As both Harry and Snape watched in astonishment the body slowly and gingerly pushed itself up into a sitting position and then unsteadily got to its feet whereupon it proceeded to haughtily brush soot off its torn clothes.
'Hello Draco.' Snape drawled, leaning against the door.
Draco Malfoy smiled as genuinely as he could through his bruised and battered lips.
'Hey Sev.' Draco replied hoarsely. 'Thought I'd drop in and see you.'
'Oh, isn't that sweet of you.' Snape said, sarcasm literally dripping off him. 'You could have made more of an effort with your appearance though.'
Draco was now standing more steadily and managed a bit more of a genuine smile. 'Oh, you know. I was just so excited to see you.'
'Of course you were.' Snape replied. 'Sit down before you fall down.' Snape turned away to go into his storeroom, leaving Draco to collapse gratefully into a chair.
Harry wasn't sure but it seemed that Draco hadn't even seen him yet and was now staring off into the distance. However when Snape walked back into the room holding three different bottles and some healing balm Harry knew quite well by now, Draco glanced in his direction and smirked.
'Hello Potter.' He said. 'Or should I say Snape?'
Harry just glared at him.
'Now, now Draco. Play nice.'
'Yeah, yeah.' Malfoy waved his hand carelessly. 'Are you gonna give me some of that?' He said, nodding towards one of the potions. 'Or do you enjoy making me suffer.'
Snape handed all three bottles to Draco but he only took the purple one and downed it quickly, sighing in relief and melting back into the chair.
'You need to take them all Draco, you know that.' Snape said.
'Yeah I know. Can I just have a bit of firewhiskey to wash the green one down with? You know how disgusting it is.'
'Yes I do, I did brew it. And of course you can have some pumpkin juice to wash it down with. Or would you prefer water?'
'No, firewhiskey would be fine.'
'Alright, Pumpkin juice it is.'
'Sorry I think you misheard me, I said firewhiskey.'
'Yes Draco, I heard you perfectly well. You don't need to repeat the words 'pumpkin juice' three times for me to hear you.'
At this point Harry had held I his laughter for too long and to the shock of the other two present was rolling around on the couch in hysterics.
---------
Finally Draco had swallowed the other two potions with the help of some pumpkin juice and Snape had healed the rest of his cuts and bruises with the balm. Afterwards Snape had transfigured the couch into a bed for Draco and had then had to drag him out of his room three times, as Draco had decided he was going to sleep in Snape's bed instead as it was bigger and more comfortable than the transfigured one.
Eventually of course, Snape won and all three settled down to sleep. Harry was still having his nightly occlumency lessons but they were hardly needed anymore.
The next morning Harry woke up late. He wandered into the living room expecting to find breakfast ready only to find both Snape and Draco sitting comfortably on the couch absorbed in a book each. Draco looked surprisingly well considering the state he was in when he flooed into the house last night.
'I'm afraid you've missed breakfast.' Snape said, without looking up from his book.
'Some party last night, eh?' Draco smirked up at Harry.
'Not that you would know, seeing as you weren't invited.' Harry replied before he could stop himself. Taking great satisfaction in wiping the smirk off the other boys face.
'Harry!' Snape admonished firmly, but Harry could tell his heart wasn't really in it. 'I need to go start on a potion but I'll be back for lunch but I like to think you two can hold off from killing each other until then.'
'Do you want any help?' Draco asked innocently.
Snape smiled. 'No thank you Draco. What I would like is for you two to find some common ground, you are on the same side now.'
Harry made a face at the same time Draco snorted.
'Good. I'm glad to see you're both going to be making an effort.' At that Snape left.
Draco went straight back to his book as if Harry wasn't there, leaving him sitting on the other couch picking bits of fluff from his trousers. 'I don't think reading a book is going to help us find some common ground.' Harry said finally, out of boredom more than anything else.
'Okay, you want to talk? What do you think of the composition of the extended polyjuice potion when substituting lacefly wings for lacewing flies?'
Harry stared at Draco for a couple of minutes. 'I didn't know there were any lacefly wings.'
'Yeah, that's because there aren't any. Laceflies don't have wings but the name makes people think they do.'
'Oh.' Harry said. 'Well I didn't know there was such a thing as a lacefly either.'
Draco laughed. 'I knew you couldn't be that clever. Lucky guess then I suppose.'
Harry shrugged.
'So are you going to tell me how your first dinner party was?' Draco asked with a slight mocking sound to his voice.
'Oh yeah it was just lovely. I met the Mad Hatter and the March Hare.'
'You … what?' Draco asked, puzzled.
'Forget it.' Harry said, waving his hand in dismissal.
'What did you do?'
Harry just shrugged.
'Did you meet anyone interesting?' Draco asked wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.
'What's that supposed to mean?' Harry asked.
'It means have you fucked anyone yet?'
'No.' Harry said in surprise. 'Why is sex the first thing anyone thinks about?'
'Because we're teenagers. That's what we do. Was there no one interested in the golden boy?'
'Well, someone did try to stick their tongue in my ear.'
'Who? Was that Goyle?'
Harry choked on air for a full minute before getting himself under control. 'No, eww. That's disgusting.'
Draco laughed. 'So who was it?'
'Someone called Lily-Anne.' Harry replied.
'Lilly-Anne Banks? That slut. She'd open her legs for anyone. But she's quite good looking if you like the thin fake type.'
'I don't and she's really annoying.' Harry replied.
'Of course she is.' Draco said. 'But that's the great thing about sex, you don't have to talk to her while you're doing it and afterwards she'll leave you alone 'cause she'll have got what she wanted.'
'Hmph, that's not my idea of sex.'
'Oh you want to "make love" or something stupid like that?'
'No, I just think that it should be with someone … why the hell am I telling you all this?' Harry suddenly realised he was talking to Draco Malfoy about some very personal things.
'Well I'm the only one here for you to talk to, unless you'd like to talk to your daddy about it. I mean he would know.'
'What's that supposed to mean?' Harry said angrily. He didn't even know why he was angry, it couldn't be on Snape's behalf.
'Yes Draco, what exactly is that supposed to mean?' A voice asked from behind Harry.
Draco swallowed nervously. 'Nothing … I mean … well, you shouldn't be listening in on private conversations.'
'Not even when you're talking about my sexual experience or about me giving my son sexual education?' Snape replied.
'Well God, he needs it. He still thinks of "making love" and all that shit. Like he is going to meet the perfect girl, fall in love and not have sex until their wedding day.'
'I do not think that!' Harry said in outrage.
'Perfect man then, eh?' Draco replied but before he could say more Severus called them over for dinner.
Harry felt that was quite a posh affair, probably for Draco's benefit. Harry took his cue from the other two in how to eat the different dishes, of which a salad was the only one he knew the name of.
Where did the pig that stuffs his face in the great hall go to?' Draco said sweetly, looking up at Harry.
Harry just held his head high and sniffed haughtily. 'I'm an aristocrat now.' He said in the poshest voice he could muster.
Draco laughed at that. 'You will never be that.' He said, putting on an even posher voice. 'My mother wouldn't even let you sit down at her table.'
'How rude.' Harry commented, still in his fake posh voice.
'How is your mother these days Draco?' Snape asked politely.
Draco smirked. 'Well, you should know, probably better than I do.'
Snape's eyes narrowed dangerously. 'Watch yourself there Draco or you may find I have a bit of your father in me.'
Draco swallowed nervously but went back to his meal.
Harry looked back and forth from one to the other in confusion but then decided it was not worth the risk of asking what that was all about.
After the two of them had helped Snape clear up they settled back into the lounge while Snape went back to his potion.
'The two looked at one another uncomfortably, having run out of things to say. Then Harry decided to break the silence.
'Want a game of chess?' He asked quickly, looking everywhere but at Draco.
Another thing to add to my letter to Ron and Hermione 'I asked Draco Malfoy if he wanted to play chess with me.
'Why not?' He shrugged.
And he said yes.
Harry went to get the chess set from the cupboard. 'Have you ever played with Severus's chess set before?' he asked with a smirk.
'No, why?' Draco asked.
'Oh, it's loads of fun, believe me.'
----------
After Draco had thrashed Harry quite nicely he splayed himself out on his chair, legs hanging over the end and a superior smirk on his face, very much like the Draco Malfoy Harry remembered.
'You're shit at chess.' Draco remarked.
'Thanks for telling me, I never knew that.' Harry lay out on the couch too, trying to mimic Draco's actions.
'Listen,' Harry started. 'I'm sorry about … that bathroom incident. You know with the …' Harry made a slashing motion with his hand.
Draco waved his hand as of to say forget it. He took out a packet of cigarettes from his pocket and lit one with a flick of his wand. He inhaled deeply and then blew the smoke out into the air.
Harry didn't know what to make of this. His first thought was that Snape probably wouldn't like Draco smoking in his house but then Harry never could figure out what Snape was thinking most of the time.
He thought of coughing a few times to show Malfoy that he didn't like it but then decided it would be too petty. Malfoy took another drag before offering one to Harry who shook his head vigorously.
'Suit yourself.' Draco said.
'My cousin used to smoke the muggle kind.' Harry said as explanation. 'Well, probably still does. Anyway I don't like him and wouldn't want to …'
'What? Turn into him? With one puff of a cigarette- whoosh.' Draco laughed. 'Anyway I wouldn't smoke those muggle things, they're so tame. This,' Draco took another drag, 'is the real thing.'
At that moment Snape walked back in, he was in a foul mood and was tearing off his outer robe which had some kind of spilt potion down the front.
'Fucking cauldron. Don't care if Merlin himself made it … sue the buggars for all they're worth … real gold, bah! I'll show them real gold … shove it up their arses...'
'You alright there Sev?' Draco asked innocently, looking as if he was trying not to laugh. He started walking over to him. 'What kind of potion is that? Looks like bat-bogeys mixed with armadillo bile.'
Thank you for that astute observation Draco.' Snape said, leaning over the desk towards him. 'And who told you that you could smoke,' he took the cigarette out of Draco's hand and took a long drag of it himself, blowing out a perfect smoke circle. 'In my house?' He finished as he vanished the cigarette.
'Show off.' Draco said, throwing his nose in the air and walking away.
Harry had to sigh at that display. He could never tell what Snape really meant. If he really minded Draco smoking he wouldn't have smoked it himself, but if he didn't mind then why did he vanish it? In the end he decided it wasn't worth taxing his brain over and instead started to clear up, ignoring the indignant squeaking of one of the knights as he was put at the bottom of the of the box.
'I'm not a lowly pawn you know.'
'What about a prawn?' Harry asked.
'Don't like prawns.' Draco answered, sitting back down opposite Harry. 'They're far too … pink.'
'I wasn't asking you.'
----------
After the disaster with the cauldron Snape needed some more potion ingredients and another cauldron so the three of them took a trip to Diagon Alley where Harry could also get his school things for the new term and Draco could get a whole host of things he desperately needed as a life or death situation- like new dress robes.
Just before they left Snape handed Harry a potion. 'What's this?' Harry asked. 'It better not be the stuff that's all over your robes.' He smelt it. 'Don't tell me it's polyjuice potion.'
'No it's just a glamour.' Snape said downing his and grimacing as it went down.
'What's the difference?' Harry asked as he held his nose and gulped it down.
'It doesn't change your appearance to look like someone else, it just changes your features slightly so you will not be recognised. Also it will not end until I give you the counter potion.'
'It tastes as disgusting.' Harry said as he tried not to throw up.
Snape did not comment to that. 'Keep your scar hidden.' Was all he said.
Harry was glad to get out of the house again and, making sure to occlude his mind the three of them flooed to the leaky cauldron and made their way from there.
They went to Florish and Blotts first of all so that Harry could get his books. Draco wandered off to another part of the store, Harry was relieved to see. He was relieved because Draco had been pissing him off already, acting like the arrogant prat he always was at school but more importantly Harry wanted to talk to Snape alone.
'Why's he here?' He blurted out as soon as they were alone.
He checked on Draco out of the corner of his eye to try to see what books he was looking at. He couldn't tell what section he was in but he knew that the dark arts section, such as it was in this store, was in the opposite direction.
Snape looked at him sternly. 'Because he needed help and I'm his Godfather.'
'But—'
'I have told you the reason and that's all there is to it. Now hurry up and get your books.'
'Okay.' Harry was about to go and then changed his mind and turned back to Snape. 'What was all this stuff about you and his mother?'
'That is none of your business. What happened between you and that Banks girl?'
Harry swallowed hard but conceded the point as he went off to get his books.
There were no DADA books on the list and Harry could only assume that they didn't have anyone for the post yet. Maybe he could take the lessons. He laughed at that thought because the Slytherins wouldn't come. Or maybe now they would. Would they expect him to start teaching them real dark arts? Maybe some kind of VA, as apposed to DA.
Harry paid for his books, noticing that he would need another trip to Gringotts soon to refresh his supply. Draco, he noticed had bought about twelve books, which he asked Severus to shrink for him in a rather snobbish tone.
Then Draco had dragged the two of them through almost every shop in Diagon Alley looking for certain must have items and they had both had a wander through the quidditch store, only leaving when Darco had had enough. Finally they went back to the leaky cauldron for a butter beer.
Draco was complaining, that he also needed some things in Knockturn Alley, that he really wanted an ice-cream and it was really selfish of Mr Fortescue to shut up shop, and that what he could really do with right now was a large firewhiskey. All in all it added up to the fact that Snape was being plain mean and Harry was just an idiot anyway.
He was starting to piss Harry off and judging by the look on Snape's face, him too.
Their drink was rushed so that they could all get back to Snape's house. Harry just wanted to lock himself away in his own room, away from the two Slytherins. As they walked Draco stayed quite a bit in front of the other two and was obviously in a bit of a mood. Harry didn't care in the slightest and as soon as he got in the house he started to make his way to his room. Before a firm voice stopped him.
'Stay exactly where you are. I want to talk to you.'
Harry turned around slowly.
'Not you.' Snape said, looking at Harry. 'You!' He pointed at Draco. 'Come into the lounge. You can go to your room.' He said to Harry again and quickly handed him the counter potion before giving him a hard shove towards his room.
Harry went into his room in a huff but purposely didn't close the door. Neither of them seemed to notice. There was no way he was going to miss Draco getting a good telling off.
A few minutes later Sanpe's voice floated clearly through to him from the other room.
'Draco, you didn't need to act like that towards Harry. You're on the same side now.'
'Yeah, still doesn't stop him from being a prat.' Draco replied. 'I don't see why he had to come with us anyway. Don't you remember when we used to go together when I was younger and I would help you buy the freshest ingredients. But just because The-Boy-Who-Won't-Die needs his schoolbooks he has to come along too and spoil the whole thing.
'I know you're upset that you can't go back to school like everyone else, but there is no need to take it out on Harry.'
'No it's not that, I don't care about not going back to Hogwarts. It's just that ever since I met him on the train in first year he's always got everything I ever wanted- everything. And now…' He sniffed loudly. 'Now he's got you.'
'What do you mean Draco?' Severus asked soothingly.
'Do you even realise how much I love you. Don't look at me like that, I don't mean it in that way. I just mean that you have always acted like a father to me and I know I am your Godson so it's part of your role, but ever since I was young I have always wished, dreamed that you were my real father and that I lived with you and mum. And then he comes along and guess what? It turns out he's your son. So just like everything else he gets something that he probably doesn't even want and that I've been dreaming of having ever since I can remember. But no, I'm stuck with Lucius and he's such a loving…'
At this point the words broke off and all Harry could hear were great wracking sobs.
After a few moments, when Draco's cries had calmed down Snape spoke again. 'I'm so sorry. I had no idea you felt that way.'
'How could you not know. I used to worship the ground you walked on when I was little and father used to tease me about how I wanted to marry you, but it was in a nice way then.'
'Yes, I remember back then your father was a lot nicer. You used to go on family picnics, you were given everything you wanted.'
'Oh yeah I was given all the toys I wanted. It was much better then but then my father became twisted and bitter. It was like he forgot how to love and became so ruthless, even to his own son- and his wife.'
'Yes I know about that.'
'I don't mind about you and her, you know. I know you were there two nights ago, I could hear you. Sometimes you were the only thing that stopped her from going mad, the next morning she was always in a much better mood. She would make me breakfast and actually talk to me.
'There are times now when she doesn't come out of her room for days on end, let alone talk to me. Father's turned her into a shadow of herself and you were always the one who could bring her back again. That is why in my dreams it's always been you, me and mum. Not Harry bloody Potter.'
'Draco. You are like a son to me, always have been. And I would have done anything to protect you and your mother. There was a time I would have done the same for your father, when I was young and naïve enough to believe we were friends.
'I think there was a time at school when he was alright but the more power he got the more he wanted and the more corrupt he got. He used me, made me believe he loved me at one point.'
'Made you believe …'
'Yes Draco. Lucius was my first. He took away my innocence and led me into the world of the Death Eaters.'
'That is disgusting. You and my mum I can understand, but my dad? You know I only wanted to be a Death Eater because you were, not because he was. I can't believe—'
'I told you he used me. He told me anything to get me into bed with him, just so I could become his puppet, his stooge. And the only thing that got me to see through his manipulations was you. When you came along I vowed that I would protect you from becoming what he has. A little while back I thought I had failed but …' Snape's voice was strained, it sounded like he was finding it hard to get the words out.
'If I could make you my son I would.' He continued.
'More than Potter?' Draco asked hopefully.
'Of course more than Potter.' Snape replied.
Harry slipped away from the door and went to bed.