Current mood:

calm

Fic: A Loving Cup
Title: A Loving Cup
Author: leela_cat
Pairing: Snape/Draco/Harry
Length: ~9,900
Rating: NC-17
Disclaimer: Don't own them. Don't make any money off them. Will Obliviate before I return.
Warnings: None
Prompt: "Happy is he who dares courageously to defend what he loves." --Ovid
Summary: Two years after Harry walked out on Severus and Draco, he returns and asks for Severus' help.
Author Notes: Many thanks to my betas: florida_minxie, fbowden, and eeyore9990. Also to the angela_snape, chiralove, and batdina who let me talk about this story until I found my way back to writing.




March 2005

"You want me to..." Harry spluttered, "...in a cup."

A hundred, nay a thousand snappy retorts flashed through Severus' mind, but the other cup that sat on the table caught the corner of his eye and they all faded away. "If you wish to confirm the presence of Amortentia, then I require a sample."

"All right, yeah." Picking up the cup with one hand, Harry ran the other through his hair, causing even more of it to stick up on end. "So, wash my hands and my..." his face reddened as he indicated his groin, "and then the sterilisation spell followed by..."

"Masturbating," Severus finished for him, only just managing to stop his lips from twitching. Harry really was too easy.

Staring doubtfully at the container in his hand, Harry said, "And I have to get all of it in the cup."

"If you need help aiming..."

"Why can't I just give you some blood like Ginny did?"

Arms folded across his chest, Severus arched an eyebrow but remained silent.

Exhaustion settled more deeply into the lines of Harry's face, but he shuffled off to the bathroom with more obedience than he'd ever shown in any class Severus taught.

"What's he doing here? I thought he was well rid of us," Draco sneered from where he stood in the doorway of Severus' workroom. His right hand flexed spasmodically, as if trying to grasp a non-existent wand.

"Life is never that simple, as you know perfectly well," Severus said. Raising a hand to massage the bridge of his nose, he pressed his knuckles into the points at the end of his eyebrows and sighed when his headache eased.

"It was very simple," Draco spat. "He left."

~)*(~

December 2003

"No, it's you that doesn't understand," Harry said, using his wand to fold his clothes and levitate them into his now-battered school trunk. "I have to go. Ginny's waiting for me."

"So, the littlest Weasley swings her hips, jiggles her tits, and crooks her baby finger, and you just pack up and leave." Draco scowled from his perch on the window seat. "That tells us, now doesn't it? We're just a pair of scarred up Slytherin losers, nowhere near good enough for the pride of Gryffindor's lions."

"It's not like that."

"Tell somebody who cares." Draco tapped his fingers on the wooden backrest. Fucking Severus had a bloody nerve, confiscating his wand.

"She needs me."

And the twat had the sheer gall to have his voice break. As if he was actually sorry to be walking out on them.

"And we don't?" Draco bit his lip, sharp and hard. He welcomed the pain that bloomed through his jaw, reminding him of the words that he had promised himself he wouldn't say.

"Not like she does."

"You bastard." How dare he? Draco had fought his father for this relationship. He'd almost been disinherited. He should have known better than to trust a fucking Gryffindor.

Anger, cold and icy, chilled Draco's veins. He rose to his feet and stalked across the room. One hand swept out and slammed Harry back against the wall. Harry's wand fell, clattering on the floor.

"Did we ever mean anything to you? Or was this merely an elaborate revenge for our school days?" Draco wrapped his hands around Harry's throat and dug his thumbs into the skin just below Harry's frantically bobbing Adam's apple. That movement and the fear in the wide green eyes shining through Harry's glasses were the only indication that Draco was having an effect. Harry's odd passivity spurred Draco to squeeze his hands together, to force some kind of reaction, some indication that he mattered.

But Harry didn't do anything. He just kept staring into Draco's eyes, his body so still, his muscles so lax, that it seemed as if Draco's hands were all that was holding him up. Disgusted -- at himself, at Harry, at the whole sodding waste of the last two years -- Draco let go and spun away.

Only to come to an abrupt halt, inches away from Severus. They stood like that, eyes locked and mental shields on high, for long minutes. Draco was vaguely aware of movement in the background, of Harry resuming his packing, but for that brief time, it didn't matter.

"Go," Severus murmured, steadying Draco with a hand on his shoulder even as he released Draco's gaze. "I'll take care of this."

Draco nodded, unable to open his mouth for fear of releasing the torrent of words that were eating away at him. Later, he thought, he and Severus would comfort each other and sleep in the spare room. Because he didn't think he could bear the empty space in their bedroom.

~)*(~

March 2005

Severus sighed and pulled the cold cup of tea closer. With the Stasis charm finally lifted, the milk completely separated, taking on a distinctive mother-of-pearl sheen and swirling into the same shape as the steam that rose from a cauldron of Amortentia. His nostrils quivered, but the potion's distinctive scent was masked by the odour of rancid milk.

Leaning over the counter from his perch on the other side, Draco peered into the cup and groaned. "A love potion? How unbearably cliché of the witch."

The glare Severus aimed in Draco's direction bounced off him as usual. Intimidating someone who'd been raised by Lucius wasn't that difficult if you knew what to do, but Severus preferred to save those methods for the times when Draco was truly out of control. When it appeared Draco required a response, Severus harrumphed noncommittally and checked on his cauldrons.

"Which cell do you think they have her in?" Draco mused, tracing a burn mark with a fingertip. "The one they kept me in before my trial was completely lacking in amenities. It would suit her quite nicely."

With his usual sense of timing, Harry chose that moment to return. Setting his sample cup down on the counter with a clunk, he said, "Ginny's at home in bed, where she belongs. She's only just been released from hospital."

"The Ministry still gives preferential treatment to Potters, then?" Draco sneered. "Because the rest of us go to jail if we get caught slipping someone a love potion."

"You haven't changed one bit, have you? Still making snap judgments based on the first so-called fact that comes your way."

Draco had flinched, Severus noted. That chink in his armour might just mean Severus could manoeuvre this mess to his advantage. Unlike Draco, Severus wasn't interested in fooling himself along with the rest of the world. He wanted both of these men in his bed, where they belonged. Bearing that in mind, he suggested, "Both of you are making judgments based on facts not yet in evidence. Perhaps we should determine what those facts are before you quarrel over them."

"Says the man who never ever prejudges anyone or anything," Draco responded.

"Since all three of us live in that particular glass house--" Severus pinned each of them with a glance "--you may wish to consider what it means when I'm the voice of reason."

Draco snorted and held up his hands in a gesture of surrender. Harry nodded and leant against the workbench, looking as if it was the only thing keeping him upright.

At that moment, to Severus' infinite relief, his monitoring charm beeped and the entire discussion was derailed. He levitated the three samples over to the appropriate cauldron: one to test Ginevra Weasley's blood, one to test Harry's semen, and the last to test the baby's umbilical cord, which Molly had had the good sense to seize so she could ensure it was disposed of safely. Severus shuddered to think what some people would have paid for it. Or, even worse, what they would have done with it.

Bubbles began to rise to the top of the first potion and pop into the air. Severus counted: five, ten, thirteen. A swift flick of his wrist added the blood, and then he dipped the sterilised glass rod into the liquid and started to stir. Seconds after he lowered the flame beneath that cauldron, the second cauldron beeped, and he repeated the process with Harry's semen, and then again with the sample of cord.

He considered the fourth cauldron for a moment, then reached over and yanked some hair out of Harry's head.

"Ow!" Harry rubbed his scalp. "What was that for?"

Severus added the hair to the cauldron. "If your hypothesis about the Amortentia is correct, your hair will provide some clues about when you were first dosed."

"Isn't that obvious?" Draco asked.

"Not necessarily. It's possible Harry fought the urge to leave us for Miss Weasley for some time. People have been known to resist its effects for several months." Severus pursed his lips. "The potion always wins in the end, however, if the brewer has even a modicum of ability."

"I don't remember when it started." Harry sounded almost desperate. "I want to be able to say that I do, but I don't."

"The potions will tell us." One last movement and Severus lifted the stirring rod out of the fourth cauldron. He examined the colour in each of the cauldrons, and then placed the rod on the plate in front of the cauldron, as he had done with the others. After casting protection and monitoring charms, he turned to Harry and Draco. "We have twenty-three minutes until the first potion is ready, and I have no intention of sitting here, watching the cauldrons simmer."

Standing up, Severus ushered them out of his workroom and into the living room. A cup of tea wasn't the answer to their problems, but it would give him time to come up with something better.

~)*(~

August 2003

Strains of Celestina Warbeck emerged from the open kitchen window. Harry shuddered -- the woman's voice was like nails on a blackboard to his ears -- but found himself unable to complain about Molly Weasley's choice of music. After all, he was lying here, half-asleep in the shade of a tree in Molly's back garden, and filled with food that Molly had cooked, celebrating his twenty-third birthday two days after the fact.

"I still don't see why we couldn't have done this on your birthday, mate." Ron yawned and rubbed his stomach.

"Answered and better answered," Harry snapped. He really wasn't in the mood for defending himself yet again, even if the teasing was friendly this time. "I had plans on my birthday." Brilliant plans actually, and he briefly considered telling Ron all about them just to see him go that special shade of purple-red that he reserved for stories about Harry's relationship with Severus and Draco.

"Give it up, Ron," George mumbled from where he was lying on Harry's other side. "Better to do it on a Saturday anyway. Don't have to work the next day, like we would have after going out Thursday night."

"Point," Ron said and rolled onto his side to face Harry.

After a few minutes of trying to ignore the weight of Ron's stare, Harry gave it up as a bad job. "What?"

"Just reminding myself what you look like. Wouldn't want to pass you by on the street and not say hello because I didn't recognise you."

"Arse." Harry flipped two fingers at Ron. "It hasn't been that long."

"A month at least, maybe more. Haven't seen you since--" Ron frowned. "Damn, has it been since Teddy's birthday party in April?"

"We see him every Wednesday afternoon at quarter to five," George said, "when he brings Teddy into the store. You can set your clock by them."

Ron made a face. "Hardly counts, if you ask me. Not when you have to watch what you're saying because a five year old might repeat it to his Gran. It's not like a good night out at the Leaky."

Amusing himself with visions of using a gag charm on Ron -- although he was sure his Auror training instructor wouldn't consider that an acceptable use -- Harry stopped listening to the words and let the rise and fall of familiar voices lull him closer to sleep. The loss of the sun brought him out of it. Opening his eyes, he squinted at the figure looming over him.

"Shove over, Harry," Ginny pushed at his hip with her foot. When he obligingly shifted over, she lay down between him and George. "Mum said to tell you that you've got another hour or so, then she wants everyone inside for cake."

"What's the rush?" Ron asked. "It's only... what? Two o'clock?"

"It's after three and some of us have plans for tonight," Ginny responded, stifling a yawn and snuggling closer to Harry. He breathed in deeply, feeling strangely comforted in the knowledge that she was there. Her presence was almost enough to make up for the fact that Severus and Draco had elected to stay home that day.

"And tomorrow night, and Monday night, and probably every other night next week," George grumbled. "Harry's not the only one we don't see much of these days, Ron."

"Yeah, but Harry's with those--"

"Give over, Ron, all right?" Harry was on the verge of telling Ron that, at times like this, he was likely to become his former best friend, but then he felt Ginny's hand on his shoulder, and he bit his lip instead.

Ginny's voice was soft. "They make him happy, Ron. More content than I've ever seen him. That's enough for me, and it should be enough for you."

Before Ron could retort and Harry would have no choice except to get into an argument or go into the house, Charlie spoke up for the first time. "Will you lot shut it? Some of us are trying to nap because we have to work tonight."

The others grumbled, but no one argued with him. Harry rolled onto his front, laying his head on his crossed arms to hide his smile. He was so relieved at having the conversation derailed that he could have kissed Charlie. Though, on second thoughts, he'd much rather wait and snog Draco and Severus later.

He fell asleep with Ginny curled up into his side.

~)*(~

March 2005

"I'm not sure I want to know," Harry admitted, pulling off his glasses and rubbing at his eyes. "But how can I not, under the circumstances?"

"I think we're all entitled to know, under the circumstances," Draco sneered.

"Whatever happens," Severus said, "we'll deal with it together."

"Yeah, that's us. One for all, and all for one."

Harry flinched as if Draco's every word had been a hex. He mumbled, "I'm sorry. If I'd known..."

"Oh, for fuck's sake, Harry." Draco slammed the side of his fist into the wall, making the bottles and jars rattle on the shelves.

Dismissing the urge to throttle the pair of them as unproductive and ignoring the slow burn of his own anger, Severus began lifting the charms off the cauldrons. The results were exactly as he predicted. The samples from the first three cauldrons showed evidence of Amortentia.

After donning a pair of protective gloves, Severus gingerly retrieved the hair from its cauldron with a pair of tongs and placed it on a glass plate. Before casting the spell, Severus looked over at Draco and Harry. Both were leaning on the counter opposite him, clutching the wood with white-knuckled grips. Both had almost identical expressions of dread and hope. If they'd been any closer to each other, they would have touched.

A flick of Severus' wand, three words, and a few seconds later a pearly mist rose from the hair sample and formed letters in the air above it. He subtracted the first and last numbers from the current date. Sometime in late June or possibly early July 2003. Harry had resisted. And with that thought some of the tension lifted. He hadn't realised it had been so important to him.

"I get to kill the bitch, right? Painfully and slowly." Draco gritted the words out.

"No! It wasn't Ginny. She'd have no need to dose herself." Harry's denial was vehement.

Almost too vehement, Severus thought, not to be potion-driven. Automatically, he began to calculate how many more weeks before it was completely out of Harry's system, and whether he could invent a potion to flush his system sooner.

"Fine, then I'll kill someone else," Draco mused. "Perhaps I'll just start killing redheads. I'm bound to get the right one eventually."

Harry made a face and touched Severus' arm with his hand. "How do we figure who's been giving it to me?"

"You're an Auror, aren't you?" Severus snarled. "Investigate. Arrest the culprit."

Harry stepped back, jerking his hand away as if it had been burnt. Severus had to mourn his own stupidity. Cutting off his nose to spite his face, as his father would have said, with all the cruelty the reference to one of the banes of Severus' existence implied.

"I can't."

Draco made a noise of disgust, but said nothing.

Arms folded across his chest, Severus arched an eyebrow and remained silent. He couldn't say anything without giving free reign to the bitter, vicious words that were choking him. He wouldn't do that. Not this time. Not if it killed him. Because he wanted Harry back, and he could see a way to having both of his lovers again, but only if he could stop himself from driving Harry away.

"It must have been someone I know. A close friend or family." Harry chewed on his lower lip and then looked directly at Severus and then Draco, a plea in his eyes. "There aren't that many people who come and go at our place often enough. Not to mention getting whatever it was of ours they put into the love potion to make sure we fell for the right person."

"Or wrong person, in this case," Draco interjected, and then he moved towards Harry. Raised his hand to Harry's cheek, stroked it gently, in the way Draco always did when he wanted to comfort someone he loved. The way he'd learnt from his mother.

Something in Harry broke. Severus could see it happen. Then Harry started to tremble, almost falling into Draco's arms. And that spurred Severus to move, striding around the counter and wrapping his arms around his men.

~)*(~

December 2002

Harry set the dishes in the sink to wash themselves and turned to the kitchen counters. By the time he'd wiped them down and stored away the leftovers from dinner, the dishes were clean, dry, and stacked next to the sink. A wave of his wand put them away in the cupboards.

It was the little things that he loved about magic, he thought. Truly mundane jobs became -- not quite a joy but no longer something to be endured. He could almost understand why Aunt Petunia had hated magic and wizards so much, when she could only watch her sister and brother-in-law and not do it for herself. Not that that excused a damn thing she'd done and allowed to be done to him...

"Harry," Draco called from the living room, interrupting Harry's thoughts, "you planning on joining us any time soon or should we get started without you?"

"One sec, all right." Heat flushed through Harry's cheeks as he rushed through the rest of his preparations. A bowl of berries and pitcher of cream from the fridge, coffee and tea, bowls and mugs and spoons all went on a tray that he carried into the living room.

Harry grinned when Draco just about moaned his pleasure as he ate a spoonful of gooseberries and cream. But the real pleasure for Harry was watching Severus eat one berry at a time. Spoon swimming in cream, with one strawberry or blackberry or gooseberry in the centre, Severus savoured every mouthful. A delicate lick of Severus' tongue swiped the spoon clean before he dipped it back in his bowl for another berry and more cream.

Severus didn't seem to notice what he was doing, but Harry knew better. That kind of show took conscious effort from Severus. And always got exactly the response Severus wanted from Harry and Draco. Shifting into a position that eased the pressure on his hard cock, Harry exchanged a glance with Draco. They'd make Severus pay for his performance later. Well, maybe not pay exactly, Harry thought. Rewarding him would be much more fun.

A smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, Harry reached for his coffee. He'd definitely have to find some way to thank Neville and Ginny for helping him to get the out-of-season berries.

Putting his bowl on the table with a clunk, Draco cleared his throat. "So..." he began.

When he didn't continue, Harry prompted, "So?"

"So, my great-aunt Aurie died."

"I'm sorry," Harry said.

Draco shrugged, not looking very upset.

"I didn't know you had a great-aunt Aurie." Severus frowned, placing his own bowl and spoon on the tray.

"Neither did I," Draco responded, "but she's my favourite great-aunt now because she left me everything in her will."

"Everything?" Harry couldn't help asking.

"Everything," Draco confirmed with a smirk, "and even for a Malfoy, her everything isn't anything to sneer at."

"Do you have a point," Severus drawled. "Or are you sharing this news merely to solicit our felicitations on your good fortune?"

"I have a point. If you would allow me to finish."

"By all means." Severus made a sweeping gesture in Draco's direction.

Harry smothered a grin. Oh, how he loved these men. He'd never smiled so much in his life. But his amusement fled when he saw the annoyed look on Draco's face. "Your great-aunt. Who was she? And if you didn't know about her, why did she leave you her money?"

"She was the burnt spot on the Malfoy family tree. Right next to Grandfather Abraxas," Draco admitted. "I'd asked Father about it several times, but he'd always refused to tell me who it was. He just said that the person was no longer a Malfoy and therefore was beneath our notice."

Draco snorted. "He can be such an arse sometimes."

"You don't say." Severus' sneer was belied by the amusement gleaming in his eyes. "Whatever your father's objections, your great-aunt Aurie was born and bred a Malfoy. What did you have to do for this money?"

"Hardly anything, as it happened. Simply the one thing that Father would never be able to accomplish. All I had to do was--" Draco leant back in his chair and stretched out his left arm "--roll up my left sleeve in front of her solicitor and prove that I didn't take the Dark Mark." He snickered. "It was the easiest multi-million Galleons I've ever earned."

"And the most welcome piece of freedom," Harry added. Whatever else was true, Harry knew how hard it had been for Draco in the years since Hogwarts. Even though Draco had served out his probation for his only crime -- accessory to murder for letting the Death Eaters into Hogwarts -- no one was willing to hire a Malfoy for any job that even resembled respectable. Without money of his own and being unwilling to accept what he deemed to be charity from either Harry or Severus, Draco had remained at the Manor, dependent upon his parents for everything. Draco hadn't always handled the situation with dignity.

"Oh, yes," Draco crowed. "I am finally my own man."

Then again, Harry thought, dignity and Draco weren't always on a first-name basis.

"Congratulations," Severus said.

"But the money's only part of it," Draco continued, not responding to Severus. "I also inherited a house. Not quite the Manor, but more than big enough for three of us."

"Oh," Harry said, feeling as if he should respond somehow, even though he was still trying to work out if Draco really was asking them to... "You think we should move in together?"

"It does seem like the obvious next step, if we are serious about this being a long-term relationship," Severus commented thoughtfully.

"It's been two years." Draco straightened up and leant forward in his chair. His gaze on Harry was intent. "I'm willing to take this public, deal with whatever my parents hand out, but I need this commitment. And, no offence to either of you, but both of your flats are on the cramped side."

"I..." Harry stopped, unable to find the right words. His heart almost hurt with the idea that the men he loved wanted him. Wanted him, not that larger-than-life saviour made up by newspapers or back-step gossips or the Ministry publicity department, but him.

Grateful that Severus and Draco were willing to give him the time to gather his scattered thoughts, Harry ran his hands through his hair. He ignored the pounding of his heart and took a leap of faith. "I'd definitely like that."

"Wonderful." Draco rubbed his hands together; his relief and glee were evident in his expression. "I'll have a talk with the decorators and let you know when the house will be ready for us to move in."

"I shall need to examine the premises, to determine where best to place my studio and my laboratory," Severus said. "Creating paints and potions for magical paintings and photographs has far different requirements than a run-of-the-mill potions workroom."

"But of course," Draco agreed. "Will next Tuesday be acceptable? You could both come over and see if there are any further changes that need doing. I assume you'd like a training room, Harry? Wouldn't want our favourite Auror trainee ending up at the bottom of the class, now would we?"

"That would be brilliant. Thank you." Harry went over and, bracing his hands on the arms of Draco's chair, bent down and kissed him. Soft lips edged with a hint of stubble opened beneath Harry's. Need pooled in Harry's groin, as they sucked and nibbled and licked each other's lips.

Then a lean body pressed over Harry from behind, a hard cock rubbed into the cleft of his arse, kisses were pressed on his neck, and he groaned into Draco's mouth. Harry's arms trembled when Draco pressed his hand against Harry's cock. He pulled his mouth away from Draco's and mumbled, "Going to fall down."

"Can't have that, can we," Severus breathed into Harry's ear. "Perhaps we should take this somewhere more comfortable."

~)*(~

March 2005

"I don't give a rat's arse what you think," Draco snarled at Ginny Weasley, "or how uncomfortable it makes you. You and Harry were dosed with Amortentia, and the only feasible suspects are members of your family. No one else had the kind of access needed to..."

"Draco," Severus warned, placing a hand on Draco's arm. "You're not helping matters."

"Not helping," Draco yelled. "Why should I help matters when she cares more about protecting her family than about bringing the person responsible to justice. I'm not going to sit back and let the criminal who destroyed our family go scot-free."

"I think that's our decision," Harry said, his voice calm despite the muscle that flexed in his jaw.

"So, what Severus and I went through means nothing to you?" Draco bit out. "I should have known you'd take her side."

"Don't say that." Hurt laced Harry's voice, and Draco almost regretted lashing out at him. Except they were entitled to hurt someone after everything they'd been through.

"What would you have me say then?"

"How about something useful," Ginny suggested. "Look, I'm not stupid all right? I know this has to be someone in my family. Just give me a minute or two to get my head around it and think beyond how much it fucking hurts that one of my brothers would do that to me."

To you? Draco was speechless. Could the bitch be any more self-centred?

A wail pierced the air. "Now you've done it," Harry said. "Severus, can you make the pair of them see sense while I get Jamie?"

"It will be my pleasure."

The promise and threat in Severus' smile sent a shiver through Draco. He was in so much trouble.

With a flick of his wand, Severus brought a comfortable armchair from the other side of the room and sat down. The few moments he spent arranging his robes had both Draco and Ginny twitching in a most satisfactory manner.

"I understand how you could feel betrayed and protective, Ms Weasley--"

"Potter," Ginny said, impertinent wretch that she was. As if they needed reminding of that fact, Draco thought.

Severus lifted an eyebrow, but ignored the interruption and continued. "However, we are all entitled to confront the person who stole the past few years from us. Whether or not we decide to report him or her to the Aurors depends upon the reasoning behind the crime." He held up his hand to silence Ginny's spluttering.

Draco chewed the inside of his mouth to stop his own objections. There was no way Severus would let this go without doing something.

"Once we know the facts, we will all decide how best to handle this travesty." Severus' lips twisted with disgust. "You are not the only injured party."

"Too true," Draco averred.

"You two," Ginny sneered. "Acting as if your lives have been ruined. As if you haven't spent the past few years living it up in that mansion of Malfoy's."

"Ginny!" Harry stood in the doorway, cradling a baby in his arms. "You've hardly been living in poverty."

"No. I've just been forced to turn into my mother, looking after the house and giving birth to your child. Almost dying for it more than once, might I add."

"I didn't force you to do anything."

Harry's strained tone had Draco up and off the sofa, but when he got to Harry, he halted. Where could he possibly put his hands with Harry holding a baby? He hovered for a moment, feeling a bit like a twit, then slung an arm over Harry's shoulder and guided him to the rocking chair.

Looking from Harry's gentle rocking to Ginny's averted eyes, Draco knew that they were going to have to take in this child -- Jamie -- if they wanted Harry back. And Draco had no doubts whatsoever that he wanted Harry back. Even if it meant sacrificing the next eighteen years of his life to raising a child. A part-Weasley child.

Maybe he should give in to his parents' incessant badgering and find an acceptable surrogate mother for his heir. With Jamie around, his son wouldn't have to be an only child. Mind made up, Draco caught Severus' attention and glanced meaningfully at Jamie. Severus' nod was minute but sufficient.

Draco knelt next to the rocking chair, and leaned over to get a look at the child in Harry's arms. His wavy hair was a deep brown with glints of red where the light caught the strands. His eyes were closed, but the skin of his pudgy face was only a shade lighter than Harry's. And no freckles, at least not yet. Draco stroked a finger down the soft skin of Jamie's face.

"His eyes are only just starting to change," Harry murmured. "I think they're going to end up being a greeny brown."

"Hazel," Draco corrected automatically. He smiled at Harry. "He's quite good-looking."

"Yeah, he is."

Ginny snorted, but didn't say anything.

"You really don't want him?" Draco asked.

"No." Ginny curled up a little tighter in her corner of the sofa and pulled her blanket closer. "I refuse to become my mother, sacrificing my ambitions on the altar of motherhood, giving up everything to breed the next generation of Weasleys or Potters or any other family. If it hadn't been for that bloody potion, I wouldn't have even thought about having a child."

Feeling Harry stiffen, Draco laid his hand on Harry's arm and said, "Then you won't object to Harry--" Draco faltered, suddenly unable to say bringing him home with us out loud, in case that wasn't what Harry wanted "--keeping him."

Surprise stilled Ginny's expressive face, and then she shrugged. "Not at all. He can have full custodial rights, as long as he doesn't keep my family from Jamie or demand child support from me."

"I don't need that, Ginny, and you know it," Harry remonstrated.

"I know," Ginny said, her voice softening. "I also know that he'll be better off with you. I'll be brilliant as the mother who drops in every other weekend to swoop him off, spoil him rotten, and bring him back for you to deal with."

"It's a deal," Harry said, kissing the top of Jamie's head and cuddling the sleeping infant close.

Ginny smiled, her eyes lighting up, and Draco could almost see what had had the boys at school chasing her.

Jamie simply drooled onto Harry's shirt and stuffed his hand in his mouth. Managing to be simultaneously annoying and adorable, all without waking up, Draco was impressed. This boy might well be the first Potter sorted into Slytherin.

Then Severus broke the moment with his usual tact. "Before this degenerates into another of your overly demonstrative displays, Harry, might I suggest that we once again focus on the reason why we're all here."

"It had to be George, Ron, or my Mum," Ginny said. "They're the only ones we see every week."

"Not Molly," Harry responded.

"Why not?" Severus asked before Draco could.

"Because she and Arthur spent last summer in Romania with Charlie, and then went off to New Zealand for another two months' holiday."

"Oh, please let it be the Weasel." Draco felt a thrill of anticipation, just getting to say that out loud.

Ginny shook her head. "I don't think so."

"Why not?" Draco whinged. The bitch couldn't even let him dream for five minutes.

"Ronald Weasley couldn't brew Amortentia if his or anyone else's life depended upon it. The best he'd manage is toxic sludge," Severus noted.

"There's the black market," Draco pointed out.

"Ron doesn't have the money," Harry said.

"Oh, come off it. That store's raking it in."

"And Ron's so busy living the high life that his vault is usually overdrawn by the time he gets paid."

"Damn." Draco would have continued objecting, but even he hadn't been able to avoid hearing about the Weasel's antics. Expensive didn't begin to describe them. Some people shouldn't be trusted with money.

Severus steepled his fingers and looked thoughtful. "George Weasley, on the other hand, was far better at Potions than his marks would lead even the most gullible to believe. If he could have managed to write even a halfway decent essay, he would have been top of his year."

"George wouldn't do anything to hurt me." Ginny sounded absolutely sure of herself.

Before Draco could tell them what he thought of her self-delusion, Jamie started crying. Unable to calm him, Harry rose to his feet and started walking. But that didn't help. If anything, it seemed to make the baby wail even louder.

"He's hungry," Harry explained. "It's past his dinner time."

"I'll feed him." Ginny held out her arms.

"You're sure?" Harry asked.

"I'm sure." Ginny was more awkward with Jamie than Harry, but she still seemed to know what to do. "Why don't you and Severus go and get George? Draco can keep Jamie and me company while you're gone."

"Draco?" Harry frowned.

"Well, I'm not going to sit here by myself while the three of you leave. And I'm certainly not going to let any of you condemn George without giving him a chance to defend himself." Ginny accepted the bottle of milk that Harry had summoned. "George will feel safer if Harry's there and, if I have to choose between Mr Snape and Malfoy..."

"Of course you'd choose me," Draco interjected into the awkward silence. "I'm infinitely prettier."

Harry snickered, and Severus' lips twitched.

"Well, go on with you." Draco made shooing motions with his hands. "And don't take too long, or there'll be nothing left in your pitiful wine cellar by the time you return."

When the echoes from their Apparition had faded, Draco turned to the Weasley chit and bared his teeth in a smile. "Now," he said, "I think it's time you and I had a talk."

~)*(~

January 2001

"No, I don't want to talk about it, you imbeciles." Severus crumpled up the parchment in his hand, tossed it in the air, and cast Incendio on it. The flames were too brief to provide much satisfaction, so he repeated the process on the other two rejections that had come in that morning's post.

"Fine," Draco snapped. "I trust you'll let us know when you've finished wallowing in your misery then, because you're not the only one who can't get a job to save his life."

Harry just sat there, not even pretending to toy with his eggs and bacon. He chewed his bottom lip as he looked back and forth between Draco and Severus.

"Poor Draco, are you feeling the pinch of having to depend upon your parents to pay your way after you've spent your quarterly allowance?"

"Yes, I'm feeling the fucking pinch, Severus. You think I want to continue living in the Manor, dependent upon my parents and the Ministry's generosity," he spat the word, "in continuing to allow us to keep our home."

"I, on the other hand, am perilously close to losing my home." Flinging a red-edged notice of arrears at the teetering pile of envelopes on his desk, Severus clamped down on the urge to take out his spectacularly foul mood on the two of them. He'd rather starve than go back to Hogwarts, but no one else was willing to hire him or purchase even semi-legal potions from him.

"I don't see why you won't simply use a pseudonym," Draco said.

"So, having paid my penance and cleared my name, I should merely discard it?"

Harry finally spoke up. "That's not what he's suggesting, Severus, and you know it."

"I know nothing of the sort." Severus stared down his nose at Harry. "I am, however, painfully aware that, despite my Order of Merlin, First Class and Potions Master designation, the only accomplishment of mine that prospective employers care about is the faded tattoo on my left arm. And there is sod all I can do about that."

"Leave off, all right." Draco sighed. "We understand. We really do. And, however you feel about so-called charity, we're not about to let you starve."

"It's not charity when you're being helped by people who care about you," Harry pointed out. "Anyway, what about the offer from Cardovale's Paints and Processing? They seemed decent."

"You could dig out your old sketchbooks from the attic," Draco added.

Anger flaring even higher at having his privacy invaded, Severus demanded, "How do you know about them?"

"It was hard to miss them when one fell on my head last week along with that chunk of ceiling."

"And I suppose you put it back without looking inside."

"In your dreams." Draco snorted.

Harry continued, pressing his original point. "Seriously, Severus, what would it hurt to take Cardovale's up on their offer? You could keep looking for something else if it doesn't suit."

"Anything's better than mouldering away in this--"

"Don't say it," Severus warned Draco, who was unfortunately intelligent enough to shut his mouth for once. Severus wished he'd ignored the warning and finished that sentence, because he could really use a good row. At the very least, it would take the edge off his frustration.

The scrape of Harry's plate as he pushed it away caught Severus' attention and reminded him of another breakfast at that same table. A time when Severus would have given anything to have been able to abandon his cold breakfast uneaten. His father's voice rang in his ears, Are you daft, woman? I'll not take a job that far beneath me. The crash of a plate against the wall; the smack of an open palm again his mother's cheek, a fist against her jaw.

Feeling the soft touch of hands against his, Severus looked up and something softened inside him at the concern on Harry and Draco's faces.

He turned his own hands over and clasped theirs, wondering once again what he could possibly have done right to bring these men into his life. "Cardovale's doesn't pay much." He held up his hand to stop whatever objections they were going to voice. "But it will be sufficient to pay for a small flat in a relatively decent area of Wizarding London."

"You're going to let this place go?" Harry asked.

Severus took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "It's past time, I believe, to move on and leave this house and its godforsaken memories behind."

"I can see that," Harry said, and the emotion brimming behind his eyes made it clear that he did.

"Isn't this your family home?" Draco looked as confused as Lucius had when it was suggested that he shouldn't fight for and restore Malfoy Manor.

"Not in the sense you're thinking," Severus said. "This is the house where I grew up. However, it is sorely lacking in ancestral portraits and ghostly echoes of centuries-past Snape family misdeeds."

"Really," Draco said, his eyes wide with simulated innocence, "I hadn't noticed."

"And on that note," Harry drawled, managing a barely passable imitation of Severus' own, "maybe we should give breakfast up as a bad job and go back to bed for a couple of hours. I'm sure we can find some way to distract ourselves from all these mawkish thoughts."

"Don't give up your day job, Harry." Draco chuckled. "You're infinitely better at fighting villains than acting."

Harry stuck his tongue out at Draco, who smirked in response.

"He does have a point, though." Severus brought their hands to his lips and kissed each palm before releasing them.

As they all rose from the table, abandoning the barely touched food, Severus gritted his teeth against the resurgence of his childhood hopes. Home, the concept was almost alien to him, but he would hold on to it for however long Harry and Draco remained with him.

~)*(~

March 2005

Draco felt protective. Of Severus who sat rigidly upright in a wing chair, fingers twitching as if he wanted to cast an Unforgivable on someone. Of Harry who was standing behind Draco's chair, forearms resting on the back and one hand gripping Draco's shoulder as if it were a protective amulet. And, strangely enough, of George Weasley who was staring at his hands as if he wanted someone to Crucio him.

Merlin, but the Weasley twin looked a mess. Shoulders hunched, George was sitting awkwardly in his chair. In jeans, frayed sweater, and scuffed boots, his hair uncombed and sticking up in odd places, he looked more like a schoolboy called up before the Headmaster than a successful businessman.

"I'm waiting, George." Ginny's accusative tone caught Draco's attention. "I want to know why you thought you were entitled to ruin my life."

"Ruined your life? Oh come on, Gin." Harry sounded incredulous and hurt. "It hasn't been that bad."

Eyes narrowed, Ginny said, "It's not that much of an exaggeration. I had plans, and they didn't involve either getting married or even thinking about having children before I got my Healer credentials and was well-established in my own practice."

"He ruined far more than that," Draco interjected before anyone else could speak.

"And should be appropriately punished," Severus added.

Harry made a noise of protest, and Draco sighed.

"I'm sorry," George muttered.

"Of course you are."

Despite the lack of gentleness in Draco's voice, George straightened up and pushed his fringe out of his eyes. He almost looked like the man Draco remembered seeing whenever he took Pansy's brats to the store in Diagon Alley.

"I am sorry. And I'd love to tell you what I was thinking, but I'm not sure myself. I just..." George hesitated before continuing, "I really am sorry. I wasn't in my right mind, not for years after--" he cleared his throat "--after Fred died. I was desperate. Desperate not to lose anyone else, not to see the family fall apart again as it had after... the funeral. And Harry was family."

"And that makes all the difference I'm sure," Harry said. "You're as bad as Dumbledore, feeling as if your needs entitle you to make decisions about my life."

"I wasn't... I didn't mean... I..."

"But you did," Severus sneered. "You destroyed four lives in the hopes of bettering your own."

As if the years with Draco had been nothing but a disappointment to Severus. Bitter anger lanced through Draco's chest, leaving an ache in its wake, and he suddenly knew how Harry had felt when Ginny talked about having her life ruined. By the time he'd come up with a response that didn't involve eviscerating Severus with his bare hands, George was talking again.

"I'm not excusing what I did. You'd be right to have me tossed in Azkaban." George rubbed the back of his neck. "God, I was out of my mind for fucking years after Fred died. Not that anyone noticed."

"So, it's our fault?" Harry swore explosively and pulled away from Draco.

"I didn't say that. Don't put words in my mouth." George got up and held out his hands to Harry, palms upward and wrists together. "Arrest me, all right? I'll confess to everything. If anything, it'll be a relief to get out from under this."

"No!" The word was out of Draco's mouth before he could stop it, but he couldn't allow Harry to arrest his own brother-in-law. He couldn't allow this to be made public at all. They'd never get Harry back if the Prophet got hold of this story. He'd go into hiding to protect his son and wouldn't come out for years, if ever.

They were all watching Draco, waiting for him to say something. He just wished he knew which words would turn this around. Running back through what George had said, he finally demanded, "What did you mean? About it being a relief to get out from under?"

Agitated, George clenched his fists and rocked back and forth on his heels as he talked. "About a year ago, after picking me up off the floor and cleaning me up one too many times, Lee persuaded me to see a counsellor. Months later, in one of our sessions, I realised what I'd done, what a terrible mistake I'd made. I couldn't even begin to tell her. Instead, I tried to stop."

"Really?" Ginny snorted in disbelief. "I hadn't noticed."

"I did," George insisted. "But then you got pregnant."

"So, you kept on dosing us and took a chance on harming Jamie before he was even born?" Harry growled. "How are we supposed to forgive you for that?"

"There's nothing in Amortentia that could have hurt your son, before or after he was born," Severus interrupted.

"Unless you count forcing his parents together against their will," Ginny sneered.

"Would it have been better if I'd stopped and you'd split up before he was born?" George flung back at her. "I tried, all right. I didn't dose you for a couple of weeks. As soon as it started wearing off, the pair of you began to fight. Day in and day out. Mum fire-called me one day in an absolute panic because she thought you were going to get divorced and our Ginny would end up a single mother."

"Mum always did over-react," Ginny said. "Besides, Harry was much more likely to end up a single father."

"I wouldn't have minded," Harry muttered.

"I know." Ginny smiled at him. "You're a great dad."

"Just not a very good husband."

"You'll probably be great with somebody else--" she smirked at Draco and Severus "--or maybe a pair of somebodies."

"I'm sorry." George all but shouted his apology. "Fred was gone, and the only thing holding me together was the family. And you were talking about going to that school in France, and Harry was spending all of his time with Snape and Malfoy and almost never visited. I was terrified that the family was going to fall apart, because then I'd shatter and Mum would... I had to defend our family, no matter what it took."

The last piece of the puzzle clattered into place in Draco's mind. Somehow, he'd known this was going to be the reason. How could he not? After almost giving up his future to save his own family?

He sat there only half listening to the others argue and berate George. Thoughts and half-formed plans spun through his mind and were almost as instantly discarded. Finally, when there was nothing else left, he had his answer. As ridiculous a plan as it was for a pair of Slytherins and a trio of Gryffindors.

When the others paused, he said, "We can't have him arrested."

He waited out their objections, then continued. "Look, I know exactly how far someone will go to defend the ones he loves. I also know how the Prophet will react if this story goes public, which will happen if Weasley is arrested."

"Fuck," Harry swore. "Jamie's life will be hell."

"That's only for starters," Draco said. "We'd have to leave the country, for at least a decade or maybe two, and that might not be long enough or far away enough for the furore to die down. The paparazzi would chase us around the world for this kind of story, especially if Harry reacts to the headlines with his usual zeal."

"You do have a certain way with reporters," Severus pointed out.

"Oh, shut it, you." The crooked upturn of Harry's lips took the sting out of his words.

"He has to be punished," Ginny insisted, glaring at her brother.

"Whatever you want. I won't argue," promised George.

Ginny looked thoughtful for a minute. "Since I've lost my scholarship to the Faculté de Médecine, you'll pay my fees for whichever school I do get into. Full room and board, as well, and not in a cheap bedsit. And you'll support me through my apprenticeship until I can afford a decent lifestyle."

"Done." George looked at Harry. "What can I do for you?"

"I don't..."

Draco would have kicked Harry if he could have reached. Instead, he said, "You will."

A brief hesitation and then Harry nodded. "Fine. You'll donate a percentage of profits from the business to the War Orphans Fund, and you'll cover the costs of their annual party. Presents and all."

"Not a problem. Draco?"

There was only one thing Draco wanted. "You'll babysit Jamie whenever Harry needs a break or we--" the relief and need in Harry's eyes almost made Draco stumble over his words "--need some time to ourselves."

"It would be my pleasure."

Before George could ask, Severus said, "And you'll explain to Molly and Arthur what you did and why Harry and Ginny are getting a divorce."

The colour drained from George's face. "You are an evil man," he choked out.

"It's nothing less than you deserve."

"They'll kill me."

"As Severus said, it's nothing less than you deserve." Draco felt gleeful. Trust Severus to know exactly what the Weasley would consider punishment. "Now, I don't know about the rest of you, but I could use a drink."

"Maybe six," Ginny said, slowly and carefully getting to her feet. "Come on, Harry, give me hand."

Draco watched the reluctance with which Harry moved towards his soon-to-be ex-wife and away from Severus and Draco. He could go back to sharing Severus, if it meant getting Harry back. He'd make sure of it.

~)*(~

May 2005

After setting the dishes to wash, Harry escaped outside. Standing at the edge of the terrace, gnawing on a hangnail, he found comfort in the mixed scents of the flowers and herbs that grew almost wild in his back garden.

It had been weeks since Ginny had moved out, leaving the house to him and Jamie. He'd finally begun to believe that he and Severus and Draco could put their lives back together. Until tonight. Everything had just been so awkward at dinner. All of those meaningful glances that Severus and Draco had exchanged left a cold lump of dread in his stomach.

Maybe it would hurt less if he gave up and released them before they had the talk with him that they were clearly planning. Saying that Jamie needed him wouldn't really be an excuse.

The hinges of the back door squeaked as it was opened. After a moment, Draco asked, "What are you doing out here?"

Harry shrugged, closing his eyes and refusing to turn around.

"Come inside." Draco's hand was warm in his.

"I don't..." Harry sighed and squared his shoulders. He'd never run away from anything and didn't see any point in starting now. "All right," he said, and let Draco lead him back inside.

Severus sat on the sofa, legs stretched out before him, ankles crossed. He'd taken off his outer robe and rolled the sleeves of his white cotton shirt halfway up his forearms. The collar was undone just enough to expose the edge of the scar on his neck.

Such trust, Harry thought as he allowed Draco to push him down to sit between them. Raising his hand to his mouth, Harry ran his tongue over the rough edge of skin that had once been a hangnail. He tasted blood and sucked meditatively. Maybe it was time he stopped waiting for them? Molly wouldn't be bringing Jamie back until tomorrow night, after all.

Then his hand was drawn away from his mouth. "I thought we'd cured you of that particular bad habit." A quick flash of Severus' wand, together with a muttered spell, and the skin around Harry's nail was healed.

"Apparently not." Draco picked up Harry's other hand. After inspecting the fingers with pursed lips, he cast a manicure spell on Harry's nails and cuticles. Draco tutted his disapproval. "My rules about body parts that touch my own have not changed over the years."

Touch your.... A combination of embarrassment and arousal flamed through Harry as he stammered an apology.

"I believe he's attempting to request your forgiveness," Severus purred.

"Is that what that was?" asked Draco.

"I just... I didn't..." Harry gave up on finding the right words and turned towards Draco. Freeing his hand from Draco's grasp, he slipped it beneath Draco's jumper. With a scrape of his newly-smooth nails over the thin, soft cotton of Draco's shirt, Harry kissed Draco's neck. The skin shivered under his lips as he murmured, "Forgive me."

"I'm working on it," Draco admitted.

Severus added, his breath warm against Harry's ear, "As am I."

Harry had missed those kisses, their mouths; the sensation of hard cocks digging into his body. He hadn't known how much until he was half-lying across Draco's lap, kissing Draco, being kissed by Severus, watching them kiss each other. And he stroked and was stroked. Hands skimmed over skin and under clothes, popping buttons and opening zips.

Even with the fucking potion, he'd needed major foreplay to get this hard with Ginny and here he was ready to come in his pants. Fuck. Trying to focus, he shoved his hand between his lap and Severus, and squeezed the base of his cock.

"Touch us, not yourself," Severus ordered and replaced Harry's hand with his own.

Fingers tweaked his nipples and Harry frotted against Severus' hip. "So good. So good," he moaned, "Missed you."

Pressure swirled and rose, built in his groin. His balls drew up. He arched his head back and lavished open-mouthed kisses on Draco's neck, clutching at Severus' arm as Severus sucked on his collarbone.

And Draco said, "Stop."

"No," Harry whined as they pulled away.

"Not here. Not like this." Draco shoved Harry off his lap and back into his seat. "Not on the sofa. Not in my clothes."

Severus scowled. "Where's your bedroom?"

"Upstairs in the back," Harry said, realising too late that he had snarled the words but, damn, he was frustrated.

"Too far." Severus looked around. "We'll have to improvise."

"Improvise?" Harry mouthed at Draco, who shrugged.

By the time they turned around, the coffee table had been transfigured into a mattress and Severus was tossing the cushions from the couch onto it.

"Down," said Severus, and Harry and Draco all but fell on the mattress. There was a momentary scramble as they tore at clothing, yanking down trousers and pants, flipping robes up and off, sliding shirts down arms.

There was bare skin, soft and rough, hairy and smooth, pebbled with goosebumps. Trapped on his back, Harry shivered under the onslaught of fingers and lips, tongues and teeth. They were claiming him, marking him, and he was overwhelmed. He spread his legs invitingly, but neither Severus nor Draco touched his cock, his balls or his hole.

He stroked, pinched, held on to Draco and Severus. They kept him on the verge of exploding, backing off whenever he came close to orgasm.

"So close," Harry murmured and squirmed until he could fist each of their cocks. Draco moaned and bucked once into Harry's hand. Severus released a breath, warm and damp across Harry's ear, but remained still.

Harry managed to say, "Please," croaking the word from a mouth suddenly dry with need.

"Release us--" Severus sucked Harry's neck, hard and fast "--and we'll all get what we want."

At Severus' prodding, Harry rolled onto his side, with his back to Severus, his front to Draco. Head resting on a cushion, he curled his left arm around Draco's shoulders. He hissed as Draco's cock lined up with his own, moaned as his right leg was pushed forwards and Severus' slippery cock thrust into his cleft, between his thighs and against his sac.

Then they moved. Squeezing, kissing, and biting. Harry tried to lift his leg higher, encourage Severus to fuck him, but the bastard pressed Harry's leg down.

"God, god, god," Harry chanted, hips jerking wildly as he came. Moments later, Draco moaned his orgasm. And then Severus stiffened, cock pumping spunk onto Harry's thighs.

Completely spent, Harry collapsed against Severus. His muscles were heavy, immovable, as he lay between them.

When he could move, Harry took one of their hands in each of his. He lifted their hands, kissed the knuckles, and clutched them to his chest. "Missed you," he said. "Missed you so much."

Draco sat up. Unable to translate the glance that Draco exchanged with Severus, Harry tightened his grip on Draco's hand, unwilling to let either of them go. Not until he had to.

Leaning down, Draco pushed Harry's fringe out of his eyes and tucked a length of Severus' hair behind one ear. His kiss was hot and sweet, the swipe of his tongue a momentary balm on Harry's dry lips.

Severus squeezed Harry's hand and asked, "Will you?"

"Move in with us," Draco added.

"You and Jamie," finished Severus, before Harry could say anything.

"Yes," Harry said and nodded, "both of us."

This time the kisses were slower, almost lazy. Next time Harry was entered, filled, completed. His cup overflowed.

~fin~