Phœnix Burning, Chapter 24
"Well, in order explain, I have to first know what is to be explained," said Severus dryly, reaching for the paper. The humor died from his face entirely as he read, Harry peering over his shoulder.
Magic diagnostic of Severus Tobias Snape, male, age 34
Core status: φ type, integrated
Magic status: replenished, very high levels of free radical magic, much primal and Ancient magic
External magical damage: minimal, healing process boosted
Dark taint: minimal
Aura type: ζ silver and gold
Potential Soulmates: Lily M. Potter, nee Evans (deceased), Loretta Pince, Poppy L. Pomfrey
Bond Status: a Sacred Triple Bond with one Harry James Potter, composed of a full mindlink, a soul-bond, and a type Ψ animagus bond.
There was a long, dead silence. Then, finally, Snape sucked in a long breath. "Well," he said dryly, still staring at the parchment, "I believe that this changes the equation drastically."
"Um...so what does it mean?" asked Harry, who had been looking at the parchment from his seat on Snape's hospital bed.
"It means that we can't keep this a secret any longer, and the Ministry of Magic might get the wrong idea," said the Potions Master grimly.
"What do you mean? No one has to know besides everyone in the room, and I can make the Malfoys keep quiet about it."
"It's...not so simple, Potter," Snape told him. "Sacred Triple Bonds are very rare and powerful, and every one that forms is detected by the Department of Mysteries. We should be receiving a Ministry owl by tomorrow morning at the latest."
"Shite," Harry muttered, glaring at the scrap of parchment in Snape's hand as though it were the source of all his problems.
"Indeed," Snape replied, not bothering to reprimand him.
"So, um, you've told me about the implications, but what does the bond thing do," Harry asked after a moment.
Snape stared. "How- you have not heard of a Sacred Triple Bond?"
"How would I?" Harry responded sourly. "Last I checked, professor, I was raised with a bunch of muggles who didn't even tell me magic exists."
Harry was rewarded by the unlikely occurrence of his austere DADA professor facepalming. "I swear I will kill Albus," he muttered, then went white as he remembered that he had actually been ordered to do just that. After he had recovered himself, he went on, assuming his 'professor voice'. "A Sacred Triple Bond is essentially just what it sounds like: that is, a bond of magic that links two people, comprising a mindlink, soul-bond, and shared animagus bond. They are very rare, and can either be formed by several illegal spells and rituals or can spontaneously form between soulmates. Essentially, with the bond you share minds, and your soul is...for lack of a better word, shared with your bondmate. The shared animagus form can mean that both have the same animagus form or that both have a hybrid between the two forms, provided both have an established form."
Harry nodded, trying to assimilate the information he had just been given. Then it all hit him at once, and he stammered impotently for half a minute before seeming to halfway recover himself. "Wait, do you have an animagus form?!" he asked, beginning to panic again.
Snape smirked. "No," he said at last, and Harry slumped in relief. "Although I did take the Draught of Discovery..."
"Why didn't you become a full animagus?"
A pause. "I wanted to, if only to show the mutt that I could. However, I decided that I didn't want the ridicule. I would have been a fruit bat."
Harry giggled, and Snape muttered "Brat," although not without affection.
And that was when Madame Pomfrey's chill voice broke over them. "Give me one reason, just one, not to report this to the proper authorities, Severus,"
Harry and the professor looked at each other, and then Harry blurted out: "We can explain."
"We, Mr. Potter?" said Madame Pomfrey, pursing her lips. "I might remind you that you are still underage."
Harry blushed violently; he seemed to be doing that a lot, recently. "I never- we never-" he broke off, trying to gather his scattered wits.
Snape abruptly came to his rescue. "It was an accident; I did not and would never act inappropriately with a student!'
"That's not exactly better," the mediwich said, still looking at Snape coldly. "Did you use the Servate ritual, then?"
Snape, if possible, grew even paler. "No, of course not!" he burst out, seemingly appalled, and Harry learned from his mind that the ritual mentioned was a ancient magical slavery ritual, one that essentially bound someone permanently to his master; it had fallen out of favor, both because it could render either participant in the ritual a squib or bind them together forever in a forced Triple Bond, if done wrong, and because it was punishable by eighty years in Azkaban and then the dementor's kiss.
"So how did this happen, then?" said Madame Pomfrey, not warming any.
"It was an accident," Snape repeated, raising his dark gaze to the woman's face. "Harry is a phoenix animagus, and he somehow managed to bond me."
"A phœnix animagus? Forgive me if I find that hard to comprehend."
Harry knelt and let the primal magic bubbling inside his core reshape his body, wings arching up over him, one beady jade eye studying the mediwitch, while the other studied the rest of the hospital wing. Scaly black talons skittered on the floor as he took a shaky step; it was much harder to walk in this form.
Of all the wizards currently in the hospital, Severus Snape was the only one who didn't react. Madame Pomfrey was rarely anything but composed, but in this instance Harry was amused to note that at witnessing his transformation her mouth was as wide as Ron's had been. On the other side of the wing, Lucius Malfoy was only slightly more dignified, now that his previous shock had more or less does away. Draco was asleep.
"O...kay, I stand corrected," Madame Pomfrey said shakily. "Severus, might we go over the rest of your scan before we get off track? There are a number of abnormalities here..."
Professor Snape frowned. "Such as?"
"Your core type is here listed as a φ type, but I have in my hospital record cabinet that your core is rather a considerably weaker ω type, for one thing, and your core is fully integrated, and releasing enormous amounts of free radical magic into your blood. While you've always had a semi-integrated core- that was likely one of the reasons potions were and are so easy for you, this is enormously different. Have you been practicing a great deal of wandless magic?"
"I have not, no. May I ask what the implications free radical magic might be? I'm afraid I haven't heard of it."
"Your magic is in your bloodstream. It is not substantially dangerous, but it might make your magic more volatile. Wandless and wordless magic will likely be much easier for you now, but your magic overall will take some readjusting. I suggest getting a new wand."
Snape only nodded, and Harry learned from his thoughts that he hasn't gotten a chance to see Ollivander yet; he was evidently still using Bellatrix's wand.
"Not only that," Madame Pomfrey continued, "But your aura is much purer than it used to be, and more powerful, and you have very little magical damage or dark taint. What in Merlin's name happened to you?"
Professor Snape smiled faintly, making him look years younger. "Have you heard of the rite of Flamma Aeterna?"
"The what?"
"The Rite of Flamma Aeterna." Unexpectedly, it was Lucius Malfoy who answered her. "Dear Morgana's tits, is that how you survived?!"
Snape nodded.
"And Potter was the phœnix?"
"Yes," he replied, smirking. He smirked even more when Lucius toppled over backwards in a dead faint.
AN: I was going to continue, but I thought I'd leave you guys on this hilarious note. And don't forget about my poll; it's going down soon. :)
