Title: As time goes by

Pairing: dracoxharry/drarry and snupin, Blaisex?

Fandom: Harry Potter

Summary: A non-magic story about a RAF pilot and a intern who meet and begin a correspondence while future Lord Draco Malfoy serves his country as part of a UN peacekeeping force in Iraq.

A/N: It's been a very long time since I updated this. Farther explanation of Severus' relation to the Royal family. For the purposes of this story I made up a Royal Duke, this is fiction and revolves really only around HP characters in modern Muggle Britain. Features snupin bonding to Harry as well as some Draco and Blaise interaction

Chapter Seven

Severus rearranged their schedules so they could both be off the following Friday at noon. Remus insisted that Harry come for supper.

Harry wasn't sure that eating at his professor's house was a good idea…

Severus knew that Remus wouldn't take no for an answer, besides, it was a pleasure to have his godson returned to them.

XoooooX

Draco reread Harry's letters in a fine mood, absently dialling Blaise for an update.

"Blaise Zabini. Private Investigator."

"Ah Blaise, how is your research coming?"

"Do leave me be Dray. I don't have time for you tonight. I have a date."

"I see. How is Harry, have you started sending him the flowers?" Draco asked curious.

"No. I haven't figured out if he has a favourite flower. I may stick to a single lily and a jasmine for his parents."

"I like that. It will do."

"He found out the woman who raised him was his aunt and that he attended the same school on scholarship as his father."

Draco grinned, "That's an interesting idea. I hope Lord Black is good to him. I know the boorish Scot is homophobic and hates Uncle Sev."

"Dr. Lupin told him off for a homophobic comment after I told him that he'd insulted everyone in the room aside from himself."

Draco frowned, "That moron said that? In front of Harry? That's the last thing he needed to hear."

"I know. He is a sensitive guy; he's felt unwanted and unworthy most of his life. Now he has the son of a Lord romancing and flirting with him. How could he imagine he could be worthy of someone like that? He likes you a lot; but he's ashamed because he couldn't possibly be good enough for you. He's worked hard for what little he has, so he has simple tastes. You can't take him to pricey restaurants Dray; he simply won't be comfortable. You'll have to go to places you will be less likely to be recognized. Have him recommend places."

Draco sighed, "Noted. No expensive high class restaurants."

"Stick to places he thinks can afford. Going a pub that has live music might not be bad. I know a few good places that play Jazz."

"Write this up in a report for me, so I can plan dates."

"Of course. Why don't you write him a letter saying you'll be back soon for a week's leave. Ask him if he'd like to catch a movie or go for a drink. Start slow, for heaven's sakes don't just jump in bed with him again. The last thing he needs is to think you're just in it for sex."

"Thanks Blaise."

"Imagine, me giving advice to you. Your bedmates are the Great Wall of China in length. How could I hope to compete?"

"You're a Bottom anyway. Why did we never hook up?"

"Because I knew you too well, you ignore most guys after you fuck them. This Harry seems special."

"He is." Draco said hanging up, now how to break the news to his parents that he was gay. He worried Mother knew but his father would be incensed. He just hoped Father wouldn't blame Uncle Sev…

XoooooX

Remus fixed steaks, just because he was practically married to a Lord didn't mean they had to have more then the housekeeper and an occasional maid. Between his practice and Severus' hospital duties they didn't have the time to keep up their house on their own. Besides, they hadn't been raised to do much house cleaning due to their being boys and expected to set up house with women.

His parents had died while he was in the service but before the attack, his mother from cancer and his father had a stroke due to his debts from the costs of treatments.

His father had been relatively wealthy and related to James', they shared grandparents so he'd heard. His father was younger and James' had been quite old when he was born.

Harry had lived…

The reality of that was quite incredible…

His astonishment had driven away his fear of hospitals at the time.

Remus had taken cooking courses in university after the service, the four of them had been retired on medical pensions due to the attack. He usually cooked for them…

He had planned steaks, a strawberry salad, smashed red potatoes [they had the skins] with chocolate pie for dessert. He had the steaks grilling outside and the potato water on the stove.

Harry was coming; it was the first time the boy had been over for dinner since he was a baby.

He ached for Lily and James to see what a wonderful boy he was. A doctor, Lily would have been so proud and a Harrow Alumni which would have pleased James. All those Scholarships, the boy was clearly a hard-worked and very intelligent. Good with kids if the snippets of hospital life in recent times were of any indication.

Severus never took to his students before, being one of Lily's closest friends and the oldest friend she ever had was it any wonder that his lover's heart reached out to her son?

Granted James could be difficult and being gay when they were young was not as common or as accepted as now.

Remus checked the steaks again, just a bit longer and the potatoes were nearly done.

He heard the front door chime and pushed the intercom, "In the kitchen."

It didn't take Severus long to lead Harry back to his kitchen.

Severus' arms came around his neck and Remus smiled, lips brushed his neck, "I missed you too."

"Need any help?"

"Harry can fetch the salad from the fridge and then you two can set the table. I'm just about to drain the potatoes and plate the steaks. I still have to smash them, I ought to have put the potatoes on a bit earlier."

All of Severus' work demeanour vanished as usual, he was still reticent due to his personality but Remus knew his lover having being together since before Harry was born.

Severus had been on rotation during his internship when they met. It had been an instantaneous attraction for them both, when he panicked due to his amnesia it was Severus who could calm him. Once Severus transferred to another floor, they still called him when he had his night terrors. While he couldn't remember the attack where the four of them were amoung the few survivors and very little of his childhood, Severus was still there for him. Eventually he got his memory back to just before the service, all of his memories of being in the Royal Army were lost but Remus wasn't sure he wanted those memories back.

Remus drained the potatoes and moved the steaks from the grill to a serving dish before turning the grill off.

At once he fell to making his potatoes adding soy milk, Neufchatel cheese, a wee bit of butter, herbs and garlic. They were his pride his potatoes…

Then he carried the bowl of steaming potatoes and plate of steaks to the dining room where Severus was pouring wine for his nervous godson.

Remus grinned, "Welcome to our humble home Harry. It is a pleasure to have you."

Harry shifted nervously, "Are you sure I'm not imposing?"

Severus snorted, "Imposing? How could you? You're the least likely person to accomplish such a feat. Remus invited you, you're Lily's son and unlike your fellow students I actually like you. sit down, relax and enjoy your Uncle Remus' cooking."

Harry swallowed inclining his head, "Thank you sir."

Severus rolled his eyes, "Here I'm Severus or Uncle Sev, your choice. I'm only sir and Professor Snape at the Hospital."

"Alright Uncle Sev…" the nervous intern flinched at the name.

"If you're concerned about Draco don't be, he's being an arse at the moment and I'm not communicating with him until he grows up. Therefore you don't have to worry about seeing him, he's been removed from my list of visitors and we won't be inviting him for dinner when he's on leave" Severus grumbled.

"Is it my fault?" Harry asked quietly.

Remus gasped, "Of course not!"

Severus snorted, "No, he was acting childish and impulsive at his age its unseeming. I thought that a few harsh words and the silent treatment would be what he needed. He's a spoilt little brat who was doted on by his mother, Narcissa is a lovely woman but she's a coddler. Lucius had to put his foot down more then once to give Draco a bit more freedom or discipline."

"His aunt would have been a better choice," Remus said sipping his wine. "but not Bellatrix, she was never all there you know. She fell head over heels with that rogue Rodolphus Lestrange, and then the postpartum depression sparked her neuroses into manifesting as Schizophrenia. Their wild parties probably didn't help…"

"You mean Andromeda, the families meant for Lucius to wed her but she ran away before the engagement with one of the gardeners' son Ted Tonks." Severus shrugged, "I believe they had a little girl, Persephone. Last I heard she was working for Scotland Yard…always up to tricks that girl. Andromeda is a professor too, high marks that one."

"Professor Tonks in Labour and Delivery is Draco's Aunt as well?" Harry gasped.

Severus shrugged, "It's not common knowledge, it's an old scandal. Remus, you share an office with Ted don't you?"

Remus shook his head, "We share a building Sev, I treat children and he treats adults. We both counsel those who suffered trauma. I believe he is a consultant for Scotland Yard and the Metro police."

"Lady Malfoy? What does she do?" Harry asked between bites of potato, "I know Lord Malfoy is heavily involved with the House of Lords."

"She's a fine political hostess, your godfather Sirius' cousin actually. Her role model was Princess Diana, thus she's involved in the same sort of work. We're only vaguely associated with the crowd they associate with. I'm usually far too busy for social frivolities even if I do hold a title." Severus shrugged.

"I still don't know how I feel about you investigating me…" Harry said quietly.

Severus sniffed, "I thought you were familiar, after all you have Lily's eyes in James' face. Blaise is quite good at investigation I'm surprised. His grandfather is quite rich he wouldn't have needed to work. Then again he works for the firm started by Sirius' Uncle Alphard Black, Sirius takes cases when he's bored but he's an unrepentant playboy. He wears a prosthesis beneath his glove and due to his vanity, he's always trading it in for the latest model and invests heavily in robotics and prosthetic development."

"Sirius was a classic Oppositional Defiant as a child, he drove his parents mad. His brother Regulus was neurotic as well and ended up committing suicide at seventeen. If that hadn't happened, I'm afraid that Sirius wouldn't have inherited after all. Regulus idolised Sirius so much that his will stated that Sirius inherited everything. It was filed before Draco was born otherwise the title would have gone to him. Sirius refuses to marry, I think that was what killed his mother was his string of torrid affairs even after his retirement from the Service. His father took the news of Regulus' suicide hard and the shock of it killed him."

"What about my parents?" Harry asked quietly.

"Lily and I went to the same schools until my parents died, we wrote every week after I was transferred to Harrow at my aunt's insistence. We studied hard and attended the same schools, if I never met Remus and she never met James we might have married out of convenience. She knew I was gay and never judged me for it." Severus shrugged, "we were raised Anglican but we never really were believers. Lily believed that god made me gay and if that was his plan then he made someone for me. The moment I met Remus, she knew. Her parents expected us to marry though we never said anything, we lived in the building with adjoining flats. Remus came in and that was that, our fates had diverged."

"James' father Charles took an interest in me you see, since I was his nephew and the four of us grew up together. His brother married a commoner and his luck was lost, I suffered from depression due to my parents being busy with their own worries and Uncle Charles took me in you see. James and I were like brothers after that, and then I met Sirius and Peter. We were in school together for years, when they decided to go into the Army I went too. I had become so dependant to James that it seemed that I was afraid if they left me I'd fall into depression again. Serving the Crown wouldn't have been so terrible if it weren't for Troubles in Ireland and we were caught up in it. We were transferred to the hospital where Lily and Sev were interning, our fates were sealed after that." Remus blushed.

"Were they really happy?" Harry pushed.

Severus nodded, "I wouldn't have picked James for her, yet they were good together though I didn't like him at all. He was the pampered son of a Lord you see, and Lily was merely middle class. I was the grandson of a lord just like Remus was; only I had reluctantly inherited a title. I doubt unless we could marry and I arranged for adoption or a surrogate that my line would continue."

"I don't think I'll be continuing my line either." Harry said quietly.

"You don't need to worry about that, being titled isn't worth much in this world." Severus chided, "Adoption would be just fine."

Remus snorted, they were still a constitutional monarchy and Sev knew it. Just because his title didn't mean anything in his profession didn't mean others wouldn't care. Any time they attended one of Narcissa's parties, they were introduced as Lord Snape and his colleague Dr. Lupin.

Severus was just related enough to be merely a lord since he refused to be properly invested with the Sussex Dukedom, his grandfather Charles Mark Lionel called Mark had been the youngest Uncle of Queen Elizabeth, born in 1922 seventeen years after his brother Prince John. In fact it was surmised that after the Death of Prince John, it brought King George V and Mary of Teck closer. His Grandfather attended the funeral of his Uncle George, Duke of Kent in 1942 and in 1952; he lost his Uncle Albert who reigned as King George VI. The following year his cousin Elizabeth was coroneted ten weeks following his mother's death. Then seven years later, his mother Eileen Elizabeth Mary Windsor ran away with Tobias Snape, a drunk at Oxford who partied far more then he studied.

They both lived on Tobias' inheritance spending more of it on spirits then necessities.

His Aunt Evelyn married the widowed Lord Mansfield, Oran Nott while he was in at Eton after her father passed, but Nott was a Catholic. Though Remus knew they had three children: Theodore, Edward and Grace; Severus wasn't close to them. His aunt had died in childbirth due to haemorrhaging during the emergency caesarean delivery of Grace. The descendants of Prince Mark, the Duke of Sussex drifted apart after the funeral.

Theo and Darius were at Eton with Draco and Blaise of course...

While Grace attended Benendan School, the same school as Lady Evelyn and Lady Eileen of Sussex and Princess Anne, The Princess Royal.

Though Severus' grandfather Mark retained his Dukedom through two successive ascensions to the throne, but his daughters were not granted the status of Princess despite being granddaughters of George V. Due to being an afterthought, probably the result of the death of Prince John at the tender age of thirteen after battling epilepsy there was some suspicion that due to George V's poor health that Prince Mark, Duke of Sussex was Mary of Teck's son but not George V's. Queen Mary had doted on Mark, very different from how she treated her other children.

That probably didn't help that his elder brother Albert who was crowned George VI and his niece Elizabeth were his father's preference for succession.

Mark married Lady Elizabeth Bones, daughter of Regulus Black and Elsa Bones with the begrudgingly consent of his Uncle Albert in 1938. His mother Mary, the Queen Mother did approve the match but her granddaughters' choices weren't acceptable to anyone really. Mark was granted a hereditary dukedom but his daughters were never made Princesses unlike their cousins Queen Elizabeth; Princess Mary, Countess of Snowden or Princess Alexandra, Lady Ogilvy.

Lord Regulus was a relative of both Sirius and Narcissa…

Severus' paternal grandfather Aloysius Snape was knighted due to his wealth and retired from the House of Commons due to his son's many scandals.

Since Sev refused to take the dukedom, it would likely pass to Theo since Sev had little hope of natural children being gay. It was Lord Snape that Severus accepted, not feeling quite up to being a Royal Duke despite being the elder grandson of one.

Severus squeezing his shoulder broke Remus' thoughts; he blinked, "Yes?"

Severus frowned, "Are you alright?"

Remus nodded, "I'm terribly sorry, I was lost in thought."

Harry blushed, "It happens, dinner was lovely."

"You two can retire to the drawing room," Remus offered. "I'll rinse the dishes, Janie or Mrs. Stevens will see to them in the morning."

Harry shook his head emphatically; "We can't leave dishes overnight."

Severus chuckled as he ushered Harry into the drawing room, "You're a guest and that's how we always handle small parties. Larger ones we hire a caterer and let Narcissa handle them. Remus and I aren't very social but Narcissa is close enough to us due to my being the protégé of Lucius. Lady Evelyn was his step-aunt having married his Uncle Oran Nott, Lord Mansfield and she asked him to keep an eye on me. I think taking the grandson of a Duke under his wing was a feather in his cap; he still is annoyed with me for refusing to take the title. Despite not sharing blood, Lucius has been kind in his own fashion to Evelyn's children. Narcissa has taken special interest in Grace since Draco was an only child."

Harry sputtered, "Duke?"

Severus shrugged, "My Grandfather Mark Windsor was born Prince Charles, the afterthought of King George V and Queen Mary. I wasn't raised amoung that set until I turned twelve and became a border at Eton. You're the grandson of Charles Potter, Lord Launde; and well as the son of the Honourable James Potter and Lady Lily. Sirius came into the possession of the Estate due to James' will but it was to be held in trust for you. James' will didn't give directions as to inheritance if something happened to you. It was held in abeyance at the time and now it will of course pass to you. Just as my titles will of course pass to Theo."

Remus snickered, "Wouldn't that disgruntle the Royals, if a Catholic ascended the Dukedom of Sussex."

"Better a catholic then a gay Lord." Severus shrugged.

Remus poured them drinks from the bar and then excused himself to clear the table.

Harry was a very well mannered young man.

While Remus was fond of Draco, like Severus he had reservations about Harry being involved with the Honourable Draco Malfoy, Captain RAF.

Harry deserved someone more stable, loyal and supportive…

Like Severus had reservations about James' suitability, it was Harry's choice that mattered not theirs…

A/N: What do you think? Outstanding? Exceeds Expectations? Acceptable? Poor? Dreadful? Troll?