Chapter 57 - Seeing the Obvious
Relieved and unwilling to think too long on why he was relieved, Harry hurried through the hallways, vaguely noting how empty the castle was - it would be several days yet before the students returned from holiday. He supposed though that the workmen would arrive tomorrow to begin working on the Quidditch Pitch. If the National tryouts were going to be in two weeks, they'd have to get started soon. Ron would be exited - but the possibility of an attack was too worrisome for Harry to truly look forward to the event.
He found Ron and Hermione sitting in the Great Hall with Ginny and surprisingly Draco. Charlie had to work during the day and Draco had grown bored by himself. He was currently playing chess against Ron while Ginny and Hermione looked on. Relations with Draco since his marriage had been odd. That very first conversation in potions class when Ron had welcomed Draco to the family had seemed to set the standard for the future relationship between Ron and Draco. Neither of them were comfortable with the trappings of true friendship - Ron still called Draco 'ferret' and Draco still called Ron 'weasel' and because of this all seemed right with both their worlds.
Draco and Ginny were polite to each other - though Harry suspected that had more to do with how a pureblood was expected to treat a female member of his family. But it was Hermione that Draco was really awkward around. He seemed to understand that she was considered a permanent fixture in the Weasley family, but he honestly didn't know how to behave around a Muggleborn. No doubt a lifetime of indoctrination that there was something wrong with Muggleborns was coloring his thoughts - and he really didn't know how to get past it. Hermione on the other hand was far more hesitant to simply put aside the insults she'd endured over the years - the word Mudblood still hung between them. Nevertheless they were both trying.
As for Harry and Draco - for whatever reason Draco seemed to have the least amount of problem accepting Harry into his life, which Harry found weird. But then he suspected the Slytherin had been raised to respect power, and like it or not Harry knew he was more powerful than his classmates.
All four of them looked up as Harry entered, each taking note of the outfit he was wearing. Normally they only saw him in his school uniform, and he always felt somewhat awkward when he stepped outside that image. Hermione and Ginny looked appreciatively at him, while Ron just looked vaguely wistful. Even Draco looked impresses by his appearance for he nodded his head at him in acknowledgment.
"How was. . ." Hermione began, but broke off suddenly, glancing briefly at Draco. They had not shared any news of Remus with the Slytherin.
"Everything's fine," Harry said simply as he sat down beside them. Ron, Hermione, and Ginny smiled in relief.
"Professor Lupin's been freed of all charges then?" Draco asked unexpectedly.
All four of them looked at him in surprise. He just sneered at the lot of them. "Please," he scoffed. "I do follow current events. I know his formal Inquiry was today - and it's not like I'm completely uninvolved in this issue."
"No," Hermione nodded in agreement. "Since it was your father who leveled the charges against him."
"Even so," Draco nodded, unperturbed by the accusation in her words. "So I take it everything is alright? He's been cleared?"
"He's been cleared," Harry agreed. "They had no choice but to drop all charges. I'm sure it will be all over the papers tomorrow."
Draco just nodded and moved one of his knights across the chessboard in front of him. "And Professor Lupin?" the blond boy asked. When no one answered him, he sighed and looked over at Harry. "He's alright, yes? I mean he's not. . .angry at me for anything, right?"
Understanding now what the Slytherin was asking, Harry nodded his head. No doubt Draco had heard enough of the story to be concerned that the possibility that he was to be married to Sirius Black might have sent a feral werewolf after his blood. "Remus is fine," Harry assured him. "And he's very happy for you and Charlie."
"Good," Draco stated with a satisfied nodded of his head, and then glared at Ron when his bishop smashed one of his pawns. Unlike Harry, Draco actually seemed to be capable of holding his own against Ron in a chess game. Typically five moves into a game, Harry's pieces started to moan and groan, ready to give up. Draco's chess pieces, on the other hand, were posing arrogantly and cheering each move.
"Hermione," Harry turned to his friend. "Do you know anything about the Wand Certification Act?" He thought about asking about the Pharaoh and the Shelong brothers, but decided he'd had enough romantic intrigue for the moment. But he did want to be more informed about the political situation. If the entire world was going to descend on Hogwarts in two weeks, he doubted he'd escape the questions of the press again.
Hermione nodded. "I read the proposition when it was first proposed. It's an attempt to certify all wands to specific manufacturing standards so that wand makers can't sell you shoddy workmanship."
"I can't imagine Ollivander selling shoddy wands," Harry mused.
"Ollivander is a top of the line wand maker, Harry," Ginny told him. "He's not the only wand maker around. Mum and Dad had to save up for ages to buy each of us wands at Ollivanders."
Harry frowned at that, remembering how in second year Ron had to work all year with a broken wand because his family could not afford to replace it. And all of Ginny's books were hand-me-downs from Ron. He half expected Draco to say something disparaging about the Weasley's financial situation, but for once the boy stayed quiet.
"So that's it?" Harry asked. "It's about standardizing wands?" Harry couldn't for the life of him figure out why anyone would care what he thought about such a thing - it was like asking him what he thought about the regulations on the thickness of cauldron bottoms. What did it matter?
"That's it," Hermione agreed.
But at this, Draco snorted in amusement, drawing all their attention. "That's not what it's about," he told all of them.
Hermione glared at him. "I read the Act myself," she informed him. "You remember, Ron. You read it too?"
Ron looked perplexed. "I did?"
Hermione sighed in exasperation. "Honestly! It was in the paper."
Ron glanced over at Harry and just shrugged. Just because it was in the paper didn't mean either of them had read it. "Must not have been in the sports section," he remarked and Harry grinned at the comment. Ginny rolled her eyes in amusement, but Hermione looked quite put out.
"You may have read the Act but you didn't read between the lines," Draco told Hermione. "It specifically said it was about regulating all 'wands and wand-like items' to basic Ministry standards."
"So?" Hermione asked.
"Wand-like items can mean anything," Draco informed her. "It's purposely vague so that it can be interpreted anyway the Ministry wants to interpret it. The Act isn't about regulating wands; it's about controlling all magical artifacts. If that Act passes not only can the Ministry control who does and does not make or purchase wands, but they can also confiscate or impose fines on any magical artifact in England. That means that commoners will no longer be able to make their own family wands or staffs. And they can take away every enchanted teapot or singing doorknob or talking clock from all the Squibs living amongst Muggles. Even Hagrid's dubious umbrella will be scrutinized."
Hermione looked horrified by the notion and Harry found himself frowning in confusion. "Wait a minute - commoners?"
Draco just shrugged and waved his hand vaguely. "You know - common people. Average Wizards and Witches. People who don't go to Hogwarts. The little people."
"You mean the majority of the Wizarding World?" Harry clarified. It was great that the Slytherin was at least attempting to be nice - but there was no mistaking the prejudice that was strongly engrained into him.
"Right," Draco nodded. "Them. Most of them don't have enough magic to bother with real wands, so some of them make family wands. They're enchanted to do very specific tasks instead of spells in general. Many of them have been passed down from one generation to the next. They're like folk-charms. I've even seen a couple of homemade brooms. All of those could be taxed, fined or confiscated under this new law."
"You mean like my Aunt Mildred's quilts?" Ron asked perplexed. "They all have warming charms on them."
Draco thought about that a moment and nodded. "Yes, they could impose an ownership tax on any item like that."
"Or Mrs. Figg's teapot," Harry mused out loud. He hadn't known when he was younger that Mrs. Figg had been a Squib, but he remembered now that she had a teapot that always stayed hot and never ran out of water.
"But that's horrible!" Hermione protested. "Are you certain that is the intention?"
Draco just looked at her in confusion. "What would be the point in proposing such a law if that wasn't the intention? Certifying wands would just be stupid. A wand either works for you or it doesn't. You don't need the government to certify it."
"Do you support this law?" Hermione demanded.
"Of course not," Draco looked outraged at the very suggestion. "Do you have any idea how many items I own that could be taxed under this new regulation? It will get overturned when it comes up for a vote. Most people can see right through it."
Hermione looked offended by that last comment, her cheeks flushing at the insult. Draco just sighed. "Look," he said placatingly. "My father is an expert on Wizarding Law. I grew up with this stuff. I know what to expect. You don't. You Gryffindors always take things at face value - you never look for the angle."
Somewhat appeased, Hermione fell silent. She glanced over at Harry who just smiled encouragingly at her. At least Draco was trying - in his own Slytherin way. Married to Severus, Harry had grown used to the backhanded compliments.
"What about the Alliance Precedence Act?" Harry asked them. "Either of you know anything about that?"
"It's an attempt to reform family marriage laws," Draco replied after a quick glance at Hermione to see if she was going to answer. When she stayed silent he continued. "Minister Fudge is attempting to document past family alliances, and base current alliances on those old standards. Right now any Head of House can change or abolish a family Conscriptus, like the way the Weasleys did. But if this new law passes you will have to first prove a historical precedence before you can change your Conscriptus. Take the Blacks for example."
"What about them?" Harry asked defensively. He wasn't certain if Draco was aware of how close he was to Sirius.
"They are a Dark family," Draco explained, only to be cut off by loud protests from Harry, Hermione, and both Weasleys.
Draco held up his hands in surrender. "I meant traditionally. They've traditionally been Dark - I mean have you seen Bellatrix?"
"Sirius isn't dark," Harry grumbled, not liking the idea at all.
"Yes, and he's considered the black sheep of the family - no pun intended," Draco reminded him. "Based on historical precedence, under the new law, the Blacks would only be able to accept alliances from other Dark families. Even the Head of House would not be able to change the Conscriptus without first proving that there is a historical precedence for it. Other families will be forced to reinstate them. The law is supposed to preserve our heritage."
"Is that likely to pass?" Harry asked apprehensively, already seeing trouble on the horizon for a lot of different people.
Draco shrugged at that. "Hard to say. On one hand there are a lot of old pureblood families who would like to see a return to some of the old ways. On the other hand it also takes away an important power of the Head of House, and no one likes that idea. Someone may propose a milder version of the law which might pass. Or maybe someone in the spot light will speak out against it and we won't have worry about it anymore."
Though he spoke that last statement extremely mildly, Harry could hear the rather pointed insinuation in the Slytherin's words. He stared at him for a long moment trying to figure out if he was serious. Finally Harry just sighed and folded his arms on the table, dropping his head down on top of them. "I hate my life," he mumbled.
"Really, Potter," Draco sighed as he moved his queen across the board and checkmated Ron's king. "You Gryffindors just don't know a good opportunity when you see it."
The following morning Severus sat in his armchair near his fireplace as he quietly read the paper. As he had guessed, the photo of him and Harry had taken center stage. While the headline proclaimed the cure for Lycanthropy, the main article was about the rather heated kiss between the Hero of the Wizarding World and his bondmate as witnessed by several reporters from the Daily Prophet. Photographs of Albus and Lupin, along with the full explanation of the Lycanthropy cure and the trial transcripts were lower down on the page.
Severus smiled in satisfaction at the photo - he'd been right, Harry did look perfect. In fact the two of them together were rather striking, even if he did say so himself. And as he had predicted all speculation about the Pharaoh and the Shelong brothers were nothing more than rumors printed on the back pages of the paper. No mention at all of his previous relationship with Andre appeared, leaving him to believe that Andre had held his tongue. Perhaps he had realized that such gossip might turn the Wizarding World away from him - after all who wanted to incur the wrath of the Boy Who Lived?
Seeing that kiss replayed in the photo, reminded Severus sharply of the other events of yesterday. When Harry had grabbed his wrist he had been genuinely shocked - not so much because the boy had grabbed him, but because of what it signified. It had been the first overt sign of possessiveness Harry had ever displayed. He doubted the boy himself knew why he had done what he'd done - but Severus had not missed the expression on the boy's face. He'd wanted to confirm absolutely that Severus was not going to go meet Andre.
Possessiveness, Severus mused. The boy might have no clue at all what his feelings for Severus were, but it was clear that he was afraid of something or someone disrupting his family. But was the boy simply so starved for affection that he would have accepted anyone, or did he have genuine feelings for Severus? The reality was, all Gryffindors were territorial - it didn't necessarily mean anything significant.
But what if it did?
Severus stared thoughtfully down at the picture. Harry would be seventeen in only a handful of months - a full adult by every definition of the word. So many things were possible then. The boy might realize that he no longer needed to be married to keep the Ministry from interfering in his life - and while divorce was unlikely, if their marriage had not been consummated by then, annulment was a very real possibility. If Harry asked for an annulment, what was he going to do?
But what if he didn't, Severus asked himself. What if the boy was already attached enough to him that he would not accept a severing of their family? More than once Harry had spoken of family - had insisted that that was what the two of them were. And if he was now also showing typical Gryffindor territorial instincts, was become possessive of him, jealous even, then perhaps that seventeen-year milestone would come and go without any disruption to either of their lives.
Certainly Severus could take matters into his own hands. The idea of an outright seduction went against his conscience - there was too much innocence to corrupt in the boy, too much opportunity for betrayal if the boy realized what he was doing and why he was doing it. But what about a simple romance - a courtship per say? Certainly no one could fault him for that - and it would likely appeal to the Gryffindor sense of the absurd; they called it a sense of the romantic of course.
Problem was, as a Slytherin, and a rather cynical, bitter, withdrawn one at that, Severus had no idea how to go about such a courtship. Flowers, he wondered. Candy? Poetry? He sneered at the thought. Some flowers were good for potion ingredients of course, so he could see the value in that. But candy - reminded him too much of the Headmaster and his blasted lemon-drops. And poetry - the boy was a Gryffindor; they were barely literate as it was.
Severus sighed and he lightly traced the shape of Harry in the photo. He'd have to frame this one - it really was good quality even if it had been shot through Press Wards.
The flare of his fireplace startled him as green flames erupted from the floo, and he stood up quickly as a moment later Sirius Black came tumbling out, gripping a copy of the Daily Prophet in his fist. The man moved fluidly to his feet, waving the paper in the air as he turned on Severus, eyes blazing with fury. Severus' hand moved instinctively toward his wand.
"Snape! What is the meaning of this!" the man shouted at him. "I told you if you touched him-"
But before Sirius could complete his tirade the door to the bedroom slammed open and Harry came rushing out, fully clothed but his hair still damp from the shower. "Sirius!" Harry shouted, rushing to their side and grabbing hold of his godfather's arm. "Calm down! What's wrong?"
Severus backed away as Sirius turned toward Harry. He suspected Harry had seen him discretely pull his wand from his sleeve for the boy shot him a warning look. Damn! Why wasn't he allowed to curse Black any more? There were certain disadvantages to being married that he hadn't considered.
"This is what's wrong!" Sirius shouted, waving the paper in front of Harry.
Exasperated, Harry grabbed the paper out of his hand, still maintaining his grip on Sirius' arm with the other hand. He glanced down at the front page of the paper, seeing the same image Severus had been admiring only moments ago. Severus took sharp notice of the color that touched the boy's cheeks. And then the boy did something that shocked the hell out of him - he lied to his godfather.
"Sirius," Harry sighed. "You didn't look closely enough at the picture. He didn't kiss me. I kissed him."
The look of utter shock on Black's face was almost enough to make up for every insult the man had ever thrown at him. Severus couldn't fight the faint smirk that touched his lips, though he tried to maintain a straight face.
"What?" Black shrieked, his voice cracking. "Why?"
The look Harry gave him was remarkably guileless. "To thank him for curing Remus," he said simply.
Severus was quite impressed with how perfectly the boy manipulated his godfather with that one simple statement, for of course the response took the wind entirely out of Black's sails. He just stared at Harry for a moment in disbelief. "You didn't have to do that," he said finally.
Harry blinked at him, looking vaguely confused. "Didn't have to thank him?"
"Didn't have to kiss him!" Black exclaimed.
Harry just shrugged sheepishly and smiled at the man. "Spur of the moment impulse," he explained. "You thanked him, didn't you?"
Black's eyes widened in shock. "I didn't kiss him!"
"Thank Merlin for that," Severus added - though he had to admit, Black and Lupin both had thanked him, and quite sincerely. Harry threw Severus a look that spoke volumes, urging him to keep out of this conversation.
"Well, I did," the boy replied. "So don't go blaming him. Everything is fine." He tugged on Black's arm, urging him back toward the floo. Surprisingly Black made no effort to stop him. "Now you better go back to Remus before he panics and thinks you're down here murdering Severus. The last thing you need to do is get in more trouble before we can clear you of your current trouble. And you know how Remus worries."
It seemed as if it were exactly the right thing to say to Black, for he looked suddenly guilty as he glanced back at the fire. No doubt he had left Lupin without any explanation at all. He didn't even protest when Harry tossed more floo powder into the fire and shoved him through, assuring him once more that everything was as it should be.
Thoroughly impressed with the way Harry had just manipulated the situation he could only stare at the boy in amusement. But the look on Harry's face when he turned back toward him, unsettled him. Harry looked profoundly unhappy.
"I guess you're not the only one who can move pieces on a chess board," the boy told him, and Severus was reminded sharply of the expression on his face yesterday just before he'd kissed him. The boy did not like being part of this manipulation - liked it even less that an action that should be considered intimate was little more than a calculated move.
"Harry," Severus sighed, wishing he knew the right words to appease the boy.
But once again Harry just shook his head, dismissing what he might say. It was a defensive mechanism, Severus knew. "I'm going to go see Ron and Hermione," he informed Severus and headed swiftly toward the door.
Damn it! Severus really had no idea at all how to deal with this situation. Emotions - at least the tender ones - had never been his strong suit. "Don't get into any trouble," he called out after the boy, and the immediately berated himself for saying such a foolish thing. It was likely that the boy would take that as a criticism, which was the last thing he wanted.
Surprisingly, Harry paused at the door before opening it, turning halfway around as if hesitant to say what was on his mind. "I. . .what are you going to do today?"
The tone, the expression, the uneasy look in those green eyes were exactly the same as yesterday when he'd grabbed Severus' wrist in the hallway. This at least Severus could fix - could set the boy's mind at ease.
"I am not going to go see Andre, if that is what you're asking. I haven't seen him or anyone else since we got married."
Several emotions flickered across Harry's face, so fast Severus was not certain what they were. Finally the boy just sighed heavily as if a weight had settled upon him that he did not wish to carry. "I don't really have the right to complain, do I?" he asked softly, and the color high in his cheeks was more shame now than embarrassment.
Severus couldn't help but wonder how often he'd been abused by the Dursleys for even hinting that he might care about what any of them were doing, or showing any interest at all in their lives. Certainly as a young child he must have wanted to join them for family events or be included in the bonding moments all families shared - and just as certainly he would have been not only denied but punished for even wishing it.
"Yes, you do," Severus assured him firmly, wanting to clear this up right now. "We're married. You have the right to expect certain things from me. If I expect fidelity from you, you have the right to expect it from me as well." There had been a time when he'd thought he could stand aside and look the other way if Harry ever showed an interest in someone else, but that time had long passed.
"Do you?" the boy asked. "Expect fidelity from me?"
Wanting to be utterly clear on the subject, Severus took several steps toward the boy. "Yes," he growled, knowing he looked menacing and not caring at the moment. "That means no Brown, no Patil sisters, no Pharaoh, no Shelong brothers!"
The shame vanished, as he'd hoped it would, replaced now with outrage. "I don't even know them!" he protested. "And Lavender and Parvati weren't serious - they weren't throwing passes!"
"Maybe not the Patil girl," Severus conceded, though he doubted that as well. "But the Brown girl would bed you in an instant."
Harry's eyes flashed in shock. "I have no intention of letting anyone bed me any time soon!"
Severus was fairly certain that once again the boy had spoken without really thinking about what it was he was saying - for a moment later he seemed to realize what his words had meant and his face turned red. He looked utterly mortified. Severus couldn't help but want to tease him.
"Don't tell me you are considering Black's crazy idea about entering a monastery?" he mocked. The reality was he didn't want to think too hard on the idea of 'bedding' the boy - he could imagine it all too clearly, even if Harry could not.
Mortification turned instantly to shock. "You know about that?" Harry asked in surprise.
Severus just sighed and crossed swiftly across the room toward a sideboard. Opening a drawer he pulled out a handful of colorful, glossy papers and waved them at Harry. "Gifts from Black," he explained. "He's quite vocal on the subject."
Baffled, Harry came forward and took the pamphlets from him, reading the titles of the various monasteries advertised in the pages. There was even a rather humorous pamphlet titled "So You Want To Be A Monk".
"Wizarding monasteries?" Harry frowned, his interest apparent as he leafed through the various pages. "Wizards are Christian?" He sounded utterly confused, as he frequently was about Wizarding Society.
Severus just rolled his eyes in exasperation. "The monastic life has been around a lot longer than Christianity," he explained. Seeing Harry's attention caught by the words in the pamphlets, he reached over and snatched them out of boy's hands, tossing them back into the drawer to be disposed of later. "I have no intention of letting you enter a monastery!" he informed Harry when he protested the action.
That Gryffindor cheekiness returned full force. "Why not?" the boy demanded challengingly, though there was enough of a grin on his face that Severus knew he was joking. "Maybe I'd like it?"
But joking or not, Severus knew that if the public got even a hint of Harry's interest - real or imagined - there would be enough religious groups coming forward to urge him into a life of seclusion that it might be a very real threat. "You are not meant for a monastery," Severus told him firmly. He wasn't about to deal with request from religious orders on top of proposals from foreign heads of state.
But there was still a flash of challenge in Harry's green eyes. "How do you know?"
This, Severus could answer, and quite definitively. The boy might not know what he was feeling, but there was no mistaking the way his body reacted when touched. He caught hold of Harry's chin, tilting his face up, before claiming his lips in a firm kiss. The boy gasped in surprise, and Severus pressed his advantage, deepening the kiss and tasting the mouth he was quickly becoming addicted to. His blood stirred to life, his body reacting with greed, and need, and a swift burning hunger that made it almost impossible for him to stop himself from pushing this beyond a simple kiss. Or not so simple - for he felt the boy shiver suddenly and respond hesitantly, moaning softly when Severus moved his mouth hungrily against his own. Once again the sensation of Harry's too-powerful magic washed over him.
When he drew back, the boy was flushed and wide-eyed, but this time there was no look of wounded resignation in his eyes. "You are not meant for a monastery," Severus purred softly, and saw the effect his voice had on the boy as his breath caught in his throat. "Now go see your friends before I forget myself."
Harry's eyes widened at that admission, and a moment later he bolted out the door in a very un-Gryffindor-like manner. It was all Severus could do not to laugh out loud - perhaps he wasn't so bad at the romance-nonsense after all. For the first time he felt there might actually be hope for. . .something. . .between them. He'd long ago resigned himself to the fact that he'd take whatever he could get.