Snape and the classroom of toddlers// Harry Potter Fanfic

Chapter Fifty-Eight - Eve of a New Year

   does anyone watch oversimplified 

time goin rlly quick now oof

 The days after Christmas seemed faster and faster, and before anyone knew it, it was New Years Eve. Severus sat on Lucius' bed, which he'd been sleeping in for the holidays, half-dressed. It was still early morning, roughly half past six. "I was thinking of inviting Parkinson and Zabini over.. Draco would be happy of the company," the owner of the bed said. He was still lying down, his hair loose against the pillow. "He wants your company, Lucy." 

 "But he has it, doesn't he?" Lucius sat up, running his hand through his soft, blond hair. "Not enough of it. He writes to those imbeciles daily, and once he goes back to school he'll see them daily. He doesn't get that with you." Severus reached his hand over to Lucius', and entwined their fingers. "When I try to talk to him he doesn't talk back, he always seems like he has somewhere to be." Severus smiled slightly, quite the unusual sight, but after the glorified babysitting, he'd been smiling a lot more. They almost made him realise something: he didn't know what, exactly. Although he, again, didn't know it, this realisation was rather simple. He now remembered that the world wasn't all cruel. 

    To be frank, the moral he'd unknowingly learnt through out the entire odd event was that, even when darkness and the cruel reality is playing it's part, tormenting the world it plagues so very often, there can be a light: a pureness, an innocence. Some may think of it the other way round. There is innocence, but beneath lays darkness. But all one must do is look at it from a different perspective. I don't mean to crush anyone's childish fantasises, but not everything will be good, most things are bad. Which is more of a reason to appreciate those little (in this case young) things that ARE good. Never to suffer would never to have been blessed. 

       "Neville? How come you're back?" Harry asked. Neville set his trunk down on his bed with a heave. "I knew you were here alone so I thought I'd come back after Christmas.. and Hannah's coming back later so I wanted to spend New Years with her.." 
"The girl that fell in the lake with you?" 
"Yes.. Amazing, isn't she?" He fell dreamily back onto the bed. "Thought you had a thing for Luna?" Harry said with a grin. Neville snapped from his dreamy state. He laughed sadly, "she's not into guys.. I should've asked her before I decided I was in love. Ikindofjusttookitforgrantedshewasstraight,whichIshouldn'thavedone." 

   "Have you asked Hannah?" Neville stared at Harry as if he'd just asked him if he wanted to go on I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here, then buy Strictly Come Dancing, for the craic of it. "No.." "You're actually a dumbass," Harry groaned, although he himself had never asked somebody their sexual orientation before liking them. Although he hadn't liked many people: just Draco, Cho then Draco again. He was rather embarrassed about the whole Cho Chang thing the year prior. 

   "What could I do to get him to open up to me?" Lucius sighed, twisting his fingers around Severus' hand. He'd spent basically the whole holiday with Severus so far, and they'd done things he wouldn't want to admit to, quite a few times.  "Just talk to him more. Find out what he likes, I guess - maybe you could go for a walk with him?" 

   "Draco, how would you like to go for a stroll in the garden with me?" His father asked him kindly. Draco rubbed his eyes silently, having just gotten out of bed to answer the knock at his bedroom door. "Yes sir." He closed the door, leaving Lucius standing blankly. Severus was just out of sight, further down the hall. He leaned against the balcony Pansy had fallen from - that seemed like ages ago. Narcissa had died the day after the teenage-girl plummeted down towards the ground. 

   A few minutes later the boy reappeared, a warm jumper pulled on over a white polo shirt on him. He was still wrapping his scarf around his neck as he exited the room. "Let's go then, shall we!" Lucius smiled. The potions professor noticed how uncomfortable Draco looked. The two Malfoys made their way out into the manor's gardens. There was a neatly trimmed, high bush lining the side of the path they walked on. It was glazed with thin, cool frost. The black-haired man didn't follow them outside.

   "How's school been..?" Lucius asked anxiously. Draco rolled his eyes: "fine." Lucius new how much he, himself, hated that question when he was Draco's age, but it was all he could think of. "Are you and Parkinson dating? You don't have to tell me if it's to personal." The Slytherin prince laughed. "What? No way! We're just friends." His face was slightly red. "Are you and Severus dating?" He jabbed back. 

  "Not really. I mean, I wish- but it just doesn't feel right." His son watched his facial expressions closely. He really had changed. Maybe it was Narcissa's death, or perhaps something to do with Severus staying at the manor. "We were dating, back when we were at Hogwarts." 
"H-heh? What? Seriously? What about mum?" 

   "Your mother and I-.. she was fine with me dating him. We didn't know we were going to get married until our last year. Then I had to break up with Severus.. I didn't even get a chance to tell him why," Lucius sighed. If he opened up to Draco, maybe Draco would do the same towards him? "What do you mean you didn't know?" The elder Malfoy contemplated if he should tell Draco or not. "We didn't want to get married. We were.. forced? to, for lack of a better word." Draco looked at his feet shiftily. "Are you going to force me to marry someone?" 

    Lucius silently put his hand on Draco's shoulder, the one furthest from him. He pulled his son closer, his lack of answer giving it away. 'Yes, I am planning on doing that,' was what Draco assumed this action meant. "I love someone, dad." 

   Lucius slowed to a halt, as a elegant white peacock began pecking his outstretched hand. "Really? Who?" Draco bit his lip nervously. "Promise you wont be angry?" He nodded reassuringly. "Harry Potter." 

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