The Iridescent Conclusion

After an uneventful train journey, Ron and Hermione made their way up the various staircases, past the portrait of the fat lady and chattered happily with the others as they moved across the common room towards the stairs to the dormitories.

“I’ll go dump my stuff and then I’ll be back,” Ron said with a smile. “Get the chess pieces ready and we’ll have a game before dinner.”

Upon reaching the dormitory door, however, he found Dean in a very one-sided argument with Draco Malfoy.

“Ugh! What are you doing here, Malfoy?” Ron demanded, “What, not made it up with Harry yet? Or are you up here snooping about for some of his stuff? It’s all gone! It all went down to Snape’s -!” Ron stopped mid-tirade and stared past the Slytherin’s shoulder.

“’Lo, Ron,” Harry greeted him in a tone of abject misery. He was sitting on his old bed; knees drawn up to his chest and arms wrapped tightly around his shins. “Don’t mind me; I won’t get in your way. Draco, let them in.”

With a little curl of his lip, Draco stepped coolly aside and watched as Dean and Ron carried in their bags. The atmosphere was charged and it seemed that Dean couldn’t get out fast enough; leaving Ron to stand by his bed and look curiously at Harry.

“What’s going on?” he asked finally. His tone was neutral, without heat or rancour, but his eyes were cool as he gazed appraisingly at Harry.

In response, Harry shrugged and shook his head, staring at the bed beneath him. Ron was about to make a disparaging remark but halted as Harry gave a sniff and tucked his chin further in towards his chest.

At the same moment, the dormitory door opened again, admitting Neville and Hermione, looking extremely curious.

“Hey, Dean said that – oh!” she stopped and took in the tableau of Harry sitting hunched and miserable, Ron looking shocked and uncertain and Draco standing silent guard. In a second, she headed straight over to Harry’s bed.

“Harry, what’s happened?” she asked immediately, using the same soft and gentle voice that one would use with a frightened child. The result was Harry suddenly letting go and starting to cry.

It seemed that he no longer felt any shame in crying and even let Hermione pull him towards her until his head came to rest in her lap. Looking around desperately, she fixed on Draco and asked what had happened.

As Neville made his stammered apologies and left the room, Draco took a look at Harry’s distraught expression and then started to explain; writing the words on a pad with the use of his wand. He began by telling them that there was a huge misunderstanding, that Sirius and Lupin had mistakenly thought that Harry and Severus were lovers but then, at a silent word from Harry, he finally told the whole truth. He told them everything, from Severus being abducted, to Harry and Draco rescuing him, the truth about Harry and Severus, Sirius’ return from the dead and then all about the new rules and -

“You and Snape?” Ron gaped at Harry, unable to process any other information. “Bloody hell and Dumbledore fell for his story?” At a glare from Hermione, he then gave himself a shake and said, “Um…yeah. Well, anyway, you’re back up here with us then?”

Harry sniffed and nodded, pushing himself back upright and accepting a tissue from Hermione.

“I meant…what I said just now,” he began in a subdued voice, “I won’t get in your way. I understand that I’ve been... well, a complete bastard... so don’t feel that... I mean... ” he floundered to a stop and then shrugged.

“Harry,” Hermione said gently, “we’re your friends. We’re here for you.” She looked at Ron then, perhaps about to nudge him into agreeing but Ron was already reinforcing her message with a friendly smile and sincere eyes.

“S’right,” he shrugged, allowing all their disagreements and angry exchanges to drop, apparently forgiven. “We’ll have a laugh!”

Draco rolled his eyes and shook his head a little. ‘Gryffindors,’ he wrote, ‘you fight for bloody months on end and then suddenly it’s all forgotten? You go back to being best mates, just like that?’

“Just like that,” Ron replied simply with a little smile. There was a slight tightness around his eyes, however, that suggested that some things weren’t quite forgotten completely but evidently there was no way that he could maintain his anger and disdain in the face of Harry’s grief.

Draco shook his head again but made no further comments; perhaps content that his former lover would find peace and companionship when he, Draco, rejoined his Slytherin contemporaries.

*~*~*

‘You’ll be okay?’ Draco asked later. Hermione and Ron had gone back downstairs to give the two young men some privacy and they’d remained, close and occasionally embracing.

‘I’ll live,’ Harry responded, not really answering the question.

‘I’ll see you for breakfast, though,’ Draco said, sounding positive.

Harry shook his head, however. ‘You can’t ignore Greg. What he must think – you’ve been up here with me for most of this past week…’

‘Hmm... yeah,’ Draco shrugged, looking thoughtful.

“And I’ll be okay with Ron and Hermione,” Harry said aloud, hearing footsteps on the stairs.

‘All right, but if you need me, just call me. I’ll drop everything...’ Draco promised, ‘And I’ll see you in Potions with Severus? It’ll be fine – I’ll make sure you two can talk after the lesson.’

Talk. Harry shook his head; what did they have to talk about?

‘Stop that,’ Draco rebuked as the footsteps drew nearer. ‘He loves you, you know that. As do I.’ And just as the door opened to admit Ron, Dean and Neville, so Draco pressed a swift kiss upon Harry’s lips.

The expression he wore as he passed the boys was of regal indifference; as if he cared nothing that they’d just witnessed such a display of affection. It was enough to raise just a tiny smile on Harry’s face.

*~*~*

By Wednesday, Harry didn’t think he could even remember how to smile or what smiling even felt like.

It had been a trying few days – not even a week of normal studies – and already Harry was prepared to throw in the towel and call it quits.

Dumbledore had summoned him once again, last night, and had tried to apologise for the Minister’s heavy-handed approach. However, as the Headmaster was pretty much unable to prevent Fudge from doing anything, such apologies were next to worthless. It seemed that Harry had only one choice: remain at Hogwarts and behave himself.

He wanted to talk with Draco; not silent, telepathic communication but the sort that involved a friendly hug and a sympathetic ear. However, Draco seemed to have Goyle permanently joined to his hip and the scowls coming his way from the heavily built Slytherin were none too encouraging.

On top of that, the Potions lesson had been a disaster: nothing went right, the potion was a failure and all he could think of was Severus and wanting him back.

And Sirius was still in the castle with Remus. Occasionally, Harry saw him in the corridors and Sirius was always in the Great Hall for mealtimes. He went pale with remembered pain and anger whenever he saw Harry and this left Harry feeling guilty and resentful.

‘What does he want me to do?’ he demanded of Draco silently from across the Hall on Wednesday evening. ‘I told him to get stuffed but he’s still hanging around, looking like a kicked puppy!’

‘Perhaps he misses you too,’ Draco suggested mildly, giving Goyle a quick glance and trying not to look straight across at Harry.

‘Too?’ Harry repeated, ‘As in you miss me?’

‘And Severus.’

‘Severus doesn’t miss me,’ Harry sulked, ‘Severus thinks I’m a moron.’

‘Professor Snape,’ Severus cut in coolly, ‘thinks you should concentrate more on your school work.’

Harry turned his head slowly to regard the Potions master at the teacher’s table. ‘Sir,’ he returned curtly and then caught Draco’s eye with a ‘told-you-so’ expression.

He rubbed then at his temples and winced, even as Ron and Hermione continued to have their slightly argumentative conversation beside him.

‘Have you been to see Pomfrey about those headaches yet?’ Draco asked, watching him with Goyle looking annoyed beside him.

‘No, because I know what’s causing them and there isn’t anything she can do.’ Harry countered. Up on the teacher’s table, Snape was rubbing wearily at his forehead. ‘I need to be in physical contact with you and Severus,’ he went on, ‘and as that’s not possible, I’ll just have to get used to it.’

*~*~*

The pain didn’t go away though and, by Thursday afternoon, the pain had reached the point where Harry was ready to throw up. He was in Advanced Charms and whilst the rest of the class seemed to be having a good deal of success with Transparency Charms, Harry couldn’t seem to clear his head long enough to form the spell.

“Mr Potter, just try once more for me,” Professor Flitwick requested, standing in front of Harry’s desk.

Harry drew a sigh, lifted his tender head from his hands and attempted to focus, drawing the spell in his head.

“Evanecens!” He pronounced forcefully, bringing his wand around and down towards his own chest. A sick swoop of nausea sent his stomach into a somersault but other than that, nothing happened.

“Again?” pleaded the professor with a hopeful smile.

Harry started to nod but at a particularly painful stab within his head, he changed his mind. Instead, he opened his mouth to explain that he felt bad but it seemed that even that was too much.

‘Harry?’ Tuned in from right across the castle in Transfigurations, Draco had evidently picked up on his current state.

‘I’m okay,’ he sent the thought back and then swayed in his chair.

Professor Flitwick rushed to his side, calling on several of Harry’s classmates to assist him. Really, Harry thought, if I fall out of my chair, I’ll squash him.

‘You’re not okay!’ Draco argued impatiently. ‘Hang on, I’m coming!’

‘Draco, stay where you are! Minerva would skin you alive if you attempted to run out of her classroom,’ Snape’s voice chided. He too seemed to have been monitoring Harry’s state of health. ‘Harry, tell them you need to go to the Hospital Wing. I’ll let Madam Pomfrey know you’re coming.’

Speech, however, was something that Harry was having real trouble with. He managed to mumble the words, “Need…to…” but couldn’t seem to form the rest of the sentence.

“Harry? Harry, what’s wrong?” Hermione’s hands were cool upon his forehead and the back of his neck and suddenly there was no strength in his torso to hold him upright.

Falling sideways out of his chair, Harry felt a swift Levitation charm from Professor Flitwick to keep him from striking his head on the floor. After that, his surroundings appeared to have been cast in black and white and no one was making any sense.

Pain flooded his senses and at some point – he didn’t know when – he threw up and then cried with the pain that such an action fired through his skull.

“Harry! Here, clear some space please! Let me through!” Madam Pomfrey chivvied everyone out of her way and stooped by Harry’s side.

“…was going to bring him to you, Poppy...” Professor Flitwick’s voice advised nearby, “...didn’t like to move him...”

The rest of the little professor’s words were lost, however, and Harry felt himself sinking lower into darkness. The pain wasn’t diminishing at all; it seemed to build as people came and went. Someone cast a cleaning charm on the floor by his face and when Madam Pomfrey cast some form of Reviving spell over him, he actually screamed and attempted to push himself away from the magic.

“Wait!” A painfully familiar voice commanded and Harry struggled to open his eyes. “Harry,”

Severus was with him. Crouched with his voluminous robes swirling slightly from the hurried dash from the dungeons, Severus reached out a pale, long-fingered hand and cupped Harry’s head.

“Oh!” The sudden, merciful relief drew a startled gasp from Harry’s chest and he swallowed hard to keep the tears from flowing. Looking up into Snape’s face, he saw then that the Potions master too had been suffering a similar pain.

‘Not nearly so bad as yours, though,’ Severus murmured within his head. Aloud, he asked, “Can you sit up?”

Harry didn’t think that was such a good idea and shook his head slightly. And when Severus made to remove his hand, he whimpered and reached up to catch at the man’s arm.

“Severus, what’s this all about?” Professor Flitwick asked, staring with puzzled concern to where his often irascible colleague was knelt, cradling Harry in his arms.

“I’ll explain later,” Madam Pomfrey told him quietly and then added to Snape, “Professor, when you think Mr Potter can be moved, perhaps you could bring him to the Hospital Wing?”

“Certainly, Madam Pomfrey,” Severus replied courteously. His eyes were locked the entire time with Harry’s gaze. They communicated little, although Severus shared in his former lover’s relief from the pain. It was, however, extremely confusing to hold him like this.

‘I love you. Still.’ Harry murmured silently and then winced as Severus’ eyes shifted away.

“If you can’t walk,” Severus said very softly a few minutes later, “I’ll carry you.”

“In front of everyone?” Harry raised his eyebrows, “What will people think?”

But apparently Severus didn’t care what anyone thought right then for he scooped Harry up into his arms and stood, moving slowly and cautiously under Harry’s weight.

‘You were a lot lighter, the last time I carried you,’ he noted and then headed out into the corridor to where Draco was hurrying towards them.

“Well, I’d been practically starved in the chambers beneath Malfoy Manor,” Harry retorted in a soft murmur. “What would you expect?”

*~*~*

At nearly ten o’ clock that evening, Harry was still in the Hospital Wing and was growing steadily more fed up as time went on.

“What are they arguing about now?” Ron demanded, staring over his shoulder to where Snape, Dumbledore, Sirius and Remus stood before Madam Pomfrey.

“They all want what’s best for Harry,” Hermione supplied and then flashed a sweet smile for Harry. “It’s just a shame that they can’t all decide on the same course of action.”

“Why don’t they let me decide what’s best?” Harry asked moodily. He glanced then at Draco as the blond Slytherin shook his head and replied,

‘Because you’d decide that your only option would be to move back in with Sev and that’s just not going to happen.’

“So let me get this straight,” Ron said then, looking once more at Harry. “Because of some spell that you, Malfoy and Snape cast between you,” he ignored Draco’s little scowl, “you have to be in close proximity to both of them or you get headaches. Why?”

“Dunno,” Harry shook his head. “But if I can’t be with both of them, I have to be with Sev and I have to be close enough to touch.”

“It is so weird when you call him Sev,” Ron grimaced but Hermione interrupted him.

“So it doesn’t work the other way around?” she frowned, trying to understand, “I mean, Draco touching you wasn’t enough was it?”

Harry shook his head and looked over to where Severus had suddenly glanced at him.

“The other thing is Draco and Sev can feel my emotions but I can’t feel theirs. I pick up some because I can share their thoughts a lot of the time, but it isn’t the same.” Harry supplied.

Hermione frowned for a moment and then chewed thoughtfully at her lip.

“Uh-oh! I know that look,” Ron groaned from beside her. “Hold onto your hair, Harry, she’s thinking of something!”

“Shush, Ron.” Although she didn’t really look annoyed. “Harry, is there anything else? Have the three of you shared anything else unusual since casting the Nameless spell?”

For a moment, Harry lay still, thinking and then, glancing at Draco, he shook his head.

‘There was the moment when we put on the rings from the Legion Device.’ Draco prompted silently.

‘Yeah,’ Harry returned, glancing at him again, ‘but I can hardly tell Ron and Hermione that you, Sev and I took part in a snog-fest on Sev’s bed, can I?’

‘Oh, I don’t know.’ Draco smirked, ‘It’d be quite amusing to watch Weasley’s head explode!’ And a stray thought added that he quite liked the term ‘snog-fest’.

“Oh yes, and you’d just love that, wouldn’t you, Snape!” Sirius’ voice carried suddenly from the far end of the room. “It wouldn’t surprise me if this was all instigated by you in the first place. You deliberately arranged for Harry and Draco to be irreversibly linked to you just so that -”

“Sirius, that is quite enough, thank you!” Dumbledore interrupted before Snape could respond with a hex or even a well-placed punch on the jaw.

‘Er... no,’ Harry said silently to Draco, ‘I don’t think we should mention the Legion Device at all.’

Draco smirked but said nothing.

“What’s Sirius doing here anyway?” Harry murmured aloud then, glaring at his godfather.

“Well, Harry,” Hermione looked uncomfortable, “he’s your godfather; he cares about you.”

Harry shifted, sliding down his banked pillow and looking petulant. At the far end of the room, the argument between Severus and Sirius had reduced to snide, acidic hisses and murmurs.

“Gentlemen, this is getting us nowhere,” Dumbledore announced finally. He exchanged a long look with Madam Pomfrey and Remus before finally turning to include Harry as he spoke again. “For the time being, Harry needs regular contact with both Draco and Severus. This can’t continue indefinitely, as we’ve already established but until we find a solution, I feel that if Harry is to remain in the Hospital wing -”

“At least for tonight,” Madam Pomfrey interjected.

“Then Severus and Draco should stay also.”

“What?” Sirius exclaimed, “Albus, I’m sorry but, given the man’s recent track record, you can’t seriously be considering letting Snape remain in such close proximity with Harry?”

“You have a better suggestion, Sirius?” Dumbledore raised his eyebrows, “One that wouldn’t cause further harm to Harry?”

“And Severus,” Harry added, speaking up. “Sev’s been suffering this past week too. And he had headaches the same, before Christmas when,” he shot Draco an uncomfortable look, “when Draco left. It was quite by accident that we found that we could reduce one another’s pain.”

“Yeah, I’ll bet,” Sirius drawled, glowering at Severus. “And, Harry, quit calling him by his first name! To you, he’s Professor Snape. Not Severus and certainly not Sev.”

Harry opened his mouth to advise just what he thought about that but, at a glance from Dumbledore, he changed his mind.

“Sirius?” the Headmaster prompted then, “Do you have another suggestion?”

“No.” Harry’s godfather looked sulky and irritated.

“Then Severus and Draco will spend the night here with Harry.” Dumbledore concluded. “Therefore, whenever the headaches become too much, one or both of them will be on hand to help alleviate the pain.”

“And tomorrow?” Harry asked, drawing their attention towards him, “And over the weekend or however long the research will take?”

“Harry...” Sirius began, his tone stern.

“Let us take this one step at a time,” Dumbledore replied with a little smile. “Tomorrow, you can make as many trips down to visit with Professor Snape as you need during the course of the day,”

“And over the weekend?” Harry sat up a little, “Can’t I go back to my old room in Sev-Professor Snape’s quarters?”

“No.” Sirius answered shortly, looking cross. “If popping down to shake hands with Snape is all you need to get you through the day then that’s all you’ll do.”

“I think we already established that I have no intention of doing as you tell me, Sirius!” Harry snapped angrily.

Severus, however, stepped in very smoothly and addressed the Headmaster. “This sounds like a plan that should work well, Albus. If you’ll all excuse me, I’ll just go and collect a few personal belongings before retiring for the night.” And with a short inclination of the head, he strode out of the ward without once making eye contact with Harry.

*~*~*

“You sure you’re going to be okay?” Ron asked dubiously a short while later, looking to where Severus was no doubt getting changed behind a hospital screen.

“Hm... fine,” Harry murmured, not really sure just how he felt. It was good that the headache had gone but distressing that Severus was so keen to avoid spending much time alone with him.

‘Don’t judge him too harshly,’ Draco advised softly from the bed next to his.

“We’ll see you tomorrow for lessons?” Hermione asked before Harry could respond. She looked a little anxious and she plucked nervously as the sleeve of Ron’s robe.

“Yeah, provided Madam Pomfrey lets me out,” Harry replied. He forced a smile then, bidding his friends goodnight before turning to see if Severus had finished changing. Would he want to keep those screens around his bed all night?

“Harry?” Remus drew his attention then as he passed Harry’s bed. Across the ward, Sirius had paused by the double doors and looked back. “Sirius is only doing what he feels is best you know.”

Harry gave his former professor a look for a moment and then asked caustically, “You mean he feels it best to leap into the middle of my life after hardly any contact and destroy everything I hold dear?”

“No.” Remus replied curtly and Harry received a sobering impression of what the other side of this amiable man could look like. “And I think you’re maybe being a little melodramatic. I mean, he feels bad for not being a part of your life earlier. He wants to help you, support you, and protect you. And that’s why he feels that he had to intervene between whatever might have been going on between you and Professor Snape.”

“Whether I want him to protect me or not?” Harry lifted an eyebrow.

Remus sighed, though and shook his head. “He’s hurting, Harry. I don’t know what you said to him but he’s been grieving ever since. Add to that the fact that we buried a friend of ours today – a young man not much older than you – and perhaps you can see why he’s behaving the way he is.”

Without waiting for a response, Remus then turned away and walked with Sirius towards their guest quarters.

‘Have the world and his dog just about finished traipsing through the Hospital Wing yet?’ Severus asked suddenly, startling Harry. He still lurked behind his screen as if afraid of someone seeing him in pyjamas.

‘I knew I was right about them,’ Harry observed mildly, looking towards where Sirius and Remus had just left and not bothering to answer Severus’ question. Instead, he was now thinking of when he’d discussed Sirius and Remus’ relationship with Jenna.

‘Hm... heaven knows they were inseparable at school,’ Severus replied, finally drawing back the screen. ‘Sleep now, Harry, or you’ll be fit for nothing in the morning.’

*~*~*

It was inevitable, Severus thought much later, that Harry would want and possibly need something more than the occasional touch to stave off the headaches. More surprising though, was Draco’s wish for physical contact too.

At almost midnight, when Madam Pomfrey had gone to bed and left them alone, Harry had asked to be held. While he was trying to make a suitably gentle refusal, Draco had asked too. He’d denied them both of course; Albus would skin him alive if he found out – and, knowing Albus, he’d be keeping a close eye on all three of them.

So, with an unreadable expression, Draco slid out of his bed, padded barefoot across the wooden floor and slipped in beside Harry. And with a soft sigh, Harry turned his back to Severus and rolled into Draco’s open arms.

Severus sighed too and closed his eyes. He wasn’t tired, despite the lateness of the hour, and wished fervently for a glass of something smooth and warming to help him sleep. However, since the unfortunate evening when Albus had caught him drowning his pathetic sorrows, he’d vowed to go a bit easier on the whisky. And really, he thought, the Oban had been far too expensive to simply throw down the back of his throat!

From just across the way, he picked up the gentle murmur of thoughts between Harry and Draco. They were closer now, he suspected, than they’d ever been; even when they’d been partners.
Without tuning in to their conversation, he caught the edge of Harry asking Draco how he could go on like this. Draco, it seemed, didn’t have any answers though and simply hushed him into sleep.

Feeling Draco’s eyes upon his face, Severus deliberately turned away. He knew how much Harry was hurting, knew he was entirely responsible for that pain and such knowledge was almost impossible for him to bear. Except, he told himself firmly; this was for Harry’s safety. He didn’t trust anyone else to watch over Harry – with the possible exception of Albus but how long would the old man remain with them?
No, he knew he’d made the right decision – even if it was causing so much pain. If he was to leave Hogwarts, who knew what trouble Harry would get into.