Hogwarts Professors

F O U R

Draco was more confused now then ever. "But what does that have to do with the word always?"

" Once when Snape showed Dumbledore his patronus before 6th year started, Dumbledore asked 'After all this time?' and Snape replied 'Always.'" 

"How do you know that, you went't there."

"It was when Snape was dying, he gave me his tears -memories- and told me to look at them in the Pensieve. That's how I knew I was one of Voldemort's horcruxes and that's how I knew I had to die." 

Neither of the boys noticed how quiet the Great Hall was, or that mostly everyone was looking at the two. The staff all looked very shocked, most of them had been working there with Snape, and they didn't know that about their colleague. 

"I didn't know that, any of it." Draco said softly. The blond boy wanted to kiss Harry, and tell him that everything was going to be alright, but he knew he couldn't do that. 

"Yeah, I still get nightmares about that. Oh well. In other news, have you heard about the Quidditch world cup?" Harry asked. 

Draco laughed at how easily Harry could change subjects. People started to talk again the the Great Hall, the voices and laughter of people giving the room that once held so many dead bodies, life. 

Harry never told everyone this, but for the first few years, every time he walked into the Great Hall, he got the metallic taste of blood in his mouth, and he could remember what the room looked like so well when everyone was crowding around the lost and injured. Harry still thought about it sometimes. Well, all the time. He had lost so many people who were so important, not just to him but to everyone else. Tonks and Remus had a child. A child that would grow up without his parents because they died during a war. A war that could have been avoided if Harry let Sirius murder Wormtail. 

Harry often thought about the different ways that the war could have been avoided, but he knew. He knew. That if the war hadn't happened, and maybe Voldemort was never born, then Harry's life would be so, so different. Different in a bad way. 

If Voldy never existed, and Harry's parents lived, There was a possibility that Harry would never had been friends with Ron, and Hermione, he wouldn't of had such a connection with Dumbledore, Snape could have been even worse to Harry because Harry would act like James -well more then he already did-. Nothing would have been the same, and Harry -although he had suffered enough losses to last a lifetime- wouldn't change his timeline. Not for a moment. 

Draco nudged Harry with his elbow. "You okay, you have been zoning out for about 7 minutes. " 

Harry was startled and looked up to Draco, then smiled. "I'm alright, just thinking about the war." 

Draco nodded understanding what Harry meant. All the lost ones. It broke Draco's heart. 

***

When the boys were done eating, Draco walked with Harry to the Library. The green eyed boy wanted to talk with Hermione. 

"So are you bringing Albus to a very Weasley Christmas?" Draco asked making small talk. 

"Of course, he deserves to meet his family."

"Wait, Ginny never brought him to Christmas?"

"Nope, in fact only George knew about the kid." 

"What in the name of Salazar Slytherin has that girl gotten herself into."

Harry just laughed. When the two got to the Library, Draco bid Harry a goodbye, and left. Harry watched Draco down the hallway, and smiled to himself. He wasn't going to deny it. He was starting to like Draco. But he would never admit that to anyone.