.
#ellainaparker:
Well, now if I told you, it would ruin the surprise. *evil laugh*
#Aodrenn:
Some interseting thoughts on Severus's Boggart, you're right that he's more than afraid of dying alone, but I'm still working on to what extent. I'm actually having a lot of fun with his character at the moment and you're going to see why in the next chapter.
A dragon would be pretty bad ass, and you actually inspired the planning of a one-shot about this. Watch this space I guess.
#Heather Hainsworth:
Oh, so do I. I really enjoy those ones that become part of your daily routine because they're so long. I hope you enjoy this chapter :)
#Onyx:
Confession: I'd just watched Shrek lol. No, I think you're closer than you think on your thoughts about that.
. . .
Severus eyed the hall with utter disgust and contempt. Everything was pissing him off, the noises, laughter, the whole lot. Utterly repulsive, can they not find a better spot than the table for that? He grumbled, sinking into a large mug of coffee, the only thing that would get him through this in one piece. Well, at least Evan had come to visit him, he had the paper but also a piece of parchment in his beak and giving him a hot glare. Blinking at the bird, he narrowed his eyes as a challenge before setting the delivery aside and taking more coffee.
He hadn't had the best sleep last night, a nightmare having plagued his dreams and causing him great pain when waking. The students weren't the only ones to face demons of the war, to relive those devastating moments that couldn't be taken back. He was no exception to recurring memories and night terrors but unlike the students, he had his own rooms where he could suffer through them in solitude. Not that he particularly enjoyed it but knowing he could deal with them without prying eyes was little comfort. Glancing at the piece of folded parchment, he set his mug down and unfolded it. A note from Harry? Immediately his chest filled with warmth as he read the penned note.
Fancy a run?
A run, as if Severus would be caught dead running somewhere that wasn't important. But he knew better, Harry wanted the company of a panther, and who was he to deny such a tempting offer when he was feeling so crap on this fine weekend. He polished off the rest of his coffee, giving his paper back to Evan who could deliver it at a later date and went in search of his favourite wolf. He found him sitting on the usual rock at the edge of Hogwarts' dangerous forest and wandered down the hill, coming to stand beside the grey animal that seemed to be trained on something past the trees. He resisted reaching a hand out to scratch behind the ears, he knew Harry liked that, and instead looked behind them to make sure no one was watching.
"This is a nice change, another race perhaps?" Severus asked, regarding the wolf calmly.
Blue eyes swung round and pinned him with a cheeky glint before leaping off the rock and disappearing into the bush. With a twisted smile, Severus stepped forward and sprung off his feet, landing again as his panther form and chasing down the prey. Yes, Harry had a head start but he knew there would be ground to cover as felled trees provided leverage enough for him to jump ahead. The dirt under his paws massaged black pads and cushioned his leaps down from rocks and branches; his muscles pulling and stretching in pleasant ways as he twisted and weaved around bushes.
Harry was up ahead, running flat tack up the sloped track as they neared the small lake and he admired the athleticism of the younger Wizard. Of course, he only judged that observation on the slender figure of the grey wolf and realized, after a beat, how strange it sounded to think that. But Harry's body, he'd only had brief glimpses at his chest and marvelled at how toned he was, he wondered what other parts looked like too. Growling, he shook his head and sped up, seeing that his internal dreaming had cost him delicate ground and was going to lose the race.
He was tempted to jump on the wolf when he finally made it, but he seemed so relaxed, his head down at the waters edge and lapping at the cool aqua slowly. Jealous that he seemed to be puffing out of breath and his younger wolf wasn't, he attempted to cover it up by pacing back and forward, taking slow and deliberate breaths. As he did this, he glanced around, scouting for anything interesting or dangerous; there weren't any immediate threats to them, so he relaxed and moved towards the water, watching gentle ripples moving away from where Harry's tongue had caused the water to shift.
There was something calming about the quiet in the forest, what had started as rushing and puffing, turned into tranquillity and quiet. Everything so still and undisturbed that he was rather glad Harry had decided today was a good day to enter the forest. He was still surprised that his Slytherin seemed fine, the grey wolf was showing no outward signs of distress but even if he did, they had been through this before and knew exactly how to stop it.
I wouldn't mind never going back into the castle, he thought, lapping at the water to get a drink. It was just the two of them, neither particularly wanting to be around the people that resided in Hogwarts, this seemed like a win-win scenario. But how ridiculous did it sound, running away with Harry Potter. Completely idiotic, reckless and poorly thought out, he reasoned. His musings were cut short though when he felt a nudge at his neck where Harry was nuzzling against him. Responding to the action, he pushed against the damp nose and turned his head in an attempt to return the affection. He couldn't, not with their odd positioning, but the sentiment was there.
This was different to their normal interactions, well, yes when one starts seducing their student it was going to be different, but it was less about intimacy and more about comfort. Earlier in the week, he may have conceded to his desires in kissing Harry, but things hadn't gone further than that and he certainly hadn't allowed any more since, especially during the mid-week catch up. A niggling feeling at the back of his mind, where the voice in his mind resided, was telling him that perhaps his Slytherin had snuck into his rooms last night and witnessed the terrors he relived but the rational man that sat on his shoulder was tutting at him distastefully. He trusted the teen to be better than that, this just had to be a coincidence and nothing more, Harry may have had his own nightmares that night and was wanting confirmation that things were alright. No, if that were the case, then he wouldn't want to come into the forest, would he?
He could have asked, but in their Animagus forms that was a little difficult and quite frankly the ignorance might have been bliss. Finding out the real reasons for their venture out into the wilderness might just as well burst the bubble he'd developed with the two of them and he didn't want the wolf to stop nuzzling that particular spot… Yes, oh right there, Harry was pressing up against the back of his ear and he felt a pleasurable wave flow through his limbs and into his paws as he relaxed into it. He needed to remember this, that exact spot, just so he could see if the same happened to his Slytherin.
The loss was immediate when Harry moved away, but with a gentle whine he knew things were far from over. He watched as his companion moved away, wondering where he was planning on going and decided to follow when there was a pause and blue eyes glanced back at him. Mentally shrugging, he caught up, keeping his pace slow and purposeful, being led by his younger charge. Whether it be sitting, running or walking, anything seemed better at this moment rather than spending time in the castle and he was glad they'd come out here, pleased to be led further away as the opening turned into an outlook spot. He blinked, quite amazed at the simple beauty being shown to him; the sun shining brightly and reflecting off the black lake, hills across the lake clearly seen and birds flocking to one particular spot. He took in a deep breath and exhaled gently, sensing the wolf looking over at him as he did this.
Severus didn't mind, they could spend the rest of the morning here and he would feel extremely happy about it. But the thought still occurred, why was Harry bringing him here, what was the purpose of their journey today, and what were they going to do now? Part of it was answered, the wolf lowering himself to the grass, his head held up and craned as he looked out over the waters surface. Perhaps they were just here to spend time together and get away from the bustle of school life. As he thought before, this didn't bother him one bit.
Mirroring the action, Severus too lay on the grass, not too far away from his student but apparently not close enough as he heard before feeling the shift and a warm body pressing against his side. So, he does want comfort, he thought, turning his head to see the lowering of grey fur onto the ground. In response, Severus pushed his snout to the top of Harry's head before letting it rest there as they spent time together.
In the castle however, Hermione was wandering the corridors with her newly acquainted friend, Jason Samuels. After a chat with Harry the night before, she wondered if it would be worth introducing them to each other, hence why she was heading towards the Muggle Studies courtyard with him to discuss a delicate matter. Her best friend was gay, well, worse and more shocking things had happened and it didn't bother her one little bit. But she worried for him, he didn't seem to be dealing with it very well and every student should experience some form of wildly misguided romance whilst they attended school. That's why she wanted to tell Jason about Harry, not the personal details, but make it obvious that he should possibly introduce himself.
"So, why are we really here, Hermione? We may not have spoken until this year, but I know you must have some kind of plan if we're meeting here of all places."
"Am I really that obvious?" She frowned and tilted her head in thought before taking up residence on a bench.
"Among other things, what's going on?"
Jason had a nice smile and was ridiculously attractive, Hermione thought, and it was almost criminal that he was known to prefer males. A Hogwart's tragedy in itself, he had really grown into a man over the last year, considering he was nearly killed at the hands of Bellatrix LeStrange. His golden sandy hair almost shone in the sunlight that poured over them in the courtyard and she had to stop herself from sighing happily. She would admit that if he was open to having a girlfriend, she'd be at the front of the line and would fight anyone getting in her way. He had been one of the teens that she had been intending on introducing Harry to earlier in the year when they finally had the preferences chat. It only really occurred to her recently that there was a greater need to introduce them, they were rather good friends now.
"You know my friend, Harry?"
"Harry Potter? The Chosen One and Saviour of the Wizarding World?" Jason replied with an awestruck tone.
"The very same." She tried to keep the sarcasm out of her voice, she hadn't meant to, "He's going through a phase."
"Ah, the plot thickens." His customary smug smirk broadened, but it looked nothing like the creepy one McClaggen used to give her.
"Look, please don't say anything to anyone, he's been through enough already. I thought perhaps you might reach out to him, he says he's sure but until he's spoken to someone who might understand better than I can, I'm not convinced."
"You're a good friend, Hermione, I won't say a word to anyone. I can remember when things were confusing for me too, my cousin caught wind of it and outed me in front of the family. If it weren't for the war, they very well may have disowned me. I can't promise that I'll be subtle, that delicious specimen has been on my radar for a few years now."
"I think the two of you will get on perfectly fine." She beamed and nudged him with her elbow.
"Great, now about your wild mane?" Jason winced, reaching out for a tendril of Hermione's brunette hair and she rolled her eyes in humor.
Back out in the forest, Severus was nearly asleep and he could tell Harry had gone a while ago. The sun shone down on them and created a lovely warm cocoon that seeped through their fur and the longer they lay there, the sleepier a certain panther became. He hadn't wanted to let himself fall asleep, just in case something tried to attack them, but he couldn't help fully resting his eyes now and succumbing to the much needed rest he had missed out on that night. Taking in a deep breath, he caught a long whiff of Harry's scent before his mind shut off and let him rest.
Harry was feeling warm, too warm, and there was something heavy on him. Oh, that's right, when he opened his eyes he could see a black paw from the corner of his eye and a happy whine escaped his throat. This was bliss, absolute paradise and was so glad he'd braved sending the man a message earlier to come here. He rationalised that the more he did things like this, the less anxious he would grow each time he had Care of Magical Creatures or came near the trees. For the most part, it was working and he trusted the man with his care enough to enter the forest in the same headstrong manner he often operated under. Being partially held down by the large black cat was further creating a warmth from within, he felt safe and cherished, his Professor was looking after him and he enjoyed every second of it.
It was clear the man was asleep, heavy limbs stretched out over his hind legs and the head pressing him down into the grass were evidence enough, not to mention the evened breathing. Simple things, that's all it took for him to be satisfied, he didn't need to be making out with the man or constantly thinking about him with less clothing on to feel content like he did in this moment. Not that kissing Professor Snape isn't pleasant… He remembered the buckling of his legs when the man bit down on his bottom lip and nearly fell to the floor. Huffing at the memory of it, he closed his eyes once more, refusing to move one more muscle until he absolutely had to.
Unfortunately, that moment came sooner than he'd have liked it to when he heard the snapping of a branch which seemed too close for comfort. Sliding his head around, he was able to get a better look at what might have been approaching and saw a bush moving in time with the gentle rustling associated with it. His heart started beating a little faster, he was essentially trapped if he didn't wake his Professor up and if they ran into a Centaur, he wasn't sure they'd be completely friendly. He let out a low growl as warning, still unable to see the threat immediately.
The rustling grew stronger and when Harry saw the first leg, he was up like a shot, his body catapulting from the ground with such speed he wondered how he hadn't flown over the edge of the ledge. Ears flattened against the top of his head and he bared his teeth, growling dangerously at the Acromantula rearing up in front of him. It snapped its overgrown pincers at him, lurching for in a faux pass and making a weird hissing sound. They were so screwed if there were more behind that one.
Severus had woken suddenly, drowsy as he was, it was clear that danger lurked and hearing Harry growling from beside him confirmed that immediately. Getting to his feet, he turned himself around just in time to see an Acromantula lunge for him and a grey blur rushing across his vision. He felt the ground collecting him soon after and scrambled to his feet once more, keeping his body low and tense. Harry was whining beside him, struggling to stand and a deathly growl erupted from deep within Severus's chest. His young wolf was hurt and this bastard creature had hurt him, it was going to pay. But, he was a Wizard, not an animal, and there seemed only one logical response to this threat.
Harry was cast into a shadow as the panther changed back into his Professor's human form. The creature started to move towards them once more but it didn't get very far, when the next thing Harry heard was the man blasting it back and into the bushes. Sniffing the air, he tried to catch its scent, and tentatively moved forward to investigate when his route was blocked by his Head of House.
"Stay where you are." Severus instructed, wand still poised and ready to fight once more before he too disappeared through the trees.
Rolling his eyes at the protectiveness, he disobeyed the order and followed the man through, glad to see that the beast was hightailing it away and through the forest. If it was anything like his last encounter with the Acromantula's though, he assumed they would be back and with force. The forest suddenly didn't feel very safe and the warmth he'd been soaking from the sun had disappeared, causing the cold to nip at him, even with fur.
"I see you still can't listen to instructions." Severus glared over at the wounded grey wolf and came closer to inspect the damage, "It was reckless of you to take the hit, Harry."
Harry didn't feel like transforming back when he was being scolded and simply hung his head, ears drooping for full affect. There was an irritated huff at this, his Professor was shaking his head almost comically before picking up his front paw which caused a shot of pain to travel up into his shoulder. Not entirely sure what that meant, but hurting like hell, he figured he must had hurt his arm, possible shoulder as well but they weren't going to know for sure until they got back to the castle.
"I suggest we walk back, and for you that might be better on two legs."
Taking the hint, Harry nodded and with incredible pain, shifted back into his human form, unable to look his Professor in the face. It had been his idea to come in here and to escape from the castle and what good did it do? He was now hurt and possibly going to encounter more bloody spiders before they made it out. He was now aware that it was a pain in his elbow that travelled through to his clavicle, and the reality wasn't a great one. It better not impact Quidditch for the following weekend.
"Come." Severus could see the teen looked upset, possibly a little embarrassed, so he put an arm lightly across the teen's shoulders, careful not to jostle the sore arm.
"I'm sorry, sir. I just thought we could have a break from the castle for a little bit. Typical for me to get hurt though." Harry sighed.
"I do not regret coming out here, you possibly saved me from threatening the other students with violence should they have gotten in my way this morning."
Harry looked up at the man with curiousity, "Did you not sleep well?"
"No." But he wasn't about to admit that he'd had a nightmare, that was too much information at present.
"Guess that makes two of us. I'm glad I could help." Smiling gently, Harry was able to move his arm around to hold onto the man's waist.
"I was going to ask what had prompted a visit into the forest, was there a reason?"
"Not really. I wanted to clear my head, spend some time with you, get away from the drama. I'd be lying if I said I hadn't been thinking about what happened during the week, you know, with the Boggart… I didn't want to come in here by myself."
"And if I had not shown up?"
"I would have gone for a fly, maybe." Harry replied, looking up at the man, his cheeks red with embarrassment.
Severus hummed, nodding gently, "We must both be waiting for the end of term then."
"You're still going to retire?" Harry asked freely, knowing there was no one around to hear him.
"Very much so, though details of what I want to do are unclear."
"I know exactly how that feels." Grumbling, Harry winced as he knocked his arm.
"Yes, we need to work on that more. It will take a lot of stress away when you make a decision on where you would like to go."
"You and I both know the only logical thing is to be an Auror."
"Is that your decision?"
Harry kicked a stick, thinking about an appropriate answer. He didn't particularly want to do it, he was sick and tired of chasing down bad Witches and Wizards and he had no real purpose to do so anyway. It just felt like it was him torturing himself further by allowing himself to follow that path. The problem was, there was no alternative that he could think of.
"No, it's not."
Sighing, Severus decided to leave it for now, he didn't want to cause the teen stress after having been attacked earlier on and he still had time to think about what he would do. However, there was still one more matter he wanted to discuss, and as they came closer to the edge of the forest, he stopped them and turned to his Slytherin with a serious expression.
"What?" Harry asked hesitantly, peering back into the forest as if he were expecting an armada of spiders to pop out of nowhere.
"Change of subject. McClaggen's return."
"Two weeks really went fast… Didn't it?" Forgetting about the pain in his shoulder, he looked down at his feet and shuffled them around the dirt.
"Harry, your safety is paramount, I mean that sincerely. Do not make his return a bigger issue than it needs to be."
"I could really do without seeing his ugly face." Harry muttered, earning a snort from his Professor.
"What I want to know, is how you will deal with his return. I'm sure you are aware that there could be some retaliation or words said in regards to his suspension, but if he knows what is good for him he will leave the matter be."
"I don't know what I'd do if I came face to face with him, even thinking about it makes me nervous." Shuddering, he ran a hand across one of his hips, remembering the disgust he'd felt afterwards.
"You should not fear his return." Attempting to sooth Harry, he stepped forward and ran a hand through his brunette hair.
"I'll stick with Draco and Hermione. If anything happens, Draco will be there for support and Hermione will probably punch him, it's kind of her trade mark." He smiled at the fond memories of Draco and Ron being hit by her, "But if anything serious happens I'll come straight to you. I know you'll get some satisfaction in dealing with him and I feel more comfortable telling you if anything happened rather than Professor McGonagall."
Nodding, Severus felt his own anxiety for Harry's safety diminish after hearing the plan, "I do enjoy punishing Gryffindor's." He lamented, drawing a smile from his Slytherin and a quiet laugh.
"I know you so well." Harry responded, but it was said in jovial tones because he knew in reality there was so much to his Professor he still didn't know.
"Indeed. Come, let's get you inside. I believe a trip to see Madame Pomfrey is in order, least I have you walking around injured on my watch." Running his hand through the teen's hair again, he then lightly draped his arm around his shoulders.
Madame Pomfrey was not too impressed to see them in the slightest as she stood in the middle of the corridor, looking at them with hands on hips and lips pursed.
"Potter, what a surprise."
"I thought it was long overdue for a visit." Harry replied, giving her his best innocent smile.
. . .
Whilst Hermione hadn't been impressed either that he'd hurt himself after a full day of being missing in action, she tutted and fussed over him mercilessly at dinner, making sure he was comfortable and well tended. Thankfully, no one had pushed the issue of where he had been, there was suspicion he'd had company where ever he'd been and so decided that after having received medical attention, the matters were dropped. Harry had tried to worm his way into Professor Snape's rooms to study in the afternoon but he had flatly refused to let him in, saying he had other things to be attending to. Well, it wasn't like he was going to be loud or cause any problems, but some space apart was possibly for the best, he needed a clear head to be dealing with Cormac's arrival.
Hence, he found himself sitting in the middle of the room of requirement late afternoon on the Sunday, his mind cleared and his Defence Against the Dark Arts textbook open in front of him. He was working hard on clearing his mind, devoid of any and all emotion as he catalogued how dinner was going to proceed with Cormac back at school. Professor Snape had told him not to make it a big issue and he was attempting to do that by burying all the bad memories of the teen he could burn. Of course, in the process of doing so he also brought back that fateful series of events from that specific day and worked on squashing the anxiety associated with it.
Both hip bones throbbed as an image of Seamus taking him roughly had him opening his eyes wide in an attempt to make the memory go away and he fell backwards, staring up at the ceiling helplessly. What if Cormac came back with a bee in his bonet and was out for revenge? He really wouldn't have that much to lose would he, as supposedly his name was tarnished anyway with the black mark striked against it. Well, he hadn't feared much better had he really, people still parted in the corridors for him, even though he tried to ignore it the best he could and his Slytherin housemates had been surprisingly on side. But it still begged the question, how were things going to play out that evening when he returned?
You'd love it for Snape to fuck you.
A shudder caught Harry off guard and he winced, closing his eyes to shut out the negativity, not that it did him any good and he was soon reliving the scene behind his eye lids. So gruff and dirty, Seamus's words and hands clung to his body like the skin of a dead rabbit and he gouged at both eyes, rubbing them harshly to remove the disgusting pictures from his retinas. They'd said it like it was some gross violation that had ever been thought of, Professor Snape being intimate with someone… Or was it just him? Was it Harry they couldn't stand? To be fair, if he looked in the mirror, he wouldn't be all that happy about his appearance. His face still looked washed out and cheeks hollow because he was still quite skinny. The only moderately appealing feature might have been that he was vaguely muscular despite having a thin frame due to malnourishment, but that didn't say anything for his facial features. Guant, came to mind.
I bet Snape likes them to kick and scream.
Both faces felt like they were right up in his space, leering at him and reaching out with both hands, smothering his body and holding him down. Seamus was on top of him, suddenly he was on his back as the Gryffindor straddled his waist and pinned both wrists either side of his head. He was laughing, Cormac could be seen to the side with a smirk, egging the Irishman on. The strong accent was in his ear, warm breath whispering into his ear, taunting, promising that he'd get everything he wanted. He wanted to move, he really did, but something was holding him down and he couldn't kick or strike out with his arms.
Pathetic isn't he? So weak… So… Vulnerable.
Panicking, Harry was trying to claw and kick his way out of whatever hold or spell he was under. The body heavy on top of him pushed down and started to crush his chest, restricting his breathing to short pants and desperate gasps. He could hear them laughing at him still, their faces full of mirth and mischief. He didn't want this, he needed to escape and get away from them, this wasn't the way he was going to go, there had been too much for him to deal with for it to end like this. He had at least some dignity and he sure as hell wasn't going to let it go right now.
Feeling the release of pressure on his wrists, he was finally able to lash out, but the pressure on his chest remained where it was. His body writhed on the stone floor, his legs kicking out and trying to buck the pressure off him. He couldn't see Seamus' face now, it was gone, but Cormac was still there and he was yelling at him. Words were being said but nothing coherent for him to understand anything before he felt a light, damp pressure behind his ear and along his neck, and suddenly Cormac and the twisted memory he'd slipped into were gone.
Shivering in the cold, he became very aware that the room he was in was dark. He was on a chilling surface but there was an object on top of him, half across his chest and was vibrating lightly in time with the deep breathing. Whimpering as he came around, he could tell there was a light sheen of sweat across his brow and immediately knew that he'd had a nightmare or intense memory. It had been some time since the last one, and his recent dreams hadn't been all too frightening, a lot of confusion and hypothetical situations, nothing this bad. He dared himself to open his eyes, the vibrations, were in fact, a low murmur of purring and he dared himslf to open his eyes in the darkness. When he did, two big, bright yellow – almost green – eyes were looking back at him.
He was safe.
#Aodrenn:
Animal romance delivered.
