Dinner was finished and the table cleared away, but Harry was still sitting in the kitchen, chatting with Norie and Zan, when his father appeared in the doorway.

"Norie, Zan, thank you for dinner. It was excellent, as always," Severus said.

The elves beamed. "You're welcome, Master Severus."

"Is everything all right?" Harry asked.

Severus nodded. "Yes, but Draco has asked to speak with you...if you're willing."

Harry frowned. "Why does he want to speak with me?"

"I'm not sure," Severus admitted. "It is entirely up to you, of course, Harry. You do not have to see Draco if you do not wish to."

For several long moments Harry sat still, considering. He didn't really want to see Draco, but he couldn't help but feel a little curious about why the other boy might want to see him.

Finally he nodded. "I guess I could."

Severus looked faintly surprised, as if he had expected Harry to refuse. He arched an eyebrow. "Are you certain you want to do this?"

Harry shrugged. "Well, I can always walk out if I want to, can't I?"

"Yes, I suppose so." Though Severus didn't smile, his black eyes glimmered and Harry thought he was amused.

"I was actually serious," he remarked dryly.

"Well, your statement did strike me as a bit humourous, for some reason," Severus told him. "But whatever you want to do is fine with me, Harry."

"Well, I guess I could see him for a minute, just to see what he wants," Harry decided. He stood and followed his father out of the kitchen and upstairs.

As they walked, Harry looked over at Severus. "Did he...you know, do that deliberately?"

"I believe so, though he denies it," Severus answered. "I am planning to contact Albus later tonight. I think he needs to help us figure out the best plan for Draco now. I do not think that I am capable of being the mentor and counselor he needs now."

Harry frowned slightly, puzzled. It seemed to him that Severus would be a really good person to help Draco. Severus knew what it was like to be in Death Eater ranks, unwillingly. They were both Slytherins. Severus was Draco's godfather and until recently, they had always been close, or at least closer than either of them had been to any one else, Harry had thought.

"You're not?" He asked.

Severus stopped walking and turned to him. "Harry, you're my son. I love you. How can I try to guide and help the person who has hurt you so badly? How can I be consistent and compassionate with Draco when a good deal of the time I'm furious with him?"

"Oh." Harry wasn't exactly sure why, but he felt a little guilty at Severus' words. Severus was Draco's godfather and he, Harry, had spoiled that relationship.

"If it weren't for me, though..." he said in a quiet voice.

Severus abruptly pulled him close in a warm embrace. "Harry, don't ever think that. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me."

He held Harry close, his hand cradling the back of Harry's head and his fingers tenderly caressing back and forth through his hair. Harry leaned against his father's chest, enjoying the feel of the soft woolen robe beneath his cheek and the strong arms holding him so gently. He wrapped his own arms around Severus and hugged him back, wanting his father to know how much he was loved in return.

After a moment they stepped apart, but Severus ran his fingers through Harry's hair one last time and then rested his hand against his cheek.

"Harry, I often think that I was never truly alive until you came. You're everything to me. Remember that, child."

Harry ducked his head and looked at the floor. He could feel himself turning red with embarrassment, yet he felt flooded with happiness at the same time.

They walked the rest of the way in silence, but just before they reached Draco's room, Harry turned and flung his arms around Severus again.

"I love you so much, Dad," he whispered.

Then he turned and walked into Draco's room.

***

The other boy was sitting propped up on pillows, staring out the window at the grey cloudy sky. But he must have caught a glimpse of movement when Harry came in for he turned and lifted his chin. The two stared at one another in silence for a moment, both of them uneasy and a bit defiant.

Harry stopped a few steps into the room. He spoke first, his voice cool. "My dad said you wanted to see me."

Draco's voice was equally cool. "Severus said you were the one who saved me. Why?"

Harry frowned. What kind of a question was that? "Well, what else was I supposed to do? Let you bleed to death? Any decent person would have helped." He shrugged his shoulders. "Besides, I didn't save you. Dad and Madame Pomfrey did."

Draco looked away and mumbled something.

"What?"

Draco looked back at him, lifting his chin again. "I said you should have let me die. What do I have to live for now? Congratulations, Potter. You won and I lost. Happy now?"

Harry glared. "Oh, sure, I'm delirious," he hissed. "What does it matter that I'm a slave and I'll never be free again, thanks to you! You ruined my life, you..."

"Oh, yeah, you're really suffering, aren't you? You may be under the spell, but the only one who's a slave here is me," Draco interrupted. His voice shook slightly, but Harry couldn't tell if it was anger or some other emotion. "You've got Severus wrapped around your finger. The only person in the world who gave a damn about me, and you had to take him away."

"You did that to yourself," Harry retorted. "He would still hate my guts if I hadn't had to come and live here."

"So you should be thanking me!"

Harry almost launched himself at the bed and punched Draco in the nose...never mind if he was recovering from a near fatal experience.

"Thank you? For enslaving me!" He sputtered, too overcome with fury to be more articulate.

"Well, you got Severus, didn't you?" Draco demanded.

Harry took a deep breath and tried to tell himself that he did not want to have to go to Azkaban for murdering Draco Malfoy.

"You haven't learned anything, have you?" he finally said.

To his surprise, a flash of pain flickered across Draco's face and then...well, if Harry hadn't known better, he would have thought that the other boy almost looked guilty.

"I guess I shouldn't have cast that spell against you," Draco said grudgingly. "But you were dueling with me, too, you know."

Harry looked at him, his expression a mix of anger, disbelief, and pain. "I cast a Jelly-Legs Jinx against you. You enslaved me."

Draco started to answer, but then his retort died and he just stared at Harry, looking unsettled.

Harry spun on his heel and left.

***

Severus was standing at the far end of the corridor, out of earshot but within sight. He watched as Harry stalked towards him and when Harry came close, he murmured, "I take it your meeting did not go well."

Harry shrugged and then let out an angry breath. "He said I should thank him for casting the slavery spell on me."

"What?" Severus demanded incredulously.

"I guess because I live here now," Harry shrugged again and added, "And I have you."

He glanced sideways at his father. "He's pretty upset about that, I think."

Severus sighed and motioned for Harry to walk with him back down to their own rooms.

As they walked, he spoke quietly, "Harry, I don't know if you know anything about Draco's home life, but suffice to say that it was not particularly happy. In some ways, Draco was quite spoiled, but he was also neglected and, on occasion, abused. I'm sure you can imagine that Lucius Malfoy was not an ideal father. He had extremely high standards for his son, unrealistically high...no child could have met them...and he sometimes resorted to physical punishment if Draco disappointed him."

Severus frowned. "Actually, that is a euphemism. To speak bluntly, I know of several occasions when he beat Draco with a cane and I believe he might have used magical curses on him as well. I stepped in and tried to prevent it the one time that I was present, but I suspect that he punished Draco anyway, after I had gone."

"Narcissa Malfoy was not much better, in my opinion. She was far more interested in being a socialite than a mother. I suppose she did have some concern and feelings for her son, based on the fact that at the end she did try to save him from becoming a Death Eater. Nonetheless, during her life she spent more time shopping in boutiques and having tea with acquaintances than she ever spent with Draco."

They came to Severus' private sitting room and went in, sitting side by side on the small sofa.

"Are you trying to make me feel sorry for him?" Harry asked.

"No, I'm not and I apologize if it seemed that way," Severus said firmly. "Draco may have had a difficult childhood, but he has reached an age where he is responsible for his own actions and there is no excuse for what he has done to you. You are the innocent party here, Harry. You also had a difficult childhood, but you have managed to rise above it, to have a generous spirit and compassion for others. The fact that you and I have grown close and found happiness despite the slavery spell in no way absolves Draco of guilt. Don't you agree?"

Harry nodded, but even though he was angry with Draco...and had a right to be...he couldn't help but think about the Slytherin boy's words: that Severus was the only person who had ever cared for him. There had been pain beneath the bitterness and if Draco were suicidal, Harry didn't want him to try anything again.

He sighed. "Dad, he was pretty upset. Maybe you should go and check on him."

"I have already asked Norie and Zan to keep a watch on Draco. I want to stay with you," Severus replied softly. "We were going to play cards, weren't we?" He took his wand and gave it a flick. "Accio cards!"

***

They played games; first cards and then chess, for several hours. As the clock struck eleven, Severus stood and went to the fireplace to take some Floo powder from the vase on the mantel.

"Albus should be back in his rooms by now and I wanted to speak with him about today's events. We'll finish our match tomorrow."

Harry watched as Severus knelt and firecalled Dumbledore. He couldn't see the headmaster, but after a time, his father straightened and looked over at him.

"Harry, Albus would like to speak with me in person briefly so we can try to decide the best way to handle the situation. Would you like to come along?"

Harry considered, but then shook his head. It was getting late and he was tired. Besides, he didn't really feel qualified to take part in this discussion. His father and Dumbledore could handle it, he was sure.

"No thanks, Dad. I'm going to head on to bed."

"All right then." Severus came over and dropped a kiss on the top of his head. "Good night, child."

Harry smiled and watched as Severus left. He yawned and idly studied the chess board for a few minutes, pondering his next move. He was a pretty good player now, but he still hadn't managed to win against his father. One day though...

A loud sound, like a bell clanging, tore through the air. Harry jumped and looked about wildly. Nothing seemed amiss that he could see, but something had to be wrong. Could it be some kind of fire alarm? Did wizards even have such things?

Zan suddenly apparated into the room. "Master Severus?"

"He's gone to Hogwarts. What's wrong? What's that noise?" Harry wanted to know.

"It's Master Draco. He fell asleep, but then he started screaming. I woke him and he leaped out of bed and ran into the hall. But then he collapsed. I don't know if he is injured or simply upset. Norie is with him now and I came to fetch Master Severus."

"Go to Hogwarts and get Dad," Harry directed. He hesitated. He didn't want to have anything to do with the other boy again, but if Draco were hurt, he might need attention before Severus could return. Harry wasn't sure exactly what he could do, but he couldn't just go on to bed and ignore the situation.

He took a deep breath. "I'll go check on him."