December 1996
As he got dressed that evening in the comfort of his home on Spinner's End, Severus had the realization that somehow it seemed every year he had been required to wear his set of dress robes, mostly against his will. It started with the adoption - the only real time it was voluntary - then the Yule Ball, Petunia Dursley's funeral where they were transfigured into a muggle suit, and now the damn Christmas Party the Malfoy's were hosting that he agreed to attend against his better judgment.
He wasn't completely surprised when the invitation arrived by owl last month since Narcissa had mentioned wanting to invite him when they ran into each other at the Apothecary right before Halloween. Severus had been there to pick up his latest order for Harry's newest potions regimen, which would have been a perfect excuse to deny the invitation - on the grounds that Harry wasn't feeling well - except this latest round seemed to be doing the best job of all at ridding the Leukemia from the Gryffindor's blood. If nothing else, the party would be a good distraction from the chaos of their life lately.
"Why do I have to go again?" Harry complained as he walked into Severus's bedroom, appropriately dressed in a new set of navy blue dress robes. Naturally, the young wizard had outgrown the green set from the Yule Ball two years ago and tried his hardest to convince Severus that was the reason he would not be able to attend the party tonight. To rectify the situation, Severus purchased the new pair and surprised him with them last night when they returned home for the holiday.
"It's good manners to attend a party you're invited to if you have no acceptable reason to decline," the professor formally replied.
"So, in other words you couldn't think of an acceptable reason to get us out of it," Harry said, shaking his head as Severus clumsily tied his white tie. "And if you have to suffer through it, you're going to make me."
"Precisely."
A companionable silence came over the father and son as the Potion Master finished getting ready.
"He hates me, dad," the Gryffindor said quietly.
There was no reason to sugarcoat or deny that fact. It was true; Draco and Harry had never been able to get past their mutual animosity towards each other and this year had definitely not helped that situation. Harry had a rough start to the school year as he'd adjusted to the potions that sometimes made him forget simple things and Draco - alongside Crabbe and Goyle - took advantage of it. Harry's reaction had since improved and he no longer had those issues, however that did not necessarily stop the taunting he received. What finally ended the incessant ridicule was at the first Quidditch match where Harry, as Quidditch captain, out flew every Slytherin on the pitch and caught the Snitch right out from under Draco. Severus tried hard not to show favoritism to Harry over his own house - the Gryffindor had Minerva for that - however even he had to admit the blonde deserved that one.
"All I ask is that you behave yourself," he lectured his son while trying in vain to tame the sixteen year old's messy black hair. "Regardless of whatever Draco says or does tonight, you are in control of your own actions and reactions, and I expect both of those to be appropriate for the occasion. That means your utmost best behavior."
The professor knew he was asking a lot from the Gryffindor. Overall, he'd had very few disciplinary issues with the teen, except when he did, it usually involved Draco or some combinations of his Slytherins. It was a battle they had fought since day one.
"I will," the young wizard eventually promised, albeit more grudgingly than Severus would have liked.
"Good, now go take your evening potions so we can go," the Potion's Master said before they made their way downstairs to floo to Malfoy Manor.
Overall the night had been quite pleasant, an observation that greatly surprised Severus. Narcissa outdid herself with the extravagant decor and impeccable food, but the best part of the night was that Harry appeared to be having a good time as well. The Gryffindor had found some former classmates in attendance that had recently graduated and now worked at the Ministry where they'd met Lucius. The Potion's Master assumed they were in attendance as a way to further their careers, yet at that moment no one really cared. Everyone was overwhelmed with the holiday spirit and Narcissa made sure no one was discussing a gram of work. All Severus was concerned with was that Harry stayed occupied away from Draco and the other Slytherins that were inevitably there.
It was approaching midnight, and most of the guests had already left, when Severus found himself having a glass of firewhiskey with Lucius tucked away in the library. They both sat in silence across from one another in the dark red leather chairs surrounded by bookcases that reached the ceiling high above his head. The professor loved the smell of old tomes and the Malfoy library was one of the oldest in wizarding history, making him feel more comfortable than he would have elsewhere in the Manor.
He had tried his hardest to avoid being left alone with the Malfoy patriarch because he feared the conversation would take a turn towards the Dark Lord and Death Eater activity. He knew that over the years, several of his former associates had been listening and searching for signs of the dark wizard and the rumors had always come back to the Malfoys. So the professor was pleasantly surprised when the conversation started as far away from the Dark Lord as possible.
"How is fatherhood treating you, Severus?" Lucius asked, raising his glass as if to toast themselves, "because sixteen is almost unbearable to me. I swear Draco is testing his limits every time he comes home."
Severus doubted they had anything in common in how they raised their boys, but it was a far better conversation topic than where he thought this would be heading.
"It's been a rough year for us," he honestly answered.
The blonde's eyebrows lifted when he recognized Severus's meaning.
"Oh shite," Lucius exclaimed and covered his mouth with his pale hand, "I'm sorry, I just… I didn't think. How is he?"
Severus was used to that reaction; it was always what people asked him. They hadn't been able to keep Harry's diagnosis a secret, not when a case like his was so rare in the wizarding world and the young wizard also happened to be The-Boy-Who-Lived. It was like Harry just wasn't able to catch a break.
"This latest round of potions seems to be helping," the professor replied. "He had a checkup earlier this month and so far it's looking positive."
"Keeps you busy, I'm sure."
"You have no idea," the Potion's Master replied as they both fell into silence.
"Have the healers any idea of how he could have ended up with a muggle disease? What's it call-"
"Leukemia," Severus interrupted, "and no they don't know and frankly, I don't care to know. I just want it gone."
Lucius nodded his head, then stood and walked over to one of the plentiful bookcases; this one was in the far, dark corner of the room, and he opened a disguised drawer. The wizard came back carrying two large, extremely ancient looking texts that he offered to the Potion's Master. While Severus didn't recognize either one, it was clear that they both dealt with the Dark Arts - a fact that surprised the professor as he thought he had known most of the famous texts on the Dark Arts.
"No," Severus simply stated, handing them back to his acquaintance, "I don't care what answers you think are in these, I'm not going down the road of dark magic."
"They may help you find an alternative solution for your son," he emphasized the last two words and then laid the books down on the table between them. "If I were in your position, I would do almost anything to help my Dragon."
"Don't you dare!" Severus bellowed slamming his glass on the table next to the forbidden books, "I am doing everything in my power to help him and forgive me if I don't want to meddle in something that could land me in Azkaban, which is exactly what having those texts in my possession would do."
"Forgive me," the blonde said, sitting back down across from his friend. "I only-"
He was interrupted yet again when a small house elf popped in between the men. She was an older looking elf, likely one that had been with the Malfoy family for generations. She was wearing a dirty tea towel, something Severus hated to see, with her big ears and eyes lowered to the ground before her master.
"Sinsey?" Lucius asked, confused by the interruption. "Is Draco alright?"
"Sinsey is sorry, Master," the small elf exclaimed, "Young Master Malfoy is in trouble along with Young Harry Potter-Snape, sir. They be out in the back gardens, sirs."
Both wizards looked at each other, not able to hide their state of alarm. If Harry and Draco were together, it absolutely could not end well. Severus had images of both teens mid-muggle fight out in the cold, snowy garden. The fathers rushed out of the library and down the heavily decorated corridors until they came to the glass doors that separated the house from the back gardens. Almost out of breath, Severus pulled the doors open and stopped so quickly, Lucius almost fell into him from behind.
Laughter. It was the absolute last thing he expected to hear coming from the gardens that contained these two teenage boys that were sworn mortal enemies. Or at least he'd thought they were. Slipping into his former spy mode, he motioned for Lucius to keep quiet as they slowly approached the two teens, using a non-verbal silencing spell to dampen the sound of their footsteps crunching in the snow.
"I don't think that was a good idea," he heard Harry's voice once the Gryffindor had caught his breath from the laughing fit.
"Oh, C'mon," Draco replied, "do you really think Severus would notice? With all the potion fumes in your house, I guarantee you he'll never know."
There was the distinct sound of rustling and then Harry coughing followed by another set of laughter from both boys. A quick peek over the hedges and they could see both teenagers sitting on a bench clearly smoking some substance between them.
"My turn," Draco called out and then silence.
Lucius's face went bright red from anger, not the cold.
"Draco Lucius Malfoy!" The Malfoy patriarch yelled as he entered the garden. Draco immediately stood up, dropping whatever it was he'd been smoking.
"Harry James," Severus said disappointingly and picked up the rolled paper to inspect it, "Dragon Dust, really?"
He handed it to Lucius, who smelled it, threw it on the ground, and then vanished it away.
"Where did you get that?!" The older blonde wizard called out grabbing Draco by the shoulder.
"I didn't-"
"Do. Not. Lie to me," he lectured.
"Matthew was here tonight and Nott got it for us! I swear! He left it when he went home," Draco yelled and Lucius finally let go of the teen. "I'm sorry."
Severus ignored the rest of their conversation as he watched his own son wondering how he ended up in the mix. As he did with his students back at school, he was not about to reprimand Harry in public.
"Let's go," he grabbed Harry's arm more firmly than even he expected. "Thank you Lucius. Please give Narcissa our best and Happy Christmas to you both."
Just as they headed back into the manor, Severus heard Draco call out, without the normal animosity he would have expected, "See you later Potter… or Potter-Snape."
Harry couldn't even look over his shoulder with the iron-clad grip his father had on him.
"What the bloody hell were you thinking, Harry?! Do you have any idea what would have happened if that reacted with your potions?" Severus yelled the minute they were both back home in their sitting room.
"I didn't think," Harry started and then looked away, "I just… wanted to be normal for once… and it was stupid."
"You're right about that! Get up to your room!"
Harry obediently left and Severus aggressively untied his tie and threw it against the wall. What in the world was that child thinking? Not only were drugs absolutely unacceptable for any reason, it especially wasn't something Harry should have in his system. The professor pinched the bridge of his nose taking several calming breaths and then walked up the stairs to his son's bedroom.
Harry was already in his green, but not Slytherin green, pyjamas and was getting into bed. Upon seeing Severus walk into the door - not at all rewarding the teenager with the privacy of knocking first - the Gryffindor immediately stood back up.
"I'm so sorry, Dad!" The raven-haired boy started, but before he could say another word he was enveloped in his father's strong arms.
"You are absolutely grounded," Severus said, "most likely until you're thirty."
Harry gave a small chuckle and started into the story of how he ended up with Draco in the gardens. If there was any silver lining to the event, after that whole ordeal when they got back to Hogwarts the Malfoy heir's attitude towards Harry changed drastically, making the second half of the year much easier on his son. Unfortunately, the reprieve was short-lived and Severus was never able to fulfill his threat of grounding Harry until he was thirty because the young Gryffindor was gone before his next birthday.