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sua_layAuthor: Rimau Sua Lay
Rating: overall NC-17, Angst, Drama, Action/Adventure, First Time
Fandom: Harry Potter
Pairings: Harry/Snape, Ron/Draco, (Sirius/Remus)
Date: December 2002 - ?
Disclaimers: Not mine, borrowed without permission, am not making any money. Please don't sue. Sherbet Lemon?
Summary for Book Four: -Before you can go forward, you must face your past. Sins of the father may bury the son. Harry will find out if a dog really is the man's best friend.
Warning: This part contains deaths, gore, mention of het rape, explicit sex between men, disturbing themes, angst and a partridge in a pear tree.
The earlier parts of the fic can be found here.
Harry's second last day at Hogwarts dawned annoyingly bright and sunny. Being used to the constant faint lighting down in the dungeons, he was squinting his eyes as he followed behind Snape to the Great Hall.
A moment later his eyes went wide as he saw Draco Malfoy sitting at the Ravenclaw tables and casting hesitant looks at him. "Well I'll be damned." He'd thought Malfoy would make his decision at the last possible minute and even then make it sound like he was actually making a real decision instead of doing the only thing he could.
"Morning." Smiling knowingly, he sat down across from Malfoy.
"Good morning, Potter." Draco looked up at him, wondering for a moment what the smile meant and then decided it was simply an expression and nothing more than that.
They sat in silence for a moment, both pretending they were too busy eating to actually have a conversation.
Draco sipped his juice, feeling his stomach clench. He really didn't want to talk about this; it would be so much easier if he simply moved into the house and that was it. He didn't even have that much to pack. Most of his belongings were still in his trunk, waiting for him to simply pick it up and leave.
"So... Have you decided yet?" Harry knew a dozen different ways to ask, but he settled with the one that would bruise the famed Malfoy ego the least.
A wry smile appeared on Draco's lips. Now that he had to say the words out loud, he didn't feel like avoiding the issue after all. "Cut to the chase, Potter. We both know I'm not suicidal enough to decline your more than gracious offer." It was not a real choice, because he had no alternative. He couldn't stay in Hogwarts anymore, and even if by some miracle he was allowed to stay, he couldn't stand the silence of the Slytherin rooms for another night.
Living with Potter and his relatives wouldn't be as bad. He hoped.
Harry let some of his amusement for Malfoy's stiff words show. "Of course." He was surprised by how relieved he was by this; no matter how big an asset Malfoy could be in the fighting he was actually more concerned about him as a person.
"Are there any conditions you would like to set on our new arrangement?" There had to be some catch in this, of that Draco was certain.
The very Slytherin question hit Harry hard. It reminded him of most of the talks he'd had with Snape regarding things he took for granted. Friendship, companionship; all forms of any kind of intimacy. "Well..." He shrugged. "Yeah, actually. I want you to at least try to be civil to Remus and Sirius. No stupid games to make their life miserable. And if any of my friends ever come by, I want you to... Well, behave."
He didn't know if he should even make that point. He didn't even know if he had friends anymore. Hermione was away with her family, and he was half convinced she wouldn't be coming back to their insane world where she could find only destruction. He was quite sure that given the choice, he wouldn't. Then there was Ron, who had already lost too much. Why on earth would either of them want to come back?
Draco lowered his gaze, not wanting to look at Potter as he muttered, "You have my word that I won't..." He didn't know how to phrase it. There was no word he and Potter would agree with.
"Good."
Raising his gaze, Draco was stunned to see that Potter was actually satisfied with his hesitant words. He almost rolled his eyes. Gryffindors! But for some reason it wasn't enough. "I mean it. I won't even talk to..." No need to squirm his way through this. "Weasley unless he addresses me first." As if that would ever happen.
Harry didn't want to think about Ron. "Okay." He was going to take Malfoy's word, mostly because it was in the Slytherin's best interest to actually keep it.
There was nothing more to say.
Since he had nothing really pressing to do today -- except maybe to watch Snape work -- Harry spent some extra time with his hot chocolate. He enjoyed the change of taste, even though he would always choose tea in the dungeons over anything.
He didn't say anything as Malfoy lingered with him, holding his own mug tight between his palms as if drawing the warmth from there. It was kind of strange to sit here with Malfoy, especially without the miasma of hostility hovering around them. Strange, but not bad.
A dark shadow was cast over them, and Harry looked up to see Snape standing next to their table. Unable to keep the grin from his lips, he muttered, "Hi."
"Potter. Mr. Malfoy."
Draco put his mug down. "Good morning, professor Snape."
Not bothering with small talk, Snape kept his attention on Malfoy and said, "I assume you have decided to move in with the Gryffindors then." It was not a question.
"Yes, sir. I have. If that's all right with you." Even with the advice he'd got from the Head of his House, Draco somehow needed to say this.
He was not going to ask Snape's opinion on everything, but since Potter was Snape's -- he didn't even know what to call it really and didn't want to focus on that -- he thought it prudent to show that he was well aware of the situation.
Having Potter actually live in Snape's rooms was a show of allegiance, of approval of some sort. Draco doubted it was simple ownership but something more complicated he didn't really want to know. He had to keep in mind that the Head of his House had plans for Potter and no interference was allowed.
Snape let out a snort, but nodded anyway. "It is." He turned to Harry. "I hope your godfather is still at St. Mungo's." His tone indicated that he hoped Black had been taken in as a patient and would spend the rest of his life in the mental ward.
"Yeah, he's staying with Remus. They'll move into the house tomorrow." Once again, Harry was glad that their schedules were the same. It allowed him to spend these last days with Snape without extra regrets.
"Excellent." That would give them plenty of time to work. "If you gentlemen have nothing better to do today, we are going to have a look at your new lodgings."
Both young men nodded at that.
It was strange to walk to Hogsmeade with the two Slytherins. Harry had definitely got used to the flooing and walking the short distance felt odd somehow. Of course he understood why they couldn't simply floo into his new house, but they could have grabbed broomsticks instead. It was a beautiful day for flying.
The way Snape had glared at him when he'd made the suggestion had made him realize that the man didn't exactly consider that an option.
Too bad. Even the mention of flying had made Malfoy's expression brighten.
A moment later Snape stopped and glared at Harry again. "Actually, you should go and get your broom. Hurry up, we don't have the whole day to dawdle!" The impatient nod included Malfoy in his command, and both young men rushed back to the dungeons.
Snape waited for them to return and then handed them both large buckets full of something heavy. "Now let's get going."
Carrying both their brooms and the buckets was awkward and annoying, but Harry didn't complain even though he did glare a lot. He was fairly sure that they were carrying the purple goo Snape had brewed the previous evening, but had no idea what it was for.
Still, it was a nice summer day. Not too hot, maybe a bit windy. It was actually rather pleasant to walk from Hogwarts to Hogsmeade. They met no one on their way to the village, even though they could see people bustling around as they neared the house. Harry was startled as he realized his new house was not far from Honeydukes.
At least there was something good about this whole thing.
Since he'd paid little attention to all this when he'd first visited here, he tried to take in most of the details, wondering what the place looked like to Snape and Malfoy.
They were probably used to houses that were bigger than this, but Harry was amazed by the sheer size of the place. And there was a real garden! Didn't look like there were lots of gnomes there.
It wasn't likely he'd have much time to worry about things like de-gnoming anyway.
"Is this it?" Snape looked at the house. He could tell the answer from the dazed look on Harry's face and couldn't blame him for being shocked by this place. Shaking his head slightly with disbelief, he gestured with his hand. "After you."
Harry didn't say anything as he pulled the key from out of his pocket and then opened the door. A slight whiff of some kind of a cleaning potion made him almost sneeze. "Welcome to my humble house." There was a world of sarcasm in his voice.
The previous visit here had been dream like, his only memory the need to get back to the dungeons as quickly as humanly possible.
Showing his house to Snape was somehow making this real.
They walked through the rooms, inspecting the place. It was as if Harry was seeing everything for the first time; the surprisingly tasteful furniture, the hallway and the almost uncomfortably large rooms. He wasn't sure what to think of all of this.
It was a bit too much. Like everything seemed to be lately, chafing his sense of propriety the wrong way.
Snape cast suspicious looks at the locks and ran both his fingers and his wand over the doorknobs and the small latches on the windows. His gaze missed nothing in the large house.
It took some time to get through every room. The house didn't resemble the smaller, shabby looking cottage at all. There was a large basement that made Snape nod with approval, enough storage area for a big family down there and no sign of rodents. The ground level floor had two smaller rooms and a living room with an access to a real dining room and a surprisingly modern looking kitchen.
Harry paused for a moment to stare at the staircase. A small grin flickered on his lips as he realized that there was a cupboard under the stairs.
They marched upstairs.
"I see they assume a teenage wizard needs at least four bedrooms." Staring at the doorways leading to fairly sized rooms, Snape shook his head in disgust. From a dormitory shared by five youngsters to this? Either the people in the Order thought Harry already had an overblown ego or they wanted him to have one.
That brought another wry smile to Harry's face. "Yeah. Stupid, isn't it?" He remembered Dudley and his second bedroom. Maybe some people really lived like that. He most certainly didn't want to.
Draco liked the place. It was large and the portraits and other decorations looked expensive. They were also artistic and tastful, unlike some things he'd witnessed lately. The shades of green and grey repeating in both the furniture and the curtains made him grin and cast a look at Potter.
Who didn't seem to notice his amusement.
"Have you chosen a bedroom already?" Ignoring Harry's comment, Snape waved his wand and sent all the doors flying open. "If not, please do so now."
Harry shrugged. "I haven't really thought about it..." Seeing the very familiar look on Snape's face, he cut the sentence and went with, "I'll have a look."
He didn't really care which of the rooms he'd take, but looked around anyway. All the rooms looked nice; they had a bed, a small table at the bedside, shelves for personal items by the wardrobe and a few comfortable looking chairs. The only real difference was the view. He didn't like the windows pointing towards the busy main street nor the one from which he could see the Three Broomsticks at the distance. In the end, he pointed at the second door on the left. "I'll take that one."
Nodding slightly, Snape started the inspection with that room.
"May I..." Draco didn't finish his sentence when he saw Potter nod. He didn't like asking. "Thank you." The very empty phrase he'd always used only to gain something tasted weird in his mouth.
He was more thorough with his examination. The room he chose was the one farthest away from the bathroom upstairs. Incidentally, it was also the one farthest away from the one Potter had chosen.
They didn't linger upstairs for long, it was a big house and they had work to do.
Snape gestured at the buckets they had left in the hall. "We are going to make certain that your new home is as secure as the Slytherin dungeons." He cast a look at the large windows and grimaced with distaste. Well, almost as secure anyway.
It was a good thing that young Malfoy was already familiar with washing the windows. That skill would come handy now.
Using the exact tone as he did in classroom, Snape added, "Usually the houses we live in are charmed with wards. However, a charm is only as strong as the person casting it and will most of the time break when that person dies. Therefore a potion is a better option."
Harry smiled slightly at that. He was certain that Snape thought that a potion was the preferred option in everything. "I know. A potion will seep into the walls themselves and live in the house for as long as it stands."
There was an incredulous expression on Snape's face, mirrored by the faint shock on Malfoy's.
"Hey I may not be good at Potions, but that's basic defense knowledge!"
Snape didn't comment on that, but he did shake his head slightly in amazement. At least now he didn't have to explain every single detail. Ignoring the smile on Harry's face, he looked at Malfoy.
"Even with the protective barriers, it would be prudent to raise wards as well." There was no such thing as being too careful. "I expect you to look after that in case your Gryffindor housemates don't share our views on proper protection."
Draco lifted an eyebrow. True, Snape had been the one to maintain the wards around the cottage, but that was expected. He had been the adult there. Certainly Potter and his godfather would handle the security of their new home?
But as Snape had said, they were Gryffindors. "Of course, sir." He had to fight against a grin. He'd make sure Potter was safe, since that seemed to be the very core of Snape's order.
He was not going to screw this up, especially after his little talk with Snape that had kept him awake half the previous night.
It was funny, how he'd always seen the world divided in two. There were people who had power, and they could do whatever they wanted. The arrogance had been fed to him in his mother's milk, everything in his life showing him that he was special, one of the privileged.
Of course there also had to be those who were powerless. Those you could use. Sheep, his father called them. Not only Muggles, but Mudbloods as well, those who had the potential, but decided to waste it in being 'good'; Gryffindors, Dumbledore's lackeys.
Now he was not certain about anything anymore.
Harry was rolling his eyes, not at all surprised that Snape would say that to Malfoy. It was more than clear what the man thought about the other houses. "Thank you for the vote of confidence."
He could have sworn that the faintly amused and yet proud expressions on both the Slythrins' faces were identical.
Busying himself with the potion and the brushes, Snape ignored that as well. He didn't care if Lupin and Black cast a dozen protective charms around the place. Taking care of some of the defense would give young Malfoy a sense of purpose, something he would probably need to survive living with these half-wits.
He spent a few more minutes explaining the use of the protective magic before drawing the first line across the wall in the living room. The purple potion clashed with the warm green paint, but in a few moments the potion was absorbed into the wall, leaving no trace of it behind. "Like this."
"Can I help?" Since this wasn't about actually making a potion, Harry was certain he would be allowed to do something. He was right. Grabbing a brush, he went to paint the walls with the potion.
It was actually fairly intriguing. They used different potions on the walls and the doors. Malfoy sighed a suffering sigh when Snape told him to wash the windows using an extra potion in the water. It made Harry grin. With all these signs of humanity Malfoy was showing, he might actually get used to having him around.
They worked on every possible wall, painting the tiles in the bathroom as well as the stone walls down in the basement. After finishing with the inside of the house, they went out and Harry and Malfoy watched as Snape drew a protective circle around the whole perimeter of the property before mounting their brooms and sprinkling the roof with yet another potion.
Harry had never had this much fun with a potion -- not counting the lubricant potion of course. But this was still great fun. He enjoyed swooping down from the heights, the circling with Malfoy almost like a dance. It was clear from Malfoy's expression that he wasn't the only one having a good time.
Of course their actions started to gather a crowd after a while. Seeing the small group of witches stop and stare at them right outside the owl office made him sprinkle the rest of the potion as quick as possible and then land next to Snape with a slight frown on his face.
"What is it, Potter?" Snape asked. He'd seen how the complete joy had disappeared from Harry's face a moment earlier.
Not looking up, Harry said, "We have an audience." He had to agree that maybe he would have stopped and stared at two people flying over a house too, but he didn't want the crowd to get any bigger. Or the people to recognize any of them.
"Ah." It didn't really matter. "We should be going. It's almost lunch time." There was nothing more they could do to the house. It was as secure as it could be.
Harry nodded eagerly. He was actually hungry after all the work, and nothing sounded better than to return to Hogwarts.
"Apparating this short a distance is more dangerous than walking." Maybe if they could Apparate all the way inside Hogwarts' grounds it would be the best option, but not now. "I'm certain I can make my way back to Hogwarts on my own, but you may fly ahead if you wish to." Snape had already shrunk the now empty buckets -- not having to worry about the shrinking process destroying the potion -- and pushed them inside his robes.
Still feeling the exhilaration from the short moment of flying, Harry cast a longing look at his broom. Then he thought of Snape walking alone and shook his head firmly. "We'll walk." He didn't want Malfoy to go flying off alone either.
The only answer he got was a fairly annoyed glare. He didn't mind, he was used to those already.
There were other glares as well. As they walked down the street, a few witches and wizards stopped to stare at them, whispering amongst themselves. It was an unpleasant reminder of how true Snape's preception of their lives was. The looks he got were happy and revering and they turned sour whenever the person realized who he was with.
Harry wasn't surprised to see Snape ignore all the stares. Years of suspicion and rumors about his loyalties must have prepared him for this. The way Malfoy kept his expression impassive as well wasn't a surprise either, even though Harry could see that he was more tense than usual.
He wasn't going to comment on it.
The tension in the Slytherin didn't leave even when they got back to Hogwarts. Ignoring the smiling greetings from the professors, Harry headed straight to the Great Hall and the Ravenclaw table and motioned Malfoy to follow him. They were both hungry enough to concentrate mainly on the food appearing on the table, avoiding eye contact and keeping the conversation to bare minimum, neither ready to risk this tentative truce they'd formed.
Right after lunch, Snape came to inform them he was going to talk to the Headmaster, alone. His tone suggested they keep out of trouble.
Both Harry and Draco nodded at that.
Maybe it was for the best. Harry didn't want to waste the whole day sitting on the couch and trying very hard not to focus on the fact that tomorrow he would be living elsewhere. There wasn't anything for him to really do, except to pack his things, and that would be too morose as well.
He wanted to do something he loved, something that would drive all this gloom away.
There weren't many things to choose from. He wasn't interested in reading anything, and walking through the castle would simply lead him to places he didn't want to go to.
He looked at Malfoy who didn't seem to want to go down to the dungeons alone either. It was strange, with anyone else, he wouldn't hesitate suggesting a walk or a game of chess, but did he really want to spend time with Malfoy like that?
Surprisingly, he realized he didn't mind the idea. They'd have to spend time together anyway with Malfoy living with him and it would be best if they could move past this phase where old enmity had turned into awkward politeness.
Harry knew of one thing he could suggest to Malfoy that wouldn't lead to complete disaster. It wasn't much, but it was a start. "What do you say about a little one on one Quidditch?" He'd settle to flying around aimlessly if he had to, but he simply had to get on his broom right now.
Startled, Draco looked up from the napkin he'd been playing with. "Quidditch?" He snapped his mouth shut, not wanting to sound like a pathetic fool who was shocked by the fact that someone wanted to spend time with him.
"Yeah, Quidditch." After all this time with Snape, Harry had learned that when he felt like he was walking on thin ice, honesty was the best policy. "I'm not going to waste the whole day moping. It's a perfect day for flying."
"Do you think it would be safe?" There were wards all around Hogwarts, but Draco wasn't going to forget that during the years, lots of dubious people had managed to sneak through them. He hoped the Quidditch pitch would be secure. He'd missed flying more than anything.
"Yeah, I think so." Harry nodded. Both Snape and Dumbledore knew he loved to fly, and they would have warned him against it if there was any danger. "So what do you say?"
"Sounds good." Even though his new situation would have compelled him to agree even if he hated the mere idea, Draco was almost radiating with relief. He wasn't going to spend the day alone in the common room.
Smiling with genuine joy, Harry nodded towards the door. "Let's go, then."
A/N:There's a possibility that due to RL stuff, I won't manage to post the next part in schedule, so if it's one day late, just bear with me. :D
