Rejection Or Acceptance?
De Amore Et Bello
Chapter 9
🍺⚡💥
Previously on De Amore Et Bello:
“Nonsense, Hadrian. You’re Goblin friends.” Bhaftaaz waves away. Harry grins sheepishly at her, rubbing the back of his neck. Bhaftaaz giggles and takes a closer look at the people. “Orion Black. We’ve got letters sent and sent back unopened from him. Perhaps he should be the first to be cleansed? After all, he is a Head of the Black house as Arcturus deferred to him as he was getting on in old age. This way he doesn’t die and can banish his wife from the family.” Harry hums and nods.
“That would be perfect actually.” Harry says. Bhaftaaz grabs a piece of parchment and begins writing, flicking her wrist. It goes up in flames.
“Fire message. Easier. And less likely to be caught and read.” She says at Charlie’s curious look. “Since you are good with the element of fire, fire messages should come easy to you, even if you do not know anything else. I shall teach you after, you and Fred.” Fred fist pumps the air, and she giggles at his theatrics.
They continue going over the bullet points and sooner than Harry would like, Ragnok summons Professor Slughorn and requests the Professor that every other week the seven shall come to Gringotts for meetings and that instead of Slughorn, Professor Flitwick should accompany them instead. Slughorn goes to answer and refute, but Ragnok tells him its none negotiable and that if Headmaster Dumbledore refuses, its an act against Goblin Nation, meaning war. Slughorn pales and nods.
Everything is much easier after that. They go through the floo and Slughorn hastily heads up to the Headmasters office to inform him. Fred and George heads off to the Slytherin common room, telling the others that Fred is going to work on his fire messages. Charlie rushes after them once hearing that and the trio chatter as they turn the corner. Percy and Bill head to the library, talking amongst themselves about their classes. Percy says something about his piece of homework due to week after.
“So, I need you to come with me to the Gryffindor common room. You’re going to tutor me about pureblood traditions, so that I know what the bloody hell I’ve got myself into.” Harry grabs Draco and drags him off. Draco fights him before falling silent, grumbling, and shooting side glares at Harry who ignores him. I’ll get him a gift later, Harry thinks, his mind a one track record as they walk up the stairs.
He needs to know everything about the Houses he’s accepted. Especially as he’s taken Lordships in three of them and it comes down to him to make sure he doesn’t tarnish their names.
Already, he’s feeling the pressure and he hasn’t even done anything yet.
🍺⚡💥
Sunday, September 8th, 1977
“Godric.” Harry says to the painting of the Fat Lady. She does so after a singular glance at Draco by his side. Harry grabs Draco’s hand and drags him over to the armchairs by the fire. Even though he’d sat there with Weasel and Granger, it wasn’t enough to taint the memories he had there. He’d often sit with Hedwig, her on his shoulder when she didn’t feel like travelling to the Owlery and needed some bonding time with her wizard. Speaking of Hedwig, he makes a note in his head to go to the pet shop in Diagon Alley to get her if she’s there.
Draco collapses into a chair opposite him, ignoring all the stares on him as he grabs his bag and tugs out some pureblood etiquette books. “Here, Queen Bhaftaaz of the Goblin Nation gave me these before she left. Said to give them to you.” Harry accepts them and opens it. There’s writing in the margins.
“Merlin. These are from the Pendragon vault. The original copy with King Arthur’s notes and … Merlin Emrys.” He snickers. “Arthur in red, Merlin in green. Mostly they seem to argue and disagree.” Draco chuckles as Harry grabs the second book, popping it open. “These are from the Peverell vault, about what the Lordship provides. Oh Morgana give me strength; I have to attend galas and balls. I can’t dance to save my life.”
“I’ll teach you.” A voice pipes up. Harry whips around to face a determined Sirius. James hand is over his mouth in surprise and Remus has buried his face in his hands. Peter’s face is buried in James’ shoulder, not wanting to look. Harry’s lips thin.
“Black, as much as I appreciate the offer—”
“It’s a good idea.” Draco interrupts. Harry glares at him. “What? Black’s are good at dancing, and I don’t mean in one specific type of dance, but all of them. As an heir, he’d be knowledgeable. Plus with going to difference balls, each family may had different dances. Patil’s favour very loose dances, Malfoy’s very strict, Black’s traditional and Merlin forbid you go to one of the Longbottom balls.”
“Why?” Harry’s voice is slightly afraid.
“Their speciality is the waltz.” Harry gasps, spinning to face Sirius.
“Teach me. I don’t care just teach me.” Sirius’s lips part in surprise and the vehemence before summoning a piece of parchment and quill, scribbling down a date and time, along with place, handing it to Harry. Their fingers brush and Sirius’s eyes widen in surprise, hand snapping to his bicep. A burning touches his own arm and Harry grits his teeth. “What the hell was that?”
“S-Soulmate … you’re my soulmate.” Sirius whispers. Remus gasps and James jumps to his feet, cheering. Draco wets his lips, looking between them in worry. “Vasaio—”
“We recently went to Gringotts,” Draco inserts himself smoothly, “it’s Hadrian Peverell-Pendragon-Gryffindor.” Someone gasps and now everyone’s staring, waiting to see something unfold. The first and second years look confused. Someone’s scribbling something in a notebook, glancing up every now and then, not wanting to miss anything. Everyone has stopped what they’re doing.
“Draconis.”
“Hadrian.” Draco’s lips uptick in a smirk. Harry throws a stinging hex, and he yelps, hand going to his thigh. Sirius clears his throat softly.
“Hadrian Peverell-Pendragon-Gryffindor would you allow me the honour to court you as a soulmate?”
“No.” Harry refutes. James cries in outrage and Sirius goes scarily pale. Harry’s soul mark tattoo starts to itch. “Let it be known despite this that I, Hadrian Peverell-Pendragon-Gryffindor, am not rejecting one Sirius Orion Black as a soul mate nor a courting partner. I wish for a trial period of a month where Sirius Orion Black will enact to show me that he has capabilities of changing. If after a month, he has not changed, I will refuse when he asks again, if he does change and apologises to everyone he has bullied and belittled—especially one Severus Tobias Snape nee Prince—then I will except.” Harry stares into Sirius eyes. “I will not have a bully as a soul mate, nor as a father of our children if I accept.”
Someone squeals. “You’re a male bearer?”
“Yes.” Harry nods.
“So am I.” Draco says, sitting back in his seat and smirking at the others. They gape at both of them. Sirius’ mouth is opening and closing, eyelashes fluttering as though he wants to blink but cannot close his eyes because he doesn’t want Harry to disappear. Sirius wets his dry lips, fingers tapping onto his thighs before he nods, coming to an agreement in his mind.
“I as Sirius Orion Black, accept the conditions of the trial period before courtship as Hadrian Peverell-Pendragon-Gryffindor has issued.” Their soul mate mark warms, and Harry’s hand goes to it automatically, looking up at Sirius through his eyelashes. Sirius gnaws at his lower lip before he takes a step forward, palm coming up to cup Harry’s cheek. A gasp gets lodged in Harry’s throat. “I’ll prove it to you that I can change. So mote it be.” Sirius magic snaps through the air and Harry inhales sharply before he closes his eyes and nuzzles his face into Sirius’s palm in a moment of weakness.
His eyes snap open and he takes a step back, clearing his throat. “Okay.” His voice is shaky. He hurries over to his chair and sits. It’s a clear dismissal if anything and Sirius nods, going over to the marauders who are staring between them with an unnamed emotion. James grabs Sirius’s arm and tugs him closer, whispering something excitedly. Harry wonders what he says but it’s clear a second late when Sirius unbuttons his shirt and pushes it back to show of his soul mate mark on his arm.
“You’ll be showing the others later as well, Har.” Draco says, a touch of amusement in his voice. Harry pouts and sinks lower in his chair, grabbing the first book in his view, flipping it open and bringing it close to his face to block out Draco’s smug face.
“Oh, piss off, Dray.” Harry grumbled.
“Sure. But your books upside down by the way.”
Harry scowls and fixes it before settling back and actually beginning to read. Scratching of quills against parchments start up again and it lulls Harry so much that he begins to fall asleep. Draco spells a blanket and grabs the book from Harry’s grip, humming softly as Harry stirs, pressing a kiss to his hair. He shoves the books into his bag where no one can remove it but him as he’s keyed to it—a spell that was most convenient when he needed it—and sat back to read his own book, spelling a tempus to wake Harry up when dinner was due.
🍺⚡💥
Monday, September 9th, 1977
They’re waiting outside the Potions room, Slughorn running late as usual. The marauders are leaning against the wall like they were doing the last time and Sirius’s gaze is focused solely on Harry. When Severus turns up, Sirius splits off from the marauders and heads over to him, grabbing him by the wrist and dragging him to a secluded corner, electing a privacy shield around them. Whatever he says makes Severus’s eyes widen, a small frown coming to his lips before he nods. Sirius inhales and continues talking. Draco clears his throat and Harry averts his eyes away quickly, meeting Draco’s amused look.
“You’re already whipped for him.” He says quietly. Harry’s cheeks go pink, and he scowls, shoving Draco, not without looking it there was anyone behind him. He doesn’t want a repeat of last time.
“Fuck off, Draco.” Harry grumbles. Draco shrugs and grins, eyes going to Severus before he sighs forlornly and looks back to the Potions door. Harry follows Sirius’s lead and elects a silencing ward around them. Draco glances at him. “What’s going on with you and Severus?” He asks. Draco scratches at his forearm and sighs again.
“We … kissed near the Black Lake on Friday. He ran away after apologising and has been avoiding me since.”
“Does he know you’re his soulmate?” Draco’s eyebrow arches as he stares at Harry. “Right, blocks. Even if you’d touched him, the soulmate mark wouldn’t have come forth like with me and Sirius.” He realises. Draco nods, looking back and the duo still talking. Sirius’s arms are flapping around and there’s frustration on his face. Severus is frowning softly, eyes darting around the corridor before settling on Sirius again, eyebrows furrowing together.
“I don’t … think he wants a soulmate.” Draco whispers after a long drawn out moment.
“Where’s this coming from?”
“Maybe the fact that I kissed him, and he ran away!” Draco snaps. Harry rolls his eyes.
“Or perhaps he apologised because he was hoping you was his soulmate, and he didn’t want to lead you on. Maybe he’s looking for his soulmate and when you weren’t, he apologised. The running away bit sucks, yeah, but just corner him or something and demand he talks to you. Or even say your soulmate bond was blocked and you got it unblocked at Gringotts. Merlin and Morgana, Draco, just do something. You’re both miserable.” Harry says. Draco thwacks him on his arm, glaring at him.
“Easy for you to say. At least Sirius is willing to try for you.”
“Because he already knows I’m his goddamn soulmate.” Harry returns back. Draco’s shoulders slump.
“It isn’t that easy.” Draco mumbles, looking at Severus again, only to find his gaze already on him. Draco’s face twists and he turns away, hunching his shoulders up to his ears. Harry opens his mouth to say something when Slughorn races into the corridor and he removes the ward around him, filing into the room when Slughorn instructs them to. They sit were they were previously seated and Harry’s surprised when Sirius seats himself next to him, getting comfy. Draco tenses when Severus clears his throat.
“May I sit here?”
“Y-Yeah.” Draco whispers. Severus nods and sits down, pushing his bag under the table, placing his potions book on the surface. Slughorn starts calling out names and once he’s finished, Sirius stands and gets the ingredients, placing them in front of Harry and himself. Harry takes a peek at the potion, seeing that they’re brewing Dreamless Sleep and sighs as he starts cutting once Draco’s dropped the finished list of thorough notes in front of him.
“Thanks.” Draco nods. Harry glances around the table. Peter’s sitting next to James and Lily’s perched next to Remus, glaring at Sirius. Harry’s eyes meet hers and he snarls, to which she hastily looks away and stops trying to murder Sirius with her gaze. Harry grabs his wand and places a silencing ward around him and Sirius, not wanting Severus to hear their conversation. “So … you apologised to Severus? That was quick.”
“I told you I’m going to prove to you I can change.” He says, looking towards Harry. Harry wets his lips and nods. They settle into a steady rhythm as they work. “I’d still like to take you on a date though.” Sirius comments. Harry jerks in surprise, and thanks his lucky stars that he didn’t have a knife in his hands otherwise he’d sure he would’ve cut himself something fierce right now.
“Sirius, I told you. After a month. Once I’ve seen you can change, then you can romance me all you want.” Harry murmurs. Sirius stare seems to burn a hole in his head, and he shivers at the feeling of arousal that floods through him. Those eyes shouldn’t affect him as much as they are doing currently. Sirius sighs in defeat.
“But the lessons on Friday’s, where I teach you to dance … that’s still on, right?”
Harry hums. “Yeah, they’re still on.”
“Good. Good.” Sirius mumbles, continuing his with his potion. “So … what’s your favourite colour?”
“Sirius.” Harry groans. Sirius snickers.
“What? You said I couldn’t take you on a date until after a month. But you never said anything about getting to know you.” Harry grits his teeth and slings something dry into his potion, grabbing the ladle and stirring it. He adjusts the flame and sets a timer with his wand, sitting back and turning to face Sirius.
“Why do you want to know so badly?”
“Because you’re my soulmate?” He says it in a ‘duh’ kind of voice. Harry rolls his eyes and turns to stare at the flickering flames beneath the cauldron.
“And? You only want to get to know me because you’re my soulmate?”
“No, cause you’re hot.” Sirius’ immediate response makes him choke. “I wanted to get to know you as soon as you sat down at the Gryffindor table with that wicked leather jacket and curling tattoos. You’re interesting. And hot. You being my soulmate is just a bonus.” He dumps a pile of something slimy into his cauldron, looking over at Harry and grinning, throwing a wink at him that makes Harry’s cheeks heat up.
“Shut up, Sirius.” He grumbles. Sirius grins unrepentantly back at him. They stay silent for a long moment. “Silver.”
“What?” Sirius inquires, sounding a little dazed. Harry looks towards him and sees Sirius’s eyes dart up from where they’d been trained on his lips. Harry smirks a little and turns back to face ahead.
“Silver. That’s my favourite colour. Like liquid metal. Not light, but darker, harsher.” Harry glances at Sirius, who brightens when he realises that Harry’s humouring him.
“Favourite holiday?”
“Hmm, Yule, I guess? I wasn’t … I wasn’t the most liked by my relatives. They’d celebrate Christmas, give their son an abundance of presents, I’d get a penny or a used sock or hanger for a closet. I never got to eat the Christmas dinner; I’d be confined to where I’d sleep. But when I came into this world, when I met these guys, my family, it became more about sharing the day together. It wasn’t tacky and it wasn’t over the top. It was right, like home.” Harry’s smile is sad, longing. “Plus the twins usually make a mean battle of snowball fights. That and Draco gives the best presents.”
“That’s …” Sirius trails off, face working through a range of emotions. Harry smirks at him.
“Don’t hurt yourself trying to think up a word, Sirius. You don’t have to say anything. My childhood was shitty. It’s why I ran.” He says as the timer beeps. He cancels it and begins cutting again, slinging some ingredients in, and adjusting the flame. He glances over and sees Draco’s tense as he works with Severus looking at him out of his peripheral eye every now and then. Draco gets tenser every time he sees it occur.
“I … also ran, so I … understand.” Sirius says, sounding like he’s talking through gritted teeth. But when Harry looks at him, he seems normal, no tension lines on his face. He supposes Sirius’s putting his pureblood mask to use and purses his lips. “My mother is a stone cold bitch. She liked using dark curses on me. Crucio, bone breaking, blood heating, bubbling, burning; she liked blood curses.” There’s a dark look in his eyes. Harry hesitates before reaching out and squeezing Sirius’s hand, making him shock back to the present. Harry quickly lets go before Sirius can do anything and clears his throat, carrying on with his potion.
“Your father?”
Sirius releases a breath through his nose, nostrils flaring a little. “He’s absent. Gets sick a lot, so he’s not there that much. He has to work, mother refuses to, says it’s unladylike to do. He rakes in the money; she’s supposed to be a mothering figure but she’s nothing like that. Father … when he was there, he was soft, nice, fatherly, you know? But he got sicker in the recent years and mother go worse, so I left. He used to protect me, protect us but now … he can’t. So I protected myself and left for the Potter’s. They’re my family now.” Sirius grumbles, knife coming down harshly. The ingredient shoots off and slaps onto the floor. Harry sighs and turns the heat up, stirring with the ladle.
“Maybe things will look up.” Harry says, making Sirius look to him, eyebrows furrowing. “I’m hoping your father gets better, he sounds nice. Children need a grandfather. Since I don’t have one, I’m afraid it’s up to you to provide that.” Harry gives him a secretive smile and smirks when Sirius’s mouth falls open.
“You’re a tease, Hadrian Peverell-Pendragon-Gryffindor.”
Harry laughs, not noticing the way Sirius leans forward to take in the sound. “You don’t know the half of it, Sirius Black.”
Sirius pouts and grumbles. Slughorn calls for everyone to stop and fill their phials. Harry conjures a tempus and blanches at the time. It seems talking to Sirius had made the time fly by. He peers over the rim and breathes a sigh of relief at the clear potion. It looks alright, like it’s correct. He grabs the ladle and fills a vial, flicking his wand. A band of parchment wraps around it with his name written in messy ink. He stands and pops it on the desk, walking back to his desk and reaching for his bag.
“Can I walk you to the library? I know you have a free period right now.” Harry’s eyebrows raise before he hides a smile at Sirius’s wide, pleading eyes.
“Sure.” Sirius grins, lighting up. Stealing Harry’s bag, he throws it over his shoulder and follows happily after Harry as he makes his way to the library.
“Homework?” At Harry’s confused look, he expands. “Do you have homework to do?”
“No, I finished that. I … uh, joined the classes of some pretty difficult subjects. I have to catch up since I didn’t take them since third year.” Harry rubs the back of his neck, feeling his cheeks heat up. Sirius hums, face going concentrated.
“Muggle Arts, Alchemy and Ancient Runes, right?”
Harry smiles at the ground. “Close. Not taking Alchemy but Arithmancy.” Harry corrects.
“You’re smart, braver than most to take those subjects. I could help with Ancient Runes if you’d like?”
“That eager to spend time with me?” Harry teases. Sirius chuckles but when he glances at him, his face is strangely serious and earnest.
“Yes, I am. I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”
“Sirius …” Harry breathes, shaking his head, small laugh slipping from his lips. “You’re making it really hard right now. Leave the flirting to a minimum please.” Sirius shrugs, grinning, turning his gaze away from Harry and back onto the impending corridor. They take the stairs and make their way to the library. Harry’s heart begins to slow down from where it’s been beating erratically in his chest from Sirius’s statement.
When they reach the library, Sirius holds out Harry’s bag and Harry accepts it back, smiling a little.
“Can I … um, can I hug you?” Sirius looks nervous. “I fear if I ask for a kiss, you’d punch me.”
“So you do have some instincts. And some braincells.” Sirius grins at him sheepishly. “Very well, give me a hug. I must warn you though, this hug will be a turning point on whether or not we can continue with this. I’m a cuddler.” Harry says, just to see Sirius’s mouth drop open. He’s not disappointed. Sirius’s jaw practically touches the floor and his eyes bulge, his face going red. Harry realises where Sirius’s mind is wandering and snorts. “Get your mind out of the gutter, Black. Give me a hug before I change my mind. Hurry, I’m not getting any younger here.”
Sirius takes a step forward, dropping his bag to the floor. Harry does the same, feeling Sirius wrap his arms around his shoulders, drawing him into his embrace. Harry relaxes, burying his face in Sirius’s chest, sighing softly in content. Sirius is like a furnace and his body heat makes Harry feel warm and nice. He feels reluctant to pull away, but he has to lest he give in to the male. Pulling back, he smiles at Sirius and reaches down to take his bag and walks into the library.
He can still feel Sirius’s eyes even when he’s gone, and Harry’s sat down and started reading about runes.
Placing his hand to his chest, he blushes. His heart is going haywire inside him.