
On impulse, he turned his head to the direction of the Head Table again, breath catching in his throat.
Those onyx eyes were dark as they stared at him, the intensity of the gaze burning through him. It made his throat constrict and his mouth dry, gut flaring with an ignited fire. He swallowed again, finger twitching slightly in Hermione's hand, which only seemed to make the fire in Severus' gaze intensifies.
His heart thudded quickly as he let go of Hermione's hand, using it to grab the cool glass of the pumpkin juice, the condensation doing nothing to cool off the heat in his chest. When he looked back to his friend, he rose an eyebrow at the knowing look in the brown eyes.
"Sorry. Déjà vu." Hermione said with a small smirk, taking a bite of her roll. After swallowing, she gave him a small smile at his confused look.
"Déjà vu?" He asked, trying to rid himself of the lingering blush. "In what way?"
"Oh, nothing. I'm just remembering the same look he gave Justin a few times" She commented offhandedly, waving it off. "Oh. And the day that offensive article was published. " Hermione grinned as emerald eyes began to widen like saucers.
"Merlin," He covered his face with his hands, taking a deep breath when he recalled the exact look Hermione was referencing. "Mione…" He suddenly started to whisper, despite there already being a privacy spell around them. "Are you trying to insinuate that Severus is…" He bit his lips, unable to bring himself to say the words.
"I'm not insinuating anything." She took a bite of her apple, placing it back down on her plate. "Not when it's obvious." Harry choked at the words, running a hand down his face as he stared at her incredulously.
"You seriously think Severus is.." He swallowed, forcing himself to complete the sentence this time. "Jealous?" He inquired, chewing on his bottom lip when the bushy-haired witch shrugged.
"That's for you to decide, Harry." She added, folding her hands together. "You're the one who used that specific word," Hermione reminded, peering at him.
She was right, of course. Even if she had laid the pieces, he was the one who put it all together. Hermione had never suggested that word. That had been him, after connecting it. However, he shook the idea off, unsure of how to even go about it.
Maybe it was him looking too much into it this time. It was one thing to hope, but it was another to overanalyze everything, right?
Still, the idea is stuck in his mind this time. It won't leave, even if he tries to force the ideas down. The idea that Severus might be jealous settles into him, causing him to shiver.
"Well," He takes another swig of Pumpkin Juice to calm his nerves. "I'll probably figure out more tonight when I meet him for detention,"
He was never nervous meeting Severus for detention. But with those intense dark eyes, it made his entire body flare with warmth. It sent his mind racing a mile a minute.
"I'm gonna die tonight, aren't I?" Harry huffed out, making Hermione smirk.
"Either that, or you'll be fucked."
Dark onyx eyes narrowed in on the dark blush settling on Harry's face, eyebrow quirking up when the younger wizard choked on his pumpkin juice, sputtering.