Best of Me
Hannya
Disclaimer: Nope, sorry, I own nothing. You can tell because Chamber of Secrets wasn't rated NC-17 and didn't include any naked mud wrestling during the Quidditch game. Glad to clear that up for everybody.
Warning: Harry might be OOC but it kinda depends on how you interpret it and everything, Snape will definitely be OOC; don't know about the house elves.er. OOC, alright? And slash (although that shouldn't show up until *checks story outline* chapter four. But then I'm running with it! Mwahaha!).
A/N: Okay, you reviewers rock! I'll have more praise for you at the bottom and I took everybody's helpful comments and I hope I covered my as-uh, most of my errors in this chapter. Anyway, the votes are practically even on Snape's future significant other between Hermione, Remus, and Sirius. It would be wrong to just make it some kind of freakish foursome, wouldn't it? Damn.
Oh, I'm noticing that my grasp of spelling and grammar are sadly lacking sooooo...anyone wanna be my beta? Please?
CHAPTER Three
"Honestly, you'd think *I'd* be the one freaking out about all this, "an amused voice floated through the layers of fog still clouding the astute potions master's mind. Okay, he was lying down which was good since he was still mostly unconscious. Severus mentally gave 10 points to Slytherin for his own ability to be sarcastic without even being awake. Now, besides the lying down and unconscious part it seem that someone (probably Doc) had applied a cold compress. Good house elf. Alright, now, why he had fainted. Not that he fainted, of course. Scary intimidating Death Eater spies do *not* faint. He blacked out and now he wanted to remember why. Oh, of course, the Potter brat and something about-
Consciousness and his memory hit him at the same time and the usually cold and composed man jackknifed to a sitting position, compress flying and narrowly missing a stately and appropriately dim lamp. Then, stunning his newly discovered son with his rhetoric, "Y-you! I- she- he-"
Harry surreptitiously checked the floor for a sudden temperature drop. Severus Snape was stuttering so it only served to reason that Hell had frozen over. With a shrug at the carpet's general refusal to acknowledge the rules of God and Man, Harry turned back to his estranged parent and attempted to translate the pronouns-only babble. "Oh, yeah, here." The younger Snape (although technically his name was Evans but, eh, whatever) pulled the slightly rumpled shimmery birth certificate from the back pocket of his jean and thrust it towards the elder. "Proof. I found it this morning in my Aunt's attic.
Quieted temporarily, the professor carefully examined the wizarding document. The burning phoenix seal gave him a sympathetic glance before burning into life giving ashes once again. Appropriate as they were both falling to pieces.
Okay, warning, it gets pretty fluffy here for a while so forgive me if it sucks. I'm not a very mushy person
Raw black eyes looked up from the paper only to fall on the child he'd despised for so long; the child that was, in fact, his own. And, now unhindered by the memory of his old rival and his features stamped on the younger generation, he could see that the boy who lived was looking less like a Potter clone and more like some perfect balance between himself and Lily. The eyes, of course, were hers and mother and son were alone in the world to have been graced with that unique shade. But the hair, the inky black impossible to tame was most definitely his. Why else would he keep it so oiled and weighed down?
Besides that, however, you couldn't tell just from looking at the young wizarding savior just whose child he was. Everything from his eyebrows (thick like his but arched like hers) to his build (Lily's delicacy and his underlying wiry muscle) was such an even mixture of their genes that he looked, uniquely, like Harry.
Snape scowled. It felt as though Harry had always looked as he appeared now but reasoning got together with memory and insisted that at the end of the term he could have still passed as James with colored contacts.
The sharp verdant eyes in question caught the scowl and the boy felt the need to explain, "My 15th birthday was a week ago and I've been, er, changing gradually ever since. It's unnerving but.it feels *right*."
The mention of his birthday sent a bittersweet stab of emotion straight through the potion master's previously chilled heart. His birthday. The day of Harry's birth. He cased that, he and Lily, together, had made the amazing (except in Potions, unfortunately) boy who sat in a nearby chair allowing himself to be examined like a particularly complex spell, small smile desperately attempting to hide his anxiety.
Elation warred with horrific apprehension and came to an uneasy standstill in the form of a rather chipper grimace on the poor man's face that, of course, Harry couldn't help but flinch from slightly.
But it seemed like such a practiced gesture that the wizard still half laying on the couch couldn't help but feel his features rearrange themselves into a concerned frown. Somehow, in his careful observation of his previously unknown son, he'd missed the large and discolored bruise that decorated one high cheekbone. A cheekbone that was far too prominent as was every other visible bone on the boy. Harry Potter, Boy Who Lived, looked on the edge of starvation and holding on with shaky fingertips.
The efficient Professor made another appearance, effectively covering the panicked parent that threatened to mess up everything and quickly began barking orders to his dwarv-uh, house elves. "Sneezy, get young Harry (he couldn't call him Potter, now could he?) a bowl of the stew from last night and a large glass of milk. Nothing too hard on the stomach. Doc, a compress for that bruise." With the desperate eagerness ingrained in all house elves, they nearly tripped over one another in a rush to obey their master but the green-eyed youth barely noticed the commotion as he was involved in gaping like a goldfish at his professor turned father.
"Why." He was going to ask why he was doing this, helping him because, although he had come to inform him that he was his son, he'd only really been seeking sanctuary from the Dursleys and not actually expecting to be accepted as family. Not after the Dursleys had made it clear he was unlovable and their own past history mucking up matters. The words drifted off at the concern in the shadowed eyes of the man who had previously lived to torment him. Eyes that had spit venom as easily as his biting words were now soft and almost desperately worried. And despite the voice in the boy's mind screaming that those emotions couldn't possibly be for him, he let the hope that had bubbled in his heart upon first seeing the blasted certificate carefully evolve into a tentative trust.
(argh, sweet fluff, kill me now.)
"Let us just get a few things straight. The East Wing is yours but the dungeons are entirely off limits because they double as my lab and you've blow up a few too many cauldrons to be anywhere near experimental potions. No flying unsupervised by either myself or one of the elves, you cannot borrow my car despite the fact that I do actually own one- Stop gaping, Harold, it's not *that* surprising-, and I am not, I repeat, NOT your 'old man'. Are we clear?" The new father managed a relatively stern voice that was completely ruined by the uncharacteristically gentle smile gracing his thin-lipped mouth.
Eye's slightly glazed by the speech, Harry managed to mumble, "Not old enough to drive. I was going to get hardship license at the Dursleys but." He shrugged finally and broke into a sudden grin. They weren't the sort to do a cheerful, teary reunion (okay, maybe Harry was but this *was* Snape and he was quite happy with not pushing his luck right now) but this unspoken truce was a definite step in the right direction.
As the older man motioned for one of the elves to show him where exactly the East Wing was, the Gryffindor finally noticed that instead of the pillow cases that he'd seen on Dobby and a few of the other elves, Snape's all wore outfits that looked vaguely like tiny butler costumes. Stunned, he didn't snap out of his muted staring until a never before heard self-deprecating chuckle drifted over and Harry lifted one expressive eyebrow in questioning.
"My mother tried to free them after my father died but they refused to leave so they've been here working for room, board, and clothes ever since. Much like Malfoy's Dobby who, I believe, is now at Hogwarts?"
Pleasure lit up the crayola green eyes as he nodded, both pleased with the free elves (as he was sure Hermione would be proud) and of the connection between his grandmother and himself. After a moment he remembered the elf who'd caught his attention the first time and moved to follow him to his new living arrangements. "Oh, and Harry?"
The wild-haired one paused and looked expectantly at the man speaking to him. He didn't know if he could get over the usually grim adult no longer addressing him as 'Mr. Potter'. "Yes, sir?"
"We'll discuss those bruises at dinner. Don't be late." The last sounded so much like the greasy git his father (his father! He had a father!) had been parading around as all these years that Harry almost snapped back in pure reflex but stopped as the older man's entire manor begged to be allowed to help him now that they knew of their connection.
So, he smiled a reassuring smile and followed Happy up a set of winding stairs. He had some owls to send.
The deeply ingrained annoyance in Severus Snape's personality was quickly overwhelming his newly developed 'softer' side that was due to the knowledge of Lily's and his own child being well and safe and at the family home where he belonged. The cause of the sudden comeback on the part of the eye tick? One twinkly-eyed Headmaster currently rambling in his fireplace.
"Finally, Severus! I was wondering if the two of you would ever realize the truth!"
The sound of grinding teeth was clearly audible over the crackling flames but the Potions master managed to unclench his jaw enough to get out, "That would have been a little difficult as he must have been under a powerful glamour from birth to look identical to Potter."
A wisened gray head nodded, "True."
"Oh, and he happens to be hideous at potions, cannot help but run into every dangerous situation with that ridiculous house bravery which brings me to the fact that he's the very image of a model Gryffindor. So, how exactly was I, the head of *Slytherin* house, supposed to come to the conclusion that he was my own offspring?!"
The damned man simply smiled secretively and flickered out, effectively ending the conversation. Of course, it had served his purpose. He'd informed the Headmaster of Harry's whereabouts, parentage, and general health (about which he was quite upset seeing as it was Dumbledore who had placed him with those useless Muggles) and inreturn had learned that Harry had' been given permission to use magic over the summer, with the exception of anything that directly affected Muggles, over the summer so that he could keep up his Defense Against Dark Arts practice.
Bashful politely informed him that dinner would be in an hour and Snape thanked him before giving the now Wizard-free fire a death glare. Well, it looked as if he was going to finally get to teach someone Defense Against Dark Arts after all.
Damn Dumbledore.
TBC...
Wow, I think that's one of my longest chapters ever..Anyway, if you liked it and want to encourage me to write faster, review! Look, everybody's doing it!
Oh, summary for next chappie:
-breakfast
-more comparisons between Harry and his parents
-discussing the Dursleys
-Harry asks if his boyfriend can visit and Snape faints, er, blacks out for the second time.
Thanks yous for:
Unsigned person; jliles, tima, Whitethorn :D, Witchmaster (thanks for the decorating suggestions, I'll go into more detail next chap. Oh, and I know the Son of a Deatheater sounds like a curse, it was one of my more pathetic attempts at humor. Forgive me?), Saavik (explained except for the getting to snapes. I think it's going to be implied Knight Bus travel. Oh, I love MOM for Ministry of Magic. Mom! Get it! *laughs hysterically before stopping suddenly* nevermind.), Lee Lee Potter (I've tried to explain to my boss that fanfiction always comes first but.*sigh* ), Setsuri (don't worry, Slytherin! Harry should show up in the next chapter or so), snapefan51 (isn't he just!), Aeryn Alexander (don't kill me if he ends up with Black, k? I promise not to make it too detailed or mushy if it ends up like that!), WittchWay (cute name!), Pan (no problem), Littletiger (*sobs* I love David Eddings! And you compared me to him! You are wonderful! *cuddles her hard copies of everything he's ever written and cries tears of pure happiness*), TanisaFyre (we gotta stop meeting like this.wait, no we don't! Thanks for the Review and hurry with the next chappie of 'An End and a Beginning'! 'an author such as me'? Wow.that's so going in my LiveJournal.), unsigned person (Um, it's okay, I love you anyway? Besides, my story, my choice, go bug some abortionists or something), eudyptulaminor (thanks! Nice name, btw. What's it mean?), Minerva-Severus- Dumbledor (TANKU!), Lady Arwen (Yeah, I'm not a big Her/Snape fan but I'm open to suggestions), Gablock the Hated (so, another no for the hermione/snape/lupin/sirius foursome?), Ember of Fate (Oh yes, I love the Sevs too. Sevie-baby, it's just asking to be a cute pet name!), Loon (your vote has been counted, thanks for the review!), hermione1fanever (because I love notes! I ramble when I talk too. May you never get stuck in an elevator with me.), Marina ( I had a friend named Marina once.*hugs, sniffing at memories of the other bookworm* thanks, man!) Lady Foxfire (you want it, you got it.), Jacquie (ah, another slash bunny. Rock on.), Patchfire (I'm trying to avoid it, I swear. oh, and Draco should be here very very soon.), hermionegranger (how'd you bag that author name? You go!), ^_^ (tanku!), (gaimanamckean@hotmail.com) Thanks for the helpful advice and at this point, Harry is just grateful that he doesn't have to stay with the Dursleys. The shock that this is Snape probably won't hit till schools back in session., Emma (Did I explain away the age mix up? I sorry! Thank you for pointing that out)
Hannya
Disclaimer: Nope, sorry, I own nothing. You can tell because Chamber of Secrets wasn't rated NC-17 and didn't include any naked mud wrestling during the Quidditch game. Glad to clear that up for everybody.
Warning: Harry might be OOC but it kinda depends on how you interpret it and everything, Snape will definitely be OOC; don't know about the house elves.er. OOC, alright? And slash (although that shouldn't show up until *checks story outline* chapter four. But then I'm running with it! Mwahaha!).
A/N: Okay, you reviewers rock! I'll have more praise for you at the bottom and I took everybody's helpful comments and I hope I covered my as-uh, most of my errors in this chapter. Anyway, the votes are practically even on Snape's future significant other between Hermione, Remus, and Sirius. It would be wrong to just make it some kind of freakish foursome, wouldn't it? Damn.
Oh, I'm noticing that my grasp of spelling and grammar are sadly lacking sooooo...anyone wanna be my beta? Please?
CHAPTER Three
"Honestly, you'd think *I'd* be the one freaking out about all this, "an amused voice floated through the layers of fog still clouding the astute potions master's mind. Okay, he was lying down which was good since he was still mostly unconscious. Severus mentally gave 10 points to Slytherin for his own ability to be sarcastic without even being awake. Now, besides the lying down and unconscious part it seem that someone (probably Doc) had applied a cold compress. Good house elf. Alright, now, why he had fainted. Not that he fainted, of course. Scary intimidating Death Eater spies do *not* faint. He blacked out and now he wanted to remember why. Oh, of course, the Potter brat and something about-
Consciousness and his memory hit him at the same time and the usually cold and composed man jackknifed to a sitting position, compress flying and narrowly missing a stately and appropriately dim lamp. Then, stunning his newly discovered son with his rhetoric, "Y-you! I- she- he-"
Harry surreptitiously checked the floor for a sudden temperature drop. Severus Snape was stuttering so it only served to reason that Hell had frozen over. With a shrug at the carpet's general refusal to acknowledge the rules of God and Man, Harry turned back to his estranged parent and attempted to translate the pronouns-only babble. "Oh, yeah, here." The younger Snape (although technically his name was Evans but, eh, whatever) pulled the slightly rumpled shimmery birth certificate from the back pocket of his jean and thrust it towards the elder. "Proof. I found it this morning in my Aunt's attic.
Quieted temporarily, the professor carefully examined the wizarding document. The burning phoenix seal gave him a sympathetic glance before burning into life giving ashes once again. Appropriate as they were both falling to pieces.
Okay, warning, it gets pretty fluffy here for a while so forgive me if it sucks. I'm not a very mushy person
Raw black eyes looked up from the paper only to fall on the child he'd despised for so long; the child that was, in fact, his own. And, now unhindered by the memory of his old rival and his features stamped on the younger generation, he could see that the boy who lived was looking less like a Potter clone and more like some perfect balance between himself and Lily. The eyes, of course, were hers and mother and son were alone in the world to have been graced with that unique shade. But the hair, the inky black impossible to tame was most definitely his. Why else would he keep it so oiled and weighed down?
Besides that, however, you couldn't tell just from looking at the young wizarding savior just whose child he was. Everything from his eyebrows (thick like his but arched like hers) to his build (Lily's delicacy and his underlying wiry muscle) was such an even mixture of their genes that he looked, uniquely, like Harry.
Snape scowled. It felt as though Harry had always looked as he appeared now but reasoning got together with memory and insisted that at the end of the term he could have still passed as James with colored contacts.
The sharp verdant eyes in question caught the scowl and the boy felt the need to explain, "My 15th birthday was a week ago and I've been, er, changing gradually ever since. It's unnerving but.it feels *right*."
The mention of his birthday sent a bittersweet stab of emotion straight through the potion master's previously chilled heart. His birthday. The day of Harry's birth. He cased that, he and Lily, together, had made the amazing (except in Potions, unfortunately) boy who sat in a nearby chair allowing himself to be examined like a particularly complex spell, small smile desperately attempting to hide his anxiety.
Elation warred with horrific apprehension and came to an uneasy standstill in the form of a rather chipper grimace on the poor man's face that, of course, Harry couldn't help but flinch from slightly.
But it seemed like such a practiced gesture that the wizard still half laying on the couch couldn't help but feel his features rearrange themselves into a concerned frown. Somehow, in his careful observation of his previously unknown son, he'd missed the large and discolored bruise that decorated one high cheekbone. A cheekbone that was far too prominent as was every other visible bone on the boy. Harry Potter, Boy Who Lived, looked on the edge of starvation and holding on with shaky fingertips.
The efficient Professor made another appearance, effectively covering the panicked parent that threatened to mess up everything and quickly began barking orders to his dwarv-uh, house elves. "Sneezy, get young Harry (he couldn't call him Potter, now could he?) a bowl of the stew from last night and a large glass of milk. Nothing too hard on the stomach. Doc, a compress for that bruise." With the desperate eagerness ingrained in all house elves, they nearly tripped over one another in a rush to obey their master but the green-eyed youth barely noticed the commotion as he was involved in gaping like a goldfish at his professor turned father.
"Why." He was going to ask why he was doing this, helping him because, although he had come to inform him that he was his son, he'd only really been seeking sanctuary from the Dursleys and not actually expecting to be accepted as family. Not after the Dursleys had made it clear he was unlovable and their own past history mucking up matters. The words drifted off at the concern in the shadowed eyes of the man who had previously lived to torment him. Eyes that had spit venom as easily as his biting words were now soft and almost desperately worried. And despite the voice in the boy's mind screaming that those emotions couldn't possibly be for him, he let the hope that had bubbled in his heart upon first seeing the blasted certificate carefully evolve into a tentative trust.
(argh, sweet fluff, kill me now.)
"Let us just get a few things straight. The East Wing is yours but the dungeons are entirely off limits because they double as my lab and you've blow up a few too many cauldrons to be anywhere near experimental potions. No flying unsupervised by either myself or one of the elves, you cannot borrow my car despite the fact that I do actually own one- Stop gaping, Harold, it's not *that* surprising-, and I am not, I repeat, NOT your 'old man'. Are we clear?" The new father managed a relatively stern voice that was completely ruined by the uncharacteristically gentle smile gracing his thin-lipped mouth.
Eye's slightly glazed by the speech, Harry managed to mumble, "Not old enough to drive. I was going to get hardship license at the Dursleys but." He shrugged finally and broke into a sudden grin. They weren't the sort to do a cheerful, teary reunion (okay, maybe Harry was but this *was* Snape and he was quite happy with not pushing his luck right now) but this unspoken truce was a definite step in the right direction.
As the older man motioned for one of the elves to show him where exactly the East Wing was, the Gryffindor finally noticed that instead of the pillow cases that he'd seen on Dobby and a few of the other elves, Snape's all wore outfits that looked vaguely like tiny butler costumes. Stunned, he didn't snap out of his muted staring until a never before heard self-deprecating chuckle drifted over and Harry lifted one expressive eyebrow in questioning.
"My mother tried to free them after my father died but they refused to leave so they've been here working for room, board, and clothes ever since. Much like Malfoy's Dobby who, I believe, is now at Hogwarts?"
Pleasure lit up the crayola green eyes as he nodded, both pleased with the free elves (as he was sure Hermione would be proud) and of the connection between his grandmother and himself. After a moment he remembered the elf who'd caught his attention the first time and moved to follow him to his new living arrangements. "Oh, and Harry?"
The wild-haired one paused and looked expectantly at the man speaking to him. He didn't know if he could get over the usually grim adult no longer addressing him as 'Mr. Potter'. "Yes, sir?"
"We'll discuss those bruises at dinner. Don't be late." The last sounded so much like the greasy git his father (his father! He had a father!) had been parading around as all these years that Harry almost snapped back in pure reflex but stopped as the older man's entire manor begged to be allowed to help him now that they knew of their connection.
So, he smiled a reassuring smile and followed Happy up a set of winding stairs. He had some owls to send.
The deeply ingrained annoyance in Severus Snape's personality was quickly overwhelming his newly developed 'softer' side that was due to the knowledge of Lily's and his own child being well and safe and at the family home where he belonged. The cause of the sudden comeback on the part of the eye tick? One twinkly-eyed Headmaster currently rambling in his fireplace.
"Finally, Severus! I was wondering if the two of you would ever realize the truth!"
The sound of grinding teeth was clearly audible over the crackling flames but the Potions master managed to unclench his jaw enough to get out, "That would have been a little difficult as he must have been under a powerful glamour from birth to look identical to Potter."
A wisened gray head nodded, "True."
"Oh, and he happens to be hideous at potions, cannot help but run into every dangerous situation with that ridiculous house bravery which brings me to the fact that he's the very image of a model Gryffindor. So, how exactly was I, the head of *Slytherin* house, supposed to come to the conclusion that he was my own offspring?!"
The damned man simply smiled secretively and flickered out, effectively ending the conversation. Of course, it had served his purpose. He'd informed the Headmaster of Harry's whereabouts, parentage, and general health (about which he was quite upset seeing as it was Dumbledore who had placed him with those useless Muggles) and inreturn had learned that Harry had' been given permission to use magic over the summer, with the exception of anything that directly affected Muggles, over the summer so that he could keep up his Defense Against Dark Arts practice.
Bashful politely informed him that dinner would be in an hour and Snape thanked him before giving the now Wizard-free fire a death glare. Well, it looked as if he was going to finally get to teach someone Defense Against Dark Arts after all.
Damn Dumbledore.
TBC...
Wow, I think that's one of my longest chapters ever..Anyway, if you liked it and want to encourage me to write faster, review! Look, everybody's doing it!
Oh, summary for next chappie:
-breakfast
-more comparisons between Harry and his parents
-discussing the Dursleys
-Harry asks if his boyfriend can visit and Snape faints, er, blacks out for the second time.
Thanks yous for:
Unsigned person; jliles, tima, Whitethorn :D, Witchmaster (thanks for the decorating suggestions, I'll go into more detail next chap. Oh, and I know the Son of a Deatheater sounds like a curse, it was one of my more pathetic attempts at humor. Forgive me?), Saavik (explained except for the getting to snapes. I think it's going to be implied Knight Bus travel. Oh, I love MOM for Ministry of Magic. Mom! Get it! *laughs hysterically before stopping suddenly* nevermind.), Lee Lee Potter (I've tried to explain to my boss that fanfiction always comes first but.*sigh* ), Setsuri (don't worry, Slytherin! Harry should show up in the next chapter or so), snapefan51 (isn't he just!), Aeryn Alexander (don't kill me if he ends up with Black, k? I promise not to make it too detailed or mushy if it ends up like that!), WittchWay (cute name!), Pan (no problem), Littletiger (*sobs* I love David Eddings! And you compared me to him! You are wonderful! *cuddles her hard copies of everything he's ever written and cries tears of pure happiness*), TanisaFyre (we gotta stop meeting like this.wait, no we don't! Thanks for the Review and hurry with the next chappie of 'An End and a Beginning'! 'an author such as me'? Wow.that's so going in my LiveJournal.), unsigned person (Um, it's okay, I love you anyway? Besides, my story, my choice, go bug some abortionists or something), eudyptulaminor (thanks! Nice name, btw. What's it mean?), Minerva-Severus- Dumbledor (TANKU!), Lady Arwen (Yeah, I'm not a big Her/Snape fan but I'm open to suggestions), Gablock the Hated (so, another no for the hermione/snape/lupin/sirius foursome?), Ember of Fate (Oh yes, I love the Sevs too. Sevie-baby, it's just asking to be a cute pet name!), Loon (your vote has been counted, thanks for the review!), hermione1fanever (because I love notes! I ramble when I talk too. May you never get stuck in an elevator with me.), Marina ( I had a friend named Marina once.*hugs, sniffing at memories of the other bookworm* thanks, man!) Lady Foxfire (you want it, you got it.), Jacquie (ah, another slash bunny. Rock on.), Patchfire (I'm trying to avoid it, I swear. oh, and Draco should be here very very soon.), hermionegranger (how'd you bag that author name? You go!), ^_^ (tanku!), (gaimanamckean@hotmail.com) Thanks for the helpful advice and at this point, Harry is just grateful that he doesn't have to stay with the Dursleys. The shock that this is Snape probably won't hit till schools back in session., Emma (Did I explain away the age mix up? I sorry! Thank you for pointing that out)