Draco sighed. "It's a nice thought, but we couldn't hide forever. Father always gets his way." He swept some blond hair out of his eyes. "I thought you were showing me your bedroom, anyway? Hurry up!"
Harry blushed, his brain flashing to some other context Draco might want to see his bedroom. He told his brain to sod off and stop being ridiculous. As if he and Draco would be— like that!
Still, as he nudged open the door, the thought stayed lodged in the corner of his mind. It wouldn't be so bad, maybe. If they were.
.-.-.-.
Sirius looked across the living room at the two teenage boys sprawled in front of the fire, playing some sort of card game the Malfoy boy had apparently learned in France. His mind still boggled at the sight of a Potter and a Malfoy being so friendly. The blond wasn't that bad, considering his upbringing. Narcissa had done alright with him there.
And Narcissa, well — Sirius hadn't expected it to be so easy to see his cousin again. In the years before the fall of Voldemort, he'd thought her truly lost to her awful husband. She'd been haughty and cruel and gotten sucked in to all the talk of blood purity and war against muggles. He wasn't sure what had changed, but he was glad. She was more and more like the little girl he'd grown up alongside, who would do anything for her family and just wanted those she loved to be safe and happy. She still clearly had a lot of firm opinions about blood status, but they were much more similar to Sirius' opinions; muggleborns were quite welcome, as long as the wizarding traditions weren't lost in amongst their muggle customs.
"They really don't have any idea?" Narcissa asked quietly, her eyes cast over at her son and Sirius' godson. Remus smirked.
"Not a clue. Not that Harry's told me, at least. Astonishing, isn't it?" "It's disgusting," Snape drawled. Sirius laughed quietly.
"I think it's sweet." He watched as Harry stole a card from Draco's hand, making some sort of remark that had Draco's cheeks turning pink. "They're so innocent."
"Hopefully we can keep them that way for a while longer," Remus sighed. "Merlin, they're worse than Severus and I ever were. At least we knew we were flirting."
Across the room, Harry laughed, rolling away as Draco tried to snatch one of his cards. Sirius sighed to himself; did Harry have to choose a Malfoy? That was unfair, he supposed. Draco was a nice enough kid, for a Slytherin. He'd heard something from Harry over the weeks about the role the boy had to play in public, and it sounded like it would wear on anyone.
"I'm betting they'll figure it out by Christmas," Sirius declared under his breath. "Harry's a bit thick sometimes, but he's not that dense. He'll have a quick little sexuality crisis, then they'll be sorted."
"I'm surprised Draco's so oblivious," Narcissa commented. "He's always known he likes boys. Truthfully, I've been wondering if something like this might happen ever since I got a letter his first week of Hogwarts with three whole paragraphs about Harry Bloody Potter and how frustrating he was." She smiled fondly. "I certainly never expected it to go like this."
"Harry is remarked.
full
of
surprises,"
Remus
That was an understatement if Sirius had ever heard one. "I think we've only hit the tip of the iceberg, there." He thought about everything that had come to light ever since he'd met Harry. It was just the beginning.
He caught Snape and Narcissa sharing a loaded glance, and Remus frown and place a hand on Snape's left arm. Sirius's brows furrowed. "What?" he asked, wondering what he was missing. Snape looked to Narcissa. "Is it getting darker for you, too?"
The blonde cursed softly.
woman
nodded.
Snape
"What?" Sirius hissed again. Then it dawned on him, his gaze dropping to Remus' hand curled around Snape's forearm. He hadn't seen Snape in short sleeves since that day in the pool. "Oh. He's getting stronger, isn't he?" Peter must have found his master, as Trelawney had predicted. Sirius' stomach rolled.
"It's just a matter of time," Narcissa confirmed. "Lucius has been meeting with several old friends this summer. I believe there are plans being hatched." Squeezing his eyes shut for a minute, Sirius shook his head, looking back over at the two teenagers. So carefree, so happy. He wanted Harry to stay that way forever.
"I've been invited to several of those meetings," Snape revealed. "I managed to find excuses for all but one. He's definitely reconnecting with the old crowd. I'm keeping my ear to the ground, but it's all just murmurs so far. Everyone is hesitant to trust what they know to be true, just in case."
The Triwizard Tournament likely wasn't the only thing they'd have to worry about this school year. Sirius cursed Peter Pettigrew for the thousandth time because of him, he wouldn't be able to protect Harry like he ought to. He just had to send him off into Dumbledore's clutches and hope against hope nothing happened that he couldn't fix.
He looked to his cousin, who had fear etched in her pretty features. "Cissa, if you ever need somewhere to go," he started cautiously, unsure how she might take his offer. "The House of Black will always welcome you with open arms." He couldn't do anything about Lucius legally, but he could offer her a safehouse until the war ended if it ever got bad.
"I had hoped to play my part well enough to keep Draco out of the worst of things," Narcissa said, pursing her lips as she cast her gaze over to her son. "I'm starting to think that might not be possible anymore. I hadn't accounted for this."
Sirius snorted under his breath; none of them had accounted for the way those two boys looked at each other with stars in their eyes.
"It's too early to tell, yet," Narcissa continued. "But I'll make sure there are arrangements in place for any future… inevitabilities. And I'll keep your offer in mind. Thank you, cousin."
"Whatever comes to pass, I think it's clear we're all in it together, now," Sirius replied.
Between those two teenagers sat oblivious in front of the fire, all four of the adults in the room would give their lives in a heartbeat for one or the other. And, while Sirius knew it was too soon to tell — teenage crushes came and went like clothing trends — if Harry was anything like his parents, he had a sneaking suspicion he and Narcissa were going to end up even closer family than they were now. Eventually.
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