𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐘 𝐒𝐇𝐀𝐋𝐋 𝐍𝐎𝐓 𝐏𝐈𝐍𝐄

Chapter 6

At first, Snape only dropped them off at a house under an Unplottable Charm with directions not to go outside and not to have sex. As he was preparing to take the Floo back to Hogwarts, he added as an afterthought, "And this is Dumbledore's house, so I wouldn't recommend touching anything that you can't identify; you'd be surprised what some of the things here can do to you."

He did not return until three days later, leaving Harry and Draco with plenty of opportunities to have sex – none of which they took, obviously – and not enough room for avoiding one another. A weeping House Elf wrung her hands as she trailed after him through the Floo.

"Go to your room, Draco," Snape barked as soon as he closed the channel off behind himself. When it looked like Draco was about to put up protest, Snape glowered at him balefully. "You do not want to try my patience today." Taking the threat seriously, Draco stomped upstairs and slammed his bedroom door.

"What'd you do that for?" Harry snapped. Harry's moods were still a little susceptible to Draco's, though his control over them had vastly improved.

"Obviously I need to speak with you in private," Snape retorted. He indicated the sniffling elf. "This is Tibby – she was your chaperone; not that it matters anymore. You are hardly still under contract."

"She didn't do much chaperoning, as far as I could tell."

Snape quirked and eyebrow. "She was told to remain discreet unless intervention became necessary."

Flushing, Harry admitted, "I can remember a few instances when intervention was necessary."

"She stopped chaperoning you long before you molested Draco in the glade," Snape explained. "You see, Draco initiated the bond and you accepted it. All that remains now is consummation. Then you will be wed in the manner of the Veela. But before then, there are a few things that you will need to know."

"I don't remember Draco initiating anything, let alone accepting it," Harry said. Oddly enough, he did not feel agitated or upset at the news that he was all but married.

"Believe me, it was initiated and accepted. When you hear Tibby's explanation, you'll realize why you don't necessarily remember this happening, though."

Harry looked at the elf expectantly, and she came forward and threw herself at Harry, clinging to his legs. "Oh, Mr. Potter, Tibby is being so sorry! Tibby failed at her task without even realizing! There Tibby was, cleaning the pots in her spare time like a good elf, when Tibby feels that her masters need her. So Tibby goes where she is summoned and she watches. Tibby hears the Veela say 'give me your name' and then Tibby hears you give it to him, and Tibby knows that the bond is initiated and accepted, so she is not being needed anymore and she goes back to cleaning the pots!" Tibby wailed, slobbering over Harry's shoes. "Tibby is a bad elf! Punish Tibby, please!"

Harry did remember that happening – in his dream. But he wasn't going to punish an elf for something far beyond her control, so he patted her shoulder and said, "There, there; that's all right. I think you're a very good elf, really."

"You are dismissed," Snape said sharply. Hiccoughing, Tibby disappeared with a crack. A long silence weighed heavily in the room in the aftermath of her departure, and Harry and Snape merely stared at one another.

"Why didn't you want Draco to know about this?" Harry asked after some time.

"Because I don't think he knows what he has done," Snape replied. "You see, Tibby said that she saw a Veela, not Draco, and that by this the bond was initiated."

"The person I saw in my dreams wasn't Draco, either," Harry admitted.

"He hasn't had much time to accept what he is – and I don't think he will be able to do that as long as his father lives." Snape studied Harry a moment. "You will not make any further attempts at consummating this bond. At this stage, it may still be broken, but any hope of that dissipates as soon as you are fully bound.