Windows of the Soul

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.

Author's Notes: This story ignores HBP and DH. Thank you to my beta Sometimeselkie for all her hard work.


Chapter 6 - A Bet

When Draco awoke the next morning, the first thing he realised was that he was still snuggled up to a warm body. The second was that Ellorra was sitting next to the bed looking towards him. It was still too dark to see her eyes so he couldn’t tell if she saw them or not.

He nudged Harry and sat up.

“You didn’t leave any silencing or locking spells on the door or room, Draco. You must be slipping,” she said with a smile. “Papa and Tatko were too busy to worry last night, and I offered to wake you both up to save you any unwanted questions.”

Draco smiled at the young woman he had come to know and love the last few weeks that they had spent together.

It had taken time to make arrangements with the Headmaster of Durmstrang to allow one of his students to change in her last year, but allow her he did.

She had left two days before the end of school with her “aunt and uncle”, then two days later had met up with Draco and Severus, and had stayed with them until now, learning a lot about her new family. She knew that her Papa and Severus were together even though they didn’t flaunt it, as Severus was a private man and it was her Papa’s first relationship after her father Sirius. Elli talked to Draco about her Papa and also her father, and what his death had meant to her, as she had only known him for such a short while. She enjoyed sitting and listening to her “Tatko”, as she had started to call Severus, as his voice always filled her with calm. When he did his potions, she even helped sometimes.

With Draco, she listened to him as he talked about his friends, school, and sometimes about his father. He never spoke about his mother, only saying once that he never really had one, to which Ellorra replied, “Neither did I.”

Draco nicknamed Ellorra “Elli”, which she loved.

Draco also talked about Harry, about how for the last few months they had been boyfriends, and that they both cared for each other, if not loved the other, but no one knew. Draco wanted to tell everyone, but Harry didn’t because he didn’t want Draco to become a target, so they hid their relationship behind anger and insults.

Everyone thought that Draco would become a Death Eater, just like his father.

He didn’t want to.

He hated Voldemort, hated everything about him.

Hated what Voldemort had made his father into.

He could remember before the Dark Lord had come back. His father had been kinder to him and actually showed affection, but now he was hard and made of rock. His mother, well, she was always a bitch around him.

He felt that he could confide in Elli, as she understood how he felt about a lot of things, but mainly because she just listened and didn’t give an opinion; she just let him rant.

Draco could feel Harry starting to wake up; he leaned into his boyfriend and smiled when he felt lips on his shoulder. Elli chuckled and Harry’s head came up suddenly.

Harry didn’t know that Elli knew about them, so when presented with her sitting at the side of the bed that they were both in, his panic welled up so strongly Draco could feel it. “Harry, it’s OK. Elli has known about us for weeks; she won’t say anything.”

Harry looked at his new “sister” and as if she could read his mind, she laughed. “That’s what sisters are for, isn’t it?” she said with a grin.

“That’s right, but it’s going to take me a while to get to know what a brother should do.” Harry smiled back at her, releasing some of the tension in his body.

“Papa and Tatko are both downstairs getting breakfast ready. I said that I would get both of you up, especially as I knew what kind of reunion Draco had planned.”

Harry sat straighter with that. “What kind of reunion did Draco have planned?” he questioned his “sister” with a raised eyebrow.

Elli smiled and leaned towards the boys. “If you have to ask that question, then Draco hasn’t finished his reunion.” She chuckled at Harry’s look of excitement, standing up and turning to the door.

Over her shoulder she threw, “Oh, if you’re not down in fifteen minutes, I’ll let Papa come up and get you.”

She opened the door with a big grin on her face and left the two boys scrambling off the bed and dashing to the bathroom.

Both boys were outside the kitchen door in just over ten minutes after lots of small kisses and caresses in the bathroom the bedroom, the landings, the stairs, and now outside the kitchen door.

Draco pushed open the door and stopped a couple of steps inside, and Harry walked into the back of him.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” Draco slightly moved his shoulder so Harry could look into the kitchen, and he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

Remus was seated at the kitchen table across from Ellorra and they were both watching Snape at the hob cooking what looked like pancakes, but the thing that had surprised the two boys was that he was wearing a Muggle-looking apron. It was pink and frilly, and when Snape turned round to give Remus his plate they both saw that it had “kiss the cook” written on the front. Harry couldn’t help the snort of laughter that he had tried to stop and he could feel Draco’s shoulders shake with silent laughter.

Remus looked up at the sound and smiled at the boys. “Come in boys and get some breakfast before it gets cold.”

Draco walked over to the table and sat down next to Ellorra, whilst Harry stumbled over and sat at her other side. Both boys had big grins on their faces.

“I suggest you both remove those grins before I finish cooking, as I would not like to have to hex you both on an empty stomach.” Severus placed a plate in front of Ellorra and glared at the two boys. Harry gulped whilst Draco’s grin seemed to get bigger.

“Really, Severus. Can we not just enjoy the lovely breakfast you’ve cooked?” Remus scolded his lover with a grin on his face.

“If we must, Lupin.” Severus served Harry and then Draco. Severus returned a few minutes later with his own breakfast and seated himself next to Remus.

Harry kept sneaking looks over at his godfather and his most hated professor. What he saw made him feel conflicted. He was happy that Remus seemed happy with Snape, but upset that Remus seemed to have gotten over Sirius so quickly. He knew what Sirius did was horrible (and he was still angry at Sirius for what had done) but Remus seemed to have forgotten it all.

Severus knew every time that Harry had looked over at them; he could feel his eyes on him. He could read what was in Harry’s mind just by looking at his face it was so expressive. He would have to talk to Remus about having a private talk later with Harry about everything that had happened then and now.

What no one knew, not even Remus, was that he didn’t hate Harry anymore; he had worked through his anger at Potter Senior. He still thought that Harry was useless at potions, but he had looked at the boy differently this summer. It was because of his own godson Draco; he had inadvertently overheard one of his conversations with Ellorra where he had been talking about Harry and about his feelings for him. Severus had been astonished at the intensity of Draco’s feelings for Harry, so he had felt it was only right that if they were to be together then he would try to get along with him for Draco’s sake - and it didn’t hurt that it would carry favour with his temperamental werewolf lover.

“I suggest now that we have eaten that we retire to the library where we can relax and get to know Ellorra better.” Severus pointedly looked at Draco, then Harry.

Remus looked at Ellorra and smiled. “I think that is a great idea, Severus.”

“Oh, and it’s Elli, not Ellorra, Tatko,” Elli said with a quick smile at Draco.

Severus stood and with a wave of his hand all the plates flew into the sink. “Draco, why don’t you and Mr Potter take Elli into the library, whilst Remus and myself clean up in here, and then we will meet you there?”

Draco nodded and placed his hand on Elli’s elbow. Together they stood up, waiting for Harry to do so as well. Harry looked over at Remus and Severus, noting the way his godfather looked at Severus. He sighed and stood. He glanced over at Remus, who gave him a slight smile.

“You show us the way, Potter, as it is your house,” Draco sneered at Harry.

“Well it’s this way then, Malfoy.” Harry sneered back, took Elli’s other elbow and guided her out of the kitchen, with Draco stomping behind them.

Remus sighed and thought that maybe it would be a long couple of weeks until the beginning of school; he felt Severus place a light caress over his shoulders and smiled.

They cleaned the kitchen in a few minutes and in silence. When they were finished, Severus finally took off the apron and folded it up, placing it carefully on the table. Remus smiled at it.

“You do know that you didn’t fulfil the exact wording on the deal?” Remus asked with a raised eyebrow.

Severus grimaced. “I fulfilled everything to the exact details, Lupin. I had to wear the damned apron and be humiliated in front of three of my students, so I did.” His face growing redder by the second.

Remus smirked at his lover. “No you didn’t. You had to wear the apron, but the terms were you were to wear nothing underneath it, so you failed.” He rose to go and stand behind his lover.

“If I had fulfilled the exact terms, then you would have had at least two students who would have been more emotionally scarred than normal,” Severus growled.

“Well I might let it go this time-- if you are really good,” he purred in Severus’s ear. “Maybe it will teach you not to bet on a sure thing.” He grabbed Severus’s hand and together they walked along to the library.


A/N: This was part of a challenge I was given by my “adopted” daughter Leesee; the challenge words were: Snape, frilly apron, pink, kiss the cook and pancakes. So hopefully I fulfilled it.