1.

The next morning, amid checking on Sirius in the infirmary, and the subsequent devastation that his godfather hadn't improved much since the night before, Harry decided that he and his friends would do well to practice various spells in the Room of Requirement to pass the time. Of course, in between this, as well as regular meals, he and Severus would make time for one another, and Harry was very much enjoying their snogging sessions in his dungeon quarters.

Draco had asked to be re-sorted in the interim, since it was unwise for him to remain in Slytherin in the wake of his defecting from his own family. The old Sorting Hat didn't seem at all surprised to see Draco again, and Harry was the most vocal supporter of the arrangement. It was to everyone's relief that the hat proclaimed that Draco was now, until his graduation from Hogwarts, a Gryffindor, and, thus, would be permitted to remain in the Gryffindor dormitory with Ron, Neville, Dean, and Seamus come September.

Harry was also surprised when he heard Draco and Ron's discussion about Prefects, for one house could not have two Prefects of the same sex in the same year. Much to Harry's shock, Draco proclaimed that Ron should keep his role. Although, once Harry truly considered it, Prefects often patrolled the corridors alone. Given that Slytherin had Prefects as well, it would be unwise for Draco to continue in this role, given that he could be caught unawares by some of his former house mates, thus, another reason for Harry to bring back Dumbledore's Army, despite the notion that it was summertime.

After lunch, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Neville, and Luna led Draco up one of the staircases, until they came to a tapestry. Harry paced back and forth, and then the stone behind the tapestry seemed to groan due to age. Harry dashed forward and pushed back the tapestry, and, peeking over his shoulder, saw that Draco's eyes widened at the door which had appeared.

"I love magic," Harry declared, opening the door, and leading the rest of the teenagers into the room beyond. "This is the Room of Requirement," he explained to Draco, remaining silent for a few moments so as the former Slytherin could take it all in. "Neville found it for us back before Fudge was sacked and we got rid of Umbridge."

Neville looked over at Draco. "Honestly, if it weren't for Crabbe and Goyle, I likely wouldn't have found it," he said.

Draco blinked, obviously considering that, and gasped as seven dummies appeared from the floor below, one for each of them. Shaking his head and dragging a hand through his hair, he whispered, "Blimey, that's a neat trick."

"Are you feeling all right, Draco?" Ginny asked.

Draco grimaced slightly at that, clearly looking uncomfortable.

"Draco?" Hermione spoke this time, and Draco immediately looked better.

"I think I want to hex a dummy," Draco confessed, and turned to look at them. "Look, don't hate me for this or anything, but I heard the Death Eaters use some pretty dark curses, hexes, and jinxes, things that, while on parchment seem wrong, could really help us win."

Harry nodded, impressed; he wouldn't stigmatize Draco as his father and his friends had once done to Severus. "You can tell them to Hermione, and she can do some research on them," he said diplomatically, and Draco nodded.

"Good thinking, mate," Ron put in, wrapping an arm around Hermione's shoulders, who immediately blushed.

"Maybe Professor Lupin could get in on the research?" Draco suggested tentatively, almost as if he was afraid his idea would be rejected out of hand, all because of who he was. "He is our Defense professor, after all, and maybe he knows how we can use them against the Death Eaters, and practice with them, safely."

"That's a brilliant idea, Draco!" Ginny cried out, a bit too enthusiastically.

Draco forced a smile. "Yeah, I think so," he replied.

"Why don't you show us some of them, mate?" Harry asked, sensing Draco's discomfort and steering the conversation away from Ginny; he knew exactly what Draco was feeling, given that he himself had been on the receiving end of Ginny's hero worship until his long-standing betrothal to Severus had come out. "We can watch, and Hermione can take notes. You have some parchment, quills, and ink, don't you, Hermione?" he asked.

Draco blinked. "The room can't provide it?" he asked, surprised.

Hermione shook her head at him. "Unfortunately, the only thing you can take with you are the things you bring in, and your memories," she said patiently, but nevertheless drew out the requested items from her robes and unshrunk them, looking up at Draco with a smile on her face, clearly eager to learn. "All right, Draco. Whenever you're ready."

~*~

2.

Harry was immensely proud of Draco, knowing entirely well what it felt like to be on the outside looking in, given that he hadn't been permitted to have friends back home. At his primary school, the children who weren't directly associated with Dudley thought he was strange, and those that were either hated him or avoided him completely. The teachers were of no help either, as they had listened to his aunt and uncle about Harry being "different", although Harry was positive that the word "freak" had been tossed out in conversation more than once. Of course, none of them could ever explain how Harry had ended up on the school roof after successfully evading Dudley; he'd gotten a week in the cupboard without meals for that one.

"Brilliant, that's brilliant!" Harry crowed as both Neville and Draco continuously worked on their Patronus Charms.

The term before, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Luna had all discovered that they could produce Corporal Patronuses; they'd produced a Jack Russell terrier, an otter, a horse, and a hare respectively. Neville's had, so far, been non-corporal, but Harry knew that it was likely to change, since Neville's grandmother had surprised him with a new wand at the end of term for doing so well on his OWLs. Draco, too, was commencing well, although his was still non-corporal, but Harry had urged the others to give him time and not to rush him, knowing that what Draco had gone through hadn't exactly been easy, so they needed to be patient, give him space, as well as positive feedback in the interim.

As time had gone by and the summer continued, Hermione and Draco had handed over their notes on the dark magic that Draco had learned first-hand from the Death Eaters to Remus. It didn't take long for the werewolf to strike out several of them immediately, which Harry had expected, but was relieved that he didn't come down hard on Draco for it, and, instead, told him and Hermione to merely research them, but never to attempt them. Both of them agreed, while Remus tested out the ones he deemed safe enough on his own time.

In the meanwhile, Bill and Fleur, plus Charlie, Fred, and George came and demonstrated their Patronus Charms for the group as well. Bill's Patronus was a gyrfalcon; Fleur's was a European wildcat; Charlie's was, to no one's surprise, a dragon; Fred's was a coyote; and George's was a hyena. When they could get out of Quidditch practice and in between rotations at St. Mungo's, Alicia and Angelina came to the Room of Requirement as well, and produced their Patronus Charms, which were a cheetah and a gray wolf, respectively. Everyone was excited to learn from them, and Harry was especially pleased when Draco reached an understanding with the Weasley younger generation, as well as their significant others, and was seemingly accepted into the fold almost at once.

"I'm afraid of snakes," Draco confessed to Harry one day during a break from their sessions. "I guess I'm holding back because I don't want my Patronus to turn into something embarrassing, like a snake, or a ferret..."

"You don't need to hold back," Harry told him gently. "Not with us. We all trust you. I can only hope that you can trust all of us, too."

Draco gave Harry a small smile. "I'm starting to, I really am," he assured him. "Maybe you could help me?" he asked.

Harry nodded. "Of course I can. I'd be honored," he replied.

Draco grinned back at him, and began to practice again.

Everything seemed to be going swimmingly, and then it wasn't.

Everyone was in for a surprise the very next day when a mighty Cockatrice—a two-legged dragon with a rooster's head—came streaming out of the tip of Draco's wand, bathed in silvery light, screeching like a rooster, and its almighty claws stomping upon the floor of the Room of Requirement.

"Well done, Draco!" Harry shouted, beginning the applause at his friends' victory.

The only other person in their group to have a mythical creature as their Patronus was Neville, whose Patronus was a Manticore, a great, fearsome beast with the body of a lion, the head of a human, and an impossibly large and frightening tail with venomous spikes. Harry's Patronus had been a stag; however, since accepting his soulmate bond with Severus, both of their Patronuses had changed, taking on the form of a jaguar and a lion respectively.

The applause continued, and Draco had been so shocked about the turn of events with his Patronus that he hadn't seen Ginny running for him then throwing her arms around his neck. He patted her back awkwardly, shooting glances at the rest of them for help, and Harry immediately saw Draco stiffening at the physical contact and instantly moved to rush forward. However, help didn't come quick enough and Ginny pulled back and pressed a kiss onto Draco's lips before anyone could stop her from doing so.

Draco nearly gagged, bile rising in his throat as her lips met his, and pushed her away from him, fear filling him completely as he dashed from the room.

"Ginny!" Hermione shouted at her boyfriend's sister, marching up to the redhead and grabbing her by the shoulders, turning her around. "What in Merlin's name is wrong with you?!"

"Oi!" Ron shouted, always stepping in to protect his sister when he thought it necessary. "She's my little sister..."

"That doesn't matter," Harry snapped, immediately snapping out of his shock as he glared at Ginny across the room. "Ginny, just go, now," he ordered, and Ginny ran from the room, tears streaming down her face, a wail escaping her lips.

"Oi, mate, that was uncalled for," Ron yelled at Harry.

"Was it really?" Neville asked, his normally kind tone replaced by anger. "Draco hasn't even told us everything that's happened to him, and Ginny, without permission, takes it upon herself to practically assault him..."

Luna placed a hand onto her boyfriend's arm, calming him down. "One look at Draco's expression told us all we needed to know," she uttered gently, and Hermione nodded. "Ron, you know entirely well that Draco has always put space between himself and Ginny since she got that little crush on him, likely for his bravery in escaping his family. He never encouraged her, you know that."

"Yeah, but, Draco didn't tell Ginny not to..."

"He shouldn't have to!" Hermione burst out. "One look at his facial expressions and his body language and anyone would have known! He was practically begging for someone to step in just now and get Ginny off him, but none of us did, because we didn't think she would ever go this far, and you know it."

Ron looked utterly terrible as he dragged a hand through his hair. "I... I didn't know she would go this far..."

"It's not all your fault," Harry said, pleased that his best mate was seeing reason at last. "But we really need to watch her better. She obviously didn't fully comprehend that Draco clearly wasn't interested in her, so we need to be more vigilant."

Ron sighed, and Hermione crossed over to him and rubbed his shoulders. "Right," he said, his tone stiff. "So, where do we go from here?"

~*~

3.

Harry awoke in his dormitory the following morning, sleep beginning to ebb and flow away from his subconscious, his lips still bruised from when Severus bid him a very splendid good night just outside the Gryffindor common room. Harry was suddenly aware of a non-corporeal Patronus lingering just beside his four-poster. Harry stared at it from betwixt the red curtains for several moments, attempting to figure out who it was from, but, ultimately, understood that he would never get anywhere if he didn't look at it, at least, look at it fully. Pushing himself upwards and parting the curtains, the Patronus seemed to figure out that he was staring at it, and began to glint slightly, their magical signatures temporarily intertwining as it resolved to do his bidding.

"Good morning, Mr. Potter," came the voice of Madam Pomfrey from the mist. "I wanted you to be one of the first to know that your godfather, Sirius Black, is awake. Professor Lupin is already with him, and your fiancé is nearby in case potions are needed. Come down to the hospital wing as soon as you are able; he is anxious to see you."

Harry was momentarily gobsmacked as the Patronus filtered away into nothingness, before he threw his covers back and dove for his trunk. In the wake of the Dursleys' deaths, Harry had gotten owl order catalogues from the shops in both Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley, and purchased all manner of clothes for himself, including wedding robes for his birthday. Since he had been unable to leave the castle, with the exception of his little trip to the Ministry of Magic to save Sirius, he had had to send in his measurements to the clothing shops, with help from both Severus and Hermione, and was now the proud owner of a wonderful wardrobe with clothes that were actually his style, as well as ones that fit.

Thanking Merlin that he'd had the foresight to shower the night before, Harry cast Cleaning Charms upon his person to rid himself of the body odor that still managed to cling to him, and changed into denims, a light T-shirt, cotton socks, and trainers. Dashing out of the dormitory as he put a charm on his teeth to clean them, he momentarily dragged a hand through his hair as he ran down the staircase and into the common room. Relieved to find it empty, he flew to the portrait door, which opened automatically for him, and he practically skipped from the seventh-floor all the way down to the hospital wing.

Harry promptly pushed open the doors upon his arrival, looking hungrily around the hospital wing for a moment, and saw that Sirius was sitting up in bed, Remus was leaning against the wall behind it, Madam Pomfrey was running diagnostic spells, and Severus was standing, arms crossed, at the foot of the bed. Harry hastily ran towards Severus, who turned at Harry's approach, and automatically lifted an arm for Harry to burrow beneath, knowing entirely well that Harry wouldn't want to interrupt Madam Pomfrey's important work. Harry trembled at the sensation of Severus's kiss to his temple, wanting more than anything to have a full snog, but also didn't want Sirius to go into cardiac arrest from the sight of it.

"Are you feeling all right, Sirius?" Harry asked quietly.

"As if I've been hit over the head repeatedly with a lorry," Sirius reported, not looking altogether comfortable with Harry and Severus's affection, but also understanding that he'd need to get over with, and soon.

"You'll feel that way for quite a while, I fear, Mr. Black," Madam Pomfrey informed him as she examined the piece of parchment which twirled out from the tip of her wand. "Your magical core has been depleted significantly, but it's nothing that a regiment of nutrient potions will cure up in a few weeks. Severus?"

Severus inclined his head. "All the major food groups will be incorporated into the potions, Black," he informed Sirius in a cordial manner, and the dog Animagus nodded. "We'll start out with a regiment of a full month, see how you feel, and go from there."

"Along with solid food, once your system's got the strength for it," Madam Pomfrey continued, nodding in a decisive manner. "The nutrient potions aren't so terrible now, now that Severus has managed to adapt the formula a bit, and they are quite palatable. Three large ones a day, I should think, along with three smaller ones to supplement snacks."

Sirius nodded. "That sounds all right," he replied.

Severus reached into his pocket and banished one, this one a bright golden color, towards Sirius, who caught it expertly. "Down it in one swallow, Black. This will be your breakfast."

Sirius uncorked the potion and did as he was told by Severus, blinking in surprise as he swallowed it, seemingly surprised. "Reminiscent of a full English," he mused, contemplating its taste further for a moment. "Sufficient."

"Thank you, Black," Severus responded, doing his best not to curse aloud, as Harry had squeezed his arse in gratitude.

Harry stared innocently up at his fiancé, his green eyes filled with innocence. "Are you all right there, Severus?" he asked him with a small smile.

"I'm fine, thank you, Harry," came the response from the potions master. This isn't over, brat, Severus thought internally towards Harry.

"Remus mentioned that we'd had an unexpected visitor last night," Sirius put in as the matron walked away from them, and Harry turned to face his godfather. "Remus told me that it was Draco Malfoy, one of my cousins."

Harry blinked, momentarily realizing yet again how deeply Pureblood ran in everyone's veins, and quickly came to the conclusion that Tonks was both Sirius and Draco's cousin as well. "It was a shock," he said quietly, burrowing further into Severus's arms, and was pleased when the man delved his fingers into his hair, stroking at his scalp, the arse grabbing seemingly momentarily forgotten. "He just showed up here after a revel..."

"Did Draco speak to you further about his arrival last night?" Severus queried, for, after Draco was given a clean bill of physical health by Madam Pomfrey, he was taken up to Gryffindor tower by Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Neville; Dean and Seamus would be joining them all in the boys' dormitory in September, although Harry would be moving permanently down to the dungeons after the wedding.

"I know something happened to him at the festivities, given how he was acting, and I told him so, out of earshot from Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Neville," Harry explained. "Draco confirmed that he'd been...well, harmed," he continued, not wanting to give away private information about his new friend to people that Draco hadn't given his express permission to know about it. "He said that he needs some time, and I told him to take what time he need. I assured him that he was safe, and he seemed relieved to know that."

"I'd like to meet him, properly," Sirius said softly, and when Harry turned towards his godfather and Defense Against the Dark Arts instructor, he saw empathy in both their expressions, but could not put his finger on why there seemed to be a fair amount of suppressed rage in the werewolf's expression.

Severus nodded, seemingly understanding. "You'll have to be gentle with him, Black," he told the dog Animagus, and Sirius turned to regard the potions master. "He's likely still a bit weak, as he had to have dark magic purged from him upon his arrival."

"Arseholes," Remus practically growled, surprising Harry, as his demeanor was, typically, that of a gentleman.

"Of course," Sirius said quietly, nodding his head, before turning back towards his godson, his eyes filled with sadness. "Perhaps you could send Draco your Patronus, Harry?"

Harry nodded. "Of course, Sirius," he responded, drawing out his wand. "Expecto Patronum," he said, and his new jaguar Patronus came floating out of its tip, with Sirius and Remus looking on a little sadly, while Severus beamed at the clear indication that Harry loved him. "Corvus, please go and find Draco. Let him know that he's needed here."

Corvus bowed to Harry before speeding out of the hospital wing.

"Ron and Neville will likely come with him, once they see Prongs, and get the message," Harry explained as he returned his wand into the pocket of his denims. "Since they all came to the ministry with me, they'll want to see you're all right."

Sirius straightened out the blankets that covered him. "I suppose I'm up for an audience," he mused with a smile, and turned to Remus. "How's my hair, Remy?" he asked, while Severus rolled his eyes at Harry.

The doors to the hospital wing opened, and, turning, Harry was shocked to see that Hermione and Luna came across the threshold, Hermione at a run, while Luna dreamily skipped forward, both their expressions ones of relief to see Sirius awake and seemingly well. Harry smiled as Hermione explained that Luna had mentioned in the Great Hall that Sirius was now receiving visitors, and, leaving their breakfast half-finished, they'd immediately rushed right over. Harry noticed Ginny's absence, but also remembered that she tended to have a lie-in during the summer holidays, and was likely in the small attached bedroom to her parents' suite of rooms, as she was feeling rather attached to them in the wake of what had happened at the ministry.

It was when the hospital wing doors opened a second time, this time banging against the wall, that Ron and Neville charged forward, Draco in their wake, their eyes slightly blearing, leading Harry to believe that the trio had only just woken up. Harry watched as Draco hesitated for a moment, in which Ron and Neville ventured towards Hermione and Luna respectively, and joined in the conversation with Sirius, likely equally pleased to see him thriving. Harry, meanwhile, noticed that Draco's expression lingered overlong upon Remus, and, inwardly smirking, thought he knew exactly what was going on there, but, he also knew that he wouldn't want to potentially embarrass his new friend.

"Draco, come over here!" Harry urged, waving the young man over, and causing Draco to quickly snap out of his daze, much to the Gryffindor's amusement. "I know someone wants to meet you."

Draco hesitated for a moment before he walked closer, and gasped as Sirius turned and looked at him for the first time, and automatically held out his hand once he arrived at the bed, and Sirius raised his dark eyebrows. "Nice to meet you, Sirius," he said awkwardly.

Sirius smiled at him then, much to Harry's relief, and took Draco's hand, shaking it. "And it's very nice to meet you as well, Draco," he replied, looking him up and down. "I heard from Madam Pomfrey, Harry, Snape, and Remus here that you had Dark magic purged from your system upon your arrival here, once you'd defected."

"Sirius," Remus said from behind the bed, his tone one of warning, and Harry very nearly smacked his forehead at Sirius's tactlessness.

"No, it's all right, professor," Draco said quickly, much to Harry and Severus's mutual shock, before he turned back towards his cousin. "Yes, that's true, Sirius."

"You look quite like our cousin, Andromeda, now that everything's been said and done," Sirius said with a smile, and Harry breathed a sigh of relief as they discussed acceptable family members in their circle. "Dromeda has a daughter, Tonks, who's an Auror, and a dear friend of ours, as well as a member of the Order of the Phoenix. I'm sure you'll meet her soon."

Draco nodded, likely knowing that Dromeda had been cast off from the family for marrying a Muggleborn wizard, Ted Tonks, which had resulted in the birth of their daughter. "It will be nice to be introduced to more family," he said at last.

Sirius smiled at that. "And the wedding?" he asked.

Draco blinked. "Wedding?"

"Oh, pardon me—bonding ceremony," Sirius said quickly. "You're coming to Harry and Snape's bonding this evening?"

Draco looked decidedly uncomfortable. "I..."

"Of course he is," Harry said quickly, grinning at Draco, and inwardly preened as Severus stroked his lower back in praise. "He, Ron, and Neville are my Best Men, and I couldn't do it without any of them," he continued, knowing that, giving something Draco to do on the day of would make the day all the more special.

Draco smiled feebly at that, obviously a bit uncomfortable, but nevertheless attempting to make the best of it. "I am looking forward to it," he said at last.

"While I typically wouldn't want my godson marrying someone like Snape, I understand their deep love for one another," Sirius continued, as if he was the topmost expert on the matter. "Ever since he was exposed in the wake of the final task of the tournament last year, and I saw the looks he and Harry were giving one another..." Sirius smiled and gave a small shrug. "I am not one to disagree with Soulmate Magic."

"Thank you, Sirius," Harry replied, wanting to move on from the subject. "You, Remus, and Professor Flitwick will still stand up with Severus, won't you?"

"Yes, we certainly will," Sirius assured him.

The students continued speaking to Sirius for a few moments longer, until the matron informed them that Sirius still needed his rest. Severus broke away from the company, as he had potions for the hospital wing to do, and Remus was still buried deep in lesson plans for next term. They all ventured from the hospital wing and into the Great Hall, and Harry was relieved that the couples seemingly wanted to breakfast together, so Harry moved to sit with Draco, wanting to welcome him further into the fold.

"Something on your mind, Draco?" Harry asked softly, casting a Silencing Charm, which the other students didn't notice.

Draco blinked, surprised that Harry was continuing to speak to him. "No, of course not," he said quickly, too quickly. "I suppose Professor Lupin is pleased to see Sirius up."

Harry nodded, knowing entirely well that he would gain the information he wanted, as Draco himself had already opened the door. "Given that they've been best mates since they were eleven, I'd say you're correct."

Draco blinked a second time. "Best mates?" he asked, shaking his head, his voice very nearly a squeak of surprise. "From the way that Professor Lupin was standing, I could have sworn they were..."

Harry snorted with amusement into his pumpkin juice, and did his best not to spill it over the surface of the table. "Oh, they're not soulmates," he replied, shaking his head, pleased that his suspicions had been correct. "Besides, Sirius is as straight as they come. But, if someone speaks badly about Remus's sexuality, there will be hell to pay with him, no doubt about that."

Draco shook his head. "What do you mean?"

"Well, Remus is gay, for one thing," Harry responded innocently, "and Sirius is likely his biggest supporter and protector. At least, he was back when they were students here, and my dad was real protective of him, too."

Draco nodded. "It must be nice, having support like that," he said softly, picking at his eggs. "I mean, Merlin knows, if I let on about myself back when I was in Slytherin, I'd be beaten for it by the guys, and then again by my... By Lucius."

Harry looked shocked at that, although, he really shouldn't have been, given how he'd seen Lucius Malfoy's "parenting" of his only child. "Draco, are you gay, too?" he asked.

Draco sighed. "Yes," he replied tightly. "Someone in Slytherin must have figured it out, and, when Lucius got out of Azkaban because of Bella, he gave me to Dolohov, Rowle, and Bella's brother-in-law, Rabastan, for a little fun before the Marking."

Harry appeared disgusted. "That is one of the most heinous things I've ever heard," he replied, shaking his head, practically spitting with an onslaught of rage. "Did Madam Pomfrey do anything for you?"

Draco swallowed, lowering his cutlery and chewing on his dry toast. "Yes. She had to ask Uncle Severus for the potions, of course, and while Uncle Severus tried to talk to me about it, I haven't been ready. He did say his door is always open, however..."

Harry blinked. "There are potions for that?" he asked curiously.

Draco turned towards Harry and nodded. "Of course. Numbing Solution to stop the pain, and a general Pain Potion, of course, will come into play, for obvious reasons. Then there is a potion for prevention of... Well, I hear that Muggles call them Sexually Transmitted Infections, but we call them Wixen Transmitted Infections, as they differ significantly, but I'm unaware of how much. Madam Pomfrey and Uncle Severus likely know, however."

Harry shook his head, knowing that Severus and Madam Pomfrey likely knew, and he was pleased that more than one person had been on hand to help Draco. "Merlin, Draco. I'm so sorry you had to go through that."

Draco gave him a small smile, likely attempting to hold himself together. "Thank you." He hesitated for a moment. "It was bad for you, too, right? At your relatives."

Harry nodded at him, knowing that he could, and should, trust Draco. "It was. They made me sleep in a cupboard before I came here, and then they gave me my cousin's 'second bedroom', if you could call it that," he said quietly, recalling it in his minds' eye, and, not for the first time, was pleased that he would never have to see them again. "It was filled with broken toys and games he'd stashed there. I had a terrible bed with a lumpy mattress, plus scratchy sheets and thin blankets, which wasn't too bad, as I only went home during the summer. There was a rickety desk, and a chair which was always wobbly, and all my clothes were cast-offs from Dudley himself. Then there was Hedwig..."

"Your owl?"

"My owl," Harry confirmed. "Initially, they wouldn't let me let her out, not even to hunt, and especially not to send post to Ron and Hermione. And then they would actually complain when she would shriek out of boredom."

Draco had to laugh aloud at that. "They sound like wonderful people."

"They weren't," Harry said darkly, and Draco immediately sobered. "I had to do all the chores around the house, without a lick of kindness or love in return. Of course, they're Muggles, so no magic, especially because I'm underage, so I've still got the Trace on me, and certainly no house-elves..." He hesitated for a moment, before he forced out the words. "They barely fed me—fruit from the bowl, if I was lucky—but mostly the scraps of food I cooked that they didn't even want. And then my uncle, Vernon, would beat me if I wouldn't comply with his list of chores, and accused me of being lazy when I didn't get them done fast enough. Meanwhile, he would take reduced hours from his job during the summer months, likely to berate me continuously, and, during all this, his fat arse is watching the mindless telly, asking me to get him more food, and then demanding to know why I haven't finished cleaning the house or picking up in the garden..."

Draco swallowed. "I'm sorry," he whispered.

"It got worse," Harry said softly. "Last summer, my nightmares got even more horrible, and my cousin would mock me for it. Because their precious Dudders had his sleep cycle ruined, they told him that he could punish me himself. Vernon was a heavy sleeper, and Petunia had ear plugs, so they didn't have an issue, but Dudley..." Harry sighed, dragging a hand down his face and shuddering. "Dudley and his friends had a game called 'Harry Hunting', and it got so bad that they were forcing me to blow them."

Draco immediately felt sick. "Merlin, that's vile!" he cried, looking around, but, due to the Silencing Charm, no one heard them. "Does everyone know what they did?!"

"Ron, Hermione, Neville, and Luna know, plus Severus, Sirius, and Remus," Harry confirmed with a sharp nod. "I'm sure Dumbledore knows by now—he likes to know everything his little weapon is up to, naturally..."

"Is that how you see yourself?" Draco breathed, truly horrified. "A weapon?"

Harry laughed darkly, knowing that he would have to be truthful with Draco for, as Severus's soulmate, he'd likely be seeing a lot of him from then on. "Of course it's how I see myself," he replied, shrugging his shoulders with a mirthless grin. "It's what my destiny has been since before my second birthday."

That evening after dinner, Harry had remained in the infirmary in the wake of Ron and Neville escorting Draco back up to Gryffindor tower, wanting to remain with Sirius for as long as he possibly could. He wasn't too surprised, however, when Remus kicked him out and told him to get some sleep, however, knowing entirely well that, despite it being summer, Harry still needed his rest. Harry leaned into Severus's embrace as his fiancé had informed him that he would escort Harry back to the tower himself.

"Have any of you spoken to Draco about Miss Weasley yet?" Severus asked.

Harry bit his tongue at the notion that Severus wasn't addressing Ginny by her first name anymore, as if to put as much distance between himself and the youngest Weasley as possible. "I haven't, but I know Ron might," he said softly.

Severus nodded. "He seemed pleased to meet his cousin..."

"It was a worthy distraction," Harry admitted. "I wanted to speak to him about Ginny today, but all of us were so excited about Sirius that it just slipped through the cracks..."

"Don't let yourself forget about it," Severus replied, squeezing his hand.

Harry shook his head. "I won't," he replied. "Draco... I told him what Dudley's gang would do to me, so I think he understands that I'm on his side here. He's got an ally, at the very least..."

"What did Ron have to say about it?" Severus wanted to know.

"At first he defended Ginny, and although I disagree with him initially siding with her, I can't say I blame him completely," Harry said quietly. "She's his only sister, and the only child in the family that he's older than, so he has this need to be as protective of her as possible. I think we all set him straight, though, and he's going to talk to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley about it as soon as possible."

"Miss Weasley has likely already informed them of her failure," Severus observed. "Perhaps they will know the right course of action with their only daughter..."

Harry peeked up at Severus and smirked. "I, personally, know that the right course of action, right now, would be for you to shove me into this deserted alcove and snog me," he observed in a conversational manner.

Severus's black eyes flashed at that, and he grabbed ahold of Harry by his shoulders none too gently, and slammed him backwards into the stone wall of the alcove. Dipping his head downwards so that his lips traced the outline of Harry's ear, he whispered, "Perhaps you would like to inform me, fiancé of mine, all the naughty things you wish me to do to you..."

Harry pulled back just enough so that his green eyes met Severus's, and beamed up at him. "We can save all that for our wedding night," he responded cheekily. "Right now, all I want from you is a wonderful snog so that my lips will be bruised tomorrow..."

Severus immediately cut Harry off and slammed his lips to his, tasting the younger man, and savoring the notion of the soft mewl that he coaxed from him. As his tongue mapped out the mouth of his soon-to-be husband, the potions master was barely aware of the lumbering footsteps behind them in the corridor. The familiar voice, meanwhile, was enough to spoil just about any moment, however...

"'Ello, professor! 'Ello, 'Arry!"

Harry and Severus sprang apart, as if they were two first-years caught doing something they definitely shouldn't have, but Harry was relieved when he saw his first-ever friend. "Hagrid!" he cried out, filled with relief as he stared up at the half-giant.

Severus muttered something rude under his breath, but caught himself when Harry elbowed him in the ribs. "Good evening, Hagrid," he said at last.

"Minerva told me to ask th' castle th' other nigh' fer an extra bed in the boys' dorms," Hagrid reported with his typical, jovial smile. "We have another visitor?"

Harry blinked, momentarily distracted by the notion that Hagrid was unaware of Draco being there, but then remembered the half-giant took most of his meals in his hut during the summer, as most of them consisted of the fresh vegetables from his garden, or meats he would roast in his fireplace from the butcher shop in Hogsmeade.

"My godson, Draco Malfoy, has defected from his family, Hagrid," Severus responded patiently to the gamekeeper and keeper of keys, snapping Harry back to the conversation at hand. "There was a revel that night at his ancestral family home, and Draco was to be presented as a gift, before he was to be Marked. His magical core saved him, and brought him to the Hogwarts grounds. He is now firmly on our side."

Hagrid's gaze darkened. "The lad is barely sixteen!" he bellowed, mightily unimpressed with the Malfoy parents. "Why would they do tha'?"

"Because they're evil," Harry practically spat. "Thank Merlin he's safe now."

Hagrid nodded, large tears forming in his eyes. "Anything I can do?" he asked, always wanting to be of help.

Severus shook his head. "Thank you, Hagrid, but I hardly think..."

"Actually," Harry interrupted, "there is something."

Hagrid appeared gleeful at the prospect of helping someone. "What can I do?" he asked, looking as if he would begin jumping up and down, but refrained from doing so, likely not wanting to crack the ancient stone floors of Hogwarts.

"You mentioned that Kneazle you found last winter had kittens," Harry began, and Severus turned to look over at his fiancé, obviously intrigued. "I know that some of the kittens were promised to some wixen already, but, perhaps, Draco could adopt one, so that he could have something to do over the summer? A kitten would also bring him companionship, and help him settle in to the castle..."