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smirkingcatTitle: Chapter 29 More than bargained for
Author :smirkingcat
Rating: PG-13
Word Count : 2.923
Notes:
find part one lj, dw
as usual all the thanks and gratitude tothemightyflynn for the beta, who is sticking with me through the good, the bad, the exasperated and everything else
used for![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
hp_bunintheoven May 2020 prompt 2: Pastel
Summary: At first he wanted to know, but then he heard things he was not happy to be told at all.
Warnings: fluff, flangst, mpreg, D/s- subtext, OOC, heavy future angst planned
Disclaimer: Harry Potter characters are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No profit is being made, and no copyright infringement is intended.
Chapter 29 More than bargained for
Blaise leaned back into the cushion, before he answered Severus. "My terms are simple: I shall answer the question, but so shall you. I will even answer first, just because."
His friends all seemed to be holding their breath and were therefore easily ignorable. Severus, on the other hand, showed an expression that Blaise was not a hundred percent confident he could interpret. Blaise was certain Severus had expected something like this, but still there seemed to be some surprise.
The silence seemed to go on for quite some time, only to be disturbed as Greg put his glass down a little too loud. But the effect was that Severus made himself comfortable on the couch before he nodded.
"Reasonable terms, if I ever heard them. Though I am wondering why you agreed to go first. I guess you won't tell me that though, not that it is of any importance," Severus said, nodding once.
Blaise was surprised that Severus agreed without much discussion, but he was certainly not going to argue now. He had offered to go first, because he hoped he could avoid a discussion, so the outcome was very much to his liking.
"I am a reasonable man, and I hardly ever push my luck," Blaise said, leaning back as well. It was the shudder that worked through his body, that reminded him of the flower he was wearing, and the words written over his body. He closed his eyes for a moment, reminding himself firmly where he was and what he was about to do.
Once he felt that his body was back under his control, he opened his eyes again. The raised eyebrow on Severus' face let him know that his Master was still thoroughly enjoying himself.
"The first thing I noticed about Severus where his hands. Well, not his hands precisely, it was more the way he managed to work with such precision. I think the attraction started after Christmas break in fifth year. There are only three instances I remember where he had to repeat a step. Not just in potion making, but also in writing and at the dinner table all together. It was fascinating. I became so aware of how often others have to do things over, that my fascination grew. And the more I watched the more I saw. The way he walked, the way he carried himself; a good posture is very attractive. And then I guess the usual things: his lips, his eyes, his nose. As an Italian, a strong nose is something I appreciate. Seeing Severus cast spells, or do magic in general, also affected me. So, I waited until I was no longer considered a child. And then eighth year happened, and it gave me an opportunity I could use. To my utter frustration, all my advances where ignored. Or, even worse, used to mock me. And that was even after I found out the password to the Headmaster’s quarters and was waiting for him in his tub.”
Having at first been sceptical of Blaise’s story, his friends were grinning broadly at the end of it.
“At least that solves some of the mysteries about where you vanished to that year,” Greg said seriously, before he took a huge gulp of his lager.
“True that. Also, that proves that Hufflepuffs are terrible gossips and do not always tell the truth, because I remember them telling us that you were making your way through them,” Theo stated.
That statement made Draco laugh hard.
Severus next to him snorted. “Hardly possible, with all the time he spent in my office, my quarters or indeed my tub.”
That comment had even Pansy snorting.
"Well excuse the poor Hufflepuffs in their quest to tell us what the most sought-after guy was doing. They had good intentions. And I dare say, nobody expected him to be in the headmaster’s office," Pansy said, nearly toppling over from laughter.
"Hear, hear," Theo agreed, cheering Severus before taking a sip.
"Oh, shut it, especially you two, or shall we talk about what you two got up to?"
"Oh, please don’t. I would rather hear the Headmaster's account, than to listen to those stories again," Goyle groaned.
"He has a point. You were shameless."
"You just agree with him, because Harry wouldn’t have noticed you back then, even if you had stripped right in front of him."
"No reason to be so brutal, darling," Pansy said.
Blaise was astonished as he saw Pansy linking her pinkie finger with Theo’s. Besides their new addition of Harry, none of them were truly expressive in their relationships. Even the teasing right now: they only knew of Pansy’s and Theo’s thirsts because of their ruined uniforms. Though Theo had become quite proficient in charming their uniforms right again, it simply didn’t look the same to someone who was paying attention. But apparently things have changed. Living freely was what they had been after for a long time. And if living the way they wanted meant for Pansy and Theo to be able to comfort each other in public, Blaise was happy for them. His friends deserved every bit of happiness they were able to find.
"Pansy is right. That was low even for you," Draco replied. And he truly sounded wounded, again something Blaise had not expected.
"And not very observant," Severus added, without missing a beat.
His smooth voice, as well as the unexpected remark drew all the attention. That Blaise’s heart skipped a bit, just because of the tone alone, was something he was getting used to.
The one who was nearly out of his seat though, was certainly Draco. "Care to elaborate?" he asked, his eyes glued to Severus.
Severus huffed. "What is there to elaborate? You wanted him but didn’t want to want him. He wanted you but didn’t want to want you. What held you up was blood-status, family issues, the fact that he was your opposition, and due to family ties. His issues were more muggle – related: he didn’t want to be into men, and he didn’t want to be into you, because to him you were a prat. I think this situation is perfectly summarised as the 'teenage- way'."
As Severus paused, Draco wanted to make his protest known, but Severus stopped him with one hand movement.
"I am not insulting you, so do not get your pride in a twist. You both were teenagers at that time, and it is my own experience that as a teenager everything is a good reason to behave in an irrational manner. Everybody does, so why should you two be different?"
"Is that the reason you ignored Blaise’s advances for the entire year? Though at that point I would hardly call him a teenager," Theo asked quietly.
"No. I was the Headmaster, Blaise was my student. There are rules, and patience is a virtue everybody could do with more of."
"Oh, so he did manage to get your attention then?" Pansy asked, wicked grin in place.
"He did. It would take a person with a higher moral compass than I to not take notice, if Blaise is out for attention. And it was truly amusing to see what he would do next. Never to mention that it was flattering for me, and quite charming," Severus replied without being phased in the slightest.
Blaise felt heat rush into his cheeks. He certainly was not prepared for such a direct answer.
"So, is that what made you fall for him, his looks?" Theo asked. The cold look that he threw Severus, was something Blaise had not seen often. Was Theo worried about him and his relationship with Severus? What a concept...
"That would make me a rather shallow man, wouldn’t it? As I was your head of house, it is no secret that I paid your lot more attention than towards the other prats. So, it stands to reason, that back then I was well aware of some of your character traits, your strengths, and weaknesses as well as the changes you have been through.
"If asked, anybody would have said that Blaise does not expend energy on things he deems unimportant, and leading a privileged life, never having to work for anything. Personally, I would add scheming to the list, as well as supporting, helpful and interested in many things.
"So, to answer your question, what made me, in your term 'fall' for him, was how well he handled rejection. He was not deterred, no matter my response. This is an entirely inappropriate comparison, but after the third time I would have magically removed Draco out of my room, and closed the door on him, he would have thrown a temper tantrum and then pretended, not to want it any way. The same can be said for you, Theo. Your pride would have been your undoing four months in. You deserve better, and you know it.
"I rejected Blaise for ten months, at least once a week, and sometimes more. If he left the room on his own accord, he would have some phrase on his lips alluding to a next time. If I threw him out by magical means, he would simply laugh and walk away. And he would always be back. He even came back after graduation."
Blaise was not sure what he was feeling, but he was sure he was beet red by the time Severus was done talking. He had never thought about it this way. Or maybe he had and had ignored it or had pretended to ignore it. Certainly, Severus had seen them grow up. And in sixth and seventh year that had definitely been on Blaise’s mind, but in eighth year all he thought about was how to get what he wanted from Severus. And to be what Severus wanted and needed.
And though Severus described him as this brave man, who took everything in his stride, that had not been how Blaise had felt. If Severus was describing him like the deep blue ocean, he thought his reality was more like the pastel blue of a shallow river.
What was even more confusing was the looks his friends threw him. As if they never knew he was just as capable as them to go after what he wanted. Were they basing their judgement simply because the things he wanted weren’t what they wanted? Or because he didn’t care about the things they deemed important? Or was he the one misjudging them? And suddenly what started out as a joke, went from slightly uncomfortable to unbearable. He was not interested in introspection, he was not interested in dissecting himself, but right then and there he realised that he loathed to hear what others were thinking about him. As long as he didn’t know what they were thinking, he could make up all kinds of opinions; opinions he was able to handle. This felt like more than he could handle. And he thought this went on long enough, but just as he wanted to say something, Draco already spoke.
"As long as you didn’t hurt him, or don’t hurt him anymore... Blaise’s biggest fault is that he lies to everybody, even to himself. He is the great pretender-"
"-that makes it so incredibly hard to get to know him. But Draco is right, if you hurt him, we will come for you. I am not clever, or anything, but I can break your nose with one punch," Greg continued.
And though Blaise was certain they meant well, he could no longer take it.
"That's enough. I am not a liar, certainly not to myself, and I am proficient enough to look out for myself. Also, I do not appreciate you lot talking about me as if I am not here."
As it looked like Theo was going to add something, he stared his friend down. He didn’t want to hear it! Who did they take him for?
Even more shocking was the hand landing on his thigh, which he moved away on instinct. He was capable of fighting his battles alone. He didn’t need anybody to do it for him. He was perfectly able to do it on his own.
But then the hand came back, this time with more insistence. And as he turned towards Severus to make it understood that the comfort was unwanted, he was confronted with the look of his Master. A look that penetrated the red fog that took hold in his mind. What was he even battling? Who was the enemy - here of all places? Why was he so angry?
As his Master took a deep breath, Blaise did the same without thinking. He even let go of all the tension that had taken over his body.
"Mistress, Harry Potter is arrived, Alton is be serving dinner in the dining hall now?" the squeaky voice of the house elf interrupted the moment.
"Hi guys. Sorry to be late, but I managed to snatch some fantastic games we can play tonight," Harry greeted them.
"Serve the dinner in ten minutes, Alton. Let’s give Harry a chance to greet everybody first," Pansy answered the elf.
"He really does not like it when the routine changes. Always makes me curious why," Theo stated.
Harry, who had walked over to Draco and greeted him with a small kiss, was also greeted by Greg, who was snickering hard. "You called the Headmaster one of us ‘guys’. How impolite."
"Actually, I take more umbriage with him calling me one of you lot," Pansy protested.
"I find myself more affronted by your choice of words. That particular name is better never mentioned where I can hear it."
"Oh, do I detect a note of annoyance?" Theo asked, clearly interested in the story still untold.
"A note does not even describing it. That woman was something else," Draco huffed.
"Says the head of the Inquisition Squad. I still can’t believe you took her side." Harry bumped his shoulder into Draco’s.
"Actually, we did that, to keep the young one’s safe. There was a lot of pressure on them. Hunting you down, was more of a side effect. But we could also shift her attention to the fourth years and upwards," Greg said softly.
"The only true regret I feel when it comes to that woman, is the fact that when they found her with Grawp, she was still alive. That woman wasted my potions, critiqued my teaching methods, and told me to adjust my attitude," Severus said.
Draco whistled. "Impressive that you didn’t feed her to the Dark Lord the first chance you got."
"Do not underestimate your adversaries, Draco. Miss Umbridge had a golden tongue that would even put Lucius to shame. If she ever had been fortunate enough to meet the Dark Lord, the entire war might have ended differently," Severus said. And though Severus made no secret of his dislike, there was also a quite a bit of praise in that comment. Especially as Blaise just recently had seen how Severus and Lucius interacted. Severus held Lucius in high regard, even through everything. Not to the same level as he did with Narcissa, but still. So, stating that Umbridge was more talented than Lucius was not a comment to be taken lightly.
"Kingsley told me that without your help, they would never have gotten rid of her," Harry said.
"She had friends in high places. But then again, so did Kingsley," Severus agreed.
"Without you it would have been impossible to revert all she left behind, at least that is what he told me," Harry said.
Blaise hid his smile behind his glass, as he saw the silent sigh from Severus.
"Potter, it was not me alone that made Kingsley’s plans possible. In fact, all I did was making sure, that the right people understood why they should side with Kingsley on this particular issue. And I would prefer if you remember this. I do not want to be associated with anything political, I have learned that it tends to be brought back up at the most inopportune moment," Severus stated clearly, staring Harry down.
Harry nodded once, then shrugged. "I just thought that it was an amazing thing you did," he mumbled.
Luckily for him, Severus let it go.
"Mistress and Masters dinner is being served now." The tiny elf came back and practically ordered them to the dinner table.
"Good timing," Greg said, and finished his larger, before he got up.
"I am inclined to believe that there is not much that can happen during the dinner now," Theo said, grinning.
Severus snorted. "Do not tempt fate now that we have a Gryffindor among us. He could perceive that as a dare."
"So, there is potential for this becoming the evening of the year. I feel tempted myself," Pansy replied, as Theo offered her her chair.
Only when the hors d'oeuvre were put in front of Blaise, did he realise what Severus had done for him. Certainly, Harry had arrived in the perfect moment for him. Yet Severus made sure that the topic was changed completely, while at the same time choosing a topic that everybody in the room could agree on.
He wondered who else might have noticed, but in the end it would not really matter. Nobody was going to call Severus on it, because even if they didn’t know, Severus still exuded enough authority, to get the respect he was due. Especially from his former students.
Chapter 30: on DW || on LJ
Author :
smirkingcatRating: PG-13
Word Count : 2.923
Notes:
find part one lj, dw
as usual all the thanks and gratitude to
themightyflynn for the beta, who is sticking with me through the good, the bad, the exasperated and everything elseused for
hp_bunintheoven May 2020 prompt 2: PastelSummary: At first he wanted to know, but then he heard things he was not happy to be told at all.
Warnings: fluff, flangst, mpreg, D/s- subtext, OOC, heavy future angst planned
Disclaimer: Harry Potter characters are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No profit is being made, and no copyright infringement is intended.
Chapter 29 More than bargained for
Blaise leaned back into the cushion, before he answered Severus. "My terms are simple: I shall answer the question, but so shall you. I will even answer first, just because."
His friends all seemed to be holding their breath and were therefore easily ignorable. Severus, on the other hand, showed an expression that Blaise was not a hundred percent confident he could interpret. Blaise was certain Severus had expected something like this, but still there seemed to be some surprise.
The silence seemed to go on for quite some time, only to be disturbed as Greg put his glass down a little too loud. But the effect was that Severus made himself comfortable on the couch before he nodded.
"Reasonable terms, if I ever heard them. Though I am wondering why you agreed to go first. I guess you won't tell me that though, not that it is of any importance," Severus said, nodding once.
Blaise was surprised that Severus agreed without much discussion, but he was certainly not going to argue now. He had offered to go first, because he hoped he could avoid a discussion, so the outcome was very much to his liking.
"I am a reasonable man, and I hardly ever push my luck," Blaise said, leaning back as well. It was the shudder that worked through his body, that reminded him of the flower he was wearing, and the words written over his body. He closed his eyes for a moment, reminding himself firmly where he was and what he was about to do.
Once he felt that his body was back under his control, he opened his eyes again. The raised eyebrow on Severus' face let him know that his Master was still thoroughly enjoying himself.
"The first thing I noticed about Severus where his hands. Well, not his hands precisely, it was more the way he managed to work with such precision. I think the attraction started after Christmas break in fifth year. There are only three instances I remember where he had to repeat a step. Not just in potion making, but also in writing and at the dinner table all together. It was fascinating. I became so aware of how often others have to do things over, that my fascination grew. And the more I watched the more I saw. The way he walked, the way he carried himself; a good posture is very attractive. And then I guess the usual things: his lips, his eyes, his nose. As an Italian, a strong nose is something I appreciate. Seeing Severus cast spells, or do magic in general, also affected me. So, I waited until I was no longer considered a child. And then eighth year happened, and it gave me an opportunity I could use. To my utter frustration, all my advances where ignored. Or, even worse, used to mock me. And that was even after I found out the password to the Headmaster’s quarters and was waiting for him in his tub.”
Having at first been sceptical of Blaise’s story, his friends were grinning broadly at the end of it.
“At least that solves some of the mysteries about where you vanished to that year,” Greg said seriously, before he took a huge gulp of his lager.
“True that. Also, that proves that Hufflepuffs are terrible gossips and do not always tell the truth, because I remember them telling us that you were making your way through them,” Theo stated.
That statement made Draco laugh hard.
Severus next to him snorted. “Hardly possible, with all the time he spent in my office, my quarters or indeed my tub.”
That comment had even Pansy snorting.
"Well excuse the poor Hufflepuffs in their quest to tell us what the most sought-after guy was doing. They had good intentions. And I dare say, nobody expected him to be in the headmaster’s office," Pansy said, nearly toppling over from laughter.
"Hear, hear," Theo agreed, cheering Severus before taking a sip.
"Oh, shut it, especially you two, or shall we talk about what you two got up to?"
"Oh, please don’t. I would rather hear the Headmaster's account, than to listen to those stories again," Goyle groaned.
"He has a point. You were shameless."
"You just agree with him, because Harry wouldn’t have noticed you back then, even if you had stripped right in front of him."
"No reason to be so brutal, darling," Pansy said.
Blaise was astonished as he saw Pansy linking her pinkie finger with Theo’s. Besides their new addition of Harry, none of them were truly expressive in their relationships. Even the teasing right now: they only knew of Pansy’s and Theo’s thirsts because of their ruined uniforms. Though Theo had become quite proficient in charming their uniforms right again, it simply didn’t look the same to someone who was paying attention. But apparently things have changed. Living freely was what they had been after for a long time. And if living the way they wanted meant for Pansy and Theo to be able to comfort each other in public, Blaise was happy for them. His friends deserved every bit of happiness they were able to find.
"Pansy is right. That was low even for you," Draco replied. And he truly sounded wounded, again something Blaise had not expected.
"And not very observant," Severus added, without missing a beat.
His smooth voice, as well as the unexpected remark drew all the attention. That Blaise’s heart skipped a bit, just because of the tone alone, was something he was getting used to.
The one who was nearly out of his seat though, was certainly Draco. "Care to elaborate?" he asked, his eyes glued to Severus.
Severus huffed. "What is there to elaborate? You wanted him but didn’t want to want him. He wanted you but didn’t want to want you. What held you up was blood-status, family issues, the fact that he was your opposition, and due to family ties. His issues were more muggle – related: he didn’t want to be into men, and he didn’t want to be into you, because to him you were a prat. I think this situation is perfectly summarised as the 'teenage- way'."
As Severus paused, Draco wanted to make his protest known, but Severus stopped him with one hand movement.
"I am not insulting you, so do not get your pride in a twist. You both were teenagers at that time, and it is my own experience that as a teenager everything is a good reason to behave in an irrational manner. Everybody does, so why should you two be different?"
"Is that the reason you ignored Blaise’s advances for the entire year? Though at that point I would hardly call him a teenager," Theo asked quietly.
"No. I was the Headmaster, Blaise was my student. There are rules, and patience is a virtue everybody could do with more of."
"Oh, so he did manage to get your attention then?" Pansy asked, wicked grin in place.
"He did. It would take a person with a higher moral compass than I to not take notice, if Blaise is out for attention. And it was truly amusing to see what he would do next. Never to mention that it was flattering for me, and quite charming," Severus replied without being phased in the slightest.
Blaise felt heat rush into his cheeks. He certainly was not prepared for such a direct answer.
"So, is that what made you fall for him, his looks?" Theo asked. The cold look that he threw Severus, was something Blaise had not seen often. Was Theo worried about him and his relationship with Severus? What a concept...
"That would make me a rather shallow man, wouldn’t it? As I was your head of house, it is no secret that I paid your lot more attention than towards the other prats. So, it stands to reason, that back then I was well aware of some of your character traits, your strengths, and weaknesses as well as the changes you have been through.
"If asked, anybody would have said that Blaise does not expend energy on things he deems unimportant, and leading a privileged life, never having to work for anything. Personally, I would add scheming to the list, as well as supporting, helpful and interested in many things.
"So, to answer your question, what made me, in your term 'fall' for him, was how well he handled rejection. He was not deterred, no matter my response. This is an entirely inappropriate comparison, but after the third time I would have magically removed Draco out of my room, and closed the door on him, he would have thrown a temper tantrum and then pretended, not to want it any way. The same can be said for you, Theo. Your pride would have been your undoing four months in. You deserve better, and you know it.
"I rejected Blaise for ten months, at least once a week, and sometimes more. If he left the room on his own accord, he would have some phrase on his lips alluding to a next time. If I threw him out by magical means, he would simply laugh and walk away. And he would always be back. He even came back after graduation."
Blaise was not sure what he was feeling, but he was sure he was beet red by the time Severus was done talking. He had never thought about it this way. Or maybe he had and had ignored it or had pretended to ignore it. Certainly, Severus had seen them grow up. And in sixth and seventh year that had definitely been on Blaise’s mind, but in eighth year all he thought about was how to get what he wanted from Severus. And to be what Severus wanted and needed.
And though Severus described him as this brave man, who took everything in his stride, that had not been how Blaise had felt. If Severus was describing him like the deep blue ocean, he thought his reality was more like the pastel blue of a shallow river.
What was even more confusing was the looks his friends threw him. As if they never knew he was just as capable as them to go after what he wanted. Were they basing their judgement simply because the things he wanted weren’t what they wanted? Or because he didn’t care about the things they deemed important? Or was he the one misjudging them? And suddenly what started out as a joke, went from slightly uncomfortable to unbearable. He was not interested in introspection, he was not interested in dissecting himself, but right then and there he realised that he loathed to hear what others were thinking about him. As long as he didn’t know what they were thinking, he could make up all kinds of opinions; opinions he was able to handle. This felt like more than he could handle. And he thought this went on long enough, but just as he wanted to say something, Draco already spoke.
"As long as you didn’t hurt him, or don’t hurt him anymore... Blaise’s biggest fault is that he lies to everybody, even to himself. He is the great pretender-"
"-that makes it so incredibly hard to get to know him. But Draco is right, if you hurt him, we will come for you. I am not clever, or anything, but I can break your nose with one punch," Greg continued.
And though Blaise was certain they meant well, he could no longer take it.
"That's enough. I am not a liar, certainly not to myself, and I am proficient enough to look out for myself. Also, I do not appreciate you lot talking about me as if I am not here."
As it looked like Theo was going to add something, he stared his friend down. He didn’t want to hear it! Who did they take him for?
Even more shocking was the hand landing on his thigh, which he moved away on instinct. He was capable of fighting his battles alone. He didn’t need anybody to do it for him. He was perfectly able to do it on his own.
But then the hand came back, this time with more insistence. And as he turned towards Severus to make it understood that the comfort was unwanted, he was confronted with the look of his Master. A look that penetrated the red fog that took hold in his mind. What was he even battling? Who was the enemy - here of all places? Why was he so angry?
As his Master took a deep breath, Blaise did the same without thinking. He even let go of all the tension that had taken over his body.
"Mistress, Harry Potter is arrived, Alton is be serving dinner in the dining hall now?" the squeaky voice of the house elf interrupted the moment.
"Hi guys. Sorry to be late, but I managed to snatch some fantastic games we can play tonight," Harry greeted them.
"Serve the dinner in ten minutes, Alton. Let’s give Harry a chance to greet everybody first," Pansy answered the elf.
"He really does not like it when the routine changes. Always makes me curious why," Theo stated.
Harry, who had walked over to Draco and greeted him with a small kiss, was also greeted by Greg, who was snickering hard. "You called the Headmaster one of us ‘guys’. How impolite."
"Actually, I take more umbriage with him calling me one of you lot," Pansy protested.
"I find myself more affronted by your choice of words. That particular name is better never mentioned where I can hear it."
"Oh, do I detect a note of annoyance?" Theo asked, clearly interested in the story still untold.
"A note does not even describing it. That woman was something else," Draco huffed.
"Says the head of the Inquisition Squad. I still can’t believe you took her side." Harry bumped his shoulder into Draco’s.
"Actually, we did that, to keep the young one’s safe. There was a lot of pressure on them. Hunting you down, was more of a side effect. But we could also shift her attention to the fourth years and upwards," Greg said softly.
"The only true regret I feel when it comes to that woman, is the fact that when they found her with Grawp, she was still alive. That woman wasted my potions, critiqued my teaching methods, and told me to adjust my attitude," Severus said.
Draco whistled. "Impressive that you didn’t feed her to the Dark Lord the first chance you got."
"Do not underestimate your adversaries, Draco. Miss Umbridge had a golden tongue that would even put Lucius to shame. If she ever had been fortunate enough to meet the Dark Lord, the entire war might have ended differently," Severus said. And though Severus made no secret of his dislike, there was also a quite a bit of praise in that comment. Especially as Blaise just recently had seen how Severus and Lucius interacted. Severus held Lucius in high regard, even through everything. Not to the same level as he did with Narcissa, but still. So, stating that Umbridge was more talented than Lucius was not a comment to be taken lightly.
"Kingsley told me that without your help, they would never have gotten rid of her," Harry said.
"She had friends in high places. But then again, so did Kingsley," Severus agreed.
"Without you it would have been impossible to revert all she left behind, at least that is what he told me," Harry said.
Blaise hid his smile behind his glass, as he saw the silent sigh from Severus.
"Potter, it was not me alone that made Kingsley’s plans possible. In fact, all I did was making sure, that the right people understood why they should side with Kingsley on this particular issue. And I would prefer if you remember this. I do not want to be associated with anything political, I have learned that it tends to be brought back up at the most inopportune moment," Severus stated clearly, staring Harry down.
Harry nodded once, then shrugged. "I just thought that it was an amazing thing you did," he mumbled.
Luckily for him, Severus let it go.
"Mistress and Masters dinner is being served now." The tiny elf came back and practically ordered them to the dinner table.
"Good timing," Greg said, and finished his larger, before he got up.
"I am inclined to believe that there is not much that can happen during the dinner now," Theo said, grinning.
Severus snorted. "Do not tempt fate now that we have a Gryffindor among us. He could perceive that as a dare."
"So, there is potential for this becoming the evening of the year. I feel tempted myself," Pansy replied, as Theo offered her her chair.
Only when the hors d'oeuvre were put in front of Blaise, did he realise what Severus had done for him. Certainly, Harry had arrived in the perfect moment for him. Yet Severus made sure that the topic was changed completely, while at the same time choosing a topic that everybody in the room could agree on.
He wondered who else might have noticed, but in the end it would not really matter. Nobody was going to call Severus on it, because even if they didn’t know, Severus still exuded enough authority, to get the respect he was due. Especially from his former students.
Chapter 30: on DW || on LJ
