Helping And Loving [√]

11

Harry woke up late the following day, groaning. He rolled over and patted the bed beside him. Opening his eyes, he noticed that the other side of the bed was empty. Looking at the cot, he also noticed that Skye was gone.

Standing, he went to the bathroom and relieved his bladder before returning to the bedroom and pausing, looking around the room. He wanted to find Severus and Skye but didn't want to leave the room.

He was at Malfoy Manor with Lucius, Draco, and Tom. His chances of surviving an attack by all three were very low, and he didn't want to die on Yule. Deciding to wait until Severus returned to the room, he grabbed a book from the shelf and sat down.

About an hour later, a house elf popped in. "Master Snape has requested your presence," It said, and Harry placed his book down and followed the elf out of the room.

They entered the living room, where Severus sat alone on the window seat, looking out the window. "Hey," Harry said as he walked over and sat beside the man.

"Were you planning on staying in my room all day?" Severus asked, repositioning himself to face Harry fully.

"I wasn't going to wander around by myself in my enemy's house," Harry said.

"Tom wouldn't hurt you," Severus said, and Harry raised a brow.

"Right, because the past 18 years of my life did not happen; it was just a weird dream," He said sarcastically, and Severus rolled his eyes.

"That is not what I meant. I meant that he won't try to hurt you anymore because he knows you and Skye are important to me," Severus said, and Harry still looked at him with disbelief.

"Despite what people say, Potter, I do have a heart," a voice came from the doorway, and they looked up to see Tom standing at the door. "I won't harm you for the sake of Severus and Skye; they both seem to like you unharmed and alive," Tom said, and Severus gave a small chuckle.

"See," he said to Harry, who rolled his eyes.

"Lunch is also ready," Tom said before he left them.

Harry stood and held his hand out to help Severus stand; the older man took his hand and stood. They entered the smallest dining room, and Harry became stiff as he spotted both Malfoy males, Zabini and Tom, sitting at the table waiting for them. Severus gently pulled him to the table and sat down. The table was tense with silence as they started to eat.

"Pa," Skye suddenly squealed, and Harry immediately reached over, picked him up from the highchair, and placed him on his lap.

"Hey there," Harry said gently as he tickled Skye, making him giggle.

"So, Potter," Lucius suddenly said, "Won't your...friends be looking for you?" He asked, looking at the young male with a blank face.

"Maybe, but I am not worried about that right now," Harry said, reaching for his cup and sipping juice.

"Won't Dumbledore be tracking you?" Lucius asked again.

"No. As soon as I had completed the Triwizard tournament, I received a letter saying that just by competing, I was now an adult in the eyes of the wizarding world. So, I went to the ministry and removed all the trackers Dumbledore had on me, taking over my lordships and ensuring I was in charge of all aspects of my life," He said.

"How did Dumbledore take that when he found out?" Severus asked, and Harry shrugged his shoulders.

"Don't know, he still hasn't figured it out yet," Harry answered.

The rest of the meal passed quickly, and then the group went to the living room. "I thought Malfoy did an extravagant ball each year for Yule," Harry whispered to Severus, who shook his head.

"That was just to keep up appearances; Lucius was never really into the whole ball thing. We all had rough childhoods, and Yule was one of the saddest times of the year for us. Lucius and I would be beaten and abused by our fathers as they claimed it was what we deserved instead of presents from as early as we could remember. Tom, the people at the orphanage, would lock him in a dark room so he wouldn't ruin the day for the other kids by being a freak. So, now we spend the evening sitting together and take comfort in being together, and then after dinner, we would exchange gifts," Severus said, and Harry felt his heart clench as he looked around the room at the two older men who looked more peaceful than he ever saw them. 

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Word count: 756

Published: August 26, 2024, 12 pm

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