After seeking Hermione out, in the library of course, Harry explained the wards to her, and the requirements to use the wards.

“Well obviously the Weasleys would be the best option. They already consider you a part of their family, and I know Molly would have adopted you straight away if Dumbledore had let her. They’ll have no problem adopting you and agreeing to the bonding.”

Harry sighed as he scratched out a sentence on his essay for the third time, highly distracted by the thoughts swirling around in his head. He should have known Hermione would have come to the same conclusion as he did. “You’re forgetting one thing, Hermione; Ron and Ginny hate me. I don’t want to cause more problems in their family by trying to insinuate myself into their lives when, clearly, they want nothing to do with me anymore.”

“Oh, Harry...Ron doesn’t hate you, he’s just upset and extremely stubborn, not to mention thick-headed. He can’t get over his prejudices, no matter how much anybody tries to convince him that Professor Snape and Draco aren’t evil reincarnate. Ginny doesn’t hate you either; she’s just hurt because she thinks you’ve chosen Draco over her. She still has feelings for you, you know,” Hermione explained, even as she scribbled away without pause on her own Charms essay. Her skills for multitasking were definitely enviable.

Harry groaned, pushing his parchment away as he gave up his essay as a bad job. He was simply too distracted for homework right now. “Please don’t remind me, Hermione. I’ve been trying to avoid all thought of her fancying me, thanks.”

Hermione frowned at his abandoned essay before pulling it towards herself and making marks and corrections on the little portion that he had managed to scribble out. “Besides, you know Mr. and Mrs. Weasley would still adopt you, even if Ron and Ginny need an attitude adjustment. Remember the owl Mrs. Weasley sent you after Ron broke your jaw?”

“But that isn’t fair to them, ‘Mione. As stubborn and stupid as they’ve been so far this year, it wouldn’t be right to push myself into the middle of things. I know better than to stick myself where I’m not wanted.”

“Harry...”

“No, Hermione. You’re not going to change my mind on this. I’m still going to talk to Weasleys of course, but until I know Ron and Ginny would be ok with it, I’m not going to ask to be a part of their family,” Harry said firmly, accepting the parchment that Hermione was handing back to him.

Hermione was giving him a calculating look, making Harry feel like a particularly challenging arithmancy problem. Her frown did not change as she drummed her finger thoughtfully on the table. “If you’ve already made up your mind, Harry, why are you getting Mrs. Weasley’s hopes up, just to shoot them down again?”

“I’m not; I’m just making sure I explore all my options before I make up my mind. This is a really important decision; I don’t want to mess things up,” said Harry, feeling irritated by Hermione’s accusation and the corrections to his Charms essay. “I did say that jinxes and counter-curses are two separate things!”

“Stop changing the subject, Harry. You’re going to ask Professor Snape, aren’t you?” Hermione asked, her calculating gaze back with a vengeance.

Harry dropped his eyes back to his essay, feeling that familiar swirl of guilt at remembering that Snape had been his last resort. Even Hermione knew to consider Snape as a viable option. “I’m thinking about it, yeah. But like I said, I want to consider all of my options first before making a final decision.”

To Harry’s surprise, Hermione actually smiled. “Harry, did you realize that you limited yourself to the Weasleys and Snape right away?”

Bemused, Harry nodded, wondering what on earth his best friend was playing at. “Well, yeah. I mean, I thought of Remus too, but he’s out of the question because of the stupid regulations on werewolves. Who else would I possibly ask, Hermione?”

“What about some of the other Order members like Kingsley or Emmeline? Hell, what about Tonks?”

Harry burst out laughing, making Hermione jump nearly a foot in the air before slapping a hand over his mouth to muffle his guffaws as a few studying students glared at him for disrupting the quiet atmosphere. He wiped away his tears of mirth as he got his laughter under control, sending an apologetic look to a shaken Hermione.

“Sorry, but suggesting that Tonks adopt me? Hermione, until very recently, I had some stupid crush on her, and now you’re suggesting I ask her to be a pseudo-mother?” Harry snickered into his cupped hands, unable to stop the flow of amusement.

Hermione’s expression was a mix between indignant and shocked. “You fancied Tonks? Well, why did you stop fancying Tonks, then?” Hermione asked in a bewildered whisper.

Harry blushed, not realizing beforehand that he had essentially just outted himself to his best friend. “Er...well...I, uh, kind of have a, uh...” Harry muttered the last word incoherently, hoping Hermione would simply catch on and not question who exactly he was with. Fat chance of that, however.

“You have a what? Harry, you’re dating someone and you never even told me? Well go on, then; who is it?” Hermione asked, her voice rising a little more than she intended, as she nearly forgot they were in the library. She blushed as she tried to ignore the curious stares and glares that were directed at her now.

Harry blushed furiously as he tried to ignore Hermione’s question altogether. He jumped as she snatched his essay right out of his hand and glared pointedly at him. He heaved a great sigh and prepared himself for the worst. On second thought, Harry decided this was a discussion better finished outside of the library, in case Hermione decided to start shrieking at the top of her lungs. She’d never forgive him if he got her banned from the library.

“Harry, quit avoiding the question and answer me!” Hermione snapped as they walked towards the Gryffindor common room by instinct.

“I’m not avoiding anything, Hermione. I just wanted to make sure we didn’t get banned from the library in case your reaction wasn’t a good one,” Harry explained as they approached the portrait hole. “I don’t know the password anymore.”

“Dizzying dandelions,” Hermione snapped at the Fat Lady, who gave her a reproachful look before dutifully swinging forward to allow them entry. “Why would my reaction be so bad as to get us banned from the library, Harry? Who on earth are you dating?”

Harry walked over to a secluded corner of the common room, avoiding the whispering and pointing that broke out upon his entrance to the common room he hadn’t been in since school had started. He settled himself into in armchair, waiting for Hermione to do the same. “Well, I’m not sure if we’re technically dating, because neither one of us asked the other out. It feels like dating, and we’ve actually kissed and stuff. In fact our first kiss was today...” Harry rambled, heightening Hermione’s curiosity to the point of her pulling her wand and aiming it square in his face.

“Tell me now, Harry, or I swear I’ll hex your lips together so you never snog again.”

Harry’s eyes went wide even as he tried to shield his lips with his hand. “Merlin, Hermione, calm down! I was going to tell you. It’s...um, well, not who you’d expect,” Harry said, trying to find a way to break it to her that not only was he dating someone, but he was dating another boy, and said boy was Draco bloody Malfoy. He received only a glare and a sharp jabbing movement with her wand.

“I’m dating a guy, Hermione.”

That shut her up, alright. Hermione dropped her wand, even as he jaw fell open in shock. She snapped it closed with an audible clack as she hastily picked up her wand, no longer brandishing it threateningly at Harry. “Well...er, you were right, not what I expected at all. But who...?”A look of sudden comprehension spread across her face. “You’re dating Draco, aren’t you?”

Harry sighed heavily, extremely glad his best friend was so bloody brilliant. “Yes; well – I think. We’re involved, at least. It’s kind of complicated, what with him not really knowing exactly who I am. He could remember at any time, though, and who’s to say he won’t suddenly hate me because of something he remembered?”

Hermione looked thoughtful, her lips pursed in that Hermione-ish way that Harry had come to associate with her problem-solving. “Even if he gets his memories of hating you back, I don’t think it will affect his feelings for you now. You see, often times with memory-loss patients, they consider their past memories a separate life to the one they lead after the memory-loss. So, Draco will know that he used to hate you, but he also knows he doesn’t hate you now.”

Harry frowned, bemused by Hermione’s wording, but catching the gist of it, or so he thought. “So Draco could remember our past rivalry, but because that was a part of his ‘past life’, he won’t start hating me again?”

“Think of it as a clean slate, Harry. The past is the past, and Draco will learn that not everything he once believed is still true. I’m not guaranteeing anything, Harry, but I don’t think Draco’s feeling towards you will change as he gets his memories back.”

Harry felt like a hippogriff had been lifted from his shoulders. He had not realized how utterly terrified he was of losing what he had with Draco until Hermione reassured him. “Thanks, Hermione. I was really worried that he’d start hating me again.”

“Harry, how did this come about, exactly? He’s only been awake for what, two and a half weeks?” Hermione asked, her brow creased in confusion.

“Well, it actually started while he was still in a coma. I used to sneak out every night and sit with him in the hospital wing. I would tell him everything, Hermione, stuff I never even told you. And even though he couldn’t have responded even if he had wanted to, it felt like I finally had found someone who accepted me for who I was, and didn’t question me at all. I know it sounds stupid because he was completely helpless, but it felt like he was the only one truly there for me.”

Hermione had a desperately sad and slightly guilty look on her face, but Harry cut her off before she could apologize about not being a good enough friend, or admonish him for being so foolish.

“When I entered Draco’s mind to pull him out of the coma, I talked to him. He hadn’t lost his memory yet, and he told me that he had heard everything I told him, that he’d tried so hard to wake up for me. He told me he would have gone mad without me, and I realized that I would have gone made without him, too. Even though he’s not exactly the same person as he was before, he’s still the Draco that I talked to in his mind. Like you said; the past is the past.”

Harry fell back into the squishy armchair as he received an armful of teary Hermione, clinging onto him in a tight hug. He awkwardly wrapped his arms around her and patted her gently on the back, not quite sure why she had become so upset.

“Oh Harry, I’m so sorry! I should have been there for you more instead of trying to bridge the gap between you and Ron. Thank goodness Draco was there for you. I’ll never question you or doubt you again, I swear,” Hermione sobbed into his shoulder, causing the few people left in the common room to stare at the display.

Harry was acutely aware of the curious stares they were attracting, so he extracted himself from Hermione’s tight embrace and instead sat her down beside him on the cramped armchair.

“Listen to me, Hermione. I didn’t mean that I never wanted you to doubt or question me again; I doubt and question myself all the time. You wouldn’t be Hermione if you weren’t trying to change my mind about the stupid ideas I come up with. I only meant that sometimes, it felt good to be able to speak my mind without any worry of what Draco would say to me, or how he would react. Sometimes you’re too quick to question me about things, but I understand it’s just because you’re worried. You’re not a bad friend, Hermione; quite the opposite, in fact.”

Hermione was smiling as she hiccupped through the tears still streaming down her cheeks. She was startled into laughter as Harry was the one to attack her in a tight hug this time. “I’ll try to think more before I question you from now on. You’re right; I just get so worried that I sometimes don’t stop to think first.”

“You, not stopping to think? Impossible!” Harry teased, using the sleeve of his robes to dry her tears.

Hermione giggled, swatting Harry on the arm playfully. “Oh – quiet, you! Hey, it’s after curfew; are you going to get in trouble with Professor Snape?”

Harry checked his watch and groaned, grabbing his bag as he stood up. “I better go now before he comes looking for me,” said Harry, already dreading the lecture he knew he was going to get from the Potions Professor.

“I’ll walk you down; I am a Prefect, after all,” Hermione said as she wiped away the last of her tears and stood to walk with Harry, arm in arm, out of the common room.

“You do know there are going to be wild rumours about the two of us now after that whole display in there, right?” Harry asked as they headed down a flight of stairs.

Hermione grinned mischievously, pulling Harry confidently down the stairs, still arm in arm with him. “Oh, I know. At least this way, it will take everyone longer to find out about you and Draco because they’ll be too busy gossiping about us.”

“Oh, you’re brilliant, Hermione!” Harry said with a wide grin, not having thought of that at all. He wasn’t exactly worried about word getting out, but the longer it was kept quiet, the longer his life would remain that much easier. “I love you, you know that?”

“Of course you love me; you’d be clueless without me.”

They both laughed as they continued on their journey down to the dungeons, feeling much more light-hearted now than they had at the beginning of the evening. Not even the imminent danger of Snape’s death glare and scathing remarks could take away Harry’s good mood.

S~S~S~S

The next day was one of the longest of Harry’s life. His stomach was in knots over what he was supposed to say to the Weasleys. As Hermione had pointed out before, Harry had essentially already made up his mind not to ask the Weasleys, but he didn’t want to leave that option unexplored, either. Maybe there was a way to fix things between himself, Ron and Ginny. Or maybe that was just wishful thinking trying to cover for his mixed emotions.

As the bell rang for the end of classes, Harry made his way quickly out of the Charms classroom and up to the infirmary so that he could spend as much time as possible with Draco before the Weasleys arrived for dinner. He had promised Snape he’d go home an hour before so that he could change and clean up a bit, even though he knew Mr. and Mrs. Weasley wouldn’t care one bit about how he looked clothes-wise; as long as he looked happy and healthy.

“Nervous?” Draco asked as Harry followed along with their usual routine; curling up together on Draco’s small hospital bed to talk.

Harry sighed and nodded, appreciating Draco’s comforting weight even more as the Slytherin practically crawled into his lap like a house cat. “A little, but I’ll be alright. Severus will be there, and it’s not like I haven’t talked to the Weasleys a million times before.”

“Well, yes, but it’s not every day that you discuss becoming one of their children, now is it?” Draco drawled, his smirk making the butterflies in Harry’s stomach burst into flames.

“You’d be surprised how many times that actually has come up in conversation with the Weasleys. It’s not that I’m worried about, though. I haven’t made up my mind still, and I’d hate to get them all worked up about it, then decide not to ask them. I’d feel like I was betraying them, or disappointing them,” Harry explained, running a hand through Draco’s hair slowly. He loved letting his fingers trail through the blonde tresses, especially when Draco leaned into the touch like a cat being pet.

“Well, just make sure you explain the entire situation, including who else you’ve considered and why, and let them know you need some time to make up your mind about things. I’m sure they’ll understand if you don’t choose them. All they want is for you to be safe and happy,” said Draco, smiling as he let his eyes drift closed, getting lost in the sensation of Harry’s hands carding through his hair.

Harry chuckled, leaning down to place a chaste kiss on the blonde’s lips while his eyes were closed. He was greeted by slightly surprised steely grey eyes flashing open as he pulled away from the kiss. He laughed against Draco’s lips as the Slytherin pulled him down for another, longer kiss.

“I will never get tired of kissing you,” Draco whispered, smiling against Harry’s lips as they were pressed against his once more.

“Good, because I’ll never stop kissing you,” replied Harry, feeling Draco’s chest rumble in a laugh even as he cut the sound off using his mouth once more.

All too soon, six o’clock rolled around, and Harry had to sadly abandon Draco’s lips so that he could get ready to meet with the Weasleys. He laughed as Draco latched onto him, kissing him deeply before letting him pull away.

“I’ll come back after dinner if I have time before curfew. If not, I’ll see you tomorrow after classes, ok?”

Draco pouted, but nodded, pulling Harry close for one more kiss before pushing him towards the exit. “Go on, go get pretty for the Weasleys.”

Harry stuck his tongue out at Draco before leaving the infirmary to do just that. As he entered the dungeon quarters he shared with Snape, he noticed that the fire was lit for once, and that Snape had either asked a house elf to help tidy up, or else had done it himself. Harry jumped as Snape’s voice sounded from the doorway behind him.

“I’ve set out some clothes for you in your room. Take a shower first, and for Merlin’s sake, do something about that hair of yours.”

Harry scowled, defensively running a hand through his dishevelled hair and making it stick out worse. “I can pick out my own clothes, thanks, and there’s nothing I can do to my hair. It has a mind of its own; it’ll do whatever it wants to do.”

Severus rolled his eyes as he swept fully into the room, letting his eyes roam around to make sure the elves had cleaned his quarters properly. “The clothes I picked out for you, I picked out at a clothing shop, not your limited supply of clothing you bought this summer. Do not mock the outfit before you’ve even seen it. As for your hair, well, I do believe fully that it has a mind of its own, but it was worth a try, I guess.”

Harry felt that twinge of guilt grow into a full force jolt at the thought of Snape buying him clothes especially for this dinner. He was a fool for not seeing it before; Snape really did care, even if it was usually in an off-handed, unobtrusive way. “Er, well...Thanks, I guess. I’ll be out in a few minutes.”

“Do not take a half hour long shower, either, Harry!” Severus called from the sitting room as Harry disappeared into his bathroom to wash up.

Merlin, he already sounded like he was Harry’s father, not to mention acted like it, too. Buying the boy clothes, making sure he looked decent for the company arriving soon, and admonishing him for the length of his shower time? It was absurd and yet, Severus knew he would learn to miss it if Harry did decide to ask the Weasleys to adopt him, and not himself. What was he even thinking; if Harry decided? It was surely a question of when and not if, right? He couldn’t believe he was admitting it, even if it was only to himself and strictly only in his head, but he was jealous of the Weasleys for their roles in Harry’s life. Never in a million years would Severus Snape have ever thought he would long to be Harry Potter’s father.

He was snapped out of his lengthy reverie as Harry entered to sitting room once more wearing the simple outfit that Severus had chosen for him. A pair of black slacks with a simple green silk button down shirt that matched his eyes perfectly; and it was all in the correct sizes, for once.

“Thank you, Severus; I really like the outfit. And the other clothes you snuck into my wardrobe. You didn’t need to spend all that money on me, though.”

Severus smirked as he looked over Harry proudly. Proudly?! Surely, the world must be coming to an end. “You caught me. I was tired of seeing you in the same two outfits over and over again. I figured it was a very safe investment; it was either I buy you better clothes, or you go naked.”

“The clothes it is, then!” Harry chuckled. He whirled around as the floo roared into life, the emerald green flames admitting first Arthur Weasley, and then his wife Molly, who he caught from tripping over the edge of the hearth in a graceful and quick move.

“Oh, I am such a klutz sometimes. Nearly as bad as Tonks...Harry, dear! My, my; you look very sharp today!” Molly beamed, dragging Harry into a tight hug as soon as she had regained her footing properly.

“Ah, so it’s true; teenage boys can clean up quite nicely,” Arthur said with a warm smile as he gave Harry a tight hug as well.

Molly moved to greet Snape, looking even smaller than usual standing next to the notoriously tall man in draping, billowing robes. “Good evening, Severus. It’s nice to see you again.”

Severus had no doubt that Molly was not exactly thrilled to see him again, but his decorum stopped him from commenting on that fact. “The pleasure is mine, Molly. Please, everyone take a seat. Dinner should be arriving shortly.”

Harry sat down in one armchair, leaving Snape’s favourite one for the Potions Master. He shifted nervously as Molly and Arthur sat on the sofa together, their kind smiles and gentle looks of adoration directed towards Harry. It wasn’t hero worship like most of Harry’s fan base, but the doe-eyed looks and obvious affection felt overwhelming compared to how he had been raised. He glanced quickly over at Snape, who gave him a very quick wink and almost imperceptible nod. He sighed in slight relief.

“So, Severus was kind enough to extend an invitation to dinner, but he said it was strictly up to you to inform us of what this was all about. Is everything alright, Harry? Ron and Ginny aren’t causing you any trouble again, are they?”

Harry shook his head quickly, extremely glad when Snape conjured a tea service and passed everyone cups. It served as a quick distraction to give him a few seconds to think about how he should bring the topic up.

“No, Ron and Ginny haven’t so much as glanced at me in a week. I’m pretty sure your last howler has dissuaded them both from causing anymore ruckus. You need not worry about them harassing me; I can handle them,” Harry said as he stirred a few cubes of sugar into his steaming cup. He looked up as he realized the Weasleys were gaping at him, both of their cups of tea forgotten.

“What?”

Severus had a very smug look on his face, which he was unsuccessfully trying to hide behind his own tea cup. He had expected this and yet, it felt much more satisfying seeing it happen. His influence on Harry was finally starting to show, and the Weasleys were clearly shocked to the core.

Molly was the first to regain her composure, taking a long sip of tea before gently elbowing Arthur to get him to stop staring at Harry. “Sorry, dear, it’s just...Well, you sound so mature, Harry. It’s so obvious that you’ve had to grow up much faster than is proper for a sixteen-year-old boy. It’s humbling and saddening all at the same time.”

Harry blushed, taking an extra large gulp of tea and scalding his tongue as a way of trying to hide his increased discomfort. He didn’t want their sympathy, and he was sure that as much as the Weasleys cared for Harry, a lot of it had to do with feeling sorry for him. He knew that Snape had no sympathy to spare on him, and would never bother wasting his time feeling sorry for Harry. It was one of the things he appreciated most about Snape.

“I just do what’s needed to keep myself alive, Mrs. Weasley. If I had to grow up a little faster than my peers, well, it was only necessary.”

“Good Merlin, Harry! That isn’t any way to look at life, son. You shouldn’t have to worry about keeping yourself alive; you should just live,” Arthur said passionately, a determined look on his face. He was clearly outraged with Harry’s attitude about life.

There was a long silence, broken by the scrapping of Harry’s empty tea cup being placed on the coffee table. “Please don’t call me that,” Harry whispered, gaining a very sad look from Molly and a blush from Arthur. He glanced at Snape and was surprised to find a reproving frown on the man’s face.

“I really wish it was as simple as ‘just living’, but what you don’t understand is that I’ve never been allowed to ‘just live’. The Dursleys treated me like a lowly house elf, my life has been followed and documented by the media since I became aware of the Wizarding world, and Voldemort has been damn determined not to let me live a normal life. I will not delude myself into thinking that I can ever ‘just live’; not until Voldemort is dead and gone. I’d appreciate if everyone else would do me the courtesy of not pretending everything is normal and fine, because it isn’t. If you’ll excuse me...”

Harry stood up quickly and made his way out of the dungeon quarters, feeling the tears well up behind his eyes. He didn’t want to have to explain what had happened to Draco, so he decided it would be better if he just spent some time alone instead.

Severus closed his eyes and counted to ten, willing himself not to go tearing after Harry and screaming at him for obviously offending and hurting the Weasleys. He let out a deep sigh as he opened his eyes again, spotting both Arthur and Molly looking at him expectantly. Of course, it would be his job to explain this all now. From Harry’s request to Arthur to not call him ‘son’, Severus thought it was safe to say that Harry had made the decision not to ask the Weasleys to adopt him. However, the Weasleys deserved to know why exactly they had been brought to Hogwarts to be insulted and shocked by their favourite pseudo-son.

“I’ll not try to apologize for the boy; he can do that himself at a more appropriate time. However, I guess it would only be fair to explain to you both why I invited you here to begin with. Albus has been searching for months for a new kind of protection for Harry. He finally made a discovery; an ancient type of Gaelic warding. There are a few requirements that must be met in order to use this warding, however. Harry would need to be adopted, and the adoptive parent or parents would have to willingly enter into a bond, welcoming Harry as a real part of their family. Understandably, Harry considered the both of you as a possible option, but he also thought of a few others. He decided to talk to everyone he considered an option, get their opinions, then work to make a decision about who he should ask to do this for him.” Severus paused as he noticed the mixed expressions on the Weasleys’ faces.

Molly had tears shining in her eyes, yet she still had that deeply sad look on her face. Arthur looked slightly bewildered and honoured at the same time at being considered a possible father figure for Harry. They both exchanged a glance, then looked back at Severus.

“Who else is Harry considering, Severus?” Molly asked, a knowing look in her eyes as she narrowed them at the Potions Master. Never let it be said that Molly Weasley was anything other than a highly intelligent woman, even if Severus did consider her mad for willingly having seven children.

“Well he of course thought of Remus, but with the Werewolf Regulation laws passed last year, the Ministry would never let him adopt a child. His only other option, or at least the only other one he told me about, was myself. He immediately assumed I would turn him down, however, but I’ve since set him straight about making such assumptions. His first choice was the both of you, but perhaps he has had a change of heart,” said Severus, frowning as he remembered Harry’s expression when he discovered his new wardrobe. Perhaps he had been subconsciously trying to win the boy over, but his intentions had been purely innocent.

Molly smiled warmly at Severus, scooting forward so that she was sitting on the very edge of the couch. “Do not think I don’t know what you are thinking, Severus. Harry is obviously having some trouble coming to terms with the decision he has already made, but is unwilling to admit it to himself. As much as you will probably wish to deny it, I know you’ve grown to care for him.”

“I do not wish to deny it necessarily, but I will not make assumptions about Harry, either. He will make his decision based on what he thinks would be right, and he’ll do it in his own time. I offered to assist him in exploring all of his options, and that is why I invited you to dinner tonight. Not to be rude, but I think perhaps I should go look for Harry and make sure that he’s alright. You’re welcome to stay if you’d like. If not, my floo is open to you.” Severus stood up, setting his tea cup aside and grabbing his cloak. He had a feeling Harry might have taken a detour outside to think.

Molly and Arthur shared a look before standing up themselves. “Please let Harry know we’re fully willing to discuss this with him when he’s ready. Thank you, Severus.”

Severus nodded succinctly before sweeping out of his quarters, his robes billowing as ever. His first thought was to look for Harry in the infirmary first, but he had a feeling Harry had intended to get some time alone to think. As much as Severus did not wish to force Harry’s hand, he knew someone needed to talk with the boy about his abysmal attitude and his obvious distress over the whole situation. Heading out of the front doors of the castle, Severus spotted the form of a short-statured, dark haired teen sitting under the beech tree by the lake.

The sky still had an orange and red glow to it as the last remnants of sunset faded off into darkness, the quarter moon peaking out high in the sky from behind a wisp of a cloud.

“It’s awfully chilly out here for a session of inner reflection, don’t you think?”

Harry jumped slightly and looked up at Snape, who was hovering over him, his arms crossed over his chest. He didn’t look mad, but then again he didn’t exactly look cheerful, either.

“A bit, but I needed to get out of castle for a little while. I was starting to feel a bit trapped,” Harry answered, turning back to stare out over the lake, his knees drawn up to his chest.

Severus somehow managed to fold his large frame down in an elegant way, sitting down beside Harry, thoroughly shocking the boy. “You’re not the only one, Harry. I often try to escape to the grounds when I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed. I’ll deny that till my dying breath if you dare to tell anyone.”

Harry was startled into laughter, Snape’s playful banter raising his determined bad mood very slightly. He took a deep breath, chancing a glance at the Potions Professor; his protector. It was time to be honest, to come clean about his swirling emotions concerning the idea of Snape adopting him. Sometimes, the truth really can set you free.

“I probably would have thought of asking you first even before the Weasleys if I had any idea that you wouldn’t turn me down immediately. Even after I told you about the wards, I was sure you would say no, even though I realized that I had somehow hurt your feelings. I didn’t get it; I still don’t, really, but I think I may have underestimated you.

“You’ve taken care of me and protected me, and somehow I thought it was just because of the vow, but I realized that if you were only doing it to fulfil the vow, you would still hate me. A person who is obligated to protect someone would do it grudgingly, and certainly you did, at first. But you wouldn’t make sure I was doing my homework, or tell me I take too long of showers, or buy me all new clothes because you can’t stand to see me in that rubbish I wore before if you didn’t care, at least a little bit.”

Harry turned so that he was facing Snape, his knees still pulled firmly up to his chest. This was the hardest part – the part where he left himself open, vulnerable. This is where he trusted Snape more than he ever had before. He glanced up at last and met the deep, dark eyes of his Professor. They seemed a little brighter than usual, which nearly shocked Harry into silence.

“I want to ask you not because you’re a last resort, but because I know you’ll do everything in your power to protect me and take care of me, and not just because you’ve taken a vow to do so. I’m asking you to adopt me because I think you need me as much as I need you, and it’s nice to feel needed.” Harry practically held his breath, wanting to turn away and squeeze his eyes closed as he waited for Snape’s answer. Surely it would be easier to take if he didn’t have to look the man in the eye when he said –

“Ok, I’ll do it. You’re perfectly right, Harry; it is nice to feel needed,” said Severus, his voice a little more rough than he had intended. He couldn’t keep the emotion out of his expression, and was hardly surprised when Harry launched himself at Severus, hugging him for all he was worth. He awkwardly let his arms drape around the Gryffindor, feeling foolish and strangely satisfied as he relaxed into the embrace, feeling his stomach do a flip as he realized Harry was crying on his shoulder.

“Come on inside; it’s too cold to stay out here,” Severus said as he pulled out of the embrace and helped Harry to his feet after standing up. He took off his cloak and wrapped it around Harry’s shoulders, noticing that the boy had been shivering for a few minutes now. He instinctively reached out and brushed the black locks from Harry’s eyes, smoothing the warm tears away with his thumbs as he looked into his charge’s astonishingly green eyes.

“Not to worry, Harry; I would cry too if I were adopting me,” Severus said with a smirk, which turned into a full-fledged smile as Harry doubled over in laughter, his tears of emotion turning into tears of mirth. They walked back up to the castle together as Harry finally regained the ability to function after laughing so hard he nearly fainted. If anyone had seen Severus with an arm draped around Harry’s shoulders, well – it wouldn’t be the first shock of the night. Nor would it be the last.

S~S~S~S

Expecting to find their dungeons quarters empty, both Severus and Harry reflexively pulled their wands as they entered the sitting room and saw someone sitting in what had been properly deemed as ‘Severus’ favourite armchair’.

“Remus, you gave us a start,” Severus said on an exhale as he lowered his wand and slipped it back into his pocket, noticing that Harry did the same only after Severus did; strange, that.

Remus stood from the armchair and walked closer to Severus and Harry, and that’s when Severus noticed the man did not look very well at all. “Are you alright?”

Remus had eyes only for Harry, however, as he moved forward the last few feet and gathered him into a tight hug, closing his eyes as Harry hugged him back.

“Professor Dumbledore told me about the warding and the requirements. I want you know that I would do anything to be able to do that for you, Harry. If it were possible at all, I would do it in less than a heartbeat. I’m so sorry,” Remus whispered into Harry’s hair as he leaned his cheek against the Gryffindor’s mop of messy hair.

Harry pulled back from the hug, though he stayed sheltered in Remus’ arms. “There’s no need to apologize, Remus. It’s not your fault that the Ministry are a bunch of morons. I’m glad you’d be so willing to do that for me, and I appreciate the sentiment, at least. But all’s not lost.” Harry turned towards Snape, who was looking both concerned and slightly bemused by the display and Harry’s words.

“With Severus as my adoptive father, that would make you my sort of honorary father as well, wouldn’t it?”

Remus whipped around so fast he nearly sent the boy flying, but his quick reflexes helped to steady Harry, even as he stared in shock at his lover. “Severus?”

Severus took a deep breath and nodded, again not surprised when he got an armful of tearful werewolf. He was much better acquainted with this type of hug, and easily wrapped his arms around Remus.

“Albus said that there was a chance, but I wasn’t sure if you’d be ready for something like that. Thank you; if it can’t be me, I’m glad it’s you,” said Remus, holding the Potions Master close as he felt a heavy weight lifted off his shoulders. He had been devastated to hear that Harry was in need and, because of what he was, he couldn’t help.

Severus allowed the embrace to last a few more seconds before pulling away, feeling like he was naked in front of a crowd after all the emotion he had let show today.

“I want you to know that I am not doing this as a favour to anyone; not to Harry, nor Albus, or even you, Remus. I’m doing this because I want to, and because I owe it to Harry after everything I’ve put him through. Besides, you were more correct than I think you realize when you said I needed you as much as you needed me,” said Severus, turning to speak to Harry once more, who looked a wreck after all the crying he’d done in such a short amount of time.

There was a long, not too uncomfortable silence before they all jumped nearly out of their skin as Dobby popped in with trays of food.

“Dinner is ready, sirs!”

“Bloody elf is a menace...”

Remus chuckled as the intensity seemed to fade away, leaving a comfortable sort of warmth in the room that had very little to do with actual temperature. He directed Dobby to place the trays on the coffee table before sitting Harry down and making sure he ate at least a little bit. He’d obviously had an emotionally exhausting day. He turned back to Severus, who was watching Harry eat his cheese and onion soup with a crease of worry between his dark eyes.

“I am doing the right thing, aren’t I?” Severus asked barely above a whisper as Remus joined him on the sofa, placing a warm hand over one of his own chilled ones. He’d always appreciated how Remus’ warmth always made up for his coldness; in body temperature and temperament.

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Remus smiled, grasping Severus’ hand and holding it tight. He looked over at Harry, who had seemingly fallen asleep in an awkward position in Severus’ favourite armchair, wrapped in Severus too-large cloak, after finishing his soup. He looked so young when he slept that it was hard to believe there was less than a year until Harry would be of age, and a man himself.

“You’ve never done anything more right in your entire life, Severus.”