Chapter 28 – Get Wind of

“Holly is much less forgiving than Harry. Mark my words, Severus, if you want to get back into Holly’s good graces, if you ever were in them in the first place, Harry’s the best person who can get you there. You may not like it, you may not like him, but Harry can help you. If you only open your mind and let him.”

Severus has been ruminating on Arabella Figg’s final words all weekend. He’d temporarily pushed them aside during the Duelling Club, but they’ve come rushing back when he has no distractions.

Holly quickly became the most important person to him the second he laid eyes on her. And every moment he’d spent with her since had been to win her over and establish a familial relationship he’d been denied.

Lucius and Narcissa had charmed her without effort. Regulus had gotten her loyalty quick enough. The majority of the Hogwarts staff considered her their darling. She’d even won over the cantankerous caretaker, Filch.

Severus loved her more than he ever thought he would love another person other than Lily.

And Holly loved everyone except him.

He’s been fighting a battle for her affection and love from the beginning due to her mother’s bitter words; then, without knowing it, he’d had to overcome the prejudice from what Potter might have told her.

Whatever goodwill he’d accrued, he’d lost the moment he’d hurt Potter in the Hospital Wing on the first day of classes. It pisses him off like nothing else than even now; the only reason she’d given him another chance is on Potter’s word.

Then Figg tells him if he ever wants to build a good relationship with his child, he’ll have to build a relationship with Potter first. Lucius has been telling something similar for weeks, but Severus has been too blind to listen. Yet, the same words coming from a squib who’s known Holly from a young age had more impact than anything else. Seeing where his child grew up, the park she played in, the house she’d lived in, and the kitchen she ate in – all made him realise exactly how much he’d missed of his daughter’s life.

Memories he’d never been a part of. Memories she’d shared with Figg and Potter. Stories she’d told Lucius but never Severus.

Potter will never be important to him. But to Holly, he is.

It was Potter she’d gone to when she needed comfort after her close brush with a harmful spell. Potter she’d implored to, to believe her when she said Yaxley had tried to hurt her on purpose. Potter, who she’d directed to exact vengeance on her behalf.

“I don’t want to be scared,” she says in a small voice, looking at Potter plaintively.

 “Please, Harry. I need to see you do it.”

“I can protect my daughter,” he hisses.

“Then show me,” Potter challenges, as if he has some sort of authority over the Potions Master.

Holly believed Potter to protect her, and he’d proven it by sending his Patronus to guard her during the rest of the duel.

She’d begged him to avenge the attempt on her life and, by Merlin, had the boy delivered on that.

“I don’t understand,” Aurora is saying to Minerva as he approaches, “why Yaxley didn’t drop his wand? I mean, I could see he tried to cast a few spells, but Potter was ruthless with his chain of spells. Yaxley should have dropped his wand and ended the duel.”

“He couldn’t,” Lucius says, and again Severus detects the satisfaction in the blond’s voice. “Potter used a Sticking Charm to ensure Yaxley’s wand stayed in his hand.”

The conjured snakes, reflecting Yaxley’s Levicorpus straight back to him, the use of the Sticking Charm – all of it a cunning Severus never expected from the Golden Gryffindor. On one hand, it showed how exactly like his father the boy was. On the other hand, Potter showed skill Severus hadn’t previously believed the boy possessed.

And when Holly shouted for him to stop - he did. Immediately. Without argument. Severus has already visited the Hospital Wing to check on his student and to put the fear of Slytherin in him.

Yaxley had blustered with false bravado, but he’d been obviously shaken. To his displeasure, the boy hadn’t been scared of him. Severus believes Yaxley is more afraid of Potter than he is of his Housemaster. Still, Severus assigned the boy detention for his carelessness. If Minerva overturned this, he would simply find another way to torment the foul piece of excrement who dared try to harm his child when he was standing next to her.

He doesn’t understand. Has he lost his edge? Students have always been scared of him, more so after the incident with Potter at the beginning of the year.

He groans in frustration as it occurs to him how much he’s tempered his words and his attitude in the classroom whenever Holly spends the day with him. Morgana’s teats; he’s been tamed by a child, and now no one flinches when he snaps.

He’ll have to fix this- soon. He can’t have people think he’s gone soft.

He’s startled out of his thoughts when he hears the chimes alerting him to Holly’s presence. Potter apparently has something scheduled on Sunday afternoon and doesn’t always allow Holly to go with him. Holly knows where Potter goes but hasn’t confirmed it to Severus, though he suspects the boy is spending time with his girlfriend. Occasionally, Holly stays in the dungeons with him, though more often than not, she barricades herself in her bedroom, where she knows he will not enter without permission.

Today, she’d been collected by Argus to spend time with his bloody cat, Mrs Norris.

His child certainly has a way of taming people. When he’d been that age, he’d had trouble connecting with people. He’d flubbed his first meeting with Lily and had to work hard for another chance to speak to her.

Holly, meanwhile, has Lucius, Regulus, Albus, Minerva, Tobias, Argus and many more people wrapped around her tiny fingers. She even had him wrapped around her fingers, yet she didn’t care for that fact. Not yet, at least. He still holds onto the hope they can establish a good relationship. As long as Potter doesn’t interfere.

“Holly,” he catches her attention before she disappears into her bedroom.

She turns to see him stand up from the kitchen table. He clears his throat as he approaches her.

“I was in Surrey on Friday,” he begins awkwardly, looking down at her disinterested face. Ploughing on, he continues, “I saw Mrs Figg.”

Her face breaks out into a smile. “Mrs Figg? Is she okay? What about her cats? Did she give you any pictures of her cats? She said Mr Tufty is losing his hair.”

Startled at the barrage of words he’s never heard directed at him, he answers, “I – she didn’t give me any pictures. She showed me – the house you lived in. I saw your old bedroom and – where you lived.”

“Oh,” she says, unsure how to take his awkward trailing off.

“Do you miss the house?” he asks when she says nothing more.

She shrugs, a disquieted look on her face.

“Sometimes. I miss Oma more.”

Realising he’s looming over her, he kneels while bringing his wand out with one hand and the other digs into his pocket for her shrunken desk.

He holds out his palm with the miniature furniture on it.

“I thought you might like this,” he says, heart pounding as he hopes she’ll accept the gesture.

“What is it?” she asks, squinting at the things on his palm.

In answer, he stands up, backing away before placing the tiny desk and chair on the floor and ends the Shrinking Spell.

“My desk,” she exclaims excitedly as she touches the chair. “Did Mrs Figg tell you to bring it?”

She doesn’t expect an answer as she continues to examine the desk, but he replies anyway, “No, she didn’t. She was showing me your house. I wanted to see if there’s anything else I could bring you, like more clothes.”

He knows he’s fudging the truth a little there. His visit had been for information-gathering purposes, and bringing back the desk was a whim. Seeing her excitement, he’s glad he had, even if he had misgivings about its battered state.

“Can we put it in my room?” she asks, looking at him eagerly.

“Of course,” he nods with a smile.

She picks up her chair, and he picks up the desk, which is light, physically rather than magically. He pauses at the threshold of her bedroom, noticeably waiting for a verbal invitation before stepping through the door. Permission granted, he enters and looks around the room.

“Where do you want it?” he queries.

“Here,” she says, leading the way to the false window so she can get some sort of light.

“The perfect place,” he smiles as he places the desk down and moves away so she can stick her chair there.

“I can’t believe you picked up my desk,” she says, still examining it. “Oma bought it for me after Harry got his Hogwarts letter. She said when I got my letter one day, I’d have a desk in my dorm as well, so she bought me one so I knew what it felt like to have a desk in my bedroom.”

She points to the far side of the desk, at the underside of the leg, which he has to kneel to see, “That’s where Oma scratched it with a screwdriver. She bought it and had it delivered, but she didn’t know how to assemble it.”

True to her word, he sees several scratches.

“We wanted to surprise Harry, so Oma said she’d try to put it together herself, but she couldn’t fix the drawer bit,” Holly continues. “She tried for two days before giving up. Harry put it together for me in, like, a minute. He knows how to fix things.”

Severus keeps his smile on his face, though it does become more fixed at hearing Potter’s name. Lucius might be circumspect about mentioning the boy in front of Severus, but Holly flat-out refuses to shy away from saying Potter’s name. He’s used to hearing Harry-this and Harry-that – as much as he doesn’t like it.

If he wants any sort of relationship with Holly, he will have to make much more effort not to react when stories include the Potter brat.

True to form, she pauses to gauge his reaction, realising who she’s talking to.

“Go on,” he prompts gently, still kneeling on the floor.

She sits in her chair and assesses him silently before continuing, “Oma laughed and said she realised she wasn’t good at stuff like that and the next time she’d call Harry sooner for help and wished the desk came with instructions and told Harry he had good skills to fit it all together anyway.”

She pauses to laugh in memory. “Harry said she should have complained to the store if it came without instructions, and they could have sent her a copy.”

She pauses, her eyes lighting up as she giggles some more. He realises with awe that he’s never heard her laugh like this before.

“Oma –” she gasps, “Oma found the instructions under my bed. They must have fallen there.”

Severus smiles, taking in her laughter. He wants to hear her laugh more often, and if he has to listen to stories of Potter more often, well, then he’d just have to grin and bear it.

“The house belongs to you now,” he tells her when she says nothing else.

“And Harry,” she adds with a fierce frown, answering his unspoken question of whether she knew she would have to share her childhood home with her brother.

“And Potter,” he says placidly.

She regards him silently before speaking seriously, almost passionately, “I don’t know why you don’t like Harry, and I don’t care if you think it’s a good reason. Harry’s my brother. He’s always there for me. Like Uncle Luc is there for you. If you hurt him again, I’ll never speak to you.”

 He’d seen Holly’s dedication to Potter, still finding it unwarranted. However, yesterday, he’d witnessed Potter’s dedication to Holly. He still believes association with Potter will only put his child in danger, yet he will have to bite his tongue and bide his time for now. He’ll separate them eventually.

So, Severus nods solemnly, recognising the truth behind her words. And the warning. She’s giving him another chance. Potter’s not worth wasting it on.

ooOoo

Leaving Holly’s bedroom with a smile, he makes his way to his office to pick up his midterm inventory list to take to Minerva. He’d like to think he’d made some progress with repairing his relationship with his child, though he’s more than aware that any misstep, even a minor one, might set him back or even damage his relationship beyond repair.

He’d hurt Potter twice in the space of a handful of hours. Holly had witnessed the first occasion, and he still doesn’t know if she knows about the mental intrusion. He’d been able to justify the first instance because he’d genuinely been worried about Holly; however, he is more than aware that the second occasion had been entirely out of line and a gross intrusion of privacy. At the time, he’d been angry at being thwarted from knowledge and afraid of Albus’s wrath.

Now, several weeks later, he’d cooled down and realised how out of control he’d been that day and those two weeks when his own child hadn’t even come to see him.

Interrupted from his thoughts by a knock, he straightens and sits behind his desk, calling for the person to enter.

The door slowly opens to reveal Draco.

“Draco, did we have an appointment?” he asks, even though he knows they don’t.

“Have you got a few minutes?”

He beckons Draco in, who closes the door and sits when Severus gestures to the empty chair. Draco’s been subdued since the club yesterday. Potter beats his godson with two quick spells, who is still feeling humiliated by this defeat, though by no means is the boy humbled by the experience. It’s there in his eyes. Draco wants to prove himself.

Severus suspects the boy is here to take up his offer of additional duelling lessons on top of what he also does with his father, so he is surprised when Draco says, “Father said I should ask you about space for a gym. Like what the Gryffindors have. But for Slytherins.”

“Your father mentioned you may ask,” Severus acknowledges. Several weeks ago, he finishes silently. He’d expected Draco to come sooner. Reaching towards a drawer, he opens it up and brings out the sponsorship form for the club, which he’d already filled out and signed.

“There are plenty of empty dungeons to choose from,” Severus relates, “so you and I can find a room big enough and adjust it accordingly. Your father bought several items that will be a suitable addition. I’m sure he won’t mind donating them to us.”

Draco nods, looking gratified. “When will we be able to start using it?”

“I’m going to see Professor McGonagall now to hand in some paperwork. I’ll hand over the sponsorship form. I see no reason why she won’t sign it, possibly even today. In fact, why don’t you come with me?”

“Really?” Draco asks, startled.

Severus stands up and picks up his inventory and the sponsorship form.

“Unless you have other plans,” Severus adds mildly, already heading toward the door.

Draco wastes no time scrambling to his feet and following his godfather.

“How’s Holly doing?” his godson asks.

His lips twitch into a smile as he answers, “She’s doing well. I visited her former home in Surrey Friday evening. I was able to see where she grew up. She had a desk set in her bedroom. I brought it back with me and set it up in her room. She seems to appreciate the gesture.”

“Great,” Draco says, though his voice lacks enthusiasm.

Severus opens the door to see Draco’s friends waiting for their friend. He nods approvingly, glad they are taking the edict to not travel anywhere alone seriously.

“Professor Snape and I are going to see Professor McGonagall about the gym,” Draco informs them.

Severus invites them to come along, to their surprise, but they acquiesce after exchanging looks.

“Sure,” Nott bobs his head. “We’ve got nothing better to do.”

“Is this for the gymnastics stuff Holly can do?” Zabini asks. “Professor Malfoy goes to the gym with Holly every morning almost, doesn’t he?”

“Yes,” Severus says, leading the group. “Professor Malfoy has been attending the gym quite consistently.”

“Draco showed us a little skipping during summer,” Parkinson adds.

Draco looks away, not meeting anyone’s eyes. It had been the same day he’d made the thoughtless mudblood comment and angered Holly for the first time. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the last.

“Have you done any more since?” Severus asks curiously, though he’s positive they haven’t. Holly spends the majority of her time with Potter. She might occasionally speak to Draco’s friends without including Draco in conversation and is apparently close enough to lend her muggle books to Zabini and Nott, but he doubts they’re spending time in the gym. Lucius would have mentioned it if the group had joined him in the gym.

Severus hasn’t read the gymnastics book Lucius gave him a few weeks ago, nor has he touched those clothes Regulus sent. Perhaps he will join the new gym in the dungeons and have Holly join some mornings. Surely, Lucius wouldn’t say no to joining the new gym. It would mean less trekking from his quarters to collect Holly, shlepping it back to the Transfiguration department, returning to the dungeons to drop off Holly, only to return to his rooms to shower. Though he occasionally takes Holly straight to his quarters, they both shower there and then come to breakfast together. Holly did leave some of her clothes there.

In fact, if Lucius and Holly shift to the dungeon gym, Lucius can leave some clothes in Severus’s quarters and shower there instead of cleaning up in his own rooms.

“No,” Parkinson admits.

“I sometimes use my rope before Quidditch practice,” Draco admits.

Severus is surprised, unaware Draco would continue with such a muggle practice. Lucius and Narcissa might have embraced muggle exercise, instigated by Holly and her passion for gymnastics, but he’d never pegged that Draco might have been interested. Then again, Draco has been trying to get back into Holly’s good graces since August.

“I’ve got quite good at it,” Draco boasts, more enthusiastically than he has with anything else so far. 

Severus nods. Unlike the others, he hasn’t tried skipping rope at all. Perhaps he should start. Connect with Holly on one more level. He should definitely read those books on gymnastics. He’s got no good excuse for why he hadn’t already other than time. Which is even more short supply since Albus volunteered to join the patrol on the Scotland borders. He’s already done one patrol over a week ago and knows he’s on the rotation for one every alternate Saturday evening until the end of November.

Upon reaching Minerva’s office, Severus knocks and enters first after being called to enter, the others following behind like ducklings.

“Severus,” Minerva greets, looking at him and his Slytherins over the top of her glasses. “What can I help you with today?”

“I came to drop off my midterm inventory list for your approval. And also a permission form to request opening a new gym in the dungeons. The form is completed, and I am willing to act as a sponsor and take responsibility for adding the equipment to the new gym space. I believe everything should be in order, and all you need to do is sign your approval on the form.”

Minerva straightens up, taking all the parchments from him and looking over the sponsorship form.

“We already have a gym,” she points out, reading over the form.

“That’s for the Gryffindors,” Draco says, tone just shy of rude. “This one will be in the dungeons for the Slytherins.”

Severus levels his godson with a look of warning. Draco’s cheeks pinken at the admonishment. Nott shakes his head subtly. If Draco doesn’t shut his mouth, they may never get permission to use the dungeons.

“The current gym is open to all Houses, Mr Malfoy,” Minerva says, looking at Draco impassively. “Professor Snape was given the information about the gym’s purpose and location four years ago, which he dutifully passed on to his prefects at the time. There have been members of all Houses who frequent the gym; I keep meticulous records of anyone using the gym for safety purposes as it’s filled with potentially dangerous equipment. There’s no discrimination on who is allowed entry and never has been.”

Draco opens his mouth to argue but is thankfully nudged into silence by Nott.

“Have you ever visited the existing gym?” she asks, looking at each of them before finally landing on Severus.

“I’m afraid I haven’t,” Severus admits reluctantly. “Not since the initial warding.”

“Have you ever seen the equipment used?”

“Some,” he replies, recalling the equipment Lucius bought at Sports Direct in Muggle Manchester.

Minerva sighs, places the permission form on her desk, and looks at the time.

“Lucius and Mr Potter should be done with their duelling sessions in a few minutes,” she mutters, standing up.

“What?” Draco asks in surprise. An expression mirrored by everyone else.

Lucius is giving duelling lessons to Potter? Since when? Why has Lucius never mentioned it?

Ignoring him, Minerva casts her Patronus, a silver image replicant of her Animagus form.

“Lucius, Mr Potter,” she instructs the silver tabby, “meet me in the gym immediately after your lesson.”

Turning to Severus and the others, she says, “Let’s go.”

They follow her to the gym, only a few doors from her office.

Severus looks around the place in interest. Holly is a regular visitor here. Lucius had described the equipment frequently, but Severus had never been here. As he enters, he can feel the thrum of magic; the whole place is warded heavily. Safety wards and alerts in case of injury.

There’s equipment laid out, which Severus doesn’t know the use for. Several trunks are at the far wall, each labelled for different activities, such as Quidditch, Gymnastics, General and Games. The other wall is lined with yoga mats and skipping ropes.

“Take a look around,” Minerva invites, going over to sit on one of the trunks. “I would suggest you don’t touch any equipment until someone shows you how to use it.”

“Where did all the equipment come from?” Nott asks, looking around with great interest.

“The students have spent years gathering it or making it themselves. Some of it has been handcrafted, some Charmed or Transfigured,” she replies. “Some of our NEWT level students have done a project out of these over the last several years. Filius and I renew the Charms and Wards every so often. At the end of summer before school starts, during winter break and on the rare occasion, we might renew them around Easter break.”

“How long has Potter been taking duelling lessons with my father?” Draco bursts out.

Minerva raises her brow at Draco.

“Four or five weeks,” she answers unconcernedly. “Every Sunday afternoon.”

That explains why Potter doesn’t spend Sundays with Holly and why Lucius isn’t seen at that time, Severus thinks. Draco looks ready to throw a fit at the news. He clenches his jaw in irritation. Duelling lessons with Lucius certainly explained Potter’s proficiency in Duelling Club yesterday.

Severus saves his questions for Lucius for later and gives Draco another warning look. The last few days, between visiting Arabella Figg in Surrey and seeing Potter’s performance in the Duelling Club, have given Severus much to think about.

Draco’s animosity with Potter clouds his judgement, much like Severus had been in a haze since the beginning of term. He feels his senses returning to him and knows he needs to tread carefully with everyone. Attacking Potter affected Holly’s and the rest of the students’ opinions of him -  but also affected how the other teachers treated him.

He’d never cared about what the other teachers thought of him in the past. However, since the day he’d cracked Potter’s head open and violated him mentally, he realised that he did, in fact, value their opinion. He’d always been aloof and curmudgeonly, keeping his privacy keenly protected. Guarding his thoughts fiercely. Potter, Poppy, Albus, Lucius and Regulus – they knew Severus tried to use Legilmency on Potter. The others only knew he’d physically attacked Potter – but even that is enough to destroy their trust in him. He’d realised they had trusted him more than he thought in the past – asking him to take over some detentions, sending students to him for assistance. Coming to him for help with their potions questions. Even engaged him in meaningless chatter in the staffroom. Now, they greeted him to acknowledge his presence. Minerva doesn’t speak to him more than she has to. Filius doesn’t seek his opinion on the latest articles on Charms weekly. No one asks him to join in intellectual debates on the effect of the stars on flora.

Conversations he always felt desperate to escape – now, he finds that he’s missing them. He’d not initially noticed the lack of it, putting it down to coming off his probation and restrictions. Yet, it’s there. A watchfulness he thought he’d long shed after the war. The other teachers treat him with civility, but the friendliness he always thought was irritating is now something he wants to regain.

Greengrass and Parkinson look like they aren’t particularly bothered about coming to use the gym; Nott and Zabini look around with more interest – asking Minerva questions that she admits are better answered by Potter. This only Draco further into disgruntlement. Only Severus’s hand on his shoulder stops him from exploring the room further.

Minerva warned them not to touch anything, and with the mood Draco is in, he’s likely to ignore the warning. Even Severus has paid enough attention to Lucius to understand that none of this equipment is to be messed with by those ignorant of how to use it.

As much as he doesn’t like it – Potter is the expert.

Shockingly, Minerva doesn’t know how to use the equipment, but at Severus’s prompting, she can adequately explain the safety features.

“If an injury occurs, an alert is sent to mine and Poppy’s office. A House Elf is instructed to assess the injuries and hold the fort, as it were, until Poppy arrives. Often, injuries include broken bones, and moving a person without proper assessment may do more harm than good. A few students, including Mr Potter and Mr Thomas, have completed field medi-wizard training- though they are not permitted to treat any injuries, they can do triage. Poppy holds refresher courses in Healing, but you’d have to ask her directly about when they are held.”

“I thought only Quidditch captains had to do field healing training,” Greengrass asks with interest.

“They don’t have to,” Minerva answers, “though they are encouraged to. Quidditch injuries can occur even during practice, as we encourage our captains to attend Poppy’s courses. Poppy is selective as to whom she will accept in her course. Healing is dangerous if done incorrectly, so she prefers not to encourage too many people to attempt it if she thinks they might abuse the use of spells.”

“Why aren’t prefects – encouraged – to attend these courses?” Nott asks.

“The Head boy and girl are asked if they would like to attend – again – it’s not mandatory. Not everyone is gifted in Healing. As for Prefects – they are usually contacted by Poppy directly with course dates. I don’t believe she’s sent them out yet.”

Severus is aware that the other reason Poppy is selective about training too many Healing spells is because of the abuse cases that might get missed if students are encouraged to heal themselves. Though Healing books are not in the Restricted section, Madam Pince has placed strict alerting spells to show which kind of healing spells are most often checked out by students- at Poppy’s request. It’s a sad fact that for every one abused child they find – there are usually ten that they might have missed. Getting the trust of an abused child is a mission unto itself. Severus knows this from experience – his own. And of Holly’s. He knows his child was abused by Jasmine. And some of that came to light when Andromeda examined Holly after she twisted her ankle – but the girl had been stubbornly reticent to the cause.

It occurs to him that Potter will know. If no one else, his daughter will have confided in Potter. Should he ask? Would Potter tell him? Or would he, as Severus suspects, hold the knowledge over his head?

“Oh, hello,” a voice startles them.

Severus turns to see the Gryffindor Chasers, Johnson, Spinnet, and Bell enter together, clad in similar tight-fitting clothes he’s seen Holly wear. Where Holly can get away with wearing these kinds of clothes due to her prepubescent body – teenage girls with their burgeoning curves certainly make Severus wish they were wearing robes, which are much less revealing. He looks to the boys to see their reactions. Zabini is the only one looking at them appreciatively; Draco and Nott only look at them in disgruntlement or curiosity, respectively.

Parkinson gives the girls a dirty look, and only looks mildly placated that Draco isn’t staring at them as obviously as Zabini is. Greengrass puts on her most neutral expression.

“Ladies,” Minerva greets warmly.

“Hi, Professor,” Johnson replies. “Are we disturbing? We can come back.”

“Professor Snape wanted to show his students the gym,” Minerva informs them. “You’re welcome to go about your business. We are waiting for Professor Malfoy and Mr Potter to show up. I doubt we’ll stay for long after that.”

“Yes, professor,” Johnson responds, but it’s obvious they are feeling self-conscious.

They take themselves to the far end of the gym and begin to do their warm-up routine.

“Zabini,” he says warningly, keeping his voice low.

The boy tears his eyes away and pointedly turns his back on the girls. Nott and the girls go and sit on another trunk. Severus, his hand still on Draco’s shoulder – nudges him to go sit. Parkinson, who is about to get up from next to Greengrass to sit next to Draco, sinks back into her seat sullenly at the Potions Master’s look.

 The Gryffindor Chasers pause after their warm-up to have a quick discussion, whispering low amongst themselves. Spinnet tears herself away from the group and calls for Minerva.

“Yes, Miss Spinner?”

“Could we have a word? In private?” Spinnet aims a significant look towards Parkinson and Greengrass.

“Miss Parkinson, Miss Greengrass – follow me, please,” Minerva stands, beckoning the two confused Slytherins to accompany her.

Upon reaching the Chasers, Minerva erects a Privacy ward, excluding the wizards from the conversation.

“What do you reckon that’s about?” Zabini asks, looking at them curiously.

Nott gives a disinterested look, “No clue.”

“Severus?” he hears Lucius ask. Looking at the entrance, he realises he’s missed his brother entering, trying to discern why the Chasers wanted to speak to his students.

Potter trails slowly behind, looking puzzled at being called here.

“Where’s Holly? Is she okay?” Potter asks, looking over at the others in alarm.

Lucius places a placating hand on Potter’s shoulder but looks at Severus with concern.

“She’s fine,” Severus says stiffly, looking only at Lucius. “She’s in her room.”

Minerva walks over, her conversation with the girls either concluded or abandoned at seeing Potter and Lucius enter.

“Professor Snape and his students came to ask permission to convert one of the spare dungeons into a gym,” she informs them.

Lucius’s expression clears, and he removes his hand from Potter, not seeing the way Draco tracks the movement intently.

“Why?” Johnson asks, bewildered. “What’s wrong with this space?”

“It’s for the Slytherins,” Draco says scathingly. “We want our own space like you Gryffindors have.”

The girls, Gryffindors and Slytherins, exchange exasperated looks between them.

“For your information, Mr Malfoy,” Minerva begins coldly, “this space is shared by all Houses. Believe it or not, just because you and your friends have not ventured here does not mean other Slytherin students haven’t. Perhaps if you stepped off that narrow-minded platform you often ascend –”

“No other Slytherins have come here,” Draco interrupts rudely.

Severus pinches the bridge of his nose. He and Lucius need to have words with Draco about practically accusing the Deputy Headmistress of lying.

“Shows what you know,” Bell scoffs.

“The Slytherin Quidditch team has never come here,” Spinnet explains. “The only team who doesn’t use this space. Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff come here occasionally, but not as often as we do. But we do get Slytherin students using the gym.”

“Who?” Draco scowls.

“Draco,” Lucius says intently.

Draco ignores him, glaring at the Chasers.

“Suffice to say, I will, unfortunately, reject your application to open a new gym room as this one is more than adequate. It’s been established for longer, students are used to it, and though the dungeons might be bigger, there’s plenty of space for this to be magically adjusted if required. It just happens that we’ve not had space issues,” Minerva informs the Slytherins. “Furthermore, the equipment here is especially enchanted already, and duplicating that work will be time-consuming. There’s simply no need to have a secondary site simply because you don’t want to share. Students from all Houses are welcome here, and if the Slytherin Quidditch team wants to use it for practice, then you need only tell your Captain to book it the same way he books the pitch and select the indoor option.”

Draco flushes an ugly pink, and only Severus and Nott nudging him in the back keeps him from arguing further.

“Now, I have much to do,” Minerva tells them. “Mr Potter, I will leave you to explain the appropriate etiquette. Be warned,” she says, looking tellingly at Draco, “if you break the rules, you will not be allowed back here until you graduate. Is that clear?”

“Yes, Professor,” they intone together, Draco only after being prodded by Severus and Nott again.

Severus resists the urge to quail under her glare.

“Good afternoon, gentleman. Ladies,” she nods. About to stride out, she pauses to address the Chasers, “Ten points for your helpfulness with the girls.”

They look at each other quietly as she leaves – though the Chasers bite their lips to stem their amusement.

“So – er – how can I help?” Potter asks, looking between them.

“What kind of stuff can we do here?” Zabini asks when no one speaks up.

“It’s all about exercise,” Potter explains. “Conditioning your body into good physical shape. There’s plenty of equipment gathered over the years. The boxes behind you have different bits of apparatus to use depending on what you want to use. There’s a separate box for Quidditch; when you select that box, the rest of the equipment is packed away to maximise space. Just make sure you pack it all away when you’re done. That goes for all equipment – not just the Quidditch.

“Which brings me to the etiquette Professor McGonagall mentioned. Whatever equipment you use, it’s your own responsibility to pack it away. Everything is clearly labelled, so there’s no excuse not to tidy up. If there’s something you’re not sure how to use, have someone show you. Most regulars know how everything works. It’s easy to get injured if you use something incorrectly. The professors have enchanted the room to alert Madam Pomfrey of any injuries, and she’ll Floo to Professor McGonagall’s office directly. I think they’ve also requested a House-Elf to assess first.

“The rules are straightforward. No messing about in here, no fighting. Clean up after yourself, and not just putting equipment away but also do a quick Cleaning Spell; that’s just basic hygiene. You don’t want to use someone’s sweaty equipment; no one wants to use yours. Professor McGonagall has imposed a ban in the past when people have broken the rules. The gym is open from five in the morning and closes at curfew in the evening.

“What else? Oh – er, there’s a water station right there near the first trunk and glasses are provided as well. Just make sure you return the glasses on the tray after you’ve used them. Am I forgetting anything?” he looks to the Chasers.

“Nope,” Johnson shrugs.

“Any questions?”

“What about clothes? Do we wear clothes like that to exercise?” Zabini asks, pointing to the Gryffindor girls.

“These are muggle exercise clothes,” Potter explains. “It’s a little different for boys and girls. For boys, t-shirts and sweatpants or shorts are popular. And trainers. It can be the same for girls, but Angelina, Katie and Alicia are wearing leggings. It’s all about preference. As long as it’s something that doesn’t restrict movement. When it comes to exercise, clothing that allows for full mobility is key.”

“Well,” Bells says impishly, “apart from the girls. The girls need to be immobilised.”

To the Slytherin boy’s (and the men’s) confusion, Potter blushes, covering his eyes with his hand.

“Right,” he stammers.

The Chasers let out a wicked cackle that has Severus wincing.

“Don’t you have a workout to do?” Potter gripes. The Chasers move off with a final chuckle.

“We don’t have the right clothes,” Nott points out. “Where can we get them from?”

“Professor McGonagall told Pansy and me to visit Madam Pomfrey – she has a catalogue… especially for the girls,” Greengrass tells them with a suspiciously straight face.

Potter cringes at the words, pointedly not looking at the witches. The Chasers let out another earsplitting cackle again.

“What about us?” Zabini asks. “Don’t we get a catalogue?”

“Boys, if you give me your sizes, I’ll have Narcissa order the appropriate gym wear for both of you. I’ll send her a letter today, and you should get the clothes midweek. Then you can join us Saturday morning.”

“Mother already sent me clothes,” Draco argues. “Why do I have to wait a week? I can get changed and come back. You’re not tired after your duelling lessons with my father, are you, Potter?”

“Trust me, Draco,” Lucius says quietly, “you want to exercise for the first time at the beginning of the weekend, not the end.”

Draco ignores his father, giving Potter a challenging look.

“Up to you,” Potter says, looking at the Malfoy scion with almost a smirk.

“Next week’s fine, Potter,” Severus says abruptly. Draco might not recall Lucius’s aching muscles after his first workout session with Potter, but Severus does. Also, Regulus’s warning letter saying he’ll need a supply of painkillers and muscle relaxants to hand. Draco might be more active due to his position on the Quidditch team, but the look on  Potter’s face suggests if Draco pushes too hard, Potter will push back harder.

Potter has been an active member of the gym since he Founded it – if anyone knows how to work someone ragged, this boy does. If Draco insisted on completing a workout today, Potter would be more than happy to oblige, and Severus would feel compelled to keep him company. And by the warning on Lucius’s face, that company would be misery.

ooOoo

Lucius wants nothing more than to shower. His duelling lesson with Potter had gone well. He’d pointed out to Potter that he needed to stop holding back.

Potter, accordingly, upped his power. Lucius still felt like the boy could push himself more but hadn’t forced the issue. Lucius will insist again in a few weeks but is happy with Potter’s current progress.

He’d not expected to get called to the gym by Minerva and had been curious about the issue. He’d certainly thought he’d see Severus with Draco and his friends.

Seeing Draco’s thoughtless rudeness to Minerva had been appalling. He and Narcissa had always taught Draco to remain polite – it annoyed people even more when an insult was delivered graciously or if they failed to get a rise. Draco’s attitude earlier was bordering on deplorable.

The other Slytherins have already left for the Common Room – or the library – Lucius hadn’t been listening.

His son doesn’t waste time bursting into an indignant tirade the second the door closes behind Severus.

“You’ve been giving Potter duelling lessons,” Draco accuses.

“I have,” Lucius replies calmly, taking a seat on his couch.

Severus sits at the dining table, whereas Draco elects to stand across from his father.

“How long has this been going on?” his son asks petulantly.

“For the same length of time you’ve been getting duelling lessons,” Lucius continues in a calm voice. Though he adds, in a needling tone, “Except Potter has attended every single one.”

Draco ignores the rebuke and scoffs, “I should have known Potter wasn’t that good. He had help.”

“You had help,” Lucius points out, “yet your performance was subpar. Potter defeated you in two spells.”

Draco flushes at the reminder.

“Why didn’t you ever mention it?” Severus interrupts, looking none too pleased himself.

“I wasn’t aware I had to,” Lucius replies, though they all know the real reason.

Draco shakes his head disbelievingly, even as he crosses his arms defensively across his chest and rants, “You really think Potter will defeat the Dark Lord? Potter’s pathetic. Training him in a few extra spells won’t help anyone.”

“Perhaps, Draco,” Lucius begins in a chilly voice, “you work on your attitude and diligence instead of paying attention to Potter. If you put in half the effort you spend stalking Potter, you’d be just as good as him.”

“I’m better than Potter,” Draco yells, looming over Lucius.

“Sit down,” Lucius snaps, not the least bit intimidated by someone who puked up cauldron cakes as a toddler. When Draco doesn’t move, he coldly emphasises, “Now.”

Draco complies sullenly, but before he can tear his son to strips, Severus butts in, “You’re wasting your time with Potter if you believe he can defeat the Dark Lord.”

“Did yesterday seem like a waste of time?” Lucius responds.

“A fluke,” Severus grinds out. “Nothing more. Potter got lucky. Yaxley wanted to put the brat in his place and grossly underestimated the boy. Yaxley made a mistake, and Potter actually showed some brains and took advantage of it. Potter’s fans purposely lost their duels or withdrew to allow him to continue. Or he did what he always does; bullied or threatened the children to step back. I can easily name a dozen students who would have beaten Potter if they hadn’t decided to inflate the brat’s ego. He did what he did to show off, as always.”

Lucius stands up, giving his brother a look of disbelief. “He did what he did because Holly asked him.”

Severus flushes at his words, coming to a stand, too.

“She asked him,” Lucius emphasises, “because she trusts him more than you and I. And Potter proved her trust right. Trying to drive a wedge between them will only leave you on the outside. I truly thought you’d begun to understand that.”

“Holly is a naïve child, easily impressed by flashing lights,” Severus argues. “I may have to play nice with Potter now, but he won’t always come out on top.”

Lucius shakes his head at the other’s intractability.

“You are both blind to Potter’s power. If you put aside your personal issues,” he looks at Draco pointedly because Severus certainly isn’t able to yet, “then you will see he’s –”

“Why do you keep defending him?” Draco yells, jumping to his feet yet again.

“Because he’s kept to his word much better than you,” Lucius says sharply, patience eroded.

Draco tries to bluster through a response, but Lucius powers through, saying, “I asked Potter to leave you alone at the beginning of the year. And he has. I asked him not to antagonise you, and he’s kept his word. Potter’s not come anywhere near you. Do you know what Potter did say to me? He said he would leave you alone if you left him alone. And I asked the same thing of you, Draco.

“I asked you to stay away from Potter, but you provoke him at every turn. And by doing so, you bring yourself down even more in Holly’s eyes. You say she’s important to you? But you’ve done nothing but alienate her by picking fights with Potter.”

Draco gives a mulish look, no doubt remembering all the ways he’s broken his word.

“Right now,” Lucius sighs, “I trust Potter more than I trust you. Because you haven’t shown me you can act like an adult.”

He ignores the hurt look on his son’s face.

“Prove to me you are capable of being trustworthy. The way we speak to other people is essential. You are no longer a child; you can not demand something and expect it will be handed to you.”

“You said I could have my own gym in the dungeons,” Draco rallies, completely ignoring his father’s words.

“No,” Lucius corrects exasperatedly, “I said you should ask Severus about getting space. You should have spoken to McGonagall politely if you wanted your request granted. By snapping and demanding like a petulant child, you’ve done yourself no favours in demonstrating you’re responsible enough to look after something like that.”

“I am responsible,” Draco protests. “Otherwise, that old hag wouldn’t have made me a prefect.”

“You’re a prefect because Severus nominated you and argued for you,” Lucius says steadily. “He vouched for you despite your grades being lower than Theo’s.”

“Yeah, well – Potter only got made prefect because he’s everyone’s favourite pet,” Draco complains.

“His grades are higher than yours,” the elder Malfoy informs his idiot son.

Severus scoffs in disbelief, “Potter’s lazier than a sloth. The only effort thing he puts any effort into is Quidditch. The figures are undoubtedly fudged to make the Golden Boy look good.”

Lucius sighs in fatigue. He’s seen Potter’s marks over the last few years, which are much better than Severus believed. Despite Severus’s beliefs, Potter is not lazy. He’s a hard worker who puts in the effort to get his desired results. Neither is willing to listen, blinded by no good reason Lucius has been able to discern from what he’s observed. He’s beginning to see what Regulus meant about Severus being a brick wall. James Potter had been a bastard to Severus in their school days, but he can’t imagine why the other can’t see he needs to put that animosity with his tormentor’s son aside if he wants to protect his family. As for Draco, the boy also needs to learn that sometimes, you must shake hands with people you wouldn’t otherwise associate with to get further ahead.

Draco’s last few years in the Snake pit should have taught him this.

He levels them both with an implacable look. They are family, and he’s only trying to protect them. They might not appreciate it at the moment, blinded by who he’s associating with to ensure their safety and well-being, but one day, they will see that.

“This is the final time I will say this – Potter is a vital power we want to be on good terms with. If neither of you can be on good terms with him, simply ignore him. Don’t hurt him because in doing so, you will lose Holly forever,” he says with a hard look at Severus, “and we will lose this war. You must both decide which is more important – your enmity with Harry Potter or a future with your family.”

“Lucius,” Severus speaks, giving Lucius a resentful look and showing he’s just as deaf as his son when it comes to the Boy-Who-Lived, “putting your family’s protection in Potter’s hands in folly. However, you are wrong if you think I haven’t come to realise how important he is to Holly. That boy will lead my child into danger, and you only enable him by inflating his importance. I might not be able to do anything about their relationship right now, but mark my words, Holly will reject him one day. I will see to it that she does.”

That said, he beckons for Draco to follow him. Draco gives him a triumphant look and follows his godfather out.

Lucius is left wishing his family had fewer self-destructive tendencies. This will not end well.

ooOoo

“McGonagall should have given us our own space,” Draco grumbles by Severus’s side as they head back to the dungeons.

“No,” Severus says, to godson’s shock, who stops abruptly to give Severus a betrayed look.

Severus urges Draco to follow him until they find a private alcove, where Severus sets up a Privacy ward to stop any eavesdroppers.

“Professor McGonagall and the other teachers set that room up many years ago, and they’ve Spelled the place with enough wards to rival those on the Quidditch pitch. She was right when she said duplicating that work would be time-consuming. The staff have enough to do without adding more work that will ultimately make them resent the effort.”

“It’s because we’re Slytherins, isn’t it?” Draco sneers. “The Gryffindors get what they want because they’re precious, and we’re just-”

“Stop, Draco,” Severus tells him, though he feels like he can’t deny the truth of those words. However, he also believed Minerva when she said Slytherins also attended the gym, even if he didn’t know who they were.

Draco falls silent, though the resentment is apparent on his face.

“Bet if you went to Dumbledore and told him-” Draco begins.

“Draco,” Severus sighs, resting his hands on his godson’s shoulders, “you don’t understand how tenuous my position is right now with the staff. After what happened with Potter …”

“You should have bashed his head harder,” Draco says bitterly when Severus trails off.

Severus’s response is instantaneous and visceral, “No! That should never have happened. You understand? I should never have done that!”

Draco, wide-eyed at his reaction, nods rapidly.

“We are in the minority, Draco,” Severus continues more calmly, still holding Draco’s shoulders. “I don’t believe Potter is the Messiah everyone else seems to, like your father does, but Lucius is right regarding one thing – Potter does have influence. Potter’s too selfish to share that influence, and your father will, unfortunately, learn that the hard way.”

Despite his delivery of the fated prophecy, Severus never put any stock in Divination. He’d been in the Hog’s Head that day because he’d been sent to spy on Dumbledore’s movements. When the pub owner had found him and kicked him out (whom he’d later found out was Albus’s brother), he’d had to confess to the Dark Lord how that occurred and thus recounted what he’d heard of the prophecy.

Sybil Trelawney was an unknown back then- though her grandmother had been the famous Seer Cassandra Trelawney. He’d vaguely remember Sybil from their school days but never paid much attention.

For all his intelligence, Severus had been surprised by the Dark Lord’s belief in the word of an unknown Seer whose predictions they’d never been able to verify. The Dark Lord had listened to Severus recount what he’d heard of the prophecy and, to his shock, actually believed a child would one day defeat him. To Severus’s dismay, the Dark Lord had spent months looking for people who’d defied him three times and, upon finding out about their pregnancies, narrowed down the suspects to the Potters and Longbottoms.

Severus never told anyone else that he’d passed on the prophecy, apart from Albus Dumbledore, upon whose mercy he’d thrown himself when he realised the consequences of finding that Lily was one of the Dark Lord’s targets.

Severus doesn’t know what method of immortality the Dark Lord might have employed, though he suspects Albus does; he firmly believes Harry Potter is not the Chosen One.

And the fact that people like Albus and Lucius seem to believe Potter has some extraordinary power frustrates Severus to no end.

They are basically giving Potter carte blanche to do whatever he wants and giving him importance he doesn’t deserve.

“Eventually, your father and everyone else will realise there’s nothing special about Potter,” Severus tells his godson firmly. “However, for now, we must play along. It won’t be long before Potter’s fans realise he’s no less a fraud than Gilderoy Lockhart.”

Draco brightens at the reminder that Gilderoy Lockhart had been outed as a con artist.

“Stay strong,” Severus advises. “Your friends have the right idea- stay silent and observe. There’s no need to engage with the likes of Potter. We shall do one session with Potter on Saturday morning, learn what we can and then use the gym whenever necessary. We don’t always have to join Potter... and the others.”

Draco nods resolutely, looking more bolstered by his godfather’s support.

Severus dispels the wards and walks Draco back to the Common Room, determined not to give Potter more importance than the boy deserves.

ooOoo

“Don’t forget to have all Magical Maintenance have these forms signed, Delores,” Banks reminds the former Undersecretary with a sneer.

Delores swallows back her retort and nods in acknowledgement, clamping down her disgruntlement. Just a handful of months ago, Banks would never have dared speak to Delores like she was the underling.

Just a few months ago, Delores had been at the top, second only to Cornelius himself. He was the one who wanted to out Harry Potter as the liar as the boy undoubtedly was. Delores had done what she’d always done. She’d handled it. She’d requisitioned two Dementors, who’d been despatched with orders to take Potter’s soul or force the boy to defend himself.

It almost worked. She’d convinced Cornelius to try the brat before the Wizengamot. Cornelius had been happy to take the boy down a peg, prove that You-Know-Who wasn’t back and expel the boy from Hogwarts, snap his wand and banish him and the paltry amount of influence he held from the wizarding world forever.

Cornelius would have happily continued in his powers as Minister and taken Delores with him. She’d always done what was needed.

Yet, currently, she might still be working in the Ministry; her role is barely a step up from a caretaker. She might not be sweeping floors like her father had before she’d made him leave the Ministry, but she’s relegated to this dingy little closet laughingly referred to as an office she has to share with smelly Banks.

Even Arthur Weasley’s closet is bigger than hers, and everyone knows his department is one step up from the Centaur Liason office.

She’ll have her revenge soon.

On Harry Potter and Lucius Malfoy for stripping her of her power. Both took something important from her. She would destroy them both. And Cornelius for shunting her on Lucius’s word.

Alone in her office, she pulls out her handbag and the Guardian Medallions she never returned to the Minister. She had buyers lined up for these two and one who was willing to pay for more.

Delores is more than willing to provide more.

Oh, yes – the Minister, Lucius, Potter – they would rue the day they decided to make an enemy out of Delores Umbridge.

Ignoring Banks’ last order, Delores gathers her belongings, preparing to leave for the night. She has a deal to make.