No Beta
Ner words in this chapter: 2,289
"Talking"
'Thinking'
{Talking on the fireplace/Two-way mirror}
–Parseltongue–
Thinking in 3rd person POV/Dream/Memory/Flashback/Others
Letter/Journal/Book/Newspaper
Time change/Date of time
Change of POV
Chapter XXIX
–Snape's Unbreakable Oath–
Monday, August 28 1995
HJP's POV
Harry woke up to Winky popping in before him and waking him hurriedly. He look around confused only to gasp. He was still in Hogwarts School Grounds!
He accepted the invisibility cloak and the Marauders Map.
"I Solemnly Swear I'm Up To No Good!" He whispered and the map activated.
Immediately Harry followed it down the stairways. Only to frown at seeing Nymphadora Tonks, Kingsley Shacklebolt and Albus Dumbledore together in a corridor not far away. He bit his bottom lip and then walked in that direction.
"I'm telling you, Headmaster. You Know Who's men have Harry guarded 24/7. You can't even step in the same room without a Death Eater to pop up unannounced." Tonks put in.
"Not to mention that for the past week he has gone missing. Apparently staying over at a lover's place. Not even Bones know where it is."
"He didn't even bring Sirius along." Tonks added.
Harry looked at them as the two Aurors spoke with the Headmaster. It took Harry a long moment to realize why that was. They were part of the Order against Tom. They were reporting to Dumbledore. Just like Death Eaters did with Tom.
What made them different from Voldemort and his men after all? They were behaving exactly alike! They…
A body passed by Harry's side. Harry looked to find Professor Snape.
"Ah, Severus. Any news on the upcoming visit?"
"Upcoming visit, Headmaster?" Tonks wondered.
"During the Summer, Voldemort has a visit of someone very special to him. His only weakness. The Infamous Serpens Black."
"No news so far." Professor Snape lied, even though Harry knew he had seen him with Voldemort already. "Now if you don't mind I have important things to do in Hogsmeade."
Harry took that as his cue, he turned around and hurried towards the passageway that would led to the Honeydukes. By the time he left the shop's door he wound himself face-to-face with Professor Snape. The older sneered at the door opening by itself, then turned around and signalled at Harry to follow. Harry hurried to obey until they reached Hog's Head Inn. Professor Snape nodded at the Innkeeper and put a few coins on a cup by the fireplace before throwing floo powder into the fireplace. Harry immediately stood beside the older, who pulled Harry close.
{Malfoy Manor.}
The two were thrown into the floo and eventually left in Malfoy Manor's floo room that Harry had used before in the past. The invisibility cloak was taken from Harry and the teen looked up at the Professor.
"You really need to learn to control your breath when you are under that cloak." The Professor reprimanded, making Harry blush. "The Dark Lord's quarters are behind Salazar Slytherin's Portrait, Sire." The Wizard added.
Harry nodded and accepted the cloak back, before he run down the corridor towards the same portrait as last time. Voldemort wasn't inside but in no time Winky was popping in with the man himself who looked back confused.
"Why are you here?"
"I was in Hogwarts?"
Voldemort's eyes grew and then scoffed.
"Of course… how did you leave?"
"I know passageways out and into Hogwarts School." Harry shrugged. "Once in Hogsmeade Professor Snape brought me into Hog's Head Inn and floo travelled me here."
"How did Severus found you?"
Harry scratched the back of his head.
"According to him I need to control my breath when under my father's cloak?"
"You didn't go directly towards the passageway, did you?" Tom demanded and shyly Harry shook his head. "Why do I love you so much?" The older rhetorically asked as he massaged his forehead.
Before any of the two could speak, a voice spoke.
"The Potions Master is outside my portrait requesting permission."
Harry looked back at the portrait of the former Headmaster and then at his lover, who nodded at Slytherin's portrait. The portrait opened and Professor Snape was allowed inside before the portrait closed again.
"What was my Serpens doing when you found him?" Voldemort wondered and Harry turned to retort but Tom glared him shut.
"Listening in on an Order of the Phoenix's secret meeting, my Lord." Professor Snape replied truthfully and Harry avoided Tom's angry look. "Luckily for him I was passing through and was the one to realize he was there."
Tom groaned.
"How do you always get yourself into these situations?"
"Excuse me? Who was it that tried to kill me most of my life?" Harry retorted back only to tense at realizing how that sounded and could see the pained look on his Tom-tom's eyes, making him want to immediately take it back. Shit! "As much as Lady Magic puts me in bad places, it also always takes me out." He added with an apologetic look. He turned towards Professor Snape. "I wasn't noticed by Professor Dumbledore nor the two Order Members, right?"
"What were they talking about, Serpens?" Voldemort asked and, when Harry got ready to argue, Tom took hold onto his shoulders. "Harry!"
"About Harry Potter's location." Harry grudgingly agreed. "I didn't hear anything that would put me in danger. Not even when Professor Snape lied that he had no news over when Serpens would arrive for his incoming visit, principally considering he has already known that I am in England."
"WHAT?"
"Marvolo!" Slytherin's portrait snarled. "Potions Master, restrain Marvolo's magic from getting in touch with Young Serpens before it affects the pregnancy!"
Professor Snape approached at once and took hold onto Harry's neck, using Magic Touch to shield him from Tom's obvious decontrol.
"Serpens, go to the bedroom." Tom demanded, his eyes deadly.
Harry looked up at his Professor and then back at his Tom.
"He backed me up. He knows I'm Serpens, knew I was listening and still lied to Professor Dumbledore that he had no idea when I would appear, even though I was right there and even though he had already seen me in your arms last month."
"Serpens…"
"Tom Marvolo Riddle!" Harry snapped, using the tone he always used when he'd be angry with Tom when he was a young child.
"Mind your emotions." Professor Snape whispered and Harry focused on his breath to restrain himself.
"How long have you been being a triple agent, Severus?" Voldemort demanded, obviously restraining himself because of Harry.
"I become a double agent when you decided to kill the Potters and a triple agent when I realized that Sire Serpens is Harry Potter. The Headmaster made me do an Unbreakable Oath on Harry Potter's life… so using Sire's words: I felt Lady Magic pulling me away from my potions in my classroom and all the way to a meeting because he was about to be found out. When I saw him without the cloak was when I connected two-and-two. When I come here last month I didn't come on Professor Dumbledore's orders but because of my own Oath."
Tom thinned his lips, obviously wanting to retort it but not daring to express his thoughts with Harry present.
"Why would Professor Dumbledore make you make an Oath in the first place?" Harry wondered. "And why would you care that my parents were sentenced? You hated my father."
–Tell him, Marvolo.– Slytherin's portrait stated.
"Severus was in-love with your mother and made me promise not to hurt her." Voldemort snarled.
Harry frowned and then looked up at his Professor.
"Mum made he break his promise." He offered and Professor Snape looked back with a raised eyebrow. "Remember the Dementors in my third-year? I can hear my parents and Voldemort's last minutes. Dad telling Mum that it's Him and for her to run. And then Mum begging over and over for He to kill her instead and not me. He was going to keep that promise and not kill her but she didn't give him a choice."
Professor Snape frowned and looked up at Tom, who nodded.
"I may be many things, Severus, but if I tell someone I'm going to do something then I do my best to keep my word."
Smartly, Harry kept out the part of Tommy's laugh after killing his mother.
Professor Snape bowed his head towards Tom and Tom looked back at Harry.
"Let me check your Magical Core's levels. Lending your body to sustain my soul every night for the past week is not a good idea. I can't believe that Antonin gave you the permission in the first place."
Professor Snape immediately turned towards Harry as he approached Tom and let him check him up.
"Shall I prepare some batch of potions, my Lord?"
"Yes, for male pregnancies." Slytherin's portrait agreed. "No external help." He added as Tom checked Harry's magical levels. "How is he, Marvolo?"
"It's a luck that tonight is the last night he'll see me without a body." Voldemort argued. "I'm going to fetch Antonin so he tells me how much magic I should lean without it becoming too much or too obvious for my soul-self." He added before he stopped by the portrait and glared at Professor Snape. "I really hope that I can trust you with my lover, Severus."
"Sire, can you hold your wand?"
Harry frowned and picked it from it's holster as Professor Snape approached Tom and took hold of his forearm, the older didn't even question what was going on and grabbed Professor Snape's back.
"Put the wand over their arms." Slytherin's portrait offered and Harry obeyed.
"I, Severus Tobias Snape, solemnly swear on my magic that I will do everything in my power to protect Harry James Potter, or Serpens Lynx Black, and any children he may have." A thread of light left Harry's wand and surrounded the two arms. "I also solemnly swear that I, Severus Tobias Snape, will never harm of my own sane of mind Harry James Potter, or Serpens Lynx Black, and any children he may have." Professor Snape added and another thread showed.
"So Mote It Be." Tom agreed and a last thread showed up, before the older nodded at Harry, who stored his wand. The two released each other's arms and Tommy signalled towards Harry. "Make sure we didn't affect him or our unborn child." He added towards Professor Snape, before he left the quarters.
Harry stayed quiet for a real long time, until finally he looked at Professor Snape approaching him.
"I saw you two." Professor Snape raised an eyebrow as he took hold of Harry's wrist and started counting his heartbeats. "You and Mum. On the summer where you two entered Hogwarts."
The older looked up at Harry's eyes and then nodded, sadly.
"How much did Tunia tell you about her?" Harry shook his head. "We were friends until our OWLs and a prank from your father that went too far. If… if you ever want to hear about her, I have pictures and…"
"Dobby, bring me my picture album that Hagrid gave me in my first-year." Harry interrupted and Dobby popped in with the book and offered Professor Snape.
The man released Harry's wrist and accepted it, opening and looking through the pages.
"Serpens has pictures, what he doesn't have is memories." Slytherin's portrait translated.
Professor Snape nodded.
"I can tell you stories of her." Professor Snape amended himself.
Harry nodded thankfully and looked at the portrait's direction as it opened and Healer Dolohov hurried inside and towards him. A hand was set on Harry's neck and another on his forehead.
"I thought you said it was forbidden to touch Serpens Black." He teased and the Healer scoffed amused.
"I'll deal with the consequences when you'll return to the past, Sire." He agreed.
–SYiaS–
Friday, August 28, 1992
HJP's POV
Harry arrived the past to find himself back in Albania's motel room. An unknown snake was there when he arrived, Nagini was on the bed and she signalled her head towards the snake. Harry looked again and it was then that it's mouth opened.
–I wanted to speak with you face-to-face next time we'd see each other. This was the best me and Nagini managed.–
Oh… Harry suddenly remembered Voldemort's monologue over using animals and how snakes were his favourites…
He nodded and approached, sitting down before the bed to be face-to-face with the older.
–You know that if I could I'd have told you.– Harry argued.
The snake Tom was possessing nodded.
–Nagini reprimanded me for getting mad at you last time that you didn't tell me that I would lose my body.– Harry snorted and nodded at the massive snake who had an accomplished look. –I also didn't want you to see anything in my mind that would make you think less of me, Serpens.–
The teenager sighed as Nagini user her tail to hit the smaller snake. He approached his hand tentatively and Tom lent forward letting Harry pet him.
–I learnt long ago to accept all of you. I don't care who you are, what you believe in and how many people you killed and tortured. So long as you always will be my Tommy.–
The snake's eyes landed on Harry's.
–No matter who I am and what I become, I will always be yours.– The older promised.
(TBC)
