Seeing Draco act like an eight year old was probably strangest, yet most amusing thing Harry had ever experienced. Every day after lessons ended, he made his way to the hospital wing and sat with Draco, answering some of his questions about Hogwarts and what his life had been like, since he could not remember it himself. Harry made sure to steer clear of any of the bad memories, including their own quite passionate rivalry.

Draco had been ecstatic when he found out he was allowed to do magic since he was at school. Harry and Poppy both had to wrestle his wand from him one evening when the Slytherin had excitedly brandished his wand and set the curtains around his hospital bed on fire.

A few times Draco would just sit with a blank stare, not saying a word even when Harry tried to speak to him. Healer Smithson explained that he was going into a sort of trance as little snippets of his memory started to come back. It gave Harry hope, but he tried not to get too excited about it; it would be a long time before Draco’s full memory came back.

It was hard to believe it had only been a week since Dumbledore had been attacked and impersonated. Harry felt like months had passed since then. Every day, Dumbledore would attempt to get Harry to come to his office and speak to him, but Harry would have none of it. After getting his memory of the Prophecy back from Snape, Harry refused to be alone in a room with the Headmaster.

Dumbledore had been devastated when he was informed of what had happened, and that he had allowed himself to be compromised by a Death Eater. He apologized profusely to anyone who would listen, and was much more closed off and solemn than usual. He had even stopped offering sweets whenever someone entered his office, and his password to gain access to the spiralling staircase changed from ‘toffee éclairs’, to simply ‘please’. It worried all of the professors, McGonagall especially, but no one seemed to be able to pull the Headmaster out of this funk.

Kingsley Shacklebolt and Tonks were still investigating how the wards on the Headmaster’s office had been compromised, and how Rookwood had managed to attack and impersonate Dumbledore undetected until Harry had raised the alarm. So far, the investigation was coming up dry, and the evidence had long grown cold. Rookwood was still being held in a Ministry cell instead of being shipped off to Azkaban.

It was Monday, right after lessons had ended for the day. Harry made his way to the hospital wing, his bag slung over his shoulder. He waved to Hermione, who was talking to Neville and heading towards the Great Hall for dinner. Harry always ate with Draco, even if the hospital food wasn’t as good as the food in the Great Hall.

Harry felt a smile tugging at his lips as he walked through the infirmary doors and found Draco trying to levitate a quill with his wand, a look of deep concentration on his face. Harry had begun to teach him some simple spells, hoping that would help more memories break through. So far, Draco had only been able to pull off a weak Lumos.

“Harry!” Draco beamed as he spotted Harry watching him from the doorway. He put down his wand and sat back in his bed, knowing that dinner would be coming soon if Harry was there. He still wasn’t quite sure who Harry was, but he must be someone important to come and see him every day.

Harry couldn’t help the huge grin on his face as he walked over and took his usual seat by Draco’s bed. The Slytherin had lost a bit of weight while comatose, but even after only two weeks of eating solid foods, Harry could tell he was gaining that weight back steadily. He actually looked healthy, now.

“How was your day? Any luck with the levitation spell?” Harry asked as two house elves popped into the infirmary with plates of food. Harry sat his plate down beside Draco’s on the little spindly table where they had eaten together for the last week.

“Boring. Madam Pomfrey wouldn’t let me have my wand until I promised her I wouldn’t try any spells other than Wingardium Leviosa. I worked on it all day and the quill only twitched a bit. Learning magic is hard,” Draco whined in a way the sixteen-year-old Draco would have despised.

Harry swirled his mashed potatoes around before eating a forkful. He watched Draco fight with his knife before taking pity and helping him cut up his chicken. “It gets easier once you get the feel of using your wand. That will probably start to come back to you much quicker after you master a few more spells.”

Draco frowned at the cut up chicken on his plate, taking his knife back from Harry a bit too forcefully. “I lost my memory, not my ability to cut up meat,” Draco snapped, stabbing at a piece of chicken viciously.

“I’m sorry, I was just trying to help, Draco,” Harry whispered, a bit stung. The way Draco was acting reminded Harry of the Draco he had always feuded with, and he didn’t like it at all. He knew Draco’s memories of their rivalry would come back eventually, but he was really hoping they hadn’t come back so quickly.

“Yeah, well, I’m not an invalid, so don’t treat me like one.” Draco stabbed a few pieces of broccoli with his fork, smearing his mashed potatoes around disinterestedly. He didn’t know why he was feeling so stung by Harry’s attempt to help. He’d allowed the Gryffindor to help him with lots of other stuff, even changing his clothes when he was still too weak to stand up on his own.

Healer Smithson had warned them all about the mood swings that would accompany Draco’s memory recognition. The change in his brain activity as new memories came into play would spike Draco’s irritation, as only certain memories would return, and sometimes only partially. It was already extremely infuriating having no idea who you were, but adding in half complete memories that made little to no sense would only make it worse.

Harry took a deep drink of his pumpkin juice, not sure what to say to the Slytherin. He knew if he said the wrong thing he could set off another tantrum like he’d had two days ago in which Harry wore the rest of his dinner after telling Draco his skin was looking a bit less pale.

“I’m sorry, Draco, I won’t do it anymore. Do...do you remember anything else, has anything come back yet?” Harry asked tentatively, knowing he was playing with fire but too curious not to ask. He was sure Draco had remembered something of their rivalry, and that was why the Slytherin was acting so surly towards him.

Draco slammed his fork down, upsetting the pitcher of pumpkin juice and sloshing the orange liquid everywhere. “No, nothing has come back yet! At least not anything I understand. I really wish everyone would stop asking me that! When it comes back, I’ll be sure to let everyone know!”

The way Draco was speaking made Harry think whatever little snippets of memory Draco had gotten back had upped his mental age from eight to about thirteen. If that were the case, memories of their rivalry would soon be coming back, and Harry couldn’t think of anything he wanted to happen less.

“I’m sorry, I won’t ask. Let’s just talk about some more spells. Maybe I’ll teach you – ”

“No! I don’t want you to teach me anything! If I can’t even levitate a stupid quill, what makes you think I could do anything else? Just leave me alone!” Draco swiped his arm across the table, sending everything crashing to the floor with a loud sound of breaking glass.

Madam Pomfrey bustled out quickly as Harry stood up, trembling from combined anger and sadness. “Fine, I’ll leave you alone! Sorry for caring and trying to help! If you think you can do this all on your own, then fine; I’ll stop coming to see you.” He spun on his heel, grabbed his bag off the floor and quickly stalked out of the hospital wing just as Snape was entering.

“Potter, what’s going on?” Severus snapped as he looked back and forth between a pissed off Harry and a pouting Draco, who looked extremely close to tears.

Harry shook his head as he tried to move away, but Snape grabbed his wrist. He glared at the Potions Master and roughly pulled his arm away. “I can’t do this anymore, Severus. I try to help but he just pushes me away! I’m sorry...” Harry took off, wiping at his eyes angrily for betraying the torment he was feeling inside.

Severus felt distinctly wrong-footed as he watched Harry walk quickly down the corridor, then disappear around the corner. He turned to ask Draco what exactly had happened, but the words were stuck in his throat as he saw the Slytherin’s head bowed, tears sliding down his pale cheeks.

“He hates me...”

Severus sat beside Draco, his robes bunching up around him. He didn’t exactly know what to say, but he knew the truth of the matter. He hoped that would be enough.

“He doesn’t hate you, Draco. He’s frustrated and confused, as I am myself, and so are you. This is not easy for anyone, and emotions are simply running high.”

Draco wiped at his tears, brushing his too-long hair out of his face in frustration. “Doesn’t he realise I want to remember him, or anyone else for that matter? I don’t want to be here, confused and lost. He’s the only one who tells me anything, even though he won’t tell me where my parents are or how I ended up this way. He tells me about Hogwarts and teaches me the magic I’ve forgotten. I want Harry to keep visiting, Sev. I didn’t mean I never wanted him here again, but he just kept pushing me, asking if I remembered anything. I wish I could tell him yes, that I remember everything, but I don’t! I don’t remember...” Draco trailed off as the tears leaked from his eyes once more.

“Harry is just upset for the moment. I’m sure when he cools off, he’ll come back. For now, you should lie down and get some rest,” said Severus as he stood to leave. He looked down as Draco caught his wrist, a horribly sad expression on his face.

“Why won’t anyone tell me what happened, or where Mother and Father are?” Draco asked in a hoarse whisper. He looked so young and innocent, it was hard to see the real Draco Malfoy in there at all.

“Healer Smithson says giving you too much information at once would be much too overwhelming for you. You will find out eventually, but we can’t flood you with too much right now. Trust me, Draco,” Severus said quietly, clutching Draco’s shoulder.

Draco nodded solemnly and wiped the rest of his tears away. “I do. Goodnight, Sev.”

“Sleep well, Draco.”

S~S~S~S

The dungeon door closing with a sharp snap brought Harry’s attention up from his Transfiguration essay. He immediately looked back down when he noticed Snape’s expression, however. He already felt bad enough as it was, but he was sure he was about to get an earful anyways. Setting his quill and parchment aside, he waited for the shouting to begin. It never came.

Severus took his usual seat in his favourite armchair after removing his teaching robes and hanging them over the back of the couch. He leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees. Harry looked extremely nervous, and even seemed prepared to be yelled at. However, Severus knew that shouting and berating the boy for upsetting Draco would achieve nothing. He’d learned better over the last couple of months that sitting down with the stubborn Gryffindor and talking things out was the best way to get through to him.

“Draco was very upset when you left the hospital wing.”

Harry bowed his head, rubbing the headache from his temples. He knew he shouldn’t have left like that, but he was so frustrated, he couldn’t stand it anymore. “I know, I’m sorry. I was just really upset, and I figured it would be better to just leave. Is he ok now?” he asked, hoping Draco didn’t absolutely hate him now.

Severus nodded slowly, keeping his eyes trained on Harry, who was trying his hardest to avoid eye contact at all. “He’s calmed down, yes, but he’s under the impression that you are quite upset with him and will never go to visit him again.”

“The prat, of course I’m still going to be there after classes end every day. I just got frustrated with his mood swings when I was only trying to help him,” Harry snapped, feeling the indignation of before when Draco had gone off on him for simply helping him to cut his chicken.

“Do you not think that Draco has every desire in the world to answer ‘yes’ every time you ask him if he’s remembered something? Every time you ask him, he feels a little more ashamed, and little more frustrated that he can’t remember anything. That is likely why his moods shift as quickly as they do; he is so afraid of disappointing you that he shields his insecurity by turning it into anger. He doesn’t even know who you are, Harry, but he knows he wants you in his life, and that having you walk out of it would tear him apart. Call it careful observation, but I can clearly see you’ve got him hooked.” Severus noted Harry’s blush as the Gryffindor still tried to avoid direct eye contact.

Harry didn’t know what to say. He had not exactly intended for that to happen, but he did not actively stop it from happening either. If he was quite honest, he’d been hoping that this could be a fresh start for himself and Draco. He’d irrationally even thought that he could help Draco get his memory back, but take out all of the memories of their past rivalry. Snape was right; Draco was hooked, but Harry had it just as bad.

“Is it really that obvious, sir?” he asked quietly, finally looking up to catch the Potion Master’s eye.

Severus sighed as he rubbed a hand tiredly across his eyes. “Not exactly obvious, no, but I do know the signs – trust me,” he murmured, the corners of his lips twitching up in a rueful smile.

Other than Harry’s rather blatant admission of knowing about his relationship with Remus in the library nearly a month ago, Severus had not deigned to discuss his love life with the boy, nor had he had the desire to discuss Harry’s own. That is, until it became obvious to Severus that the boy clearly had it in spades for his godson.

Harry smirked even as he blushed under his guardian’s gaze. He wasn’t ashamed of his feelings, just embarrassed that he’d been found out. He frowned as his thoughts turned to the stricken expression on Draco’s face when he stormed out of the infirmary. “I’ve gone on mucked it all already though, haven’t I?”

“I believe it is quite salvageable, Harry, but you must be willing to give Draco more leeway. He can only remember little snippets here and there, and even then they’re pointless and make very little sense to him. Constantly asking him if he can remember anything only reminds him of his failure, even though we both know he has no control over getting his memory back. These things just take time. Be patient with him, and be calm even when he has his outbursts. Remember that he is the victim here, and he sometimes just can’t help his mood swings. When he remembers something, you will surely be the first to know. Can you do that?” Severus asked quietly, searching watery emerald eyes for the truthfulness of his impending answer.

Harry nodded slowly as he wiped the threatening tears from his eyes before they could fall. He felt so foolish for the way he had treated the Slytherin, but he was shocked that Snape had been so understanding and calm. He appreciated it more than he could ever express, but he tried anyways. “Thank you, Severus, for being so...nice, I guess.”

Severus let out a low chuckle as he stood up and crossed the sitting room, kneeling down in front of Harry and reaching out to grasp one of his shoulders. “I don’t do nice, Harry. I’ve simply learned that shouting and losing my temper with you only serves to make things ten times worse. The more calm I am with you, the calmer you’ll be with me in return. You’re not unintelligent, just hot-headed sometimes.”

Harry grinned even as he scoffed slightly, pushing Severus’ hand away half-heartedly. “I guess I’ll take that as a compliment,” he said, though it came out as more of a question than a statement.

“Yes, Harry, that was indeed a compliment, as veiled as I tried to make it. As I said, you’re not stupid.”

“I should go talk to Draco now, shouldn’t I?” Harry asked, glancing at the clock above the mantle and seeing that it was still a couple of hours until curfew.

Severus stood up and checked the time, sighing heavily as he couldn’t come up with a reasonable excuse to keep Harry in their quarters for the night. “I told him to get some rest before I left, but I’m sure he’s still awake, contemplating whether or not you’ll go see him after classes tomorrow.”

Harry nodded solemnly as he too stood, ready to head out of the dungeon quarters as soon as Snape said he was allowed. “Guess I better go reassure him then. I’ll be back before curfew, I promise.”

Severus rolled his eyes as he waved his hand at Harry dismissively, directing him towards the exit. “Do not make promises you cannot keep, Potter. At least this time I’ll know you have fallen asleep in the infirmary when you do not come home.” He had not meant to say that last word in such a fond tone, but it had slipped out. When he saw the grateful smile on Harry’s face, however, he lost all desire to take it back.

Harry didn’t say anything; he didn’t really need to. He knew that Snape realized what he’d said, but the man was not taking it back. It warmed Harry more than he cared to admit at the moment. For now, he had a sullen, forgetful Slytherin in hospital he needed to go suck up to.

S~S~S~S

Snape had hit the nail right on the head. Draco was sitting up in bed, his knees pulled up to his chest. He was staring at the wall opposite, apparently so lost in thought that he didn’t even realize Harry was there until he sat down on the bed beside Draco. He jumped slightly.

“Harry...I – ”

Harry lifted a hand to cut Draco off, eerily reminding himself of Snape in the process. He sighed heavily, feeling quite nervous now that he was there with Draco. He hadn’t planned on what to say, so he was just going to let it flow as it came to him.

“I’m sorry I’ve been berating you about remembering stuff or not. I sometimes forget how hard this is for you, and I selfishly just want you to remember me, or anything for that matter. I know you don’t mean to snap at me or lose your temper like you do; it’s part of the healing process, and something you can’t really control.”

“Harry – ”

Harry shook his head firmly, cutting Draco off once more. He needed to get this all out before he lost his nerve and stopped completely. He turned so that he could look into Draco’s icy grey eyes, almost getting lost before picking his train of thought back up.

“Please, Draco; just listen for a minute. I don’t have any excuse for the way I treated you and yelled at you other than I’m a prat and I got frustrated. I’m sorry, and I’ll keep coming back every day, if that’s what you want.” Harry let out a relieved huff of breath, feeling his heart rate slow down just a little. He waited for Draco to respond, to say anything. The longer the silence went on, the more nervous Harry became.

“Of course I want you to come back every day, Harry,” Draco whispered, finally breaking the long, unnerving silence that had threatened to engulf them both. Draco pulled his knees closer to his chest, resting his chin on one knee and staring at Harry instead of the wall.

“I really am trying. And you’re right; I don’t mean to snap at you so much. I’ll try not to anymore, but please don’t hate me if I can’t always keep myself in check.” Draco paused, hesitating to ask the question that had been circling around his already confused mind since Harry had stalked out of the infirmary hours before. He was afraid of the answer, but he had to know.

“Would you hate me if I never remembered who I used to be?” he asked, his voice so soft he thought he might need to repeat himself, but was distracted from that thought as Harry moved closer and wrapped an arm around his shoulders, pulling him into a slightly awkward half-embrace.

“I would never hate you for that, Draco. I’d probably be a little upset, but I wouldn’t ever blame you for not being able to remember. Don’t ever think that...” Harry trailed off as Draco untangled his limbs and feel gracefully into his arms, curling up smaller than he thought was possible. He pulled the Slytherin closer to him, shifting to a more comfortable position and resting his chin gently on top of Draco’s white-blonde hair.

“Who are you, Harry, and why do I feel like I need you so damn much?” whispered Draco as he traced a lazy pattern on Harry’s leg with his finger. It felt so right to be this close to Harry, even if he was afraid to find out who the boy really was.

“I’m just Harry, and I can’t tell you that. That’s something you’ll have to figure out on your own,” said Harry, feeling his chest ache as he selfishly wished Draco never remembered who Harry really was to him. He couldn’t stand to lose this now, and it had only just begun.

“Stay with me?”

“Of course.”

S~S~S~S

It wasn’t until Wednesday of that same week that Dumbledore finally managed to corner Harry and insist on a chat. Harry felt his heart beating rapidly against his ribcage as he followed the Headmaster out of the infirmary, where he had been trying to teach Draco how to summon things. He had absolutely no desire to be alone with Dumbledore after the polyjuice incident, and spent the entire trip up to the Head’s office Occluding his mind, just in case.

“Please, Harry, sit. Would you like some tea and biscuits?” Dumbledore asked as he swept around and took his own seat behind his desk, leaving Harry to nervously perch on the edge of the guest seat. The observational old man noticed Harry’s tense posture and sighed sadly.

“I am very sorry for what happened before, Harry. I should have been more aware, and better prepared to protect you from such dangers. There has been every precaution known to wizard kind placed on and around my office and quarters, and I assure you I am myself. I will even submit to Veritaserum if that is what it takes to earn your trust back.”

Harry felt slightly ashamed, shaking his head slowly as some of the tension eased from him completely. “No, sir, that won’t be necessary. I’m just a little paranoid now, sorry.”

“You have every right to feel unsafe, Harry; there is no reason for you to apologize to me. Hopefully the good news I have for you today will help to ease your worry,” Dumbledore said as he conjured a tea service and poured tea for two. He offered a cup to Harry along with a tray of delicious looking chocolate biscuits.

Harry politely accepted the tea and cookies, pushing down the slight worry that it was contaminated in any way. He took a deep drink of his tea and grateful bite of a biscuit before realizing what Dumbledore had even said. “Good news, sir?”

Dumbledore ice blue eyes had that familiar twinkle once more, which set Harry even more at ease as he sat back to listen to this good news.

“I have been doing some very heavy, thorough research about protective wards ever since the attack on your aunt and uncle’s house. You’ve been placed with Professor Snape as an extra precaution, yes, but we must take into account your safety once the school year is over once more. I came across some very ancient, almost forgotten wards in an old tome I found in Ireland.”

As the Headmaster paused to take a sip of tea, Harry took the opportunity to ask the question that had been nagging at him for a while. “That’s where you’ve been disappearing to all this time, isn’t it? You’ve been doing it all for my sake.”

Dumbledore nodded solemnly, his expression a bit more serious now. “And with good reason, Harry. If even I can put you in as much danger as I have recently, there is no doubt in my mind you need much stronger protection.

“This warding comes from ancient Gaelic Wizarding beliefs. It is the Caomhnóir an Solas ward, or Guardian of the Light ward. Direct translation suggests that the ward refers to someone who guards light; fire, sunlight, things of the like. However, upon further reading I discovered that the true meaning behind the wording is that this ward is meant for guarding the pure of heart, the Light instead of the Darkness. With this ward, I believe you have almost as much protection as you did with your mother’s blood sacrifice, and possibly even more.”

Harry felt his pulse quicken, not daring to believe his ears. Even if he would be seventeen and of age in less than a year, knowing he had extra protection would help ease his worry greatly. “So what does this ward require, exactly, sir?”

Dumbledore’s eyes twinkled even more as he smiled seemingly benignly at Harry, his hands crossed in front of him. “This ward requires a Guardian who must adopt you, and enter into a special type of bonding that occurs when the adoptive parent or parents are willing to include you as a real part of their family.”

“The Weasleys! They’d do it, I know they would. They already count me as part of their family,” Harry said excitedly, feeling his spirits soar as he thought about being a real part of Ron’s family. His good mood was shattered then, as he remembered that Ron hated him now. Dumbledore seemed to have sensed his inner turmoil.

“The Weasleys would probably be willing, yes, but you see for yourself the type of dilemma you face by trying to become part of their family. I am not saying to write them off, just simply try to think of other potential guardians. I do not need an answer right away, but sooner would be much preferable than later. Once you have chosen who you’d like, and spoken to them about it, come to me and we’ll set everything in motion. Have you any other ideas of who to ask?”

Harry frowned as he tried to think of other people who’d willingly include him in their family. There was Remus, of course, but he didn’t really have any family, and with his condition, the Ministry would never allow him to adopt a child, even a sixteen-year-old one. Then there was Snape. Harry almost burst out laughing as he imagined asking Snape to adopt him and allow him to be part of his family. Snape’s family consisted of Draco and Draco only, as far as Harry knew.

“Does whoever I ask have to have a family, sir, or can they be single and childless?” Harry asked, hoping to clear that confusion up so he could more easily make a decision.

“They can be single and without child, certainly. However, I’m sure you know that Remus is obviously out of the question, unfortunately.”

Harry nodded sadly, taking another sip of his tea. He felt guilty that he had immediately thought of the Weasleys even before Remus, but he chalked it up to his subconscious knowing better than to consider the werewolf. It was unfair, it really was. If the laws were different, Harry would definitely have gone to Remus above all the others, including the Weasleys.

“Yeah, I wish I could ask Remus, but I know the Ministry would never let him adopt me. I guess I’ll need some time to really think about it. Maybe I could talk to Ron and Ginny, try to patch things up and then talk to the Weasleys...” Harry trailed off, more talking to himself than the Headmaster. He distractedly finished his biscuit and finished his cup of tea, grateful that Dumbledore was letting him ramble and organize his confused thoughts. He really wanted to go see Draco.

Harry’s head snapped up as he sat his empty tea cup on Dumbledore’s desk, meeting Dumbledore’s twinkling eyes with a smile. “I’ll let you know when I’ve made up my mind. Thank you, sir, for finding another way to help protect me.”

Dumbledore nodded once, his soft smile genuine and comforting. “It was my pleasure, Harry. I have failed to protect you in the past, and I am determined to make up for my mistakes. Do not rush this decision; take as much time as you need to think it over. Good evening.”

“Goodnight, Professor.”

S~S~S~S

Draco was levitating his pillow and directing it to float across the room, summoning it back to him as he let it drop to the bed opposite his. He chuckled as he made the pillow do a kind of complicated flip in the air as he summoned it to himself. Being able to do magic was exciting and liberating, and Harry had been right; it got easier the more he learned.

“Having fun?”

Draco jumped and yelped, his pillow flopping to the floor as his concentration was broken by Harry’s amused voice. He smiled even as he clutched his chest, his heart rate slowing after his scare.

“Merlin, Harry; you nearly gave me a heart attack. I was having fun until you scared me half to death,” Draco pouted, summoning his pillow back to him and placing it back with the large pile already behind him.

Harry chuckled as he walked over and squeezed himself onto the bed beside Draco, forcing the blonde to scoot over to make room for him. He smiled as Draco automatically leaned against him, laying his head on Harry’s shoulder.

“Sorry I left earlier; Dumbledore had some important news to share with me.”

Draco shifted so that he was looking up at Harry, one perfectly manicured eyebrow raised. “Oh, and what important news is this, hmm?”

Harry smirked, reaching over to brush a lock of icy blonde hair out of the Slytherin’s eyes. He liked looking into Draco’s steely eyes without his hair blocking his view. Harry explained the new wards that Dumbledore had discovered, and the requirements that had to be met in order to use the wards. He had already told Draco about his mother’s blood protection that had warded him at his aunt and uncle’s before. He had lied and told him he had been kicked out of the house, however; he had no desire to tell Draco what had really happened.

“So, someone just needs to adopt you and enter into a bond with you and you can use this new protection?” Draco asked as he distractedly carded his hands through Harry’s messy hair, making it stick up even more than it usually did.

Harry’s eyes had drifted shut as Draco played with his hair, lulling him into such a lazy, relaxed state that he was very near asleep when Draco finally spoke. “Essentially, yes. As easy as that sounds though, I still have to decide who I want to ask, and then ask them. I of course thought of the Weasleys, but with Ron and Ginny hating me like they do, I’m thinking that’s not such a good idea after all. Remus can’t do it because it’s illegal for him to adopt, or I would definitely have asked him. The only other person I’d know to ask is Snape, and I somehow don’t think that would go over well.”

“Why not? He’s letting you live with him, and he’s already vowed to protect you anyways. In fact, I think he’s a much better choice than Remus or the Weasleys,” said Draco in a matter of fact voice that set Harry’s skin on edge. If only it were that simple, he mused.

“Yes, Snape has vowed to protect me and is letting me live with him in his quarters, but you’re forgetting about the bonding part. He’d have to willingly bond with me, accepting me as a real part of his family. As helpful and great as he’s been, even Snape has his limits,” Harry said, not realizing how bitter he sounded until Draco gave him a reproving look.

“I think you underestimate him, Harry. It may have started out as an obligatory thing when he made the vow with Dumbledore, but it’s obvious that he’s grown to care for you at least a little bit. Otherwise, he’d still treat you like crap like he used to do.”

Harry paused in his retort as he stared down at Draco, his eyes going wide at the exact same time as the Slytherin’s. “You’re remembering stuff, aren’t you? I never told you about how Snape used to treat me!” Harry said excitedly, pulling the blonde close in a celebratory hug.

Draco clung on to Harry tightly as more memories slammed into him with the force of a brick wall. He squeezed his eyes closed as the new information swirled around in his mind, making him feel dizzy and faint. “Bloody hell, that was not a pleasant feeling...” he mumbled, pulling away from Harry slightly with a grimace on his face.

Harry felt his heart beating rapidly in his chest. What had Draco remembered? Would he suddenly turn on Harry, angry at being lied to about their past rivalry? He felt himself panicking even as Draco shook his head slightly and looked back up at Harry.

“Something tells me we weren’t this close before the accident...” Draco whispered, making Harry’s heart drop down to his toes.

“Er...Well, not exactly. I mean, in previous years we were never really friends, but near the time of the accident we had begun to get along quite well actually. Please don’t be angry...” Harry pleaded, grasping one of Draco’s hands in his own. He had feared this was coming, and yet he was nowhere near prepared for the inevitable rejection he would now have to face.

Draco smiled sadly at Harry, leaning forward so that their lips nearly touched. “I’m not angry, just a little confused, but I trust you.” He leaned forward the remaining distance and pressed his lips gently to Harry’s.

Harry gasped, leaving his lips parted slightly. Should he kiss back, or let Draco decide if this was what he really wanted? He knew getting too involved with the Slytherin in his current state could prove to be a damning mistake once his full memory returned, but he had been powerless to stop the rampaging feelings that they both shared for each other. The decision was taken out of his hands as Draco grasped the back of his head and pulled him closer, eliciting a soft moan from his throat as the kiss deepened.

Someone standing not too far away cleared their throat, making both boys jump as they pulled away from each other. Harry blushed deeply as he spotted Snape over Draco’s shoulder. The man was giving him an incredulous look, even as Remus tried to hide his delighted smile beside the Potions Master.

“If we could please refrain from such public displays, I would really appreciate it,” Severus snapped, more out of worry than irritation, though he would never admit that to anyone. There was no question now; the boys were involved, and Severus couldn’t help but feel that he had somehow helped them along.

“The Headmaster sent me to find you. He seemed to be under the impression that you wanted to ask me something, though he refused to clue me in as to what. Clearly you were either distracted, or had no intentions of asking me anything.”

Harry bit his lip as Draco shifted so that he sat beside Harry once more, instead of practically in his lap as he had been before. Leave it to meddlesome old Dumbledore to force him into this uncomfortable situation.

“Er...well – um, Professor Dumbledore told me about a new ward he discovered. It’s an ancient Gaelic ward, but he said it could offer me protection that would be as strong or stronger than my mother’s blood sacrifice had been, but there are some rather pressing requirements in order to use this ward,” Harry explained, feeling like he was leading himself into a trap without any means of stopping it from happening.

Severus’ eyebrows rose nearly into his hairline, his arms crossed tight over his chest. Why had Dumbledore not told him about this immediately? Did he not have a right to know about these things while protecting the Gryffindor as he was?

“And these ‘rather pressing requirements’ are...?”

“I have to be adopted, and whoever becomes my guardian has to enter into a special bond with me, welcoming me officially into their family. Only then can the wards be put into effect.”

Severus stiffened quite noticeably, even as Remus gently rested a hand in the middle of his back in a comforting gesture. Adoption? Vowing to protect the boy was one thing, but adopting him and entering into such an important bond? What was Dumbledore playing at, springing this on him in the form of a sheepish and embarrassed looking Harry.

“Something tells me you did not, in fact, intend to ask me,” said Severus, though it ended up sounding like a question, even though he had not granted that question permission to leave his lips. Damn that old man and his meddling!

Harry blushed again, averting his gaze so that he was staring intently at the spindly table to the left of Snape instead of directly at the Potions Professor. “Well, I admit that I immediately thought of the Weasleys, and then after remembering that Ron and Ginny hate me, my mind went to Remus. It’s illegal for werewolves to adopt children though, so that can’t work either. So, er...I thought of you, instead.”

Severus sniffed, his jaw tightening slightly. He would not allow Harry’s choices to hurt him. He already had too many problems of his own to deal with; he didn’t need an adoptive son on top of it all, or so he let himself think as a means to distract the slight twinge of betrayal he felt. “As a last resort, naturally.”

Harry frowned, catching the bitterness in Snape’s voice that had been in his own when discussing things with Draco only minutes ago. Could he be mistaken, or was Snape actually hurt that Harry had left him as his third choice? “With all due respect, sir, I was fairly certain you’d say no right away.”

When no response was forthcoming, Harry decided if he was in for an inch, he was in for a mile. “I haven’t made any decisions yet. I’d still like to talk to the Weasleys and ask what they think before I make up my mind, but I’m still considering you just as much as the Weasleys. It would actually be a lot simpler if I chose you, considering the vow you’ve taken, but I need some time to just think,” Harry said with a simple shrug of his shoulders. He had not intended to offend the Potions Master, but maybe Draco was right; he’d underestimated Snape’s feelings towards him, and now he was feeling guilty for thinking of the man who had been protecting and housing him for months as a last resort.

“Very well, take as much time as you need. This is not something to enter into lightly, so be absolutely sure you’re positive about whomever you choose. I can arrange for Molly and Arthur to come and speak to you if you’d prefer that over sending owls back and forth.” Severus felt a twinge of jealously run up his spine, hating that he was allowing these feelings any room at all. He would assist Harry in making the best choice possible; he would not be biased by his growing affection for the boy he once loathed.

Harry felt his guilt reach new heights as Snape offered to help him talk to the Weasleys about the warding. He almost considered giving up and just asking Snape then and there, but considered Snape’s words more and decided he’d explore all his options first. “Thank you, Professor. I’d really appreciate being able to talk to them in person; this is too important for owl post, I think.”

Severus nodded his agreement, feeling slightly annoyed as Remus brushed a hand gently across his back. Somehow, the werewolf always knew when Severus was putting up a front, and it irked the Potions Master to know that he had not been as successful at hiding his emotions as he thought. “I shall contact them tonight and invite them over for dinner tomorrow night. I think, perhaps, that you have some work you should be doing instead of pawing my godson, no?” Severus asked, smirking at the utter embarrassment on both boys’ faces as Remus chuckled beside him.

“Uh, yeah, I do need to finish up my Charms essay. Maybe I’ll go find Hermione and see if she’s done hers yet; we can do it together.” Harry stood up and grabbed his bag before turning back to Draco, who was pouting slightly at being left in the infirmary while Harry got to go off and do his homework in the library. Not that writing an essay about counter-charms and jinxes was that entertaining.

“I’ll be back after classes tomorrow, promise. I won’t be able to eat with you, but I’ll drop by for a bit. Goodnight.” Ignoring the burning stare of Snape and the slight panic he felt in his gut, Harry leaned over and kissed Draco firmly on the lips, lingering as Draco cupped his cheek and kissed him back.

“Goodnight, Harry. See you tomorrow,” Draco whispered after breaking the kiss. He looked defiantly over at Snape, expecting to see disapproval written all over his expression. The Potions Master merely rolled his eyes and sighed dramatically, earning another chuckle from Remus.

“Boys...”

“Men...” Harry said with a cheeky grin as he looked pointedly at how close the Potions and Defence Professors were standing. He chuckled as he side-stepped Severus’ attempt to cuff him on the back of the head.

“Insufferable little brat...” Severus mumbled as he left the infirmary with Remus after biding his godson a good night.

Remus smiled and gently laced his fingers with Severus’ own, as the corridors were abandoned this close to curfew. “You wouldn’t have him any other way, Severus.”

Severus gave another dramatic sigh as he gently squeezed Remus’ hand in reassurance; reassurance for who – he had no idea. “It’s sad, but true. Too true...”