Chapter 2

The infirmary doors burst open to reveal a panicked Ron Weasley that held a very stiff and petrified Hermione Granger in his arms. The frantic young man heaved a loud grunt followed by a whimper as he ran for the nearest empty bed.

"Merlin's Beard!" Madame Pomfrey immediately rushed over to the bed and pulled her wand. "It's the basilisk all over again… What happened?" Harry soon ran up beside them.

Gingerly Ron placed Hermione onto the bed. Sprawled limbs, arched shoulders, a gaping mouth- it wasn't hard to see that when she'd been petrified, Hermione was in pain. With a wince Ron stepped back and wrung his hands at his sides. "It was me this time- I petrified her." The admission flew from his lips and his voice was heavily laced with guilt. Disbelief spread on Harry and Madame Pomfrey's faces, and Ron shook his head quickly. "She was on the staircase, going to the library. She wanted to see if Madame Pince needed help reorganizing after the war… I was running after her, but the stairs didn't know which one of us to move for and she was taking a step onto the third floor, but the stairs moved for me, and she fell down to ground level." Shaky fingers reached up and back into the young man's red mop of hair. Ron clenched his hands tightly through his tangled locks. "I'm sorry! I knew that if certain bones were broken she shouldn't be moved but I didn't know which bones were broken so I petrified her and brought her here."

A flick of brown waved over Hermione's body and Madame Pomfrey sighed some with relief. "Mr. Potter, please escort Mr. Weasley somewhere to calm him down, I will take care of this." The woman ordered as she lifted the body bind curse.

"-AAAaaauugh! Ronald, you twit!" Hermione's voice echoed through the room as Harry had begun to tug Ron away. A sudden noise emitted from her mouth which was unclear whether or not it was a laugh or a cry that awoke some of the injured who were asleep in the room. "Only my arm's broken, I didn't need a body bind." Her head fell back onto the pillow behind her.

Days passed and more and more people were deemed fit to leave the infirmary. Harry spent most of his time there busy so as to ignore Snape yet still keep an eye on both him and Hermione. On the third day since Hermione's fall, she was cleared to leave, and Ron, who had been by Granger's side since the incident, followed the young woman out. It appeared that Hermione had long since forgiven Ron, but to judge by his actions, Ron had yet to forgive himself.

With a smirk and a saunter, Draco came out of Madame Pomfrey's office. "Guess who just got you freed from hospital jail, Uncle Severus? That's right, me."

The Medi-Witch followed behind. "-and remember, NO alcohol. Make him talk, use those vocal cords and get his voice back to where it was." The woman ordered as she hiked her skirt up just past her ankles to walk faster. "No alcohol, did you hear me?!"

"Of course Madame Pomfrey. No alcohol, talk a lot." Draco repeated back to her in hopes that she would relent.

"Snape's getting out today then?" Harry asked as he approached the man's bedside. His eyes bore down onto the Potion Master's form and his eyebrows furrowed as Harry sunk deep into thought.

A haughty laugh came from Draco's mouth. "Yes he is." Draco informed the young savior. "It seems that I am an expert negotiator."

White robes flourished as Madame Pomfrey loomed in over Snape's bed. "No. Alcohol." She ordered as her blue eyes bore into the abyss of Snape's black eyes.

Thin lips curled into a sneer as Snape returned the stare with a glare. "I would appreciate it... If you would stop... Saying that." Severus bit out between ragged gasps of air. The man growled as he sat up in the bed. The pillow from the bed was snatched away to go be cleaned as Snape slid his legs over the side and began the wobbly attempt to stand. After nearly two weeks of bedrest, all of Snape's muscles were sore and aching which caused his first step to freedom to be more of a stumble. Draco caught on to his arm, but was promptly pushed away. "I do not seek… your help." Severus growled through clenched teeth at the young man. Yellowed fingers reached for his wand on the nightstand by the bed, and Snape snatched it.

Harry sidestepped out of the way to wait for Snape to lead the way. He followed behind and clasped his hands behind his back, intent to stay with the small group. "Where are we going?"

"Away from here." Snape snapped. The man stopped for a moment and turned around to face Harry with a renewed fire in his eyes. "Why are you following us?" His voice spoke volumes of the distrust and disdain he still held for the boy despite the fact that he'd been saved by his actions.

"I have questions that only you can answer… and I've always been curious to know what your room looks like." Harry answered bluntly.

Nostrils flared and Severus took a step towards the young man before him. "What makes you think... I will allow you... Into my personal quarters?" He demanded.

"Because if you don't," Harry smirked and extended his left arm towards the man. "I'll get mad." An air of faux innocence befell Harry's face as he tapped where the Dark Mark would have resided if he'd ever gotten on.

The stare from Snape felt like icy daggers which shot into Harry's core as Severus approached him. The man's sudden onslaught sent Harry back a few steps. "You will never… hurt me as much… as the Dark Lord has." His tone spoke of decades of torture, the likes of which Harry could only imagine.

A stony stare set on Harry's face as he took the challenge. "It may not hurt you, but it'd hurt the hell out of Draco. He's not had the chance to build up a resistance to physical pain like you have."

"You manipulative little shit!" Severus growled alongside a vexed exclamation from Draco. He turned tail angrily and stormed down into the dungeons towards his private quarters. As they entered the man's chambers, the door behind him slammed and the reverberation echoed through the room. Harry noted that it looked fairly much like he'd thought it would. The walls were a deep green that looked like rich velvet, there was black carpet everywhere- even leading into the Professor's kitchenette, and everything made of metal was silver. Despite the rich color behind it all, the room still felt cold, dark, and dank. Two things surprised Harry though; an empty tank that sat in the corner of the main room near the fireplace, and that all of the faded furniture looked soft and comfortable.

"I have questions and they will be answered." Harry's voice rang as he took in his surroundings. Finally he looked back to Snape. The older man grunted as his cheek twitched and he sat in a chair. Draco meandered into the kitchenette and Harry sat across from Severus in another chair. "Alright, first question, be honest. Why do you act like you hate me, and then turn around and save me at literally every opportunity?"

"I don't 'act' it… I don't hate you… but I disdain you… You are the progeny of… my most loathed enemy… I scorn your attitude… I condemn your cockiness… I abhor that you… have his face… but have her eyes." His voice caught in his throat and Severus growled. The raspy fight for breath between his statements certainly seemed to be improving some- very little, but some. "I save you because… You were the hope… of our world… Because I promised… that I'd ensure your safety… and I don't break promises."

Harry leaned further back into the chair as his left leg began to bounce. "I think you're not admitting something, but I'll take that nonetheless. Fine, next, why do you piss me off- push my buttons so much?"

"Because you're easy." Snape answered with a halfhearted snarl.

Draco soon returned with a glass of water in his hands. He placed it down beside Snape on the little table to his left.

Harry ignored the blonde's presence and shook his head towards Snape. "Don't believe it. You just make me mad for the fun of it? You don't have fun, you've said as much over the years." His leg stopped its movement and the young man interlaced his fingers together on his stomach. "I think you like to make me mad because it's easier than… than something else. It's probably something to do with my dad, or maybe my mum. Either way, I think it's because of something you're hiding."

"You've no idea… what you're on about… Next question." Hopefully the swift derail would get the brat off of this train of thought.

Rustles of fabric against leather sounded as Harry shifted his weight so he might lean forward. The boy's face was stone serious. "What kind of powers do I have to look forward to now that I've apparently stolen them from Voldemort?"

Snape gave a short shake of his head and raised his hands to emphasize his inability to answer. "There's no way of… knowing for sure… He had several abilities… only made possible through… his level of bitterness… and lack of empathy. You have empathy and love… so you may not get any… or get warped versions… they will have to be… dealt with when they… begin to appear."

A long sigh escaped Harry's throat as the boy filtered his fingers through his hair. He rested his face into his open hands as he thought about the answer and the next question he had. Finally with a thick swallow, the young man looked back up to Snape and Draco. "Can I live with one of you?"

The shock on both of their faces was beyond apparent. Severus' eyebrows flew down as he attempted to decipher whether or not the Boy-Who-Lived was being facetious. Draco simply looked bewildered and asked, "Why on earth would you want to live with one of us? You hate us! Besides, I live with Uncle Severus now."

Harry shook his head, and used Severus' own words against them. "I don't hate you... I disdain you. Look, I can't go back to the Dursley's. I promised them they'd never have to see me again after last summer. Grimmuald Place is out of the question, as we're all still using it as base for what's left of the Order. The Weasley's is a no go, they've already got a full house especially since Hermione moved in with them, and I wouldn't feel right going back there without Fred around, and Ginny keeps trying to make me ask her to marry me. I've tried breaking up with her, but it's like she magically doesn't hear me when I try." He sighed again. "You two aren't after my fame or name, so I don't have to worry about you spewing to the tabloids that I would be living with you because quite frankly I know you'd rather keep that under wraps, and I'd pay rent."

Money truly made the world go round, as when he heard it Severus' eyebrow shot up. "How much rent?" He asked.

With a small grunt of amusement Harry's lips curled into a small smirk. "Twenty galleons a week." He offered. The young man slipped his hand into his pocket and pulled out a small pouch. "And I have first week's payment up front."

Severus stared at the boy as he mulled over the offer. When it was clear that Snape still wasn't sure, Harry decided to sweeten the pot. "Look, I'll make it worth your while. You know how people keep willing stuff to me? Well one of the 10 Potions Masters alive died a few months back. He left everything in his vault to the Boy-Who-Lived. I'll give you the key to that vault if you say yes. It holds all of his potions related materials, from supplies to ingredients that I've never even heard of." Harry offered.

Still not convinced, Severus clasped his hands over his stomach and leaned back in his chair. "If so many people have… willed their vaults to you… why would you need us… when you can easily buy… your own plot of land… anywhere in the world?"

"Three reasons." Harry said as he straightened his back and sat up. "One, I can't trust the confidentiality of anyone. With you two, like I said before, I can trust that you're not going to go around blabbing to all the papers, 'Oooh the Boy-Who-Lived lives with me'. I can trust that you won't give people the address, because you dislike me so much you won't want people knowing I'm anywhere near you. Two, it's too much work. You have a house already standing, I assume. If I were to go through the trouble of buying my own plot of land off in the middle of nowhere, I'd want to build a house from the ground up, and again I still couldn't trust that the person who sold me the land wouldn't tell people where it was. Three, I can't live alone… I won't say more than that, you'll just have to trust me, I cannot live alone."

"Twenty galleons a week?" Severus asked as he rested his elbows on the arms of his chair. The man propped his chin up on his interlaced fingers as Harry nodded. Coal black eyes swept to the side as Snape raised an eyebrow towards Draco.

"We have a reputation to maintain in the neighborhood. He'd need a complete change of wardrobe to blend in with us." Draco said before he gave a shrug back to Snape.

"Wait- neighborhood?" Harry asked, suddenly worried about flocks of people who might clamor around the property.

"Muggle neighborhood." The man sighed. "No one would know you there… I have been entrusted… to ensure your safety… even if it is to… keep you safe from yourself… Since you refuse to buy… your own land, I have… no other choice… but to accept."


Off-white walls that seemed to stretch for miles towered around the group as they stood in queue at Gringotts Bank. The three had been uncharacteristically silent while they were there, each lost in their own mind.

Finally as it came Harry's turn to approach the goblin, the group seemed to snap back to reality. Harry walked towards Griphook and placed a key upon the table. "I wish to give full rights over vault 628 to Severus Snape. He should get his own key as well."

Warily Griphook flicked his eyes from Snape and back to Harry. "You do realize he is a known Death Eater?"

Harry stared at the Goblin in somewhat disbelief. "Has word not reached the bank yet? The war is over, Voldemort is dead. Severus was a spy for Dumbledore- it is because of Severus that we were able to get enough information so that we could defeat Voldemort and his ilk- Severus Snape will have full rights over vault 628 and his own key."

"As you wish, Lord Potter." Griphook said as he scrunched his nose towards the dark wizard. He gave a slight bow to Harry then disappeared into a small room off to the left as the door creaked behind him.

"Ugh." Harry turned around to face the others. "Seriously, has word not gotten around yet? He asked half bewildered.

Unsure in his actions and words now, Draco looked towards Harry with a eyebrow. "I didn't know you were a Lord."

"What did you expect to happen once I came of age? The Potter name and fortune would just up and disappear?" Harry asked mockingly. He rolled his eyes and shook his head. "No, when you've inherited both the Potter and Black fortunes, and hundreds of people start willing you everything they own because you saved the world, you tend to earn a title in the process.

Squeaks erupted from the door as Griphook emerged with two keys, one he handed to Harry and the other he quite begrudgingly tossed towards Severus.

Harry glared towards the goblin but he didn't have time for petty rivalries. "Griphook, I would also like to make a withdrawal from my personal vault." The young man said as he dug around in his pocket for the key. Once it was produced he handed it to the goblin and looked back to Draco. "Malfoy, how much are we going to need for this new wardrobe you demand?"

"Potter I have watched you from our very first day at Hogwarts, and you have worn nothing but rags which were all 3 sizes too big for you under your robes. You will need a complete overhaul, we have a respectable reputation and if you're supposed to be part of the unit, you need to look like us too." Draco began calculating the figures. "You're a Lord so that ups the ante a bit as people will expect more of you, so you'll need a complete holiday set for Christmas, a set for social gatherings, a set for balls, a set for weddings, a set for funerals, a set for interviews in case you agree to any, fourteen everyday sets so you can go at least two weeks without wearing the same thing twice, and two extra sets just in case… So it would probably be at least 600 Galleons."

Green eyes rolled back and Harry sighed but nodded. "Alright then, I would like to take out 700 Galleons." He stated as he looked back to Griphook.

The goblin eyed Draco warily- another known Death Eater, "Lord Potter I trust you know what kind of image it will set to keep the company of these two." He said as he put in the order for the withdrawal.

"I trust you have the sensibilities to realize both of these men wouldn't be in my company in the first place had they not already proven their loyalty to the side of the light, and that their past public actions in no way reflect what we know of them now." Harry stated with a glare. "Still, Malfoy can be an insufferable prat sometimes…"

A bark of laughter came from Draco. "At least I'm not the one with the fashion sense of a blast-ended skrewt." He taunted as Griphook went to take out the money that Mr. Potter needed.

"Yes well thankfully I have a personality." Harry quipped back.

Severus raised an eyebrow towards the two and shook his head lightly. After Griphook had given the young man his money, the group left only to find that Diagon Alley's 'rush hour' had begun as many people had just come from work to shop last minute before the day was out.

Messy black hair jolted back as Harry groaned and dropped his head back. "Brace yourselves." He warned the group before he started into a quick paced power-walk down the sidewalk straight for Madame Malkin's Robes for All Occasions.

Along the way several witches and wizards stopped the group to sing their praises of Harry's defeat of Voldemort. Some asked him questions, others simply garnered for a chance to touch the savior. One man screamed out of the crowd for Harry to have his grandchildren with his daughter, to which his daughter gave a look of disgust and slapped the man's arm.

Upon their arrival to the clothing shop, Severus locked the doors behind him. Harry sighed and leaned against a wall. "And that is why I don't need people finding out where I live."

A stout woman in her signature mauve robes appeared from the back with a frown on her face. "And who are you to lock my doors to paying customers?" She demanded as she came into view of the trio.

Harry turned around to face the woman with a sympathetic gaze on his face. "My apologies Madame Malkin, people had started hoarding around me and I wished to shop in peace… if you'd like when we leave, I can maybe say something about loving your store to bolster your sales?"

Madame Malkin soaked in the knowledge that even after he no longer needed school robes, the savior still wished to shop at her store. She smiled and nodded, his offer of free local advertisements soothed her frustration. "Of course dear, what can I do for you?"

"Er-" Cracks in his voice caused Harry to stop as he wasn't entirely sure what exactly he was to look for. He glanced to Draco.

Draco let out a satisfied smirk and nodded towards Madame Malkin. "Lord Potter wishes to purchase a full wardrobe which will accompany his prestigious title." The sickly-sweet tone of the blonde's voice dripped with amusement.

The short woman's blue eyes lit up as the prospect of so many garments to be sold entered her mind. "Oh well, then we absolutely will need to take some measurements." She said as she put a hand on Harry's shoulder and led him towards a stand near the back of her shop. "Leanne! We have a customer!" She called back to her assistant who came rushing from the back with a parchment and quill. Small hands slipped Harry's outer robes and shirt off and the woman tossed them towards Draco to hold. Severus snickered at the blonde's indignant look.

With each poke and prod to Harry's form with measuring tape, and each number she called out for her assistant the young savior felt his face burn redder. Exposure of this level with Malfoy in the room caused his hands to clench into fists. Suddenly Harry's face shot up towards the ceiling to hide his discomfort as the little old woman measured his inseam.

Grey eyes peered up to meet with Snape's black eyes as Draco rubbed absently at his left arm. Severus looked to his own arm and nodded back at the young man. "Weird…" Draco muttered.

"Indeed." The dark wizard man answered.

Relief sounded in Harry's sigh as Malkin moved away to read over the list of measurements that her assistant had made. The young man stepped off of the stand and frowned towards Malfoy and Snape. "What's weird?"

"It- it tickled." The blond answered in a low whisper to the young man in front of him, confusion written all over his face. "While you were being measured the mark tickled."

A small nod came from Snape. "It appears as though… all emotions come through… Not just anger…"

Groans of frustration escaped Harry's throat as he let his head fall backward. "Wonderful. We get to explore the entire range of emotions and their effects on you two."

"Alright." The sing-song voice of the cheerful woman rang through. "Time to pick out fabrics!" Her eyes lit up with enthusiasm.

The better part of the next hour was spent with Harry and Draco arguing with each other. Everything from what colors should be used to denote his title upon just a glance, to the feel of the fabric itself was a disagreement between the two.

"You only like it 'cause you're Slytherin." Harry said as he crossed his arms over his chest.

Madame Malkin held the length of green silk fabric up to Harry's face as Draco shrugged to the young man's accusation. "Well yes I'm sure that plays into it, but even you have to admit it's really nice."

"It brings out his eyes." Leanne, the assistant, said much to Madame Malkin's agreement.

"Ugh!" Harry grated as he snatched the fabric down and held it out in his hands. "It's silk! There is literally no reason anyone should ever have an entire outfit made of silk."

Shock filtered across Draco's face and he looked as though he'd been slapped. "Every wealthy and titled witch or wizard I have ever met in my life has had at least three complete robe sets made entirely of silk. Perhaps you should spend more time with people who hold status."

A growl came from Harry's throat and he glared to Draco then turned his anger to Severus. "What about you? Nothing to add?"

The man studied the two young men before him and nodded. "I agree with Draco."

"You traitorous git!" Harry shouted.