Ron made a little sound of disgust, then quickly changed the subject. "Harry did concuss himself, 'Mione. I know, because I was here and saw the whole thing. I wasn't supposed to say anything about his magic being back, so that was why I said I didn't know how it had happened."
Hermione furrowed her brow and slowly turned to face Snape. Harry saw her think twice about questioning him at all, but in the end her curiosity won out. "But... I don't understand, sir. Why the secret? If Harry's coming back to classes soon, wouldn't we all know soon anyway, that he'd recovered his powers?"
Snape drew himself up to his full height, and sneered, "I did not care if you knew his magic had returned, per se. I did not want anyone to realize quite how forcefully it can emerge at times."
"Oh...." Hermione nodded. "Strategy, right. We wouldn't want the Death Eaters to know in advance the kinds of spells he can do. So you're planning to have him hide what he can, right, just like Harry was saying... I don't suppose you can hide the Parseltongue, but the sheer strength of his spells... oh, and the wandless magic. Best not to put that on display--"
"If you are quite through showing off your powers of deductive reasoning," Snape scathed, "perhaps we can return to the problem Harry has presented us with by telling you his secret!"
"As if I'd tell anybody!" Hermione exclaimed, followed closely by Ron declaring, "Yeah! I never even told her, that's how trustworthy I am!"
"You may prove less than trustworthy if you are interrogated via torture," Snape spat. "Unless of course we resort to Obliviate--"
"Oh, God, please, not this again!" Harry groaned. "You just won't be satisfied until you Obliviate some student or other, will you?"
"I was not in fact suggesting it!" Snape sharply rebuked him. "You are lucky I don't propose Obliviating you! I'd think you of all people would be aware how much Voldemort and his lackeys adore administering... what did you call them? Torments from the pits of hell? Not to mention that they have a multitude of other ways of gleaning information!"
Ron glanced from Snape to Harry, and back. "Uh, sir... what are you going to do about Harry having told Hermione the truth?"
"That is, I believe, my business!" the Potions Master roared.
"Just asking," Ron murmured, blinking.
Draco cleared his throat a bit ostentatiously, and when Snape looked his way, quietly put in, "I'm not quite sure of the protocol at this point, but I thought I might mention.... dinner is served." He gave a little wave toward the table where individual cheese soufflÈs were waiting for each of them.
Harry nodded, a bit desperate for something to break the tension. "Yes, let's eat," he chimed in, trying to sound enthusiastic about the prospect. In reality, his stomach was grinding something awful, and not with hunger. Actually, he felt like he'd already had a full dinner of sawdust; his throat seemed choked with the stuff. Snape hadn't moved, hadn't even glanced at the table. He was too busy glaring at Harry.
"Perhaps some wine," Draco smoothly suggested, pouring it already. Just one glass though. For Snape. When he held it out toward the man, only to have Snape ignore it, the boy added, "Galliano?"
"Don't be an idiot," Snape growled. "You think I'm some Muggle you can ply with drink so I'll relax?"
Shrugging, Draco offered the wine instead to Hermione, then poured some for Ron and Harry as well, serving himself last. "Shall we?" he prompted.
Harry moved hesitantly toward the table, not quite sure what to do. He knew a hysterical urge to laugh when Draco's perfect manners actually extended to his pulling out Hermione's chair for her. Ron scowled at that, but Hermione actually seemed too shell-shocked to notice.
Snape glared at the lot of them as they sat down, nobody making a move to touch a soufflÈ until their host joined them.
He never did join them, though. With a disgusted snarl, the Potions Master whirled on a heel and stomped off towards his office.
Harry gulped. "I guess I should go say I'm sorry..."
"To quote a great man," Draco returned, lifting his wine as though in tribute, "'Don't be an idiot.' Give him some time to calm down, at least. By the way, are you actually sorry?"
"No, not really," Harry admitted.
"All the more reason to let sleeping dogs lie," Draco advised, then glanced at their guests. "Well? Don't stand on ceremony. Eat. There's loads more coming. Shrimp vinaigrette, then some lovely mango to clear our palate, then Cornish game hens basted in kumquat butter, and--"
"I can't eat," Harry miserably announced, laying aside his fork as he hung his head in his hands.
"We covered this already," Draco impatiently lectured. "You're not to punish yourself with hunger, Harry. Severus is angry, but he's been angry with you before and the two of you managed to get through it. Just try to relax, and eat your dinner."
Hermione took a tentative bite of soufflÈ. "It's really good," she said as if in encouragement.
"Yeah," Ron echoed, trying it as well. "Go on Harry, eat."
Harry did, just a bit.
"Have some wine as well," Draco advised.
"You're not his nurse, Malfoy," Ron objected.
Hermione tilted her head to one side. "I think he's just trying to help again, Ron."
"Quite right," agreed Draco.
"I was just trying to help, too," Hermione quietly said. "Harry, what was I supposed to do? I thought you were getting hurt and you really needed help."
Harry couldn't help but sigh. "Don't you think I could owl Family Services myself if I wasn't being treated well?"
Biting her lip, Hermione admitted, "Well, you could, but I didn't think you would, Harry. I mean... I thought if you were so desperate for a family that you'd agree to have Professor Snape adopt you... well, I guess I thought you'd put up with anything to keep your new father. You are a little bit, um, needy, I think."
"And you're a little bit bossy, and a little bit nosy, and a little bit--" Shaking his head, Harry switched to saying, "I don't want to fight."
Ron scooped up the last of his soufflÈ, then said, "Harry didn't let Snape adopt him because he was desperate or needy, Hermione. You haven't seen them together the way I have. When Harry hurt himself discovering his new magic, Snape was... well, he was just like anybody's dad would be. Worried, I mean. And caring."
"Snape," Hermione doubtfully repeated. "Caring. About Harry. Harry Potter."
Draco cast Ron a stern look then, maybe to warn him not to mention the singing.
"Yeah, he was," Ron said. "How do you think I got over feeling awful about the whole thing? Harry's all right down here, he really is. And I'm not talking about something as blatant as whether he needs Family Services to come investigate! He's getting what he needs, that's what I mean. And it was wrong of us to try to tell him that he shouldn't get that if it meant Snape was involved."
Draco had too much pride to tell Ron out loud that he approved of the sentiments, but he did top up the other boy's wine glass after Ron finished speaking.
"But why Snape?" Hermione pressed. "Harry, anybody you wanted would adopt you!"
Looking his friend in the eye, Harry admitted, "I love Severus, Hermione. I love him a lot. He understands me and he's good for me and I don't want anybody else for a father."
"You don't love him; you have an unhealthy attachment because he took care of you when you were horribly mangled on Samhain!"
"And just why do you love your parents?" Ron challenged, waving a hand for Harry to let him talk. "Because they took care of you when you were little! Because they've been there for you! Same for Harry, only he just started later than we did with this whole parent thing. And anyway, why should Harry have to justify himself to you? You ought to be glad he's finally got what we've been lucky enough to have all along, but instead you try to pick his emotions apart and tell him he's wrong to have them! If you ask me, you've got one hell of a lot of nerve!"