Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or anyone else in the Potter universe.
"Harry James Potter, you better explain yourself this instant!" Hermione barked the moment she set eyes on her friend. She had not been pleased when Harry had insisted on brushing her off since his release from the hospital wing, acting as if she didn't matter, as if she hadn't been there for him every step of the way during his struggles to beat Voldemort. Who did he think he was?
"Do you always berate your friends the moment you set eyes on them?" Lucius asked mildly, although his face clearly showed his disapproval at the witch's lack of manners.
"Oh, I'm sorry, sir, I didn't see you," Hermione murmured, blushing hotly at her faux pass.
"That much was obvious," Lucius stated haughtily, moving to sit down in the armchair he had been standing behind. If the girl couldn't be bothered to act according to decorum, then he wouldn't stand on ceremony with her either. Lucius had never been one to stand fools, and he was not about to start now.
Hermione's blush deepened as she registered the snub. However, she was not about to tear into the older Malfoy for acting condescending. She wasn't that foolhardy. Nor that brave. Struggling to overcome her temper, Hermione gritted her teeth and refocused on Harry who was sitting in a comfortable looking armchair, practically in the lap of Draco Malfoy. Hermione's temper took a turn for the worse, and she had to close her eyes and focus on her breathing to stop herself from hexing the prat for putting her through this nonsense.
"All right. I am calm. So would you please tell me why you are suddenly so cosy with the Malfoys? And why you are ignoring your friends who have been standing by your side since our first year?" Hermione asked as calmly as she was able.
Harry regarded his two friends through hooded eyes. "Why don't you have a seat? I have a feeling this will take a while. Sufficient to say, I have come to realise that the Slytherins aren't as bad as they have been painted."
That was too much for Ron, who shot out of the chair he had just sat down in. "How can you say that? The bloody cowards left us to fight the war while they sat in some safe place, not lifting a finger to help us!"
"And you know that because…?" Harry asked, giving the redhead a murderous look.
"They weren't here, were they?" Ron demanded. "They weren't on the battlefield, fighting for our side, so yeah, I'd say that makes them bloody cowards. They shouldn't have been allowed back here. They should have been shipped to… to Durmstrang or something."
"Or Azkaban, perhaps? That was what you were thinking, wasn't it, Ron?" Harry asked sweetly. Too sweetly. Both Ron and Hermione winced, knowing that the black haired teen was furious.
"So what if I was?" Ron said, thrusting his chin out belligerently. "People like the Malfoys only got off because they have enough money to buy their way out of Azkaban. I don't understand how you can stand to be near any of them, much less how you can bloody kiss them!" Ron said with a sneer.
"For your information, Ronald Weasley," Harry said, coming out of his chair with an angry growl. Advancing on his friend, he poked the redhead in the chest with a hard index finger, not letting up when Ron tried to back away from the flashing green eyes and the temper he had unwittingly unleashed.
"Poppy Pomfrey placed Lucius Malfoy under Imperio with the instruction to seek out Voldemort and join his ranks. Unfortunately, for Lucius, he was good at what he did, so he advanced to become one of Voldemort most trusted men. Once the war was over, and I had reduced the Dark Lord to a pitiful shade, the truth was discovered and the spell broken.
"Then why the hell did he go back to You Know Who?!" Ron shouted, smacking the irritating index finger aside.
"Because, you block head, Dumbledore talked to him and convinced him that Voldemort was going to come back!" Harry snapped, showing Ron hard in the shoulder. "So Lucius put his own life on hold, and spent the next sixteen years keeping in touch with the other Death Eaters, keeping track on what they knew, and what plots they were hatching to bring their bloody master back! Lucius became a spy for the Light, you idiot, and he was grooming his son to take his place if needed!"
"Harry, calm down, you're going to blow up Severus' furniture if you don't pull your magic back soon," Draco said soothingly, walking up to where Harry was standing, glaring hotly at his friend.
"A likely story," Ron said with a sneer, looking like he wanted to hex Draco, but not daring to considering his current company.
"Harry, how do you know this?" Hermione asked, her academic brain having kicked in gear and she had been analysing what Harry had said, comparing it with things she already knew. "When did you find out? And why didn't you tell us? And what does this have to do with the other Slytherins?" she added with a frown.
Harry sighed and rolled his eyes, searching for patience. "All right, let's start this from the beginning. Ron, Hermione, why did you fight for the Light side in the war?" Harry asked, allowing Draco to pull him back down to sit into the chair they had occupied before their tempers had gotten out of control.
"What kind of stupid question is that?!" Ron cried in anger, looking like he wanted to launch into another rant.
"Just answer the bloody question!" Harry shouted, accidentally letting lose a surge of raw magic.
Draco reached out and grasped Harry chin; turning the boy towards him, he proceeded to snog him senseless, only letting up once he felt that Harry had been sufficiently distracted and the air was no longer crackling with magic.
"Shall we go back to the subject at hand? Without the melodramatics this time?" Severus asked with a sneer, causing Harry to duck his head and murmur an apology.
"I don't believe you have anything to apologise for, Harry. Your fellow Gryffindors on the other hand…" Severus allowed his voice to trail off while he sent his most potent Death Glare at the foolish children who couldn't seem to allow their friend to just be happy.
Hermione felt herself blush under the stern glare, but she defiantly put her chin in the air and turned her attention back to Harry. "I fought for the Light side because there was no way I was going to side with Lord Voldemort," Hermione stated primly. "He was killing off Muggleborns and half-bloods, and since I am a Muggleborn, there was no way I could ever join his side. It was only natural to fight on the same side as Professor Dumbledore."
Harry snorted, not impressed with the pat reply. "What about you, Ron? Why did you fight for the Light side? You are a Pureblood, so there were no fears of being executed on the spot for being of unpure blood."
Ron gave Harry an incredulous look. "Have you any idea what would happen to me if I had chosen the Dark side?! Mum would have skinned me alive, and the twins would have been only too happy to hex the life out of what was left of me. Besides, Dumbledore is the most brilliant wizard of out time, why shouldn't I side with him?"
"So, in other words, you, Hermione, sided with Albus Dumbledore because you are a Muggleborn, and you, Ron, fought at Dumbledore's side because you feared to go against your parents. What about the Creevey brothers? They were Muggleborn, and yet they joined and fought with Voldemort. And Ron, if that is your only reason for fighting for the Light, then you have no reason to feel so prideful. Because, with your reasoning you could just as easily have fought for the Dark, you were just lucky enough to be born into a family who had sided with Dumbledore," Harry said, ignoring the way Ron was spluttering in outrage.
"Admit the truth, you never thought much about why this war was fought, did you? We became friends in first year, and you've been on my side since, haven't you? Not that I am not grateful for your support, because I am. I would probably not have survived the first years here at Hogwarts if it wasn't for you. However, I decided to grow up. I decided to look beyond the surface, beyond what was obvious, and what I saw I did not like.
"Do you remember our first trip on the Hogwarts Express, Ron?" Harry asked, ignoring the huff of annoyance coming from the redhead. "Do you?" Harry persisted, determined to make his point. "You and I was sitting and talking when Draco came swaggering into the compartment, looking for Harry Potter, do you remember? Do you recall what happened next?"
Ron rolled his eyes. "No, I don't remember exactly what happened. Malfoy made an ass of himself, I'm sure. What is the point, Harry?"
"No, Ron, Draco didn't make an ass of himself. You did. You laughed at his name, remember? You sniggered your head off at Draco's name, and when Draco retaliated, you threw the word Death Eater into his face, and then the fight was a fact. I didn't know better, so I sided with you. When I sat alone at Privet Drive the summer after Sirius died, I started to wonder what would have happened if I had told you off for being an immature prat and had accepted Draco's hand in friendship instead. The Sorting Hat wanted to put me in Slytherin, you know, only I pleaded with it until it placed me in Gryffindor. Now, why would an eleven year old who had grown up in the Muggle world be so against being placed in Slytherin? I knew absolutely nothing about the wizarding world, but I knew for a fact that everyone placed in Slytherin was evil. Doesn't that strike you as odd?"
"But Harry…" Hermione said, biting her lip as she tried to find the words she wished to say.
"It got me thinking," Harry said, shouldering on, acting as if Hermione hadn't spoken. "It got me wondering so much that I eventually wrote a letter. I didn't expect to receive a reply, but I did. Draco agreed to a truce, and we began to correspond back and forth, and when school began again we met and we hashed things out, face to face, and at the end our talks we decided to put our past behind us and become friends. Only, we couldn't just come out to the school and declare our truce openly, so-"
"Is that why you were so adamant to open up the DA to the Slytherins?" Hermione exclaimed, looking pleased that she had finally solved a stubborn problem, and put out that Harry hadn't just come out and told her this sooner.
"Yes," Harry said simply. "I knew that if I could make Draco join, then others would follow him. And I also knew that with Draco working at my side, we would be able to keep away those we suspected only wanted to join to spy for their master. The others I welcomed with open arms, figuring that they deserved the chance to learn how to defend themselves as much as the rest of us."
"And you actually believed him?" Ron asked incredulous. "Harry, they are snakes! You can't trust them!"
"Why not? I'm a snake charmer, aren't I? Does Parselmouth ring any bells? I have always been able to speak to snakes; it just took me a bit longer to realise that I was able to understand the human variety just fine as well," Harry said, sending the two adults an amused grin.
"This is different, Harry, and you know it. You might find snakes to be charming animals, but the rest of the wizarding world doesn't!" Ron pointed out in irritation. He did not like the way Harry was so cosy with Snape and the Malfoys.
"That is the world's problem, not mine!" Harry snapped, starting to get irritated with the redhead again. Ron just wouldn't listen. "Do you know what I did? I actually talked to the Slytherins, Ron. Oh, not all at once, it was gradual, starting with those Draco felt I was safe with. But the thing is I bloody listened, and I found out what it was they wanted. Do you know what I found? I found that practically none of the Slytherins here at Hogwarts wanted to join Voldemort. And just like you, Ron, they were afraid of what their families would do to them if they ever found out the truth.
"Only, unlike the rest of the world, I was not happy to just sit back and allow them to be forced into doing something they didn't want to. Perhaps it is because you have been coddled and spoilt by your parents all your life that you are incapable of truly sympathizing with the Slytherins. But I know what it feels like to be forced into an image you are not comfortable with," Harry said sombrely, snuggling deeper into Draco's side, accepting the comfort he was offering so freely.
"Harry…" Hermione began, only to trail off. She had no idea how to react to the things Harry was confessing. It upset her that he hadn't confided in her earlier. Harry always confided everything in her, seeking her opinions, and often her approval before doing something, especially when it was of this magnitude. "Harry, why didn't you come to us and talk? We could have helped you, supported you. We, Ron and I, we are on your side, I thought you knew that," she said gently, trying to guilt Harry into apologising for deceiving her and in an attempt to lure him back where he belonged, among the Gryffindors. She would find a way to break him away from Draco later.
"Are you? Are you really? I'm not so sure of that, Hermione. You see, that summer after fifth year, after…" Harry took a deep breath, Merlin, but it still hurt to think of Sirius and the needless way he died. At least he was no longer drowning in guilt. "After Sirius died, I did a lot of thinking. Locked up at the Dursleys the way I was, there wasn't much else to do. Things might have turned out differently if you had bothered to write to me, but you didn't," Harry said, giving his friends pointed looks. It was still a sore point with him that his friends had listened so blindly to Dumbledore and obeyed his orders not to contact him so that he could 'work through his grief in peace' to the letter, not stopping to think that he might have needed a friendly and understanding ear. No, Harry had been forced to look elsewhere to find that understanding, and had found it in the unlikely place of Draco Malfoy and Severus Snape, and later on with Lucius Malfoy.
"Harry, you know why we didn't write you," Hermione said, rolling her eyes. She couldn't understand why Harry insisted on bringing that fact up again and again. It was over and done with, so why was he still upset with them about it? "We apologised to you, and you can't deny that the Headmaster was correct, you returned from the Dursleys a changed person. You were much calmer, and you no longer allowed your emotions to rule you."
Draco could feel the feelings of irritation and frustration coming from his love, and he reached up to card his fingers through Harry's black hair. The other teen sighed happily, and turned his head into the caress.
"And do you know why I emerged a better person, Hermione? It was because I had spent my time at the Dursleys talking to Draco and Severus. They helped me realise that what happened wasn't my fault. They cared enough to listen to my ramblings, and they gave me honest answers to my questions.
"Did you know that I was extremely close to throwing in the towel and disappear into the Muggle world? Never to return?"
"What?!" Two shocked voices cried out. "But, but what about the war?" Hermione asked in alarm, momentarily forgetting that the war was already fought and won. "Harry, how could you! How could you even consider abandoning everyone like that?!"
Harry snorted. "I'm insulted that your first thought went to the war, and not to why I was feeling that way.
Hermione impatiently waved the comment aside. "I don't believe you, Harry!" If she hadn't been sitting down, she would have planted her fists on her hips, tapping her foot as she scolded him. It was a posture she had seen more than once on Mrs. Weasley, and Hermione had worked to copy it down, noting how well it worked when the older woman scolded her offspring.
"Ron and I worked our butts off that summer, researching spells and working out strategies that could help you fight Voldemort and the Death Eaters. And all that time you sat at the Dursleys, safe and sound, feeling sorry for yourself?! How could you! How could you do that to us? To the Order? To all the people counting on you?!" Hermione was almost screaming at the end, she was so upset and angry.
Harry just stared at her, open mouthed. He couldn't believe that Hermione had just shouted that tripe at him. Was that how she really saw him? As some bloody weapon? Harry had come to the painful realisation that that was how Dumbledore viewed him, but Hermione…?
Suddenly, a line from an old song popped into his mind. 'I talk to the trees, but they don't listen to me'.
Sinking back into the welcoming warmth of Draco's embrace, Harry studied his friends with narrowed eyes. Both Ron and Hermione were acting like those bloody trees. They listened, but they didn't listen. Not to him. No, they listened to Dumbledore. They listened to the Order of Phoenix. But they didn't listen to him. On the contrary, they seemed to expect him to always fall in line, doing everything they demanded of him, but they couldn't be arsed to be there for him.
Why was he trying so hard again? Why was he bending over backwards for those two? Why was he trying so hard to keep them as friends?
The realisation when it hit was shocking. Because they had been his first friends ever. Because, somehow, he had convinced himself that as long as he was friends with Ron and Hermione, then everything was right in the world.
Slowly, Harry turned his head to regard the blond boy sitting next to him. Even slower, Harry turned to study the two men sitting at the table, glowering at the two Gryffindors. He could see what effort it took for both Lucius and Severus to keep their tongues, and not start lashing his friends within an inch of their lives.
No, not friends, Harry realised as he looked back at Ron and Hermione. Ron was shifting restlessly, clearly all too aware of the scrutiny he was under, and Hermione… Hermione was too busy glowering at him to notice anything else. It was becoming very clear to him that the girl was expecting him to apologise profusely for his unworthy thoughts from a summer when he had been positively miserable.
"You know, I have always considered you my best friends. I thought no one knew me as well as you did. And silly me, I thought you would always be on my side, no matter what. But you aren't.
"What?!" "How can you say that!" Two indignant cries rang out, but Harry ignored them, too intent on his own startling realisation.
"Oh, at the beginning you were probably my friends, but somehow, along the way, through the years, you stopped being my friends and you became Dumbledore's followers instead."
"You sound as if that is a bad thing," Hermione said accusingly. "Besides, we are all on Professor Dumbledore's side and-"
"But, Hermione, we aren't," Harry said simply, effectively shutting the girl up.
"Hah! I knew it! You are setting Harry up to become the next Dark Lord! Admit it!" Ron shouted, jumping out of his seat again, and pointing his wand threateningly at the two adult Slytherins.
Harry rolled his eyes and snapped, "Don't be ridiculous, Ron! What I was trying to point out to you is that I am on the side of the Light. As are Draco, Lucius, and Severus. You on the other hand are firmly on the side of Albus Dumbledore."
"But, Harry, being on the side of Albus Dumbledore is being on the Light side," Hermione said gently, giving him a worried look as if she was trying to evaluate his mental state.
Harry merely snorted. "No, it isn't. Dumbledore has been the leader of the Light for a lot of years. However, I am no longer standing by his side. Which should have been glaringly obvious if you had bothered to use your eyes," Harry added with a snap. "But I suppose I should be thankful that you felt so sure of me that you didn't bother to examine my actions closer, or Dumbledore would have been an even bigger problem than he was at the end of the war."
"Harry! How can you say that! How can you not support him after everything he has done for you?" Hermione asked, aghast.
Harry sighed and squashed the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose. He was beginning to understand why Severus did that so often. Dealing with Dunderheads truly was exasperating. "Ah, yes, Dumbledore has done sooo much for me, hasn't he? Let's see, he took me away from my godfather, placing me with my aunt, even though Lily had made it very clear that I was to be placed anywhere but with them if anything ever happened to her, James, and Sirius. Hell, Dumbledore didn't even have the guts to face the Muggles and bloody ask them if they whished to raise me. No, he just placed me on their doorstep with only a letter to explain the situation!
"What else did he do? He failed to make sure that Sirius was given a trial, helping to convict an innocent man to hell on earth. He failed to check up on me to see if I was treated fairly, allowing me to grow up in an abusive environment. I don't know what kind of blinders the Order of Phoenix are using, but you at least should know that it is not a common practice in the Muggle world to keep children in a cupboard," Harry said, giving Hermione a hard stare, feeling a small surge of satisfaction as she turned her head away, unable to meet Harry's gaze.
"Then there is the matter of all our 'adventures', and take note of the sarcasm when I use the word adventures, Hermione. I can't believe that Severus is the only one who actually told Dumbledore off for the callous way he was using us." Harry gave Severus an amused look. "I admit that I didn't exactly appreciate the way he did it at the time, and it is true that it didn't do much good, but at least he tried."
"Harry, Headmaster Dumbledore had nothing to do with our adventures. It was all our doing, remember? It was we who decided to stick our noses where they didn't belong," Hermione said, chuckling ruefully. "I'm still surprised that we didn't get expelled, considering the things we got mixed up in."
Harry just stared at her. "Are you really that daft? How can you sit there and say that Dumbledore didn't have anything to do with our adventures, Hermione?"
"It is Professor Dumbledore, Harry. You really shouldn't speak so disrespectfully about the Headmaster, especially since you claim not to be on his side," Hermione replied primly. "And of course he didn't have anything to do with the things we did."
Harry glanced helplessly at Severus, how could someone so smart be so… stupid?
Severus gave him a sardonic look, and suddenly Harry realised that the Potions master had known this all along. He had known that while Hermione was intelligent, and extremely book smart, she was also just a child, easily blinded by those she held in high esteem. And it was no secret that Hermione looked up to Albus Dumbledore.
"Do I tell her? Or rather, should I bother to remind her?" Harry asked, still looking at Severus.
"Tell me what? What proof do you believe you have that Dumbledore had anything to do with our adventures?" Hermione demanded, starting to look cross.
"Tell her, love. I don't think it will do much good, but at least you tried to open her eyes," Draco said with a soft drawl.
Hermione opened her mouth to retort, but Harry held up his hand, not wanting to hear what she had to say. And he was not about to allow this to escalate into a fight between Draco and Hermione. Giving the girl a measuring look, Harry nodded his head once in decision. This was the last time he was putting up an effort for those two, and he was going to make damned sure that he left them with a lot of fodder for thought. Not that he believed for a moment that they would ever actually stop and think about what he'd say, he expected that they'd be to busy fuming over his disrespect. But Harry found that he no longer cared what they thought of him.
"Hmm, let me see, let me tell you the way that Dumbledore didn't encourage me to stick my nose where it didn't belong," Harry said in a musingly manner, fighting hard to keep his temper in check. "For one thing, he shouldn't have asked Hagrid to pick up the Philosopher's stone while he was helping me shop for my school things, now should he? Considering the way Hagrid was acting, it was like waving a red flag in front of a bull. And that announcement Dumbledore made at the Welcoming Feast? He couldn't have made it more dramatic?" Harry asked, rolling his eyes in contempt. "And you don't find it the least bit suspicious that when Hagrid invites me down for tea he has a copy of the article about the break in at Gringotts lying about, waiting for us to discover it?
"And how come Snape was the only one who was suspicious of Quirrell's actions that year? I mean, a Troll just happens to wander into Hogwarts? And who among the staff had an affinity for dealings with Trolls? And then there is the jinxed broom, if Severus realised what was happening, why didn't Dumbledore? And why was it that only Severus was muttering the counter spell? If Dumbledore had bothered to help him then I'm sure the two of them would have overpowered whatever curse Quirrell used." Harry paused to take a few, deep breaths. He hadn't realised that he was still that furious with Dumbledore for placing three school children in such danger.
As if sensing his distress, Draco wrapped himself more firmly around Harry, and began to gently massage his scalp. Harry sighed in pleasure as he felt most of his tension dispel.
"Let us not forget who it was that gave me my father's invisibility cloak for Christmas. And who was it that explained to me how the mirror of Erised works? Not to mention, who was it that left for London, on a broom I might add, just as the school year was ending? Are you still going to claim that Dumbledore didn't have anything to do with us getting involved in that mess? And here is a clincher for you, Hermione. After all was said and done, what did they do with the blasted stone? They destroyed it, Hermione. If it was that dangerous, then why in Merlin's name didn't they just destroy it the moment they realised that Voldemort was going to try and steal it?
"And what about our second year? That diary had to reek with Dark Magic, so why didn't the wards alert the Headmaster? According to that book you love so much, Hermione, the Founders placed wards around the school to ensure that no one could use Dark Magic inside the castle. They did it to ensure the safety of the children. Why do you think Salazar built his secret chamber? It was so that he could conduct his research in finding antidotes to Dark curses without setting off the bloody alarms!
"For that matter, how come Dumbledore couldn't figure out what kind of animal the monster was? You did the research yourself, Hermione. There aren't that many creatures that petrify their victims. You managed to figure out that it had to be a Basilisk that was running loose in the school, then how come he didn't? Maybe because it wasn't convenient for him to know? And when things look really bleak, what does he do? He allows himself to be run out of the school. Yeah, I talked to Lucius about the things that happened that year, and Dumbledore could have fought the Board. He didn't. He just left, ensuring that Ron and I were the only ones left to battle the monster. Pretty convenient, wouldn't you say? We did the battle, and all Dumbledore had to do was swoop in when everything was done and claim part of the glory for himself.
"Then there is our third year. You were running around with a Time-Turner, risking your own existence daily. Not something someone concerned for his students' welfare should allow, don't you agree? And he should never have allowed those blasted Dementors anywhere near the school, especially after they broke free and almost kissed me during that Quidditch game. And how come it was you and me, Hermione, who had to go back in time to rescue both Sirius and Buckbeak? Why was that task left to two children? Wouldn't it have been more logical for Dumbledore to do that himself? After all, he was one hundred and fifty years old, with more tricks up his sleeve than most. We were thirteen, Hermione. Thirteen.
"And once he found out the truth, then why didn't Dumbledore press to have Sirius declared innocent? I looked it up; all he had to do was call a gathering of the Wizengamot and demand that Sirius be questioned under Veritaserum. Why didn't he do that? Fudge wouldn't have been able to interfere, especially since Dumbledore is the Chief Warlock, not to mention Supreme Mugwump. He had the power to do something, and yet he never utilised it. Ever wonder why he didn't? I have. Often," Harry said somewhat grimly.
"Then we have our fourth year. The Triwizard Tournament. Need I say more?" Harry asked sardonically.
"But Harry, the contract was binding, he tried, but he couldn't release you from that," Hermione said, eagerly jumping into Dumbledore's defence.
"No? Dumbledore told me after I came back from the Graveyard that it took a lot of Dark Magic to confuse the Goblet. For the Goblet of Fire to spit out my name, it had to believe that a fourth school was part of the Tournament. All Dumbledore had to do was declare that there was no fourth school, and I would have been freed. The others school leaders should have remembered that as well, but I suppose they were thrown when Dumbledore declared me the second champion of Hogwarts that they didn't stop to think.
"And another thing, everyone says that Mad-Eye Moody and Dumbledore are the best of friends, and yet Dumbledore spent almost an entire year in the man's presence and didn't suspect he was an impostor? We all know that Dumbledore amuses himself with casting Legilimens on those around him, so how come he didn't suspect Moody?
"Do I really need to keep going? Albus Dumbledore has put my life in danger time and again. And not only mine, but yours as well. And each and every time we needed his help the most, what do you know, he is nowhere to be found. He was gone at the end of second year. He was gone at the end of fifth year, and where the hell was he during the final battle? No, Hermione, I am most definitely not on Albus Dumbledore's side. He claims to care for his people, but I for one can do without that kind of care.
"You know what? I was going to explain to you about the Slytherins and about Draco, but I find that I no longer want to. There will be a press conference tomorrow; I suggest you attend it if you want to get our answers. I have nothing more to say to you," Harry said quietly, turning around so he could bury his face in Draco's neck.
"Harry James Potter! How can you do this to us? How can you treat us so callously?! You just dump a lot of accusations at us, and then you just order us to leave? No, not this time! I demand that you take back what you said about Professor Dumbledore! He does care. He does! He just has to look at the big picture. So maybe you didn't grow up in the best of families, but he explained that to you. You needed the protection from the blood wards! How else was he supposed to keep you safe from the Death Eaters?" Hermione cried in outrage, jumping to her feet, unable to remain seated when facing such outrage.
"Miss Granger, if you had bothered to study blood wards you would have realised that they need love to flourish. Since Harry's relatives hated him, whatever protection there was, it disappeared long before he became of age to attend Hogwarts. As for the Death Eaters… those truly fanatic and blindly loyal to the Dark Lord was locked up in Azkaban. Those who managed to escape that fate were the ones forced into his service, and they had better things to do than to look for Potter to extract revenge," Lucius said quietly.
"And what do you know about that?" Hermione demanded to know, giving the older Malfoy a suspicious look.
"What did Harry tell you not long ago? I acted as Dumbledore's ear. I knew just about every Death Eater. I kept a close eye on what they were doing, and none of them expressed any ill wishes towards Harry. There was no need for him to grow up with the Dursleys. He could have had a happy childhood, growing up among wizards as was his right. I suggest you leave now, since you have clearly shown that you have no true wish to listen to what Harry says. You only wish to berate him and form him into what you think he should be. Those days are over. The war has ended and Harry is free to be whoever he wants to be."
Hermione glanced at Ron, this was not going the way she had thought it would. Harry wasn't the needy boy she remembered. Somewhere along the way he had changed, and while she might be prepared to argue with him until he saw the errors of his thinking, she was not prepared to stand up to three powerful Slytherins. Not with only Ron guarding her back.
Straightening her shoulders, Hermione walked towards the door. Harry might have become a Slytherin, casting aside the values of a true Gryffindor, but she refused to allow him to cause her to doubt. She knew what kind of man Albus Dumbledore was, and she would follow him to the day she died.
HPDM
"That was not exactly how I had envisioned how this would go," Harry said ruefully once the door had fallen shut behind his former friends.
"I can imagine. What caused you to change your mind? I figured you would argue with them until they either changed their minds, or stormed out of here in a huff," Severus said, giving the black haired teen an unreadable look.
"I probably would have," Harry admitted tiredly. "But they suddenly reminded me of an old song, and I just realised that I could argue until I was blue in the face, and nothing would change. I was talking, but they weren't listening. And until they are ready to listen…
"I also realised that friends, true friends, give as well as take. I have never had that type of friendship with them. I was the one always giving, and they always took. I don't… I can't put up with that anymore. I won't put up with that anymore. Besides, I have you now, and the other Slytherins. I don't need Ron and Hermione, I have other and better friends now. Friends who are actually prepared to listen to me, before telling me how wrong I am."
Draco chuckled, vividly remembering the fight Harry had had with Blaise at the beginning of the previous year, when the two of them had been arguing about an assignment in Transfigurations of all things. Harry had patiently explained the thing to Blaise, who had listened before picking the theory to pieces before informing Potter of how things truly were. The argument had turned really heated, and at times Draco had feared the two would come to blows. But somehow during that fight, Harry and Blaise had become friends, and it had become a common sight to see the two of them sit together in McGonagall's class, arguing about the correct way to Transfigure things, driving their professor to distraction more than once.
"I'll be sure to tell Blaise you said that," Draco said with amusement, pulling his boyfriend even closer. Harry playfully punched his boyfriend in the shoulder, but he was too comfortable to put much effort into it. Instead, he snuggled deeper into Draco's embrace and drifted to sleep listening to the three most important people in his life talk about nothing at all.