Harry stared at Hotrod and Hotrod stared back.
"Please let me touch it!" Harry begged and Hotrod hid behind Hermione.
"No! Go touch your mate's tail!" Draco glared at him before announcing loudly "I do not have a tail!" Hotrod blinked before sighing.
"That's the saddest thing I've ever heard. I had forgotten humans didn't have tails." He muttered.
"I'll give you extra cookies." Harry tried to bribe him and he shook his head.
"Keep your grubby fingers away from my tail, hairy boy." Harry giggled. Hotrod was convinced his name was Hairy, not Harry.
"Now back to business. Hotrod, do you think you can find Dumbledore?" The demon rolled its eyes and said "of course I can find an old man! I'm a rather high end demon you know?" He bragged and Hermione rolled her eyes.
"Is that why you got outsmarted by kids?" She gestured to them.
"For your information, girl, I let you outsmart me. My last summoner kept bringing me humans to eat. Gave me terrible indigestion. When I asked them for a nice fruit salad, they looked at me like I was crazy! What? A demon can't enjoy fruit every once and a while?" He mumbled to himself.
"Well Herm did beat you up." Ron spoke out and the demon snorted.
"You really think your weak human fists can do anything against me? It felt like I was getting a massage!" Hotrod chomped on his bagel as Ron held Hermione back.
"We need to hide him. We can't have him walking around Hogwarts like this." Neville said and Hermione started flipping through her book.
"Hotrod, you can change your form right?" She asked and he nodded his head.
"What would you like me to be? A dragon? Oh, a goat? What about a black crow?" He bared his teeth and Hermione shook her head.
"A cat!" She said firmly and he pouted but shifted. He was a bright orange cat with a smushed face.
"It's so ugly!" Fred cried out as George snickered beside him.
"I think he looks cute. Hotrod, we'll be changing your name again. I'll call you Crookshanks!" She said happily and the newly dubbed Crookshanks hissed.
"That's an awful name, girl!" Hermione just picked him up and pet him causing him to purr loudly. Harry hugged Draco and whispered "I think we've created a monster!"
~~~~~~
Severus walked out of his office, discreetly fixing his hair. Sirius had stopped by during lunch and he didn't need any unsavory rumors starting. Again. He had a free block before his next class.
"-can't believe he ate so much! We should've just let him loose in the forbidden forest!" His godson was saying and Severus stepped out from the shadows.
"Who ate so much?" Harry and Draco had been acting suspicious all day. He knew they were planning on retaliating after Dumbledore's attack but they were being very quiet about it. Draco was walking with Hermione and she was holding the ugliest cat he had ever seen!
"Oh! This is my new pet, Crookshanks. He likes to eat." She said quickly and he curled his lip at the little monster.
"Keep it away from Harry. It will give him nightmares." The cat opened its mouth and Hermione pinched its ear.
"Meow?" It said and Severus leaned forward.
"It even has an ugly meow!" He gave it one more nasty look before walking away. He would have to convince Sirius to chase it around the castle. His mongrel loved chasing things, he thought fondly.
"Oh! Hi father!" Harry said brightly as he rounded the corner and hugged him. He smelled like sulfur and Severus absentmindedly spelled it away. Perhaps he had been playing with his snakes and got into something?
"Hello, son. Have you had lunch?" He asked and Harry shook his head.
"How about we go to the kitchens and eat something, hm?" He had missed spending time with his sweet boy. He would be graduating this year and Severus didn't want him to leave the nest just yet. He was glad they weren't fighting anymore. It had broken his heart to ground him but he had panicked.
"Of course, father!" They made their way to the kitchens and the House Elves squealed upon seeing them.
"Professor Lucius's friends are here!" One cried out and Severus stopped himself from rolling his eyes. Lucius had unionized the House Elves and they practically worshipped the dramatic man.
"Harry, you know you'll always have a home with papa and I, right? No matter what happens, you can always come home to us." He said and Harry beamed at him.
"I know, father! I figured Draco would move in with us after we graduate. I don't want to leave so soon." He said hesitantly, as if Severus would be upset. Sirius wouldn't like Draco living with them but he would take care of it. His little boy wasn't leaving just yet!
"Of course, my son. You can stay as long as you want."
~~~~~~
Draco breathed softly as he hid underneath the bed. He definitely should not be here!
"Nev, stop wiggling!" Herm said loudly and the bed creaked.
"You better listen to Hermione, Nev! She's going to mess up!" His darling was having his weekly self care day with Neville and Herm. Draco had snuck into the Gryffindor's dorm to drop off a cake for his beloved when he heard them coming up the stairs. He had panicked before lunging underneath the bed. He couldn't come out now because he had already been here for twenty minutes! Harry would be upset by his eavesdropping but he wasn't trying to. He couldn't reach his ears because of the small space so he couldn't cover them. His best bet was to stay as still and quiet as possible until he could sneak away.
"I think you'll look very lovely with that nail color, Nev!" Draco longed to see what color his darling picked. Last week was green and he had drawn a M on his ring finger. Draco had been deliriously happy.
"I can't believe your father called me ugly to my face!" Crookshanks howled and he could hear Harry putting brownies on his plate.
"Don't be too upset, Crookshanks. Professor Snape thinks everyone except Lord Black and Harry are ugly." Neville said comfortingly but the demon would not be appeased.
"Summoner, perhaps I could pee on his desk?" The demon cat asked hopefully and Herm immediately said "no." Draco could hear him scratching his post in retaliation.
"Harry, have you picked out your wedding robes? I know Draco has been hounding Ron about it." He perked up at the mention of the wedding.
"Yes! Not to brag but it will be stunning." Harry's voice sounded dreamy and Draco strained his ears to hear more.
"Ron said there's a lot of lace involved? Neville asked and Draco felt his face flush as he pictured Harry in nothing but lace. How lovely. His life had been leading up to this moment and he was so excited!
"Thank Merlin, we're buying it now. We're having it imported. Mummy Malfoy knows someone who knows someone." He said and Draco preened. Of course his Mother would be involved. She kept everything running smoothly.
"It's a shame I couldn't convince Cedric to join us. I think we would have made a lovely triad." Draco felt his thoughts come to a screeching halt. Pretty boy Diggory? PRETTY BOY DIGGORY? Draco would drown him in a puddle if he so much as looked at Harry during their wedding. Harry wanted him? Draco started wiggling out from underneath the bed, banging his head as he managed to break free. He shook the dust out of his hair and met Harry's amused gaze.
"My love, I was just trying to bring you a little surprise! I didn't mean to listen but Diggory? Please say you're joking." He begged and they all started laughing. He looked at Crookshanks and the cat licked its paw before commenting "Your feet have been sticking out this whole time." He blushed in embarrassment but Harry kissed his cheek.
"Would you like to eat some cake with us, Draco?" He happily let Harry feed him cake as he gazed into his eyes. Somewhere in Diagon Alley, Cedric Diggory shivered as he felt a sense of doom wash over him.
~~~~~~
"Tonks, are you here?" Harry's voice echoed throughout the busy room and she peeked out of her cubicle. Her fellow Hufflepuff was looking curiously around the room and she waved her arms to catch his attention.
"Wotcher, Harry!" She swung him around before setting him down on his feet. He reached her shoulder now and she leaned over to pinch his cheek. They grew up so fast, she sniffed.
"Tonks! You can't have outside-" Johnson's mouth formed an O before he said "Blimey! You're Harry Potter!" He was staring at Harry's scar and she glared at him. Only the older generation still got worked up over the whole Boy-Who-Lived thing. Everyone under the age of thirty knew Harry as Draco Malfoy's betrothed.
"No autographs, please. At least not until I change my name to Malfoy." Harry said and Johnson gave him a confused look.
"What about the Malfoy's?" Tonks scowled at him before barking out "Piss off, Johnson!" He scurried away and she gave Harry an apologetic look.
"Sorry, Harbear." He waved his hand.
"It's okay, Tonks! I actually came to talk to Rita and decided to stop by. I missed you." He pouted and she kissed all over his face.
"Aw, my sweet cousin. I missed you more! Ceddy will be so jealous that I saw you." She laughed and Harry gave her a shocked look.
"Aunt Andy hasn't managed to kill him yet?" She puffed up with pride.
"Not yet! Mum's been furious about it. Says he must be drinking liquid luck everyday." She whispered and Harry giggled. A cough broke up their conversation and she saw Moody leaning against her cubbie.
"Tonks, we're at work." He barked out and she rolled her eyes.
"I saw that." He continued and she turned to face him before deliberately rolling her eyes.
"You were meant to." She said and the old man grumbled.
"And Harry was just stopping by!" Old man Moody gave Harry an intense look.
"It's a shame Albus is trying to off you, boy. I always said he had too much on his plate. It would drive anyone crazy. Make sure you are always vigilant!" He shouted the last word and Harry gave him a thumbs up.
"Thanks, crazy man! I have to get going or Draco will start panicking. Bye, Tonks!" He waved happily before skipping out of the room.
"Did he just call me crazy?" Moody asked the room and no one had the guts to answer him.