Redo

Chapter 17

"What?" Ron was upright immediately, looking like he was trying to pretend it was a joke. 

"Dumbledore is forcing me to ban you from being around Malfoy. If we want everything to work out well, then you also need to spend some time away from the others." Arthur looked guilty as he explained. 

"But if Ron suddenly stops hanging out with us Harry will definitely think he's done something wrong." Hermione argued. "But if we force Harry to split his time between Draco and Ron then Dumbledore will work to get what he wants with Harry only around Ron and me." 

"I'll write a letter to you this evening so it arrives at breakfast. I'm sorry, but I will be forced to magically stop you from being around Malfoy until Dumbledore lifts this command." Arthur was obviously focused on Ron, but Draco felt very awkward being there for this conversation, though it definitely made things easier to clear up. 

"Another thing, this will make it more difficult to the meetings to help protect Harry if Ron isn't allowed around me." Draco voiced, raising his hand. 

"Right, I'll see what I can do about the wording, but you understand that I'm limited. Hopefully we can make this be over as fast as possible." Arthur sighed, headache forming by his temples. 

"It's Dumbledore's fault. Oh yeah, mum said your debt was forgiven a long time ago, so they're looking into what's going on with where your money has been going all this time." Draco shook his head; he did know the least about Harry's life last time, though he was also the one offering shelter. "If this finishes before the Christmas holidays then I don't mind being filled in after the meetings, but once Harry comes to be with me I need to be involved." 

----- 

Harry had woken up that morning still on the sofa surrounded by his friends, who were muttering about something. It got heated when Hermione and Draco started arguing about Potions. 

"I'm not saying that he's a good person, but Snape did have potions techniques that nobody else thought of that are really useful." 

"No, I'm telling you he didn't! I came up with some of them, my father came up with some, and most were stolen from James Potter or Lily Evans!" Draco was clearly getting frustrated by the tone of his voice, but his words made Harry's breath hitch. 

Snape had been teaching them using Harry's parents' techniques, and Harry hadn't been able to read any of it. 

"Harry?" Ron brought the attention to the newly awoken one. 

Harry mumbled a wordless sound, even he wasn't sure if he was just mostly asleep, or if he had lost his voice again. He didn't think it had happened before his allergic reaction, but he was usually punished for talking, so it was hard to say. 

"Good morning!" Hermione smiled brightly at Harry, who pushed himself up, being careful not to lean on Crookshanks. 

"Did you sleep well?" Draco asked. 

The care of his three friends made Harry choke up slightly. He had never been cared for like this before, and it was hard to know how to feel about it. It was still reassuring, like when he was paralysed, but at the same time scared that he didn't deserve it. And then there was that part of him he had been trying to ignore since he realised it existed, the part of him that was mourning the lack of this care before. 

It didn't matter any more, Draco made it seem like he wanted Harry to stay with him, and he gets to see Remus every month, he will never be as endlessly trapped as he was with the Dursleys. 

"We should get going to breakfast. Dad implied today is the day Snape gets arrested, we don't want to miss that!" Though Ron was smiling, there was clearly something off that made Harry frown. 

"You still don't have lessons today, so why don't we go down as we are and get changed afterwards?" Hermione suggested. 

Harry guessed that she also noticed that something was off with Ron as she gave him a worried look, laying a gentle hand on his arm, gaining her a half smile. 

"I am not going to be seen by people until my hair is fixed, thank you very much." Draco sounded indignant even as he smiled, getting to his feet. 

"Hate to break it to you Draco, you have already been seen by people; us." Ron laughed and rolled his eyes at the blond. 

"You three aren't people, you're the Gryffindors." Draco shook his head, and Hermione laughed. 

"Are we above or below people?" Hermione raised an eyebrow. 

"For most Gryffindors? Below. For you three, above, obviously." Draco grinned almost evilly, nipping into a bathroom to clean up. 

"Git." Ron shook his head, though his voice held no malice. 

----- 

By the time they reached the Great Hall all the staff were already seated, Draco leaving to the Slytherin table while Harry, Ron, and Hermione went to Gryffindor. There didn't seem to be anything off yet, but whatever Ron told them from his father tended to be right, even if it was just an implication. 

Hermione had just finished a bowl of fruit salad and started on some toast when the doors to the Great Hall burst open. 

Standing in the door were several people in long, dark blue robes, an emblem Harry didn't recognise embroidered onto the back and, smaller, over the left of their chest. Their wands were ready. 

"Severus Snape!" The one in front, whose hair was long and black. "Come with us!" 

"Severus Snape is the Potions Master here. The Ministry has no power over Hogwarts." Dumbledore rose to his feet, Ron leaning back on the bench, looking like he was enjoying the show. 

"Then he can teach from Azkaban. You spoke in his previous trial, but there is nothing you can do now." The wix spoke again, Ron and Hermione making eye contact to make a face. 

"You have no right to disturb our classes." Dumbledore seemed to be trying to change track. 

"And your teacher had no right to commit attempted murder. Unfortunately he did, and that gives us the right to arrent him. Stand down, Dumbledore." The wix seemed to be finished with the conversation, another stepping forward, wand raised and pointing it at Snape, who was trying to slip through a back door. 

"Severus Snape, leaving now will deem you as resisting arrest. Don't make us use magic to take you in." The second wix, whose hair was tightly curled, tied in a giant, red puff on their head, looked almost desperate to be able to hex the Potions Master. 

Harry stopped paying attention to the argument as the owls all flew in, Hedwig coming to him to eat some bacon rinds, standing firmly between Harry and the newcomers. But today Harry wasn't the only one of the three who got an owl, as one Harry didn't recognise landed in front of Ron. 

It was with trembling fingers that Ron took the letter and opened it, Ron breathing very deliberately. 

Harry didn't know what the letter said, but he could feel the magic as it swirled from the letter to form something like chains around Ron. 

"Are you okay?" Harry's voice was quiet, leaning across Hermione to look at Ron more closely. 

"Dad just banned me from being around Draco." Ron's voice was quiet, his jaw was set, and his eyes were firmly set on the fruit bowl in front of them. "It's fine though, I'm not going to make you pick between us. I'm the one with the issue, you should spend time with Draco." 

"But-" Harry was cut off as a bullet of blue light narrowly missed his ear. 

"Really, Harry, Hermione, it's fine." Ron gave another half-hearted smile towards the both, Harry still looking at him in concern, and Hermione putting her hand on top of his. 

Snape was carried out of the Great Hall as most of the students entered, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Draco leaving too. Going back to their dorms.