Togetherness

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoat Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended

Special Thanks go to Keikokin for taking the time out of her busy schedule to beta for me. Thanks to Tarallynne Moon for her extra beta help too.


Chapter 7 The End’s Beginning

Harry and Draco continued their daily lives as students and lovers at night. They kept it well hidden from the school or so they thought. There had been speculations since they moved in together. Even the loyal Gryffindors would gossip about it, but no one would come out and ask directly.

Draco still remembered his promise to himself to talk to Snape about Harry’s problem. So during a free period one day, he found himself entering Snape’s classroom.

“Professor, excuse me, could we have a word in private?” Snape looked sharply at Draco. That was the correct intonation and phrasing meaning “it’s big and we really need to go to your rooms because I need a drink with this.” Snape nodded once, stood and motioned for Draco to follow. They entered the Potion Master’s private rooms and Draco began pacing while Snape poured each of them a drink. “Draco quit trying to wear out the carpet. I haven’t done it in over 20 years; you will not do it during this conversation. Sit, take a drink and tell me.” That was the only encouragement he needed.

Draco began with the reason he had to be moved even though he knew Severus knew all about it. He knew about Draco standing up to his father, turning his father to the light, his father being locked in Azkaban for his own “protection” during the final battle and Slytherin house turning on him for not supporting the Dark Lord from the start. He tried to tell them it was over, get on with their lives, but they enjoyed and encouraged holding grudges so getting even was an artform to them. He told Severus about Harry’s life with the Muggles and here at Hogwarts. He even tried to pry an answer out of Uncle Sev why he hated Harry so much, but that was better guarded than the Hope Diamond. He told Severus about Harry and the domestic scenes and the fabulous cooking he could do.

Then he got to their second month anniversary dinner and Draco started stumbling on the words. He finally managed to get everything out in the open. He asked, “Uncle Severus, do you know what is wrong with him? I don’t want to lose him now. He’s the one person who has always been there, even more than you. I wish you could see the blue aura around us when we make love, its just so right and perfect and there is this peace that envelopes us and holds us there, not that either of us want to leave it. Can you find out what is in the medical reports, they must have missed something or they don’t want to cure him. Please, for me Uncle Severus, help him. I’ll go to Dumbledore if I need to get you help with this. I’ll call in every favor I’m owed on this earth if you need something. Just please, make him better for me. I won’t last without him.”

Severus listened to his godson and dropped his head in his hands. The boy/man in front of him was breaking his own heart over a Potter. History did repeat itself, but it wasn’t his story to tell. He would tell Draco the part he was comfortable with though, just to ease the boy’s mind. “Draco, what I am about to tell you can absolutely go no farther then this room. If it does, it will be tracked to you through an ancient curse and nothing will be able to help you. Are you still adamant about this?” He had to give him one more chance to back away.
Draco looked at Severus. “I just told you I would do everything and anything to help him. You know I can keep a secret. Tell me.” So Severus told him of a love lost because of houses and their beliefs, of the desperate acts when one is jilted and how one would promise to protect at all costs the littlest of them all, the innocent. He told Draco he would need to talk to Lucius for the particulars and the people involved, but Severus also told him he would try to help Harry since he was still one of the littlest involved and an innocent, no matter what they had done together.

And so Severus made the trip to Poppy’s office and asked for the file on Harry Potter. He gave the excuse he wanted to make sure there was nothing in Harry’s physiology that could be causing some strange behavior as noted by himself and some of the other professors and students. Poppy handed it over without a second thought. There was something wrong with Harry and she didn’t know it? “Call me if you need any help Severus and I will do all that I can to help him.”

The search then began. Severus eyes were opened as he read from beginning of first year until the last visit to the headache yesterday. It was all before his eyes and he couldn’t deny it anymore. Harry Potter had given so much to help them and they only dragged him down. He would try everything he knew to cure the young man. He wouldn’t be doing it just for Draco, he had a past to correct and apologize for. Life in the castle went on and Harry sickened more each day. Draco and Severus went to the headmaster hoping he would know what to do, since it seemed like he knew everything else.
“Severus, Draco come in, have a seat. Lemon Drop?” The two men just shook their heads and sat down.
Severus looked at Draco who nodded. “Albus, it has come to our attention that we have been remiss in regards to Mr. Potter over the years and we are now facing a huge problem. I don’t know if I can help him.”

Severus watched as Albus sipped his tea and nodded. Severus continued on. “He and Mr. Malfoy here have mated with several special things occurring, the least is a blue aura surrounding them. What can you tell us Albus? Why is Harry convinced he is dying and we can’t help? I read his medical reports he is fine. Someone at St Mungo’s was wrong, we just have to convince Harry.”

Albus looked at the men and smirked. The smirk alone was enough to scare Draco and Severus, never having seen that expression before. “Gentlemen, when I moved the two in together I knew it was a chance. It paid off. Severus, does Harry trust you enough to believe you if you tell him St Mungo’s was wrong?” Albus sighed at the negative shake. “And he won’t believe Mr. Malfoy because they are lovers and he would believe it was Mr. Malfoy just saying it. There is only one thing left to do I’m afraid. It’s going to seem harsh but we can pull this off. Harry thinks it’s only a matter of a short time now. Let him continue like this and when he makes himself sick enough we put him in the infirmary where Severus here will come in with the miracle potion. It will be a simple Pick Me Up Severus. Nothing more, nothing less is that understood? This is going to be hard on you Draco, will you be able to handle it?”
Draco looked at the Headmaster. “If you are sure about this Headmaster I will go along with it. If this is a mistake and I lose Harry, mark my words, there will be no place you can hide that I won’t find you and retribution will be mine. This is not a threat, I don’t believe in them. This will be fact.” Draco stood up and walked out of the office back to his and Harry’s rooms.

Severus looked at Albus. “What can I say? He is his father’s son. Speaking of the father, Albus, you owe it to both of them to get Lucius out of Azkaban and back home where he belongs.” Severus stood to leave and stopped dead when he heard the Headmaster murmur ‘Don’t you mean it’s time he came back to you?” He looked at the headmaster with a look that could have created an iceberg. “That is past history and I will not revisit it with you or anyone else. We’ve moved on. The only concerns we now share are Draco and Harry and how to keep them together. Good Day Albus.” With his robes billowing behind him, Severus left the office and went back to his dungeons.

Once in his dungeons, he poured himself an extra large firewhiskey and settled into his favorite chair. It had been so long ago and so many things had crossed their paths. Did he really want to revisit them and relive the pain he finally learned to deal with?

~Flashback~

They had been young and in school and so very much in love. Or so it seemed. Severus adored and followed Lucius anywhere he led. The nights and days or even the stolen moments were unbelievable and so involved. It was a miracle they were never caught; they didn’t exactly try to hide it either. Severus had thought it would last and they would always be together. It had already been three glorious years, and then one day the Marauders happened along and caught them. Severus could feel the changes taking place even as the confrontation died. It wasn’t long until one James Harold Potter had to step in and drive the wedge deeper between them. He convinced Lucius that it wasn’t Severus he needed, it was a pureblood wife. He tried to convince Severus that Lucius was only using him until something better came along. When Lucius began looking at Narcissa Black, Severus knew it was the end and he had to thank Potter for messing up his entire life.

Severus loved Lucius even when he joined ranks with the Dark Lord so just to be near Lucius, Severus joined the ranks of Death Eaters. Severus had still loved Lucius even when they said good-bye the night before the wedding. He loved him when he announced he would be a father. He wept when Lucius asked him to be the godfather to his son and still he loved him. He just kept it well hidden and let Lucius go on with his life.
~End Flashback~

Now Severus sat here in the dungeons of Hogwarts as a lonely professor teaching the son of the man he loved and the son of the man he hated. The irony of it all, the two sons loved each other as much if not more than he and Lucius had loved. One was convinced he was dying and the other was convinced if his lover died, he would seek revenge then follom inm in death. Fate was a wicked evil bitch who liked to laugh at the mortals as they did her bidding.
He just had to wait now for the summons from the infirmary. He would provide Harry Potter with the ‘miracle potion’ and the world would be set right for the two young men.

Severus had vowed to get Lucius out of Azkaban, so he sat and schemed. He didn’t trust Albus enough to let him try it on his own or trust him enough to even try. It was time for Lucius to come home; too many people loved and needed him, even if he didn’t know it.

He sighed and looked at the folder in his lap and took another drink. There must have been something someone used to convince Harry he was dying. But who would have done that and how or better yet, why?

Severus opened Harry’s medical history and began reading again. It was there, he just had missed it the first time, and he would find it now. He ran through it fast and then slower a second time. It was on the third time through as he was cross-referencing things in the medical journals that he found his first clue.

It seemed someone had performed a psych test on Harry while he was hypnotized and unsupervised. Severus read some more and couldn’t believe that someone was stupid enough to do that. What was even more incredible, the fool had signed his name and that in itself caused Severus to do more research. What he found made his blood boil and a rage he hadn’t felt in a while began festering. He strode to his door and slammed it open hard enough to crack the wood and without the aid of the Sonorous charm he bellowed for Draco.