Chapter Twenty-Six: The Potions Lab
Food was made and both boys ate, neither having eaten much since they'd been seperated. Molly, Narcissa, and Rose had pretty well organized a Welcome Home party for Draco in under five minutes. Everyone kept fawning over him, telling him how happy they were he was back and with Harry. Though, Harry could tell Draco was getting quite annoyed by all of the attention. Narcissa had known this as well and was standing near her son, not touching him but doing her best to engage those that came to in conversation. Harry frowned, looking around, Snape was gone. Giving Draco a quick kiss and a reassuring look Harry let him know he'd be right back and that he'd be okay with everyone for a few moments.
He found Snape where he thought he would, sulking at Draco's desk in his Potions room. He was browsing over Draco's notes and looked suitably impressed. Harry quietly shut the door and cast a silencing charm just to be sure. Severus just said nothing, watching Harry curiously. Harry turned to him, a sad smile on his face,
"I'd be a cold blooded arse too, if I were you and had been through what you've been through." Harry said, sitting at the other chair Draco had put there for that very reason. Snape just raised his eyebrows at him, saying nothing. "I'm just curious- what was mother to you, Snape?"
"What was Cho Chang to you, Mr. Potter?" Snape fired back, not plussed at all. Harry nodded in understanding.
"You joined the Death Eaters for Narcissa didn't you?" Harry asked. Snape nodded, he never was one much for words. A lot like Draco. Harry nodded back, understanding. "Listen, Sir, I know you're Draco's father."
"Narcissa told me." Snape said. Harry nodded again, he'd suspected as much.
"Well, I'm not trying to tell you what to do, or how to live your life, but I think you should tell Draco. He loves you dearly, Sir, and," Harry waved his hand around the room, "obviously takes after you. There's Polyjuice here, and Veritasseum. I watched him make a lot of these, and he does it with ease." Harry paused and smiled, watching Snape swell with pride.
"Potter-"
"Please let me finish. We don't have much time before Draco gets fed up and comes looking for me, I want to tell you a story..." and Harry went on to tell Snape how Draco had smelled the bloodroot from upstairs, and saved them all. Even Severus Snape was impressed, a genuine smile on his face as he listened. "...I thought they were going to kill eachother. Draco was pissed and still berrates Blaise for it."
"Thank you, Potter, for telling me that. I still don't understand why you're insisting on being holed up in here with me, when you could be with him."
"Because, I wanted to tell you about your son. That's more important to Draco. He's very torn up and confused about his origins right now. He hasn't said it, but I can tell. I want you to know that." Harry jumped slightly as Narcissa entered the room, closing the door behind her.
"I can feel what he's feeling," she explained, "I thought I'd come to check. You'll be able to do it too, when you're bonded."
"Well, I'm glad you're both here... I wanted to ask you two something."
It was only a few minutes before Draco entered the room, looking exasperated and irritated. He looked even more annoyed when he saw three different people in his Potions Lab.
"I'm going to have to have Lacey strengthen the wards on this place," he said under his breath earning a scowl from Narcissa but a bright smile from Severus and Harry. Standing, Harry moved to Draco, kissing him softly and hugging him.
"I'm going to go say goodbye to everyone, I'll be right back," he said, leaving before Draco could protest. He started to follow him when Severus called out,
"This is an impressive Potions lab, Draco, it rivals the one I have at home easily."
Draco immediately turned his attention to Snape, not wanting to go back out to all those annoying people... and Weasley's anyway. If one more person entered his personal space... he was going to lose it.
"Thank you, Sir, though I'm sure you're exaggerating. If I have my way, it will rival yours though."
"I don't know Draco, you've got an amazing collection here," Snape said, walking around the room, listing ingredients on sight- not needing to read the labels. "...and dried Giantwart, that's impressive."
"You made that slip on purpose, Sev., it's not dried, it's pickled and not in water."
"So it is." Snape said, not bothering to look back at the jar. He had 'slipped' on purpose. "I read your notes as well, very good ideas there. Do you plan on becoming a Potions Master, Draco?"
"I do. Quite frankly, I'm after your job, Sir." Narcissa was reaching for an open box of powder on one of the shelves.
"Don't touch that." Draco and Severus snapped, in perfect unison. Narcissa's hand snapped back away from it, whirling around to smile at both her men. Snape was smiling too. In fact, he'd been awfully chatty and smiling the whole time...in fact, he'd been acting completely out of character the entire night and now Draco found him in his Potions lab? Draco backed away from them, grabbing an unlabelled potion from his desk and shoving it toward Severus who willingly took it, eyeing the contents.
In mere moments, Draco had his wand out, pointing it at them,
"Drink it." he snarled, backing away to a better fighting position, never losing his duelling stance. At that moment, Harry reentered the room.
"*What* is going on?!" He asked, shocked, at the sight. Draco reached out with his free arm, pulling Harry behind him. "Draco?"
"Hush, Harry, hold on to me. Remember the forrest? Hold on to me." Draco whispered, jabbing his wand in the air, "I said drink it!" Harry did as he was told, snickering. Draco ignored him. Narcissa looked shocked and Snape pensive.
"Draco! Now, you listen to me!" Narcissa started, heading toward her son.
"I SAID DRINK IT! Or I swear on Harry that I will blast you into oblivion." Severus nodded and tipped the bottle to his mouth, "all of it." Draco growled and Severus complied, setting the bottle on the nearby table.
Nothing happened. Draco scowled.
"Nothing's going to happen, baby." Harry whispered in his ear. Draco looked at him and then back to Severus, curiously. Then, after a few more moments of waiting, he looked slightly embarassed. Harry laughed and hugged the blonde tightly. "This is like the house elf incident." Draco blushed a bright red, rivalling Harry's blushes.
"I'm sorry, Severus. You've been acting so strangely lately. I'm highly suspicious that whoever gave up Grimmauld is close to us. You've been acting strangely and very unlike yourself. I had to make sure you weren't under the influence of the Polyjuice potion." Harry snickered, covering his mouth with his hand and averting his eyes from Draco's accusing glare. Happy bright green eyes looked into annoyed black ones as Harry giggled,
"you see? I told you! Even paranoid and quick to take offense." Snape glared back at Harry, a sneer plastered on his face-
"I am not paranoid and quick to become offended Potter."
Narcissa barked out a laugh, as if the greatest joke had just been told. Quickly, she followed suit with Harry, covering her mouth with her hand and averting her eyes. Draco sighed irritably, he hated when people talked about him in front of him. Especially when he didn't know what was going on. Harry grabbed his hand, squeezing it gently- the merriment now gone from his eyes.
"*what* is going on? Someone needs to tell me *now*." Draco growled, looking questioningly at Harry who averted his green eyes to look at Narcissa. She just looked back at Draco, love eminating from her face and she crossed the room to take his other hand.
"Dragon, maybe you should sit down." Draco pulled his hand from hers, highly annoyed, but still held onto Harry's if not tighter.
"I will not be treated like a child, Mother. Especially not in my own Potions lab. I demand to know what is happening."
"Draco! Calm yourself. Let me ask you something, would you do anything for Harry?"
"Anything," Draco said quickly- not needing to think about it and getting irritated at the simplicity of it.
"Well, then let's say then that Harry was already married when you found him, to a terrible man with a vicious vengeance- that would hurt Harry." Draco snarled but let him continue, "and let's say that this man was a Death Eater and you somehow managed to get Harry pregnant. Knowing that the man would come for Harry and your child if he left him, would you not join the Death Eaters? Keep the whole thing a secret and be as close to the both of them as you could? To protect them?"
"Well of course I would. I would suffer through that every day and spend every..." Draco stopped, his grip on Harry loosening and he stared at his mother and then Snape. Beginning to feel weak, he swayed, but Harry was there to catch him. "I think I need to sit down." He croaked, his voice ragged. Harry nodded and guided Draco to his chair, conjuring a glass of water.
Narcissa and Severus both had tears streaming down their faces and she moved to him, holding his hand.
"Little Dragon, I hope that you can forgive us," she sobbed, clinging to Severus. Draco shook his head, trying to clear it, and nodded. Leaning back into Harry, Draco took a sip of water- his eyes distant, remembering something. Seeming to come to, Draco turned to Severus, his body trembling with the sobs he was holding back, and for the first and last time ever, Harry saw real fear in the Potion Master's eyes.
"You... you're my father?" Draco asked, he was confused and thought maybe he'd misunderstood. Severus nodded, not knowing what else to do. He looked sad and held his hands open, palms up, as if to say he had nothing else.
In one swift movement, Draco had cleared the desk and the space between them, rocking the Potions Master back a bit with the force of the hug. Looking shocked for a brief moment, he returned the embrace and held his son close, stroking the back of Draco's head as he sobbed and tears streamed down his own face. Bursting into her own tears, Narcissa joined the embrace. Feeling rather awkward, as though he were intruding, Harry slipped out quietly, closing the door behind him.