Disclaimer: I do not own Severus Snape or Harry Potter, nor many of the characters mentioned. I do not own ninety-eight percent of past events mentioned in this story. I am not JK Rowling or her ilk. Please contact me before using any characters not seen or mentioned in JK Rowling's Harry Potterseries. Thanks you.


Chapter Fifty-Five
"A Step Out Of (In?) Line"


"Severus!" Harry called, reaching his hand down to test the temperature of the water coming from the tap. "Severus, it's time for your bath!"

Severus hadn't liked taking baths in the entire time he lived with Harry. But lately, Harry had been noticing some resistance on Severus' part. One could interpret that as a good sign – Severus had probably always hated baths, noting Snape's greasy hair – but it wasn't that simple.

Severus was resisting in a Dobby-esque way. Instead of outright saying 'no', he avoided getting into the bath until the pain on his forehead, the pain of his enslavement curse, forced him to comply. It reminded Harry a lot of how Dobby had been.

Severus' way of avoiding taking the bath started out with what Harry called 'misdirection'. They were attempts worthy of a Hufflepuff, but attempts nevertheless. It had started out with talk of dishwater and the kitty, but lately had branched off into more creative ideas – sometimes, Harry genuinely forgot about the bath.

But tonight, he refused to allow Severus to trick him. Severus was not in charge, Harry was. If Severus got better, then Harry could slowly relinquish some and all control, but until then, Severus would take a damn bath. He was too afraid of magic directed at him to face spells nightly, and Severus usually needed cleaned up.

And it couldn't hurt Severus' fear of water, only help, Harry figured.

No response came from Severus.

"I know you hear me!" Harry hollered. "Severus! You hear things I don't – I knowyou hear me!" He couldn't believe Severus was outright ignoring him – it had to be killing his head.

He knew he should be more patient. Severus trying to disobey was technically an excellent sign, but it made things really difficult at a time when Harry absolutely did not need things to be difficult.

"Severus, Teddy is only going to be happy in his playpen for a few more minutes. Come take the bath, and get it over with!"

As if on cue, Teddy began to scream bloody murder on the top of his lungs. This was not a scream of 'I'm bored, let me out' or 'I'm sleepy, time for bed'.

Harry leapt to his feet and raced into the hallway, running into Severus, who had been scurrying into the loo.

Severus dropped to his knees. "Master," he greeted formally. Tears were steaming down his cheeks, but more noticeable than that was the swollen red skin around the nearly invisible mark on Severus' forehead.

Harry ignored him, and stepped over him, going over to Teddy to check on him.

Teddy seemed fine, though had blood red skin. He quit crying when Harry picked him up, but kept up the absurd skin tone.

What took Severus so long to obey? What made Teddy cry? It wasn't too hard to figure out the gist of it.

Severus had gone too far this time. It was not debatable. Harry knew it, and knew Severus knew it.

"Stay put, Ted." Harry sat Teddy back in the playpen, and when back into the bathroom.

Severus was not in the tub, but standing naked at the sink. He had a damp wash cloth in hand, scrubbing at his cheek. It was red. Raw.

"Severus, stop." Harry snapped.

Severus jumped at Harry's words, and knelt down on the floor. "M-M-M-Master."

Breathe Harry. Don't snap at him. Teddy isn't hurt. It might not have even been Severus' fault. And if it is, yelling won't help. Breathe.

"Severus, stand up and put your nightshirt on. We need to talk."


"All right," Harry said, settling down on the sofa twenty minutes later. Teddy had been laid down to sleep. Severus' bath had been skipped, but he was dressed, teeth were brushed, hair was combed.

Severus was completely ready for bed, minus the bath, except for... this.

"Severus, tell me why you didn't come when I called you."

Severus had been biting his lip again, but there was no blood, yet. "I-I-I-I apologise, M-M-M-M-Master. I-I was try-trying to dis-distract you from m-my bath. I-I-I-I-"

"Slow down," Harry interrupted. "What did you do to try to distract me?"

Severus' head was deeply bowed, but Harry could see teardrops landing the lap of his nightshirt.

"I-I thought if... perhaps if Master Teddy d-did not be quiet, y-you would n-not make me take the b-bath, sir." Severus' speech was much more coherent when he slowed down.

"Because you don't like baths."

"Yes, master."

This talking to Severus about the way his mind worked was not easy. But he talked to Harry more about it than he ever had to Dr. Brown. Probably because he felt like he had to, though.

"So, you scared him, to make him cry," Harry said.

"N-N-N-N- No, master." Severus began to shake. The tears fell harder, faster. "I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I..." He gulped in a breath. "I..."

"Severus?" Harry prodded.

"I pinched him." Severus looked up at Harry, his eyes wild with fear. "Not hard! I-I-I-"

Severus pinched Teddy. Hurt him. Harmed him

Conflicting emotions rose in Harry. One part of him – maybe the most sensible - wanted to do everything he could to keep Teddy and Severus apart. One part of him wanted to kick Severus out. Another part of him wanted to be overly rational.

Who reported us to Wizarding Family Services,Harry wondered for the millionth time, but this time, it was not like he usually did. This time, there was a guilty curiosity. When Wizarding Family Services had come to investigate, Harry had been sure things were okay. Severus was, for the most part, not a danger to Teddy.

And he still isn't! It was just a pinch! Not even a hard one!

Yeah, a pinch now, a slap next, a poisoned toad after that...

Don't be ridiculous – Teddy doesn't even have a toad.

"Please punish me, master?" Severus whimpered. "Please - please, m-m-master. I-I-I do not know what com-compelled me t-to-"

Was it wrong to interrupt those on their road to recovery? "You hate baths," Harry said. "That's what compelled you."

Severus hesitated. "Yes, master."

"Severus, you cannot hurt Teddy. He's a baby; he didn't do anything to deserve pinching."

Severus' response was not understandable by Harry, because Severus was sobbing too hard.

"Teddy likes you, so it made him very sad that you hurt him. He was mostly just sad, not hurt, I think, but you still shouldn't have done it."

"Yes, master." Severus choked. "I-I think I-I need to be punished, sir." Severus hesitated. "You did tell me to tell you when I really thought I deserved it."

I think I need to be punished, sir.Harry had told Severus that. Severus usually begged for punishment, but hadn't in the past weeks. As much, that is. But this time, did he deserve it?

It was Harry's first inclination to say 'no'. After all, who was he to punish another adult? One older than him, for that matter. He punished Teddy on occasion, and still wasn't so sure he was doing that right (reading parenting books, like Angela had suggested, only confused him). He didn't know how to punish a slave, a slave that he wanted to act as little as one as possible...

"Well, what kind of punishment would this kind of situation call for?" Harry wrung his hands. "I mean, isn't that what that thing on your forehead is supposed to do? I mean, I'm disappointed – I'm very angry – but you'll never do it again, I don't think. I know, actually – I'm not letting you- don't you think your forehead, and my being angry is punishment enough?"

Severus did not move from his submissive position. "No, sir. However, you are wiser than me. It is you that makes decisions. Not a slave."

Were the situation any less serious, Harry might have snorted. Severus was much smarter than he was. "Why do you hate baths, Severus?"

"I do not. I merely hate water," Severus said without hesitation. "I realise it is wrong for me to hate something pure and of the earth, master. I do. I-I-I could make myself-" he was shaking like a leaf in the wind again.

"Okay, well, there are ways to avoid frequent baths, but that's another conversation. How do you think you should be punished? No pain involved- oh, shit, come closer. Let me touch your forehead – that looks terrible."

Slowly, Severus edged forward and rested his chin on Harry's knee. It added to Harry's discomfort the way he stared directly at Harry fly, rather than at Harry's face.

Harry brushed Severus' long hair back. The nutritive potion caused it to grow at an aggressive pace. The mark on Severus' forehead, usually white and faint, stood out boldly, swollen and red. The intricate design, full of curlicues and loops, extended from temple to temple. It was disgusting how a design so beautiful could mean something so terrible.

Inflamed like it was, it looked like a bad rash. It was hot to the touch.

Interesting how touching Severus' forehead did nothing for Harry, but did so much for Severus. For Harry, it was no different than touching Teddy's forehead, or one of his friends' (though that would be kind of unusual). It was just touching a forehead.

But for Severus, it seemed to be almost an erotic experience. He let out a deep breath, and relaxed. He turned his head so that his cheek lay on Harry knee. His dark eyes closed, and the tears no longer ran from his eyes. He ceased shaking, and simply looker calmer than Harry had ever seen him, ever – except for maybe when he was in the hospital wing, unconscious, from Nagini's bite.

What was more impressive was to see how quickly the mark returned to its original colour. It had been red and inflamed for half an hour, after all.

Harry took his hand of Severus' head, causing any sensations Severus was feeling to stop. "Better?"

Severus slid off of Harry's lap, back into his customary submissive bow. "Yes, sir."

"Good, so I'll bet that hurt. Punishment enough."

Severus shook his head. "The pain followed with pleasure, sir. Had you left it alone, it would have ceased on its own."

Shit. "Okay, here are the ground rules – no pain, no skipped meals. It needs to be something fair."

"Yes, master."

You could punish him by telling him Weston is in the hospital. But that just seemed cruel. Now was not the time to mention Weston to Severus. He figured he should soon, but didn't know how. He didn't think Severus would be as happy as Harry and George were that Weston got his bits (they hoped) chewed off by rats. Knowing Severus, he would be distraught, because he had some loyalty to Weston drilled into him. So why tell him?

Because Severus would want to know.

Back to punishments, he could have him sit in 'time out', staring at the wall, but without his French book, he would be doing that anyway...

Harry sighed. "Sev, can you bring me your French book?"

"Yes, sir." Severus scrambled to his feed, and hurried up the stairs.

Harry groaned as he felt another headache coming on. He opened up an end table drawer, and pulled out a vial of Dreamless Sleep. A vital he kept there, for safe keeping.

Typically, half a vial was standard dosage, but standard dosage hadn't helped him sleep in awhile. And he really needed sleep, if he was going to take care of a baby and help an increasingly difficult Severus.

A whole vial can't hurt, he figured, as he swallowed the tasteless potion.

He could feel the effects of the potion as he shelved the book, explained to Severus the punishment, and tucked him in.

And he was grateful for it because sleep was long overdue.

Coming up next in Unwell...
Chapter Fifty-Six: Two Chicken Specials