Because you loved me.

Because you Loved me.
By Ran Mouri.

Chapter 03.

Professor Severus Snape was standing in the middle of the Slytherin Common Room with his head held high and his hands regally poised behind his back. He was addressing his house with the commanding air that always surrounded him and his dark, piercing eyes regarded the crowd with stoic disposition.

“…remember at all times that you are all Slytherins, which makes you the unnamed elite of this school,” he said slowly, regarding each an every student with the same contempt he did everything else. “At all times you will act according to your superior status, you will be now surrounded with Durmstrang students who are far better instructed and ahead in their own syllabus and the Beauxbatton ladies who will expect nothing but the best from us, do not disappoint me.”

Harry nodded his head firmly as he listened to his Head of House’s advice. He decided he wanted to make Professor Snape, who was always so cold and unmovable, proud with his performance. Even if he could not participate in the Triwizard tournament as a Champion, his own fame, which weighted heavily even after the years Pansy and Millicent had attempted to beat it out of him, still made him uncomfortable. The new students would know who he was and he would attract their attention whether he wanted it or not.

“… just relax, Potter,” Nott hissed as he elbowed him, it was like Theodore to guess his thoughts by just taking a glance at him. “They expect the spoiled, annoying, evil and slightly psychotic Harry Potter that the Prophet has written so brilliantly, just be yourself and you’ll be fine.”

“Git…” Harry hissed back and delivered some pointed elbowing of his own. “Just wait until Pansy hears you are teasing me about the Prophet articles, she’ll make sure you pay, painfully, for that.”

Theo shuddered.

Parkinson was passionate to the point of obsession with her perfect performance when facing the press and the fact that, no matter what she did, the Prophet always ended up publishing something completely different that what she had told them to.

You learnt soon that The Prophet was a forbidden subject when around one Pansy Parkinson.

Suddenly, the powerful voice of their head of house became a muted whisper, his eyes widened and his pale face paled even further. Without another word, Severus Snape stalked away as quickly as he could, leaving caution and his reputation behind as he rushed to greet the Durmstrang encourage before anyone else could.

Harry and his friends were left blinking stupidly after his wake.

“Slytherin pride, hm?” Grinned Zabini. “I wonder what got him so upset.”

“Most likely the rumours about his secret affair with Headmaster Karkaroff are true.” Sighed Daphne.

The rest jus rolled their eyes.

“Daphne, dearest, if Professor Snape had an affair, I don’t believe he would have it with Igor Karkaroff of all people, how tasteless.” Millicent commented as she wrote on a piece of parchment. Blaize nodded his agreement.

“Of course he wouldn’t!” Protested Harry. “Igor Karkaroff is a known Death-eater. Professor Snape would …. Er…” his speech died in his lips when all his classmates and friends turned to glare at him.

“Harry, love, my dearest and most beloved experiment.” Pansy began as she stood from her seat.

Harry paled.

“Yes, Pansy, my menthor, the object of my adoration?”

The girl grinned savagely.

“What have I told you about thinking like a Gryffindor?” Her tone was so sweet that everyone present thought Harry Potter was going to die.

“Umm… that it is stupid and useless and that I should know better before sprouting ridiculous words about good and evil when there is no such thing?” He gulped. He had almost sounded like Weasley!

Pansy smiled.

“That’s right, dear. Well learnt.” She patted his hand tenderly before whacking the back of his head.

“And that’s for answering like a Hufflepuff, love.” Harry grinned impishly and nodded his head. He almost hurt his friend’s feelings with that one, with their parents being Death Eaters too, he guessed he could take a little humiliation after all.

“…. He does write to Durmstrang every week, and locks himself in his rooms every time he gets a letter.” Gregory commented after a while.

The Slytherins looked at him.

“… That’s a good point.” Pansy frowned.

Harry stood up, his grin threatening to split his head. “I say we are curious enough, don’t you agree?” Daphne nodded and stood by his side.

“Maybe we should go and make sure no one is misusing Professor Snape’s feelings.”

“And while we are at it, see all the dirty little details that might make great blackmail material in the future, huh?” Theo grinned. “Count me in!”

Pansy waved her hand.

“I’ll stay here, someone has to cover for you three buffoons if our Head of House comes back before you do.” Blaize agreed with her and sat by her side.

“Go and have fun, boys. Potter, you are in charge, if anything happens we kill you.” Millicent smiled pleasantly as she picked up a good book to read.

“Of course, my dearest sage, I would never dream of endangering my friends,” beamed Harry. Crabbe and Blaize rolled their eyes.

“Then let’s go already, I’m curious myself.” Said Goyle as he joined the adventurous group. Crabbe knew he would, at least, break a leg for that, but decided he might as well take care of his boyfriend…. Once again.

Nott smiled at him.

“I knew you loved me!” He beamed. Crabbe just nodded tiredly and patted his head.

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Draconis James Lupin had never seen a castle that big in all his life. He stood awed as their ship neared Hogwarts and pointed at everything that looked different or confusing, asking Viktor about it.

His older friend laughed good naturedly and fixed his scarf, they weren’t in the cold mountains anymore, but England was still cold enough. They couldn’t believe that Headmaster Karkaroff had allowed Draco to come. It was against every rule their school had and demonstrated favouritism, which Igor Karkaroff never showed, unless it was for his son… which happened rarely.

Viktor had been in the middle of a well rehearsed speech about the advantages of taking such a talented student like Draco with them, to which their Headmaster didn’t seem to be paying much attention, when Edvard said something to Draco and his face morphed into that cute impish pout Krum found so endearing.

It wasn’t a pout per se. It was more like an elegant frown, one silver eyebrow raised, lips pursed, head tipping so. If Draco had been older, his hair wasn’t in such disarray, or he wasn’t so small, he might even look threatening. As that was not the case, he looked, to Viktor, like a wet cat in the middle of a lazy tantrum.

So terribly cute.

Headmaster Karkaroff must have, disturbingly enough, liked his pouting face too, because he stood there with his mouth wide open, in shock, staring at him as if he had seen him for the first time. Then he had smiled evilly, something that made them all, Edvard included, quite uncomfortable, and ushered Draco into the ship, all the time muttering about a bastard potion master who had tricked him and made him an unwilling accomplice.

The last thing Draco would ever see of his beloved Durmstrang was his best friend, the blond boy who had opened his arms for him when he felt so alone, Edvard Karkaroff, waving at them and cheering, wishing them both good luck.

Now they stared at the castle that, Draco was sure, would bring honour and pride to Durmstrang as Viktor, and no other, won the Triwizard tournament. He almost could taste the delicious celebration cake their staff would cook for them as they returned home.

So deep he was in his thoughts that he didn’t notice Father Severus approaching slowly or the low Mobilicorpus he threw in his direction until he was floating behind his godfather down the hallways of the castle, away from peering eyes and into the Potion Master’s private office.

“Draconis…” Severus hissed as he dropped him rudely onto the floor. “What are you, of all people, doing here?” His quiet tone meant to Draco that he was extremely pissed.

“Umm, I wanted to see you?” The blond boy asked back. Snape’s face coloured just slightly, and Draco really doubted it was due to embarrassment.

“You plan to tell me you came all the way from Norway, defying every single rule there is, without your father’s consent, or informing him about this trip of yours, for that matter. Tricking Headmaster Karkaroff in some way, and don’t deny you did so, I know you, I taught you that. And you, sly snake, are going to tell your father, when he comes here in a werewolverian rage, that it is. All. My. Fault?” Draco nodded, leave it to his father Severus to put, in the most sarcastic possible way, the inner core of his most malevolent plan.

“Well, in my defence I was applying my dad’s motto: your friends come first than you do. The fact that I would be finally able to visit England was an added bonus,” he said shrugging. Draco had never been able to understand his father’s fixation to keep him away from the British Isles, no matter how much he pleaded, begged and grovelled to step on British soil, Remus was firm. Even last year, when his father had been called to teach at Hogwarts, Draco was charmed to be kept away from him until he returned home.

Severus rolled his eyes.

“Deny a child something and he will want it more. Deny Draco something and he will do everything in his power to get it.” He muttered, the advice he had given Lupin when the werewolf decided not to tell his son the reason England was banned to him. “Ok then, Draco. You can stay at Hogwarts as long as your schoolmates are with you, but you’ll have to use this on your hair,” Snape sighed, handing his godson a bottle with a nasty black liquid. He knew he could just use glamour to hide the boy’s hair colour, but magic a Hogwarts was traceable and he would not take risks.

A 14 year old blond with silver eyes and aristocratic face in England was too recognisable.

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Harry, on the other hand, was patiently waiting outside of Professor Snape’s office, snugly wrapped under his invisibility cloak, for the moment the door would open and reveal his head of house’s secret lover. Not that he thought Snape wasn’t allowed to have a lover or two, but he had kind of hoped he would finally patch up his differences with Sirius and they would both become his parents.

Of course every time he spoke about it, Blaise and Pansy rolled their eyes and patted him on the head.

He never really understood why.

Still, he had to make sure his other father figure, the stoic Professor, had someone who was worthy of him… if not, he would make sure the little bitch, or bastard for that matter, paid dearly for hurting their dearest Potion Master.

Just as he was about to peek into the room, the door opened to reveal a second year boy with shinning silver eyes and dark brown hair.

Harry froze…

“…but, uncle, this thing itches!” the boy complained as he tried, unsuccessfully to clean his hands on a rag. Severus Snape glared at the boy.

“It’s what you deserve for pulling the stunt you did. Stop complaining, you look just like your father like that.” He grumbled as he fixed the kid’s hair with tired hands. It was true that Draco, pale and pouting like that, was the exact replica of Lucius Malfoy, but he guessed that, at least, with his hair dyed brown, he would not be so easily recognized.

Humans, usually, only saw what they wanted to see.

And if a boy named Lupin with the same hair colour that last year’s Professor appeared, everyone would easily oversee the fact he had all the Malfoy traits.

Though he hoped Black wouldn’t suddenly appear and see the boy. He wasn’t sure the idiot would keep his mouth shut long enough for him to get Draco out of Britain.

“Just be sure not to ever worry me like that…” He added, not too sure why.

The boy smiled shyly then, and embraced the man warmly.

“Thank you, father Severus.” He whispered happily. “I’ve missed you too.”

A rare smile lit the tired man’s face as he wrapped both thin arms around his godson and rested his head on top of his. He had missed him so much since their last summer together.

“Now go back to your schoolmates and tell Headmaster Karkaroff I pulled you out of the ship, ok? And remember, behave.”

Draco smiled happily as he nodded.

“Don’t worry! I’ll make you really proud!” He beamed as he fixed his fur hat on top of his head. “See you at the feast!” And then he was gone. Skipping like the little boy he was, the sound of his footsteps bouncing down the ancient walls of Hogwarts.

Snape just shook his head and went back into his office, mumbling about annoying Slythindor brats and how they used their impish charm on him.

Harry, on the other hand, stood frozen in his spot for at least half an hour after he was left alone.

He had discovered that, at least, Professor Snape had no lover, unless that little boy second year could be counted as one.

He wouldn’t really care if his Head of House was homosexual. He had experimented quite a lot to know he wasn’t impartial to men, but until that very moment he had never seen a guy that interested him enough to stop ogling at girls.

...until now.

“Oh, Merlin….” He whispered finally. “I think …… I’m a pedophile.”

To be Continued.

A/N: I’m not really sure who coined the term Slythindor ( A mix of Slytherin and Griffyndor, btw) but I think it fitted this Draco very well. Any comments?