He didn't have time

Chapter 8 “So Close and Yet So Far.”

“If you change your mind I’ll be at the pitch after the feast.” The sandy haired Irish man smiled as he reluctantly left the Hospital wing.

“Don’t worry, I won’t change my mind.” Harry said to the empty room. Seamus wouldn’t take ‘No’ for answer or take the hint that he wasn’t interested. It was true that Seamus had flirted with him and the Gryffindor was handsome but he wasn’t interested. He also knew that his family did not like the former Gryffindor. He knew all about the pranks his sons and Godfather had been playing on the Flying instructor. Then they would give fake smiles in the pretense of liking the man trying to court their father.

Being an empathic means you know exactly what people are feeling and when they are lying to you. During they war he had to learn to block the emotions of others or he would have drowned in the pain, death and despair of the people around him. He kept the block on his empathy after he met Oliver because he wanted to love someone other than Draco. That had been a huge mistake but he wouldn’t trade his sons for anything. After Oliver left them he went through the painful process of unblocking his power and readjusting to others’ feelings that had overwhelmed him. Now he had a new life with his sons and with his empathy unblocked he would never fall like that again. He had too much on the line now to fall for a pretty face or a fetching smile.

“Harry? Are you there or should I come back when you get back from La-La land?”

“Oh! Nev hi, I didn’t see you come in.”

“I’m not surprise you were thinking pretty hard your head must hurt.”

“Ha ha. You are such a riot Nev.” Harry said with sarcasm dripping from each word. “So what brings you to my Hospital wing? Did you get bit by one of your plants again?”

“No, not this time. Actually I came to see if you wanted to go to a muggle game called football this weekend with me and Ron. He scored the tickets when he saved the muggle ambassador outside the M.O.M.”

“Ron is quite the hero. Sure why not. Sev and Siri say I’m turning into a bore. Can you believe that? My own Blood saying I’m a bore and that I am as dull as a flubberworm!” Harry shouted indignantly.

“Actually I can.”

“What?!”

“Come on Harry, its like pulling teeth the muggle way to get you to leave the Hospital wing let alone the castle.”

“I’m not that bad.”

“Yes you are. You need to get and live a little. The boys are older now and even they want you to get out more and have a 1ife.” The former Gryffindor hated seeing his friend hide away like this but there wasn’t much he could do about it.

“Nev it’s not that easy.”

“I never said it was, but you’ve got to trust your friends at least. You don’t have to look for the, love of your life, just have fun with your best mates that’s all.”

Harry sighed in defeat. He knew Neville was right, but he didn’t want to leave the castle. This was home he was safe here from the outside world. He knew that his family just wanted him to be happy, but there was one man besides his life with his sons that could make him truly happy. Unfortunately he left long ago and he was never returning.

“Alright Neville I get. I will be there at the game. I’ll drop the twins off with Molly for the weekend. That way Moony and Severus can have a couple days off as well.”

“That’s a grand idea! Molly has been lonely lately with Ron and the others grown and moved out, that she is even happy to see Fred and George!” Neville laughed making Harry laugh in return.

“Oh Merlin! She must be desperate to be happy to see those pranksters. I’ll Floo her right away and save her from those two. Sev and Siri will be thrilled to go over for the weekend.”

“Good I’ll tell Ron, that won’t need to stupefy and drag you out of your cave to get you to the game.”

“Hey!”

“We’ll meet you in London!” The Gryffindor laughed and ran out of the wing before Harry could hex him.


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It had been a long day for restocking his potions fending off Seamus and dealing with Neville and his guilt trips. Now he was just plain tired. Harry made his way down to the dungeons to pick up his children as dinner was soon to be severed and he was sure his two growing boys were hungry. He hoped the twins didn’t give his godfather a hard time or else he would be severing detention once again. He still couldn’t believe at 25 that his Godfather still gave him detention! Remus had tried to dissuade him of giving Harry detention but Severus just said this was how he relieved his stress. So since then Harry had done anything he could to avoid getting Detention. Unfortunately that didn’t stop his two sons from getting detention for him. The portrait to his godfathers’ quarters and from the look of his godfather and the down ward glazes of his sons it looked like he would be getting another detention.

“But Grandfather he said he was lonely!”

“Sirius how many times do I have to tell you both not to let the snake out of his cage when your father is not here?”

“Grandfather Siri and I heard him crying he wanted to come out and play.”

“Severus, it doesn’t matter if you boys can hear him cry, as you and your father are the only ones that can understand the blasted thing. It doesn’t mean you can disobey the rules.”

“We’re sorry Grandfather.” sniffled the twins.

“Well, I see I’m here just in time. You both are lucky you are not sorted otherwise your Grandfather would have taken points.” The twin then looked at their father in horror.

“I may not be able to take points but I can still give out detentions. Severus, Sirius, you both will have extra potion lessons tonight. Harry you will be chopping and dicing newts, flubberworm and eel intestine to replenish my stocks.” Snape glared at the three Potters.

“W-w-what?! Why do I have detention? I didn’t do anything.” Whined the healer.

“You gave them that snake for Christmas! Now that thing is slithering loose in my quarters. Now retrieve it we are late for dinner.”

“Salazar please come here.” The snake came slithering out from beneath the couch. “What is going on Salazar?”

“The Hatchlingsss wanted to play but the bat would not. I ssssaid I would play with them if they took me out of my tank. We were playing ‘Hide and Ssseek’ when the Batman sssaw me hiding and ssstarted yelling.”

“Salazar you know that you are not to leave your tank when I am not here. My godfather could have hexed you!”

“I am sssorry massster.”

“It’s alright just don’t do it again no come here, I have to put you back.” the snake slithered up Harry’s waiting arm and allowed himself to be caged once again. Once the lid was back on the tank the Potion master began to breathe easier.

“Now we can go to the Great hall for dinner. And there will be no pudding for any of you.” Snape Smirked as he lead his family out of the dungeons.

Remus saw the sad expressions and slumped shoulders of his adopted son and grandchildren as they followed his mate to their seats. He knew right away that they all had received detention from the Potion Professor.

“Okay what happened?”

“Grandpapa, Grandfather gave us an extra potion lesson tonight!” wailed Severus.

“And he took away our pudding!” cried Sirius.

“That is serious. What did you do to have your pudding taken away?” the Twins looked down at their empty plates and mumbled their confession. “What was that? This Old werewolf can’t hear so well any more.” Harry had to hide smile in his napkin. Remus’ hearing was just fine. In fact he could hear a pin drop across the noisy hall if he wanted to.

“We let Salazar out of his cage…” Sniffled Sirius.

“And let him hide in Grandfather’s sitting room.” Added Severus with a sad face.

“I see. Well you know now you have to listen and follow the rules or no pudding.”

“Yes Grandpapa.” Both of the little Potters conceded but were still pouting.

“If you Boys are good for the rest of the week you both can go to Aunt Molly’s for the weekend.” Harry said causally watching from the corner of his eye as his sons’ faces lit up with joy.

“We’ll be good Daddy! Right Siri?”

“Right Sev! We Promise Daddy!”

“The whole weekend without these two ankle-biters? Who are you and what did you do with Harry Potter?”

“Funny Lucius. The truth is that Ron got tickets to a muggle sports game. Neville came by and told me we were going and that there was no backing out of it.”

“That doesn’t sound like Longbottom.”

“You’re right Severus,” Harry sighed as he confessed. “He guilted me into going. Plus I wanted to give you and Remmy a Honeymoon weekend. Molly was overjoyed when I asked her if she could watch them for the whole weekend.”

“Dear Molly,” Sighed Remus with a smile. “She really has been lonely since all her kids have moved out.”

“Yes and she says it’s been rather dull with just her and Arthur that she is even happy to see Fred and George.” Laughed Harry.

“That poor woman. Very well she can take them and I shall enjoy my weekend without worry of snakes slithering around my chambers.” Smirked the potion master.

“We’re sorry Grandfather we’ll be good.”

“You both had better be or else Molly will not want you to come visit her.” the twins gasped in fear of not being allowed to go to Aunt Molly’s house that for the rest of the night they were on their best behavior and completed their lessons without complaint.

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“Blaise Where are we going?” Draco asked as they sped down the highway in Blaise’s BMW convertible. It drove like the Knight bus traveling great distances with out the muggles knowing they were there, but this car was nice and smooth and safer to ride.

“My dear Draco trust me this will be fun. Weasley go some tickets to a muggle sports game. He gave us the tickets to celebrate you return home after all you had been gone for five years.” ‘More like ran away.’

“Yes I know I have boxes of letter to remind me I had been gone.”

“Speaking of letters, your last letter was short and hastily written.”

“Well my father had made it apparent in his last letter that I have been gone too long. So I felt it was time that I returned home.” Draco stared out at the fleeting country side as he mind wander to thoughts of his father’s letter.

When he left five years ago he had been running from a broken heart and a wounded soul. He felt betrayed by a ghost. At first he thought he was upset about Theodore’s betrayal but he wasn’t. The guys was a Slytherin after he should have expected nothing less. No he felt a deep Pain when he found out about Potter being with another man. He had heard rumors at passing event and some how he had always just miss the couple. He never saw them so it wasn’t true. Oh how wrong he was when the truth hit home hard at the news of Potter giving birth to adorable twins.

They were the proof of Potters existence other than his dreams and the word of others. The proof was in the Pictures of Sirius and Severus. During his travel he would receive photographs from his father Blaise Weasley even Longbottom. He cherished every one of them, but none of them had his true desire in them. He was content to watch from a far but that last letter made his blood boil. Finnigan that Irish part! He was always the play boy in school and the rumors had i.e. The Prophet’s gossip column he hadn’t changed a bit as he had a different witch or wizard on his arm every week. There was not way he was going to let that man-whore get His Harry or His Kids.

That’s right they were his. He had sent and received letters gifts to them. He watched them grow through the years. He was the one up late night worrying when he had fire called his father and had been told Severus was in the hospital wing cause he fell out of a tree. He stayed wake the whole night till his father had called him back to tell him that Severus was fine and awake. I was he who got a letter from Sirius showing him proudly that he had gotten an outstanding on his Mathematics. It took all his restraint not to Port-key back to England when they came down with the Dragon pox because he had never had them himself when he was a child.

No, that Gryffindor wouldn’t care for those boys or love hem as much as he did. He knew that once Finnigan had gotten what he wanted from Harry, he would toy with him awhile before crushing his heart then leave him for the next willing arse. Well that was not going to happen! He wouldn’t let it! Draco dropped everything and flooed home to hex the Irish gigolo and Win his Harry and claim his Family!

“Draco!”

“What Blaise? I’m right here. You don’t have to yell at me.”

“Your body may be here, but your mind was miles and miles away. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine; I just have a lot on my mind that’s all. Now why are you yelling at me.”

“Relax I was trying to tell you, we’re here.”


A/N: Football in Europe is Soccer.