Life Renovations
Chapter Twenty-Five
A Surprising Gathering
Returning to Malfoy Manor in high spirits, Tom headed straight to his rooms to freshen up before he sought out Harry. He had planned to give Harry a present on his birthday, but somehow hadn't been able to get around to it. Ah well, Harry would have to deal with it being late, but Tom was sure Harry would love the gift so much that he wouldn't care that it was a belated gift.
As he showered, Tom reflected on his actions of the day, and he wondered at himself. Vernon Dursley was well and truly dead, and he had died painfully. Tom was still just evil enough to have been turned on by all the pain and blood he'd seen coming from the muggle. But the strange thing was, before he left, he'd gone upstairs and obliviated Mrs. Dursley and her son and left false memories for them. All they knew was that Dursley had come home, packed up his bags, and then left them for somewhere unknown with no intention of ever returning to his family. Tom didn't know why he felt the need to see that they could move on from the tyranny Vernon Dursley had put them through. It boggled his mind really. He'd even gone so far as to demand the fat muggle boy clean himself up and start acting like a man and to make sure he took care of his mother.
"Having this conscious is simply loathsome," he grumbled.
Once he was showered and dressed, Tom found Nagini and they both traveled to search out Harry. He knocked on Harry and Draco's door, and heard both their voices call out for him to enter. Tom was actually surprised he wasn't made to wait out in the hall for a few minutes, because if Harry and Draco were in there alone it was usually a given that the two Ukatae were involved in vigorous physical activities with each other. As soon as he entered, it became clear why the two had let him in so quickly. Harry was on his stomach in the bed, the white washcloths Hermione had placed still on his back. Draco was sitting next to him with a book in his lap and a hand running through Harry's hair. He'd stopped reading as soon as Tom had knocked.
"What happened here?" Tom asked, his long legs bringing him across the room to stop at the foot of the bed where he placed the silver wrapped box upon the bed. Nagini hissed and to Draco's horror she slithered onto the bed and made herself very comfortable against Harry's side.
"Bloody wings," Harry murmured, but then he smiled and hissed a greeting to Nagini.
"At least the pain potion Amortia brought worked," Draco said.
"Only a little. The potion's effects are already fading. I hate feeling like this!"
"He's in a bit of a foul mood," Draco explained unnecessarily to Tom.
Tom nodded and picked up the box. "I have something for you, Harry. A belated birthday present. I hope you will be pleased with the gift."
"A present? Really?" Harry bolted up into a sitting position and stretched his arms out for the box which Tom readily handed over. "Thanks, Tom!" Harry set the box in front of him and began to slowly unwrap it. Halfway through, his fingers stilled over the wrapping and he looked up at the Dark Lord. "It's alive."
Tom frowned. "It was supposed to be a surprise." Nagini twisted around to encircle the box, flicking it with her tongue. "Hurry up and open it, Potter!"
Harry grinned and ripped the rest of the silver wrapping off and then quickly lifted the lid. He gasped in surprised pleasure when he saw what was inside. Coiled in a tight circle was a very young black snake which appeared to be asleep since it wasn't moving at all. He couldn't see its head since it was tucked under part of the coiled body. Harry stared with wide eyes into the box, a large smile plastered on his face.
Draco crawled over, careful to keep from touching Nagini and peered into the box. "It's a baby and very beautiful," he admitted grudgingly. It was the truth. The black scales were unblemished, and looked soft like pure silk. The baby snake could have passed for an onyx necklace.
"I've been breeding them from Nagini for years, and this batch was special. Unfortunately only one youngling survived. This one."
"And you decided to give her to me?" Harry's pleasure was evident and his bright green eyes told both Draco and Tom how much the gift meant to him. Tom ducked his head. He didn't want the other two to see how Harry's pleasure affected him. But he couldn't deny to himself how pleased he was that Harry was truly happy and thankful for his gift. It gave him a new uncomfortable warm feeling originating in his chest.
Harry put his hand into the box and reverently stroked the small snake with a finger. Nagini slipped her head over the edge and flicked her baby with her tongue. Wake up, baby. Meet your new master. The baby moved slightly, but otherwise did not respond. Draco snorted.
"Just like you, Harry. Doesn't want to wake up when it's time."
"Shuddup. At least I'm good enough to let her sleep until she wants to." Harry reached in and scooped the small creature into the palm of his hand, then brought it up the cradle against his chest before looking back to Tom. "I really do love her. Thanks very much."
Tom could only nod.
"How do you know it's a she?" Draco asked.
Harry looked at Draco and shrugged. "I'm getting definite feminine vibes when I touch her." Then he looked to Tom. "What did you mean by special batch? I'm getting other vibes as well."
Tom nodded and sat at the edge of the bed. "She is very intelligent for one. More so than usual for familiars. Also, right now she's only the size of a small length of rope so that she could fit in the box. When she reverts to her normal size, I believe she'll be as long as your forearm. She will continue to grow as she matures, but she will not be any larger the Nagini."
"That's a relief. No offense, but your snake is way too big," Draco sniffed.
"She is very large, but I see nothing wrong with that," Harry replied, his new familiar still against his warm chest.
"She is highly venomous, being a viper, and above all, she can become invisible at will."
"What?" Draco had gone pale. For someone who belonged in Slytherin house and the way Draco responded when Harry spoke Parseltongue, the blond seemed to have a slight fear of snakes. Harry found this incredibly funny. He laughed as he continued to stroke his new snake until there was more movement and the snake sent out vibes of her annoyance of being woken up.
"She's mad that I'm waking her up." Hello, little one. Can you hear me? The snake shifted again and slowly raised her head. Harry couldn't help but gasp when her eyes became visible and revealed shocking green orbs that matched his perfectly.
"I assure you, her coloring was not done like that on purpose. It's simply a coincidence."
"That's a bloody big coincidence."
"I said it was unintentional, Draco!"
Too much noisesss. Harry's snake plopped her head down on the back of Harry's hand.
We'll keep it down, lovely. The snake stared at him with bright eyes.
You are my new master? The Harry Potter? She touched his skin with her pink forked tongue.
Yes. I hope you approve. And it's Harry.
Beside him, Draco groaned and threw himself backwards and wrapped a pillow around his head to cover his ears.
Of course. I have been promised to you since I hatched.
Really? Harry looked at Tom with a raised eyebrow. How long ago was this snake hatched? he wondered. And had Tom planned to give the snake to him with some nefarious plan involved before they became friends?
As if sensing his thoughts, Tom smirked. Harry half glared at him. "Never would have worked, you know."
"Yes, it would have. Like I said, she's very intelligent. But it's a moot point now, isn't it?"
"Thanks again. I really do love her."
"I'm glad, then. I'll leave you alone now."
"Wait a minute. We're leaving soon and you'll be joining us." Would you like to come with us, lovely?
Oh yes. I haven't been outside these walls before. The snake slithered up his arm and wrapped around his neck. She fit perfectly.
All right. Just don't go biting anyone unless I say.
Of course, Master.
Harry nodded and tugged the pillow off of Draco's head. He placed hands on either side of Draco and leaned over until their noses were nearly touching. Harry turned his head to look at his lovely snake, whose head rested on his shoulder. This is my mate. No matter what he does to me, you are not to bite him. Understood?
Yessss.
Harry looked back at Draco and smirked. Good. Draco nearly went cross eyed with lust and hissed at Harry to let him know he did not appreciate the teasing, especially since he knew they were about to leave and wouldn't be able to follow through on the teasing.
"Where are we going?" Tom asked as Harry and Draco climbed from the bed to join him at the door.
"It's a surprise. And don't bother looking into our minds, Tom. It won't work."
"You've brought me to the dragon lady's house!" Tom hissed right outside the front door of the Burrow, and glared when both Harry and Draco began to snicker. It took them a moment to realize they weren't the only ones to have found that funny, and turned around to find the twins laughing as well.
Were they told who Tom is? They don't look like they know, Draco wondered.
I think whoever knows already is keeping it to themselves.
"Dragon lady. That's a good one, mate." One of the twins came up and stuck out his hand. "I'm George."
"Luther," Tom said after a moment.
"It's a pleasure, Luther. A real pleasure," said the redhead with a leering smile as he gazed at Tom from head to foot and back again before turning to his brother. "And this is my brother, Fred."
Tom turned to Draco. "Did he just…?"
"Yes. Yes he did," Draco replied with a snicker.
"Stop lying. You're Fred and he's George," Harry pointed out. The twins frowned.
"Harry, don't spoil all our fun."
Or their deaths. Draco's soft voice echoed in Harry's head. Harry shot Draco a glare.
Remember, Draco. I don't want to hear anything negative coming out of your mouth about the Burrow. No thoughts either or I swear I'll make you regret it!
I said I understand. You've only told me about a hundred times.
Just want to make sure you understand.
I'm not about to insult the Weasleys, unless it's Ronald Weasley. All the other Weasleys have grown on me…
Harry smiled and kissed Draco. Thanks. Draco smiled against his mouth, nodded, and then gripped Harry's hips to keep his mate against him. Harry's smile widened and he lifted an arm to drape it around Draco's neck, sliding his fingers into his mate's hair and kissed him again.
"This way, Luther. We'll give you the grand tour as it seems Harry and Draco are otherwise indisposed."
Fred and George ushered Tom inside, and as he passed the snogging Ukatae, Tom glared at the two for leaving him in the clutches of the Weasley twins, but they didn't notice as they were completely wrapped up in each other…once again.
"Mum! Harry and Draco are here with their new friend! His name's Luther!" Fred yelled, and steered Tom into the warm fragrant kitchen.
Molly Weasley's back was to them as she moved this way and that amidst a dozen or so pots and pans and trays, all filled to bursting with savory food that was making Tom's mouth water. Upon hearing her son's words, Molly spun around with a spoon clutched in her hands. Her smile turned into slack jawed surprise upon seeing Tom.
"Well…my word!" Molly approached and set the spoon down at the table, relieving Tom as he'd been watching it warily, having remembered Harry's complaints about how dangerous she was with it. Molly walked straight up to him and to his surprise she put her palms upon his cheeks and brought his face down to hers so she could study him closely. Her sons gave each other identical looks and wondered why their mother was acting so strange around the new boy. A new boy who was deliciously hot. They sincerely hoped he liked playing with the same sex.
"You've done a wonderful job…Luther was it?" she dropped her hands and beamed at him, though her smile was a little fractured. She didn't know how she was supposed to act. He was still Voldemort after all.
"Yes, Mrs. Weasley." Tom gave her a warm smile, realizing her worries and wishing to push them away.
"Yes, dear. Fabulous job." She patted his shoulder and then turned back to her stove.
"Er...Mum? What are you talking about? How do you know Luther? We just met him."
Molly waved the question away. "Go and get the girls from upstairs. I need help finishing dinner."
"We can help you, Mum," George said.
Fred hit him upside the head. "Idiot! You really want to stay in the kitchen and cook?" he hissed. George quickly shook his head, and he and his twin backed out of the kitchen, leaving Tom alone with the Weasley matriarch.
"You didn't tell them who I am," he stated as he moved to stand beside her. He really wanted to see what food was making his mouth water.
"Was it my place to say? Besides, the less people who know at the moment the better it will be for you, I imagine."
"I don't mind your family knowing, Mrs. Weasley. Most of them know already, and they have been a great help since I've made the alliance with Harry and Draco." Mrs. Weasley smiled to herself and continued to stir. "I will be going to Hogwarts this coming term."
Molly stopped her stirring and turned to face him. "Do you think that's wise?"
"Harry and Draco insisted, and if I go, they have one more person to look out for their safety," Tom said with a shrug. Surprisingly, Molly's eyes softened and her smile brightened.
"They mean something to you now, don't they? You care about them."
Tom frowned but nodded. "Apparently I do. They gave me a bloody conscience with this body."
Molly chuckled. He seemed seriously bothered by that. "And you are now completely young, is that correct?"
"Yes. I am eighteen. The only thing that is different from normal wizards my age is the fact that I have kept all my memories and abilities from…I guess I'll say past life from now on."
Molly nodded and turned back to her cooking. "You go on into the sitting room and try to socialize. You need to do that more now. Dinner will be some time from now. You three came early."
Tom immediately did as she asked, looking around as he did so. There was a thundering noise as people came running down the stairs, and Tom placed a firm hand on the nearest surface as if that would keep the walls from falling down. This home had to be the worst structured house he'd ever been in and that was saying something. However, it was clearly lived in and loved, and that seemed to make all the difference. Tom couldn't help but like it, despite the cramped quarters. He watched as Hermione, Ginny, Pansy and the twins rushed into the room. The girls passed him with a wave and a smile before going into the kitchen, while the twins came to him and pulled him over to the couch. He only allowed it because Molly had asked him to be sociable. One of the twins sat beside him and the other sat in a sagging chair across and picked up a Quidditch magazine.
"Which one are you?" he asked the one next to him. He'd already used Legilimency on him and knew, but Tom wanted to see if he'd tell the truth.
"Fred."
"Hmm. You told the truth."
"Of course, mate. Why wouldn't I?"
"I was told you never tell the truth."
Fred pouted dramatically. "And who told you such obvious lies?" he picked up a bowl of candies that was sitting on the old rickety coffee table and started to rummage through the bowl until he apparently found one he liked and popped it into his mouth. In a move of courtesy Fred handed the bowl to Tom, who stared at the brightly colored candies.
"Mum makes the best candies, doesn't she George?"
George had his head buried behind a Quidditch magazine, but he gave an affirmative nod. "Try the yellow ones, Luther. Those are my favorite ones."
"The yellows don't look like candy."
"They are custard candies. Cream filled. Go on. They taste great!"
Tom didn't think there was anything strange about the way Fred and George were acting and because he was fond of sweets, he found a yellow one and picked it up. He missed the gleeful look in Fred's eyes as well as George's discreet look from over the magazine and brought the candy to his mouth.
Harry and Draco walked into the house then after having spent several glorious minutes snogging in front of the Weasleys front door. Harry saw what was happening and he went into panic overload. He stretched his hand out to accio the candy, but instead of catching the one Tom had, he instead caught the candy bowl and had it zooming towards him. It would have smacked him in the face had Draco not caught it. After recovering from that close call, Harry saw he was too late. Tom had plopped the whole thing in his mouth and was already chewing. Harry ran over and started yelling, "spit it out, Tom! Spit it out!" Of course, that did no good either. Seconds later a giant canary replaced the form of Tom. The twins burst out laughing, and when Harry looked over at his mate, he found Draco hunched over laughing as well.
"Shut it, you three!"
"What's the problem, Harry? It's just a joke."
The giant canary's eyes were pinned on the twins with a deadly glare, though he made no move towards them.
"You're going to want to run away now," Harry said seriously.
"Have we missed something?" George wondered.
"Yes." Draco came over and wiped the tears of mirth away. "You've just hexed the Dark Lord into a canary! Merlin, Tom. That's a very good look on you."
"The…Dark Lord?" both twin's faces lost all color as they stared horrified at the molting figure before them.
"Luther is really Tom Riddle," Harry replied quietly, secretly amused by the whole situation. He had warned Tom after all.
"We're going to die now, aren't we?" Fred asked seriously. The bird croaked something and they took that as a yes. The twins began to back away and when they saw Tom change back and grab his wand, they took off running to the kitchen and out of the back door.
"Now, Tom… calm down before you decide to do anything rash," Draco said between snickers.
"How would you like it if I curse you into oblivion, Draco?"
"I wouldn't like that at all," he replied with a straight face.
"I did warn you. I told you to watch out for the twins. There is a reason why their shop is one of the most popular in Diagon Alley," Harry said.
"What's this about the Dark Lord and a yellow bird?" Pansy asked as she came back from the kitchen where she had been no help whatsoever. It wasn't her fault she'd never cooked one thing in her entire life.
"Tom ate one of the Canary Creams the twins produce."
"Ah." Pansy wisely refrained from grinning as Tom sent her a glare. She crossed over to give Harry a kiss on the cheek. And then she noticed Harry's snake wrapped around his neck. "What a gorgeous necklace, Harry!" She went to touch the snake's head that was lying on the end of its tail at the junction between Harry's neck and shoulder. The snake sensed the impending touch and lifted her head slightly. Pansy stepped back in surprise, but she looked more intrigued than scared. "Is it an enchanted necklace?"
Harry looked at his snake curiously. You do look like a necklace the way you're wrapped around my neck, he realized.
Do you wish me to move, Master?
No. I like where you are. "She's a real snake," Harry said to Pansy. "Tom gave her to me for my birthday. She is lovely, isn't she?"
Pansy nodded and then smirked at the expression on Draco's face. He looked like he was enjoying hearing Harry speak to the snake but at the same time didn't like the fact that the snake was wrapped around his mate's neck. "How's your back?" she asked. "I see you forwent your robes."
"Pain potion helps a little and it's better to just wear a loose fitting shirt than something tight. The robes would have rubbed against my back too much." Harry had chosen to wear tight fitting jeans and borrowed a dark blue shirt from Draco, and due to their size difference the shirt seemed to engulf his smaller frame like a tent.
"And it provides me easier access. I don't have to work so hard to get my hands up under the shirt."
"Draco. We don't want to hear it."
"Yes, that is far too much information." Tom turned and headed for the kitchen with every intention of going out to find the twins and exacting revenge upon them.
"You two, honestly," he heard Pansy saying as he walked away. "I guess you're always horny for each other because you spent the last six years fighting off your attraction."
"Or maybe it's because Draco is just so damn sexy I can't help myself."
Tom shook his head as he heard Draco's laughter.
"Why do you have your wand out?" Hermione asked Tom when he passed her. He simply gave her an evil grin. "Don't kill them!" she hissed quietly, sincerely worried that was his intention. Everyone had heard what happened from the twins as they sputtered on their way through. Molly looked over and pinned Tom with such a glare that he involuntarily shuddered. It must have been easier for her to do that since he looked like a normal teenager instead of an all-powerful Dark Lord. Maybe he made a mistake when he chose to revert back to eighteen.
"Hermione, I plan to do no such thing. I might not survive Mrs. Weasley's wrath." Convinced, Hermione nodded and returned to chopping up vegetables and Tom followed the twins out of the Burrow.
Spread before him was a large yard surrounded by a fence, hedges, and large gnarled trees. Just as he stepped off the porch, he heard two distinct pops that told him Fred and George had Apparated away. Tom returned his wand back into the folds of his robes and continued on out into the garden. Fred and George would eventually have to return. Tom grinned. He was looking forward to that.
He moved across the yard, unconcerned about any danger, as he, Draco, and Harry had put up strong wards around the Burrow and the surrounding area when they had arrived. It was a relatively large yard and there was a small storage shed off to the side. Beyond that he saw an orchard, which had makeshift Quidditch rings planted in the ground. He could imagine all the Weasley offspring out playing the game, laughing and enjoying their life, and for the first time that he could remember, Tom wondered what it would have been like to be part of a family like this.
He moved around the area and spent a great deal of time thinking of things like that. Things he would never have thought about before. Regret was hitting him like ten Bludgers all at once. He walked blindly, completely immersed in his thoughts, and didn't notice he'd come to the front of the house until voices brought him back to the present. He looked up to find Severus, Sirius, and Lucius standing in the yard. Lucius was standing in between a bickering Severus and Sirius, and he looked like he was about ready to hex his husband and his friend.
"Once again, your ignorance astounds me, Black. How did you ever make it out of the veil?"
"Don't ever speak to me about that again, Snivellus!" Sirius barked.
When Severus mentioned Sirius' time in the veil, Lucius went pale and clutched onto Sirius' arm as if that would prevent the Animagus from ever leaving him again. Tom recalled that event. He remembered Lucius' reaction, and though Lucius had hid his pain very well, it had been blatantly obvious to the Dark Lord and Severus. It had been worse because Lucius had been there, in the Department of Mysteries. Only a few short feet away from his ex lover. And even though he and Sirius hadn't been together for years by then, Lucius had still been inconsolable for a very long time. Perhaps all the way until the point when he'd found out that Sirius had returned. And the only reason why Lucius hadn't killed Bellatrix was because he knew Tom wouldn't have approved.
Tom continued to watch, unnoticed, as Sirius turned to Lucius and upon seeing his face paler than normal, and guessing at his thoughts, he threw his arm around Lucius' shoulders, shot one last glare at Severus, and then led Lucius into the Burrow.
"Stupid mutt!" Severus sneered. Tom approached him and watched him with a blank face. Severus nodded to him and then blinked when Tom merely continued to watch him. "Yes?" he snapped. Tom raised an eyebrow.
"Why don't you two drop the school yard rivalry already? It's getting old and we really have no time for it." Tom turned and walked into the house, smirking when he heard Severus curse behind him.
Upon entering the house, he found Fred and George had returned and were sticking close to Harry and Draco, as if that would give them extra protection. He purposely ignored them to instate a false sense of security. He looked around and noticed two more redheads in attendance. Arthur and Charlie Weasley. Both men looked at him as he entered. Charlie came over and shook Tom's hand, and Tom realized it had been an unnecessary point to tell the Weasleys a fake name as they already knew who he was, except for Ronald Weasley and the twins. Fred and George were aware now, and Ronald Weasley chose to spend the night at a friend's house, so it really wasn't a point anymore.
Arthur Weasley wasn't as welcoming as Charlie and only gave him a slight nod. Tom understood Mr. Weasley's reluctance and wariness of having him in his home and around his family. The wizard was still upset over the fact that Tom had sent Nagini to kill him when he was guarding the room that supposedly held a prophecy about Harry and himself.
Tom sat down on a couch and was surprised when Charlie came to sit next to him. He caught Charlie eyeing the kitchen warily as he sat.
"So, how do you like the new body?" Charlie finally asked.
"It is suitable." Tom stared blankly, hardly blinking, across the room at the twins, who were doing their best trying to look like they didn't notice him when in fact they were aware of his every move. He did plan on some sort of revenge, but nothing that would do them any lasting harm. They had been a great help to him and the Ukatae already, and the prank they pulled had been harmless really. Perhaps he was offended because he'd been so easily tricked. But then again, that was their forte, wasn't it? That's why they had such a booming business. Harry said they were brilliant when they put their minds to it. Tom decided he would make plans to test that out in the future.
"You'll protect us from him, won't you, Harry?" George implored with the biggest puppy dog eyes Harry had ever seen.
"Um…no."
"Draco…" Fred started batting his eyes at the tall blond. Taller than even he and his brother now. And broader. That was a bit odd… and arousing. Fred couldn't help but be a bit envious of his little adoptive brother.
"Don't even think about it."
"Why the hell didn't you tell us he was Tom Riddle from the beginning?" the twins asked in sync. Draco and Harry looked at each other and grinned.
"Honestly, we wanted to see if something like this would happen," Draco answered.
"Yeah." Harry looked over at Tom who was conversing with Charlie. "Didn't think he would actually fall for any of your tricks."
"But look on the bright side. Now you can boast that you turned the Dark Lord into a canary." The blond Ukatae smirked. "It can be a huge selling point for you."
"Are you insane, Draco? No way are we going to tell anyone that," Fred said, waving his arms around hysterically.
"We'll be dead by the end of the night, so it doesn't matter anyway," George mourned, looking at the glaring Tom.
"Perhaps." Harry gave them an evil grin. "But I wouldn't try to Apparate again. We've put a block on your apparition ability."
Fred and George's mouths dropped open. "You're evil."
"Thank you."
Finally Harry took pity on them, as they seriously believed they were going to be dead by the end of the night. "Tom won't kill you. Stop worrying."
"Right. That's easy for you to say." The twins banded together and disappeared up the stairs.
"Love, did you really stop their apparition ability?"
"Hmm…oh, no. Just said that to scare them a little," Harry answered, his mind and ears preoccupied as soon as the twins had left them alone.
Harry was very aware of Mr. Weasley's anger and noticed him dragging Molly off to talk. Harry sat down across from Tom and closed his eyes, ignoring everyone else's conversations and focused on Arthur and Molly's dialogue. Draco, having an idea of what Harry was doing, moved on into the kitchen to see what the girls were up to.
"Molly, dear. I'm just having a bit of trouble understanding how you could invite them- him –here," Harry heard upon picking up the couple's voices. "After everything You-Know-Who has done to this family, to your family!" Harry looked at his hands in his lap. Arthur was no doubt speaking about Molly's deceased brothers.
"If you would talk to Tom, you would see he isn't the same-"
"Tom is it?" Harry was glad Arthur's voice sounded amused. "But he still did all those things!"
"Arthur Weasley! I thought you understood the need to give people second chances. Don't you think Tom deserves a second chance? After all, no one ever gave him a first chance, did they? He really is an eighteen year old boy now, and he has his soul back. I intend to see he gets a support system!"
"Just like Harry and Draco?" again, Arthur's voice was amused, and Harry could hear the love he had for his wife there as well. Harry breathed a sigh of relief. He'd been afraid Arthur would have behaved just like Ron.
"Yes, just like those two."
"You're determined to adopt every single child who hasn't had a loving motherly upbringing, aren't you, love?" Arthur sighed. "I suppose if Harry thinks You-Know-Who has redeeming qualities, then so shall I. I do trust Harry's judgment. And I guess I'll tolerate Lucius Malfoy as well. Maybe being married to Sirius will curve his insults."
Harry grinned when he heard Molly snort. Harry agreed with her. No one could change Lucius Malfoy, not even his husband. He pulled out of Arthur and Molly's discussion and looked around, wondering where Severus, Lucius, and Sirius had gone. He'd seen them come in, and all of them had been in bad moods.
They are out back. Mrs. Weasley told them to set up tables back there.
Harry nodded even though Draco couldn't see him. He turned his eyes to the two sitting on the couch opposite him and watched Tom and Charlie interacting.
Tom caught Charlie eyeing the kitchen again, and he was intrigued. "You study dragons, correct?"
"Er…yeah. The colonies in Romania."
"So explain to me why you look like the kitchen holds death. There is nothing but women in there."
Harry sniggered, knowing exactly why Charlie seemed nervous of the kitchen.
Charlie blushed and looked away. "Scary," he mumbled.
"I agree. Your mother can be very scary."
"No, it's that Slytherin witch."
"Parkinson?" Tom raised an eyebrow. "You're joking."
"Do I look like I'm joking?" Charlie snapped. Then he realized whom he was talking to and scooted away a bit. "Sorry."
"What is so scary about a school girl?"
"They just come out and say things… When I was at Hogwarts, girls were never so direct."
Harry rolled his eyes. "Merlin, Charlie. You act as if your time at Hogwarts was centuries ago. It's only been a few years," he said, standing up. "I never knew you were so old fashioned. So prudish."
Harry heard Tom's snort and Charlie's sputtering, but didn't wait around for a reply. He quickly went into the kitchen where Pansy was once again trying a hand at cooking. Harry stood in the doorway and leaned against the frame, smiling when he saw Draco was also trying to help. Both Slytherins were more a hindrance than help and Hermione, Ginny, and Mrs. Weasley were looking on with a mixture of amusement and horror.
"No not like that, Pansy. You have to cut them into little pieces," Draco drawled as if he were a professional cook when Pansy started cutting carrots into big cubes.
"I'm not going to listen to you, Draco dear. You've never cooked anything your entire life."
"Well neither have you! Push over, I don't want any of your carrots in my stew!"
"It really doesn't matter how you cut the carrots…" Ginny ventured into their discussion, but quickly backed away when they both glared at her.
"Pay attention to how you stir, Draco! You're getting the stew all over the counter!" Pansy pointed at the one drop of stew on the counter.
"I don't need you to tell me how to stir. It's just like a potion…"
Harry snickered and passed them, heading out to the back yard where he found one small table set up, with all three wizards sitting around it. Lucius and Sirius were sitting beside one another, with Severus sitting across. Severus and Sirius were glaring at each other and no one was saying a word. Harry conjured a chair and set it up next to his uncle.
"What's going on?" he asked as he sat down. "I thought you were supposed to be setting up tables. One small table is not what Mrs. Weasley meant."
"They are trying to work out their differences," Lucius supplied.
Harry took a minute to study his godfather and uncle. "Less glaring and more talking might help," he advised and ducked before Severus could hit the back of his head.
"I said the same thing. They don't seem to hear."
"They're both very stubborn." Lucius nodded in agreement
"Excuse me. Stop talking as if we're not here," Sirius said.
"I have an idea. Sirius, you start by apologizing for all the taunts and pranks you pulled on Severus." Harry held his hand up when Sirius opened his mouth, effectively cutting off any words the Animagus might have said, because Harry was sure it wasn't going to be an apology. "And Severus you do the same thing."
"I have nothing to apologize for. He started it."
"Then apologize for continuing on with it. Really, if Draco and I can get over our differences…"
"That's completely different!" Sirius barked. "You two are soul mates."
"Just try, please." Harry gave his godfather a smile that would have shamed the sun, and both Sirius and Lucius blinked rapidly.
"Err…what were we talking about?" Sirius asked, looking at Lucius, who was staring at Harry with glazed eyes. They both looked confounded.
With the smile still plastered on his face, Harry turned to Severus. "Please apologize and get along. Please, Uncle Sev." Harry made his eyes wide, brilliant green jewels sparkling at the Potion Master from under long thick eyelashes. Severus began to blink rapidly, and then he turned to Sirius.
"I apologize."
"Now you, Sirius," Harry said and pinned Sirius was the same look.
"I'm sorry."
Lucius was the first one to recover, as Harry wasn't looking at him anymore. "That is a… useful skill. Dangerous for the rest of us, but very useful."
May I move around, Master?
Of course, lovely. But stay close.
Lucius watched as the snake on Harry's neck began to move. He'd previously thought it had simply been an ornament. The snake unwrapped herself and slithered down his arm. When it was on the table she began to enlarge.
"What kind of snake is that?"
"A viper. One of Nagini's offspring. Tom breeds them and she's a special one."
"What's her name?" Lucius asked, putting his elbows on the table and leaning in to peer at the snake. Harry grinned when his snake began to preen under Lucius' gaze.
"Where the bloody hell did that snake come from?" Sirius exploded, finally coming to his senses.
"Quiet! She might bite you if you scare her." Lucius put a hand on the table, his palm facing up and smirked when the snake slithered onto his hand, shrinking in size to fit completely in his palm.
"She's mine. Tom gave her to me. I haven't named her yet. Oh, and she won't bite unless I say."
"You should give her a name already," Sirius said, leaning down so his nose was nearly touching the snake's head. She lifted her head and flicked her tongue out to his nose. "Did Voldemort make her just for you? She looks just like you…well, except she's a snake. But with the black scales and those eyes…."
"Tom says he always planned to give her to me, but before we made the alliance, she was supposed to kill me."
" …"
" …"
" …"
"You wanna run that by me again," Sirius finally spoke, his voice a low growl and he began to glare at the innocent snake, which had yet to do anything bad.
"She was meant to assassinate me. But we all know that would never have worked out," Harry ended with a smug smirk, looking at Lucius.
"Probably not. You have too much good luck," The blond returned.
"How can you talk about it as if it were a joke, pup? He wanted this snake to kill you. How do you know his intentions have changed?"
"You're not using your head again, Black." Severus put his hand on the table and allowed the snake to slither onto it, and brought her up to his face to inspect her closely, while Lucius' hands disappeared beneath the table.
"Because Tom doesn't have those hateful feelings for me anymore and he gave her to me as a birthday present. Besides, we took a Wizarding Oath that prevents the three of us from backstabbing each other. So he couldn't try and kill me even if he wanted to. Which he doesn't."
Sirius didn't seem to be finished with the argument and he tried to say something else, only his voice got caught in the back of his throat. Harry raised an eyebrow. Why was Sirius' face red all of a sudden? Sirius opened his mouth again, but then shut it with a snap and tightly closed his eyes. Harry looked at Lucius for an explanation, but the man's cold mask was firmly in place and his look of unconcern was completely normal.
"Padfoot? You okay?"
Sirius merely nodded and let his head drop to the table with a loud bang. Severus looked at Lucius, and then sneered at both of them before turning to Harry. "You should name her."
"Ah, yes…um…?" I should name you. Or…do you already have a name?
It is for the Master to name the familiar.
Oh. Harry wracked his brain for a brilliant name to give her, as he was already thinking that she was brilliant and deserved a name that fit, but he couldn't think of anything off the top of his head.
"I never had any trouble at all naming Hedwig." I can't think of anything at the moment.
You can continue to call me Lovely. I quite like when you call me that.
But that's not really a name. It's a term of endearment.
I like it.
Harry beamed at her. "She will be known as Lovely!"
"A good name. Simple. Very deceptive but also accurate," Lucius put in, and then smirked when Sirius, his head still planted on the table, groaned and his fingers tightened on the edge of the table. Harry's eyes went wide and only then noticed that Lucius' hands were under the table.
Severus swiftly stood and grabbed Harry's arm, pulling him up as well. "You're a bad influence!" he snapped to the married couple before dragging Harry back to the house.
"Molly," Severus said upon seeing Mrs. Weasley at the stove. "Lucius and Sirius are being inappropriate and setting a bad example for my nephew, and they have only set up one table."
Molly immediately dashed out to the back, leaving Severus smirking behind. Hermione was the only one left in the kitchen with Severus and Harry, and she cocked her head and peered at her... Harry wondered if boyfriend was the correct term. Just thinking about that made him shudder.
"Never took you for a tattle tale, Severus," she said sweetly. Harry thought it odd that her eyes flickered uncertainly when she looked at his uncle. What was going on now?
Severus smirked at her. He then grinned maliciously when Molly's scolding voice crashed in on them from outside, along with whelps from Sirius and outraged curses from Lucius. His grin soon faded, however.
"SEVERUS! YOU COME BACK OUT HERE AND HELP WITH THE TABLES LIKE I TOLD YOU TO!"
"Ha ha! That's what you get!" Harry said. Severus glared, removed Lovely from around his wrist and gave her back to Harry. He nodded to Hermione, then left to help with the tables.
"He's a prude, isn't he?" Harry asked once Severus had left the kitchen.
"I suspect so," Hermione replied with a glare at the floor. "And you thought I was bad, but he… I'm only able to get reactions from him when I use Slytherin tactics, and I'm a Gryff so it's not like I know too many. And he's basically been ignoring me tonight. Hasn't said one word to me the entire evening!"
"I'm not too comfortable with this topic," Harry began as he moved to lean against the counter beside her and watched as Lovely removed herself from his body and slithered away into another part of the Burrow. "But I think Severus likes it when you get all high, mighty, and most of all a little bit evil."
"Really?" Harry had her complete attention now.
"Well yeah. Don't you remember at Tom's return party when you were up threatening people with your abilities… I was really impressed by the way. You can't tell me you didn't see how Severus was looking at you after that."
Hermione blushed, remembering all too well. "And yet, he still did nothing afterwards. And now he's ignoring me."
Harry felt the frustration coming from his best friend, but he didn't know what to say, and he was glad when there was suddenly a distraction coming from the living room.
"Hey! Who invited Zabini?"
"Mum did, so pipe down Fred!" Ginny hollered.
Harry made his way out of the kitchen and left Hermione to her work. The witch was just like Molly and enjoyed cooking when she was angry. Draco and Ginny were greeting Blaise at the door and the dark Slytherin gave his girlfriend a red rose then clapped his friend on the back. Harry's lips twitched in annoyance at the slight contact, but otherwise he was able to restrain the impulse he had to rip Blaise's throat out.
"Be right back," Blaise said. "I want to go give your mother these." He pulled a bundle of wild flowers out from behind his back.
"She's out back," Harry supplied.
"Thanks mate." Blaise waved at everyone on his way through, stopping for a moment to grin at Pansy, who had just cornered poor Charlie Weasley and was laying on the charm thickly. Blaise shook his head. The wizard was lost. He should tell Weasley to just give it up. Looking at Draco, he saw the blond was thinking the same thing.
Fred and George rushed away up the stairs, taking three steps at a time in their haste to get out of the room. Harry realized they were running because when Tom got up, he headed straight for them, and he didn't stop when they flew up the stairs.
Charlie had gone rather pale when Pansy took the seat beside him and the Dark Lord had simply smirked at Charlie as he left.
"Hello Charlie. I'm happy to see you again." Pansy brought a hand up to her hair and swept her bangs away from her bright twinkling eyes.
"Err…yeah?"
"Yes. Thank you so much for safely delivering me to Malfoy Manor."
"You're welcome." Charlie looked over at Harry and Draco for help, but they were both giving him unhelpful smirks.
"Although I have my Apparition license already," Charlie's eyes widened, "it was nice being accompanied by you." Pansy started to bat her eyelashes, and gave him a coy look. She sensed Charlie was preparing to escape, and so put a firm hand on his arm. "You train dragons don't you? I simply love dragons. That's probably the only reason why I became friends with Draco. Because I like his name. I mean, with his personality, I wouldn't have even bothered otherwise."
"Oi!"
"Well actually, we don't train the dragons. We simply study their behavior and protect them from being hunted into extinction."
"They live in colonies, isn't that right? It's true that they live as a family unit, correct?"
Charlie looked surprised for a moment, and then he actually relaxed. Talking about dragons was easy for him, and since Pansy hadn't been lying about being fascinated by them, they fell into a very nice interlude.
"Yes, the colony I'm studying now is very large, and even has grandparent figures who are well over two hundred years old…."
"Let's go check on the twins," Harry said, and he and Draco made their way up the stairs and met Tom at the door of one of the rooms.
"Watch out for the slugs," he said to them before disappearing down the stairs again. The Ukatae entered what used to be Fred and George's room and spotted two small slugs making their way towards the door, twin trails of slime following after them.
"Eww!" Draco sidestepped them. "Harry you deal with those twats. I don't want to get my hands dirty."
Harry rolled his eyes. "You wouldn't get your hands dirty." He used his wand to do Finite, but that didn't work. "Hmm…. I wonder if it's supposed to be permanent," he thought aloud. The twins' anxiety and outrage doubled at Harry's words.
"Let's leave them like this. At least until after dinner so we don't have to worry about being pranked throughout the night."
"Draco, be nice and go ask Tom how to undo this."
When Draco left, Harry dropped his smile and grimaced. His back was getting worse; the pain was nearly unbearable. He could feel the wings trying to push through his skin. It wouldn't be long now, anyway. At least he wouldn't have to deal with the pain for much longer. But he had a feeling it was going to get worse before it got better.
"He refuses to cooperate," Draco said when he returned.
"He can't mean to leave them like this. Their prank only lasted a minute." Draco shrugged and seemed unconcerned. "Fine then. We'll just bring them down and show Mrs. Weasley what he did to them." Harry conjured a box and floated the two slugs into it. "I'm sure she'd like to see."
When they returned downstairs, Tom came up and sneered into the box. "What do you plan to do with them?"
"We're going to show their mum."
Tom immediately grabbed the box. "No. No need to do that."
"Then turn them back." By this time, those in the living room, Ginny, Blaise, Charlie, and Pansy were all watching.
"I don't want to. They deserve it."
"That's just what I said," Draco put in. From the corner of his eye he caught Harry gritting his teeth, but when he turned to fully look at his mate, Harry instantly relaxed his face and avoided Draco's gaze. Stupid Gryffindor, Draco thought. Didn't Harry realize he knew him too well?
"Mrs. Weasley!" Harry yelled.
"Alright, fine! Merlin, you're no fun."
Tom dropped the box to the ground and whipped out his wand. He moved it around in a complicated and intricate pattern, and everyone watched as the slugs grew to be human sized, the box collapsing as they grew within it, before they returned back into humans. Fred and George lay there, sprawled on their stomachs, groaning and covered in slug slime.
"That's really disgusting," Ginny said.
"And it stinks!" Pansy exclaimed and quickly pinched her nose.
The twins pulled themselves up and everyone expressed their disgust as they watched the thick slime drip down Fred and George's bodies.
"You better clean that up quick or Mum will have your heads," Charlie said, not bothering to hide his enjoyment of their disgust.
Fred turned to Tom, while George busily scourgified them and the floor. "Thanks for not killing us, but were you really going to leave us like that?"
"You'll never know."
Harry moved to the kitchen once again to get away from Draco, as he was sure the blond would soon be able to see the pain he was in, and he didn't want Draco worrying about it or trying to make him go home. The bloke was really very protective, and Harry really didn't want to go home yet. He was enjoying his time back at the Burrow.
"Hermione, will you go out and light up the yard?" Molly asked the witch as he entered the kitchen.
"Of course." Hermione looked over and noticed Harry. "Would you like to help me, Harry?"
"Not particularly. I'll stay here and help Mrs. Weasley with whatever else needs to be done."
"All the food has been prepared already," Hermione said.
"Then I'll just taste some of it and talk to Mrs. Weasley. Is that alright?" he asked Molly.
"Of course. Here dear, try this. You need to eat more." Molly shoved a plate of biscuits under Harry's nose. Hermione cursed him under her breath as she breezed out into the darkened backyard. She hadn't noticed Lucius and Sirius coming back in and when she saw they weren't out in the back, she briefly wondered where they had gone.
She thought a moment about what kind of lightening they would need. She didn't want something that would be too bright, but enough light would be needed in order for everyone to see each other and the tables. She was happy to see all the tables had been set out side by side in a long line. Deciding on the lighting she wanted, Hermione crossed over to the first hedge closest to the house and began creating small pixie lights and spreading them throughout the bush. She worked quickly as there were many bushes, and she cursed Harry explicitly for not helping.
"That type of language does not become you," Severus said from behind. Hermione sneered at the bush in front of her.
"Push off, Severus. I need to concentrate. You've chosen the worst time to finally come and speak to me."
"Would you like my help?" Severus asked, ignoring her tone.
"Do I look like I need help?" she asked without turning around. She heard the crunch of leaves as Severus approached, and trembled when a finger caressed the back of her neck. She'd bundled her hair at the top of her head, leaving a few strands to frame her face and a few curls had fallen loose and lay against her nape. Severus eyed the bare flesh almost reverently.
"Yes you do."
Hermione scowled and jerked away from his touch. Severus moved away to start copying her lighting technique in the bushes she hadn't gotten to yet. She eyed him for a moment, and considered sending a hex his way. The wizard was a genius when it came to most everything, but could he honestly be this stupid in regards to a woman's wants? Or had he deliberately been ignoring her? With a sigh, Hermione went back to her lights.
After the bushes were completed, she conjured a dozen candles to float above the tables. Finally when all the lights were done and the dinner tables were awash in a golden glow, Hermione found Severus was staring at her with an intense look she didn't understand.
"What would you do if I suddenly hexed you, Severus?"
"Excuse me?"
Hermione sat down at a table and leaned back in a seemingly relaxed state, a small smile playing at her lips. "I asked what would you do if I hexed you. Like this..." she flicked her wand and cast a stinging hex at him. "Or this?" she raised her wand again.
"I warn you, Hermione…don't."
"Or you'll do what?" she stood and faced him, her eyes gone hard. Severus had only seen that look a couple of times, and it was indeed a look the Dark Lord must have taught her, because he couldn't help be just a little worried. Severus' eyes widened when his arm suddenly burned painfully. He touched the spot where the pain came from and drew his hand back to find a small amount of blood on it.
He looked up with wide eyes when Hermione began to laugh; a bone chilling cackle. "I really like that spell." She dropped the cackle for a giggle. "I'm glad Tom taught me the nonverbal version. He teaches me a lot, you know. Some things you probably wouldn't expect, things you probably wouldn't like either. You may think he's stepping into your territory." She was all but purring at him now, purposely insinuating something was going on between herself and Tom Riddle.
Severus heart rate had sped up the moment she'd hexed him, and the blood had left his face to fuel other parts of his body. Hermione waited patiently for Severus to say something and most importantly, do something, and when he didn't, she sighed, shook her head, and then went back into the house.
"You're clueless, Snape! And I thought all Slytherins were supposed to be smart," Sirius said, coming out with Lucius from behind one of the bushes. Severus ignored them and healed the small wound Hermione had caused.
"You really are an idiot," Lucius said as he passed. Severus scowled and slumped into a chair and glared at their retreating backs.
"Snape's a virgin, isn't he, Luce?" Sirius whispered loudly.
"Black! I swear I'm going to kill you!"
When Severus finally returned to the house, he found it empty and eerily quiet. "Where the bloody hell did everyone go?" Even Molly had deserted the kitchen. He moved through the house and stepped out onto the front porch, straining to hear something, anything. He was beginning to get worried when Harry came running around from the side of the house.
"Uncle Sev!" he hissed. "Come here. Quickly!"
"Are you alright? Where is everyone?"
"Everyone is fine, but something strange is happening. You have to come and see this. You'll never believe it unless you see for yourself. Oh Merlin, it's unbelievable! C'mon!" Harry finished his excited babbling then turned around and disappeared once again.
Severus quickly followed and was intrigued when he saw everyone was quietly standing at the side of the old garage. "What is the meaning of this?"
"Shhh!" Several people hissed at once. Harry reached out and pulled Severus up to the front where he had turned the wall transparent. They could see in, but those in the garage could not see out. Severus was thunderstruck when he noticed who was inside and due to a spell from Tom, they could all hear what was being said.
"I'm amazed you've gathered all these useless muggle items, Weasley," Lucius said staring at all the broken down muggle items laying around the garage.
"I agree they are useless now, but when they work, I assure you they are anything but useless, Malfoy," Arthur replied good-naturedly, his excitement of all things muggle making him forget about the animosity that had always been between them. "Take this for instance. This is called a sale cone…" he held the object up for Lucius to see.
Harry snorted. "It's a cell phone." Mr. Weasley still hadn't learned the proper names for things.
Lucius took the broken cell phone and studied it closely. "And what does a sale cone do exactly?"
Arthur grinned and bounced on his toes in his excitement to show off his collection, drawing a sneer from the tall blond. "Muggles use it to communicate with each other. They can talk to each other instantly from wherever they are, no matter the distance. I believe it's called tecindology… or something."
"Instantly, you say?" Lucius' study of it seemed more intense now. "Just like our two way mirrors…"
"Yes, just like those. See, just like magic is the heart and soul of our world, this tecindology is the heart and soul of theirs. They really aren't as stupid as you think they are. But without magic, they've had to adapt in other ways…"
"Interesting… Can you show me more of this tecindology?"
"Somebody pinch me," Draco whispered. "I think I'm dreaming."
"Me as well," Molly and Sirius said at once.
"How did this happen?" Severus asked as they continued to watch Arthur show Lucius his collection of muggle artifacts. "And why does Lucius seem so interested?"
"Father always gets that look when he's thinking about business."
"Business?" Harry looked at his mate and Draco nodded. "Wonder what he's thinking."
"They were bullied into getting along," Tom answered Severus' question. "We didn't really think it would work. How Mr. Weasley got Lucius in there in the first place is a mystery."
"All right all." Molly clapped her hands. "Now that we've been entertained, we can have dinner now." She opened the garage door and several people snickered upon seeing Lucius' deer-caught-in-headlights look.
"You are so busted!" Fred and George exclaimed, before dissolving into laughter.
"Imagine the great Lucius Malfoy interested in something muggle," Hermione said with a cheeky grin.
"Say cheese!" Ginny pulled a camera out of nowhere and took a picture before Lucius had a chance to move. Then she looked at Blaise. "How much do you think the Prophet would pay me for this?"
"Little Weasley, I'm warning you now. If I find that in the paper it'll be your head." Lucius swept passed everybody with his nose in the air and proceeded to ignore all the taunting.
"I want a copy of that," Harry said to Ginny.
"Me as well."
"Same here."
Almost everyone demanded a copy of the picture and Ginny promised to distribute the picture once developed for a small fee.
"Zabini is corrupting her! Imagine making her own flesh and blood pay for a little picture."
"It's a monumental picture," she replied to Fred.
"That was funny," Harry told Draco while taking his hand, and they all headed to the back yard. Since he hadn't helped Hermione with the lights, Harry offered to help her set the table, and she just glared at him.
"All you have to do is wave your stupid wand. It's not any work at all," she snapped. Harry shrugged and waved his stupid wand, dressing the tables in a dark green tablecloth, and then added the tableware and then the copious amount of food.
When everyone was seated, Harry watched as all the guests began to load their plates and felt such peace and happiness watching them all. A year ago he would have checked himself into the St. Mungo's psych ward had he come across a gathering like this. First of all Arthur sat at one end of the connected tables with Lucius sitting beside him, and since Lucius had been caught discussing muggle things with Arthur, he did not hide the fact that he was interested in Arthur's collection, and they continued with their discussion as they ate. Sirius sat beside his husband, gazing lovingly at him, pride shining clearly in his eyes. Harry knew what it meant to Sirius that Lucius was trying to make an effort with Arthur. And Arthur… Arthur looked delighted, especially since Lucius was sincerely interested.
Beside Sirius were the twins, talking with Blaise and Ginny who sat across from them. Molly sat directly across from her husband, and she was quiet for the most part, watching everyone as Harry was doing. Beside her was Severus, and then Tom, and both wizards were talking quietly about a potion. Blaise was beside Tom, and Ginny sat between her boyfriend and Harry, and of course Draco was right beside his mate. Beside Draco was Charlie, and across from Charlie was Pansy.
Draco, Charlie and Pansy were discussing the different types of dragons and where they usually made their habitations. Hermione was sitting at the end next to Pansy, and was being very quiet.
Unlike Harry and Molly, she wasn't enjoying the group gathering. She was hardly eating and stared blankly at her plate.
"Harry, your back?" Severus suddenly inquired, leaning back in his chair to look at his nephew.
Harry swallowed the food in his mouth before answering. "Fine, Uncle Sev." He caught Draco looking at him from the corner of his eye. "I swear I'm fine."
"Don't lie to me, Potter," he murmured quietly.
"How can I lie to you if you never asked anything, Draco?" he asked sweetly, batting his eyelashes and smiling as he had done before with Severus, Lucius, and Sirius. It didn't exactly have the same outcome though, as Draco didn't forget what was being said. The smile just clouded Draco's mind with lust and he had to summon all his self-control to keep himself from Apparating himself and Harry to some place private. By the time the smile's power had faded, Harry was already engaged in conversation with Ginny.
Draco rolled his eyes. Harry was really too stubborn sometimes. It was then as he looked around that he noticed the state Hermione was in. "You're not eating, Hermione."
"I'm not really hungry now. It's okay, Draco." She produced a smile he at once knew was a fake. He didn't have to be the most intelligent person on the planet to recognize why she was upset. Why the hell was Severus keeping his distance? He thought his godfather and Hermione had settled everything between them. Weren't they a couple now?
What is Severus doing sitting so far away from Hermione? Did he change his mind about her?
Harry looked over Ginny's shoulder and glared at Severus. The wizard must have felt the stare, because he immediately turned to Harry, and was startled at the look of death in Harry's eyes. I won't allow him to toy with her.
"Harry? Do you have something to say?" Severus asked as quietly as he could, even though three people sat between them, and all three heard and were listening.
"Not at this very moment," he replied and turned away.
After Draco's inquiry, Hermione tried to eat and act as if nothing was bothering her, and she started up a discussion with Draco about the Dark Arts. At one point during their discussion, Draco froze and his face went pale. "Draco?"
Draco didn't answer her. Instead he turned to Harry and spoke through clenched teeth. "Harry, love. Your very dangerous viper is slithering up my leg. Please remove her."
"Draco, you look like you are about to pass out," Pansy pointed out. Harry laughed and peered under the table where he saw Lovely was indeed slithering up his mate's leg.
Lovely, I think you've got the wrong person.
No, Master. I knew this was your mate. He's afraid of snakes?
It would appear so. Come here before he does something unbefitting for a Malfoy. Screaming like a little girl, for instance.
A little down the table, Tom laughed out loud, not even trying to conceal his amusement. "That would surely be a sight," he said.
Harry mentally agreed and wrapped Lovely around his neck, where she burrowed her head beneath his hair.
"You are making fun of me, aren't you?" Draco seethed. Harry used the smile once again to get out of having to lie to Draco. It worked to an extent. He only had Draco ignoring him for the rest of the meal.
Dinner soon ended, but mostly everyone sat at the table talking, in no hurry to move as everyone had stuffed themselves. Hermione and Molly were the only ones to move immediately, and Hermione helped Molly clean up before she said goodbye to all but Severus in the quickest possible manner, then Flooed back to her house, leaving everyone blinking in the whirlwind she left behind.
Hermione was glad Arthur had been able to connect her fireplace to the Burrow. It cut down tremendously on travel time. She promised herself the next day she would go and get her Apparition license. Once she was home, she went to her room, not bothering to speak to her parents, and allowed herself to cry out her frustrations.
Severus watched with a sinking heart as Hermione disappeared into the Burrow after having said goodbye to everyone but him, and as soon as they all recovered from the shock, fourteen pair of eyes turned on him, all of them glaring.
"What?" he snapped.
"Yes, Severus, exactly. What? What the bloody hell is wrong with you?" this came from Molly, who surprised the entire group.
"Mum, you cursed!" Ginny exclaimed.
"Not now, dear. I want to hear Severus' explanation."
"Why are you ignoring Hermione? She's been very patient with you. You can't be hot one minute and then go cold on her the next!" Sirius barked.
Severus glowered at them all and stood. "Thank you for the meal." He nodded curtly at Molly and returned to the house.
Harry immediately stood. "He's not getting away that easily." Harry went to kiss Molly's cheek, shook Arthur's hand, nodded to everyone. "I'll see you in a bit," he said to Draco before lightly kissing him and then he Apparated directly into Snape Manor and waited for his uncle there.
Severus was not surprised to find Harry waiting for him, and simply swept past him towards his study, with Harry following behind. He sat at his desk and leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes with a heavy sigh. Harry pulled up a chair, placed an elbow on the desk, and tucked a fist under his chin.
"Do you want to tell me what's going on?" Harry finally asked. Severus opened his eyes and directed his attention on Harry.
"I don't want to discuss my love life with you, Harry."
"What love life?" Harry practically yelled. "It looks like your love life is nonexistent!"
"Why must you be so nosy? I've already said I have no wish to discuss this with you."
"I'm being nosy because I love you," Harry said honestly and smiled when Severus' eyes widened. "Yes, that's right. I'll admit that I love my uncle; the greasy snarky git who is Severus Snape. And I love Hermione too. I'm not leaving until you explain yourself. Is it that you don't want to be with Mione? Because if that's true, then you should tell her."
"That's not it, Harry."
Severus sighed into his hands. Merlin, why was he having this discussion with a seventeen year old? He supposed he should get used to having to lay his feelings out for Harry, as the Gryffindor was now a permanent part of his life, and Harry never let up when he knew something was bothering someone he cared about.
"I don't understand your reply. What's not it?"
"I want Hermione in my life," he explained. "But she's young. Her feelings might change. I'm giving her the space and time to make that decision before I take things further."
"You're afraid to get hurt," Harry said, nodding. "That's all you had to say. You're afraid to get hurt."
"Don't make me sound like an insipid school girl."
"Then don't try to turn Hermione into one either. She's not a little girl. Hermione is a woman and she's made up her mind. She's thought about this and knows exactly what she wants, Severus. She always has." Harry began to wave his hands in the air in annoyance. "She's always the one to think things through, no matter what the situation, which really gets on my nerves, by the way. There is no need for you to take your time. The longer you take, the more she doubts herself."
"She shouldn't doubt herself…"
"That's easy for you to say. But when you feel about someone the way she feels about you, and then that person decides to ignore you, your world starts to crumble, piece by bloody piece."
"You're speaking from experience," Severus murmured and Harry nodded.
"Yes, and if Draco and I hadn't been forced together by the bond, I'm not sure we would have ever revealed our feelings to each other. And it hurt, Severus. It hurt so much to think Draco hated me. Tom tried to use that against me when I was in that magical coma. A fake Draco came to me and told me he would never want me, he could never love someone like me, and that he would be much happier if I remained trapped in the coma. If the real Draco hadn't shown up then, I would have stayed there, just because I thought it would have made the Draco in my mind happy.
"Last year… Last year was horrible, Severus. I was so depressed, watching Draco from afar. Having him ignore me… it hurt so fucking much, you have no idea."
Severus nodded and closed his eyes in thought. Harry didn't want to interrupt him so he stood and went to look at all the books lining the wall. The books easily bored him so he called for Merry a moment later and asked for some warm milk before moving on to the mahogany cabinet and opened it up and made Severus a drink.
"Here. Maybe you just need to calm your nerves." Severus accepted with a smile and drank it. He watched Harry move away again and smiled. He watched Harry for a moment more and frowned when Harry hissed in pain after having stretched his arms over his head, making his shirt shift over his back. Harry quickly dropped his arms and used the return of the house elf to keep from seeing if Severus had noticed his discomfort.
"Thanks, Merry. Oh and a cookie! Double thanks." Merry giggled and popped away, leaving a happy Harry munching on his cookie.
"Why is it every time you're here, you need to eat cookies?" Severus asked on his way over to Harry.
"Have you tasted these cookies?" Severus simply raised an eyebrow. "That's what I thought. They're bloody awesome! You should give Merry a raise!"
Severus shook his head in amusement. "You're getting excited about a cookie, Harry. What kind of self respecting dark creature are you?"
"Anyways… Have you finished thinking about your situation yet?" Severus nodded.
"Yes." And then he smiled. "I will apologize to Hermione about my behavior tomorrow. Now, I want to see your back." Severus moved to pull the back of Harry's shirt up, but the Ukatae quickly moved away.
"No, it's okay Uncle Sev. Hey, it's not too late. Why don't you apologize to Hermione tonight? She'll be able to sleep better. If I know her, she'll be up all night worrying," Harry said, working on his uncle's softer side, knowing full well that since he still wanted Hermione that meant Severus would not like her in any distress. "I know where she lives."
"I'm not going to her parent's home. Never going to happen."
"If you're serious about this relationship, you'll eventually have to go there," Harry pointed out. But Severus merely crossed his arms over his chest and shook his head.
Hermione's head popped up from her pillow the second she heard the pop of Apparition, and her eyes widened when she saw Draco smirking down at her. "Draco! What are you doing here?" It was strange that she did not find his sudden appearance in her bedroom disturbing; especially with what she was wearing as she'd changed for bed already. Probably because she knew him so well now. Still she was curious as to why he'd just popped in, and without Harry as well. For a moment she worried something had happened to Harry, but the smirk Draco was giving her indicated that that couldn't be the reason.
Instead of saying anything, Draco simply studied her for a moment. He frowned when he saw she'd been crying at one point. He pushed the worry away when he remembered why he was there in the first place. And look, she was dressed perfectly too! He laughed gleefully in his mind as he lunged forward, scooped her up, and Apparated away, even as she shrieked in outrage.
"Put me down this instant, Draco Malfoy! I'll gouge your eyes out!" she screeched the moment they'd reappeared in a room within his manor. Draco unceremoniously dumped her onto a velvet green Contessa style settee, smirked one last time, and Apparated out of the locked room.
"What the bloody hell is going on!" she yelled. Hermione stood up and marched to the door, ignoring the beautifully decorated Lounge she was in, only to find it heavily warded and locked, and dammit, she didn't even have her wand. Her chin dropped to her chest, and Hermione balled her hands into trembling fists. Her magic was being pumped and infused with her outrage and frustration of the situation; so much that the door started to shake from the pressure of it.
"You never cease to amaze me, Hermione. Where were you hiding all that power?"
Hermione closed her eyes, and if anything her fists clenched tighter. "I will kill those two," she hissed.
"I warned Harry you would not react well to being abducted from your home."
Severus studied the young woman from across the room and understood why she was so angry. She must have been in bed. Her hair was down and no longer straight, but back to its wild bushiness. He loved her hair like that; completely natural and untamed. She was dressed in a black tank top, revealing to him tanned toned arms and she wore small red/gold striped boxers, showing off her long sculpted legs. The least Draco could have done was see to it that she was dressed in more, but knowing his godson, Draco was probably laughing it up with Harry.
"Hermione, will you look at me?"
The witch had to force her body and mind to relax before turning around to face him. She cocked her hip, placed one hand there while her other arm wrapped around her stomach, and began to tap her bare foot impatiently. "And what do you want, Severus?"
Severus was upon her before she could even finish speaking, and she gasped when he pushed her against the door and covered her body with his. Those long fingers that she dreamed about constantly simultaneously caressed her neck and ran through her hair. The vision she'd made had wiped away any words he had planned to say.
"Severus!" she gasped again when he pushed his erection against her, wide surprised cinnamon eyes darkened and captivated him, and Severus wouldn't have been able to move away even if he wanted to. Instead, he dipped his head down and captured her lips in a smoldering kiss that had her moaning, the sounds coming deep from within her chest rising and swirling, trapping them both in an enthralling embrace. After a moment of coaxing, Hermione opened up to him and he swept his tongue inside, groaning as their tongues met and entangled, their tastes mixing. Severus tried to express in his kiss what he wanted to say in words and only hoped it was working. Apparently not.
Hermione regained her senses and pushed him away enough so that their lips were no longer locked together, but Severus refused the release his grip from where his arm had traveled to wrap around her petite waist.
"I demand you release me! After your abominable treatment of me, how dare you assume you can take that sort of liberty with me? You're a bore, Severus!"
"I'll admit, I probably deserve that," he whispered, his breath caressing her cheek. "But you don't understand how I was feeling."
"How could I? You're a tight-lipped wizard, Severus. How can anyone get to know-"
"Listen." Severus leaned forward until their foreheads were pressed together. "You're young, Hermione, and I'm…well I'm not young."
"You're not even middle aged yet! Not by Wizarding standards."
"Will you let me finish?" he asked with patience that he certainly didn't feel. Especially with her warm body still pressed against his. Then the little vixen shifted on purpose and smirked when he groaned and closed his eyes. Severus had to catch his breath before he could speak again.
"I thought perhaps you needed time before we moved further. I didn't want you to think… I simply wanted you to be sure you knew what you wanted because I'm very sure that when we move forward, we'll move forward quickly. "
Hermione felt as if her heart would burst out of her chest and she had to blink away tears. The look she gave Severus was so warm, so full of love, that he dropped the embrace and took a step back in surprise.
"Oh, Severus. Why didn't you just say you were afraid of heartbreak? You silly man!"
Severus scowled at the witch. This was the second time tonight he'd been accused by a blasted Gryffindor of being afraid. He would not stand for it. He was a bloody Slytherin for Merlin's sake!
"I thought we discussed this already," Hermione continued. "I've made my decision. I made it before I even thought you and I were possible and I will not change my mind." Hermione took his hand and led him back to the settee and pushed him onto his back, and then she straddled his lap. "I forgive you for ignoring me."
"Thank you."
Severus' large hands slid over the soft skin of her shoulders to caress her back, while Hermione's mouth was soft and warm upon his, drawing out all his long buried desires. As he allowed himself to drown in her attentions, Severus swore he would never run from Hermione again.
A/N: Edited 10/19/2011