Chapter 12 – Salazar's Blessing

Saturday – May 29, 1999
8:37

Severus was just setting the fires under three cauldrons when he heard it – a whistle... in the tune of Gryffindor's fight song.

Oh Merlin – no, sod it, you haven't been of any help since he's arrived.

"Yes, Mr. Potter?" Severus drawled before the man even set foot in the room.

"You know, I am out of school now, Professor," the man strode in and took off his cloak, laying it over a stool in the far corner.

Severus glared at Harry, who remained calm and collected under the potions master critical gaze, "Your point?"

Sighing, Harry looked at his former Professor in a defeated air, "My name is Harry, Potter was my... my father."

Severus blinked owlishly at the man. Sodding Hell, I haven't said that name in vain since before the search for the Horcruxes – perhaps in annoyance, but not true vain. Does he really think I still associate his father with it?

Looking at Harry, he already knew his answer.

"Great sodding Hell, boy! Are you truly that dim-witted to think I still see you as a replica of your father?"

Harry's eyes widened and his jaw went slack.

Rolling his eyes, Severus turned his attention back to the cauldrons, "You will always be Potter to me now... not your father. I know you are not two of the same."

Severus looked up to see the same expression still glued to the Gryffindor's face.

"Oh for the love of Merlin, don't act so shocked, brat."

Harry blinked, and then his face split into one of those giddy teenaged grins.

Severus took a deep breath to settle the nerves that that smile seemed to agitate within him. These feelings cannot be normal. Though he would not try to analyse these feelings any time in the near future.

Harry walked over to his side and peered into the cauldron, "So, what's cooking?" he said, and grinned up at the potions master.

Closing his eyes, Severus counted backwards from 10 so he would not cuff the moron round the ear.

"Nothing is cooking you idiot, I am not a house-elf."

"'Course not, you're too tall!"

Harry ducked and covered his head as Severus raised a hand – to get the stirring rod in front of the idiot to stir the potion and check its temperature.

Harry peeked through his fingers and then lowered his arms, "Wow, how much calming draught have you had today?"

Glaring, Severus did not deign to answer.

"Oh all right! I'll stop fussing."

"That was not fussing," Severus growled, "That was blatant annoyance."

Harry shrugged, "I only pick on you 'cause I like you, you know."

Severus, just about dropping the stirring rod into the potion, instantly tensed up.

Harry laughed and gently slapped him on the back, shaking his head, and muttered something lightly under his breath that sounded quite like "paranoid git."

"Anything I can do to help?"

Severus, still in a daze from what the man had said previously, stared at Harry with a mystified expression, "You want to brew a potion?"

Harry shrugged and looked down at his shuffling feet, "Might as well, since I'm so insistent on coming down here bugging you and all..."

Well, if he does insist on bothering me, perhaps he could at least be useful... and, perhaps, if he walks out of the dungeon covered in boils or thousands of little cuts due to his immaturity and overconfidence, he will be too terrified to wander in the direction of the dungeons again.

Severus shrugged, either way seemed to be beneficial to him at the moment.

"If you insist."

Harry's eyes held a strange light as he looked up at Severus, as his grin – if possible – spread further across his face.


Saturday – May 29, 1999

17:21

Salazar must have been watching over us – nothing exploded nor did he sustain serious (or any) injuries.

What possessed me to give into the demands of the brat eludes me – I must have, finally, truly lost it. Cutting potion ingredients can do no real harm as long as I watch him, but handing over the stirring rod was utter foolishness. His damn Gryffindor traits must be starting to rub off on me. Just what I need.

The students are already terrified of me, if my personality flips on the drop of a hat the children's parents will be fire calling the ministry within the first week of school demanding an investigation of my person (including my mental health).

However, if he does intend to stick around, perhaps a few Slytherin traits will rub off onto him as well. It is about time he started running his own life and ignoring what everyone else keeps telling him to do.

He is not stupid enough to run off and get killed (as long as ***none of his friends*** no one is in danger). Besides, I have kept him safe this long, it would not be anything new to keep a watchful eye on him yet again. It is an old habit that seems like it is going to be around for eternity– despite the fact that I have yet to find a reason for it. The brat is an annoyance worse than the things Hagrid drags onto the castle's grounds – minus the dragon (what in God's name was he thinking?). Yet I cannot help but to go running when I hear ill of the idiot.

When he was wounded some six months back during a hunt for a small group of remaining Death Eaters, I was in the Headmaster's office within three minutes – completely blind to the fact that I could have just asked Minerva for the facts as she was talking to Pomona.

Blindness seems to be the main term for myself when he is involved – what is it about him that makes me so dense?

Honestly though, I do not think it would be the wisest to know the answer.

Though, I will be asking to see the healing progression on the scars if he comes by to bother me tomorrow.

- Severus


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FF (dot) net is a complete buggering arsehole as will not let me use strikethrough text, so I have to use *** TEXT *** instead. I am so sorry for the confusion.

If anyone knows a way around this, besides the HTML coding (del, STRIKE, s, etc.), which I have already tried, please PM me.