"And how is that going?" Snape diverted the conversation.
"Well, it would go a fair sight better if you'd let me actually speak to anyone, you know, Severus."
"Not while tempers are still so hot. I'm tired of arguing this, Draco. You'll have to owl them for now, and that's final. Do you have any more letters for me to send?"
"Three."
A silence ensued, and Harry wondered if Snape was reading the letters to see just what Draco was writing his fellow Slytherins. When the conversation resumed, it took a strange turn that Harry couldn't quite follow.
"Did you tell him?" Snape was asking.
Draco seemed to understand what the question referred to. "No," he said shortly. "I can't think he'd appreciate it very much. To my way of thinking, you're reminder enough. Here, read this."
A moment passed, and then Snape said, "This reference was for my own use, Draco."
"I'm at least a week ahead in every class," Draco drawled. "What do you expect me to do down here all day, file my nails? Hmm, though, they are getting a bit ragged. Limare. There, that's better."
"I know you aren't stupid enough to go into my office," Snape darkly announced. "So how did you get this book?"
"Accioed it from your desk in there," Draco breezed.
"I do not appreciate being lied to, Draco."
"Oh, fine. You left it out last night. Can I help it if I wonder what you've been poring over for the last few days?" A light shudder caressed his voice. "Imagine my surprise when it turned out to be a Muggle book. By Muggles, for Muggles."
"That didn't stop you from reading it, I observe," Snape shot back.
"No." A long pause. "Did you really tell Potter that wizards all have Muggles somewhere in their family trees? No exceptions?"
"Yes," Snape said.
Draco's voice was fainter when he replied. "Oh. That's... really rather gross. I actually feel a bit sick. I suppose you'll be offended if I ask if you're sure?"
"I have been in your place," Snape dryly announced. "I know it's disturbing. You'll get used to it, assuming you prefer knowing the truth to believing convenient lies. At any rate, I surmise that you and Harry must have done a bit of talking today?"
"We had a nice fight, as I'm quite sure you heard before you left." Draco merely said. "Good of you to stay out of it. I wouldn't want Potter there thinking I'm so hazardous that you have to rescue him from my evil clutches."
"You're the one who'll need rescuing if you get him angry enough to lose control."
"Hmm, his wild magic is really something," Draco murmured. "Shall I wake him for dinner?"
"Not yet. Are you really a week ahead in all of your classes?"
"Well, except Astronomy, but that's just because I'm waiting for answers to a few questions I owled the professor."
"Good," Snape approved. "You'll need to make sure you stay caught up, which will be harder now that you're to start tutoring Harry."
Draco sighed. "You really should recruit Granger, or somebody else. I can't tutor someone who every second will sit there thinking I'm about to hex him."
"And you wonder why I didn't mention Pansy to him," Snape mocked.
"Well, you saw," Draco insisted. "He lay there like a lump and let me drone on about potions, but he wasn't even listening! Besides, there's this thing with his magic. Wild outbursts aside, he won't even try to spell if I'm anywhere in the vicinity. I saw it in the hospital, Severus. He was practically itching to try out his wand, but he wouldn't do it, not with me there."
"I have great faith in your powers of persuasion," Snape drawled.
"Yeah, I get that," Draco groaned. "What you mean is, don't fuck it all up like you did with Slytherin that night."
"Language," Snape rebuked. "But yes. You should have worked Slytherin from the inside, instead of alienating yourself so thoroughly that even the half-bloods and Muggleborns were terrified to side with you."
Harry's jaw dropped open. What? Half-bloods and Muggleborns in Slytherin? Slytherin? SLYTHERIN?
"Who do you think I'm owling?" Draco tightly replied.
Draco was owling the half-bloods and Muggleborns in SLYTHERIN?
Harry felt like his head might split open from the shock, and that was before Snape replied, "I know who you're owling, you idiot child. Keep to the strategy we discussed. Now, let me read."
After that, they lapsed into a long silence. Harry stretched again, and fumbled his way into the bathroom, managing with some difficulty to take care of matters, even blind. All that practice in the hospital wing had helped.
Then, knowing he couldn't put it off forever, he made it back to the door of his room and flung it wide.
-----------------------------------------------------------
"Ah, Harry," Snape noticed him at once. "How are you feeling?"
"Fine," Harry lied, "other than needing the Elixir."
"Let's dose you then," Snape answered, his footsteps coming forward. "Draco, you see to dinner."
Snape took his arm in a firm grip, led him back into his room and sat him down on the bed, his fingers coming up to frame his face. "Ready?"
"Yes." Gritting his teeth, Harry opened his eyes wide and thought of Devon as Snape spread his eyelids apart. It helped. The physical sensation hearkened back to Samhain, but he kept the fear at bay with memories of care and comfort. Because this was care, too. It was just... difficult.
Harry blinked. "That's better."
He saw Snape looking down at him with a rather severe expression. "Are you getting on adequately with Mr. Malfoy?"
"Uh, yeah, I guess," Harry murmured. He could have complained about some of the things Draco had said, but he didn't want to be some kind of crybaby or something. Besides, Draco had his fair share of complaints about Harry, too. The letter, for one. Snape would not appreciate that at all, Harry thought. Then again, there were things that Harry didn't much appreciate, either. "That was a nasty trick, not telling me he'd be here," Harry grumbled.
Snape laid a hand on his shoulder and lightly squeezed. "Yes, but now you get to hear me say Voldemort, which is apparently worth any sacrifice. Now, onto more important matters. Did Draco warn you not to go into my office?"
"Yeah, and your bedroom's off-limits too, I heard. What about your potions lab?"
"You can enter it if you need to, but don't brew anything unsupervised." Pausing, he incanted a Lumos and looked carefully into Harry's eyes. "The color's definitely deeper and glossier than it used to be, and the scratches are nearly gone. Have you noticed any improvement in vision, other than the Elixir lasting longer than it did at first?"
Harry shrugged. "Things are getting less blurry. It's like you said, I think. It'll just take some time."
"Ah. Well, I realize you're on a somewhat different schedule than the rest of us after so long in hospital, but Draco and I will be dining momentarily. Do you feel up to joining us?"
"I'm not an invalid, Professor," Harry announced, standing up.
-----------------------------------------------------------
As far as Harry was concerned, dinner became a synonym for insult the minute Draco Malfoy was put in charge of the preparations. They all sat down at the round table, Snape incanting Comiere to tell the house-elves they were ready, and what appeared?
Two lovely china plates full of elegant, obviously refined food, and one rather plain plate bearing a hamburger and chips.
Draco burst out laughing, and reached for his wine, which of course caused Harry to notice that the hamburger had come with juice. It was orange juice though, which was rather interesting.