Chapter 12

"I don't feel so well, sir," Harry confessed.

"It's entirely normal. Your body isn't used to apparition…" explained Severus.

He glanced at Skyrah, silently asking her to look for an anti-dizziness potion. She went to the lab.

"What's this place?"

"My house. You'll spend the night here."

Harry had always imagined that Snape's house would be dark, cold and dismal. It wasn't like that at all. Instead, it was simple and with wooden furniture. He was going to sleep at the Snapes. Ron would have never believed it. It was a nightmare.

"What did you do to the Dursleys? I heard screams."

"Nothing you should care for," his Professor said without looking at him.

Harry snorted and shook his head, but accepted the answer. By the tone Severus had taken, Harry knew better than to insist on it.

"What's going to happen to me?"

Severus stared at him for a long time. He didn't want to lie to him. "I don't know."

Skyrah appeared with the flask.

"Here, drink this. It's against dizziness. In five minutes you'll feel better."

Harry looked at it distrustfully but drank the content anyway. He was feeling so bad that he thought nothing could make him feel worse. He had nothing to lose.

"Yack! It's awful!" he complained once the flask was empty.

Severus was about to make a snarky remark, but Skyrah didn't leave him time to do it.

"I know. But it will make you feel better in a few moments... Do you need anything? A glass of water? Some tea?"

Harry was taken aback by her hospitality and he stammered, "Er- no, t-thank you."

"Do not hesitate to ask, okay?" she told him, putting a consoling hand on his shoulder.

She waited until he nodded and then turned her attention to Severus.

"We don't have a guest room," she whispered.

"I'll sleep on the sofa if that's what you are worried about."

Skyrah shook her head. "It's not just the sleeping, Severus. What are we going to do with him? Is it even safe for him to stay with us? We should tell Albus..."

They had kept the volume of their voices low, but, apparently, Harry had a sharp ear.

"You can't tell him! You can't tell anyone!" he begged, nearly hysterical.

"Sweetheart, you have to unders-"

"No! It's my life! My private life! I don't want anybody else to know!"

"Professor Dumbledore could help you," Skyrah tried again.

"No! Please, don't tell him!"

His lip quivered, about to cry. Skyrah put her hands on his shoulders, trying to calm him down.

"Harry, this is serious. Professor Dumbledore should know. He's the most appropriate person to help you. You need to rely on someone. You trust him, don't you?"

He shook his head as some tears finally streamed down his face.

"You and Snape know already. You can help me. Please, don't tell anybody else."

Severus was shaken. He had never seen the boy so distressed. Harry must be truly desperate to be willing to trust me and a stranger rather than Albus, with this, thought Severus. His heart ached when he looked at his green eyes, her eyes. Lily had never looked at him as if he was her last hope. Harry did.

Skyrah was at a loss. She had been abused by her father, still was, and knew how difficult it was for a teenager to confess something like that. Heck! She was an adult and it still hurt to admit it. She looked at Severus for guidance, and he approached them slowly.

"Potter, Skyrah is right. The headmaster should be aware."

"No!"

Severus put his palms forward.

"With that said, I will not act like a hypocrite. I have been in your place, and no one ever knew. I made sure of it." His voice had been neutral, but Skyrah detected a hint of pain in his coal eyes. She realized why he had said he hadn't had role models for parents and it caused her stomach to turn. Aware it hadn't been easy for him to confess that, she took his hand in a clear symbol of support. Harry saw that Severus intertwined his fingers with hers before continuing, "If you wish for us not to tell, we won't. I would have done the same in your place. Nevertheless, you have to promise us something."

Professor Snape was abused, thought Harry, yet he cried, "I'll do anything!"

"You have to tell at least one of us about it. You have to let your feelings go and claim that you didn't deserve what those people did to you, or else you'll end up like me. Is that clear?"

The way he had uttered or you'll end up like me hadn't been expressed in a threatening tone as Harry had expected. Harry didn't want to get in depth into the abuse topic, but what choice did he have? He didn't want anybody else finding out, so he nodded.

"A verbal answer, Potter," demanded Severus, sounding more like the Professor Harry was accustomed to.

"I promise, sir."

"Good."

Skyrah disrupted the awkward silence that had invaded the room by saying, "It will be dinner time soon. We don't have much space in our bedroom, but we can make some space for today, right Severus?"

Severus nodded. "I'll cook."

The part of take care of him, Skyrah was left out, but she knew he had thought it. Skyrah kissed Severus's cheek to reassure him, something which surprised both wizards. Severus was ashamed and kept cursing himself. What would Harry think of him now? He wasn't the sentimental type and he had a reputation to uphold. Harry was too shocked to think of anything though. The image of any woman, especially a gorgeous one like her, kissing the greasy git was something which he had never thought he'd ever witness. Severus headed to the kitchen before they could see the blush that was starting to appear on his face.

Harry followed Skyrah upstairs quietly, his bag on his hand. She stalled abruptly. She had just recalled how they had left the bed after the sex. Damn! She thought. The bed is a mess, he can't enter!

"Er- Just wait here a second, I'll be right back," she babbled.

Confused as Harry was, he moved not. Skyrah got into the room and with a wand swish, the bed was well-made once again. The bedsheets did not smell of sweat and sex any longer. She sighed in relief. If she hadn't remembered about that, the boy could have found out just what his professors had been occupied with before he came home.

From up the stairs, Skyrah smiled a little awkwardly at Harry and said, "Sorry about that! The room was a little…er-messy."

Harry nearly tittered at the surreal situation, but he didn't have the guts to actually do it. "Don't worry, madam. I'm sure it wasn't as messy as mine."

Her nose wrinkled. "Don't call me madam, please. It makes me feel old. I never let my students call me that either in Ilvermorny. Professor was just fine."

"You have already taught?" Harry wondered in amazement.

She hummed. "For some years, in America."

Harry guessed that Ilvermorny must have been the name of said school.

"Shall I address you as professor or as Mrs. Snape?"

Skyrah chuckled light-heartedly, despite the situation.

"Oh no! Although I'm going to tutor you in Defense Against the Dark Arts and occlumency, we aren't at school yet. Leave professor for the school year. Mrs. Snape is too formal, so I guess Skyrah will do." A short pause followed as she opened the bedroom door. "This is our humble bedroom. You may leave your belongings in the corner. I know it's not much, but it's all we have."

"It's fine, mada-er Skyrah. I could barely walk in my own room," he said, leaving the bag at the place she indicated.

Skyrah mentally kicked herself for bringing that up. He did not seem to mind about his former bedroom, though. What had distressed him was the abuse Severus had witnessed. The boy kept rubbing his nape, not knowing what else to do with his hands.

"What Severus said was right. You have to let go of your feelings. You don't have to do it now. It's too soon and you must be overwhelmed and confused by all of this. I don't expect you to… I know we are practically strangers, but I just wanted to let you know that whenever you feel ready, you can count on me."

Harry didn't know what to say. Nobody had ever offered him so much comfort in such short time.

"I want you to know something… My f-father isn't a very nice man. He did unforgivable things to me…" He does, she added to herself. "I may be able to understand you because I've been through something similar. You may find solace in me."

Harry felt out of his comfort zone talking about something so personal to a Snape, so he averted her eyes, yet she cupped his face tenderly and locked their gazes.

"My husband has told me about you…"

He snorted, "All bad things I guess."

Skyrah smirked for a second, but got serious once again as she explained, "I know you two haven't been at your best but he has been the one who opened our home to you. He's even told you he's been in your place. He isn't very good at showing his emotions, I'm sure you've noticed it." Harry suppressed another snort. He had thought Severus didn't even have emotions, for starters. "The single fact that he offered to help you, despite your not-so-perfect-past and relationship, says a lot about him, don't you think? Even if he isn't your favorite teacher, you must know that you can confide in him. He can help you. We can help you. We'll give our best, I promise."

Harry he gulped soundly, teary-eyed.

Feeling a sense of guilt, Skyrah murmured, "I'm sorry, Harry. I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable… I'll give you some space."

Harry's eyes widened and he cried out, "Wait! Don't leave!"

Surprised as she was, she stayed. He looked like he wanted to add something else but couldn't find the right words, so she grabbed his hand and smiled, encouraging him. Harry was astonished by the sudden contact, but he actually liked it. It made him feel like someone cared, even if it was a stranger, even if it was Snape's wife.

He had felt like nobody cared this summer.

"I-I'm not ready yet," he rasped.

"I understand. I'm not going to pressure you."

"I-It's just that I'm not used to people offering me comfort like this," he confessed as a tear he had been holding back finally coursed down his face.

"And Professor Snape's wife was the last person you thought would give it to you, right? Merlin! What is the world turning into?" she joked, gesturing dramatically.

Harry couldn't suppress a chuckle and Skyrah smiled, feeling triumphant for making him happy. Wiping the tear away with her thumb, she murmured, "Everything will be alright, you'll see."

There was a pause and Skyrah had an idea.

"Do you know what I do when I feel down? I go to the garden. The fresh air and the smell of the flowers calm me down. Do you want me to show it to you?"

Harry hesitated but agreed in the end. His first impression about Skyrah was that she was severe and cold, but she had demonstrated she actually was a really compassionate and warm person, funny even. He felt safe around her, despite having met a few minutes ago, and he liked the consolation touches she provided. He would have never thought that Snape's wife would be like this, but, was he glad!

"Dinner will be ready in ten minutes," informed Severus when he heard some footsteps.

"Thanks, Severus! Harry and I are going to the garden before dinner."

A domestic Snape? Yeah, right. Harry had figured all Severus did was scheme and brew potions... or poisons. Yet here he was, in front of the cooks. He would have stood still, astonished, if Skyrah hadn't grabbed his hand and pulled it to the garden.

"Here we are! Severus does a stellar job, doesn't he?"

Harry was stunned. The garden wasn't very big, but he could see a little orchard on a corner and lots of flowers, especially lilies, whose smell invaded the air, making him feel at peace. It wasn't difficult to note that this garden was taken cared of pretty well.

"Snape looks after the garden?" he blurted out without thinking. "Er- I mean… I'm not implying… Er- It's just-"

Skyrah chuckled and waved off his discomfort.

"I'm not that good with plants. It's all his doing. Do you like it?"

"It's great. Thank you, ma-Skyrah. I actually feel better," he said in all honesty.

Skyrah smiled at him. "Do you want me to leave you to your thoughts or do you want me to keep you company?"

"I'd rather be alone… Dinner will be ready soon, anyway."

She squeezed his hand and left. Skyrah went to the kitchen to find her husband still focused on the cooking.

"Hey!"

Severus stared at her, wondering why she was in such a good mood. Harry's situation would turn anybody's stomach.

"What happened?"

"We talked. I told him he could count on us. He took it better than expected. He's in the garden now… I even made him chuckle! Can you believe it?"

He rolled his eyes. "You are the only person in the world who manages to make me chuckle, so yes, I do believe it."

Skyrah sgrinned and looked at him with a strange emotion which Severus couldn't quite place. Raising an eyebrow, he snapped, "What?"

She bit her bottom lip and interrupted the cooking muttering a non-verbal spell so that nothing blew up. Her hands cricled his neck as she stared intensely at his deep black eyes. She leaned in until her lips were pressed against his, kissing him sweetly. As soon as it started though, it was over. She pulled away with a gleam in her eyes and a soft smile on her face. His stomach felt funny again, but in a pleasant way.

Merlin. The things she did to him.

"What you did today was the noblest thing I've ever seen… You've been against teaching Harry since Albus suggested it. And don't let me get started when he implied he should live with us! But look at you! You didn't even hesitate to do the right thing. You forgot about your past and focused solely on the present, on Harry's well-being. It's admirable."

He lowered his gaze. "I did what anyone would have done in my place. It is not something which should be qualified as admirable."

She rolled her eyes. "Oh, please! You could have easily gone to Albus and let him take care of it, yet, Harry is here… You offered him help and welcomed him home. Actions speak louder than words, Severus. You care for the boy, despite everything."

Severus kept his head down, glad that his dark hair covered his face... and his blush. He had forgotten how sharp-witted she was. She bared his face from his black locks and asked him to look at her. Her tone had been so soft he found he couldn't deny her request.

"I meant what I said the other day. You are a good man, Severus, even if you don't believe it."

He shook his head and gulped. His eyes held pain and regret. "If you knew all the ghastly things I've done-"

She cut him off before he could finish the sentence, putting her finger on his lips to silence him.

"That's the past. There is nothing you can do about it. Everybody makes mistakes; it's part of being human. The important thing is to learn from them and to do something to fix them. You are doing just that right now. I am proud of you."

She finished her discourse with a kiss on his cheek and let him continue with the cooking, even though Severus was replaying her words on his mind, making it difficult for him to concentrate on making dinner. She was the first person to ever be proud of him, or at the very least, to say it.

A few minutes later, Harry, Skyrah and Severus were sitting around the kitchen table, ready to eat.