Once they’d descended from the Owlery all the way down to the dungeon corridor which held Snape’s office and quarters, Harry became aware of the sound of footsteps pounding rapidly against cobblestone. Snape rounded the corner at a brisk pace, looking obviously concerned. Once his eyes landed on Harry, his expression morphed into a mixture of relief and extreme irritation.

“There you are!” he said exasperatedly. “Why in Merlin’s name did you decide to run off like that?”

“You told me to go away, didn’t you?” Harry muttered, refusing to look Snape in the eyes. Any of the calm he’d managed to muster while talking to Dumbledore had evaporated in the face of Snape’s continual fury. He didn’t want to be here, he didn’t want to stand there and listen while a man whose respect he craved like oxygen told Harry how much of a disappointment he was…

“Ah, Headmaster.” Snape seemed to have only just noticed Dumbledore. The emotions on his face were skillfully Occluded behind a blank mask of indifference. 

“Good evening, Severus,” Dumbledore said cheerfully. “Harry and I have just been having a little chat.”

“You have,” Snape said flatly.

“Yes - I find young minds to be truly fascinating places,” Dumbledore said thoughtfully, continuing to stroll down the corridor. “Even with all my years of life experience, I still find myself learning a thing or two from my students…”

“How splendid.” Snape opened the door to his office and cleared his throat. “Well, thank you for returning Harry to me, Headmaster -”

“May I impose upon you for a quick cup of tea, Severus?” Dumbledore asked suddenly.

The sound of Snape’s molars grinding together was clearly audible to Harry, even though he was standing a good few feet away from the man. “As much as I continue to delight in your company, Headmaster, I am afraid I am rather busy -”

“Oh, I won’t be long,” Dumbledore said breezily, stepping into Snape’s office. “I do believe I may be able to shed a little light onto the matters you are so busy with.”

Harry's cheeks burned. He was fairly certain that he and Draco were bound to be the topics of this conversation...

Snape sighed very loudly and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Harry, wait for me in your room.”

Harry nodded wordlessly and trudged through Snape’s quarters. The whole place was silent, with no sign of Draco anywhere. The other boy’s bedroom door was shut, and no light was filtering from beneath the door.

Harry entered his room opposite, heart pounding madly. Suddenly, Dumbledore’s reassurances that Snape wasn’t going to get rid of Harry felt more like threats. Snape was furious, and unwilling to listen, and had absolute power over him. If he wasn’t going to get rid of Harry, then what was Snape going to do to him?

Harry’s breathing had been reduced to short, sharp gasps again. He tried in vain to Occlude without any success - after all, Snape had been the one to teach him those techniques, and the man’s quiet voice in the back of his head reminding him to breathe instead served to remind Harry that Snape was so, so angry…

Feeling an overwhelming urge to escape with no actual means to, Harry wedged himself into the corner of his room and buried his face in his hands. All he could do was hope that Dumbledore would keep Snape occupied for as long as possible, so he could put off the whole awful reckoning that was to come. 

It was a while before someone entered. Harry wasn’t sure how long - he hadn’t been keeping track of the time.

“Harry?” Snape’s voice was sharp and held notes of concern. He must not have figured out where Harry was hiding, and he certainly didn’t want to let the man know. 

Snape began to walk into the room - Harry listened as the man’s feet strode confidently along, before they abruptly came to a halt midway through the room. Snape let out a very long, very loud sigh. He began to walk again, and Harry heard the mattress shift slightly as Snape sat down on the side of the bed. He was silent for quite a while before he spoke again.

“I think we ought to discuss everything that happened today.”

Harry really did not want to do that. He'd had a horrible day, and he just wanted to be left alone. 

“I’ll wait.” 

Harry heard the man shift in place and hugged his knees tighter. He felt miserable. All Harry wanted was for Snape to go away again so he could get back to feeling upset in peace, but it didn’t seem like he’d be going anywhere or saying anything until Harry made the first move. 

Harry didn’t understand a thing going on right now. He’d been expecting another outraged rant. Why was Snape suddenly so calm? He’d still been spitting mad when Dumbledore had dropped Harry off…

When the silence became too unbearable, Harry decided to ask about it. “Why aren’t you yelling at me?”

He hated how thick and wobbly his voice sounded.

“I doubt that adding more drama would help in this situation,” Snape said. “What would be the point of me shouting at you right now?”

“Because you should!” Harry said miserably. “You’re angry! I upset Draco, and I disobeyed you and now you’re disappointed and you hate me and -”

“I do not!” Snape interrupted. “I am not exactly happy with you, Harry, but I most certainly do not hate you. Merlin’s beard, the constant melodrama I find myself subjected to around here is starting to wear thin…”

“It's not melodramatic!" Harry said indignantly. “You said you were too angry to deal with me, and you told me to get out!"

“I didn't mean permanently! Good grief…” The exasperation was clear in Snape's voice. “I was simply too angry to deal with you at that moment, Harry, and thought it was best to leave things alone for the time being. I didn't want to badly lose my temper and do something I would regret.”

That statement failed to make Harry feel any better. He fell silent again.

“Harry, I have had a very long day,” Snape said, voice haggard. “I quite simply do not have it in me to untangle this single-handedly, so I need you to actually explain yourself.”

The frustration finally boiled over, and Harry balled his hands into fists. 

“I didn’t even want to go to the Ministry!” he burst out. “I told Draco over and over that it was a stupid idea, and that you said no, but there wasn’t anything I could do to stop him after he stole my Cloak and pointed his wand at me so I thought I had to go as well so he didn’t do it by himself, okay?! Besides, Draco told me he’d hate me forever if I didn’t let him! There was absolutely no good option because I didn’t want that to happen, but now you’re angry with me because you like him more than me, and I helped him see the trial and upset him so badly, so you’re done with me forever, and I know it’s all my fault, so please just stop having a go at me!”

Harry pressed his fist into his mouth, worried that if he kept speaking he’d do something stupid and emotional, like burst into tears.

After a brief pause, Snape sighed again. He was doing a lot of that today. “I see.”

‘I see’? That was it? Harry felt worse than ever.

“I am an idiot," Snape announced.

Harry choked, and looked up suddenly, hardly believing what Snape had said.

“A classic fool," he continued. “A dim-witted imbecile - actually, I think the ideal term would be ‘dunderhead’."

The use of the insult Snape hurled at so many students coaxed a choked laugh out of Harry. It was odd, hearing Snape say that about himself, of all people… 

“There are clearly quite a few miscommunications at play here that I ought to clear up,” Snape said. “Would you come over here? This setup isn’t quite conducive to a conversation.”

Reluctantly, Harry got to his feet and walked over to where Snape was sitting. He stood self-consciously to one side, his arms still wrapped around his middle. It still felt like he had a dreadful stomach ache. 

“I… I would like to apologise for my initial reaction,” Snape said quietly. “From what Draco has told me, and from what you’ve just said, I think you were in a far more difficult position than I initially understood you to be in.” He ran his hands over his face. “I ought to have given you a chance to explain…”

Somehow, Snape apologising just served to make Harry feel even worse about himself.

Snape tilted his head slightly. “You said I like Draco more than you?”

Harry’s eyebrows furrowed. “Well… yeah?”

“That’s simply untrue.”

“You don’t have to lie to me, sir,” Harry said dully. “Look, I get it -”

“Do not presume to explain to me how I am feeling,” Snape said sharply. “Come on - sit down.”

“I really don't want to talk about this!” Harry said loudly. Even though he tried not to let it bother him, the whole situation with Draco made his chest ache with longing every time Harry thought about it too hard. He went to walk away - to go where Harry wasn’t certain - but Snape swiftly grabbed onto Harry’s arm and pulled him back so he was forced to sit down on the bed next to Snape.

“No one leaves until we come to an understanding.” Snape removed his hand from Harry’s arm and gently placed it under Harry’s chin, so he was forced to look the man in the eyes. “Explain where you got this idea from, please.”

“Well… it’s just kind of obvious, isn’t it?” Harry said bitterly. “I mean - well you and Draco are both Slytherins, and you both like all that Potions stuff that I’ll never understand properly, and you’ve known him way longer and liked him way longer, and - well, I’m me!”

Snape was silent. His face was pained. “Harry, I don’t know any other way to explain this - I do not like Draco more than you. I similarly do not prefer you to Draco. You have equal standing in my affections.”

“But -”

“But nothing. There’s nothing to debate here,” he said firmly. “Harry, I understand you grew up experiencing, ah… unequal treatment. That is not the status quo - most people do not pick favourites amongst their children.”

Harry didn’t know what to say - he didn’t know how to explain that all the times Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon had put Dudley over him still hurt, even if he knew that wasn’t exactly normal, and how not ever being picked as someone’s favourite felt like a knife to the chest. How could Harry talk about how sometimes he still thought there was something wrong with him, because Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon had always said there was, and they’d know best of all, wouldn’t they? All Harry knew was that he wasn’t good enough for anyone, and he knew that the dreaded tears which inevitably accompanied that thought were welling up, so he drew his knees into his chest and hid his face. After a moment, Snape put an arm around his shoulder, and he felt the tiniest bit better.

“I am not immune to recognising Draco’s faults,” Snape said. “Even though I have known Draco longer than I’ve known you, that doesn’t mean I will automatically take his side. I care about you, too, and his mistreatment of you today has certainly not impressed me. I really do not take his use of such emotional blackmail lightly.”

“He was upset about his dad -”

“That is not an excuse,” Snape interrupted. “Having problems does not give you a free pass to hurt people. Do you recall the little scuffle the two of you got into back in August after I found out about the way your aunt and uncle treated you?”

“Yeah?” Harry looked up at him again, curious as to where this was going.

“So I'm sure you remember how displeased I was with you for taking out your anger at your relatives on him,” Snape said. “The same rules apply to Draco. I do not care how upset he was, he shouldn't be making it your problem, especially since you were only trying to help. Draco knew exactly what he was doing when he said he’d hate you unless you did as he asked - it was highly manipulative. He knows that sort of statement would be very impactful to you.”

“I’m not fragile, you know,” Harry said, affronted. 

“I never said you were. I simply meant that you are perhaps more vulnerable to those sorts of emotionally-focused manipulations, particularly when they come from people you are closer to. And unfortunately, Draco knows that. He acted on it, and used that for his own gain today.”

“Oh,” Harry whispered. He felt a horrid lurch in his stomach.

“Harry, I… if I have done anything to give you the impression that I care for Draco more than you, I sincerely apologise,” Snape said softly. “I now recall you alluding to this concern back in October, and I ought to have addressed it then. Admittedly, I was not in the best frame of mind at the time.”

That was back when we were fighting over Hogsmeade, Harry's mind filled in. He vaguely remembered shouting at Snape about how Draco got to go into the village because Snape liked him more than Harry, or something along those lines.

“It's okay,” he said softly.

Snape squeezed his shoulder and said nothing. Harry kept his knees hugged to his chest, and tried to brace himself for the oncoming lecture over his role in the Ministry affair. Snape seemed uncharacteristically determined to sit in silence, though, and Harry couldn't understand why. The man had been perfectly happy to rail at him not one hour ago… this unusual behaviour set Harry on edge. He didn’t like not being able to predict what was going to happen.

“I still don't get why you're being nice to me,” Harry whispered eventually. “You should be shouting.”

“I cannot possibly fathom why you are asking me to shout at you,” Snape said dryly. “Particularly when I have no desire to do so.”

“You always have a desire to shout at people,” he muttered.

“Not at the minute. The Headmaster’s little chat with me has taken the wind out of my sails.” Snape’s shoulders slumped slightly.

Harry took in Snape’s abashed expression, and something suddenly occurred to him. “Dumbledore told you off, didn’t he?”

“Professor Dumbledore,” Snape corrected absently, “and yes, in his way, I suppose he did.”

“Oh. Sorry.” Harry fidgeted with his hands.

“There is no need to apologise. He made some valid points, irritatingly enough.” Snape exhaled loudly. “It’s clear that I've failed the two of you as a guardian today.”

“What? No, you -”

“Don't,” Snape interrupted, holding out a hand. “I put far too much responsibility on you. I knew how emotionally volatile the trial had rendered Draco, and I shouldn't have left you to deal with that alone.”

“But I should have thought of something else -”

“Perhaps you should have, but you're only thirteen,” Snape said. “You don't have all the answers.” 

Harry shrugged, and didn’t respond.

“I also apologise for losing my temper in the manner I did when we returned to my office,” Snape added. “I must confess, the stress of the day has taken a large toll on me.”

“Is it because Lucius is your friend?” Harry asked. “I mean, you must have been pretty close to Draco's parents for them to make you his guardian. The trial probably wasn't nice for you, either.”

Something like understanding dawned over Snape's face. “Out of the mouths of babes. You do have a point - I must admit, I hadn't given that much thought. I wouldn't exactly describe Lucius as a friend, but he is one of my closer associates, and was there for me during quite a few times of difficulty in my youth… No, it wasn't a particularly pleasant experience for me to see him like that.”

“I think it was just a bad day for everyone, really,” Harry said.

Snape nodded his agreement. “It certainly was… the ordeal of the trial coupled with the fear that my guardianship of you might be in peril did not put me in the best of moods.”

“Right." Harry winced. He couldn't believe how close they'd come to the Aurors, of all people, finding out that the Dursleys weren't still in charge of him. That could have gone horribly wrong.

“How’s Draco doing?” Harry asked, glancing over his shoulder to his bedroom door. “Is he okay?”

“No.” Snape’s lips turned down in a rather grim way. “He worked himself into quite a fit - I’ve had to give him a lot of Calming Draught, and he’s fallen asleep. I’d be very surprised if he’s awake anytime before tomorrow morning.”

“Yeah, he’s not been sleeping well,” Harry said. “I heard him up at night a lot the last few weeks.”

“Hopefully some rest will do him good.” Snape’s eyebrows furrowed. “And speaking of Draco, and what he said about hating you…”

“I don’t really want to talk about it anymore,” Harry muttered. Both Dumbledore and Snape’s comments about Draco manipulating him had left Harry feeling extremely stupid.

“Be that as it may, just know I would have attempted to mediate between the two of you if you had stopped him despite everything he said,” Snape said.

“I’m sorry I didn’t manage to stop him.” Harry stared at the ground, feeling miserable. “All I wanted to do was get you, but I didn’t know how to do it without Draco running off under the Cloak in the meantime.”

Snape made a thoughtful humming noise. “Perhaps I could attempt some modification to the tracker, and add a form of distress signal that alerts me when pressed when I replace it… and yes, I did notice that your tracker has gone missing.”

He fixed Harry with a stern look, and he shrank back slightly. “Sorry…”

“It’s being replaced as soon as I have time to purchase a new one, and I do not want you meddling with it again,” Snape said sternly. 

Harry sighed. “Am I ever gonna be able to take it off?”

“When Black is back where he belongs,” Snape said firmly. “The minute he is captured, your life will return to normal. I promise.”

Black's never going to be captured at this rate, Harry thought resentfully. It’s been months, and they haven’t found him…

"Harry - once again, you seem to have overlooked the threat that leaving the school grounds could have posed to you.”

As contrite as he was feeling, Harry couldn’t help but roll his eyes. “No offence, but if Sirius Black is breaking into the Ministry of Magic that easily, we have bigger problems than him coming after me.”

“I was not just referring to Black, as a matter of fact,” Snape said sharply. “In general, it is not a good idea to break into government property. As admirable as your concern for Draco is, you ought to put a bit more stock in your own wellbeing. You shouldn’t have followed in his footsteps to trespass in the Ministry. You should have gotten an adult to hunt Draco down.”

“And I wanted to, but he had the Invisibility Cloak -”

“Which Mad-Eye Moody was easily able to bypass,” Snape interrupted. 

Harry felt his cheeks heat up. “Well I didn’t know that!”

“Precisely!” Snape said, his eyes narrowing. “There are many things you do not know, Harry! This is why you ought to have allowed Draco to leave. Professor McGonagall could have fetched him from the Ministry for Magic without you having to also embroil yourself in this whole mess. I believe the old adage applies here - if your friends all jumped off of a bridge, would you?”

“I just wanted to look after him, that's all!” Harry protested. “I didn’t think he’d react very well to his dad getting convicted - and he didn’t, by the way - and so I wanted someone within the family to be there!”

“Minerva would have immediately fetched me, had you informed her,” Snape said, his chastising tone turning more gentle. “I believe I am also equipped with the skills to manage Draco.”

“I really wanted to get you,” Harry said miserably. “All I wanted the whole time was for there to be some way for me to contact you, but I couldn’t think of anything.”

Strangely enough, there was a flash of something like pride in Snape’s eyes. “Well, I suppose it does reassure me slightly that you’re willing to take your problems to others, even if your range of qualified witches and wizards remains rather limited. Hopefully, another situation like this will not arise in future.”

Snape reached out to squeeze Harry's arm, and he couldn't help but flinch away. The man's fingers were digging into the burn he’d gotten from Draco’s melting spell, triggering a hiss of pain.

Snape immediately withdrew his hand, looking slightly hurt. Horror rose up in Harry.

“No, no!” he said quickly. “It’s not anything like that. I know you’re not going to, er - hit me, or anything. You just grabbed right onto my burn, is all.”

This comment also did not seem to please Snape. He yanked up Harry’s sleeve and scowled fiercely at his wrist, which had started to blister. “I believe we have also had multiple discussions about hiding injuries, Harry -”

“I wasn't hiding it, I just forgot it was there!” he said defensively. “I had a lot of other stuff going on, you know!”

Some of the tension faded from Snape’s features, and he loudly exhaled. “Yes, I suppose you did… well, this can be remedied quickly.”

He waved his wand, and some sort of healing salve flew into the room. Given how often he found himself needing them, Harry reflected that he really ought to start recognising the individual names of the stuff Snape gave him. 

“This was Draco’s handiwork, I presume?” Snape inquired, rubbing the salve onto Harry's burn. He felt some of the tension leach out of his shoulders as a delightful cooling sensation spread over the sore area.

“Well, not intentionally,” Harry said, allowing his wrist to be turned back and forth. “I think he just overdid it with his melting spell.”

Snape finally released his grip and glared vaguely into the distance. “I believe I shall also have words with him about that incident when he has awoken…”

Harry swallowed, hard. As annoyed as he was with Draco, he still didn’t want him to be in heaps of trouble. Even Harry knew that he hadn’t really been in his right mind.

He decided to tell Snape as much. “I just… I think Draco’s had a really hard time recently, between the trial stuff, and the Slytherins being all nasty all the time, and - well, maybe he was overdue a bit of an implosion. He won’t be in too much trouble, right?”

“Harry, I am perfectly aware of Draco’s unique circumstances, as I believe I informed you earlier,” Snape said pointedly. “I do not need you intervening on his behalf. As a matter of fact, what Draco needs most of all in a time like this is some degree of normalcy and structure.”

“Oh. Er - right.” Harry supposed that made a fair amount of sense. He always hated being treated differently because of his fame, so it only made sense that Draco would feel the same way about the level of infamy his father’s trial had brought about, even if he wasn’t conscious of it.

Snape tapped a finger against his chin, expression thoughtful. “I also think this refusal to allow yourself to feel any degree of irritation towards him is perhaps a symptom of his earlier comments about him hating you.”

“No it isn’t!” Harry protested angrily. Upon seeing the doubtful look on Snape’s face, he relented and reluctantly admitted, “Okay, maybe a little bit. Er - I think that rattled me more than I expected, honestly…”

“Yes, that much has been obvious.” 

Harry felt his cheeks heat up, and he dragged his gaze away from Snape’s face and back to the floor.

“It’s nothing to be embarrassed by,” Snape said quietly. “Having grown up in the manner you did-”

“Yeah, the Dursleys screwed me up,” Harry grumbled. He rubbed his eyes and sighed. “Trust me, between you and Dumbledore, I’ve had that drilled into me today…”

“He might have been angry in the moment, but in the long term, I’m certain Draco would have forgiven you for stopping him from going to the Ministry,” Snape said gently. “He would have realised your actions were only motivated by care.”

“It didn’t feel like it,” Harry muttered. “You didn’t see his face.”

“Draco has told me on more than one occasion that he will hate me until the end of eternity, and yet he continues to tolerate my company,” Snape said dryly. “All I am saying is that you ought to have more faith in your relationship with him, Harry.”

He nodded, still staring at the floor. “Okay.”

“Perhaps we ought to leave things here for now, then,” Snape said, brushing down his robes and getting to his feet. “I do believe this is a conversation we should continue in the morning, when Draco is awake and everyone is a little less out of sorts. Why don’t you rest in here for a little while? We’ve all had rather long days.”

Harry shot him a puzzled look. ”Rest? It’s barely evening. I can’t sleep this early.”

“And I did not tell you to,” Snape said evenly. “I simply just meant to suggest you relax from the stress of the day. You look dreadful.”

Harry, who did feel quite horrid, didn’t respond and instead occupied himself with picking at a loose thread in the cuff of the sleeve. 

“I shall be in my laboratory if you need me,” Snape said, getting to his feet. Before he started moving towards the door, however, Snape paused and turned around to look at Harry again. “It was unfair of me to cast the aspersions on your character that I did earlier.”

Harry tried his best to press the remainder of his hurt down and nodded without meeting Snape’s eyes, hoping they could put the whole awful event behind them. Snape was far from done, however. He laid his hands on Harry’s shoulders and waited until Harry met his gaze.

“I was wrong,” Snape said simply. “And you were right when you said I often think the worst of you when I shouldn’t. I will hear you out from now on, Harry, no matter how angry I am. I give you my word.”

“Okay,” he whispered, hoping Snape meant it. He had faith that the man would follow through, though. Snape had his faults, but when he set his mind to correcting them, Snape usually managed to pull through and change. 

Snape simply squeezed Harry’s shoulder once, then swept from the room. Harry laid back on his bed, mind buzzing from the events of the day. He felt as though he had dozens of things to think through and think over…

But despite his earlier protestations, Snape had been right in one area; Harry was exhausted. He was fast asleep within the hour. 

It was early morning when a knock sounded at Harry’s door - Snape, quietly summoning him out to the living room. For a moment, Harry laid confused as he tried to work out why his guardian had awoken him instead of his alarm clock, until the whole awful day at the Ministry came flooding back to him. Snape had said another conversation was in store, this time with Draco included, and it was clear that he was sticking to his word.

Harry hurried into the living room, and saw Snape waiting at the kitchen table alongside Draco. He looked about as awful as Harry had ever seen him - eyes red and bloodshot, shoulders hunched, hair nearly as wild and untamed as Harry’s. He was eating his food mechanically. 

Harry stood in the middle of the room, confused. “What are we doing?”

“We are eating breakfast.” Snape gestured to Harry’s usual seat. “Join us.”

Harry shuffled over to the table and sat down, carefully avoiding Draco’s gaze. It wasn’t an entirely necessary venture, since Draco seemed determined to keep his eyes glued to his plate. The tension in the room was so thick that you could cut it with a knife. Harry was so anxious that he began to tear his toast into tiny chunks instead of actually eating it, until Snape sent him the old, pointed ‘look’ that had so often accompanied meals at Spinner’s End. Harry made a greater effort to eat properly, but it was hard when it still felt like his innards were twisted into horrid knots.

After about fifteen minutes of the awkward, stifled attempt at a meal, Snape at last seemed to admit defeat and vanished the remainder of their food. He steepled his fingers, dark eyes flitting between Harry and Draco.

“As I made clear yesterday, the three of us are in desperate need of a conversation,” he said. “As I suspect this might take a fair bit of time, you are excused from your first lesson of the day.”

Harry frowned. “Don’t you have lessons to teach, too?”

“As a matter of fact, I do not teach on Tuesday mornings. I am perfectly capable of managing my schedule without your input, Harry,” Snape said sharply.

Harry winced and decided not to speak any further.

“Where shall we begin, then?” Snape said.

Draco lifted his head slightly so he was facing Harry, face ashen. “I apologise.”

“Erm - thanks,” Harry said awkwardly. “It’s okay.”

Snape muttered something that was clearly disparaging under his breath, then glowered at the two of them. “You both aren’t getting off that easily.”

“We’re not six, Severus!” Draco complained. “We don’t need you to mediate for us!”

Harry, who was eager to escape this painfully awkward conversation before it truly got under way, hastily nodded his agreement.

“Draco, while I am certain you were quite furious in the heat of the moment, did you actually mean it when you said you would hate Harry eternally if he did not do as you asked?” Snape inquired, completely ignoring their protests.

A pink flush spread across Draco’s cheeks. “I’d rather not -”

“I don’t care.” Snape’s voice was heavy with irritation. “Was there perhaps a degree of embellishment to your claims?”

Draco sighed very loudly. “Well, I was really angry, alright? But… a bit, I suppose… I wouldn’t have actually hated him forever.”

“Oh.” Harry, who felt exceedingly stupid by now, slumped back in his seat.

“Harry did not know this, as I’m sure you’re finally realising.” Snape gestured to Harry. He straightened up and tried to wipe any stray traces of hurt from his face as Draco looked at him with no small amount of guilt apparent on his features. “Are you now beginning to understand why your actions could be seen as manipulative?”

“It’s not like I set out consciously trying to sway him to do what I wanted,” Draco grumbled. “I didn’t think about it like that - I just always said that to Mother and Father when they wouldn’t do as I asked, and it always changed Mother’s mind!”

Harry couldn’t help his wince at that statement. It reminded Harry so much of Dudley, who frequently said horrible things to Aunt Petunia that would drive her to the point of tears on the rare occasions that she didn’t instantly bend to his will. He often found it uncomfortable when Draco did things that reminded Harry of his cousin. It was a parallel he really didn’t care to explore.

Snape seemed equally unimpressed by what Draco had said, and kept his intense gaze fixed on Draco’s face. Some of his bravado vanished.

“I do always feel bad for saying it afterwards, though,” he said quietly, staring at the table.

“Then you shouldn’t say it,” Snape said sternly. “If you care about somebody, you shouldn’t start throwing around such loaded statements when they don’t immediately do as you ask.”

“Right.” Draco was starting to look like he wanted to sink into the floor, now.

 “As unconventional as it may seem from the outside, we have formed something of a family unit here,” Snape said, “so we all ought to treat each other with the according respect. You do not say things like that to Harry again. Do you understand?”

“I really didn’t mean to hurt you so much, Harry,” Draco said, far more sincerely than he had earlier. “I… well, I didn’t think.”

“That much is obvious,” Snape said acidly. “You need to think about the hurtful implications of what you’re saying before you speak.”

“Look, you two - I’m not hurt,” Harry protested. “Honestly, I’m not going to break into pieces at the smallest sign of trouble! You both carry on like I’m this delicate snowflake, and I’m really not!”

Snape muttered something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like ‘Gryffindors’, but otherwise didn’t respond. 

“You were having a really hard day, Draco,” Harry said, trying to seem nonchalant. “I know you didn’t mean it now, so let’s just move on.”

“I’d like that.” Draco sighed loudly. “I’d like to put everything with the trial and him behind me, now. I never want to think about Lucius again.”

Harry couldn’t help but notice that Draco had called his father by his first name, something he never did. Judging by the crease in Snape’s forehead, he had also noticed this change, and wasn’t entirely pleased by it. Snape didn’t comment, however.

“I agree it may be best for us to put this entire business behind us,” he said instead. “Unless, of course, the two of you have any further complaints to level with one another?”

Harry shook his head.  He couldn’t help but wonder why he hadn’t been punished for sneaking into the Ministry yet… unless, of course, this was Snape’s way of letting Harry know that he was sorry for how he’d acted after retrieving them from the Ministry without actually saying it. That certainly seemed like something he’d do. As Snape himself had said, everyone had handled the business with Lucius’ trial incorrectly…

“Well, I have about a dozen complaints I could level about him, but I suppose I ought to also say no for diplomacy’s sake,” Draco drawled. Harry shot a glare in his direction.

“And one last thing, Draco - do not meddle with Harry’s tracker again,” Snape said severely. “Despite what the two of you seem to think, it is not a mechanism for me to constantly stalk Harry. It is a failsafe in case the worst happens, and Sirius Black captures him. Never, ever destroy that again. This applies to both of you.”

Harry and Draco both nodded vigorously, each slightly alarmed by the seriousness of Snape’s expression. 

He nodded at them and rose to his feet. “Now, shall we relocate to the sitting room?”

Harry and Draco both sat in their usual places on the sofa, but Snape did not settle in his armchair. Instead, he paused next to Draco, then rested one hand on his forearm. Snape crouched slightly, so his face was level with Draco’s.

“What you have endured with your parents is an immense hardship,” he said softly, “but the media cycle will soon move on, and the spotlight will shift from your family name now, Draco. You can start to rebuild your life, and Harry and I will be here with you every step of the way.”

Snape’s eyes darted from Draco’s face to Harry’s, so he made sure to vigorously nod his agreement. “No matter how much of a pain in the arse you can be, you’re my brother now, Draco. You’re stuck with me.”

Draco’s throat bobbed, and Harry noticed a slightly glossy quality to his grey eyes. He gave them both a jerky nod and stared hard at the floor.

It was strange to watch Draco just then, because Harry felt some jealous quality in his mind shift slightly. A small part of him had always resented Draco for his happy childhood, for the fact that he’d grown up loved, when Harry hadn’t. Now, though, Harry could understand a little more that having bad parents still who loved you could hurt in ways that the Dursleys had never managed with their outright hatred and scorn. At the very least, Harry had never expected anything of his aunt and uncle. To love your parents so fiercely, but to be so disappointed by their actions must hold a sting in ways Harry would never truly know. 

Snape rose back to his full height, determined. “As I said earlier, we are a family, and we are going to act like one. Both of you need to start understanding this! We may fight, or have disagreements, but in the end, we will come back together and forgive each other. No matter what happens, I am here for you both. There is nothing you can do to force me away, do you understand? No matter how angry I am with you, this relationship is not going to break down.”

Harry noticed Snape’s gaze resting on him, at this point, and ran his hands over his arms uncomfortably. He hated how often he needed Snape to reassure him of this point.

“Despite the fact that you did not choose these circumstances, I know the two of you have grown to care for one another,” Snape continued. “As you have said yourselves, you have become brothers, if not by blood. I can’t imagine a world where the two of you aren’t bickering over something, but remember at the end of the day that you two are both in this family together. Start acting like it.”

Harry and Draco both nodded, the latter looking rather shame-faced.

“We are a family,” Snape repeated. “No matter what.”

“No matter what,” Harry and Draco both echoed. Harry looked between him and Snape, a small smile curling at his lips. No matter what - it was a good thing to hear aloud.

And despite what Snape said about them not choosing these circumstances, or each other, Harry still felt pretty glad that this was the way things had turned out for him.