Disclaimer: These lovely characters do not belong to me but to JKR. I
promise to return them in freshly scrubbed.
Freedom By Gwendolen
Harry had finally fallen asleep. He was still clutching Severus' robe with one hand and with his grubby, tear-streaked face, he looked more like a little boy, dirty and tired from playing than like a young man who, only a few hours before had watched several of his friends die and then gone on to kill the Dark Lord.
Severus reached for his wand and quickly silenced the alarm charm he'd placed a few hours ago. The potion would be ruined, but for once he didn't care. Maybe he too was still in shock. He couldn't really tell. He just felt numb.
Voldemort was dead. Dumbledore was dead.
It sounded almost unbelievable when he said it like that. The two men who'd dominated his life for the last two decades both dead. Both gone forever and, with them, their hold on him. If he hadn't seen it himself, Severus might still question it but he had seen Dumbledore step in the way of a curse aimed at Harry and fall. Just like he'd seen Harry turn his vast power against Voldemort and simply blast him into dust.
He was finally free.
Free!
Free to leave Hogwarts. Free to do whatever he wanted without considering the demands of his two masters. He could finally travel like he'd wanted for so long. Visit some of his fellow potion masters. They'd invited him often enough. He could study and research without having to heed the demands of Voldemort or Dumbledore any longer. Suddenly the future opened in front of him with all its opportunities and possibilities. He was no longer shackled down.
It felt unbelievable. It would probably take time to get used to the feeling.
He was free.
"Sev'rus?"
The mumbled word from the vicinity of his shoulder drew Snape from his tumbling thoughts and he hugged the young man in his arms closer. "Shhh, I'm here. Go back to sleep."
Harry shifted and his grip on Snape's robe tightened. "Don't leave me."
"I won't," Severus promised and pressed a kiss into the untidy, dirty, black hair. He smiled slightly, holding Harry close. Maybe he wasn't as free as he'd thought.
Freedom By Gwendolen
Harry had finally fallen asleep. He was still clutching Severus' robe with one hand and with his grubby, tear-streaked face, he looked more like a little boy, dirty and tired from playing than like a young man who, only a few hours before had watched several of his friends die and then gone on to kill the Dark Lord.
Severus reached for his wand and quickly silenced the alarm charm he'd placed a few hours ago. The potion would be ruined, but for once he didn't care. Maybe he too was still in shock. He couldn't really tell. He just felt numb.
Voldemort was dead. Dumbledore was dead.
It sounded almost unbelievable when he said it like that. The two men who'd dominated his life for the last two decades both dead. Both gone forever and, with them, their hold on him. If he hadn't seen it himself, Severus might still question it but he had seen Dumbledore step in the way of a curse aimed at Harry and fall. Just like he'd seen Harry turn his vast power against Voldemort and simply blast him into dust.
He was finally free.
Free!
Free to leave Hogwarts. Free to do whatever he wanted without considering the demands of his two masters. He could finally travel like he'd wanted for so long. Visit some of his fellow potion masters. They'd invited him often enough. He could study and research without having to heed the demands of Voldemort or Dumbledore any longer. Suddenly the future opened in front of him with all its opportunities and possibilities. He was no longer shackled down.
It felt unbelievable. It would probably take time to get used to the feeling.
He was free.
"Sev'rus?"
The mumbled word from the vicinity of his shoulder drew Snape from his tumbling thoughts and he hugged the young man in his arms closer. "Shhh, I'm here. Go back to sleep."
Harry shifted and his grip on Snape's robe tightened. "Don't leave me."
"I won't," Severus promised and pressed a kiss into the untidy, dirty, black hair. He smiled slightly, holding Harry close. Maybe he wasn't as free as he'd thought.