Happy Birthday Potter

AN: This is a little one-shot I wrote for a challenge on PotionsandSnitches, but I wasn't able post it on there for some reason, so I figured I'd post it here for you guys. Hope you enjoy.

NighstShade sydneylover150's Stuck at the Top challenge:Harry and Severus wind up stuck on top of the tallest metal roller coaster in the world when it malfunctions. Why are they there?

"S-sev, what's happened?" Harry asked as they came to a stop over 500 feet in the air.

"It looks as though this horrid muggle deathtrap that you forced me on has broken down," the black-clad man snapped though gritted teeth.

"Oh," the green-eyed teen said, disappointment evident in his voice, "Do you think they'll fix it soon?"

"Hopefully," his guardian drawled, breathing deeply through his nose. How in bloody blazes did the brat convince me to do this? he thought angrily, Oh yes, the boy begged to come to a muggle amusement park for his birthday. He even told me some sob story about how he had never celebrate his birthday before, let alone been allowed to go to an amusement park. Damned muggles.

After Harry's fourth year, Dumbledore had requested that Severus accompany him to his relatives' house to explain to them what exactly their nephew had gone through that year, as well as alert them to the fact that Lord Voldermort had returned. To say that Severus was displeased to have to accompany the Brat-Who-Insisted-on- Annoying/Worrying-Him-to-Death was an understatement. He had no desire to watch Potter being fussed over and praised by his relatives for something he shouldn't have been involved with in the first place. Expecting Petunia and her whale of a husband to immediately fawn over and praise Potter for his performance in the Twiwizard Tournament, he was admittedly shocked when they seemed disappointed and angry. He understood the anger at him for putting himself in danger just for more fame and glory that he didn't need or deserve, but disappointment? Before Severus could question it, he was hit with Vernon Dursley's extremely loud thoughts. Bugger, we were almost rid of the little freak.
Well he better not think anything's changed just because some Lord Volleyball is back. I'll make sure to knock that thought from his mind. All of this just proves just how much of a freak the little whelp is. Feeling discontented and a bit confused, Severus bid Potter and his relatives good-bye and took his leave. Standing outside 4 Privet Drive, he glanced around before casting a Disillusionment spell over himself before slipping silently back inside. Standing in the foyer, he froze at what he heard.

"Seems like those freaks at your school don't like you any better than we do. You really are a good-for-nothing freak, aren't you, boy?" he heard Vernon Dursley sneer, "Answer me, boy." A slap could be heard, followed by a quiet, "Yes sir." "That's right. And don't think just because some Lord Freak or whatever is back, that anything is going to change. You're still a useless freak who should've died with its parents. Hopefully this Lord Voldermont will kill you so we won't have to deal with you anymore." Severus could hear the sound of something hitting the wall before falling to the floor, and from the soft groan, he assumed it was Potter. "Now stay here while I get 'the wood' so I can make sure you start this summer off right." Before the large man could leave the room, Severus lifted the Disillusionment spell and stepped into the room. "What the bloody hell are you still doing here?!" Vernon exclaimed angrily, while trying to subtly shift and block the other man's view of Harry, who was curled up against the wall with a large hand-shaped bruise on his face.

Long story short, Harry was taken from the Dursleys; Severus was forced to watch over him, becoming fond of the boy during that time, and becoming his guardian. And as his guardian, he asked what he wanted to do for his upcoming birthday, which shocked the messy-haired teen. But once he got over his shock, he asked to go to an amusement park. Pretending to grumble and complain, Severus agreed to take the boy to an amusement park. He ever offered to bring along the other 2/3 of the Golden Trio. Oddly enough, Harry turned down that offer. Severus's first thought was that the brat didn't want his friends to see him with the Greasy Git of the Dungeons, but the teen assured him that it wasn't that. Confused and suspicious, the Potions Master shrugged off his ward's reluctance to have his friends with him on his birthday. Less brats for me to watch over, he had thought.

The day turned out to be not as bad as he thought it would be. That is until the little brat begged him to go on the world's highest roller-coaster. The Potions professor cursed himself for being so easily swayed by those big, emerald eyes. And that is how Severus Snape, feared Potions Master and Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Loved, came to be stuck 500 feet in the air.

"I hope they get the ride fixed soon," Harry said, fidgeting impatiently, "It was so much fun before it stopped, wasn't it, Sev? Sev?" Harry turned to his guardian to see him with his eyes clenched shut, his hands gripping the railing of the car so tightly that his knuckles were whiter than usual. Through the black cashmere sweater that the man wore, Harry could see that his narrow chest was rising and falling much quicker than it should have been.

"…S-sev…are you okay?" he asked worriedly. If he didn't know any better, he would have said that his professor looked…scared. Terrified's more like it, he thought, b-but Professor Snape doesn't get scared…ever…right? "Sir…are you…scared?" he asked hesitantly.

"There is a reason I dislike flying," the older man said with his eyes still clenched shut, "My feet belong planted firmly on the ground."

"So you are afraid? I'm so sorry, sir. But why did you agree to ride this with me if you're afraid of heights?" Harry said quietly.

"Because it's your birthday and you asked, child." Harry didn't say anything else, and Severus assumed that the boy was still in shock over the fact that his feared Potions professor was afraid of something. After several moments, Severus felt something touching his hand. Opening his eyes, he saw his ward slipping his smaller hand into his own and giving it a reassuring squeeze. Squeezing the small hand in thanks, Severus did his best to calm down, but it didn't work very well. He was startled out of his attempts to clear his mind and slow his breathing by his ward's quiet voice.

"Sir, why don't you just apparate us off of the ride?"

"If I tried in my current condition, I would surely splinch the both of us. I need to calm down so I am able to focus, but…I cannot," he admitted.

"Maybe if you could take your mind off of where we are, it'd be easier. Open your eyes, sir, and look at me. Talk to me about something, anything." Slowly, Severus opened his eyes and turned to look at the fifteen year old beside him. He was certain that his fear was evident in his obsidian eyes. "Talk about something, Sev, c'mon," Harry urged, "Tell me about Potions or something."

"Potions," the older man repeated, "…they…subtle art…" He gulped nervously, his Adam's apple bobbed up and down and his dark eyes darted around frantically. Accidentally catching sight of just how high they were, his breathing hitched and a very un-Snape-like distressed sound escaped his lips. Seeing his guardian becoming almost frozen with terror, Harry wracked his brain for something to distract his professor from his panic.

"Sev…sev," he said, clutching at the older man's hands, "do you want to know why I didn't want Ron and Hermione to come today? Do you wanna know why?" Fighting to calm down, Severus nodded, his eyes glued to his ward's anxious face. "I didn't want them to come along because…because I wanted to spend the day with just you. I-I know it's only been a couple of months, but you're already a much better guardian than the Dursleys ever were. You've been so nice to me…almost like a parent a-and I just wanted to spend my birthday with the person who's become like a…a dad to me. I don't know if you'd ever be okay with me calling you that, but that won't stop me from thinking of you that way. You've just done so much for me that you don't have to do just like a dad does for his kid and I know I say this a lot but thank you so much and thank you for making this the greatest birthday I've ever had."

Seeing that his professor/guardian wasn't responding, he slid over as best as he could and wrapped his arms around his middle in a hug, resting his head against the black-clad chest. Just as he was about to pull away, he felt a pair of long, lean arms wrap around him, returning the hug. Before he could say anything else, he felt the familiar feeling of side-ling apparition, and suddenly they were in the sitting room of Spinners End, Harry, on his knees trying to regain his balance, Severus, sicking up. Ignoring his dizziness, Harry rushed over to his guardian's side, pulling out his wand and scourgifiying the mess away.

"Sev, are you alright?" he asked worriedly.

"Yes," the older man croaked, holding out a trembling hand and silently summoning a potion to rid him of his nausea. Banishing the empty phial, Severus made his way to his bedroom, his ward following worriedly behind him. Harry stood nervously in the middle of his professor's bedroom watching as the older man kicked off his boots and collapsed onto the bed, still looking pale. Severus felt his ward watching him anxiously and sighed. "Get over here, Potter." He heard the boy shuffle over to the edge of the bed and stop. Opening his eyes, his expression softened as he caught sight of his charge. He looked younger than his fifteen years as he stood there fidgeting with the hem of his t-shirt and glancing at him shyly. He knew the boy was far too old for this, but he also knew that he was desperately starved for affection. "Come on then," he said, acting put-out as he patted the space next to him on the bed. Grinning like a little boy, Harry quickly kicked off his trainers before clambering onto the bed and curling up against his guardian/professor.

"I really am sorry about today, Sev" he whispered after a moment.

"Don't start, Harry. What happened today was in no way your fault," Severus said.

"But I made you go on that stupid ride with me."

"As if you could force me to do anything I didn't want to do, you thoughtless child."

"Oh," Harry said, yawning.

"Happy birthday, brat," Severus said affectionately, assuming that the boy was asleep, "You'd better not tell anyone about today."

"I won't, I swear," the green-eyed teen murmured before falling asleep curled up with his guardian/Potions professor.

Fin! Please Review!