Serpent Child (end) by:Eriador117

Author: Eriador117
Website:http://eriador117.insanejournal.com
Email:annette.gisby@which.net
Permission：
Yes, you can have permission to repost the stories on your board if you want. :)

take care,
Annette
(Eriador117)




Summary: Snape/Harry. Dedicated to Coeur-de-ma-Vie who wanted a Snarry adoption AU fic. JK Rowling owns the Potterverse I just play in it for fun. Warnings for child abuse, under 18. Summary: "He should never have been left with those people!"
Characters: Harry/Severus
Genres: Angst/Tragedy, Romance, Drama, Alternate Universe, First Time, Hurt/Comfort, Bonding
Rating: M+
Warnings: Violence, Adult Language, Sexual Situations, Chan, OOC-ness, Under 18





Chapter 1: Serpent Child
Part 1

As soon as the car arrived back at Privet Drive, Uncle Vernon yanked Harry out by the arm and propelled him towards the house. Aunt Petunia had already gone ahead with a blanket-wrapped Dudley in tow and had ignored Mrs. Figg from down the road who greeted them with a worried frown on her face. Mrs Figg’s carpet slippers had the uppers coming away from the soles as she hurried down the road in the direction of her own house, a cat clutched in each arm.

"IN!" snarled Vernon, pushing Harry so hard into the hallway that he stumbled and almost fell. Vernon slammed the door behind Harry, the letter box rattling in its frame as he did so. Harry tried to make a dive for his cupboard, but Vernon was fast despite his size. He gripped a handful of Harry's hair and yanked his head up making Harry's eyes water. His uncle's face was almost puce in his anger; the man was almost vibrating with rage.

"What did you do? What did you do?"

"I don't know, Uncle!" cried Harry. "I didn't do anything!"

Vernon pulled harder on Harry's hair and dragged him into the kitchen with his stubby fingers. Harry batted at his uncle's hands, trying to get them away, but Vernon was too strong for him. "I thought you'd learned by now, boy! We won't put up with any of your funny business any longer! Owls flying day and night and now this!"

Letting go with one hand, Vernon turned on the cooker. The electric rings heated up, and the sight made Harry sway slightly on his feet. It had been a while since he'd been punished like that. "Please Uncle! I didn't do anything! I didn't!"

"Think you can lie to me, you useless freak?" demanded Vernon. He let go of Harry's hair and then grabbed Harry's left hand with both of his. Harry screamed when his flesh first came into contact with the heat of the cooker. Instinctively he tried to remove his hand, but Vernon kept it there, pressing down hard on the back of Harry's hand. Harry couldn't stop screaming; he wanted to pass out from the pain, he prayed to pass out, then maybe he wouldn't feel it any more.

"What did you do?" Vernon hissed in his ear.

"I don't know! I don't know!" sobbed Harry.

Oh, please, make it stop! Make it stop!

"Like Hell you don't! You're a freak! What did you do to my Dudley?"

"I don't know what happened!" protested Harry. "Please! It hurts! Oh God!" wailed Harry.

"You think that hurts? You know nothing about pain, boy! I'll show you what pain really means!"

There was a loud popping noise and then the pressure on Harry's hand was suddenly released. Harry pulled his hand away from the cooker and cradled it against his chest, still sobbing and screaming with pain so at first he didn't notice why his uncle was no longer tormenting him.

"Give me your hand," said a voice, one that Harry didn't recognise. He looked through tear-filled eyes to see a stranger in the Dursleys' kitchen

The newcomer was tall, but certainly not a giant. He towered over Harry though and Harry shrank back against the kitchen cupboards. People bigger than Harry were his usual tormentors. The man was dressed all in black, he was wearing some sort of dress thing and over it a black cape held together in the front by a silver clasp and chain. His eyes and hair were dark too; in fact the only pale thing about him was his face. He turned to Harry and held out his hand. "I need to heal your hand, Harry."

Harry didn't understand; no one had ever healed him before. No one had ever cared enough.

"Are - are you taking me to the hospital?" Harry choked out. "I'm not allowed to go to the hospital!" Oh, he'd be in so much trouble if his uncle found out that he'd disobeyed. Harry knew the rules by now; his lessons had been learned at the end of his uncle's fists.

No talking to the neighbours. No telling outsiders what happened in this house. And definitely no trips to doctors or hospitals.

"I can heal it here, Harry. Just hold out your hand for me."

Harry had had very little reason to trust anyone in his life, but he trusted this man on some level that he couldn't quite pinpoint. He was a stranger – Harry didn't even know his name – but he held out his hand and wondered what the man was going to do. Harry had never even been given a plaster for a scraped knee so he had no idea how the man was going to heal a burn on his hand.

It wasn't the first burn Harry had ever received; but Vernon always burned his left hand, afraid that if he damaged Harry's right hand too much he wouldn't be able to do his schoolwork and then people might start asking questions. Uncle Vernon didn't like questions; Harry had the scars to prove that.

The man took out a wooden stick and pointed it at Harry's arm, but made no move to hit him with it. He mumbled some strange sounding words and blue light flared from the stick and enveloped Harry's hand. The light was warm, but not hot like the cooker; it was the warmth of care and comfort and Harry felt the pain flow away as if it had never been.

"There, that should do until we can get you to Hogwarts and to Madam Pomfrey."

Harry just goggled at him; he had no idea what the man was talking about.

"You did get your Hogwarts letter, didn't you, Potter?"

"Was that what those owls were trying to deliver?"

"What do you mean trying to deliver? You mean you never received any letter?"

"No, sir," said Harry, glancing at the floor and catching sight of his uncle's prone form. Petunia and Dudley were still upstairs, but Harry wondered what they would make of the scene in the kitchen. Particularly a man in a dress. The Dursleys were always complaining about anyone they didn't see as normal. In their definition, the Dursleys themselves were the only people who were normal.

"But you do know about Hogwarts, don't you?"

"Er, no. Sorry."

Vernon groaned and lumbered to his feet, rubbing the back of his head. He gaped when he saw the tall man. "Who the Hell are you? Get out of my house!"

"Not without Harry," said the stranger, handing a wad of papers to Uncle Vernon.

"Adoption papers!" snorted Vernon. "And who'd want to adopt a freak like him?"

"That would be me, Dursley. Your guardianship of Harry Potter is now terminated."

"Terminated? What the bloody hell does that mean?"

"It means you are no longer under any obligation to care for him and as such, your stipend will end as from today as well."

"We need that money! We've just bought a villa in France!"

"You should have thought of that before you mistreated the boy in your care."

"Are you - are you my new Dad?" asked Harry softly. He could hardly believe it. He had a Dad! A family! A real family!

"That's right, Harry. As soon as you gather your things we can go."

Harry didn't quite know how to tell him that he didn't have anything except the clothes he was standing in and even those had once been Dudley's. Shorts that almost reached his ankles and a t-shirt so tatty and worn that Harry felt ashamed that his new Dad had seen him in such awful things.

"This can't be legal!" protested Uncle Vernon as he squinted trying to read the papers in his hand. "We're his only family!"

"Not any more. Harry is legally my son now. Harry, your things. We don't have all day."

"What things?" pouted Petunia as she entered the kitchen, not seeming at all fazed to find a strange man in her kitchen. Then she surprised Harry even more by addressing the man as, "Snape." Was that his name then? It was unusual.

"How lovely to see you again, Petunia," smirked his new Dad, Snape, and Harry knew he was not being honest. He seemed to like Aunt Petunia as much as Harry did. "I need the boy's things and we will be on our way."

"So they've finally decided to claim him, have they? Took your lot long enough! We've had it up to here with that brat! Good riddance to bad rubbish, I say!"

"His things." Harry had the impression Snape was hanging on to his temper by a very short thread.

Petunia laughed shrilly. "What, do you think we're made of money? We haven't got it to waste on freaks like him!"

Harry shuffled to the corner and turned to face the wall, feeling his fate heat. His new father wouldn't want him now. Not now he knew how much of a freak he was. Harry bit back the tears, but they fell anyway, dripping silently onto the pristine floor below him.

"That's right! Snivelling little freak! You're good for nothing, boy!"

Harry curled in on himself on hearing his uncle's angry tone. He should have known it was too good to be true. He'd never escape the Dursleys.

Useless! Useless Freak! Unnatural! You'll come to a bad end, boy! Mark my words!

***

Severus spent his last remaining minutes at Privet Drive hexing all the Dursleys. He used nothing too Dark so the Ministry wouldn’t interfere, but when he left, the Dursleys' bathroom was going to get a lot of use. They were in for a terrible month, but they deserved that and more for what they'd done to Harry Potter.

The child was so frightened that he'd spaced out and was banging his head against the wall. Severus had no idea how to deal with it, whether to try and shock him out of it or leave him to come back on his own, so he did the only thing he could. He lifted Harry up in his arms an Apparated them both to the gates of Hogwarts.

Dusk was falling as they arrived and Harry started squirming in his arms. "I'll be good, Uncle! Not the belt! Please not the belt!"

"Ssh, Harry. It's all right, your uncle isn't here. I need to take you to see Madam Pomfrey. She's a nurse. Can you walk or do you want me to carry you?"

Harry turned and wrapped his arms around Severus' shoulders, but he didn't speak.

Severus hefted him to a more comfortable position; Harry's legs wrapped around his hips and Severus carried him in to the infirmary. His burden was lighter than he imagined an eleven year old child should be. Harry was trembling against him, sniffling too, but trying to hide it.

Severus though the best thing would be not to draw attention to the child's crying. He would be having words with Albus about the boy's years with the Dursleys. What Severus had witnessed in that Muggle kitchen hardly seemed real; it was like something out of a nightmare and Severus had his suspicions that the abuse today wasn't a one-off occurrence.

He could hardly believe that Dumbledore hadn't checked on the boy's welfare before now. If it hadn't been for Arabella Figg's urgent Floo message Severus had no doubt that the boy would have been left to his fate with those people. It galled him when it could have been prevented and Severus had been a fool to listen to Dumbledore's insistence that Harry would be safer in his relatives' care.

Some care!

As soon as Harry was settled in the hospital wing, he would be having words with Albus.

Oh, yes.



Part 2

By the time Severus finally left the infirmary he was so livid he felt he should be spitting sparks and he stormed up the spiral staircase to Dumbledore's office without waiting for the stairs to carry him. He'd wanted to stay while Poppy examined Harry, but she had felt it best if he left and let Harry get used to someone else caring for him; the boy had been hysterical when Severus had first tried to leave. Harry's screams had been like arrows straight to his chest and Severus wanted to stay and comfort him, but Poppy was insistent she knew what she was doing and it was better if he left Harry to calm down on his own.

Severus had left the matron dosing Harry with calming draught and as he reached the door Harry's wails tapered off. Harry had no idea about magic and the world he'd been part of, so Severus could well understand the boy's distress. The boy had gone from an abusive environment to one that was completely alien full of new things and new people; no wonder he’d become hysterical. It was going to take time for Harry to get to know everyone and discover that he was one of the most powerful wizards of the age.

Albus opened the door just as Severus raised his hands to pull the door knocker, rolling his eyes at the Gryffin. Most people made the assumption that Albus Dumbledore had been a Gryffindor because of the door furniture but from what little Severus knew of the headmaster, he would bet on the man having been a Slytherin.

Not for the first time Severus wondered if the man's twinkling eyes could see through solid wood and stone, for the headmaster always seemed to know what was going on.

"Ah, Severus. I was expecting you. How's young Harry?"

"How is he? He should never have been left with those people!" yelled Severus as Albus waved him in and ushered him to a chair. Severus refused to sit down in it. His anger could not be contained by sitting down and he needed to pace. He wasn't here on a social visit looking for tea and lemon drops.

"His uncle was abusing him all these years! Do you know what I saw him do? He was holding the child's hand down onto a cooker to burn it! The man is vile!" Severus shuddered in revulsion, wondering if he would ever get Harry's pained screams out of his head. "I should have put my foot down; you know James and Lily wanted Harry to stay with me."

"I still stand by what I said then, Severus. Harry was safe from rogue Death Eaters while he stayed with his aunt. The blood protection alone -"

"It didn't protect him from the Dursleys though, did it? They named me in a Wizarding adoption ceremony, Albus. You know as well as I do that adoption bonds carry as much protection as blood bonds, if not more, for the adoptive parent has to willingly choose to look after the child. Lily hated her sister; she would never have wanted Harry to be left with them! That's why they performed the adoption ceremony, so they could be sure Harry would be safe."

Severus sighed and finally sat down; the anger leaving him in his worry over Harry. To all intents and purposes; legal and otherwise, Harry was now his son. If Severus had any fortune to leave, it would go to Harry. His mind wandered back to his own schooldays and how surprised everyone had been when James Potter, the school's most popular student and a Gryffindor, became friends with the most despised one, Severus Snape, a Slytherin.

Severus and James hadn't always been friends; James hung about with the other Marauders, Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew and Sirius Black, pranksters extraordinaire. Severus was an only child and as he was growing up his only friends were those he found in books; he would read anything, particularly anything to do with magic or the Wizarding world.

Severus was of mixed descent, his mother married a Muggle and Tobias Snape had been against magic from the very start and refused to allow Severus those books, forbidding his mother to read them to him as well - but that only made Eileen even more determined that Severus should have as many as he wanted. Severus didn't know it at the time, but looking back now, he was sure the books had been stolen, for there was no way his mother could have afforded them.

No Wizarding knowledge was forbidden by his mother, which was why when he first started at Hogwarts Severus knew more Dark curses than even the brightest seventh years. That alone would have marked him as different but there was also the fact that his family was living barely above the poverty line; Tobias had spent all of their money on gambling and drink and he disappeared when Severus was ten. Eileen died of a broken heart a few months afterwards and Severus was placed in a Wizarding orphanage.

His Hogwarts' uniforms and robes never fitted properly, as he could only get whatever was left in the orphanage’s charity bins. The clothes would have put a Weasley to shame. They were decades out of date and more often than not were patched or torn in odd places. Severus had no skills with mending charms or transfiguring clothes, but Lily Evans did and swallowing his pride one day he asked her to help him so that at least his clothes appeared decent. In return Severus helped Lily with Potions and the two of them became friendly rivals, wondering who would do better on each test.

He thought their friendship would fade once Lily began going out with James Potter and at first James did indeed seem jealous of all the time Lily spent with Severus. Severus could have probably put his mind at rest on that score but didn't want to give the rest of the school any more reason to pick on him. Being a Slytherin was bad enough, but being a gay Slytherin would have been just asking for trouble.

But trouble found Severus whether or not he ever went looking for it. Sirius Black's prank almost killed him and despite being saved by James, Severus resented all of them for a good while afterwards. James was appalled at what Sirius had almost done and made even more of an effort to make friends with Severus to make up for it. Eventually Severus allowed it; he didn't have many friends but nothing on this Earth could have made him become friends with Sirius Black.

On the night the Potters were killed, Severus had been there with Dumbledore and had even lifted the crying child from his crib; but the headmaster had taken Harry from Severus' arms. Sometimes Severus still felt a hollow ache in his chest when he thought about that.

"He should never have been taken from me!" Severus clenched his hands into fists, digging little half-moons into his palms.

"You were a new teacher, you had a lot of other responsibilities; how were you going to look after a baby?"

"I would have arranged something, but you never even gave me a chance!"

"Severus, my boy, I only did what I thought was right."

"That's always been your problem, Albus! Doing what you thought was right and giving no thought to anyone else! I know you've probably got some crackpot plan involving Harry and I am telling you now to stay away from my son!"

Albus' eyes lost their twinkle and he peered over the rim of his half-moon glasses. "I would never hurt that boy."

"Not deliberately," conceded Severus. "But he's my responsibility now, not yours."

***

When Severus returned to the infirmary, Harry was fast asleep and tucked into one of the beds. His wild hair, almost exactly like James' mop, was sticking out in tufts above the blankets. Some of it had fallen away from the child's scar, revealing the only physical remnant of Harry's defeat of Voldemort almost ten years ago. No one understood how a child could have been instrumental in the Dark Lord's downfall, but he had been. If it hadn't been for Harry, the Wizarding world would have still been suffering the darkness of those times.

Poppy came out of her office just as Severus softly traced his finger along Harry's scar so as not to wake him.

"Oh, Severus. You're back. Can you come into my office please? I want to go over some of Harry's results with you."

With a worried frown, Severus followed Poppy to the office, wondering what was wrong with Harry. If it hadn't been anything serious; she would have told him out on the ward.

"Severus, I don't know what those people were doing to Harry, but he is severely underweight for his height. He tested positive for scurvy. I haven't seen a case of scurvy in years; it could have killed him if we hadn't caught it in time. I've given him nutrient potions which he'll need to take for the next couple of months as he is very malnourished. It's almost like he's been starved. Make sure to give him lots of fruit and vegetables once you get him home. I'd like to keep him in for a few days for observation. I've also done a brain scan; Harry has epilepsy."

"There are potions to control that," said Severus, his mind mentally cataloguing his shelves to see if he had all the ingredients to hand.

"Yes, but no potion can control it one hundred per cent, I'm afraid I'll have to ban Harry from flying on medical grounds. There’s no telling what might happen if he has a seizure while in the air and no one is around. It's too dangerous for him."

"Is there anything else I need to know?"

Poppy nodded and waved her wand in the air, conjuring Wizarding scan photos. They looked like Muggle x-rays, but Wizarding scans did not use radiation to see into a person's body, it was all done with magic. The photos hovered in the air in front of them and Poppy pointed to each of them with her wand.

"You see here on his arm? Three healed fractures, about five years old if I don't miss my guess. His arm was broken in three places at once. There are five healed fractures on his left leg as well; it's a tiny bit shorter than his right. I've given him some Skele-Gro, so that should help his bones grow to the same length. There were also two major cracks to his skull, so old that I can't be sure when that happened. The head injuries might have been a factor in the development of epilepsy, but no one really knows what causes it. Severus, I don't know how Harry is still alive. The way his skull has cracked like that, it was as if he'd been hurled against a wall. No child should have been able to survive that. He's very special."

"He is," agreed Severus.



Part 3

Harry stared at the tray the nurse had put in front of him and trailed his spoon through the grey mound of something that was in the bowl. There was a side plate with four slices of toast; a glass of juice which was orange coloured but Harry didn't think it was orange juice; a small jug of milk and an even smaller pot of sugar. Madam Pomfrey hovered by his bed as if to make sure he ate something.

"What's the matter, dear?" she asked him, smoothing down her white apron over the long blue dress she was wearing.

"Um, what is it, ma'am?"

She smiled at him. "It's porridge. You've never had porridge before?" Harry shook his head and she continued. "Well, I want to see you eating it. It's very good for you. What did you normally eat for breakfast?"

Harry hung his head. The short answer to that was ‘nothing’ but Harry felt a bit ashamed to admit that. "Just toast," he lied. At least he knew what toast was, having had to make it every day for the Dursleys. He sometimes stole a bit of it when they weren't looking, but it seemed that Uncle Vernon had eyes in the back of his head, for he always caught Harry whenever he tried to sneak food. Then it was the belt or being locked in the cupboard for a few hours or until they wanted him out to do chores.

"Just toast? Well that's not enough for a growing boy like you. You'll be having porridge every day from now on as well and drink up all your pumpkin juice." Madam Pomfrey straightened the blankets, although Harry couldn't see anything wrong with them. There was hardly a wrinkle, but maybe the matron was even more of a perfectionist than Aunt Petunia, a thought which made Harry wish his new dad was here to protect him from Madam Pomfrey.

So far the matron had been friendly to him, but sometimes Aunt Petunia had been like that too. One day she'd praised Harry for how well he'd cooked the dinner and Harry had felt like he'd been floating on a balloon most of that evening. The balloon had burst when he overheard her talking to Uncle Vernon about it later.

"The freak actually believed me! Can you credit it? He thinks we like him! Who'd ever love him? He's nothing but a burden and the sooner he's out of our hair the better!"

"Ah, here's Severus with your new potions," said Madam Pomfrey. "Eat up and then you can take them."

Harry nodded; although he knew from Madam Pomfrey's examination the day before that he would have to take all these potions; to see the small basket his father was carrying made him pause. Some of the potions he would only have to take for a few weeks; they were to replace the nutrients he hadn't been getting at the Dursleys'. Harry hadn’t told them that he'd been starved most of the time, but both of them seemed to have guessed anyway. There were other potions that he would probably need to take all the time for his epilepsy. Harry had heard of the condition but only in the broadest sense and never in relation to him. As far as he knew he'd never had a seizure but Madam Pomfrey had told him that due to the nature of the condition sometimes the person never remembered the seizures.

His father set the basket of potions down on the bedside cabinet then took a seat on the chair next to Harry's bed as Madam Pomfrey hurried off to her office.

He smiled at Harry and ruffled his hair. "Time for breakfast, Harry. Eat up."

Harry grinned and tucked into his toast. It was unusual for anyone to encourage him to eat, but he was certainly making up for it now. He finished his toast and sipped at his pumpkin juice, while at the same time trying to avoid the porridge. It was grey and lumpy and looked decidedly unappetising. His new father sprinkled three spoonfuls of sugar on it and winked at him. "Ssh, don't tell Madam Pomfrey."

Harry smiled at his co-conspirator and shook his head. He didn't fancy getting in trouble with the matron and the sugar had at least made his breakfast palatable. It didn't take long for him to finish both the porridge and juice then it was time to down all those potions.

Most of them tasted even worse than the porridge but afterwards, Severus waved his wand and conjured a jug of water to wash them down with. Harry was goggle-eyed at the easy way Severus used magic and he could hardly wait to get his own wand and to try it out.

Harry twisted his hands in the blankets, worrying at a loose thread. He'd never actually addressed the man as anything and wondered how he would feel about it. Professor seemed a bit formal if they weren't in class and it would seem odd to address someone older than him as an equal, so Severus was out as well.

"What's wrong, Harry?" asked Severus, as if he knew something was worrying him.

"Um, I just wondered what I should call you when we aren't in school."

"Oh, I hadn't really given that much thought. What would you like to call me?"

"It's silly. I'm not a little kid." Harry felt embarrassed that he even wanted to do this.

"You can tell me anything, Harry. I won't think it's silly."

Harry took a deep breath. "Can - can I call you Dad?"

"I'd love you to. I just wasn't sure you would want to, knowing that I'm not your real father."

"I don't remember my real Mum and Dad. You're my father," said Harry.

"Well, as your father I'm talking you shopping this afternoon. We have to get your school things and I think I owe you a belated birthday present as well."

"You don't have to get me anything," said Harry. He'd never had a birthday present in his life.

"I know I don't have to, but I want to."

***

They took the train down to London. Harry was too underweight to be Apparated safely and since he knew very little about the Wizarding world, Severus wanted to get him used to things gradually so Floos and Portkeys were out as well.

Harry sat stiffly in his seat as the train left the station; wearing a transfigured pair of Severus' trousers and one of his shirts, but as soon as the train sped up; Harry was on his knees on the seat staring out the window. He clapped his hands and turned round, a broad smile on his face. "Look! Cows!"

Severus smiled back, but it was tinged with a hint of sadness too. What child had never seen cows or the countryside before? Harry hadn't just been abused; his development had been stunted by what those people had done to him. According to Poppy's tests; Harry had a high IQ but his social skills were severely lacking, more in the range of a younger child than an eleven year old. He was intelligent but didn't quite know how to communicate clearly and Poppy was worried that Harry might not fit in with the other first years. He would be one of the youngest in the class, but Severus was sure that once Harry started the new term and made some friends; he would catch up soon enough.

"We have to get you some new glasses as well," said Severus. "Poppy said those aren't the right prescription. How long have you had those?"

"About five years," said Harry, sitting back down and glancing despondently at the floor. He'd mistakenly thought that Severus was reprimanding him.

"Harry, I'm not angry with you. Never think that. I am angry at what those people did to you. No one should ever have to put up with such treatment and I am glad I got you out of there as soon as possible."

The trolley-witch peeked her head round the compartment door. "Anything sweet from the trolley dears?"

Severus removed a handful of coins from his robes and perused the selection as Harry stared at all the confectionary loaded onto the trolley like a child who'd never seen a sweetshop. Severus knew in Harry's case that was probably all too true. "We'll have liquorice wands; pumpkin pasties and cauldron cakes. Oh, some ice mice and chocolate frogs as well."

Severus handed over the money and took his parcels back to the seats. He emptied everything onto the seat between him and Harry. "Dive in," he suggested. "I'll teach you a teeth cleaning charm afterwards. Madam Pomfrey would not be pleased if at your next check-up all your teeth had rotted."

"I can eat these? Any of them?"

"I got them for you, Harry. Eat whatever you want. The rest will keep."

Harry's hand hovered hesitantly over the pile of sweets as if afraid that if he did actually try and eat some he would be hit. Severus knew it would take a while before Harry was feeling confident again; ten years of abuse would not be wiped out overnight.

"Can I have a chocolate frog, Dad?"

"It's may I have if you are asking for permission."

"Oh," said Harry in a subdued voice. "May I have a chocolate frog, please?"

"You may," said Severus, lifting up one of the frogs and handing it to Harry. Harry tore open the box and squealed with delight when the frog hopped out of it and landed on Severus' lap, croaking like mad.

"Dad! Dad! You're on this card!" Harry squealed again, this time hopping up and down on the seat like one of the frogs himself and Severus belatedly wondered if all this sugar was a good idea when Harry was even a bit hyper before he'd eaten any of it. Harry read the Wizard Card details out loud.

"Severus Snape is the foremost Potions Master in Great Britain. He gained his Mastery while still a seventh year student at Hogwarts, the youngest ever Potions Master in the world. He is now the Potions teacher at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry but was formerly most well known for his work on improvements to the Wolfsbane Potion and he was the creator of the Hearts-Ease potion." Harry set the card down and glanced at Severus with what Severus could only describe as awe in those jade eyes.

"Wow Dad! You're famous!"

"So are you," said Severus, wondering how Harry was going to cope with being stared at once they reached Diagon Alley.



Part 4

Harry had never seen so many people in one place at once. He gaped goggled-eyed at everything in Diagon Alley, a real magical street. There were people in colourful robes bustling to and fro with their shopping or just browsing in windows; some with hats, some without but all of them with a sense of purpose that Harry envied. He didn't know what to do first, everything was all new and exciting. He'd never even been to a Muggle shop before and now he wanted to see everything at once.

There was a small group of children gathered round a shop called Quality Quidditch Supplies. Harry gasped when he saw what they were all staring at. A broomstick! A real broomstick that could really fly! Harry glanced round a bit hopefully; his Dad had promised him a birthday present after all, but Severus shook his head.

"I'm sorry, Harry. You aren't allowed to fly because of your epilepsy."

"Oh," said Harry. It was probably too expensive anyway. He should have known better.

"Glasses first," said Severus, reaching out for Harry's hand. "Then we need to get you some proper Wizarding robes. Madam Malkin's is the best for that and then we can try Gladrags for some casual clothes. After that we need to go to Ollivander's for your first wand."

Harry stopped dead in the middle of the street so that Severus holding his hand was forced to stop as well. It had only just occurred to Harry that they were going shopping and shopping meant buying things. They needed money and Harry didn't have any.

"Dad, are clothes expensive? I can't pay you back."

"Harry, I do not expect you to pay me back for something that is my responsibility. I am not rich but nor am I penniless. I'm your father now. That means I look after you and protect you. You will want for nothing while you are in my care and that includes clothes and school equipment."

Harry didn't know what to say to that, so he said nothing.

***

They spent over two hours to get Harry's new glasses fitted. Harry had never been to a Muggle optician before and so even the eye test was new to him. He squinted without his glasses at the letters and numbers he was supposed to be describing, but he couldn't make anything out; just a black blur on a white background. He was sitting in a chair that reminded Harry of the one time his relatives had taken him to a Muggle barber. They'd never taken him again, for as soon as he'd had the horrible haircut, Harry's hair grew back again and even wilder than it had been before. They'd wasted all that money for nothing and after that Harry's aunt took scissors to him every chance she got, but that didn't help either.

The occulist, the Wizarding equivalent of an optician, tutted as he fitted Harry with pair after pair of lenses until they finally found a pair that he could see through. He was a wizened old man of about a hundred; bald except for two tufts of white hair around his ears and he was wearing glasses so thick that it was a wonder he could actually see through them.

"I think these should do it," the occulist tapped Harry's glasses again to change the lenses.

Harry gasped, his world was now one with definition, there was not a blur in sight and he almost cried when he saw his adoptive father clearly for the first time. Severus could not have been called handsome. He had a long, sallow face with a hooked nose that seemed to dominate it and his teeth were crooked. But to Harry, Severus was the most beautiful man in the world because he'd rescued him from the Dursleys. Harry knew that what was on the outside didn't count; it was what was on the inside that mattered.

His relatives appeared a perfectly normal middle-class family, but even at his age Harry knew it wasn't normal to lock your nephew in a cupboard without even a proper bed. Severus and Poppy had both talked to him about it, trying to explain that he had been abused, that it wasn't his fault what they had done to him. Harry wanted so much to believe that, but sometimes deep down he wondered if he'd done something to deserve it. Had he been disobedient? Had he been bad and had to be punished? He just resolved to be good from now on.

He wouldn't argue. He wouldn't complain. He would be so good that Severus wouldn't ever send him away.

"Can you charm them to darken in sunlight as well?" suggested Severus. "I don't want his eyes damaged any more than they already are."

"Of course," said the occulist. "But that will cost extra."

"We'll want new frames as well. Square, they'd suit his face better, wouldn't they?"

"Yes. You have a good eye, Professor. Would you like an extra pair with the same prescription? Children can be careless sometimes."

"Harry will not be careless with his new glasses, will you Harry?"

Harry shook his head. "No, sir. I'll look after them, I promise." Harry wondered what Severus would do to him if he did actually lose them or something. Best not to think about that. Or belts. Or cupboards. He would just take extra care.

Severus paid for Harry's new glasses then they wandered out into the throng of shoppers again. Sometimes people got a little too close to them, jostling Harry so much that he gripped Severus' hand even tighter and stood as close to him as he was able. He was getting a little panicky with so many crowds about and he hoped they wouldn't spend too much longer shopping.

"Here we are," said Severus stopping by one of the shops. A wrought iron sign above the door swung lightly in the breeze, proclaiming it to be Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. Severus pushed the door open and then tugged on Harry's hand to bring him inside. The shop seemed a lot larger now that he was in it than it had seemed from the street.

Rows and rows of clothes expanded back as far as the eye could see and then even further. Staff were rushing about, robes in all hues draped over their arms as they attended to their customers. Near to the entrance an elderly witch who Harry thought might indeed be Madam Malkin herself was attending to a tall pale haired boy around Harry's age. His grey eyes raked over Harry and then he sniffed disdainfully at Severus. Harry felt Severus' hand tighten in his own but didn't understand the reason why.

A pointed-faced woman emerged from behind one of the racks; she could only have been the boy's mother for Harry could not imagine two unrelated people having eyes as cold as they took in him and Severus. She was wearing a blue velvet robe; five sparkling necklaces adorned her throat and every finger of both hands had jewelled rings on them.

"You're allowing half-bloods to shop here now?" the pointed-face woman asked of the elderly witch.

"My business is no concern of yours, Madame," said the witch, pinning the hem she was kneeling at.

"That's a fine attitude to take to one of your best customers. Come along, Draco. We'll get your robes in Paris; they are much more elegant in France anyway. This place is a pigsty."

The boy, Draco, ripped the robe from his body and threw it down on the ground. Harry stared, shocked, and waited for him to get a reprimand from his mother, but it never came. The two of them passed Harry and Severus on the way out. The woman stuck her nose in the air and Draco stuck his tongue out at Harry muttering something about Muggles and Mudbloods.

"Who were they?" Harry whispered.

"Narcissa Malfoy and her son, Draco. Lucius Malfoy was a few years ahead of me at school and if Draco is anything like his father, I would suggest you avoid his company. He will be starting at Hogwarts the same time as you."

Harry guessed there was something more to it than that, but he didn't ask. It was indeed Madam Malkin who'd been attending Draco but she took one look at Harry; gasped in surprise and clasped her hands to her chest. "My goodness! Harry Potter as I live and breathe! In my shop! This way, this way!"

She ushered both of them into a private dressing room at the back of the shop. It was decorated with red velvet sofas and gold-coloured curtains. Madam Malkin ordered five assistants to help them and in hardly any time at all, Harry was the proud owner of five different sets of Wizarding robes. He had two black robes for school; an emerald green one as dress wear and one robe each in dark blue and purple for wearing while not in class.

"While you're out in public you should always wear a robe," said Severus and Harry wondered if that was why he was getting a lot of stares from people as he was wearing just trousers and a shirt. "You can wear the purple one now. Madam Malkin, can we have the rest owled to Hogwarts, please?"

"Very well, Professor. Anything else?"

"Three sets of Hogwarts uniforms, both winter and summer. Two winter cloaks, scarves, gloves. Two pairs of boots, two pairs of dress shoes and two pairs of slippers."

Madam Malkin conjured a parchment and hastily scribbled everything down. "Quidditch?" she suggested and Harry wondered again what Quidditch was. It sounded painful.

"No, Harry can't play on medical grounds."

"Right. Rebecca!" Madam Malkin called shrilly and a blonde, blue eyed girl appeared in the fitting room. "Gather up all of these. Here are Mr. Potter's sizes." Handing over both sets of parchment to the girl, Madam Malkin then made Severus and Harry cups of tea while they waited.

After he finished his tea, Harry stood up and wandered over to the full length mirror, staring at his reflection and his new purple robe. It shimmered different shades depending on how it caught the light so Harry moved this way and that, gazing at it. He'd never had clothes so fine before and he smoothed his hands along the material, loving the silky slide of it under his fingers. It made him feel a little odd; there was a strange feeling low down in his tummy and he was a little breathless.

When Severus clasped a hand on his shoulder, Harry yelped in surprised shock. He hadn't even heard Severus leave his seat. "They suit you," said Severus moving so that he was reflected in the mirror too. Their eyes met in the glass and Harry felt happy tears drip down beneath his new glasses. He turned and buried his face against Severus' chest.

Harry had never felt like this before, he had no words for what he was feeling. He just knew that Severus was at the centre of it all and Harry wouldn't be able to bear it if the man was disappointed in him and sent him away. What if Harry wasn't good enough to be Severus' son?

"Thank you! Thank you!" Harry sobbed, clutching onto Severus' robes as if the man was the only thing he could cling to.

I'll be good. Harry promised to himself.



Part 5

Severus didn't want to leave Harry on his own while he searched for a suitable gift, but at the same time he wanted to surprise him. Just as they left Madam Malkin's, he spied Molly and Arthur Weasley with their four youngest children sitting on the patio tables outside Florean Fortescue's ice-cream parlour. The pink and white candy striped umbrellas reminded him of the ice-creams themselves.

Severus already knew the twins, Fred and George, having taught them for two years already. Ronald was due to start Hogwarts the same time as Harry but it would be another year before he would have to teach their only girl. Sometimes Severus wondered if that was the reason they Weasleys had had so many children, perhaps they had been trying to get a girl. Ronald would perhaps be more of a suitable playmate than Draco Malfoy as long as he didn't travel the same road as his twin brothers.

Fred and George seemed to think that their purpose in life was to give the teachers at Hogwarts as many grey hairs as possible, but although they played as many pranks as the Marauders had they weren't malicious with it. It was all in fun, for the twins at least. Severus wasn't so sure about their intended targets; he resolved to keep a close eye on them, especially around Harry. Besides his cousin, Harry had never really been around people his own age and he was painfully shy. Severus hoped that once he started Hogwarts in September he would come out of his shell more.

"Severus!" called Arthur as soon as he'd spotted both of them. "Why don't you join us for some ice-cream? And this must be young Harry, eh?"

Arthur stood up and held out his hand for Harry to shake. Harry's eyes widened in panic and he moved so that Severus was shielding the boy's body from all these new people.

"Harry, this is the Weasley family. They won't bite you, come on, say hello."

Harry popped his head round the edge of Severus' leg and did so. "Hello," he said softly.

"I'm Ron. Are you starting Hogwarts too?"

"Yes," said Harry, but was making no move to leave his comfort zone - that of clinging to Severus' leg like a limpet.

"Fred dear, get another chair for Harry and Severus would you?" asked Molly, smiling indulgently at Harry.

"Sure, Mum," said Fred, sliding out of his chair and commandeering two more.

"Actually Molly, I wondered if I could ask you for a favour? I want to go and get Harry's birthday present, could he stay with you until I get back?"

Harry's hand gripped Severus' leg so tight that he winced in pain. "Don't want to," mumbled Harry to his midriff.

"Harry, I won't be long, I promise. Stay with the Weasleys and have some ice-cream. I'll be back before you know it. Do it for me, please."

Harry nodded and let go of Severus' leg. Molly managed to get him to sit down between her and Ron, leaving Severus free to browse the rest of Diagon Alley for his gifts.

***

"What ice-cream would you like dear?" asked Mrs. Weasley and Harry was completely at sea. He'd never had ice-cream; he didn't know it came in different types. They were all staring at him and he wanted Severus to be here.

"I don't know," Harry said. "Whatever you're having."

"I'm having the giant chocolate and raspberry with chopped nuts sundae," said Ron. "We can share it. It says here it's big enough for two."

"Ah, but that's before they knew about your stomach!" giggled one of the twins; Harry couldn't tell them apart. "He's like a dustbin, our Ron would eat anything!"

"He's still growing," said Mrs. Weasley. "Of course he eats a lot. Right, Arthur. That's one giant strawberry ice-cream sundae; vanilla for Fred and George, raspberry ripple for Ginny, mint choc-chip for me and toffee for you."

"Right you are dear," Mr. Weasley got up and wandered into the shop to order. Harry's scar started itching; he moved his fringe out of the way to scratch it and Ron gaped at him, blue eyes like saucers.

"It's true! You really are Harry Potter!"

Harry didn't understand why everyone kept saying that. How did all these people know him? Severus had never said much except that Harry was famous. But why was he famous? And how did they know about his scar? His aunt had told him he’d got the lightning shaped bolt on his forehead in the same car accident that had killed his parents.

"Have you got all your school things, Harry dear?" asked Mrs. Weasley.

At least she was now asking him questions that he could answer. "Some of them. I've got my robes and uniform. We still have to get my wand and my books."

"So, a busy day then," Mrs. Weasley smiled at him and Harry felt himself relaxing in her company. It seemed the woman could hardly do enough to make him feel welcome.

"So how come Snape adopted you?" asked Fred, or was it George?

"George! Don't be rude!"

"Sorry, Mum."

Harry was saved the necessity of reply as just then Mr. Weasley returned with a tray of ice-creams hovering in the air in front of him. Harry tried not to gape like a fool, but it was difficult. Magic would still take some getting used to and he felt a thrill of excitement run through him that soon they were going to go and get his new wand. He'd be able to do magic too!

Mr. Weasley dished out the ice-creams to everyone, along with long-handled spoons. They weren't joking about the giant ice-cream sundae. Harry didn't know whether you were supposed to climb it or eat it. As well as the ice-cream; there was a mound of fresh cream at the top which was liberally sprinkled with chocolate flakes and chopped nuts.

Ron grinned at him and dived in. A few moments later ice-cream and chocolate was plastered around his mouth; Harry was sure his own must have been the same. Both of them grinned at each other and it then degenerated into something of a race to see who could get to the bottom of their side of the dish first.

Harry had never had a friend before but he found himself hoping that he'd just found one.

***

Severus had no idea what to get an eleven year old boy for a birthday gift. He'd been teaching children for around ten years but he'd never bought any of his students a present before. That would be weird too; having Harry as one of his students as well as his son. What did children want for presents these days?

Severus couldn't forget the hopeful glint in Harry's eyes when he'd seen the broomstick, but knew it would not have been fair on Harry to buy him a broom when he couldn't use it. It would just be cruel. He wandered around a few shops trying to decide what he ought to get. From what he could gather, Harry had never received any birthday presents before, unlike his spoiled cousin. Severus growled to himself as he entered Flourish and Blotts.

He browsed the children's department and bought Harry a couple of books on Wizarding culture along with three blank journals that he could use to express himself. Since he was here and knew the book list, Severus also bought Harry's school books which would save them a trip back here later. His gifts weren't very exciting and he was wracking his brains trying to think of something else to get as well as he paid for the books.

His packages wrapped and shrunk to fit in his pockets; Severus smiled as he left the shop. Of course, why hadn't he thought of that sooner? It would be ideal.

***

"Mum, can I take Harry to the joke shop?" Ron asked as he set down his spoon. Harry's spoon had been on the table long since; his stomach wasn't used to so much food and he'd barely eaten a quarter of the dessert. Ron had made a mammoth effort but even he was defeated by the ice-cream.

"I don't think that's a good idea, Ron. Severus will be coming back here for Harry. You can't just go wandering off."

"It's only across the road!" pouted Ron, folding his arms and making a face at his mother. Harry gasped; sure that Ron was going to get beaten for talking back. Harry always had, but it had been a while since he'd talked back to his uncle as he knew what his punishment would be.

But Mr. or Mrs. Weasley didn’t even attempt to hit Ron, but Mrs. Weasley did give him a telling off that made Harry's ears burn. He was glad he wasn't the one she was angry at.

Fred and George gathered up the empty dishes and levitated them back into the shop. Ginny kept staring at Harry and then looking away when Harry so much as glanced in her direction. She didn't talk much but Ron and the twins seemed to make up for the lack and although Harry wasn't talking much himself, he felt part of something for once and not the resident outsider.

"Are you going to Ollivander's for your wand, Harry dear?" asked Mrs. Weasley, taking some knitting out of her bag. She set it on the table and the scarf knitted by itself.

"Oh. Oh, I think so," said Harry.

"I wish I could have got a new one," said Ron. "Mine used to be my brother's."

"Ron you know there is nothing wrong with a second-hand wand; it works perfectly well. Maybe for your birthday we can see about getting you a new one. Remember we had to get you new books this term as some of them hadn't been on the list before."

Compared to that woman they'd seen in Madam Malkin's, Narcissa Malfoy, Harry guessed the Weasleys weren't well-off and that's why Ron was getting hand-me-downs. In Harry's case, his relatives were fairly well-off; they just never liked spending any money on Harry if they could help it. Harry had no idea about Wizarding fashions but comparing the cut of his own new robe and what the Weasleys were wearing, he guessed their robes were a bit old-fashioned. They were well cared for though, clean and pressed. Harry wondered if you could iron by magic. He hated ironing, especially when if he'd done it wrong his aunt or uncle would burn his hands with the iron. He shuddered and wrapped his arms about himself wishing he could just forget about that horrible house.

"Harry, Severus is back," smiled Mrs. Weasley.

Harry angled round in his chair to see Severus standing on the pavement with something draped in a red cloth.

"Happy birthday, Harry," said Severus as he set his burden down on the table next to Mrs. Weasley's knitting.

Harry stood up and wrapped the man in an enormous hug, so glad to see him back. "What is it?" he asked, grinning up at Severus.

"Take off the cloth and see," said Severus.

Harry nodded and removed the red cloth. He gasped on seeing his present. A white snowy owl with glowing yellow eyes. "Oh, it's beautiful!" exclaimed Harry. "It's really mine? I can keep it?"

"You can keep her, Harry. She'll be your familiar and can deliver letters for you as well. What would you like to name her?"

"I don't know. You name her."

Severus paused for some time. "How about Hedwig? She was a Muggle saint; the patron saint of orphans."

"I love it!" grinned Harry. He pushed his index finger through the bars and stroked Hedwig's feathers; she was so soft!

"Hello, Hedwig. I'm Harry and I'm going to look after you. I hope you'll like it at Hogwarts."

TBC

Chapter 2: Serpent Child
Part 6

Harry's feet were aching and he was getting a bit hungry by the time they'd finally finished shopping. It had taken ages for Mr. Ollivander to find a wand that suited Harry but now he was the proud owner of a holly wand with a phoenix feather core. Mr. Ollivander had nodded and said to himself, "I should have thought of that one sooner. He'll do great things, great things."

Severus had hurried them out of the wandmaker's shop as soon as the wand was paid for, as if afraid Mr. Ollivander would start talking again. Harry had a strange sense that the wandmaker knew things that Severus didn't want Harry to know, but if Severus didn't want him to know, Harry wouldn't press. Severus knew what was best for him.

Harry's tummy growled loudly and he blushed in shame.

"Harry! Why didn't you say you were hungry? I'd completely forgotten about lunch. We'll have an early dinner in the Leaky Cauldron before we catch the train back. You only have to ask if you're hungry, Harry. You're not going to go hungry while you're with me."

"Um, but I had a large ice-cream," said Harry. That was more than he'd usually eaten in a day with the Dursleys.

"That was hours ago!" protested Severus. "This way, here you go." Severus tapped the wall leading to the Leaky Cauldron's courtyard and a few moments later the portal between the world of Muggles and the world of wizards shimmered like starlight and they were able to step through. Harry followed his father into the inn, seeing nothing but a pall of pipe-smoke over everything.

"S- S- Severus, what a s- s- surprise," said a wavering voice to his left. "And wh- wh- who's this with you?"

"This is Harry."

"Oh. Oh y- y- yes. I r- r- remember now. Pr- Professor Dumbledore said you were g- g- going to adopt Harry P- Potter."

At the man's words all other conversation in the place ceased and Harry was uncomfortably aware of everyone staring at him again. He shuffled nearer to Severus, feeling that if he was with Severus then everything would be okay.

"Harry, this is Professor Quirrell; he'll be teaching you Defence Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts."

"Not that you need it, eh, Potter?" said Quirrell. "Not after what you've done. We're all in your d- debt."

"Indeed, yes indeed," said another man in a top hat, reaching out to shake Harry's hand. A few moments later there was a small crowd gathering around him, all eager to shake his hand and pat his head for a reason Harry didn't know about. His breath was coming in short gasps. There were too many people; they were pushing and pressing in on him trying to get as close to him as possible. Harry whimpered and wrapped his arms around Severus' midriff, hoping he wouldn't fall. The whole room was spinning around him and he clutched Severus even tighter.

"Harry, I think it's about time you and I had a talk," said Severus seriously. "Tom, can we have a private parlour, please?"

The barman glanced over at both of them; taking one look at the shaking Harry, he nodded his head. "Of course, Professor. This way."

***

Despite his hunger, Harry had left most of his dinner; he'd barely managed a few bites before he had to throw up, into a bucket Severus had conjured for just that purpose. It had all been a lie; everything the Dursleys had ever told him about his parents was a lie. They hadn't died in a car accident. They'd been murdered by this Lord Voldemort and Harry's scar wasn't from an injury sustained in a car crash.

Harry had listened silently to Severus' words as they ate dinner, or rather as Severus ate dinner and Harry tried his best to keep his in his stomach. His father wasn't a drunken layabout who'd crashed the car one night after he'd been drinking. James Potter had been a Wizard and worked in the Department of Mysteries, whatever that was and his mother had been a music teacher giving lessons in their home so that she could look after baby Harry at the same time.

Harry's scar was from a curse – a failed Killing Curse that should have killed him, but instead it had destroyed Voldemort and that's why everyone in the Wizarding world knew his name. He was famous for something he couldn't even remember. No one had ever survived a Killing Curse before; Harry was the one and only. The Boy Who Lived, that's what they were calling him. Harry didn't want the fame or the attention and he’d reacted badly to the people in the bar who were keen to shake his hand. He'd been so panicked that he’d been sick. School was going to be awful; everyone would be staring at him, whispering at him behind his back, pretending to be friends with him just because he was famous.

Oh God, was that why Ron was trying to be friends with him? Because of this? Maybe he didn't really like Harry at all? Harry wanted to curl up in a corner somewhere. Harry's eyes stung as he tried to hold back the tears but he might as well have tried to stop the sun from rising.

"Oh, Harry. What is it?" asked Severus.

"I - I can't!" sobbed Harry. "I can't! I can't do this!"

Severus was out of his chair and in the next instant he had picked Harry up before sitting down again and cradling Harry in his lap. "You can tell me, Harry. Don't be frightened." Severus rubbed Harry's back and stroked along his forehead and cheeks, drying the tears as they fell. Harry had never been comforted like this before and he had no idea what to make of it. He wrapped his arms around Severus' neck and clung on for dear life.

The fire in the parlour had dimmed to glowing embers and torches had flared to life on the walls as soon as dusk fell, casting shadows on the dusty hardwood floor.

"I can't! I can't go to school!" wailed Harry.

"Of course you can."

"I can't! They'll all be laughing at me and talking about me!" protested Harry. "I don't know anything about magic!"

"Harry, you're a first year, do you think all the first years know everything about magic? They don't, children aren't allowed to use magic outside of school so none of them will have done any wand magic until they start at Hogwarts. All children can perform spontaneous magic to some degree, but it is wild and uncontrolled."

"Like - like what happened with my cousin?" asked Harry, his tears drying a bit now. If everyone else was just as ignorant of magic as him, it might not be too bad.

"What happened with your cousin?"

"We went to the zoo. In the reptile house, Dudley pushed me and I - and I -" but Harry couldn't say any more without choking up.

"Harry, it's okay. You can tell me."

"I - I got angry. I'm not supposed to get angry." Harry was barely whispering the words; the lessons learned at the end of his uncle's fists still ingrained in his mind.

"We all get angry sometimes, Harry, that's just human nature. You got angry and you accidentally hurt your cousin?"

"I didn't mean to! I didn't! One minute the glass was there and the next it was gone and Dudley fell into the snake enclosure. My aunt and uncle were so mad at me! The snake and - and -"

"What?" prompted Severus, but Harry didn't tell him the rest of it. Snakes didn't talk to people; even if they were wizards. Harry wondered if he was maybe a little bit crazy and if he was then Severus wouldn't want him any more. No one would, so he never told about the snake.

"Do you think can manage a bit more dinner for me?" asked Severus, pushing Harry's hair away from his forehead and tracing the scar with his fingertips. "Does that hurt?"

"Sometimes. I have strange dreams and when I wake up it aches."

"Do you remember the dreams?"

"No, not really."

"Why don't you finish the rest of the potatoes?" suggested Severus as he pulled Harry's plate across the table and lifted a forkful of mash to Harry's mouth. Harry didn't remember ever being fed by someone before and although he thought he was a bit old for it now he didn't ask Severus to stop. It felt good to be so cared for and Harry rested his head on Severus' shoulder as he was fed half of the remaining potatoes; it was all that he could manage.

"Right, that's us," said Severus, setting Harry down on the floor and straightening out his new robe. "Have you decided when you'd like to visit the Weasleys?"

Before they'd left the ice-cream parlour, Mrs. Weasley had invited Harry and Severus to come and see them at their home, The Burrow, and Severus had accepted for both of them. Harry had been excited at the time but now he was worried about the reason for Ron's friendship. Did he like Harry for himself or was he just attracted to the fame? Did it matter? He would still have a friend, wouldn't he?

"I don't know," said Harry.

"How about next Saturday?"

Harry shrugged. "Yeah, okay."

"I'll pay for our meal and the room and then we'd best be getting back home. The last train leaves at eight o'clock. I'll owl Mrs. Weasley in the morning to let her know when we'll be coming."

Harry nodded and wandered over to Hedwig who was still in her cage but was happily feeding on some mice that Tom had provided for her. "Come on Hedwig," said Harry, lifting her cage in one hand. "We're going home."

Harry smiled to himself. He loved that word. Home.



Part 7

Harry had spent his first few days at Hogwarts in the infirmary so he hadn't actually seen the quarters he'd be sharing with Severus. Hagrid had asked the castle to provide an extra bedroom in Severus' chambers and Hagrid himself had lingered by the infirmary door long afterwards hoping to catch a glimpse of Harry himself. Severus knew it wasn't Hagrid's fault but he couldn't forget that it was Hagrid who had flown the infant to Surrey and to that awful house all those years ago. He and Poppy both thought that Harry wasn't quite up to meeting any half-giants at the moment, friendly or no.

Harry hung back as they descended the stairs to the lower levels of the castle, holding Hedwig's cage with a none too steady hand. "The Potions department is in the former dungeons," explained Severus. "To keep the rest of the castle safe. I'm the Head of Slytherin House; their dorms are also in the dungeons so that I'm nearby."

Harry still looked wary and scared. "Dungeons? Where they used to lock people up?" Harry's lower lip trembled as though he was trying not to cry. It dawned on Severus what the problem was. The locked cupboard under the stairs. Surely Harry didn't think Severus was going to lock him in a dungeon? Glancing at the pale, worried voice he realised Harry probably was thinking just that, which was not surprising given his background.

"Harry, no one has been locked down here for centuries. There are no cells anymore; it's classrooms and offices, things like that." Severus reached for Harry's empty hand and led him down the rest of the stairway and down the corridor. There were lanterns lit along the walls which guided their way but it was still quite dark and dismal, although Severus had never really noticed before.

He stopped along a patch of wall a few paces away from the Potions classroom and Harry gasped out loud.

"Oh! It tingles!" exclaimed Harry.

"You can sense the wards?" asked Severus in surprise. To his knowledge only Dumbledore knew where the entrance to his private chambers was. "Show me."

Harry set Hedwig's cage down on the flagstone floor and held both hands out in front of him like a blind man learning a new destination. "Here," said Harry, pressing both palms flat against the stone. A blue glow shimmered around his hands and the image of the stones dissolved to show a stout wooden door underneath. "Wow! Was that magic?"

"Warding magic, yes," said Severus. "You won't learn how to set wards until you're older. Open the door and go on in."

Harry lifted up his owl and pushed the door open with his other hand; Severus followed him and warded the entrance once both of them were in the living room. Severus removed all their parcels from his pockets and resized them before setting them on the coffee table in front of the fire. It was late; he could help Harry sort everything out tomorrow. The lanterns were charmed to light as soon as anyone entered the room, but the fire needed a boost from his wand to get it going again. Even in summer the dungeons could get cold and he didn't want Harry to catch a chill.

Harry had set Hedwig on the floor again and now stood with both hands behind his back as if he was waiting for an order. Perhaps he was used to that. "Have a seat, Harry," said Severus, waving to the sofa as he sat down on it. Harry mumbled something unintelligible, blushing brightly.

"Sorry, Harry. I didn't catch that."

"It's velvet," replied the child.

Severus' sofa was indeed velvet; he'd inherited it along with the rest of the furniture from the previous Potions Master and it had been a horrible shade of puce. It didn't take long before Severus had transfigured it to black. But what a velvet sofa had to do with things, Severus didn't know.

"I'm not allowed on velvet," Harry whispered. "It's too difficult to clean and I'd make it dirty."

Severus face darkened as it always did when he was confronted suddenly like this with what the Dursleys had done to Harry.

"Harry, you won't make the sofa dirty."

"But I will," he protested and made no move to sit down.

"Of course you won't," but no matter what Severus said, Harry refused to sit down on the sofa. Severus was tired and so was Harry so he decided to leave it for now. Plenty of time for heart to heart discussions when they were both feeling more themselves.

"Would you like anything to eat or drink before bed, Harry?"

"No, sir. Um - Dad - that boy, Draco Malfoy. He said some things."

"What sort of things?" Oh, Severus was not looking forward to teaching that spoiled brat. He'd only seen him for five minutes if that and already he could tell the boy was another Lucius and Lucius had made Severus' schooldays hell, even more so than Sirius Black.

"He said something about Mudbloods, what does that mean?"

"To call someone a Mudblood is a derogatory term for someone who is magical but was born of Muggle parents. The correct term is Muggleborn and I do not want to hear you calling anyone that."

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to say a bad word!"

Harry just seemed to be getting more and more agitated as the day continued and Severus wondered if it had been a good idea to tell Harry all about Voldemort in one fell swoop like that. He would have to know one day but perhaps today hadn't been the best choice.

"You didn't, you were just repeating what Draco Malfoy had said. There's nothing to be sorry for. Come on, I think it's bedtime. It's been a long day."

Harry glanced around at all the doors leading off the living room and began wringing his hands in distress. Severus wondered what on earth was going on in the boy's head. He waited and watched as Harry walked towards the fireplace and sank to his knees on the rug in front of it, his back to the fire.

"Harry, what are you doing?"

"Getting ready to be put to bed, sir. Don't you want me to?"

Severus was getting more and more confused. He walked over to Harry and looked down at the boy kneeling on the rug.

"Harry, you don't sleep on the floor. You have a bedroom with a bed in it. Come on."

Harry's eyes lightened in understanding but instead of getting up from the floor and heading towards the bedroom; two small hands reached up and began fumbling with Severus' robes. Shocked and appalled, Severus tumbled backwards and almost fell. He hadn't even considered this; the evidence of physical abuse had been so severe.

Severus knelt down next to Harry wondering how to word his questions so as not to panic him.

"Harry, can you tell me what happened with your uncle?" he asked softly.

"What do you mean? Do you mean about bedtime?"

"Yes, tell me about bedtime."

"I didn't really have a bed," said Harry. "I slept in the cupboard under the stairs, but sometimes I got Dudley's old toys and blankets so I made it really nice. One day Aunt Petunia had taken Dudley shopping and Vernon was supposed to look after me, but I ended up taking care of him."

"Taking care of him?"

"Yes, he was hurt. Down there," said Harry, waving at his groin. "He said it was very sore and that I needed to help him make it not sore anymore. That if I sucked on it like a lollipop it wouldn't be sore any more. I could tell he was hurt because when he made me touch it; he moaned. I didn't want to touch him there. Aunt Petunia said it was dirty and I was never to touch myself there except for washing, but she never said anything about touching Uncle Vernon."

"So - so he made you touch him?" asked Severus, feeling his heart shatter somewhere down the middle. He was supposed to have looked after Harry, to have protected him and look how well he'd done at that.

"That time," said Harry, nodding. "But he got sore an awful lot and sometimes when my aunt and cousin were in bed he'd take me out of the cupboard and make me touch him in the living room. After a while white stuff would come out and he said it was poison, that’s why he was so sore all the time and made me scrub my hands so that I wouldn't get poisoned too. He called it getting ready for bedtime. Do you not have the poison?" Harry asked innocently. "My uncle said all men got it and the only cure was for little boys to touch them and take it out of their body."

Severus was getting a headache. How to explain to Harry that what had happened shouldn't have happened and that it wasn't his fault? That his uncle had been taking advantage of his innocence to abuse him in such a horrible way.

"I - I got scared though," admitted Harry in a small voice. "One time he'd burnt my hands because I forgot to add grapefruit to Aunt Petunia's yoghurt and he said the poison was very bad and since I couldn't use my hands, I had to take it out of him with my mouth. I was scared I was going to get the poison too when the white stuff came out of him and into my throat. I didn't like it. It made me feel sick."

"Harry, was that everything that happened? Did he do anything else?"

"Like what?"

"Did he ever touch you there?" Severus waved his hand to Harry's groin.

Harry blushed and nodded. "He said he had to make sure I didn't have any poison in me and that I could never tell Aunt Petunia as she was a woman and wouldn't understand about men's poison."

"And did he ever touch your bottom?"

"He hit me with his belt or the broom handle."

"Were your clothes on or off?"

"On. Why would he want my clothes off to spank me?"

Because Vernon Dursley was a vile, perverted bastard and he was going to pay.

Severus vowed it to himself.


Part 8

Harry didn't understand why Severus was taking him back to the infirmary to see Madam Pomfrey again. He was only feeling tired, he wasn't ill or sore or anything, but Severus seemed very angry and Harry didn't ask him in case he was shouted at. What had he done wrong? He must have done something but he couldn't think what.

Severus was holding his hand and leading him all the way back up the stairs and to the hospital wing and with Severus being so much taller than him Harry was almost running in order to keep up with the man's larger strides. He was tired and upset and felt like he was going to cry again. He didn't want to be sent back to the Dursleys… he didn't.

The door to the infirmary was wide open; Harry could see Madam Pomfrey sitting at a desk near one wall writing with a feather quill. She looked up on hearing footsteps and smiled at Harry before turning to Severus with a worried frown.

"Poppy, you need to examine Harry and get some Aurors in here."

Poppy gaped at him and raised her hands to her mouth, the quill falling with barely a sound onto the desk below her.

"Harry dear, let's get you on a bed. Severus, fire-call Kingsley Shacklebolt, he's in the child protection department and we can make our report to him." Madam Pomfrey came out from her desk and took Harry's other hand to lead him to one of the empty beds. She lifted Harry up to sit on it, his legs dangling over the edge. "Can you wait here a moment, Harry? I just have to talk to Severus for a minute."

Harry nodded, but he was worried all the same. What if they sent him away?

***

Severus used the fireplace in Poppy's office to fire-call the Auror and waited until both he and Poppy were in the office to discuss what Harry had told him earlier that evening.

"That bastard molested Harry!" he said without preamble. Kingsley stared and Poppy shook her head as if the action could somehow deny it.

"Who did?" asked Kingsley.

"Vernon Dursley, his uncle by marriage."

"He's a Muggle isn't he?"

"But he attacked a wizard! Knowingly!"

"He knew Harry was a wizard? No one Obliviated him when they discovered it?" Kingsley had conjured a parchment and set it down on the desk in Poppy's office. He pointed his fingers towards the quill and inkwell. "May I?"

Poppy nodded and Kingsley began writing everything down. "So this Vernon Dursley knew Harry was a wizard and still attacked him? I've never heard of the Wizengamot trying a case where a Muggle has attacked a wizard. I don't know if they'll even do it this time."

"So he's just going to get away with it?" asked Poppy.

"Not if I can help it," said Severus in an undertone, wondering if Kingsley had heard him.

"What did happen, Severus?" asked Poppy softly. "What did that man do to him?"

"He touched Harry, touched Harry's genitals and made Harry touch his. He also forced the boy to fellate him. Vernon Dursley convinced Harry he was ill and that what Harry was doing was helping him! Harry doesn't even know he was being abused. He has no idea about sexual matters at all – as if those people would ever have told him anything! Vernon used Harry's own innocence against him in order to molest him."

"Merlin! That's terrible! You've told Harry it wasn't his fault, haven't you?"

"I didn't know what to say, Poppy. How do you teach him about sex one minute and the next tell him that he's already been exploited and that it wasn't his fault? I'm at a loss. He says Dursley never did anything else, but I'd like to make sure."

"Severus, did you want to make an official complaint against Vernon Dursley?" asked Kingsley. "I don't know if the Wizengamot will be able to do anything, but we can at least file a complaint against the man on Harry's behalf."

"What would that achieve besides have Harry's personal business broadcast to the whole world? No, I don't want to make an official report if the Wizengamot are not going to even put him on trial. Harry has been through enough at that house. I don't want to make it any worse."

"What are you talking about?"

"Oh? Broken bones, fractured skull, enforced starvations, locked in a cupboard, beaten and burnt for the slightest infraction."

"Hang on, you're telling me that Harry Potter was being abused the whole time he was at that house? For ten years and no one knew? Why didn't someone go and check on him? Why didn't you?"

"Why didn't you?" snarled Snape. "You're with child protection, aren't you?"

"We can only go where we're sent, Severus. No one ordered us to check up on Harry Potter or we would have gone, I assure you. Did Dumbledore not check up on him?"

"As far as Albus was concerned, the boy was with his relatives and safe from the Death Eaters as long as he stayed in that house. The first any of us knew of the abuse was when we received a Floo message from Arabella Figg. When Minerva went to check the Birth Book Harry's address was listed as the cupboard under the stairs. It was listed as an address, Kingsley, you know what that meant."

"He lived there? In a cupboard?"

"Yes, he did. If the Wizengamot are not going to do anything to bring the bastard to justice, I don't want them to know. This stays between us; there's enough gossip about Harry already, he doesn't need any more."

"I wish there was something I could do, Severus, but it isn't up to me. If the man had been a wizard it would be different. But he's Muggle, don't they have laws about child abuse too? Maybe if you contacted the Muggle authorities something might be done?"

Muggle authorities, Severus hadn't thought of that, but the cogs in his brain started turning. That might work; he would just have to make sure enough evidence was there that the man couldn't slither out of it. He'd never been so glad of the fact that he was a wizard as he was then.

"Poppy, can you look after Harry? There's somewhere I've got to be."

"Severus, don't make me arrest you," protested Shacklebolt. "You know you can't harm a Muggle."

"Don't worry, Kingsley. I won't touch him."

***

Harry was still sitting on the edge of the bed when Madam Pomfrey came back, but Severus wasn't with her and Harry finally gave in to the urge to cry that had been steadily building up for the past half hour. Severus didn't want him any more. He was too weird, too much of a freak just like the Dursleys had always said.

"Harry, oh, love, what's this?" asked Madam Pomfrey as she wrapped arms around Harry and pressed his face to her chest. Harry wept and wept, unable to even get any words out past the lump in his throat.

"He - he - he doesn't want me!" wailed Harry to Madam Pomfrey's dress, fisting his hands in the fabric covering her sides. Madam Pomfrey stroked his back and rocked him against her.

"Oh, Harry, of course he wants you! Severus just had to go on an errand but he'll be back soon. He asked me to look after you for a little while until he gets back. Dry your eyes dear, that's it. Can you sit back up on the bed for me? I just have to do a couple of scans on you, but they won't hurt, I promise."

Harry removed his glasses to wipe at the dampness on his eyelids and then shuffled back so that he was on the bed and sitting upright once again. Madam Pomfrey removed her wand from her pocket and sent a couple of spells towards him, both blue and white lights swathing his entire body. "Good, good," said Madam Pomfrey, smiling and patting his head. "We just had to check to see if your uncle had hurt you in a certain way."

"What way?" asked Harry, not really understanding.

"Harry dear, do you know about good and bad touching?" The matron sat down beside him on the bed and conjured a doll to her. "This is Frankie; we use him to help children show us things that have happened to them if they can't talk about it."

"It's a boy doll?" asked Harry, the only dolls he'd known about were Dudley's Action Man figures but this doll was a lot bigger than those. It had short dark hair just like his and it even had a pair of glasses.

"That's right," Madam Pomfrey handed him the doll. "You can undress him if you like and we'll discuss some things."

Harry shrugged and removed the doll's outer clothes; robe, shirt and trousers but he left the underpants on, feeling uncomfortable having the doll completely undressed in the presence of a woman, for Harry knew how uncomfortable he would be at being naked in the nurse's presence.

"Harry, can you tell me why you didn't remove Frankie's underwear?"

"He wouldn't like it. Boys and girls aren't supposed to see each other."

"I see. Harry, there are some parts of your body that are meant to be kept private. When you're older and are in a loving relationship with someone, then you might like to do things with them where you both are naked. But what your uncle did – making you touch him in a private place and touching you there when you were too young to know what was going on – that was wrong."

"I - I did something wrong?" asked Harry.

"No, Harry. You didn't. Your uncle did. What he did to you was very wrong, but it wasn't your fault. You were not to blame. Remember we talked about abuse that day? About how you were treated at that house?" Harry nodded. "Well, what he did by touching you was another type of abuse. He shouldn't have done that and he should not have made you touch him. He lied to you, Harry. About being hurt."

"I don't understand," protested Harry, feeling tears gathering again. He wanted Severus. He needed Severus and almost as if his thoughts had been wishes, there was Severus gliding down the aisle between the beds. Harry jumped down from the bed and ran smack into Severus, wrapping his arms around Severus' legs. "Don't send me away!"

Harry felt the hand that was becoming so familiar to him stroking his back and his Dad's deep voice.

"My dearest Harry. I am never sending you away. Ever."


Part 9

"Dudley! Be quiet! I'm trying to work here!" Vernon poked his head out of the spare room door and almost tripped over one of Dudley's remote control cars. Dudley glanced up at his father, hefted the car from the floor and then threw it down the stairs where it shattered into hundreds of metallic pieces. Vernon had no patience for his son or his wife tonight. The latest project was going badly at Grunnings and he was in the firing line. He'd had to work overtime just to keep the same amount of money coming in after they'd lost the Potter brat's stipend.

"Petunia!" he bellowed down the stairs. "Take Dudley to the cinema or something! I need piece and quiet!"

Ten minutes later he heard the front door slam and the crunch of gravel as the car left the driveway. Vernon returned to his computer and sat staring at the screen for a full ten minutes without writing anything on his report. Sod it; he was too distracted. If the brat had been here he could have made use of him, but the brat wasn't here and Vernon had to settle for the next best thing.

He opened his email folder to see if he'd had any new mail since the last time he'd been on. Oh, there it was. A new email from Boysfriends.com. There was a rather large attachment to the email and Vernon rubbed his hands together with glee; there were bound to be some good pictures on there. There usually were; it was well worth the yearly fee he paid.

It was over an hour before the attachment finally loaded and Vernon was surprised to discover it wasn't pictures at all, but a video. Cock hardening in anticipation; he sat up straighter in his chair and glanced at the tableau coming to life on the screen. A nondescript bedroom with a single bed in it, walls painted cream. There was only a white sheet for bed covering and lying on the bed was a boy of around nine or ten. He was completely nude and his arms were tied above his head to the metal headboard. He was dark haired and even had those ridiculous spectacles like Potter's. It was like Vernon's fantasy come true. The brat tied up and at someone's mercy. Vernon squinted; that boy looked remarkably like Potter. His head moved and the scar was visible. It was Potter!

Someone else lumbered into the frame, but they were so large they blocked the view of the bed for a moment, but Vernon could hear the audio. "Please! Please don't, uncle! I'll be good!"

What the -? Vernon knew he'd never tied the brat to a bed, much as though he would have liked to. A few moments later he was staring gobsmacked at himself as he fucked Harry Potter into the mattress. When the doorbell rang, he thought it was Petunia forgetting her keys, but instead he came face to face with three policemen, all of them armed.

One thrust a piece of paper into his hands. Police cars lined Privet Drive, all of them with lights flashing and sirens blaring. All the neighbours were out on their front lawns eagerly watching as Vernon Dursleys' world crumbed to ashes around him.

"Vernon Dursley, you are under arrest for the rape and murder of your nephew, Harry Potter."

Murder? But the brat wasn't dead.

"They took him away!" protested Vernon. "Those wizards! He's not dead!"

The policeman rolled his eyes. "Wizards is it? It's going to be the secure unit for you, mate."

***

"Would you like some more trifle, Harry dear?" asked Mrs. Weasley even as she was spooning another portion into his dish. Harry nodded; he'd never had trifle before but he was developing a taste for it. Mrs. Weasley was an excellent cook and he happily ate whatever she put in front of him. He also loved the proud smiles he was getting from Severus every time he cleaned his plate.

Besides the twins and Ginny, Ron had three other brothers; Percy who was a Hogwarts prefect; Bill who worked as a Cursebreaker for Gringotts, the Wizarding bank; and Charlie who worked on a dragon reserve in Romania. Harry had never seen a dragon and he hoped he might do one day. Charlie and Bill weren't at The Burrow the day he and Severus were visiting, as they had to work. Percy said a quick ‘hello’ and then was off as soon as lunch was finished, saying he had to study.

"He's just nervous around you, Professor," said George with a laugh.

"And you aren't?" asked Severus with a raised eyebrow. Harry couldn't stop staring at his dad; feeling his heart do strange little somersaults. He'd been so worried that Severus was going to send him away after what his uncle had done to him, but Severus had promised that he never would. Harry knew that Wizards took promises very seriously and so he knew it was true. He belonged to Severus forever and ever. He'd had some nightmares after talking to Madam Pomfrey last week but when he did, Severus came into his room and held him until he fell back asleep. No one had ever cared enough before to do that.

"Naw," said George. "We know it's all an act."

"George!" scolded his mother. "I hope you don't show Professor Snape such disrespect in class!"

"Actually, Molly, they are model students. In my class at least." Mrs. Weasley stared at Severus as if she couldn't quite believe him.

"You'd hardly know it from the reports of their other teachers."

"Well, Potions is interesting," said Fred. "All the different things you can do."

"Quite," said Severus, finishing off the last of his trifle and smiling at Harry when he saw that Harry had managed to finish his second dish of it as well.

"Mum, can we take Harry out to play?" asked Ron as he fidgeted about in his chair.

Harry looked to his dad. "May I?"

"Of course you may," said Severus. "But be back before dark."

Harry nodded and eagerly followed Ron and the twins out into the gardens surrounding The Burrow.

***

Once Harry and the younger children were gone; Severus turned to Arthur and nodded. Arthur left the table and came back with a Muggle newspaper in his hand. It had been almost a week since Severus had sent that damning email to Vernon Dursley and left an anonymous tip-off at the police station concerning the man's activities. It wouldn't matter that the scenario on the email had been fake; Vernon had abused Harry and Severus felt no qualms about making the bastard pay.

He scanned the headlines, surprised and pleased when he saw the banner at the top.

Surrey Man Commits Suicide in Holding Cell

Severus knew it had been too early for Vernon to have been taken to trial and Severus was glad it hadn't got that far. The man was dead; he wouldn't be able to hurt Harry ever again. And perhaps the compulsion potion he'd slipped the man had something to do with it.

"Should we tell Harry?" asked Molly as she began gathering up the dirty dishes with a swish of her wand and levitated them over to the old-fashioned ceramic sink.

"Maybe when he's older," said Severus. "He doesn't want any contact with them now that he's living in the Wizarding world. He told me he felt he never really fitted in as a Muggle. His cousin bullied anyone who tried to make friends with Harry at primary school so he's never had any friends before."

"Oh, that poor boy!" said Molly. "He'll always be welcome here, Severus. Both of you will; don't be a stranger."

"Thank you, Molly. That means a lot."

***

Harry watched in fascination as Fred reached up to one of the trees in the orchard and brought something round, red and green to his mouth and bit into it.

"What is that?" asked Harry, curious now.

Fred gaped at him. "It's an apple. You've never had an apple before?"

Harry shook his head as George reached up and grabbed another apple. He threw it to Harry, whose hand shot out and caught it automatically.

"Wow! You're fast!" exclaimed Fred. "You'd make a brilliant Seeker, Harry. Too bad they don't allow first years on the Quidditch teams."

Far from being some sort of disease, Harry now knew that Quidditch was a very popular Wizarding sport played on broomsticks. It sounded very interesting.

"We can have a game here, can't we?" asked Ron. "You and George against me and Harry. What do you say, Harry?"

"No, I'm not allowed," said Harry.

"You're not allowed to play Quidditch?" screeched Ron, as if Harry had just announced he was a murderer.

"I'm not allowed to fly."

"Well, we won't tell, will we?" Ron asked his brothers.

"Ron, if he's not allowed..." said George.

"Go on, it'll be fun," urged Ron, smiling broadly. Harry was torn. On the one hand he didn't want to disobey his dad but on the other he wanted Ron as a friend and he wanted to fit in. Everyone else was allowed to fly; he wanted to do something that other young wizards could do. "Are you scared of heights or something?"

"I'm not scared!" protested Harry.

"Scaredy cat! Scaredy cat!" taunted Ron and Harry felt hot, angry tears sting his eyes.

"I'm not! I'm not! I'll do it, I'll fly!"


Part 10

"So it's done, then?" said Molly, folding and unfolding the newspaper with its stark headline. "He'll not be able to hurt Harry ever again. He looks so normal doesn't he? How he could have done that to a child, to our Harry? I'm glad he's dead, I'm glad!" Molly began to sob, the newspaper fluttering from her hand to fall into the fire, Vernon Dursley’s black and white image burning to nothing.

"Now, now, Molly. Don't upset yourself dear," said Arthur as he moved to embrace his wife. Molly hid her head against his shoulder and continued to weep. Severus felt as if he was intruding on something private so he silently made his way outside and stood with his back to the kitchen wall, taking deep breaths to calm himself. He had never used the craft of Potions to harm another human being before and even though he felt justified in ridding the world of a man as vile as Dursley, he still felt tainted somehow. Unlike the Imperius Curse, a compulsion potion wasn't Dark Magic so the Ministry would know nothing about it. But the fact still remained that even though Vernon Dursley had been thinking of suicide, it was the final push from the potion that made him do it. Severus had killed him, no matter that it was by Vernon's own hand.

Chickens and gnomes flew out of the way as Fred Weasley came barrelling down the path. "Professor! Professor! Come quick! It's Harry!"

Severus bounded after him and they ran to the paddock. Harry was lying on the grass; well perhaps ‘lying’ wasn't exactly the right word. Only his head and feet were touching the ground, the rest of him was arched like a human bridge. George did seem to have managed to get something between Harry's teeth so at least he wouldn't choke or bite his tongue. Ron was wailing and groaning to one side of them, but Severus' worries were all for Harry.

He'd never yet seen Harry have a seizure and had hoped that the potions he was taking would have controlled it completely; obviously that was not the case. Severus knelt down on the grass beside George and that's when he noticed the broomsticks dotted around the grass. Four broomsticks.

"He wasn't flying?" demanded Severus, glancing angrily around at all three of them. Fred and George blushed guiltily.

"It was only Quidditch!" said Ron. "He wanted to play!"

"And did he tell you he wasn't allowed to fly?"

Ron nodded miserably. "But I made him, I teased him about it. I'm sorry, Professor."

Severus looked at the distraught boy. "You, I can excuse. You're young yet, but you two! You're old enough to know better! Do you think I would forbid him to fly just because I felt like it? It's a wonder he wasn't killed! Harry has epilepsy and Madam Pomfrey has forbidden him to fly for medical reasons. When we return to school you and Fred are in detention with Madam Pomfrey. Let's see if cleaning out bedpans and mopping up vomit will knock some sense into you!"

"Sorry, Professor," both twins mumbled at the same time. Both of them were pale and despite his anger, Severus knew they really hadn't meant any harm by inviting Harry to play Quidditch. He was just so worried about Harry!

Severus smoothed a hand across Harry's brow as the convulsions continued, there wasn't much to be done until the seizure passed, but Severus would make sure he was at least here once Harry came back to himself. Then he saw the blood on Harry's forehead.

"Did he fall and hit his head?"

"No, Professor," said Fred. "As soon as he started having a fit, I cast a levitation charm on him. He didn't fall."

"Then why is his head bleeding?"

"I don't know."

What came next made every hair on Severus' body stand on end. A blood-curdling scream came from Harry's mouth, muffled due to George's belt between his lips, but loud and terrible all the same. Harry's hands clawed at his scar and that's when Severus realised the blood was dripping from his scar; it wasn't a new wound at all.

Severus pulled Harry's arms to his sides feeling the lunch he'd just eaten threaten to come back up and stain the grass.

"Go back to the house, I'll take care of him," ordered Severus and all three Weasley boys left him alone with Harry.

When they got back to Hogwarts he needed to see Dumbledore.

***

Dumbledore's office hadn't changed much over the years; it was still lined with bookcases and an enormous desk that if upturned would have made a very good raft. The Sorting Hat was perched on top of one the bookcases and snored the whole time Severus was in there. He'd never seen the thing awake except at the Sorting. Next to Dumbledore's chair, Fawkes the phoenix was in full plumage, it would be a while before he had a burning day again.

Severus had left Harry in the infirmary with Poppy as soon as they'd returned and then had hurried to see the headmaster.

"Have a seat, Severus. Would you care for a sherbet lemon?" Albus pushed a crystal dish of sweets across the desk.

"No thank you, Headmaster. I'm here about Harry."

"Oh?" Albus peered over the rim of his half-moon glasses. "Is he not settling in at Hogwarts?"

"No, it's not that. He's looking forward to starting classes next week; he's even been reading all his textbooks and asking lots of questions."

"A very intelligent boy, then?"

"Yes, he has a very high IQ according to Poppy's tests. It's his social skills that are lacking, but again that's not why I'm here. When we were visiting the Weasleys today, Ronald managed to persuade him to fly on a broom, despite Poppy's ban. Harry had a seizure, an epileptic fit, or so I thought at first. But Albus, his scar was bleeding and Harry was screaming as if he was in agony. I know this is going to sound crazy, but it looked like he was under the Cruciatus Curse."

"That's highly improbable, Severus."

"But not impossible?"

"There are a lot of things we don't know," said Albus. "How a baby managed to defeat Voldemort for one. Is there any possibility that one of the Weasley children cast the curse on him for some reason?"

"No, I don't think so. They were all very worried about him and anyway, if it had been one of them, they are all under age, the Ministry would have known about it. It wasn't one of them."

"Hmm," mumbled Dumbledore. "So if someone did cast that curse on Harry, they did it from a distance and are of age. Who would be so powerful to be able to cast from a distance?"

"I only know of one wizard with that capability, besides you of course," said Severus. Dumbledore's eyes twinkled.

"Careful there, Severus. Anyone would think you were flattering me."

"It's not flattery if it's the truth. You are a powerful wizard, Albus, no point in denying it. False modesty doesn't suit you."

"No, I suppose not. And the other?"

"Well that's the thing. The only other wizard powerful enough to cast curses over long distances was Voldemort."

"And he's dead," Albus pointed out.

"Well, yes," said Severus.

"Are you suggesting I had something to do with young Harry's condition this afternoon?"

"No, of course not! I'm just worried about Harry. What if Harry didn't destroy the Dark Lord after all? What if he's still out there somewhere biding his time?"

"I think that's highly unlikely, Severus. I think what probably happened is that Harry did in fact have a seizure due to his epilepsy and somehow managed to scratch his scar and make it bleed. Nothing more sinister than that."

Dumbledore's explanation did make more sense, but Severus still couldn't shake the feeling of impending dread in the pit of his stomach. Maybe he was overreacting; he'd never been a parent before so this feeling of protectiveness for someone was entirely new. He was probably just making mountains out of molehills.

"Thank you, Headmaster. I've got to get back to Harry."

"Of course, of course," said Albus. "I'm glad you feel you can come to me with any concerns, Severus. My door is always open where it concerns young Harry."

"Thank you, sir. That means a lot."

***

When Severus entered the infirmary, the whole place was empty. There was no sign of Poppy or Harry in any of the freshly made up beds. He paced the length of the room and then knocked on Poppy's office door. The matron popped her head round the door.

"Severus! You can take Harry home now; no permanent damage done. He may have these episodes from time to time even if he is on potions but they usually aren't anything to worry about. It's normal for epilepsy."

"Where is he?" asked Severus.

"What do you mean where is he? He's sitting on the bed waiting for you." Poppy pushed Severus aside so that she could get past him to the main ward. She stared at all the empty beds. "He was here ten minutes ago!"

Poppy and Severus began searching the infirmary – under the beds; in the store room and the bathroom but Harry was nowhere to be found.

"Severus, what's happened? Where could he have gone? Back to your rooms?"

Severus took a pinch of Floo powder and stepped through to his and Harry's quarters, but a thorough search of them yielded up no Harry. He returned to the infirmary to find Poppy frantically still searching, even though they knew Harry wasn't anywhere there. They summoned house elves and the rest of the staff to help them search the entire castle but Harry was nowhere to be found.

Severus remembered dully how in his fright and worry, he'd shouted at the boy when he'd come round from his seizure. "Don't you ever, ever let me catch you on a broom again! Do you understand me?"

Harry had bawled and babbled something about being bad, that he was sorry he was so bad.

"Poppy," said Severus seriously. "I think he's run away."

TBC

Chapter 3: Serpent Child
Part 11

The unicorn was dead; silvery blood was pooling beneath it, the golden horn was dulled and the eyes stared sightlessly to the sky. Beside the bright white of the unicorn's body the creature drinking its blood seemed even darker in comparison. Harry could see little of it besides the mouth, fanged and dripping with the silver unicorn blood. It was cloaked and hooded as if trying to disguise itself like a human would, but Harry didn't think that whatever was feeding from the unicorn was human.

His scar was aching and he rubbed his hand along it, trying his best not to scream. He was hidden by the trunk of a tree and didn't want to give away his location. At last the dark creature had drunk his fill and slithered away across dead tree trunks, its passage as silent as the now dead unicorn. Harry didn't connect the easing of his pain and the creature's departure, not then.

Harry had read about unicorns in some of his cousin's books. Dudley had never been a great reader so whenever they gave Harry any books they were almost brand new. His relatives didn't seem to mind him reading, in their minds it kept him out of trouble. Harry had imagined seeing a real unicorn, but he hadn't expected the encounter to go like this. He'd imagined the animal alive for a start, perhaps one who would be friends with him.

Harry knelt down and stroked the smooth, white coat; feeling an inexpressible sadness deep down inside at the slaughter of such an innocent creature. The flank under his hand was still warm; the poor thing had only died recently. Silent tears dripped down from beneath his glasses and dripped onto the unicorn's mane. Harry wanted to go home, back to his dad, but he couldn't.

Harry had been wandering in the Forest for hours. His tummy ached with hunger and his mouth was so dry that he felt as if his saliva had turned to sand in his mouth. Visions of meals in their rooms taunted him because he knew they were just those now, visions.

His dad had been so angry that Harry had been on a broomstick. There was a bruise coming up on Harry's wrist where his dad had shaken him and shouted at him. It didn't hurt as much as anything Uncle Vernon had done, but Harry was terrified all the same. He was still bad; he'd still disobeyed and he'd made Severus angry. His dad didn't need someone as terrible and useless as Harry in his life. Harry couldn't even ride a broom like a normal wizard. He wasn't normal just like the Dursleys had always said and it was better for everyone if he just disappeared and let them get on with their lives.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Harry sobbed to the empty air.

Harry lay down next to the dead unicorn and curled up to sleep. Maybe this time he wouldn't wake up.

***

"Found 'im in the Forest, I did," said Hagrid, cradling his bundle against his massive chest. "Summat's bin at the unicorns. 'Arry was lyin' down next to it an' I couldn' wake 'im up."

"Set him on the bed please, Hagrid," said Poppy and as soon as the half-giant had Harry placed on the bedclothes, Severus was by Harry's side and caressing his face. Hagrid was so tall that he had to stoop inside the infirmary, even with the high ceilings. Hagrid's beard and waistcoat were matted with blood, but none of it seemed to be Harry's. It was probably from some creature or other.

"Thank you, Hagrid, that will be all," said Poppy briskly as she removed her wand to scan Harry.

"Righ'. The little mite'll be okay, won' he?"

"He will, Hagrid, thank you. He's just exhausted and needs the sleep."

Hagrid blushed and shuffled away, his head drooping onto his shoulders.

"What was he doing in the Forbidden Forest?" Severus asked of no one in particular.

"Did you tell him it was out of bounds?"

"No, I think he was just trying to get away from me." Severus would never forgive himself for scaring Harry so much that he felt that running away was a preferable option.

"And why would he want to do that?"

"It's my fault, Poppy. I was so angry about him flying that I shouted and raged at him. I think - I think I might have shaken him as well. I didn't mean to hurt him. Oh, Merlin, what if he never forgives me? I'm as bad as Dursley."

"Stop right there, Severus. The fact that you are even admitting you’re at fault is nothing like Vernon Dursley from what I hear. You got angry and in the spur of the moment, you lashed out at Harry. Now I'm not condoning what you've done, Harry deserves to feel safe in whatever environment he's in, but you aren't going to make a habit of shaking him, are you?"

"No. I won't shout at him either."

"Severus, that is not very realistic. He's a child, soon to be a teenager and will probably drive you to distraction at some point; you are going to want to shout. What Harry needs to understand is that by shouting at him or by getting angry you are not doing it to frighten him and that you will not be sending him away, no matter what he does wrong. Children like to test their boundaries, Severus. He'll push you to see how far he can do it, that's just human nature. The main thing is to have boundaries and to punish him when he oversteps them. You can use detention, lines, or ground him but on no account use physical violence against him."

"I swear, Poppy. I never meant to hurt him."

"I know, Severus. I know. Deep down I'm sure Harry knows it too."

***

Harry sat in the middle of his four-poster bed. It was dark wood with curtains and bedspread in a very dark green. There was a wardrobe in the same wood; a chest of drawers and two bedside cabinets to match. Severus was sitting on the only chair in the room and Harry wished he didn't feel so close to tears all the time. He was starting Hogwarts soon and Harry knew first hand how cruel children could be to anyone who was different. Being known as a cry-baby wouldn't help him at all.

"Harry, we need to have a little chat," said his dad and Harry nodded to show he understood. Harry was too much to cope with – he was going to be sent away. It didn't matter what he felt about it. How he'd come to love this room, a room all his own and a lot bigger than a cupboard. How he loved the little bathroom off it that was all his too, and where he could use as much hot water as he liked. How he loved the man who'd been his dad for such a short time.

"When do I have to go?" asked Harry miserably.

"Go where?"

"The orphanage?" In truth, Harry didn't know where he was going, but Uncle Vernon had always threatened him with being sent to an orphanage if he didn't do as he was told.

"Oh, Harry. No one's sending you away anywhere, I thought you understood. I promised that you would stay with me and you will. Unless you don't want to stay?"

"No, I want to stay with you!" Harry said quickly. "I thought – I thought you didn't want me any more; you were so angry."

"Harry, while it is true I was angry, that doesn't mean I am going to send you away. Sometimes I might get angry, or you might, but it doesn't mean we love each other any less. All families fight sometimes. Do you know why I was so angry, Harry?"

"Because I disobeyed you?"

"That was certainly part of it, but the reason I was so angry was because I was worried about you. You were hurt and I was upset that I couldn't do anything to help you. The rules are there for a reason. Forbidding you from flying is not about taking your fun away, it's because it's dangerous for you. You can have a seizure at any time, even with the potions you're taking. It's dangerous for you to go flying. More dangerous than anyone else."

"Oh. I'm sorry for being bad, I don't mean to be," said Harry, his throat closing up.

His dad stood up and climbed behind Harry on the bed. "Oh, Harry. You're not bad; you're just growing up and trying to be independent. That's your job, to give me grey hairs." Severus wrapped his arms around Harry and pulled him back against his chest. Harry leant his head back against that broad chest and felt much better.

"So you'll never send me away no matter what I do wrong?"

"That's right. You're stuck with me, I'm afraid. No matter what."

Harry squirmed and turned around before shyly placing a soft kiss on his dad's cheek. "I'm glad you're my dad."

"Me too, Harry. Me too."


Part 12

On the first of September, Harry stood in the entrance hall with Professor McGonagall while they waited for the arrival of the other first years as they made their way across the lake. Harry felt very proud and grown-up in his uniform and robe with the crest of Hogwarts on the robe's chest. Once he was sorted into his House, the crest would change, as would the colour of his tie, but the rest of his uniform would remain the same. White shirt, black dress trousers and a dark grey wool jumper. His shoes had been shined within an inch of their life and he stared at them now; watching the reflection of the torches on the walls in the leather. He was glad his dad wouldn't have to buy him another uniform; Harry didn't want the one already bought to go to waste.

"Nervous?" asked Professor McGonagall with a small smile. She was a severe-faced woman wearing dark robes trimmed with tartan and a pointed witch’s hat with a feather sticking out one side of it. The Head of Gryffindor House looked quite scary, but she'd always been nice to Harry; he'd met all the staff over the summer and was feeling better about starting lessons now that he had. Nothing would seem as unfamiliar, but it was still a bit daunting.

"A bit," he admitted. "How are you supposed to decide what House you want to be in?" James Potter had been in Gryffindor and Professor McGonagall had regaled him with stories about some of the antics he and his friends used to get up to. His new dad was Head of Slytherin House and sometimes Harry thought he might like to be placed there to be close to him, but realised that he would seem very much a child if that turned out to be the case. Harry quite enjoyed learning things, so Ravenclaw was an option, as was Hufflepuff, for Harry didn't like conflict.

"The Sorting Hat takes care of all that, Harry. You won't have to decide a thing."

Harry wasn't entirely convinced that the Hat could decide which House you went to, even if it was magical.

The buzz of conversation started a small distance away; they could hear the first years long before they saw them. Harry had never heard so much talk at once before and he shifted a little bit closer to the professor, as if he was seeking protection from the other children. A few moments later, black-robed first year students ascended the staircase and into the entrance hall. Harry gave Ron a smile, relieved when the red-headed boy smiled back. Draco Malfoy was there too and scowled at him, no doubt wondering what Harry was doing at school already. All of them were chattering amongst themselves until Professor McGonagall raised her hand for silence.

The voices immediately stilled, except for one. A shrill voice suddenly yelled, "Trevor!" and bounded past Harry. Harry glanced around; expecting to see another boy somewhere but instead came face to face with a brown toad held in the other boy's hand.

"Mr. Longbottom," sighed Professor McGonagall. "I expect you to take better care of your familiar in future. Back to your place now. Mr. Potter, join the rest of the class, please."

Harry nodded and managed to slide in between Ron and the boy with the toad. There were murmured whispers of 'Potter' and 'Harry' but he ignored it. His dad had warned him that he was famous because of what happened when he was a baby and to try and not let it get to him. It was going to be difficult but he would try his best.

"Welcome, everyone, to Hogwarts," said Professor McGonagall. "Hogwarts is one of the oldest Wizarding institutes in the world and we expect very high standards from all our students. The school is divided into four Houses. Each of you will be placed in a particular House and that House will be like your family while you are at school. Triumphs and academic progress will earn you points, rule breaking and slack work will lose you points. We expect each and every student to obey the rules you have all received with your Hogwarts letters. Each and every student attends this school on a trial basis. Make trouble or fail to keep up with the work and you may be expelled from Hogwarts and that is one letter I prefer not to have to write to parents. Once through these doors you will be Sorted and join your classmates. Follow me."

Professor McGonagall turned around and swept regally to the double doors leading to the Great Hall. She tapped them once with her wand and they swung open without a sound.

Harry was just as agog as the rest of the students when the entered the Great Hall. Although he'd been staying at the school all summer, he'd never been in the Great Hall before, his dad preferred mealtimes with just the two of them while school wasn't in session. He'd read about the enchanted ceiling in Hogwarts: A History, but nothing on paper could have prepared him for the awesome view of the night sky as if they were actually outdoors.

Hundreds of candles floated in the air around the room and braziers were dotted around the side walls. Everything sparkled and Harry couldn't help smiling as he saw all the students lined up at their tables, having a good look at the new arrivals. Harry felt his heart swell in his chest with some emotion that he couldn't really define. He belonged.

When Professor McGonagall sat the frayed and tattered Sorting Hat on the stool in front of the teachers' table, it was only then that Harry's nervousness began to reach new heights. What if the Hat couldn't decide? What if he was left with no House at all? What would happen then? Would he be expelled?

Harry watched in an agony of anticipation as students were called up in alphabetical order. Thankfully he had a bit of a wait before his turn and as he watched the others being Sorted and welcomed into their House, he realised it wasn't as nerve-wracking as he had feared.

"Malfoy, Draco," called Professor McGonagall and the pointy-faced blond boy stepped up to the stool. He was smirking at all the others and Harry shivered. There was just something about that boy that he didn't like. The Hat barely touched his head before the words rang out. "Slytherin!" called the Hat and Draco Malfoy sauntered over to the Slytherin table.

Well, that narrowed down Harry's choices. Even if his dad was Head of Slytherin House, Harry didn't want to spend the next seven years in a dormitory with Draco Malfoy; there was just something about that boy that he didn't like.

"Potter, Harry," Professor McGonagall read from her scroll and Harry took his place on the stool before she placed the Sorting Hat on his head. Not Slytherin. Not Slytherin, Harry thought to himself and almost shot from the stool in surprise when the Hat began to talk to him inside his head.

Not Slytherin? Are you sure about that, Potter? You could do well there you know. I see cunning and a thirst to prove yourself, Slytherin would help you there. Intelligence too, a lot of it. Bravery and an avid dislike of conflict. Well, there's going to be conflict in your life, Potter, no doubt about that. It's friends you'll need.

"Gryffindor!" the Hat shouted out loud; whoops and cheers erupted from the Gryffindor table as Harry made his way over. Fred and George cleared a space between them and pulled Harry down to sit there. Once he was seated Fred and George clapped him on the back.

"Great, Harry! Just great!" said Fred. Harry glanced up at the teachers' table and saw his dad give him a small smile just as pain shot through his scar. Harry rubbed at his head, staring at Professor Quirrell who was next to Severus.

"Are you okay, Harry?" asked Percy from across the table.

"Yes. It's just my scar, it aches sometimes." The last time it had hurt as much as this was when he'd been in the Forbidden Forest and had seen that creature drinking unicorn's blood. But there was no creature like that at Hogwarts, was there? And why would it have affected his scar anyway? Harry didn't know and he wasn't sure he wanted to.

He did his best to ignore the pain and watched as the other students were Sorted. Ron was one of the last to be done and he ended up in Gryffindor as well. Ron had a broad grin on his face as he made his way over and managed to squeeze in between Fred and Harry.

"This is fantastic, Harry!" exclaimed Ron. "We're in the same House! We'll be like brothers!"

Harry grinned back; he liked the sound of that.



Part 13

By the time December rolled around, Severus suspected there was something seriously amiss with Harry. He had no sense of self-preservation whatsoever; the experience at Halloween with the troll proved that. When asked why he risked such a dangerous action Harry's only reply had been because Hermione was in danger; she'd locked herself in the bathroom earlier that day and hadn't heard the announcement in the Great Hall. The fact that Harry himself might have got killed didn't seem to bother him. "I had to save her," he had repeated over and over again.

Severus didn't know whether to ground him for being so reckless or to give him a medal for tackling the troll with Ron Weasley. In the end, both boys got given House points by Minerva and Severus made both of them write him an essay on the difference between bravery and idiocy. Even after twelve inches of parchment, he wasn't sure either of them understood it.

But even before the troll; there was the incident with the first years' flying lessons. Harry shouldn't even have been anywhere near the practice pitch, but so enamoured was he of flying that he'd sneaked out of the library in order to watch. Neville Longbottom had fallen from his broom and Madam Hooch had left the class unattended while she took him to the infirmary. Draco Malfoy being the arrogant boy that he was; decided it would be fun to leave Longbottom's remembrall on the roof of the school.

Harry had climbed onto one of the school brooms and managed to catch the thing in mid-air, right in front of McGonagall's office. Minerva would have quite happily offered Harry a place as Seeker on the Gryffindor Quidditch team if it hadn't been for Harry's ban and the fact that first years weren't allowed on the teams. Severus wasn't happy, far from it after all their discussions on why Harry shouldn't have been flying. He tore strips off Rolanda for leaving the class on their own in the first place and had given Harry detention with Argus Filch for a month for disobeying him.

Not only that – Harry's scar pained him constantly and his seizures were becoming more and more frequent. When Severus took Harry to the hospital wing to get him checked out Poppy agreed with him that the seizures weren't due to epilepsy at all, but to something else. She even suspected she may have misdiagnosed him in the first place. Severus was still convinced that somehow Harry was suffering from the Cruciatus Curse as the after-effects of that seemed to be very similar to Harry’s symptoms after his seizures: disorientation; weakness in the muscles; a strange taste in the mouth and headaches.

Harry's work was suffering due to spending so much time in the hospital wing and he was becoming more and more withdrawn. Severus didn't know if Harry was having nightmares but he could see purple shadows under Harry's eyes as if he wasn't getting much sleep. Severus wasn't sure what to do to help him; he didn't want to be accused of showing favouritism just because Harry was his adopted son, but the truth was that it made his heart ache to see Harry in such bad shape and not be able to comfort him when he needed it.

The day before the Christmas holidays were due to start, Severus asked Ron Weasley to stay behind after Potions. Ron paled and stared at his cauldron in a panic, as if afraid he'd done something wrong. Harry was almost asleep on his feet, his eyelids were drooping and if it hadn't been for a nudge from Hermione Granger his head might have fallen onto the desk. After the troll incident, Harry, Ron and Hermione had become very firm friends and Severus was glad Harry did in fact have friends his own age.

"Two points from Gryffindor for lack of attention, Mr. Potter," said Severus.

Harry’s eyes widened; he looked like a startled deer. "Sorry, sir," said Harry and returned to stirring his mixture. It was entirely the wrong colour and Severus knew even before testing it that it was wrong. He hid a sigh; he knew Harry was capable of the work but Harry's health had been so bad lately that he was miles behind everyone else.

It was a relief when the bell rang and the first years shuffled out. Ron waited by his desk with a worried frown on his face.

"Don't look so worried, Mr. Weasley, I just wanted to talk to you about Harry."

"Oh," said Ron.

"Is he sleeping well?"

"No, sir. Not really. He has nightmares all the time and screams in his sleep. His scar bleeds sometimes too, but he didn't want to bother anyone about it."

"His scar still aches?" Severus arched an eyebrow at him.

"Yes, sir."

"Professor McGonagall tells me he has collapsed in class a few times."

"More than a few," said Ron. "Nearly every Defence class for the past month. Maybe he's scared of Professor Quirrell?"

"Why would he be scared of Professor Quirrell?" asked Severus in surprise. Quirrell was a nervous, mousy man who wouldn't know how to say 'boo' to a goose. How he got the Defence position was a mystery to Severus.

"I don't know for sure, but he has fits nearly all the time in that class."

"I see. Is there anything else bothering Harry that he feels unable to talk to me about?"

Ron shifted from foot to foot and stared at the floor. Severus understood the problem. Ron was Harry's friend. Telling tales to Severus, whether in his guise as teacher or parent was something friends didn't do – it was one of the unspoken rules. But the fact remained that Severus needed to know what was going on with Harry and if Harry wouldn't tell him, then Severus felt no qualms about milking his friends for information.

"I'm just worried about him; I'd like to know if he's upset or angry about something. Is it me? Have I done something?"

"No, sir. It's not you. It - it's… Malfoy, sir. He bullies Harry all the time."

"Bullies him? In what way?"

"Calling him names, mostly."

Merlin, it was like getting blood from a stone. Was he going to have to prompt the boy for everything? "What sort of names?"

"You know. The usual."

It had been a long time since Severus was a student and he guessed the terms may have changed somewhat since then.

"No, I'm not sure of the usual, Mr. Weasley. Enlighten me."

"I can't say it. I'm not allowed," said Ron. "Mum would give me a soapy mouth if I said it. Malfoy calls him a half-blood 'b' all the time."

"I see. Has Malfoy ever tried to hex him or hit him?"

"Well, the other night, he challenged Harry to a Wizards' Duel. It wasn't Harry's fault, he didn't know anything about duelling and he agreed straightaway just to shut Malfoy up. Malfoy was calling Harry a coward and – and all sorts of things like that. So I jumped in and said I'd be his second, but then Malfoy wanted us to go and meet him at midnight in the third floor corridor."

Severus pressed the bridge of his nose; he could almost tell where this tale was going. "The out of bounds corridor by any chance? You and Harry broke curfew?"

Ron nodded, blushing and hung his head. "Hermione tried to stop us going, she said it was probably a trick of Malfoy's to get us into trouble and that he wouldn't even turn up. But then the portrait had closed so she came with us, but it wasn't her fault, really! Anyway, she was right, Malfoy wasn't there, but Mr. Filch nearly caught us; we hid in a room Hermione found and that's when we found the three-headed dog."

Ron was talking very fast as if now that he was confessing, he wanted it over and done with as quickly as possible.

So, the three of them had found Fluffy; next thing they'd have found the trap door and the Philosopher’s Stone as well. Severus had told Dumbledore he didn't think the school was a suitable place to keep such an item, nor a three-headed dog to guard it for that matter.

"I will be discussing this with Harry over the holidays, but in January all three of you will be in detention for breaking curfew, whether or not you were caught at the time. The rules are there for your protection; you were brought up as a wizard, surely you realise there may be dangers at night that are not present during the day. It isn't just magical wards that protect the castle, Mr. Weasley."

"Yes, sir. I know, I'm sorry. Are you going to tell Harry that I told you?"

"I don't see how I can keep you out of it, but I will impress upon him that you only did it because you were worried about your friend and not to tell tales."

"Thank you, sir. May I be excused?"

"Yes, off you go."


Part 14

"He shouldn't have told you!" yelled Harry when his dad confronted him on Christmas Eve about Malfoy and all the rest of it. "I thought we were friends!" He couldn't believe that Ron had told on him.

"Ron Weasley is your friend, Harry. A very good one; he was worried about you, that's why he told me. He didn't want to, but I made him tell me. Why haven't you told me any of this? About the nightmares and that your scar is still hurting and bleeding? I'm supposed to look after you. How can I do that if you don't talk to me when something is wrong?"

Harry shrugged his shoulders.

"That isn't an answer, Harry. Come on, you can do better than that."

They were sitting on the sofa in the living room, fire crackling in the grate; Harry stared at the flames rather than at his dad. He twisted his hands in his lap.

"I thought you'd think I was being silly. Being a baby. No one else in our dorm gets nightmares."

"Harry, everyone has nightmares at some time or another, including me and I suspect your dorm mates as well. It's not silly. It might even help if you can talk about it. Do you remember what the bad dreams were about?"

"No, not really. I just feel really, really scared and I wake up screaming and my scar hurting. Ron has to wake me sometimes."

"I'll give you some Dreamless Sleep for tonight; it's only a temporary solution. You can't take it all the time and it would be better if you stopped having the nightmares, but until we know what is causing them that might take a while. But enough doom and gloom, I thought you could come with me to choose a tree."

"A Christmas tree? We're going to have a Christmas tree?" Harry had loved seeing the decorations in the Great Hall; everything was a lot prettier than his aunt's plastic tree with its gaudy plastic baubles but since their quarters weren't decorated, he didn't think they would be having their own tree.

"Of course. We need somewhere to put our presents, don't we?" Severus smiled at him and Harry's heart felt far too big for his chest. Presents! He was going to get presents! He'd already ordered his dad an eagle feather quill set, along with some books on potions after Fred had showed him how to owl in his order as Harry wasn't allowed to leave the school grounds. They were already wrapped and hidden at the bottom of his wardrobe – not that his dad ever seemed to go into his bedroom anyway, but just in case. Harry didn't want to spoil the surprise.

"Fetch your cloak, Harry. Gloves and scarf as well, it's cold out."

"Okay, Dad," said Harry as he hurried to his room to get all he needed. In the few minutes Harry had been gone Severus was already dressed in his own cloak and bundled up with a scarf and gloves too. Harry grinned at him and took his father's outstretched hand as they made their way out of the castle.

"Where are we going?"

"There's a small plot of Christmas trees in the Forbidden Forest; staff are allowed to make use of them. Hagrid plants new ones every year."

Harry felt his arm tensing up and his dad must have noticed it too.

"Harry, what's wrong?"

"I don't want to go in there."

"It's not far in, not nearly as far as you went on your adventure. We'll still be in sight of Hagrid's hut and the school."

Harry pulled his hand away and stood shivering on the snow covered ground. "No, please. Don't make me go in there."

"Harry? What is it? Did something happen to you in the Forest?"

Harry nodded. "There - there was something in the Forest, some sort of creature. It - it was drinking unicorn's blood and my scar ached the whole time it was there. It stopped aching as soon as it went away."

"Drinking the blood? Are you sure, Harry? Absolutely?"

"Yes; the blood was silvery and all around the creature's mouth it was all silver were it'd been drinking it. I don't want to go in there, please."

"Very well, Harry. Why don't you visit Hagrid and I'll get the tree? You can help me decorate it later. I shouldn't be too long."

Harry nodded eagerly; anything to stop him from going into that Forest again.

"Professor! 'Arry, c'mon in!" urged Hagrid as soon as he'd opened his door.

"I can't stay," said Severus. "I'm off to get our tree, but could Harry stay with you for an hour or so?"

"Of course he can. C'mon on in, 'Arry. I'll make some hot chocolate."

His dad hugged Harry before turning round and striding into the depths of the Forest. Harry followed Hagrid inside his hut; the place looked the same as when he'd been here with Ron and Hermione a few times. Hagrid had invited them to dinner once but after Hermione found what looked like a talon in her stew, they decided to give Hagrid's cooking a miss – he seemed to think that most things were edible.

There was only one room in the hut with a large bed in one corner and an enormous settle on the opposite side of the room. A table and four chairs took up most of the room in the middle and along the wall facing the door was a large fireplace. A black cauldron was hanging over it and Hagrid peered into it before getting Harry settled in one of the two armchairs on either side of the fire.

Hagrid hunted through some cupboards to find cups and hot chocolate, talking to Harry all the while he was making it.

"Not goin' with yer dad to fetch yer tree, then?"

"No, I didn't want to go into the Forest," said Harry, pulling his gloves off by his teeth and then putting his hands out in front of him to warm them by the fire. "Did you ever find what was hunting the unicorns?"

"Nope, a few more dead last week. Whatever animal it is, it's gettin' bolder."

Harry shuddered. Those poor unicorns. He hoped Hagrid found whatever it was soon.

Hagrid finished making the chocolate and handed Harry a mug that was almost big enough to swim in.

"Thanks," Harry sipped the liquid, relishing the taste. He'd never tasted chocolate before he came to Hogwarts, but Madam Pomfrey and Severus both seemed to feel he needed a lot of it.

There was a loud 'pop' from the cauldron over the fire and Harry almost spilled his drink.

"Oh. Oh dear," said Hagrid, looking very distressed. "I didn' think it would be 'atching yet."

"Hatching? What is it?" Harry set his mug down on the floor by his chair and edged closer to the fire so that he could see into the cauldron. A large, brown egg sat at the bottom of the cauldron and there were a couple of cracks down the middle as if whatever was in there was just about to hatch. Harry had never seen a bird's egg that large before and going by Hagrid's worried glances toward the windows, Harry guessed it was something that Hagrid wasn't supposed to have. Hagrid loved animals, the more dangerous the better.

Hagrid sighed to himself and went to fetch a pair of oven mitts. He slid his hands into the hot cauldron, gently lifted the egg out and placed it on the centre of the table. Both drinks lay forgotten as Harry watched eagerly to see what strange creature was about to hatch from the egg.

Time seemed to stand still as more and more smaller cracks appeared on the egg. Harry held his breath when the egg shattered onto the table and he was left almost dumbstruck.

"A dragon! You've got a dragon!" exclaimed Harry as a creature only about twice the size of his hand coughed, shooting a few sparks in the air and unfurling leathery brown wings. "But aren't they restricted?" Harry seemed to remember Ron saying something about it.

"I need to get a licence," said Hagrid. "So don' be tellin' anyone yet that I've got one, all righ 'Arry? It'll be our secret."

"Um. Okay," said Harry, feeling a little bit uncomfortable. Uncle Vernon had always said that whenever he wanted Harry to perform his bedtime routine but Hagrid had never done anything like that. It was hard work keeping secrets and in a way he was glad his dad had talked to Ron about all of the things that had been going on. They were out in the open now and hopefully his dad would be able to help.

"Norbert, say 'ello to 'Arry," said Hagrid, beaming a proud smile and tickling underneath the dragon's chin.

"You'd better hide him before dad gets back," said Harry.

Hagrid nodded and wandered around frantically searching for a hiding place.

Harry smiled as Hagrid put the dragon under the bed. This was one secret he wouldn't mind keeping.

***

The tree wasn't large, Severus didn't want it to overpower their small living room but from the way Harry's face lit up when he saw it; it could have been twelve feet tall.

"Oh! It's beautiful!" said Harry, reaching out a hand to caress the branches and sniff the scent.

"I thought we could decorate it and then have some dinner. Then it's early to bed for you or Santa won't come."

"Santa isn't real," said Harry shakily. "If he was real he would have brought me food and taken me out of the cupboard! That's all I wanted, every year, and he never came! He never came!" Harry was working himself into a state and Severus felt his heart go out to the innocence that Harry had lost so early.

"Harry. Oh, Harry," said Severus as he knelt down and wrapped Harry in his arms. He didn't mean to upset him but that's all he seemed to be doing today. "Ssh, love, it's all right. It's all right."

Harry sobbed; his head leaning on Severus' shoulder; Harry was just about a head taller when Severus was kneeling down. Severus rubbed his back and just held him until Harry calmed down. He knew that Harry had never received any sort of comfort from the Dursleys and Severus was determined to make up for it. Harry would never want for anything while he was in Severus' care.

He would make damn sure of that.



Part 15

Harry woke up early on Christmas morning feeling more refreshed than he'd been in a while. The Dreamless Sleep had obviously done its stuff and he couldn't remember having any dreams – nightmares or otherwise. Not sure if his dad was even up yet, Harry took a shower and got dressed in a pair of jeans, a t-shirt with a sweatshirt over it. He put his dirty clothes and the towels in the hamper in the bathroom and closed the lid. When he opened it again, the clothes were gone and he knew from past experience that they would be returned clean and folded on his bed by the house elves.

Harry made his bed before going out to the living room, deciding to read a bit before Severus was up, but Severus was already sitting on the sofa with a book in his hands.

"Good morning, Harry," said Severus setting the book aside. "Did you sleep well?"

"I did. I didn't think you'd be up yet."

"I'm usually an early riser, even during the holidays."

"What time is it?"

"Just before seven. Would you like to open your presents or have breakfast first?"

Harry gaped at the pile of presents which were now sitting beneath their tree. There seemed to be a lot more than there had been last night. "Can we open the presents first? Is that okay?" asked Harry. He didn't think he'd be able to sit still enough to eat breakfast with such anticipation running through him. He was already a bit jittery wondering what was in all of those parcels.

"Of course it is. It's our first Christmas together, I want you to do what you'd like."

"It is, isn't it?" Harry had never even thought of that before. His first family Christmas; for what he went through at the Dursleys could not have been considered a family Christmas for him. Harry had done most of the cooking and then was shoved back in his cupboard before he got to taste any of it. Sometimes he deliberately burned the gingerbread men and his Aunt Petunia would allow him to have those rather than just throw them out. He got quite used to the taste of charred biscuits and it was normally the only food he got over Christmas. Except for when Vernon... but Severus and Madam Pomfrey had said that was bad and he wasn't to think about it. It was just hard not to sometimes.

"Go on, then," urged his dad, waving at the pile of gifts. Harry knelt down beside the tree and began to sort through the presents. He had two piles in the end, one for him and one for Severus. His own pile seemed slightly larger than his dad's, which made Harry feel guilty and wish he'd bought Severus more gifts.

There was a squishy parcel from Mr. and Mrs. Weasley; Harry wasted no time in ripping off the paper and held up an emerald green jumper with the letter 'H' in gold on the front. Harry hung it up to his chin to see if it would fit him, it seemed it would and he set it aside to dive into the rest. Severus was smiling at him as Harry opened gift after gift and squealed in delight at seeing everything.

Hermione gave him a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans and a book on the differences between Muggle and Wizarding history. From Ron, he got a subscription to Quidditch Monthly magazine. Although Harry didn't play himself, he loved the game and he'd enjoy the magazine. His first issue was enclosed with the subscription gift card and Harry was sorely tempted to settle down to read it, but realised he had lots more presents to open yet. There was even one from the headmaster!

Harry tore of the silver wrapping paper that had red flowers whose petals opened and closed as he watched it. Inside was a cloak made from some shimmering, silvery fabric. It was so soft and flowed like water over Harry's hands as he stroked it.

"I am going to kill Albus!" exclaimed his dad, making Harry almost jump out of his skin.

"Dad? What's wrong?"

"It's an invisibility cloak, Harry and if I'm not very much mistaken, this particular one belonged to your father, James."

"Oh," said Harry softly. The only things he knew about his parents was whatever anyone else happened to tell him; he didn't remember them at all. No one had mentioned an invisibility cloak before. "If you'd rather I didn't have it..." Harry trailed off but he felt his fingers clutch tighter on the fabric. The cloak was the only thing he had of his parents and it would hurt to give it up, but on the other hand he didn't want to make his dad angry either. Was he upset because the cloak had belonged to James? Was he scared Harry wouldn't think of him as his dad anymore?

"I didn't say that, Harry. I'm afraid my outburst has more to do with the fact that I'm a teacher. What mischief might you and your friends get up to with a cloak like that at your disposal? James used it for pulling pranks so often that Professor Dumbledore had to confiscate it. He's just returning it to you, I'm sure James would have wanted you to have it. You may keep the cloak, but I do not want to see you using it to sneak around, are we clear?"

"Yes, sir. Thank you, sir," said Harry and set the cloak to one side as he opened the rest of his presents. He saved his dad's present till last. It was a square gold box with an enormous red bow on the top. Harry pulled the bow off and ripped the flaps open. Inside was a miniature easel, boxes of paint, sketch-books, brushes and pencils. When Harry set the easel on the floor, it transformed into its full size and Harry just stared and stared. How did Severus know he liked drawing and painting?

Almost as if his dad could read his mind Severus answered him. "A couple of your teachers have informed me that you've been doodling in the margins of your work books. Now you won't need to."

Harry felt happy tears falling down his cheeks. He knelt up to hug him. "Thank you! Thank you!"

***

Harry was one of very few students who'd stayed at Hogwarts over Christmas. There were two first year Hufflepuffs and one Ravenclaw at the dinner table when they entered the Great Hall for Christmas lunch. All the House tables had been cleared away and all students and staff sat at the round table Dumbledore had conjured for just this purpose.

Severus' heart felt a lot lighter than it had been in a while. Harry hadn't had a seizure for a couple of weeks and they would just have to see about the nightmares. Severus hadn't been expecting any presents from Harry; he gave Harry a monthly allowance, but it wasn't a lot, just for sweets and small treats like that, but it seemed that Harry had saved up in order to get Severus an eagle feather quill. They weren't exactly cheap and Severus felt a bit guilty that Harry had spent all his pocket money on him instead of himself. He would have to take Harry into Diagon Alley over the holidays for a treat.

Once everyone was seated and greeted, Dumbledore tapped the table and golden platters of food appeared on the table: three large turkeys; glazed carrots and peas; ceramic pots of cranberry sauce; silver jugs of gravy; sausages stuffed with sage and onion wrapped in bacon; bowls of mashed and roast potatoes; bottles of wine for the adults and jugs of lemonade for the students.

Everyone started helping themselves; the turkey had been pre-carved and each person only had to touch it with their fork in order for a slice to fall onto their plate. Harry, however, hung back and let everyone else be served first but even when everyone else's plate was filled, Harry made no move to get any food.

"Harry? Aren't you hungry?" asked Severus with some concern. Harry had eaten little at breakfast. Harry was sitting next to him and leaned up to whisper in his ear.

"Am I allowed?"

Severus didn't understand the problem; Harry had eaten meals in the Great Hall during the school year with all the other students. "Of course you're allowed, what would you like?" Severus set his own plate down and lifted up Harry's empty one in order to select food for Harry.

"Um. Roast potatoes," said Harry.

"What else?"

"Just potatoes," said Harry, trying to avoid looking at anyone.

Severus shook his head; he added two slices of turkey, a spoonful of carrots and some cranberry sauce to Harry's plate before setting it down in front of him. He wasn't prepared for the look of utter betrayal on Harry's face. Harry looked as if he was about to burst into tears at any minute and even as Severus thought it, Harry bounded out of the chair and ran out of the Great Hall.

"Oh dear; is he all right, Severus?" asked Minerva.

"I don't know, I'll go and talk to him." Severus set down his napkin and hunted Harry down. He found him curled up next to the statue of Boris the Bewildered with his knees tucked tight against his chest and his arms wrapped around them. Harry was trembling and sniffling to his knees.

"Harry? What's wrong?" asked Severus as he knelt down in front of Harry. It was a couple of seconds before Harry even looked up. Yes indeed, he had been crying and Harry wiped a hand across his cheek to clean the tears away.

"I don't want to be bad!" sobbed Harry, as if this should make perfect sense. Severus had come to realise that Harry's mind didn't seem to work quite like other people's and things that were not a problem for other people were problematic for Harry. How could food make him think he was bad?

"Harry, you're allowed to eat whatever you want, in fact you need to eat, Madam Pomfrey's already told you that, hasn't she?"

Harry nodded miserably. "He - he used to feed me," said Harry so softly that Severus had to struggle to hear. "If - if I did those things to him, he would feed me at Christmas with turkey and stuff. I did it because I was hungry. I was bad to do those things, wasn't I? I don't want to do that anymore, I don't!"

Severus felt as if he'd just taken a bludger to the guts. Had Harry been worrying about this all along? That he thought Severus wanted some sort of payment in return for having to somewhere to live and food in his belly? He had to get at the root of this.

"Harry, what did you think was going to happen if you'd eaten that dinner?"

"That - that you'd want me to - to - like with my uncle. I didn't want to be bad; Madam Pomfrey said it was bad to touch my uncle like that."

Severus thought Harry had understood, so did Poppy from what he remembered. "Harry, it was your uncle who was bad, not you. It wasn't your fault that he did that to you. You were a child under his care and he abused your trust."

"But it was my fault!" wailed Harry. "I let him do things so I could get food! I let him, that means it's my fault!"

"No, Harry, no," Severus wrapped Harry up in his arms and rocked him. "He forced you by withholding food, it wasn't your fault. Did Madam Pomfrey not explain this to you? In the eyes of the law, Harry, you are considered a child and even if you agreed in order to be fed, you would not be held responsible for what your uncle did to you. He was the adult; he had the power over you and made you do things that were uncomfortable. He made you do them, Harry, no matter what method he used."

"Madam Pomfrey said it would be better when I'm older. I don't think I'll want to do that, ever. It was awful and it made me feel sick."

"Well, you may change your mind," Severus said softly. "I think it's time we had a chat about growing up. You don't have this lesson until third year but I think you need to know some things, all right?"

Harry nodded and rested his head against Severus' shoulder. Severus rocked him for a little while more before they both made their way back to the Great Hall and Harry ate the rest of his dinner without comment.

The talk was not going to be easy, especially with Harry's past experiences with his uncle and Severus made a mental note to get some pamphlets from Poppy after dinner. It was going to be a long night.

TBC

Chapter 4: Serpent Child
Part 16

The talk Severus gave Harry later that night was a bit embarrassing but after a brief overview, his dad gave him some pamphlets from Madam Pomfrey so that Harry could read them on his own. "Just ask me if you have any questions."

Harry spent most of the holidays poring over them and the books Madam Pomfrey had given him from the Restricted Section, as long as he brought them back before the holidays finished. She didn't want to be inundated with requests from the rest of the first years.

Harry read and read until his eyes were gritty but he felt that he understood what had happened to him a bit more now. What Vernon had done to him was abuse. The books talked about lovemaking and conception of children as well as quite a few sections on male/male and female/female relationships. In the Wizarding world, it seemed that where the parties were all of age and could consent, homosexual relationships were as accepted as heterosexual ones,. That's what was different with his uncle, Harry didn't consent, even though he allowed Vernon to do things or have Harry do things to him so that he could get fed. That was called 'coercion' according to the book.

Harry wasn't sure he'd ever feel like making love himself, but maybe it was as Severus had said, he might feel different about it once he was older and fell in love. According to the books, puberty wasn't far off and wasn't that going to be embarrassing? Especially considering it was the house elves who did their laundry and there would be no way to hide any evidence of wet dreams. Harry wondered if his dad got those too, but refrained from asking. Some things were meant to be private. Despite the imminent embarrassment, Harry was glad he knew more now. It didn't feel half as scary as what his mind had conjured up. Maybe he was growing up at last.

***

Harry set the last cauldron in the sink and rinsed off the suds under the tap. He'd lost count how many he'd scrubbed, but they were finished now. It was his third detention in as many days and he knew his dad and the other teachers weren't too happy with him at the moment. He'd lost points too; he didn't mind the detentions, that was punishment just for him, but he felt guilty at losing his House points.

His dinner sat like a lead weight in his stomach; he just knew his dad was going to want to talk to him again about skipping classes. There was no way around it; Harry was just going to tell him the truth, even though he didn't want to make Severus worry. He'd tried going to Defence, but in the end the pain was just too much and he stopped going altogether. There was something strange about Professor Quirrell and Harry was determined to find out what it was. His thoughts wandered to his invisibility cloak and despite his promise he was toying with the idea of using it to follow Quirrell.

"Finished, Harry?" Severus poked his head through the door that led to the office and as he entered the classroom, Harry saw that he had rolls of parchment in his hands. Probably essays to be marked or some research to be going on with. Harry nodded just as he began to yawn and managed to get his hand over his mouth just in time. He thought longingly of his bed, although if he was going to spy on Quirrell it might be a while before he got to it yet.

Severus set the parchments down on the desk and then sat on one of the student stools so he could look up at Harry.

"You can't keep missing classes, Harry. That just isn't done. Professor McGonagall is afraid you might not even pass the year end exams next week."

"What happens if I fail?" asked Harry. It wasn't as if he hadn't considered this, he had, but he was afraid of what the answer might be.

"Then, depending on the headmaster's approval, you might get invited to repeat the year or you might be expelled from Hogwarts altogether if it's considered you can't keep up with the work."

"I can keep up with the work. Hermione gives me the assignments to do and Professor Quirrell marks them. I've got top marks in Defence the last three assignments," said Harry. He wasn't boasting, just stating the facts as he saw them.

"That's as maybe, Harry, but you still need to go to class. Why do you keep skipping Defence? I thought you loved that class?"

"I do, but it's my head and my scar. It just hurts too much to be anywhere near Professor Quirrell. I think there's something wrong with him. My head only ever hurts when I'm near him. I can't go to Defence Against the Dark Arts if he's teaching it, I just can't!" Harry was almost sobbing now with remembered pain. It had felt as if someone was cleaving his head in two and he just couldn't face it any more.

"Is the pain really that severe, Harry?" Harry nodded. "I wish you'd told me this sooner. If it is for genuine health reasons, we might be able to make some other arrangements, a private tutor perhaps? I'll have a word with Professor McGonagall about it."

"But then won't people just think you're nice to me because you're my dad?"

"I don't care what anyone else thinks, Harry. Your health is more important than school gossip. I don't want you suffering pain and if that class is causing your head to hurt so much that you'd rather lose points and get detention than go to class, then I don't want you in it."

"I'm sorry," said Harry. "I should have talked to you about this sooner."

"Yes, you should, but we're both learning, aren't we? Is there anything else you want to talk about?"

"No, I don't think so," said Harry, looking at the floor.

"Harry, look at me. I want you to be able to talk to me about anything you need to, okay? I don't want you to be frightened of talking to me in case you think you'll upset me or make me angry. I'd rather risk being upset or angry than have you bottling things up inside. That isn't healthy and you know Madam Pomfrey will have my hide if I don't look after your health." Severus smiled at him and Harry felt a warm glow settle somewhere in his middle.

"Thanks."

"Goodnight, Harry," said Severus as he stood up to hug him. Harry had to stand on tiptoes to kiss his cheek, feeling the scrape of evening stubble across his lips.

"Goodnight, Dad," said Harry and headed straight to bed, the invisibility cloak still safely stowed in his trunk. He wanted Severus to be proud of him and wandering about spying on teachers would have made Severus so disappointed in him.

***

Minerva was the only one in the staffroom when Severus went straight there after his futile visit to Dumbledore's office.

"Minerva, do you know where Albus is?"

"He's in London; he got an urgent owl from the Ministry this morning. I don't know when he'll be back."

"Shit! Shit!" Severus was ready to pull his hair out. "Harry's missing. He finished his last exam with the others but his head was aching and he told Ron and Hermione he wanted to have a lie down before dinner. When Ron went up to wake him, Harry wasn't there. There was blood on one of his bedposts and the sheets of his bed. We've been searching everywhere we can think of, but Harry is nowhere to be found. Minerva, it looked like there'd been a struggle in his dorm. His trunk was overturned, lanterns were broken, glass everywhere."

"You don't think someone took him?"

"That's exactly what I think."

"But no one can get into the Gryffindor dorms without the password. Do you think a student did this?"

"No, teachers can override the passwords as you well know. I think it was Quirrell. He's nowhere to be found either."

"Quirrell? Professor Quirrell?"

"Haven't you noticed anything odd about him lately? Look at that turban for starters; he wasn't wearing it the day we met him in the Leaky Cauldron before school started but he's never without it now. I've seen him prowling around by the out of bounds corridor and Madam Pince has told me he's been in the library every day looking for books on the Philosopher’s Stone, saying that it's research for his class. It has nothing to do with Defence! What if he is trying to steal the Stone? I warned Albus the school wasn't the place for such a thing."

"But what does he want with Harry?"

"You know that the stone can help to create the Elixir of Life? What if Quirrell is not after the Stone for himself? What if Voldemort didn't die at the Potters' house that night but his spirit, his essence was out there somewhere biding its time for a suitable vessel to come along? If it is Voldemort somehow controlling Quirrell, can you imagine the darkness an immortal Dark Lord would bring? We'd never be free of him, never. And Quirrell has taken Harry because Voldemort wants to finish what he tried to do that night. Kill Harry."

"Oh Merlin!" Minerva clasped a hand to her chest and began to breathe heavily. "We'll have to get down to the lower levels through the trapdoor, Severus. We'll need all the staff we can and any seventh years who will volunteer for the task. Don't worry. We'll save him, Severus. We'll save him."

Severus didn't reply; the thought of anything else just couldn't be borne. They had to save him.



Part 17

Severus had been pacing up and down the floor all morning, his eyes on the door. Surely the owls should have arrived already? Just as he was about to give up and head to the Great Hall for lunch, the door was flung open and a beaming Harry appeared in the doorway.

"I passed! I passed!" yelled Harry, waving the parchment in his hands. Severus stood aside to let Harry into the living room. His heart swelled with pride that despite everything he'd been through in the past few years, Harry had stilled passed his OWLs first time along with his friends.

Severus' mind wandered back to that awful day when they had found Harry unconscious in the levels below the dungeons. Quirrell was dead and there was another dead body next to him. A body that was devoid of anything resembling humanity any longer, but they all knew it had been Voldemort. They didn't know what Harry had done, but it looked like he had defeated Voldemort once and for all, for Harry's curse scar was completely gone. Clutched in Harry's hand was an unremarkable chunk of red rock – the Philosopher’s Stone. Harry had prevented Voldemort from acquiring the Stone and now the Dark Lord was no more.

Severus tried not to dwell on what he saw in the Mirror of Erised that day, but sometimes the image haunted his dreams. He and Harry engaged in an embrace that did not seem appropriate to father and son. Severus wasn't Vernon Dursley and had no intention of turning into such a predator.

Harry had remained unconscious for a couple of weeks - Poppy and Severus had both feared that he would never wake up, but Harry proved his resilience once again and he was none the worse for wear after his battle with darkness, Harry didn't even remember much about what had happened. What he did remember was that Quirrell wanted him to fly on a broomstick to catch a key, but after his refusal, Quirrell had cast a spell on him to make him do it. Harry had been so upset about it, worried that Severus would be angry that Harry had ridden a broom without permission.

It had been a day when lots of things had been forgiven and once Harry had regained consciousness, Poppy's tests revealed that Harry was either no longer suffering from epilepsy or that his convulsions had been caused by Voldemort and he hadn't been suffering from the condition at all. In any case, Poppy cleared him to fly and Harry had joined the Gryffindor Quidditch team in his second year.

Things might have gone even worse in Harry's second year if it hadn't been for his newfound confidence in telling Severus about anything that was worrying him. Severus had to stay and finish up some lesson plans while Harry went to Diagon Alley with the Weasleys for his school books. When he returned, Harry admitted that he'd had a bit of a run-in with Lucius Malfoy and that Malfoy senior had placed a book in his cauldron. On seeing the initials, Severus knew immediately that the book had belonged to Tom Riddle, which was Voldemort's former name. There were no two ways about it, the book had to be destroyed. Although he often wondered what might have happened, Severus was glad that nothing more serious had happened that year than Malfoy junior conjuring a snake during the duelling club, which was how they had discovered Harry's Parseltongue ability.

Third year had started off a bit worrying, with Sirius Black escaping from Azkaban, but the truth had come out in the end. Sirius Black had never betrayed the Potters at all, it had been Peter Pettigrew, who had turned himself into a rat and had become Ron Weasley's pet, Scabbers. Sirius Black was exonerated and Peter Pettigrew was finally locked up in Azkaban where he belonged. So now Harry had a godfather to compete with Severus' affections and although Severus had worried that Harry might want to go and live with Black, Harry had stubbornly shaken his head.

"I don't know him. I know you."

Severus felt like crowing to Black about his victory over Harry, but for Harry's sake he kept the peace. Let Black prance about and argue like a child, Severus wasn't going to take the bait, not any more. Black sometimes visited Harry but the visits were infrequent and did little to infringe on Severus' time with Harry.

Harry's fourth year at Hogwarts had seen the Triwizard Tournament against Beauxbatons and Durmstrang and Severus was ready to hex someone when Harry's name had come out of that cup. He was too young to compete and Harry swore blind that he hadn't put his own name in. As a parent Severus had refused to allow Harry to enter and since Harry was under seventeen the organisers had to accept that decision, magic contract or no.

A few weeks later it transpired that it was Draco Malfoy who had instigated it, asking Karkaroff to enter Potter's name. It was on his father's orders; Severus had no doubt about that. Lucius Malfoy had never forgiven Harry for being the instrument of the Dark Lord's downfall and wanted to make him pay. No matter the reason for it, Draco Malfoy was expelled and the last Severus had heard the Malfoys had relocated to France. Beauxbatons had refused to admit Draco, so he was now either at Durmstrang or being privately tutored. Severus didn't care either way as long as the Malfoys stayed away from him and Harry.

Cedric Diggory had won the cup and it now resided in the trophy room.

Fifth year was fairly uneventful, a bit too uneventful really. Gilderoy Lockhart was still teaching Defence Against the Dark Arts, but he wasn't teaching the students what they needed to know for their OWLs, he was basically showing off and using his own books and anecdotes as lessons. They weren't lessons, they were platforms for Lockhart to prance about like a prat and Harry worried that neither he nor his friends would be able to pass the exams. Harry had decided to take matters into his own hands and had formed a Defence club with help from Ron and Hermione. Severus was convinced if it hadn't been for that club, then none of the fifth years would have passed their OWLs.

"How did you do?" Severus asked Harry. He tried not to dwell on staring at a Harry wearing shorts that only just covered his thighs. They'd been having a bit of a heatwave lately and Harry wearing shorts was not an unusual occurrence for the past few days and nor was Severus trying to avoid staring at him. Harry was never going to be very tall, but regular meals at Hogwarts and regular exercise on the Quidditch pitch meant that Harry had filled out well; it was all muscle, there was not an ounce of fat on him. Long, lean legs and a chest that had broadened over the years into that of a young man. A young man that Severus was finding himself attracted to more and more as the days went by.

He ignored the feelings; putting it down to the fact that it had just been so long since he'd had a lover. Harry was his adopted son and his student; he couldn't have feelings like this for Harry, it just wouldn't be right.

"Here, look and see," said Harry handing over the test results. The parchment was damp where Harry's sweaty hands had been touching it and Severus felt a frisson of something akin to desire when he wondered what Harry had been doing to make himself so sweaty.

"Have you been flying today?" asked Severus.

"Yeah, I was too het up waiting for the post owls, so I flew for a bit to take my mind off it."

Severus nodded absently; he was disappointed he'd missed it. Harry was a natural on a broom and despite being allowed to fly a year later than his classmates, he instinctively seemed to know how from his very first moment in the air. It was as if he'd been born with a broomstick between his legs. Severus flushed at that image; he was in danger of having his own broomstick at any moment. He coughed and read Harry's results.


Astronomy A
Care of Magical Creatures E
Charms O
Defence Against the Dark Arts O
Divination A
Herbology A
History of Magic A
Potions O
Transfiguration O

"Harry, this is excellent! You passed everything! I'm so proud of you!"

Harry blushed and hung his head. "Hermione helped me a lot," said Harry softly.

"Still, she didn't sit the exam for you, did she? This is all down to your own hard work and I think we need to think about something to celebrate."

"You don't have to," said Harry quickly, Severus knew he still felt a bit odd about receiving presents despite living with Severus for a while now.

"I know I don't have to, but I was thinking that it might be nice for us to go on holiday together. We've never done that, have we? And next year you'll probably feel a bit too old to want to go on holiday with your dad!"

"I'll never feel too old to spend time with you," said Harry. "I won't forget everything you've done for me, I promise."

Now it was Severus' turn to blush. "Have you any ideas about where you'd like to go?"

"I can choose?" Harry perked up a bit on hearing that. Severus wondered what Harry was expecting – Severus to take him to a Potions conference somewhere?

"Of course, it's your treat. You get to pick."

"Um, what if it was somewhere Muggle?"

"That's fine, Harry. You can't use magic during the holidays anyway and I'll just have to do without for a few weeks while we're with the Muggles. Where did you want to go?"

"Well, I was hoping that maybe we could go to Cornwall. We've been reading a lot about Merlin and King Arthur in History of Magic. I thought it would be nice to go to Tintagel and places like that, to see it in real life."

Cornwall in August, with the heat and the crowds of other tourists doing exactly the same thing. Shorts would be the order of the day, for both of them, as would t-shirts and other light clothing. Swimwear for dives into swimming pools or the sea in order to cool down. Sharing a hotel room with Harry. Two weeks trying to keep his libido in check. Two weeks of being in close proximity to Harry wearing very little. Two weeks of ogling Harry's body while he pretended not to.

It was a popular destination all year round, but especially during the school holidays. Severus wasn't sure Harry would be up to the crowds; he was still a bit shy around strangers. But Harry was looking at him so hopefully that Severus couldn't find it in his heart to deny him.

"Then Cornwall it is," said Severus.

"Can I Floo Ron to ask him how he did? Hermione will probably write as soon as she can."

"Of course," said Severus. "And then we need to start planning for our trip."



Part 18

Harry hadn't learned to Apparate yet and it was a long drive to Cornwall, so Severus got permission from the Ministry to allow him to help Harry with a Side-Along Apparition. Of course when Severus had agreed to a holiday in Cornwall, he had expected plenty of crowds. What he hadn't expected was that most of the accommodation would also be booked up and they ended up in a guest house that in normal circumstances he would never have considered.

The building was a Victorian terraced house with three storeys; there were bay windows to the ground floor, all the windows looking as if they hadn’t been cleaned since the Victorian era either. Grey net curtains hung at all the windows – well, almost all the windows: on the two uppermost windows the curtains were half hanging off as if someone had yanked them down in a fight.

The front path was cracked with moss and weeds sprouting from the cracks. A rickety sign to the side of the front door proclaimed the building to be the Bella Vista Guest House. Severus glanced around him, the only view he could see was another row of Victorian terraces opposite them. The road was full of guest houses and hotels much similar to this one, but all of those were in a better state of repair and the Bella Vista was the only one with a ‘Vacancies’ sign. Paint was peeling from the red front door and when Severus pressed on the doorbell, nothing happened.

He rapped on the door with his knuckles, feeling the urge to disinfect his hands afterwards. Cobwebs hung in each corner, dead insects bound and trussed by the spiders whose home it was, but there was no sign of the spiders themselves.

A plump, middle-aged woman opened the door and then screamed at someone deeper inside the house. Her hair was so blonde and her face so wrinkled that Severus guessed the colour was from a bottle and not her natural shade.

"Yes?" she snapped. She was half-wearing a dressing gown; it had been buttoned up wrong and her bosom seemed in danger of escaping from it at any moment.

"We have a reservation," said Severus, hoping against hope that the woman had lost it. "Snape."

"Snape, is it? You'd better come in, then."

It was a less than stellar welcome, but Severus entered the room with Harry following closely on his heels.

"SUSIE!!!!!" screeched the woman and a few moments later, a plumper and younger version of the older woman entered the narrow hallway. There was barely enough room for her to breathe in there let alone do anything else. "Take them upstairs. Room twelve. You'll have to carry your own luggage, my back's bad," said the older woman, Susie's mother at a guess.

Since Severus had already cast feather-light charms on both their cases, that wasn't a problem and he found himself glad that neither of them would be touching their things. As Susie led them up the winding stairs, Severus thought longingly of their own chambers at Hogwarts. Faded wallpaper was beginning to peel from the wall; in fact the whole place felt as if it was about to fall down around their ears at any minute.

"Breakfast is at eight on the dot. Not five past and definitely not half past. If you're not in the dining room you won't get fed. We used to have it from half eight to half nine but then people kept coming down at twenty past nine expecting to be fed!" Susie said indignantly.

"Imagine that," Severus whispered to Harry. "Thinking the place was a hotel."

Harry burst out giggling but soon stopped when Susie turned to glower at him.

Room twelve turned out to be the attic and it was also damp. There was a small basin with grubby towels hanging on a peg beside it. The bed – for there was only one – looked as if it had been made in a hurry and there lots of cigarette burns on the bedspread. Basically, it was a tip. The carpet was sticky and filthy and there was no way Severus was going to allow Harry to stay in such a dump. Harry had spent ten years living in a cupboard and there was no way Severus was going to imprison him in the Bella Vista for two weeks.

"We won't be staying after all," said Severus.

"What? You can’t just book and then not stay!"

"I assure that I can. Come along, Harry. We're going."

"You'll lose your deposit!" screeched Susie.

"Then we'll lose our deposit. Good day."

Severus ushered Harry out the door and down the stairs. He had no idea where they were going to go, but anywhere was bound to be better than that dump.

***

Harry sat on one of the chairs dotted about the Tourist Information Office while Severus was talking to someone about finding them somewhere to stay. Across from Harry there was a rack of leaflets and brochures; nearly all of them having a picture of sunset over the sea on the front of them, no matter what attraction they were advertising.

If he'd known it was going to cause so much trouble, Harry wouldn't have mentioned a holiday at all. He was glad they weren't going to stay in that guesthouse though, but a room with only one bed had given him lots to think about.

Ever since fourth year Harry had suspected he was gay. Ron had sneaked in one of the twins' magazines into their dorm and had been passing it around, much to the other boys' delight. Harry had looked at the pictures with the others; they were all of women, most of whom were wearing nothing but a smile or a pair of high-heeled shoes. The other boys had laughed and giggled and wondered amongst themselves which of the models they would like. Harry had been quiet; the pictures of the girls hadn't done anything for him at all, but he knew that his friends were trying to hide erections as they gazed at the pictures.

At first he’d thought it was because of what his uncle had done to him and that he would never feel anything remotely sexual at all, until Ron brought in another magazine he'd swiped from the twins. Most of the consensus from his dorm on seeing this one was a variation of "Oh, that's gross…" or "Disgusting!".

Harry hadn't found that magazine particularly gross or disgusting, but rather interesting and arousing and when Ron had replaced the twins' copy, Harry had ordered one himself through owl order and kept it hidden in the bottom of his trunk under his invisibility cloak. He'd never even looked at it since he'd bought it; there wasn't much privacy to be had in a dorm with four other boys and Harry wasn't sure how his friends would react if they knew he was gay. If they thought that men kissing each other and touching each other was disgusting, how were they going to be when they found out that that's what Harry wanted to do?

It was all well and good in theory; in their sexual education lessons in third year, Madam Pomfrey had told them that it was fine no matter what sex you felt attracted to, but she wasn't living with the other boys. Harry had masturbated only a few times, again it was difficult to get some privacy and even though he could cast silencing charms in his dorm; he felt too nervous to be able to come knowing Ron's bed was less than a foot away from his. Harry wanted someone he could trust, someone he could do things with without it being round the whole school.

He'd slowly come to the conclusion that there was only one person he trusted enough to allow them to touch him like that, but he felt even more of a freak than ever for thinking it. It was Severus he'd started thinking about when he made his brief forays into self-pleasure; how those hands would feel caressing him, holding him.

His mind drifted off to that one bed in the guest house and what might have happened if they'd shared it. Cuddling up to Severus' solid chest; Severus stroking his back, maybe his hair. Perhaps they would both turn their heads at the same time and Harry's eyes would close as he opened his lips and waited for his first kiss...

"Harry? Harry?"

Harry blinked and stared up at Severus, who was smiling at him. "You've been out of it for a while. Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Just daydreaming," said Harry, willing his blush away. He hoped Severus wouldn't ask him what he'd been daydreaming about.

"Well, they managed to get us a room booked at a hotel in Newquay," said Severus. "I've hired a car; it should be about a couple of hours or so. Are you up for a drive?"

"I didn't know you could drive," said Harry.

"It comes in handy sometimes," said Severus. "I thought we could take it slow and admire the scenery. We can stop somewhere for our lunch later."

"Sounds great," said Harry. The house elves had packed them a couple of picnic baskets that would stay fresh for the whole two weeks they were away.

Harry was looking forward to spending two whole weeks alone with Severus. Maybe, just maybe by the end of it Severus would come to think of him as something more than a student or a son.



Part 19

The Sands Resort on the outskirts of Newquay was everything the Bella Vista Guesthouse hadn't been: clean, well-maintained and with acres of ground to explore. Standing atop one of the cliffs, the Atlantic Ocean pounded against the rocks and Harry found himself drawn to the edge to stare at the churning waters below. He'd never seen the sea before this holiday. In his mind he'd been expecting something bigger than the lake at Hogwarts, but it hadn't quite prepared for him the fact that he couldn't see the end of the expanse of water. The sun beamed down on his back, making his t-shirt even sweatier than it had been.

He felt a little overwhelmed and underdressed when Severus ushered him into the lobby of the hotel so that they could check in. A row of uniformed receptionists sat behind wooden counters checking in the other guests and it was a couple of minutes before one of them beckoned Severus forward.

"Good afternoon, sir. How can I help you?" the young dark-haired woman behind the counter seemed genuinely pleased to see them, unlike the woman from the guest house.

"Severus Snape. I believe the tourist office made a reservation for us?"

The girl typed away on the computer and nodded her head. "That's correct, sir. Most of our rooms are family suites, is that suitable?"

Severus glanced at Harry, but Harry had never been in a hotel before either so he didn't know what the receptionist meant. The young lady took pity on them. "Basically, it's two interconnecting bedrooms, but you both share the bathroom and you have a small lounge area with a television and telephone."

"Thank you, that will be fine," said Severus.

"Right, if I could just get you to fill in the registration form, I'll get someone to take your luggage and show you to your room." The receptionist printed out the form and pushed it across the desk to Severus before ringing a bell to summon a porter.

"Dave, can you show the Snapes to suite twenty-seven please?" she asked.

Dave the Porter, a man who seemed on the verge of retirement with balding grey hair and a grey beard, nodded as he wheeled a trolley towards them and hefted their suitcases as if he'd been born doing just that. Harry couldn't help but feel a little disappointed that they would have two separate bedrooms; he'd been quite looking forward to sharing a room with Severus, but maybe this was for the best. Harry didn't want to flaunt himself; he felt a bit shy about that despite his growing feelings for Severus.

The room was decorated in blue and yellow, giving it a very summery feel. There was one large double bed in the first bedroom along with a desk with a television on it. Floor length windows looked out over the sea and two terracotta-coloured tub chairs sat at either side of the window. The porter showed them down the small corridor to the second bedroom and in between was their shared bathroom. Everything inside it sparkled and there were bundles of white fluffy towels on shelves on the wall, the same as those already on the rails.

"I thought we could just eat in the hotel restaurant tonight," said Severus as he began to unpack his bag and hang up his clothes. "You're probably tired after the journey."

"Okay," said Harry as he too unpacked and hung up his clothes in their shared wardrobe.

"Did you want the larger room?" asked Severus. "Since it's got the only television?"

"Um, I’ve never really watched television," replied Harry, feeling his stomach churn a little as the ghost of the Dursleys rose up to haunt him once more. He'd never been allowed to watch it; when he'd been cleaning the living room one day and Dudley was watching it, Vernon had accused him of disobeying the rules and Harry had been punished severely. That time they’d had to keep him off school for a couple of days until the bruises faded. "The smaller room is fine for me."

Harry pushed his empty suitcase against the wall before made his way to the bathroom and locked the door. He sat down on the edge of the bath and just sat there shaking. Oh God, he thought those people couldn't do anything more to hurt him, but sometimes it just crept up on him like that and he knew he had to calm himself down before they went to dinner. Harry removed his glasses and used the heels of his hands to rub at his eyes, rubbing away the tears before they had a chance to fall. How on Earth was Severus going to see him as an equal if Harry was bawling like a baby?

Harry took a long shower to help himself calm down and then realised he hadn't brought any clothes in with him to change into. He could hardly go to dinner in the restaurant in shorts and sandals. Flicking off the shower, he wrapped a towel around his waist and sighed. He was going to have to go out there dressed in the towel to fetch his clean clothes. Harry wrapped one around his waist and draped another one over his shoulders to hide as much of his body as he could.

***

Severus had been reading the tourist leaflets and thumbing through the hotel directory while Harry took his shower. His head shot up when he heard the bathroom door open and he hastily placed the book over his lap as he took in the sight that greeted him.

Harry, with his visible skin glistening with droplets of water from the shower, white towels loosely wrapped around his waist and shoulders. His skin had a pink sheen from the heat of the shower. There was no hair that he could see on Harry's chest, but there was a small dark trail leading from his belly button and dipping beneath the towel. Severus found his eyes drawn to that small furry trail and wondering what Harry looked like beneath the towel.

Harry just stood there staring at him, biting his lip. "I forgot my clothes," Harry said by way of explanation and headed to the wardrobe. Severus just nodded; his throat was so dry he knew that if he tried to speak nothing would come out but a squeak. Harry looked edible and Severus so wanted to feast on him, but he couldn't. Merlin, how were they going to survive two weeks of this?

He deliberately glanced away when Harry bent down to get his underwear and socks out of the drawer at the base of the wardrobe; seeing Harry's arse in nothing but a loose towel was not going to help with his self-control one bit.

Severus gathered up his own clothes and took them into the bathroom and let Harry get dressed in peace. Once he was in the shower, he cast a silencing charm and let his fantasies take free rein, for there was no way he was going to be able to sit opposite Harry for a few hours with a raging hard-on. Best to take care of it now and be able to have a leisurely meal after.

***

Harry didn't know what he was doing. How could he find out if Severus was interested in him like that at all? What was he supposed to do? Should he tell Severus how he felt? Or just leave it up to nature to take its course? Two weeks was a long time to be together with no distractions so Harry was hoping Severus would eventually fall for his charms; Harry was still so shy that he'd surprised himself by even coming out of the bathroom like that, but it was by necessity, as he hadn’t had his clothes with him. Maybe that's what he needed to concentrate on.

He lifted up the hotel directory and saw that there were two pools, an indoor and an outdoor one. Harry couldn't swim, but maybe Severus might like to teach him? That had lots of possibilities. They'd have to touch each other if Severus was teaching him how to swim.

Or perhaps Severus wasn't even gay? Harry had never heard any rumours about him either way. Severus had never gone out with anyone every since Harry had been living with him and Harry guessed that it was because once he'd adopted Harry he'd wanted to spend time with him and make sure he was looked after.

And Harry had been looked after. Severus had been a wonderful parent and Harry had wanted for nothing for as long as he'd lived with him. The fact remained however, that Harry was thinking of him in an entirely different way and not as a parent, that was for sure. He wondered sometimes if he was confusing parental love with something else, but he knew in his heart that wasn't it. He loved Severus, but he was also in love with him as well. Talk about complicated!

Harry lifted his head up, he couldn't hear the rush of the shower water any longer and he realised he hadn't for some time. Severus was not getting out yet and the only reason Harry could fathom was that Severus had cast a silencing charm in there. His adolescent mind supplied the reason for that as well. Was Severus – oh God – was Severus touching himself in the shower?

Harry's cock sprang to attention at just the thought of it and although it was getting uncomfortable, he knew he probably wouldn't be able to do anything about it before Severus came out of the shower. He just continued to read some more until his erection faded and almost as if Severus had known exactly when that was, he emerged from the bathroom wearing a pair of black dress trousers and a dark blue short-sleeved shirt.

"Ready, Harry?" he asked with a smile.

"Ready," Harry smiled back.



Part 20

Harry was wearing the emerald silk shirt that Severus had given him for his birthday. It was what Harry considered his first grown-up present, as it were. Most years he got sweets and books from his friends and some more art materials from Severus. Harry had brought along some sketchbooks and some charcoal; he knew he was bound to be inspired by the scenery and was looking forward to lots of outings with Severus.

A handsome waiter who looked to be around nineteen handed them both menus and was it Harry's imagination or did the waiter seem to be hovering around Severus? He stood there with his pad and pen poised and Harry felt in a rush to order just to make him go away. The waiter was blond, tall and tanned with sparkling blue eyes and as about as different to Harry as day was to night. Compared to the height of the waiter Harry felt like a dwarf although he knew in reality he wasn't that short. Well, only when you compared him with other people.

"What do you recommend?" asked Severus, smiling at the waiter. Smiling! Severus shouldn't smile at anyone but him and Harry felt his knuckles clenching around the menu.

"The duck is very good," said the waiter.

"Very well, I'll have the duck and the melon to start. Harry, what would you like?"

"Um," Harry quickly scanned the menu looking for something reasonably priced. "I'll have the soup and the chicken, please." It galled him to be polite to the man who was almost draping himself over Severus and Severus didn't seem to be minding it one bit!

"And for the wine?"

Harry felt like shooing the man away.

"A bottle of sparkling mineral water to share please, plenty of ice," said Severus, smiling at Harry who smiled back. Severus remembered how much Harry loved his ice. Finally – finally – the waiter left them alone.

"Harry, you don't have to pick the cheapest thing on the menu, you know."

"I like chicken," said Harry quickly, but the truth was that he still felt guilty about people spending money on him. The Dursleys had a lot to answer for but he resolved to put them out of his mind and concentrate on enjoying himself.

"That's fine, Harry. I'm sure it's delicious. Have you thought about what you'd like to do tomorrow?"

"Um, I was wondering if maybe - perhaps - you could teach me to swim. They have two pools here."

Severus was quiet for so long that Harry wished he'd never spoken. He should have realised that just because he asked for things didn't mean he was going to get them. "It's okay. Forget about it. I don't need to learn," Harry said, glancing down at the table.

"It's a good skill," said Severus. "But I haven't brought any swimwear. I'll buy some tomorrow and we can have our first lesson just before lunch. You don't want to swim on a full stomach anyway."

"Oh! Oh, thanks!"

By that time the waiter had returned with their drinks and a few moments later with their starters. Harry's was a home-made leek and potato soup and Severus had slices of melon sitting on a bed of rocket leaves and draped with Parma ham. Harry had seen the dish as one of the options during the Tri-Wizard tournament but he hadn't felt adventurous enough to try it.

Severus saw him looking at the plate. "Would you like to try some?" Severus cut up a slice of melon and ham before placing them on his fork and holding the fork out towards Harry. Harry leaned in and swiped the food from Severus' fork. Melon juice squirted on his tongue in a burst of flavour and the smoky ham seemed to go very well with it. Harry closed his eyes in bliss. "Mmm, that was delicious!"

"So I see," laughed Severus. "You've dribbled juice all down your chin."

Harry reached for his napkin but before he could bring it to his face, Severus was already wiping his chin with another one and Harry felt himself flush with delight. It didn't feel like Severus was doing it because he was a child and couldn't look after himself; it felt more like it was something lovers might do, going by the behaviour of other couples dotted about the restaurant.

They ate and conversed as they had their meal and Harry found himself feeling as if he was on a date with Severus. All that would be needed to make it complete was a goodnight kiss and he found his eyes drawn to Severus' lips wondering what it would be like to taste them. He would probably taste of chocolate after both of them had demolished the chocolate cake for dessert.

The waiter handed a docket for Severus to sign. Severus signed it and then glanced at the waiter with a questioning eyebrow.

"Is anything wrong?" asked Harry worriedly.

"No, everything's fine," said Severus.

***

Severus stared again at the slip of paper the waiter had slipped in beside the bill. I get off at eleven was scrawled in an untidy hand. The offer was more than tempting, the waiter wasn't exactly built like Argus Filch but Severus wasn't going to leave Harry alone in a strange hotel room and there was no way he was going to take anyone back to the room as long as Harry was there either. His first priority was to Harry and Severus had never really been the type to go for one-night stands or holiday romances. Not that he'd ever really been on holiday before either, but he knew the waiter's offer had more to do with lust than anything else and if Severus had accepted, he would have enjoyed himself he was sure, but the guilt in the morning was something he could do without.

He shook his head at the waiter, who looked a little disappointed but shrugged his shoulders and cleared their plates away. Harry was very quiet on the walk back to their room and Severus wondered if Harry had picked up on the undercurrents between him and the waiter. Harry wasn't stupid, far from it and it would be just like him to put two and two together and get the right answer.

Once they were inside, Harry took a seat in one of the chairs by the window and seemed to be waiting for Severus to do the same. Severus lifted the remote control of the television and sat down opposite Harry. "Do you want to watch some television?"

Harry shook his head. "He asked you out, didn't he? That waiter?"

"Would it bother you?"

"Yes," Harry admitted.

"Harry, I know that the things your uncle did to you sometimes still upset you, but if I had gone out with that man, it would have been a lot different. For a start we are two adults and able to decide what we'd like and what we wouldn't."

"I'm not upset about my uncle!"

"Then what is it? You're upset about me being gay? I thought you were old enough to understand now: people are different, Harry. Not everyone is heterosexual."

"I know that," said Harry. "You being gay doesn't bother me. Not when I -"

"What is it?"

"I wasn't upset because you were gay, but because that man asked you out. I - I wanted it to be me." Harry was blushing as red as a tomato by now and Severus had to stifle a chuckle. So Harry was gay and he fancied their waiter?

"Well maybe you could ask the waiter out tomorrow," said Severus, trying to hide a pang of disappointment.

Harry jumped out of the chair and paced the room. "I don't fancy the waiter! This has got nothing to do with him!"

"I don't understand."

"I don't fancy the waiter, Severus. I don't want to go out with him. I want to go out with you."

Severus felt as if he had just taken a rogue bludger to the midriff. Harry couldn't mean that; he was confused, that's all it was.

"Harry, you can't mean that."

"I do, Severus. I do," said Harry vehemently. That was another thing Severus had noticed over the past few months - Harry had been calling him 'Severus' and not 'Dad' any longer. Had Harry been thinking of this for months? Had Severus inadvertently done something inappropriate to make Harry feel this way? He'd never wanted to hurt Harry and he couldn't imagine how agreeing to an intimate relationship wouldn't hurt him.

"It wouldn't be illegal," said Harry out of the blue and Severus just stared at him.

"What?"

"I looked it up; it wouldn't be illegal for you to be my boyfriend because we aren't actually related to each other."

Dear Merlin, he had been thinking about this, hadn't he? Severus wanted nothing better than to sweep the boy up in his arms and pepper his face with kisses, but one of them had to be sensible about this.

"It may not be illegal, Harry, but it's still wrong. I'm your teacher and your adopted father; I'm in a position of trust over you. I'm twenty years older than you. How would my agreeing to go out with you be different than what your uncle did to you?"

"Because I want it. I'm in love with you and I know you wouldn't hurt me or make me feel used."

"How can you know that, Harry?"

"Because I think you feel the same way," said Harry. "You're in love with me too."

Severus didn't deny it; he couldn't, not with Harry standing there so calmly talking about this.

"Tell me something, Severus, if you were to kiss me and touch me, why would you be doing it?"

"Because - because I'd want you to feel good," he admitted. It was a dream, it must be. They weren't having this conversation.

"There, you see? Already it would be different than Vernon. He only touched me to hurt me and humiliate me; he hated me, he didn't love me."

"I'm sorry, Harry, it would still be wrong. How would your friends react if they found out that you were seeing a teacher?"

"Well, Ron would probably be more worried that I was seeing a man," said Harry.

"What do you mean?"

"He brought in a gay magazine once and all the other boys said it was gross and disgusting. None of them know I'm gay, I haven't told them. I feel like a freak and now you're saying my feelings are wrong as well," Harry turned away and began to weep softly.

Severus' heart lurched; he hated to see Harry in pain, emotional or otherwise. "Harry, your feelings aren't wrong; but feeling them for me might be. Aren't there any boys at school your own age you could date?"

"How can I even ask them if they all think I'm sick and disgusting?" asked Harry through his tears. "I don't want any of them; I'm in love with you! I don't want to be a notch on someone's broomstick and with the other boys, that's exactly what I would be! They wouldn't love me, not like you do. Please, Severus, please don't send me away!"

"Harry, I'm not sending you anywhere," said Severus as he stood up and placed his arms around Harry in a loose hug. "If - if we do this," Merlin, what was he saying?, "I would want to take things very slowly, can you handle that, Harry? I will not sleep with you, not while you're still at school."

"Would - would kissing be allowed?" asked Harry, tears clinging to his eyelashes as he glanced up at Severus.

"I think I can manage to give you all the hugs and kisses you want, but that's all I can offer at the moment."

"This would be better, wouldn't it? If I've left school, no one can say it's wrong, can they?"

Severus wasn't so sure about that, there was still the fact that he was Harry's legal guardian, plenty of people might still see it as Harry being taken advantage of but Severus wasn't willing to give up on the idea completely. He did love Harry and not just as a son; certainly he had never felt like this about any student before.

"We'll talk some more about this tomorrow," said Severus. "It's time you had some sleep."

Harry nodded and slipped free of his arms.

Severus sat for a long time just staring out at the darkness after Harry had gone to bed. What on earth had they got themselves into?


TBC

Chapter 5: Serpent Child
Part 21

The swimming pool was full of screaming kids so Severus suggested Harry might prefer his first swimming lesson somewhere a bit less crowded and noisy. Harry was only too happy to agree; he knew how cruel children could sometimes be and he didn't want an audience for when he made a fool of himself in the water. Since Harry had never been swimming or even paddling before, he just knew he was bound to make a fool of himself.

Severus had found a secluded cove that was inaccessible except by boat or if you were wizards. It was at the bottom of very tall cliffs and there was no pathway down to it. Severus wrapped his arms around Harry and Apparated them both down to the sandy beach below.

It was a perfect day for swimming; the sunlight glinted off the water and the cloudless blue sky was reflected in the sea below. The cove was protected on both sides by high headlands covered with trees at the top so that the water was calm as well. Harry had seen some of the waves on the surfing beaches and knew he wasn't feeling confident enough yet to even attempt to swim in those.

Severus set down their bags; one was their picnic lunch courtesy of the elves and the other held towels and a change of dry clothes. They were already wearing their swimming shorts with t-shirts over them. Harry's shorts were blue and knee-length; Severus' were black and just came to mid-thigh. All morning Harry had been trying and failing miserably not to stare at Severus' legs. It was so different to Severus' usual attire. Gone was the buttoned-up Potions master; instead Harry was greeted with a very shapely and confident man.

Severus' legs were a lot hairier than Harry's own and he wondered if he would ever get as much hair as Severus seemed to be sporting. He hadn't seen Severus' chest yet but wondered what it would be like. The tight black t-shirt Severus was wearing defined his body somewhat and made his biceps bulge. Harry could hardly wait for those arms to hold him in the water; Severus seemed so strong.

Harry watched open-mouthed as Severus pulled his t-shirt over his head and off, setting it down on the sand. Dear God, the man was built! Harry stifled a moan of longing as all that pale flesh was revealed to his gaze and his fingers itched to caress the soft hair spattering Severus' chest. There wasn't a lot of it, but more than Harry had and he wanted to map out the differences in their bodies by touch. Harry started getting hard and hoped that once they were in the water his ardour would cool.

Not wanting to get caught staring, Harry hastily removed his own t-shirt and set it down on top of Severus'. He had a silly daydream of their t-shirts getting well acquainted while he and Severus were swimming and could hardly keep the grin from his face. Severus had started walking towards the sea as Harry disrobed, so he hurried to catch up and hesitantly reached out a hand towards Severus.

Severus took Harry's hand in his and smiled down at him. "Nervous?"

Harry stared at the seemingly endless expanse of water. "A little, it just looks so big."

"I won't let anything happen to you, Harry. I promise." They stopped by the water's edge and just stood for a moment sinking into the wet sand as the waves lapped against their feet. "How deep do you want to go?"

Harry stared at the sea before replying. The horizon seemed a terribly long way away. "Just waist height, I think." At least then if Harry did find himself struggling, he knew he would be able to stand up and not drown. He wanted his feet to be able to reach the bottom. His heart was hammering a tune on his ribs and it was difficult to get any breath into his straining lungs. If he was like this before they started he dreaded to think how he was going to be once they started swimming.

They waded out until the water was just above waist height on Harry and just reached mid-thigh on Severus. It meant that the water was lapping just beneath Severus' crotch and Harry had a job tearing his eyes away. He didn't think Severus was hard yet, but it was a bit difficult to tell because he was certainly well endowed in that department. Maybe that saying about the size of noses was true. Severus conjured a black ribbon and tied his hair back in a ponytail; Harry's was too short to do that and his was going to get wet whether or not he wanted it to.

Harry shivered a bit. Despite the sun, the water was still on the chilly side; they were in the Atlantic, not the Caribbean.

"Do you want me to cast a warming charm?" asked Severus.

"No, that's okay. I'll probably warm up once we start."

"Okay. I want you to lean back in the water; I'm going to rest my hands under your back. Once I'm supporting you, I want you to kick as hard as you can."

Harry nodded, but it took him a few attempts before he could lean back far enough; he just didn't feel confident in the water at all and was afraid that he would fall too far back and land on the seabed and under the water.

"I won’t let you fall, Harry. You've got to trust me."

He did trust Severus, he just didn't trust himself or the water enough, but eventually Harry allowed himself to fall back and felt Severus' hands underneath his back. Severus was to one side of him, just holding him up in the water and Harry allowed himself to get used to the floating sensation. "Right, I'll guide you, you kick and start moving," said Severus.

Harry nodded and began kicking out with his feet, still feeling Severus' hands on his skin. He was glad of the cold water now; if it hadn't been so cold, he was sure he would have had an erection and Severus wouldn't have failed to see it, not with his position to the side of Harry's waist. A few more tries and Harry was moving backwards through the waves with Severus holding him up.

"That's it, keep going, keep going," said Severus as he moved along with Harry. One of Severus' hands let go and Harry panicked.

"Don't let go of me!"

"No, I won't. I still have one hand on you, can you feel it?"

"Yes. Don't move it, please!"

"I won't. Come on, keep kicking."

Harry kicked and kicked; he was getting out of breath due to some measure of panic that he still had and from the exertion of kicking against the waves as they were swimming parallel to the shore to keep the depth fairly constant.

"Do you want to try some swimming forwards?" asked Severus. Harry nodded and let his feet down, struggling to get upright again as he fought the buoyancy of the water. As he righted himself, he slipped on a shell on the seabed but Severus' arms were round him before he had a chance to fall. A naked, wet chest slid against his own and even despite the temperature of the water, Harry could feel blood filling his prick as it settled against Severus' thigh.

Harry looked up and Severus looked down at him, black eyes glittering like coal. "Harry," Severus moaned and leant down just as Harry leaned up towards him. Harry's eyes closed as he felt Severus' lips press hard against his own, his first kiss and he wanted it to last forever. Severus opened his mouth, kissing Harry fervently as if he'd been waiting for this for a long time and now that he'd finally given in he could hardly control himself. Harry followed everything that Severus did, every lip movement as Severus kissed the breath and the soul from him.

Harry was on tip-toes now trying to keep kissing Severus as long as possible. His cock was throbbing in his shorts and he wished now he'd taken the time to masturbate in the shower that morning so that he wouldn't be feeling so on edge now. Severus moaned into his mouth and Harry felt the sound vibrating to the back of his own throat and it wasn't long before he was moaning too and trying not to rub himself against Severus' leg, but God, how he wanted to!

Severus' arms were caressing Harry's back and shoulders and he shuddered as desire shot through him at the electric touch. His fantasies were nothing compared to the reality of it; Harry had never imagined the noises they would both be making, little moans and mewls of pleasure as they sought to devour each other through their mouths. Harry could have continued kissing indefinitely but he knew he was close to coming and if he did, he would feel like he'd be letting Severus down after their talk the night before. Severus had wanted to take things slowly and Harry humping his leg like a randy teenager would not help that one bit.

Harry pulled away from their kiss gasping for breath. "Severus, we've got to stop," Harry ground out, even though it was far from what he wanted.

"Harry, God, I'm sorry. Here's me talking about taking things slow and I pounce on you like some sort of animal!"

"There's no need to apologise," said Harry. "I like being pounced on." Harry grinned, trying to lighten the mood a little. "I loved kissing you and I hope we can do it some more, but we need to stop for a while. I'm ... I'm ... too close."

Severus stared at him and then it dawned. "Oh. Oh! Harry, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to make you frustrated."

"It's okay. Why don't we have some lunch and you can teach me some more after we've eaten?"

"A good while after we've eaten. We don't want you getting cramps," said Severus and Harry had to smile at that. Despite their kissing session, Severus could still come out with something that sounded like a parent or a teacher.

Harry reached up to hug him once more. "I love you, Severus Snape."

"I love you too, Harry."



Part 22

They stayed in Diagon Alley the day before term started so that Harry could catch the Hogwarts Express back with his friends. Harry waited on the platform for his friends; he had no luggage, everything was still back at Hogwarts but he was looking forward to catching up with Ron and Hermione, it seemed ages since he'd last talked to them.

It was Ginny who spotted him first and Harry plastered a false smile on his face for her. Ginny had always had a bit of a crush on him and it seemed to get stronger as the years went by. The last he heard, Ginny had been going out with Michael Corner and he hoped that was still the case.

"Harry! What are you doing here?" asked Hermione as she wheeled her trolley over to them; Ron was a few steps behind and looking thoroughly miserable.

"I thought I'd take the train back, catch up with you all," said Harry. Michael Corner waved to Ginny and she and her trolley wandered over to him. She turned back and waved.

"See you later, Harry," said Ginny as Michael helped her onto the train with her luggage.

"Let's find a carriage," said Hermione as she cast a feather-light charm on her luggage to get it onto the train.

"Hermione! You used under-age magic!" exclaimed Ron, the liveliest he'd been thus far.

"Honestly, Ron. Term has started, we're officially students again and anyway, I'll be seventeen in a couple of weeks."

"You will not!"

"I will; my birthday is on the 19th of September."

"Oh. Come on, Harry," said Ron as he hefted his own trunk onto the train without the benefit of a feather-light charm. Harry was with Ron on this one, he wasn't sure Hermione's reasoning was sound and a few moments later he was proved correct when a brown Ministry owl made a beeline for Hermione.

Hermione ripped open the seal and glared hard at the owl who'd delivered the letter. Her face flushed an angry scarlet and she shoved the letter in her pocket.

"What did it say?" asked Ron.

"They've let me off with a warning this time considering I'm almost of age but I'm not to use magic outside the grounds of Hogwarts again until I've reached my majority."

"Told you," said Ron.

"Oh, shut up!" snarled Hermione as she got onto the train.

Harry felt like he was missing something major.

"Ron, what's going on?"

"We've split up," said Ron.

"What?" Ron and Hermione had been joined at the hip ever since the Yule Ball when Hermione had caught Viktor Krum making out with Fleur Delacour in the rosebushes. "Why?"

"It's because of Fleur Delacour."

"What's Fleur got to do with anything?" The whistle started blowing and they only just made it onto the train in time. The train lurched as it gained momentum and Harry almost fell on top of Ron as he tried to keep himself steady.

"She's getting married to Bill. They got engaged over the summer and Hermione thinks that because Fleur has been visiting The Burrow all summer that me and Fleur have been having a sordid affair. Bill's a cursebreaker, do you really think I'd try and pinch his girlfriend from under him?"

"Did you explain it to Hermione like that?" Harry asked worriedly.

"Of course I did."

"Ron, you idiot! You don't tell Hermione that, you tell her that of course you aren't interested in Fleur, why would you be when you've already got the world's most beautiful girl on your arm? The way you told her, you're almost saying you would be interested in Fleur if it hadn't been for Bill."

"Shit, Harry! You're right, I am an idiot! Girls are weird. Maybe we can make up."

"Maybe," agreed Harry, but from what little he knew of girls they could hold a grudge a lot longer than he could hold his breath under water.

They found Hermione in an otherwise empty carriage and they went in to sit beside her. Hermione ignored Ron but turned to Harry. "How was Cornwall?" she asked.

"Brilliant!" said Harry and he couldn't keep the enthusiasm out of his voice. It had been the best holiday he'd ever had. Okay, it was the only holiday he'd ever had but it was still the best. He tried not to blush as he remembered their snogging sessions at all the places they'd visited. Harry didn't know whether it was the fact that they were wizards, but whenever they went to places, they found they were usually empty and they could find some great spots to be alone. He remembered when they'd been at Tintagel and had finished eating their picnic; they'd kissed for hours! Harry's lips were dry and cracked by the end of it, but he wouldn't have changed it. He wondered how soon it would be before he was kissing Severus again.

"You've met someone," accused Hermione with a smile. "Who was she?"

"How did you – no I didn't meet anyone," protested Harry. Great, they were supposed to keep it a secret and he'd almost blabbed already.

"Pull the other one, Harry," said Ron. "You're blushing. Who was she?"

Harry's mind was a total blank; he couldn't tell them the truth. "Erm, it was just a holiday romance. I don't think I'll be seeing him again."

"Him? So you're – you know – one of those?" asked Ron in a stage whisper.

"One of those what, Ron? Am I gay? Yes, I am. I know you have a problem with it, but don't worry, it's not contagious," said Harry angrily. He still hadn't forgotten Ron's comments about that magazine a few years ago.

"Ron Weasley, what is wrong with you? So Harry's gay, so what?"

"I never said I had a problem with it!"

"Yes, you did. That magazine you passed round the dorm," said Harry quietly. "I heard what you said. You said it was gross and disgusting."

"Ron!" Hermione slapped Ron's hand where it was resting on his thigh. "How can you think that when your Charlie is gay and the twins are bi?"

"I was just agreeing with the others, I didn't mean it like that."

"Oh, so that makes it all right? To call me names just to agree with the others?" asked Harry. "You think I'm gross and disgusting do you, Ron?"

"Of course not! I'm sorry I ever said that about that stupid magazine. I just – I just didn't want the others to think I was gay and they might have thought that if I hadn't joined in."

Harry stood up and ran his hands through his hair. He understood where Ron was coming from, but it didn't make it any easier to bear. Ron had been his first real friend and he didn't want to lose him, despite Ron putting his foot in his mouth on more than one occasion. He sat back down. "So, Charlie's gay, is he?"

"Yes, he's been living with this Romanian wizard who works on the dragon reserve for the last six months, Mum wasn't too pleased at that. Not that he's gay, she's a bit old-fashioned and would have preferred them to be bonded first, but Charlie's always gone his own way."

"So two wizards can bond?" asked Harry. "That's like being married, is it?"

"Yeah, as long as both wizards are of age," replied Ron. "They can have a bonding ceremony just like a wizard and witch."

"It's a shame Muggles don't allow that," mused Hermione.

"Maybe they will one day," said Harry. "Ron, don't you have something to say to Hermione?"

Ron's ears turned pink and he glared at Harry for a moment or two. Harry decided to give the two of them some privacy and spent the rest of the journey in a carriage with Neville and Luna. When the lighted turrets of Hogwarts came into view, Harry was almost bouncing on his seat in his excitement.

Those walls held the man he loved and Harry could hardly wait to get inside. He was going home.

***

Harry sat down in his usual place by the Gryffindor table, Ron on one side of him and Neville on the other. Hermione was sitting next to Ron's other side and the two of them were smiling and touching; Harry guessed they'd made up and he was glad he'd given them that privacy on the train.

Every so often Harry's eyes were drawn to the top table and to Severus. He had the strongest urge to grin and wave at him; in the end Harry had to sit on his hands to stop himself from acting on it. After their holiday in Cornwall, the noise level of more than five hundred students all talking at once seemed a lot louder than Harry remembered and he wished the Welcome Feast was over already.

It hadn't even started yet; Professor McGonagall and Hagrid hadn't arrived with the first-years. There was the Sorting to get through and then the start of term speeches before they could even begin thinking of eating. Harry wasn't feeling particularly hungry; he just wanted to go to bed and dream of Severus. He sighed.

"Is anything the matter, Harry?"

"No, Neville, I'm just tired."

"Oh, did you draw lots of sketches when you were away? Gran says my hands are too clumsy to even attempt to draw anything."

"I don't think that's true, Neville," said Harry. "Look how good you are with plants; that takes dexterity."

"Can you show me your pictures later?"

"Sure, Neville," said Harry just as the noise level fell in the Great Hall as Professor McGonagall led two rows of first years up to the stool where the Sorting Hat was perched.

Severus glanced down the table at Harry and gave him a warm smile; Harry returned it hoping everyone else would see it just as parental affection and nothing more.



Part 23

After the Welcome Feast, stifling a yawn with his hand Harry made his way back to the Gryffindor common room with his friends. When they all entered through the portrait hole, Professor McGonagall was already there with a stern look on her face as she glared at them all.

"All sixth and seventh years stay where you are, the rest of you get to bed at once!" she snapped, making more than one first year burst into tears. The fifth year prefects led the first years to their dormitories and soon the common room was empty except for a scattering of the senior students.

"Sit down, all of you," said McGonagall and there was a bit of a kerfuffle as everyone tried to find a seat. Harry didn't know what was going on, but he guessed it was bad news from his Head of House's demeanour. She had her arms folded over her chest and her lips were pinched in a tight line as if she'd just been sucking on a lemon.

"I have been a teacher for a very long time and I must say I am appalled at some of the insensitive behaviour shown by your two classes! While the elves were cleaning the sixth year dorms prior to the start of term; they discovered this parchment. I hesitate to call it art, for in my mind there is nothing artful about it! Since you haven't yet moved into the sixth year dorm," McGonagall nodded to Harry's classmates, "the only conclusion can be that it was left behind by those of you who are now in seventh year. If the perpetrator refuses to own up, I will have no choice but to put the whole seventh year class in detention and ban them from Quidditch as well as visiting Hogsmeade."

There was uproar at that and if McGonagall didn't think that Harry's class had got nothing to do with whatever was going on, why were they even here?

"Professor, what was on the parchment?" asked Angelina Johnson once the chatter had died down.

"It was a rather graphic and homophobic cartoon concerning a member of staff and a student at this school. You are all young adults now and you've all had the sexual education lessons in third year, or were your brains all absent that day? There is nothing wrong, illegal or disgusting about two people of the same sex having a relationship. Homophobia is not tolerated at this school. The reason I want the sixth years here is so that they can learn that this is not something taken lightly."

"I bet it was Potter," said Cormac McLaggen, one of the seventh years, he'd been appointed the Quidditch captain once Oliver Wood had left. "He's always drawing rubbish!"

"It wasn't!" protested Harry vehemently, feeling his face heat as everyone turned to stare at him.

"I have seen plenty of Mr. Potter's sketches over the years and this is not in his style; the person who drew this excuse for a cartoon has no skill and no sense of perspective whatsoever. In short, they lack talent and after the rantings on these pages, it seems they lack brains too. They can't even spell homosexual. Well? Is anyone going to own up to this?"

No one stepped forward; Harry hadn't really expected them to. "Very well, you leave me no choice. Seventh years, you will be in detention with Argus Filch every evening for the next month or until the culprit confesses. There will be no Quidditch and no Hogsmeade visits."

"That's not fair!" protested Katie Bell and Angelina Johnson and Harry saw their almost assured victory of winning the Quidditch Cup dwindling to nothing.

"Then you should urge the culprit to admit to their wrongdoing," said McGonagall, not prepared to budge an inch on the issue. "Potter, I'm appointing you the new Quidditch captain in the interim. You'll need to hold tryouts for some new team members, won't you?"

The current Quidditch team, most of whom were in seventh year, looked daggers at him and Harry just wished the floor would hurry up and swallow him whole.

It was going to be an even longer year than he had anticipated.

***

Harry was sitting in Severus' lap and eagerly lapping up every kiss that Severus was giving him. It was only a little while until curfew and Harry didn’t want to leave. He'd brought his invisibility cloak down with him just in case Severus changed his mind and let Harry stay beyond curfew. Severus hadn't allowed it yet, but Harry lived in hope that he could eventually wear him down.

Harry's toes were curling as Severus pushed his tongue inside Harry's mouth. Harry shifted on Severus' lap; his groin was aching and he knew he'd have to touch himself before he would be able to get any sleep tonight. Harry returned the favour and mapped out Severus' mouth with his tongue, caressing the inside of Severus' cheeks and his palate before Severus groaned and pulled his mouth away. "Harry," he moaned to Harry's hair as he nuzzled it. Both of them were panting for breath and Harry knew it would be so easy for both of them to give into the temptation to do what they'd agreed to deny themselves. He didn't know how much longer he could hold out. He wanted to be touched; he wanted to touch Severus.

"You look tired," said Severus as he stroked Harry's cheek. "Aren't you sleeping?"

"Yes, I'm just a bit stressed at the minute."

Severus nodded. "So they're still no closer to resolving it?"

"No, I hate being Quidditch captain. I liked Quidditch because it was fun; it's not fun any more." It was now the second week in January and all the seventh years were still on detention duty and still banned from taking part in the Quidditch team. Harry had to replace five players and had to look at his own year or below in order to get them. Ron had become the goal-keeper which earned Harry accusations that Ron only got the place because he was Harry's friend and Harry was fed up to the back-teeth of the whole thing. And still no one had admitted to drawing the silly cartoon.

"Do you know what was in the cartoon?" Harry asked; they hadn't discussed it because Harry was almost afraid that he knew the answer and somehow people had found out about him and Severus.

"I do, but I am not telling you who it was about. I think the women involved deserve their privacy."

"So it wasn't about us, then?"

"No, what makes you think it was? If the cartoon was drawn at the end of last year, there was nothing to know about us, was there? Have you been worried about this?"

Harry shrugged his shoulders but that didn't fool Severus for a second.

"Harry, what's going on? There's more to this, isn't there?"

"It's Cormac. He was the Quidditch captain before me and he's always complaining how I'm not up to his standards and all the rest of it. Severus, do you promise not to get angry with me?"

"Now you have me worried."

"Well, it's not about me. Well sort of, but it's really Neville. Um, you see, Neville wanted me to teach him how to draw and I said I would so; we've been spending a bit of time together. Cormac's been making all these rude jokes about how Neville's my boyfriend and Neville got really upset; he already has a boyfriend – Justin Finch-Fetchley from Hufflepuff and he was worried how it would look if word got back to Justin that he was supposedly seeing me."

"When you say rude jokes, can you be more specific?"

"I'd rather not," said Harry. "Let's just say they weren't jokes you would tell Neville's grandmother."

"I shall have a word with Minerva."

"No, don't! Then he'll know I told you!"

"I will be discreet, Harry and let Minerva decide to investigate Cormac a bit further. He sounds a likely candidate for those drawings, if his jokes are anything to go by."

"Maybe," agreed Harry. "But please, keep my name out of it."

"Of course. Well, I know something that might cheer you up," smiled Severus. "We’ve got an invitation to Bill Weasley's wedding; it's on Valentine's Day, which happens to be on a Saturday this year, so you'll be able to come with me."

"Oh, from what Ron was saying I didn't think they'd get married so soon, Bill doesn't really seem the type to settle down."

"Well, maybe Fleur has tamed him a bit; she is part Veela. If she's decided on Bill as her mate, the sooner they get married the better."

"Why?" asked Harry, turning round and wrapping his arms around Severus' neck. He loved being held like this in Severus' lap; he felt so safe, like nothing could ever harm him here. He kissed Severus' neck softly.

"Put it this way, Harry. You know how sometimes we feel like we might want to do a lot more than kiss; well with Veelas multiply that by a hundred and you can imagine how Bill might be feeling."

"Oh," Harry said, blushing. It felt a bit odd to be discussing Bill's love life like that, but he could understand now why Bill wanted to get married as soon as possible.

"Maybe you should resign the captaincy," Severus said, leaning up to give Harry a peck on the lips. Harry sighed into his mouth.

"Then I'll be letting everyone else down. You only want me to resign so that Slytherin win the Cup."

"Of course," said Severus as he proceeded to tickle Harry mercilessly. Harry squirmed on his lap, giggling as each tickle found its mark on his sides and his stomach.

"Stop! Oh, stop!" laughed Harry as he wriggled to get away, but Severus' hands were too fast for him. A distant bell rang and only then did Severus did stop his tickling. The bell signalled that it was ten minutes to curfew and Harry knew their wonderful evening was drawing to a close. Severus lifted Harry up from his lap and set him down on the floor. "I wish I could stay longer."

"It's better this way, Harry. No one would pass any remarks that you were here visiting me in the evenings, but they would if you stayed out beyond curfew. Why would you do that when you can see me any time before it? Go on, off to bed with you. I'll see you tomorrow."

Severus stood up and ushered Harry to the door. Harry stood in tip toes so that he could get his goodnight kiss. Once Severus had finished kissing him, Harry leaned up and licked the shell of Severus' ear.

"I'll be thinking of you when I come tonight," Harry whispered before he opened the door and entered the dungeon corridor. There was a thunk, as though of a head hitting wood and Harry heard a muffled, "Oh, Merlin!" from behind the doorway. The grin stayed on his face all the way to Gryffindor Tower.



Part 24

The bride was resplendent in an ivory wedding gown with a low cut bodice that left very little to the imagination, but it wasn't Fleur Delacour Severus couldn't tear his eyes away from; he had eyes only for Harry. Wearing emerald green dress robes over a white ruffled shirt with a bow tie to match; Harry looked even more handsome than usual. He had tried to tame his hair with a charm, but one gust of wind in the Weasleys' orchard undid all the magic and Severus watched in delighted fascination as every so often Harry would try and smooth down that stubborn part sticking out at the back.

Molly was standing next to Severus sniffling into a lacy handkerchief. "Oh, he looks so handsome in his robes, doesn't he?"

"He does indeed, Molly," said Severus, but he wasn't looking at Bill, he was looking at Harry who was deep in conversation with his two best friends, Ron and Hermione.

Once the ceremony was over, all the assembled guests made their way to the marquee which had been erected on the front lawn ready for the wedding feast.

Harry left his friends and came over to Severus, grinning up at him. "It was a lovely wedding, wasn't it? I've never been to any wedding before. Was this a traditional Wizarding wedding?" Harry's questions didn't stop until he and Harry were seated at one of the tables nearest to the top table. All the Weasleys were on the top table along with Fleur's parents and her little sister, Gabrielle, who was one of the bridesmaids. Ginny Weasley was also one of them and was it Severus' imagination or did she seem to have her eye on Harry?

"Yes, that was a traditional ceremony taking place outdoors so that the union can be blessed with Earth Magic. The binding of their hands with ribbons symbolises that they are now joined and no power in this life can separate them."

"So there's no divorce in the Wizarding world?" asked Harry.

"There is, but it's very rare. Most people who get bonded have already made the commitment that they want to spend the rest of their lives with that person and for most divorce just isn't even considered."

Just then a waiter arrived with their starters: melon and Parma ham. Severus and Harry grinned at each other as they remembered their time in Cornwall.

After the delicious wedding feast it was time for the speeches and then the two newlyweds walked hand in hand over to the side table that held a five-tiered wedding cake. The bride’s and groom's parents were ready with their cameras as Bill and Fleur lifted up the silver knife and slid it into the bottom tier of the cake. There were whistles and catcalls as the knife passed easily through the cake and Harry glanced questioningly at Severus. "I'll tell you later," Severus whispered.

After the cake was cut and the newlyweds stood for some photos; slices of cake magically appeared on everyone's side plate. There were more toasts and speeches before the tables cleared themselves and then disappeared altogether to clear some space for the dancing.

Due to helping out the Weird Sisters by making a cursed guitar safe, Bill had managed to get the famous Wizarding group to perform at the wedding. Severus had heard them before at the Yule Ball during the Triwizard Tournament and although he wasn't sure that the music was to his taste, everyone else seemed to be enjoying it. Even Molly and Arthur were getting into the spirit and dancing away after the bride and groom had graced the floor for their first traditional dance as a married couple.

The song drew to a close to cheers and applause as the lead singer gazed out over the assembled guests. "And now, this next song is ladies' choice. Ladies, choose your dance partner and remember boys, no refusals allowed!" She grinned as the band struck up another song; this one a slow waltz.

Much to Severus' chagrin, Ginny Weasley made a beeline for Harry to ask him to dance. Harry flushed as red as the Weasley girl's hair and Severus knew Harry didn't really want to dance with her. He looked to Severus as though for rescue, but Severus couldn't be of much help unless they wanted to discount traditions entirely.

"Dance with me, Harry?" asked Ginny, her pink bridesmaid dress doing nothing for her complexion. Severus had a feeling Fleur might have been involved in the selection; she probably didn't want her bridesmaids to upstage her on her wedding day, not that there was much chance of that.

"Go on, Harry," said Severus. "But the next dance is mine."

Harry stumbled as he rose from the chair, obviously not expecting Severus to offer to dance with him in public. The simple fact was that it was perfectly normal for anyone to dance with anyone else at a wedding and no one would bat an eyelid.

Severus stood on the sidelines and watched the couples dance, or rather one couple in particular. His eyes kept being drawn back again and again to Harry dancing with Ginny. Harry had received a few more dancing lessons since the Yule Ball and he was a lot more graceful on his feet since that night. Ginny tried to dance close to him, pressing their bodies tight against one another, but Harry stepped back so that they were at arm's length.

As soon as the song finished, Severus strode out to the middle of the dance floor and removed Harry's hand from Ginny, earning him a pout from the girl and a beaming smile from Harry. He'd promised Harry a dance and by Merlin, he was going to dance with him no matter who was watching.

They didn't dance close, there was too much temptation there and too much of an audience for that; but Severus relished having Harry in his arms. He twirled Harry round and as the song ended, he dipped Harry back and if they weren't being watched, he might have given in to the temptation to kiss Harry soundly.

"Oh, Professor Snape!" exclaimed Hermione Granger. "You're a great dancer. Isn't he, Harry?"

"He is," agreed Harry with another smile.

"Miss Granger, if you'll permit me?" Severus held out his hand and for once Hermione seemed lost for words. It was a few seconds before she composed herself enough for a reply.

"Oh. Oh, thank you, I'd love to."

***

Harry was still humming some of the songs from the wedding party as he and Severus made their way to the dungeons. As it was Sunday tomorrow, Professor Dumbledore had allowed Harry to stay in their chambers all night rather than go back to the Gryffindor dorms. He twirled a little as they reached their doorway, feeling as if he was floating on air.

Severus had danced with him the most and although both of them had other partners throughout the evening, Harry knew his favourite part was when Severus held him in his arms. Harry wanted to dance with him again and this time he hoped to be kissed as well. The wedding was fun, but they had to be on their best behaviour. Harry didn't want to be good any longer; he wanted to be very, very bad.

Once Severus had warded and locked the door; he pulled Harry into his arms and claimed his mouth in a heated kiss.

"I've wanted to do that all day," said Severus breathlessly before he kissed Harry again. Harry moaned low in his throat, his legs stretched as far as they could go so that he could still keep kissing. Sometimes being short was a pain, especially in the lower back.

Harry pulled away and looked up into Severus' eyes. "Sofa," Harry said with far more confidence than he felt. Severus arched an eyebrow at him. "I'm not doing my back in just to get more kisses."

Severus removed his outer robe and hung it on a hook by the door, before helping Harry off with his. Harry undid his bow tie, opened the top two buttons of his shirt and then kicked off his shoes without undoing the laces. He waited for Severus to say something about that, but he didn't; instead Severus undressed as much as Harry and Harry swallowed when he saw the pale white column of Severus' throat revealed to his gaze.

Harry wandered over to the sofa and lay down on it, his head resting on the armrest at one side and his feet lying loosely on the seat. Severus walked over to him. "Harry, what are you doing?"

"I'm waiting for my own Sevvie blanket," said Harry with an impish grin as he held his arms out.

Severus hesitated and Harry wondered if he'd pushed too far, too soon. "Please, Severus. Please. I want you for my Valentine's Day present."

"Hmm, it is supposedly the most romantic day of the year," said Severus as he removed his wand. He cast a spell on the sofa so that it lengthened and broadened and would be very comfortable for both of them. When Severus climbed onto the sofa with his legs either side of Harry's waist, Harry thought for sure he'd died and gone to Heaven. Severus' eyes were glittering like polished glass, just staring intently at Harry. Harry relished the scrutiny. He felt as if Severus could see down to his very soul and liked what he saw there.

Harry was hard already from their kissing and he could hardly wait to feel the pressure of Severus' body on top of his, even if they were almost fully dressed. Severus shifted on the cushions; Harry widened his legs so that Severus could settle between them. "Like this?" asked Severus breathily as he lay his whole body flush with Harry's. Harry could feel that Severus was hard too and he moaned.

"Yes, oh God!" he whimpered as Severus began a slow thrust against him, sending sparks of desire shooting off in all directions at once. The slow pace Severus set was maddening but Harry tried his best to hold back and allow Severus to take control for a while. His prick was throbbing in his trousers; he could feel his underwear getting damper the longer they rubbed against each other.

Harry wrapped his legs around Severus' back and thrust up into the welcome pressure of his Severus covering him.

Severus leaned down and began licking Harry's neck beneath his shirt collar and Harry bucked his hips as he felt the wet swipe of tongue on his bare skin. "Severus!" he gasped and moaned, clutching at Severus' shirt. Making a circuit first of Harry's neck, then his chin, both cheeks, his forehead, Severus finally brought his lips down against Harry's again.

Severus' tongue pushed insistently against Harry's mouth. Harry opened his mouth and duelled with Severus' tongue as his hands clawed at Severus' back. Both of them were rocking their hips faster now and Harry felt the delicious tension building up in his belly and balls. He didn't want to stop.

Severus made as if to pull away from him, but Harry grabbed hold of Severus' back and held him in place. "Don't stop! Please don't stop!" he begged, so close to the edge already.

"What do you want, Harry?" asked Severus as he kissed Harry lightly, but he was still rubbing against him and not pulling away.

"I want - I want us both to come," said Harry in a breathless rush. Severus leaned against Harry's forehead and seemed to struggle for composure.

"Fuck!"

"Please, Severus. Please! It aches so much. I want to come; I want to make you come."

For answer, Severus thrust his tongue so far down Harry's throat he thought he could almost feel it in his chest. They were both rutting madly against each other now, this was no slow glide of bodies against each other. This was a race to the finish and Harry wondered who was going to make it first. Harry felt like a tightly coiled spring and any minute now he was going to snap in half.

Harry had to pull his mouth away from Severus in order to get some needed breath back and it wasn't long before he felt the pressure building up to a crescendo. "I'm coming! Severussss! Oh God! Oh FUCKIT! OH!" Harry shrieked and arched upwards pressing his prick hard against Severus' body as the first tremors of his orgasm tore through him and he spurted helplessly in his clothes, making a mess in his trousers.

Severus shuddered above him and howled as his release found him and Harry could feel wet warmth seeping through both sets of clothes. "Merlin, oh Merlin!" groaned Severus as he leaned down and kissed Harry frantically.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Severus," said Harry once Severus had stopped kissing him long enough to speak.

"So much for keeping our hands to ourselves," said Severus, but he was smiling. Severus fumbled for his wand on the floor beside the sofa and cast a cleaning charm over both of them.

"Not to mention our mouths and tongues," grinned Harry.

"You'll be the death of me."

"A little death?"

Severus threw a cushion at Harry's head and they both fell into a fit of giggling.

"So, Severus, why was everyone so amused at Bill and Fleur cutting the wedding cake?"

"That. The knife sliding in easily like that, that was considered a good omen for the wedding night, that the consummation would go smoothly."

"Oh, I see," said Harry. He felt as if he was still floating somewhere near the ceiling and if he hadn't still been lying down, he was sure his legs wouldn't have supported him.

"Did I push too far, Harry?"

"No, I don't regret it, Severus. I wanted to do this, I promise."

"You will tell me if you don't want to do something, won't you?"

Harry nodded and leaned up to kiss him. "I promise," Harry breathed into his mouth.


Part 25

"Harry! Hey, Harry, wait!" called Angelina Johnson as she descended the grand staircase. In the middle of the entrance hall, Harry turned to look up at her; Ron and Hermione were already halfway to the door. All three of them had been on their way to Hogsmeade. It was now May and since anyone had yet to come forward to admit to drawing the crude cartoons, the Gryffindor seventh years were still banned from Hogsmeade visits and from playing Quidditch, but Professor McGonagall had relented on the detentions now that exams were coming up on the horizon.

"Hi, Angelina."

"Hi, Harry. Can I ask you a favour? Could you get me some ice mice and chocolate frogs from Honeydukes, please? Oh, and I need a new quill and some parchment from Scrivenshafts as well. This revision is killing me."

"Sure, Angelina," replied Harry, only too happy to do it. Angelina counted out some Galleons and Knuts into Harry's hands.

"If that isn't enough, let me know and I can pay you back later."

"That's fine. Is there anything else you need?"

"No, just beat Slytherin this afternoon. Merlin, I can hardly believe it. The last match of the season, the last match ever at school and I can't play because of some prat!" Angelina's eyes glistened and Harry thought she might be about to cry. He’d never been in the presence of weeping females and he wasn't sure he wanted to be, either.

"I'm sorry about the ban."

"It's not your fault," said Angelina, taking out a tissue to wipe her eyes and blow her nose. "If I ever get my hands on whoever it was who drew those stupid pictures!"

"It wasn't me," said Harry, feeling strangely on the defensive. "I'm gay; I would never have drawn something homophobic like that."

"Oh, Harry love, I know it wasn't you. So you bat for the other team, eh? I bet you've broken some hearts in your time, haven't you? All those girls throwing themselves at you for nothing."

Harry and Angelina both burst out giggling; there hadn't exactly been a stampede of girls throwing themselves at Harry's feet and he quite liked it that way. After Bill and Fleur's wedding Ginny had been avoiding him; Harry didn't think Ginny had liked being upstaged by Professor Snape in the dancing department.

"So is there anyone special?" asked Angelina with a wink and Harry couldn't stop the blush from forming as he remembered what he and his special someone had been doing last night after dinner. "Oh, there is, isn't there? You lucky devil," said Angelina as she bent down and gave him a peck on the cheek.

"Uh oh, Potter, better not let your boyfriend see you kissing a girl. What are you doing with that tadpole, Johnson? His voice hasn't even dropped yet! You need a real man, don't you darlin'?" Cormac McLaggen fondled his privates and thrust his hips crudely at Angelina, who flushed crimson.

"Grow up, McLaggen! You're disgusting!"

"I quite agree," came a deep baritone voice from the top of the dungeon stairs and Harry thought he might faint. He did sway a little on his feet but managed to keep upright. Had Severus seen Angelina kissing him? Was he angry about it? "Perhaps a Saturday spent cleaning out cauldrons will help to curb your wayward tongue. That will also be ten points from Gryffindor for that vulgar display. This is a school Mr. McLaggen, not a Muggle nightclub. After you," said Severus, pointing down the dungeon stairs. Severus had barely looked at Harry the whole time. Oh, God, he was angry and Harry had no idea how to fix it.

As McLaggen made his way towards the dungeon stairs; he pushed past Harry and shouldered him viciously, but Severus hadn't seen, he'd been facing the other way. Harry rubbed his shoulder where the other boy had hurt him and wished it was already the end of the year and McLaggen was leaving. He seemed to have taken it upon himself to fill the void that Draco Malfoy had left – that of becoming Harry's bully.

First it had been the name-calling and the filthy jokes; then the 'accidental' shoves whenever they chanced to meet, which was far too often in Harry's opinion. Harry didn't know what he'd done to make McLaggen pick on him; sometimes he wondered if he had a flashing sign above his head that screamed 'victim' to potential bullies. There was something of the air of Uncle Vernon about McLaggen and Harry had deliberately avoided being alone with him, for who knew what he might try then.

"Are you okay, Harry?" asked Angelina, patting Harry's arm.

"Yeah. I just don't like him. He's always picking on me."

"He's such a creep!" Angelina shuddered. "Well, anyway, have a nice time in Hogsmeade." With that, Angelina made her way back upstairs.

"Harry, are you sure you're okay? You look a bit pale," said Hermione once Harry had caught up with them by the front door. "You seem a bit shaken up. We saw what Cormac did."

The truth was, Harry did feel a bit shaken up; Cormac McLaggen had that effect on him but he didn't know what to do about it. The older boy had been making Harry's life miserable for the past few months and Harry was afraid to tell Severus about it. He felt ashamed that he was being bullied, as if he couldn't stand up for himself. He didn't want Severus to go back to seeing him as a child again. He wanted to keep Severus as a boyfriend, not have Severus second-guessing the turn their relationship had taken.

"Let's just forget about him and go to Hogsmeade," said Harry, thrusting his hands in his pockets and kicking a stone down the path ahead of him. At least McLaggen was doing a detention and Harry was sure that Severus saved the smelliest, filthiest cauldrons for people like Cormac McLaggen.

***

Severus settled himself in the Slytherin stands; he was just in his robes today – the weather was so fine that he didn't need a cloak. It was the last match of the season and even if Slytherin won they were too far behind to win the Quidditch Cup. Gryffindor had it in the bag; the match was just a formality.

Severus considered himself a supporter of his House team, but the truth was he only enjoyed the matches when Harry was playing. Harry was a natural flier and no one could surpass him, especially now that he was the proud owner of a Firebolt, a present from Sirius Black over which they'd had one of their infrequent arguments. Severus was not as well off financially as the Black heir and he had worried that if Harry kept getting extravagant gifts that he might prefer to live with someone who could provide them. Harry had called him foolish and explained that he knew the difference between love and money and he would choose love any day.

Harry used the Firebolt whenever he played Quidditch, but Severus had noted with surprise and pride that when Harry flew for fun or with his friends, he still used the second-hand Comet Three Hundred that Severus had given him for his twelfth birthday.

The stands erupted in cheers as both teams flew out over the pitch with Madam Hooch levitating the ball crate behind her, the Gryffindors certainly the louder of the two Houses. Madam Hooch leaned down to undo the ball crate and soon released the Quaffle and Bludgers into the air. She mounted her broomstick and as she drew level with the teams, she blew her whistle and released the Snitch in almost the same instant.

The match was on and Severus leaned forward on the bench in order to see better. The Slytherins were outmatched and they knew it, relying on dirty tactics and fouls in order to try and best their opponents. Severus' heart was in his mouth when he saw a bludger deliberately aimed towards Harry, but Harry outmanoeuvred it easily. Harry was blur of red and gold as he darted around the pitch searching for the elusive winged ball and Severus found himself urging Harry on if only in his thoughts and not out loud.

Harry's speed increased as he flew higher and higher, he had almost gone from sight when he turned back round and Severus as well as everyone else saw the Golden Snitch curled in his fist. There was silence for a few moments; the game had barely been going for twenty minutes and the spectators weren't quite sure that it was over just yet. Then the whistle blew and the Gryffindor stands erupted into cheers so loud that Severus could almost imagine he felt the stands shaking.

He was a little disappointed that Slytherin had lost, but he was pleased at Harry's victory, for he knew that later in the privacy of their rooms they would be having their own celebration.

TBC

Chapter 6: Serpent Child
Part 26

As always, Harry waited until his team mates left before he took his shower. In his six years at Hogwarts he still hadn't got used to the idea of showering with all the other boys in the communal changing rooms. In the students' bathrooms up at the castle, the cubicles were private but here it was just one large tiled area with five showers on the walls with no division between them. If any of the other team members seemed to notice that Harry never took a shower with them, no one commented on it, at least not this year when none of the seventh years were no longer on the team.

Harry removed his Quidditch uniform and grabbed two towels from his locker before heading over to the nearest shower. The water was charmed so that it wouldn't scald, but Harry felt that he needed it as hot as he could stand it to get rid of all the sweat from darting about on a broom. Flying took a lot more physical effort than he anticipated before he’d started flying, especially with his thighs and back.

He squeezed out a dollop of apple scented shower gel and lathered up his neck, stretching it this way and that to try and get the kinks out. His neck muscles were always tense after a match and he wondered if Severus might give him a massage later; Harry had never asked for one before, but he was sure he might be able to convince him. Thoughts of seeing Severus later had a predictable effect on his cock and Harry grinned down at his awakening shaft, but decided to finish washing first before he gave in to the temptation.

As he washed under his arms, he accidentally brushed against his left nipple, making his cock jerk in time with the movement. Harry paused, considering. He'd never really touched his nipples before, not knowing that they were a source of pleasure for males as well as females. By the time he'd finished washing his feet and had rinsed all the suds away, his cock was almost vertical with his belly and Harry smiled to himself, knowing it was the last place left to wash and enjoy.

He used to feel guilty about masturbating, especially when he remembered what he went through with his uncle, but he knew that this was different. Here in the shower, it was only him, using his body to feel pleasure and to release some pent-up tension from the game. He wondered if flying aroused girls as much as it did the boys; for Harry knew the others had sometimes pleasured themselves in the showers, without seeming to care who else saw them. Harry was not comfortable enough to do that; he needed privacy before he could relax enough.

He squirted out some more shower gel and slowly carded his fingers through the dark hair at his groin, making it stand up in little peaks as he washed it; his cock was throbbing like a second heartbeat at how near he was to touching it, but Harry wanted to tease himself a little longer. It was barely after three, dinner wasn't until six, his homework was all done and he wasn't meeting Severus until eight so he had plenty of time to enjoy himself.

Harry turned and leaned back against the tiled wall; the shower water pelting down his chest and pummelling his cock. He gasped in surprise at the sensation; he hadn't tried that before but thought he might be trying it again. His knees were trembling and he braced both hands on the wall behind him to stop himself from falling on the floor. The water on his cock was almost too intense and Harry knew he wasn't going to last as long as he had been expecting. All too soon he felt his abdominal muscles clench as he felt the first rush of the release at the base of his shaft and in his balls.

He cried out, sinking to one knee, his hands flat out on the floor; his legs no longer able to support him as ropes of seed jerked out from his cock and were washed down the drain along with the shower gel. Harry just lay like that, panting for breath as he tried to recover from the aftershocks. It had been so sudden; he hadn't even touched his cock with his hands and he hadn’t even had time for one of his fantasies of Severus before the orgasm was upon him.

His heart was hammering like a drum in his chest and at first, Harry thought that was all he heard, but then he realised the other noise was coming from outside his body. It sounded like footsteps out in the dressing room. Harry stood up on shaky legs and turned off the water before wrapping his towel round his waist and using the other one to dab his hair dry of excess water.

"Ron? Is that you?" asked Harry as he left the showers and squinted into the gloom; it was difficult to make anything out without his glasses, but he did see a red blob of a Gryffindor Quidditch robe. That was strange; he thought everyone else had showered already and left.

"It's all yours," said Harry. "I've just finished."

"Oh no, Potter. I don't think we're finished quite yet, do you?"

***

Severus did not consider himself a worrier or a pacer, but by half-past eight that Saturday night, that was in effect what he had become. He counted out the steps between the outer door and the door to the bedroom. The width of the room that way was fifteen paces. He paced from the main door to the bedroom; swivelled on his heels and marched back in the other direction. Back and forth, back and forth like a bored animal in a cage. He wasn't bored; he was worried. Harry had never been late without letting him know either by a note or some other method; this wasn't like him at all.

Something was niggling at the back of Severus' mind, but he couldn't quite place what was bothering him. He saw Harry leave the Quidditch pitch with his team mates and head towards the changing rooms. The Gryffindor table at dinner that evening had been in high spirits: people cheering, getting slapped on the back; too many hugs and handshakes to count. The students had wandered about freely, the dinner barely touched in all their victory celebrations and then Severus realised what he'd missed.

Harry hadn't been at dinner. And neither had Cormac McLaggen.

Severus flung open the door and ran briskly up the dungeon stairs and almost bumped into Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger at the top.

"Weasley! Have you seen Harry since the match?" Severus almost shouted at him.

"No, he wasn't at dinner. I just thought he wasn't hungry." Ron shrugged his shoulders as Hermione Granger looked from Ron to Severus and back again.

"Do either of you know the whereabouts of Cormac McLaggen?"

"No, sir. Oh, God! You don't think he's done something to Harry, do you? I told Harry he should have said something to you."

"Said something to me about what?"

The two of them stood there mute before Granger cracked under his glare.

"Cormac's been picking on Harry; he's been bullying him but he said he didn't want to bother anyone about it."

"Thank you, Miss Granger. If either of you see Harry before I do, please tell him to wait for me in my office."

With that, Severus turned and headed out of the school itself and ran to the Quidditch pitch and the changing rooms beside it. He stopped dead in his tracks; the whole place was a mess. Lockers were overturned, their contents strewn about the floor: gloves, shin-pads, robes, photographs and other personal items. All the wooden benches were shattered and some of the splinters were even embedded in the ceiling. There was no sign of Harry or McLaggen but Harry's Firebolt was propped up in the corner, the only undamaged item in the room.

Drawing his wand, Severus strode to the shower area and felt his heart sink to somewhere near his shoes. Harry was underneath one of the shower heads, knees drawn tight against his chest; the white towel he wore was spattered with bloodstains as was his chest, bare arms and legs. Tiles had shattered all around him and it was only as Severus came further into the room that he saw the prone form of Cormac McLaggen lying on the floor a few feet away from Harry.

"Harry? What happened?" asked Severus gently as he made his way over to Harry. Harry was rocking backwards and forwards and banging his head against the wall on every second rock. "Harry?"

Not entirely sure that Harry could even hear him, Severus didn't attempt to touch him in case Harry was having a flashback and a touch now might do more harm than good. "Harry?" he kept his voice soft so as not to startle him.

Harry looked up with tear-filled eyes. "S- Sev- Sev'rus! I killed him! I killed him!" sobbed Harry and launched himself into Severus' arms.

Beyond them, McLaggen groaned. Severus cast a binding spell on him for the time being. "Harry, he's not dead, just knocked out. Come on, we'd better get both of you to the infirmary. Can you tell me what happened?"

Harry tried to speak, but he was crying too much to be coherent. "Ssh, Harry. It's all right. We'll just get Madam Pomfrey to check you over and you can tell me later when you're feeling calmer, okay?"

Harry nodded and leant his head on Severus' shoulder, almost as if he was trying to burrow under Severus' skin. Severus scooped Harry up in his arms and made sure he was comfortable before casting a levitation charm on the still unconscious McLaggen.

And if McLaggen seemed to keep hitting doorways as Severus took both boys to the infirmary, well he would just have to say that he was finding it difficult to control the spell while holding Harry in his arms as well.

For Severus knew that whatever had happened in that changing room; Cormac McLaggen had hurt his Harry and that was something Severus could never forgive.



Part 27

Harry clung desperately to Severus' neck and shoulders, his fingers curled like claws. His whole body ached but most of it seemed to be concentrated in his chest and it was difficult to breathe. The sobs that just wouldn't stop weren't helping much either but Harry just couldn't seem to stop crying. No matter how he felt about being taken to the hospital wing and being fussed over, Harry knew he was going to need a calming draught before the night was out. He tried to talk to Severus on the way, but he was crying too much to get any words out. His throat felt as if he'd been swallowing glass.

As they reached the heavy wooden doors of the infirmary, Cormac's head thudded against it and Harry cringed at the sound; remembering the thud when Cormac had fallen in the showers after he... after he...

Harry's stomach somersaulted as he remembered it; his guts tightening like he was wearing a belt too small for his waist. "Se- Severus. Sick," Harry managed to gasp out just as they entered the infirmary. Severus set him down on the flagstone floor; almost as soon as he'd done so, Harry ran to the bathroom but barely made it in time. He retched violently over the nearest sink, feeling as if he was tearing himself inside out in the process. Twice more he threw up, clutching the sides of the sink with white-knuckled fingers. He was almost choking; the sobbing wasn't stopping even though he was throwing up and his chest felt as if Hagrid was squeezing him in a too-tight hug.

The sour smell of the vomit was making him want to be sick again. With a shaky hand, Harry banished the vomit then turned on the tap and rinsed the sink for good measure. His whole body was trembling and his vision was swimming; he wasn't sure if it was because he was dizzy or because his glasses had been left somewhere in the changing rooms. They were probably shattered like the rest of the room.

Despite his poor vision, he could see the bloodstains in the mirror; he wasn't sure whether the blood was his or Cormac's. He stuck his head under the tap and gulped down as much water as he could before his stomach started cramping and he had to stop. His knees wanted to give way; they felt like water rather than flesh and bone and it was only by holding onto the sink that Harry managed to stay upright.

His tears were drying up but he was still dry-sobbing every so often and he wanted to get himself under control before he faced Severus and Madam Pomfrey. There was still a band of pain around his chest and it hurt to breathe.

"Harry?" came Severus' voice from the doorway. Harry turned his head quickly, but regretted it as a wave of dizziness almost overwhelmed him. Severus' arms were around him before Harry could fall and Harry couldn't stop the instinctive flinch when he did so.

Severus was quick enough to release him when he realised it. "Harry? Were you sick?"

Harry nodded. "I - I've no clothes," said Harry in a weak voice.

"Poppy can give you a gown. Harry, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you just then. I know you're probably still a bit shaken-up. You do know that I won't do anything to hurt you, don't you?"

"I - I know, Severus. It's not you. It's - it's -" Harry couldn't say any more.

"Harry, did McLaggen hurt you? Touch you? Did he rape you?"

"No, but - but he tried!" sobbed Harry and hurled himself against Severus' chest as he wept and wept against his robes.

"Oh, Harry. It's all right, ssh. Ssh," soothed Severus. "You're all right. You're all right now. He won't be able to hurt you again."

"I'm sorry, Severus. I'm sorry. He said - he said he'd tell if I didn't - if I didn't suck him off. I couldn't do it, I couldn't do that, it was too much like Uncle Vernon and I refused. Then he - then he beat me and called me all sorts of names because I wouldn't do it. He said he knew I was - I was a filthy cocksucker and that's all I was good for. He hit me, punching me and kicking me. I tried to fight back, but he was too strong for me. Then the lockers sort of exploded and that's when he dragged me into the showers. He cast a binding spell on me."

Harry could feel Severus shuddering and wondered if Severus was angry with him. "Please don't hate me!" begged Harry.

"Harry, I don't hate you. It wasn't your fault, what happened in there. He tried to force you against your will; the only one to blame here is Cormac McLaggen."

"But I - but I hurt him," said Harry, trying to explain. "I don't know how it happened. I couldn't move because of the spell and I was so scared, Severus! He forced me down on the floor, moving me to where he wanted me and I could do nothing to stop it. He said if I wasn't going to suck him he was going to do it the hard way. He pulled my legs apart and I knew then when he meant. I couldn't let him do that to me, Severus. That's for you, no one else and certainly not him! Never him! Somehow all the tiles started cracking and flying off the walls, some of them hit him and he fell down. There was blood everywhere; I thought I'd killed him! Oh, God, Severus, what if I'd murdered him?"

Harry broke down sobbing again, each breath agony.

"Harry, even if you had, it would have been self-defence. Cormac McLaggen cornered you in the showers to hurt you. You said he threatened to tell, tell what?"

"About us. He knows about us."

"How? You haven't told anyone, have you?"

"No."

"Neither have I, so how did he find out? Perhaps he was just bluffing, using that as an excuse to get you to do what he wanted?"

"Maybe," agreed Harry. He hoped that was the case.

"Come on, let's get you seen to. I think you have some bruises coming up," said Severus reaching out for his hand. Harry accepted the comfort this time. He refused to let McLaggen taint what he had with Severus. What he and Severus had was different, Harry knew that, but he also knew it might take a bit of time before he felt confident enough to be intimate again for a while.

As they’d expected, when they entered the ward Madam Pomfrey was tending to McLaggen in one of the end beds. Harry's hand tightened in Severus' when he saw the older boy. "Please don't leave me," said Harry.

"I won't, Harry. Let's get you into bed," Severus pulled a privacy curtain round one of the empty beds. Harry went gratefully behind it and got dressed in the hospital gown that was sitting on it. It was a few minutes before Madam Pomfrey had finished with Cormac and before she came in to see Harry. He saw her talking to Severus, but Harry couldn't hear what they were saying. They must have cast a silencing charm but Harry guessed they were both talking about what had happened in the changing rooms. Maybe now he wouldn't have to go over the whole thing again.

A few moments later, Madam Pomfrey pulled back the curtain with a swish and smiled down at him.

"Now then, Harry. Let's get you fixed up, eh?"

***

Severus and Poppy were the only two of the staff the headmaster summoned later that evening. Refusing the man's offers of tea and sherbet lemons, Severus could barely sit still in the chair. Poppy had dosed Harry with Calming Draught and Dreamless Sleep so Harry wouldn't know if he was there or not, but Severus felt his place ought to be at Harry's side and not in the headmaster's office.

Cormac McLaggen was no longer in the infirmary; instead he was incarcerated in Minerva McGonagall's office and would remain there until the Aurors came for him. He had been expelled of course, but Severus hoped they'd send him to Azkaban and throw away the key. That was unlikely considering his age, he'd probably be put in the secure unit at St. Mungo's but at least he would be away from Harry.

"Mr. McLaggen has made some quite distressing allegations, Severus."

"I'm sure he has, Albus. Anything to get out of admitting what he's done to Harry."

"What did happen? All he has said is that Harry attacked him for no good reason."

"For a start, McLaggen shouldn't have been anywhere near those changing rooms; he is no longer on the Quidditch team. And for another, Harry would never attack anyone unless he was being threatened, which he was. Technically, Harry didn't attack him; Harry didn't even have his wand. His wandless magic tried to protect him when Cormac McLaggen tried to rape him."

"Rape him? He tried to rape Harry?" demanded Dumbledore. "He never told me that! Poppy, you've examined, Harry. Is this true?"

"Yes, Albus. Harry had marks and bruising consistent with someone trying to force attentions on the boy. I've taken photographs and written up a report for the Aurors. McLaggen had also cast a binding spell and a compulsion spell on Harry. He broke two of Harry's ribs and the boy is lucky to be alive – the injury could have punctured a lung."

"Well, I can see now that his allegations are probably spurious to deflect attention away from what he himself had done. I'll send for the Aurors straightaway. I hope Harry is feeling better soon, Severus. I'm so sorry he had to go through this."

Severus couldn't believe they were getting off so lightly. Was the old man losing his touch? "Headmaster, if I might enquire, what were these allegations?"

Dumbledore chuckled. "Really, the boy had it in his head that you and Harry were having some sort of illicit affair! I see it now for what it is, just a ploy to save his own skin."

"That's impossible, headmaster," said Poppy. "Harry's still a virgin; I noticed it when I scanned him. The patient's status is always shown so that if any of them are sexually active, we are prepared to treat sexually transmitted diseases."

"There, you see? I should have realised you would never betray Harry's trust like that," said Dumbledore. "Off you go, I'm sure there's a young man you'll be wanting to see?"

Severus didn't know how he managed to make it from the headmaster’s office and into the corridor again. What sort of monster was he? Treating Harry like that? Merlin, was he as bad as Vernon and McLaggen? They had to stop this, it wasn't right. It couldn't be good for Harry. He needed someone his own age, not someone old enough to be his father. Someone who, let's face it, to all intents and purposes was his father!

Severus glanced over at Poppy wondering what he was going to do. Merlin, how was he going to break the news to Harry?



Part 28

As they left the headmaster's office, Poppy yanked Severus' arm and dragged him into an empty classroom on the third floor.

"Severus! What on earth were you thinking?" demanded Poppy.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Come off it! Harry may be a virgin but I know something is going on between you two. I'm not stupid and I'm not blind! That boy is in love with you and you've been encouraging it. What is wrong with you?"

Severus was tempted to lie, but Poppy had been his friend for many years, ever since he'd first started Hogwarts as the shy, strange child who no one wanted to befriend. He'd spent a lot of years being patched up by Poppy and he couldn't lie to her now, she deserved better than that.

"I – I don't know what's come over me, Poppy. I – I thought I was in love with him too, but it isn't right. I'll end it."

"You'll do no such thing!" snapped Poppy.

"What?"

"Severus, for Merlin's sake, use your head! How would Harry feel if you ended it now after what's almost happened to him? He'll think you don't want him any more because of what happened, that you find him dirty and shameful. He'll be feeling ashamed enough as it is without you deciding to leave him as well."

"So what do I do, Poppy? I don't want to hurt him, I never agreed to this to hurt him."

Poppy sat down on one of the student chairs and sighed. "So Harry approached you in the first instance? How long has this been going on, Severus?"

"Almost a year," said Severus. "We - we started while we were on holiday in Cornwall."

"That was in August, wasn't it? So Harry was sixteen at least. Thank Merlin for small mercies! A year? You've both been keeping this secret for a year? I take it from the time frame that this is not just some sort of fling, then?"

Severus shook his head. "Harry had researched it in detail before he approached me; he found out that because we weren't related, it wasn't illegal. He can be very persuasive when he wants to be."

"You should have refused, Severus! It may not be illegal, but it's highly unethical, surely you realise that? You're his teacher, his guardian."

"I should have, but I didn't," replied Severus softly. "I couldn't refuse him, Poppy. I couldn't deny him anything he wanted; he's been through enough."

"He has at that," sighed Poppy. "Do you love him, Severus? You aren't just using him for your own self-gratification?"

"Of course not! I love him, Poppy, with all my heart. He's everything to me. I'd die for him."

"Well, what's done is done I suppose and ending it now would not help Harry in the long run. Severus, there is a way where it wouldn't matter whether or not you were his teacher. If you bonded with him, that relationship would take precedence over any other, whether as guardian or as teacher. It's the only way I can see where it wouldn't be considered unethical. Otherwise you might get fired or Harry might get expelled."

"I don't really care about whether I'm fired or not, but I don't want Harry to lose out on his education because of this. If we do bond, it will become public knowledge and I won't be able to teach him any more. Would you consider taking him for Potions?"

"Of course, Severus. I'll do anything I can to help."

"Thank you, Poppy. For everything."

***

When Harry woke up, he was the only one in the infirmary and sunlight was creeping through the windows. He'd slept all night without dreaming but now that he was awake the memories of last night were crowding in on him. He took a shaky breath to try and calm himself. There was an unopened bottle of calming draught sitting on his bedside table along with a jug of water and a glass. Harry poured himself out a glass of water and drank it down in two large gulps.

As he finished, Madam Pomfrey came out of her office and smiled when she saw he was awake.

"How are you feeling now, Harry dear?" she asked as she took his wrist in hand to check his pulse.

"I'm fine, Madam Pomfrey. I'll be able to get out today, won't I?"

"You do seem to be healing nicely, dear. The bruises are gone now and the Skele-Gro has fixed your ribs. I'll just get you some breakfast and then you can go back to your dorm. I'm not sure you should be back at class tomorrow though. Maybe a few days’ rest would be better."

"I feel fine. I'd like to get back to class, please. I don't want to fall behind by missing any more school."

"Well, if you're sure, but if you feel it's too much; just take a few days off, okay? I would also recommend you see a counsellor at St. Mungo's if you feel you need it."

"I don't," said Harry quickly. Too quickly. "Nothing happened."

Madam Pomfrey sat down on the chair by Harry's bed. "Harry, he may not have succeeded in raping you, but you were still violently assaulted which may have left you feeling things that you'd rather not be feeling. It might help to talk about it to someone who is not involved."

"I'm fine," Harry insisted stubbornly. "There's nothing wrong with me. I just want to go."

"After breakfast. I want to see a clean tray," she said with a smile as she hurried off in order to fetch the breakfast. Harry wasn't feeling hungry; he was still feeling a bit sick. He hoped he'd be able to keep the breakfast down otherwise who knew how long Madam Pomfrey might keep him in the infirmary for?

Harry drank some more water and almost dropped the class when Severus came in. Severus looked as if he hadn't slept for days; his robes were crinkled and the dark shadows under his eyes resembled bruises. Harry felt guilty that he'd caused Severus so much worry.
"Harry," said Severus as he leaned over and kissed Harry's forehead. "How are you?"

"I'm fine. Madam Pomfrey said I can go after breakfast."

"Oh, that's good. Harry, there's something I need to discuss with you. Can you meet me in our quarters after breakfast?"

Harry nodded, feeling a stone settle somewhere beneath his breast. He knew what it was going to be about; he'd guessed as much, but he hadn't anticipated it being so painful when it came right down to it. Severus wanted to end it; he thought Harry was dirty after what had happened with Cormac and he didn't want to be with someone like that.

"I'll be there," said Harry, trying his best not to cry. Crying wouldn't change anything.

***

Ron and Hermione came to visit him just as Harry was finishing up the last of his cornflakes; Harry swallowed the dregs, not really tasting anything. His teeth needed cleaning and he felt like he could do with a bath. A bath – not a shower; he wasn't sure he could face having another shower yet.

"Oh, Harry!" gasped Hermione as she wrapped her arms around him, upending the tray so that soggy cornflakes and milk stained the bedspread. Once Hermione released him, Harry banished it and only after seeing their widened eyes did he realise he'd done it without his wand. Again. Harry didn't even know where his wand was. He saw a pile of his own clothes had been left on the chair beside his bed.

"We heard what happened, mate," said Ron, looking anywhere but at Harry. "McLaggen's been arrested. You won't have to worry about him any more."

"Good," said Harry.

"Harry, you can talk to us if you need to, okay?"

"Thanks, Hermione, but I'm fine. I have to get dressed now and then I'm meeting Severus."

"Oh," Hermione sounded a little disappointed that Harry wasn't going to spend more time talking to them.

"I'll see you both in the common room later."

"Right. Okay," said Hermione, leaning over to hug him again. Ron didn't hug Harry, he just gave him a sort of half-wave as they left. Harry wondered if Ron was finding it uncomfortable knowing what had almost happened in the changing rooms but Harry didn't bother dwelling on it; he was too worried about what Severus was going to tell him.

Harry dressed in the jeans and t-shirt that he guessed Severus had left in the infirmary for him and made his way to the dungeons. There were a few Slytherins about and a few made a couple of rude jokes about him and McLaggen, making Harry clench his hands into his fists but he ignored them otherwise; he was feeling tense enough as it was without hexing Severus' Slytherins as well.

Harry went straight into the living room; he heard Severus rattling around in the kitchen so Harry sat down on the sofa to wait for him. The longer the better, really. He could pretend they were still together as long as Severus hadn't told him anything for definite yet.

Severus came out with a bottle of potion in his hand. "Some pain potion if you need it," he said setting it down on the coffee table.

"Thanks, but I'm okay," said Harry, twisting his hands.

"Harry, about us," Severus waved his hands to encompass the two of them. "We need to talk about this."

"I know what you're going to say," said Harry. "You think we should end it. You think I'm dirty now." Oh God – and now the tears were starting again. Harry rubbed angrily at his eyes and tried to tell himself they were sore because he couldn't see properly without his glasses, but he knew that was only half the story.

"Oh, Harry! I don't think you're dirty! I love you and I don't want to end this, not unless you want to. What do you want, Harry? Tell me, please."

"I – I want you," sobbed Harry. "I love you, Severus and I can't survive without you. But – but I'm nervous too. After – after what happened."

"Harry, that is perfectly understandable. I'm not going to rush you into anything, I promise. You'll know when you feel ready for anything more. You still do want more?"

Harry nodded. "Just not yet, I'm sorry."

Severus knelt down in front of Harry and took Harry's hands in his. "Harry, you know that if people found out they wouldn't approve of our relationship. They would think I was taking advantage of you, that I was abusing you."

"What? You aren't abusing me, Severus! You never have! You've been nothing but wonderful to me. It's none of their business anyway!"

"Well, it is since I'm still your teacher. Harry, there is a way for us to be together as much as we want and people can't keep us apart. How would you feel about bonding with me? Would you do me the honour of becoming my husband?"

Harry's hands went numb at Severus' words. Bonded to Severus. Married to Severus; he could hardly dare believe it. It was one of his daydreams, for how many times had he imagined this scenario? Severus wanted to marry him, wanted to spend the rest of his life with Harry as his husband, his lover!

"Severus, we don't have to do anything yet, do we? If we get married?"

"No, Harry. I told you, not until you're ready for more intimacy. The bonding is just a way for us to show the world that we love each other. It isn't about sex."

"Then I'd be honoured to accept," smiled Harry as the feeling returned to his hands.


Part 29

They'd decided to have the bonding ceremony some time after Harry's seventeenth birthday. He would be of age then and there was nothing anyone could do to stop it but that evening they hadn't settled on a definite date. Harry wanted to get bonded before school started again in September, but he would wait if that's what Severus would prefer.

They'd spent almost half an hour snogging on the sofa but as soon as Severus' hands moved from Harry's back to caress his chest, Harry had pulled away and stood up, ready to go back to his dorm now. He didn't think Severus was going to push things further, but he hadn't wanted to take the chance and Harry thought the goodnight kiss they shared by the door was tinged with a little sadness too. He wanted to trust Severus; he did trust him and he cursed Cormac for making him feel scared of Severus or of what he might do.

Harry mumbled the password to the Fat Lady and entered the common room. It was nearing curfew and the room was almost empty. Neville and Ron were playing chess by the fire while Hermione watched; Colin and Dennis Creevey were the only other two Gryffindors in the room and Harry waited until the two younger boys left before he made his way over to his friends.

He had no idea how they might react to the news that he was getting bonded to Severus, but he didn't want them to hear it from someone else. Harry sank down on the sofa next to Hermione just as Neville was defeated and Ron's chess pieces swiped all of Neville's remaining players off the board, yelling and gesticulating wildly.

The three of them greeted Harry as Ron tidied up the chess sets. "Where have you been?" asked Ron. "I haven't seen you all day."

"I was with Severus," said Harry. "Look, I have to tell you all something, but it's just between us, right?"

"Oh, Harry, you can tell us anything," said Hermione. "Is this about what Cormac did to you?"

"No, I don't want to talk about that," said Harry firmly. "Look - um - the thing is - I'm getting married."

Ron burst out laughing. "Good one, Harry! How can you be getting married? You said you and that bloke was just a holiday romance. Or have you been sneaking off to Cornwall on your broom every night?"

"Um, well I may have stretched the truth a bit there. The romance started in Cornwall but it continued when we got back to Hogwarts."

"But Harry, the only one who was in Cornwall and Hogwarts with you was Professor Snape; you can't mean you and Professor Snape are getting married?" asked Hermione.

"Yes, we're getting bonded after my birthday."

Utter silence greeted this revelation; all of them were staring at Harry as if he had suddenly grown three heads. Ron was the first to break it. "Snape? Your father? That's sick, Harry!"

Harry wished his heart didn't feel so heavy at Ron's words. He thought they were friends but maybe their friendship was conditional on Harry only doing what Ron approved of.

"Harry, are you sure that's legal?" asked Hermione. "He's also your teacher, so it can't be ethical."

"He won't be teaching me any more; Madam Pomfrey is going to take me for Potions. And it isn't illegal because he isn't related to me."

"Don't you think you're rushing into things a bit? Especially after what happened with Cormac?"

"This has nothing to do with Cormac, Hermione! I love Severus and he loves me; we're getting married and you can't stop us from being together if we want to be."

"No, I can't," said Hermione sadly. "But it doesn't mean I have to approve of it either. I thought you had more sense, Harry, I really did."

"What's that supposed to mean? Are you saying I'm stupid?" demanded Harry.

"Not stupid, no, but maybe you're a bit naïve," said Hermione. "Harry, what on earth would a man old enough to be your father want to get married to you for? It isn't right."

Ron had his arms folded angrily across his chest but nodded in agreement at Hermione's words. "He's using you, Harry and you can't even see it!" shouted Ron. "He just wants to get his rocks off! He's no better than McLaggen!"

"Take that back!" screamed Harry. "Severus is nothing like him, nothing!"

"No? He's been screwing you for the past year and he's nothing like McLaggen? Yeah, right!" Ron drawled sarcastically.

"He hasn't!" shrieked Harry. "For your information, Ronald Weasley, I'm still a virgin! Not that it's any of your business!"

"Then why are we even talking about this?"

"Because I thought you were my friend and you would support me! I wanted you to be my best man!"

"I wouldn't be at yours and Snape's wedding if you paid me!" retorted Ron and stalked upstairs towards the boys' dormitory without even a goodnight.

Hermione glanced from Harry to Neville and back again before bidding both of them a hasty goodnight.

"I suppose you're going to tell me what an idiot I am as well." Harry sank down on one of the armchairs.

"No, Harry. I don't think you're an idiot, but I do agree with some of what Hermione said. I think you're rushing into this because of what happened to you with McLaggen. Why are you getting married now? Why not wait until you've left school and then no one can say anything about it? He wouldn't be your teacher any more; people wouldn't have so many objections then."

"There's still the adoption," said Harry softly. "A lot of people aren't going to approve, are they?"

"Is it so important that you have their approval, Harry? It's really between you and Professor Snape isn't it?"

"So you don't mind me getting married to him?"

"Harry, you said you love him and he loves you, that's what is important, not what I or anybody else thinks about it. A bonding is between two people, or sometimes three and it should be no one else's business."

"That wasn't what I asked."

"Look, I'm your friend and I want what's best for you and to be honest I don't think you rushing into marriage is the best thing for you right now. On the other hand, I also want you to be happy and if Professor Snape makes you happy, then I wish both of you the very best. I'd be honoured to be considered a guest for your wedding."

Harry's throat ached as he tried to hold back the tears. "Do you really mean that?"

"I do, Harry. You deserve all the happiness in the world."

***

By the end of classes on Monday it was all round the school that Harry and Severus were getting bonded and Harry just knew that Ron was behind the rumours, despite Harry asking them all to keep it to themselves. It wasn't a surprise therefore when he was summoned to the headmaster's study after his last class. Harry wished now he'd taken Madam Pomfrey up on her offer and not gone back to class so soon. He'd been taunted all day and he knew he was close to losing it.

He mumbled the password to the gargoyle, "Maltesers," and headed up the moving staircase, his steps feeling more and more leaden the closer he got to the top. Once deposited in front of the stout oak door, Harry lifted the gryffin door knocker and rapped it twice on the wood.

"Come in," called Professor Dumbledore from inside. Harry pushed the door open and entered the room; then wanted to flee it almost immediately. Dumbledore wasn't the only one there. Severus was there too, along with Madam Pomfrey, Professor McGonagall and some elderly wizards and witches he didn't know; Harry guessed they might have been school governors. Oh, God, he thought he was going to be sick.

"Take a seat, Harry," said Dumbledore with a small smile in Harry's direction. "This is Mr. Dobkins, Mr. Preston, Mr. Greenway, Madam Delaney and Madam Compton. They're some of the school governors." The members of the elderly group nodded as each one’s name was called and each smiled at Harry.

"This is Kingsley Shacklebolt," said Dumbledore and a younger, taller black man turned from where he'd been stroking Fawkes. "Don't look so worried, Harry, they just need to talk to you about what happened with Mr. McLaggen on Saturday. The Aurors need to know if you want to press charges."

"Of course he's pressing charges!" snapped Severus. "He was almost raped! McLaggen is not getting away with it!"

Harry stared around the room at all the strangers; he couldn't do this, he couldn't talk to strangers about what happened. It was bad enough that it had happened without describing it again. He glanced desperately at Poppy; she was a medi-witch, maybe she would understand that he couldn't do it.

It seemed she was something of a mind reader too. "Kingsley, I'm not sure Harry is comfortable talking about this to a roomful of strangers. Why don't you come with me and you can interview Harry yourself?"

"Would that be all right with you, Mr. Potter?" asked Kingsley.

"Yes, sir. May - may Madam Pomfrey stay with me?"

"An excellent idea, Harry. You look a bit pale," said Professor McGonagall, patting Harry's shoulder.

"Madam Pomfrey may stay if you wish," said Kingsley. "As long as you want her there."

Harry nodded.

"That's settled then. Kingsley, Poppy, you may use my private study," said Dumbledore as he waved his hand and a hidden door appeared at the back of the room. Poppy clasped her hands on Harry's shoulders and steered him in the direction of the doorway with Kingsley following them. Harry's heart was hammering a tune against his ribs and he wondered if this is how it felt to be led to your own execution.

What if they asked him about the bonding? Was he supposed to lie? What if he was given Veriteraserum? He wished he'd had some time alone with Severus to know what Severus wanted him to do. Harry was lost and a brief glance to Severus before he entered the door only garnered him a small smile and nothing else. No hint as to what he should or shouldn't say.

Harry was on his own.


Part 30

The interview took a little less than an hour; by the end of it Harry felt as if he'd been put through a mangle. Kingsley Shacklebolt had been professional about it and if Harry had seemed too upset to talk further; he waited until Harry was ready to talk again. Madam Pomfrey had to give Harry another dose of calming draught after they were finished when he realised this probably wasn't the end of it. He would have to stand up in court and tell everyone what McLaggen had done to him. Harry didn't want to do that; he didn't think he'd be able to do it.

"Thank you, Harry. I think that's everything for now." Kingsley Shacklebolt lifted up the cube he'd set down on the desk. "This is a memory cube, Harry. It's a bit like a Muggle recording device. We use it in cases like this; so that the victim won't have to come face to face with their tormentor in court. The Wizengamot only need to see this, you won't need to be anywhere near McLaggen."

Harry almost fainted with relief. "So I won't have to go over this again and again?"

"No, Harry dear; your part's over for now," said Madam Pomfrey, patting Harry's arm.

The three of them made their way back to Dumbledore's office, where the governors looked eagerly at Shacklebolt who was holding the memory cube in his hand. "Governors," said Shacklebolt. "If you'd like to accompany me back to the Ministry, you can watch the interview."

"Very well, Auror Shacklebolt," said Madam Compton.

"And Dumbledore, you will deal with that other issue?" asked Mr. Dobkins as he glanced at Severus and then back at Harry. Harry's face flushed with heat. They knew; they knew about he and Severus and he was going to get expelled; Severus was going to get fired.

Harry sank into the nearest chair and hung his head in his hands. Despite Madam Pomfrey's calming draught his whole body was shaking and he was bathed in sour, cold sweat. Once the governors and the Auror had left; Professor McGonagall sat down beside Harry and rubbed his back. "It'll be all right, Harry." Harry wasn't so sure of that.

Dumbledore spoke to Severus. "There have been some rumours going around the school today that you and Harry are getting bonded. Probably put about by Mr. Mclaggen's friends as retaliation for him being arrested. Rest assured that they will be dealt with swiftly. Mr. Potter doesn't need any more negative attention."

"They aren't rumours, Albus," said Severus. "We are getting bonded. I love Harry and he loves me."

Dumbledore's face darkened as he turned to Madam Pomfrey, who was standing behind Harry's chair. "Did you lie to me the other day, Poppy? That Harry was still a virgin?"

"No, Albus. Harry is still a virgin."

"And will remain so while he is still a student at this school! Surely you can't think I can condone this, Severus? Harry is your adopted son, not to mention your student! The ethics alone should have prevented you from seeking a sexual relationship with Harry."

"I was going to take Harry for Potions," said Madam Pomfrey. "So that they wouldn't still be teacher and student."

"Were you indeed? Without discussing it with me, I might add. Very well, Poppy. That seems a sensible course under the circumstances. If you are determined to go through with this charade..."

"We are," said Severus. "We are getting bonded over the summer."

"No, you aren't. I won't allow it," said Dumbledore. "This is a school and we have a duty to instil a set of morals in our students. Harry being bonded to a teacher just isn't acceptable. Since you will no longer be acting as a guardian or father to Harry, then he will need another for the summer. I think he should spend the summer with his godfather and away from you. Maybe then both of you might come to your senses!"

"No!" said Harry. "I want to stay with Severus!"

"It isn't about what you want but what is best for this school and all the other students. You will stay with Sirius for the summer and you will not be visiting with Severus in his quarters any more. If Severus is determined to take the role of lover rather than father, then you will both have to cope with the consequences. Harry, you will bring me your Invisibility Cloak and the two of you will not see each other alone while Harry is still a student here."

Harry's world was crumbling down around his ears. Severus was the only one keeping him sane. "You can't stop us from seeing each other!" snarled Harry.

"I assure you that I can. Professor McGonagall, please escort Harry back to his dormitory and ensure he stays there. You can bring me his Invisibility Cloak as well."

***

True to his word, Dumbledore kept Harry and Severus apart for the remainder of the school year. Madam Pomfrey took Harry for Potions and Severus had not been at any meals in the Great Hall, so Harry hadn't seen him at all. Harry had tried sneaking down to the dungeons at night, but Professor McGonagall had caught him; it was as if she knew Harry would try it and he'd been in detention with Filch for two weeks because of it. The trophies had never sparkled so brightly.

Every mealtime Harry glanced hopefully up at the teachers' table, but Severus was never there. Was Dumbledore keeping Severus a prisoner in his quarters as much as Harry was in Gryffindor Tower? The only one speaking to Harry was Neville; all his other so-called friends had heard the rumours about him and Severus and were not taking it well.

"Harry, you're not eating," said Neville on the last day of term. Harry had been disappointed again to find Severus nowhere near the top table.

"I'm not hungry," said Harry. He hadn't been hungry for weeks, ever since Dumbledore had forced him and Severus to be apart. How was Harry to bear to be apart from Severus for over a year? A year of not even seeing him. A year of not talking. A year of not being held in his arms. A year of not being kissed. A year of not being hugged after a nightmare.

"You haven't eaten anything for days, Harry," said Neville. "Come on, it's your favourite: rhubarb crumble."

"I said I'm not hungry!" snapped Harry and then felt guilt rising up in his chest when he saw Neville's disappointed look. Neville had been his only true friend through all of this and he was ashamed of speaking to him like that. "Sorry, Neville. I didn't mean to shout at you."

"It's okay. I know you're under a lot of stress at the minute."

"Stress?" snorted Dean Thomas. "Oh yes, it must be very stressful shagging a teacher! God, Potter, I thought you'd have more taste! Snape? Even McLaggen was better than Snape!"

The table erupted in laughter and Harry just couldn't take it any more. McLaggen had almost raped him and they were laughing about it? Harry ran from the Great Hall, their laughter ringing in his ears but just as he got to the dungeon stairwell, he saw Filch and that horrible cat guarding it.

"You can't go down there, Potter. Headmaster's orders," smirked Filch. And oh, he was loving it, wasn't he? Watching Harry denied the one thing he wanted. The only thing he had ever wanted: Severus.

"You can't stop me seeing him!"

"I can and I will. Anyway, you're too late. Professor Snape has already left for the summer."

"What do you mean he's left? Where did he go?"

"He didn't leave no address. He'll be back in September. You can see him then." Filch chuckled evilly. "Oops, I forgot, you won't be seeing him then either, will you?"

Harry turned, angry tears welling up in his eyes and he didn't want to give the vile man the satisfaction of seeing how upset he was. None of them cared how he was feeling. None of them cared how close he was to Severus. To them it was all just some sordid joke. But it wasn't a joke; it was Harry's life. Severus was Harry's life and they wanted to take him away from him. They may as well have set their wands on him and cast Avada Kedavra; the result would have been the same.

He wouldn't let them. Harry would be seventeen in a few weeks and once that day came no one was going to stop them from being together. He and Severus would be bonded; Harry didn't care whether Dumbledore approved or not.

"Hey, Harry. Do you want to share a carriage with me to the station?" asked Neville as he emerged from dinner and made his way over. Harry nodded; Ron and Hermione had barely spoken to him the last couple of weeks and he knew he didn't want to sit with them and suffer their accusing glances.

He and Neville found an empty carriage; Harry locked it before glancing apologetically at Neville. "Oh, I forgot. Did you want Justin to share with us?"

"No. We split up," said Neville, shrugging. "He didn't like me spending so much time with you."

"Oh, Neville. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make things awkward for you."

"You didn't, Justin did. Anyway, I knew he was cheating on me. This was just an excuse so he could make it seem like my fault we split up. You had nothing to do with it."

"Oh."

They were silent for a few moments, watching the scenery pass by in a blur.

"So you're staying with your godfather over the summer?"

"Apparently," said Harry.

"That'll be nice."

Harry didn't think so, but in his heart he knew he only had to put up with it for a month or so. After that he was his own man.

"Would you still be interested in coming to our wedding?" asked Harry out of the blue.

"Of course! You send me the date and I'll be there."

"Thanks, Neville."

"You're welcome."

The carriage trundled on and for the first time in weeks, Harry found himself smiling.

TBC

Chapter 7: Serpent Child
Part 31

Grimmauld Place certainly lived up to its name; Harry had never seen anywhere so grim in his life – the guest house in Cornwall looked like a palace compared to number twelve. Rubbish was piled up outside on the steps; a mangy dog had ripped one of the black plastic bags open and was nosing through the rubbish it had just released: rotting vegetables, banana peel, coffee grounds and tea bags. The front door looked as if it might have been painted at some time, but most of the paint had flaked off so only bare wood could be seen except for a few dots of colour in the corners.

Harry was surprised his godfather hadn't done something with the house before now. When he'd been pardoned after being wrongly sent to Azkaban, he'd had four years to get the house into something resembling order. It looked like Sirius hadn't done anything with it at all and had just let it continue to fall into such a state. Harry was dreading what the inside was going to be like.

Sirius sent the dog on its way with a growl; the dog ran off whimpering with its tail between its legs. Harry knew his godfather was an Animagus but hadn't really seen any evidence of it until now and was surprised at how quickly the other dog had run away after Sirius' growl. Making sure none of the Muggle neighbours were about, Sirius removed his wand and cast a spell on the rubbish bags so that they disappeared altogether. There had been about twenty of them; Harry wondered why his godfather had let them pile up so much if they could be easily removed with a spell.

Sirius opened the front door and beckoned Harry inside. Stepping gingerly into the hallway, Harry wanted just as quickly to step back out again. The halls were painted in dark maroon, seeming to absorb any daylight that filtered in through the open front door. Once it was shut behind Harry, gas lamps spluttered and hissed on the wall as they came to life, but even they couldn't seem to penetrate the gloom which descended. There were no windows in the hall as it was in the middle of a terrace and the absence of any natural light made it seem even worse. It felt worse than the dungeons, for even there Severus had charmed windows to let in daylight but here it was just darkness as far as the eye could see, and that wasn't very far. Harry felt as if he had something heavy pressing on his chest and it was becoming very difficult to breathe.

"I'll show you to your room," said Sirius as he cast a feather-light charm on Harry's trunk and levitated it up the stairs. "Don't make any noise. We don't want to wake -"

Even as he said it there was a screech from somewhere deeper in the hall. "Scum! Filth! Blood traitor! The abomination of my loins!"

"Shut up!" hissed Sirius as he dropped Harry's trunk with a loud thud at the top of the first staircase and marched with purpose down to a pair of velvet curtains at the back of the hallway. The curtains tried to part on their own, but Sirius seemed to be expecting this and knotted both of them together. "Take that, you horrible bitch!"

Harry stood at the bottom of the stairs, staring warily at his godfather. It was said that most people who were sentenced to Azkaban went mad very quickly because of the presence of the Dementors there. Harry wondered if perhaps Sirius wasn't quite as sane as he led people to believe. Surely it wasn't normal to shout at curtains? It was the first time Harry had been in his company for more than an hour or two and he had to admit that he wasn't looking forward to spending a month in this horrible house.

"Sorry about that," said Sirius as he rejoined Harry by the stairs. "It's my mother's portrait; we can't get rid of it. She, or something knowing her, has probably put a permanent sticking charm on it."

Far from being relieved that Sirius wasn't in fact shouting at the curtains but shouting at his mother, Harry was a bit upset at hearing his godfather being so rude to her. He couldn't remember his own mother but Harry could never in a million years imagine that he would be rude to her.

He followed Sirius up two flights of stairs before he was shown to his room, almost under the eaves in the attic. There was a small window there but it still looked as dismal as the hallway. All the furniture was scuffed; the large brass bedstead had a sagging mattress and a bedspread that looked none too clean. There was no carpet, just dusty bare boards and a small rag rug in front of the wardrobe.

"There's a bathroom just across from you," said Sirius. "Why don't you get settled in and I'll start making us some dinner."

"I'm not hungry," said Harry.

"You have to eat," insisted Sirius.

"No I don't. I don't have to do anything you say and I'm not going to."

"I'm your guardian for the summer now, Harry. You have to do what I say. Is this the way Snape brought you up? To be insolent and rude to your elders?"

"Don't you dare talk about him! After what you did to him when you were at school! Severus is worth ten of you!"

"He told you about that, then? I was hoping that perhaps this holiday we'd be able to get to know each other better without his interference."

"I don't want to know you better!" snapped Harry. "You all want to keep Severus and me apart and you can't! What we’re doing is not illegal!"

"I don't care whether it's illegal or not. I'm your godfather, Harry, and I forbid you to marry that man."

Harry laughed mirthlessly. "You forbid me? You forbid me to marry him? And what exactly are you going to do to stop me? You can't keep me locked up."

"That's where you're wrong. There are wards on this house to prevent you from leaving it until it's time for you to go back to school. It's for your own good."

"I don't believe you," said Harry. "You're just saying that to upset me."

"No one is trying to upset you, we just want what's best for you and marrying Severus Snape is not it. He's been abusing you and you can't even see it. He's far too old for you and your parents would be turning in their graves if I let you marry someone like that."

"What do you mean ‘someone like that’?"

"He's a pauper, Harry. He was brought up in an orphanage and couldn't even afford decent clothes! You're the Potter heir and you want to waste your life on someone not worthy to shine your shoes! He's beneath you!"

Harry didn't know what the man meant about being the Potter heir but he knew one thing and that was that Severus Snape may have been poor in wealth but when he took Harry away from the Dursleys Harry had become rich in love and affection. There was no way he was going to lose that no matter what anyone else said. They were going to get bonded over the summer and no wards were going to stop him.

"I'd like you to leave now," said Harry. "I don't want to talk to you."

"I'm sorry you feel like that. Maybe later, then?" Sirius asked hopefully as he turned the doorknob. Harry didn't reply.

***

It was just as Sirius had said, any time Harry tried to exit the house from any of the doors, or even by the Floo in the kitchen, he didn't get anywhere. Harry remained in his room all through the day and refused to sit down at a table to eat with Sirius. His stomach was tied up in so many knots that Harry just wasn't feeling hungry anyway; he got terribly thirsty at night though and would sneak down to the kitchen to get some water when Sirius was in bed.

Every second or third day, Sirius would knock on his door and try to coax him out, but Harry wasn't budging. He'd left Hedwig in the Owlery because he wasn't sure she would like being cooped up in a house in London and although it did turn out for the best for his owl, Harry was lonely without her.

He spent a lot of his time just lying on the uncomfortable bed and staring at the ceiling. Sleep eluded him most nights and so most of his rest came in the form of cat-naps during the day. He'd drawn himself a calendar and crossed off each day of July when it ended, wishing it was his birthday already. Sometimes he tried to do his homework but his concentration was so bad that he gave up in the end.

Harry could sense the wards holding him captive and knew that he was strong enough to break them. They'd never found his wand and most of Harry's recent spells were wandless and soundless. Once his birthday arrived he could do as much magic as he liked and Harry knew the wards wouldn't prevent him from Apparating away from Grimmauld Place.

Severus had taught him to Apparate a few months previously and as soon as midnight on the 30th arrived, Harry would be out of Grimmauld Place and back to Severus. Although Severus hadn't mentioned to anyone where he was going, Harry knew where Severus had gone. Severus would be waiting for him and Harry would not disappoint him.

With so many people against them, Harry knew it wasn't going to be easy, but it made him even more determined that they get bonded as soon as possible. As soon as Harry was seventeen his life would become his own and no one – not godfathers, headmasters nor school governors – was going to stop him.

No one could keep them apart. No one.



Part 32

A full yellow moon hung overhead, its reflection rippling with every wave. This close to midnight the sky seemed like dark blue velvet, sprinkled with stars glowing like sequins. Severus knew it shouldn't be too long now before Harry arrived; he'd guessed that as soon as Harry reached seventeen he would break out of wherever Dumbledore had decided to hold him for the summer.

The anger simmered beneath the surface as Severus thought of everything that the headmaster had put Harry through; had put them both through. For the latter part of the school term Dumbledore had Severus working night and day on potions that according to Dumbledore just had to be made immediately. The headmaster had supervised Severus to make sure that Severus hadn't sneaked off to see Harry. Severus hoped Harry knew that he wasn't staying away deliberately. If he didn't need the money, Severus would have resigned as soon as Dumbledore had put his nose in where it didn't belong.

Severus glanced back at the beach to make sure everything was in place. The night was quite bright because of the full moon but Severus had conjured lanterns as well. They were arranged in a square and in the middle of the square was a picnic blanket along with a picnic basket, plates, cutlery and glassware. Harry's birthday present was safely stowed in the pocket of his robes and Severus' heart began to beat faster and faster the closer to midnight it came.

Would Harry still want to be with him? Had their time apart made Harry 'see sense' as Dumbledore had put it? If splitting up was the sensible course, then Severus hoped they would both be idiots.

When Harry Apparated a few yards down the beach, both of them just stood staring at each other for a few moments, as if they couldn't quite believe they were actually here. Then Harry smiled and ran to Severus, who scooped Harry up in his arms and swung him round, tears of joy blinding them both.

"Severus! Oh, God, Severus!" sobbed Harry as Severus set him up on his feet again. Harry snuggled close to Severus' chest, wrapping both arms around his waist.

Severus held him and kissed his hair while allowing Harry some time to calm down, just glad to have him back in his arms at last. They fitted so well together and Severus knew that they just couldn't be apart. They belonged together and no interfering headmaster was going to prevent it.

***

Harry felt his tears drying up, but still he couldn't let go of Severus' waist. It was as if now his arms had wrapped around Severus once again that if he removed them, it would turn out to have been a dream and not reality. If that was the case, Harry wanted to hold onto the dream for as long as possible. Harry heard Severus' heartbeat beneath his ear and he clung to that sound, feeling reality slowly slipping back.

He was in Severus' arms and they were both at the cove in Cornwall where they'd shared their very first kiss. Harry had known that Severus would be here waiting for him; what he hadn't expected was the lantern-lit picnic blanket just ready for them to use it.

"Happy birthday, Harry," said Severus as he tilted Harry's face up and kissed him softly in the moonlight. The kiss didn’t last long and once it had finished, Severus took Harry's hand and led him over to the blanket where the picnic was waiting for them. As they got closer, Harry could see that there was also a chocolate birthday cake, but instead of candles, there were seventeen ice mice sitting on top of it. Harry grinned up at his betrothed; Severus remembered Harry had a very sweet tooth.

"You're thinner," said Severus as he tugged Harry down to join him on the blanket. "Have some food and then you can open your presents."

"Being with you is the only present I'll ever need," said Harry. "I missed you so much."

"I missed you too, Harry. No one is ever going to separate us again, even if we have to leave Hogwarts to make sure. Where did Dumbledore send you?" asked Severus as he dished up a couple of mini-quiches, scotch eggs and pumpkin pasties onto side plates. Harry ate a few mouthfuls before replying.

"I stayed with Sirius, but I hated it. He'll probably have a fit tomorrow morning when he discovers I'm not there. They thought the wards would stop me leaving, but I could sense how to break them. I probably could have escaped earlier, but then the Ministry would have been after me for using underage magic. Now that I'm seventeen no one can stop us being a couple anymore, can they?"

"Well, not legally, no. Dumbledore is perfectly within his rights to prevent us from seeing each other at school, but I'm not really bothered what he thinks to be honest."

They chatted while they ate, catching up on what they had been doing while they were apart. Every so often Severus would reach out to caress Harry's hand as it held a glass or a fork, or sometimes Harry would wipe Severus' mouth with a napkin as they just delighted in the fact that they were together again at long last. They could hold each other. They could kiss each other. They could touch each other.

The last thought had Harry blushing in the darkness. Once Severus was convinced that Harry had eaten enough, he removed a medium sized rectangular box from his pocket. "Harry, I wanted to ask you again, so that you're sure. Do you still want to bond with me?"

Harry smiled as broadly as he could. "I want it with all my heart, Severus. As soon as possible if we can, I want nothing to come between us."

"In that case, please accept these as your birthday present," said Severus handing Harry the box. It was black velvet and wrapped with a gold bow. Harry opened it to find two identical platinum bracelets lying side by side. Each bracelet was set with three precious stones; two emeralds to one side and a diamond in the middle.

"They are traditional bonding bracelets," explained Severus. "Normally, they would be set with stones all the way around to signify that the bond was everlasting, but I'm afraid the three stones each were all I could afford."

"Oh, Severus, they're beautiful! Do we wear them now or after the bonding ceremony?"

"After the bonding ceremony. Wizards don't really have engagement jewellery as such, but if you would like something to wear until then..."

"No, no, these are gorgeous. You didn't have to go to so much expense," said Harry, worried a little for Severus' finances. Harry had no idea how much diamonds cost and with only a teacher's salary to rely on, Severus was not exactly made of money.

"I've booked us into the Sands Resort again," said Severus when Harry put the bracelets back in their box. "I've let them know we might be back late."

"Severus - can we stay here tonight? It's so romantic, a night under the stars, don't you think?"

"You'd like to?"

"Please, I can't think of anywhere I'd rather be right now."

"It is your birthday," said Severus. "Your wish is my command." Severus gave him a mock bow before he unbuttoned his robe and conjured some pillows and extra blankets. Harry cleared up the detritus of their midnight picnic so that they could use the rug as a ground sheet. Severus sorted out the pillows and lay down wearing just his shirt and trousers. Harry only had on a pair of shorts and t-shirt. He sat down on the edge of the blanket to remove his trainers and lay down next to Severus, his breath coming in nervous gasps. They'd never actually spent the night together before and he wondered if Severus might have thought it meant something else.

Harry's hand twisted on the rug as he tried to calm himself down. This wasn't Cormac forcing him to do something he didn't want; this was Severus - the man he loved, the man he was going to marry. Harry wanted to be here; he wanted to be with Severus.

Severus lightly took hold of Harry's twisting hand to still it; scooting closer to Harry as he did so. "Harry, I know you're not ready for more than kissing yet, nothing will happen that you don't want to happen. I promise."

"I know, Severus. But sometimes - sometimes the memories just get to me. I'm a bit nervous, but I think I might be ready soon. I'd like - I'd like for us to wait until the wedding night, would that be okay? I want it to be special."

"Oh, Harry, of course we can. If that's what you want. But don't feel you have to be ready there and then. The wedding night is only one night; we'll have a lifetime together."

A lifetime together. Oh, Harry liked the sound of that. A lifetime with Severus. Severus held out his arm; Harry moved into it and rested his head on Severus' shoulder, one arm draped across Severus' chest and one leg in between Severus' legs. Despite them both being fully dressed and far from aroused, Harry had never had such an intimate moment before and he sighed in deep contentment.

The waves were lapping against the shore with a swish and a swoosh, stars glowed overhead and the steady drumming of Severus' heart soon had him drifting off to sleep, safe in the knowledge that he was finally in Severus' arms again.

He was home.



Part 33

When Harry woke up, the first blush of dawn was already painting the horizon pink and there was a brown owl sitting next to their blanket. Harry's heart jolted with excitement; had Ron or Hermione come round and sent him a birthday card? As he looked closer, he saw that there was a scroll clutched in the owl's beak and an official-looking seal dangled from the end of it. The owl stood patiently, as if it normally had to wait for letter recipients to take any notice of it. How long had the bird been there?

Missing Hedwig, Harry stroked its feathers and rummaged in the picnic baskets for some treats for the owl. His hand curled around the remains of their French loaf. Harry broke off a few crumbs and offered them to the bird. It dropped the letter onto the rug and nibbled on the bread, almost pecking Harry's hand in the process.

Severus awoke slowly, yawning and stretching. Harry smiled at him; he'd never seen Severus in such a state of disarray before. His hair was mussed and his cheeks had the wrinkled imprint of the pillowcases on them. "Birthday card?" asked Severus waving at the owl.

"No," said Harry as the owl finished its bread and flew off. "It's from Gringotts. I don't even have an account there."

Harry lifted up the scroll and slid his thumb under the bank seal so that he could read the contents.

Dear Mr. Potter,
Allow me and all our staff to congratulate you on reaching your majority. As you may or may not be aware, all monies and inheritances have been held in trust for you according to your late parents' instructions.

Please visit any of our branches at your convenience so that matters may be discussed in a more informal manner. A list of local branches is enclosed.

Yours sincerely,

Graphorn,
Head Goblin,
Gringotts Wizarding Bank.

Harry scanned the list of local branches. "There's one in Penzance," he said. "Did you know Gringotts weren't just in London?"

"I didn't, no," said Severus. "Why don't we have breakfast at the hotel, get cleaned up and we can pay them a visit if you're feeling up to it?"

Harry nodded but in truth he was feeling a little hollow. His parents had left him an inheritance? No one had ever told him their financial status before but he couldn't help remembering Sirius' earlier words about being the Potter heir. Is that what he'd meant? That Harry was to inherit from his parents? No amount of money could bring James and Lily back and no gold coins could make up for the first horrible years of his life when he'd been abused and starved by the Dursleys. Sometimes Harry had been so badly hurt that he'd thought he would die in that cupboard. Sometimes he had wished it too, just so that his suffering would end.

"Are you all right, Harry?" asked Severus, reaching up to caress Harry's cheek.

"No, not really," admitted Harry. "But I will be. I will be."

***

Gringotts in Penzance wasn't in a Wizarding street; it was an office above a bakery. A small gold plaque on the wall just had the name etched onto it and there seemed to be a charm preventing Muggles from even seeing the sign. Harry took a deep breath and pushed open the wooden door that led to a staircase, Severus following close behind him.

When they were a few inches from the door at the top of the staircase, it swung open to reveal a room that was a lot larger on the inside than it had seemed from the building outside. Both of them stepped inside the opulently decorated foyer. Their heels clicked on the marble floor; gilt chandeliers held ever-burning candles and all the bank cashiers' desks were a dark, polished wood. There were no windows inside, but moving pictures of seaside scenes hung on nearly every available wall space.

There were no other customers in the bank; but three goblins were seated behind the desks writing in their ledgers so that Harry had to cough to get someone's attention. All three goblins glanced up at the same time, reminding Harry of Fluffy, as if all of them were part of one entity, not three.

"Mr. Potter, you received our owl, then?" asked the middle goblin.

"Yes, sir," said Harry, unsure how you should address a goblin. He was so glad Severus had agreed to come with him; Harry felt very out of his depth and despite just turning seventeen, he felt very young.

"This way, let me take you to our executive suite," said the goblin, hopping down from his stool. He Apparated a few feet from behind the desk and landed in front of them. "Follow me."

A few moments later they were in another luxurious room, but rather than marble floors, this one had thick, red carpet so deep that Harry sank into it as far as his ankles. Red velvet sofas and chairs were dotted about the space and rather than counters, there were side tables holding golden lanterns and a coffee table in front of one of the sofas.

The goblin sat down on one of the chairs and waved Harry and Severus onto a sofa opposite him. "Is it your wish for Professor Snape to be present while we go over your papers, Mr. Potter?"

"Yes, he's my betrothed. It affects both of us."

"Very well," the goblin clicked his fingers and a moment later a rather large folder appeared in his hands. He set it on the coffee table and proceeded to go through all the papers within it. "As the only child of Lily and James Potter, you are the only beneficiary of their will as well. All properties come straight to you with no hindrances of any sort."

"Properties?" queried Harry.

"Yes. The cottage at Godric's Hollow, the manor house in Kerry, the villa in Italy and the station in New Zealand."

"What? What station?"

"Oh, your grandfather Henry Potter emigrated to New Zealand to become a sheep farmer shortly before his death. You now own a very large sheep station there. Basically it's a large farm and is managed by a local family for the Potter trust. You can sell it or continue to let it run as is; after wages for the managers and workers are taken into account, your profits are placed back into the trust. It's quite lucrative."

Harry was sure he was going to hyperventilate at any moment. His parents had owned so much property?

"And as well as the property, your parents had invested in stocks and shares, both in the Wizarding and Muggle worlds; their portfolio has performed well over the years, with a little dip every now and then, but nothing too major. Add to that the monies left by your parents, and you, Mr. Potter, are now a very rich young man." The goblin slid a slip of paper across the table.

Harry lifted it up but as he stared at it, all he seemed to see were squiggles and noughts. Lots of noughts. Harry still wasn't that conversant with Wizarding money and showed it to Severus. "Is that a lot?"

Severus seemed to pale, or maybe it was just the lantern light. "Harry," Severus swallowed, his hands trembling as he held the parchment. "That is indeed a lot. With this money, you would never need to work in order to be comfortably off. You have more money here than you could possibly spend in one lifetime, not to mention the value of the properties and the sheep station bringing in an income as well. In broad terms, you are even richer than the Malfoys ever were or ever could be."

Harry gaped at him; feeling the world shrink and sway. It was too much to take in. "May I have a glass of water, please?" whispered Harry before darkness engulfed him.

When he came to, the first thing he saw was Severus' face above him; in his hand Severus held out a glass of water, condensation beading on the side of the glass. Harry struggled to sit up although he was still feeling rather light-headed. Severus rushed to his aid and had Harry settled comfortably on the sofa before offering him the glass of water. The goblin looked concerned. "Do you need a healer, Mr. Potter?"

"No, no thank you. It was just the shock, finding out like that." Harry sipped at his water and shuffled closer to Severus on the sofa.

"You mean you didn't know how much you would inherit?"

"I didn't know I was going to inherit anything," said Harry. "I never knew anything about my parents' finances."

"But you did know about the Potter trust? The monies set aside for you while you attended school? Are you telling me you never received any financial aid while you were growing up?"

"Until he was eleven Harry lived with his Muggle relatives," said Severus.

Rangor shuffled some papers. "Yes, the Dursleys, that is correct. The trust money was paid to one Petunia Dursley every month, the final payment being last month as Mr. Potter is now of age and can handle his own finances."

Severus and Harry exchanged glances. "Are you saying that the bank was paying my aunt all these years and I never knew a thing about it?"

"That does seem to be the case, yes," said the goblin. "In effect, it seems they were stealing from you and from the bank. I'm afraid that Gringotts does not take kindly to theft of any sort. Did you receive a knut of that money?"

"No, sir," said Harry. If anything, the Dursleys had always complained of how much of a financial burden Harry had been on the family. Now to find out that they had been stealing Harry's inheritance made the gorge rise in his throat. Harry had often wondered how he could have been so much of a burden when they hardly ever fed him except on leftover scraps and his clothes had been Dudley’s hand-me-downs. He was never allowed to go on school trips or to have sweets or treats so they hadn't spent any money on him then either.

"Rest assured, Mr. Potter, I will do everything in my power to ensure that all monies will be returned to you, with interest. They will not get away with this."

"Thank you," said Harry, confident that the goblin meant every word. He knew goblins didn't say things lightly.

"Is there anything else you wish to discuss today?"

"I wondered if you can set up some charitable donations for me but without people knowing it's from me."

"We can indeed; Gringotts knows the meaning of discretion, Mr. Potter."

"I would also like everything I own to be in joint names with Severus," said Harry firmly.

"Harry, no! I won't allow you to do that. That money is yours."

"We're getting married, Severus. It's ours. I want to know that if anything ever happened to me, you wouldn't have to worry and you wouldn't have to go back to a job you hate just to support yourself."

"What are you saying, Harry?"

"I'm saying that I don't want to go back to Hogwarts and I don't want you to go back there either. Mr. Rangor, can you excuse us for a minute, please?"

"Of course," the goblin lifted a small hand bell out of his pocket and set it on the coffee table. "Just ring when you need me."

Once the goblin had left them alone, Severus ran his hands through his hair. "You don't want to go back to school? But, Harry, nothing can compare to a good education, no amount of money can replace it."

"It's not about the money, Severus. Well, it is in a way; this way we are financially secure and don't have to do things we don't want anymore. I know you hate it at Hogwarts now as much as I do and I have no intention of throwing away my education, I just don't think Hogwarts is the best place to complete it. I can hire the best private tutors and take my NEWTs in June next year like everyone else, just not at Hogwarts. I can't go back there, Severus, I just can't. I can't face them. They laughed at me… they laughed." Harry's voice shook as he tried not to give into the tears.

"Who laughed at you?" demanded Severus.

"Dean Thomas - he laughed about what Cormac McLaggen had done to me and the rest of them joined in."

"You were almost raped and they laughed about it? I thought he was your friend!"

"So did I," said Harry sadly. "So did I."

Severus wrapped his arms around Harry and kissed his forehead. "I'll never let anyone hurt you ever again, Harry. I promise."

Harry snuggled closer. "I know, Severus. I know."



Part 34

Against Severus' advice, Harry had sent out wedding invitations to his so-called friends and the staff at Hogwarts, and all he had received for his trouble were Howlers and some very nasty letters. Severus had spent the past few days trying to comfort an increasingly hysterical Harry who had been crying so much that he'd hardly been able to breathe.

"Why? Why won't they let me be happy?" Harry had demanded with tear-filled eyes and Severus had no answer for him.

The more he thought about it, the more he thought that Harry might be better off leaving the Wizarding world behind altogether. Galleons could be converted into Muggle currency easily enough; it wouldn't be as if they would starve or not have a roof over their heads. Harry had been used to defeat Voldemort and once that was done, Dumbledore didn't seem to care less what happened to him. In amongst the Howlers and the rejections of their wedding invitations was an official letter from Dumbledore expelling Harry and sacking Severus, citing their continuing relationship as grounds for both actions.

Despite shrugging it off, Severus knew that Harry was upset but trying to get Harry to talk lately was like trying to get blood from a stone. The only thing that filled him with enthusiasm was their approaching bonding ceremony and Harry had gone head first into organising everything from the cake to the flowers. Despite the fact that there was only going to be two guests – Neville Longbottom and Poppy – Harry had arranged everything as if they were having a wedding for hundreds of people complete with all the trimmings. Severus just hadn't the heart to suggest they ought to scale it down somewhat.

Harry had decided, with Severus' agreement, that the ceremony should take place in the secluded cove where he'd taught Harry to swim and they'd had their first kiss. It seemed that no matter what other people had said Harry was more determined than ever to have the romantic wedding he'd always wanted and Severus certainly wasn't going to deny him.

On the night before the ceremony, Severus was chased out of their shared hotel suite (they hadn't yet shared either of the beds in it, despite spending the night entwined together on the beach) and into another room with none other than Neville Longbottom. Poppy would be sharing Harry's suite tonight, acting as chaperone to make sure that neither of them messed with tradition and saw each other before the ceremony.

Severus wondered which gods he'd pissed off in order to be lumbered with Longbottom as his room mate for the evening. As the evening wore on Longbottom didn't seem to quake and quail under his gaze as he'd done in school and so they discussed Harry and the wedding in some detail. Severus realised how loyal a friend to Harry Longbottom was and as midnight approached, he held out his hand to shake Neville's.

***

"Oh, Harry dear, you look gorgeous!" enthused Madam Pomfrey as she swept Harry's emerald green dress robes free of any remaining wrinkles with a wave of her wand. Harry's hands couldn't stop trembling and he was glad both he and Severus had decided against carrying bouquets of flowers. Harry could well imagine all the petals falling off and scattering the floor because of his shaky hands. "Nervous, dear?"

"A little," admitted Harry. "I love him so much." Harry had managed to eat a bit of the room service breakfast that Poppy had ordered but he knew that a slice of toast and a few sips of orange juice hardly constituted a good meal.

Poppy glanced at the digital clock on the bedside table. "Nearly time for us to go. Did you want some calming draught?"

"No, thank you. I'll think I'll feel better once we're having the ceremony. It's the waiting."

"Very well. Shall we go?"

Harry nodded and took Poppy's arm to Apparate her to what he thought of as his and Severus' own private cove.

Neville and Severus were already there, along with the Minister of Records who would be performing the ceremony. The British Muggle authorities didn't recognise unions between same-sex couples, so they had to settle for a wizarding bonding ceremony after all. It was the last time they would have anything to do with the Ministry; they would be living as Muggles for the most part from now on, but they could still use magic as long as it wasn't in front of the Muggles.

There was a cloudless blue sky. Despite all the pains Harry had taken with the decorating arrangements – an archway threaded with white roses; small side tables with white rose centrepieces and the balloons magically held in the air, he had eyes only for his soon-to-be husband.

Severus was wearing deep purple robes that shimmered every time he moved. His hair was tied back in a ponytail accentuating the planes and angles of his face and he smiled as soon as he saw Harry. Neville grinned too and Harry felt his heart lift to somewhere near the sky. Here, in this small Cornish cove were his true friends and there, his best friend in the world – Severus Snape.

"Is this all the wedding party?" asked the minister just as there was a loud 'pop'.

"Not quite," came a voice from somewhere to Harry's left. He turned to see the Weasley twins regain their feet after Apparating.

Fred came over to shake Harry's hand and George patted Severus' shoulder. "We can't vouch for the rest of the family, but we can't let you get married without a Weasley in attendance, Harry. Didn't you know it's good luck to have twins present on the big day?"

Harry shook his head, tears streaming down behind his glasses. "Thank you! Oh, thank you!"

The minister coughed; the twins took their places beside Poppy and Neville so that all four of them and the minister formed a circle round Harry and Severus.

"We are gathered in this circle today to bless the union of Severus Snape and Harry Potter who have decided to entwine their hearts and spirits and to walk this road of life together. This bonding is a new union, a birth of two spirits to become one, so it is appropriate that it is outdoors, beneath the open sky and above the earth where we are close to the unity of life. Do you, Severus, knowing this man's love for you and returning it, realising his strengths and learning from them, recognising his weaknesses and helping him to overcome them, take Harry to be your lawfully wedded husband? Do you promise to care for him in good times and in bad; in times of famine and of plenty, till death do you part?"

"I do."

""Do you, Harry, knowing this man's love for you and returning it, realising his strengths and learning from them, recognising his weaknesses and helping him to overcome them, take Severus to be your lawfully wedded husband? Do you promise to care for him in good times and in bad; in times of famine and of plenty, till death do you part?"

"I do." Harry's voice cracked on the words as he echoed the vows that Severus had just made. He'd be a blubbering wreck by the time the ceremony was finished at this rate.

"Who has the bonding bracelets?" asked the minister holding out his hands for them. Neville and Poppy each gave him a bracelet. "Severus, please place the bracelet on Harry's wrist."

Severus nodded and lifted up the first one, clasping it gently around Harry's left wrist. "Let these bracelets be locks, not to bind us unwillingly, but as keys unlocking the secrets of our hearts," said Severus.

Harry took the second bracelet, tears almost blinding him as he placed the metal circlet round Severus' wrist.

"Let these bracelets be locks, not to bind us unwillingly, but as keys unlocking the secrets of our hearts," said Harry.

The minister conjured two white ribbons and bound both their left hands together, palm to palm. "Severus and Harry have declared their love and devotion to each other, no other can sunder it. Neither of you will feel the cold for you will be warmth for each other. Neither of you will feel the rain for you will be shelter for each other. Neither of you will be lonely for you will be companion to the other. Your magic and spirit is now as one. Congratulations."

The minister waved his wand and in a flash of white light, both ribbons were gone, but Harry was sure he could still feel a slight weight where they had been. Severus cupped his face and bent down to bestow a chaste kiss on his lips.

"My husband," sighed Severus as he pulled away.

"Yours forever," agreed Harry as he smiled up at him.


A/N: the wedding vows were based on various sets from I think elegantvows.com


Part 35

Harry woke with a jolt as the train shuddered to a stop. Severus had refused to reveal where he'd booked them for their honeymoon, determined that it would be a surprise. They'd spent their wedding night travelling in a train full of other tourists and hadn't even managed a good snogging session never mind anything else. It had been months since they'd done anything besides kiss and Harry wasn't at all surprised to find that he was looking forward to spending a lot of time alone with Severus.

No Hogwarts. No saving the world. Just the two of them doing whatever they wished. Severus reached down to caress his cheek to wake him up, but then smiled on seeing that Harry was already awake.

"We need to catch the tube to Victoria," said Severus as he stood up to pull down their two suitcases from the luggage rack. The others in their compartment started doing the same; doors were opening and slamming shut down the train as people emerged in droves onto the platform at Paddington Station.

Once off the train, Severus led the way to one of the many maps of the transport system on the wall. Harry had read somewhere once that people who lived for a while in London had an ingrained map of the underground system in their heads, but he and Severus not being Londoners had to rely on the map. "The Bakerloo Line to Oxford Circus and then the Victoria Line to Victoria," said Severus once he'd scanned the multi-coloured lines crisscrossing the map.

Some more tickets bought, then it was down the escalators to the underground station and a few minutes' wait for the next train. Unfortunately it was the middle of the rush hour and the platform was heaving with men and women in business suits on their way to work. Harry shuffled closer to Severus and hoped the tube journey wouldn't take too long. It was a pain having to change stations as well, but they had to if they wanted to get to Victoria. Why were they going to another train station?

Harry knew that King's Cross station served the Northern part of the country, but he'd never been to Victoria so didn't know where the trains went to from there. When the train arrived, it was so full that he and Severus had to stand just inside the doors and Harry was too short to reach the overhead handrail. He clung to Severus instead and fought the overwhelming sense of being in a place far too small by reminding himself that soon they would be on their way to their honeymoon.

Once they changed trains at Oxford Circus, the commuters had thinned out somewhat but they still didn't find a seat and Harry was relieved when they arrived at Victoria station and they could finally get out of the crush of bodies. Most people swarmed towards the exits in a rush, but Severus led Harry over to a bank of chairs and set him down on it, resting their suitcases by his feet.

"Are you okay, Harry?"

"Yeah," Harry nodded. He was much better now that he was out. He wasn't enamoured of small spaces, especially when they were filled with strangers and Severus knew it too. Harry was gratified by his husband's concern. "Just too many people."

"I know, but we're here now. Well, have you guessed yet where we're going?"

"No idea," said Harry. "But I suspect there's another train journey involved somewhere?"

"There is indeed, but I can guarantee you no more crowds. Just you and me in a compartment on our own. We're booked on a trip to Venice on the Orient-Express."

Harry gaped at him. "What? You're joking, right?"

"Nope. I have everything arranged. We will take the train to Venice, it takes two days by the way, and then we will stay in Venice for a while. Onto Florence, Milan and Rome so that you can take in some classical art. Education isn't just about passing your NEWTS!" Severus beamed at him.

"Oh, Severus! It's wonderful!" shrieked Harry as he flung his arms around him in a firm hug. How many times had Harry imagined seeing some of those Muggle sculptures and paintings first hand? "You packed my art stuff, didn't you?"

"Of course," said Severus. "The light in Venice is supposed to be out of this world."

***

A champagne lunch was served on the train as it travelled through Kent and Harry couldn't stop smiling at Severus the whole time. It all felt very unreal, as if it was a dream rather than something that was actually happening to both of them. They had to change to a different train in Paris and enjoyed another succulent dinner in the restaurant car.

When they returned to their cabin, their seats had been transformed into bunks. Harry glanced at Severus, his eyes twinkling with mischief. "I don't think I'll feel safe on the top bunk," said Harry innocently.

Severus locked the door behind him and pulled down all the blinds. "In that case, you'd better share the bottom one with me, hadn't you?" The train lurched forward and Harry fell into Severus' arms, groaning as those strong arms wrapped around him. He'd been half-hard all through dinner and watching Severus lick his lips after every mouthful of food had done nothing to help his arousal dwindle.

Harry reached up on tiptoes to bestow a kiss on his new husband. The kiss started out soft and slow but didn't stay that way for long. Severus had soon taken control and had managed to get Harry turned around and pressed up against the cabin door. Harry was breathless just trying to keep up with his husband's passionate kisses. Both of them were moaning and constantly trying to rub up against each other in the small space. Harry's legs had turned to water and he knew if he hadn't been leaning against the door he would have slid to the floor in a gibbering puddle of goo.

Severus' kisses became more and more heated, as did Harry’s; the two of them just couldn't seem to get enough of each other. Harry traced his tongue along Severus' lips, gasping in delight when Severus opened his mouth even further and Harry could slip his tongue inside. As soon as their tongues touched each other it was as if electric shocks had gone all the way from Harry's mouth, down his spine and into his cock and sac. Harry's arms clung to Severus' neck and he was sure he'd scratched Severus' skin in his passion.

Severus groaned and Harry could feel the vibration of it right down to his toes, which were curling inside his shoes. When Severus pulled away from their kissing, panting for breath, Harry made a strangled whimper, but Severus had only moved his mouth along, not away. He nibbled on Harry's neck and collar bone, licking the bites with his tongue and breathing heavily in Harry's ear. The tantalising touches were almost too much; it had been so long since Harry had any hands other than his own on his body. Waves of bliss washed over him and he gasped his need close to Severus' ear. "Severus! Oh, God, Severus!" he wailed when Severus' hands moved lower and began to undo his trousers. The scrape of the zip against the metal teeth was almost his undoing.

Harry yanked his right hand down and pressed against the base of his cock, staving off the orgasm for now.

"So soon?" queried Severus with an indulgent smirk.

"Yes! It's been months!" wailed Harry in desperation.

Severus licked along the shell of Harry's ear, making Harry shudder as he did so. "I want to taste you," whispered Severus huskily. "I want to swallow your come."

"Oh fuck! Please! Yes, Severus! Anything!" Harry was beyond desperate now. He ached; he needed, he wanted – God, how he wanted! Heat flared along every nerve ending and he was surprised he didn't burst into flame.

Before this moment he thought he might balk at this act. It was something that Vernon had forced him to do to him so often, but when Severus kissed him softly and knelt down, staring at Harry with such love, such awe in his eyes, Harry knew this would never be tainted by what Vernon had done. Severus loved him; he wasn't doing this to hurt or humiliate him, but to give them both pleasure and Harry felt the old fears fade even further away.

Severus finished undoing Harry's trousers then carefully tugged them and Harry's underwear down towards his ankles. Harry's prick was throbbing in anticipation, but Severus didn't keep him waiting long before he lowered his head and took Harry's cock fully in his mouth. Harry had never felt anything like it. "Ohhh! Ohhh, Severus!" he moaned, grabbing hold of the door handle when the train lurched again. The movement of the train added something to his desire as Severus continued to lick and suck on his prick as if was a lollipop. Harry glanced down and watched his cock easing in and out of the warm, wet cavern; Severus' lips pursed around it and he was lost.

His impending orgasm gained momentum and his hips began thrusting into Severus' mouth almost of their own volition as the delicious tingles grew and grew. He was hurtling towards completion as much as the train was hurtling towards Venice. "AHH! AHH!" screamed Harry as his cock throbbed once more and spilled itself inside Severus' waiting mouth. Shot after shot, Severus swallowed every drop but didn't stop sucking and licking Harry after he was spent. Severus continued his ministrations until Harry was hard and throbbing again. Harry groaned in bliss as he let Severus tend to him again.

It would have been only too easy to come like that again, but Harry knew what he wanted. "Severus. In me, I want you in me."

Severus let Harry's cock go and glanced up at him, his eyes glittering like wet coal. There was a smear of white around and on his lips as if he'd just been lapping at a bowl of cream. Harry could see the large bulge in his husband's trousers and knew how aroused he must be feeling.

"We don't have to do that yet, Harry. If you're not feeling ready for that we can wait."

"I think we've waited long enough," said Harry. "I'm ready for all that you can give me, Severus. Please. I want this. I want you." Harry trailed his hand down to his cock and caressed the length, loving Severus' gasp of pleasure when he did so. "You want to, don't you? You want to fuck me?"

Severus swallowed and glanced towards the small bunk. "I just hope there's enough room."

"Well, we'll just have to be very, very close, won't we?" grinned Harry as he reached out and squeezed Severus' erection, hard.

"On the bed," ordered Severus. "Before I'm tempted to take you right here up against the door."

"I don't think my legs would hold for that," agreed Harry as he cast a spell to divest both of them of their clothes.

"Impatient, aren't we?" chuckled Severus as he bent down to rummage in their luggage. "Lie down."

Harry obeyed, swaying his hips as he made his way over the bunk and got a small swat on his arse for his trouble. "Tease."

"I'm only a tease if I don't intend to go through with it." Harry lay down flat on his back, his knees up and his legs splayed open. He was trembling a little, but he thought it was more to do with nerves than fear. He'd never done this before and hoped he wouldn't disappoint Severus. With a triumphant growl, Severus held aloft a squat jar that glistened under the lights. Harry took a deep breath, knowing what the lubricant was for and feeling a bit nervous now that the moment was almost here.

"Will it hurt?" asked Harry, watching as Severus' long fingers unscrewed the top.

"A little, but with the right preparation pain should be minimal. It should be pleasurable for both of us."

"I know you'll be careful," said Harry, leaning up to kiss him. Severus coated his fingers and they disappeared between Harry's legs. At first, Severus just tickled and teased him back there, without making any move to penetrate him with those fingers. Harry was surprised to find his arse twitching, aching as if he wanted to be filled. Severus' teasing touches were no longer enough. "In me! Oh, God! In me!" begged Harry, his hips arching off the bed. One finger slid in easily, so did two. On three there was a slight burn, but nothing too painful and Harry felt his muscles close around the fingers inside him.

He rocked backwards and forwards, trying to impale himself on those fingers. Severus crooked his fingers just so and Harry yelped in surprised pleasure. "Fuck! Oh Fuck!" It felt as if his whole body was out of control; he was writhing on the bed, thrashing his head on the pillows as Severus pressed that magic spot again and again. He wasn't seeing stars, he was seeing the entire galaxy. "PLEASE!" he wailed, unsure how much more stimulation he could take before he was coming uncontrollably again. Harry wanted Severus to be inside him the next time he came. "Severus! Inside me! Now!"

Severus groaned as he removed his hands and wiped them on the coverlet before coating his own cock liberally with the oil. "Don't forget to breathe," said Severus as he tugged Harry's hips towards him and unerringly his cock found the entrance to Harry's body. The oil and the stretching had helped and although it did hurt, it wasn't as much as Harry had been expecting. It felt so strange though, so stretched and full and he had to breathe in shallow gasps as Severus thrust deeper. There was pain starting in his lower back and he fought a grimace; not wanting Severus to see how much he was hurting. He could do this, he would do this.

"Okay, Harry?"

Harry nodded, noticing in a distracted way that his erection had wilted somewhat. "Sorry," he mumbled.

"That happens sometimes. Touch yourself again. Make yourself come for me."

Harry obeyed as Severus thrust once, twice more and Harry felt Severus' balls slap against the side of his arse. It burned to be so full, but his stroking was having an effect on his cock again and pain was counterbalanced with sharp stabs of pleasure. It wasn't long before Severus was moving his hips, his cock pumping in and out of Harry in a ragged rhythm of need as both of them sought the peak together.

Harry yowled like a tomcat when Severus found the right angle to touch that magic spot inside him on every second stroke and Harry's hips matched Severus' thrust for thrust. Ecstasy coiled low down in his belly and lower still as Harry struggled valiantly towards the finish line. Both of them were panting for breath, kisses forgotten in the rush of pleasure. "Unhgh! Unghh! Ahhh!" Harry yelled wordlessly as he came, spurting in white hot heat over his hands, his abdomen and his chest, his hand tightening on his cock as he milked every last drop. His buttocks clenched; Severus groaned and almost collapsed on top of him as he spilled himself inside Harry. Harry clenched some more, draining Severus dry, tears leaking underneath his glasses.

"You're crying," said Severus in wonder, reaching down to kiss the tears away.

"I'm okay. I'm okay," Harry sobbed. "I felt - I felt so connected to you. You were inside me. I have you in me now and I'm never letting you go."

"Nor I you," said Severus as he leaned down and kissed Harry soundly on the mouth. Harry could feel the cock inside him soften and as it slipped out of him, Harry could feel how squelchy he was back there. It was an unusual sensation and despite the lingering burn in his arse, he was determined to get used to it.

Severus cast a cleaning charm over both of them and Harry couldn't help grinning at his husband's fastidiousness.

"So, neither of us has to sleep on the wet spot, then?"

"No," said Severus. "And I do think we ought to get some sleep."

Harry nodded and eagerly patted the bed beside him. Severus lay down closest to the wall. Harry lay down on his side, away from Severus and scooted back so that they were spooned together. Severus wrapped his arms around Harry's waist and kissed the back of his neck.

"Goodnight, Harry."

"Goodnight, Severus. Love you."

"Love you too."

Harry was soon sleepy; sated by their lovemaking; soothed by the rocking of the train and Severus' deep breathing. The train lumbered on, taking them to Venice and the start of their new life together. Harry grinned to himself in the cabin.

It was going to be an awfully big adventure.

THE END

论坛功能提示：allhp.fun（或app）搜索9674可直达本帖。

dreamlinks

INTERESTING AND BEAUTIFUL STORY FROM A FRESH ANGLE, WITH DUMBLEDORE & SIRIUS ON THE BAD SIDE. 不错的故事, 结局很美满, 只是很遗憾哈利没有得到妙丽和荣恩的祝福.

小怪

WHAT A HAPPY ENDING!A GOOD STORY.SO SORRY THAT HERMIONE AND RON DIDN'T BLESS THEM.好文啊唯美的结局，没有朋友的祝福有点可惜啊

King1

2510076560@qq.com   = =求打包呀求打包啊啊啊啊啊 啊

芝士海绵

其实没太懂为啥题目要叫这么个名字，是因为小哈腹黑么~

很喜欢最后的Goodnight，让结尾平和而宁静，比较有细水长流的风格

最后那几句好温馨~~~希望能有人翻译

陌上花開

"Tell me something, Severus, if you were to kiss me and touch me, why would you be doing it?" "Because - because I'd want you to feel good," he admitted.It was a dream, it must be.
看到這邊有點小感傷ˊ ˋ
可是很開心結局的...有點缺憾的美滿
就像最後一句The train will take them to Venice and the start of their new life together.
At the end, they will together forever

冥小斯

幸好是HE。当我看到这句话的时候，Is there any possibility that one of the Weasley children cast the curse on him for some reason?"真的好讨厌邓布利多哦，竟然怀疑韦斯莱会诅咒小哈。我到现在都还是很不理解为什么在小哈11岁以前没有人去关心他的生活，这篇文小哈的童年真的是太不幸了，幸好教授拯救了小哈。