Potions and Snitches
Snape and Harry Gen Fanfiction Archive

Out By the Lake

~~~~HP~~~~

Friday, 14 November 1997

"Yes, Harry… everything is fine."

Fine. Naturally, Snape's relentless insistence on Harry to remove that specific word from his vocabulary made the Gryffindor completely unable to forget the professor's casual use of it less than forty-eight hours ago. Since then, he allowed himself to become consumed in over-analyzing every word and action Snape made - primarily the professor's continuously preoccupied state, mysterious candle calls in the lavatory throughout the day, and going to the library for books he intended to bring to the lab or simply for "a quiet place to think'' - as a way to distract himself from his own misery. Now officially done with all of the new steps to his relapse regimen, Harry could confidently say it more than lived up to its "aggressive" classification first made by his oncologist. Each step ended up being worse than the previous one, and the mere thought of going through the six-week double-cycle three more times instantly initiated a deep-seated panic within his core. Therefore, with his body no longer feeling like it belonged under his control, his latest hobby of focusing on trying to figure out the cause of Snape's use of the taboo word fine seemed like a much better use of what little energy he could muster up. It took two days and he got no further than guessing it had something pertaining to Draco's arrest or Harry's conversation with Remus.

Now, where the not so bright idea to search the two drawers neatly tucked under the sofa - the exact place Harry knew Snape kept his clothing in one and his work in the other - came from, he'll never really know, but kneeling down on the floor in front of them was exactly where the professor found him after walking out of the attached lavatory from making yet another secretive candle call.

"What are you doing down there?" Snape's sharp voice asked.

In hindsight, the question did have a more concerned tone to it than accusatory, at that moment though, it startled Harry enough to make him fall backwards onto his bum, somehow making him look more guilty than he did in the first place. After all, being caught rummaging through your mentor's private belongings didn't exactly scream innocent; no matter the circumstances.

"Erm…" Harry slowly turned, wishing for the extreme fatigue and cloudiness surrounding his brain to lift to give him a fighting chance at getting out of trouble. "I… erm… I was looking for…"

Snape's eyebrow raised in doubt. "Go on."

Trying not to panic, Harry racked his muddled brain for anything he might need in these drawers.

A jumper?

Mentally, the young wizard nodded his head at the logical answer until a quick glance down at his arms confirmed he was already wearing one. It made no sense to look for another.

A snack, then?

No. Not only did he know Snape didn't keep their stash of food stored on the floor, but he'd also end up having to actually eat whatever he lied about wanting and the mere thought of food instantly soured his stomach.

The galleon!

It seemed nearly perfect. Yes, they'd already talked about his idiotic loss of the charmed object a couple of times this week, but Snape wouldn't question his mental fog causing his newfound need to search for it.

"Mylostgalleon," the words left Harry's mouth so quickly, he didn't need to see Snape's confused expression to know he didn't make much sense. Releasing a deep breath - because lying to a Snape he trusted and loved felt infinitely worse than the countless times he did it to the one he despised - he slowly reiterated, "My lost Galleon. I was hoping to talk to my friends."

A heavy weight filled his stomach when Snape's black eyes lit up and forced its way towards his feet when the professor kneeled down next to him to begin searching for the coin they both knew they wouldn't find. If Snape recognized the lie, he didn't call Harry out on it, to which the teen was grateful.

"It doesn't seem to be here," Snape said, leaning back on his hunches after he diligently searched for the coin by running his hands down the edges of the sofa - coming back empty with each pass - then laying his head into the cold linoleum floor to peek under the piece of furniture. "If we're lucky it got picked up during cleaning and they tossed it without even noticing it. I should have stopped by Miss Granger's rooms to inquire about another one when I was at the school."

"You went to Hog-" Harry frowned, stopping himself mid-sentence. Though unlikely anyone would care if he said a supposedly nonsensical word, he still changed tactics, "- back to the school? When?" Snape's stiff posture and erratic movement as he stood to sit down onto the sofa confirmed the significance of the trip and his discomfort in discussing met with Snape's continued silence, Harry tried to hide his curiosity under another lie. "I could've used a pair or two of fresher pyjamas, is all. I didn't exactly expect to stay here this long when I packed last week and I think I only have one decent pair left after these."

Neither of them had to explicitly say what happened to the "non-decent pairs" he soiled in various ways throughout his time during Cycle B. Ultimately, there were things a cleaning charm couldn't effectively clean out of the fabric and although Harry was originally intending to use the excuse as a coverup, getting another pair or two to tide him over until he got home wouldn't go unappreciated.

"I had to make-" Snape paused, uncharacteristically struggling to reply, another sign to Harry he was getting closer to an answer of what plagued his mentor this week, "- an unexpected trip to see the headmaster… about your extended stay here. If you still need me to, I can stop by this afternoon and pick up whatever you may need. I do have another errand to run seeing as you're up and out of bed today."

"What is it?"

"That's none of your concern." Snape snapped. The predictability of the cold-hearted comeback didn't stop Harry from physically jumping; even after the Gryffindor reminded himself this week been equally as difficult on the professor as on Harry. Picking up on Harry's change of demeanour, Snape's next words were more peaceful than his first set. "How has your pain been this morning?"

Harry frowned. "Did it have to do with whatever Tonks needed you for?"

It didn't surprise either wizard when the pointed question came out instead of his laundry list of side effects he still struggled with daily, the newest being a constant ache deep inside of his bones caused by the injection of medication to help stimulate his blood cells. After all, he'd only been asking it, or some variation of it, multiple times per day, and every time the young wizard asked, Snape either said it didn't - a lie, Harry could easily tell - or pretended not to hear the inquiry in the first place. It looked like today's answer fell into the former category.

"Of course not," Snape waved off his concern. "I've already told you, I have nothing more to add to that situation and I don't anticipate any more sudden visits by the DMLE. I wish I could say the same about Lupin. He made it clear that he's determined to stay more closely attuned to your needs."

Harry leaned his back against the sofa and spread his painful legs out in front of him. "He wants to visit more?"

"Precisely. Whatever you two spoke about in my absence appeared to have quite the effect on him."

I'm getting "Slytherinened".

Harry recognized the diversion for what it was: a tactic used to get Harry off of the topic Snape didn't want to discuss by trying to get Harry onto an equally difficult one; in this case, the delirious confession he made to Remus. Over the last few days, for every move Harry made on the Tonks front, Snape equally countered with one on Harry's conversation to the last Marauder. Obviously, Remus broke Harry's trust and said something to Snape about it - to be fair, Harry was pretty sure that's what he told Remus to do - but since Snape never outrightly brought it up, the Gryffindor couldn't be completely sure and he definitely didn't want to reveal anything unnecessarily.

Giving into the power struggle, Harry mumbled, "I can still use some fresh pyjamas if you can stop by home. And maybe some more plain paper. I'd like to at least attempt my Foundations homework at some point. I'm already too far behind to realistically catch up, but it's worth a try."

"Is the class becoming too much?" Snape insightfully asked. " I can always speak to Lucius about making alternate arrangements. Perhaps spread it out a little more in the week?"

"Honestly, I'm surprised he hasn't cancelled the whole thing yet," Harry remarked. "It's not like Draco's doing them anymore-"

"I've asked him to continue for your benefit. To give you something to focus on, however, if it's too much you do not need to do them. You're not required to take any courses to stay at Hogwarts as long as I'm currently employed and you are under my care."

By bringing up Draco, Harry had mistakenly hoped Snape would slip up and give him some kind of indication of if the DMLE situation pertained to Malfoy heir. Of course, that did not happen.

"It's fine for now." Harry pushed himself up off of the floor, wincing at every movement, then sat down beside his mentor on the sofa. "Seriously though, is everything alright? You've seemed… distracted… lately."

"I'm surprised you noticed." Harry's face blushed at the pointed accusation. "I'm sorry, Harry, that was uncalled for-"

"It's fine, sir. I know good and well I've been a big part of it," the young wizard ran his hand unsteadily down his right thigh. His eyes remained concentrated on the movement of his fingers flowing over his green and black flannel bottoms.

"I'm going to Malfoy Manor," Snape broke the awkward silence first; a testament to the sincerity behind his apology. "There are… things I need to discuss with Lucius. One of which is my inability to be at the laboratory this weekend and to hand off my current work for my team."

"No!" Harry's head snapped up. "You should go. You love your job there and it's not like there's much going on here. I'm just waiting to go home. Really I mean no offence by this, but if something does go wrong it's not like there's much you'll be able to do an-"

"As truthful as that may be," Snape firmly disrupted, "less than a week ago you suffered a seizure when I wasn't here, and frankly it's an experience I do not wish to repeat. Then there's the issue of my going into a place where who knows what is being studied on a regular basis, any of which I risk inadvertently bringing back here… it's not worth the gamble."

"You always sanitize before coming in here, right?" Harry boldly challenged. "So what difference does it make?"

"This isn't your decision, Harry-"

"It sure feels like it when you're using me as your excuse."

Snape stood; his universal sign of their conversation coming to an abrupt end regardless of Harry's opinion on it. "You are not an excuse, far from it. You are my responsibility and I will not do things that might endanger you. If it helps, I do have other justifications for why I cannot make it there tomorrow, none of which are any of your concerns. You are simply the most important of those reasons.

"Someday you'll understand. Until then, my choices are my own to make - good, bad, or otherwise. You need to focus on your own health, mentally and physically, so I'll ask you again, how is your pain level today?"

"Sure thing," Harry grumbled, bitterly. Snape's black eyes burned into his emerald ones, making Harry avert his gaze back to his legs - which he slowly pulled up onto the space Snape vacated. "They're about the same as yesterday, maybe a little better." He rubbed his shins trying to ease his pain to no avail. "They ache like they did back before I was diagnosed. I'm trying hard not to overthink what it might mean, but it scares me sometimes. It reminds me of those first days lying in my bed back at my aunt and uncle's house trying to convince myself I overworked it in the garden or something. Deep down, though, I knew I didn't feel right, there really wasn't anything I could do about it. I don't know what I would've done if you didn't break into their house the night you did."

"Contrary to what you may recall, I did not break in."

Harry chuckled. "Oh, so my aunt or uncle knew you were coming after they left, then? Did they leave the door unlocked for you too?"

Snape's lips curled in an odd smile. "The door was, in fact, unlocked. I did not have to force my way in, therefore technically I did not break in."

"I don't exactly think the muggle laws would agree with you on that one," Harry sarcastically retorted. "It's still trespassing if you weren't invited in."

Snape glared. "Then I guess we're both lucky I don't have to deal with the muggle police. Regardless, I think we can agree it was a needed endeavour and we'll leave the morality of it alone."

Not trusting his voice to remain steady, Harry nodded his agreement. He knew he needed to stay positive, to prevent himself from going down the path of endless what-ifs. What if Snape hadn't jumped to this reality? What if Harry refused to go to the hospital for testing? What if he was fated to die in the end because he died in Snape's old reality? Those questions never left his conscious, rather he did all he could to cover them up with the other what's: What did Tonks need Snape for the other day? What was the professor doing in the AYA library? What did he talk about in the handful of candle calls he made over the past two days? And why didn't he feel comfortable telling Harry about any of it after everything they'd been through?

"Well, tell Lucius… I said I'm sorry about Draco," Harry finally declared. "It sounds lame, but it's the best I have right now."

"I'm sure he'll appreciate the sentiment, nonetheless." Directly in front of Harry, Snape stood, his right hand oddly tapping at the side of his leg, obviously contemplating his next word. "Do you…" he paused to compose himself, then tried again. "Would you like me to see if Christopher can stop in today while I'm gone? I've noticed you've turned down almost all of his attempts to visit as of late."

"No," Harry shook his head violently. "I figured I can't exactly focus on whatever he'd bring right now, so what's the point?"

"To talk then," Snape suggested. "You've been rather aloof."

"Aloof?"

"Distant," Snape clarified. "I'm worried about you."

The young wizard clenched his jaw tightly, still uncomfortable when Snape made such a proclamation. "I'll think about it, ok?" he conceded, seeing no way out of the situation without giving in a little. "That's also the best I can do."

"Very well," Snape agreed. "You'll be alright while I'm gone?"

Resisting the urge to respond with some overly sarcastic remark, Harry nodded. "Of course. And I still have your galleon if I need anything…. I like to think I would've used it Saturday, y'know. If Mae hadn't been here."

"That's water under the bridge," Snape solemnly replied. "And I doubt you had time before your seizure to contact me. Still, if you feel ill, overwhelmed, or just need me here, do not hesitate to use it. I'll come back immediately if you need me to."

Harry almost hated how much hearing those words meant to him. Having spent most of his life taking care of himself, being unable to depend on anyone for any reason, the current loss of his independence for such small things - getting himself to the lavatory when he felt sick, grasping his utensils well enough to eat, or even being able to wait out the pain alone - was almost harder to accept than his potential death. In the past, Harry always pictured his death resulting from some courageous act of bravery, one fit for a Gryffindor and likely caused by Voldemort. Never did he consider it might be caused by his body slowly shutting down piece by piece. And yet, even having to endure his own concealed demons, Snape always went out of his way to put Harry first or to give him assistance in moments when even Harry didn't realize he needed it.

Overwhelmed by the surge of emotions he didn't want to handle, Harry shifted his bum down on the sofa until he laid flat across it with his head on the armrest, closing his eyes against the harsh fluorescent light. "Thank you, Severus."

Like everything else in his life lately, the inadequate recognition really was the best Harry could do.

~~~~SS~~~~

"Hi Molly, is Kathleen around?"

Severus rested his arms along the counter of the nurse's station as he greeted one of the newer nurses on his way out of the Guildford hospital en route to Malfoy Manor, already exhausted despite the early hour. Although he hated leaving Harry alone in his current state, the professor found his decision to not go into the laboratory tomorrow easier to accept if he dropped off his notes - many of which he made significant progress on throughout the week - when he delivered the news to his employer. It'd do him good, too, to get out and away from the isolating madness of the AYA ward. Loathe as he was to admit it, the few hours he spent on Wednesday with Tonks, followed by his trip to Hogwarts, then Spinner's End, provided him with a healthy opportunity to clear his mind of the build-up of negativity, and spending more time elsewhere would help him avoid hitting his breaking point, as he did exactly a week ago.

Merely a week ago.

The last seven days had simultaneously been some of the longest and shortest days of his life. Gradually, things were falling back into place. Draco would hopefully be exonerated any day, Harry, though still struggling, was getting stronger as the week progressed, and word from Hogwarts in the form of two candle calls made by Minerva told him his classes were on schedule; the students were bored out of their minds but things were on schedule. The only piece still missing, the one he hadn't made any progress on rectifying nor heard a single word out of, was Mae. Every so often the professor excused himself to the privacy of the AYA library where he placed his wand into clear view on the table thinking perhaps Arthur forgot to mention a security feature where he wouldn't receive a missive with his wand tucked away and he'd trigger a missed missive from his girlfriend to appear. Sometimes, he'd stay alone in the quiet space for up to an hour, spending the first half staring at the dark piece of adorned wood willing to act, then the second half perusing the medical books kept on the highest shelves; the staff naturally assuming none of their patients cared to read about their disease at such a high scientific level. Dread and disappointment filled Severus at the end of each visit to when his wand remained utterly quiet. Still, he made at least three trips per day to that small room hoping to hear any kind of news regarding the status of his relationship.

"Kathleen's with a patient right now," the nurse kindly replied, bringing Severus back into the present conversation. "Is there anything I can help you with, Mr Snape?"

The use of his actual surname perpetually threw him off whenever he came to the muggle hospital. Unavoidably, by the time the end of Harry's stay neared, the staff on the AYA ward learned of his unique relationship with the Gryffindor and thus made it a point in remembering his name, as if Severus cared whether they called him Mr Snape or Mr Potter. Long gone was the vendetta he held against James Potter. How could he possibly continue it when the man's child felt as much his own, perhaps more so? Forever the two schoolyard enemies would be linked by the child they both loved, and as James had once done, Severus wouldn't think twice in laying his own life down for the teen. If given the chance, he'd swap places with Harry in a heartbeat.

Back to the nurse, Severus inquired, "I wanted to see if Christopher would be able to stop by Harry's room later. I need to run out for a couple of hours and I think Harry can use the company today."

"Poor thing," Molly frowned, flipping through the stack of files on her side of the desk, pulling out presumably Harry's, then writing a note into it. "He's waiting on his counts to come back up, right?"

"Mhmm," Snape nodded. "He won't say so, but he's still feeling rough from chemo too. Some pain, in his legs mostly, and vomiting - albeit less often than two days ago."

"I see that," Molly commented. "I believe Doctor Wright - the AYA group counsellor - is coming in for a couple of hours today, want me to ask him to drop by Harry's room?"

"It can't hurt," Severus sighed. "If it's not too much trouble, I'd appreciate it. Understand, Harry may not want him there."

"Let me talk with Kathleen and see what we can arrange. Anything else you need?" Molly's smile calmed Severus and he acknowledged the gratitude he felt for the support system they provided not only to Harry but himself as well.

"Not today," he answered "Thank you for all of your help, Molly."

No matter how many times Severus reminded himself Harry was safe in his room, leaving the AYA ward without the young wizard always gave Severus a unique feeling of anxiety. It reminded him too much of his son's death - specifically of the eerily serene walk he made out to Molly and Sirius waiting in his sitting room. Lost in those turbulent thoughts, when lift doors opened on the ground floor, he didn't notice the woman walking in as he exited, causing him to bump harshly into her shoulder.

"I'm sor-" he instinctively began but stopped suddenly, right in the middle of the automatic door attempting to close, at the sight of his girlfriend standing on the inside. She wore a set of white pediatric scrubs with small rainbows around them, had her hair tied neatly back in her usual work style, and held a stack of files clasped tightly to her chest. "Mae?"

His face involuntarily contorted at the sound of his desperation and the door's second attempt to close on him; an attempt he stopped by forcefully pushing his arm out without his eyes ever leaving Mae's.

"Severus," she gasped, "what are you doing here?! I mean… that's stupid, I know exactly what you're doing here, obviously… but…" when he prevented the lift door's third attempt to close, a high pitched beeping noise began, prompting Mae to walk past Severus into the familiar corridor of lifts. She shifted the files in her arms, and it dawned on him how nervous she was acting. In fact, he'd never seen her so flustered. "How are you? How's Harry?"

"I miss you," he blurted out, honestly. "We both do."

As expected, her pale face blushed. "I miss you too. Dr Swanson mentioned Harry had a bad week and I almost stopped by at least a dozen different times."

"You should have."

"I- I wanted to give you some time," she quietly replied. "And I needed some too."

An elderly woman using a cane slowly approached them, drawing attention to their location in front of the lift buttons. Very carefully, Severus reached his hand out, placing it on Mae's elbow to gently guide her further down the corridor for a little added privacy.

"Can I see you?" He requested. "I can cancel my plans for this afternoon if you could-"

"I'm working, Severus," the muggle nurse lifted her stack of files, "remember? It's still Friday."

It was his turn for his face to redden. Being in the hospital, particularly when the mornings and nights gave no real distinctive differences, his days tended to blend seamlessly into one another.

"Tonight, then," he suggested, unwilling to take no for an answer. He wanted to know where they stood; that much was in his right, even if she held all of the power to end their relationship. "We can meet here at the hospital if you're more comfortable-"

"Why don't you come over to my place?" She quickly cut him off. Her eyes drifted to the ceiling, then back to his. "If you can get away for a bit that is. Jessica left this morning to visit her parents for the weekend, so we'd be alone."

"I don't know, Mae." The prospect of returning to the place where he literally broke down only a week ago left him wary. "Are you sure it's a good idea given everything that transpired between us there? I don't want you to feel awkward or…" he gritted his teeth, although it wouldn't make the next words any easier to say, "in danger… in any way."

"I appreciate your concern," Mae squared her shoulders, pulling the files tighter to her chest in a very obvious defensive posture, "but it's not like you're forcing yourself in. I am inviting you and I hope by now you know I wouldn't suggest it if I didn't feel safe around you. What I said last week… Well, we can talk about it all tonight. Besides, I think we can both agree we need a little more privacy than the hospital cafeteria provides."

Severus's own shortcomings in the relationship department left him questioning if women required privacy to break off a relationship. Surely, if she had no intentions of hearing him out, or possibly even reconciling, she'd choose to do it somewhere public.

"Sometime between seven and eight o'clock?" Severus agreed. In case his meeting with Lucius ran a little late, it would still afford him plenty of time to make sure Harry was settled in for the night. "I should be able to get away by then."

"Yeah, that's perfect," Mae nodded her head succinctly. "Listen, I really need to get these back up to the office, but I'll see you tonight, Sev."


Someone followed Severus out of the hospital. Given the public setting and the scurrying nature of the environment - various people coming or going to visit their family, patients rushing to an appointment - at first, he thought nothing of the unsteady footsteps constantly behind him starting where the corridor holding the lifts exited into the main atrium. Later, the former spy would be embarrassed to admit it took him over ten meters after leaving the hospital doors to officially notice the pattern, and another three to catch a glimpse of a man presumably trailing him. The former spy could blame it on his conversation with Mae still playing in his mind, of overanalyzing her usage of Sev, but it'd be a partial lie, at best. In truth, he speculated he'd lost a major part of his identity after the death of Voldemort; specifically, the identity his current body remembered the most during his second bout as a double agent. Going a step further, he physically yearned to put that old identity behind him and step into one who didn't need to constantly watch his back, one closer to who he left behind in his old reality. Regardless of whichever identity he wanted, until they discovered the truth surrounding the looming threats, he had to stay attentive to his surroundings, making his late recognition of a potential threat instantaneously put the former spy on edge.

For good measure, Severus decided to verify his hypothesis by passing his usual disapparation point, the small alleyway between the hospital buildings, and continuing down the pathway leading around the hospital towards the lake. Pretending to be doing nothing more than getting away from the stale, dry, suffocating hospital air in favour of the crisp cool breeze near the water, Severus strolled along the pathway purposefully stopping every so often to retie his still tied boot, gaze at a flock of birds at the water's edge, and watch the pickup game of football in the patch of grass near the hospital building. Although the probability of another individual doing the same as him was higher than he'd like for a test such as this, when Severus heard the footsteps in question slow, stop, and start again in perfect synchrony to his own random ones, it all but confirmed they were pursuing him.

Damnit, he inwardly cursed. This is the last thing I need today!

Faced with the choice of trying to draw out the individual to confront him, evasively move until he found a safe disapparation point, or abandon his visit to Malfoy Manor altogether to go back into the hospital, he steeled his nerves, deciding to go all-in on ending whatever surveillance he had as quickly as possible. Once again, slowing his gait to what one might call a "meandering" pace, Severus heard the crunching of the gravel behind him equally decline speed. Casually, he turned to his left face the lake, tucking his hands into the pockets of his coats to take a hold of his wand; Moody would certainly be proud.

One can never be too careful, he reminded himself.

Now midway down the walking path, he came to a stop where he feigned watching the rippling water across the top of the lake, then abruptly turned completely around to face the back of the hospital, giving him a sweeping view of the area behind him in the process. While appearing to scrutinize the brownstone building, as if searching for Harry's room, he used his peripheral vision to get a lay of the land on each side of him: the couple not much older than him walking arm in arm to his left would have been in front of him on his way towards the lake, the children kicking a football in the grassy clearing now directly in front of him were too boisterous to be suspicious, and on the other end of the spectrum, the older gentleman - wrinkled with a cane leaning against his leg - sitting on the bench to Severus's right all alone wouldn't be nimble enough to follow the professor's previously erratic movements. As innocently as possible, Severus trained his eyes to check behind every visible tree, bush, bench, and boulder thinking if he waited long enough, he'd find evidence of someone hiding - the crack of disapparation or glimmer of a declining disillusionment charm. But the sound of the football being kicked around in front of him and the trees rustling in the wind to his sides were the only sounds he heard, no gravel steps, no whoosh of magic, not even a snap of a twig breaking out of place. Swiftly swirling his head back and forth, trying in vain to steady his breathing, Severus had to admit that every single person, animal, and even plant appeared to belong to the area, and none of them accounted for the sounds he heard while leaving the hospital or walking to the lake; a fact which greatly bothered him. Whoever, or whatever, had been following him seemingly vanished without a trace, a feat easily done by a skilled witch or wizard rather than an innocent muggle bystander.

Unexpectedly, a tap on Severus's shoulder had him whipping around, coming face to face with the white-haired elderly gentleman from the bench, who now stood in front of him heavily leaning over onto his cane.

"Do you need any help, son?" The older man asked, his voice fluctuating in his advanced age. "You look a bit lost."

Severus eyed the man suspiciously, tempted to use Legilimency if only to appease his own curiosity on why this person felt the need to approach him. A quick look around him showed the other patrons of the lake watching the two men oddly closely. What happened to cause so much unwanted attention towards him?

"You look rather pale. Come with me, I'll help you get inside," the old man offered, reaching his hand out to Severus. Never one to trust anyone, right before the wrinkled hand touched his forearm, the former spy rapidly jerked himself back in a move which, in hindsight, appeared more aggressive than he originally intended. In response, the elderly man tore away too quickly, lost his balance on the loose gravel and fell to the ground, causing the onlookers to rush in to help, all the while asking what caused the dark-haired man to attack the older one.


"You hit an old man? Pardon me, an old muggle man," the blonde aristocratic wizard sitting in the luxurious silver wingback chair asked with a grin. "I must say, you're sounding a bit paranoid, Severus."

"That's not exactly how it happened," Severus lamented, taking a small sip of his amber drink, relishing in the warmth of it sliding down his throat. The pair were comfortably seated in the Malfoy Manor drawing-room, enjoying a mid-afternoon drink when Severus brought up his suspicion of being followed, leading to the incident with the old man causing his tardiness. "And don't you think it's a little ironic for you, of all people, to be emphasizing his muggle status? I didn't think you cared so much about the safety of the non-magical community."

"Never did I claim to," Lucius confidently responded. "We were discussing the situation from your perspective, and we all know your opinion on muggles."

Severus glared skeptically at the grey eyes knowing, without a doubt, he was about to walk right into whatever net Lucius wanted him in. But at that moment, he didn't care, he wanted to know what the other Slytherin was referring to. "And that would be what exactly?"

Another grin. "Back in our prime days, anyone with half a brain knew you only hated one particular muggle, and his death preceded your service to the Dark Lord. While there was quite a rumour going around that you had a hand in his death, it was… unfortunately… overshadowed by the fact you only ever killed when absolutely necessary" Lucius took a sip of his drink for dramatic effect, "using death as a means to end their misery, particularly the muggles."

"I didn't realize you all were keeping such a close watch over my activities during our raids," Severus darkly countered.

"In my defence, I did preface with the condition of having half a brain," the blonde cackled, "and unfortunately most of our former associates did not meet this simple requirement, the Dark Lord himself included. The rest of us had no doubt you'd be killed the moment you failed to bring any viable information from Dumbledore. It hardly surprised me to learn of your true alliance in the end. And now, of course, there's the small poetic detail of your dating a muggle-"

"How did you-"

"Apparently, teenage wizards gossip as much as the witches do nowadays and your future son may have mentioned it to mine," Lucius graciously shifted his body towards the fire, giving Severus a little privacy given the personal nature of the topic. "However, if you think for a moment I don't know the comings and goings of every single one of my employees - inside and outside of the laboratory - you've definitely lost your touch."

Severus placed his glass onto the table a little too forcefully. "And shall I assume you've examined her background as well?"

"Naturally," Lucius replied. Severus crossed his arms over his chest, determined to wait, regardless of how long it took, to get the information. Thankfully, Lucius quickly understood the gesture. "Malinda Mae Scott, born eighth of March 1963, is a muggle medi-witch at the hospital Harry's treated at. She grew up in Cambridge with her mother - deceased -, father, and younger brother. Regrettably, her family is as muggle as they come. Not so much as a hint of magical blood can be found anywhere in her pedigree… even her sister-in-law, and presumably their upcoming child, is absolutely muggle. If she at least had some far off magical relative, it'd give me something to work with, but as it stands, there's nothing I can do to prevent you from living a completely muggle life should you continue to pursue her. Seriously, Severus, you could do so much better choosing a fish from your own pond, so to say, you certainly had plenty of contenders as the most recent wizarding hero."

The timing couldn't be any more ironic, given he was about to meet Mae in a matter of hours with the intention of doing whatever it took to get her back. Although he still didn't exactly understand the nuances of what committing to a muggle life meant - primarily how much leniency he'd be allowed, such as using magic after she knew of their world or remaining in contact with Harry should the Gryffindor stay in the wizarding world- he loved Mae and that was all he needed to know for now.

"How's Narcissa these days? She seemed more than a little dishevelled by the ruling last week. I can only imagine what the latest news has done." Severus's measly attempt to change the subject did not go unnoticed by Lucius. For whatever reason - and Severus knew an ulterior motive existed - the other wizard did not call attention to it.

"She's been an absolute mess," Lucius let out a relieved sigh, a reaction Severus thought rather odd. "The first two days after the trial she spent completely renovating the second story, supposedly in preparation for the Christmas holidays. I found her Monday night in the Celestial room - where Draco and Harry were…"

Severus gestured his understanding and the significance of Narcissus being discovered in the room which once imprisoned the two teenagers. "Had she been in there since the Battle?"

"No," Lucius confirmed the answer Severus already suspected. "Honestly, I haven't either, and I had hardly stepped foot in the room while the boys were there… so for Narcissa to… she was by their side every night."

"Harry told me," Severus swallowed back the lump forming in his throat. "What happened when you found her in the room?"

"My solicitor had recently left after delivering the discovery of your missing signature." Lucius numbly shuffled his almost empty glass between his hands as he spoke. "I passed the room at least three times searching for her… to tell her the good news. Eventually, one of the portraits had mercy on me and told me they saw her enter it, but of course I didn't believe it for a second.

"Eventually, I found her curled up on Draco's bed and I- I've never seen her so distraught," Lucius admitted. "I almost fetched our healer, supposing she'd fallen ill, until she began rambling on and on about 'pushing him away'. That's when I knew she was finally coming back to me… to me and Draco."

"And how did she take the news?"

"Like any respectable Slytherin, of course," Lucius smirked. "Skeptical, at first, as was I when presented with the new evidence… or lack thereof. We all saw the report, had it been missing a dotted 'I', it would have never made it to trial.

"I don't know what you did," Lucius held up a hand to stop Severus's possible explanation, "and I don't want to, but I do thank you for it."

"Thank Albus," Severus waved off the gratitude. "So Draco's officially being released, then? They've dropped all of the charges?'

"More or less," Lucius started. "As I said, we all saw your signature there, so it took a bit of coercion on my council's part once the Wizengamot decided to reverse the verdict. In the end, our agreement not to pursue charges against the DMLE and Ministry for illegally arresting, then detaining, Draco based on falsified evidence was more than enough for them not to pursue another trial. Threatening to leak the story to the Prophet before they had a chance to review the signed copy also worked in our favour. Even the Ministry knew that no matter how my family has been perceived by the public over the years, the Aurors were always considered untouchable, so to hear one or more covered up something as big as a missing signature will be significant. I suspected Scrimgeour wanted as much time to prepare for the fall out as possible and used it however necessary."

Severus's brows raised. "Well done. So when can we expect Draco back at school or will he not be returning?"

"I advised him to take time off," Lucius scowled. "As much as the rest of the term and continue his studies privately in the Manor. For whatever reason, I presume Miss Granger impacted his decision more than she should have, he's decided he wants to return as soon as possible."

"And that would be?"

"Most likely Sunday evening," Lucius hesitantly provided. "He's expected to be released in a matter of hours and he'll stay here until Sunday. I've made arrangements for him to see Dr Cobb tomorrow afternoon, and as long as that goes well, he'll return pre-dinner on Sunday." Lucius's pale face twitched like he internally debated if he wanted to continue or move on. The former won out and he asked, "Do you anticipate any issues in his House?"

Severus cleared his throat. "I'll call a house meeting Sunday afternoon to assess the situation. If you'd prefer, I can work with Albus to move Draco's room back into my quarters. With Draco and Harry's reconciliation, it's no longer an issue to have them cohabitate again."

"Allow me to discuss this alternative between Draco and Narcissa. I highly doubt he'll want to make such a drastic change, yet as you know, his safety has always been my utmost priority." Severus fully understood in a way no one else could. The Malfoy patriarch's decision making might not have always won him the good grace of their peers, Severus knew most of those decisions - particularly in the last two years - were made to protect his son. "Now," Lucius settled back into the silver chair, "I highly doubt you came all this way to discuss, in person, that which could have been achieved over owl or firecall, and while I enjoy your company, I'm sure you have more important places to be. What brings you to the manor?"

Severus pulled his research folder out of his inner coat pocket containing all of his notes for his laboratory projects. The action drew attention to his lounging muggle clothing, making Severus feel embarrassed - humiliated, even - sitting opposite to Lucius's fine tailored wizarding robes. It reminded him too much of his childhood; from his ill-fitted and tattered clothing in Cokeworth to wearing his second-hand robes at Hogwarts.

"I'm afraid I won't be able to make it into the laboratory tomorrow as planned," Severus announced, handing off his work. "The following Saturday I was supposed to be off for Harry's outpatient chemotherapy and work Sunday instead. If needed, I'm willing to make arrangements with Minerva… or Lupin… to go with him in my place, and I'll work Saturday and Sunday."

Lucius took his time scanning over the diligent work Severus managed to put together throughout the week; the only benefit to keeping such odd sleeping hours in the hospital. Somehow between Harry's bouts of illness and pain, encouraging the young wizard to take walks around the ward, and sorting through how to handle his house when Draco returned, he'd scraped up a rather engaging enough report to hold his employer's interest. It didn't make the wait to hear his response any less excruciating.

"You know my stance on your absences. We'll cover your shift tomorrow and touch base about next weekend during the week. If I know my Human Resources Department well enough, they've already filled your position for next Saturday." Lucius ceremoniously closed the folder, picked up his glass, drinking down the remaining liquor. "Tell me about Harry. I take it he's not back at Hogwarts yet?"

"No," Severus sadly answered. "This one hit him really hard."

Those six words opened up a floodgate within Severus. What started with a basic explanation of the difficulties Harry faced during Cycle B poured over into the professor's speculation of Harry refusing to continue if he didn't see enough progress in reaching remission, and landed on a small update on the adoption; being that he wasn't immediately disqualified as a candidate to adopt a teenage boy - "a great first step" according to Silas. The more Severus spoke, the more relaxed he became, amazed at how quickly he'd forgotten how much he enjoyed being in Lucius's company and the elder Slytherin's guidance. For all he'd lost, then subsequently gained when he took the red potion, the unique friendship they came to share in this reality surprised him the most. Taking Harry out of the equation, if given the chance to return to his old reality, it would no longer be an easy decision. Between the Malfoys, Weasleys, Minerva, and even Dudley, the relationships he created here we're almost more meaningful than the auxiliary ones in his old world; besides Harry, of course. Whenever he started to slide down the slippery slope of comparing the two versions of his son, he vehemently stopped himself. Ultimately, nothing remotely healthy came of it and the grief he always carried around would inevitably begin to creep back up.

Lucius added his own moments of vulnerability by discussing Narcissa's change of attitude, specifically how he preferred her weeping to the cold shoulder she had ever since their rescue. For a brief second here or there, Severus caught glimpses of the other man's devotion to his family. Having been willing to walk away from his wife to save his son, and now doing whatever it took to stitch them back together, Severus knew if, given the chance, Lucius would have drank the red potion as well. If it wouldn't immediately fall on deaf ears, Severus almost wanted to wait for Draco's arrival at the manor merely to tell him to stay here; to get privately tutored, take his N.E. independently, and live without the stresses Hogwarts would absolutely bring him. Nevertheless, whether Draco liked it or not - whether he intended for it to happen - he picked up a trait or two from the Gryffindors and where he might have chosen to previously hide, he'd now stand tall, face his potential enemies, and refuse to be intimidated. Proud. Severus felt pride in the man Draco was too quickly becoming, a pride not much different from what he saw in Lucius's eyes whenever he spoke of his son.

As always seemed to be the case, Severus stayed longer than he expected. Every quarter-hour or so, he checked his galleon to check if he missed a message from Harry, but until he initiated a "How are you?" to gauge how much time he could spend at the Manor - to which Harry replied "Dr Wright showed up, thanks for that" - it remained cold and blank. With any luck, it meant either Dr Wright or Christopher were keeping the Gryffindor preoccupy or he was catching up on some much needed sleep.

"Despite what I said when you first told me about it," Lucius circled the conversation back to Severus's suspicion of being pursued, "given our current environment, having someone tailing you is not completely out of the realm of possibilities. It's certainly more logical than a person of your calibre having a panic attack over an old muggle reaching out for him."

"I know what I heard," Severus defended. "I was being followed, even if I couldn't see him in the act."

"I believe you, Severus," the Malfoy patriarch seriously replied. "As we previously spoke about, I've had to handle a similar situation in regards to Narcissa's safety earlier this year. Due to our former line of work, we cannot be too careful, particularly when it involves those we care about the most. We have to do whatever is necessary to keep them safe."

Severus thought about Harry in the hospital and of Mae finishing her day there, ready to leave for her flat where he'd plead his case for her to give him another chance. Suddenly, those images merged with Lucius's warning words, sucking the oxygen right out of his lungs as the reality of the situation hit him like a well-timed stupefy to his chest: the two people he cared about the most in this world were in the same place. The very same place he feared someone - most likely with nefarious intentions - was watching him closely.

"I have to go," Severus hastily stood up. Not waiting to see Lucius's reaction, he stormed out of the drawing-room needing to get back to the hospital, never once taking the time to hear the voice of reason inside of his head logically trying to remind him of how no one could get to Harry in the AYA ward.

Chapter End Notes:
Coming up Next: Do You Believe in Magic?

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