Title: Wishes Are For Dreamers
Author: Yih
Disclaimer: I don't own any characters, only the AU scenario.
Beta: Quickjewel
~
8: Media Madness (September 11, 2003 to September 12, 2003)
Mornings were horrible. He threw up. Thank god it wasn't that bad. Thank god it wasn't blood that he threw up. Sometimes it happened, something about it being easy for him to bleed. That's how they first found out he had leukemia. He wouldn't stop bleeding from a simple cut. The doctors had first thought he was a hemophiliac, but his blood had tested normal.
Not many leukemia victims suffered blood loss like he did, but he did. It was something he'd gotten use to and had learnt to deal with. The medication they'd given him in his first round of treatments in his early teens had left the problem that much worse. It was his excessive bleeding like the first time that had signified that the cancer had come out of remission and had started ravaging his weak body once more.
He leaned his forehead against the mirror and licked his lips. He didn't pray anymore. He hadn't prayed since the cancer had returned. He'd given up believing that he would be saved. Death was coming, it was only a matter of when. A frown marred his smooth forehead when he tasted a bitter saltiness. He knew the distinct flavor he was tasting--- it was his blood.
Sharply he raised his head and with his bloodshot eyes stared into the mirror. It was as he thought. It was blood. His tongue was too familiar with the bitterness to ever misidentify it. Such a pity, he'd hoped that any signs of his illness wouldn't come up in this week. Then again that was hopeless optimism on his part. Why else was he going to America for experimental treatment?
He was dreadfully sick. This was a more blatant physical sign of it. He'd been throwing up blood quite regularly in the morning for the past few months. Some mornings weren't bad, and some mornings he thought he was watching his life being drained down the sink. It was a wonder to him how he managed to still smile. He couldn't give up though, not when his parents were doing everything in their power to make him better.
He didn't want to let them down, even though in his heart he believed that it was only a matter of time before he eventually succumbed to death. Leukemia was a relatively treatable cancer. However, the odds of a recovery after coming out of remission were a hundred times worse. Cancer that reactivated proved hardier and well, the victim proved to be weaker from the first round of treatment.
This was exactly where he was at. He blinked his eyes furiously, trying to get rid of the stinging sensation. It went away, but it took several minutes before the burning feeling faded. But when it was gone, his eyes didn't look quite so bad and he had carefully rinsed away the residue of the blood that had stained his lips.
He sighed as he looked at the pale reflection that stared back at him. He looked like shit. He didn't feel far from that mental assessment either. Running a hand violently through his ever unruly dark strands, he carefully gazed down at his hand. It was trembling. Damn. It was happening. Why were mornings always so terrible for him?
~
The press was going to be a madhouse today. Severus was not going to be pleased. He'd done the best that he was able to do. He'd managed to lower the number of interviews from ten to a mere three. But one of the interviews had a full photo session. Severus was going to wring his neck for that. But hey that was better than going to an additional seven other interviews, wasn't it?
Still, Severus probably wasn't going to see it that way. Testy and temperamental. Becoming a celebrity had not made it worse, it had just made it come out more frequently--- all that additional stimulus. Lucius grinned. As much as he preferred not to get Severus riled up, it was glorious to see his best friend with his dark eyes flashing with such potent emotions.
No wonder girls swooned and swore he was a sex god. There was no denying his appeal. There was something magnetic about him that drew the admiring eyes toward him. It was something that he also saw in young Harry Potter. Now if only he could hear the boy sing, and if he could be sure that the young man had a decent voice--- well there were things that could be done with his future.
That was if he had a future, the negative and pessimistic side of his mind nagged at him. It had become much more active at his wife's death. It tempered his arrogance and haughtiness enough that it didn't detract him from what he did best, being Severus Snape's agent. It was true, Harry was going to be lucky to live through this second bout of cancer.
He knew how dangerous it was. Narcissa had had cancer in her early twenties and had gone into remission. For five blissful years they had lived together and shared their souls with each other. He had never truly known he'd loved her until the cancer had struck back. He'd always thought it was too hard to be totally enamored with one person, but he'd never cheated on Narcissa even if his eyes did wander at times.
It was when the cancer started to kill her slowly before his eyes that he knew without a doubt that she was who he was in love with. Was it possible for him to fall in love again? He doubted that it'd happen. Narcissa was the love of his life, and that she would remain. Her second battle with cancer had killed her, and it was highly likely the case would be the same for Harry. The poor sod. The poor kid.
"Father?" Draco whispered softly, always cautious when interrupting his father in the middle of his thoughts. He knew when his father had that kind of facial expression that he was thinking of Narcissa. "I've shown Severus the schedule."
"What did he say?" Lucius asked carefully.
Draco broke out into a smile when he saw the mischievous position of Lucius' eyebrow. He knew that look. His father was expecting Severus to be upset. It wouldn't be right for him to disappoint him, would it? "He gave me that death glare," he responded wryly. "I thought he was going to start screaming, but all he did was mutter your name in a low breath. I daresay he's not too pleased with you, father."
"I must say I'll have to agree with you," Lucius drawled, the dark steel gray eyes twinkling with bemusement. "I wouldn't be too happy with myself either looking at that scheduled, but then again he should know that by putting off all public engagements he just makes it worse on himself when does have to go out. Then there's that much more he's obligated to fulfill."
"You did tell him that," Draco remarked. "But you know Severus, he likes being a hermit. Too bad with the line of business that he's in that it's virtually impossible. If he were a writer, it'd be possible but as a singer? Hell no. He should bloody well get used to it."
Lucius shook his head. "He'll never get used to it," he commented knowingly. "He's been like this for the last ten years. He's undeniably the most popular singer that has never done a worldwide tour. For fuck's sake, he hasn't even done more than a string of concerts at one time at one general area. Despite that, he's still one of the most profitable artists in the business."
"Thanks to you," Draco murmured. "If it weren't for you, it wouldn't be that way. You know that he depends heavily on your business savvy. While he's not a buffoon like other musicians are at managing their assets, he hasn't quite got your cutthroat instincts."
His father waved his hair carelessly in the air at the compliment. Sure it was nice to hear the admiring tone in his son's voice, but there were other important issues to deal with. Like reining in Severus' god awful temper. One thing that didn't need to get worse was his ornery disposition. That he would have preferred to stay in check. Too bad there was more stimulus the more famous Severus got.
He took a deep breath. He had no other option. He was going to have to make Severus see that he was going to have to buckle down and do the schedule. And he was going to bloody make sure Severus did it with a smile on his sodding face!
~
He hated Lucius. He hated how Lucius always somehow got him to do exactly what he didn't want to do. Like how he was sitting in the car being chauffeured to the first interview of the day. Not only was this an interview it was a bloody photo shoot as well. It wasn't just a simple take one picture and let it be done photo shoot, it was a take several rolls of pictures and pick a few good ones to put into the magazine. Bloody hell!
The only thing that lessened his horrible mood was when he saw Harry's pale and strained face. Harry wasn't looking good. It must be one of those bad days that Lucius had told him about when Narcissa had been sick those many years ago. It was on those types of days that Lucius had failed to show up to work and had to have Severus take little Draco to school and stuff. Now he understood why Lucius was so frazzled. Harry looked bad.
"Are you all right?" he asked, feeling awkward and despising the feeling. Until this moment, Harry had never really looked sick even though Severus knew that he was indeed sick. But seeing and knowing were two entirely different things. He was seeing it now and now that he was seeing it--- it seemed all that much more real. Much more there.
Harry nodded and smiled weakly. "I'm all right. I've had worse days."
"You don't have to come with me, you could have stayed in," Severus remarked kindly. "You should have gotten some rest. The interviews aren't important, what's happening tonight is more important. You wouldn't want to wear yourself out would you?"
"I'm fine," he stated firmly. "Trust that I know how much I can take. I've taken care of myself this long, and I've been all right. Besides, I can't wait to see you harass those poor reporters."
"More like they harass me," Severus sneered. "Do you have any idea how aggravating all these public functions and events that I must attend are? Unfortunately, they are a part of the job description. The only good thing about all this crap is that it gives me free rein to compose ay kind of music I want. Not many artists have that kind of power over their music."
Harry smiled and rested his head against his hand. He breathed in slowly, trying to fight a wave of dizziness that would have made him tumble to the ground if he had been standing. Once it passed he blinked carefully, trying to get his bearings again. He silently thanked whatever god was above when the car slid smoothly to a stop. They had arrived.
Chaos ensued. Discord proceeded. It was an absolute madhouse as they were dragged into the headquarters of Rolling Stone magazine. Promptly they were being pressed into chairs and makeup was applied to their faces. Harry was glad that he wasn't in Severus Snape's place. He might love composing music but he could never handle a hectic life like this. He enjoyed his privacy too much.
Music was a sanctuary. This environment wasn't. He was relieved that once they realized that he wasn't anyone terribly important that they only did a quick powder job on him before moving on to the next arrival. From a darkened corner he watched Severus grumble and growl at the people that were pampering him. While he generally preferred the natural look, the makeup artists had done a credible job in making Severus look even more outrageously sexy.
They'd done so by not overdoing it. They'd done it by accentuating Severus' most spectacular feature his thin yet ultra sensual lips. Watching the many MVs that he'd acquired over the years, it was definitely those lips that drew his attention. How it managed to carefully sing out the haunting lyrics, how they might taste in a kiss. And he knew they tasted bittersweet. Bittersweet because he was unlikely to ever kiss Severus again.
Too bad he felt too damn bad because seeing Severus pose for the pictures normally would have mildly aroused him at the very least. But his tiredness was catching up on him. He wasn't aroused, not even the slightest bit. He sighed, it wasn't so bad--- this weariness. Being this attracted to Severus wasn't good for him, and it only ended up making him uncomfortable.
Watching Severus as he modeled for the camera was amusing and fascinating. While he might not enjoy doing it, the photographer seemed to adore him and Severus was a natural at what he was doing. It didn't take very long before the photographer called it quits. That he had enough good pictures to make the photo shoot cut for the magazine.
All Harry knew was that he had to get his hands on the magazine when it came out onto the newsstand. It was going to be an incredible issue. Too bad it wasn't going to come out for at least two weeks. He wondered if it was going to be in a universal issue or if it was just going to be based in Europe. He guessed he could always get his parents to ship a copy over from UK.
"Harry?"
He was jolted out of his daydreaming.
"It's time for the interview," Severus remarked dryly, his eyes glittering with impatient amusement. "While I've been tortured, you seem to be rather enjoying yourself."
"Why wouldn't I enjoy watching you being sexy?" Harry teased lightly. But in the deep green of his eyes there was a sincere compliment. "And you may have not liked what you were doing, but you're a natural. You've got stage presence and star quality, Severus."
Severus shrugged and gave him a look that said he did what he had to do. There was something in Severus' eyes that made Harry think he wanted to say more to him but whatever he wanted to say was left unsaid when the interviewer appeared. It didn't matter if Rolling Stone was a decent magazine, if something controversial was said it'd still make the page no matter if the magazine was respectable or not. Whatever would make it sell was what got printed.
"Good morning," the stylish and sophisticated young woman in her early twenties greeted them with a smile that was sunny though a tad strained. If Harry didn't know better, he'd guess that she didn't want to be here. But why wouldn't she be? She was interviewing only one of the most popular rock icons. "I'm Alicia Spinnet and I'll be doing your interview today. It's a pleasure to meet your acquaintance, Mr. Snape."
"Why don't we just get down to business?" Severus countered curtly. "You're not the only interview that I have today."
He was being abrupt, Harry wasn't surprise. Severus Snape was well known for being brusque. It was his personality. Harry knew why, reporters were the bane of an artist's existence for the most part. Sometimes their reporting was good, but mostly the news they reported was dug up and manipulated in the best way to generated sales. Life was all about money sadly enough. Money talked.
Her smile seemed even more strained as her gentle blue eyes flickered over to where Harry was sitting. To Harry's astonishment, the tension in her facial muscles smoothed away and the curve of her lips melted away into a genuine smile. "You're Harry Potter, aren't you?"
His eyes widened. How in bloody hell did she know his name? "You are, aren't you?" He nodded slowly. "I knew it!" she cried out excitedly, her blue eyes gleaming with renewed life. "I've read all about you. You're a child prodigy on the music circuit. You've won every piano competition for your age group in sight. You're bloody brilliant."
"Thanks," he whispered, a deep blush staining his cheeks. "Didn't know anyone kept up with that."
She smiled enthusiastically. "I'm new to the magazine, the regular reporter called in sick. I'm not really suppose to be doing this, but my article on musical prodigies really impressed the editors and they decided to give me this break. Unfortunately, I'm not really up to date on the popular music scene. I'm more in to the classical genre."
"Severus Snape is a fabulous composer," he murmured softly, still a dark crimson color. "And this interview isn't really about me."
"Oh but it is!" she exclaimed, her bright eyes shining. "That's the reason they've given me this chance. I knew I'd be able to do the article when I heard that your wish was being fulfilled by Mr. Snape. Child musical prodigy's dream made true by his rock idol." She smiled kindly at them. "It's going to be a wonderfully inspirational story."
Severus noted how awkward Harry appeared to be. He wasn't use to the attention; he didn't thrive under it. How similar to him. How very similar. "And it's simply fantastic that you've done this for Harry. I've heard that he's a huge fan of yours and considering what is known about your reputation, this is quite a big deal."
"It is," Severus agreed.
"What made you decide to go ahead and fulfill Harry's wish?"
He glanced briefly at Harry, knowing that Harry knew the real answer. That his agent had pushed him into it, had coerced him. "It's not everyday that someone like me is able to grant someone's wish for them," he remarked huskily. "Harry's a special young man, and while it may be his dream to meet me--- I think it's been more of a privilege for me to get to meet his acquaintance."
That brought a full blown grin onto Alicia's face. "And how did it feel for you to meet your idol, Harry?"
Amazing. That Severus had said something that nice. Harry almost didn't believe it, that Severus had to be lying to get the publicity that Lucius obviously wanted. However, it was well known that whatever came out of Severus' mouth was the truth. He didn't soften it for anyone, and when Harry gazed in Severus' dark eyes he knew that the compelling older man was entirely serious. Amazing.
"Bloody brilliant," Harry responded throatily. "Bloody brilliant."
~
Author's Note: I've already outlined the story enough to know that this story will be no more than 15 chapters. A nice reasonable size I think. Anyway, if you like this story go check out my other non-magic AU that's also going to be HP/SS called "In Preparation." It's where Harry's at an all-male boarding school. Doesn't that sound simply delicious? And review because college is stressful and I like knowing that people are reading.
Thanks to TommieBoy182, DaughterofDeath, two2feet, Kelsey, me3gogi, sentarla, Goldengirl2, Robin R. Smith, slytherinsela, Shinigami061, Katmint – formerly Moonlight, enahma, Xyverz, fan, Setsuri, Tempest8, Maximum Poofy-Pissed Off Queen, pixyfairy120, Illucia, lupusdragon, LeeleePotter (hehe, nice vision), Tirla (Sev is an adult, unfortunately), The Goddess Artemis, SlytherinEvenstar (the match won't be Severus), Alena, athenakitty, crow21681, corgi1, tati1, Malakai, abraxis (her/d 'shipper, have I transformed you?), Redrum, Ms. Padfoot,
Crissy: Just recently. It's just that interesting ideas have popped.
Jane: No, I don't. What does she write?