Smoke and Mirrors by JewelBurns
Summary: Sequel to The Choices We Made.

With Voldemort dead and Harry's cancer settling life should be returning to normal for Harry and Snape but things aren't always as they seem. Instead they find themselves challenged in new ways. When dangerous events start after Harry's return to Hogwarts can Snape figure out what's going on before they're torn apart again? HPSS mentor Healing/Coping
Categories: Parental Snape > Guardian Snape Main Characters: .Snape and Harry (required), Draco, Dudley, Hermione, Original Character
Snape Flavour: Snape Comforts, Snape is Depressed, Snape is Desperate, Snape is Kind, Snape is Loving, Out of Character Snape, Overly-protective Snape, Snape is Secretive
Genres: Angst, Drama, Family, General, Hurt/Comfort, Mystery
Media Type: None
Tags: Adoption, Alternate Universe, Azkaban Character, Hospitalization, Injured!Harry
Takes Place: 7th summer, 7th Year
Warnings: Alcohol Use, Character Death, Out of Character, Romance/Het
Challenges: None
Series: Choices We Made Universe
Chapters: 84 Completed: No Word count: 697412 Read: 514928 Published: 15 Nov 2020 Updated: 30 Sep 2023
On The Hogwarts Express by JewelBurns

Monday 1st September 1997

~~~~HP~~~~

Gryffindor Tower had been the first place to truly feel like home for Harry, yet - like any home, he assumed - it didn't always have the best of memories. On the other side of his first comfortable bed, first Christmas morning greeted with presents, and first friends, were the memories of his and Ron's confrontational nights in their fourth year, murmurings in the common room about him being a liar during fifth year, and firecalling with Sirius in both of those years. Somehow, now that Harry had two other places he called home, the Tower didn't carry the same fuzzy nostalgia to it any longer. Harry sat on the edge of what had always been "his bed" in the circle of five relishing in the odd quiet of the otherwise always chaotic room.

Harry had already moved a lot of his belongings into his dorm on Saturday, while Snape was out - an event neither of them had discussed, and the young wizard wasn't sure he wanted to know about - but with Snape and Dudley finishing the last minute preparations in their classrooms, the young wizard didn't have much else to do until dinner time, when he'd go back to the dungeons to get ready for the Welcoming Feast. A bittersweet feeling filled him as he sat on the newly prepared linens, running his hand across the red curtains around his bed. Tonight, he'd leave their quarters and not return until the 13th - after his next treatment - and it would be the first real time since his diagnosis he would be on his own. He would also be surrounded by his friends, though, and he tried to focus on how much he missed them this past year; how good it would feel when he laid down in the bed he currently sat in, with the four other wizards who acted as his first family.

The rest of the students would be arriving soon, and while Harry hadn't asked to go back to London in order to ride on the Hogwarts Express one last time with his friends, he knew he'd feel as uncertain about it as he did sitting in his dorm. For the most part, his trips to school on the old fashioned steam engine had been filled with joyous memories, but his last time on it, before his fifth year - when Ron and Hermione first became prefects - certainly tainted them. He could live without the Hogwarts Express, he admitted, but going another year locked away in the dungeons - he shuddered at the memories the thought provoked - would practically kill him, so he focused on what he did have. He needed his friends, he needed to be in classes, and he needed to cling onto any sense of normalcy he could; even if deep down, he knew he was only pretending.

The knock at the door across from his bed caused him to jump. With no one else in the castle besides the teachers, he assumed the person on the other side of the door had to be McGonagall. And so when the door cautiously opened, after his quiet "come in", Harry was surprised to see Snape standing there; the Head of Slytherin in the Gryffindor tower awkwardly surrounded by a room filled with crimson and gold.

"What are you doing in here?" At the sight of a professor in his dorm, the Gryffindor instinctively stood while holding onto the front post of his bed. "How did you get in here?"

"Clearly, you failed to take notice on the lack of password needed to enter this afternoon," Snape sarcastically replied, walking into the room and peering around at the other four, completely empty beds. Harry's face blanched when he indeed remembered walking into the Common Room without the password. "But if you think for a second the other Head of Houses do not have the passwords for each other's common rooms, you're highly mistaken."

Scrunching his eyes at the man across from him, Harry said, "So you could give any of your Slytherins access here at any time?"

"If one had little integrity," Snape leaned against what would be Ron's bed in only a few short hours, and Harry almost laughed at the thought of his best friend's face if he knew, "then yes, one could give any student the password to a different common room, just as the Head Girl and Head Boy could. While it's less dangerous than say... using an illegally brewed polyjuice potion to infiltrate the other houses... I would not be given the title - and respect - of Head of House if I abused such a privilege."

Again, Harry felt himself flush at the mention of the polyjuice potion in his second year, and then further at insulting Snape's trust. While the professor may have had less than ideal teaching practices, even before he and Snape had worked through their relationship, the Gryffindor would have to admit - albeit grudgingly - the professor appeared to have somehow earned a high level of respect from the other professors and staff.

"Sorry, sir," Harry sighed looking around the room, deciding to change the topic. "It's going to be weird being back here. I feel like I've changed so much since the last night I slept in this bed, and yet I want to be back so bad. What if I'm disappointed?"

"There's a high probability you will be," Snape honestly replied, gesturing for Harry to sit back down on his bed. "Try to keep your expectations leveled as much as possible, though based on what I saw at the wedding, no one will give you a hard time. You're strong, Harry, and while the transition may feel challenging and overwhelming, you will get through it."

"At least I won't have to worry about classes," Harry laughed, "since I've already done a lot of it, things should be easier."

"Again," Snape warned, "try not to have too many expectations. I think you'll find attending a full day of classes, regardless of their difficulty level, will be a challenge for you. We also still don't know how your magic will choose to react, so that could take more out of you than normal."

"It is going to be exhausting," Harry agreed, thinking back on all the days he took an afternoon nap and not being able to anymore. "Plus, Dudley and I are going to try to run at the pitch every morning."

"Level-"

"-my expectations," Harry cut in. "I got it."

"Are you ready to head downstairs and prepare for the feast?" Snape asked, watching Harry's reaction carefully. "The other students should be arriving shortly."

Other studentsTwo words that to anyone else wouldn't mean anything, but to Harry they meant the world. They were a promise of the good things to come, how things were finally going to settle down and for once, Harry found himself ready for whatever tomorrow - and the upcoming months - would bring them.


The noise from the corridor outside of the Great Hall was practically deafening as the upper level students started pouring into the castle from the carriages. Harry anxiously waited at the Gryffindor table, drumming his hands nervously on the surface in front of him, causing the plates and utensils to rattle. If he'd been sitting with Snape, he could practically hear the professor lecture him about sitting still, however the comment would be futile; only a full body bind spell could possibly hold him and his nerves steady. The professors - all except for McGonagall, Hagrid, and oddly Dumbledore - had taken their seats at the front tables only about five minutes earlier. Watching them all sit and converse so casually had given Harry something to focus on as he waited, imagining what the professors talked about as they prepared to start the next school year. Knowing what he did now from behind the scenes, they were probably comparing notes of the most troublesome students from the previous year, or who had upcoming relatives to watch out for in the first years. Harry smiled at the image in his head of that conversation; no doubt each year had some kind of count down to the last Weasley.

Dressing in his Gryffindor uniform and robes had been far easier than he expected. Whereas last year's first time back into the school filled him with apprehension and dread, this year he channeled those feelings and converted them into an energy he couldn't begin to describe. Now he just wanted to jump into classes, watch Quidditch, and be surrounded by his classmates again. He wasn't naive enough to believe his life would stay positive forever - that there wouldn't be challenges to overcome, because there would be plenty - but for now, he felt satisfied with putting those off for later and focusing in on the here and now.

The two large wooden doors opened and the young wizard stood to watch the other students enter. Within the sea of back robes, he could only catch small glimpses of red, blue, or yellow - notably, no green - as the teenagers continued to pass by him, most stopping to say "hi", but others too consumed in their conversation to care.

"-heard they had to hold him back-"

That small snippet from a passing Ravenclaw caught his attention, and suddenly Harry felt taken aback. He was just about to question how the student body had already heard about his unique schedule when a Hufflepuff passed, saying:

"-blood all over his robes!"

"Got a good hit in-"

Obviously, he missed something exciting on the train and it probably had something to do with the missing Slytherins. Turning back to the professors' table, Snape's head was bobbing back and forth as he, too, became aware of his own house's absence from the sea of returning students.

"Harry!" The young wizard heard Ginny calling his name from the doorway and he couldn't contain his smile as he saw Ron, Lavender, Neville, and Luna starting to make their way over to him. His eyes quickly shifted to the group of Slytherins entering in behind his group of friends - minus Hermione, who likely had to stay behind as Head Girl - all of whom were smirking, like they had a secret shared between them.

"Wait until you hear what happened on the train!" Ron began, but the entire hall went quiet, drawing Harry's attention back to the entrance door.

Once all the Slytherins finally entered the hall, Hermione - with Anthony Goldstein, Head Boy as Harry was told by Neville, walking slightly in front of her - entered looking more annoyed than Harry had ever seen her, even towards Ron. She was holding hands with Draco, reminding Harry that at some point he'd have to come face-to-face with the other wizard, in a bold move to start their final year. As the Gryffindor witch slowly pulled away to join her housemates, the blonde carefully beckoned his girlfriend back, not releasing her hand in the process, then bent over and gave her a kiss right in front of the whole student body. He leaned over her as he whispered something in her ear, before he promptly turned to join the Slytherin table.

"Everything ok?" Harry asked Hermione when she made it to the table and they all took their seats. "Sounds like there were some issues on the train."

"I can't talk about, Harry," the Gryffindor witch said exasperatedly.

"Oh, but I can!" Ron exclaimed, far too happy for Harry to think something bad had happened. "Malfoy went nutter on Harper right as we got into Hogsmeade! From what I saw of Harper's nose, Malfoy took a good swing at 'im."

Harry's eyes went wide and he swiftly turned around to try to see Draco at the Slytherin table. With a bit of craning of his neck, he found the Malfoy heir sitting alone at the end of table, presumably at the area saved for the new Slytherin first years. The other wizard's shoulders were slumped, and he had a scowl planted on his face. A glance up at the professors' table confirmed Snape was as intrigued as Harry about the situation.

"Why?" Harry asked, turning back towards his friends. The familiarity and normalcy from the last several minutes healed - or possibly concealed - more of his wounds than he ever could have expected.

"I… can't say," Hermione repeated with a grimace. Harry noticed her cheeks start to flush, proving there had to be something interesting about what happened. "As Head Girl, I'm a bit more… limited on the gossip I can talk about."

"I heard Harper's getting the seeker position," Ginny spoke up. "Maybe that was it? Honestly, he doesn't stand a chance this year, so I don't know why he'd brag about it."

To everyone's surprise, Harry spoke up to the blonde's defense, "No. Draco wouldn't hit another student, especially a Slytherin, over Quidditch. That's a big risk to take."

Hermione's face fell, "That's right. Thank you, Harry."

"Yeah, he's probably right. Had to be something bigger than that, even for the likes of Malfoy," Ron joined in. Then determined to give Harry the play-by-play, he added, "Whatever the reason, we'd just pulled into the station and Harper was getting out of the Slytherin car when Malfoy practically jumped him from behind. They both ended up on the floor outside of the train, at which point Hagrid started calling out at 'em to stop, and for the Slytherin prefects and Hermione and Goldstein."

When Ron paused, the rest of the table started talking at a wildfire pace over the event, to the point where Harry could barely understand what any of them were saying. Hermione had her head cradled into her hands while the rumors continued to fly across the table.

"So they get up," Ron's hands were moving animatedly as he continued the story, "and I kinda lost track of where they went because I was trying to get through the crowd… thinking they needed more prefect help, y'know-" Harry doubted that reasoning, but kept his mouth shut, "- and by the time I made it onto the platform, Harper's bleeding from his nose and it won't stop! Finally, Hagrid let's 'Mione cast… I don't even know where she learned it from-" Harry was pretty sure she mumbled "Draco" from under her hands, nevertheless the young wizard didn't think it worth mentioning, "-but it got the bleeding to stop, at least.

"Hagrid then sent Harper with Hermione off in the first carriage... probably to Madam Pomfrey… while Goldstein and two of the Slytherin prefects left in the second carriage. Which if you're doing the math, meant we were short on carriages for the rest of us."

"Oh, c'mon, Ron," Hermione finally spoke up. "Priorities, seriously!"

Harry smiled. He shouldn't have, given the circumstances, but he couldn't deny it had been the first place his brain went as the redhead told the story of two carriages leaving with only two or three people in them each. Images of students sitting on each other's laps came to mind, giving him a small chuckle.

Harry had a dozen follow-up questions he wanted to ask, but the door to the Great Hall opened again, only this time McGonagall and about fifty tiny eleven year olds started to walk up the aisle between the tables. For the first time - which wasn't saying much since he missed almost half of sortings since starting at Hogwarts - he would get to see the sorting without being hungry, sitting at the table antsy, waiting for his first full meal in two months. This time, he could focus on the small - there was no way we were that tiny, he thought to himself - excited children as they stood in front of the stool where they would soon be asked to sit upon and have the hat placed on their heads. Gryffindor gained thirteen new students, all excited and eager to join the House of the Lions.

When Dumbledore approached the podium, the noise in the Great Hall lowered as both students and staff were anxious to start their meal and the year.

"Each year as I prepare to stand before you to greet our new students and to welcome back our returning students and faculty, I am amazed at how quickly twelve months can pass by," the headmaster started and Harry found himself filled with gratitude to be able to sit there. "While I had expected to stand here tonight to talk of hope and the promise of a successful year ahead of us, unfortunately events occurred earlier this evening where, instead, I must once again ask you for your utmost respect towards the privacy of your fellow classmates.

"Please keep in mind you have fellow classmates who have circumstances beyond their control which may leave them needing alternate accommodations inside or outside of the classroom. I promise you, these arrangements have been approved by our Board of Governors and are supported by the Hogwarts Code of Conduct. I must also emphasize every student who has been admitted onto these premises tonight has the same rights to a magical education, as well as safe accommodations within this castle. Should anyone have any concerns or feel their own education hindered by these special circumstances, do not hesitate to speak with your Heads of House. Understand, though, they cannot divulge any personal information on any student and will not tolerate being asked to do."

Harry gulped and turned towards Malfoy. Why did it always feel like the universe constantly threw the two of them together?

"This year," Dumbledore continued, moving on to his more business as usual voice, "I am pleased to announce for the first time in more years than I care to admit, we do not have any staff changes. Professor Snape has agreed to return to the Defense Against the Dark Arts post."

This year, unlike any in the past, a majority of the Great Hall broke out clapping for the professor. His new status as the wizard who killed Lord Voldemort may have helped boost his reputation, but Harry found himself legitimately excited to finally get to participate in his class. The headmaster then went on to explain several other 'housekeeping' announcements such as the current ban on any Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes products, the Forbidden Forest still being forbidden, and the Quidditch trial schedule, with Ravenclaw and Slytherin on the first weekend in October, and Gryffindor and Hufflepuff on the second.

As always, the moment Dumbledore finished his speech, plates and bowls of food magically appeared on the table in front of them. The "oohs" and "aahs" from the new first years reminded Harry of his own first Welcoming Feast. He could never imagine a time where magic became so mundane he ceased to be amazed by it, but nothing compared to first walking into Hogwarts and the start of one's very first school year.

The students around the table dug into the food - except Harry, whose lack of appetite still hindered his ability to eat regularly, and therefore only filled half of his plate - and talked wildly about everything from the train fight, to tomorrow's classes, and what they all did over the summer holiday.

"So, Harry," Pavarti excitedly called out, "I saw you went to Bill's wedding. How was it? I bet it was gorgeous!"

Harry swallowed the bite of bread in his mouth to give him time to decide how to answer. If it were anyone else, he would have shrugged it off, but someone like Pavarti asking him - as opposed to Ron or Ginny, who would have been guaranteed to be there - felt significant.

"Erm… it was nice," Harry answered with eyebrows down, looking over at Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Dean for assistance. "We all had a good time."

"Her dress looked absolutely stunning!"

Harry shook his head as the girls started gossiping about things like flowers, dresses, the reception, and who danced with whom. Hermione also talked about her visit in Reims meeting the Malfoys and going to Disneyland Paris, where half of the table were swooning jealous and the other half terrified. Oddly enough, the split wasn't based on blood purity as one would have expected. Despite the talk of the table around him veering off from the wedding and onto other topics, Harry continued to ponder what felt off about the conversation as he picked at his food, not exactly having the appetite to eat, but knowing now that he was staying in the Tower, his ability to snack later had significantly decreased. He'd just come to the conclusion he'd need to talk to McGonagall or Snape about keeping something in his dorm - otherwise he'd likely lose any of the progress in regaining weight that he made since starting Maintenance - when the pieces fell into place about why the wedding comment bothered him so much.

"The wedding was in the Daily Prophet," he said it as a statement, not a question, and to no one in particular. Of course it would be publicized, he sat with Xenophilius Lovegood and saw some journalists - likely for the Prophet and other news outlets - he hadn't recognized.

His classmates looked back and forth across the long table at one another. If it weren't for the rest of the school in the large hall, Harry was certain the room would have become silent, though unsure if it were because he was three conversations behind them or because they knew something he should have known about already.

"Ya dedn't see it, ded ya?" Seamus finally spoke up when it became apparent no one else wanted to mention whatever had been written in the wizarding papers.

"No," Harry answered warily. "We ended up back here not long after the wedding. What'd it say?"

Once again, Harry didn't get a chance to have his question answered, but this time not due to any normal interruption. The doors to the Great Hall flung open - only magic could cause the heavy doors to react so nimbly - and slammed into the wall behind them with an almost deafening BANG, causing the entire room to jump. Turning towards the commotion, Harry moved every which way to try and see around the other students. It didn't take long to find the issue, because almost as soon as the doors opened, Auror Williamson and Kingsley Shacklebolt stormed down the aisle heading straight to Dumbledore at the head table.

"This can't be good," Hermione shook her head, not even attempting to hide her worry from her face.

"He's working on the Diagon Alley attack," Harry whispered to his friends, nodding at the first auror. "He collected my memory from that day."

Hermione's expression didn't seem to relax anymore from his statement. Instead, she - along with every single other student - watched them carefully approach the professors' table where Dumbledore met them. Harry wasn't close enough to overhear anything, but even if he had been, he was sure they would have cast a pretty heavy privacy ward. To his credit, the headmaster didn't appear at all perturbed or concerned over their sudden arrival. The three wizards spoke back and forth for a minute, until Dumbledore gave his head a firm shake and walked back to the table to talk to Snape. Harry, picking up that this likely had to do with the fight on the train, turned around to find Draco. The blonde Slytherin was still seated in the same position - right in the middle of the new sets of Slytherins - with his head down, focused on his plate of food, not much fuller than Harry's.

"Draco Malfoy!" Kingsley's booming voice echoed across the room practically vibrating against the stone walls, obviously having used a sonorous charm. Simultaneously, Auror Williamson made his way over to the Slytherin table, where he grasped Draco's upper arm and started pulling the teen up from his seat. "Would you please accompany us? We have a few questions."

"He's getting arrested!"

"What happened to Harper?"

"- this can't be just from a punch?"

The hall filled with questions and speculations faster than Harry had ever seen it. For once, he was grateful this had nothing to do with him, but the fear and acceptance he saw when his eyes locked with Draco's gray ones as he passed by the tables sent a shiver down the Gryffindor's spine.

~~~~SS~~~~

Severus knew something happened on the train in the moment there were statistically less Slytherins entering the Great Hall than any of the other Houses. He'd assumed it had to do with Draco; an assumption confirmed when the blonde came in - hand in hand with Hermione - after the rest of his housemates. The professor didn't expect the Malfoy heir to be welcomed back with open arms, however he didn't anticipate any physical altercations, especially before term had even begun.

"What happened, Albus?" Severus asked when the headmaster took his seat, after his start of term speech. "And why was I not involved in the matter?"

Ever the peace-keeper, Albus calmly replied, "There seemed to be a misunderstanding between Mr Malfoy and Mr Harper on some language used to describe Miss Granger. The matter had been handled quickly with Mr Harper sent to the hospital wing, and Mr Malfoy will see you after the feast to assign his punishment."

"And what shall happen to Harper?" Severus inquired, able to guess what the sixth year Slytherin had called Draco's muggleborn girlfriend.

"Surely, Mr Malfoy's… physical retribution was severe enough," the older wizard answered, giving Severus a small, almost inappropriate wink.

Since Jeremy Harper - and Madam Pomfrey - had yet to make it to the Great Hall, he figured it safe to make that assumption as well. At least until Kingsley Shacklebolt and Mark Williamson stormed open the Great Hall doors demanding Draco's presence and practically ripping him from his table. While the two aurors technically followed protocol by alerting the headmaster of their intentions first - to which Albus told him what was about to happen mere seconds beforehand - they should have allowed the matter to be handled internally, instead of announcing his name throughout the hall. Anger rose within Severus, and this time he had no desire to push it back down.

"What the bloody hell is going on?" Severus demanded the moment he crossed the privacy wards set up on the antechamber off of the Great Hall; the same one used when Harry had been announced as the fourth Triwizard Champion. "Since when does the Auror Office get involved for a school yard fight?"

Draco was sitting in a high back chair with Auror Williamson pacing back and forth in front of him and Kingsley standing off to the left hand side.

"As I'm sure you're well aware of, Severus," Kingsley began, "the Malfoy family, including Draco, are under strict probation after their association with Lord Voldemort and the Death Eaters. Part of such probationary agreements is-"

"Get to the point, Kingsley," Severus spat out, ready to wring the Head Auror's neck if he didn't move this along.

"The point is when we receive a claim of someone afraid for his life after being attacked, we need to take it seriously," Kingsley answered.

"He's full of it!" Draco spoke up. "I didn't do anything to make him 'fear for his life'. Trust me, if I wanted him to-"

"That's enough, Draco," Severus interrupted his student before he could make the situation any worse. Williamson was watching Draco intently, waiting - probably hoping - for him to mess up and give the pair a legitimate reason to arrest him, and Severus refused to give him the satisfaction.

"Where do we go from here, gentleman?" Albus calmly asked, clearly wanting to get this over with as quickly as possible. It didn't surprise the professor that the other wizard would want to sweep an incident like this under the proverbial rug.

"We need a statement," Kingsley explained, "and we've been asked to increase security in the school."

"Oh, you want a statement?" Draco said threateningly, "How about you ask Harper about all the shite he was saying the entire ride here? Bet he won't tell you a thing about how I didn't give him a fucking glance at any of that!"

"Draco!" Severus warned again.

"No," the teen tried to stand from his chair, but Williamson pushed him back down. "Why isn't his arse in this room? Did you even think to interrogate him before demanding my arrest?"

"No one is getting arrested," Kingsley tried to reason.

"At least not yet," Williamson taunted. "Keep on going though and I'm sure we'll find something to nab you on."

Severus angrily cleared his throat, "What kind of increase of security are you suggesting? Draco will already be staying in a private room to ensure his own safety, I don't see what else the Aurors can ask for."

The pregnant pause to follow told them all that whatever they were about to ask for would not be favorable to the student in question.

"Random inspections," Kingsley said. "We've been asked to drop into the school from time to time to 'check on Mr Malfoy's continued compliance with this probation.'"

"What does that even mean?" The teenager questioned. "Continued compliance sounds like a bunch of bullocks, but no one asked for my opinion."

"That's right," Williamson added, giving the chair a small - yet firm - kick. Severus ran his hand across the back of his neck and started his own pacing.

"Gentleman," Albus raised his hands for attention. "I'll support Severus's statement, since when does a single student's claim generate this much attention? Yes, I understand Mr Harper's fear of his life, however we are handling it internally by separating Mr Malfoy from his housemates-" Severus gritted his teeth from Albus's blatant manipulation of Draco's living arrangements, "- and he does not have any classes with Mr Harper, so I don't see why any further involvement from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement is necessary."

"We've received several inquiries over the summer about concerns over the students' safety with Draco's return to the school," Kingsley explained. "What happened at the train station certainly will not help the matter. We've managed to appease the Wizengamot with random drop ins to the school, including checks of his wand."

Severus could read the writing on the wall: either they agreed to the ridiculous demands or Draco could face being removed from the school, at best, and thrown into Azkaban, at worst. After all he put into getting the blonde here, and in a position to hopefully finish his magical education and move onto healing, he wasn't about to mess it up by continuing to deny the aurors what they needed.

"We can agree to that," Albus announced, "I simply ask you to come see me, or a member of my staff, before storming through the castle in search for one of my students."

"And I'd like to be present during the scanning of his wand," Severus demanded.

"He's of age," Williamson retorted, "therefore guardian consent is not required. And denying our request is a violation of his probation and grounds to send him to Azkaban. As you are well aware, a Dark Mark equates to a zero tolerance policy."

It was a threat, and one Severus had to take seriously as he bore the same Mark on his arm. The professor sneered at the auror. Basically, going forward, if Draco so much as breathed the wrong way, they could send him to Azkaban.

"As a student of the school," Severus argued, "and in my house, under my supervision, he has the right to request my presence."

Luckily, Draco picked up on his message, and albeit grudgingly, announced, "I'd like Professor Snape there whenever my guards come calling."

"It's settled then," Albus cheerfully clamped his hands together. For Severus, though, this was far from settled.


"Care to explain to me what really happened on the train?"

Severus barely knocked before walking into Draco's private room with the question practically falling from his mouth. He had just finished instilling the fear of Salazar Slytherin himself into his students during their annual post-Welcoming Feast house meeting, where he made sure each and every one of them knew he had eyes and ears on his house, and they had a zero tolerance policy: should anyone feel the need to challenge or question his authority, they would be severely punished. Mandatory study time starting two hours before curfew - in the Common Room for years one through five, with the other two having the option to study in their dorms - Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, was the first change he instituted to help him keep track of where his students were during the week. Though there were groans of disapproval, no one dared to challenge him.

Severus wasn't naive. It wouldn't prevent every issue but it would certainly deter the more casual troublemakers, leaving him time to deal with the people he was most concerned about, like Harper, Crabbe, Goyle, and possibly Zabini. Luckily, Severus had learned Theodore Nott would not be in attendance this year, as he was serving a lengthy sentence in Azkaban for his collaboration with his father in the Quidditch attack of last year. The young Slytherin had been arrested while in class back in April, leaving Severus feeling ashamed he hadn't thought about his student's whereabouts earlier. And while those he identified were certainly at the top of his list to watch, in reality any student whose relative sat in Azkaban - either due to him directly or not - could cause him trouble. He briefly considered only teaching one term, long enough to determine if Harry's magic would respond positively to retraining, however the tides had turned and he couldn't, with a clear conscience, leave Draco in Horace's incapable hands.

Draco's private, single room was smaller than the room the blonde had when living with Severus last year, and if possible, even smaller than Harry's bedroom back at Spinner's End, if one did not take into account his attached private lavatory. The castle had to have some kind of guidelines on how much space adding to a professor's quarters required compared to a private student dormitory because the room had just enough space for the four poster bed situated directly across from the door, nestled under a large window - stretching about 25 centimeters from the ceiling down to the middle of the wall - with a view into the Black Lake, a small desk across from the bed, and a wardrobe on the wall flushed with the door. Another door, next to the desk, opened into a lavatory containing a shower, toilet, and sink; just enough for one person to get by. The decor of the room matched the rest of the Slytherin dormitories with plain stone grey walls and a large green with silver trimmed rug covering most of the stone floor, which Severus knew was necessary to keep one's bare feet from freezing on the always cold dungeon floor, no matter the season. Unlike the Gryffindor dormitory the professor had seen for the first time earlier that day when he'd collected Harry for the Welcoming Feast, the Slytherin dorms felt less gaudy and more modern, less comfortable, though more practical. While they didn't have stone insets to sit and watch the night skies, they had larger picture windows throughout to observe the creatures; magical and non-magical alike. Severus would never admit how often he'd sat on his own bed throughout his time in the castle as a student and watched the window into the eerie lake, nor would he say how calm that simple act had made him feel inside, especially after his and Lily's friendship broke apart.

It felt like a whole different lifetime, and maybe it was, as he watched Draco - a child too much like himself and yet so different at the same time - sit down onto his bed, having also just finished his last Slytherin House Welcome Meeting of his life.

"I was handling myself just fine on the train," Draco began, his words once laced with frustration gave way to acceptance. The teen had obviously figured out that if he wanted any chance of making it through even the first term of classes, he needed Severus on his side. He could not succeed with the professor, his former mentor, against him, and therefore he'd need to be honest. "I heard every word they said, but a little Occlumency here and there, and just like that, it didn't make one bloody difference to me."

Draco stopped. He didn't pause, Severus noted, he literally didn't know how to continue.

"And on your way off the train?" The professor prompted. "What changed your reaction? What got through your Occlumency?"

"She'll always get through my shields," Draco answered, and while Severus knew exactly what he was talking about, he wouldn't let the teen off that easily.

"What did Harper say?"

Uncharacteristically biting his lower lip, the blonde stood and started to angrily pace across the small floor.

"Draco," Severus tried again, "what did Harper say about Hermione to make you hit him?"

"He-" the young wizard closed his eyes, like to say it again caused him physical pain; probably remembering himself saying it a countless number of times in the past. "He called her a Mudblood… or more specifically he said 'Let's leave him alone, guys, he's obviously pretty comfortable between his Mudblood's legs', like she's my personal property to do whatever I want to."

Severus cringed, not caring the impression it gave Draco of him. Right now, his Slytherin needed someone on his side, to feel the same burn he felt when he heard that phrase muttered towards him.

"I shouldn't have hit him," Draco admitted, "I know that much. I'm bloody lucky I didn't end up in Azkaban, no questions asked! But what was I supposed to do? Walk away and let him slander her across the school?"

"He knew it would get to you," Severus told him, "and now he knows just how quickly the aurors will react. You need to be-"

"-careful, I know that," Draco interrupted in a similar fashion to Harry's own reaction earlier today, reminding him that, if nothing else, delaying the two teenagers' inevitable confrontation was the only good to come from the auror's interruption.

"I get the impression Miss Granger is not one in need of a knight in shining armor," the professor stated rather matter-of-factly.

"I figured that one out for myself, thank you very much," Draco said. "Her disappointed face was enough to tell me I shouldn't have hit him."

"She seemed to forgive you well enough,"Severus had briefly debated if he should mention the very public kiss between the two, and in the end Draco's small flush told him he'd been fine.

"I love her."

There were dozens upon dozens of things the professors would have expected this particular teen to say, before declaring his love for his girlfriend.

Severus walked over to Draco - who had stopped his pacing moments before his last statement and was holding onto the post at the foot of his bed, closest to the professor - and placed his hand firmly on the blonde's shoulder.

"I know," Severus whispered to him, hoping he could try to convey his understanding, "and you did good."

~~~~HP~~~~

Harry didn't want to admit how exhausted he felt when he made it back to the Tower with the rest of the Gryffindors. There were a whole new set from last year he barely knew, plus the new firsties, and as expected they all wanted to talk to him. Keeping Snape's constant reminder about his immune system in mind, most people understood when he explained he didn't want to get too close. Ron and Hermione stood by him to help navigate names and warnings - like, when Ron whispered to him, "watch out for Camellia Rooks, she's a bit like Seamus was in his first year" and made a pretend explosion with his hands - because he'd be attending Charms and Transfiguration with the second year students; an idea Harry was still trying to gauge his housemate's reaction to.

Harry ended up sitting on the red sofa in front of the fireplace, where at any given time at least three other Gryffindors were sitting around him, rapid firing questions. Apparently, Dumbledore's request for privacy speech had zero effect on the other students because the question ranged from the innocuous, "where did you stay this summer", to a more bold "what was it like getting hit by the killing curse", to the inappropriate "what's it like living with Snape " or "I thought you were going to die". He only half answered them, partially because the students asking weren't necessarily interested in his response, and quickly moved onto their next inquiry, but mostly because his mind was still back at the Welcoming Feast.

It didn't go unnoticed that Draco and Snape had not returned after being escorted out by Auror Williamson. He knew Draco and the Malfoys had been sentenced to probation, but until that moment, he hadn't thought to question what it exactly meant. Hermione explained how the Slytherin was more or less in detention with the Auror's Office and any offense - from a school fight to checking out a restricted book without prior authorization - could get him arrested. For having wanted to be an auror, Harry was embarrassed for how little he knew about the Wizarding - and muggle for that matter - justice system. In hindsight, it made sense they had a scale of punishments to fit a wide range of crimes. And if not everyone went to Azkaban for life, what happened to them? Obviously, they had this "probation" law, and extrapolating out, there were probably levels of Azkaban imprisonment - maybe how often Dementors visited each cell and how long a witch or wizard stayed imprisoned. Unfortunately, Harry personally knew too many people sentenced to life in the prison and would be happy to never have to cross paths with anyone like that again. Which led the young wizard to the question: did Snape have similar restrictions or did his spy status from the first war protect him?

Even though he was barely paying attention, thankfully just as his patience was wearing, Harry ended up being saved from the conversations when his watch - which he still always wore, except when sleeping - started to vibrate on his wrist. Harry smiled as he thought back and realized it had been almost exactly an hour since he'd finished eating dinner and time for his chemotherapy tablet. The idea of Snape charming his watch as a way to remind him daily of his medication - which forgetting could single-handedly increase the likelihood of a relapse - warmed his heart. Excusing himself for the night, with a polite promise to answer any other questions another night, he bid his housemates farewell and made his way up to the seventh year dorms. He made it halfway up the winding staircase when he realized Ron and his three other dormmates were behind him on their way up too.

"You guys didn't have to follow me up," Harry said as the group of five rounded the last of the stairs at the very top of the Tower. "I'm sure you'd rather spend time with the rest of the house on the first night."

"Nah," Ron patted Harry on the shoulder walking inside. "We saw that lot too much last year, plus without 'Mione here all the time, I've got my hands full with the firsties. I can use a break for the rest of the night. Not my fault if they're too tired to make it to class in the morning."

Harry laughed - thinking it kind of was his fault if they were - making his way over to his bed where his bottles of medications were safely stored in his table next to it, along with a detailed schedule of when to take them, his sketching supplies, the Marauder's Map, and the two letters from Draco; still unopened. Harry paused as he reached for the bottle with 6-Mercaptopurine on its side, and instead picked up one of the letters. When he'd first received them, he'd kept them in order so when he finally gained the courage to open them, he would know which one came first. Now, after a summer going from being hidden away at his desk to his bed, they'd gotten completely mixed up. The front of both had a very neatly scribed Harry Potter in black ink, nothing fancy, but at the same time not hastily written. Draco hadn't just thrown these letters together, they were deliberately thought out and planned. The Gryffindor allowed his mind to fill with images of Draco being forcibly pulled from the Slytherin table and pushed into the antechamber off the Great Hall. Perhaps he wasn't faring as well as Harry thought. He flipped the letter over in his hands, with every intention of finally opening it when he felt his bed dip down next to him.

"Who's that from?" Ron asked from his side, pointing to the letter.

"No one," the raven-haired wizard answered, reaching back over and placing the letter in his bedside table drawer and picking up his tablet bottle instead. Unfortunately, his water goblet was empty, meaning he'd have to go to the lavatory to fill it, as Aguamenti definitely would be beyond his magic's current ability. Sensing his friend's need, Ron pulled out his wand.

"I got it, mate," the redhead told him, and with a whispered, "Aguamenti" the goblet slowly filled with cool, clear water.

"Thanks. That spell really should be taught earlier than sixth year," Harry complained with an awkward laugh, then took his tablet with ease.

"We'll help you however we can, Harry," Neville told him from across the room, while Dean and Seamus nodded their heads in agreement.

Gratitude. Harry was filled with gratitude that he could be surrounded by people willing to be there for him. And not because he was The Chosen One or The Boy-Who-Lived… twice, but because they'd practically grown up together these past six years, and his absence during the last had not gone unnoticed - as he had assumed it had, in his lowest of days. They were just as happy to have him back as he felt to be back.

Despite Harry's pure exhaustion from the day, and the fact he would be up early to go running with Dudley, the five Gryffindors stayed up far too late. They all sat around Harry and Ron's beds eating leftover Honeydukes chocolate from Harry's birthday and other odds and ends found throughout their trunks. They talked about the year ahead, N.E. - the one thing Harry wasn't sad about missing - Quidditch, and dating. The last of which earned the most grief with Dean and Ginny would be going onto their second year dating. Harry would have expected Dean to be uncomfortable talking about his relationship with Ron right next to him, but maybe they'd gotten past the awkwardness of it last year. He made a mental note to ask Seamus - who would certainly give the best details - if there had been any kind of blow-out between them over it. Throughout the whole conversation, from uncomfortable first dates to deciding birthday or Christmas presents, Harry came to the conclusion he'd live vicariously through his dormmates, having no energy himself to try and decipher the confusing world of dating and witches.

To be continued...
End Notes:
Coming Up Next: Malfoys' Interlude: To Be a Slytherin


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