Vera
A gentle rolling cadence of numbers woke him. It was a pleasant change from the abrupt alarm, which left him out of sorts for the rest of the day. Muzzy, he tried to track the sound, not at all surprised that the bed was empty. Draco always woke before him. Finally, he let his eyes crack open to the relative dimness of the dungeon at dawn. The lights were trained to mirror the 24-hour cycle, which meant he'd woken well before usual. Turning on his side, he found the answer to every question.
Returned to a state of semi-decency by a pair of black shorts, Ron was counting off his push-ups. Sweat dripped from his forehead, but otherwise there was no evidence of his exertion. Long defined muscled, rippled responsively to the suggestive motions. Severus watched for a long time, enjoying the near blank state of mind while appreciating the fine physical specimen beside him.
"46,47,48,49,50..." He pulled in a long breath and in one smooth motion flipped over and began sit-ups. "1..2..3..I know you're awake..4..5.."
"Simply enjoying the view."
"7...8...you should have seen me at my peak...9...10.."
"The tattoo on your side of the clock..."
"14....fastest rescue...15...16...of hostages...17...18...during the '99 crisis...19...20..."
"You're very accomplished."
"23..24...for a warrior...25...26...pretty mediocre...27...teacher."
"You'll be a favorite soon enough. They may even ask you to be Head of Gryffindor."
"Don't make me laugh, you'll throw me off count."
"30." He offered helpfully. "How long have you been awake?"
"32.....about a half hour...33...I know how much....34...you like to sleep in...35.."
"But not enough to leave my chambers when you started your primitive morning rituals."
"I like...37....38...watching you...39...sleep..."
"Draco has informed me that I snore."
"You do...41...42...but it's more of a wheeze...43...44...besides...45...I drooled...46...on your arm."
There was a fine white powder on one spot of his wrist, but it didn't bear to think about it too much.
"You do this every morning?"
"49...50...baring emergency...51..52..."
"So should I let you stay in my bed, I shall be forewarned of your unfortunate morning habits." Ron stopped, staring up at him. "52." He reminded.
"I was up to 53 and do you mean you're really going to make it that easy?"
"What ever do you mean?" Well aware that coy looked absolutely ridiculous on him.
"Sweet Merlin." Ron chuckled. "You have a sense of humor...about yourself?"
"I know what I am, Mr. Weasley." He informed the laughing man. "And given a certain comfort level, I have no problem with jesting about it."
"I was thinking that this would be hard." Ron said suddenly, staring up into dark eyes from the floor. "It was hard with Blaise, with the war and sorting and well, everything. But this doesn't seem hard. Being with you...it's like second nature."
"Now I know you're really a Gryffindor."
"Why?"
"No Slytherin has ever been so sappy. I believe it's against house rules."
For a moment, Ron's eyes glittered and that's all the warning Severus got before 170 pounds of Weasley launched at him. Ron caught him up in a kiss, affectionately slapping him on the stomach at the same time.
"Did you mean it though?"
"Mean what?"
"The staying in your bed part?" They're eyes were locked and because they were both stubborn beyond belief, neither looked away.
"Yes, I think I did. Though we'll have to find a way to roust the other occupant." He pushed his tongue into his cheek thoughtfully.
"Uhh...about that." Ron bit his lower lip. "I didn't stay here the whole time I was up. I got up to get my wand and some shorts.... PercyandDracowereasleepinmybed."
"What?!"
Severus started to surge upward, but it was no small thing to dislodge Ron.
"They were properly clothed! Just sleeping. I didn't wake them up then, but I imagine with Draco's internal clock they're eating breakfast by now. Would you have preferred them to stay awake all night or worse, interupt us?"
"I would have preferred that man to keep his hands off of my son!"
"First off, 'that man' is my brother and you know perfectly well that of all people Proper Percy would be the last one to lay inappropriate hands on your son. Who, might add, is the same age as the man you just spent the night with."
"That doesn't mean..."
"He and Percy slept together. They've taken naps together before. This was just for an extended period of time. And yes, one day, if Draco is ever ready, they will have sex. Hopefully somewhere far away from here, but it will happen. You might want to accept that."
"Must I?" Severus had already fallen back, resigned.
"Yes. Think of it this way: If my Father walked in here right now and started berating you for deflowering his son..."
"I would tell him that I was far too late for that task."
Ron considered the situation and did the only rational thing to do. He smacked his smirking lover with a pillow. And then made a run for the door, certain that Severus' prudish dressing tendencies would keep him from following. It took him about four seconds to realize he'd greatly misjudged the other man's desire for vengeance. Somehow, Severus had managed to shimmy into some pair of pajama bottoms and with a speed Ron wouldn't have believed in him, launched an offensive. They streaked through the living room and past the tiny dinning room where Percy and Draco were on their second serving of scrambled eggs and beans.
"I guess Ron told Papa." Draco said mildly, pouring liberal amounts of salt on his plate.
"Guess so. Was Snape carrying a pillow?"
The bathroom door slammed shut, half a dozen locking and unlocking spells were yelled back and forth, but Ron wasn't the Charms teacher for nothing. Eventually, Severus appeared grumbling through the living room and slamming the door to his bedroom. Draco finished off his eggs and started to spear beans one by one. Four minutes later, Ron emerged wet, a towel tied around his waist and a false repentant expression plastered on his face as he tapped on the bedroom door. He was admitted entrance after a low whispered discussion.
"That was bizarre." Percy glanced through the newspaper.
"Pass the hash browns."
"And yet, you seem unfazed."
"If you had just seen your father run past you in pants, chasing your equally scantily clad mother with a pillow..."
"Point taken. Want me to brush your hair after breakfast?"
"Yes, please.'
Breakfast eaten, hair brushed, showers taken and a game of chess begun, the other duo finally emerged from the bedroom. They were immaculately dressed and not a hair of place. Neither Percy nor Draco believed it for a moment, but for the sake of everyone's sanity, said nothing.
"Good morning." Severus greeted pleasantly. "Has the paper come yet?"
"It's on your desk." Draco informed him. "Ron, how many moves to checkmate?"
"He's got you in four. No visible escape." The red head plunked down on the couch. "Accio syllabus."
A sheaf of papers, several books and a quill floated into the room and landed softly on the low coffee table. Draco watched, fascinated.
"But you only called for the syllabus..."
"I used a binding spell on the items. They work as a unit with a single name."
"That should be impossible." Severus returned with the Daily Prophet and settled in his chair. "The whole fabric of Charms is the language, how do you get away with renaming things?"
"I don't 'get away' with anything. Linking the items is actually more of a modified transfiguration."
"Have you ever considered publishing that?" Percy asked, still staring at the chessboard trying to figure out what four moves Ron had been referring to. "Under a penname of course. It could be very helpful."
"Think of the implications for potions..." Draco looked dreamily at the pile of books and parchment. "If I could bind ingredients before adding them, especially partially, it would change.."
"The whole balance of the brew." Severus agreed. "It would take a lot of delicate testing, but it might very create some interesting and useful things."
"Maybe. I never really thought about it as something worth writing down. I figured it was common sense."
"Did you know that grinding ash bark into a healing potion will preserve it for years?" Black eyes focused in middle space.
"No."
"Well, Draco does. Since he was thirteen and he never told me because he assumed that anyone who worked with potions would know that. I had to find it in his lab." He leaned farther forward in his chair. "Too many great magics are lost because people are ashamed or ignorant of their own genius. If there had been no war, do you think you would have made all the leaps you did? Only the direst situation forced you to create things that no one else has in the thousands of years magic folk have at this."
"All right. I'll get it published. When I have time." He glanced down at the pile. "Which at this rate will be never."
"I'd give you a concentration potion..." Severus began.
"Yes, I am one of the over users. None of them will ever be effective on me ever again." Ron cringed. "And I think I'm glad of that. I always felt paranoid on those things."
"Checkmate!" Percy cried, a little too triumphantly. Draco sighed and set up the board again.
"You're enjoying this too much."
"Lull him into a false sense of security then strike." Severus advised. Draco took it to heart, lost three games running then decimated Percy at the fourth. By then Ron had reworked the first few weeks for all his classes, putting in provisions for the slowest of students and Severus had thoroughly dissected the paper.
"Do you think the weather held?" Draco stretched and tapped the correct stone on the fireplace. It revealed a clear sky and light wind in the trees. "I'm low on a few things, especially since Percy hasn't made good on the bribe yet."
"As soon as I get my next paycheck."
"In the mean while, I need to go for a long walk in a dense field. Up to it?"
"Sure."
"I've got to do some shopping in Diagon." Ron announced. He grinned at his lover and gave him an affectionate kiss on the cheek. "And you should do your research."
The three younger men collected themselves and one by one flooed out leaving Severus alone with his thoughts and a few interesting new notions about binding spells, genius and how remarkably pleasant it was to have a lover he needn't explain himself too.
"I'm telling you that boy is strange." Ron insisted for the fifth time.
"There's always two or three off center children in a grade. It's expected." Severus insisted. They lay together in the darkness, talking for the first time since breakfast. A school wasn't a very congenial place for a new relationship. They were separated most of the day, leaving them wanting by the time Percy and Draco retired to bed. Three weeks together and they already were falling into patterns.
"He keeps staring at me."
"You're the professor. They're supposed to stare at you."
"It's not like that..."
"If you're so concerned, then perhaps you should reconsider using the Sight."
Ron had decided to refrain from using the Sight unless there was a potentially dangerous situation. He'd been wavering on the case of Ariel Volpone whose strange and prolonged stares in his fifth year Slytherin/Ravenclaw class gave him goose bumps.
"I think I might have to. I'm giving them a test next week, I'll try then. What about you? Classes going well enough?"
"My reputation again precedes me to my benefit. Everyone is suitably cowed and malleable."
"You're a frightening man."
"Thank you." Severus tugged at one of his nipple rings, provoking a squeak. "You know, these people have graves now. Every one of them. I noticed Mrs. Black has removed all of hers. And I'm sure the Minister has been shedding his as well."
"Just a little longer. I've had them a good long time." He touched the two at his eyebrows, the small loop in his nose. "Some longer then others."
"As long as the children don't start copying you." A yawn cracked his jaw.
"Yes, sir." Ron scooted forward, laying his head on the other man's shoulder. "Now shut up and go to sleep."
The next day dawned far too early with Ron finishing his count off and brushing a kiss on his lover's lips. Severus slogged through the day, praying for an end to his suffering when his second class of the day rounded out at five explosions and one full melt down. His fifteen-minute break was interrupted by Trewlany, who had recovered from Ron's attack sobering charm and wanted to apologize to him in the form of free fortune telling. By the time his sixth year Hufflepuff/Ravenclaw class was half way through, he could feel the twitch in his left eye returning.
"Severus!" Albus' voice called suddenly from a startled Hufflepuff's flame. "Come quickly, Charms classroom, Professor Weasley just collapsed."
The black blur that passed for the potions master was up five flights of stairs and through four corridors faster then any student thought possible. Several of them followed, concerned Hufflepuffs mostly and one or two Ravenclaws who thought it might be a test of some sort. The door to the Charms class was wide open and the students were milling about in the hallway. Severus pushed past them all and into the room. Albus was kneeling by the fallen body of his lover. Severus knelt down, oblivious to prying eyes and shifted the limp torso against his knees.
"Ron..."
"According to his class, he was fine and then he had some sort of confrontation with one the students, convulsed and collapsed."
"Ariel Volpone." Severus cursed, lightly slapping the prone man's cheeks. "I should have listened to him."
"Sev..." The whisper broke over pale lips and Severus nearly wept for joy. "..sorry..."
"It's all right. Rest now. You can tell me all about it later." Gently, he bent and picked him up himself, whispering a weightless spell. The children parted like water as the formidable Professor Snape pushed through them. The rumor mill was already hard at work, but at that moment there was only silence. An undetectable camera clicked away.
The knocking grew more and more insistent until Harry barked a command to enter. Spread all around the spacious office were piles of reports and a busy quartet of workers sorting through them. They were the cases of dozens of suspected Death Eaters and Death Eater sympathizers, hate mail sent to the offices and the records of every current auror and some qualified replacements. In the middle of this, a nervous jittering male assistant Harry remembered from Accounting.
"Minister, you might want to see this." He dropped the Prophet on the desk, sending a flurry of other papers flying.
"Fuck."
Plastered across the cover of the paper was a picture of Ron, draped in Snape's arms obviously unconscious and the older man looking distressed as students parted in a wave. As he watched, the potions master looked almost directly at the camera and Harry's heart skipped a beat. He didn't need Silver Sight to read that look.
"Get me the spin team and a direct route to Hogwarts." He snapped at one of the bustling assistants. "And cancel my appointments for the rest of the day. Have the spin team start rapping, but don't make any moves until I give the word. Until then, we are silent."
Confident that his orders were being obeyed, he strode from the office. By the time he hit the street, a horseless carriage was waiting to fly him swiftly and safely to Hogwarts.
"Mrs. Black!"
Hermione's head shot up from where she was scanning an ancient text for clues to another translation.
"Shush, this is a study area." She scolded the other woman, a student in one of her secondary classes.
"Aren't you friends with Lt. Gen... I mean Professor Weasley."
"Yes, I am."
"You should see this then. Hot off the presses."
"Oh..." The image played over twice and blood rushed hot into her cheeks. " I...I have to go."
She collected her things in a hurry, dashing off a note to Regulus and called for a wizarding taxi.
"He turned to me and it was the most hateful stare I've ever seen."
Severus leaned closer, fingers twining his fingers closer with his lovers.
"And that's when you switched to the Sight?"
"It was the stupidest thing I could have done. I should have known from his stares how much..." He shuddered. "I did something to him or he thinks I did. It's specific forceful hate. There were images of him cutting me to pieces, laughing..."
"You don't need to speak of it."
"No...no, that's not it. I think I know what it is, Sev..."
The door burst open and the Minister came flying in, eyes wild.
"You're all right!" Harry took his free hand. "I saw the newspaper and my hearts stopped...hello, Professor."
"Minister Potter." He acknowledged.
"It's true then....you two..."
"Yes, Harry." Ron sighed. "It wasn't how I intended you to find out."
"I just... I guess I'm glad you're ok. Can you tell me what happened?"
"Its difficult to explain." Ron's grip tightened on Severus' hand, sending the message of silence.
"Professor Weasley was caught off guard by a student. A mistake he will most assuredly not make again." Severus wracked his brains for a change of topic. "Why did that photo make it into the Prophet anyway? You assured us that there was no media allowed into this school."
"A grave error in judgment." Harry looked away. "Someone infiltrated the school with a trained owl perhaps..."
"Oh, Harry." Silver bled away from whites. "You didn't."
"He didn't what?" Severus growled.
"He sent in a spy to the school, to leak media reports to the press. It's a good tactical move. The press doesn't think it's really being shut out and the Ministry can control everything that gets reported. Only you chose a bad spy, someone unreliable and they went ahead on this one without you."
"He's been rogue for some time, actually. Just had nothing to report." The Minister agreed. "I didn't mean for..."
"You promised me I was safe here, Harry. You of all people should know what that means." He sat up higher in bed. "You failed me."
"Worse." The icy tone from the door startled all three men. Hermione's eyes gleamed. "He arranged for the leak. I told him that you were with the Professor, Ron.
"How could you have known?"
"I am not blind." She snapped. "I knew what I saw out in the garden that night, but I'm a better friend then some it seems. I was going to wait until you were ready to tell me. I only mentioned it to Harry, so he could prepare himself for this."
"I didn't intend for this to happen!" Harry protested again, nearly stamping his foot in aggravation. "Not this way."
"Fuck." Ron summed up succinctly. "You did mean for this to leak..."
"Once the children knew about it, there wasn't much point in keeping it under wraps." Harry defended. "Once I saw that picture I knew..."
"What? That my right to privacy was forfeit? Mordred and Morgeuse. You've really gone on a complete power trip, haven't you?"
"Ron, be reasonable..."
"I don't think he has any reason to be." Hermione snapped. "Harry Potter, you ought to be glad that I'm more worried about Ron right now then angry with your violation of his rights. I think I'm going to have a talk with your parents."
"I'm a grown man!"
"Well, you've not been acting like one recently." She pointed out. "You've been acting like a spoiled child."
"I can't believe you people! I'm in the middle of trying to bring peace to our world and restructure a whole government! I'm going to make mistakes, I don't have time to get my spin team to cover up for my friends capricious decisions...."
"Shit, Harry. Do you want me to hate you?"
They had been allies and friends since they'd met that first day of Hogwarts. Together they had planned battles, protected each other and given blood in the name of their shared ideals. But that day, something broke between them. It was as Severus had predicted all those long months ago. Arthur ultimately failed by putting his love of peace above his wife, friends and allies. He lost Lancelot three times. Once to madness, once to war and finally in death which came to them both an ocean apart. So Harry began his own destiny that day though he and Ron would temporarily heal the rift between them. Paths were drawn in that room as Harry stormed out, temper raging. Futures were cast into stone while Hermione fussed over Ron.
"So what is this all about anyway?" Hermione asked from the comfortable chair Madame Pomfrey had summoned the moment she noticed the pregnant woman standing in the room.
"The very thing that I least regret is what I am being made to pay for." Ron shook his head. "Why would Lucius give up his only son and heir to the Dark Lord, in full knowledge that the boy would be either broken or killed?"
"I have wondered the same thing myself many times."
"What if he knew that he had another heir."
"But Narcissa never bore another child. There was no way that Lucius would have been able to keep it to himself...."
"Unless he knew that announcing it would only have that child confiscated as well." Ron leaned forward, rubbing at his eyes. "He could have bound Narcissa to silence."
"She died several years ago..."
"And why murder her? In a way that she could be found...she probably threatened to tell someone about the other boy. If I remember she was a very strong witch in her own right. Many tried to assassinate her and failed."
"What makes you so sure there was another son?" Hermione stared at him, quizzically.
"Because I saw him today, in the eyes of a student. The boy who made me collapse imagined killing me in the exact way I did Lucius. The hate I felt....it was the strongest I've ever encountered."
"He looks nothing like a Malfoy..."
"Poly-Juice. He could be anyone. He'd have to be seventeen at least, so he'd need a disguise to attend Hogwarts. What better way then through some advanced potion?"
"Which means the real Ariel Volpone is probably trapped somewhere, being harvested periodically for ingredients." Hermione shivered, clutching reflexively at her own belly. "And the imposter has been doing who knows what for the last three months here at Hogwarts."
"And at the moment, loose in the school." Severus reminded coldly. "He probably knows his cover is close to blown, what with the ill-timed article and all. The Slytherin thing to do would be lie low and play it safe."
"But he's obviously quite mad." Hermione reminded. "He didn't mean for Ron to find out, but he couldn't control himself in class. I'll bet he's panicking."
"Well, everyone he wants to go after is here." Ron gestured to include Severus and himself. "I'm sure he wants you for being a traitor as well as my...."
"Not everyone." Severus looked frozen. "If he's been here for three months, then there's no way he couldn't have caught a glimpse of Draco..."
The quiet blond didn't usually make himself known to the students, but with the war over and with Percy easing him into the real world, he was less cautious.
"Who's the spitting image of Lucius." Ron struggled out of bed. "Let's go."
"You're in no condition." Hermione scolded.
"I fainted. Once. Four hours ago. I'm over it." Shoes and robes flew on and the trio made their way rapidly through the halls ,down through the dungeons, ignoring the curious stares of the students.
Severus' workshop was in shambles, notes thrown everywhere, glasses shattered. Percy lay on the floor, bleeding copiously from a shallow head wound. Immediately, Ron was at his side, slapping him gently.
"What....oh.. Ron! Ron, thank Merlin. He took Draco...this strange child..."
"Where?"
"I don't know..." He coughed hard. "He said something about poetic justice."
"Hermione, get him to the Infirmary. Severus, check over Malfoy Manor. Tell the Aurors there that the Minister sent you. The code is Pax Britannia."
"And where are you going?"
"Back to where it began."
With that, he was in the fireplace, commanding himself away before anyone could protest.
"I'm going to kill him. Impulsive, stupid Gryffindor." Severus hissed. "Get him to the Infirmary, Mrs. Black. I have a son and an idiot to go find."
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