Open Hand

It went like this.

They don't tell the students until the last possible minute, wanting everything to be normal in case there was another spy. Afterwards, the herded all of them down into the dungeon leaving them there with some professors and Mary.

The rest of the Professors got into place.

Tooth, under the disguise of a Polyjuice Potion to look like Draco; let them in through the secret passage.

Death Eaters.

With the time being as it was, it was easy enough for Tooth to convince them that everyone was in the Grand Hall, eating dinner.

The moment the door opened, wands fired.

It was a tough battle, a battle that never left the room in part to North's spell.

It ended with them winning, some injuries, but no deaths. The Death Eaters were not as lucky.

It's a story that will be told through many generations to come.

Harry didn't care for that. Not one bit of it.

All he cared for was the here and now.

In this room, where one Draco Malfoy was being held tightly by his parents, both having been taken from their location by Bunny during the fighting. Draco had since stopped trembling, and his parent's voices were soft and shaky.

Beside him stood Mary, Professor McGonagall and Hagrid; who Mary had insisted on coming with.

Finally, finally, Lady Malfoy let go of her son, she looked at the four of them.

"Thank you."

It's McGonagall who spoke "We didn't much, if anyone you should be thanking. It's Mr. Potter, he's the one who gave your son the courage to come to us."

Then Mrs. Malfoy was hugging him.

It's tight, and warm.

~.~.~.~

After that, things sort of ease into a normality

Draco stayed at the school, none of the students were aware of his involvement, and his parents were put in the care of someone called Pitch. He could often be seen with Harry more, or going to his sessions with Mary.

Speaking of sessions, more students were coming Mary, many of them getting permission from their parents. While others were given "advice". And the professors were referred to others who could help them better than she could.

The Headlines of the Paper seem to always have something to say about Dumbledore's arrest-his court date had finally to be sent-, but Harry oddly enough doesn't pay it any mind. More than content to let the issue be handled on it's own.

~.~.~.~

"I have a suggestion," Mary said one day, thirty minutes before their session was to end.

Looking up from the puzzle that had yet to be complete, Harry gave a curious hum.

"Why don't you write to Mr. Snape?

".…..What would I even write?" He asked after a long surprised pause.

"I suppose you could start with Hello, and How are you doing?"

Harry frowned at that, it sounded simple enough, but still. Writing to Snape, the man who he technically got fired sounded like a disaster waiting to happen.

"He's going to ripe it up the moment he realizes it's from me."

Mary shrugged, "Then he does. It's his choice to do so."

Finding a matching piece and putting it in place, the teenager spoke again. "Why do you want me to write to him?"

"Honestly? Because I think you two need to talk to each other. And I think doing so through letters is a good start."

And Harry suppose it would be. He could say what he wanted or not wanted to without pressure or being interrupted. And because his Professor was no longer in the school, there was no risk of having to deal with anything kind of wrath in case things got…. heated like it always seemed to get between them. He didn't have to be stuck in the situation, forced to grin and bear it.

"I guess it couldn't hurt."

~.~.~.~

"Percy wants all the siblings to vacation somewhere together. Without our parents."

Hermione looked up from a magazine she had borrowed from one her dorm-mates, to Ron sitting beside her. They were in an empty classroom; it was lunch, but neither had felt hungry. Harry was at his usual spot by the lake with Draco-neither were sure what to think about that, but as long a Draco did nothing, they'd leave it be-.

"For winter break?"

Ron nodded, "He even said he'd pay for it."

"Oh." Hermione said after a moment, then "Are you guys going to do it?"

Ron nodded, "I don't know what's going to happen though."

Hermione hummed thoughtfully, "Well, I don't think it'll be too bad. Though I guess if you're feeling really nervous, you can go to Ms. Mary."

"True."

".…..What do you parents think?"

Ron hesitated, "….. We haven't told them. Honestly, I feel like we should tell them after we got there."

Hermione winced, generally speaking, that's not the best to do, but considering the situation; she couldn't disagree.

"Well," she said flipping a page, "if you do that. You're going to need a plan, let me know if you need any help."

Ron smiled and bumped his shoulder against hers, "Thanks Mione."

Hermione bumped back, "No problem."

~.~.~.~

~You just a letter! You just a letter! You just got a letter, wonder who's it from!~

".…If you ever do that again, I will stab you with that damn penguin pen of yours."

Snickering, Creed slide the envelope over to the glaring man. Snape after a moment, picked it up and then opened it. There is silence as it's read over, when Snape got to signed from part, his eyes widen.

"Alright there?" Creed asked, a bit worried.

"It's from Potter."

Snape's voice was soft, and bewildered.

"Oh? Want to tell me what it says?"

".…It's not….He just….It's asking me how am I."

"That's it?"

Severus nodded, the letter was really that short and while to the point. It also felt a little genuine.

"That's nice." Creed smiled before asking, "How do you feel about that?"

".…Honestly? I'm not sure."

Severus goes back to reading the letter.

Dear Professor Snape.

Hello, how are you? Hope all is well.

Signed Harry Potter.

That's what it said, the words haven't changed. And won't, no matter how much he stared down at it.

And he doesn't know what to do with that.

If it had been insults, mockery, he could easily response in kind. His words biting and harsh.

But this…

"You can ignore it."

Snape blinked and looked at Creed, his expression kind.

It use to bother him.

It didn't anymore.

"The letter," the man continued on, "you don't have to answer back."

"That's right," Snape thought, "I don't have to."

He could ignore it.

Leave it be.

He doesn't.

Days later, Harry will receive a letter, it's longer than his own was. Filled with sarcasm, but lacked bite and actually made him laugh a bit.

He wrote back the same day.


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