*****
Disclaimer: Harry Potter Stuff belongs to JKR. Shakespearean Sonnets are in the public domain, I believe, but I certainly did not write them.
Hello Readers!
Thank you to everyone who reviewed. If you will notice, I am no longer pouting about reviews. I love my reviewers.
Um, no one knows that Maura Thornton is Sev's mother. By the way, artists don't always make good parents either. I know from being an artist myself that it is a bigger job than most 9-5 deals. Snape's parents were well off enough to have full time nursemaids watching him. His mum would have gotten nothing done if she had to watch him in her studio. Sev is not about to tell Ron either. He just doesn't mention it.
*****
"That's really freaky. You know that, don't you?"
Harry peered up from behind the curtains of his bed at Neville Longbottom.
"Eh? What do you mean?" He said, blinking.
"You, talking to that snake all the time, that's what." Neville said his expression somewhere between revolted and afraid. "What are you telling it anyway?"
"Not much," Harry admitted. "I tell her about my day, sometimes I sing her a lullaby. I want her to be used to the sound of my voice."
Neville stepped closer. "Can I touch it?" He looked amazed at his own daring.
"Maybe." Harry grinned. "Come here, I'll ask her." He turned to the snake and hissed. "Sweetheart, Neville wants to pet you. Would that be alright?"
The snake tested the air and then hissed her reply. "Fear. I afraid?"
"There is no reason for you to be afraid. Most humans are afraid of snakes." Harry told her.
"Up." She moved towards his hands. "Up." She demanded again, more insistently.
Harry picked her up, smiling.
"Boy touch, not hold." She said imperiously.
"It's all right, Neville. She says you can touch her. Run your finger down her spine like this. She likes that." Harry demonstrated.
Neville reached out a trembling hand and repeated the motion that Harry had shown him. Then he pulled his hand away quickly.
"She's soft." He said, in wonder. "And warm, but not slimy like I thought she would be."
Harry nodded. "What do you think, love?" he asked the snake.
"Again. Felt funny. He shakes."
"She wants you to try again." Harry told Neville. "I think she likes you."
Neville reached out his hand again, a little more comfortably. He touched her longer before pulling away again.
"Hermione sent me up to remind you its time for dinner." Neville said.
"Right. Thanks, Neville. I'll be down in a moment." Harry said.
He turned his attention back to the snake in his hands. "Time for me to go, little one."
"Bring box. I come." She said.
Harry grinned and scooped up her little cage. "Let's go." He said to Neville.
*****
"You skipped a page." Harry said, several days later. He looked up at Severus instead of down at the book.
"Yes, I did." Severus acknowledged.
Harry bit his lip and lowered his eyes; clearly disappointed.
Severus sighed and turned the page back.
There were no pictures on this page, just a set of words: forward, back, repeat… and a long narrow box.
"This was Della's idea. She got a Muggle sound recorder, and… well." Severus touched his wand to 'forward' and the box slowly began to fill with dull blue light.
Sound emanated from the page. It was Della's voice.
"Come on, Sev. Please? For me?"
"Della…" Rumbled Severus' voice.
"Please? I love you." She cajoled, in a singsong voice.
He laughed a rich, full bodied sound. It was cut off suddenly by a low "Oof" and a slurping sort of sound. They were kissing, Harry realized.
"All right." Severus gasped, a few moments later. "I'll do it." He seemed a bit out of breath. "Or we could do something else." He said suggestively.
"Now!" She demanded, triumphantly. "Say it."
"Are you sure you set that thing up properly?" He asked, stalling.
"Yes, certain. Now say it." She persisted.
Whatever Harry had been expecting, what he heard was not it.
"Sonnet 130
By William Shakespeare
My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun
Coral is far more red than her lips' red:
If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun;
If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.
I have seen roses damask'd, red and white,
But no such roses see I in her cheeks;
And in some perfumes is there more delight
Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks.
I love to hear her speak, yet well I know
That music hath a far more pleasing sound:
I grant I never saw a goddess go,—
My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground:
And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare
As any she belied with false compare."
Della moaned from the page when the poem was over.
"Thank you, Sev." She purred. "Now lets go…hum…do something else."
There were more kissing noises, and then Della said. "Oh, wait, I have to turn it off." There was a click and the recording stopped.
Harry looked up at Severus. His normally sallow skin was glowing red.
"All right." Harry said. "I can see why you didn't want to share that, but I am glad you did. Thank you."
Severus just nodded.
"Why that poem in particular?" Harry asked.
Severus shook his head. "I really don't know why Della liked that one so much. I came across it in my Muggle Studies class in fifth year. I read it to Della. She loved it. I thought it was odd, a bit insulting really. But Della said she had heard it before. It was apparently one of her mother's favorite poems. She liked to hear me read it so much that I quickly memorized it."
"I don't understand." Harry said. "Why?"
"I don't understand it either. Ask Miss Granger. It seems to be a female thing."
"You took Muggle Studies?" Harry asked suddenly.
"Yes, I did. My aunt advised me to take it." Severus said. "I was apprenticed to her after my first year. I spent all my holidays with her."
"Oh."
"Dumbledore arranged it. On my first day at Hogwarts he found out about my home life. My father…he was not a nice man. He hurt me, often and deliberately. He rarely hit me directly. He had spells and charms he used…" Severus took a deep breath. "Dumbledore took me out of his custody by forcing him to apprentice me to my aunt. It made her my guardian. I only saw my father very rarely after that."
Harry nodded and turned to the last picture in the book. Della and Severus were on a picnic on the moors.
"Humby took that picture. We were living at Thornhollow. You can see the cottage, just there. That is the property Della left you. The cottage where we lived and a fair piece of the land around it for privacy." Severus pointed to a small building in the distance.
"Della was laughing at me, as usual." His features were soft, as they usually were when he was speaking of Della. "It was right before I…lost her."
"Severus," Harry said, flipping back through the pictures quickly. "When did you start wearing only black?"
Severus was very surprised at the question. He considered a moment. "I…Well, I suppose when Della died. It became such a habit then…"
"Dumbledore once told me not to dwell on the past so much that you forget to live." Harry said in a rush.
"Harry…" Severus warned. "I don't…"
"Well then, what would Della want?" Harry persisted. "Think about it. I want to be early to class. I have something to ask Professor Flitwick."
"Goodbye, Harry" Severus said.
"See you later, Severus."
*****
A/N – The actual quote is "It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live, remember that." SS p. 214, American softbound edition.
I would like to thank bartleby.com for archiving Shakespeare so that I do not have to type the whole poem in. And Alan Rickman for reading it on "When Love Speaks" which gave me the idea. Man I love that poem. the first link on the page.
I hope you see now why I kept the Dursleys G-rated. I don't think Sev would have handled it well. I didn't want to hurt him more. I have tortured him a lot.
Besides, I bet Vernon did hit him once when he was really little. It probably provoked a magical incident. Lol. Vernon was too afraid of Harry's magic to try again.
*****
Disclaimer: Harry Potter Stuff belongs to JKR. Shakespearean Sonnets are in the public domain, I believe, but I certainly did not write them.
Hello Readers!
Thank you to everyone who reviewed. If you will notice, I am no longer pouting about reviews. I love my reviewers.
Um, no one knows that Maura Thornton is Sev's mother. By the way, artists don't always make good parents either. I know from being an artist myself that it is a bigger job than most 9-5 deals. Snape's parents were well off enough to have full time nursemaids watching him. His mum would have gotten nothing done if she had to watch him in her studio. Sev is not about to tell Ron either. He just doesn't mention it.
*****
"That's really freaky. You know that, don't you?"
Harry peered up from behind the curtains of his bed at Neville Longbottom.
"Eh? What do you mean?" He said, blinking.
"You, talking to that snake all the time, that's what." Neville said his expression somewhere between revolted and afraid. "What are you telling it anyway?"
"Not much," Harry admitted. "I tell her about my day, sometimes I sing her a lullaby. I want her to be used to the sound of my voice."
Neville stepped closer. "Can I touch it?" He looked amazed at his own daring.
"Maybe." Harry grinned. "Come here, I'll ask her." He turned to the snake and hissed. "Sweetheart, Neville wants to pet you. Would that be alright?"
The snake tested the air and then hissed her reply. "Fear. I afraid?"
"There is no reason for you to be afraid. Most humans are afraid of snakes." Harry told her.
"Up." She moved towards his hands. "Up." She demanded again, more insistently.
Harry picked her up, smiling.
"Boy touch, not hold." She said imperiously.
"It's all right, Neville. She says you can touch her. Run your finger down her spine like this. She likes that." Harry demonstrated.
Neville reached out a trembling hand and repeated the motion that Harry had shown him. Then he pulled his hand away quickly.
"She's soft." He said, in wonder. "And warm, but not slimy like I thought she would be."
Harry nodded. "What do you think, love?" he asked the snake.
"Again. Felt funny. He shakes."
"She wants you to try again." Harry told Neville. "I think she likes you."
Neville reached out his hand again, a little more comfortably. He touched her longer before pulling away again.
"Hermione sent me up to remind you its time for dinner." Neville said.
"Right. Thanks, Neville. I'll be down in a moment." Harry said.
He turned his attention back to the snake in his hands. "Time for me to go, little one."
"Bring box. I come." She said.
Harry grinned and scooped up her little cage. "Let's go." He said to Neville.
*****
"You skipped a page." Harry said, several days later. He looked up at Severus instead of down at the book.
"Yes, I did." Severus acknowledged.
Harry bit his lip and lowered his eyes; clearly disappointed.
Severus sighed and turned the page back.
There were no pictures on this page, just a set of words: forward, back, repeat… and a long narrow box.
"This was Della's idea. She got a Muggle sound recorder, and… well." Severus touched his wand to 'forward' and the box slowly began to fill with dull blue light.
Sound emanated from the page. It was Della's voice.
"Come on, Sev. Please? For me?"
"Della…" Rumbled Severus' voice.
"Please? I love you." She cajoled, in a singsong voice.
He laughed a rich, full bodied sound. It was cut off suddenly by a low "Oof" and a slurping sort of sound. They were kissing, Harry realized.
"All right." Severus gasped, a few moments later. "I'll do it." He seemed a bit out of breath. "Or we could do something else." He said suggestively.
"Now!" She demanded, triumphantly. "Say it."
"Are you sure you set that thing up properly?" He asked, stalling.
"Yes, certain. Now say it." She persisted.
Whatever Harry had been expecting, what he heard was not it.
"Sonnet 130
By William Shakespeare
My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun
Coral is far more red than her lips' red:
If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun;
If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.
I have seen roses damask'd, red and white,
But no such roses see I in her cheeks;
And in some perfumes is there more delight
Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks.
I love to hear her speak, yet well I know
That music hath a far more pleasing sound:
I grant I never saw a goddess go,—
My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground:
And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare
As any she belied with false compare."
Della moaned from the page when the poem was over.
"Thank you, Sev." She purred. "Now lets go…hum…do something else."
There were more kissing noises, and then Della said. "Oh, wait, I have to turn it off." There was a click and the recording stopped.
Harry looked up at Severus. His normally sallow skin was glowing red.
"All right." Harry said. "I can see why you didn't want to share that, but I am glad you did. Thank you."
Severus just nodded.
"Why that poem in particular?" Harry asked.
Severus shook his head. "I really don't know why Della liked that one so much. I came across it in my Muggle Studies class in fifth year. I read it to Della. She loved it. I thought it was odd, a bit insulting really. But Della said she had heard it before. It was apparently one of her mother's favorite poems. She liked to hear me read it so much that I quickly memorized it."
"I don't understand." Harry said. "Why?"
"I don't understand it either. Ask Miss Granger. It seems to be a female thing."
"You took Muggle Studies?" Harry asked suddenly.
"Yes, I did. My aunt advised me to take it." Severus said. "I was apprenticed to her after my first year. I spent all my holidays with her."
"Oh."
"Dumbledore arranged it. On my first day at Hogwarts he found out about my home life. My father…he was not a nice man. He hurt me, often and deliberately. He rarely hit me directly. He had spells and charms he used…" Severus took a deep breath. "Dumbledore took me out of his custody by forcing him to apprentice me to my aunt. It made her my guardian. I only saw my father very rarely after that."
Harry nodded and turned to the last picture in the book. Della and Severus were on a picnic on the moors.
"Humby took that picture. We were living at Thornhollow. You can see the cottage, just there. That is the property Della left you. The cottage where we lived and a fair piece of the land around it for privacy." Severus pointed to a small building in the distance.
"Della was laughing at me, as usual." His features were soft, as they usually were when he was speaking of Della. "It was right before I…lost her."
"Severus," Harry said, flipping back through the pictures quickly. "When did you start wearing only black?"
Severus was very surprised at the question. He considered a moment. "I…Well, I suppose when Della died. It became such a habit then…"
"Dumbledore once told me not to dwell on the past so much that you forget to live." Harry said in a rush.
"Harry…" Severus warned. "I don't…"
"Well then, what would Della want?" Harry persisted. "Think about it. I want to be early to class. I have something to ask Professor Flitwick."
"Goodbye, Harry" Severus said.
"See you later, Severus."
*****
A/N – The actual quote is "It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live, remember that." SS p. 214, American softbound edition.
I would like to thank bartleby.com for archiving Shakespeare so that I do not have to type the whole poem in. And Alan Rickman for reading it on "When Love Speaks" which gave me the idea. Man I love that poem. the first link on the page.
I hope you see now why I kept the Dursleys G-rated. I don't think Sev would have handled it well. I didn't want to hurt him more. I have tortured him a lot.
Besides, I bet Vernon did hit him once when he was really little. It probably provoked a magical incident. Lol. Vernon was too afraid of Harry's magic to try again.
*****