Wish Upon a Star
By Phoenix Angel
A.N. This is the sequel to ¡¥The Spirit of Christmas¡¦, which takes place during the following summer before Harry¡¦s sixth year at Hogwarts. It is suggested that you read the other fic first, as some things may not make sense. Also, this story will be SLASH, so if you don¡¦t like it, I¡¦d advise you to leave now.
Italics=parsoltongue
Chapter One ¡V Star Light, Star Bright
It was two days before the end of term and the start of summer vacation. Harry was wandering around the corridors of Hogwarts aimlessly, feeling depressed and unwilling to go back to the Dursleys¡¦. He wished that he could stay somewhere else, anywhere else besides the Dursleys¡¦. He was so busy moping that he didn¡¦t notice someone coming up behind him.
¡§Well, well, what have we here?¡¨ came a cold, silky voice right next to his ear, making him shiver. ¡§Moping, Potter? Can¡¦t have that now, can we? Come with me.¡¨
Harry turned around to see a retreating Snape gliding down the hallway. He shrugged a Ron and Hermione¡¦s questioning looks, and scrambled after his professor.
¡§Where are we going, Professor Snape?¡¨ he asked.
Severus glared at Harry. ¡§Potter!¡¨ he spat, ¡§you are expected in the Headmaster¡¦s office right now. Where did you think we were going? Now, come along!¡¨
Harry followed quietly, knowing that Severus was only pretending to dislike him, for his reputation¡¦s sake, and that, once they were alone, he would drop the act.
They soon arrived at Dumbledore¡¦s office. They stopped in front of the gargoyle guarding the staircase leading upwards. ¡§Skittles,¡¨ Severus snapped arrogantly. The gargoyle leaped away from the entrance, allowing them passage, before quickly shifting back into place behind them. They went up the moving staircase, and Severus knocked on the door of the office impatiently.
¡§Come in!¡¨ Dumbledore cried. Severus pushed the door open and strode in, seating himself in one of the chairs in front of the Headmaster¡¦s desk. Harry trailed in after him, and hesitantly sat down in the other chair.
¡§You wanted to see me, Professor Dumbledore?¡¨ he asked politely.
Albus smiled cheerfully. ¡§Indeed, my boy. Lemon Drop?¡¨ he offered, holding out a tin. Harry shook his head. ¡§Would you like some tea?¡¨ Again, Harry refused the offer. Albus picked up a plate of cookies and held them out to Harry. ¡§Some cookies, Harry?¡¨
¡§For Merlin¡¦s sake, Albus! Get to the point already! I don¡¦t have all afternoon to sit here and watch you offer food to Potter, you know,¡¨ Severus spat angrily, feeling nervous and frustrated.
Albus raised his eyebrows, his eyes twinkling. ¡§Well, all right then. Severus, would you like some tea? A lemon drop? Cookies?¡¨
Severus gritted his teeth. ¡§No thank you, Albus. Just get on with it already.¡¨
Harry gave him a confused look, wondering what on earth he was talking about. Albus, seeing this look, decided to get on with the case.
¡§Alright then, Severus. If you insist. Now, Harry. Professor Snape came to me with a suggestion this morning. He told me that you muggle relatives were not as¡K caring¡K as one would expect. He has kindly offered you the option of staying at his manor for the summer, if you would like to.¡¨
Harry took a split second to make his decision. Severus found himself with a lap full of Harry. The teen was hugging him tightly, mumbling ¡¥Thank you¡¦ repeatedly. Severus, unsure of what to do, hugged Harry back tentatively. They stayed in that position for a while, until Albus cleared his throat. Harry jumped back quickly, his cheeks burning. The headmaster chuckled.
¡§Sorry. I¡¦d really like to stay with Professor Snape,¡¨ Harry said to Albus.
Albus clapped his hands delightedly. ¡§Excellent. Now that this is all settled, why don¡¦t you boys go down to the dungeons and have a nice little chat? I have a lot of work to do, and I¡¦m sure you can entertain yourselves,¡¨ he said, ushering them out the door. ¡§Have fun!¡¨
The pair found themselves outside of Dumbledore¡¦s office, dazzled. Severus blinked in surprise, before shaking his head, attempting to clear it. He turned to Harry and stated, ¡§I have a couple of potions to make right now. Come to my rooms after dinner and we will talk then. I trust you know the way there. The password is ¡¥Dragon¡¦s Breath¡¦. With that, he strode off down towards his rooms.
Harry stared after him until he was out of sight. Then, he turned around and went to find Ron and Hermione. He couldn¡¦t wait to tell them the good news.
***
After dinner, Harry headed down towards the lower levels of the school. He was turning the corner towards Severus¡¦s rooms when he crashed into someone.
¡§Oww! Harry! Get off me!¡¨ he heard from beneath him. He scrambled onto his feet and looked down to see a familiar, pale face staring back up at him. ¡§You should watch where you¡¦re going, Potter!¡¨
¡§Hey Drake. What are you doing here?¡¨ Harry asked cheerfully.
Draco sneered. ¡§That¡¦s what I should be asking you, considering that the dungeons are Slytherin territory. What are you doing down in the dungeons? Why aren¡¦t you off fooling around with you Gryffindork friends?¡¨
Harry pulled Draco off the ground. ¡§I have to go see Professor Snape.¡¨
Draco glanced questioningly at him. ¡§What for? Surely you couldn¡¦t have gotten in trouble again? I would¡¦ve heard of it if you had.¡¨
Harry pouted. ¡§For your information, I¡¦m not in trouble! It¡¦s about my summer plans.¡¨
¡§You aren¡¦t going back to the Dursleys? Draco asked in surprise.
¡§Nope! I¡¦m staying with Professor Snape again.¡¨ Harry replied happily.
Draco grinned. ¡§That¡¦s great! I bet you¡¦re really looking forward to spending some quality time with Severus.¡¨ Harry blushed hotly. ¡§Hehe, I¡¦ll make sure to stop by some time, to see if you¡¦ve seduced him yet.¡¨
Harry stuck his nose in the air. ¡§I have to go now. Other plans, you see.¡¨
Draco smirked. ¡§I¡¦m sure you wouldn¡¦t mind having Severus punish you for being late, would you?¡¨ he asked suggestively, wagging his eyebrows.
Harry flushed even more. ¡§I really have to go now. Bye!¡¨ He turned and rushed down the hallway, refusing to look back at a laughing Draco Malfoy.
He soon arrived at the portrait guarding Severus¡¦s rooms. ¡§Hello, Asmodaius,¡¨ he hissed at the snake in the portrait.
¡§Ah, Snake-Child. Long time no see. I was wondering when I¡¦d see you again. I¡¦m assuming you want to speak with the dark one?¡¨ Asmodaius hissed back.
¡§The dark one? You mean Severus? Yes, I do,¡¨ he replied, wondering why Severus was called the dark one.
¡§You must give the password. I cannot let anyone in without it, not even you, Snake-child.¡¨
Harry nodded in agreement. ¡§Dragon¡¦s Breath.¡¨
Asmedaius let out a hiss. ¡§Correct. You may enter.¡¨ He flicked his tail at Harry. ¡§Please come and visit sometime. It gets really lonely down here, and it¡¦d be nice to have someone to talk to once in a while¡K¡¨
Harry agreed, and the portrait opened. He stepped into the room, self-consciously noticing that he really should¡¦ve knocked. But, then again, if Severus had wanted Harry to knock, he wouldn¡¦t have given him the password.
Harry inwardly sighed. It was all so confusing! He pushed aside these thoughts for a moment, taking the time to examine the room before him.
It was large and spacious, circular rather than square. Surprisingly, it was not decorated in green and silver, as expected, but in different shades of blue. Bookshelves lined the walls, filled with old texts of many different languages. There were three doors leading out from the main room, not including the one he had just walked through. One, he assumed, must¡¦ve led to a private potions lab, knowing Severus. Underfoot, the carpet was thick and fluffy, a pale shade of blue. There was a fireplace on one side of the room, surrounded by comfy-looking armchairs, while a small kitchen was set on the other side. The room was well lit by lamps that hung on every wall. It gave off a warm feeling, not at all what he expected.
Harry was so busy studying the room that he didn¡¦t notice Severus seated on one of the armchairs by the fireplace until he spoke up. ¡§Well, Mr. Potter. I see you¡¦re punctual as usual,¡¨ Severus said in a teasing tone.
Harry started in surprise. ¡§Of course, Professor Snape. Did you expect any less of me? Harry replied innocently, knowing that he was very late. It was well after dinner when he left the Gryffindor Common Room, and speaking to Draco had only side-tracked him.
Severus snorted. ¡§Whatever. Come here. Take a seat.¡¨ He gestured to the armchair across from him. ¡§Would you like some tea?¡¨
¡§No thank you Professor.¡¨
¡§Severus.¡¨
¡§Severus. I¡¦ve just eaten.¡¨
Onyx eyes regarded him carefully. ¡§If I recall correctly, Mr. Potter, you are at the age when you¡¦re constantly hungry, basically an endless pit. I¡¦m sure you can find room for some tea.¡¨ Severus poured Harry a cup from the teapot and held it out towards Harry. ¡§Here. Drink.¡¨
¡§Thank you.¡¨ Harry reached for the tea. His fingers closed around the cup, brushing against Severus¡¦s as he grasped it. He pulled back his hand, a warm, tingly feeling running up his spine. He shivered.
¡§Severus¡K I wanted to thank you for letting me stay with you. I wasn¡¦t looking forward to staying with the Dursleys this summer,¡¨ Harry said gratefully. Severus shook his head.
¡§The pleasure¡¦s all mine. The house elves are thrilled that you¡¦re coming to stay again, and you can help me experiment with my parsoltongue potion again,¡¨ Severus said almost happily.
Harry pouted playfully. ¡§I knew there had to be an alternate reason for you to invite me!¡¨
Severus smiled ¡V well, almost smiled. The corners of his lips curved up slightly. ¡§You know me too well¡K Harry. Now that this is settled, you should run along back to your dormitory. It¡¦s almost curfew, after all. If you¡¦re out after curfew, I¡¦ll have to take points from Gryffindor,¡¨ he mocked.
Harry gave Severus the puppy eyes. ¡§You want to get rid of me so soon? Alright, I¡¦ll go¡K¡¨ They said their goodnights, and Harry left.
Yet, Harry did not go back to the Gryffindor Common Room, as expected. Instead, he pulled out his invisibility cloak from his pocket and slipped it on. He slunk into the shadows and carefully made his way up to the Astronomy Tower for a breath of fresh air.
When he arrived at the tower, he looked around warily, making sure that no one else was there, and slid off his cloak. He walked to the edge of the tower, and looked out onto the Hogwarts grounds. The view was breathtaking. He relaxed, letting go of all his worries for just a minute.
Harry looked up into the night sky, and marvelled at the sight of the thousands of stars that lit the sky. As he watched, a shooting star streaked above him. He closed his eyes and whispered, ¡§Star light, star bright, the first star I see tonight, wish I may, wish I might, grant this wish I wish tonight. I wish for someone to care for me, to hold me, to cherish me. I wish for someone to love me. Please, grant this wish!¡¨
He opened his eyes, and the star was gone. He only hoped his wish would come true¡K
TBC¡K
A. N. There. I finally finished the long, boring intro. Now, we can get to the good parts! *rubs hands together and cackles in glee* Hehe, Hyper!Sevvie¡K Well, please leave a review and tell me what you think of the first chapter.