"You didn't 'freeze up,'" his father assured him, pulling him closer against the warmth of his body. "You would have attacked had I not stopped you, and had you had your wand..."
"Yeah," Harry groaned, realising he could very easily have killed Remus. His father had been right; he did need to work on his self-control. He couldn't bear to be responsible for the death of another loved one. "Thanks," he sighed, rubbing his cheek against the soft, fragrant fabric covering his father's chest. "Just... thanks."
Albus Dumbledore coughed slightly. "Shall we? Harry is right; Mr. Malfoy... Draco, that is, will be impatient to know what has transpired during his absence."
Harry pushed away slightly so that he could look up at his father. "I don't suppose we're going to tell him what Remus has been doing, settle that dream for him once and for all?"
The Potions Master shook his head.
"Need-to-know basis, Severus?" the headmaster lightly gibed. "And you marvel that I have had to make similar determinations in the past. Do you realize how important Lupin's mission could turn out to be? Do you--"
"Yes, Headmaster, I do," Snape affirmed, his tone harsh. "What you fail to understand is that as I am these days fully embroiled in every last nuance of Harry Potter's life, I need to know every last detail you can dredge up! I expect to be kept informed of Lupin's progress, is that clear, Albus?"
"And I expect the same!" Harry declared, only to find himself on the receiving end of Snape's fierce glower.
"You are not an adult and you are not an Order member. You are not even a fully trained wizard." He lowered his voice. "Besides, you told me that you wanted to know what it was to be a child. You just told Lupin that I was a good father. Are you now going to resist my honest attempt to be that for you?"
Harry thought about that, and sighed. "All right, I understand what you're saying. But just make sure you're a good father to Draco too, all right? Because... look, I don't claim to know what he needs, but I'm pretty sure that ten million lines or thousands of points off Slytherin is just going to make him feel resentful."
"Thousands of points off Slytherin," the Potions Master mocked. "I wouldn't dream of it."
"I'm sure you wouldn't," Harry admitted. "Let's go. He's probably climbing the walls by now."
"Not likely."
"What, because Draco's got such a calm personality?"
"No, because I gave him a Calming Draught," Snape averred. "Hold tight now so you won't need the same."
Closing his eyes, Harry hugged his dad as the whole world around them melted.
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Coming soon in A Year Like None Other:
Chapter Seventy-Two: Draco in Devon
Comments very welcome,
Aspen in the Sunlight
Chapter 72: Draco in Devon
http://archive.skyehawke.com/story.php?no=5036&chapter=72
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A Year Like None Other
by Aspen in the Sunlight
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Chapter Seventy-Two: Draco in Devon
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They Apparated into the field outside the cottage as usual, Snape holding onto Harry just a moment longer than was really necessary, but Harry thought that was all right. When the Potions Master's arms did drop to his sides, Harry glanced about the meadow with a frown. There wasn't any light coming from the cottage, which meant he couldn't see much, but how far away would Dumbledore be?
"Wasn't the headmaster coming, too?"
Snape's eyebrows drew together. "Perhaps he's gone to London to try to persuade Fudge to release some Order Aurors from the situation there."
"Hmm. Well, as long as we're alone for the moment..." Harry lowered his voice, then ventured. "Was that a real resignation you wrote out?"
Snape began to walk toward the cottage. "Oh, it was authentic."
Something in the man's tone caught on Harry's Slytherin consciousness. "It was authentic... but?" he asked, lengthening his stride to catch up.
"Ah, reading between the lines at last," Snape approved with a slight nod, before confessing, "I knew full well Albus wouldn't accept it. Be that as it may, however, had he not produced Lupin as requested..." The sentence hung in the air, unfinished.
"I understand," Harry murmured. Snape's loyalty to his family would be impossible to miss, he thought. "Um, I guess maybe I shouldn't have put you on the spot about Remus..."
"You guess that maybe you shouldn't have?" Snape mocked. "Is that supposed to be an apology?"
"Yeah, it was supposed to be one," Harry murmured. Funny, they'd had this same conversation before. Same words... but now, everything was different. Harry didn't mind that Snape might be annoyed with him. He didn't like it either, but they'd get over it; he was sure of that much. As far as apologies went, anyway, he thought his was a lot better than Snape's to Remus, but since it probably wouldn't do much good to point that out, Harry just frowned and said, "I wish Remus didn't have to do such a dangerous job--"
"Rubbing it in?" Snape said, his tone that time a bit more snarling than mocking.
"No, I just... never mind."
The Potions Master's feet stomped against spring grass as they made their way through the blackness. Harry didn't know how late it was, but it had to be nearing midnight. He did want to talk with Draco, but part of him began hoping his brother would be asleep. Draco probably needed a break from everything, and Snape hardly seemed to be in a sympathetic mood...
The interior of the cottage was dark, but a quick series of spells from Snape solved that. Lighted orbs made an appearance in the corners of the main room, casting eerie shadows in all directions. Glancing around, Harry saw that Draco was stretched out, laying full length on his back on the tattered sofa beneath the window. He wasn't asleep, though. His eyes, their hue a dull grey now, were wide open and staring at the ceiling. He looked almost... catatonic, Harry realised. Like all his joy in life had been sucked clean away. He didn't react when they came in; didn't even blink at the sudden onslaught of light.
"Draco," Snape urged, perching on the edge of the couch as he gently shook the boy's shoulder.
With a miserable groan, Draco rolled over onto his side and then levered himself into a sitting position, his every motion slow and awkward, like he'd grown old before his time. "Hello there, Severus," he managed, the words a bit slurred.
Snape narrowed his eyes. "Are you all right?"
Draco just sat there, his own gaze a bit unfocused, though he did say, "Harry," when the other boy sat down on the opposite end of the sofa.
Harry gave him an encouraging smile. "Rough day, huh?"
A slow blink, like Draco had needed a while to understand the remark. "Oh. Yeah.... Hmm, your eye. Sorry about that."
"You said sorry already," Harry reminded him.
"I did?" Draco looked puzzled. "Oh. Sorry."
"Draco, did you take a second dose of Calming Draught?" Snape asked, his tone perfectly level, though Harry thought he caught a flash of genuine annoyance in his eyes.