AN: Chapter 33.
Wow, well I certainly never thought that it would take me this long to get back to this story again. But we FINALLY have an update. I am not sure how long it will be before I have another chapter ready, but I am not going to let it be anywhere near this long again.

Warnings: Swearing, slash and adult themes. For full warnings see story description.

As always, thanks to my wonderful beta, AchillesTheGeek.

Severus huffed as he rolled himself onto his back; sleep was continuing to evade him once again. Narcissa's visits had given him a great deal to think about; too much, in fact, or at least enough so that it was a struggle to quieten his thoughts enough to be able to find sleep.

He had yet to write to Dumbledore or do anything else about returning to Hogwarts. He had meant what he had told Narcissa, he did intend to speak with the Headmaster about returning to the school but truthfully he felt humiliated and was reluctant to deal with Dumbledore's knowing looks. Nor did he know what he wanted to do in respect of Lucius.

Thoughts of the man were still dominating those rare moments of sleep that Severus was managing to get. It wasn't that he didn't enjoy the dreams; in fact, he was deriving a great deal of pleasure from them, but they were doing nothing to help with his intention to put his infatuation with Lucius behind him. It was turning out that it was much harder to not think about the blond now that he had genuine memories of being with the man to dwell on.

Writing the last few hours until dawn off as a lost cause, Severus begrudgingly slid out from beneath his covers. Removing a sleeping robe from a nearby hook, he pulled it over his shoulders to protect him from the chill that still hung in the air even though March was rapidly approaching. The robe swept out behind him as he made his way down the narrow staircase of his house and headed to the kitchen to make coffee, in the hope that perhaps caffeine might help him deal without the sleep that his brain had been denying him the last few days.

As he waited for his muggle kettle to boil, he mulled over everything that he and Narcissa had discussed.

He has simply insulted you and you run, surrender so much that is yours. Your home, your job, your potions.

Narcissa had been right of course, Severus realised, and he felt foolish for having fled from his whole life on the words of the notoriously vindictive man. He wasn't convinced by her insistence that Lucius acting out of fear, nor that the man was as enamoured with him as Narcissa seemed to believe, but she was right about one thing: Severus should not just abandon the life he had built for himself. He would not allow Lucius that victory, he decided, ignoring the boiling kettle in favour of writing to the Headmaster.

-#-

"AHH!" Harry exclaimed in surprise as he and his pyjamas were splattered with water by Draco, who had stepped out of the shower and deliberately chosen to dry his wings by shaking them, rather than use a Charm. The joyous sound of Draco's amusement filling their bathroom sapped most of Harry's annoyance. "Hilarious," he said dryly, as he used his top to wipe the worst of the water from his glasses.

"Couldn't resist," Draco stated, and the blond's devious grin came into focus for Harry as he pushed his glasses back into place. The expression softened, however, as Draco took a few steps into Harry's personal space and reached up to brush a stray droplet from Harry's hair. "You're so cute when you are all bedraggled," he teased.

"Thanks… I think," Harry said with a bemused smile on his face, as Draco went up on tiptoes to press a kiss to his lips. "I… er… should, yeah… shower and erm… put on clothes, other clothes, my uniform I mean," he rambled, as Draco pulled back with a smug look on his face.

"Uh-hmm," Draco hummed in amused agreement, his hand pressed against Harry's chest, "of course. We wouldn't want to be late for breakfast." And with that he leaned up to steal another brief kiss before sauntering out of the room, still completely naked, his wings spreading out behind him to let them dry properly.

Harry watched him go, a flush rising to his face as he appreciated his mate's body. It really was quite a sight; perfectly round butt cheeks shifting with each step, elegant legs that were surprisingly long given Draco's short stature, and perfectly straight white-blond hair hanging halfway down his flawless back, covering the point where the large purple wings were attacked. An involuntary moan passed his lips when Draco bent over to pick up his underwear, and Harry had to force himself to look away and focus on getting himself ready for the day ahead.

-#-

"Lupin," Lucius sneered through clenched teeth as the werewolf placed the breakfast he had brought him down on the small table. Most of his meals had been brought to him by house-elves but the werewolf seemed to have this ridiculous need to check on him regularly, as though he was going to do something as preposterous as harm himself.

"Malfoy." Remus' tone was clipped and impatient as he turned to the tall blond. Lucius had barely spoken a word to him in the days that he had been in the room, and the surprise was written all over the werewolf's face.

Lucius steeled his face, as he crossed one knee over the other and leaned back in his chair. His inferior living conditions were infuriatingly humiliating and his only entertainment had been the taunting words he had been throwing at Andromeda's daughter, but he wasn't prepared to let anyone see how much it was getting to him. "You need to bring…"

"Need?" Remus interrupted with an incredulous laugh. "I am pretty certain, Malfoy, that given your current predicament, I don't need to do a damn thing. If you really want something bad enough, you'll learn to ask nicely," he told him with a deceptively pleasant smile.

Lucius' eyes narrowed in annoyance, his lips pinched to keep the vitriol on his tongue from spilling out; he was Slytherin enough to know that he could not afford to alienate Lupin. For the moment, at least, he needed the man on his side. Though he had to wonder how it had come to this, actually have to ask favours from a werewolf of all people.

"Would you be so kind…" Lucius said, forcing a smile and ignoring the nausea that churned in his gut, unsure if said nausea came from the sight of the pitiful breakfast on the table next to him or the fact that he was left with no choice but to treat this werewolf as though it actually deserved this level of respect. Swallowing his pride as best he could, he tried again. "Would you be so kind as to bring my son to me?"

Remus hesitated, looking rather surprised by this request. "A few days ago you wouldn't even speak to him," Remus pointed out, as he watched Lucius with curiosity, trying to figure out what the man was up to. "What's changed?" he asked slowly.

"My tolerance for these abhorrent conditions," Lucius sneered, with a vague wave of his long fingers at the small, mostly bare room around them. "And my willingness to consume this…" he trailed off, delicately lifting a piece of dry toast between his thumb and forefinger with, his lip curling in disgust as he dropped it back onto the plate, "…food."

"More than you deserve," Remus muttered under his breath, as he turned his back on the blond; he was having to remind himself, given Malfoy was currently under his care, that he probably shouldn't break the man's nose. He took a calming breath and turned back to Malfoy, attempting to keep his irritation from his face. "I will ask. But I make no promises; it will be up to Draco. Enjoy your breakfast," he added, heading out of the room before Lucius could comment and all but slamming the door behind himself.

Leaning back against the door, Remus gave himself a moment to ponder what had just happened. Lucius Malfoy had actually managed to force himself into asking for something nicely. A disbelieving laugh bubbled out of Remus' throat as he picked up his outer robes, deciding to have breakfast in the Great Hall. Maybe the man really could learn to behave like a decent human being after all.

-#-

The mental image of Draco's naked body walking away from him and bending over was still playing on repeat in Harry's mind as he absent-mindedly fed himself porridge. He and Draco were sitting at the Gryffindor table today, across from Hermione and Ginny, with Ron on Hermione's far side, pointedly ignoring the two Erotes. He was still apparently angry about Harry's defence of Snape. While Harry did intend to talk to his best friend eventually, for the moment he was happy to let Ron stew on it a little longer.

"Did you drug him or something?" Ginny quietly asked Draco leaning across the table towards the blond, as she watched the obviously distracted Harry with concern. Draco let out an exaggeratedly outraged gasp.

"I most certainly did not, Weasley," Draco insisted, looking highly offended by the suggestion. "Harry was merely so stunned by the beauty of my naked body this morning that it is taking him all this time to fully regain his faculties," he stated smugly, ignoring the nauseated expression that formed on Ron's face.

"Do you have to be quite so crude?" Hermione asked, as she peered at Draco over the top of the Daily Prophet, before turning to smile at Neville, Dean, and Seamus, as the three of them joined them at the table.

"Who's being crude now?" Neville asked with an amused smile, clearly having caught Hermione's words but not the conversation that preceded it.

"Ron and Hermione don't like Draco talking about his naked body at the breakfast table," Ginny explained helpfully, giggling a little as the three boys turned to look at Ron, who scowled in annoyance and focused on his breakfast.

"Ron's naked body, or Draco's," Seamus asked with broad, cheeky grin, though he also seemed to be genuinely curious as he looked between the two boys in question, eyeing them both up and down.

"Draco's," Ron, Ginny and Hermione all quickly answered as one. And Draco flashed the Irishman an innocent smile that didn't fool anyone.

"Is that what has Harry in such a trance?" Dean questioned, leaning over and waving his hand in front of Harry's face, causing Harry to suddenly look up at him with a baffled expression, glancing around at his friends who were staring at him. "You alright, mate?" he asked.

"What?" Harry asked with confusion; this, however, just made his housemates laugh. Hermione tutted quietly and went back to her paper, and Harry turned to Draco, who was smiling at him indulgently.

"What did I miss?" he enquired.

"Nothing you need to worry about," Draco assured him, shaking his head at his mate and patting Harry's hand in a manner Harry found rather patronising if his scowl was anything to go by. "No one can blame you for getting distracted thinking about me," he added in a whisper, pressing a kiss by Harry's ear, "because I think we all know how bloody gorgeous I am."

Harry chuckled deeply at that and wrapped an arm around his mate's waist, pulling him closer to his side. After all, his submissive was not wrong: despite how arrogant Draco frequently was, Harry did consider himself extremely lucky to have the blond as his mate.

"Erm, Harry," Neville said quietly, and Harry forced himself to take his eyes off Draco and give his attention to his housemate. Seamus and Dean were now talking to each other and Hermione was chastising Ron for taking a third helping of bacon, but Neville's eyes were going from Harry and Draco to somewhere over their shoulders. "Professor Lupin is heading this way and he has a really serious expression on his face."

Both Harry and Draco turned, following the direction of Neville's gaze, and, sure enough, Remus was heading their way. Harry glanced at Draco, but the subtle shift of the blond's shoulders and his facial expression told him that his mate had no more idea what was going on than he did. So he turned his attention back to his father's friend, greeting him with a warm smile.

"Good morning," Remus said, smiling at the group of students who had turned to watch him curiously. "Mr Malfoy, could I have a word?" he requested, causing both Harry and Draco's eyes to widen in surprise, having expected Remus to want to speak with Harry. "I am sure Harry can come too, if you would like," he added, looking a little concerned by their reactions.

"Erm… Yeah… of course, if you want me there," Harry agreed, looking to Draco questioningly. He was definitely curious about what Remus would have to discuss with Draco, but he didn't want to push into something that wasn't his business. He trusted his mate completely, and if Draco wanted to talk with Remus in private, then Harry had no objection.

"Come on," Draco said with exasperated fondness, as he got to his feet, tugging gently on Harry's arm. "You will only drive me crazy with your questioning looks all day if you stay behind," he teased, but Harry just shrugged his shoulders unrepentantly and stood up from the table. "I'll see you guys in class," he added to his friends, who barely looked up from their own conversations to give him vague waves before the three of them headed out of the Great Hall.

Out in the Entrance Hall, Remus took the lead and Harry and Draco shared a brief, confused look before following the professor down the corridor and into a nearby classroom.

"A clandestine meeting in an all but abandoned classroom," Draco commented, as Remus gestured to some chairs in an unspoken suggestion that they sit. "Some might think this a little clichéd, Sir."

Remus laughed softly. "Needs must, I'm afraid," he said after a moment, giving the two boys a wry smile as they both took seats, sticking close to each other. With a wave of his wand, Remus covered the room in a silencing spell and sealed the door with a locking spell. He couldn't risk someone interrupting or hearing about Lucius, not after the lengths they had gone to in order to keep the man's presence in Hogwarts a secret.

"Malfoy, Lucius Malfoy that is," Remus said, correcting himself quickly when Draco scowled at him. However, Remus had misunderstood the blond's annoyance.

"No," Draco stated bluntly. "Forget it, whatever it is," he added sternly, when Remus opened his mouth to say something more.

"Is everything okay?" Harry asked, leaning forward as he reached over to take Draco's hand when his submissive mate went to stand up, presumably to leave. He understood that Draco had made a choice to respect his mother's wishes and not see Lucius, but if something had happened…

"No, no," Remus assured them quickly, "Malfoy is fine. His usual arrogant self," he added under his breath.

"Ahhh, well that runs in the family," Harry teased with a grin, earning an annoyed glare from his mate and having his hand slapped away.

"Malfoy just asked to speak with you, Draco," Remus explained, ignoring the looks that the two boys were giving each other. "I told him I would ask, but I made no promises, and said that it would be your choice."

"Well then it is definitely a 'no'," Draco reiterated with a calm tone of finality. "I promised my mother that I would stay away from him for the moment, and that is a promise I intend to keep. And honestly, I do not need the stress of his judgment at the moment," he added, his hand pressed against his belly.

"I understand," Remus said, nodding his head and actually looking rather pleased by this turn of events. He was not surprised, given this was essentially what Dumbledore had already told him, but he had wanted to let Draco make the choice for himself. "I will pass the message along," he added, the corner of his lip twitching into what Harry thought might be a smirk, making Harry suspect that Remus was going to relish being able to give Lucius that news.

"You do that," Draco said, getting to his feet. Remus wordlessly dispelled the wards with two waves of his wand before Draco reached the door. Harry paused long enough to give the professor a grateful smile, before following after his mate.

-#-

"Oi, Weasley," Blaise called out as he and Pansy approached the Charms classroom, outside of which most of the Gryffindors and Ravenclaws were already gathered, along with a couple of Hufflepuffs, waiting to be let in. Hermione and Ron both turned towards him at the call.

"What, Zabini?" Ron asked with an impatient sigh, as the two Slytherins stopped next to him and Hermione. Pansy leaned against the wall, watching the others with an expression of mild curiosity, her hip cocked and winking at Neville, who got suddenly quite flustered, his stack of books tumbling from his hands.

"Sorry," Neville muttered, his cheeks flushing red in embarrassment, as the gathered students all turned to look at him. Seamus hurried to help him, and Dean Thomas, Hannah Abbott and Susan Bones soon joined in, all of them helping him to gather his books and parchment back up into a neat pile.

Blaise frowned at them for a moment, before apparently deciding it wasn't work his attention, turning back to Ron. "What did Professor Lupin want with Potter?" Blaise asked impatiently.

"He wanted to speak with Draco actually," Hermione corrected and that certainly got Pansy's attention, as she tore her eyes from Neville and friends, pushed off the wall and pierced Hermione with a glare that demanded answers.

"And you can ask the pompous, blond prat himself what it was about," Ron added, gesturing down the corridor behind Blaise and Pansy, and the two of them turned to see Draco approaching, Harry just behind him.

"What is going on?" Draco asked as he reached them, more than a little aware that Pansy, Blaise, Hermione and Ron were all watching him. He narrowed his eyes at each of them in turn. "What are you all looking at?" he demanded to know.

"Just wondering what Lupin wanted with you and Potter," Pansy informed him, as Harry reached Draco's side and wrapped an arm around his waist.

"He was merely inviting me to meet his guest," Draco told them dismissively, hoping that his friends would be able to put the pieces together from that, because he certainly wasn't going to mention Lucius in front of all their classmates. "An offer I declined," he added quickly, when Ron opened his mouth to ask something; he didn't trust the red-head not to blurt out the wrong thing.

Ron, however, was sick and tired of feeling like he was being left out of the loop and so persisted. "Who…?" he started to ask.

"Later, Ron," Hermione interrupted, nudging her friend sharply in the ribs to shut him up, having spotted Crabbe and Goyle heading down the corridor towards them. She wasn't sure exactly how much Draco's two former friends knew, but she was fairly certain that Draco wasn't going to want to discuss anything with them around.

Thankfully though, the classroom door opened a few seconds later and the gathered students started to file in. Ron scowled at the two Erotes for a moment, before storming away from them into the classroom, Hermione heading after him with a weary sigh. Harry leaned forward as he followed Hermione into the room, whispering "Thank you," in her ear, and even from behind, he could see that she was smiling.

-#-

It was late in the afternoon, but being winter, the sun was already low in the sky and casting a dusky glow through grimy windows into the living room of Spinner's End. Severus was once again stood in front of the fireplace, the heat from the flames leaving him far too warm in his teaching robes.

He pulled at the black material to straighten it, brushing a hand down the front to remove non-existent blemishes from the thick fabric. He knew full well that it was a pointless gesture, particularly given that travelling by Floo would leave him slightly ruffled at the other end anyway, but the action soothed his anxiety somewhat and, given that he was alone, he indulged himself.

Tugging sharply on his own sleeve, in order to pull the material further up his wrist and keep it from dragging in the contents, Severus took a pinch of Floo Powder and threw it into the burning fire. The flames flashed green and Severus stepped into them, tucking his elbows tightly into his sides. "Headmaster's office, Hogwarts," he intoned.

Suddenly he found himself in a blur of fireplaces, split-second views of numerous rooms flying past his eyes, until the familiar office of Albus Dumbledore came into view and he stepped out, his hands moving instinctively to dust the soot off his robes.

"Severus," Albus greeted jubilantly. "It is good to see you. I was surprised to receive your letter this morning," he commented, holding up said piece of parchment before placing it back with a stack of other correspondence on his desk.

"I felt there were matters we should discuss," Severus stated, as he swept his way over to the chair that had already been set up across the desk from where the Headmaster was sat. He took his time, carefully taking his seat, hooking one knee over the other, and giving the appearance of relaxing in the chair; however, he kept his eyes fixed on Dumbledore.

"What is it you would like to discuss?" Albus asked kindly, with the air of endless patience. "Your letter was rather vague. Though I gather you would be interested in returning to your former post?"

"I would," Severus confirmed with a curt nod of his head. "I assume you would be agreeable to my return?"

"Well there is the matter of Horace, who was kind enough to cover the potions classes in your absence," Albus pointed out. "As much as I wish to reinstate you, I cannot simply oust him from Hogwarts now."

"No, I suppose not," Severus said dryly. "I was rather surprised that you were able to persuade him to return at all, if we are being honest. I had rather been given the impression that he had taken well to retirement."

Albus chuckled wryly. "You are not mistaken," the Headmaster confirmed, pausing for a moment, his expression becoming more serious before continuing. "But some rather unfortunate events did work in our favour on this occasion. Horace was attacked," he explained, his tone sombre.

"I see," Severus said, keeping his expression blank, even as his mind churned, processing what he was being told. The timing really did seem too coincidental, and that combined with Dumbledore's reluctance to let Slughorn leave, certainly seemed suspicious. "Then perhaps we can share the work load," he suggested.

The Headmaster hummed thoughtfully, apparently giving the suggestion serious thought. "The idea has merit," Albus agreed, nodding his head. "Perhaps if you were to handle the NEWT students, and maybe the first years, then Horace could handle the others."

Severus bowed his head. "That would be agreeable." The reduced workload would at least allow him time for research; there were several things that he felt would warrant his attention, not the least of which being finding out exactly what Dumbledore wanted with Slughorn.

"Then I shall speak with Horace," Dumbledore said, clapping his hands together, his smile firmly back in place. "Your quarters have been left untouched, so feel free to return there as soon as you like," he offered, and Severus just nodded his head once in understanding. "I am genuinely pleased to have you back, Severus, however, I am expecting another visitor shortly…"

The Headmaster was interrupted by a very well timed knock on the office door, and both men turned towards it. "Come in," Dumbledore called out. The door creaked open and Harry stepped into the room, though the teenager hesitated when he spotted Snape.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt," Harry said, looking a little flustered and unsure of himself.

"Not at all, my boy," Dumbledore said joyfully, standing up and making his way around the desk towards Harry. "Severus and I had just finished, so your timing is excellent. Isn't that right, Severus."

"Of course, Headmaster," Severus said formally, sparing a moment to fix Harry with a look of suspicion.

"Well, for what it's worth, it is good to see you back here," Harry told the potions master earnestly. "I certainly know that Draco will be glad to have you back. You are back, right?" he asked, cutting himself off when he realised he was on the verge of rambling.

"I am," Severus confirmed bluntly, an awkward quietness falling between them all. "Good evening, Headmaster, Mr Potter," he said after a few moments, striding out the door that Harry had just come through without another word.

"So he's really back?" Harry asked Dumbledore the moment that the door had closed behind the potions master. "He's going to take up teaching again? Does that mean that Slughorn is leaving?"

"Yes, Professor Snape will be returning to his post," the Headmaster assured him, "though Professor Slughorn will also be staying. I intend to have them actually share the classes," he explained. "However, that nothing you need to concern yourself with, I have invited you here for other reasons, as you well know."

"I assumed as much," Harry said, dropping himself into the chair that Snape had vacated. "No memories today?" he asked, having noticed the absence of the Pensieve that was usually brought out onto the Headmaster's desk for their meetings.

"Ahh, just one today," Dumbledore said softly, and with a wave of his wand, one of the cupboards opened. Harry turned and watched as the now-familiar large, rune-covered bowl floated out across the room and landed in its usual spot on the large desk.

"Wonderful," Harry said quietly, his voice lacking any enthusiasm, but Dumbledore seemed unfazed. The Headmaster pulled out a small phial, which Harry knew would contain the memory they were to view, and tipped the contents into the bowl.

Harry pushed himself to his feet and stepped up next to the Headmaster. "After you, my boy," Dumbledore said congenially, an encouraging smile on his face, and Harry leaned forward, taking a deep breath before he let himself fall into the memory.

-#-

Harry was lost in his thoughts as he made his way back towards the Gryffindor common room after his meeting with Dumbledore. True to his word, the Headmaster had only shown him one memory that evening; it had been short too, but Harry had found it weird, almost weirder still for how unremarkable the whole thing appeared to be.

The memory was one of Slughorn's from more than half a century ago, when he had been Tom Riddle's potions teacher, a conversation that the two of them had had following some dinner. It had been distorted though, and felt forced, and the Headmaster had seemed to relish telling Harry his theories on it being an altered memory. Harry had been neither surprised nor pleased when Dumbledore requested he obtain the true one.

However, it was not this that had Harry's mind churning at the moment. The conversation that he and Draco had had with Remus regarding the potions master's quick and convenient hiring seemed even more relevant in the light of this new information. Harry had to wonder if this memory could really be the reason that Dumbledore had wanted to procure the portly potions professor for Hogwarts.

It felt rather farfetched that the Headmaster would go to great lengths to ensure that Slughorn was within reach just for the sake of a memory of one conversation that was had more than fifty years earlier; but then perhaps it truly was that important that they uncover the truth behind it. Either way, Harry felt a strong need to discuss this with Draco, and maybe Remus as well.

"Dilligrout," Harry said absent-mindedly as he reached the portrait of the Fat Lady, climbing through into the common room as the passageway opened up before him.

The Gryffindor common room wasn't overly busy, but there were various groups of students sitting around, talking and studying. Harry wanted to get back to his rooms and talk with Draco, but he spotted Hermione, Ron and Neville sat together across the room and he was determined that he and Ron were going to talk.

"Hi, guys," he said as he approached the table where they were studying together. Hermione and Neville both turned to smile at him, but Ron was unusually focused on the text book in front of him, all too obviously avoiding looking at Harry.

"Harry, come join us," Hermione said, patting the empty chair next to her. Harry, however, looked to Ron, wanting to see his reaction to such a suggestion, but his friend was still stubbornly ignoring him.

"Only if that's okay with Ron," Harry replied, maintaining his calm expression when Ron looked up and glared at him. "I don't know what you want from me," Harry said when Ron didn't say anything.

"I just want my best mate back," Ron said, slamming the large text book closed. "It's all about Malfoy with you, and I get that you two are together, and having a kid and all that, but that doesn't mean that he owns you."

"Draco doesn't own me!" Harry exclaimed in outrage. "but you're right, Draco and I are a family now. I hope that you're still my best friend, but that's up to you at this point, because if you make me choose…"

"Harry," Hermione said, sounding worried as she looked between the pair of them.

"No, Hermione," Harry said firmly before turning back to Ron again. "I get that things have changed, that I have even changed a bit, but we are talking about my family! I love Draco, I love the child that he is carrying. I still think of you as my best friend, Ron, but if you can't accept them in my life then maybe I need to reconsider."

"That's not what I meant, Harry," Ron huffed in annoyance, getting to his feet. "I just mean that you seem to have ditched us now that you have Malfoy. Everything you do seems to be about him."

"That's because it is, Ron!" Harry exclaimed, before taking a deep breath, determined to explain himself properly and not wanting things to spiral out of control. "Draco is my mate, he is four months pregnant with our child and is currently very reliant on my magic. And you think things are different now, what do you think is going to happen in less than six months when I am a father? Yes, you are important to me; yes, sometimes I wish that I could just do whatever I want; yes, I consider Draco in everything I do; but that is because he and our baby have to be my top priority now."

Ron opened his mouth to reply, but snapped it shut again, apparently struggling to find the words. Neville and Hermione shared a look, both seeming rather uncomfortable at being caught in the middle of the argument, but not sure what to say.

"Look, Ron," Harry said with a weary sigh, "I will try to make some more time for you guys, but I need you to understand that things are different now. There are going to have to be compromises."

"I do get that," Ron admitted begrudgingly, before falling silent, seemingly struggling for words to explain what he was feeling. "I just… I don't want you to lose you…" he hedged, hoping that Harry would understand that.

A smile broke out on Harry's lips, and before Ron had a chance to say anything else, Harry throw his arms around the red-head, pulling him into a hug. Ron was clearly stunned for a few seconds, but soon he surrendered and returned the embrace.

"You boys are idiots," Hermione said fondly, causing both Harry and Ron to laugh as they broke away from their hug to stand awkwardly a few paces from each other.

"Sooo…" Ron said, stuffing his hands into his pockets and scuffing the toe of his foot against the ground.

"Are we good now?" Harry asked, looking concerned. "I mean… I think we're okay… but…"

"Yeah…" Ron interrupted, "we're good. Maybe you could join us to study for a bit?" he suggested.

"Oh… well," Harry said hesitantly, glancing over his shoulder towards the portrait of Sir Selwyn, which hung over the entrance to his and Draco's room.

"Yeah, I get it. Just go," Ron said, a little huffily, dropping himself back into his seat.

"It's just that I promised Draco that I would tell him about my meeting with Dumbledore," Harry hurried to explain, not wanting to undo all the progress he and Ron made. "But you guys should totally come with me. Please, I would appreciate your thoughts on what Dumbledore showed me, too," he insisted, when Ron looked unconvinced.

"Of course we'll come," Hermione said enthusiastically already packing up her books, and Neville nudged Ron before packing up his things.

"This is what I meant by compromises, Ron," Harry said wearily. "I do want you to come with us, but I have already promised Draco I would find him right after the meeting. I am not just going to leave him wondering where I am, because that wouldn't be fair to him. But please, will you join us?"

"Yeah," Ron said, giving Harry a half smile as he got to his feet again, "let's give this compromise thing a go."

"Thanks so much," Harry said sarcastically, though he chuckled and gave Ron a shove as they headed towards the portrait, while Hermione and Neville, just behind them, shared a pleased smile.