Chapter 11

"Oh, you have a guest," the witch said to Harry, who reached out for Draco's hand.

"This is my girlfriend, Draco."

"I realized. She looks just like my sister did at this age," Andromeda said because she couldn't have been anybody else. "I'm--"

Draco had realized that just as soon as she saw her. Much like Aunt Bella, but the way she carried herself was more like Narcissa. And the clue that she was holding a tiny bundle that was softly gurgling was another thing Aunt Bella would have never done: gently caring for an infant.

"Aunt Andromeda," Draco said.

"No, I don't think that's correct. I haven't been part of your family for a long time," the witch said. "Nor was my daughter acknowledged, or my grandson will ever be."

"In my eyes you all are," Draco said, and she meant it. "And I'm glad I got the chance to meet you."

"And what would my sister say if she heard that?" the witch asked.

"I imagine she wouldn't be pleased, but I'm not going to let her make my choices for me any more than my father," Draco said, thinking about their last conversation with Narcissa.

"Sounds too good to be true," the witch said.

"She means it," Harry stated. "I wouldn't bring anyone I didn't trust here."

"Forgive me if I can't take your word on that, Harry," she said. "After all, my daughter was killed by my blood, and I'm a little bit weary about family members at the moment."

"I'm so sorry for your loss, and the part my family played in the war," Draco tried to speak clearly, but not pushily. "I know nothing I say could console you, but if you need anything, just know I'd do all in my power to help you."

"I don't need your help," she said. "But it's more than both my sisters had ever said to me since I married, no matter their intent, so I acknowledge that."

"She isn't trying to manipulate you," Harry told Andromeda, and Draco appreciated Harry's faith in her, but she shook her head at him: she didn't want Harry to speak on her behalf, so they all fell silent until Andromeda excused herself.

"I better give my grandson his bath. By the way, Molly and Arthur said hi, they dropped by today," she added, turning to Harry. "And I'm afraid your other guest is in more pain today than usual, judging by the noise coming from upstairs, so maybe you could keep your visit short."

"I brought Draco to visit him."

"Are you sure that's wise?" she asked.

"No, but everything I've tried so far backfired," Harry admitted. "I doubt we could make it any worse."

"Well, try not to get injured badly," Andromeda looked at them.

Harry nodded, taking the stairs further up, and only when they were out of the old witch's earshot, he explained to Draco.

"I'm sorry, as I was saying, I offered for a couple of people to stay here, and she took me up on that offer. Raising Teddy alone after just losing her daughter was hard on her, but at least here the members of the Order can visit and help her out from time to time."

"And you too," Draco didn't have to ask, she knew.

"Rarely," Harry said. "Usually by the time I get here, Teddy's fast asleep anyway."

"Still, you're helping, while her family isn't, me included."

"I'm Teddy's godfather, so I'm family too, in a way," Harry told him.

"Thank you for bringing me," Draco could only say, because no matter what her mother and Pansy said, Harry Potter wasn't some hotheaded hero, but the kind of person who took on responsibilities even after the war, when arguably, he'd already done plenty.

Even if Narcissa and Pansy didn't, Draco saw how strong Harry could be for other people, and seeing how close they were with Andromeda only made Draco want to do more too.

It strengthened her resolve that everything she started that year was what she was supposed to do, so the next course of action now was "only" to persevere.

"Don't thank me," Harry said. "You haven't met everybody yet."

After everything Harry said, Draco somehow wasn't shocked when Harry's other guest turned out to be Snape. If anyone had anti-venom and blood-replenishing potions at hand to survive Nagini's attack, it was him.

And he was known for making Harry's life harder, so it would have made sense why Harry was so worried all the time.

But Draco didn't expect how the once Potions Professor looked more like a corpse than living, bandaged up like a mummy, confined to a wheelchair, and kept cursing when he tried to maneuver around.

Harry must have installed a custom laboratory just for him because everything was arranged in a way that he could have reached it even without magic. But he was impatient, irritated, and - Harry wasn't exaggerating - throwing things.

"He's in a lot of pain," Harry so quietly said that Draco barely heard. "He can't walk, or use magic without completely tiring himself out."

That was when Snape noticed them and started yelling.

"What's this now, Potter? I thought I was clear so that even your miniature of a mind could comprehend that I didn't wish to receive any visitors!"

"I--" Harry started but Draco stopped him, by taking his hand. She'd just improvised a plan if Harry could trust her to execute it, and he must have because he didn't interfere.

"I insisted," Draco said, and technically, it was true. And, when Snape elegantly threw the closest jars at her, she added while slowing them down in the air before they could reach her. "I have a potion that's important to me, and I needed the space for it..."

It was a lie, but also not. Draco could brew the potion she wanted here, and meanwhile also keep an eye on her former Headteacher, maybe giving Harry a little bit of a break from him too, so it seemed like a good idea.

"Draco?" Snape seemed confused for a second, but hearing Draco's explanation, he was glaring daggers at the both of them. "Don't you have piles of money you could never spend? Buy the potions you need and leave me alone."

"It's a potion that doesn't necessarily exist - yet," Draco said. "And I might not be so close to my family at this moment to ask for favors, plus I don't see the harm of occupying a workstation when you clearly do everything with yours but use it properly."

Snape gave her a very nasty and suspicious look, but he also looked around, and he couldn't deny that he was breaking more things than actually brewing them, so he shut up, and leveled Draco with a calculating stare, as of he was trying to figure out her weakness he could next attack.

"No time like the present to start to work, then," Draco cleared the second workstation just enough so she could start a cauldron brewing, and pinning her hair up to get ready to work.

"I don't know what scheme Potter got you on," Snape snarled at her, even not sparing effort to move his wheelchair up to her and grabbed her arm with bruising force. "But if you don't leave at once..."

Draco tried to imitate her father's best unamused laugh.

"Scheming? Professor, I assure you, the heroic Harry Potter doesn't scheme, and as for me, I have been working on this potion for months."

It helped that Draco had always carried her most important notes with her, shrunk in her pocket, and ever since her dorm room was destroyed, she had done the same with her books, and some possessions.

This way, she could pull out the books she needed, and the months' worth of her research, as if it was planned all along that she was going to use them. And seeing that Snape let go of her, examining her notes instead, after which he only went back to the other station with a huff.

"Erm, Professor, let me help you with--" Harry tried to help Snape with whatever usual routine they had, as far as Draco could surmise, but Snape stopped him.

"I won't require any of your help today."

"But Professor, may I remind you that the Healer said--" Harry patiently stood there, if not anxious, while Snape started yelling and breaking things again.

"The Healer was a charlatan! Do I look any more healed to you? DO I?! So stop fussing around me as if you were my mother, Potter, and just get lost already!"

Draco couldn't just watch as Harry got all the abuse, so she walked up to him and said.

"Leave."

And then, when Harry tried to open his mouth to object, Draco might have just pulled him to the corridor, out of Snape's view, saying.

"It'll be okay. I'll take care of him."

"I'm not going to deny that the only time I've seen him focused in a long time was when he looked over your notes," Harry said. "But this wasn't the plan."

"It could work."

"He needs more care than you know, like a bunch of potions he won't take unless I make him take it. And he almost blew up the whole lab at least 30 times just in my presence, so I fear leaving him unsupervised for longer periods."

"He won't be alone, I'll be there instead," Draco said. "And if he asks for ANY help, I'll get it, but otherwise, maybe a couple of days off medication won't kill him."

"That's just the thing. Maybe he wants to get worse, and I'm standing in the way of his self-destructive plans!" Harry seemed like he wasn't planning to admit that, but the stress forced it out of him.

"I won't let him do anything drastic, I promise," she told Harry. "But maybe you could both use a little time without each other's company."

Harry still looked unsure, so she added.

"Harry," she said. "He's my godfather. He got me my first Potions book ever, you know."

"I don't like it," Harry admitted.

"And in case you forgot, I'm also fluent in Slytherin temper tantrums, since I used them a lot myself," Draco said. "If anyone, I can defuse them, but you're going to have to trust me enough to let me try."

"Of course I do. Just... be careful? And come and get me immediately if anything goes wrong," Harry said, and left, but Draco still took a moment to collect herself, before returning to the lab, because the truth was she couldn't predict what was going to happen either.

Her family had no idea Snape was going to betray Voldermort, and if she ever was close to Snape as she would be to a Malfoy family friend, that person seemed different than the current version of him, and that didn't take into account how Draco also had a different social standing as a before, now a witch.

"What took you so long?" Snape asked her, suspicious.

"I got rid of whatever's the conflict between you two, so we can brew in peace. You're welcome," Draco said. "But don't make me regret it, because the more you talk, the more it seems maybe you were the problem in the first place."

She wasn't particularly fond of playing an arrogant Malfoy once again, but if it meant that maybe Harry could sleep just a little bit better, Draco thought she could do worse.

So although she promised Harry she wouldn't let Snape get hurt, when she started her potion and the formal Headmaster put some highly flammable ingredients together - on purpose - and was watching her reaction when he was about to add it to his cauldron, she decided to willfully ignore him - unlike Harry who would have ran to stop him as one would a child.

She might have zoned in on her work that she almost jumped when she was about to add another batch of wormwood, and Snape snatched her hand holding the jar without as much as a warning, sneaking up on her.

"Stop. As someone who said you had an aptitude for potions in the past, I can't let you just randomly toss ingredients in the cauldron, like an animal."

Draco tried not to panic when she saw that without Harry's help, Snape's neck was bleeding through his bandages, and rather concentrated on what seemed to still be intact: his intellect.

"I don't remember asking for your help," she said, but also didn't dare to push it too far so she added. "But what would you add instead?"

She didn't count on the enthusiasm Snape had for her "simple" project, not willing to stop for hours, at least until... he started coughing badly, making the bleeding worse again - too bad for Draco to ignore any longer.

"Don't you have potions that are supposed to help?" she asked, feigning as if she didn't know the answer from Harry already.

"NOTHING helps! The more I take, the less effective they get! I refuse to take them--"

"Fine by me, but then do me a favor and back off. It's not like you can work in a state like this, and you'd only contaminate the ingredients..."

"I know what you're trying to do," Snape saw through her. "But it's not going to work."

And he navigated the chair to his station, not helping Draco anymore, but she pushed herself to continue brewing as if nothing happened while waiting.

Every second seemed like an hour, and it was past 4 in the morning by the time Snape fell out of his chair, and she helped him back, so he admitted defeat.

"Potter usually gives me two vials for the bleeding, one for the pain, and some more for regulating blood pressure," Snape listed. "They're stored in the box on my desk, in my room."

It didn't surprise Draco especially when the said room was a mess so she cleaned up what she could in a glance, and took the vials Snape requested.

"You shouldn't give Harry so much shit about them, you know," Draco switched tactics completely when she saw how Snape couldn't even drink the potions without her help because he let the pain grow so bad his whole body was shaking uncontrollably. "He's just trying to help the best he knows how."

"I haven't asked for his help," Snape could almost speak normally again after he drank all the medicine, and he gave a look to Draco. "Or anyone's."

"You made an Unbreakable Vow to my mother. When we needed an ally the most," Draco said. "So if it's me, you can consider it payback."

"It's not. As you said, that was between me and her, not you. And I was doing what I could to--"

"It is," Draco repeated.

"Yes, and your sudden charitable mood has nothing to do with a certain Gryffindor and how you're suddenly so devoted to trying to impress him?" Snape was probably guessing and reading her reactions so she smiled.

"I'd like to think I'd already done PLENTY to 'impress' him if that's what you call it, but if you have objections to my presence here..."

"You and Potter," Snape didn't seem to believe it, even if mere seconds ago he was the one to suggest it.

"…I can leave and never return," Draco finished her sentence, unfettered. "I just thought you could appreciate some variety of your visitors, and in turn help me with the project I'm working on, but you're right, and there must be better ways to impress the wizard I love, than--"

"You forgot to change my bandages," Snape said. "It's not a pretty sight, I'm afraid."

It wasn't, but it only made Draco think she could modify the potion she was working on once again, and maybe also brew something that could help Snape better with the scarring than the ones he was currently taking.

By the time Draco went looking for Harry, he was fast asleep on the kitchen table, Andromeda sitting close with a cup of tea as if watching over him.

"Hey, we should head back to the castle," Draco hated to wake him, but they could both use the sight of a bed.

"Or you could stay in one of the rooms here. That way we could spend breakfast together," Andromeda said, before leaving promptly.

"I didn't mean to fall asleep," Harry sat up so promptly as if the house was on fire. "How is he?"

"Relax, Snape's fine," Draco said. "I mean, as much as he can be. He took his potions, and he's retired for the night."

"He passed out again?" Harry misunderstood.

"No, I mean I helped him with what he needed the most, and after that, he declared he needed some rest, and sent me away."

"I... do you mind if I check on him? As long as he's been here, he refused to sleep whenever I suggested..."

"Yeah, no, go ahead."

And when Harry was back, she got worried.

"What's wrong?"

"You told him about us."

"I did, I'm sorry."

"Well, for the record, he said I wasn't letting him sleep, that's new," Harry said. "And he muttered something about how incapable you were without his guidance so he needed a few hours rest to keep managing the work you've been doing?"

"So it worked," Draco chuckled. "I guessed that some brewing might just get him out of his head. At least, that's how it is for me."

"Well, he begrudgingly admitted your company has its merits, and coming from him it might as well be a lifetime achievement award," Harry beamed at her.

"That might just change anytime, depending on which side of the bed he'll wake tomorrow," Draco was embarrassed by how Harry was beaming at her as if dealing with Snape for a couple of hours meant the world, when Harry had been doing it every day, for months.

But it didn't matter what Draco said when Harry kissed her and said.

"Now not to freak you out, but you know what this means, right?"

"Do I seem scared?" Draco guessed he was saying that this way now she "had to" spend more time with Snape, but that wasn't it.

"It means your his favorite parent, while I'm the strict one, so he'll want to spend more time with you..." and he was smiling as if it was a joke, but it fit more ways than one.

"Who knows, one day he could make us proud," Draco joked. "But for now, did someone mention a bed, somewhere close?"

"Yeah, we can stay here until dawn just... you don't mind sharing, do you?" Harry asked.

"Why would it be any different than the castle?" Draco didn't get it.

"Because here there are plenty of empty rooms I could also offer you, I guess," Harry said hesitantly. "So it's not necessary, and maybe a bit more personal."

"That's my middle name when I'm with you," Draco said.

The bed was wide enough for both of them and Draco was almost out like a light when she sensed Harry was still wide awake.

"Did Snape say something insufferable to you? Just when you checked on him?"

"What? No," but Harry was hiding something so Draco might have rolled just a little bit closer to him.

"We'll just have to discuss it in the morning, then," she said, and could only hope she finished the sentence out loud as well before falling asleep.

It seemed atrociously early in the morning when Harry woke her just about an hour or so later if they wanted breakfast with Andromeda before they had to leave if they didn't want to miss class, and Draco didn't know how Harry did this almost every day and could stay upright without snoozing.

"You wanted to have a conversation?" Harry reminded her as if laughing at her drowsiness.

"No matter what Snape said or indicated, I love you," Draco told him. "So don't believe anything else coming from him. Conversation finished. Now please do me a favor and levitate my sleeping body back on the rest of the castle, because I'm quite sure I'm going collapse otherwise…"

"It's just what he said," Harry looked at her with such humor in his eyes that Draco felt too sleepy yet to muster.

"That I'll be falling over today?" she asked. "Probably."

"That you said you loved me and you seemed serious."

"Did I?" Draco's brain felt like mush. "I mean it's true… but I can't seem to remember."

She didn't even realize how big of a deal she just brushed off until around 10 when her mind started to wake up for real, and Harry still wouldn't stop smiling at her.

"Okay, you can stop grinning at me like that, you know."

"I love you too," Harry said it back.

"You better," Draco didn't know what else to say.

"And I've told the same thing to your mom as well. Only adding that I would love you the same..."

"Harry," Draco was incredibly embarrassed, but he kept on speaking.

"…even if you were a wizard, because she seemed to indicate that would break our relationship, but she's wrong."

"You're saying you would kiss me the same way you did, in front of everyone, in the Great Hall, if I was a wizard?" Draco didn't know why she asked, because it didn't matter, as it was just a theoretical question at this point, given that she wasn't a wizard, or was ever going to be again, even if she could be.

But maybe it did matter in a sense that she wanted to build their trust with Harry further, and if he brought up the topic himself, maybe Draco could admit just some insecurities she had - if only to herself - and not dismiss it right away.

"Yes."

"And you'd have sex with me?"

"Also… in the Great Hall?" Harry blushed, making them both laugh, but he quickly turned back to serious and added. "I would. Just... maybe I'd fumble a bit more not knowing what I was doing - at first."

"I hope you left out the fumbling part when you talked to my mother," Draco said. "I don't think she likes to think about her only daughter in that particular concept."

"Okay, so whatever humorous I could say to that would probably come out wrong, so I'm going to shut up," Harry said, making Draco smile.

"The coffee Kreacher made had worn off, so don't stop talking now. I'm solely relying on you to keep me awake."

They might have snuck away in the afternoon for some emergency nap in the Library, before the next DADA club meeting (Draco still couldn't produce a Patronus, no surprise there), just before heading to Grimmauld Place again.

But this time, when they arrived, Snape had already taken his potions and instead of breaking stuff, he was organizing what they were going to need.

"And Potter, don't disappear this time," he said, almost threateningly kindly when Harry was almost out on the door already. "We need someone to chop, dice and cut the ingredients..."

"No," Draco declared. "I won't let you treat Harry unpleasantly just because you're miserable."

"Because Merlin forbid, he might learn something?" Snape suggested, ignoring Draco's comment. "I've just talked with Andromeda, and from what I've heard, Potter's abysmal school marks are all my fault."

"You went downstairs?!" Harry seemed shocked.

"Don't piss yourself, Potter, I only asked the elf to help levitate my chair, and only for a short time," Snape said. "And Andromeda was about to take Teddy for a stroll, so we exchanged a brief greeting."

"And you talked with her? About me?" Harry asked as if the whole concept had left him in disbelief.

"Are you even slower in the head than usual, Potter? I believe it's just what I've said," the old Professor grinned, so Draco saw it was time to interfere.

"Can we concentrate instead? Harry has good enough marks in Potions, so he doesn't need to be here for more insults."

"If he still wants to be an Auror or even just take a job at the Ministry, and not use his fame to get in, he could always use better marks, especially in subjects like Potions," Snape said as if he considered the topic previously.

"I don't know if I want to be an Auror anymore," Harry frowned but he also rolled up his sleeves, getting ready to join them. "But I might as well stay if someone wants me here so badly."

"And by someone, I assume you mean your girlfriend?" Snape didn't exactly help Harry, but knowing him, it could have been worse, so Draco was torn on whether it was a good idea or not.

Harry just signaled her from behind Snape that it was fine, and they made good progress, until Snape's voice gave out, and Draco had to threaten him to make him get some rest.

"Merlin sees my soul, I'll finish the potion alone if you break yourself over it, Professor."

"Hardly," Snape said, but he looked more miserable than before, and that had to be a record.

"Even so, we finish early today. I need my beauty sleep," Draco declared and it wasn't for her benefit, but just by speaking of the topic, she also had to stifle a yawn, so maybe she wasn't entirely indifferent either.

"But--"

"TOMORROW," Draco told Snape so rudely that just a year ago, he'd have taken points from her, but now he just gave her a resentful stare. "Or never, your choice."

"FINE!" Snape might have lost half of his body weight but not his sense for dramatics. "Confine me in this prison! Give me involuntary naptime! And torture me by making me drink potions that's quality is so questionable at best that it's just plain luck I wasn't poisoned by any of them yet, BUT!"

"But?" Draco asked while Harry chuckled in the background.

"I think he wants you to return tomorrow as well."

Draco was afraid Snape would yell at Harry hearing that, but after some contemplation, Snape gave up with a sigh.

"I did not think there would come a time when I was feeling nostalgic about you two trying to terminate each other, yet here we are," he said, sinking back in his chair. "It was so much easier to deal with either of you then."

"Hey, for those who don't speak Slytherin?" Harry asked Draco in a fake whisper. "Does this mean he just admitted I was right?"

"Yes, it does. Bravo to you Potter," Snape rolled his eyes. "But if you as much as make out in my presence, I'm moving out."

Unfortunately, that only got Draco tempted to kiss Harry right there and then, even if they could both use a shower after all the brewing, probably. But Harry looked at her as if he could read her mind, and when Snape seemed far enough, he planted a small kiss on her cheek instead.

"I've heard that!" Snape yelled back.

"Yes, we're having salacious intercourse right now," Draco couldn't help but say, but when Harry started to eye the closest workstation as if assessing how much countertop space they'd need for such an activity, she rather told him.

"Don't. Go help him with the bandages, instead?" she suggested. "I'd do it, but I think he only let me take care of them yesterday because he thought they'd scare me away."

"Yeah, you're right," Harry blushed and rushed to follow Snape, but when he looked back from the door, even his eyes were smiling, unlike just the day before, so Draco could only smile back.

Maybe even if a lot of things in their lives could certainly turn for the worse, it didn't necessarily mean that they no doubt would.