DISCLAIMER: Harry Potter and all other characters and locations belong to J. K. Rowling.
Chapter Six - The Wolves Run
Harry laughed as he walked forward, stepping into the welcoming embrace of his godfather. Slapping Sirius on the back, he smiled as the man wrapped him into a tight hug. "How have you been, Padfoot?" He asked in amusement, releasing the shaggy haired wizard and stepping back.
The hands resting on his shoulders held him at arms length, the older wizard examining him carefully. Smirking, Sirius let go of Harry's shoulders and ruffled his hair. "Fine, busy but fine." He replied, pushing Harry into one of the chairs at the table. Seeing that his godson was properly seated, Sirius retrieved a second cup from a rack on the shelf and poured Harry a glass of Fire Whiskey. "Now, tell me what you've been up to."
Wrapping his hands around the glass, Harry shook his head and smiled at the older wizards's eagerness. "Not much actually. The mission we're on now is probably the first real mission we've been on in five months." Raising his cup, he took a sip of the bitter whiskey and grimaced at the taste.
"That doesn't sound right," Sirius muttered as he rubbed his chin in thought. "Dumbledore usually makes sure all four units have equal mission rights. Unless he's favouring the Slytherins. Is he favouring the Slytherins?"
"No more then usual." Harry said, tossing back the rest of the whiskey and placing his glass on the table. He waved away Sirius' offer to pour another shot, preferring to watch his old friend drink rather then participate.
"That's too bad. Those Snakes haven't got anything over the Lions. Never have and never will. Why, I remember how we used to be able to beat the snot out of them. Do you remember those days, Moony?" Sirius hollered over his shoulder in the direction of the front bar, smirking and tipping his glass as he reminisced.
Remus poked his head around the corner of the doorframe and raised an eyebrow in question. "Did you call me?" He questioned, looking back and forth between the pair.
"Do you remember when we used to play with the Slytherins?" Sirius asked in return, a wistful expression on his face. He sighed and poured himself another glass of Fire Whiskey, ignoring the exchanged rolling of eyes between his godson and friend.
Shaking his head, Remus walked into the kitchen and flipped his bar towel over his shoulder. Capping the bottle of whiskey, he tucked it away and moved to the large pot hanging over the fire burning in the hearth. "Vaguely." Remus murmured, grabbing a deep bowl and ladling a several large spoonfuls of stew into it. "For your blond." He explained, setting it at Harry's elbow.
"Thanks." Harry said, rising and moving to grab a clean spoon resting on the wooden counter. Sliding it into the stew, he glanced at Remus' back before taking a quick spoonful and humming at the delicious taste.
"I'll bring your bowl out." Remus called, chuckling in amusement as Harry grinned and picked the warm bowl up. With a nod to the older wizards, he sauntered out the swinging door into the chaos of the bar.
With the bar left unguarded for the moment, drunken patrons argued loudly and threw threats at each other. Cups were slammed against the tables and chairs skidded angrily across the floor. Harry closed his eyes and hissed as a wizard knocked into him, the force of the contact causing him to spill hot stew down the front of his shirt.
"That's mine, you bumbling fool!" A familiar voice snarled from the direction of the fireplace. Whirling, Harry searched for Draco among the crowd, his eyes widening when they landed on the other wizard. Standing several feet from the chair Harry had originally placed him in, he tugged futilely on the end of his cloak.
"Finders keepers." The drunk wizard rumbled in response, jerking hard enough on the cloak to make Draco stumble forward.
Gasping in outrage, Draco narrowed his eyes and pulled hard on the dark fabric. His fist connected with the wizard's nose as he lost his balance and staggered forward. "It's mine." He growled, icy orbs shimmering with anger. "And I'll be taking it back now."
Shrieking in a combination of outrage and pain, the drunk maintained his hold on Draco's cloak "You and what army?" He snarled, leaning over Draco in threat and yanking on the cloak.
Caught between bursting into laughter at the battle and charging over in outrage, Harry pressed through the crowd to stand behind the blond. "That would be me." He purred, hand resting on the hilt of the sword hanging from his waist. His grin was fierce as he stood there with his fingers caressing the silver hilt, eyes focused completely on the wizard still clutching at Draco's cloak.
Smirking, Draco pulled his cloak from the wizard's slack grip and spun around. His eyes landed on the bowl Harry still held and with an evil grin, he snatched it up and threw it over his shoulder. "Thank you." He called back as he ducked under Harry's arm. The squeal emitted by the drunk had him sneering and looking back just in time to see his raven-haired guard's fist connect with the wizard's face. "And thank you."
"I can't take you anywhere." Harry mumbled with a shake of his head as he raised his hand and blew on his stinging knuckles. Glaring at the reddening on the back of his hand, he sighed and pushed Draco in the direction of the kitchens.
Sirius looked up as the pair entered the kitchen, smiling at the sight of his godsons reddening knuckles, he rose and moved to fetch some ice. "Just like your father." He stated, slamming the small towel of ice down on the back of Harry's hand.
"You knew his father?" Draco asked in interest, glancing at the ruffled looking man standing before him.
"Of course. We were all in the guards together. Lions the bunch of us." Sirius said with a laugh, ignoring the glare Harry shot at him.
"I've prepared three rooms for you, Harry." Remus snapped as he breezed through the kitchen, a thick club clutched in his hand as he marched out into the bar area. His departure from the small room was quickly followed by loud yelps and scraping wood as fighting wizards fled the bar. The moment of silence that followed the chaos was startling but quickly broken by several jovial calls.
In a damp and happy group, the Red Lions crowded into the small kitchen. Hugs and handshakes were exchanged as the Lions greeted Sirius and reported the final half of the ferry ride to Harry.
XxXxX
Draco trailed Harry upstairs, Blaise and Pansy both following at his heels. All three had been fed and warmed by the fire in the kitchen while the older pair of wizards regaled them with tales of their days in the Lions. Patting his stomach, the blond peeked around the doorframe Harry had disappeared through before pushing into the small room. Two large beds covered in thick brown blankets were pressed close to the one wall while a long window overlooking the street took up the other.
"This is your room for tonight. Draco, you and Blaise can share this bed and your chaperone can have the other. Pansy, you'll be across the hall with Hermione and Ginny." Harry explained, checking the locks and spells placed over the window. Nodding when he found them strong and well maintained, he walked toward the door.
"Delivery!" Fred huffed as he shuffled into the room and dropped a large trunk on the floor. Groaning in relief, he pressed his hands against his lower back and moved aside so George could deposit his own burden.
Draco and Blaise sighed at the sight of their trunks, both immediately removing the locking spells and flipping the lids open. Cooing as he dug through the rich silks and satins, Draco glanced up and met Harry's amused emeralds. "What?" He grumbled, straightening and holding his favourite pajama pants up for inspection.
"Nothing." Harry muttered with a shake of his head. Gesturing the twins from the room, he stepped out and began to close the door but halted and turned back around. "Just so you all know, there will be a guard on duty all night." Nodding goodnight, he closed the door softly.
"The nerve." Pansy sniffed, tossing her blonde hair back and perching herself on the edge of Snape's bed. "Like we're going to run off in the middle of the night or something."
"I think it's more for safety than anything else." Blaise mumbled, grabbing his bathing supplies and standing. Glancing at Draco, he raised an eyebrow. "Do you think there's somewhere we can bathe?" At the blond's shrug, he rolled his eyes and pulled the door open.
"Can I help you?" Asked Dean, looking up from his place on the floor. His sword lay across his lap, blade exposed to the light from the candles burning slowly along the walls.
Eyes on the sharp sword, Blaise ran his tongue over his lips. "Bathroom?" He croaked, waggling his towel and the bag that held his bathing supplies.
"Ah, downstairs." Rising the wizard, flicked his fingers for them to follow and made his way down the shadowed corridor. He led them unerringly to a large room and gestured them inside. "I'll wait outside. Just give a shout if you need anything."
Draco glanced at the large tub filled with steaming water and began drooling. Tossing his dirty clothes on the ground, he sank into the clean water and moaned. "So, how was the ferry ride?" He asked, opening one eye and watching as Blaise cleaned his teeth at the sink.
"Horrible. All the rocking, shaking, tipping, and sliding. I actually ended up in Severus' lap at one point." Blaise shuddered in remembrance, looking over his shoulder and narrowing his dark eyes at Draco's snort of laughter. "It wasn't funny."
"Of course it wasn't." Draco soothed, washing his hair while trying to ignore Blaise' angered rumblings. He pouted when he noticed the bruising on the back of his hand, mentally reminding himself that next time Harry could do all the hitting.
"So, how was your trip? I assume you actually got to ride that hippogriff." Blaise questioned, mouth practically watering over the thought. He loved riding. Horses, elephants, and camels, he'd had the chance to ride them all on his family's trips.
"Yah, scary really. I imagine it would have been nice if it hadn't been so cold and foggy." Draco replied, dragging himself from the water and catching the towel his friend heaved at him. Changing places, the pair finished getting ready for bed before allowing Dean to escort them back to their room. Severus was already passed out on his bed when they slunk into the room, his boots still on. Grinning, they crawled into the bed they shared and fell asleep.
XxXxX
Harry sat out in the large bar area, his back to the warmth of the fireplace and a Butter Beer held in his hand. Glancing around, he made note of the Lions present before signaling to Ron that he was going upstairs. Nodding goodnight to Remus and Sirius who were playing a drinking game with a small group of young wizards, he placed his empty bottle on the bar and stalked toward the staircase. Moving silently, he crept up the darkened stairs, his boots moving soundlessly over the creaky floor.
Dean was shining the silver hilt of his sword, eyes locked on Harry as he prowled forward. Grinning, he accepted the hand Harry offered him and slid his sword away. "Your guard?" He asked, already moving toward the stairs Harry had just climbed.
"Yep, you're done for the night." Harry whispered, smirking as Dean merely waved a hand over his shoulder and vanished down the stairs. Placing a hand on the doorknob, he slid into the room the two young nobles and their chaperone were occupying. Hand resting on his sword, he walked the length of the room quietly. Checking the locks on the window again, he paused and stared down at Draco.
The blond slept with his back against Blaise, one hand tucked under his chin. Pale hair fell over his forehead and cast a shadow over his closed eyes. His face was soft in sleep, a small smile curving his lips. Fighting the urge to brush the hair back, Harry slid out of the room and closed the door.
Pressing his back to the opposite wall, he drew his sword before sinking slowly down to sit on the hard floor. Settling his sword across his lap, he ran his fingers over the blade and sighed. Closing his eyes, he listened to the sounds around him, internallyidentifying each creak and whisper.
Three hours later his eyes opened and his dark brows arched. Rising fluidly, he watched as the Red Lions who had remained below hauled themselves up the stairs. Leaning drunkenly against each other, Fred and George smiled winsomely as they stumbled into one of the walls. The picture that had been hanging from a carefully placed nail shook once before toppling from its place and falling to the floor. The clatter had the door of one of the rooms opening and an angered wizard leaning into the hall.
"People are trying to sleep!" He hissed, glaring at Fred who snorted and patted his hip in search of his sword.
"I'll show you sleep." George growled, swinging at the wizard who slammed the door closed just in time to avoid the fist. Howling in pain, the redhead shook his hand wildly and managed to knock his twin in the nose.
"Ow! You hit me." Fred moaned, grabbing at his nose. On seeing the blood running over his fingers, he snarled and swung at his brother. "You broke my nose."
"Silence!" Harry barked, catching Fred's hand and pulling him away from his brother. Shaking his head in disgust, he pulled the pair toward the third room Remus had prepared for them. Bunk beds were lined the length of the room, the blankets on them making Harry smile. Hanging from the wall, a small sign read 'Red Lions'. Shaking his head over the theme of the room, he hefted Fred up onto a top bunk and pushed George onto the bottom. "Don't move.
" "Harry!" Neville cried in delight as the raven-haired wizard swept down the hall toward him. Throwing his arms around Harry's neck, he pressed a sloppy kiss to his leader's cheek before giggling and allowing himself to be pushed in the direction of their room.
A snort of laughter had Harry turning on his heels and raising an eyebrow. Draco covered his mouth and attempted to conceal his laughter but failed miserably. "Good night, Harry." He gasped, waving a hand and closing the door as he lost it completely.
Groaning, Harry stalked downstairs to retrieve the rest of his team before they woke the entire building. Below, he found Seamus, Dean, and Ron crooning drunkenly, their arms around each others shoulders.
Seeing the expression on his face, they closed their mouths and looked shamefully at him. "Sorry?" Seamus offered, looking at Dean as if to verify the word he'd spoken. Nodding in agreement, the three stood shakily and moved unsteadily toward the stairs. Harry closed his eyes at the loud thump and the immediate bout of guffaws that followed the noise.
Remus and Sirius smiled at him from behind the bar, the looks on their faces slightly evil. "We really don't see you often enough." Sirius said innocently, raising his recently opened bottled and taking a swig.
"After tomorrow morning, I don't think you'll be wanting to see us for a while." Harry promised, grinning maliciously as he raised a full bottle of Butter Beer from one of the tables and downed it quickly. Winking at the startled expressions on their faces, he headed back upstairs to continue his watch, which seemed to have been lengthened due to the current state of his team.
A/N: Thank you to everyone who took the time to read and review. I wish you all the best in this New Year and hope your New Year's Eve celebrations went well.
Spirited Celebration – lol, you were right!
MayuBlack – Most of my other stories seem to be fact paced so I wanted a bit of a change and decided to slow this one down.
wizli – an ex would definitely have been a good idea, the tension and strain would have been fun to play with. Unfortunately I didn't think of it at the time.
PotterEnigma – Friendlier action in the close future, apologies for the wait.
DaakuKitsune – lol, I'm glad you like it.
NinjaoftheDarkness – Glad you're enjoying another of my stories.