At Your Doorstep

Chapter 8: Green In Thy Eyes

“Good morning guys!” Harry chirped as he walked into the kitchen where Draco and Severus were.

Draco stopped eating his pancakes—his fork was halfway to his mouth—when he looked up. His mouth hung open as his eyes took in Harry’s attire; the fork held between his fingers clattered onto his syrupy plate. Draco’s grey eyes widened and he reached for his cup of coffee and took a huge gulp.

“Bloody hell!” Draco yelled; he put his cup down and dabbed his mouth with a napkin, “What the hell is wrong with you Harry!” Draco clapped his hand over his eyes and pointed a shaky finger at the man, “What in the bloody blazes are you wearing! And what happened to your hair!”

Harry looked down at his leaf green tee shirt, with colorful spirals across the front. Then his eyes continued to travel down to his somewhat baggy dark blue denims, and to his shoes that were laced with bright green shoelaces. Harry then reached up and patted down his hair. The tips of his messy spikes were highlighted with a green that was close to lime green.

“What? I’ve been doing this to my hair ever since I left Hogwarts. It was normal looking when I appeared at your house because I was trapped for months. No chance for me to color it. I think the green brings out the color of my eyes, don’t you think?” Harry grinned at Draco, whose eyebrows had disappeared behind the blond fringe, “As for my clothes, I wanted something… colorful.”

“This is not the seventies Harry…” Draco groaned, “People might think you’d time-traveled from the past!”

Harry ignored the blonde’s groaning and turned to Severus who was still reading the morning newspaper as if nothing happened.

“What do you think of my clothes Severus?”

Snape had been so engrossed in his reading that he only vaguely heard Draco’s exclamations. Not that he was totally in another world; he caught the words ‘hell’, ‘Harry’, ‘wearing’, and ‘hair’. Just based on those four words alone, Severus deduced that the green eyed man had done something out of the ordinary.

‘Do I even want to look?’ Severus asked himself; he sighed heavily and slowly lowered the newspaper until only his eyes were visible from behind the paper.

Severus’ first thought was that he was staring at a goddamn tree with some weird flowers on it, but then he realized there weren’t any leaves. Then his dark eyes moved higher and saw Harry’s grinning face, the bright green eyes that were shining with mirth, and the messy mop of hair that had somehow turned into a tuft of grass in twenty-four hours. Severus clutched the newspaper until it crunched in his hands. He forced his mouth shut to prevent himself from screaming.

‘WHAT THE HELL!’

Harry’s smile turned into a pout when Severus stayed quiet, although he did notice that Severus turned a bit red in the face. He looked down and tugged at his shirt. Harry then spun around in a full circle. Draco almost spat out his mouthful of coffee and Severus closed his eyes and willed himself to calm down. Draco’s face turned into what can only be described as a very painful expression, like he was a woman giving birth.

On the back of Harry’s green shirt, was a huge happy face that winked at them every few seconds.

“Holy… Harry I was fine with the spirals, but you just had to add that face to the back of your shirt!” Draco wailed. Severus laid the newspaper on the dining table and buried his face into his hands. “You need a new wardrobe Potter!” Draco said with a scowl.

“What? I like this shirt! The clothes you gave me didn’t fit since you’re so lean; I tried them on but they were all so tight on me… I had to make myself some new clothes!” Harry complained, “And what’s wrong with the happy face? It’s just a decoration!”

“Harry…” Severus said as calmly as he could; he so wanted to throttle Harry right now. “You will desist wearing that atrocious thing you call a shirt. It’s so damn green and bright it’s hurting my eyes!”

“No. They’re my clothes and I like them the way they are,” Harry smiled sweetly at Severus—who sneered—and walked closer to the dining table and sat down, “Don’t you guys think I look good in green?”

Draco sighed and shook his head; his blond hair swayed side to side, “Green is alright. Dark green is fine, light green is nice if you know how to use it. But Harry, I think you went overboard.”

“I always see you both wearing blacks and blues… and I thought I should add some colors,” Harry frowned, “Can’t I just keep my highlights? I promise in the future I’ll wear some darker shades of colors.”

Severus let out a tired groan, propped his head on his right hand, and flapped his other hand at Harry.

“Whatever Potter. But please, don’t wear anything too bright anymore.”

“I happen to like my green shoelaces,” Harry said, shaking his feet under the table, “And don’t worry, next month I’ll change my hair color to red. I change every month.”

“That’s good to know Harry,” Draco smirked and drained his coffee. He licked his lips and pushed away from the table, taking his plate and cup with him. Draco went to the sink and started washing. “Severus and I are going to leave and open shop. Make some breakfast and if you want, you can drop by later.”

“If you do plan on coming, make sure you get rid of the winking face,” Severus drawled; he folded the wrinkled newspaper and left it on the table. He stood up and straightened his black robes, his eyes still on Harry. “You might give some innocent bystander a heart attack.”

Harry huffed and crossed his arms across his chest. Draco snickered and walked up to Snape. He wrapped his arms around Severus’ waist and tilted his head to give the older man a kiss. Harry blushed and looked away as Severus returned the gesture. It had been a month and Harry still felt embarrassed when Draco and Severus showed their affections publicly. Harry avoided the locked lips, the heat on his cheeks very persistent.

“Well Harry, we’ll be going now,” Severus told the younger man; Harry turned his attention back to the couple and nodded.

“Yeah… Alright. I’ll be there as soon as I get some food in my stomach.” Harry smiled thinly.

“Don’t eat all the food Harry,” Draco said, his grey eyes filled with mischief, “We would like to have some left in our pantry.”

“HEY!” Harry cried, “I don’t eat that much… Well… only once in awhile.” Harry face then flushed.

“Mmhmm… Well, we’ll see you later!” Draco winked at Harry and hooked his arm with Severus.

Harry watched silently as they walked out the front door. With a sigh, Harry pushed back his chair and went to the fridge, digging through the leftovers from yesterday. All he found were a dish of pasta from last night, some leftover salad, and a chunk of roast beef. Harry made a face and took out a carton of milk. No way was he going to eat those leftovers. As Harry poured himself a nice cup of cold milk, he remembered the pantry. With a cup in hand, the brunet walked over to the shelf and opened the pantry door.

There wasn’t much to begin with for all Harry saw was a few bags of… something that looked suspiciously like potion ingredients, cans of soup, and a piece of paper. Taking a sip of milk, Harry picked up the scrap and read its contents.

I’m guessing you tried the fridge already huh? Sorry Harry, we ran out of bread and muffins so you will have to come down to the village and buy something from the bakery. I know what you’re thinking; you don’t know where the bakery is right? Come to the shop first and I’ll tell you. I say you should leave right now because I know you’re hungry.

-- Draco

Harry rolled his eyes and folded the piece of parchment and slipped it in his pocket. He tipped his head back and drank the last drops of milk. Wiping his mouth on the back of his hand, Harry went to the front door and left… all the while forgetting to take off the winking face on the back of his shirt.

HPDMSS

The bell jingled as the door to the flower shop opened and in came a very hassled looking Harry Potter. Draco looked up from where he was—behind the counter—and smirked. Harry’s face was beet red, his already messy hair was even messier, and the green shirt was twisted. Draco’s eyes traveled lower and found that the bright green shoelaces were untied. The blond closed the notebook he was writing on and walked around the counter and stood in front of Harry, who was bent forward with his hands on his knees.

“Were you chased by wolves? Or are you really that hungry?” Draco asked as Harry continued to gasp for breath.

Harry tilted his head up; his forehead was covered in sweat. He shook his head and sucked in a huge amount of air.

“N-No…” Harry puffed, “I was walking and walked by the small houses…” Harry stood up and tugged at the collar of his shirt, “There was this nice looking old lady hanging her laundry in her front yard and she saw me.”

“Let me guess… she saw your shirt,” Draco drawled; Harry nodded and wiped his forehead with his hand.

“Yeah… yes she did. At first she just stopped putting her clothes up and clapped her hand on her bosom,” Harry huffed and blew a strand of his green tipped hair from his eyes, “I thought she was going to faint so I rushed up to her. The lady continued to stare at me and I asked her if she was alright.”

Harry was breathing normally now and had his hands on his hips. Draco was trying his hardest not to laugh at Harry’s adventure.

“Then what happened?” Draco asked, “Did the old lady fall into your arms once you got closer to her?” The corners of his lips curved up when Harry puffed out his cheeks.

“No! She blinked a couple of times then she started smiling. I was so glad she was fine so I told her good bye and turned. She grabbed my arm and invited me in her house for tea.” Harry smiled softly, “Then I remembered her; I saw her the first time I came to the shop… that one time with Severus. I waved to her that time.”

Draco let out a snort, “She invited you for tea.”

“Yeah… but I told her no and said I had somewhere to go. She made me promise to go to her house some time in the future.”

“That’s it? That made you run all the way here like you were chased by wolves?” Draco arched his eyebrow.

“Er… no…” Harry mumbled, “She-she complimented on my shirt and…” Harry scratched the side of his face absently, “And she said I was the ‘cutest looking thing ever’ in a tone of voice as if she was speaking to a small, little child. Then she pinched my cheeks! I freaked out and bolted…”

Draco burst out laughing. Tears of mirth swam in his grey eyes; he wiped them away before they spilled over. Harry glared at the blond, but the corners of his mouth were twitching. Draco clutched his midsection with his left hand and tried to stop laughing. Harry shoved Draco lightly and the blond finally calmed himself down. Draco coughed a few times before he could talk.

“She called you—“ A snort. “—cute!” A choked laughter.

Harry sighed and shrugged, “Hey, you have to admit, I am cute, with my green shirt and hair.” Harry winked exaggeratedly and the blond rolled his eyes.

“Sure, whatever you say Harry,” Draco patted Harry’s shoulder, “You can keep on dreaming. We all know you are far from cute.”

Harry ‘humphed’ and mock glared at the slightly taller man in front of him.

“Are you going to tell me where the bakery is now that you are done insulting me?” Harry pouted, “I’m hungry and I ran here.”

“Ah you found the note,” Draco turned away and walked back to the counter where he grabbed his keys. “Severus is in the back greenhouse and I’m going to deliver some oils to Mr. Altin. You can come with me; the bakery is on the way to Mr. Altin’s house.”

Harry nodded and followed the blond out of the shop. They walked the cobbled road. It was a nice, sunny day and children were playing outside their houses. Harry smiled when the kids pointed at him and then tugged at their own shirts; he heard them giggled loudly as he went by. After passing a few shops, Draco tugged at Harry’s arm and gestured to a small, dainty bakery. Harry took a deep whiff and smelt the scent of freshly baked breads, pies, and pastries. Harry clapped his hands together and almost ran into the store. Draco chuckled softly and walked behind the brunet.

“Oh my… everything looks delicious!” Harry exclaimed; he wandered to the side and peered at the plump, warm chicken pot pies. “I want some of those…” His green eyes darted around and saw some nice creamy pastries. “Ah! Are those filled with blueberries! I love blueberry pastry.”

“Potter… pick one and buy it. I have to meet with Mr. Altin in fifteen minutes.” Draco reminded Harry, “Or you can buy the pie and the blueberry pastry.”

“Yeah, I think I’ll do just that!” Harry said happily and whizzed by Draco to get to the counter.

Harry waited until a woman came out from the back and stood behind the counter. She smiled at Harry; her eyes flicked to his hair and she chuckled. Draco strode over to Harry and smiled at the woman.

“Hello Mrs. Goldstein,” Draco greeted warmly, “How are you?”

The owner of the bakery smiled at the blond, “Oh Mr. Malfoy, I’m doing quite well!” She glanced at Harry, “And who is this young man? I must say, I’ve never seen hair quite like his, although it does match his green eyes.”

Harry blushed and nodded in greeting at Mrs. Goldstein, “I’m Harry, and I’m er… Mr. Malfoy’s friend. I’m here visiting and I’m staying at his house.”

“Well, nice to meet you Harry,” Mrs. Goldstein said; she took a pair of tongs and a small, white paper bag from under the counter. “Would you like something?”

“Oh yes, uhm… Can I have one of those chicken pot pies and one blueberry pastry please?” Harry said nicely.

Mrs. Goldstein nodded and took the pie and pastry Harry wanted. She then placed both into the paper bag.

“Anything else?” she asked with a smile. Harry shook his head. “That would be three pounds and twenty-five pence.”

Harry’s mouth dropped; he didn’t have any Muggle money with him at the moment. He heard Draco sigh and was extremely glad when the blond paid for his food. Harry turned and gave Draco a appreciative smile.

“Yes Harry, you owe me.” Draco murmured but had a smile on his sharp face.

Mrs. Goldstein handed Draco his change and gave Harry the bag. The brunet waved at the nice woman as he and Draco left the shop.

“I thought there were magical folks living here,” Harry said; he opened the bag and took out the blueberry pastry. “I would’ve thought they would use our money.” Harry took a bite of the warm blueberry goodness.

“There are witches and wizards, but it’s easier for us to get Muggle money than for the Muggles to get our money.” Draco explained, “And I was kidding about you owing me Harry.” Draco glanced to the side and gave Harry a half smile.

“No, no! I’ll pay you back once I exchange for some Muggle money.” Harry insisted, “You and Severus helped me so much… I can’t help but feel that I’m a burden to you both…” Harry looked down and took another bite.

Draco sighed and clasped a hand on Harry’s shoulder, making the brunet stop in his tracks. Draco spun Harry around until he was facing him. Harry looked at Draco with round eyes and the blond noticed there were crumbs around Harry’s lips. He chuckled lightly and used his index finger to brush them away. Harry blushed and quickly wiped his mouth with his hand. Draco took his hand away and left it on his side.

“Harry… you’re not a burden. At all.” Draco said firmly, “You have to stop thinking that. We like your company. We really do.” Draco tilted his head to the side, “You can stay with us as long as you want, unless you don’t want to. Don’t think that we’re forcing you to Harry.”

Harry shook his head violently; he wiped his hand on his jeans and clutched the paper bag tightly in his right hand, almost squishing the chicken pie.

“No! I never thought you guys were forcing me to stay!” Harry cried, “And-and I like staying with you and Severus…” Harry whispered and looked away at the astonished Draco. “I was alone back then… and now I have you guys. It’s just… I feel bad for leeching off you, eating your foods, occupying space in your house and stuff…”

Draco laughed and Harry looked back at him sheepishly.

“Oh Harry… if it makes you feel any better, you can help buy groceries once you exchange your money, since you eat the most out of us three. How does that sound?” Draco grinned widely, showing his perfectly straight teeth. “You will be the one to stock up on food from now on.”

Harry’s face blossomed into a full blown smile and nodded. Draco chuckled and draped his arm across Harry’s shoulder, pushing the other man to walk.

“Now that’s settled, let’s go meet some of your fellow villagers…”

HPDMSS

Draco took out the key to Mr. Altin’s door and jammed it in the lock. Harry was shifting on his feet as Draco got the door to open. He had told the blond that he could wait outside while Draco delivered the oils to the elderly man. But Draco had insisted him to go inside and meet the man, seeing how Harry would be staying in the village for some time. As they stepped through the front door, Harry steadily walked down the hallway and turned into the living room, where Draco said Mr. Altin would be. He found the old man sitting on the couch, dozing. Harry looked to the side and Draco nodded curtly before breezing by the brunet; he sat down on the couch and shook Mr. Altin lightly. The man stirred and opened his brown eyes to look at Draco.

“Oh, Mr. Malfoy you’re here… Sorry I dozed off… it’s so easy for me to fall asleep these days.” Mr. Altin chuckled and sat straighter in the couch. His eyes moved away from the blond and landed on Harry, who was fidgeting with his green shirt. “Ah, is he your friend Mr. Malfoy?” His chocolate brown eyes twinkled merrily.

Draco nodded and gestured to the green eyed man, “This is Harry Potter, I’ve known him since… school. He’s staying with Mr. Snape and I.”

“Well, sit down Harry, there’s no need to stand around in my living room.” Mr. Altin said; Harry smiled and sat down in a black recliner.

“Harry can you entertain Mr. Altin for a few minutes?” Draco asked, “I’m going to prepare the bath.” Harry nodded at Draco’s request and the blond turned back to Mr. Altin. “This is your last treatment; how do your knees feel?”

“Oh, they’re much better now,” the elderly man said, “I haven’t felt any twinges of pain for the past two weeks.”

“That’s good. Well, I’ll go prepare and you can go in when I call you.” Draco pushed himself off the couch and walked to the back of the house, leaving Harry with the elderly man.

Harry looked up and smiled shyly; Mr. Altin patted on the seat next to him and Harry walked over and sat down.

“How long have you stayed here? In this small village?” Mr. Altin questioned.

“A month, give or take a few days,” Harry replied, “Guess you can say I sort of just ‘dropped’ by.”

“Mmm…” Mr. Altin hummed, “Mr. Snape and Mr. Malfoy are such wonderful people. They appeared at our village three years ago and Mr. Snape started that flower shop of his.” He sat back and leaned against the couch, “All of us elderly folks see Mr. Snape as some kind of a miracle doctor. His flower oils work wonders for us old people. Before he set up his shop, we had to walk long miles to get to a doctor and walking long distances didn’t work well with my knees.” Mr. Altin smiled and soft wrinkles appeared at the corner of his eyes. “Mr. Malfoy said he known you since school, I’m guessing you’re a wizard as well am I correct?”

“Oh… yeah… Draco and I went to the same school for seven years. Seve—Mr. Snape was my Potions professor… Uh, potion making is just like chemistry I guess…” Harry blushed and scratched the back of his head while Mr. Altin let out a bark of laughter.

“Don’t worry Harry! I know about Potions and magic. I have some friends that are witches and wizards.” Mr. Altin said reassuringly, “So don’t worry about scaring me when you talk about the magical world.”

“Oh. Right. I forgot about that…” Harry started, “Well, I’m glad I didn’t scare you.”

Draco came from the back and strode over to Harry and the elderly man. He patted Mr. Altin’s shoulder and smiled down at him.

“The bath is ready. After I get you in, Harry and I will take our leave.” Draco told Mr. Altin, “I’ll tell Mr. Snape that his oils had helped you.”

“Yes, thank you Mr. Malfoy,” Mr. Altin stood up and turned to look at Harry, “It was a pleasure in meeting you Harry. And I must say, when I first saw your green hair… I thought it matched quite nicely for your eyes.”

Harry chuckled and grinned, “Thank you Mr. Altin,” Harry then smiled smugly at Draco, who rolled his eyes. “At least there are people who liked my attire, not like some people.” Harry waggled his eyebrows.

Mr. Altin laughed, “Kids these days… Well, I can get to the bathroom myself. Have a good day you two.”

Both Harry and Draco saw themselves out of the house; Draco was locking the door when Harry began eating his now cold chicken pie. They walked down the front lawn of Mr. Altin’s house and started for the main part of the village.

“I heard you shay that this was Mr. Altin’s lasht treatment,” Harry said through his mouthful of pie; he swallowed and cleared his throat, “How long has he been on it?”

“Almost two months,” Draco replied; he turned to face the green eyed man and smiled, hooked his arms with Harry’s and stopped walking.

Harry was in mid-bite and he stared into Draco’s steel grey eyes; he still felt a small impulse to pull away from Draco’s touch, but after living with him for a month, the feeling slowly dissipated. As Harry continued to stare, his half eaten pie in his hands, Draco smiled and the corners of his eyes crinkled.

“What… what is it Draco?” Harry asked; he saw something close to a mischievous glint in Malfoy’s eyes.

“Hold on to your pie Harry, you’re going to Side-Along with me!” Draco’s smile became wider and before Harry could even protest, the blond apparated them away.

HPDMSS

Harry let out his breath he didn’t realize he was holding. His hand was still clutching the side of Draco’s sweater while his other hand had managed to completely squash the leftover of his pie. It wasn’t until he heard Draco snickering did Harry look down at his hand. His fingers had pierced right through the soft crusts, bits of chicken had fell out and landed on the floor of the flower shop. Harry looked at his pie forlornly and frowned.

“I wasn’t… even finished with that…” Harry whined; he turned to the blond, who was still laughing, and glared. “Why did you apparate! I was going to finish eating and now it’s ruined! RUINED!”

“It would take too long to walk back, and I didn’t feel like walking.” Draco shrugged his shoulders, “Besides, the pie was probably all cold.” Draco turned his nose in the air and sniffed.

“I don’t care if it’s cold! I was hungry!” Harry cried, his face turning a light pink.

Just then, the door to the backroom opened and in stepped Severus, holding a white washrag in his hands.

“Potter, clean up your mess… that yellow lump in your hand is dirtying my floor.” Severus drawled and pointed at a trashcan next to the counter.

Grumbling, Harry threw the rest of his pie back into the paper bag. He crumpled it and tossed it into the bin. Draco walked over to Snape and again, in front of Harry, kissed the older man right on the lips. This time, Harry didn’t look away. He stared straight at the kissing couple; his jade green eyes narrowing as they continued their passionate kiss. A surge of jealousy, although small, engulfed Harry. There they were, in front of him, showing their love for each other while Harry was all… alone. Nobody loved him… loved him as a friend maybe, but certainly not as a lover. Not anymore anyway. When Harry saw Felix with another man, Harry told himself that his heart wouldn’t be able to bear another heartbreak. Loving someone was hard. Now, looking at Draco and Severus, Harry felt envious; his breathing came in heavy pants and the brunet failed to notice the things around him were rattling.

Severus was the first to hear the clinking noises of bottles and jars on his shelves. He broke his kiss with Draco and glanced around his shop and was horrified to find things moving around in their spots. Draco looked up at Severus questioningly before turning his head to see what was happening. His grey eyes widened when one of the jars containing dried flower petals of the Black Tulip fell and shattered on the ground. His gaze lingered on the shattered glass for a second before moving his eyes on Harry; the man was staring blankly, his green eyes glazed over. If what was happening did not seem serious, Draco would’ve laughed at how Harry’s green tipped hair was billowing around his head like small tentacles.

Severus untangled himself from Draco’s arms and walked briskly to Harry. He placed one careful hand on the man’s shoulder and was shock when he felt a sudden jolt of magical energy flowing through him.

‘Harry’s losing control… just like he feared.’ Severus thought grimly as he shook the young man.

“Harry, snap out of it!” Severus yelled, “Take a deep breath and stop this! You have to be calm!”

When Snape saw that Harry was not listening to him, he placed a cool hand over Harry’s unblinking eyes and murmured a spell. Almost immediately, Harry slumped forward, his head landing on the smooth countertop. Draco rushed over to his lover and Harry and stood beside the taller wizard.

“What the hell happened?” Draco asked frantically, “It was… he lost control didn’t he?” Draco winced when Severus turned his head; Draco almost heard the man’s neck snap.

“How did you know?”

“I… heard you guys talking one night; when he was telling you how the Dark Lord’s power had merged with his…” Draco murmured.

“I see… Very well,” Snape muttered, “Draco, close the shop… Harry here needs to rest. I have questions for him when he wakes.”

Draco nodded and watched silently as Severus Apparated the unconscious Harry out of the shop.

HPDMSS

Green.

Green tear drop.

In the few seconds before Harry lost his consciousness, he saw a shimmer of pale green around his captor’s neck.

A green teardrop shaped pendant.

Then, Harry knew no more.