Disclaimer: JKR gets Credit.

You Could

By WittchWay

Later the same day

Several buttons went flying as Snape tore off his outer robe, bundled them up in a ball and hurled it across the room in a fit of rage.

It didn't quite have the affect he was hoping for as it unraveled and slumped dully to the floor, it didn't slam into anything, nothing crashed to the floor, a great disappointed in Snape's eyes.

"Damn it" he growled, flinging himself on to the sofa, shutting his eyes. The room was silent, warm, dark and dreary, all the comforts of his dungeon. Snape tried to even out his ragged breath, tried to will away the damning headache that would be pounding down on him soon enough.

"Did you speak with him?"

Snape let the arm he had flung over his eyes fall, "Yes, I asked him to bond with me." he muttered.

Albus Dumbledore frowned and came slowly into the room, settling himself in the seat opposite the potion professor. "Asking him to Bond with you is good and fine. But Severus, I wanted you to speak with him. Explain why you and he are our only hope…. Did you do that".

Snape rose and crossed to the bookcase and poured himself a glass of Firewhiskey. "Yes, I explained to him, that he was being a immature whelp and I showed him the article in the Prophet."

Dumbledore sighed, "Severus," he said rising to his feet. "I wished for you to explain the good of the bond."

"The good of the bond?" Snape scowled outraged, "What would that be Headmaster? Huh…"

Dumbledore cut off any rant he was about to have, Raising his voice above those of his potions professor, "…returning to Hogwarts a place he has always felt was a true home, safety for his friends, Tom Riddles demise..."

Snape began to pace…. Adding his own thoughts to the list, "…bound to an evil potions master that lurks in the dungeons," Snape bit sarcastically, "You are disillusioned if you think those things are going to get him to bond with me."

Dumbledore smiled walking toward the door, "Then you need to be more persuasive Severus…You need to become whatever it takes to get Mister Potter to complete this bond…"

The headmaster opened the door and turned. "I expect you to use all your Slytherin cunning to find out just what it would take for Mister Potter to finish the bond…" Dumbledore looked over the rim of his moon shaped glasses, nodded once and departed.

Later in the week…

"Potter" Dean called softly coming into the small room they shared at the Auror's training hall.

Dean sat on his own bed across from Harry. It was a simple room, two beds, one dresser they shared, one very small window.

Harry pulled the blanket tighter over his head. "Harry," Dean tried again. "You can't pretend to sleep all day."

Harry pulled the blanket down, "I know" he mumbled. Rubbing at his scar, it had been tingling ever since he had left Snape a few days ago in Diagon Alley and had been flaring up something awful for the last half-hour or so.

Harry looked up to see Dean watching him. He smiled weakly sitting up, leaning against the wall with his legs crossed in front of him.

"Did you want to talk about something Dean?" Harry questioned trying to hide the irritation in his voice. Everyone else wanted to talk to him, about Snape, the cloaks, some were even brave enough to ask to see it, touch it.

He had even received several howlers calling him a turncoat, traitor, deceiver just because he had not completed the bond with Snape. Of course others had been more subtle weighting the good and the bad points, others offered their own hand in marriage, some were sweet but most supported the bonding of Snape and himself. Snape had become their hero, their rallying point after he had publicly as for his hand in bonding. All it did was give the Jr-Auror a headache and more problems.

And problems it was…Of course the owls couldn't enter the Auror Training Hall as it was charmed to prohibit such things but it didn't stop the owls from lining up outside the building. Which had drawn muggles attention, which had resulted in Harry being ticketed by the Ministry of Magic, 45galleons 3 sickles and a single knut.

His bosses in training had a serious talk with him regarding all the fuss, after all how did it look that one of their own was being ticketed and slandered publicly.

Dean Thomas pressed his thin lips together, "its not going to stop, you know…"

Harry watched the boy take a deep breath and suddenly wondered if the other Auror's had put him up to this.

"Do you think I should bond with Snape?" Harry not really caring about the answer.

"…Yes…"

Harry drew his legs up to his chest, resting his head on his knees. He slowly ran his hand over the little scrapes on his arm that had yet to disappear. The scrapes that Snape had caused that day in Diagon Alley. It was a small patch on his arm, gravelly field of scabs that he picked at until one of the brown crust popped off and all that lay beneath was a papery looking white patch.

"…You only have to bond Harry. There's nothing that states you have to live with the man, love the man…"

"But I can't bond with anyone else…"

"If you find a nice understanding witch or wizard what does it matter?"

Harry hugged his knees a little tighter but it did matter to him.

Something big exploded in the Auror common but Harry ignored it as the room around him shook.

Dean stood instantly pulling his wand pointing it at the door.

Harry cocked his head to one side, staring at him, "What's with you? You know that never stops…"

Dean slowly sat down, his wand still clutched in his hand.

Harry frowned, the noise here never stopped, it was part of their training. At anytime an Auror could open the door and throw a hex or charm at them. It was suppose to keep them on their toes. Though it had left several with just that, more toes, they were suppose to work as a group to find the solution to these endless curses, hexes and charms.

The first few times Harry had seriously thought they were being attacked but had quickly learned it was simply part of training and now it was just routine. Everything was part of training. Like the unhealed scrap on his arm, if he wanted it healed he would have to do it himself, or if they wanted their small cramped room enlarged they would have to do it themselves.

Although Harry did agree that Dean had a right to be a little jumpy, he was after all still being affected by one of the charms. He was still sporting a pair of pointed elf ears.

Harry grinned as Dean absentmindedly reached up touching the ears, stroking them softly. He really ought to help Dean look up the counter-charm for the ears. Secretly he suspected Dean liked them maybe a little too much.

A cry from the common room echoed through the room and the door suddenly opened. Terry Boot stood there cover in soot, "Dean…Oh Harry you're up, Could you come help us. They got Brocklehurst with a mutant Jelly-legs Jinx and no counter spell seems to stop it…" he disappeared leaving the door open.

Dean stood looking out the door, watching his fellow Jr-Auror in training franticly trying to put out the small fires that were consuming the furniture.

"…It would be cheating…" Harry whispered suddenly very interested in the wall.

Dean spun around, silently. Harry refused to look at him, then buried his head in his arms.

"Oh," Dean sat back down on the bed remembering the conversation they were supposed to be having.

"Yeah," Harry whispered, "I want for life…love, forever…" he trailed off, "sappy I know." He smiled weakly, sadly.

Dean didn't say anything, he sat silently, his hard eyes narrowed.

The room grew silent and the noise from the common room seemed to go silent after a bit, both young men lost in thought.

And then suddenly Harry was digging through his robes pulling on the charm around his neck.

Jumping off the bed, "It's warm… hot." He pulled the charmed stone from his neck, holding it in this hand, "They're calling us…" Harry said excitedly hurling himself out of bed, grabbing boots and robes.

There was running in the hall, excited voices ran past the room. "Come on get ready Dean…" Harry shoved his second wand in the holster in his boot, doing up the laces and securing them with a charm.

Dean stood shocked, "I left my charm in the lavatory…"

Harry nodded, "I'll meet you downstairs…" and darted through the door with the other Auror's to the main floor and to the apparition point.

ssHPss

"You didn't tell me he passed…his apparation test."

Dean pulled on his blue Jr-Aurors robe, "I didn't know I had to tell you." Dean charmed the laces on his boots to stay tied and headed toward the door.

A hand roughly grabbed Deans arm…Dean turned and looked at the mirror image of himself, though the peak of the hairline was starting to grow out and the parlor of the skin was turning paler but it was still his own face looking back at him.

"Look professor I really do have to go…" Pulling his arm from Snape's grip, "Did you find out everything you could…is he going to bond with you."

Snape shook his head, "Mister Thomas," the young man was trying his patience. "Now, where is it you are apparating to?" Snape's Polyjuice Potion transformation now complete, back to his true self, his height had finally returned to him causing him to feel slightly off balance.

Dean looked at the charm for the first time, the stone glowing red in the palm of his hand, "Oh shit…oh…" he ran from the room jumping down the stairs two at a time.

Harry was standing alone at the apparition point in the lobby staring at the charm around his neck, he turned as Dean came flying down the steps.

"Relax…Potter or you'll never make it…just concentrate calmly," Dean's voice shook as he spoke the words barely whispered.

Harry nodded, he shut his eyes' focusing on his location, "the Burrow," He whispered and with a small pop was gone.

Dean Thomas looked over his shoulder just in time to Snape coming down the stairwell.

"The Burrow," He said clearly, "The Burrow." and with that he was gone.

TBC

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