They fell into a pattern for the next week or so: faffing about in the morning, running out on some feeble errand that Draco invented in the afternoon, and then attempting to teach Harry how to write using her other hand and finishing her summer homework up in the evening.   Harry enjoyed all of it, even though she suspected the manic pace was designed by Draco and Snape to keep her from dwelling on things.  It worked pretty well and she especially liked the outings, they went to this tiny shop or that boggy meadow place fetching ingredients for Severus.  Harry had spent a pretty sheltered life, trapped at Privet Drive in the summer and confined to Hogwarts the rest of the year. 

Naturally Draco embraced taking Harry places but when they could they lured Severus into going with them and he enjoyed himself too.  Draco had quickly developed multiple plans, plan one and most important of course was to keep Harry all to himself -he couldn’t bear the thought of Harry going back to Gryffindor and her old friends and hating Draco again, plan two was to bring Severus and Harry closer together into a proper father child relationship.  Plan three, well, plan three involved all sorts of rainbows and unicorns and maybe after that and peace and being elected minister it involved betrothal.

It was during a faffing about period on a sunny morning that Draco found a botany book in Snape’s library.  “Well Princess, let’s look at some lovely flowery names for you, shall we?”

Harry was dozing lightly on the couch, Voldemort had interrupted her sleep last night but Snape and Draco didn’t know that, she had taken to casting a whole slew of privacy charms at night, thoroughly enjoying the wards on her father’s house and her new wand.  Of course if her handy potioneer protectors had known they would have offered her dreamless sleep or helped in some way.  And then they would start insisting on tucking her in at night and being all smothering and junk, Harry wasn’t entirely certain why that thought made her so anxious but it did, so she hid her hurts.  Not very well though.

Draco had noticed that Harry looked rougher some mornings than others and he had his suspicions but Snape wasn’t about to let him nip out in the middle of the night to check on Harry.  “Come on Princess, I’m worried that my immensely clever joke name is going straight to your head and you’re beginning to believe you really are one the way you loll around all morning long.”  He tugged on one of the tiny bare feet at the end of the couch and Harry grudgingly lifted her legs so Draco could have a half.

Draco sat down and Harry’s legs dropped back on to his lap.  Draco stroked an ankle and started flipping through his book.  Harry’s feet were always bare, Severus made her a new pair of shoes almost every day.  Draco was endlessly amused by Severus’s doting and Harry’s obvious enjoyment of getting a little gift each day from her father and a little story about how her mother had worn something similar.  Draco wondered if Lily had often been shoeless too and if that was part of why Severus was so indulgent.

“Alright Princess, are you ready?  Remember it has to go with Snape as the last name.”

“Why does it have to be a flower?” Harry asked, not even opening her eyes.

“Because flowers are pretty and so are you.  It’s a wizard thing now listen...”

“It’s not just wizard y’know, my mum was Lily and my aunt Petunia and they weren’t raised wizarding.”

“All the more reason to go with the flower name, right Princess?”  Harry shrugged so Draco proceeded.

“How about Poppy?”

“That would be extremely appropriate because I am, in fact, going to become a heroin addict now.”

“What about Primrose, it’s so sweet and delicate and we can call you Prim?”  A small heel ground at his private parts in response to that suggestion.  Draco groaned.

“Daffodil?” 

“Do I look daft then Draco?”

“Clover?”

“Am I a cow or a bunny?”

“Hyacinth?”

“Bye-a-cinth!”

“Are you having fun Princess?”  Draco demanded shutting the book.

Harry shrugged a little, still not opening her eyes, “maybe, is that okay?”  Her eyes fluttered open then to look beseechingly at Draco.

“I suppose it can be forgiven just this once Princess but you know I think you do need a more realistic name.  For your sorting you know, when the hat puts Primrose Snape into Slytherin with me.”

“Is that the plan Draco?”  Harry had curled onto her side but hadn’t made any move to get her feet away from Draco.  Ron would be horrified, even Hermione would be shocked, but the rubbing felt nice and he was being mildly amusing.  Draco had a way of making it easy to be herself, his teasing was so gentle now and his concern so real, and his fingers so warm and strong.  Ron would be horrified.

“You can’t just kill Harry Potter you know.”  Harry was curious, she knew she had run through options in her own mind every night of the last week but what had Draco come up with?

“I know, we wouldn’t kill him that would devastate the light side.  They’d all lose hope and surrender to the Dark Lord, it would be chaos.  No, we’ll just send him away to train somewhere.  Somewhere warm and exotic maybe and you can write to your friends all the time and send them post with parrots.”

“No, please, my-my godfather used to do that when he was in hiding.”

Draco hauled her up to his lap, “I’m sorry Princess, I didn’t know that.  We can send Harry somewhere perfectly boring and you can use good old Hedwig.”

Hedwig, who had shown up within a day of Harry getting her new wand, was perched on a bookcase nearby and she gave a questioning hoot when she heard her name.  Harry slapped Draco’s shoulder lightly, “don’t call her old.  She’s not old is she?”

“Of course she isn’t Princess, you got her your first year right?”

“Hagrid bought her for me on my eleventh birthday, she was my first gift.”

“The first gift of the day?  Usually I like to start with a small one myself you know, like a new quill or a bit of candy.”

Harry laughed but didn’t feel the need to correct Draco’s assumptions.  Plus she felt almost caught up on all those missed birthdays at this point, after how many days of Draco using shopping for Harry as his main entertainment.

“So I only get to write to them?  You don’t trust them?”

“I don’t know Princess, I think I do.  But they get so emotional and loud don’t they?  And there’s like only one shot at this, if the Prophet finds out about you then what are we going to do?  Make your eyes brown, make your hair blonde?  You’d still be cute, still be you and all but it was hard enough making your eyes that bit lighter.”

“Really, it pained you to mess with my perfection?”

“Definitely, it was like a searing pain, my hand was shaking.  You know how perfection gets drawn to perfection Princess.”

“I suppose I can imagine.  So Harry Potter gets sent to an undisclosed location for training and Severus just shows up with his mysterious daughter.  Won’t people be suspicious of the coincidence?  One student leaves and another appears.”

“A Gryffindor boy disappears and a Slytherin girl appears.”

“I don’t know, it still seems close, maybe I should drop back a year or something.  Well I suppose I could go up a year but I’m not sure how good I would do and then Snape would completely freak out about having a less than brilliant daughter and it would be all awful for me.  Drills and extra essays and I still can’t hold the quill properly or anything.”

“Offering to drop back is noble Princess but then you have to stay an extra year and won’t you be bored out of your mind?  And also not in any of my classes which is unacceptable.  What if we lie about your age and pretend you’re fifteen but doing the sixth year classes?”

“Oh, that’s good.  Because I am a bit on the small side you might have noticed, I think it would be believable.”

“Yes, perhaps” said Draco with a matching smirk.

“So Severus unveils his daughter and she gets sorted into his house and she’s all home-schooled and brilliant so she goes up a year, and her name is Primrose Snape?”

“I am afraid I will have to concede that Primrose sounds stupid.  Tomorrow we’ll find a book of Roman Empresses and find something that matches your daddy.”

“A Roman Empress?  Really, because of Severus?  And not so that you can justify continuing to call me Princess?”

“Not at all, that’s merely frosting.”

“Draco, I...”  Harry was half on Draco’s lap as she often was.  She looked down at her feet which Draco was stroking, his warm thumbs rubbing her arches just so.  “Draco, you like me don’t you?”

Draco started turning pink but he didn’t stop rubbing.  “I do like you Harry, I have always liked you I think, I think that’s why I was always needling you, I always wanted you to be concentrating on me.”

“I think I can understand that, but what about how all my bits have shifted?  I mean if you liked me before when I was a boy how can you like me now when I’m a girl?

“Is that a wizard thing?  Not caring about the bits part?  Because of polyjuice and metamorphmaguses and whatever other wizard world thing there is that I haven’t heard of yet?”

“I think it’s a Draco and Harry thing actually.  But you are so beautiful now, you were intriguing and powerful and mesmerizing before and I was like a moth drawn to your flame.  But now you’re a flame that’s fifty times brighter and if we go back to Hogwarts and you go to Gryffindor and start sneering at me with your friends.  I don’t know what I’ll do.

My Slytherin status is shot: my father is in prison, my mother turned traitor on the Dark Lord, all I will have going for me is being the teacher’s pet.  That’s not much in the Slytherin world.”

“No, I don’t imagine it is.”  Harry put her chin on Draco’s shoulder in a commiserating manner.  “Having a super hot girlfriend who is also the Head’s daughter would help wouldn’t it?”

“Girlfriend?”  Draco looked at her hard with an eyebrow raised.

“Well no, I don’t think I’m really ready for that but we could hang out all the time together like this (you know with the foot rubs) and let people think what they will.”

“That would be immensely gratifying, especially Pansy’s face.”

“Yes, I would think so.  That’s a lot of wins for Draco though and not much for Harry.  I mean you want to call me Prim, I need a bit back don’t you think?”

Draco had to squeeze her for that.  He kept forgetting that Harry was a Slytherin, or would be soon.  “What can I offer you Princess?”

“I want to take the next generation of Death Eaters away from Voldemort.  I want you to sway as many as you can, they don’t have to join Dumbledore lots of gray neutral people is fine with me.  A war is coming Draco, Voldemort will use your friends -our peers- as his soldiers, he’ll send them out in the front lines like expendable expendables, I don’t know.  And I’ll be on the other side of that line and I don’t want to fire curses at kids my own age.”

“Princess, you don’t have to be on that line anymore, remember?  We’re getting you a new name and you can just walk away.”

“I can’t Draco, it’s gone too far already.  I’m going to end it.  If I was willing to just curl up and slip away I wouldn’t be that intriguing, mesmerizing boy that captivated you.  Would I?”

“You will make a stunning Slytherin.  The whole house will be at your feet,” Draco went back to squeezing and rubbing said feet.

“Excellent, are they all as talented as you are?”

“Not even close, and don’t bother checking on that.”

Harry laughed and went back to laying on the couch, stretching out luxuriously and closing her eyes again.  A fluffly light blanket appeared over her and she snuggled down into it, drifting back into a glorious nap.

 

The next day found them in the same position.  Harry barefoot again despite the mound of shoes Severus had made for her.  Draco had a much bigger book laying across Harry’s legs.  “Valeria?”  There was a noncommittal sort of hum response to that name.

“Drusilla?”  that got him the heel in the groin, a smile and an emphatic head shake no.

“Orestilla?” 

“No, -illa names, they remind me of Godzilla.”

“Who is Godzilla?  Some muggle performer?”

Harry laughed and sat up to explain to Draco all about Japanese monster movies, their afternoon plans solidified with a trip to the cinema.  But the afternoon was still hours away so Draco, to Harry’s dismay, opened the book of stupid names again.

“Lollia?”

“Doesn’t that sound as if my neck doesn’t work and my head just kind of lolls around?”  Harry demonstrated, Draco laughed a short bright sound and then went right back to the book.

“Paulina?” 

“Doesn’t that sound as if my dad should be Paul and not Severus?”

“Severina?”

“Doesn’t that sound like what I’ll do to your balls if you ever call me that?”  Draco crossed his legs but went back to the book.

“I suppose Severa is out too then?”

“That sounds like I’m a haughty severe sort of person, I don’t think I could pull it off.”  Harry wrinkled her nose and her forehead (adorably) in an attempt at a severe frown and Draco beeped her nose.

“Agreed, Poppaea?”

“Poopy?  Don’t you dare!”

“Bruttia?”

“I beg your pardon.”

“Vibia?”

“Sounds like one of my new parts,” Harry said, shifting her hips and almost killing Draco.

“Publia?” he croaked before they both dissolved in laughter. 

“Orbiana?”  Harry puffed out her cheeks and tried to make her face as round as possible.  Draco took her cheeks in his long fingers and squeezed so that she looked like a fish instead, “Piscea?”

“Manlia?” 

“Subtle that, how about Harrilia then?”

“Aurelia?” 

“That’s another bit.”

“Livia?”

“Bit.”

“Crispina?” 

“That’s just dumb.”

“Cornelia?”

“Dumber.”

“Fundana.”

“Dumbest, just stop.  Let’s get lunch and go watch a movie.”

 

The third morning it was a book of stars.  Draco didn’t notice how Harry was withdrawing until he suggested Eridanus and didn’t get a response.

“M’not a Black you know.”

“What do you know about the Blacks Harry?”

“Oh loads, Sirius was my godfather, he was going to take me away from the Dursleys and we were going to live together, until I got him killed.”

“Harry, how did you get him killed?  I heard that my mother’s sister Bellatrix killed him.”  Harry just shrugged and rolled over to hide her face in the couch cushions.  She started to curl up too but Draco grabbed her feet and held on to them, rubbing them almost too hard.  “You didn’t kill him Harry, stop thinking that.”

Harry didn’t move and Draco despaired a bit.  He was getting to know Harry better each day and he knew just how she would hold onto this guilt and let it eat her up while she refused real food and pulled herself away from her friends. 

“How about a fairytale princess then?”  He moved her feet with a little pat and came back shortly with a greatly worn book.  “Have you ever heard about Princess Rosette?”

Draco distracted Harry with that story and the one about Princess Mayblossom.  “Mayblossom would be a highly excellent name wouldn’t it?”

“I don’t know, it sounds kind of silly to me.  Headmaster Mayblossom?  Minister Mayblossom?  No thank you.”

“Oh, so you can be polite and not just make noises or kick me when you don’t like a name?  I’m going to hold you to real words now.”  Draco smirked just as lunch was announced.

 

Later that evening Snape was helping Harry with her penmanship, he seemed particularly vested in her mastering the quill -perhaps because he knew he would be stuck reading her scrawled essays. 

“Professor,” Harry began softly and Snape turned to look at her, “I’m sure you’ve heard Draco and I kicking around names, you know in case I choose to return to Hogwarts under a different identity,” Snape nodded, “and as my dad sir, if you had any thoughts or suggestions, it should really be up to you.  As long as it isn’t you know, too stupid or anything.”

“I understand Harry.  In case you didn’t know it is my wish as well that you return to Hogwarts under a different identity.  What is Draco’s master plan these days?  You pretend to be fifteen instead of sixteen to further confuse the issue and get sorted into Slytherin with him?”

“Yeah pretty much, has he told you my terms for that scenario?”

“No, Harry, I was unaware you had negotiated.”

Harry gave her father a small proud smile, “he’s going to help me turn the Slytherins away from the Dark Lord.  They don’t have to swear allegiance to Dumbledore or the Ministry of course; we just want to keep them from being marked.  That’s my demand.”

“Very nice Harry, I will of course do all I can to aid you and Draco.”

“Thank you sir, and clearly you can see how difficult it would be for me to influence a house such as Slytherin with the name Mayblossom.  I mean the Hufflepuffs would be enchanted with me but I need a strong noble name to be the Princess of Slytherin.”

“I will devote my every thought to the matter.  And Harry, even if we do not pursue Draco’s plan, no matter what you choose to do, you may, if you want, address me as your father.”

“Thank you sir, it would perhaps be good if I began getting used to that.  Do you want me to be all formal and call you father or would da be okay?”

Severus turned his head away but Harry saw the glassy sheen in his eyes, “from you Harry I think I would prefer da.” 

“Da it is then,” and Harry Potter to her utter shock shifted around until she was kneeling on her chair and could reach up to wrap her arms around the evil slimy git Severus Snape and hug him.

Snape brought his arms around his daughter too, “I’m sorry Harry, sorry for acting like I hated you, sorry for the occlumency, sorry for Sirius, sorry you had to spend all those years at the Dursleys, I’m so sorry I never knew.”

Harry started weeping on her father’s shoulder.  Stupid girl hormones she thought viciously but it felt so good to have her da holding her and telling her he was sorry for all those miserable years.  “I will make it up to you now sweetheart.  I will keep you safe and happy and I will always always be there when you need me.”  And for the tenth time (it seemed) since she became a girl, Harry cried herself to sleep.

 

The next morning Draco didn’t bring a book with him to his seat on the couch.  “Now you’ve done it Princess.”  Harry cracked open one eye curiously, and Draco continued, “You’re going to let Severus name you? Have you lost your mind?  And here I thought you cared.”

He shifted around and pulled a bit of parchment out of his pocket, “I prepared a list of the worst names I could imagine Severus giving you.  I thought perhaps if you heard them first it would make it easier later.  Are you ready then?  Got your little heel lined up with my nuts just so?”

Harry twisted around and gave Draco an incredulous look, then she pulled her foot back experimentally, it seemed to be in place, so she nodded.  Draco adjusted himself too and took a deep breath, “alright then the Spanish name for princess is Edelmira.”

“He wouldn’t!”  Draco just looked at Harry and Harry thunked her head (harder than she intended) on the arm of the sofa.

“Other famous princesses that wizards seem inexplicably fond of are Ermengard and Ingeltrude.”  Harry was writhing a bit and moaning no.

“It’s also likely that he will wish to subtly honor your mother, Spathiphyllum is the proper botanical name for the peace lily.  Nereida is just full of meanings, Roman goddesses, stars and a lily it’s like a three-for one; hard to imagine how a man who overthinks everything will pass that one up.”  Harry was trying to smother herself with a pillow now.

Draco continued on, “I also thought he might rather like the whole peace theme it has that lily tie in but it could also work to subtly influence you away from the war, Concordia was the goddess of peace, Selima is Arabic for peace -and has nice alliteration Selima Snape, Serena Snape sounds pretty good too, I could see him going for that.  Selena is the moon goddess.  Like any of those Princess?  Groan once for yes and twice for ‘oh god no’ what have I done now?”

Harry groaned twice, actually thrice, what had she been thinking?  What an appalling show of sappiness allowing Severus Snape to name her.

 

Bill and Draco had always been a bit cordial to each other, partially the Weasley/Malfoy feud, partially their pointless battling for Harry’s affections (pointless because she liked them both a lot and in different ways and neither way was overly romantic at this point) but that night, when Bill heard what Harry had done, Bill and Draco got along swimmingly.  They made clever (in their opinion) jokes all night long, “Severus, did you know that Berenice is a lovely Egyptian name meaning ‘victory bringer’?”  Even Severus had to laugh as Harry slammed her head on the table and got potatoes in her hair.

That night after dinner they met in the library to finalize the story.  Tomorrow Severus had to bring Draco and Harry to Hogwarts, the quarantine was over.  They were going to tell Albus the truth about Lily and the potion.  Neither Bill nor Severus planned to apologize for leaving Dumbledore in the dark for the last two weeks, they had wanted Harry to have that time to quietly adjust and it had worked out well.  End of story.

Harry was going to be introduced at the sorting ceremony as Snape’s daughter and she would be sorted into Slytherin (Harry assured them it would be no problem). She would take classes with Draco and help to sway the students away from the Dark Lord.

They decided Albus could figure out the details of Harry Potter spending the year abroad.  Albus Dumbledore had spent so much of his time controlling the details of Harry Potter’s life why ask him to stop now, but Snape’s daughter was different.  They were going to be her protectors and Albus would have no say there.

It was Bill who came up with the best idea though, that they should find some polyjuice and have Harry become Harry Potter once more and say goodbye to his friends for the year.  They could do it at headquarters and have Draco polyjuiced as Princess get introduced to the trio at the same time.  Harry was a tiny bit hesitant about fooling Hermione but he realized that he didn’t really have to, he was supposed to be just himself and Draco could screw up Princess a bit if he wanted since it would be their first meeting and he was certain he’d get sorted into Slytherin.

Harry thought to ask where they would get a piece of his hair from last year and then he realized that surely the Order of the Phoenix had some.  It would be stupid of them not to have Harry’s hair and polyjuice sitting around for just this sort of ruse.  Maybe that was why Bill had thought of it.  Draco noticed the path Harry’s thoughts were travelling and squeezed his hand.

He tried to tease her back to good humor, “If I’m you Princess will I have to rub my own feet or do you think Harry Potter will do it for me?”

“I think it might scar me mentally to rub someone polyjuiced as me quite frankly.  I’m sure the whole time I’ll be convinced you’re a mirror across the room or something.  Just swear to me you won’t use the loo.”

Severus turned green and stated quite strongly, “I can swear to you Harry that Mister Malfoy will be given no opportunity at all to explore the body he is polyjuiced into.  If necessary I can keep him unconscious until he is on the stoop of the building.”

Harry laughed, “yeah Da, I think that would help my peace of mind immensely.  Remember Draco, not even if Hermione or Ginny try to drag you off in one of those girl herd things.”

“I can promise quite solemnly myself that I will not partake in such girl behavior with them.”

“And don’t start things you know I can’t finish -like being mean to my friends.”

“So many rules, Princess.  However will I know what to do or say?  Keep in mind my brain will shrink down to your size too.”

Harry launched herself at Draco and even though she was much smaller now she still remembered how to tackle like a boy.  Draco slammed his head on the rug in a really satisfying way.  Bill and Severus just laughed.  Harry found herself perched on top of Draco, one knee on either side of his slim hips and Draco laughing up at her, she wished that Severus and Bill weren’t watching so closely.  And she wished she was a little more comfortable with being a girl, but Draco wasn’t doing anything sexual or looking for anything sexual.  So she just beeped him on the nose and they all laughed some more.

 

The next morning was a bit crazy.  Severus and Draco had gently pointed out that it was too dangerous for Harry to bring her old things.  Harry mostly accepted that but there were a few things which she could not leave behind: her Firebolt, the cloak, the map and the photo album.  Hedwig was also a problem.  Harry decided that she would loan her to Mrs. Weasley for the year that should keep her from being at Hogwarts most of the time and hanging out on Harry’s shoulder too much.

“I don’t know” she joked to Draco, “you’re going to have to be my surrogate Ron, Hermione and Hedwig -that’s a lot of entertaining even for you.” 

“Is it so hard to imagine making new friends among the Slytherins?”  Draco was a little hurt but Harry just laughed. 

“Oh my god, I never thought of that.  I keep thinking of the big mission and swaying people and keeping my cover, I forgot that they’re mates too.  You’re absolutely right Draco, thanks for reminding me.”

Draco was a little shocked and a little smug, until Harry continued, “so who should my besty be Pansy or Millicent?”

Draco groaned and buried his head at the horrible image of his sweet princess cackling with those witches.  “Never mind, don’t talk to them.”

Draco and Snape had of course purchased a new trunk for Harry.  Usually school trunks had initials on them but there was no such hint on Harry’s.  “I can easily add it later can’t I?” Snape had smirked when Harry petulantly pointed it out.

The trunk was bigger and nicer than Harry’s old one but even so it barely held all the clothes and trinkets Draco had bought her in the last two weeks and the pile of shoes Snape had transfigured for her.  “You can leave some things here you know.  How many pairs of sandals do you need in Scotland in September?”

“I suppose you’re right,”  said Harry glumly from her position sitting on the trunk trying to get it to close. 

“Or perhaps a shrinking charm.”

“But they’re already transfigured, I don’t want to mess them up.”

“Mess them up by wearing them?”  Malfoy asked smirking at her bare feet.

Harry just stuck her tongue out at him; sometimes that was the only possible response to Draco.

“Shrink the shoes or leave some home so there’s room for one more thing.”  Draco ordered.

“What thing?” asked Harry.

Draco pulled out his wand and summoned a package from his room across the hall.  It was medium sized and kind of light, Harry was instantly intrigued.  At Draco’s nod he tore the paper off and found himself holding a white owl plushie.  Instantly Harry remembered all of Dudley’s plushies and how he was never allowed to touch them unless he was putting them away for Dudley.  He remembered how he used to ‘carry them’ hugged tightly to his tiny chest and Aunt Petunia would yell even for that. 

So of course Harry started to cry, his first plushie and it was his Hedwig who he was so upset about missing and it was so thoughtful of Draco and he was a stupid helpless girl now and cried at everything anyway. 

Draco might have felt all manly and protective at Harry’s tears a week ago but now he just dug out another handkerchief and passed it over.  He wasn’t stupid enough to miss out on a good hugging opportunity though, even if it did seem to prolong the waterworks.  Nobody really cared if they kept Dumbledore waiting.

When Draco and Harry were finally ready and waiting in front of the fireplace with their trunks all packed for the year.  Severus appeared from his study with a trunk of his own and a briefcase stuffed with papers.  Snape’s eyes drifted over the figures and paused at Harry’s feet, she was wearing the first pair of sandals he had transfigured for her and he felt a bit of a loss at not having a reason to make shoes for her today.  He slid his wand back up his sleeve and approached the pair.  “Are you ready Harry?”

‘Yes Da,” she replied but she still looked like she was going to the gallows.

Luckily Severus had just the thing to take her mind off things; he had chosen a name for his daughter this morning.  He wanted to have one before Albus could bully them into something of his own political choosing.  “I have decided on a new name for you Harry, I think it might be a prudent time to share.”

“Really sir?”  Harry was instantly curious, there was a thunk as Draco dropped his trunk and stepped closer.

Five minutes later they were drying their eyes and taking deep calming breaths, preparing to floo once more.  Severus went first and stepped smartly out into the headmaster’s office, Draco followed and then they both turned and put their hands out to catch Harry.