Disclaimer: I do not own them. Sigh
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Harry felt both happiness and pride as he walked into the Great Hall hand in hand with Draco Malfoy. He knew that it hadn't fully sunk in yet that the blond boy actually loved him and was willing, eager even, to start building a life with him.
Never, not even in his wildest dreams, had Harry dared to believe that this day would actually arrive. Never had he dared to even hope that Draco would, or even could, feel anything for him than the casual friendship they had manage to build during their sixth year. It spoke of both of their acting skills, since no one, not even they, had suspected that there were much deeper feelings running under the surface.
Tightening his grip on Draco's hand, Harry held his head high as they made their way towards the Slytherin table, worried that something would happen to tear the other boy from his side.
"Have you changed your mind? Do you wish to sit with the Gryffs-" Draco started to ask, only to be interrupted by the love of his life.
"No," Harry cut in, shaking his head. "Your sacrifice is noted and appreciated. But this is where I belong. This is where the Sorting Hat wanted to place me. Dumbledore has ruled my life for too long; it is about time the world got to know the true Boy Who Lived, wouldn't you say?" Harry asked, giving Draco a tender smile, reaching up and brushing a lock of hair away from his forehead.
The smile that lit Draco's face brightened the room, and it caused Harry's breath to hitch. Ignoring their audience, Draco pulled Harry to him, giving him a tender kiss, not caring one whit about the whispers that sprung up around the room at his actions. Above their heads, a couple of bluebirds appeared, circling around them, singing with joy.
Unfortunately, their perfect moment did not last, and the atmosphere was broken when someone cried out in a strident tone of voice, "Harry James Potter!"
The next thing they knew, someone was pulling them apart, roughly, and Harry found himself wrapped up in a pair of arms that did not belong to Draco. Panicking, Harry's magic flared up, pushing the interloper away from him, almost leaping to stand by Draco's side, glaring at the ones who had dared to interrupt them.
Before he could do anymore damage, Draco wrapped an arm around his shoulders, murmuring, "Stand down, Tiger, it is merely Granger and Weasley."
Harry blinked, finally seeing the ones who had dared pulling Draco and him apart. "Ron? Hermione?" he asked, not sure what to feel. He had thought he would have a little more time before his friend confronted him. He knew they would not be happy with him -- which was why he hadn't told them of his deepening feelings for the Slytherin in the first place. But for the two of them to attack them in the Great Hall? That was extreme to say the least. At least for Hermione, Ron he could see reacting in this way.
"Harry! What is the matter with you? What are you doing with that stuck up prig? When did you recover from the fever? Why didn't you tell us you weren't feeling well? Why-"
"Do you always sprout off questions in that manner, Granger?" Draco asked with a drawl, looking down his nose at her.
Harry suppress a giggle, knowing that now was not the time for levity. "Ron, Hermione, I'll meet you later and we can talk then, okay?" Harry stated more than asked, starting to pull Draco towards their seats, feeling thankful to see the other Slytherin seventh years standing by their side, showing their support.
"No! That is not alright! Harry Potter, how dare you-" Hermione began only to be cut off again, this time by Harry.
"Hermione Jane Granger!" he mimicked the other girl, giving her a dark glower. "I hardly believe that the Great Hall is the proper place to have this 'discussion', do you? You better sit down before you lose Gryffindor a bunch of points. Professor McGonagall is not looking happy at the moment," Harry warned, though he had a feeling it was the situation with Pomfrey that caused their Head of House's expression.
Hermione glanced over her shoulder, and noting that Harry was correct, her shoulders sagged slightly. Then she straightened her back, giving Harry a hard look. "Very well, I will meet with you later, but you better have a good explanation for your behaviour, Mister, or-"
"I would say that you have already provided me with ample proof that I made the correct decision," Harry stated, giving her a disapproving look. Grasping Draco's hand firmly, Harry turned away from the spluttering girl, feeling a slight surprise by the fact that Ron had managed to keep his mouth shut -- that had to be a first -- and went to sit down among the snakes. Now that he thought about it, Harry found that he was ravenous, and he could only hope that breakfast wouldn't be delayed for too long.
Climbing to his feet, Dumbledore clanged his knife against his goblet. Looking out over the hall, he smiled a small, sad smile and said, "Good morning, children. Now that we are all gathered, I have a few announcements to make. First of all, as you have no doubt already witnessed, Harry Potter has awakened from his fever. It would seem that he and Draco Malfoy has grown closer than anyone of us suspected, even themselves," he added with a mischievous smile, a small twinkle momentarily appearing in his eyes.
Then he grew sombre once more and forged on. "Unfortunately, some sad and serious business was discovered last night. Poppy Pomfrey, our own school nurse, was discovered to have aided Lord Voldemort."
Gasps rang out across the room, as the shocked students tried to understand what the Headmaster was telling them.
"Due to an unfortunate incident in her youth, Poppy Pomfrey came to hate all things Slytherin. We only found out last night that she has been working actively ever since the first raise of Lord Voldemort to eradicate everyone she consider to be a Slytherin. She has even gone as far as to use the Unforgivables to encourage students to become his followers.
"We will search for the students she placed under Imperio, and we will make sure the curse is broken. Unfortunately, there is nothing we can do to lessen the sufferings they have been put through.
"Professor Snape has challenged Madam Pomfrey to a Duel of Vengeance, and we will know within the next twenty-four hours if she accepts the duel or if she will admit to her guilt and take her just punishment.
"In the meantime you have classes to prepare for, so let us eat and try to focus on our lessons," Albus said, gratefully sinking back into his seat. Poppy's betrayal had affected him hard, and at the moment he couldn't care less about the school. His lover had betrayed him, had betrayed the Light, all so she could get revenge on people who were long gone. How could he have been so blind? How much else had he missed?
Involuntarily, his gaze went to the Slytherin table, and the black haired youth sitting there. Had he done the right thing when it came to Harry? It had been on her encouragement he had made sure to influence Harry away from the Slytherins. Had it been Poppy's prejudice that had been talking? Or had it been her professional side?
Looking down at his empty plate, Albus sighed forlornly. He would probably never know what had been real and what had been lies. He just couldn't understand how she had managed to fool him for so long. Had she used potions on him as well? She had done it to Minerva, but she hadn't said anything about doing it to him. Then again, he hadn't really asked her, had he? Sighing once more, Albus forced himself to pour himself some tea and butter a toast. He was not looking forward to today.
HPDM
Over at the Slytherin table, Draco was grumbling under his breath about idiots who didn't know when to keep their mouth shut. Harry watched him with fond amusement for a while, but when it became evident that the blond was too upset to eat, Harry figured he would have to do something.
Leaning forward, Harry gently cupped Draco's face between his hands, effectively bringing the other boy's litany to a halt. Bringing their faces close, Harry gave his love a sweet, tender albeit brief kiss.
Pulling back, Harry was pleased to see that Draco's eyes were glazed, and he seemed to be in a daze. Then Draco shook his head, and gave the other teen a mock glare for distracting him. Giving Harry a quick peck on the lips, Draco returned his attention to his breakfast, this time taking the time to actually eat the food and not just pushing it around on his plate.
Feeling satisfied that his mission had been accomplished, Harry turned to his own breakfast, never noticing the grins the Slytherins sitting around them sported. Getting Draco out of a hissy fit had always been a chore in the past. Clearly, things were going to be much easier on everyone from now on if all Harry had to do was to give the Ice Prince a kiss for him to melt.
HPDM
Unfortunately, Draco's good mood did not last. Through the morning classes, the two boys could be seen walking down the corridors, holding hands and look extremely happy. Their Slytherin friends walked with them, acting as a buffer between the two lovebirds and the rest of the school. And they were needed. Most of the other students couldn't care less that the former enemies had fallen in love with each other. The Ravenclaws had too much fun trying to figure out the dynamics of the magic needed for that to happen to take offence, while the Hufflepuffs were sighing teary-eyed about what a romantic picture the two made.
The Gryffindors, however, were not pleased, and they tried everything they could think of, short of hexing Malfoy, to break the pair apart. Ron still kept his mouth shut; although his glowering looks promised a lot of shouting the moment he had Harry to himself. Hermione, on the other hand, was for once not displaying her renowned level-headedness, demanding loudly for Harry to explain himself to her satisfaction. Harry pointedly ignored her, not wanting to engage in a screaming match where the entire school could hear them.
When it was finally time for lunch, Harry breathed a sigh of relief and headed for the dungeons. His temper was growing shorter by the minute, and his still weakened body was unable to handle the strain of keeping up in the lessons and holding back his anger. He desperately needed a breather. And if Hermione whined one more 'Harry James Potter!' at him, then Harry truly would blow his top and start shouting at her, decorum be damned!
"Mr. Malfoy, Mr. Potter, a word," Severus said, appearing out of nowhere, startling Hermione who had just managed to catch up with the duo again, despite everyone's attempt to give her the slip.
"Of course, Professor," Harry said with a small nod of his head, turning his back on the fuming Gryffindor with a relieved sigh.
Silently the two followed Snape as he swept down the corridors, knowing that they weren't in trouble by the way the robes billowed.
Minutes later, Severus came to a stop outside his private rooms. Stating the password, not caring if the teens heard him or not, the Potions professor opened the door and stood aside, allowing the boys to walk in first.
Seeing the person standing in the living room, Harry's eyes lit up with happiness and he let go of Draco's hand, rushing forward with a happy cry of, "Lucius!"
Lucius Malfoy wrapped the black-haired teen into a warm hug. "I take it that a 'welcome to the family' would be welcomed?" Lucius asked, giving his son a teasing smirk.
Draco merely scowled. He knew the two had become good friends, but it still rankled him to see Harry wrapped up in his father's arms. Draco was a Malfoy, and Malfoys do not share. Not even with family.
Lucius merely chuckled, knowing fully well what was going on inside his son's mind. Looking down at Harry, the blond put a finger under the teen's chin and asked, "Why in the world didn't you tell me you had developed feelings for my son? You must have known that I would not refute a union between the two of you."
Harry blushed and took a few steps back, unable to hold the older man's gaze. "I knew that you wouldn't mind. But I had no idea how Draco felt," Harry replied, glancing over at his love as Draco came to stand by his side, wrapping a possessive arm around his waist.
"I didn't want Draco to be with me out of some misplaced sense of duty, or worse, out of pity." Harry shrugged his shoulders slightly. "He never gave me any reason to believe that he had any deeper feelings for me, and I was not about to jeopardise the friendship we had managed to develop by greedily ask for more than he was willing to give."
"Idiot," Draco said lovingly, pulling Harry into a warm hug.
"Hey! How was I to know that you were in love with me too?" Harry protested, giving Draco a light shove. "You didn't exactly broadcast your feelings, you know!"
"Well, neither did you!" Draco protested. "Besides, I already told you that I was planning to court you the moment all the hoopla had died down. Unlike some, I didn't make myself sick!"
"Children," Lucius said warningly, not wanting the arguing to continue. It was a moot point now anyway. The two had declared their feelings for each other, and would probably bond as soon as they had graduated if he was reading those heated looks properly.
"Sorry," two voices mumbled in stereo, tricking the two older men to snort with amusement.
"I have arranged for some food. You, Harry, need to eat. You were far too skinny before you fell ill with the fever, and you are mere skin and bones now. How Draco can hug you and not get splinters I'll never know," Severus sneered, although his usual venom was gone.
Harry merely rolled his eyes and headed towards the professor's small dinner area. He had grown quite close to the two older men, and had come to regard them as mentors and even as father figures. But where Severus held everyone at a distance, Lucius did not mind giving the occasional hug -- as long as they were in private and away from prying eyes.
"You need to work on that sense of humour that you lack, Professor," Harry said, sitting down at the table. "Isn't there a potion or something you could take to help with the development? At the rate you are going you will never be funny," he added with a cheeky grin.
"You, Mr. Potter, are not amusing," Severus said dryly, cuffing the back of Harry's head.
"On the contrary, I find him highly amusing," Lucius said with an infectious chuckle.
"You would!" Severus sneered, but his lips were twitching, showing that he wasn't as upset as he sounded.
"So, what are you doing here, Dad?" Draco asked, figuring it was time to change the subject. Severus might have mellowed in his attitude towards Harry, but there was no need to push their luck.
"Can't a father come and congratulate his son for finding the love of his life?" Lucius asked with a lifted eyebrow.
Draco merely looked at his father, lifting his own eyebrow in reply.
Lucius chuckled and shook his head. The boy was a Malfoy through and through. "Severus has been kind enough to fill me in on the happenings of the past day. I must say that I find it most difficult to believe that the culprit we've been searching for was Madam Pomfrey. I knew that she was never fond of us Slytherins, but for her to go so far…" Lucius said, his eyes growing distant for a moment as he recalled his school days.
It had been quite a shock to discover that it was Pomfrey who had placed him under the Imperio that compelled him to seek out Voldemort and become on of his followers. How could Dumbledore not have known what was going on?
Before that woman was given her just punishment, there were several questions that Lucius intended to ask of her. And no one better stand in his way. As one who had suffered untold horrors at the Dark Lord's side, it was his right to ask those questions. Maybe then he would be able to put the past twenty some years to rest.
"I'm sorry she did that to you," Harry said softly, putting a hand on the older man's arm, effectively bringing him back to the here and now. "I am also sorry that no one bothered to stand up for you when you were young," he added, glancing at Severus to include him in the apology. "It might have been Pomfrey who cursed you, but Dumbledore has a lot to answer for as well. He never stood up for you Slytherins. Not when my parents went to school here, and he still isn't treating the snakes fairly."
"Thank you, Harry, but this isn't your apology to make," Severus said, placing a gentle hand on the boy's shoulder.
"Maybe it is, maybe it isn't," Harry mumbled, staring down at the table top, the food momentarily forgotten. "I think... I think it is time that Dumbledore retired as Headmaster. I think it is time for someone who cares for the entire school to step up as leader of Hogwarts. I have a feeling the war will never truly be over unless an effort is made to unite the school."
Draco wrapped his arms around Harry's shoulders and pulled him close to his side, resting his cheek against soft black hair. "This isn't your fight anymore, Harry."
"Isn't it? I have a feeling that if someone doesn't stand up for the Slytherins, and soon, then all this was for nothing. We all here know what an important roll the snakes had in this war. But the rest of the school don't. Hell, the rest of the world hasn't got even the tiniest clue. Seeing the way Hermione has reacted to me being with Draco has opened my eyes. I didn't want to say anything after the war, because I was tired and I just wanted to be left alone. But that isn't going to happen, is it? I'm never going to be completely out of the limelight, will I?" Harry asked with a dejected sigh.
"No," Lucius said gently, giving the black haired teen a small, sad smile. "Because of your heroic efforts during the war, and because of the circumstances that lead to the Dark Lord's first fall, you will always be a prominent figure in our world."
"You can either run from it, ending up bitter when you don't succeed. Or..." Severus said, giving Harry a contemplating look.
"Or, you could embrace it and use your fame to influence people to make the changes you deem necessary," Draco said, hugging Harry tighter for a moment.
Harry accepted the support he could feel from the three Slytherins in the room. He knew from experience that it was impossible to run from his fame. The war had ended months ago, and he was still drowning in mail from the British wizarding populations. He had lost count on how many bonding proposals he had received, or the number of offers to carry his children made by witches and wizards alike.
Still... Did he truly wish to get involved in politics? He had no wish to become the next Minister of Magic. But then there was Draco. Did he wish to follow his father's footsteps and get involved in the political world?
"I don't want to become the next Minister of Magic," Harry stated with conviction, knowing that he was speaking nothing but the truth. "However, if Draco wishes to get involved with politics, I will stand by him and support him wholeheartedly."
"Thank you, love, but I have no great wish to get involved with politics either. Father might love the thrill, but I just don't have the patience needed to deal with the idiots working at the Ministry," Draco said, shuddering slightly as he remembered all the parties his parents had dragged him to over the years.
Lucius threw his head back and laughed merrily.
"No, Draco does not have the patience to deal with the Dunderheads that reside inside the halls of the Ministry of Magic," Severus said with a chuckle.
Draco groaned and hid his face in Harry's shoulder.
"What did he do?" Harry asked, his eyes shining with curiosity.
"When Draco was five--"
"Father, please!" Draco muttered, still hiding his face in Harry's shoulder.
Lucius ignored him and went on with his story. "When Draco was five, we were invited to the Minister's Christmas ball. Needless to say, my little Dragon was not amused," Lucius said with a fond smile at his mortified son.
"Lucius?" Harry asked, begging the older man with his eyes to tell what had happened.
"Cornelius was doing his customary meet and greet, and when he came to us, he welcomed me warmly, shaking my hand. He gushed over Narcissa and her new robe and jewellery, and then he turned towards Draco," Lucius said, his voice shaking with suppressed mirth. "Cornelius made the mistake of bending forward and pinch Draco's cheek while saying, 'Merlin, what a cute child. You must be so proud of him, Lucius.'"
Draco huffed and pulled away from Harry, folding his arms across his chest, knowing fully well what was coming next.
"Draco became most indignant. Stating in a voice that could be heard across half the ball room he stated, 'I am not cute'. Adding insult to injury, Draco let loose a wave of accidental magic, calling forth a vicious looking rain cloud, ending up drenching everyone present," Lucius managed to get out before succumbing to his mirth, laughing until tears were streaming down his face.
Harry made the mistake of looking at Draco, who had added a pout to his huffy mood. Harry had no troubles imagining just that same look on the five year old who had just had his cheek pinched, and the next thing anyone knew, Harry was doubled over, shouting with laughter. Which proved to be Severus undoing, and he too broke into peals of laughter.
Draco huffed some more and when that didn't help, he pointedly ignored the group and began to eat his lunch.
"D-did F-fudge ever p-pinch Draco again?" Harry managed to ask, eyes streaming with tears and his ribs aching.
"No," Lucius replied, starting to recover from his fit. "Since that day, Fudge never as much as lay a hand on another child again, no matter how important of influential their parents were. Which is why Cornelius' personal hat maker is rumoured to have earned a fortune by providing the Minister with those ridiculous hats he is always mangling beyond recognition."
That was too much for even Draco, and all four succumbed to a fresh bout of hilarity.
HPDM
"So, how do you suggest we go about changing the reputation of the Slytherin House?" Harry asked when Severus had banished the leftovers of their lunch back to the kitchen.
"I would gather the snakes and talk with them first, telling them it was you who arranged for the Ashwinder House to be set up, and why you did it. I know that you do not wish recognition, but they deserve to know who they have to thank for the chance of escaping the fate of being branded as one of the Dark Lord's minions," Lucius said, giving Harry a serious look.
"Besides, most have already guess that you were involved somehow," Draco piped up. "What with your reaction to Pomfrey and the way Severus called you Ash to calm you down last night. But I still think that is a good idea, I mean, I for one would love to know the details. Why would you put yourself out so much for us snakes?" Draco asked, giving Harry a searching look. The curiosity and the wish to understand his love had been driving him nuts all day. Only the desire to keep Harry happy had kept him from prying every last detail out of his boyfriend.
Harry smiled and snuggled into Draco's side. "Once I realised that almost none of you wished to join Voldemort, how could I not act? I knew what it was like to be forced into doing something you didn't want to do, so how could I stand back and watch an entire House worth of students being coerced onto a path they did not wish to walk? Besides, I figured it would piss off Dumbledore to lose a whole lot of people he could play god with," Harry added darkly. Then he shook his head to dispel the dark memories, now was not the time or the place to deal with them. "So, first I talk to the Slytherins, and then I...?"
"Then you talk to the rest of the school," Severus said calmly.
"I would suggest that we arrange for the press to be present at that event. If we place Harry under a truth spell, then they cannot argue later that he was being coerced, or that he was telling a lie to make Draco look good in the eyes of the world," Lucius said, his eyes alight with happiness. He loved to mess with the mind of others, and he took especial delight in turning other people's world upside-down.
"Truth spell?" Harry asked hesitantly, not liking the sound of that. "What if some idiot asked me a question I don't want to answer?"
"No, Harry, we are not talking about Veritaserum," Severus said soothingly, knowing all too well that Harry had a lot of secrets still. "What Lucius has in mind is a spell that surrounds the person under it with a blue light. As long as you tell the truth, the glow stays blue, but if you lie, it turns red. You are under no compulsion of any kind to tell the truth. In the old days it was used during trials to ensure that everyone knew whether the defended spoke the truth of not.
"Why did they stop using it?" Harry asked, intrigued.
"I'm not sure," Severus admitted with a frown. He glanced over at Lucius who merely shrugged as well.
Harry filed the information away and returned his focus to the matter at hand. "I think I need to talk to Ron and Hermione first, and then the snakes. Could we have the press conference tomorrow night? I want this to be over as soon as possible. I predict that we will be on the receiving end of a lot of Howlers in the near future," Harry said, doing his best to mimic Trelawney's dreamy voice, causing the two Malfoys to snort. Severus merely sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"I think you are right, both about the Howlers and about Granger and Weasley," Draco said, once he had his amusement under control. "The way that girl has been pestering you today..." Draco shook his head. "Doesn't she know when to give up?"
"No," Harry replied soberly. She is so used to knowing everything that's going on that it drives her absolutely batty when she finds herself out of the loop. But there is more to it than that; she thinks that since she is my friend, she has the right to dictate to me how I should live my life. It wouldn't surprise me to find out that she and Ron had my entire future mapped out, including me marrying Ginny. Merlin knows that they have given me enough hints about it over the past semester. Ron was not happy when I declined going with them to the Burrow. I think they had arranged to orchestra my asking her out during the holidays."
Draco glowered and wrapped a possessive arm around the black haired teen. "Well, they can just forget those plans! You are mine now, and I don't share. Especially not with a Weasley!"
Harry snorted a laugh. "Love, someday you will have to share-"
"What?" Draco cried out angrily, turning around swiftly to glower darkly at the other teen. "Why would I have to?" he asked, sounding highly suspicious.
Harry blinked in surprise; that was not the reaction he had expected. Glancing around the room he noted that both Severus and Lucius looked highly displeased as well. "Draco..." Harry said, only to trail off, not sure how to address the matter that had caused the blow up. "Draco, don't you want children? I would have thought you would want an heir, being a Malfoy and everything," Harry said weakly.
The three Slytherins blinked, and then Draco broke into a big, bright smile. "Harry, you git, you scared me half to death!" he declared, pulling Harry into a tight hug.
Harry just shook his head, would he ever understand the Slytherin mindset? "Draco..."
"Harry, there is no need for you to worry about children," Lucius said, figuring that he better broach the subject before any further misunderstandings could drive the two lovebirds apart. "I know that you are both males, but you are also wizards. Same sex pairings is not unusual in our world, and since the continuity of the line is very important to us, especially to the older families, we've had potions to rectify the problem for thousands of years. When the time is right, one of you will drink the pregnancy potion of your choice down, and what do you know? A new generation is created," Lucius said, brining a touch of levity back to the atmosphere.
Harry snorted in amusement, he should have known. And to tell the truth, he was relieved to know that neither of them would have to turn to a surrogate mother to create their children. "I want Severus to brew the potion when the times come. I don't trust anyone else not to muck it up."
"As if I would allow anyone else but me to create such a delicate potion for the two of you," Severus said, sounding insulted, but secretly feeling pleased that Harry trusted him that much.
"No matter how pleased I am to hear that you want children, none of you will even think of taking anything before you are properly bonded, am I understood?" Lucius asked sternly. No grandchildren of his would be created out of wedlock.
"We hear you, oh great one," Harry intoned, extracting himself enough from Draco's embrace so that he could give the older blond a mock bow.
"Imp!" Lucius said with a snort.
"And proud of it," Harry replied cheekily with a saucy wink.