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Author: fathomlessspite
Characters: Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy and the rest of them
Warnings: slash, DH SPOILERS, epilogue compliant :(
Rating: PG thus far
Summary: (highlight to read) It's Lily Potter's first year at Hogwarts, it'll be the first year in thirteen since Ginny and Harry had the house to himself. But as Ginny has decided to take a course at a wizarding college in Egypt so Harry accepts a teaching position at Hogwarts. With old friends and enemies surrounding him, questions about his slowly disintegrating marriage are hard to ignore.
A/N: I realise I already broke my once a week update rule... But there were genuine reasons, such as work, and evil antibiotics which are actually poison in disguise... Anyway, if there are any errors, let me know, as I only had time to read through it once this morning!
CATCH UP: --PROLOGUE-- , --PARTS 1&2--, --PART 3--,
Harry would have very much liked to have gone back to his quarters and cracked open a bottle of fire-whiskey, but he doubted turning up to his third year class after lunch steaming drunk on his first day would have made a particularly good impression.
As it was he spent the time going through his lessons plans for the next few weeks, as well as some of the course materials he’d be using.
However, these were all things he’d done at least once before, and so he was rather easily distracted. By the time lunch had arrived he’d moved past simmering and into boiling with anger at Ron and at Ginny, which combined with the gradual disappointment and guilt over the state of his marriage to make him less that hungry.
Nonetheless Harry trudged down to the Great Hall for lunch, seating himself on the end of the table with no one on his other side.
Typically, Malfoy chose seated himself in the empty space moments later.
"He’s still here you know," Malfoy stated without looking at Harry. "I passed him on the way here, having a rather loud conversation with Longbottom in the halls," he added.
"What?!" Harry asked, shocked. Surely Ron wasn’t discussing Harry’s fragile marital situation in the halls where any one of his children could happen upon the conversation?
"Hmm, Weasley never was one for common sense was he?" Malfoy mused before taking a bite of his crust-less sandwich. Harry glanced from Malfoy to the sandwich and back again, considering commenting on Malfoy’s food choice before passing over the whim to respond to the comment.
"No, not really," he muttered in response. Malfoy finally turned and looked at him contemplatively.
"I could always hex him for you," he offered casually.
"Erm-"
"I mean you obviously can’t, him being your so called best friend and brother-in-law," he continued.
"Hex him?" Harry repeated, bewildered.
"I suppose I could lower myself to physical violence if you wished," Malfoy capitulated before licking a bit of butter off of him thumb. "I mean either would result in significant discomfort for him, and that’s all that matters really isn’t it?" he asked with a smirk. Against his better judgement Harry felt the corner of his mouth twitch into a half smile.
"I’m quite capable of hitting him myself Malfoy," he eventually managed to respond in a full sentence. "Thanks for the offer though," he added. Malfoy nodded and returned to his lunch.
They ate in companionable silence for the rest of their meal. When Harry stood to leave, Malfoy tapped him on the elbow.
"You’d need a witness though. For posterity," he said. Harry raised his eyebrows questioningly and Malfoy smirked in response.
"You’ll be the first to know if I plan on decking Ron," Harry promised as he stepped away from the table.
"Good, good," Malfoy said with a smile as Harry strode out of the hall, spirits considerably higher than when he had entered.
* * *
Al waited nervously outside the Muggle Studies classroom for his last lesson of the day. He leant against the wall, crossed his legs, folded his arms, unfolded his arms, put his hands in his pockets, uncrossed his legs…
"Would you stop fidgeting?" Scorpius snapped from his side. "You’re getting on my last nerve."
"I don’t think I can sit with you in class," Al said abruptly.
"What?" Scorpius asked.
"My dad is teaching this class Scorpius," Al answered.
"I sit next to you in potions!" Scorpius exclaimed.
"Stop being an idiot Al," Rose said from where she stood against the wall on the other side of the classroom door. "Uncle Harry won’t care if you sit next to Scorpius."
"Professor Potter," Rebecca Edgecome corrected in a hiss from her side. Rose shot her a quelling look.
"You don’t know that," Al insisted stubbornly.
"He sat with Professor Malfoy at lunch, why can’t you sit with Scorpius in lessons?" Rose asked reasonably.
"Exactly," Scorpius said, crossing his arms. Albus opened his mouth to argue but was prevented from continuing by the opening of the classroom door.
"Come on in," Harry said, smiling at the hallway of students and motioning them inside. He caught Al’s eyes and gave him a wink before walking back to his desk.
Out of the corner of his eye he saw Scorpius drag Al by the elbow to a desk and push him down into it before taking the seat next to him.
When Harry turned to face the class full on he saw Rose, seated one desk over from Al and Scorpius watching them with an amused smile. Harry let a smile of his own grace his face once more.
"Good afternoon everyone. As I’m sure most of you know, I am Professor Potter…"
* * *
Harry lay in bed on Wednesday morning and dosed his way through breakfast. He was just beginning to maybe consider getting up when the portrait on his wall cleared it’s throat.
"Sorry to intrude, but Professor Malfoy is at the door," the young woman in the painting told him.
"Did he say what he wanted?" Harry asked, not moving from where he was ensconced in his bed sheets.
"No he didn’t, shall I let him in?" she asked.
"Yeah I guess," he said. "Oh and tell him where I am," he added, ensuring he wouldn’t have to move if he didn’t have to.
"Do you often invite Malfoy into your bedroom?" Hermione Weasley demanded a few moments later as she strode into his room. Harry sat up with a start and Malfoy snickered from where he stood in the doorway.
"I couldn’t be bothered to get out of bed, just for him anyway," Harry defended.
"You weren’t at breakfast," she said accusingly.
"I was having a lie in, I haven’t got a class first thing today," he told her.
"Oh that’s right, I vaguely recall you saying something about that now," Malfoy said innocently.
"Sod off, Malfoy," Harry said half-heartedly.
"As you wish," Malfoy responded with a smirk and strode away.
"Now was there a specific reason for your visit, or…?" Harry trailed off as he stood up and stretched a little.
"Ron may have finally recounted exactly what was discussed between the two of you on Monday," she said.
"Did he now?" Harry asked casually as he led the way into the small kitchen area and set about making some coffee.
"Harry, I’m sure he didn’t mean…" she paused at the look he gave her. "Okay so maybe he meant what he said," she acceded. "We’re just concerned about you."
"That’s great Hermione," he said in irritation. "Really I appreciate that," he added sincerely at the hurt look on her face.
"But?" she asked.
"But, there’s nothing to talk about or discuss at the moment," he told her. "Mainly because at the prospect of spending extended periods of time with me my wife has fled the country," Harry added bitterly.
"Harry," Hermione admonished gently. Harry sighed and dropped into one of the dining chairs.
"I shouldn’t have said that, I know," he said wearily. "It’s just, how am I supposed to feel?" he asked her.
"Have you written to her?" Hermione asked, sitting down in the chair next to him.
"It’s only been a couple of days," Harry said, rubbing at his eyes tiredly.
"Write to her, Harry," Hermione said, patting his hand which was resting on the table top by his coffee.
"Okay, will do," he smiled his thanks.
"You’ll be okay Harry," she said as she stood to leave. "If nothing else you’ve got Malfoy to bicker with to keep your mind of things," she joked as she walked out of the door.
Harry smiled and watched her walk down the corridor until she was out of sight.
* * *
Part Five HERE
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