Disclaimer: I only claim what's mine aka the less amazing characters and the mediocre plot, lolol.

Author's Note: This chapter features a more 'human' side of Snape. It may seem slighty OOC ... I'm not really sure. I wrote it the way that felt right to me. I hope you'll enjoy. Comments are always appreciated :)

Chapter 15: Friends and Worries

Harry was in the kitchen when he heard the sounds of people coming through the Floo. He ran into the living room and almost tackled Hermione.

"'Mione!"

"Oh, Harry," she said, and squeezed him half to death. "I missed you so much!"

Ron came through next, and hugged his best friend just as hard. "Glad to see you, mate," he said roughly. "How have things been?"

Before he could even answer, Remus came through, followed by Snape. The two adults looked at the three teens for a long minute, and then Remus excused himself, saying that he was tired and needed to rest.

"Where's Draco, Potter?" Snape asked Harry quietly.

"He's in his room, sir. He said he wanted to give me some time with my friends and that he'd join us for dinner later."

Snape nodded. "Very well. I will leave you with your friends, as well. But don't forget, Potter, that they aren't the only ones who need your attention these days. Others may need your attention even more."

Harry didn't know if he was talking about Draco or Sally. Sally knew it was Harry's birthday today, but wanted him to come to the cliffs tomorrow because she wanted to meet his friends and give him a present that she made for his birthday. They'd seen her a lot in the last few days. And Draco ... he'd seemed so fragile lately. He guessed nothing was making any sense to him. To go from basically a Death Eater, to making out with the Chosen One? Yeah, it didn't make sense to Harry either.

But he nodded nonetheless, and Snape glided to the doorway. At the last second, he turned to Harry. "Oh, and Potter? Happy birthday."

"Thank you, sir," Harry said quietly, and he disappeared, closing the door behind him.

Hermione and Ron looked at him for a minute, and then the three of them started talking at once.

"How's everyone at the Burrow?"

"Snape doesn't seem that awful right now!"

"Does he give you any information or does he keep everything a secret too?"

"How awful has Malfoy been?"

"Did your mum pack me any sweets?"

They all stopped talking at almost the same time, and started laughing. They laughed until they were all rolling on the floor, tears streaming down their faces.

"Gods, I've missed you guys," Harry admitted loudly. "This summer has been very, very weird, but not that bad. Snape mostly keeps to himself unless we're eating or something, and well he did give me and Draco detention -"

"Detention?! In the SUMMER? What did you do?" This was from Hermione.

"Draco? Since when do you call him Draco?" This from Ron, who looked like he was going to be sick.

"Er," Harry rubbed his thigh absently. "We got into a fist fight so Snape made us wash these horrible cauldrons that must have been in his basement for YEARS, and well, we reached a truce after, I guess."

"You still don't have to call him Draco, do you?" Ron pleaded with him, and he just shrugged.

Hermione lowered her voice. "Is it true that Snape made him take an Unbreakable Vow? We uh, overheard Ron's parents talking about it." She flushed slightly, and he laughed silently, knowing they must have been eavesdropping.

"Yeah," Harry confirme. "It was pretty serious."

"Malfoy must be pissed," Ron said. "All of these Death Eaters scouring the country looking for you, and he can't hand you over and claim his prize because he's stuck with the one Death Eater who's stuck protecting you."

Harry felt slightly sick, and he didn't know if it was from the reminder that Snape was a Death Eater, or from the implication that Draco was one.

"I don't think he wants to hand me over," he mumbled, and Ron just stared at him like he'd just gotten hit in the head with a bludger.

"Of course he does, mate, you got his father locked up in Azkaban!"

Harry changed the subject quickly. "Yeah, about that, I'm surprised he hasn't gotten out yet. Has your dad said anything about him? What's the Ministry saying? I know the Aurors, at least, were starting to come around thanks to Tonks..."

His friends eagerly switched topics and told him everything they knew. He basked in their company, but he also kept glancing at the door, wishing Draco would come barging in.

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*

Draco knocked on Severus's door hesitantly. He'd heard him as he walked down the hallway, and listening carefully, had deducted that he'd gone to his bedroom, and not his Potion's lab, where he spent a lot of his time.

"Enter," he said, and Draco heard the magical lock click open.

He pushed open the door slightly, and stepped in. He'd never been in his godfather's personal rooms before, and didn't know what to expect.

His eyes focused on Sev right off, sitting at a black desk, scribbling something with a dark green quill. Draco edged over quietly, and sat on the edge of the bed, waiting for him to finish whatever it was he was doing.

After a few minutes, he turned to him. "Can I help you with something, Draco?"

He debated making something up in case he tried kicking him out, but then he just gave in and shook his head. "No, I just ... I don't know," he finished lamely.

Severus stared at his godson for a minute, and then sat on the bed beside him. "Feeling left out now that Granger and Weasley are here?"

That was exactly it, but Draco was surprised that he had gotten it so fast.

He smirked at him for a few seconds. "Do you think I'm blind, Draco? I know that things between you and Potter have changed."

"And you don't approve," Draco said softly. "I expected as much."

He made a move to get up but Severus laid a hand on his arm and gripped it firmly. When he sank back onto the mattress, he placed a hand under Draco's chin and tilted his face so he was left with no choice but to meet his eyes.

"Draco, I can't believe I even have to say this to you. I am not your father. You do not live to please me. Whether or not I approve shouldn't be an issue to you. But since it appears to be such an issue to you, it is not that I don't approve of your new 'friendship' with Potter. I am just worried. After this summer is over, you won't be in my protection any more."

Draco heard the emphasis on the word friendship and realized he could never underestimate his godfather again.

"What's going to happen when I go back?"

"I'm hoping to arrange it so you may return to Hogwarts directly from here, but failing that, I am going to plant fake memories in your mind. That way, if anyone attempts to use Legilimency on you, they will simply see boring memories from this summer and thoughts of how eager you are to please the Dark Lord. Since they have no reason to doubt you, or me, they will have no reason to dig any deeper. I doubt they will even try at all, but it is a risk I'd rather not take. I assume you'd rather not be Obliviated?"

He shook his head quickly.

"It's not going to be easy when you go back, Draco. You know that within the next year, your father will be expecting certain things from you?"

Draco's eyes travelled to his forearm, and he gulped. The Dark Mark.

"What if I don't want it?" he asked softly. Six months ago, it would never had occurred to him that he even had a choice, but now, he felt like he did.

"I will do anything in my power to help you, Draco, but it will not be easy."

"You'd risk your life to help me?"

"Yes," Severus said, looking at the blond with pride. "I do not want you making the same mistakes I did because you feel like you have no other choice. There is always a choice, Draco. I just wish someone had made that clear to me 20 years ago."

Draco's eyes watered. "T-thank you," he said, and then lowered his head before he could see the tears fall.

He couldn't fool Severus, though, and was surprised to feel the older man wrap his arms around him. He buried his face in the black robes and let years of emotion pour out of him. Sev rubbed his back soothingly, and Draco felt like a small child again. He wondered what it would have been like, growing up with Severus as his father instead. Maybe they would have taught each other how to love, instead of being these shallow, lovelorn beings.

"I love you, Sev, " he said , not even caring what he would think.

It was quiet for a minute, and Draco heard him whisper it. "I love you too, Draco."

He was finally calm enough to pull away. "I guess the first step would be getting Granger and Weasley to trust me. If I have the Golden trio on my side, becoming part of the Light side will be easier," he said.

Severus nodded, but Draco could tell he was still distracted.

"I'll be careful, Sev," he promised. "But you need to be careful, too. I don't want you to die for me."

"If it came to that, Draco, I would die for you in a heartbeat."

"What about Harry?" He didn't know why he asked, but for some reason, the answer was important to him.

He didn't even hesitate. "I'd die for him, as well."

He had thought as much. He hugged his godfather again, and then walked to the door. "Supper is at 7," he reminded him. "And don't forget to bring your present."

He glared at him like the present he'd gotten for Harry was supposed to be some big secret, and then shooed him out the door.

Draco walked out the door and walked straight into the werewolf. His eyes were wide and he realized that he'd probably heard a lot of the conversation with Severus. He whirled around and walked down the hall to what Draco presumed was his room. He debated a second, and then followed him.

He walked in without even knocking. "How much of that did you hear?" he demanded.

He didn't even try to deny it. "Enough," he said softly.

"Are you satisfied now? Enough proof that he's really on our side and that he cares about Harry in his own way?"

The older man had the nerve to smile. "I've never doubted that he was on our side, or that he would do anything to protect Harry. He put himself in harms way in third year to save Harry, Hermione, and Ron when I neglected to take the Wolfsbane potion. And I know he'd do it again."

"Why didn't you take the potion?"

He was silent, and Draco remembered all the fuss about Harry's godfather Sirius Black in third year. "Because of Black, right?"

He simply nodded.

"He was that important to you that you'd risk your secret getting out to save him?"

He nodded again. "I loved him like a brother, and would have done anything to save him. Much like you and Severus, I guess."

Draco actually felt a deep sympathy for the werewolf then,imagining losing Severus and shuddering. "I'm sorry he's gone," he said softly. "He was lucky to have you."

"You're a good person," he said slowly. "Severus is lucky to have you in his life, and so is Harry."

Draco, startled for the second time in a day, started to speak, but Remus held up a hand.

"I've known since the first time I saw you two together," he said. "Wolf's instincts are stronger than anything else, and it was easy to read the two of you. I didn't say anything because it wasn't my place to, and I trust Harry's judgement. And the last thing I needed to do was to wrongly judge someone and be the reason they turned to the Dark Side."

There was an unspoken 'again' in his sentence and Draco decided to press on. He was nosy by nature but this went even deeper than that.

"You mean Severus, don't you?"

He looked pained, and then nodded. "He probably won't like me telling you this, but here goes nothing. I almost killed your godfather when we were in sixth year."