AN: I am honestly astonished and chagrined when I realized how long it has truly been since I've posted. I had some personal issues come up, I am so sorry. It also isn't good for me either – writing helps me when I'm sad and worried, so I really should do it even when I'm sad and worried. I also look forward to catching up reading on what others have been posting with my absence. JBut anyways, here's the next chapter. We're nearing the end on this one.
Severus spent much of the next day in class watching his governess closely. He demurred when she questioned him about what had happened with Ron the night before.
"Did he properly fulfill his vow?" she asked him severely.
"Yes, Miss," he answered.
"And you now regret your misbehavior?" she asked, gimlet eyes on her young charge.
"Yes, Miss," he answered dutifully. "I would not like to repeat being disciplined by Ron Weasley."
"So you will now take me seriously?" she asked him, suspicious that he was merely paying her lip service.
"Of course, Miss," he answered. "I will do my best to be properly behaved."
"See that you do," Miss Stradling nodded, deciding that there was nothing further to be gained by allowing the subtle sarcasm to continue. "We have a rigorous day of lessons before us today."
"Poopyface nanny," Teddy said in a sing-song voice as he played with some small dolls as Grandma Molly was fixing him his lunch.
"What is that, dear?" she asked him.
"Poopyface nanny," Teddy repeated, gesturing to one of the dolls in his play. "She's a bad, bad lady."
"What happens to the nanny?" Molly asked with a smile. It looked like Teddy was no fonder of that Slytherin nanny than she was.
"She gets squashed!" Teddy told her happily, jumping on her with another doll. "See? We hate her!"
"I see that," Molly answered. She tucked that away in the back of her mind too, noting that she really wanted to talk to Harry about that nanny. "I'm not sure squashing her is the nicest thing," she told him gently.
"She's bad," Teddy insisted. "She gets squashed."
"Okay," Molly sighed, deciding not to insist.
"See Daddy Harry today?" he asked.
"Three more days, love," she told him. "But we are going to bring some flowers to Grandma Andromeda today. You'll like that, won't you?"
"Grandma!" he exclaimed.
Just then, a majestic grey owl appeared outside the partially opened window, and waited patiently with a large envelope in his mouth.
"Whoever could you belong to?" Molly asked the unknown owl. "I've never seen you before. Are you from Hogwarts?"
Molly knew even as she approached the owl that the owl wasn't from Hogwarts – it had an aristocratic feel about it that a common school owl would never have. But who did she know that would have an owl such as this one? She took the scroll from the perfectly behaved owl, who had actually laid the scroll gently in her hand with a gentle, dignified hoot.
"I suppose you are waiting for a reply," she told the large owl, and it hooted in reply, seeming to understand her. Feeling a bit trepidatious, she took the envelope from the owl and opened the thick, elegant paper, her eyes eagerly seeking the words.
Gasping a bit in surprise, she nodded hastily to herself. "Of course, of course," she muttered to herself in a motherly way. "Who would have thought he of all people would want to chat with me?" she asked Teddy. "We have a bit of straightening to do if we are to make the burrow presentable for him, let's have him here by two, that is late enough that it's not lunch and early enough that it's before Severus might be here. I know he says that he doesn't want to put me to any fuss, but I can't have a visitor and not cook him some scones, can I? Teddy, would you like to help me with some scones, lovey?"
"Yes, Grandma," he answered obediently.
"That's my good boy," she answered fondly. "Let me just write back to my friend now and then we'll work on some tidying up, shall we? We're going to have a tea party this afternoon."
"Tea party!" Teddy clapped his hands in enthusiasm.
"Yes, and we're having a very special guest too, someone who is a friend of Daddy Harry. So I need you to be good, and after you have your tea and biscuit you will need to go up for your nap without me and let me chat with my friend. Can you do that to be a big helper to Grandma?"
"I can do that," Teddy nodded. "Big helper."
"Good," Molly placed the reply back in the beak of the elegant bird, and it gracefully extended its wings, flying back to its manor.
Draco had two goals in meeting with Molly Weasley, and was wondering if he was going to be able to meet those goals over tea. Though his father would have been horrified at the humble circumstances of the burrow, he actually found himself enjoying the warmth of the welcome he received. Though his father had spent most of his childhood railing on about status and appearances, Draco had found himself much more . . . practical. And Molly Weasley suited his purposes just fine at the moment. And the current scones were as good as what his house elf could make.
"Thank you for your kind invitation," he told her, sipping his tea. "I know that wizards with my . . . background are not welcome everywhere."
"Nonsense," Molly told him, offering Teddy a scone. "You were a child when most of it happened anyway. And Shacklebolt has been very clear in the rebuilding that we are to focus on forgiveness and reconciliation. I could hardly be doing that if I barred the door against you."
"Your scones are absolutely delectable," he told her, delicately biting one. "Now I know why your children were always so eager to come home during breaks."
"I did do a lot of cooking with so many children," she told him, dimpling at the compliment. "And the boys were always so hungry!"
"And now I see Teddy is benefiting from your care as well," Draco nodded to the youngster. "Harry and Ginny are lucky to have such solid family support."
"We are so happy for them," Molly assured him. "And I'm so excited to be a grandmother! Having Teddy and little Severus have been such a delight. He's done with his tea now, so I'll cast a muffling charm and send him for his nap so we can have a bit of privacy."
Draco watched as she set his empty teacup aside and handed him a book, telling him it would read to him once he was up in his bed. Teddy agreeably took the book with him up the rickety stairs, and Draco could hear the book start to read to him in Molly's voice as she erected a muffling charm between them.
"Clever," he told her.
"That should give us twenty minutes at least," she told him. "Or if we're very fortunate he'll actually fall asleep. He loves that story."
"Little Severus is quite the youngster as well," Draco acknowledged. "I am astonished how well Harry is doing with him."
"Harry does have his hands full," Molly acknowledged fondly. "But he loves the child very much."
"I know that Severus has been rather hard on the help," Draco acknowledged. "He mentioned having some nanny issues."
"Pish posh," Molly waved away the concern. "He is an angel for me. I think they don't make nannies like they used to – he just needs an understanding heart and firm boundaries is all."
"So what do you think of that new nanny of his then?" Draco asked, sipping his tea.
"To be completely honest, I liked the last one better," Molly told him. "This one seems a bit too uppity if you ask me."
"I knew her in school," Draco confessed. "She was a few years older than me. She was one of my prefects, in fact."
"Then you must know a lot about her," Molly pressed.
"A bit," Draco admitted. "Enough to make me quite surprised that Harry had chosen her to be the nanny. She wasn't exactly kind or nurturing while we were in school. I was quite surprised she chose a career being around children to be honest."
"What makes you so surprised?"
"Well, she didn't seem to like the younger children much," Draco told her. "She also seemed very strict and stern as well. It surprises me that Harry wants that for his ward."
"I think he wants someone that can teach Severus' more . . . Slytherin side," Molly pondered as she sipped her tea. "With his last nanny, well, she was clearly outclassed. She was kind and warm, and Severus simply ate her for breakfast. I think Harry felt that Severus needed someone that could stand up to him at least."
"I wonder that he didn't ask you then," Draco told her. "Certainly you are someone who has the experience to handle a child like Severus. And do it better than some upstart girl in her twenties."
"I don't know," she answered, looking away. "I was caring for him before temporarily, but I think Harry didn't see it as a permanent solution. I think maybe he wanted someone with more qualifications."
"Or perhaps he didn't want to be a burden on someone he cares about as much as you," Draco told her. "I know if I were in Harry's boat I would hesitate to ask my mum for help just because, well, she's raised her son already and is enjoying a well-deserved retirement from it. Maybe he's just trying to spare you the work of it."
"Perhaps," Molly answered, looking thoughtful.
"Actually, I should probably get to the point of my visit," Draco told her. "You have been so kind, but I am sure you are wondering why your son's classmate would wish to meet with you? Especially a classmate like me?"
"That question did cross my mind," she admitted.
"I have come for some advice," he told her. "I, well, I know that my relationship with the grown-up Snape wasn't as intimate as what Harry had, but he was very much a mentor to me. I have hesitated to offer any help to Harry due to what so many people believe of Slytherins. I have worked so hard in these past few years to earn Harry's respect, well, I just don't want to jeopardize anything. But when I see who he's hired as a nanny, and realize that part of it might be out of a desire to acquaint Severus with the Slytherin culture."
"You want to volunteer to be that person instead of the nanny," Molly surmised.
"I do," Draco admitted. "I feel a sense of loyalty and obligation, yes, but also, well, a sense of sort of family with the old man. And I don't want his education to be in the hands of those that I find to be . . . less capable."
"Too bad you couldn't be a nanny," Molly mused.
Draco laughed a bit, finishing his tea. "That suggestion, madam, would truly be terrible for us both. I have neither the skill nor the temperament. I believe it takes a gift to care for children, and a child like Severus it will surely take a rare talent. I am the first one to admit I do not possess those talents, I only hope I can grow some of them before I am blessed with a child of my own. But I think perhaps a few hours a week, something like deportment lessons or manners classes might work. Maybe if I could become an uncle-like person in the lad's life, well, maybe that would be something good for him. And, if I am honest, something good for me as well."
"You care about him."
"I do," Draco admitted, and was a little caught off guard by unexpected emotion welling to his throat. This was a plan to garner sympathy and work out the plan as he'd agreed to with George – why did that answer feel like utter sincerity?
"I will think about our talk," Molly told him. "And bring up some of these issues with Harry and Ginny when they return from their honeymoon. I agree with you on what you have said, and I thank you for coming to me about it."
"I thank you for your time," Draco nodded, rising and nodding to his companion. "You are a remarkably sympathetic ear."
As Draco returned home, he thought about his talk with the Weasley matron. It had gone exactly as planned – he had planted the seeds for her offering to watch and educate Severus herself as well as supporting him developing a relationship with Draco. But it was a little disconcerting to realize the emotions he felt in response to his machinations – was this really the depth of feelings he had for the miniature version of the potions master? Was there more at stake than just the power and influence he hoped to gain through a relationship with Harry's father turned ward? He had been honest as to how hard he had worked to repair his family's influence – his father and had largely retired from public life due to the shame, and he had taken his family's traditional position in the government. Though his father would offer him advice from time to time, the war had largely broken him; he now spent large chunks of his time simply staring out a window or reading in his library. It was only his last minute defection and his mother's treachery towards Voldemort to save Harry Potter at the end that saved them from prison. Harry had interceded on their behalf, and Narcissa had gotten off completely and Lucius had had a brief term in prison. Draco himself had been spared as well due to Harry's intervention, though Draco had no idea why Harry had intervened. But, because he had saved the wizarding world they were inclined to give him whatever he asked. So, instead of having his estate forfeit and himself headed for prison, Draco had merely had probation and been given the opportunity to finish his education.
Draco had spent the next year after the war expecting that favor to be cashed on by Potter – was he going to demand the use of his influence? Did he want the man to submit to him in some other degrading way? Did he want his money or power? Why else would Harry save him from his fate if not to profit from it in some way? But then, little by little, Draco began to see who Harry had really become after the war. It had changed him too – just as it had changed Draco. He had not demanded payment in any way from Draco, and seemed pleased when Draco had gotten a position in the Ministry where they sometimes worked together. Draco had responded by working hard to earn Harry's regard, realizing that not only was that a route to a great deal of power, but also that a deep and wholly unexplained part of him wanted Potter to think well of him. Though they had hardly been able to have a civil word in school, they found themselves as sort of indifferent friends of a sort.
And thinking about school, Draco thought that indeed the potions master was a mentor to him when he was in school, that had been no lie for manipulating Molly Weasley. Severus Snape, while not the most pleasant of professors, took a special interest in advancing those in his house, and he certainly had done everything he could to advance Draco. Though Lucius had considered him a half-blood and far below his particular notice, Voldemort had recognized him as a valuable asset and therefore Lucius had had to play nice. And his mother had recognized him as a well-placed wizard of great power when she needed a favor – the favor of protecting her son.
But how did Draco feel about him? The Snarky git had been a bane to his misbehavior in school that was for sure – there was very little that happened in Slytherin that got past his watchful eye, and all misbehavior was swiftly dealt with. But there was also a brusque sort of knowing that Snape had as well – knowing which student needed which thing, which student was likely to need a healing potion after a visit home, or a draught of peace to take home with them. And when he had helped Draco with the terrible task given to him by Voldemort, he didn't do it by babying him and pitying him as his mother had done. Instead, he had treated him like a man and tried to decide what would be the best method of fulfilling his task. His steadiness had calmed Draco more than Draco could even explain.
And now that snarky, strict, but steady head of Slytherin was a nine-year-old boy – and a nine-year-old boy that was under the abusive tutelage of one of his former students. And Draco was the only one that realized what was happening. Did he feel sympathy for him? Concern? Even – and Draco could hardly allow these words to form in his mind – affection?
Deciding firewhiskey was really the only proper chaser to that tea with Molly, he quickly returned home so he could pour himself a glass. A proper, cut-crystal glass with generations of history in the Malfoy family. He would send a note to work about developing a headache and taking the last few hours of the afternoon off.