Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, which is a sad, sad thing.
Well, looks like this story will have a bit of angst in it after all. But don't worry, the fluff will still be there as well.
This story will not be updated as often as my Veela story, since I write on this one when I need a break from that one. Just keep looking, and new chapters will appear now and then.
Thank you, Jessica, for helping me with the grammar. Any mistakes left are my own.
"I wonder how come no one's been here and bothered us yet," Harry said some time later. He was laying against Draco's chest, the blond boy's arms wrapped securely around him, and Harry didn't think he had ever felt as happy and content as he did at this very moment.
Draco lifted an eyebrow, taking in the truth of Harry's comment. Raising his head, Draco took in their surroundings. With a snigger he allowed his head to drop back onto the pillow. "I believe that is your doing, love. Remind me to always have you around whenever I get myself landed in here. That bubble thing you do really comes in handy."
"Bubble thing?" Harry asked, lifting his head to look around as well. With a sound between moan and a giggle, Harry allowed his head to plonk back down onto Draco's chest. The bed was indeed enveloped by a blue bubble and outside of it were several people waiting to be noticed.
Dumbledore wore a large grin, and his eyes twinkling at full force and next to him stood McGonagall, a look between happiness and disapproval on her face, her hands clasped together, resting under her chin. To the side, standing by himself, was Severus Snape, his arms folded across his chest and wearing a glower, yet there was a mischievous look in his eyes. Lastly there was Poppy Pomfrey who was not looking happy. Her fisted hands were resting on her hips, and she was tapping her foot impatiently, waiting for them to notice them and to bring the protective barrier down.
"Do I have to?" Harry asked, close to whining. "I don't mind seeing Severus, but the rest of them?"
Draco sniggered, not feeling particularly sympathetic since it wasn't him that was the patient this time. "Yes, love, you have to. But remember, the sooner Pomfrey is done, the sooner you can get out of here."
Harry brightened and looked back at the ones waiting. "Oh, very well," he sighed, making himself comfortable. Knowing the school nurse, this would likely take some time.
"Um, Harry, you might want to allow them inside," Draco said, laughter evident in his voice.
"But, I don't know how!" Harry protested. "I thought it was you who had done something to put that bubble up."
"Nope, not me," Draco said cheerfully. "How about you give them permission to enter?"
Harry gave Draco an incredible look. Then he shrugged and waved towards the bubble. "You may come in," he said regally, adding under his breath, "But I wish some of you wouldn't."
"Did you say something, Mr. Potter?" Pomfrey asked briskly, brandishing her wand towards the boys, gesturing impatiently for Draco to leave the bed.
Harry had other ideas and clamped his arms around Draco, refusing to allow him to budge.
"Mr. Potter!"
"No! I won't have you push me around the way you always do! Draco stays!" Harry protested vehemently, sending the nurse a dark look.
"Mr. Malfoy has no business being in that bed! And I recommend you not taking that tone with me, young man. I am the nurse here, and I know what is good for you, and what isn't. Mr. Malfoy is only disrupting your rest, and him being here is not of any benefit whatsoever," Poppy stated, looking very unhappy.
"Harry? What's wrong?" Draco asked, getting worried by the way Harry had stiffened during the nurse's tirade. He grew even more alarmed when he felt the other boy's magic begin to stir.
"It was you! How could you! She was just a child! Hardly more than a baby!" Harry exclaimed, looking furious and horrified at the same time.
"Harry?" Dumbledore asked, taking a step forward, growing concerned as well.
"How could you? How could you! I trusted you, you bitch!" Harry screamed, coming off the bed and stalking towards Pomfrey, murder in his eyes.
"Ash!" Severus snapped, and immediately the eddies of magic that had begun to swirl around the room stilled. Slowly, Harry turned to look at the Potions Master, the blind rage gone, but not the murderous look.
"We will deal with her," Severus promised, moving forward slowly, although he too looked like he wanted to kill someone. "We will do just as we planned, remember? Remember what we said we'd do if we ever found out who it was?"
Harry nodded and allowed Severus to envelop him in a tight hug. Resting his head against a handy shoulder, Harry shuddered as memories assaulted him. "She was just a baby, Sev. Just a baby."
"I know, my friend, and she will pay, just as I promised," Severus murmured, resting his chin on top of Harry's head, while staring hard at Pomfrey. The look of steel in his eyes a sharp contrast to the tenderness he was using when talking to Harry.
"Severus?" Draco asked uncertainly, coming off the bed. Something profound had just happened, but for the life of him, Draco had no idea what. A quick glance towards the others showed that they were as clue less as the blond.
"Draco, why don't you take Harry down to the common room? Your fellow snakes need to know of this development anyway, and they will be able to help you protect Harry until this... person has been removed from the school," Severus said, still staring daggers with Pomfrey.
"Yes, sir," Draco nodded, not about to argue with Severus, or demand answers while he had that look on his face. Swiftly he pulled his shoes on, not bothering with his robe. Taking hold of one of Harry's hands, Draco tugged gently, waiting for Harry to come out of Severus' arms.
He should be jealous he knew, but there was nothing romantic about the way his godfather was holding the one he loved, only fierce protection, and Draco found that he liked the idea of Severus protecting Harry the way he had always protected him.
Severus bent down and whispered something in Harry's ear that caused the black haired youth to look at him with a hopeful expression. When Severus nodded, Harry actually smiled and eagerly went to stand at Draco's side.
Wrapping an arm around Harry's shoulders, Draco steered the two of them out of the hospital wing and down to the dungeons, using every shortcut he knew in hopes of remaining unseen. Now was not the time to come out to the school.
"Severus, would you mind telling us what that was about?" Dumbledore asked, torn between confusion and disapproval. He too had sensed that something of great importance had just happened, but he had no idea what and he hated not knowing what was going on, especially when it involved his people.
"I do not appreciate having one of my patients dismissed before I have not even had a chance to examine them, Severus," Poppy said, looking like she was about to breathe fire herself.
Severus snorted. "Do you really think that Harry was about to allow you anywhere near him? Especially with a wand? Get real, woman!"
"Severus! This is not the time for baseless accusations," Dumbledore admonished not too gently.
"Trust me, Albus, they are not baseless," Severus said grimly. Shaking his head, he pulled himself up to stand straight, looking down his nose at Poppy. "Poppy Pomfrey, I hereby challenge you to a wizard duel of vengeance," he intoned formally.
"Are you out of your mind!" Poppy shrieked, not believing her ears.
"Severus!" McGonagall gasped, shocked beyond words.
"Severus, what is the meaning of this?" Albus cried out in alarm, he didn't think he had ever seen the Potions Master this livid before, and that was saying something.
"No, Madam Pomfrey, I am not out of my mind. I do believe, however, that you are," Severus sneered.
"On what grounds are you issuing this challenge?" Dumbledore asked with a sigh, realizing that Severus was in full protection mode, and not about to back down any time soon.
"On the grounds that that... woman allowed one of her charges to die," Severus said, his sneer turning nasty.
Poppy gasped, clutching her hands to her bosom. "I what? How dare you...?"
"I dare plenty!" Severus barked, stalking towards Pomfrey much like a panther stalks it pray.
"Severus, there will be no bloodshed here today!" Dumbledore said warningly, hoping to prevent the other man from committing outright murder.
Snape reigned in his temper with some difficulty. "You are correct, Albus, I wouldn't want Harry and Pansy to miss when Madam Pomfrey is punished for her crimes."
"What crimes?" the voices asked with different degrees of outrage, anger, and asperity.
"The death of Primrose Parkinson," Severus replied, looking intently at Poppy, feeling gratified when the nurse paled somewhat. She rallied though and rounded on him, waving a pointy finger in his face.
"How dare you accusing me of allowing a patient to die? Besides, I have never cared for this Primrose child, so how could I have caused her death?" she added smartly, looking rather smug.
Severus smiled, and it was not a pleasant smile, but rather shark-like in nature. "Because Pansy wasn't obliviated. Oh, she didn't know who the nurse was, just as the nurse didn't know the identity of the child, but unfortunately for you, Pansy remembered every word you said, and I do mean every word."
Poppy had paled drastically during Severus' tirade, and now she was forced to sit down as her legs no longer would support her.
"Poppy? Severus?" Albus asked, not liking this turn of events.
"During the war, a safe house was set up for those needing protection. Poppy was selected as one of the healers assigned to the care of those children residing at Ashwinder House. She was chosen because we believed in her sincerity to help anyone wounded or sick.
"Unfortunately, her dedication were not as sincere as we had believed. When Primrose Parkinson was rescued from her abusive father, Poppy was called to care for her. But you never cared for her, did you? You allowed that little girl to bleed to death, even going so far as to denying her the comfort of her own sister!" Severus snarled viscously.
"Poppy?" Albus asked, not believing his ears.
Pomfrey snorted, having recovered her composure. "Yes, I was asked to help care for a group of children during the last stages of the war. However, if I had known that it was a camp for Death Eater children, then I would never have agreed to help," Poppy sniffed.
Severus looked livid, and Dumbledore positioned himself between the two in hopes of keeping Snape from wringing the nurse's neck.
"She was five years old!" Severus roared, clutching his wand tightly.
"She had the Dark Mark!" Poppy screamed back. "You tell me how innocent she was! You tell me what she did to earn that mark!"
"She didn't do a damned thing!" Severus shouted, bringing his wand up and pointing it at Pomfrey. "Her sadistic bastard of a father put that mark on her, to remind her that she belonged to Voldemort! The Dark Lord didn't want children! He wanted soldiers! He wanted breeders who could produce more Purebloods, but he did not want children! Parkinson put that mark on her arm. Parkinson beat her half to death just because he knew he could! We managed to rescue her from her home, from her family, promising her that she would never feel pain, that kind of pain, ever again in her life. Well, you certainly helped us keep that promise, didn't you? She didn't live five hours after her rescue!
"I promised both Harry and Pansy that if I ever found out who had allowed an innocent little girl die because they refused to treat her wounds, I would take revenge for all three of them. It is your choice, Pomfrey, duel me or receive the Kiss."
"I will not duel you, and in case you had forgotten, there are no Dementors left!" Poppy said snidely, holding her head up proudly.
"Severus, how can you be so sure it was Poppy who refused the care?" Dumbledore asked, hoping that this entire situation was some kind of mistake.
"Because, when Pansy wanted to stay with her sister, Poppy not so kindly informed her that she had no business being in that bed. She also stated that she was a nurse, and that she knew what was good for the little girl, and what wasn't. And Pansy's presence was not a good thing, since it disrupted Primrose's rest and even though she was calling for her sister, Pansy's presence still would be of no benefit whatsoever. In other words, she used the words she just used on Harry Potter, a mere coincidence? I think not!
"Pansy got worried and tried to summon help. Unfortunately, that help arrived too late. There were only three Healers who knew about Ashwinder House. One male and two females. We have been watching the other Healer since none of us could in our wildest dreams believe that Pomfrey would be as cruel and callous as to allow a girl to die such a horrendous death. I guess we didn't know you at all," Severus said somewhat sadly, closing his eyes as a fresh wave of grief and sorrow swept through him.
"Poppy?" Albus asked, feeling bewildered and confused. "Why? I don't understand, you have always put the welfare of the children first."
"And I still do," Poppy stated angrily. "How can you even believe the nonsense he is sprouting? Albus, the man is a Death Eater," she went on, her face twisting up in dislike. "The man is nothing but a murderer, for Merlin's sake! I have again and again patched him up when he returned from his sickly pleasures, but only because you were breathing over my shoulder. If it were up to me, I would have allowed him to die a long time ago. I even would have danced upon his grave!" she spat, starting to look murderous herself.
"Poppy?" Albus said, shocked. "I... Why? You knew he was our spy. You knew he brought back vital information to us. I... Why?"
"Spy my arse! Severus Snape is nothing but a sadistic murderer and if I had my way, he would be in Azkaban now, rotting away with the other devils!"
Severus shook his head, a snort of laughter erupting from him. "It was you! It was you who were trying to stir things up at the Ministry, and Salazar knows where else. I would never have thought you to be such a shallow, callous woman."
"Shallow? Callous? I will have you know, Slytherin, that it is not I who am callous and shallow! You are! All you Slytherins are! If I had my will you would all be eradicated from this earth! Every last one of you! None of you bring anything but misery and sorrow!" Poppy spat, for the first time bringing up her own wand, looking like she was about to hex Severus.
The next moment she stiffened, and fell backwards, having been hit by a petrifications spell from Minerva, who had tears falling down her cheeks. "Oh, Poppy, you told me you were over that. You told me you no longer held any resentment," she sighed sadly, sinking down to sit upon a nearby bed.
"Minerva?" Albus asked, feeling completely befuddled.
"Poppy and I were friends. She was two years below me, but we bonded over our love for Transfigurations and animals," McGonagall said, wiping away her tears, nodding in thanks when Severus handed her a pristine handkerchief.
"Then one day she was assaulted. I don't know by whom, Poppy wouldn't say. I do know that it was done by a Slytherin. No one was ever punished for it, since Poppy couldn't say who it was, she only remembered the Slytherin patch on the robe, and no one was about to come forward and confess.
"In time, Poppy returned to her old self, and I honestly thought she had put it all behind her. I suppose I should have known better," McGonagall sighed, looking sadly at the stiff form of her friend still lying on the floor.
"You couldn't have known, Minerva," Albus said gently, coming to stand next to her, putting his hand on her shoulder.
"No? Remember the situation with Abraxan Malfoy?" McGonagall asked, looking up at the Headmaster.
Albus sighed sadly while shaking his head. "How could I have forgotten?" he asked gently. Seeing Severus' blank look, Dumbledore elaborated. "A sixth year Hufflepuff was attacked and severely beaten. She claimed a Slytherin had done it, though she couldn't say who it was. The only clue was a few strands of pale blond hair. Abraxan was immediately pointed out as the culprit. He was questioned, of course, but even while under a truth spell he denied any and all involvement. Not many believed him, unfortunately, since most of the school viewed him as bully who had no love for those he considered beneath him.
"Eventually it was found out that it was the girl's boyfriend who was the culprit. A Ravenclaw. He was expelled, of course, but the damage was already done. Most to this day still say that it was Malfoy who had beaten the girl up, not wanting to believe that the girl lied about the Slytherin part as she was scared to death of what the boy would do to her next if she ever told of what had really happened." Dumbledore said with a tired sigh.
"I know that Poppy ranted and raved quite a lot about sneaky Slytherins who always managed to slither away from their just punishment, but with time her rants stopped and I honestly believed that she had come to see the truth. Did she really allow that little girl to die?" McGonagall asked, seeking reassurance from Severus.
"Yes, she did," Severus said with a sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose. What a mess. "She confessed inadvertently when she mentioned the mark on the girl's arm. It had been put there that day by her own father. No one knew about it, but Parkinsin, the rescue party, Pansy, and the nurse tending to her sister. Parkinson was killed that night, and no one else involved has spoken of it, so how did she know?"
"I will summon the Aurors, they-"
"No! I have challenged that woman to a duel, a duel of vengeance, and there is no way in hell I am going to allow you to whisk her away to safety before she has been made to stand trial for her crime!" Severus snapped, glaring hotly at Dumbledore.
"Severus..." Seeing that Snape was determined and not about to listen to reason, Dumbledore sighed and placed the nurse on a bed. "Minerva, would you be so kind as to watch over Poppy until this unfortunate business has been dealt with?"
"Of course, Albus," McGonagall nodded, dabbing at her eyes with the handkerchief.
"Thank you, my dear."
HPDM
Draco was becoming more and more concerned for the boy who had stolen his heart. Harry was resembling a zombie more than the vibrant young man he had woken up with earlier. Biting back the torrent of questions wanting to break free, Draco steered Harry into the Slytherin common room, taking him to one of the seats by the fire. Sitting down into his favorite armchair, Draco pulled Harry down to sit on his lap, not caring about the strange looks the others were giving them.
"Potter loves you?" Pansy asked, coming out of her shock and giving the two boys and incredulous look. "How in Salazar's name did that happen?"
To everyone's shock, Harry burst into tears, burying his face in Draco's neck.
"What did I say?" Pansy asked, looking helplessly over at the blond.
"It wasn't so much what you said, as it was you saying it, I think," Draco replied, trying to soothe Harry by petting his soft, black hair.
"Come again?" Pansy asked, dumbfounded. "Could you make even less sense?"
"I agree with Pansy, that didn't make one lick of sense. Why would Potter burst into tears because Pansy was talking to him?"
Draco sighed and looked down at the still sobbing boy. Making a split decision, hoping it wouldn't come back and bite him in the ass, Draco murmured a sleeping charm, putting Harry to sleep. He didn't think the other boy needed to hear all this a second time. The first time had been bad enough.
"Draco?" Theodore asked, feeling just as bewildered as the others.
"What I am about to tell you stays in here, understood? At least for now." Then he frowned, "how many are missing?"
Blaise cast a glance around the room. "Not many I don't think. Considering it is Sunday evening and close to curfew... Most know better than to be gallivanting about."
Nodding his head, remembering Severus' parting words, Draco straightened in his chair. "Sound the bell, we need to have a meeting."
Theodore nodded and went to ring the bell hanging in the corner. If Draco called for a meeting, then things had to be bad, and considering that he had shown up with the Boy Who Lived...
Not five minutes later everyone of Slytherin House were present in the common room, sitting wherever they could squeeze in, anxiously waiting to hear what calamity had befallen them this time.
Making sure that Harry was resting comfortably, Draco moved until he was standing in the empty space in the middle of the room, addressing his fellow snakes, but not before he had put a silencing spell around the chair where Harry was curled up.
"A few things came to light tonight, things that will have far stretching consequences for quite a few of us. First of all, I'd like to tell you that Harry and I are now together," Draco began, pausing when his house mates called out to congratulate him and wishing him and Harry happiness, causing the blond to be double glad for the silencing charm he had put up around the sleeping teen.
Taking a bow, Draco smiled happily and thanked them all for their support. "As many of you know, I have had feelings for him for quite a while now. I guess none of us knew the prat was feeling the same, I for sure was surprised to find out last night. I can't believe he didn't say anything, but that is Harry Potter for you," he added, causing many of the Slytherins to chuckle.
"However, the Potter curse struck again, and instead of being deliriously happy, we now have a serious matter on our hands. All of you know of the safe house that was created for those who wanted to escape Voldemort and his followers?"
Heads nodded all around the room. The knowledge of a safe house had never been formally announced, yet those finding themselves in desperate need to escape their fanatic and/or deranged family, found out about it and found themselves whisked away if they so wished. As the war grew more and more intense during their sixth year, more and more found themselves in need of being rescued.
They no longer had a wish to join with the Dark Lord, especially not after Potter had showed them a few of the things he had witnessed. What happened during the Death Eater meetings were not what their families had led them to believe. There was no glory following Voldemort, only pain, humiliation, and fear.
"It would seem that Harry was involved in setting Ashwinder House up, which would explain why Remus Lupin was the one in charge of it," Draco said, rolling his eyes slightly. Having worked closely with the werewolf Draco had come to a new understanding of the man, and couldn't help but admire his strength and determination to keep everyone at Ashwinder House safe.
"Potter!" Blaise exclaimed. "But why would he want to help us? I thought he hated everything Slytherin?"
Draco chuckled, remembering what Harry had told him earlier. "Apparently the Golden Boy isn't as golden as we'd thought. Apparently, there is a lot of silver in him too. Somewhere along the way, he grew up and realized that we aren't as black as we have been painted. That is why he opened the DA for everyone. That is why we were welcomed with open arms, despite the protests from Granger and Weasley.
"I don't know -- yet -- the story behind Ashwinder House, but since Severus called Harry Ash just now, I feel it is a safe bet to assume that he somehow was involved in that project. Yes, he and Severus are in fact good friends, in spite of their many public fights last year," Draco continued, easily speaking over the gasps of surprise coming from all around the common room.
"But that is not all that came to light tonight," Draco said with a sigh, giving Pansy a sad, apologetic look. Firming his resolve, knowing that the girl deserved to know, Draco told them of what he knew about the confrontation with Pomfrey.
Pansy paled and looked to be on the verge of fainting, while Blaise was living up to his name, looking ready to breath fire.
"Before you start plotting revenge, Severus is already in charge of that. Knowing our Head of House, I'd say he has some rather nasty things in mind for our not so beloved nurse. Harry looked ready to mete out justice then and there, but Severus managed to calm him down, which I am glad for since he is still recovering. I didn't hear what Sev was whispering to him, but whatever it was, produced the most evil smile I have ever seen on Potter's face, so I believe it is safe to assume that she will not be a problem for long.
"However, when the news hit the school, Harry will with no doubt be made a target yet again. Just about everyone holds that woman in high esteem, and they won't accept the news of her actions easily. Knowing the minds of the Weasle and the Mudblood, they will not take this well, especially when they find out that we are together. He is going to need your protection, whether he agrees or not, so I am asking you to keep an ear open and report to me or Severus anything and everything the others are plotting."
"Don't worry, Draco, we will protect your back," Millicent said fiercely, fingering her wand with an almost anticipatory look on her face. "You just concentrate on keeping that boy happy. You both deserve some happiness, especially considering all the things you've done to keep us safe. Right snakes?" Millicent called, looking out around the room.
The responses to her words were strong enough to make everyone temporary deaf. It was certainly strong enough to break through Draco's silencing charm, and Harry stirred slightly, coming away from his sleep.
"Thank you, all. Neither of us will ever forget this," Draco promised, making his way over to Harry. "We will now retire for the night, Harry is still recovering from that damned fever of his. We will see you all in the morning."
Harry blinked his eyes open, wondering dimly where he was. Looking around, his searching eyes landed on Draco and his face lit up with happiness. It hadn't been a dream! Draco truly did love him too!
With a cry of joy, not caring who saw him, Harry launched himself out of the chair and into Draco's waiting arms. Claiming his love's lips in a searing kiss, neither boy noticed when violets sprang up around their feet, nor did they hear the soft strands of violin music that suddenly filled the air.
The two only pulled apart when air became an issue, and acting on a whim, Draco picked up the slightly smaller boy and carried him to Draco's private room, leaving a stunned common room behind.
"I thought the manifestations of the Love Fever were supposed to die down once the two lovebirds had been united," Theodore said, looking at the carpet of violets that were still visible on the floor.
"I guess Harry Potter is going to be just as different in love as he was when it came to war," Pansy said, chuckling weakly through her tears.
"I don't know about you, but I am going to go to bed now," Blaise announced, climbing to his feet. "I for one, do not wish to miss what else those two are going to create. As sweet as they were acting, it wouldn't surprise me if we are to be subjected to just about every cliché there is when it comes to love."
The other Slytherins laughed and slowly they all climbed to their feet and prepared to retire for the night. Blaise had a point, and none wanted to risk missing breakfast.
HPDM
It was a tired looking Severus Snape that entered the Slytherin common room the next morning. He had been up most of the night, and he was paying for that now. It was only his iron control -- and a large dose of his strongest Pepper-up -- that allowed him to function as if everything was normal.
However, things were far from normal. Dumbledore had insisted they summon a few Aurors, and in the end Severus had given in, agreeing it might be beneficial to have a record of the things the nurse had done.
What none of them had realized was that Pomfrey had done far worse things than allowing an innocent little girl to die due to lack of treatment. Harry would not take these news well. Hell, he wasn't taking the news well!
Blinking, Severus took in the large amount of students waiting in the common room. It was Monday morning, and even though his snakes knew the consequences of oversleeping, he didn't think he had ever seen them gathered in mass like this ever before.
In the silence that fell at his arrival, Severus heard the violin music, and his eyebrow climbed an inch. Then he noted the flowery aroma tainting the air. "What happened?" he asked with amusement. "Did someone break their bottle of perfume?" he added, moving fully into the room.
The snakes glanced at each other, and then Millicent stepped forward. "No, sir. You see, well, Draco told us the good news, and then he put Potter, I mean Harry, to sleep and told us the bad news. Then Harry woke up and..." she trailed off and pointed towards the violets that were still there.
Severus blinked, and had he been alone he would probably have rubbed his eyes in astonishment. What he did was pinching the bridge of his nose. He should have foreseen this, he really should have. "I am assuming this also explains the music?" he asked dryly, waving at the air.
"Yes, sir."
Ruefully Severus shook his head and looked up towards the ceiling. It looked like Harry Potter would be the death of him yet. "So, where are our resident lovebirds?"
"On their way, sir, they have just woken up," Blaise replied.
"Could you hurry them along? I have news, and I would rather not go over this twice. If anyone else is missing, hurry them along as well."
Blaise nodded and made his way towards the back where Draco's room was, while Millicent and Theodore counted heads to make sure everyone was present.
Blaise returned not five minutes later with two alert, and bright eyed boys, who was holding hands and looking almost ridiculously happy and in love.
Severus bit back a sigh, hating to have to bring them back to earth.
"Sev?" Harry asked in surprise to see the Potions Master standing by the entrance. Then he sighed and shook his head sadly. "I take it she's a bigger bitch than we figured?" he asked tiredly, happily leaning into Draco's side when the other boy wrapped an arm around his waist.
"Indeed," Severus said with a heavy sigh.
It was Harry's turn to sigh, and he conjured a love seat and pulled Draco down to sit on it with him. "Okay, hit me."
"Poppy Pomfrey was interrogated last night by Aurors Tonks, Shackelbolt, and Mad-Eye Moody."
"Will that man never retire?" Harry asked with amusement, and the entire common room sighed with silent relief that the Boy Who Lived To Save Us All hadn't gone into an angry rant. They had all witnessed how Potter's temper grew shorter and shorter during their sixth year, and how he grew less and less tolerant of others stupidity, especially if that stupidity effected him or those he considered friends.
"I do not believe so," Severus said, having noted the relief even if Harry hadn't. "I don't think anyone will bother to inform you of the extent of that... woman's actions, which is why I insisted on being present, and this is also the reason why we are having this meeting now."
"What did she do? Spy on us for Voldemort?" Draco asked, not liking how grim Severus looked.
"Actually, she did."
"What?" furious and confused voices cried out across the common room.
Severus nodded grimly. "She is the one who sent Voldemort anonymous messages about the movements of the Slytherin House. She is the one who betrayed us to that monster, causing the death of many good people. It is fortunate she never knew where Ashwinder House was, or she would have tipped him off and condemned everyone there to a most horrendous death.
"But that is not all she did. She put several students under Imperio, encouraging them to seek out and join with Voldemort. She never bothered with any of you snakes, figuring we were already in the Dark Lord's pocket, but she did do it to the Ravenclaws and the Hufflepuffs. She even did it to a three Gryffindors."
"But... why?" Harry asked, voicing the question they were all struggling with.
"She hated anything Slytherin," Severus said simply.
Harry frowned, not happy with that answer, it was too... simple.
"There was an incident when Pomfrey was a student at this school, apparently, she never got over it. When Draco's grandfather was falsely accused of attacking and brutally beating a Hufflepuff, her hatred only grew. The girl was lying, but Pomfrey preferred to believe the lie.
"When Voldemort appeared, she saw it as an excellent opportunity to rid the world of the undesirable. She forced quite a few unfortunate souls into taking the damned Dark Mark, including your father, Draco."
"So he really was under the Imperio-curse?" Draco asked, starting to tremble when the enormity of the nurse's actions began to sink in.
"Yes, as was several others," Severus said with a compassionate smile, keeping to himself that he too was one of the deranged woman's victims. The sharp look Harry sent him, told the Potions Master that he at least suspected, but thankfully the boy had learned when to keep his mouth shut, and didn't bring it up, for which Severus was extremely thankful. He didn't want this to be about him, but about the ones who didn't survive.
"But, didn't she realize what she was doing? She helped Voldemort gain an army for Salazar's sake!" Millicent cried out angrily, hugging a softly crying Pansy to her.
"Oh, she knew she helped filling up his ranks, but she didn't care. She had every confidence in Albus Dumbledore, the slayer of Grindlewald. If the Headmaster could deal with him, then he could deal with this upstart as well."
Several of the student snorted and Severus nodded his head in agreement, his lips twitching with amusement. He couldn't have put it better himself. Dumbledore had proven to be completely worthless when it came to defeating Voldemort, and it had been solely up to Harry and his friends to get the job done. And the youths circle of friends had grown much larger than anyone had ever suspected, coming to include such unexpected people as Severus Snape, Lucius Malfoy, and Pomona Sprout, who, along with Neville Longbottom, had created quite a few insidious traps. Such a portable Devil's Snare that strangled anyone they came in contact with, as long as they carried the Dark Mark. Severus felt it poetical justice that Bellatrix Lestrange had fallen victim to one of those snares. The boy had even managed to manipulate Fudge and that Skeeter woman to do what he wanted, and the irony was that neither of them even knew it!
"What is going to happen to her, Sev?" Harry asked, not about to let the nurse get away with what she had done. Especially not now when he knew just how much damage she had done to the population at Hogwarts. "Why the hell did she come here to work, if she hated Slytherins so much? And why the hell didn't anyone notice?"
"A very good question, unfortunately, the answer is not as good," Severus said, rubbing at his temples. "Pomfrey is in love with Albus. He in turn is quite taken with her. The two of them are lovers, in fact, they have been together since she received her Healer degree.
Most of the present students wrinkled their noses and looked like they were going to be sick.
"Yes, she had the Headmaster completely in her pocket. The only other member of the staff she was really close with, was Minerva McGonagall, the two of them went to school here together. Pomfrey used a nasty little potion to keep Minerva from suspecting her, slipping it to her during their weekly team meetings."
Harry just shook his head in disgust, putting his head against Draco's. Thank Merlin for his childish rebellion that started the night Sirius died. Harry had stormed from the Headmaster's office the moment the man had allowed him to leave, and he had spent the next few weeks ranting and raving at him in the privacy of his bedroom at Privet Drive.
Determined to never forgive the old man for the mess that had lost him his godfather, Harry had sat down and re-evaluated his entire life. Not feeling happy with Dumbledore's manipulations, Harry had set out to find someone he could trust, and who knew what was going on in the war. He had been a bit dismayed to realize that that only left him Snape, but filled with righteous anger and stubbornness, Harry had hunted the man down and apologized for his actions and asked for a truce.
Snape, being Snape, had not been easy to convince, but after having bribed him with a tour of the Chamber of Secrets -- not to mention helping him harvesting what was left of the Basilik -- the two had managed to come to a uneasy understanding.
Occlumency lessons had started up again, this time disguised as detentions that Draco unwittingly helped them stage, and from there things had just kept on snowballing until Harry had managed to kill off Voldemort, bringing peace to their world.
Due to Harry's churlish attitude towards the Headmaster, Dumbledore had never been clued in on what was going on. Severus had taken a preserved pleasure in knowing something the old man didn't, and had found himself hard pressed not to laugh Dumbledore in the face when he sought Severus out and lectured him on going easy on Harry, since he was in mourning over his godfather.
Now, in the light of what they had just found out, Severus felt immensely grateful for that churlish attitude and for Harry's refusal to involve Dumbledore unless it just could not be avoided.
How much of the Order plans had she known? How many of those had she sabotaged in her attempts to rid the world of anything Slytherin? The woman had even gone after students in the other Houses just because they came from a long line of Slytherins, for Salazar's sake!
"As for what will happen to her... I challenged her to a duel of vengeance last night. Pomfrey has twenty four hours to respond to that. She doesn't have much choice, she will either face me, or face the Kiss."
"I thought there wasn't any Dementors left," Pansy said, looking up Millicent's shoulder.
"Oh, they still exist, unfortunately," Harry said, glancing over at the girl. "They are such dark creatures that destroying them are almost impossible. All the souls they have consumed have only made them stronger, along with their ability to feed on negative emotions. We are still working on finding a way to rid our world of them, but for now they are locked away. And no, I don't know where they are or how to reach them. The few who can do that are well protected, since we don't want anyone else to use them the way Riddle did. However, I am certain one or two of them would be only too delighted in sending Pomfrey to where the Dementors are kept, one more soul won't do much difference when it comes to their extermination, not even one as dark as hers," Harry added, glaring darkly down at the floor.
"I know this has come as a shock to all of us, but the truth is out now. Pomfrey has been exposed for what she is, and she will soon be dealt with, in one way or another. Forget about her, forget about the war, and focus on the fact that you are alive. Besides, we have another reason to celebrate, our two lovebirds," Severus added with a wicked grin, causing most of the snakes to laugh, and Draco and Harry to blush hotly.
"I will get you for that, Sev," Draco promised with a saccharine sweet smile, but Severus merely laughed and waved him off.
"The time is growing late, and Dumbledore is probably waiting for us to appear so he can make his announcement. Don't let the other Houses get to you, since I am convinced many of them will put the blame of this entire fiasco at our feet."
Harry snorted as he stood up, half turning so he could hold out his hand and help Draco to his feet as well. "You know they will, especially Ron. I say we ignore the prats. All us in here know the truth; all of us know that if it weren't for you snakes and your cunning, I would never have been able to devise the plans needed to take old Voldemort out. You will probably not end up in the history books, but you all have a great story to tell your children and your grand children. Keep that in mind, hold your head up high, and hex the pants of the brats if they give you a hard time!"
"Not exactly the speech I would have made, Mr. Potter, but you managed to get the more important facts across," Severus said dryly, causing most of the common room to break into another bout of laughter.
"Love you to, Sev," Harry said with a coy smile.
"You better not!" Draco growled, tightening his grip on Harry's hand and dragged the teen from the room.
Severus watched them leave with an amused smile on his face, and the other seventh years scrambled to catch up with them, not wanting them to face the rest of the school alone.
Yes, Severus mused, making his own way to the Great Hall, Harry and Draco should help keeping the students suitably distracted if I am reading the signs right. We could do with some happiness after the dark times we have lived through. I just hope they will keep it out of my classroom!
A question, what do you consider clichés when it comes to love? I've used roses and chocolates; violets and violin music... What would you like to see appear in future chapters?