Both Harry and Snape wore stunned expressions when they heard what Draco said.
Snape slowly took the letter from him, but Harry shook his head.
"What? No," he said, dropping his own letter from Sirius down to the table.
"Harry," Snape said his name like it was a scolding for talking out of turn as he read the letter.
"She said she's left my father," Draco said quietly. "She said she has a new house for us to live in."
"So what?" Harry snapped. He turned in his chair to face Draco. "She's probably just lying, right Dad? Tell him he can't go back with her."
"Harry, it's not that simple," Snape said softly as he passed the letter back to Draco.
Harry could feel his stomach churning. Why wasn't Snape telling Draco what a bad idea this was?
"Of course it is," Harry said. "She shunned him for weeks. Did everyone just forget about that?"
"It wouldn't be like that now," Draco assured him.
"Boys," Snape interjected, standing up. "That's enough. We all just need to calm down and-"
Harry saw the way that Draco's grey eyes lit up at the idea, but all he could think about was how terrible this was. "You don't know that!" he shouted. "What kind of mother pretends her son doesn't exist?"
"It wasn't her fault!" Draco shot back. "You're just jealous because unlike you, I've still got a mum who wants me!"
"Draco!"
***
Everything happened so fast. One minute, Harry and Draco were roughhousing on the way to the dining room, teasing each other, and exchanging friendly shoves as they laughed, and the next minute Harry was out of his seat and he and Draco were scuffling around on the floor while Snape was shouting for them to stop.
He had swiftly broken up the fight- if you could really call it that - and deposited them both into separate corners of the kitchen with stern warnings to stay there until he told them otherwise. Then he'd left the room all together.
It had been at least twenty minutes ago, Harry was sure, and he was still fuming. He hated the corner. He hated standing there and thinking about what he'd done. He hated that he could hear the clock ticking from all the way in the parlor, and he hated these stupid grey walls, too. Maybe he'd learn a paint changing spell and use it on all of Snape's boring walls.
And he hated Draco Bloody Malfoy.
Harry paused.
No, he didn't, but he was definitely still mad at him. It wasn't lost on Harry that Draco had said something similar the year before when he had come to visit which had resulted in nearly the same outcome. He didn't know why he let it get to him so badly. Of course, he didn't know why Draco would say something like that in the first place, either.
"You're a bloody prat, you know that?" he said, his voice barely above a whisper. Just loud enough for Draco to hear from where he stood at the other end of the wall, closest to the small window that overlooked the back garden.
"No talking in the corner," came Snape's stern voice from somewhere behind him. When had he come back? "And watch your language," he added.
Harry groaned. "Yes, sir." He reached his arm up to rub his shoulder. It wasn't really all that sore, but he had banged it against the floor when he and Draco fell, and he thought he might end up with a bruise later.
"I wonder," Snape said a few moments later, "if there will ever be a time where the two of you can go more than a few months without ending up in an actual fist fight?" He didn't wait for them to respond before he went on, "Not that I want you throwing hexes at one another, but one does wonder if either of you even realize that you're wizards? Or perhaps you enjoy rolling around on the floor like muggles in a bar room brawl?"
Harry tentatively cleared his throat, but he didn't say anything.
"Nothing to add?" Snape asked. "No defense to give for this appalling display?"
Harry rolled his eyes, suddenly grateful that Snape couldn't see him. "This sounds like a conversation that I might like to be a part of," he said with as much attitude as he dared, "except that I'm not allowed to talk while I'm in the corner."
The room was silent, and Harry could have kicked himself. Honestly, did he have no self-preservation at all?
"Come here," Snape said after a long moment. "Both of you."
Harry let out a small breath before slowly turning around.
Snape was standing beside the table, with his hip leaning against it and his arms crossed over his chest.
Harry stepped close to Snape and green eyes met obsidian ones as he spoke softly, "I'm sorry."
Snape's gaze remained steely for a few seconds more before he said, "While I do not appreciate the cheek, Harry James, you were also not wrong. I had told you not to talk while in the corner, I can't fault you for obeying me." Snape reached his hand out and let it rest on his neck right where it met his shoulder. "I apologize, Harry."
Harry felt himself leaning into the comfort and warmth of Snape's hand on his neck. His callused thumb rubbed back and forth against his skin before Harry felt himself being pulled in close for a quick hug.
"Alright," Snape said before pointing to Harry's chair. "Sit down. Draco?"
Draco, who had been standing a few steps behind Harry, came forward when Snape crooked a finger in his direction. Then Harry watched as Snape pulled him in for a hug as well. Snape whispered words too low for Harry to hear, then Draco nodded before he walked back to his own chair and sat down.
"Now," Snape said, turning to face them both, "everything in me is screaming to send you both to your rooms and talk with you separately, but for once I'm going to ignore that voice of reason and the three of us are going to sit here and work this out. Together."
Snape paced in front of them for only a moment before he stopped. "Who wants to go first?"
Harry sat up straighter, but it was Draco who spoke first.
"I shouldn't have said what I said." He looked over to Harry and frowned. "It was a really crummy thing to say, and I didn't mean it. I'm sorry."
Harry nodded. "I'm sorry, too. I didn't have to let it get to me. And I definitely didn't have to tackle you." He took a deep breath and before he lost his nerve, he said, "I just don't understand why you want to go back there. After what she did."
Draco shook his head and raised his hands, palms up before letting them drop back to his lap. "Because she's my mum. She said she misses me."
Snape pulled his chair out and sat down. "Harry, last Christmas when we were getting ready to come here, do you remember a conversation that we had in my bedroom about my father?"
Harry looked up at him, confused. He didn't know where Snape was going with this. "Yeah. You said that-" Harry cut himself off with a glance at Draco. He didn't want to accidentally spill one of Snape's secrets.
"It's alright, Harry," Snape assured him. "Go on."
Harry glanced down at his bare feet before he softly said, "You said that sometimes you wished your father would have wanted you to come back, and that you would get to live with him."
"That's right," Snape said. He leaned forward in his chair, letting his elbows rest on his knees and clasped his hands together. "And without giving away too many details, I believe you voiced something similar about your relatives, yes?"
Harry swallowed hard as he fought the urge to look at Draco. He'd told Draco a bit about his life with the Dursleys, so he didn't necessarily mind him finding out about what he'd told Snape, but he didn't know how to get over the awkwardness of it. He gave a small nod but didn't say anything else.
"The thing is, though, if Draco has an opportunity to have that happen for him, do we not at least owe him the chance to find out?" Before Harry could even open his mouth to voice the protest on the tip of his tongue, Snape went on, "I'm not saying that this is the right thing. In fact, before I let Draco step one foot out of that door, I'm going to be speaking with Narcissa, and I'm going to get him a new portkey bracelet." He paused to settle a look on Draco and added, "One that can't be taken off, if need be. And only then will we make any firm decisions."
Draco nodded. "Only she said that she would be here-"
"I know," Snape interrupted. "Which is why I'm going right now to speak with her. Can I trust you both to behave while I'm gone?"
"We're not in trouble for the fight?" Draco asked.
Snape shook his head. "You should be. I seem to recall saying last time that if I caught you fighting again you would both be grounded for a week and banned from Quidditch. However, in light of the circumstances, I'm prepared to grant some leniency." He pointed his finger at both of them in turn. "However, this is the only time that I'll do such a thing. One more fight, no matter who starts it, and neither of you will see the outside of your rooms for a month. Understood?"
Both Harry and Draco exchanged triumphant glances before nodding quickly. "Yes, sir," they said in unison.
"Alright," Snape said before moving past them to head for the parlor, "then I will be back soon. Behave."
***
The day passed slowly after Snape left, with both boys retreating to the privacy of their bedrooms. Harry spent his time catching up on the last of his summer assignments and writing a letter to Sirius. He hadn't said much other than letting Harry know that he had continued his traveling and was now visiting the Bahamas. He sent him a picture of a palm tree with the sun setting in the background. Harry had taped it to the wall above his desk where he now sat.
Snape came home after a while and Harry heard as he went into Draco's bedroom and shut the door. Harry desperately wanted to know what he'd found out after talking to Narcissa, but after the fiasco that had come from listening to Snape and Remus's conversation before, he wasn't keen on getting caught eavesdropping again. He had somehow managed to get out of that one without punishment, but he didn't think he would be as lucky if he tried it today.
Besides, whatever it was, he was sure to find out on his own later. Either Draco would stay with them, or he wouldn't.
Harry had thought all morning about what Snape had said, and he knew that he was right. If Draco had the opportunity to have a life with his mother, free from Lucius, who was he to stand in the way of that. But Harry couldn't shake the feeling that this was still a bad idea.
And not for nothing, but Harry and Draco were against all odds, becoming friends. A year ago, he never would have believed it to be possible, but here they were, and he didn't want to see anything bad happen to him.
Harry didn't hear when Snape left Draco's bedroom, but a moment later there came a knock on his door.
"Come in," he said, keeping his eyes down on the parchment in front of him.
His door opened and Snape stepped inside. "What are you working on?" Snape asked as he moved toward Harry and let his hand rest on the back of his chair.
"A letter to Sirius."
"Perhaps you want to visit with him soon? I'm sure we can-"
"Is he going back?" Harry asked, his tone sharp. He didn't want Snape to beat around the bush about it.
Snape drew in a deep breath. "Harry, it's going to be fine."
"You don't know that," Harry snapped, though he tried to keep his voice low so that Draco wouldn't overhear him. "What if it's all a plan to get him back around Mr. Malfoy?"
Snape tapped his finger on the back of Harry's chair as he seemed to consider what he wanted to say, then after a moment he turned so that he was leaning back against the desk, his palms gripping the edge. "What if Narcissa and Draco are able to overcome what has happened in the past and forge a new relationship? What if when you and Ron came and took Draco away, she realized that she would rather have Draco more than anything else in this world- including Lucius?" Snape sighed. "Harry, we could spend all day asking, 'what if,' but if we don't let them try, Draco will spend the rest of his life wondering what might have happened if he'd taken the chance."
Harry grit his teeth. "Okay, but what do you think about it. Really? Do you believe she's changed?"
"I believe that she sounded incredibly sincere when I talked to her today. She has already moved into a new house, and she says that Draco is free to write and visit whenever he wants. You can visit him there as well."
Harry didn't seem convinced, but before he could say anything else, Snape went on, "And of course, we've already gotten Draco a new phoenix bracelet. He did seem rather fond of the old one, but the new one has a few added protection spells that cancel out some of Draco's need to use it on his own. If Draco is in danger, the bracelet will send an alert to me, and I will be able to get to him immediately."
Harry scuffed the toe of his shoe against the floor. "Everything's changing," he said softly.
"I'm not," Snape assured him.
Harry thought back to lunch with Evelyn in the Three Broomsticks, and the letter he'd seen Snape reading at the table that morning. Somehow, he didn't think that was true. In fact, he was beginning to think that Snape was changing the most of all.
Harry wanted to say as much. He wanted to tell Snape that he could tell that he wasn't being honest, and that he was afraid if he really started to like Evelyn, it would mean that he didn't need Harry anymore. But Harry didn't want to think about that, and so he kept it to himself. Instead, he asked, "Can we have lunch soon? I'm getting hungry. And we kind of missed breakfast."
Snape nodded, a faint smile on his face as he said, "Of course. Anything in particular that you want?"
"Not really." Harry shrugged. "Maybe chicken salad sandwiches?"
"Alright." He reached out and ruffled Harry's hair. "I'll call you when it's ready."
Harry waited until Snape had left his room and he heard him walk down the stairs, then he stood and crossed through the connecting bathroom between his and Draco's rooms.
Draco was sorting through his clothes and packing everything into his trunk, but he looked up when Harry entered the room.
"When do you leave?" Harry asked, moving to sit in one of the overstuffed chairs that faced Draco's bed.
"This afternoon. Mum is picking me up around three."
Harry said nothing as he continued to watch Draco pack, but after a moment, Draco dropped the shirt he was folding and sat down on his bed.
"Was Uncle Sev right earlier?" he asked, keeping his head bowed low. "When he said that you had hoped your relatives might change and want you back."
Harry groaned and let his head drop back against the chair so that he was staring at the ceiling. "Yes," he answered honestly. "I mean not anymore, obviously because I'm happy now with him, but before I came here, I wanted them to love me badly."
"But they beat you," Draco said softly.
Harry scoffed. "Yeah, well, it's not like I don't know how messed up that is."
Draco shook his head. "That's not what I meant," he said quickly. "All I'm saying is that if you wanted those people who did all those awful things to you, to love you and want you to stay with them, why is it so hard for you to see that I want the same thing from my mum?" Draco picked the shirt back up and tossed it into his trunk. "I know it might not work, alright? I get it. And maybe I end up right back here, but at least I get to try. I have to know for sure. Otherwise, I'll always wonder."
Finally, Harry nodded. That's exactly what Snape had said, after all. He looked back to Draco and said, "You're right. You have to go. And hopefully it does work out. You deserve to have that." When Draco only looked at him skeptically, he said, "I mean that. Honestly. But if it doesn't, we'll just come get you again."
Draco let out a small laugh. "Thanks."
Harry pointed to the rest of the stuff that still needed to be packed. "Do you want some help?"
"Sure," Draco said, really smiling this time. "But don't toss all of my stuff in like you do yours. I'd like to make it there without anything actually getting broken."
"Oh, you're very funny. My trunk is perfectly tidy."
Draco scoffed. "Your trunk looks like a mountain troll has been living inside of it."
Harry picked up a crumpled piece of parchment from the desk and threw it at Draco, hitting him square in the face. "Shut up," he said teasingly.
"I'm surprised Uncle Sev lets you get away with leaving it like that. You'd never last in Slytherin. Did you know he has random inspections to make sure we keep our dorm rooms clean?"
Harry laughed. "You're joking."
"I wish," Draco said as he neatly folded a pair of trousers. "Nott cost us twenty house points last year because he shoved everything beneath his bed and Uncle Sev found out."
Harry's eyes went wide. He had never been more grateful that McGonagall was his Head of House.
***
AN: As always, thanks for reading!! I hope you enjoyed this chapter!!