Just Always Be Waiting For Me
Chapter 5
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.
With the new school year quickly approaching Harry found himself trying to catch up in areas that weren't Defense Against the Dark Arts. Having specialist knowledge in that area had exempted him from those classes and instead he was going to be assisting the new professor with the first year classes and continuing the DA. He had also been offered the Gryffindor Quidditch captain position which he had kind of felt obligated to accept. All of these on top of being a Head Boy and taking his NEWTs was going to prove to be a busy year. He kind of regretted accepting the head position now, because nightly patrols were the last thing he would want to do after hours of studying or teaching the DA or a rough Quidditch practice. It was going to be a rough year and he was going to have very strict with his scheduling.
Monday nights were going to filled with studying and DA meetings, Tuesdays and Thursdays were filled with studying and Quidditch practice, Wednesdays and Fridays were when his Head Boy duties were scheduled, Saturdays were Quidditch games and dinner with Severus, and Sundays were going to be the day that he did as he pleased. He had a feeling that Sundays were going to be his best friend this year. On top of all of that he would probably be grading papers and studying for his classes and exams. It was going to be a challenge, but he was always up for a challenge.
Another thing that had been troubling him was the appearance of Draco Malfoy in Diagon Alley. When he had parted ways with the boy he was headed to the tropics, the Bahamas or something like that. The last place he had expected to see him was in the middle of Diagon Alley in the middle of August. What had brought him back so soon? When they had parted Draco made it seem as though they might not ever meet again, he was hell bent on never coming back to Wizarding Britain.
He wasn't even sure of why they had slept together to begin with. Neither of them had expected to really run into anyone they knew in the middle of India after the fall of Voldemort. Least of all each other. Sleeping together had been a one off on their last night in the same town and they had parted ways the next morning without another word about it. He hadn't even really thought about it until he'd seen Draco standing across the alley from him. He didn't think it would be a problem, but he also knew that he should tell Severus about it. After all, the blonde was the man's godson. He also wanted to be the one to tell the man before Draco got to him. The last thing he wanted was the unexpected news that they had slept together being dumped on Severus at an unexpected time. The sooner he got it out of the way the better. He didn't really think it would matter, but he just wanted it out in the open. The only problem was finding the right time to tell him.
August was swept away and his days of lounging around in the grass by the lake, studying for the upcoming semester were coming to an end. He had come to be the owner of a rather nice tan from his summer abroad and he would miss the warm summer India had to offer when the castle was being assaulted by the wind and the rain that the beginning of winter brought. His tan would start to fade and he would soon be as pale as the first snowfall. It would be the last fleeting part of his life before Severus and before marriage. He was going to miss it. He was going to miss it. He was going to miss kicking around a ball with the kids in the village, when life seemed infinite to him. When he would spend entire afternoons wandering through marketplaces and then lounging around still trying to figure out what his dreams were going to be. He wasn't going to have that sort of experience ever again. From now on it was always going to involve another person, it would involve taking their wants and needs into account. Part of this send excitement through him, but another part of him mourned for his brief stint of freedom. He'd never expected to even live past his final encounter with Voldemort and here he was married at the lovely age of 18.
It was the week before school started that the nightmares started to come at him with full force. He'd wake up screaming in the middle of the night and Severus tearing through his door to see what had happened. The man would lead him into the kitchen and sit him down at the table and make him a cup of tea and try to ask him what had happened. It was a terribly awkward affair the first night because neither of them were that used to talking to the other and Severus wasn't terribly talented when it came to the emotions of other people. Harry did have to commend him for trying and the man made sure that he got back into bed and handed him a dreamless sleep potion. By the fourth night Severus had started to offer him the potion before bed, but he had stupidly refused it thinking that maybe he wouldn't have bad dreams that night.
He wasn't entirely sure what had sparked the nightmares, but he just knew that he had come with his arrival back at Hogwarts. He wasn't sure if it was from just being in the school and being overwhelmed with what had happened or all of the stress that he had been feeling from the impending start of school. All he knew was that he hadn't suffered all summer from nightmares, and now he was.
Dreamless sleep potion was a wonderful invention, but he also couldn't take it every night either because of the dependency that could be formed from it.
The night before the first day of lessons was one of the worst nights he'd had in awhile. Severus had urged him to take the potion the night before bed, but he had refused saying that he didn't want to break the schedule they had set up. It was hard enough without having to go two nights in a row without the potion to help him make it through.
The next morning at breakfast he found a pepper up potion sitting next to his toast and porridge. He sat down and stared at the food in front of him in distaste. He wasn't really feeling up to eating anything and instead pushed it away unhappily.
"You should eat something," Severus said sweeping into the kitchen and pouring himself a mug of coffee. "The day will be even longer on an empty stomach."
"It's going to be long no matter what," He sighed taking a sip of the orange juice in front of him.
"Nevertheless. From what I can recall you only have to classes today that are in the morning?" Severus asked taking a drink from his mug.
"Yes and they're Potions and Transfiguration. It's not exactly as if your class is overwhelmingly simple you prat. Also, I have a class of first years to co-teach in Defense," He groaned laying in head on his arms.
"At least you have the month to prepare for next month's upcoming DA meetings. After classes come have a nap before homework," the man offered before heading out the door.
Groaning he stood up and slung his school bag over his shoulder and quickly downed the pepper up potion before heading out the door to his first class of the day. With McGonagall as the new Headmistress and left to run the school, there was a new Transfiguration professor. He wasn't sure who it was, but he hoped that it was at least someone remotely tolerable. He treaded up the stairs and down the corridor to the classroom. When he finally got to class there was only one seat left at the back with a girl that he'd never seen before, sighing he sat down next to her and offered her a small smile.
It didn't take long for her to try to start a conversation with him. On any other day he would have been up to it, and probably would have been interested in finding out who she was, but today he was just so rundown and tired.
"Hello," she smiled over at him. The thing that stood out most about her was her her bright red hair that was piled on top of her head. "I'm Holly, I'm new here."
"Harry," he smiled back at her.
"What's with all the badges?" She said gesturing to the allotment of badges he was forced to wear.
"They represent all the things I'm responsible for I guess. I have to wear them," he shrugged.
"So tell me what they mean, yeah?" She said expectantly.
"Quidditch Captain, Head Boy, Dumbledore's Army, and Student Professor," he answered begrudgingly.
"I think you've got more badges than anyone else in this school, Badges," she said giving him a toothy grin.
"That's only because Hermione isn't here," he smiled back at her.
"So you're Gryffindor Quidditch Captain? When are you having tryouts? I'm a Beater or a Keeper, it just depends where I'm needed most. I'm pretty equally matched in both," she rambled on and he couldn't help but like her.
"Tomorrow night after dinner's over," he said and busied himself on pulling out his notebook and textbook and a pen. The rest of the class could fuss over parchment and quills, but he preferred to keep everything tidy in one notebook. The only time he'd use parchment was for assignments and essays. Of course Severus had disapproved, but he didn't see why it mattered so much. The man had looked like a fish out of water when they had gone into the muggle school supplies aisle at the shop. It made him feel a little better to remember the look on Severus' face when he'd tried to explain whiteout to the man.
The new Transfiguration didn't prove to be of any interest the only thing he picked up about her was that her name was Professor Jones and that she was an old friend of McGonagall's. The class was mundane to say the least and he found himself actually wishing to go to Potions. He was curious to see what their classroom dynamic would be now that they were married. He didn't expect any sort of special treatment, he just wanted the man to be civil to him. He could completely ignore him for the entire class as long as he didn't come out with a detention or find himself at the other end of a string of insults. He couldn't help but wishing that he'd saved the pepper up potion until Potions class.
He walked into the Potions class that was to be shared with the Slytherins and to his dismay the only free see was next to none other than Draco Malfoy himself. He turned to make a run for it but instead ran smack dab into Severus himself. He groaned at his stupidity and stood there waiting for his telling off from his husband. Instead Severus took one look at him and ordered him out into the corridor and slammed the door behind them.
"Go see Madam Pomfrey you look like a mermaid drug you under. You'll be an utter nuisance in class today."
"Gee thanks," Harry said running his hand through his hair annoyed.
"I mean it go, I don't need another Longbottom on my hands."
"As if," Harry shot back and took off down the corridor.
"I'll see you after classes have finished," Severus told him before he heard the classroom door slam.
Deciding to ignore Severus' instructions to go to the Hospital Wing he took off towards their chambers instead. He tossed his bag aside and kicked off his shoes and left his cloak in a pile next to the door and all but dove face first onto the couch. He was almost as quickly as the light after he'd spelled it off and the only sounds that could be heard in the room were his soft snores and the quiet crackle of the fire. It was one of the rare moments when he was so tired that when he fell asleep he didn't remember dreaming at all and he was grateful for that.
A/N: Sorry this took ages I went on a mini break, then I moved house, and then the site wouldn't let me on for some reason, but everything is sorted now. Thanks for reading and reviewing!