A/N: To the anonymous reviewer that called me a bigot because I write a gender-swapped Harry instead of traditional Snarry, I'm not straight nor ever have been.
I write this way to help me work through my father figure issues. Not only has my entire dad's side of the family literally disowned me when I publicly came out about my sexuality on Facebook only a handful of months ago, but I originally wrote this story as a teen when I was being groped and groomed by two men more than double my age, and I didn't know what they were doing could be considered wrong.
Rewriting this story to be less problematic has been a positive coping mechanism for me during this difficult pandemic, so, uh, thanks for shitting on that, and quite honestly, ruining my night and headspace.
Reading aloud became the pastime for the first week that they spent together while Laurette healed from her concussion. Severus noted that she became more comfortable with each day's reading. She went from sitting at the opposite side of the couch to being somewhere in the middle, sitting towards him with her head against the side of the couch, wrapped in a blanket.
On their eighth day together, Severus performed a medical assessment after breakfast, and it did not mention anything about a concussion, so Severus proclaimed that she was healed and could go back to her normal activities, which would include reading.
"Oh, okay," she replied. Although, she thought about how she would miss his slow and soothing voice each day, and they still had a quarter of the novel remaining.
However, on that eighth day, they both needed to travel to Hogwarts where a funeral would be held for those that lost their lives in the battle. This included Albus Dumbledore, Alastor Moody, Colin Creevey, and a couple of aurors that Laurette had not known.
She managed to find an appropriate outfit with the clothes that the house-elf had purchased for her. Laurette had not thought of adding a funeral dress to the list, but either the elf did or she just included many black items for various events.
Looking into the mirror in the room she occupied, she pulled her hair into a ballet bun. The black dress she had on fell just below her knees in a tight pencil skirt. The top was a high boat neckline with sleeves that stopped at her elbows.
The house-elf had also managed to find her usual perfume that she wore periodically since she was a second year. She wasn't sure how the elf accomplished that because she thought it was purchased in a muggle shop since Hermione gave it to her on her twelfth birthday. Regardless, she put a spray on her wrists and rubbed them together.
Finding a pair of black flats, she put those on, and she stepped into the hallway. Severus was closing the door to his room, and they nearly bumped into each other in the small area at the top of the stairs.
"Excuse me, professor," Laurette said quickly, and as she did so, she inhaled a deep scent of the cologne he was wearing. It was a woody smell with maybe a hint of earthy forest. For some reason, it made her blush, and she quickly moved to the stairs, hoping he did not see. He usually just smelled of his office, but he must have done something different.
Severus did spray a cologne that an old flame gave him years ago when she tried making their relationship something with more permanence. Severus simply didn't want to smell poorly at an outdoor funeral on a warm summer day while wearing black pants and a black dress shirt.
He watched her descend the stairs, curious as to what made her look away and her cheeks flush. He had witnessed that behavior countless times when he stepped too near to a student that had an infatuation with him, but he didn't think that was the case with Laurette. He played it up to nerves for the funeral and followed her down the stairs.
They met at the bottom of the stairs in the entryway to the home. "If you are ready, we will apparate to the castle grounds. She nodded, and he held out his arm. Interlocking her arm around his, they disappeared from Snape's home.
In the brief moment where they swirled together while transporting, Severus noticed something that he never had before, or maybe he never had the opportunity before. But when they landed, he looked at her curiously. Never before had he noticed that she smelled of vanilla.
Hermione and Ron walked towards Laurette when she appeared with Snape. Ron had been spending some of the summer at Hermione's house. He was glad to get away to somewhere quiet, and he didn't mind that Hermione's mum doted on him. Laurette was curious about their sleeping arrangement, but she didn't know when she would get the chance to ask Hermione for the details.
Snape was glad that Laurette was approached when they arrived because he could not hide his expression. He tried to recall what other scents he noted in his Amortentia. Part of him wanted to go to his office now and get another whiff of the scent.
But he was interrupted when Minerva McGonagall walked over to the man, "What is going on in your mind, Severus? I have not seen such a confused expression since you were a student of mine."
He looked at the newest headmistress of the castle, "Potter can just surprise me sometimes, that is all…" He replied in a contemplative tone.
They did not have much more time to speak though, a small tufty-haired wizard began asking the crowd to take a seat. No one had ever witnessed more people on the castle grounds before. Hundreds of chairs were filled with extraordinary looking individuals.
Laurette found a seat next to Hermione, who had Ron on her other side. The various caskets were open and a few rows ahead of where they sat. She could tell which one was Colin's due to the smaller size.
Gazing up at the castle, the exterior appeared to be repaired. She wondered if the inside of the castle still needed work or if it had magically returned to its usual state in the week since the battle occurred.
The small wizard began to speak when everyone seemed to be seated. He took his time, speaking about each individual that gave their lives in the battle. There was not a dry eye when it was time to speak of Colin and his bravery. Colin's younger brother, Dennis, came to the podium to speak as well, and tears poured from Laurette's eyes.
Laurette felt guilty, but she just wanted the event to be over after she had paid her respects by visiting the caskets of those that she knew. She felt as though hundreds of eyes were on her. People she didn't know were looking at her scar and her tear-stained face, and quite a few strangers approached her to try and speak to her or compliment her for what she had done. Severus noticed she was looking around the crowd with her red and puffy eyes. He moved his way towards her until he touched her softly on the elbow.
"Are you ready?" He asked her softly. She looked up at him with almost a pleading expression, relieved to see him, and she nodded. Instantly, they disappeared. A moment later, they were back in the entryway of Severus's home.
He heard her sigh as she slipped off her shoes and went upstairs silently. He waited a minute or so before following her. He figured she wanted to change out of her formal wear, and he wanted to do the same, although his casual wear was still fairly formal.
Quietly, he went into his room and put on his usual white dress shirt, rolling up the sleeves to show his forearms. He figured he would leave Potter undisturbed for some time.
Meanwhile, inside her room, she found a pair of sweatpants and a shirt to replace the funeral attire. Once she was changed, she brushed her hair from her bun, not caring that her waves were quite disastrous looking, she flopped on the bed.
It was hard seeing Colin. There was no denying that. She flopped onto her bed. She was glad to have the guest room in Snape's home for however long she would remain there. She was glad to be able to be alone and process all that had happened in the past week. After all the strangers speaking to her, she felt exhausted, and just wanted to lay on her bed in silence.
After a few hours, she felt her typical level of calm return. Running a hand through her messy hair, she opened the door to her room and descended the stairs to see Snape in the library reading the Daily Prophet.
She entered the room and took a seat on the couch next to him. She saw the novel, Return of the Native sitting on the coffee table before her. The place was marked where Severus had finished reading for them, and Laurette could continue on her own if she wished.
He watched her as she picked up the book. She wasn't having headaches or fatigue anymore, but she craved hearing his voice, especially after the day she had.
Finally, she spoke, "Professor?"
"Potter?" He replied.
"If you don't want to, erm, well, you don't have to, but I-I wouldn't mind if you…" She held the book in his direction, and he raised a brow at her.
Knowing what she was asking, he still added, "I didn't quite catch that, Potter…"
She gave the tiniest of sighs and asked, "Could you continue to read aloud?"
Their eyes met, and he remembered the vanilla scent captured earlier in the day. He took the book from her as he replied, "Certainly…"
Another week passed, and one morning at the breakfast table, Severus slid the Daily Prophet towards her. The word 'CAPTURED' was across the headline. She took it and read. She couldn't think of another Death Eater that was not listed as being in Azkaban. Draco Malfoy was even listed. His birthday was just around the corner, so he was being trialed as an adult.
"What does that mean?" She asked, wondering what it meant for her living arrangement.
"If there is another location that you would rather be at until your birthday, you are able to do so. I do not foresee any objection if you chose to go to another's home, even if the security is minimal." He replied as he poured milk into his tea.
"Oh," she replied. Truthfully, she felt more relaxed than she ever had in his home. She'd never had her own bathroom before, let alone, one connected to her room with a tub.
He interrupted her thoughts, "Is there somewhere that I can arrange for you, Potter?"
Their eyes met, and she puckered up the courage to say, "No, unless there is somewhere that you'd rather I be…"
Standing with his teacup, "We can address this again after your birthday. I will be in the basement, I have brewing to attend to."
As he turned to leave, "Professor?" He turned his frame to face her again in the doorway. "Thank you." He gave a small smile and exited the room. He wouldn't admit, but he also enjoyed her company.
The month of June and most of July passed uneventfully. Severus and Laurette managed to get along peacefully for the most part. There were moments of arguing when Snape had caught her reading books he believed contained too dark of magic, but she would be an adult in only a handful of days, and he more than understood the curiosity of wanting to learn more about the forbidden aspects of magic.
However, the arguments were brief and mild. He would snatch the book from her or she'd slam it shut and storm to her room, murmuring under her breath about how she was an actual horcrux, and she wasn't reading anything near as dark as that.
On the thirtieth of July, Severus again asked her what she wanted to do for the rest of the summer. Tomorrow, she would be seventeen and able to legally live alone and perform magic. He was surprised when she stated that she wouldn't mind going to headquarters for the final month of summer. It wasn't due to anything that happened, she just wanted to try and be an adult on her own.
Many gifts arrived by owl on the day of her birthday. She'd open them as they arrived from all of her friends. Severus almost grew annoyed at how she levitated the wrappings into the trash instead of just walking them over, but he could even remember his excitement of finally being able to legally use magic outside of school.
During the past week, Severus placed a new fidelius charm over Number Twelve Grimmauld Place. Laurette was her own secret keeper. Even those that were once members of the Order would not even be able to find the home now unless Laurette gave them instructions.
On the evening of her birthday, Laurette and Severus floo-ed to her new home, where she would be, for the remainder of the summer. Laurette also wanted to try and make the old headquarters into a home since she'd probably live there after graduation.
They Floo-ed separately since Snape took her trunk with him, and she took Hedwig's empty cage with her. Hedwig was instructed to just fly there.
"Do you want me to put this anywhere in particular?" He motioned to her trunk.
She shook her head, "I can levitate it later."
"I am certain you can," he said sarcastically since she used every charm possible earlier in the day. "I will see you tomorrow, Potter." He turned to grab a handful of floo powder.
"You're stopping by tomorrow?" He noticed that her voice sounded excited. He knew he was currently the only other individual that knew of the secret location, so she would likely be very alone in the month before school, and he was slightly worried about how she would do on her own.
"I mean at the Weasley wedding tomorrow," he added with a brow raised. "Are you certain that you can manage living alone? You are still welcome in my home-"
"I just forgot!" She said exasperatedly. "I would have remembered eventually."
He wanted to laugh, but instead he only gave a small chuckle, "I will see you tomorrow, Potter." He threw the floo powder into the fireplace, "And Happy Birthday." Then he was gone in a blur of green light before she could thank him for the birthday wishes and for everything he had done for her this summer.
It was still light out, so Laurette decided to work on the house a bit. She put all the objects that she didn't want to see each day into the basement, including the house-elf wall mounts. Someone had already moved the portrait of Sirius's mum down there, and she was glad. It was probably the loudest and more hateful portrait she'd ever met. She was careful not to go near it and knock off the curtain and tarp that was draped over it.
The ground floor was easy to clean since it was only the dining table. She spelled the windows clean, and more light came through, which completely changed how the room looked. She moved up the stairs to the first floor, and only changed the colors of the green upholstery. When she was done with that room, it strongly resembled the Gryffindor common room.
Sirius's old bedroom on the second floor was a bit of a disaster since Buckbeak also stayed in there. After standing in the doorway for what seemed like an hour, she decided to banish everything on the entire floor. All the furniture and walls were removed. She even vanished the bathroom. It was now just a wide open space with gold curtains and dark hardwood floors.
Moving to the third floor, she didn't do much. This floor consisted of three bedrooms that had already been altered greatly when individuals in the Order slept over. Other than some light cleaning and adjusting of the furniture, she was content with how it looked.
Finally, she made it to the fourth floor. The floor that held Sirius' and Regulus' bedrooms, along with one large bath that they likely shared. Laurette had an idea. She vanished the wall between the two bedrooms. While it took a great deal of work to make the walls the same color, she finally had one massive bedroom. She vanished Regulus' old bed and moved Sirius' to the middle of the new room. She didn't have the energy tonight to go through all the cupboards, but she then accio-ed her trunk to her new room and began settling in for bed.
A/N: Never in my many, many years of writing FanFiction have I received more negative reviews that I have lately. I don't understand why. I have never disliked someone's story so much that I felt the need to leave a harmfully negative review. Writers on here spend hours and hours investing themselves into their stories. I am contemplating turning off anonymous reviews for the first time ever because the negative reviews are really starting to impact my ability to write this. If you do enjoy this story, I would love it if you could leave a review. It's getting to the point where I'm more nervous than excited when I get an email about a review. I could really use some encouragement right now before continuing this story.