The sun rose in what Severus thought was a mockingly slow gesture, the soft gold and red hues illuminating the horizon as the birdsong swelled. He’d been unable to sleep very much that night, wishing he could check on Remus, but knowing he couldn’t. He’d stayed up well into the night playing chess with Harry and Draco, or watching the two boys as they played each other and calling their fouls just to spite them. Severus had even tried talking to Draco again about where he had been for the last month but was met with Draco glaring at him and rolling over to face away from his godfather in his bed. Severus had Transfigured a couch pillow into a third bed, squeezing it in between Harry’s and Draco’s beds for the night. He was vaguely reminded of his Hogwarts years as he listened to the deep breathing and soft snores emitting from the two teenage boys.
Finally, the sun was high in the sky and the last vestiges of the previous night were gone, giving way to the bright and sunny morning. Severus quietly extricated himself from his bed and pulled out his wand, muttering the spells to remove the wards and silencing spells off his bedroom door. He would check on Remus to make sure he was alright, then leave the man to rest; that was his plan.
The door creaked softly as Severus pushed it closed behind him, walking as quietly and soft-footed as he could into the room and craning his neck to see over the blankets blocking Remus’ face from view. He took another step and spotted Remus’ extremely pale cheek, the long red scar running from the corner of his mouth up his cheek making a stark contrast with the skin there. The slow rise and fall of the man’s chest showed that he was asleep, and he seemed to be alright, but Severus wasn’t quite satisfied with that. He took another tentative step and peered down at the sleeping werewolf. He impulsively reached out a hand and swept away the gold locks from Remus’ forehead, making it much easier to see Remus’ still-closed eyes.
He looked very peaceful and relaxed, making Severus relax quite a bit himself. He lingered for a second longer before turning back towards the door, then pausing. It was safe now; he could sleep in his own bed again. He turned back towards his own bed and crawled in, facing Remus on the other side of the room. Severus closed his eyes and let himself drift off to sleep, which was much easier now that he wasn’t so fretfully worried about the werewolf.
S~S~S~S
Harry had been having a very strange dream about Snape and Quidditch when he heard the unmistakable sounds of muffled sobs break through his sleep fogged mind. He opened his eyes and instinctively turned to look towards Draco’s bed, the early morning sunlight illuminating the white sheets.
Draco was sitting with his back against the headboard, his knees drawn up to his chest and his head buried in his arms. He tried to take a deep breath to calm himself, but only succeeded in letting out a shaky sob. He sniffled as the salty tears ran down his cheeks and dropped onto his pyjama clad knees, soaking into the silk. He finally raised his eyes as his sobs turned into steady, quiet tears and was met with concern filled emerald eyes peering apprehensively at him from across the room.
Harry sat up slowly and leaned against the headboard of his own bed, frowning at the tear streaks on Draco’s pale cheeks. “You alright?” he asked tentatively, almost sure he was going to be sneered at and told off.
Draco wiped a hand across his cheeks as he stifled his sniffles and tears at last. He looked back over at Harry, who seemed almost afraid of him. He had never been best friends with the Golden Boy, or even an acquaintance, but surely Harry wasn’t that frightened to speak to him? “I’m fine, thanks. Sorry if I woke you,” Draco said in a soft voice that surprised even him.
“Nah, I was already awake, really. I was actually having a really strange dream about Snape playing Quidditch for Hufflepuff. Let me tell you, yellow is not that man’s colour,” Harry said in a mock serious voice with a theatrical shudder to round it off. He felt his stomach flip as he heard Draco’s quiet chuckle.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen him in any colour besides black, but he must have had to wear green and silver while at Hogwarts at least. He certainly didn’t play Quidditch, either,” said Draco, glad to move away from the subject of his morning sob session.
Harry quirked an eyebrow at the Slytherin curiously, a slight smirk on his lips. He relaxed a bit as Draco seemed to cheer up marginally. “Oh, and why’s that?”
Draco stretched his legs out a bit and ran a hand through his now clean, white blonde locks. “Well, because Sev has always been more academic, not athletic. He focused on his studies in school; how else do you think he became a Potions Master?”
Harry shrugged nonchalantly, never really having given the Potion Professor’s study habits any thought before. “I just thought it was because he was really good at potions, so it was easy for him,” Harry answered truthfully.
“Just because you may be inherently good at what you do, doesn’t mean we all are. Sev had to work his arse off to gain his title, you know,” Draco snapped irritably. He’d always had a sore spot for Harry’s seemingly effortless ability to do pretty well in all his classes, while Draco had to study religiously to earn his near top grades.
Harry was about to retort when he finally realized that Snape was missing from his bed. He turned to look at the bedroom door, which was closed. “I guess he went back to his own bed,” Harry said distractedly.
Draco smirked suggestively as he raised his eyebrows at Harry. “Yeah, or someone else’s.”
“Shut up!”
S~S~S~S
The sun was shining high in the sky by the time Remus awoke from his recuperative sleep. He blinked the tiredness from his eyes and stretched his sore and aching muscles, which groaned and protested against the movement. He only realised he was not alone when he rolled over and saw Severus watching him, holding a cup of tea and a potion bottle in his hands.
Severus moved forward, a faint smile on his lips. He held out the tea and potion as if it were some sort of peace offering. “I figured you could use some tea and a nice Pepper-Up Potion to start the day,” he said as he passed the two items off.
Remus sat up and graciously took the tea and potion smiling warmly at the Potions Master. “Thank you, Severus. How long have I been out?” he asked as he took a cautious sip of the warm tea.
“Not long; it’s ten in the morning still. I have an errand I need to run, so if you wouldn’t mind keeping an eye on the boys?”
Remus lowered the cup of tea and downed the Pepper-Up, feeling the effects starting to take hold almost immediately. “Is it safe for you to be leaving, Severus? Surely Voldemort has people searching for you now,” Remus said. He tried to keep the worry out of his voice, but found he was unsuccessful as the Potions Professor gave him a placating smile.
“I’m sure he does, Remus, but I wasn’t a spy for all this time without knowing the best concealment charms. Truth is, I’ve been using my mother’s old wand since mine was taken from me, but her magical strengths were so much different from mine that it barely works for me. I’m afraid I’ll have to pay old Ollivander a visit and buy a new one, more suited for my magical abilities. That way I can pass this one off to Draco; I’m almost sure this one would work perfectly for him, as its properties are very similar to his old wand as well,” Severus said as he held out his mother’s wand to Remus to let him examine it briefly.
Remus looked the wand over for a few seconds before handing it back to Severus. He got out of bed and felt his muscles protest even further at being all the way stretched to accommodate his generous height. His grimace did not go unnoticed. “Well, as long as you stay hidden and safe, I’ll gladly babysit the children,” he acquiesced.
Severus smiled at the man, who unnervingly was still a couple of inches taller than him. “Why don’t you take a hot shower to soothe those sore muscles, first? I’ll leave when you’re out and ready to watch the boys.”
“Alright, thank you, Severus.” There was a slightly awkward pause while the two men simply smiled shyly at each other. Remus finally took the initiative, knowing he would have to make all the moves as the Gryffindor in the ‘relationship’, and leaned down to gently press his lips against the slightly shorter man’s.
Severus easily slid a hand up to tangle in the fine hairs at the back of Remus’ neck, returning the pressure eagerly and, surprisingly, without any qualms this time. It felt good to just kiss Remus without feeling nervous or scared of what might happen afterwards. He had bravely set aside any room for uncertainty the night before. After what felt like days, Severus eventually pulled away, amused at the groan of protest from the werewolf. “Shower, Remus,” he said with a soft chuckle, only slightly aware of how close they still were to each other.
Remus pouted theatrically before stealing another quick kiss and moving towards the wardrobe to find some clean clothes to change into after his shower. “Tease.”
Severus just laughed as he left the room to wait for Remus in the living room.
S~S~S~S
“Did you see that smile, Potter?”
“Shut up, Malfoy.”
“Have you ever seen Snape smile so much before? He’s obviously getting some; he’s practically glowing.”
“Urgh, stop it! I’m trying to eat here!”
“Boys, is something the matter?” Severus asked as he entered the kitchen to find a smirking Draco and a glaring Harry.
Draco looked up with innocent eyes at his godfather, his tell tale smirk gone almost immediately. “Of course not, Sev; we were just having a simple discussion about werewolf mating habits.”
Severus promptly spit out the tea he had just taken a drink of as he spluttered in shock. He barely had time to start breathing again before the door opened again to reveal said werewolf.
Remus walked into the kitchen to find Severus spluttering, tea dripping down his front as his cheeks coloured slightly. He followed his line of vision and found amusement and horror on Draco’s and Harry’s faces respectively. “Did I miss something?”
Severus turned quickly to blush at Remus, his cup of tea abandoned on the table as he pulled out a handkerchief and wiped his face and robes off, sending a pointed warning glare in the direction of his godson. “What? Oh, no, nothing – nothing at all. Well, I must be off, be back in a few.” And with that he was quickly making his way to the fireplace, throwing in the floo powder and nervously shouting his destination.
Remus turned curious eyes onto Harry, who blushed furiously under his gaze and turned his eyes back to his plate of bangers and mash. “Well, good morning, anyways,” Remus said with a bemused expression as he took the seat across from Harry and beside Draco. He began to pile food onto his own plate, noticing the slight tension at the breakfast table. “So, Harry, how have you been getting on with Severus this summer?”
“Not as good as you are, apparently,” Draco muttered under his breath as he held up the pitcher of pumpkin juice and nodded towards a glass, smiling at Remus. “Juice, Professor?”
Remus’ fork had paused mid-way to his mouth as his heightened hearing caught the younger Malfoy’s muttering. He willed himself not to blush as he agreed to the cup of juice. “Yes, please. And you may call me Remus, Draco.”
Harry too had heard Draco’s comment, and was currently slouching so far down in his chair that he looked as though he was trying to blend in with the wood. He realized that Remus was still expecting an answer, so he gathered his courage and straightened up once more. “It’s been surprisingly easy to get along with him, actually. He’s not near as snide as he usually is at school. I just hope he stays like this when term starts up again.”
Remus beamed at Harry before taking a sip of his juice. “Yes, I was quite surprised with how gentle he’s being with you. I’ve seen you two interact before, and I must say, I was a bit worried that you might be at loggerheads all summer. I’m glad to see he’s eased up a bit. Severus has never been one to take things lying down, however, so it hardly surprises me that he’s risen to the occasion.”
Draco snorted into his cup of juice, managing to spray both Harry and Remus as he laughed raucously. He wiped his tears of mirth away as he tried to mop up the mess he made with a couple of napkins. “I’m s–sorry; I just think that Severus is a r–real asset to your c–current positions.” This started a whole new round of guffawing as Draco slumped over the table, enjoying the onslaught of unintentional innuendos.
Harry blushed furiously as he tried to distract himself with more juice as Remus just fixed the giggling Slytherin with a bemused gaze. Living here with two teenagers was certainly proving to be more than Remus had bargained for.
S~S~S~S
Two hours later, Severus returned to the cottage to find Remus woefully asleep on Harry’s bed, while Draco lay across his own with a Potions journal and some chocolates that he had convinced Remus to give him. Harry was nowhere to be found.
“Where’s Harry at, Draco?” Severus asked in a whisper as he sat down his bag of shopping beside Draco’s bed.
Draco looked up at his godfather and smirked when he saw the man sneaking a glance at the sleeping werewolf. “He’s taking a shower, supposedly. He’s been in there for at least a half an hour, the heathen.”
Severus chuckled lightly as he sat down on the corner of Draco bed and pulled the bag of shopping into his lap. “Ah, well, boys will be boys. I have some stuff for you.”
Draco’s curiosity piqued as he sat up, the Potions journal sliding forgotten to the other side of the bed. “Oh, really? Like what?”
Severus picked one of the bags up off the floor and held it out to Draco. It was full of new clothes and a nice pair of boots. Draco had been wearing some of Harry’s clothes, resized to fit his taller frame and leaner body. “It’s not very much, but I figured you could use some clothes of your own before school started up again.”
Draco immediately began pulling the clothes out, examining the nice button down shirts and simple trousers as well as the soft cloak and emerald green robes. He studied the boots and ran a hand over the leather appreciatively as he smiled at his godfather. “Thanks, Sev. I was getting pretty sick of wearing Harry’s clothes. Boy dresses like the heathen he is.”
Severus rolled his eyes affectionately as he pulled his mother’s wand out of his pocket and held it out to Draco. “You’re very welcome. Now, wands are quite expensive these days, Dragon. That is why I have been using my mother’s old wand since my own was taken from me. However, it just wasn’t working well for me, so I had to buy myself a new one. I think, though, that Eileen’s wand will work wonderfully for you. Give it a try,” Severus insisted with an encouraging smile.
Draco’s mouth was hanging open as he fingered the cherry coloured wand almost lovingly. “But Sev, this was your mum’s wand! I can’t take this from you,” Draco protested as he tried to press the wand back into his godfather’s hand.
“Nonsense, Draco. My mother obviously does not need it in the afterlife, and it is too pliable for me to use accurately. It’s ten and a quarter inches, cherry hawthorn with a unicorn tail-hair core. It’s almost identical to your old wand, so I figured it would work great for you. Go on, try it,” Severus said, his tone suggesting that he would not take no for an answer.
Draco raised the wand hesitantly and pointed it at a book lying on the coffee table. “Wingardium Leviosa!” with a simple flick of his wrist, the book was floating up into the air, Draco moving it around easily with his new wand. He let the book drop back to the table with a loud bang, which earned him a glare from his godfather with a pointed look toward the sleeping werewolf. “Sorry. It feels just like my old wand! Thank you, Severus. I promise I won’t break or lose it. Maybe I can get my own and give it back to you after awhile.”
Severus smiled as he wrapped his arm around Draco in a one-armed hug, pulling the blonde close to him. “The wand is yours to keep, Draco. I wouldn’t dream of asking for it back, though I appreciate that you’ll take good care of it. Now, go use your new wand to make lunch,” Severus said with an affectionate chuckle and a ruffle of Draco’s hair.
“Sev! Not the hair, come on!” Draco whined in a long suffering voice. He surprisingly didn’t put up a fight about making lunch, showing just how excited he was to use his new wand.
Remus had been awake since Draco had let the book fall unceremoniously to the coffee table, though he didn’t make it know until Draco was in the kitchen. He sat up and smiled at Severus, blinking the sleep from his eyes. “Sorry, I must have dozed off at some point. They didn’t burn the place down, right?”
Severus smiled back and shook his head, trying not to notice how adorable the man looked with his haired all mussed and his eyes still glazed with sleep. “No, the cottage is still intact and thankfully not on fire. They’re responsible for sixteen year olds; I wasn’t really worried about them destroying the place so much as each other.”
“Ah yes, that reminds me. Draco was having quite the laugh this morning after you left. He seemed to think I was completely unawares as to what he found so amusing, but I was quite in tuned to his muttering. You might want to remind him that I have heightened senses, especially the day after the full moon,” Remus said with a smirk. He felt his stomach flip as he saw the blush stain the Potion Master’s cheeks.
“Oh, and what was Mr. Malfoy saying that he thought you couldn’t hear?” Severus asked, though he feared he already knew the answer from Draco’s comment earlier that morning in the kitchen.
“Oh, just badly veiled sexual innuendoes about us, that’s all.”
Severus blushed even more as Remus chuckled at him. “Merlin’s balls; that kid is definitely a Slytherin. I imagine Harry was mortified at the very idea?” Severus asked in amusement, despite his embarrassment.
“Quite, though I did ignore it and let him carry on as if I were a complete dunce. Cheeky bugger, your godson, and a very wild imagination, too,” Remus said with a smirk and a raised eyebrow. He couldn’t help but marvel in Severus’ ever-darkening blush. Frankly, it was very endearing.
“Oh, I can imagine, growing up in a household with Lucius and Narcissa. Kinkiest Slytherins I ever knew.”
Before Remus could reply, Harry stepped out of the bathroom, fully dressed and his hair damp from his recent shower. “Oh, you’re back,” Harry said, stating the obvious as he looked over at Snape.
“Yes, I am. I have something for you as well, Harry. Seeing as how I got you nothing for your birthday, I figured you could consider this a late gift, if you will.” Severus pulled out something wrapped in velvet from his bag of shopping. He used his new wand to enlarge the item, and the velvet fell away. A glossy new Hogwarts trunk sat before Harry, the initials H.J.P. were embellished on the front of the fine wooden trunk.
Harry’s jaw dropped open as he moved forward and kneeled in front of the shiny new trunk. His old Hogwarts trunk had been second hand and battered and beaten from his many journeys. He traced the silver lettering on the front with the tip of his finger, feeling the smooth finish of the cedar. “I...You didn’t need to get me anything, sir...Thank you, Professor.”
“You’re welcome, Harry. I know yours was unrecoverable from the wreckage and I figured you wouldn’t mind a new one. I’ve spoken to Tonks and Kingsley while I was out; we’ve set a date for two weeks from today to get yours and Draco’s school shopping taken care of. I thought I would save you the trouble of lugging a trunk around.”
Harry looked up at the Potions Master, his eyes over-bright with emotion. “I love it, sir; it’s beautiful,” he whispered, not quite what else to say about such a lovely gift.
Severus smiled lightly at the teen before looking up and meeting Remus’ tear-filled eyes. Remus sighed and mouthed ‘Thank you’ to the Potions Professor just as Draco walked back into the living room, completely unaware of the heart-felt moment taking place.
“Lunch is ready!”
S~S~S~S
It had been a quiet evening in the cottage, much like most other nights there. Even for teenagers in the prime of their adolescence, Draco and Harry were fairly reserved and quiet boys, who kept to themselves mostly. Severus couldn’t help but think that the way both boys were raised, being reserved and out of the way was what probably kept them alive.
Severus squirmed in his sleep, his eyes flickering wildly from side to side as what he could only deem as a nightmare took over his dreaming mind.
There was smouldering rubble all around him, his wand light faint amongst the still falling dust. He took a tentative step forward and raised his wand to widen the thin beam of light over the debris. He felt his breath clench in his chest as he spotted a pale, definitely effeminate hand poking out underneath a monstrous slab of dry-wall. As he bent down and clutched the dainty wrist to check for a pulse, he was almost faint with relief as he felt the lack of heart beat. It wasn’t Harry, but he knew who it was. He couldn’t help but feel satisfied at the moment of Petunia’s death.
There was no time to waste; who knew when the Death Eaters responsible would be back to check for anyone alive? Even though he didn’t quite remember seeing it at the time, Severus could now see a dark pool of blood just feet from where Petunia’s body lie buried, amongst the blood an enormously fat child who looked to be Harry’s age. He didn’t even bat an eye as he moved towards the creaking and haphazardly hanging staircase. His mind told him he already knew what he would find – Harry Potter, unconscious but mostly unscathed, but as he moved his wand over to where he knew Harry would be, there was a bloody mass of torn clothes and oddly angled limbs.
Severus fell to his knees, his wand clattering to the debris covered ground like an unimportant stick as his dark blue eyes stared hopelessly at Harry’s torn and mangled body. He could hear his too-fast heartbeat thumping in his chest, which was tight from holding his breath. As he let out his breath, a strangled sob came with it, a cry of pain he had no idea he had in him. He leaned over the unsurprisingly small body and wiped the smears of blood from the boy’s mouth and nose, his hand that held him up protesting as a sharp stab of glass entered his palm. He glanced down and saw Harry’s wire glasses, shattered and bent.
Ignoring his now bleeding palm, Severus placed his arms beneath Harry’s rumpled body and lifted him into his arms as he stood, his wand lying forgotten on the ground. As he walked away from the dust and debris, carrying the teenager’s body close to his chest, he became aware of the wetness on his cheeks. He paused in his march of mourning and looked towards the dark sky, tiny pinpricks of light marking where the stars lay far off in the Heavens. He could feel the bubbling of anger rising in his stomach, travelling through his chest, and didn’t deny it release as he screamed into the night.
“NOOO!!!”
Remus sat bolt upright in bed as the scream echoed around the small room. His eyes adjusted quickly as he searched out the trembling and sweating Potions Master. “Severus, are you alright?” Remus asked as he made to get out of bed.
Severus just stared, letting reality soak in as his trembling subsided, but not fully. He blinked as he looked over at the werewolf, who had stood up and was moving towards him. “I’m sorry...I didn’t mean to wake you,” he whispered into the darkness.
Remus frowned as he sat beside Severus on his bed, his body pressed close to the other man’s on the narrow mattress. He leaned over and ran a hand through the Potions Professor’s ruffled hair, making it even more unruly. It actually closely resembled Harry’s hair before Severus put his usual charms on it. “It doesn’t matter. Were you dreaming?” Remus asked in a whisper.
“Yes...Was more like a nightmare, actually.” He finally came fully out of his reverie and felt distinctly like he was being smothered. Severus may have been privy to a few kisses and promises of more, but he was still a mostly private man and enjoyed his space when he was having a particularly difficult time of things. He pulled away from Remus and slipped out of the other side of the bed, frowning at the disappointed look on the werewolf’s face. “I’m sorry, Remus; I just need to be alone for a bit, ok?” And with that, he left the room in nothing but his pyjama bottoms.
As he quietly entered the living room, Severus’ gaze immediately sought out Harry, as if his mind needed consolingly and reassurance that, yes, he really had saved Harry on that night. The sleeping teen looked very calm and relaxed in his sleep, his face seeming younger without his glasses perched on his nose. Severus sat down carefully in the arm chair between the two boys’ beds and curled his legs up underneath him as he watched the steady rise and fall of Harry’s chest.
How strange it was, to feel this protective of a boy he had not so long ago loathed with a burning passion. Sure, he had Vowed to protect Harry long ago, before he had even met the boy, but that never meant he felt any sort of compassion for the wayward Gryffindor in the least. Only recently, after reflecting on everything the poor teen had been through in his short sixteen years, did Severus begin to develop and harbour a soft spot for him, if only a bit grudgingly. It was by a series of unfortunate events that he’d ended up being the one to rush to Harry’s aid, but he did so willing – not just because of the Vow, but because he didn’t have any desire to see the boy dead. Disliking someone and wishing them dead were two completely different things, and Severus knew this all too well, what with his ability to see the worst in people.
Now as he watched the frail and too-skinny teen sleep, he realized for the first time that he no longer really disliked Harry at all. When he thought deeply enough about it, the only emotions that came up in relation to Harry were gratitude for being so helpful, pity for all the hell he’d been through, and a sort of affection that he could no longer deny was distinctly fatherly in nature. It was almost exactly the same way he felt about his godson, Draco, though a little bit less intense as it hadn’t had as much time to mature yet. Severus realized that, after this summer, nothing would ever be the same between himself and Harry, and the thought didn’t bother him quite as much as he thought it would.
As he continued to listen to the symphony of soft snores and even breathing of his two charges, Severus let his eyelids droop closed and was asleep in seconds, his body curled extremely un-Snape like in his favourite armchair.
S~S~S~S
Harry groaned as the soft rays of sunlight poked and prodded at his closed eyelids. He knew it must be very early by the dim and orangish colour of the sunlight shining through the living room window. He rolled over so that his back faced the offending sunrise and let out a quiet gasp as his tired eyes fell on the Potions Master curled tightly in the armchair beside his bed. He was sleeping soundly, a few of his black locks rising up and down as his breath wafted through the hair covering his face. Harry hadn’t ever remembered seeing Snape sleep so peacefully, though he’d seen him sleeping quite a few times already that summer.
He wondered vaguely why Snape was out here, curled uncomfortably – or so it looked – in an armchair when he could be sleeping in his own bed. Harry’s first thought was that the man was watching over Draco as the Slytherin slept, but then he realized that Snape’s body was turned towards his bed, not Draco’s. It sent a surprisingly strong warm feeling through his veins at the thought of the Potions Professor watching guardian over him as he slept. He felt safe for the first time in a long time.
It was a while before Harry realized that Snape was awake and studying him quite as intently as he was studying Snape. Sitting up so that he could prop his head in his hand, he never took his eyes off the older man. “Morning, sir,” Harry whispered, not wanting to wake Draco up.
Severus uncurled his limbs and sat in a more dignified position as he stared at the Gryffindor. He noticed then that Harry still referred to him as ‘sir’, while he had taken to calling the boy by his given name. “Good morning, Harry. Won’t you call me Severus, even Snape if you’d like; something other than sir? It makes me feel old.”
Harry chuckled lightly, placing his hand over his mouth to stifle his giggles out of respect for the still-sleeping Slytherin. He pulled his hand away after his chuckles subsided and contemplated his response. “Severus sounds too....official. And Snape is a bit disrespectful. Can I call you Sev like Draco does?” Harry asked hopefully. It felt the most comfortable rolling off his tongue, but he thought it might be too personal for the up-tight Potions Master.
Severus thought for a moment before nodding. “That would be fine, I guess. Who would have thought you’d be concerned with being disrespectful when addressing me? Just don’t start calling Draco ‘Dragon’,” Severus teased with a wry grin.
“I’ll flay you alive if you even think about it, Potter,” came a muffled voice from the vicinity of Draco’s bed. Both Harry and Severus laughed openly.