Chapter twenty-seven: patching up
Hermione and Ginny came to the house for half term. The Potters had been in residence for only a week, and had made an effort to be polite to every member of the household. Harry couldn't find it in himself to try and renew their 'proper' relationship; he would not give up his heart family for his birth one and the Potters had not indicated that they accepted Harry's decision. The prank war had ended with Snape and Harry's little effort; the Marauders had declared that no one could top that effort and crowned them Champions. Both Harry and Snape had been presented with a gaudy trophy each that Sirius had transfigured from an old tin cup and a battered cushion; surprisingly, the Potions Master kept it to be used as a paper weight.
Snape had discovered that Malfoy was using the potions ingredients that Harry and Ron had cultivated in the conservatory without contributing labour to their care. The resulting lecture had been blistering and Malfoy now joined them in all their gardening activities, though he did as little as he could and whined the entire time. Harry ignored him, though Ron had gotten hot under the collar several times and shouted at the blonde in irritation. Their rows were quite spectacular and Harry had seen Snape pause in the doorway to eavesdrop on at least three occasions, though the man had yet to intervene in the arguments. Harry had a feeling that Snape was waiting for something particular to happen and while he resented that Ron was the one being used as a catalyst he also knew that weighing in with his own two knuts worth would not help the situation - in fact Ron had warned Harry to stay out of it, knowing how much the brunette hated bad atmospheres.
Ginny and Hermione arrived in good order, were a little surprised to find the house so full of people who had been declared dead at one point or another - Ron and Harry had not been able to tell Hermione that Snape was still alive of course, and neither could Ginny. The secret of the Potion Masters continued existence was one that was carefully guarded and Hermione had not been there in summer to meet the Potters. The bushy haired girl shot Harry several unreadable looks, but treated him much as she had when they were all at school together. Harry and Ron sat with her in the newly restored library - Sirius had neatly removed it from the house during the prank war and then told the two bibliophiles in the house that he couldn't recall how to restore it, sparking the one and only alliance between potions maser and werewolf in the entire war - and worked on their weekly assignments while she worked on her school work. Ron was pleased to discover that they were at least half a year ahead of her in both Charms and Transfiguration, and Harry had a suspicion that they were working at Auror level in Defence. Potions were difficult to gauge as the current Hogwarts instructor was a former Professor that had taught Snape all he knew about the subject as a post-graduate from the school. Snape had confirmed that he was also a Death Eater, to which Ron had retorted that You Know Who wasn't much for original thinking. None of them were naïve enough to think that Voldemort had only placed one spy in the school, especially as Harry was known to have friends there.
Ginny was also working on her holiday homework, though she insisted that Harry and Ron help her out with a few of the assignments as she was heading towards her OWLs at the end of the year.
"Doesn't Hermione help you?" Ron asked and Harry winced, knowing from the way the girls chose not to sit near each other at meals and in the library that they were not getting along too well at the moment.
"No she doesn't, Ron," Ginny said sharply, "Hermione has her own studies to attend to."
Which had never stopped their friend from interesting herself in other people's study habits, but Ron had apparently got the message because he didn't say anything and Harry patted Ginny on the arm before starting to explain in a quiet voice how the family of tickling charms were related to the family of scourging charms. Hermione watched this explanation closely, as well as Harry's demonstration, which would have been easy to ignore once.
"Hermione, could you not stare?" Harry burst out finally, "Merlin, it's like being an exhibit in my own home!"
"Sorry," she muttered stiffly, "I just… never mind."
"Actually I do mind," Harry snapped back; if he couldn't fight with Malfoy at Ron's request then he could fight with Hermione, "Because you made it perfectly clear that you didn't approve of me stealing your boyfriend, which means that any staring privileges you once had have been cancelled."
"Oh so I can only stare at you if I approve of you and Ron?" Hermione snapped back, tossing her quill onto the table angrily and ignoring the ink blotches on her assignment.
"No, you can only stare at me if you admit that we're not doing anything wrong! We didn't wake up one morning and decide that we were going to piss you off by getting together! Ron and I aren't doing this because it's convenient!"
"I know that!" Hermione yelled, "Do you really think I'm still upset about you and Ron being together?"
"Yes!" Harry's raised voice matched hers, and the Weasley siblings were oddly quiet. Normally Ron would have jumped in by now, he hated Harry getting upset over anything, and though the redhead couldn't always avoid that happening he was always there at Harry's side.
"Well I'm not! I've got eyes you know!" she glared at him angrily; "Do you think I'd come back and visit if I was still upset?"
"No!" Harry snapped back and then her words sunk in. His eyes widened and he sat back.
"You're not mad at us?" he asked in a quieter voice, his throat aching slightly from all the yelling.
"No," she smiled, the angry flush fading from her face, "Of course not. I admit I didn't take it too well, but I've had some time to think and… well if I can't have him at least I know you'll take good care of him."
Ron spluttered in indignation, which Harry disregarded easily; hope building in his chest.
"That's not an easy job," Harry admitted. Their friendship had always been one that was marked with abrupt changes in mood, yelling at each other one minute, ganging up on each other the next. They could go from anger to humour in a wave of a wand, all animosity forgotten as they forgave the trespasses of the past.
"Oi!"
They ignored Ron's indignant yell to gaze at each other sympathetically.
"I can imagine," Hermione sighed, "Between the lack of interest in his studies and his terrible table manners…"
"Not to mention his tendency to annoy people," Harry nodded, while Ron went quite red and glared at them both.
"Harry, you'll be sleeping on the couch at this rate," the redhead warned and Ginny snickered at the threat. Harry rolled his eyes.
"A break from the snoring?" Hermione suggested and Harry sighed. He shot Ron a smile, and Ron twitched his lips in reply before returning to his scowling.
"Actually, I'm the snorer in the family, they've even made a recording of me," Harry shook his head, "Must be lingering damage from that bludger I took to the face in Quidditch practice."
The four of them laughed, and the tension eased. Harry returned to his demonstration for Ginny and Hermione started asking Ron Transfiguration questions, trying to get more information than was being offered in Hogwarts as usual. She banished the ink blotches with an absent wave of her wand, the familiar gesture as comforting to Harry as a good strong hug from his godfather.
All they needed was Madam Pince hovering in the background and it could have been the school library all over again.
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Ron winced in sympathy as Harry went flipping head over heels through the air, though his lover landed catlike on his feet, wand ready to cast a retaliatory spell. Hermione had a very tight grip on his arm, and Ginny was gaping in pure astonishment as Snape and Potter went head to head in one of their trademark duels.
"Hermione, my hand is going numb, ease up on the death grip," Ron tugged at her fingers, "Relax, Snape promised Sirius that they'd go easy today."
"This is going easy?" Hermione squeaked as Snape deflected Harry's spell and a small crater was blasted in the brick floor. Ron nodded, musing that this was very easy on each other, as both opponents were speaking their spells and had agreed to stay at what Snape called beginner levels. That meant a lot of bangs and flashes, not to mention collateral damage around the edges of the room. Harry had shrunk all the furniture before hand; not wanting to waste time repairing splintered desks after the duel.
"You don't think Potter would have lasted this long if the Professor had been duelling at his true level of ability, do you?" Malfoy sneered from where he lounged against the wall.
"Shut up Malfoy," Sirius sighed, "Your whining gives me a headache."
Ron glanced at Harry's godfather and smiled. Malfoy seemed to do nothing but whine lately, nothing was good enough and even Moony had snapped at the blonde teen. The werewolf was currently watching the duel with avid eyes, clearly appreciating the moves he was seeing. There was a dull roar and half of the wall behind Snape caught fire, the flames reaching greedily for the potions master, who had to do some fancy casting to safeguard from the unexpected attack.
"Bloody hell," James Potter's whisper was awed, "I thought Harry had missed his target then."
"Deliberately," Moony said sharply, not taking his eyes off the scene below as his Cub leapt forward, ensnaring Snape in a series of containment spells and summoning his wand. Hermione was almost breathless at Ron's side, and a glance at the top of the stairs showed that Lily Potter wasn't much better off. This was the first time anyone other than the three teens and Snape had been present for a duel, and Snape's insistence that they duel during the holiday had been a surprise to Ron. Their teacher usually insisted that no one but his students be present.
Harry was cancelling the spells he'd used to win and putting out the fire quickly. Snape reclaimed his wand and repaired the crater in the floor before removing the shield he had cast over the stairs to keep their audience safe.
"Not bad, Potter," Snape drawled as Harry finished putting the furniture back to rights, "A little slow on the third containment spell."
"I've never tried that one before, sir," Harry replied evenly, as his parents sputtered indignantly, ignoring the Potters as he usually did, "And I'd only read the theory this morning when we were in the library with the girls."
"Hmm," Snape droned, "You should review the wand movement then. Very well, dismissed."
"Thanks sir," Harry was sweaty and slightly out of breath, one of Ron's favourite combinations, but he was smiling as he headed up the stairs, pausing to accept a hug from Moony and Padfoot, both of whom had something to whisper in his ear. Whatever it was Harry's eyes were glowing with happiness when he reached Ron and the girls, yet another of Ron's favourite sights.
"I need to clean up," Harry smiled at Hermione and Ginny and Ron interjected a comment of his own, that he too needed to clean up. Hermione rolled her eyes and Ginny shook her head, but the girls went off to the conservatory with Ron's chess set quite happily while Ron chased Harry up the stairs.
"You're frisky," Harry laughed as he was pinned to the bed.
"Horny," Ron corrected, "You're all sweaty and out of breath, two of my favourite looks on you."
He was rubbing against Harry deliberately and his lover chuckled and sent a spell arrowing at the door to ensure their privacy. Ron was flipped onto the mattress and pinned down in turn, thoroughly kissed and then Harry leapt away, pulling his clothes off quickly and then stripping Ron, rolling the redhead about on the bed. Ron ended up on his back with Harry between his legs, stark naked and painfully eager for more. Harry's fingers trailed from Ron's prick to his opening and Ron nodded breathlessly, keening and arching into the touch.
"Alright then," Harry breathed and proceeded to fulfil one of Ron's greatest wishes.
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