You Know You Are Loved When A Gryffindor Loves You

32

In due course, Ron and Draco were moved into the guest wing a few doors down from their friends. Albus Dumbledore realised the two were not only deeply in love but completely destitute and offered them a home for as long as they wanted it. In return Ron took an extended leave of absence from the Ministry and did part time flying instructor duties and monitored house practices once he had casually mentioned that unsupervised practices frequently led to near blood-baths between the teams. While Ron was out, Draco was losing the fear and would often sit quietly reading, or would have his near neighbours for company if he needed it.

The term ended. Another year over at Hogwarts school. Severus and Harry packed up their trunks and their children and prepared to go home for the summer. Ron and Draco were off to the Burrow with a jubilant Ginny who had passed six NEWTs. Harry had passed his with flying colours and now had five NEWTs under his belt to the delight of Albus and Minerva.

Harry and Severus apparated home with the promise to come and visit the Burrow sometime over the summer. Draco was unsure but Ron reassured him. “Mum and Dad know what you are to me, they won’t give you too hard a time”. Draco shivered and burrowed into his beloved’s arms, “It’s not your mother and father I’m afraid of, it’s the twins”, he ruefully admitted. Ron held him and grinned, “I’ve already threatened them good and proper if they upset you. I can’t be having that after everything you’ve been through, but please try not to make rude comments about our lack of money if you can help it”. Draco wriggled in still further, “Like I can talk about having nothing, Ron. Things have changed a bit”, he mumbled, stating the obvious.

Ron could see that his lover’s financial situation galled him, but to his credit he really did try not to whinge and rolled with it all having the occasional teary breakdown and letting Ron pick up the pieces. Molly was all set to moan at her youngest son’s choice of partner until her husband filled her in on what the younger Malfoy had had to suffer at the hands of his father and his friends and was utterly appalled and horrified. “His own father did that? No wonder the poor boy ran. And to think it was my Ron that he ran to. I’m proud of my son, and in a weird way, I’m proud of a Malfoy who could stand up to such inhuman treatment”. That settled it for Molly and Draco earned the title of second adopted son which he relished. He understood Severus’ words about this family. They really were a damn fine clan and he learned that there was more to family life than shared blood although he couldn’t help but quip, “Second adopted son?” Ginny giggled, “Oh, yes, queue up. Harry’s the first adopted. Mum was furious not to be invited to the wedding. But, know this, she doesn’t just adopt any old waif and stray you know?” In that moment, Draco felt the love wash over him and tears prick behind his eyes.

Hermione joined them a week into the holiday. She had booked a fortnight off from work and was ready for some fun. She was happy to see Draco so readily accepted into the bosom of the family and the sparks that flew between him and Ron were incandescent. Something had definitely changed here and she promised herself to quiz Ron as soon as she had half a chance.

By the thirty first, the Potter-Snapes had joined them, Molly and Arthur cooing and chuckling over the two new youngsters.

Harry wanted to celebrate his birthday with a good fly, he hadn’t flown in ages and the twins challenged him as did Ron and all the Weasleys took to the air with Harry and Draco. Severus grinned at them as they took off, then glanced over at Hermione looking up clutching her mug of tea and walked over, “I believe flying was never your strong point?”, and Hermione blushed and grinned, “I love flying so long as there’s a sick bag, a life jacket and cheesy in-flight movies, but brooms, never”, she shuddered.

Severus smiled and tapped his wand against the stick of a rather slow ancient broom fashioning two seats and stirrups then beckoned her over bowing slightly, “Care to try the Sunday driver’s version?”, he smiled and she giggled, “Seats! Stirrups!?” The dark haired man chuckled, “Come on, hop on. I promise no Wronski Feints, just a Sunday drive, wrap up though, it’s a bit chilly high up”. Hermione shot off into the house and emerged in jeans and a thick sweater with an anorak over the top and gloves. She shrugged, “Okay, here I am”, her eyes gleaming and Severus patted the seat behind him and Hermione jumped on, not without a certain degree of pessimism. “Now treat it as if you’re on the back of a motorcycle, just move with the broom, don’t resist it and I promise to be a safe driver. Ready?” She gulped and nodded cautiously. “Put your arms around my waist and stick your hands in my pockets”, she did so, “Very well, here we go, try not to tense up”, and they lifted off carefully.

She quickly realised that a quick pat to her thigh indicated the direction he wanted to turn in and she relaxed and leaned into the turns letting her weight dip to one side or the other as he spiralled them gently into the air away from the main playing area but various folk noticed pulling up sharp on their racing brooms for a moment, Ron, Ginny, Harry and the twins were deeply impressed. Not only was Hermione flying but, judging by her laughs, she was enjoying it as she was spun slowly higher into the air then they shot off into the summer haze and they vanished behind a glamour and flew off over the British countryside.

Before they carried on with their game, Harry remarked to Draco that they had all tried to get Hermione into the air for years but this was the first time anybody had managed it, then they all shot off as the tiny snitch was released and the game got serious-ish with Harry and Draco easily forming back into their old rivalry but with the hatred missing, just the joy and the laughs as they chased the tiny fluttering golden ball as laughter followed them both. Of course, Harry caught it, but only just. Draco had his fingertips to it as Harry’s palm closed over it and Draco’s fingers, then slowly let his ex-lover’s hand go with a wink and held up the snitch to cheers from the clan. Draco came back to the ground still feeling those fingers over his, that hot hand over his and was pink, sweaty and confused as they all landed. He rushed into Ron’s arms and was kissed senseless. Harry watched with a smile and continued to watch for his own lover.

They were a dot that grew into two laughing people on a broom. Severus landed in the middle of the lawn at half-hover then handed his passenger off with a bow and a smile. She hugged him, genuine joy in her face and went running to find her lover. As she passed Harry she muttered, “He’s brilliant. What a total gentleman. I’ve had a brilliant fly. I never knew flying could be like that. We’ve been everywhere!!”. Harry watched Severus deactivate the seats and stirrups before tucking the broom away in the shed. It was only when Severus was walking up to the house that he realised that Harry was waiting for him sitting on a low wall. He shrugged, “Sorry, love, but she looked a bit lonely watching you lot”. Harry rushed up and threw his arms around his beloved, “Don’t you dare apologise. Hermione has never been a flyer. Not only do you fly with her but bring her back with a smile on her face. I love you so much”, and he threw himself into his lover’s arms and was kissed soundly.

There was a small ‘hem-hem’ that brought them back. “Dinner’s ready”, Fred announced as he watched the passion between the two, then turned back into the house. Hermione turned out to be a keen student of maps as she described where they had been. “We flew north over the Severn valley as far north as Shropshire, we turned round after seeing the Long Mynd. I was quite happy to carry on but my pilot needed to turn back. I would love to see Alderley Edge some day”, she sighed wistfully and Harry and her chauffeur told of the visit the previous year. “Harry wanted to see snow and it’s not far from home so we went up there one day”, and Severus told of the myths and the Magic in his hypnotic voice with Harry adding bits. Between them they had the whole table spell-bound, hanging onto every word, including the twins. George, in a reverent tone, asked if they had performed any rites up there, it being such a Magical site. Harry blushed bright red and his head biffed Severus’ arm. The older man’s face was also a bright crimson and they all divined the ritual but didn’t enquire further.

Fred’s tone was reverent as he quizzed them after the meal, “Wow, so you two fucked up on Alderley Edge. Cool. No wonder you two have a bond. Did you both drink from the Wizard’s Well?” Harry nodded, “Yeah, after Severus taught me the thing about putting a leaf in the crack in the rock to deflect the flow of the water from ground to mouth”. Sometime later, as they were all heading to bed, the twins held Harry back, “You know this sticks in our throats to say this, but you have made Severus Snape an officially cool guy to know, Merlin, hex us now. What the fuck have you done to him?”.

Harry giggled until his eyes glittered with tears, “I married him and we bore each other’s child. Remember, I got him pregnant seven weeks before I caught”. They all high-fived, “You fucking sex god”, was the twins’ only comment as they all headed to bed. Harry and Severus had a family sized room with a large cot and a huge bed. The youngest son didn’t get such a large bed, but one large enough for him and Draco to collapse into with the blessings of his family and he held his lover close. “You know I’ve got the type of family who would never allow this unless they thought it was real”. Ron’s gaze was intense. Draco smiled slightly as the gaze was returned. “It is real Ron. I love you. Make it real to me”, and he was slammed into the bed with a hot mouth over his, an insistent tongue wanting his. His clothes stripped away with trembling hands rather than spells, then he was spread and opened wantonly and he fought and won to stay with his lover as he was fucked into oblivion, shouting Ron’s name as he came loud and hard, then the utter peace of being slowly fucked and filled with patience, waiting ‘til he was hard again until Ron took him again, sighing and screaming his joy then filled him over and over with heat and thick come.

****

Another room, another part of the house. Two small children were asleep. “Severus, I was really impressed by the way you got Hermione to fly with you”. Severus sighed, “All I did was make it more comfortable for the non-competitive flyer and take her up. She enjoyed it and her geography of the English countryside is stunning. She always knew where we were, better than I did sometimes. She may not be a flyer but she’s a great passenger, and she can roll joints in the air, so long as there’s a charm around us”, a surprise to Harry who laughed aloud, “That’s my girl”.

They moved together, “You know she’s chuffed to bits that she’s finally enjoyed a broom flight and it’s all down to you”, Harry murmured as he kissed his beloved. “Thank you, babe, now come here”, as Severus was consumed with Harry’s kisses and returned them with equal heat, then Harry was tickling him then underneath him, naked and needy, licking his lips and fluttering his lashes, all the signs that he wanted to be taken. Gazing into those green depths, Severus complied, knowing what his lover wanted and giving it to him, opening him and slicking him, then diving in, fucking him long and deep until Harry squealed and cried out as his impending orgasm began to strike, his balls tightened and Severus felt Harry clench around his length and their thrusts were animal and hot and lusty and Harry was coming first and Severus followed his beloved’s lead and filled his boy over and over with eager hot come, Harry’s name bubbling over his lips.

They lay, kissing and quiescent and spent, just listening to breath return, feeling their hearts return to normal, the stars behind their eyes lessen, the delicious tongue-filled kiss lead them into sleep. They both listened. They both succumbed, tired, joyful, in love.

Before he drowned in the sleep that he knew waited for him, Severus barely murmured, “Gods, Potter, you amaze me, you undo me, you’re mine”, and Harry grinned, “That’s Potter-Snape I take it?”. In reply he received a gentle swat to his arse and was gathered up into the arms he needed and both of them slept, mouth to mouth.

****

Breakfast was a strange affair, given the number of couples in the house. Harry and Severus’ union could not be denied, they were married, after all, even if only as Muggles since this was the only way they could wed. But Molly and Arthur had to tangle with two more unions, their son with Draco Malfoy of all people and their daughter with Hermione Granger, although they were more used to this one.

Arthur had a strange wake-up call the following morning, To get his family to come to breakfast, he had to call all the new couples together which meant he had to see them all in their various stages of sleep, Hermione and his daughter clinging together, Harry and Severus wrapped around each other and his youngest son and the heir of Malfoy consuming each other in the early morning, pulling reluctantly apart at the call for breakfast, which they all answered, scrambling into their seats as the meal was dished out, the two tardiest being their own twin sons.

Severus and Ginny were arbitrarily assigned to arouse the slug-a-beds but when they reached the room and knocked, they received no reply. Ginny rolled her eyes and easily dismantled the locking charms and they burst in, and they saw, they glanced at each other and backed away.

Both of the twins were twined together, mouth to mouth, not like brothers, but like lovers.

They glanced at each other and retreated from the room, both obviously shocked.

Ginny leaned on the landing wall, her face in her hands, “Fuck! I know those two have always been close, it’s the way of twins and stuff, but never that close. Mum and dad’ll kill them if they ever find out”. Severus placed his hands on her shoulders and she looked up at him, “I’ll wake them now and I’ll have a little chat with them, you go on downstairs and try to eat, we don’t want to alert your mother’s watchful eye after all”. She thanked him and scurried off.

A few minutes later and two very red-faced Weasleys entered the kitchen followed by a scowling Severus who went to sit beside his bond-mate. Harry was busy feeding Alex with Arthur to his other side making Amanda laugh puppetting his cutlery and making the pieces talk to each other. Harry looked up to see the scowl on Severus’ face and quizzed him with a look. Severus merely shook his head slightly and attacked his breakfast.

After the meal the two bondees loaded the children into their papooses and set off for a walk. They wandered for a while holding hands until they were certain that they were far enough from the clan and that the children were asleep. They lifted them down from each other’s backs and spread a blanket for them all. Harry rolled onto his belly and looked down into stormy black eyes. “Come on, Severus, tell me what’s bothering you. Why did the twins look so guilty this morning?” Severus held Harry to him and told him. There was a silence for a few moments until Harry breathed, “Bloody hell. Did Ginny see?” He felt the nod, “She was the first into the room, poor girl, I think she’s been traumatised for life. I gave those two a piece of my mind I can tell you, that’s what put the guilty look on their faces”.

Harry rolled onto his back shading his eyes from the sun, “You know, if the twins are actually gay then we should have that big night out that I threatened you with at the wedding, get them to meet loads of cute guys, take their minds off each other, I dunno...” Severus sat up then. “I know I’m not big on late nights out, but there’s the Mardi Gras coming up, August Bank Holiday weekend. We could take the kids, loads of people do, and all the rest of you lot could have a brilliant time and there’s cute guys from half the world at that event, it’s huge. We can stick everyone in a hotel. What do you think?” Harry leaned up and kissed him. “Actually, to be honest, I’d love to have the children babysat for the weekend so you and I could join in properly. I bet Molly and Arthur would oblige if we asked them and I think it’s a brilliant idea. Who should we take? Well Ron and Draco and lest there be too much testosterone then we take the girlies as well” Severus grinned and started dusting kisses over Harry’s upturned face, “Mmmm and there’s a few other folk that I usually meet up with at Mardi Gras, like the folk I was on the charity float with that year and Matt and Jon and their assorted mates, maybe Steve can take a few hours off, yes, could be a blast. Be prepared to get exceedingly drunk”.

Harry smiled and started to return the kisses, “And you get to be the responsible adult”. Severus pulled away, “Now hang on a minute. Sod that. If we’re going without the kids then we are responsible for ourselves only. There’s loads going on that weekend. We can start as a pack sure enough but later on the interests diverge”. Harry rubbed their noses together, “And what interests may those be, Mr Potter-Snape? Are you going to take me to some den of iniquity and corrupt my sweet young soul?” Then that beautiful dark voice purred, “Your sweet soul is already corrupt but we may find things to entertain it”. Harry blushed, “Hmmm, I like that idea. What sort of things?” By now Harry had his head tipped back and Severus was kissing his throat, “Oh, little parties, live shows. I know you have a propensity for watching”. Harry closed his eyes and moaned, “Would these parties have nice dark corners where we can play as we watch?” He felt a chuckle against his neck, “Oh, indubitably, you little pervert”. It was Harry’s turn to laugh but he straightened his head and caught his lover’s face in his hands, “I may be, but whatever we do, we do together, okay? I imagine at a ‘do’ like this there’s loads of temptation, but you’re mine, okay, and I don’t want us to separate. Can you handle that?”

Severus pulled Harry to him and held him tight for a moment then backed away far enough to focus on his eyes, “Harry, do you have any idea how much I love it when you say that? That I’m yours? A very great deal. I’ve been to Mardi Gras many times in the past and, yes, I’ve indulged in the delights on offer, but do you know the men I always envied? The ones with their boyfriends, lovers, life-partners. I want us to experience this like that”. Harry watched Severus’ eyes dance and his insides dissolved.

They pulled together for a kiss that meant it, tasting each other tongues, gently nipping at lips then crashing together fiercely as Harry pushed his husband over backwards without breaking their kiss apart and ran a hot hand up under Severus’ t-shirt and found a nipple to play with. His husband cupped his arse with both hands and pulled Harry fully on top of him and ran his hands down the backs of Harry’s legs, parting them so the lad straddled his hips and carried on squeezing Harry’s lush arse through his cargoes and pressing them both together. Harry broke the kiss and raised up onto his hands, increasing the pressure and friction between them, then laughed, “We won’t have time for this”, his voice shaky with desire.

Sure enough, as if on cue, a gurgle turned into a wail with alarming speed. Harry dipped his head to kiss his beloved and they rolled apart. Time to be mummy and daddy again. They both groaned at the lack of spontaneity sometimes, but as their own lives had been regulated by bells for the most part, they weathered this with aplomb, straightening their clothes and attending to their children.

Severus unpacked the shrunken picnic basket and restored it to it’s correct size then doled out food and drink including little kilner jars filled with luscious fruit purees for the little ones and tiny food containers with a selection of finely chopped cold meats and salad stuffs readily prepared for tiny mouths and fruit juice and milk in feeding bottles. Molly had done them proud.

The adults had home made pork pies, chicken drumsticks, prawn salad sandwiches, prepared raw veggie nibbles and a fruit salad with a brandy drizzle to pour over it. “There’s far too much as always”, Harry chuckled pulling Alex into his lap and lunch began. Harry turned his head at voices approaching through the trees behind them and the two girls hove into sight and paused, “Sorry, we didn’t know you guys were here”, said Ginny and turned them away.

Severus beckoned them over, “It’s all right, Molly has given us enough food to feed a small army, so if you haven’t eaten yet, come and join us”. At the bottom of the basket were eight cans of cold lager and two bottles of a crisp dry white wine chilled to perfection. The girls settled on the blanket and were given drinks and helped themselves to food. The talk was desultory until the subject of the twins was brought up then Harry and Severus outlined the plan they had for the end of August. The girls gasped, “Oh, yeah!! We’re up for that. I’ve heard it’s one of the best gay carnivals in the world”, Hermione’s eyes shone. Ginny ventured shyly, “So can we stay with you guys then?” Severus smiled, “There’s not enough room at home, but we’ll put you up somewhere in town, but we’ll all have to look out for the boys, keep an eye on them”. The girls exchanged glances and Ginny sighed, “I know their modus operandi, they’ll be in search of ‘sandwich filling’”, and rolled her eyes. Hermione and Harry giggled and Severus groaned, “Dare I ask?” Harry explained, “They will pick on one poor hapless individual and be the slices of bread around that person, so to speak”. Severus just shook his head.

Ginny insisted on feeding one of the children and Amanda was plonked into her lap. The child was fascinated by the long fall of deep red hair and grabbed at it and stroked hanks against her cheek and all the while Ginny talked to her and encouraged the baby to make sounds back to her, “She’s pre-verbal this one, she’ll be talking before you know it”. Harry chuckled and struggled to keep his wriggling son in his lap, “And this one won’t walk, he’ll run right from the off. I just know it. He’s going to keep us on our toes”, and bounced the child on his lap to distract him and fed him slivers of chicken. Eventually the children had had enough and they played together on a corner of the blanket while the adults ate with Harry and Hermione acting as a barrier between the kids and the rest of the food.

Alex would only stop fretting when he was given a chicken leg of his own to gnaw on and Amanda was messily feeding herself with slices of fruit rebutting all offers of assistance. Hermione stroked the little girl’s hair, “She’s really independent this one, isn’t she?”. Harry rolled his eyes, “Just as well, really ‘cos Alex can be clingy”. They all relaxed and talked easily, Hermione dared to ask a question that had been bothering her, “So, I have to ask, have your bodies re-adjusted yet?”. Severus smiled, “Yes, I reverted back almost as soon as I had Amanda but Harry hasn’t yet”. Harry laughed, “Yup!, I still have to take my little potion every night”. Ginny asked, a line between her brows, “Does that mean you could get pregnant again?” Harry nodded, “Yes”, he glanced at his husband, “We’re still trying to decide whether we want another one, but if that info you gave us is correct, then we have another couple of years to make the decision before Magical nature takes it out of our hands. For now, though, we need to be at top strength. We’ve had vague rumblings, me through my scar and Severus through his Mark. I think this next year will be the crunch time, then after that? Who knows”.

The mood was in danger of becoming sombre so Severus handed out more drinks and the talk turned back to the upcoming ‘Big Gay Out’ as Hermione insisted on calling it and the chat was excited and optimistic once more. A tired Alex crawled into his Aunty Ginny’s lap and she wrinkled her nose, “Clean nappy, please”, she held her hand out, “I think someone’s bum needs a change”. Harry passed her the necessaries and she walked a couple of paces downwind and did the honours. Harry shrugged at his bond-mate and Hermione giggled, “She can’t wait to have kids. She’ll be a brilliant mum one day, she’s quite envious of you two, but her time will come”, her tone was wistful as she watched her lover’s ministrations and heard the baby chuckle and squeal with delight.

Harry changed a somnolent Amanda and the two were given bottles to settle them for their afternoon nap. The children asleep, the four talked for a while longer then the girls rose and dusted themselves off. Ginny yawned, “Mmm, siesta time, I think”, and the men were thanked for lunch and the girls headed back to the house, their arms around each other.

Harry moved into his husband’s arms and they rolled together again. “Hmm, now, where were we?” he purred as his mouth descended to Severus’ and they kissed in the shade of the trees. Once the girls were out of sight, clothing was slowly removed and they made love in the open, mercifully free of any interruptions, and dozed in each other’s arms with the corner of the blanket flicked over them to preserve some modesty. Ron and Draco, out for a fly, spotted them from the air, the tangled heap of men, the tiny pile of babies, hedged about with the bags and their parents to prevent them rolling off the blanket and Ron sighed, “A very pretty picture. I wish I had a camera”, he glanced at his lover hovering beside him chewing his lip, there were tears in Draco’s eyes and his breathing was rapid. Ron reached out to him and gripped a shoulder, “Come on, I know a spot to land in”, he murmured, and they left the tableau behind.

They touched down in a tiny clearing in the small wood and Ron took Draco into his arms, “You looked like you needed a hug”, and pulled him close. Draco felt so wet for being such a sniveller, but he wasn’t allowed to be a stoic around this man who seemed able to pick up on his every mood. Draco understood Ron more and more each day. He may not be the intellect of the Three, but he was gentle and kind, the tower of strength, mental and physical. The funny one, the diviner of moods and the picker up of the shattered pieces. A man totally in tune with his and others’ emotions and Draco loved him for it as he bawled into his shoulder with Ron’s strong arms around him and little undemanding kisses rained into his hair. Draco had never felt so safe or cared-for his entire life. He knew he wasn’t pitied, just loved, as all of this family seemed to love, whole-heartedly and unconditionally, another member of the clan.

He cried for all the guilt he felt at his past treatment and contempt for this family and the name of Weasley. Even the twins did no more than tease him and not one of them made derogatory remarks or said anything to deliberately hurt him about his recent ordeals. He bore Molly’s fussing with a wry grin. She wasn’t a ‘mother’, she was a ‘mum’ in the truest sense of the word. So, there were more people in the family, so what, everybody just budged up and made room when space was tight. Arthur would cast his slightly bemused and benevolent gaze over them all at the dinner table all chattering like starlings, then slip outside to smoke his pipe and tinker in his shed. The older brothers lived away for the most part but Charlie had been home while Draco was there and had clapped a friendly hand on the lad’s shoulder and murmured, “Jolly bad luck about the family, old man. Whatever they were, no-one deserves to lose their family like that, they were still your mum and dad. I’m really sorry”, and that was that, he was accepted.

Behind the scenes there had been a few frank discussions about the newest addition to Clan Weasley, mainly from the twins but when Ron, in no uncertain terms, had outlined and clarified just exactly what had happened to his lover, they backed off and gave Draco a chance and to his credit, they never heard him whinge and saw nary a sneer, only gratitude and helpfulness where he could, either stacking dishes or helping with the vegetable patch or on family-wide gnome hunts where he laughed as loudly as the others. There were a few sniggers. The way Draco always polished the cutlery and never touched the eating surfaces as he laid each piece down while laying the table, the way he waited until all were seated before starting in on his own food, his habit of meticulously drying any spilt water from his shower that the boys called ‘fussy’ and Molly called ‘refeened’, in a posh voice, but she didn’t object when he helped her with the cut flowers ranged in vases all over the house and picking out new curtains for the master bedroom and the boys had no problem with his flying skills in impromptu quidditch games when he demonstrated skills and tricks he had practiced on his own that were illegal moves in matches but pretty impressive to see.

They all stayed another week before the party broke up. On their penultimate day, Severus took Hermione for another fly and they touched down in Hay-on-Wye, a tiny town on the Welsh border whose streets were lined with second-hand bookshops, a mini-Mecca for both of them. Molly minded the babies while the others had a fly-about and that night, Draco cooked for everybody, sticking out his tongue at the doubters and nay-sayers as he moved around the kitchen and cooked the whole meal without any magic whatsoever except a little help with lifting heavy pans, then proceeded to serve up a magnificent roast ham with a piquant pineapple sauce and garlicky baby roast potatoes along with fresh steamed vegetables from the garden.

Harry and Severus discussed the weekend they had planned with Molly and Arthur and they were delighted to be asked to sit the children, but as feared, Molly nominated Severus as the ‘responsible’ one. “You’re taking out my four youngest and I feel a lot happier knowing they’ll be with someone with a brain in their heads”. Then the others all got together in the lounge after dinner and talked over the whys and wherefores. Essentially this would be Severus and Harry’s treat, although all were asked to bring a little pocket money if they could. Ron and the twins worked and Hermione had a generous allowance. Draco shrunk into himself a bit until Ron kissed him, “SShhh, I’ll see you right, don’t worry, and when your funds are released, then you take us out on a posh night out”. Draco grinned shyly, they all knew that the Malfoy estates may be permanently removed by the Ministry but they all bolstered his hopes that he would see at least some of it again.

Then all split up. The twins went back to the shop, they needed to make fresh supplies for the coming school year. Draco and Ron went back to Hogwarts. Hermione and Ginny were going to spend the next two weeks with Hermione’s parents. And Severus, Harry and the children were going home for a fortnight.