AN: This chapter took entirely too long, and I personally don't think it's very good. I feel like too much is going on, and also, there's an actual fighting scene (spoilers) near the end and I can't write scenes like that very well. So yeah, but here it is lol
Now, a little bit of good news! I've been asked by my local library to do a meet and greet with my books to promote them and stuff, which is so cool! Except that it means I've got til September to completely overhaul one of them and get it ready to basically be republished. And it's a lot. So, I'm going to have to take a little bit of a hiatus. Consider this a season finale, if you will lol.
If, in the midst of editing, I get super inspired for the next chapter of this, I will for sure try and get it out, but realistically, that might not happen. Regardless, I plan to hopefully be back at the beginning of May. June at the absolute latest. I hope you all will wait for me!
As always, thank you for following along and reading. I appreciate you all so much!
Much to Harry's surprise, he managed to fall asleep fairly quickly that night. He didn't have any nightmares and though he didn't particularly feel refreshed the next morning, Harry didn't feel terrible either. Certainly not like he thought he would after hearing Snape talk.
Harry thought that Snape must have been exaggerating the symptoms because he felt fine. Either that or the potion hadn't had as much of an effect on Harry as Snape thought it had.
It wasn't until breakfast that Harry's left arm felt itchy for the first time. He scratched at it absently as he chewed a bite of toast.
"Feeling alright?" Snape asked from behind his paper.
Harry instantly dropped his hand and glanced up at him. "Yes."
Snape let the corner of the paper drop, raising an eyebrow in a clear sign of disbelief.
"I do," Harry said confidently. He sat up straighter in his chair and added, "And I slept great last night, so you were wrong about that."
Draco pushed his chair back abruptly and said, "Let's go take Rook for a walk."
At the mention of a walk, Rook jumped up excitedly and wagged his tail.
Harry looked to Snape to see if he would allow him out of the house since he was on restriction, but Snape almost seemed relieved.
He waved them away before tapping the table to clear it. "Go on," he said, "but just a short one and stay within the wards."
Draco waited until they walked out of the front door before he turned to Harry with his signature scowl. "Are you trying to get into more trouble?" he asked.
"No," Harry said, raising his hand to scratch at a spot near his shoulder. "Why?"
"Why?" Draco asked as he continued to look at Harry as if he'd grown a second head. "Oh, I don't know. Maybe because you telling him that he's wrong about something, especially a potion, seems like a pretty stupid thing to do otherwise."
Harry glanced back at the Manor with a frown. "Right. I suppose I wasn't thinking."
"Yeah, well I'd start thinking if I were you."
All thoughts that Snape might have been wrong were long gone as Harry lay in his bed that night.
Snape had sent them both to bed around ten thirty, and three hours later Harry was still wide awake.
And itchy.
So itchy. His face, his hands, even between his toes. Harry was sure he had never felt like this before. He sat up in bed and scratched at his scalp before curling his fingers into his hair with a groan.
He glanced at his closed bedroom door. Snape had said that he had a balm for his skin, but not once today had he offered it. And there was no way that Snape didn't know how itchy he felt. He'd been stuck inside the lab with him all day cutting up flobberworms and cleaning out potion vials, and Harry could feel Snape watching him every time he began scratching.
Harry scowled. Snape was likely just being his usual mean self, intending to make Harry come right out and ask for it. Far be it for Snape to give it to him out of the goodness of his heart. Git.
Harry fell backwards onto the mattress and rolled over onto his stomach.
Rook opened one eye to look at him, probably annoyed that Harry wouldn't lay still so he could get some sleep.
Harry blew out a breath and shoved his hands beneath his pillow. If he could just lay here without scratching, maybe he could pretend to be asleep long enough that it would trick his brain into actually falling asleep.
Right. That could work. He closed his eyes and tried to even out his breathing.
His leg began to itch and his hand twitched, ready to scratch at it. Harry curled his hands into fists and squeezed his eyes shut tighter.
The itch moved to his back and Harry wanted to scream. It felt like his entire body was burning from the sensation.
"Bloody hell," he ground out as he curled into a ball and scratched furiously at a spot on his cheek.
"You don't know how to ask for help." Snape's words from the night before came rushing back to Harry's mind.
Is that why Snape hadn't offered him the salve? Because he wanted Harry to trust him enough to come to him?
He glanced at the clock on his beside table. 1:57. Surely it was too late to ask him now.
But the itching was only getting worse and Harry wasn't sure how much more he could handle.
He pushed off the blankets and stood up, causing Rook to stir and get up as well. Harry looked back at him. One of them should be able to get some sleep tonight and since Harry didn't think it would be him, he opened the door to the bathroom that connected his and Draco's rooms.
"Here, boy," Harry whispered, getting the dogs attention.
Rook stretched his back before following Harry into the bathroom.
Harry opened Draco's door quietly then stepped aside so that Rook could get in past him. "Go sleep with Draco," Harry said, nudging him with his foot then closing the door behind him.
Harry went back through his bedroom and out into the hallway, but he paused at Snape's door. What if Snape was mad at Harry for waking him up? What if he was wrong and Snape didn't plan on giving him the salve?
But then why would he offer it in the first place?
Harry felt like his emotions were all over the place. His breathing was hitched and he was certain that if Snape said one snarky thing to him, he would burst into tears. And wouldn't that just be wonderful for a fourteen year old to do.
But he also knew that if he didn't get some relief, he would claw through his skin soon. So he summoned every ounce of Gryffindor courage he possessed, and raised his hand to knock.
"Come in," he heard Snape say immediately afterward.
Harry opened the door to find Snape leaning back against the headboard of his bed, one ankle crossed over the other, with a book open in his hands.
"Dad?" Harry knew his voice sounded small and he hated himself for it, but as he scratched harshly at his chest, he didn't care.
Snape put the book down and swung his legs off the bed. "Come here," he said, picking up a small jar of orange tinted creme from his bedside table.
Harry sat down beside him and Snape shifted so that he was face to face with him.
Snape tsked as he shook his head. "You've scratched your face nearly raw." He opened the jar and dipped his fingers inside before rubbing his hands together. "Much more and you would have broken the skin."
"Sorry," Harry said meekly.
"Take off your glasses," Snape said quietly.
Harry did as he was told and Snape began to gently rub the salve into his cheeks. The effect was instant. The salve felt cool to his burning face and inflamed skin.
"Why did it take you all day and half the night to come to me? Didn't you know I would have given this to you immediately if you'd just asked?"
Harry felt tears welling up in his eyes and he squeezed them tightly shut as he tried to swallow around the lump in his throat. "I dunno," he finally managed to say.
He heard Snape sigh. "You don't know why you waited so long or you don't know that I would have helped you?" He moved his fingers to Harry's temples and forehead, massaging the salve in even as he brushed away a traitorous tear that slipped out.
"You might have thought I deserved it after what I did," Harry whispered. "You didn't offer it."
He felt his glasses settling back in place and Snape said, "Look at me, Harry."
Harry opened his eyes to find Snape's own black eyes staring back at him intensely.
"I only wanted you to trust me enough to ask for my help. The itchiness would have gone away eventually even if you hadn't come to me, that's not the point. The point is that you didn't need to be in any discomfort in the first place. I had already told you that I had a salve for it. Do I make a habit of lying to you?"
Harry shook his head.
"Then you could have said something at breakfast when I asked how you were. You could have mentioned it in the lab. The salve was sitting right there at my work station. But you wouldn't ask for it." Harry didn't say anything and Snape went on. "You're absolutely right. I could have offered it when I saw you scratching, but I suppose I incorrectly assumed that after last night, you would be a bit more willing to come to me."
Harry roughly brushed the tears out of his eyes. He didn't understand why he couldn't stop crying. "I'm trying," he murmured, his breath hitching again.
Snape nodded. "I know you are. It's alright." Snape patted Harry's shoulder and said, "Shirt off and turn around. I'll get this on your back and then you can take the jar into the bathroom and put it anywhere else that you need to. Alright?"
Harry sniffed. "Alright."
Snape worked quietly and when he was finished, he passed the jar to Harry who took it into Snape's bathroom.
When he came back out, Snape asked, "Better?"
Harry nodded. "Thanks."
"You're welcome." Snape took the jar and placed it back on the table. "If the itching comes back, you can apply some more."
Harry shuffled from foot to foot at the edge of Snape's bed. "Can I… since you're still up, would it be alright if I hung out in here for a bit?"
Snape nodded slowly, gesturing to the other side of the bed. "Alright, but only for a bit. You have your own bed, you know."
Harry shot him a small smile before pulling back the covers and lying down.
"I mean it, Harry," Snape said, picking up his book. "Don't get too comfortable. You're not falling asleep in here."
Harry nodded even as he burrowed deeper into the blankets. "I won't, Dad. I can't sleep anyway. I'm not even tired."
Snape hummed. He opened his book and removed the bookmark to pick up where he'd left off.
There was quiet in the room for a long moment before Harry spoke again. "By the way, I forgot to ask last night. How did you date go?"
Snape raised an eyebrow but continued to look at the page. "It was fine. We had a nice time."
"That's good," Harry said, trying to hide a yawn.
Another moment passed but just as Harry was beginning to feel his eyes growing heavy, he opened them wide again. "Do you love her?"
The quiet stretched for so long that Harry was certain that Snape wasn't going to answer. He was about to change the subject when Snape closed his book, keeping his finger between the pages to mark his place.
"Would it be terribly awful if I did?" Snape asked instead.
Harry shook his head. "I don't think so. I already told you that I'm glad she makes you happy." He rolled over onto his side facing Snape, but he kept his head down as he covered his mouth with the blanket to hide another yawn. "So do you? Love her, I mean?"
"I do."
Harry grew quiet again as Snape reopened his book. His eyes were beginning to droop and Harry wasn't sure he could fight sleep much longer.
"Dad?" he said softly.
"Yes?"
"If I start to have a nightmare, you'll wake me up, right?"
Snape sighed. He held his hand out and said, "Glasses."
Harry took them off and placed them in his outstretched hand.
Snape put them away and dimmed most of the lights with his wand, leaving only one for him to read by.
"If you should have a nightmare," he said quietly, reaching out to card his hand through Harry's dark hair, "I will be here, and I will wake you from it."
"Promise?" Harry hated the way his voice sounded like he was pleading.
"I promise."
Harry let his eyes close and the last thing he remembered before sleep overtook him was the soft way that Snape was running his fingers through his hair.
The next few days were miserable for Harry. He slept as much as he could, but he was still tired most of the time. The itchiness went away by the third day, though thanks to Snape's salve, Harry was able to handle it much better.
He apologized to Sirius, who promptly told him that all was forgiven. Then Harry had a long session with Remus. The two spent several hours shut up in Remus's office. There was some very real moments of vulnerability that ended with Harry feeling as if he'd been laid bare. Then there were tears of frustration and sadness, followed by, in Remus's opinion, a breakthrough.
It seemed the only thing he was struggling with now was the nearly extreme agitation. Everything was grating on his nerves and keeping him on edge. Though Snape seemed to think that at least part of that was because Harry was being punished and he wasn't happy about it.
Even now as he, Harry, and Draco were getting ready to floo to the Weasley's before taking a portkey to the World Cup, Harry was sending Snape a glare from where he sat on Snape's bed.
"What is it now?" Snape asked as he pulled a navy blue sweater over his head.
"I don't see why you couldn't let me stay with Ron, that's all," Harry grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest and pulling his feet up onto the bed as he leaned back against the headboard.
Snape narrowed his eyes. "This again? You know very well that you were not permitted to spend the night with the Weasley's because you are grounded. And I'm not even sure why you're upset about it now because it's over and done with, and we will be there in just a few moments anyway."
"Because I haven't seen Ron in ages, and Bill and Charlie are there, too. And Charlie's a dragon tamer, Dad."
"You're being ridiculous," Snape said. "Ron was here last week for your birthday. Bill and Charlie aren't going anywhere, and I'm sure Charlie will be happy to tell you all about the foolishness of dragon taming when you see him. And get your shoes off my bed."
Harry huffed but slid his shoes off the bed.
"How did you sleep last night?"
"Fine," Harry snapped.
"Fine? Really?" Snape didn't even pretend to believe him.
Harry scowled. "I woke up twice."
"From nightmares?" Snape sat down beside him and began pulling his boots on.
"No," said Harry honestly. "Just regular dreams."
Snape nodded. "I know you're tired, Harry, but that doesn't give you the right to take it out on me or anyone else. Understand?"
"Yeah," he said with a nod before standing up. "I'll be in the parlor."
Snape watched him leave the room with a sigh. Merlin, he deserved a medal for being so patient lately.
As soon as Harry stepped out of the floo into the Weasley's living room, he heard shouting coming from the kitchen.
Snape and Draco stepped out behind him, then he quickly crossed the room to see Mrs. Weasley pointing her wand at the twins as handfuls of small, brightly colored objects zoomed out of George's pockets faster than he could grab them back.
"We told you to get rid of the lot of them," she shouted between additional summoning charms that forced the objects from Fred's pockets as well.
It seemed that the twins were trying to smuggle their toffee's out of the house, but Mrs. Weasley was having none of it.
"We spent six months developing those!" Fred shouted as she sent the toffees flying into the trash.
"Time wasted as far as I can see," she shot back.
George opened his mouth to retaliate when Mr. Weasley stepped in.
"Boys, I think it would be best if you both waited in the living room until we were ready to leave," he said as sternly as Harry had ever heard him speak.
The twins both shot venomous looks at their mother before stomping out of the kitchen past Harry.
Mrs. Weasley looked up, finally noticing the new arrivals, and plastered a strained smile on her face. "Harry, Draco, it's so good to see you, dears. Have you eaten?"
Harry nodded before looking around for Ron.
"Everyone is still upstairs getting ready," she said, knowing who Harry was looking for.
"Severus," said Mr. Weasley with a grin. "Where's Evelyn? I thought she was joining us."
"She got caught up at work, but she'll meet us there."
"Oh, that's too bad."
Harry turned away from the adults and went back into the living room to find the twins sitting silently on the couch. Deciding that they looked about how he felt, he joined them, leaving Draco to stand awkwardly beside Snape.
Draco had never been to the Burrow before and Harry knew that he ought to call him over in an effort to make him feel more at ease, but before he could give it much thought, Hermione came down the stairs.
"Hello, Draco," she said, gaining his attention. "Have you been here long?"
Draco shook his head and stepped away from Snape towards her.
The two started talking, making Harry feel less like a git for not including him. He was perfectly content to sulk in solidarity with the twins for now.
By the time everyone was ready to go, however, Harry felt a little less annoyed with everything. Ron had come downstairs and after he, Ginny, and Hermione had eaten breakfast, they group followed Arthur out into the backyard. They had a short walk up to Stoatshed Hill, where their portkey waited, and where they met up with Amos and Cedric Diggory.
Then all eleven of them crowded around a dirty, old boot and Arthur counted down from three.
In one instant, Harry felt a tugging in his stomach and his feet left the ground. In the next, he was landing in a pile between Draco and Ron. He looked up to see Snape standing above him with his hand stretched out to help him up.
"Do wizards have a way of travel that doesn't make me want to sick up?" he asked.
"Broomsticks," Snape said with a smirk. "Here," he reached into his pocket and pulled out several small, golden bracelets, "the stands hold a hundred thousand people, and the last thing I want is for anyone to get lost or separated." He passed the bracelets out to Fred and George, Ron, Ginny, and Hermione, who took them curiously.
"That's right," said Arthur, turning to help Ginny fasten the bracelet around her wrist. "You can't be too careful with a crowd like this."
"These are individual portkeys," Snape went on. "If something should happen, touch them and say, "Burrow." They will take you straight back to Molly. Harry, your's and Draco's bracelets have been modified temporarily to take you back to the Burrow as well."
Fred rolled his eyes. "What do you think is going to happen, Professor?"
"Maybe he thinks the Bulgarian's will want revenge when Ireland beats them tonight," George added with a grin that faded the moment that Arthur pierced him with a sharp look.
"Alright, I think I've heard quiet enough out of you two for one day," he said so sternly that Fred and George both ducked their heads. "Put them on, then we're all going to set up camp."
After the group checked in with the muggle who ran the campsite, they started on the short walk to where they would put up their tents.
"What's going on with the twins?" Harry asked Ron quietly so that no one would overhear.
Ron shook his head. "It's been going on all summer. But they've really been put out since your birthday party. After they gave Neville those Ton Tongue Toffees, Mum went mental on them; tried to confiscate their whole line of joke candies, but she keeps finding more that they've stashed away. She thinks they're wasting their time on the joke stuff and wants them to stop."
"Why?" Asked Draco, who was walking on the other side of Harry. "Why does she care?"
Ron shrugged. "Who knows? She says she wants them to get respectable jobs like Percy." He laughed. "Can you imagine Fred and George working at the Ministry? She's barmy."
They made it to their camping spot and they all set to work pitching the tents and getting everything set up. Harry and Hermione worked with Snape to get the tents up, since everyone was being forced to do things without the help of magic, and they were the only ones who'd grown up muggle, or at least around muggles. Not that either of them had ever gone camping a day in their lives.
Fred, George, and Ginny set out to find wood for the fire, and when they returned, Ron and Draco tried helping Arthur light the matches. In the end, Hermione took the small box from him and taught them how to strike the match properly, keeping her hand cupped over the flame so that it wouldn't blow out.
By the time all three of the tents were finished, Arthur had a late breakfast of eggs and sausages prepared, which everyone tucked into gladly. Percy, Charlie, and Bill appeared moments later, conveniently, in Harry's opinion, after all the work was done.
"Alright, everyone," said Arthur as he laid his empty plate onto the grass beside him, "Bill, Charlie, Percy, and the twins will be with me in the biggest tent." It was clear by their subdued expressions that Fred and George were less than pleased by that announcement, but they wisely kept quiet. "Ginny, you and Hermione will be in the last tent with Evelyn and Brielle when they get here."
Snape looked down at his watch. "Which should be any minute now."
Ginny smiled at Hermione. "Like a sleepover. It'll be a nice change to not be around so many snoring boys."
"Oi," Ron said around a mouthful of eggs.
"Which leaves Severus in the middle tent with Harry, Draco, and Ron."
Harry eyed the tents skeptically. Even though there were three of them, he didn't see how fourteen people were going to sleep in three tents.
Snape must have noticed the look of disbelief on his face because he tilted his head toward their tent and said, "Take a look."
Harry stood up and walked to the closed flap on their tent. He ducked his head and stepped inside, immediately realizing that the space was magically larger. Instead of what appeared to be a one room tent from the outside, there was instead a small sitting area, a kitchen with a table and a stove, and a small bedroom on either side.
"Wicked," Harry breathed as he walked into the first bedroom. There was a small cot on one side and a bunk bed on the other. Their things were already there with Harry's backpack laying on the top bunk. Now this, he could definitely get used to.
Finally, it was time for the World Cup.
Draco walked with everyone else up to the Top Box. It was directly in the middle of the field and from their vantage point, they could see everything! There were enough seats for about twenty people to sit comfortably, and already the box was occupied with the Minister of Magic, Ludo Bagman, and the Bulgarian Prime Minister.
A small house elf sat in a seat by herself, nervously rocking back and forth as she covered her eyes. Draco shook his head when Harry went over to talk to her.
Draco moved to the edge and held his pair of Omnioculars up to his face and peered down into the stands below. His eyes followed the crowds, stopping occasionally to look at one thing or another, until finally he saw a man covered head to toe in Irish merchandise, swing at and miss a man wearing Bulgarian colored robes.
"Look at that," he said, grinning widely. "That bloke down there is in a fight with someone already."
"Where?" Harry asked trying to take the Omnioculars from his hand.
Draco lightly shoved him back. "Look through your own, you nitwit," he said with a laugh.
"Ah, Lucius!" Cornelius exclaimed, causing every muscle in Draco's body to go rigid.
Beside him, Harry stiffened as well.
Draco grit his teeth, continuing to stare down and into the lower stands. He mentally berated himself for not realizing that of course they would be here. He'd been stupid to think they wouldn't want to be seen at the biggest event of the year.
Over the last few weeks, Draco had been talking to Remus a lot, too. Nearly as much as Harry had. And the one thing that Remus kept coming back to; kept drilling into Draco's head was that no matter what anyone tried to tell him, Draco was worthy.
He was worthy of love. He was worthy of compassion and empathy and friendship.
Draco had always known that eventually he would have to see them again. The people he'd previously called his parents. He just hadn't expected it to happen so soon.
He listened intently to the conversation behind him.
"It's good to see you, Minister," Lucius said. "I don't believe you've ever properly met my wife. This is Narcissa."
"Oh, good, good," Cornelius said. "And what about—"
Before he could finish the sentence, Draco turned around. "Mr. Malfoy," he said, one eyebrow arched perfectly over his steel grey eyes.
Draco knew that all eyes were on him. From the corner of his eyes, he saw Snape step forward only to have Evelyn lay a hand on his arm, keeping him in place.
Lucius only looked down at him with disdain. "And you are?"
This was a peculiar question considering that Cornelius Fudge knew exactly who Draco was. He knew because it had been he that Lucius had gone to when the incident with Buckbeak had happened the year before.
But it was also expected. Draco knew that whatever familial bond he'd once had with Lucius was gone now. He was fine with it. But he wanted him to know. To really know that Draco was just fine and that he didn't need them.
He stuck out his hand. "Draco Snape. A pleasure."
He heard the gasps around him, but Draco didn't falter. He didn't look away from Lucius's cold gaze even once. He didn't dare glance at his mother— at Narcissa, he amended in his mind. He wasn't ready for that yet. But for this? To stand toe to toe in front of Lucius Malfoy and not flinch?
That he was ready for.
It was over.
Ireland had won the four hundred and twenty-second Quidditch World Cup. Krum had caught the snitch but Ireland had come away with the victory.
Snape wasn't sure he had even fallen asleep when he first heard the screams.
He was out of bed in an instant, his wand at the ready. Snape grabbed the jeans he'd been wearing that day and quickly pulled them on, then ducked out of the tent, his heart nearly stopping when he saw masked and hooded figures.
Death Eaters.
"Severus?"
Snape looked to his left to see Evelyn standing outside her tent, looking out across the grounds.
"Get the girls," he said. "Now."
Evelyn nodded, disappearing back inside.
"Arthur!" Snape yelled, not realizing that Arthur had already heard the shouts as well.
"I see it," he said from behind him.
Snape turned back inside the tent and quickly made his way to the room the boys slept in.
"Get up!" he said, shaking first Draco who was asleep on the cot, then Harry and Ron in their bunks. "Harry, wake up, quickly."
Harry stirred, sitting up and rubbing at his eyes.
Snape picked up his glasses from the table and thrust them into his hands.
"Come on now. Hurry up. Grab your wands."
"Wha's matter?" Draco asked groggily, sitting up as well.
Snape did his best to ignore the screaming. He needed to get the boys up and out of the tent. Once the kids were all together, he would have them portkey back to the burrow.
"Who's screaming?" Ron asked, reaching for his shoes.
Harry jumped down from the top bunk and shoved his feet into his shoes as well.
"Don't worry about it. Just slip on shoes and grab your jackets. Get outside," Snape urged them.
The boys sensing his urgency, quickly did as he said.
They got outside at the same time that Evelyn came out with the girls, clutching her wand tightly in her hand.
Arthur ran up with Fred and George just as a tent to their left burst into flames.
Ginny screamed and Arthur tugged her close.
All around them were flashes of light and screams as people ran past them towards the woods. Drunken laughter and jeering followed them from the slowly moving figures.
"Alright, listen—" Snape started, but froze when Ron blanched, his mouth dropping open. He lifted his hand, pointing behind him at something Snape couldn't see.
Snape turned on his heel to see the Death Eaters levitating four figures into the air, twisting and turning them into grotesque shapes as they screamed and pleaded to be let down.
"They've got the muggles," Arthur breathed. "We're going to help," he said as Bill, Charlie, and Percy emerged from the tent, fully clothed and rushed past them into the fray.
Arthur took off after them with Evelyn on his heels.
"I'm right behind you," Snape said. "Now," he said to the kids, "I want you lot to portkey back to the Burrow now!"
He grabbed Fred's arm but looked at George as well. "Tell your mother that we'll be there as soon as we've sorted this out."
The twins both nodded and George reached for Ginny's hand pulling her to his side.
Snape looked behind him at the fighting that was already underway as Witches and Wizards from the Ministry began attempting to fight back.
"Remember, touch the bracelets and say, "Burrow." Now!"
Snape watched as everyone but Harry did as he said, disappearing one by one. "Harry, go."
Harry shook his head. "Let me stay with you," he pleaded. "I can help."
Snape didn't have time for this. He took a step toward him and said, "You are a fourteen year old wizard and those are fully trained Death Eaters. Help me by doing what I said so that I won't have to worry about you."
"But—"
Snape reached out and tapped Harry's bracelet, watching as it appeared on his wrist. When the bracelet had been made he had added an extra layer of protection to it, allowing Snape to activate it on his own. He'd hoped that he wouldn't ever have to use it.
"Burrow," he said before stepping back a second before Harry disappeared.
Harry would be furious with him for doing that, but Snape didn't have a choice. He needed Harry safe. That's all that mattered in the moment. Everything else could be dealt with later.
Snape dove into the fight, immediately taking on two Death Eaters at once.
"Oh, look! It's the traitor!" one shouted, and Snape recognized his voice as Edward Antares, a burly man with a scar that ran from his temple down to his neck.
His friend, a man wearing a mask he'd never seen before, laughed, shooting a poor excuse for a stinging hex in Snape's direction, which he easily deflected. "Now, now, Antares," Snape sneered, pointing his wand at the unknown man. "Is this the best you lot have got these days?" Snape didn't voice his spell, but in the next instant, the man's robes had caught fire and he began to panic, frantically trying to put out the flames with his wand.
Suddenly, Evelyn was behind him, fighting a Death Eater who was about a foot taller than she was. He was advancing on her with a laugh, assuming that she wasn't a match for him.
Snape knew better.
The man shouted "Stupefy!"
Evelyn threw up a shield, then countered with, "Bombarda!" Tossing the man into the air.
The fighting continued without any pause. Snape could see Arthur and his boys shouting spells several feet away, and though they were surrounded by Death Eaters on all sides, they were easily holding their own. They were attempting to aid the muggles, but it wasn't an easy task when any misstep could cause them to fall from sixty feet in the air.
He focused on the next man in front of him, shielding himself from the red light coming his direction and sending out one of his own.
Evelyn was directly behind him now. "This is not how I expected this night to go," she said, and though she said it with a laugh, Snape knew she must be at least a little bit afraid.
"No?" he asked, shooting a blasting curse at the nearest Death Eater. "What were you expecting?"
Her back was against his and he felt her shoulders shrug as if they were having a casual conversation and not fighting for their lives.
"To be honest," she said, "I thought you might steal me away in the middle of the night. I've barely seen you all week." She stupefied her opponent and turned to look at him with a pout. "A bit of spontaneity never hurt anyone, you know?"
Snape looked to the side, seeing another hooded wizard advancing toward them. He twisted, reaching out to grab Evelyn's arm and pulling her around so that she stayed behind him and he could face the newcomer. "I seem like the "spontaneous" type to you, do I?"
Evelyn started fighting again and said, "Maybe with a bit more practice," she said with a teasing laugh.
Snape blasted the last man backwards, then without thinking, he said, "Marry me."
"What?!" Evelyn whirled around.
To be honest, Snape had no idea what he was doing. Sure, he'd been thinking of asking Evelyn to marry him for days, but this wasn't how he'd planned to do it! He'd envisioned a proper proposal, with flowers and a nice restaurant. Not to mention he would actually have the ring on him. He had thought he would talk to Harry and Draco about it first.
Never in his wildest dreams had he thought he would blurt it out in the middle of the night during a fight with Death Eaters!
But now he had.
Snape turned around to face her, pointing his wand at the same time toward an oncoming Death Eater. Another nonverbal spell sent him sprawling on the ground.
"How's that for spontaneous?"
More Ministry workers had shown up and the fight was finally beginning to die down, but there was plenty still fighting.
Percy, battling it out with a short, balding Death Eater by the name of Crowley, glared over at them. "I really don't think this is the time for this."
"Shut up, Percy," Charlie said helping to safely get one of the muggle children to the ground. "I'm trying to hear what she says!"
"Inquiring minds would like to know," Snape said hesitantly.
Suddenly, Evelyn raised her wand and pointed it above Snape's shoulder, firing off a spell before he could even blink.
Snape turned just in time to see a masked man fall to the ground. He looked back at her, then reached a hand out to grab her waist, pulling her against him and letting his hand settle on the small of her back. "We make a good team."
Evelyn smiled up at him. "We do."
"Is that a, yes?"
Evelyn put her arms up and ran her fingers through his hair at the base of his neck, pulling him closer to her before whispering, "That's a yes."
Harry sat with the others in the Weasley's living room as they all waited for news about what was going on.
It felt like hours had passed. Molly was bustling around in the kitchen, trying to keep herself busy with making tea and food. Brielle had gone to offer her some help a few minutes before. Out of everyone, Harry thought that Brielle likely felt the most out of sorts. She didn't really know anyone here besides Draco and Harry.
Ginny had fallen asleep, her head resting against George's shoulder. Fred sat beside him, staring into the fireplace.
No one was saying much aside from an occasional person wondering what was taking so long.
Hermione sat in the chair with a book open in her lap, and Draco was in the floor beside Ron. They were playing a game of chess in an effort to pass the time.
Harry simply watched the door. He kept telling himself that any minute now, they would walk through, and everything would be fine.
And eventually, that's what happened.
Arthur walked in first, looking haggard and with a small cut on his cheek. He was followed by Bill, Charlie, and Percy, who each looked tired and covered in dirt and soot, but otherwise seemed no worse for wear.
Finally, Snape stepped into the back door with Evelyn, and though he looked just as bad as the rest, he seemed alright to Harry. He was holding Evelyn's hand and he didn't let go of it, even when Harry launched himself into his embrace. He just hugged Harry one handed, pulling him close and whispering calming words into his ear.
"What happened?" Harry asked. "Are those people alright?"
Snape nodded, reaching out to pull Draco into a hug of his own. "They're okay."
Percy leaned against the counter, crossing his arms over his chest. "Someone cast the Dark Mark above the—"
"Percy," Mrs. Weasley snapped, glancing toward Harry and the others. "Not in front of the children."
"We want to know," Fred said, glaring at his mother.
"We can talk about it later," Arthur said firmly.
"Yes," Snape agreed. "The important thing is that everyone is alright."
Evelyn nodded. "And it's really late. I think we should all just try and get some sleep."
It was a testament to how tired everyone was, that nobody argued. The Weasley children and Hermione all gave soft nods and made their way up the stairs to the bedrooms, while Harry, Draco, and Brielle, went into the living room to wait by the fireplace.
The adults talked for a few minutes after the kids left, but then Snape and Evelyn joined them in the living room, and they all floo'd to the Manor.
"Wait a moment," Snape said before Harry and Draco could move toward the stairs. "Evelyn and I have something to tell you, and we might as well get it out now instead of waiting."
Harry, Draco, and Brielle all exchanged looks before taking seats on the couch.
Snape glanced at Evelyn and Harry watched as she smiled up at him.
"What's going on?" Harry asked.
Evelyn moved to stand in front of the coffee table, facing them. Her hair was a tangled mess around her face, her clothes were dirty, and she had a hastily wrapped bandage around her arm where it looked like she might have gotten cut. But aside from all of that, she was still smiling brightly.
"We have some news, and we wanted you to be the first to know."
"Well," Snape said with a scoff, "mostly the first, if you don't count Charlie and Percy."
Evelyn laughed. "Or the Death Eaters."
Draco's eyes widened. "Are you sure you're both alright?"
"You're acting very strange," Brielle added with a frown.
Evelyn held her hand up to quiet them. "We're fine. Better than fine actually."
Snape cleared his throat, and though he spoke to the room, his eyes were on Harry. "We're getting married."
