The Iridescent Conclusion

When Harry came to, he found himself to be lying, half on top of Draco with Severus draped heavily over them both. If Draco was uncomfortable with this arrangement, however, he didn’t offer up any protest. Instead, he gazed silently at Harry with calm, silver-grey eyes.

“You’re better,” Harry noted in pleasant surprise, unable to hold back a smile.

‘Are you aware how powerful you are?’ Draco asked in response. He rolled his eyes then and sighed, ‘Harry, even with the Nameless spell, even with Sev and I sharing your power, you still possessed enough energy to banish that potion and...’ he broke off and then looked pointedly at Severus’ left forearm where it rested on the pillow by his head.

‘What...?’ Harry started to ask and then realised. The Dark Mark was gone. Erased off Severus’ arm, leaving the skin unmarked, unblemished. “I did that?” he asked aloud, without thinking.

“Did what?” Severus asked, slurring slightly in his semi-conscious state. He turned his head then and regarded both men with a calm, tranquil expression.

“Are you okay?” Harry asked, instead of answering. However, he was unable to prevent his eyes from shifting nervously to the innocent-looking arm.

“Surprisingly fine for a man who has been awake for nearly twenty-four hours, who has consumed a large dose of Energising potion and taken part in a three-way sex sandwich before passing out on top of two of his students.” Severus responded dryly. He then realised that both Harry and Draco were now regarding him with identical expressions of cautious watchfulness. “What?”

“Um…” Harry glanced again at the Potion master’s forearm and following his gaze, Severus stared blankly for a moment and then...

“What is this?” he demanded, sitting up in a rush. “I don’t find this glamour amusing, Harry; it isn’t wise to play with the Dark Mark. It has a very direct connection to the Dark Lord, you know.”

“Er...” Harry said, again sounding uncertain, “It isn’t a glamour and I don’t think I played with it at all. I think...”

‘Harry got a little possessive earlier,’ Draco supplied with a smirk.

‘I see you’re feeling better,’ Severus remarked and then did a double take. ‘The potion shouldn’t have worked that quickly,’ he added.

‘The potion didn’t,’ Draco replied calmly, ‘Harry did. It seems he got a bit caught up in the moment and decided that he wanted both of us with him; heart, body and soul.’

Severus blinked twice, looking first at Draco and then at Harry. “You did this?” he asked in a stunned voice.

“Um…I remember getting cross,” Harry offered hesitantly. “We were right there, right on the edge and I could almost see it. Could almost taste the end, you know? And I remember thinking that I wanted it to go on and on. I didn’t want to give you back to Dumbledore or to Voldemort... and I didn’t want to lose Draco to that potion...”

With a start, Severus recalled the swirl of magical energy and shook his head. “Harry, that’s impossible.”

‘Evidently not, though,’ Draco interjected. ‘And, Severus?’ he looked up at the walls and ceiling for a second, ‘I don’t think we’re in your bedroom anymore.’

*~*~*

Twenty minutes later and they were certain that wherever they were, the rooms bore no resemblance to Snape’s quarters.

“All right,” Severus growled impatiently and turned to Harry, “I give up! What have you done?”

“Nothing!” Harry protested immediately. “I admit I removed the Dark Mark and cured Draco but this...” he gestured to the lounge where they were sitting and the adjoining rooms. “I honestly couldn’t tell you what’s happened here.”

Severus was about to declare just what he thought of that when the outer door to his office clicked shut and they turned as one to see who it might be.

‘Are we allowed in here with you?’ Draco asked, sounding slightly nervous.

‘At least we’re dressed,’ Harry quipped with a lopsided grin and caught Draco’s eye.

The inner door opened then and they found themselves staring at Sirius Black. Only it wasn’t the Sirius that Harry knew – or even Sirius under a glamour. This man looked more like the Sirius Black he remembered from trespassing in Severus’ pensieve; young, athletic with bright eyes and -

The man – Sirius – stopped abruptly and then swiftly took three steps backwards whilst drawing his wand with something like a gunslinger’s reflex.

“Okay, who the fuck are you and how did you get in here?” he demanded. His eyes were dark with angry indignation that very nearly hid the thread of fear. If Harry didn’t know his godfather so well, he was sure he would have missed it.

“Sirius?” he frowned slightly.

In response, the wand dipped very slightly and the man tilted his head, looking confused and uncertain.

“James?”

“What? No, Sirius, I’m Harry. What’s going on? Why don’t you recognise me?”

“I believe,” Severus interjected then, “that there have been considerably more changes than just the décor of my quarters.”

“Your quarters?” Sirius demanded then, looking at Severus in shock. He did a double take then and scowled suddenly. “Snape,” he spat, “you’re looking considerably better than the last time I saw you. I didn’t think the Dark Lord let you out of his sight anymore? So what are you doing here? Then again,” he announced before any of them could respond, “I don’t care. You can tell Dumbledore and face whatever he throws at you.”

“What? Sirius, no, hold on -!” Harry started to object but found himself immersed in thick, impenetrable darkness.

*~*~*

Well, here we are, once again, thought Draco as he looked around the Headmaster’s office. Neither Harry nor Severus responded, however, and he sighed theatrically. That at least drew a hint of a smile from Harry.

“I hardly think this is something to smirk about,” Professor McGonagall snapped, seeing Harry’s expression. Under the distressing confusion of complete, if temporary blindness, they’d felt the man resembling Sirius guide them helplessly up to Dumbledore’s office. On the way, they’d recognised the stern tones of Professor McGonagall. Although, Draco thought with a little frown, no one appeared to be quite as they should be...

Harry shook his head and replied earnestly, “Actually, I haven’t got a clue what ‘this’ is. I don’t know what’s happened, I don’t know why you’re treating us like criminals and I don’t understand why you don’t recognise me. I’m Harry Potter.”

‘Our own celebrity,’ Severus remarked silently with a smile in his eyes to take away the barb.

“Wait a minute...” Sirius responded, looking pale all of a sudden. “That’s why I thought you were James...” He shook his head then and looked as if he might say something further when the door opened and a third man strode in.

At first, neither Draco, Harry nor Severus recognised this man. His face was old, lined with care and age and yet his bright blue eyes sparked with a sharp alertness that, in another time and another place, might have been considered a twinkle. With a start, they realised at once that this man was Albus Dumbledore – although they could easily be forgiven for not recognising him.

Aside from the stern, sharpness in his eyes, the Headmaster wore his white hair and beard short and close cropped. His robes were sombre and quite conservative in muted tones of greys and blues.

Harry opened his mouth to greet the man, to ask what was going on but was halted as, taking one look at Severus, the Headmaster gave a snarl of rage and leapt for Snape, wand held high and threateningly.

“What’s the meaning of this?” the old man demanded furiously. “How dare you show your face at Hogwarts! Sirius, why isn’t this monster under a binding spell?”

“Albus, I’m not certain that this is Snape -” Sirius started to say but was interrupted by the Headmaster once more.

“Never mind ‘certain’,” he barked, sounding surprisingly like Mad-Eye Moody for a moment, “Severus Snape, as you’re well aware, killed fifteen of our senior cadets two days ago and seven junior members of the Order! Now, I won’t tell you again, place this vicious bastard under a holding spell while we try and determine what he’s doing here. And find out who this one is,” he jabbed a crooked finger at Harry before nodding at Draco. “Malfoy we know; you’d better restrain him too while you’re at it -”

“Wait!” Harry shouted, jumping to his feet before Dumbledore had finished speaking. He halted Sirius with a look even as he stepped in front of Severus and Draco. “Sir, I don’t know what’s going on but I promise you that this man hasn’t killed any of your...’cadets’,” he said, speaking quickly to hold the Headmaster’s attention.

When the man looked ready to cast the spell himself, Harry seized upon an idea and pulled up his left sleeve to show a perfectly smooth, pale forearm.

“I don’t have the Dark Mark,” he stated with open sincerity, “I don’t bare Voldemort’s mark and neither do my friends.” And before their captors could respond, he pulled up Severus’ sleeve to demonstrate, even as Draco did the same with his own sleeve.

“We’re not Death Eaters,” Harry swore firmly. “I don’t know what’s happened, I don’t know why so much is different but you have to believe me; we’re on your side!”

“Albus,” Sirius said then, speaking into the ringing silence, “he said his name is Harry. Harry Potter.” When Dumbledore looked in shock at him, he shrugged and shook his head, “I don’t get it either; how can he be Harry? But look at him: he’s the spitting image of James and we always said he had Lily’s eyes. I don’t understand how he can be here though; I mean, Harry died almost sixteen years ago.”

“I... what -?” Harry mouth dropped open. His mouth, Draco noted absently, was really quite beautiful when viewed like that from the side.

‘Draco,’ Severus cautioned and then added mildly, ‘Actually, his mouth is beautiful viewed from any angle,’

Harry shot them both an irritated sideways glance before realising that they were perhaps trying to soften the blow that was about to hit him.

“Died?” he said then, looking at Sirius, Professor McGonagall and finally at Dumbledore.

“The Harry of our reality was murdered on the night of Halloween, 1981.” Dumbledore supplied, speaking at last and sounding far calmer than before. He seemed about to say something further but then stared at Harry’s left hand.

“I see I was mistaken,” he said, his voice strangely dreamy. Looking down, Harry realised that the man was staring at his ring. “Sirius, Minerva, it would seem that this young man is not of our reality. He bears a Nameless ring – as do his companions,”

“Nameless?” Sirius blurted, “You mean, the Community summoned him before the end?”

“Perhaps,” the Headmaster inclined his head, “although I doubt that they had time or opportunity. More likely, this young man’s own Nameless Community sent him through to assist us.”

“How’d they know?” Sirius demanded but his face held the start of a grin that spoke of a delight that, for some reason, made Harry very nervous.

“What about them?” Professor McGonagall demanded, looking pointedly at Snape and Draco. She was different to the other Professor McGonagall, Draco thought; something had hardened her face and eyes so that they appeared crystallised or carved from stone.

‘War,’ Severus interjected telepathically, answering his ward’s question. “If we have been shifted sideways into another reality and here the Dark Lord successfully murdered Harry, there would have been no fourteen year period of peace and these people have perhaps been fighting him ever since. Maybe as some sort of resistance?”

“Snape and Malfoy were with Harry when I found him,” Sirius explained, now favouring Harry with a friendly smile. “Were they hunting you?” he asked then.

“What? No!” Harry shook his head vehemently, “Look, I showed you – they don’t carry the Dark Mark! I think I understand what you’re saying, sir,” he said to Dumbledore, “but I don’t know what you meant about our own Nameless Community. Where we come from, we’re the only ones to be linked like this. And,” he glanced at Draco and Severus, “and I’m not sure how but I think I’m responsible for our shift sideways into an alternative reality – or whatever this is. Where I come from, Voldemort is only recently resurrected, Sev is the Potions master of Hogwarts and Draco rebelled against his father last September.”

“Potions master? Him? And, hang on, if he’s a teacher, how come you call him Sev? Isn’t that a little familiar?”

“We... ah!” Harry grimaced. Was he now going to get yet another lecture from a man who wasn’t even his godfather, technically?

“Sirius,” Dumbledore interjected, though. “If the man is joined to Harry by the Nameless spell, then of course they’ll be on first name basis and more besides.” He looked at Harry then, “Please forgive us our rough treatment; we will of course have a suite prepared for the three of you. You’re welcome to remain as long as you are able.”

“Er... thank you,” Harry replied, looking uncertain. “I’m not sure how long that will be.” He supposed it would depend on how long before they could make the rings work again. “You have a Nameless Community here?” Perhaps, he thought, they could help them get home...

However, this was evidently the wrong thing to say. A flicker of pain crossed Dumbledore and Sirius’ faces and Professor McGonagall even bowed her head as she sniffed.

“We had our own Nameless Community,” Dumbledore explain brokenly, “but the Dark Lord laid siege to their village; there was no way that they could escape and no way that we could get to them. We lost almost every one of them.”

‘How many?’ Draco asked and Severus translated.

“Nearly two hundred and fifty people,” Sirius replied gravely.

It seemed that the Headmaster had perhaps read something in Draco’s expression and realised that Sev was speaking for him. With a look of calm curiosity, he leaned across his desk and asked bluntly, “You can’t speak for yourself?”

To this, Harry was expecting a sharp, wand-written retort or even a classic Malfoy roll-of-the-eyes expression. But it seemed that Draco wasn’t the least bit offended and stood up to rest his wand hand against Dumbledore’s temple.

‘After I told Severus that the Dark Lord and my father had been holding Harry captive all summer, my father rewarded my treachery by dissolving my larynx.’

‘And now you communicate silently,’ Dumbledore responded, automatically speaking in kind. ‘But you don’t share this knowledge with everyone, do you?’ he asked with some concern.

‘Just those I trust.’ Draco smiled and then sat down again.

The Headmaster regarded him with a gentle look in his blue eyes and a thoughtful expression for a moment. Then, apparently reaching a conclusion, he said, “Sirius, could I trouble you to escort our guests to the suite on the south side, please?”

*~*~*

“Here,” Sirius said, ten minutes later as he gestured at a heavy oak door. It opened in response and he waved Severus and Draco in. Just as Harry was about to follow, though, Sirius reached out and held his arm for a second. “I wanted to apologise,” he said earnestly, glancing briefly after Harry’s companions, “I honestly didn’t recognise you,”

“How could you?” Harry shook his head, “As far as you’re concerned, I died with my mum and dad in 1981. To find me standing in the middle of your quarters must have been quite a shock.”

“Hmm...” Sirius nodded, “I thought James had come back to me for a second there. Even so, though...” he shrugged.

Harry paused, staring at this alternate reality version of his godfather. There was something in the way that Sirius had just phrased that…

“Are you two going to loiter in the doorway all day or perhaps you’d like to come in and make the place look untidy?” Severus asked with his usual cutting attempt at humour.

Sirius looked a bit shocked but Harry just laughed and nodded, “Yes, sir!” he responded and shut the door behind them.

“There are wards and glamours over all of the windows in the castle,” Sirius explained as they stepped into the suite properly. “Please leave them in place: we’ve lost too many cadets and trainers to Death Eater snipers who’ve managed to get a spell through our defences.”

“There are Death Eaters out there now?” Harry asked, looking out of the large window. The view from here included the start of the lake, part of the Forbidden Forest and what appeared to be Hagrid’s hut. However, it looked as though the hut had long since been ransacked and abandoned and Harry decided that if his friend wasn’t alive in this reality, then he didn’t want to know what had happened to him.

To his surprise, he then felt Severus’ hands on his shoulders as the Potions master steered him gently away from the window.

‘Let’s not tempt them,’ he murmured.

“They can’t see you so long as the wards and glamours are in place,” Sirius smiled, evidently guessing at Snape’s motives. “But, yeah, the Forbidden Forest is full of Death Eaters and similar allies of the Dark Lord. With the possible exception of the centaurs, everything in that Forest is against us.”

“The centaurs are with you?” Harry asked, still looking curiously out at the view. From here, it all looked deceptively safe and tranquil.

“The centaurs are dead,” Sirius replied bleakly. “They resisted You Know Who’s attempts at recruitment and he sent an army of werewolves in to kill them.”

Harry swore softly in sympathy and then looked searchingly at Sirius, “Werewolves? Did Voldemort try to recruit Remus, too?”

“Remus?” Sirius cocked his head to one side with a puzzled frown. “Remus isn’t a werewolf, that was -” but then he stopped abruptly, looking awkward.

“What?” Harry urged and stepped away from Severus to look closer at Sirius, “That was who?”

“James,” Sirius murmured softly, dropping his gaze to the carpet.

For a moment, Harry stared at him and then glanced over at Severus and Draco. “My father was a werewolf?”

“Ever since he was a child,” Sirius explained, looking unhappy. “I take it from your reaction that …?”

Harry shook his head slowly, his eyes wide.

“Remus and I used to take care of him, make sure he didn’t hurt himself or others,” Sirius went on, watching Harry for a reaction. “Your... well... Lily fell in love with him during our sixth year but it took ages for her to convince him that they could be an item. James seemed to think that he should remain single forever and the idea of children...!”

“So was I...?” Harry started to ask and then shook his head, “I mean, was James’ son a werewolf too?”

“We think he was a yennork.” Sirius replied and then explained, “He carried the lycanthrope strain in his blood but the little switch didn’t appear to work. The full moon didn’t affect him.”

“This is just too weird,” Harry shook his head and then made eye contact with Severus. “And I have no idea how we’re going to get home.”

“Same way you got here,” Sirius shrugged, looking unconcerned. He looked then from Harry to Severus and finally to Draco, noting Harry’s slightly sheepish expression, Severus’ raised eyebrows and Draco’s smirk. “Right?” he asked, looked slightly less certain.

“The thing is,” Harry started to explain but Severus cut across him.

“I’m sure it will be fine,” he said and even managed to sound almost convincing.

“Well, for whatever reason, you’re here,” Sirius said with a smile, “and you’re all welcome. If you need anything, just ask.” And then, perhaps because he sensed that something was wrong, he added, “Our library has an entire section on the Nameless spell and the Nameless Community - help yourselves. Tomorrow morning, I’ll introduce you to Nik.”

“Nik?” Severus raised a querying eyebrow.

“He’s the last of our own Nameless Community,” Sirius replied.

“Okay,” Harry nodded, “but why can’t we meet him now?”

For a moment, Sirius looked as if he wanted to hide something and then, looking at them with sad grey eyes, he explained: “Like I said, Nik’s the last surviving member of our Nameless Community. I can’t pretend to understand what that’s like but, when you consider that he was linked mind, body and soul to two hundred and fifty people and that every one of them is now gone, you start to get an idea of his state of mind.”

Harry stared at the man in horror, feeling sick and distraught in a second. He thought of the link that he shared with Sev and Draco; the way he shared their conscious thoughts, feelings and emotions; and then he thought about losing them.

“God,” he breathed and was suddenly aware of Draco as he stepped forward and slipped his hand into his, the skin feeling warm and smooth. Behind him, Severus took half a step forward but then forced himself to stand still as he gave Sirius a wary glance.

Sirius, for his part, gave them a funny little smile and an almost embarrassed gesture. “It’s okay,” he murmured, clearly understanding what they were feeling. He looked at Severus then and Harry watched as he drew himself up, perhaps reminding himself that Severus – of Harry’s world - was a long way away from the Snape of this dimension who was known for unspoken atrocities in service to Voldemort.

“Those of the Nameless Community have always been exempt from normal Wizarding Law,” Sirius said then. “Even those in your position,” he said to Severus, “are forgiven for loving those so much younger than themselves.”

Severus, however, remained resolutely fixed in place; his gaze on the back of Harry’s head drawing a shiver down the younger man’s spine.

“You were saying about the last of your Nameless Community?” Harry prompted Sirius in an effort to distract himself.

“Nik,” Sirius nodded. “He isn’t good with strangers. He’s better if we can give him some notice so, like I said, you can meet him tomorrow.”

Sirius shifted then and pointed to a door, leading from the main sitting room area. “Your bedrooms are through there. I’ll leave you to settle in but if there’s anything you need, just ask. Oh!” he exclaimed, turning back as he was about to leave, “Lunch is at twelve. I’ll ask the house elves to bring you some coffee and a snack if you like, to keep you going.”

And with that, he left; giving Harry a fond look as he went.

There was a long, stretched silence after he’d gone and Harry was a little alarmed to find himself shaking slightly.

‘We’re in a parallel universe,’ he said silently, staring around the room and half expecting it to all melt away. ‘I’m so sorry. I honestly didn’t do it on purpose,’

‘Hey,’ Draco squeezed his hand, ‘it’s okay. We made it here; we can make it back.’

Harry, however, didn’t give any sign that he either heard or believed him. ‘I don’t even remember doing it. I remember being with you,’ he said, speaking to both Severus and Draco, ‘and I remember... when we...’ he paused and flushed.

‘Yeah,’ Draco murmured and stepped even closer so that he was pressed against Harry’s side, ‘I remember that too.”

Severus cleared his throat and tightened his hold on Harry’s shoulder for a second. “I believe that we inadvertently assisted you,” he said to Harry. “From what our host was saying, it seems that they have far more knowledge of this magic than we do. I would suggest that we learn all we can and return to our own reality as soon as possible. For now, however,” he concluded, turning towards the door, “I’m going to go and catch up on some sleep. I suggest you two do the same.”

*~*~*

For whatever reason, Severus chose the first bedroom in the little row of three, gave Harry and Draco a nod of acknowledgement and then closed the door with no hint that he might prefer some company.

This behaviour left Harry feeling particularly unsettled and he glanced to where Draco was now opening the second door. With a gentle smile, the blond man then looked over at him and stepped inside; leaving the door open as an unspoken invitation.

‘Sev?’ Harry called softly before following Draco.

‘I’m tired, Harry. Leave it for now,’ came the Potion master’s reply and, with no suitable argument, Harry went after Draco.

He found him stripping down to t-shirt and boxers before slipping into a wide, canopied bed.

‘Leave him,’ Draco advised as he arranged his pillows. ‘You need sleep, in any case, and Severus...’ he paused and looked sadly at Harry, ‘Well, he just needs some time to accept all that’s happened.’

“He’s not the only one!” Harry argued vociferously, “We’re stuck here in this reality too!” He pulled savagely at his robes and hurled them on the ground in irritation before undoing his jeans.

‘That isn’t what I meant,’ Draco shook his head. ‘I was talking about what we did before we switched realities.’

“Oh,” Harry stopped and looked at him from where he was sort of half-crouched in the process of removing his jeans. “You mean he regrets -”

‘No,’ Draco shook his head again, ‘I don’t know. He’s really confused. Can’t you feel it?’

Harry shrugged and kicked off his jeans. “I feel that he’s confused,” he said as he crawled into bed beside Draco, “but I didn’t realise it was because we...”

‘Just give him a bit of space,’ Draco smiled and rolled towards him.

Moments after he settled beneath the duvet, Harry was asleep and was therefore oblivious to Draco’s silent kiss.

*~*~*

It was dark when Harry finally awoke. He blinked into the gloom of the strange bedroom and realised two things. The first was that Draco was no longer with him; even in sleep, he’d been aware of the other man’s body being curled around him and his side seemed cold without his presence.

“He’s currently devouring his share of the sandwiches and coffee – presumably he’ll leave us our share,” Severus’ voice remarked.

And that was the second thing: not only was Draco missing but Severus was now sitting on the window ledge. He was silhouetted against the moonlit sky and, for a moment, Harry thought that the man was looking out at the grounds but then he moved and a light caught in the Potion master’s eyes; he was watching Harry.

“You should be careful,” Harry said softly, not sure quite what he felt or even what he should feel about Severus. “Like Sirius said, there are Death Eaters in the grounds.”

“As Sirius stated,” Severus countered smoothly, “the windows are shielded against outside attack.”

Harry made a small sound of reply and wondered how long Severus had been there – and what time was it, in any case?

“It’s almost seven,” Severus replied to his thoughts, “and I’ve been here... a while. I wanted to talk with you but didn’t want to wake you.”

“Talk,” Harry responded with a sense of foreboding as he picked up Severus’ tension. He rolled onto his back and lay, staring at the canopy. “About what?”

“About...” Severus paused and then sighed, bowing his head.

“About what we did?” Harry asked, thinking of his conversation with Draco.

“Not exactly in the job description,” a smile in the darkness was offered to take the edge off the words. He said nothing more and, after a minute or two, Harry turned his head to look across at him.

“You regret it,” it wasn’t a question.

“I... wouldn’t say regret,” Severus replied hesitantly, “but I perhaps -”

“Wouldn’t do it again.” Harry growled, finishing the sentence for him. He sat up abruptly and reached for his jeans. “I get it. Nothing’s changed.”

“No,” Severus stepped towards him, “everything’s changed. I just,” he paused and drew a deep breath, seeking for patience. “I was weak. I got caught up in all that was going on. I -”

“You wanted me,” Harry snarled at him. “You wanted to screw me into the middle of next week; I knew that. I was a willing partner, as I recall. I just didn’t realise that you were going to be so uptight about it now.”

“Potter,”

“Harry.” He corrected shortly and picked up his discarded robes.

“Harry, I’m just trying to work my way through this. Have you any idea how this feels?”

“I’m getting that you’re confused,” Harry shrugged, glancing at the other man from beneath his fringe.

“Confused is only the start of it,” Severus smiled weakly. “Harry, what we did – what I did – is an offence worthy of summary dismissal. Dumbledore would have my hide – as would your mangy mutt of a godfather.”

“Leave Sirius out of this!” Harry retorted sharply.

Severus made a swift, impatient gesture with one hand. “All right! Whatever! But when we get back -”

“If we get back,”

“No, when we get back, nothing will have changed. I will still need to retain my position as Potions master and you must stay in school if you’re to remain clear of Fudge’s grasp.”

“I -!” Harry started to argue and then halted. He paused with his robes in his hands and stared at Severus. “You know what Fudge said to me?”

Severus nodded once, curtly and took another step towards him. “I picked up his words to you and heard your thoughts. For the record, I had quite a lot to say to Dumbledore on the subject. I don’t like the way you’ve been manipulated.” And although he didn’t say it, he added silently that Dumbledore wasn’t the only one. It seemed that Harry had been manipulated for nearly all of his life, one way or another.

“I hope you’re not including yourself,” Harry remarked on hearing the other man’s thoughts. “Because you didn’t make me fall in love with you; I did that all by myself.”

“Congratulations.” Severus responded dryly with the hint of a smile.

Harry scowled and pulled his robe on, smoothing the creases with the palms of his hands. “So basically, what you’re saying,” he said shortly, “is that, having had me, you’ve had an attack of conscience and it can never happen again?”

Severus said nothing in response and in the intervening silence, the door opened, revealing Draco. He stood, looking from one to the other, apparently at a loss for words.

“Harry...” Severus began, his voice tight with remorse and regret. Harry, however, was already turning away from him, walking around the bed and heading out of the room. The exchange had left him feeling desolate, angry and resentful. Worse, though, was the undeniable sense that he’d been an idiot to think that Severus’ brief moment of weakness would have changed the larger picture.

“It’s fine,” he said over his shoulder and he even managed to make it sound as if it really was fine.

‘Harry, don’t do this,’ Draco implored, putting one hand on the other man’s chest. ‘Don’t just walk away from him. Stay. Talk. You love him.’

“Of course I do,” Harry replied softly and carefully kept from looking back at Severus, “but that obviously isn’t enough. And besides,” he added, now offering a sincere smile towards the blond man before him, “I love you too.”

There were no words spoken, no thoughts shared and perhaps Draco had his own agenda. For whatever reason, though, he lifted his hand, cupped Harry’s face in his palm and then slid his fingers into his hair as he kissed him. The kiss went on and Harry responded by slipping his hands around Draco’s body, pulling him closer and losing himself in the sensation of lips, tongues, saliva and urgent, panted gasps.

There was a stiff, frozen silence from behind him as they parted and Harry might have imagined it but he distinctly thought that he saw a glint of mischief in Draco’s eyes. A moment later and Severus pushed past them with an impatient sigh.