drao was lounging on the sofa, haviransfiguration work “only for a mi his eyes”. he only realized he’d been dozing for half an hour when he was shaken out of his stupor by the portrait d as ehe room.
“ss on the gryffihe shool?” drao drawled as he agaihe transfiguratioo write.
harry looked surprised that drao had asked suh a questiuess.”
“i wasn’t atually ied,” drao replied pointedly as harry plopped into the armhair faing the sofa.
the gryffinded arelessly. “so thehiherihe shool?”
“i wouldn’t know. you’d have to go to the slytherin on room to find that out.”
harry grinned lopsidedly. “yes, i nning on doing that but i thought i’d hek with you first to see if you knew arip by telling me.”
“sarasm does not suit you, harry.”
“if you say so.”
“i do.”
a pause. “so when is your appeara?”
drao hid his surprise as harry waited for an answer. “monday.”
“monday? that soohe funeral?”
“of ourse. you’re not thiherin, harry. if narissa had requested friday, i ould then say that the funeral was on friday ao a date of my hoie, whatever was onve enough for me. saturday or sunday would be oherefore are out of the question. but sine i already miss friday’s sses, it’s only more io miss monday’s as well. anything to throw off your oppo, harry. you’d be surprised how the little things an undermine people.”
“so who’s goihere?”
“myself, my godfather, my mother, arheon as holder of my father’s will, and the wizengamot.”
“what if i wao ome?” harry’s voie sounded as if he didher he went or not, but drao wasn’t fooled.
“you’re already oming to the fuer don’t push it.”
“why an’t i ome?”
“you’re not involved.”
harry bit his lip for a seond, as if weighing some deision in his mind. “i ould be,” he whispered.
drao’s eyes ly as harry refused to meet his gaze. “what are you getting at?”
“look, orret me if i’m wrong, but it’s yaihe world sees as your mother. she says you should not i and you say that you should.” harry paused and fumbled for words. “your…your dad’s not there ao make sure the outome is what you want.” drao aught the double impliations of harry’s w arou of bribery, an option that en to drao. “i don’t know what kind of sway narissa bk holds, but i ase senario she would be equal to what your father used to hold. even without that, she’s g w on her side beause yal yet and she is.”
drao sighed. he already had thh this viii himself. “harry, ome to the point.”
“if i ame as your fiané, then you would be legal and there would be nothing they ould do to stop your iahe whole problem arose beause you are yet.”
there. he’d said it. harry waited for drao’s respohere washe seoreth iimes as drao sat silent, his eyes looking down at his transfiguratio book without seeied words.
the blond shuddered as he breathed out slooke, his voie souo harry’s ears. “that is not an option. i will not allow something as trivial as legality to ihi.” gathering his books, drao stood aowards the bedroom, pausing at harry’s words.
“at least we agree on that. if i were to say any vows, they would be real.”
chapter 34: bk marble, white marble, and gold
ron was just finishi of his histi essay wheedly pulled him over to an abandryffindor on room.
“i finished!” she said exitedly as she pushed him down into a hair and sat dowe one.
“fi?”
“my pn fe oer.”
now ron was ied. “i’m in.”
“you don’t even know what it is yet.”
&er. what are we doing?”
hermiolihe p i wao go after her personally and pratie some spells o i ouldn’t do that until vaation and by that time it would be too te for this pn. what i want to do is dise her fr abain.”
“sounds good. how do we do it?”