Bonding by Binding

Harry finished his homework pretty fast seeing as how he did most while stuck in the infirmary. He did take the time to reread whatever he missed out on but he figured he understood things pretty well so far. He packed everything away and looked at the time and was surprised it was close to lunch, and still Draco hasn’t come back. He wondered what Snape has told him then figured he was probably helping Snape with potions since he enjoyed that. He decided to go look for him. Leaving their room he started to smell some sort of potion so he decided to follow his nose. He ended up at a room that Snape had told him never to disturb. He figured the others must be in there making a potion or something so he decided to make lunch for everyone.
Walking into the kitchen he checked to see what he could make and noticed that the place was pretty much empty. He decided he wanted to make his special steak tacos so called for an elf and asked for all the ingredients he would need.

He hummed while cooking, feeling himself a little as he is so used to cooking for the Dursleys’, he also figured the need he felt to cook for his bondmates was part of his omega coming out a little. He didn’t mind so much though seeing as how he basically lived that way every summer anyways, and hopefully his new ‘family’ won’t be so physical with him.

He was just finishing up when the outside door opened and Draco came in looking half angry and half unsure. Then the other door opened and Snape came out with his nose in the air as if trying to figure out where the smell came from.

“I thought you were both busy with potions so I figured I’d get lunch going for everyone. I just finished if you guys are hungry?”

Harry was a little unsure if the other two would even want to try food he made but he just had this feeling that he should make sure his beta and alpha got fed. He knew the potion in him was causing that feeling but it felt like second nature to do this and he was one to follow his instincts. Now if only the other two followed theirs.

Draco and Snape looked at him in surprise, not expecting Harry to be cooking never mind for them.

“Potter, poisoning us won’t help your situation, besides, we have house elves to feed us when we’re hungry, no need to try your luck considering how good you are at potions…” Snape sneered looking over what Potter supposedly cooked. It looked good, that just made him think Potter had no hand in it and that the elves made it under his orders.

“I’m not trying to poison anyone, I… I cook all the time at home so it’s no big deal cooking for us. Besides, I was going to eat with you as well… if you didn’t mind.”

Harry sat at the table and made his own taco, unknowingly showing Draco how to make a taco as he’s never had anything like it. Draco followed along and took a bite after Harry.

“Mmmm, professor, you have to try this. It’s actually quite delicious. Thank you Potter.”

Harry smiled widely at Draco glad that at least one of them likes his cooking. He thought it tasted quite alright himself, and hoped that Snape would at least try it.
Snape sat down beside Draco and made himself a taco as well before glaring at Harry and then trying it out.

“Why is it you can cook but you can’t make potions Potter? Or did you just get the elves to make this for you?”

Harry cringed. At least it meant he liked his cooking but there was no way potions was the same to him and he should have known that Snape wouldn’t believe in him.

“I guess to me cooking is just mixing things that I know the taste of so I know what the outcome will likely be. But with potions, I’m just more confused on what the ingredients will become and what can and cannot mix and how the way ingredients are cut or how the potion is stirred changes everything. It’s so complicated and I always feel like I missed something. As for the elves, all I asked them for was the ingredients to be able to cook this.”

Harry kept his head down when he spoke. He knew that both Snape and Malfoy had a passion for potions so he didn’t want anything that he said to be seen as an insult or something. Snape sneered while Malfoy just looked confused.

“If you read all the books that were listed on your booklist in first year maybe you wouldn’t be so lost now. Plus all the extra reading that you could have done in between classes. You are the one that showed up unprepared starting the first class.”

Snape got up and left without finishing his supper and went back to his potions lab. Malfoy had just finished his last bite and looked over at Harry.

“Potter, why didn’t you try harder in potions? Everyone else at least reads the prerequisite books before they enter the classrooms. It seemed you were at least prepared for the other classes we had.”

Harry just looked surprised. More books? What? He thought back to when he and Hagrid did the first year shopping and realized that Hagrid was the one that told him what books he needed. So he got up and ran to their room and started going through his trunk to find his first year supply list. Malfoy was left behind at the dinner table with a shocked look on his face wondering what he said. So he got up and followed Harry to their room only to find Harry sitting on his bed with the list in his hands and tears falling from his eyes.

“Harry?”

“There was a whole other side to the list. Hagrid…well it’s not just his fault… I should have noticed it too. I guess I was just so excited about all of it. I had just found out I was a wizard and that there was this whole other world that I could be part of… I just wanted somewhere to belong… But of course even here I had to be a freak… And then when I was sent back home the Dursleys' locked all my things in the cupboard and so I couldn't even read what I did buy at Diagon Alley...”
Draco was so shocked to hear Harry say that, and then Harry broke down even more and just cried so hard that Draco didn’t know what to do. He took a step back and walked into Snape. He turned around to talk to him but saw his face and realized that Snape was thinking Harry was faking it again.

“Sev… Stop. Take a look at how you feel inside. Try and feel his feelings. This is real. He is not just exaggerating.”

Snape took a look at Draco and sneered some more but did close his eyes to see how he felt. He realized he was blocking his bonds with them both so he opened them slowly and just felt all these feelings from both Draco and Potter. At first it was a little overwhelming but eventually he got control and semi blocked them both only to try to feel Potter’s feelings alone. He had to find a seat the feelings were so overpowering, but once he had a little more control he realized that Potter had so many feelings in him, all of them in such a mess he didn’t understand how he could even be semi in control, never mind going to school.

“Draco, leave. I need to speak to Potter.”

“He can stay, I don’t mind.” Harry said with a sniffle as he tried to calm his emotions. He felt embarrassed about everything he said and did and just wanted to be left alone if possible but knew that that was never going to happen.

Malfoy walked towards Harry’s bed when he stepped on something. He picked it up, saw it was an envelope and put it in his pocket for later. He sat on the bed at Harry’s feet then Harry sat up and just sat beside him. Malfoy decided to hold his hand.

“Potter, what do you mean Hagrid missed half the list?”

Snape seemed really confused. He specifically remembered the Headmaster had told him that McGonagall was the one that did the home visit to Potter. He also said that McGonagall reassured him that Potter’s family was fine and supportive of everything. So now he didn’t know what was the truth and what was the lie? Who did he believe? The one who he was told is a liar and exaggerator? Or the one that he had always trusted but that he also knows that he likes to lie when it suits him…

“Hagrid was the one that picked me up when the Dursleys decided to ignore all the letters I was getting. He somehow found me in the middle of nowhere, gave Dudley a pig tail (Harry giggled a little at this memory.) and then we went to Diagon Alley and he brought me to the bank, gave the goblins my key and we went to my vault and the ‘secret’ vault for Dumbledore’s top secret item and then he left me to get my clothes at Madame Malkins and went back to the pub to get a drink because the carts don’t agree with him. When he came back he had bought me Hedwig, my owl, and then we went to get the books. He had my list, but I should have asked to read it myself instead of just following his instructions… It’s my fault I didn’t get all the books, it’s my fault that there are things I don’t understand even if I should have known I was missing something! It’s all my fault!”

Harry took deep breaths. Trying to calm his temper again so that he could continue to explain what Snape needed to know.
Meanwhile Draco took the letter out of his pocket and began to read it, then stopped short when Harry did and just stared at him.

“Harry? What is this? What does it mean a cupboard?”