Willing
Chapter 43
A Look Back In Time
Severus had taken Harry straight back to his quarters, putting him straight to bed; the calming draught had been a little too much on his system. Potions were so new to his body, they all had a greater effect on him, plus there was the fact he was still slightly malnourished, which wasn't helping matters. Lying down next to him, all the little pieces of the puzzles were falling into place, things he hadn't been able to understand in Vernon's mind, and of course from Harry's story. It genuinely surprised him that Doge had been following Harry. It explained why nothing had come of it though; Doge was…well, for the lack of better words, his head was firmly lodged up Dumbledore's backside. Severus vowed to keep an eye on him; he didn't trust him as far as he could throw him. How dare he follow Harry and ignore the pain a child was in? It was just too damn bad they couldn't have him arrested. But he would simply use the potion as his excuse ... or perhaps the potion had prevented him from speaking up about it. Either way it didn't look good; it was little wonder that Harry absolutely didn't trust wizards. He thanked Merlin Harry had known him before all this; otherwise he would never have wanted anything to do with the magical world. His magic would never have been allowed to flourish, and by Merlin, what a waste that would have been. Wandless magic, the ability to see wards and magic, his ability to talk to snakes; Harry was amazing, and he had received some of that through the bond. Another thing they should all be grateful for was that Harry hadn't become like the Dark Lord. For with his power, he had more chance than the Dark Lord of enslaving the world. Yet he didn't want that; the others hadn't seen a good side to Harry yet, but Severus knew it was there. Just look at what he'd done for the twins without even blinking; it seemed as though having someone to care about him was bringing all the goodness out.
"What are you thinking about, Harry?" Severus enquired softly, feeling the amusement and happiness bubbling through his submissive.
"The day we met," Harry tiredly murmured.
Severus smiled in remembrance as well; he'd gone to the club to feel more…in control. The Dark Lord had come back and he was... well, worried really. His searches for Harry had been hitting dead ends for years, and simply put, he was tired of searching for a child he couldn't even get a glimpse of. To think he had found him and hadn't even realized it. No, Harry had found him; when he first met him, he wouldn't have thought he had a submissive bone in his body... until he'd taken him home and had his wicked way with him. Harry had been very addictive, so responsive and eager to please. Unlike any submissive he'd ever had before.
-0 FLASH BACK 0-
Shivering at the cold, despite the fact it was the summer holidays, Harry walked quicker, wanting out of the wretched weather. He'd been outside all winter, unable to find anyone suitable and he was, simply put, getting desperate. Not just for a sound fucking, but for somewhere warm to sleep; a bed sounded so good right now. His bones ached something fierce from sleeping on the freezing floor all the time. Sniffling, his nose was stuffed up; he hoped he wasn't coming down with anything. Earlier he'd been shopping, so at least he had warm, nice, new clothes on, ones that wouldn't stand out with it being summer. He only had one jacket on, but it was the best one yet; it was waterproof, insulated, and had a fleece liner underneath. He should have got a set of gloves, scarf, and hat while he could; then again, there were a few shops that had them still. He could do that tomorrow, he thought, nodding in agreement to his plans and feeling better at having something to do.
Then the club came into view. It was slightly secluded, with not many shops nearby, and it was meant to be that way. The owners didn't want 'idiots' stumbling onto their club, Idiots being people who didn't care or respect the lifestyle other people chose, such as they did in the BDSM world. It was a world of its own, because normal people just didn't understand why people wanted to 'debase' themselves, as they thought it. Harry shivered, this time not in cold but in anticipation; he really wanted someone to look after him, to look after someone else in turn.
He checked his pocket for his money; he'd made it magically come to him while one of the registers had been open at the shop today ―invisibly, so nobody could see it floating towards him. He didn't take money often, just when he was coming to the club. The first time he'd been here a few people had brought him drinks, but he preferred getting his own, that way he knew they weren't tampered with. He lived on the street; he saw the darker side of the world, and he didn't want to experience it any further than that.
Slipping into the club, his entire body relaxing just seeing the familiar people surrounding him. Of course none of them recognized him, which wasn't surprising. He had a new look; he'd changed his appearance. He had filled out more so he could fit into the jacket he'd just bought. There had only been the one left, and he'd really liked the look of it, so he'd taken it. He half wanted to go over to Sarah and speak to her, but he couldn't. She wouldn't recognize him, but she looked happy and that's all that mattered.
"Can I help you?" Carson the bartender asked, staring at the newcomer and trying to gauge him.
"Budweiser please," Harry said, nodding curtly. He didn't drink anything stronger; he liked his wits around him at all times.
"Sure," Carson said, relaxing slightly; the boy didn't seem hostile. Grabbing a bottle from under the bar he opened it and handed it over to the young man. He was slightly surprised when the boy gave him the correct amount without him saying anything. Taking the cash, he rang it in the till before moving on to serve a few others.
Harry looked around. It seemed pretty quiet tonight, just the regulars, or so he thought. A shudder ran through him when he heard a new voice. Dear god, it was the most enticing voice he'd ever heard before in his life. His magic began to strain, as if it wanted to get to the man. Cursing quietly, he reined it in, boxing it up further; nothing like that had happened to him before. He sought out the man with the sinful voice, watching him from the corner of his eye. The man in question began looking around, almost as if he had felt Harry staring. Harry made sure to remain unobtrusive, although he noticed that a few unattached submissives were eyeing him too.
"Another," Harry said after finishing off his Budweiser, and handing the bartender the empty bottle. He handed over the twenty pound note, having no other change. He'd used a ten pound note earlier to get a sandwich, actually paying for something for once. Accepting his change, he pushed it back into his pocket and continued to watch the man as he had been doing for the past hour.
He learned a lot about the man in that short hour: he did not like smokers, and he didn't even spare them a glance. He also didn't look at or even give anyone a chance if they were under the age of eighteen. He sent Evan and Rick away because of their age. He wasn't the most gorgeous man in the world, but he certainly had his appeal. He was tall, dark, and handsome. His eyes were just mesmerising; he could probably get lost in them. Despite the fact they had a screw-with-me-and-I'll-kill-you look in them, they also screamed mysterious. He also liked Whiskey, hard drink, and he wasn't showing any signs of being drunk... which meant he could hold his liquor.
He seemed to deny anyone a chance within ten minutes of spending time with them. Harry felt the challenge rising up in him; drinking the rest of his beer he made his way to the bathroom and slid in, closing himself off in the stall instead of using a urinal. Once he was finished, he closed his eyes and brought his magic out, letting it make him older, just a little bit so there was no doubt he was over the age of seventeen. He didn't want to wait any longer in case he did give someone else a chance. Once he was done, he sealed his magic back up.
"A Whiskey and a Budweiser please," Harry said as he neared the bar again. Thankfully he hadn't changed too much, otherwise they would have gotten mighty suspicious. He handed over the correct amount; he knew the prices of a great many of the drinks in here, since he'd been coming for a long time. None of his ex-Doms were here tonight, and he wondered briefly if they had someone new. He didn't wish any of them ill, and he hoped they were happy.
Grabbing the drinks, he wandered over to the corner table, wondering if he even had a chance with the guy. The stranger exuded confidence, mysteriousness, and an all-around worldliness that he didn't have. Still, he was up for the challenge, and it wouldn't be the first time he was turned down... just the second. Nobody in their right mind denied him; he was good looking, or so they said, and he used it to his advantage.
"Drink?" Harry asked, his now blue eyes dancing in amusement, "Don't worry, I've not poisoned it," he said as he placed the glass on the table.
"What makes you think I'm worried?" Severus asked with a sneer, but there was a hint of amusement in his eyes. Which were currently roaming over Harry's fit form, appreciating it. He couldn't quite figure out if the young man was a submissive or not, he certainly wasn't acting like a typical submissive. Although, whether he was or not, he wouldn't mind a night with him. He could be a Dom, but then why approach him? He certainly wasn't a submissive; the thought of that made him want to laugh. Was he a switch?
"Well, might as well not let it go to waste," Harry said, moving to take it back and drink it himself.
"Not what I said," Severus replied, picking the glass up before Harry could get his hands on it.
"Of course not," Harry said, grinning outright.
"Sit," Severus invited, watching him with his black eyes.
"Thank you," Harry said, accepting the seat. "I'm Harrison Blake."
"Severus Snape," the wizard replied as he checked the whiskey for anything; he did not trust easily, if at all.
Harry blinked when he felt the magic; this man was like him! He didn't seem to have the trouble controlling it that he did. That was hardly fair; how did he get such control over it? Maybe it came with age…he hoped so anyway, because he hated how his magic was right now. Severus Snape; that name was certainly unique; he'd never met anyone with that kind of name before.
"Do you have a job?" Severus enquired. Once he was satisfied there was nothing in the whiskey, he began sipping it, watching his companion curiously. It helped take his mind of his aching Dark Mark, and the knowledge the bastard had returned.
"I did," Harry lied barefaced, "I quit. I've decided to go to college in a year or so; I don't want to be stuck at a dead end job all my life. It's what my parents would have wanted, I think." He doubted it very much; his parents had been drunks who got themselves killed in a car crash that had nearly killed him too.
"Would have?" Severus asked sympathetically; he had lost both his parents when he was young too. Although he was glad they were gone, he knew everyone didn't treat their children the way his own parents had.
"They died when I was sixteen, it's why I had to get a job straight after school," Harry said. It was so easy to lie; he'd been doing it for years, so long that he didn't have the behavioural ticks that accompanied people who lied. It was for this reason that Severus Snape, spy extraordinaire, wasn't able to pick up on it. It was also a good thing wizards couldn't use magic on Muggles otherwise the man would have known that Harry was lying for sure. As it was, Harry was safe from discovery since he had his magic boxed up from detection.
"And what is it you'd like to do?" Severus asked; so the boy was at least eighteen years old... he hoped.
"I have no idea, that's why I'm going to take a year, figure out what I really want," Harry said.
"How long have you been working?" Severus enquired, taking another sip of his drink.
"Three years," Harry said. "What about you? What do you do?"
"I'm a chemistry professor; I got my Mastery in science, youngest recipient to receive it." Severus replied. He couldn't very well tell a Muggle he had a Mastery in Potions now could he? Chemistry was the closest to it that a Muggle could hope to understand.
"Impressive," Harry stated. He was in way over his head; this man was far from stupid. How long did he seriously think he could dupe him into thinking he was smart? He was also getting ahead of himself; Severus might not even be looking for a submissive. He wasn't exactly sure what a Mastery was, but given how he was boasting about it…it was big. "You work at a college?"
"School, private boarding school," Severus said, his voice showing just how much he liked that.
"Private? Sounds like fun," Harry replied wryly.
Severus snorted, "Indeed."
He'd guessed right, a lazy grin stretching across his face... and he had lasted longer than ten minutes, which was a very good sign. Ah well, if things went sour he would just run and change his looks as he always did. Right now he wanted to know if this guy was interested; hopefully he was, Harry didn't want his night to have been in vain. He really wanted a round of great sex and somewhere to sleep. Hopefully this man would be willing to provide it. It was why he never went for younger guys, they liked going to the older guy's place. That would have been him, so his Doms had always been older than his outer appearance. First he had to find out what he was into, before going any further.
"What's your thing?" Harry asked curiously.
Severus raised an eyebrow, slightly impressed with the frank way he'd asked. "Can't you guess?" he said in reply.
"I had you pegged for a Dom, but I've been wrong before," Harry wryly admitted; he'd spent twenty minutes talking to a sadist once; he wasn't a masochist, so it wouldn't have worked out. At. All. Although, he had gotten to know the guy quite well, as Harold Wilson, but he wasn't him anymore.
"Not this time; you however, I cannot place," Severus confessed. He acted like a Dom; not once had he looked away from him. He acted confident, and he was well aware of his own appeal; normally people like that turned Severus off, but Harrison Blake was different― he didn't seem to believe himself better than everyone else because of it.
"I'm a sub," Harry said, holding his breath. "Interested?" he enquired.
Severus stared at the young man; he was certainly the youngest he'd ever contemplated taking on as a submissive. The others had been older, more experienced, whereas Harrison didn't look like he had much experience. Especially if one could go by how the conversation had panned out. It might be interesting, taking on someone who wasn't as experienced. He certainly looked like he could challenge him, but they weren't in relationship yet, things could still change. He really shouldn't be thinking about taking on another submissive, but he wanted one, he missed the lifestyle. For the past four years all he'd been doing during his summers was looking for Harry Potter. Which was a completely futile effort; there wasn't a single clue to where Harry Potter was. The entire order was out there looking for the boy; he wouldn't be missed. He was a Slytherin, and was going to take advantage of the situation that had plopped into his lap so to speak. Gulping back the rest of the whiskey, he reasoned that he'd kept him waiting long enough. Placing the glass on the table he nodded. Watching the blue eyes light up with an inner fire, arousal flared through him; he had waited long enough. He was going to take him back to his flat and have his way with him. If things worked out, then all was good; if not, then he could always come back here and look for another potential submissive.
"Let's go," Severus said.
"Yes, sir," Harry said breathlessly.
Oh yes, he was definitely a submissive alright, Severus thought as they stood and left the club.
-0 END FLASH BACK 0-
Jerking awake, Severus looked around, temporarily disorientated. Damn it, he hadn't meant to fall asleep. He was doing that more often than not these days... and then another knock on the door made him realize what had probably roused him in the first place. The wards around his rooms flared slightly, allowing him to see the colours. It still mesmerised him… and this was how Harry saw it all the time? It was amazing. Jumping up from the bed, he hastily made his way to the door, hoping they didn't knock again; he didn't want them wakening Harry up.
"What is it?" Severus snapped, opening the door to find Minerva and Percy Weasley standing at his door; his lip curled just seeing the idiot. Honestly, the boy had his head so far up his arse; he was surprised he was able to see the world for what it was.
"The Min-n-ister of mag-ic as-sked me t-oo give yo-ou this," Percy said, wide-eyed and stuttering at his old potions professor. He was acting nothing like the smug man he had been, walking down to the dungeons with his old head of house mere seconds ago.
"What is it?" Severus sneered, looking at the paperwork being offered to him as if he expected it to bite him.
"The-ey need your help," Percy said, successfully managing to say most of that sentence without stuttering.
"Give it here," Severus snarled, snatching the parchment from the young man's hands.
"Severus," Minerva chided, shaking her head. Honestly, sometimes she hoped he would change, having someone in his life now, but no, unfortunately not. Severus was never going to be a social man, no matter who he ended up with, even that that person was Harry Potter. Although if anyone could do with being taken down a few pegs, it was admittedly Percy Weasley. He had an inflated sense of self-worth, about his place in the world. She'd spent the entire trip down here listening to him brag about his accomplishments.
"What kind of idiot do they have working on this potion?!" Severus muttered, busy reading the information he'd been given. Didn't they realize it would just poison them? It was a good thing that they had sent it to him. As much as he didn't like the idiotic Order members, he didn't want them dead… at least he didn't think so.
"Is anyone not an idiot when it comes to potions next to you, Severus?" Minerva enquired, her lips twitching in amusement.
Severus looked up, smirking wryly at her, amused at her teasing; that was something Harry might say.
Percy craned his neck, trying to see into his professor's quarters. Potter was rumoured to be there, according to the letters he was getting. His mother didn't like him at all, but Fudge seemed to worship the ground he walked on. He wanted to see who was right, his mum or Fudge, but unfortunately he couldn't see anything.
"You can go," Severus snapped, infuriated by the boy's nosing into his private life.
Percy jumped a foot in the air, "Yes sir!" the young man squeaked before hastily making his way back to the entrance of Hogwarts. He was glad to be away from the oppressive teacher; he'd forgotten just how intimidating the wizard could be.
"Is it about the controlling potion?" Minerva asked, stepping inside and allowing Severus to close the door.
"Yes," Severus said absently as he walked through to his personal potions lab, grabbing items he'd need, parchment, and ink. Setting the recipe from the Ministry to one side, he began his own set; they hadn't even got one direction right! He could barely believe the Ministry had someone so incompetent working in their potions department. At least they'd had the intelligence to send it to him; although he didn't think the effects of the original potion could be completely reversed, he'd give it a try.
Minerva watched Severus create an antidote for Dumbledore's potion, barely looking at the original antidote recipe or the ingredients in the controlling potion. He was a genius at potions; his Mastery was wasted here at Hogwarts, teaching it. Without Dumbledore manipulating him…would he remain? On one hand she knew he deserved to focus on potion research more…on the other, she'd be slightly lost without him; he was good man despite how he treated the students. Yet she understood why he was that way with them. Potions was such a volatile class, and she knew how the students could get; she could remember the first time that had occurred. It was his third day at Hogwarts, teaching third-year Slytherins and Gryffindors; they had caused an explosion, and five students had ended up in the hospital wing, thankfully with nothing permanent or even long term. Severus hadn't stopped ranting about it for five hours straight. It wasn't until then he'd begun ruling them with an iron fist, making sure they feared him enough not to pull what those students had, all those years ago.
"Your Mastery is wasted here isn't it?" Minerva said, voicing her thoughts.
Severus looked up curiously, wondering why she would be bringing it up at all.
"It's true; I mean, look at you, you've nearly solved something in a matter of minutes that someone else has been working on for days," Minerva said in awe.
"Whoever it was is a dunce at potions; Harry could do better," Severus snorted, scribbling away again.
"I have a feeling you won't be staying at Hogwarts long term," Minerva said; she really would miss him.
"Perhaps not, but I have a feeling that my leaving will cause celebration amongst two thirds of the school," Severus told her wryly. "That reminds me, did the twins get tested?"
"They have been, yes, and no, they aren't being controlled. But I must say I'm not surprised," Minerva said.
"Why is that?" Severus asked, arching an eyebrow.
"Albus didn't seem to…care much about them. I think they were only allowed into the Order because the rest of the Weasleys were in it," Minerva replied. Which was true, Albus hadn't spared them even a single glance. He never asked anything of them; it was like they were invisible.
"His loss; I think they are the most powerful and resourceful of all the Weasleys," Severus said seriously. Despite the fact they didn't have the money, they kept trying to live their dream. They hadn't given up, and continued to create pranks and sell them, and now they would go on to invent a whole chain of them, he was sure. When challenged, the twins probably could pull it off.
"Does the Ministry want me to brew this?" Severus asked, putting the quill down after having successfully created the Antidote. Smugness and satisfaction were rolling off him in waves; it was good to know he was just that good. Picking up the letter he began rereading it, but it didn't say anything in regards to brewing it. However, if the idiot couldn't figure out a recipe, then there was no way he would be able to brew this. At least he might only need to brew one cauldron's worth for everyone in the Order…maybe two; it would be a close call either way.
"I have no idea, Severus, I merely escorted Mr. Weasley down here," Minerva said. "Would you like me to get in touch with Cornelius?"
"No, it doesn't take long, I'll do it," Severus casually said.
"There is another question that's been bothering me, I must admit," Minerva told him, looking somewhat uneasy.
"Which is?" Severus enquired as he set up his cauldron. Putting water in, he let it boil as he went and removed all the ingredients he'd determined would be needed from the cupboard, floating the ones he couldn't carry along beside him.
"Where and how did Albus create that potion?" Minerva asked.
"He did get Outstanding in all his classes, which I assume did include Potions. He is into alchemy, which does intimately connect with potion brewing. I doubt very much it would have been difficult for him to whip this up. Admittedly, it is curious where he could have done it; there are questionable ingredients here that would have certainly raised some eyebrows if he were buying them," Severus replied.
"True," Minerva agreed.
"Have the Order meet after dinner; the potion will be ready then. You might as well let the Minister know I will be brewing it. If it's required, I will send some over if he fears others may have been tampered with," Severus said as he measured out the first of the long list of ingredients.
"Of course," Minerva said. "How is Harry?"
"The thing about Harry is he gets over things like that rather quickly; it was a common occurance for him…fighting, that is. He can go from being furious to happy in a nanosecond," Severus said wryly, although that hadn't been the case earlier. Beating Doge to a pulp had just made him angrier, which was why he'd had to give him the calming draught. He knew one thing that would have successfully distracted the boy, but he wouldn't have done it in a room full of Order members.
"Good to hear it, I must say the twins were very vocal in their protest about Doge remaining in the Order. They insisted that if he remained, they were out; it seems that Harry has good protectors in both of them," Minerva said, unsuccessfully fighting to prevent a smile from appearing.
"They need protecting from him," Severus smirked as he chuckled darkly, "They tried to hug him earlier today; all that happened was them being blasted into the wall. Pretty much in the same manner as Black was as well." Oh, he wouldn't be forgetting about that in a hurry, in fact he'd put it in his pensieve for future use.
"Oh dear!" Minerva said, her lips disappearing in suppressed amusement.
"Indeed, they won't be trying that again any time soon," Severus said in agreement.
"I shall set up the Order meeting and let the Minister know; I'm afraid we must get classes started back up before the students begin to think they can do whatever they like," Minerva said.
"Have them start back up; I will just set them up with quizzes in the library. Perhaps have Draco Malfoy or Hermione Granger take the first- and second-year classes," Severus suggested; they were both brilliant at Potions so he had no reservations about it.
"Good idea, Severus, why didn't I think of that?" Minerva asked in exasperation.
"Because you are overworked and over-thinking everything," Severus said simply.
"Would you like me to ask them?" Minerva asked.
"If you don't mind," Severus said.
"Alright, I shall see you later, Severus," Minerva agreed, nodding grimly. A plan of action in hand, she left for her office to write letters to Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger, requesting them to come to her office when it was suitable for them. She set up an Order meeting time, then Floo'ed the Minister of Magic.
Thanks to Jordre and Jake for editing this chapter!
