Golden Age by black_blade

Chapter 15: Chapter Fifteen

"What are you doing?"

Harry looked over to Severus as he juggled three chocolate eggs. He gave the teen a grin as he added another egg to the mix.

"Building up skills," Harry replied as he added another egg.

"By juggling Easter eggs?" Severus drawled as he walked over to him. "Hey!"

Harry laughed as Severus tried and failed to catch the egg that Harry had thrown at him. Severus grabbed the egg from the floor and threw it back towards him. Harry almost fumbled the lot but managed to keep them all moving. Severus picked up another egg from the table and threw it and Harry adjusted the others then dropped one.

"Damn it," Harry cursed and threw one of the eggs to Severus.

Severus caught it this time then tossed it back. Harry lost his momentum and all the eggs went scattering around the floor and table.

"Juggling seems like a very muggle skill," Severus remarked as Harry picked up one of the eggs and broke it open.

"Sure," Harry answered. "No fun if you use magic."

"Why do you need a muggle skill? You could just use magic."

Harry glanced up and took in the expression on Severus's face. He was surprised that it had taken this long for Severus to broach this.

"Is that the question that you really want to ask?" Harry pressed as he picked at the chocolate.

"Why do you dress like a muggle?" Severus blurted out.

"For that is what I am comfortable with," Harry answered, mildly. "And it confuses people."

"So, you do it for show?" Severus said with a frown. "No, that can't be right. You show off that you are a wizard and a powerful one at that. You don't care about what people think of you and make that very clear..."

Harry just gave Severus a wink as he ate the chocolate in his hand and let the teen think it through. They had a week before Easter and Harry had already stock piled chocolate. Severus was concerned that Harry had an obsession with the things.

"I was brought up with muggles," Harry admitted, mildly. "I wasn't even aware that I was a wizard until my school letter arrived."

"Really?" Severus asked in surprise and Harry quirked a smile.

"After school I moved into the Aurors and it was easier to dress as a muggle to blend in," Harry continued. "I found it more comfortable and it confuses wizards. People tend to stick with the first impression that they get from a person."

"Doesn't it just show your bloodline?"

Harry paused in eating the chocolate and thought that through. In his time, showing if you were pureblood, half-blood or a muggleborn wasn't as relevant. At this moment in time, in many ways, it was the battle lines drawn for a war.

"Perhaps," Harry consented. "Or it hints that you work with or around muggles. Many in the Aurors follow muggle trends for that is the world that they need to fit in with."

Severus nodded since he'd had a muggle upbringing as well but he wanted to turn his back on that. Didn't want anything to do with that side of himself and yet. Harry gave him a grin and threw him a chocolate egg and he caught it easily. He could understand why fitting in with the environment around him would be a bigger benefit. He was a Slytherin after all.

"I have an answer for Ms Black," Harry remarked and Severus focused on him with intense black eyes. "You can tell her that I will meet with Lucius after Easter."