Chapter 18
Severus stepped around the white curtain and sat stiffly in the seat by the chit`s bedside. For the first time in a long time, he felt awkward. It reminded him of his time as a teenager and he faintly resented the girl for making him feel this way, if only indirectly. With a little bit of digging, he had uncovered much about this child`s underprivileged upbringing which countered all his comfortable preconceived notions about her. He thought back to his treatment of her in his class with a pang of guilt, which frustrated him to no end. It had been necessary for the war! Or so he told himself. He had hoped that the end of the dark lord would be accompanied by freedom form his past transgressions. He should have known better than to be so optimistic. During the war, he was unable to help the hatred he felt for the potter girl. Every time she looked him in the eye his heart filled with phantoms of lost love and he lashed out. During his covalence, he let go of his hatred and relished in his freedom. Now he was once again chained by his conscience. His methods needed to change, or he would never be free. An open mind and a keen sense of observation would be the best place to start. He was a Slytherin after all. He would get to know the girl, and then no one could blame him for hating her on her own merit.
"Hello, Professor." Harri greeted politely.
"Miss Potter." He replied curtly with a small nod.
Silence reigned as Harri evaluated her professor. He looked well. His skin glowed with health, his teeth and hair were clean, and he wore a white button-up with a mandarin collar that complimented his complexion rather than making him appear even paler than he already was (like his teaching robes used to do). His hair was tied back with a ribbon which was a striking change. It highlighted his features and made him come across as very aristocratic. While his expression could not be called welcoming, he seemed less surly than he had at school. This gave Harri hope that this conversation may not go as poorly as she was expecting.
Snape's brow ticked up in annoyance and impatience, but he bore her scrutiny silently. He was becoming accustomed to the looks he was receiving from his acquaintances since his initial visit to the Dursley's. You'd think he had undergone plastic surgery or some other such nonsense instead of just applying a few hygiene spells. Finally, his patience ran out. "Well, Mrs. Potter? You asked to see me and here I am. What do you want?"
"How do you feel about parenthood?" she asked suddenly.
"E-excuse me?!" he spluttered.
"Parenthood. Could you ever see yourself being a parent to someone?"
"I don't see how that is ANY of your business!" he barked.
"Please Professor. I'm not trying to be impertinent." She soothed, "It's related to my illness."
Severus scoffed disbelievingly but decided to humour her. He wanted to know where she was going with this. "It is not something I've contemplated at length. The likelihood of my ever becoming a parent is nil."
"Could you please conjure a privacy ward before I explain?" She asked respectfully.
He peered at her suspiciously before complying.
"Am I right to assume that my superior in the upcoming mission for the Order is you?"
Snape frowned. "Yes. Minerva and Kingsley didn't want you to know in case you refused solely due to our mutual enmity. It was also a matter of security. Who told you?"
She shrugged. "I guessed. It seemed logical. You had no other reason for attending the meeting. On a related note, I misplaced my acceptance letter at the safe house. Could you please send it to Kingsley for me? He seemed anxious for my response."
Snape nodded. "Very well. I fail to see how this is related to my non-existent parental aspirations."
Harri sucked in a big breath and held if for a second before letting it out with a woosh. 'Just rip off the Band-Aid.' She thought. 'The worst he could do is say no.' "I am suffering from a condition known as soul-sickness and I need to form a magical soul-bond with someone if I want to get better. Would you be willing to be that person, Professor?"
Severus' brain stuttered to a halt. A parental soul-bond? The chit had just asked him to adopt her! Did she know what she was asking for? "Do you know what you're asking of me, Miss Potter? If I agreed I would become your father. I would be as much your father as James was. And it's for life. You would be bound to me for the rest of your life and me to you."
Snape leaned forward over the handle of his elaborate black cane as he spoke in low measured tones as though she were stupid. She huffed in frustration while attempting to reign-in her frown. It would do no good to allow him to bait her. It would likely give him an excuse to flee which would be very bad. "I'm aware."
He leaned back in shock. After a quiet minute he spoke again, his voice a confusion filled whisper. "But why? Why me?"
Harri looked down at her hands and picked at the now-fraying edges of her blanket. "Because I know I can count on you. You don't care about anything I've done, I'm still the annoying Potter brat to you. Despite that, I know you'll take care of me because you always have." When he didn't say anything, she looked up to see him thinking deeply and staring into space.
Severus was honestly stunned. It was not a warm welcome by any means, but It was certainly an improvement over the rampant hatred he had expected.
"What about the Weasleys?"
Harri flinched. "I know they'll likely be upset I didn't ask them but, I honestly don't think asking them would be a good idea, for them or me."
Snape hated emotions. He avoided them at all costs and yet he could see a scarlet train full of them hurtling into his near future. He started to sweat a little. He had to convince the chit to ask the Weasleys instead. "Why is that? Think carefully. This is not a decision to be taken lightly."
Harri snorted derisively at that massive understatement. "I have, believe me. I've spoken at length about this with the councillors here."
"And?"
Harri sighed and looked up in contemplation. "I love the Weasleys but, I don't quite belong there. I think of them as beloved extended family, but I need something of my own. The same could be said of Andromeda and Teddy. Also, nearly everyone has lost someone dear to them in the war and is in the process of grieving. This bond is a large commitment and they're not in a place right now to take on that kind of commitment." Harri blushed at the incredulous expression on the professor's face. "You were my mom's friend and you've always looked out for me. So, I was kind of hoping…" Her babbling trailed off as his expression of disbelief seemed to deepen. Harri felt very exposed.
Severus could not comprehend this girl. He had been horrible to her for years and yet now she wanted him to become something of a parent to her? It made no sense! Clearly, the girl's mind was still addled from her illness and unfortunate childhood. Potter Sr. was likely rolling around in his grave, but Lilly, lovely Lilly was likely very pleased (or so he hoped). There was only one choice. At least this would give him another measure of control over the chit during their mission.
Harri stayed quiet as she waited for him to come to a decision. His passive expression gave nothing away. "Very well." He said, startling her. "I agree. Please remember that you asked for this when you feel I am being too strict in the future."
Harri's surprised smile was incandescent.
##PRINCE##
Severus awkwardly adjusted the blindingly white ritual-robes the evil nurses had foisted upon him. They had not even allowed him the use of his cane which meant he was hobbling along in a most undignified manner. Apparently, the 'dark symbolism' of a black snake could 'taint' the ritual. He would have protested but he knew the spell required both participants to be 'free of adornments and ornamentation'. He shuddered at the thought of the kindly Nurse Fairbanks who had assisted him during his cleansing bath earlier (read: humiliating and forceful sponge-bath). Another Potter fanatic who can't keep their opinions to themselves. Clearly, the nurse did not approve of Miss Potter's choice of guardian, not that it was any of her business. At least he'd know who to sue if this got leaked to the press. Thankfully, the healer in charge, Mr. McCoy, appeared to be moderately more intelligent.
The ritual chamber greatly resembled an old-fashioned operating theatre except, instead of a gurney, a runic circle dominated the center of the room. Also, except for the runes transcribed on the floor (which were glowing with a pale blue aura) and the tinted observation windows which spanned half of the circumference of the room near the ceiling opposite the white doorway, the room was composed entirely of white stone. Even the stools upon which he and Miss Potter would sit and the flames in the scones on the circular walls were white. They were painful to look at directly. Snape was impressed. This much high-quality impurity-free stone was very expensive and yet clearly no expense had been spared in the creation of this chamber. This was a source of comfort as soul-magic was as dangerous as it was highly restricted and proper materials always made a significant difference to the possibility and degree of success in such endeavours.
He would have much preferred if the ritual were to be conducted completely privately, but the law required the head of the hospital and the head of security to observe the entire process, even if the case file was to be locked away indefinitely after the fact. At least, because all the participants were over the age of majority, nothing had to be filed at the ministry, which would have been the case if Miss Potter was still underage. Soul magic is illegal except when it is required to heal a witch or wizard from some sort of serious illness and so oversight by high ranking bodies is required. To make matters worse, the goody-two-shoes Potter allowed the healers to invite some healers-in-training to observe this once-in-a-lifetime procedure. To soothe his ruffled feathers Healer McCoy restricted it to those who had shown a predisposition towards astral magics and forced additional secrecy oaths upon all observers of the ritual (including the CEO and head of security). He scowled up at the gallery as a matter of principle as he took slow measured steps towards his seat to reduce the severity of his limp to the casual observer. Never let them see your weakness.
Potter was waiting for him on one of the stools next to healer McCoy who stood patiently, wearing simple robes whose colour mirrored the colour of the runes. Miss Potter appeared even more waif-like in the white robes. Her hair was loose and swirled wildly around her small frame. The robes accented her natural tan and made her green eyes glow even more than usual thanks to her missing glasses. He suddenly had a premonition of beating young men off with a stick even with a new identity and the move to a foreign country. Dear Lilly, what am I going to do? I'm getting far too old for this. The silly chit smiled at his approach causing him to cough and turn to the healer to hide his discomfort. He was unaccustomed to receiving a warm welcome. Further proof of mental instability perhaps?
Harri's smiled dimmed somewhat at the Professor's dismissal and her anxiety went up a notch. What was that? Did I make the right choice? Is he still mad about the students? I didn't mean to! I'm not used to asking for permission. Harri took a deep breath and held it. She clasped her hands together tightly and scrunched her eyes shut. She recalled her discussions with the counsellor and examined her gut instincts. No doubt. This was the right decision. Both her gut and heart agreed even if her mind was scared. She couldn't let her fear control her. Are you a Gryffindor or aren't you?! With that calming thought, she released the breath she had been holding and opened her eyes to see both Healer McCoy and Professor Snape looking at her expectantly. "Sorry, I didn't catch that."
Snape scowled. "Pay attention Potter! This is important. Stop daydreaming!"
Harri blushed and looked up at the healer apologetically.
"It's alright to be nervous Miss Potter but Professor Snape is right. Please listen carefully. The first step is the most perilous. We will begin by reputing the healer's bond you currently have in place. This will cause your magic to react wildly due to the sudden imbalance. This is expected so do not be alarmed. You must remain as calm as possible. We will then immediately begin the bonding ritual between yourself and Professor Snape which will help stabilize your magic once again. You will each be asked a series of questions which you must answer completely honestly to establish the intent of the bond for you both. Anything less than the unvarnished truth in each response could cause the procedure to fail. Do you understand?" Snape nodded once, curtly, as though offended he even had to ask. Harri nodded three times if somewhat hesitantly. "Once we're finished with the questions a column with a stone chalice containing the binding potion brewed by Professor Snape himself will rise from the floor. As the elder in the bond Professor Snape will add seven drops of blood first followed by yourself, Miss Potter. Please be careful to add no more or no less than seven drops. If you were at all dishonest earlier or you misjudged the number of drops the wound will not heal and the ritual will stop at this point." McCoy looked at each of his patients in the eye carefully to ensure they were still listening. "This would be very dangerous for you Miss Potter as we cannot re-establish the healer's bond once it has been removed. Finally, Professor Snape will answer two more questions and drink half the potion. You will then copy him. If successful, the runes on the floor and the chalice will disappear once you put it back on the column. Ok?"
They each acknowledged the Healer's instructions and neither had any further questions.
And so, it began. The start of the rest of their lives.
