Indago:Reborn

AN: kitsune and carvedwood were kind enough to do a read through on this chapter and point out some glaring mistakes. All other mistakes are entirely my own.

CHAPTER NINE

Harry felt hands on him and he smiled happily burrowing down into his dream again. In his dream, he was in a room, a warm room, and it was filled with an amazing amount of food. All of his favourites were filling that room and he wanted to eat every little bit of it. Draco was there and he kept pulling more food from his pockets and placing them all along the walls. Suddenly, Severus was there and he was also pulling food from his pockets and he held a blanket out to Harry. It was a soft blanket and Harry wanted it very much.

Hands touched him again and Harry immediately pulled away. His eyes opened wide and he pulled Snape’s robe around him tight, covering his bared belly.

“Hmmm. I shall have to attempt that again with human hands. You may go, Ably.”

Harry’s eyes focused and watched Ably bow to Snape and pop away. The professor was busy writing at his desk again. He lifted his head and looked over at Harry’s confused expression.

“An experiment,” he explained. “Unfortunately, the elf was all I had at the moment.” He moved closer to the bed and looked down at Harry. “Sleep well, then?”

Harry’s brow furrowed. “What experiment? You didn’t say anything about doing experiments on me.”

“I actually wasn’t planning on it. But I am very interested in the fluid that is transferred. When I touch you, the fetus immediately moves toward the hand. In turn, the fluid begins to secrete and is absorbed rather quickly into your skin. Even in sleep, you did not begrudge my touching you and were tranquil. However the moment the elf touched you, you had an immediate reaction, pulling away and waking.” Snape related this in the most excited way that Harry had ever seen him. Of course, a stranger would think that Snape was merely reciting the weather forecast, but Harry could see the gleam in his eye and the slight quirk of his lips.

“Well, next time, just let me know what you’re going to do, yeah? You pulled me out of a great dream.” Harry pushed himself into a sitting position and swung his legs off the bed. “I can’t believe I took a nap. I haven’t taken a nap in years.”

“Sleep is essential. Eating and sleeping should comprise your main activities at this stage.”

Harry pulled a face. “I’ll never be able to get on a broom again. I am not going to turn into Dudley.”

“I haven’t the faintest clue what a “Dudley” is, but you should know that your previous habit of not sleeping and scant food is what put you in the embarrassing display of yesterday.” Snape smirked knowingly at Harry’s reddened face. “Unless you wish a repeat of that, I suggest you do what you are supposed to do.”

Harry slid to his feet from the high bed and began re-buttoning his shirt. “I wasn’t hungry or tired before,” he defended.

“And now?”

“I’m still not-.” Harry stopped and thought about it. “Actually, I am a bit peckish. Guess I’ll go down and see what I can scrounge up.” Finished with his shirt, he tossed off a smile at Snape and left the room.

Harry was in the middle of a sandwich when Hermione and Ron showed up.

“Hi, guys,” Harry mumbled shamefacedly from where he sat at the dining room table. Ron and Hermione came carefully into the room.

“How are you feeling today, Harry?” Hermione asked from the far end of the table. Harry grimaced and put his sandwich down.

“I’m feeling much better. I promise, I won’t go mad again.” He sighed. “And I’m really sorry for the nasty things I said. None of it was true. I was just trying to… to…”

“Get us away from you,” Hermione finished. She smiled. “It’s alright, Harry.”

“Yeah, mate. No worries.” Ron moved into the room and sat down next to Harry. “You having lunch, then?”

Harry grinned. “Yeah. Join me?”

Half an hour later, Harry and his friends were quite happily taking pleasure in sandwiches, crisps and a light salad. Ably had been overjoyed that his master was himself and had seemed to dance about as he served the mini-feast.

“Harry, is that new?” Hermione was looking over Ron’s head at a painting of a building. It was architecturally stunning, with many curves and lines in it to make it seem as if it were moving. Of course, it could have been the fact that the wind was blowing through the picture, making the trees in the background sway.

“Yeah. It just came a couple weeks ago. Draco commissioned it on our trip to Italy before Christmas.” Harry smiled at the picture. “That building is just amazing. It isn’t in the guidebooks or anything, but when we passed it on our way to lunch one afternoon, I just stopped and stared. Draco had a local artist paint it. He gave me the original preliminary sketch for a Christmas present.”

“That’s very romantic.” Hermione smiled slyly as she put her fork down.

“Yeah, I’m gonna have to agree,” Ron said reluctantly. “The git sure does a lot of nice stuff for you. I’d have never believed it.”

“Well, don’t say anything to him about it,” Harry said with a laugh. “You’d think the world had ended if Draco heard that someone thought he was nice.”

“I shudder to think what Lucius would say if he heard of it,” Hermione said, joining the laughter.

“He’d probably make Malfoy kill some puppies to prove his evilness,” Ron quipped. Harry frowned.

“Draco doesn’t do what his father tells him to, you know.” He rolled his eyes at the disbelieving looks. “Okay, back when he was a kid. But he’s his own man now. He thinks for himself. He doesn’t take orders from Lucius anymore.”

“Well, if you say so.” Ron still didn’t look convinced. “So, dad said you showed up at the Ministry yesterday. Saw it in the paper, too. And it was quite the talk amongst the other Aurors.”

Harry put his head in his hands. “I can’t believe I made such an arse of myself.”

“What happened, Harry?” Hermione asked. “That wasn’t normal hormones, was it?”

Harry sighed. “No. Draco said that it was because he wasn’t touching me enough. It’s the whole dom and sub thing. He’s been so busy that we just never have time for anything more than a wave, it seems.”

“So, is he going to cut back on work then?”

Harry shook his head. “No. But Snape has moved in so I guess that is my other route. It’s funny,” Harry said, looking at the painting again, “when Snape was touching my stomach and chest, I felt really calm. I even fell asleep in his bed.” Harry half smiled at his ability to fall unconscious in the presence of the man that had made up many of his nightmares as a child. The silence of the room finally penetrated his thoughts. He looked at his two friends and was confused by their odd faces.

“What?”

“Draco is letting Snape take his place?” Ron asked incredulously. “I never took him for a swapper. Not known for his generosity, him.”

“Take his place?” Harry asked confusedly. “Well, yeah, but only when I need him too, I guess. And Draco is the one who invited him to stay here, so he doesn’t have a problem with it at all.”

“Yes, but Harry, how do you feel about it?” Hermione asked in earnest. “Professor Snape has never been a favourite person of yours. It’s true that you are both Indago, but still. Is this what you want? To trade Draco, your husband, for Snape?”

Harry’s brows fell even further in his confusion. “Well, it’s not as if I’m sleeping with the man.”

“You’re not?” Ron burst out.

“Of course, I’m not!”

“But you just said that he was feeling you up and that you were in his bed and that you would have him when you need him,” Ron argued.

Harry gaped and then threw his napkin at the red head. “Idiot! He was not feeling me up, he was examining me. He’s here to do research on the baby and me! And yeah, if I need a bleeding touch from one of them and Draco’s not here, then I’d rather touch Snape then go barkers again.”

“Oh, that does make sense,” Hermione said in a relieved tone. Harry sent her a withering look and the young woman raised an eyebrow. “Well, we do have precedent regarding sex with Snape, don’t we?” Harry grimaced and went back to his sandwich. Hermione did a scarily good rendition of a Malfoy smirk.

“Wait, so Snape’s here studying you?” Ron asked.

“There’s not a lot of information on us and how we have kids. Snape’s become an expert so he’s decided to get his glory by recording this rare event.” Harry wiped his mouth and looked at Ron’s plate. “Are you going to finish that?” he asked, pointing at the small mound of crisps. Ron gave him a strange look and shook his head.

“Nah, you can have ‘em. I got to get back anyway. Just wanted to make sure I wouldn’t have to wrestle you to the loony bin.” Ron got up and then grinned down at Harry. “Not that I could, you being better than me an all.”

Harry’s head fell onto his arms at the side of his plate. “I’m never going to be able to live that down, am I?” he asked the inside of his elbow.

“Nope,” Ron said cheerfully. With a pat to Harry’s shoulder and a kiss to Hermione’s cheek, he was gone.

Harry waited until he heard the front door close before he lifted his head and attacked the crisps.

“Well, the appetite has kicked in,” Hermione said with a grin. “I’ve never seen you eat three sandwiches and almost an entire bag of crisps before. And that salad had to have weighed a stone.”

Harry swallowed and grimaced. “Stupid Snape. I’m only eating this much because he put the thought in my head.”

“Now that, I am sure, would be a first, seeing as how you rarely have anything in your head.”

Hermione looked up at the shadow in the doorway. “Good afternoon, Professor Snape,” she said primly. Harry frowned at her.

“This isn’t the bloody classroom, Hermione. No need to become the Teacher’s Pet again. He can’t give you any points.” He glared down at his near empty plate. “Not that he ever did,” he added nastily.

“I was merely being polite,” Hermione defended. “Goodness, Harry, stuff something in your mouth if you’re just going to be rude!”

Harry looked up at her in shock.

“Excellent volley, Ms. Granger. A direct hit, I would surmise,” Snape drawled as he moved to sit at the table. Ably appeared almost immediately, then whisked away with Snape’s request for lunch. “You are still employed at The Muggle Library?”

“Oh, yes,” Hermione said, startled. “I didn’t know you knew that.”

“I know a great many things, Ms. Granger,” he said enigmatically. His soup and crackers appeared before him and he gracefully spread his napkin over his lap. Taking the spoon in hand he looked over at the young woman. “And have you published the follow up to your treatise on Wizard/Muggle relations?”

“You read that?” Hermione’s voice was a shade higher in her surprise. A slight blush was beginning to redden her cheeks.

“Yes,” Snape answered. He dipped the spoon in the bowl. “I believe your theory on peaceful co-habitation a bit far-fetched, but in general I found it very thorough and well thought out.”

Hermione smiled. “Oh, well, thank you, Professor. I am currently working on another paper. It goes in a bit of a different direction, but I think it would be of more interest to you. I am currently examining the history and uses of certain potions and their counterparts in the Muggle world.”

“That has already been done,” Snape said as he took another sip of his soup.

“Yes, by Phillistine Cornpepper.” She leaned in on her elbows to speak closer to the Potions Master and her voice had become breathy in excitement. “But it will be more than a simple compare and contrast. I shall endeavour to explain the origins of each, and why the Wizarding world and the Muggle world differed in their uses and applications.” Hermione’s eyes glowed as she spoke of her studies.

“Ah, then that shall be something I look forward to reading, then,” Snape drawled. Hermione smiled brightly.

The plate crashing to the ground was all the warning they had before Harry was on the table reaching for Hermione’s throat. She never had a chance to evade his visious grasp.