MINE

Chapter Thirteen


Unknown to Harry, Severus, and Draco, they were closely watched during the next few weeks. Although Harry and Severus were careful, they sometimes were unable to hide their feelings in their met gazes. Harry was also seen coming out of Severus’s classroom late at night, after his many detentions, with a smile on his face and looking thoroughly debauched.

Reports were given to Voldemort on the activity of the two Slytherin’s and Harry. Reports on their classes, what they did outside of classes, who they talked with, and what they ate. Voldemort now had enough information to get his revenge on Severus, and kill Harry Potter once and for all.


~*~


Harry had just spent a pleasurable few hours in ‘detention’ with Lucius, Draco, and Severus in his mate’s private rooms, playing cards and enjoying the warmth of each other’s company. After the elder wizards were beaten repeatedly in cards by Draco and Harry, Lucius flooed to the mountain retreat, and Draco went to his rooms to work on some of his transfiguration assignment, by flooing through the fireplace also. Harry gave his mate a lingering kiss goodnight, then reluctantly left, after Severus gently nudged him out the door. He decided to wander down to the kitchens to get some fruit for a snack, and maybe some of those chocolate chip cookies that Draco and Hermione liked. He took his time, liking the quietness of the castle as everyone was readying themselves for bed, or doing last minute schoolwork for the following day.

He suddenly stopped, hearing a soft tread of feet behind him. He’d been aware of someone following him for a while now, but he was always with someone. He stealthily crept ahead and into the shadows, waving the flame of the torch out, down the hall. His feet stepped sideways, until his back was pressed into a tiny alcove. He wanted to see who has been spying on him.

“Where are you?” Was whispered, then a quiet spell to light the tip of a wand.

Harry’s eyes narrowed as he saw that it was Thomas Avery from Slytherin. He watched him come closer, the wand light brilliant in the darkened hall, then howled in pain as he slashed out his hand to knock the wand away from his face.

Thomas dropped his wand and cried out in pain as the slashes down the side of his face, neck, and chest flared to life, the blood seeping into his robes and shirt. He stepped back and looked to where he saw Potter, faintly seeing movement in the shadows before everything was still. He quickly picked up his wand and fled in the other direction, towards the infirmary.



Draco and Hermione were lounging back on the couch in their pajamas when they jumped up in surprised when the door slammed open, then closed. “Harry?” Draco worriedly said, hurrying over to his wide-eyed brother. “What happened?” He asked, seeing the blackened burns on the side of Harry’s face, neck, and one arm.

Hermione helped Draco sit Harry down on the couch, then looked on as Draco magicked Harry’s shirt off. She heard the fire roar to life in the fireplace, before Severus walked through the green flames into the room.

Severus immediately went to Harry, his shirt untucked and undone, as he was getting ready for bed, when his earring grew warm in his ear. He knelt in front of Harry and took his hand in his. “What happened Harry?” He softly asked, his thumb caressing the knuckles.

“I was being followed. Have been for a few weeks now. I wanted to see who it was, so I went into the shadows,” Harry replied, wincing in pain when he moved his neck.

“Who was it?” Hermione asked.

“Thomas Avery,” Harry replied. “I think I slashed him. I don’t know for sure. His wand was lit really bright, and he had it right in my face.”

“Draco, get the burn salve. The blue potion in my personal stores,” Severus instructed.

“And some pain reliever potion,” Harry added, reaching up to rub his aching forehead, then hissed in pain when his fingers rubbed against the burn.

Draco quickly flooed to Severus’s quarters, then came back to see Harry lying back on the couch, with Severus combing his fingers through Harry’s hair to calm him. “Is he going to be all right?” He worriedly asked, handing Harry the pain reliever potion, and Severus the salve.

Harry downed the potion. “Can’t you make this taste any better, Sev?” He grimaced.

“Prat,” Severus fondly said, pushing Harry to lie back down. “As you can hear, Harry will be fine. I’ll apply the salve to the burns, and they should be healed in a day or two,” he said, as he began to liberally soothe the salve over the burns on Harry’s face, chest, and arm.

Harry sighed in relief as the salve cooled his burning skin. He slowly drifted off to sleep, the feel of Severus’s hands soothing the burns, and Draco kneeling at his side, combing his fingers through his hair.

Severus cleaned his hands of the salve, and leaned down to kiss Harry’s unburned cheek. “He is to stay in his rooms tomorrow. I will let Albus know he’ll be missing classes. Apply the salve before your classes tomorrow,” he said, getting up, leaving the salve on the table.

“Will you be back?” Draco asked.

“Yes. Tomorrow, after the morning classes. I’m going down to the infirmary to see if Avery is there to find out what happened.”

After Severus left, Hermione lay a thin sheet over Harry’s lower body, after Draco transfigured Harry’s jeans to pajama bottoms. “You need to be careful Draco,” Hermione said. “If Harry was being followed, Severus and ourselves may have been too.”

“I will. Thanks Hermione,” Draco replied, then watched as Hermione gathered her books and went off to bed. He reached down to comb his fingers through Harry’s hair, smiling when Harry leaned into his touch. “Goodnight Harry,” he quietly said, before going off to his own bed.


~*~


Harry slowly woke up and shifted on the couch to get more comfortable, when the burns reminded him why he was on the couch in the first place. He winced in pain when he felt the skin tightening where the burns were on his face and neck. “Gods . . . why me?” He muttered to himself, laying flat on his back again.

“You just don’t have an easy life, do you?” A voice chuckled at his side.

Harry turned his head. “Dudley? What are you doing here?” He asked, trying to sit up.

Dudley reached out his hand to help Harry sit up. “Draco owled me and told me what happened, and . . . I wanted to see how you were doing.”

“I’m doing good, besides this flaking,” Harry grimaced, seeing black flakes of skin around him.

Dudley used his wand to clean the flakes off of Harry. “At least the burns are healing,” he grinned. “Draco didn’t want to wake you up this morning, so he asked me to apply this for you when you woke up,” he said, picking up the salve from the table.

“How long are you here for?” Harry asked, turning his face as the salve was applied.

“Just for the day. The school let me off to visit you,” Dudley said.

“How is that going?”

“It’s . . . challenging,” Dudley smirked. “There’s a lot of teenagers, and even some that are older, that are like me at the school, so I don’t really feel out of place. It would have been awkward to be in classes with the eleven year olds here.”

“I didn’t even know they had schools like that,” Harry mused, tilting his head up so Dudley could apply the salve to his neck. “How’s Aunt Petunia?”

“Mum’s doing better. She sold the house, and moved into a two-bedroom apartment. She still works at the seniors home, and has even made a few friends there. I see her on weekends, and we talk a couple of times a week on the phone,” Dudley replied.

“I should probably visit her one of these days,” Harry sighed, leaning back against the cushions.

“She’d like that Harry. She asks about you,” Dudley said, then smiled in thanks when Harry wandlessly cleaned his hands. “So, have you found your mate yet?” He asked, having read all he could get on the Vanteerian race.

“Yes, and he’s great. He even likes me in return,” Harry smiled.

“That always helps, doesn’t it?” Dudley grinned. “Who is he?”

“Severus.”

“He’s not bad,” Dudley shrugged. “Could have been worse . . . someone like dad.”

“It doesn’t bother you that my mate is a man?”

“No, you’re still the same Harry. Who your heart belongs to, doesn’t change who you are.”

"Thanks Dudley,” Harry smiled. “Have you heard anything about your father? No one will say much here.”

“Since his offence was against a wizard, his trial was held at the Ministry of Magic. The Wizengamot found him guilty of neglect and attempted murder, and sent him to Azkaban, but there were attempts on his life by some of the inmates, so he was transferred to a muggle hospital where he spends a great deal of time in a padded cell. The dementors had left him even more insane after the short time he spent in Azkaban. I was told any memory of you was obliviated before they put him in there,” Dudley said.

“Are you okay with that?” Harry quietly asked.

Dudley leaned back into the corner of the couch. “He was a malicious man Harry, but a part of me misses him . . . and not just because he spoiled me rotten,” he grinned. “He was a sick man that needed help, but wouldn’t reach out for it. Now it’s too late for him. He may never be sane again, and I think he should stay where he is, so he won’t hurt anyone else.”

“I never did thank you for saving my life that night,” Harry said.

“Well, now we’re even from when you saved me from the Dementors a few years back,” Dudley smiled. “When I saw him raise the gun to take the second shot, I saw red. I’ve never been that angry . . . and scared in my whole life,” he quietly added.

“Well, I’m here because of you, so thank you,” Harry grinned, reaching out to take Dudley’s hand.

“So are you used to ‘the creature within’?” Dudley smirked.

“I’ve been feeling pretty good lately, now that I’ve found my mate. Before Severus, I felt empty, always hungry. Now I feed regularly from Severus. Just a kiss helps to satisfy ‘my creature within’,” Harry grinned. “So, are you still planning on going into healing?”

“I’d like to, but it will take me awhile. I’m still learning the basic spells that were taught to you in your first, and second year here at Hogwarts. We all work at our own pace, and get tested by the Professors constantly. I guess it’s quite common for a lot of people to graduate earlier that expected from there. I am planning on taking extra classes at night in Potions and Herbology . . . to start with,” Dudley grinned. “I’d also like to take some muggle classes on massage therapy and anatomy.”

“Is that all?” Harry smirked.

“To start with,” Dudley laughed. “I know it’s a lot, but I’ve thought it through, and I think I would be happy going into that profession. I may have to work part time to help pay for some of the classes, but it will be worth it.”

“Just don’t wear yourself out Dudley. You might want to talk to your professors about using a time-turner. Hermione used one in our third year to take extra classes. As for a job . . . you should talk to Albus here. He may know of someone that could use some help a couple of times a week. Did you, by chance have a key sent to you yet?”

“Yes, it looked very much like that key that was in the shoe box. The letter that came with it said it was from Gringotts, and they would send a statement the following week,” Dudley replied. “Why would I get a key?”

“When Albus and I went to Gringotts to check out the Vanteerian vault, I was surprised at how big it was. There were portraits, clothing, journals, and jewels, not to mention piles of wizarding money. I split the money into two separate vaults. One of them is for Aunt Petunia, the other is yours,” Harry smiled.

“Harry, you didn’t have to do that,” Dudley said, shaking his head.

“No, I didn’t, but I figure you or Aunt Petunia could have inherited this creature. It began in the Evans’ line, and Aunt Petunia is an Evans’. The goblins at Gringotts read through the papers from Halliad, the Vanteera, and there was no stipulation of me keeping everything in the vault for myself. I still have three other vaults of my own. One from my parents, one from Sirius, and the last one is where Fred and George place my share of profits from Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes. They wouldn’t take no for an answer. So . . . you don’t have to worry about money for quite awhile,” Harry finished.

“This is so . . . unreal,” Dudley quietly said, leaning his head back on the couch.

“Tell me about it,” Harry laughed. “You’re lucky you don’t have wings sprouting from your back.”

“Yeah, but you can fly. That would feel amazing.”

“Have you tried flying on a broom yet?” Harry asked.

“No, been too busy.”

“After dinner tonight, we’ll go down to the pitch. You can use my firebolt. When do you have to go back?”

“Tomorrow morning,” Dudley replied, looking forward to the new experience.

“We’ll wait until later then. That way I can spread my wings and fly with you,” Harry grinned.

“If you’re feeling up to it,” Dudley seriously said.

“I’ll be okay,” Harry shrugged. “Whatever happened to Rick? Do you still talk to him?”

“I still write to Rick . . . the old-fashioned way,” Dudley grinned, “or talk to him on the phone once and awhile.”

“How did you two become friends?” Harry asked.

“I met Rick at the gym I used to go to. When I left, he was checking out places to open his own gym.”

“He seemed like a nice guy. Maybe you should invest in the gym . . . become a partner, then when you finish your schooling, you can incorporate the healing into the business. Maybe massage therapy, or specialty training,” Harry suggested.

“But what if Rick were to find out that I can do magic?”

“Do you trust him?”

“Yes, more than I have any of my friends,” Dudley replied, without hesitation.

“I would wait until you were finished with school, then tell him. By then you’ll be sure how much of a friend he is to you. There’s charms that can be done as well to prevent him from telling anyone.”

“Do you think that wizarding people would use the gym?”

“Probably. You would be surprised how easy it is for us to blend in with muggles, not to mention the muggle born witches and wizards.”

“You’ve given me a lot to think about Harry. I’m a little overwhelmed with the money thing, though,” Dudley sighed.

“It doesn’t change who you are Dudley,” Harry repeated back to him. “It’s just money. I don’t even think about it most of the time.”



Dudley and Harry spent the rest of the day together, with visits from Severus, Draco, Ron, Hermione, and Blaise at lunchtime. By the end of the day, the burns on Harry’s body were subsiding to a pinkish color, almost healed.

At the end of the day’s classes, Severus came up and led Harry to his rooms to apply the salve one last time. “Having a good visit with your cousin?” Severus softly asked, smoothing the salve on Harry’s face and neck.

“Yes. Remind me to thank Draco for that,” Harry smiled, shifting his bottom to the edge of the couch, then spread his legs for Severus to fit between them. “What happened to Avery?”

“Poppy healed the cuts, but he will have faint scars as a reminder on his neck, chest, and wand arm. We contacted the Ministry and his father. His father picked him up at dinnertime,” Severus replied, leaning closer to place a soft kiss to Harry’s mouth.

“I don’t think you should go if you are summoned Severus. Last night wasn’t the first time I felt like I was being followed,” Harry said, hooking his feet behind Severus’s thighs.

“Have you had any visions lately?”

“No, the occlumency you taught me is blocking him, and me, from seeing anything. It’s just a feeling I have that we need to be careful.”

“Maybe you shouldn’t go flying tonight then,” Severus said, putting the salve aside after he was finished.

“Or . . . you could go with us. You know . . . to make sure, we’re all right,” Harry grinned. “And we can all go together, so we won’t get caught by ourselves.”

“I could deduct house points with your being out past curfew,” Severus smirked.

“And detention,” Harry smiled, wrapping his arms around Severus’s neck. “A week’s worth of detention for being bad.”

“And what of the others?” Severus asked, leaning in to kiss the side of Harry’s neck.

“Mmm . . . they could serve it with someone else,” Harry softly said, tilting his head back for Severus to nibble onto the side of his neck that wasn’t burned.

Severus pulled back to look at Harry’s flushed face. “You’re ruining me, Harry,” he smirked. “I find myself actually smiling at people in the hallways.”

Harry felt Severus’s forehead with the back of his fingers. “Maybe we should have you checked out Sev. Smiling may be perilous to your health,” Harry smirked.

“Impudent whelp,” Severus fondly replied, getting up and pulling Harry’s unresisting body to his.

“I like your smile,” Harry softly said, brushing his thumb over Severus’s bottom lip. “I love you Sev,” he softly added, looking up into his eyes.

Severus pulled Harry close, his cheek brushing against Harry’s. “Love you too, Harry,” he whispered by Harry’s ear. “Even if you are a Gryffindor,” he added, smiling against Harry’s cheek.

“Yes, but I’m your Gryffindor,” Harry laughed, hugging Severus close, elated that his feelings were returned. “But, I’m still going flying,” he cheekily added, before letting go of Severus to go out to meet the others, looking back over his shoulder.



Hours later, after curfew, Severus and Albus met the younger wizards and witches at the quidditch pitch, and then put up a notice-me-not charm on the pitch to avoid anyone seeing them. There were Blaise, Hermione, Pansy, Ron, Ginny, and Dudley who came . . . followed closely by Harry and Draco who unveiled themselves from Harry’s invisibility cloak when they came in.

Severus and Albus sat in the faculty box, watching everyone give advice to the new wizard on how to handle and ride a broom, talking quietly to themselves about Severus not going to the next summoned meeting. Albus agreed with Harry. Severus suddenly fell silent as he watched Harry’s wings unfold from his back, his T-shirt transfiguring itself to adjust.

Harry flew by Dudley’s side around the pitch, while the others threw around a glow ball that Blaise had brought. When they flew by Severus and Albus, Harry stopped, hovering in midair when he caught his mate’s intoxicating scent. He motioned for Draco to come assist Dudley, then went over to Severus. With a smile to his lips, he pulled Severus to his feet, wrapped his wings around him, and snogged him senseless.

When they both came up for air from the kiss, Harry breathlessly pulled back, and withdrew his wings from around Severus. “Later,” he whispered against his lips, before spiraling up in the air, to then dive bomb towards the others, leaving Severus to sit back down beside the twinkly-eyed Headmaster.

“He’s going to be the death of me,” Severus quietly sighed.

“But what a way to go, Severus,” Albus chuckled, very tickled to see the two of them happy.


~*~


A week later, Voldemort did call his followers through the dark mark. Severus stayed in his quarters, snuggled with Harry on the couch, the warmth of him against him soothing his tension filled body.


tbc (I promise)
Next chapter today also.