"Tea or coffee?" Remus asks Severus who looks miserable as usual. "Alcohol?" He adds, because Severus' pain is bad on a good day, and when he isn't taking pills, he needs something to take the edge off. He looks sober because his pupils are not dilated.
"I want to see my godson." Severus has only allowed Draco to be with Harry because his life depends on it. That doesn't mean he has to like it. If Harry hurts Draco, Severus is going to maim him. He plans on being around as much as possible because he wants to protect Draco.
"We have absinth," Sirius informs Severus, who makes a face.
"Why in god's name would I want that?" Severus asks, annoyed when Sirius pours himself a glass. "What is wrong with you?"
"What is wrong with you?" Remus asks his husband. He has half a mind to throw the whole bottle out. "it's a phase." He hopes. Sirius needs hard liquor to get drunk, and right now absinth is the alcohol of choice.
"Everclear, if you have it." Severus needs the hardest liquor on the face of the planet to get any kind of buzz going at this point.
"We don't," Remus says as Sirius joyfully pours Severus a glass of green liquor. "Bring some next time if you want to drink it."
"Hi," Draco materializes and sees Severus sitting there, who stands up. He promised himself he wouldn't do this, but he can't help but run into his godfather's arms and break down.
"Hi," Severus holds Draco tightly as the boy tries to keep from sobbing. "I came as soon as I heard." He inhales Draco's usually pure scent, wrinkling his nose when he notices tears and Harry's alpha scent mixed in. "Are they treating you well?" He gives Sirius a cautionary look, which is countered with an eye roll.
"I love him," Remus admits, finally having the second child he so desperately wanted. His only complaint is that Draco is an adult male instead of a baby, but Remus will make do.
Sirius wouldn't say that he loves Draco, but he certainly wants to ensure his cousin is safe. "He is doing well here."
"Honey I am home," Harry cheerfully calls out through the front door, knowing Severus is in the living room before he even enters. There is no mistaking that bitter, angry scent. "Professor," He approaches the alpha holding his mate lovingly, "Mind if I join in?" If any other alpha touched his Draco, Harry would be furious and even murderous, but he kind of feels jealous here. He never got an ounce of acknowledgment from his professor and Ph.D. advisor, and for a few dark years, boss. Harry worked tirelessly to impress the man, feeling jealous of his easy affection for Draco.
"I would rather you didn't." Severus glares when Harry drapes himself on Draco's back.
"My two favourite boys," Harry jokes, squeezing Draco and Severus.
"Hey," Sirius and Remus call out, offended.
"I was joking," Harry assures his parents. "No, I wasn't," he mouths to Severus who is so angry, he looks ready to hit someone. Harry plans on running fast should that happen. "Are you staying for dinner?" He asks his former mentor.
"No," Severus looks disgusted at the mere idea of being around Harry and his parents. "Yes," He sighs when Draco breaks their embrace and looks at him pleadingly, those lovely blue-grey eyes wet. "Fine."
"What do we all want for dinner?" Remus asks the group.
"I want pancakes." Harry looks at Draco as he says this, making Sirius clutch his forehead in a useless attempt to ward off the headache which is sure to come.
"I am going to wring your neck," Severus warns Harry, "I promise." He knows all about the fact that omegas smell like delicious things to their alphas. Lily smelled like, well, lilies. He wonders what Lily smelled like to James, considering they were both in love with the same woman. The scientist in him is morbidly curious. The rejected alpha in him is broken and sad.
"If you kill him I die too," Draco reminds his godfather should the man go through with what he has been promising for years.
"Can we talk?" Severus wants to ask how Draco is doing and converse with him without Harry and his idiotic guardians eavesdropping.
"Go," Remus waves a hand when Draco looks at him questioningly. "Come back within the hour or we are starting dinner without you."
"We will also finish without you," Sirius informs them. He has no desire to share his food with anyone.
"See you later, pan…" Harry stops himself before he calls Draco pancake, "Pumpkin." He says in a tone most saccharine and kisses his mate on the forehead.
Severus notes that not only does Harry not seem controlling, but Sirius and Remus also make no attempt to boss Draco around. The boy seems comfortable here. More comfortable than he has ever seemed at home, even as a beta. He always hated Sirius and Remus for being goody two shoes, and he despised James' son for the same thing. It has paid off in a good way because his precious godson has a safe place to go now that he's escaped his lunatic parents.
"There are bears in these woods," Sirius calls out as they leave, in a plain tone, as if mentioning the weather, "You might want to watch out for them."
"Oh my god," Harry shudders as he walks upstairs to shower and change, "Be careful Draco, leave professor to fight the bear and run if you have to."
"Will do," Draco responds as Severus watches the exchange with wide eyes.
"How are they treating you?" Severus asks Draco when they are out of earshot of the poorly constructed structure Sirius calls a house. Severus would rather die and live in it, but it's warm and safe and Draco seems fine with it. The best thing about the whole place is that it's in the middle of the woods, secluded. The proximity to dangerous animals and the real possibility of never escaping these woods means most people Lucius can hire to harass Draco won't dare come here. It's the rest Severus is worried about.
"They are nice," Draco admits. "Sirius doesn't like talking to anyone. He's very quiet."
"He is," Severus remembers Sirius from back in the day, silent and solemn, uninterested in anyone and anything. He had presented very early, compared to all the other boys, including James and Severus, and was very mature compared to the rest of the males who were prepubescent boys at best. Severus remembers Sirius and Remus together, even before Remus presented and was revealed to be Sirius' mate.
The jealousy Severus feels is unreal, sharp even today. The person Sirius loved was his mate. There are one in a trillion odds of that happening. On top of the shit cake that is Severus' life, Lily had presented and immediately rejected her intended alpha. Reality stings. Severus had thrown himself into his job, not at all surprised when Sirius quit as soon as he earned his Ph.D., unable to leave Remus and baby Harry alone.
"Remus treats me good," Saying it out loud feels surreal, even if Draco has experienced this. "He is nice." He will never forget how protective and aggressive Remus was when confronting that deranged psycho.
"He is." Severus knows omegas treat each other as competition, but Remus is above all that. He was always sweet to Lily, supporting her unconditionally, and taking her baby when she passed, raising him with extreme love and care. "What about Potter?"
"What about him?" Draco blushes, knowing exactly what Severus is asking.
"How has he been treating you?" Severus asks, knowing that judging by the besotted look on Draco's beautiful face, Harry is just as kind and honourable as he has always been. It's the one thing keeping Severus sane in life, that his precious godson got a rare, good alpha male.
"He's nice too," Draco could never tell his father figure about the physical attraction he feels to Harry, "I think he loves me."
"And?" Severus prods, "Do you love him?"
"Yes," Draco doesn't make eye contact, so embarrassed is he. He has gone from being a stoic person to one of those omegas from those movies and novels Remus likes so much. "I do."
There is a silence after that, not uncomfortable. Severus tries to process the new information presented to him. His godson is happy in his new relationship and likes his mate. If Severus dies now, he will die happy. At least something has gone right in his life.
Harry is an angel, and not at all a typical alpha like that psycho doctor from Draco's court-mandated checkup. "Do you know an alpha named Crouch?" Draco struggles to remember his full name despite having seen him several times at his parents' functions and having felt that cringey, slimy gaze on his body several times. "Barty?"
"He is completely insane," Severus shakes his head. "Avoid him at all cost."
"The court assigned him to be my doctor," Draco remembers the malignant expression that alpha had on his face.
"He got his license back?" Severus cannot believe what he is hearing.
"He lost his license, and he was allowed to examine me?" Draco thanks god Remus as there to protect him.
"You weren't alone with him, were you?" Severus asks, worried. He doesn't want to have to go and hunt Crouch down. He is willing to kill for Draco but he would like to limit the murders. No reason to have consecutive life sentences stacked on top of each other, weighing Severus' already miserable existence down further.
Draco shakes his head, "Remus was with me the whole time." The older omega has been wonderful to Draco, even going as far as to spoil him throughout the day. He has not once asked Draco to do any housework and doesn't force him to get up earlier or mock him for any reason.
"Crouch raped a patient," Severus cringes outwardly.
"Let me guess," Draco sneers, seeming more like himself than he has in years, Severus notes. "An omega?"
"He has no control over himself," Severus recalls the trial Crouch lost for rape, and how the Malfoys pulled about a hundred strings to have him released.
"I think he's obsessed with me." Draco looks worried, and considering Severus is mirroring his expression, he says, "I am guessing he doesn't have an omega?"
"Never found her. Lone alphas are dangerous." Like lone wolves, deranged and unhinged. Severus hates to say it because he was rejected by his mate.
It's better to change the subject considering this is a touchy subject for Severus. Draco wishes he had grabbed a sweater before he left. "How is mother?" She has been in prison for the better part of a month now, and sure to be furious at Draco, plotting her revenge, the crazy, vicious, bloodthirsty harpy that she is.
"How the hell should I know?" Severus removes his coat and wraps it around Draco's shivering frame. "Your father has no case," He tells Draco, who is stressed about the court date.
"Really?" Draco looks at his godfather with a look most hopeful. "Promise?"
"Draco," Severus hates to do this but he needs to keep his godson safe. Considering Harry the idiot lives in a world of dreams and unicorns and good intentions, the young alpha thinks legal maneuvers are all crazy Lucius can pull. "This is a charade to make you drop your guard. No judge will hand over a mated omega back to his or her parents. Lucius knows that very well."
Omegas have rights, despite being slaves. It's why Lily was able to turn Severus down, without fear that he could force her into anything. Not that he would, too angry with her to do anything about her nuptials and ill-fated mating with James. Most importantly, he wanted her love. Something forbidden to him and forever out of his reach.
"What?" Draco gets pale and his distress is loud and clear.
"He is going to lull you into a false sense of safety and then he will come for you." Severus knows Lucius' political ambitions, and he has heard his plans for Draco. He wants to be a prime minister someday, and if whoring his son out to the right person helps him accomplish that goal, then he will do it a thousand times over. Draco is not an alpha. Lucius would have settled for a beta, but an omega is worthless to him. The only thing Draco can do for his father is allow himself to be sold and sexually service the correct people.
It's why Severus manipulated Lucius into finding Draco's alpha and desperately searched until he realized that Harry the idiot was right under his nose this entire time. The relief he felt at knowing that Draco will be married to a caring, principled alpha like Harry is something he feels every minute of every day. He even forgives Lily for rejecting him, because if her mating with James meant Harry was born as a fated mate to Draco, Severus can live with the pain of rejection that he feels every day. As long as his godson is happy and protected.
"I…" Draco runs a hand through his hair and notices Harry approaching them.
"What's wrong?" Harry sensed something was bothering Draco through their bond, and ran out here, worried that a bear is attacking his mate.
"It's a trap," Draco lets Harry gather him into his arms, noticing that his alpha isn't wearing a coat either. "My father is using a court case as some kind of distraction."
"What is wrong with that man?" Harry cuddles Draco tight, as he asks Severus a question weighing heavily on their minds since this whole thing started. "Who would sell their son?"
"My guess is it's a powerful politician," Severus has been cut off from Lucius' circle of vultures, and he's fine with it at this point because Draco is safely out of that house.
"Come back inside," Harry kisses Draco's head, trying to soothe his mate. "Or we won't eat tonight."
"Sirius won't finish the whole dinner by himself, would he?" Draco lets Harry lead him back to the house, Severus following.
"He would." Severus answers, "I have seen him eat." He has seen Sirius thrown out of all-you-can-eat restaurants.
"He really would," Harry says affectionately. Like Draco, he is incredibly fond of his godfather.