Disclaimer: Aw, do I have to? Not mine.
A/N – Here we go again. Yet another chapter. Isn't it nice that all my daemons have been cooperating recently? Grammar check even claims that I have no passive sentences. How completely amazing.
sadilou tells me that I sound American. Is that such a bad thing? I am American. I sound silly writing in a British accent. *sadilou says that of course you sounds american – but Harry shouldn't if at all possible. so there.*
*****
Severus was so tired after dinner that he almost told Harry they would talk in the morning. After he heard what his son had to say, he was glad that he had listened.
Severus gazed intently at a point on the wall beyond Harry's shoulder. The boy had fallen silent several minutes past. Finally, Severus rubbed the bridge of his nose with the first knuckle of his fist and focused on his son's face again.
"Yes, Harry, this is important. Very important. I will go speak with Dumbledore right away." He gestured to the three talismans that his son slept under. "Use those tonight, Harry. I don't like the thought of you being vulnerable to Voldemort. The thing about people in visions is that if you can see them, they often can see you."
"But, Sev, if I could…" Harry began.
"No, Harry. You cannot expose yourself to possible discovery." Severus' face was hard, his voice firm. "If Dumbledore agrees, we may try to induce the visions under controlled circumstances. Promise me you will wait until we set up safeguards."
Harry swallowed heavily. "Yes, I promise."
Severus sighed in relief. "I don't know if these visions are part of our family legacy, or a symptom of your connection to Voldemort. Perhaps Rose will know."
"Is Rose all right?" Harry asked, thinking of her for the first time since they had left her cottage.
"She owled me just as dinner was ending. I wrote to her earlier. She made it to Alde Craig safely." He smiled savagely. "She is rather upset to be living with my father again, but the castle is large. Hopefully they won't kill one another."
Harry smiled. "I have a feeling Rose is a match for just about anyone."
"That she is." Severus said softly. "That she is."
"I want to thank you for taking my dreams seriously, Sev. I don't think I would if they hadn't proven true before now."
"Are all your True dreams about Voldemort?" Severus asked.
"I think so. At least all the scary ones."
"Naturally." Severus agreed wryly.
"Oh, one more thing, Sev, and then I'll stop thanking you every other sentence. I'm really glad for what you did with Ron." Harry said.
"He kept a cool head." Severus said. "Besides, any child of Molly Weasley is bound to be a gentler healer than me."
Harry laughed. He stood and gathered up his dream tokens. "Thanks, Sev. I'll just go use these." He yawned.
"Harry?" Severus called as his son neared the door.
"Yes?" Harry turned back to face him.
"Is 'Sev' any closer to 'Dad?'?" He asked quietly.
Harry considered this for a few moments.
"Yes." He finally said. "I believe it is."
"Good night, Harry."
"Good night, Sev."
*****
Sev returned from his conference with Dumbledore an hour later. He was not to leave the castle under any circumstances. Sev rubbed the back of his neck feeling his own exhaustion.
Not that he expected anything else. Dumbledore was going to take care of finding the warehouse and discovering if anyone was still anywhere nearby. There were probably trusted aurors checking it out right now.
He was so tired, that he didn't notice the Granger girl until he almost tripped over her. She was sitting on the landing in front of his door.
"I presume that you wish to speak with me?" He said, blinking down at her.
"Well, yes, that is…" She stuttered.
Sev sighed. "Right. Come in, but don't think you're going to stay long. It's almost curfew." Sev worked the spell that opened the door to his chambers.
"I know." She said softly. "Maybe I should come back another time."
"No." Sev said, holding the door open and ushering her inside. "Now is fine."
They sat facing each other. "Well, Miss Granger, what is it?"
"I wanted to ask you something. You see, in September, after Harry spoke with you for the first time, he told me in a rather off hand way to ask you about it."
The silly girl seemed to be babbling. "Ask me about what?" He asked mildly.
"House elves, sir." She said, blinking owlishly.
"Ask me about house elves?" Sev said incredulously.
"Yes, sir. Harry said you might have some insights I would find interesting." She explained.
"Oh, I see." Sev slumped back in his chair and began drumming his fingers on his knee. "You rather upset them last year, you know. Humby was agitated for weeks."
"Seeing them at work today made me wonder." She played with a few threads coming off her bandage. "I saw Dobby hovering over Draco Malfoy for ages. I thought the Malfoys were terrible to him. I thought he wanted to be free."
"I wondered if anyone else noticed that." Sev shook his head. "Where to begin. Not with Malfoy and Dobby, I am not at all sure of the details where they are concerned." Sev pulled at his ear.
"I come from a very old Wizarding family. We have a castle, Alde Craig, on the Alde River, near the village that bears our name. Many long years ago we hid it very carefully. The locals believe it to be a natural stone outcropping. A formation that has been there as long as they or their grandparents remember. We have been served by a family of house elves since the castle was built many hundreds of years ago."
He paused and looked at the girl for a moment. "When I was born, Humby was assigned to care for me. It is a fairly common practice in families served by house elves. After all, you want to have someone you can trust to care for your heir. Who could you possibly trust more than your elf?"
Sev laughed dryly. "Their loyalty is magically enforced. Humby raised me. When I was old enough, I had tutors, but Humby was my primary caregiver, my friend. Given who my parents were that was most likely a good thing."
"I thought your mother…" Miss Granger stopped herself, wincing. "Sorry."
"My mother was everything sweet and kind." Sev acknowledged. "The problem was she was in love with her art and in love with my father, possibly in that order. I don't know if you are familiar with artists, but they get involved in their work. Besides, I was very young when she died."
Sev paused again, reflecting. "Humby would play with me when I was good, but if I wasn't…" He bit his lip. "If he didn't approve, he would become very formal. He would DO things for me. I generally elected to have my playmate rather than my servant."
"I still don't understand why…" Miss Granger's voice trailed off.
"Why they don't want pensions and holidays?" Sev supplied. She nodded.
Sev sighed. "Miss Granger, how would you feel if someone told you never to use magic again? Never to read again unless you are paid to do so?"
"Um…" She looked mildly confused.
"A house elf has very powerful magic that happens to be tied to domestic chores. They like to use their magic. It makes them happy. Telling them not to work is like telling a child not to play." He shook his head. "I won't claim that they are never abused or taken advantage of. However, on the whole, they are happy as long as they can be working."
"I see." She said quietly. "Thank you. This has been very helpful."
"If I wasn't so tired, I might try to tell you one of the stories Humby used to tell me. He had a great deal of lore passed down from his ancestors. House elves have their own religion, you know, a complicated mythology."
"Are there any books you could recommend?" Miss Granger asked.
"That would be your question, wouldn't it?" Sev said wryly. "No, Miss Granger, it is almost entirely an oral tradition. Tomorrow I will see if Humby or one of the other elves would be willing to tell you a few stories. For now, I will bid you good night."
They both stood and Sev showed her to the door.
"Thank you, Professor Snape." She said.
"Good night, Miss Granger." He said, closing the door firmly behind her.
Sev sagged against the secured portal.
Sleep. It was time to sleep.
He even made it all the way to his bed.
*****
A/N – He was tired. He was very tired. Hey! Stop that Gusha. It isn't polite to stare into other people's bedrooms!
No, you may not help him take his shoes off. Get away from that door.
*Gusha sulks in the corner.*
Honestly.
A/N – Here we go again. Yet another chapter. Isn't it nice that all my daemons have been cooperating recently? Grammar check even claims that I have no passive sentences. How completely amazing.
sadilou tells me that I sound American. Is that such a bad thing? I am American. I sound silly writing in a British accent. *sadilou says that of course you sounds american – but Harry shouldn't if at all possible. so there.*
*****
Severus was so tired after dinner that he almost told Harry they would talk in the morning. After he heard what his son had to say, he was glad that he had listened.
Severus gazed intently at a point on the wall beyond Harry's shoulder. The boy had fallen silent several minutes past. Finally, Severus rubbed the bridge of his nose with the first knuckle of his fist and focused on his son's face again.
"Yes, Harry, this is important. Very important. I will go speak with Dumbledore right away." He gestured to the three talismans that his son slept under. "Use those tonight, Harry. I don't like the thought of you being vulnerable to Voldemort. The thing about people in visions is that if you can see them, they often can see you."
"But, Sev, if I could…" Harry began.
"No, Harry. You cannot expose yourself to possible discovery." Severus' face was hard, his voice firm. "If Dumbledore agrees, we may try to induce the visions under controlled circumstances. Promise me you will wait until we set up safeguards."
Harry swallowed heavily. "Yes, I promise."
Severus sighed in relief. "I don't know if these visions are part of our family legacy, or a symptom of your connection to Voldemort. Perhaps Rose will know."
"Is Rose all right?" Harry asked, thinking of her for the first time since they had left her cottage.
"She owled me just as dinner was ending. I wrote to her earlier. She made it to Alde Craig safely." He smiled savagely. "She is rather upset to be living with my father again, but the castle is large. Hopefully they won't kill one another."
Harry smiled. "I have a feeling Rose is a match for just about anyone."
"That she is." Severus said softly. "That she is."
"I want to thank you for taking my dreams seriously, Sev. I don't think I would if they hadn't proven true before now."
"Are all your True dreams about Voldemort?" Severus asked.
"I think so. At least all the scary ones."
"Naturally." Severus agreed wryly.
"Oh, one more thing, Sev, and then I'll stop thanking you every other sentence. I'm really glad for what you did with Ron." Harry said.
"He kept a cool head." Severus said. "Besides, any child of Molly Weasley is bound to be a gentler healer than me."
Harry laughed. He stood and gathered up his dream tokens. "Thanks, Sev. I'll just go use these." He yawned.
"Harry?" Severus called as his son neared the door.
"Yes?" Harry turned back to face him.
"Is 'Sev' any closer to 'Dad?'?" He asked quietly.
Harry considered this for a few moments.
"Yes." He finally said. "I believe it is."
"Good night, Harry."
"Good night, Sev."
*****
Sev returned from his conference with Dumbledore an hour later. He was not to leave the castle under any circumstances. Sev rubbed the back of his neck feeling his own exhaustion.
Not that he expected anything else. Dumbledore was going to take care of finding the warehouse and discovering if anyone was still anywhere nearby. There were probably trusted aurors checking it out right now.
He was so tired, that he didn't notice the Granger girl until he almost tripped over her. She was sitting on the landing in front of his door.
"I presume that you wish to speak with me?" He said, blinking down at her.
"Well, yes, that is…" She stuttered.
Sev sighed. "Right. Come in, but don't think you're going to stay long. It's almost curfew." Sev worked the spell that opened the door to his chambers.
"I know." She said softly. "Maybe I should come back another time."
"No." Sev said, holding the door open and ushering her inside. "Now is fine."
They sat facing each other. "Well, Miss Granger, what is it?"
"I wanted to ask you something. You see, in September, after Harry spoke with you for the first time, he told me in a rather off hand way to ask you about it."
The silly girl seemed to be babbling. "Ask me about what?" He asked mildly.
"House elves, sir." She said, blinking owlishly.
"Ask me about house elves?" Sev said incredulously.
"Yes, sir. Harry said you might have some insights I would find interesting." She explained.
"Oh, I see." Sev slumped back in his chair and began drumming his fingers on his knee. "You rather upset them last year, you know. Humby was agitated for weeks."
"Seeing them at work today made me wonder." She played with a few threads coming off her bandage. "I saw Dobby hovering over Draco Malfoy for ages. I thought the Malfoys were terrible to him. I thought he wanted to be free."
"I wondered if anyone else noticed that." Sev shook his head. "Where to begin. Not with Malfoy and Dobby, I am not at all sure of the details where they are concerned." Sev pulled at his ear.
"I come from a very old Wizarding family. We have a castle, Alde Craig, on the Alde River, near the village that bears our name. Many long years ago we hid it very carefully. The locals believe it to be a natural stone outcropping. A formation that has been there as long as they or their grandparents remember. We have been served by a family of house elves since the castle was built many hundreds of years ago."
He paused and looked at the girl for a moment. "When I was born, Humby was assigned to care for me. It is a fairly common practice in families served by house elves. After all, you want to have someone you can trust to care for your heir. Who could you possibly trust more than your elf?"
Sev laughed dryly. "Their loyalty is magically enforced. Humby raised me. When I was old enough, I had tutors, but Humby was my primary caregiver, my friend. Given who my parents were that was most likely a good thing."
"I thought your mother…" Miss Granger stopped herself, wincing. "Sorry."
"My mother was everything sweet and kind." Sev acknowledged. "The problem was she was in love with her art and in love with my father, possibly in that order. I don't know if you are familiar with artists, but they get involved in their work. Besides, I was very young when she died."
Sev paused again, reflecting. "Humby would play with me when I was good, but if I wasn't…" He bit his lip. "If he didn't approve, he would become very formal. He would DO things for me. I generally elected to have my playmate rather than my servant."
"I still don't understand why…" Miss Granger's voice trailed off.
"Why they don't want pensions and holidays?" Sev supplied. She nodded.
Sev sighed. "Miss Granger, how would you feel if someone told you never to use magic again? Never to read again unless you are paid to do so?"
"Um…" She looked mildly confused.
"A house elf has very powerful magic that happens to be tied to domestic chores. They like to use their magic. It makes them happy. Telling them not to work is like telling a child not to play." He shook his head. "I won't claim that they are never abused or taken advantage of. However, on the whole, they are happy as long as they can be working."
"I see." She said quietly. "Thank you. This has been very helpful."
"If I wasn't so tired, I might try to tell you one of the stories Humby used to tell me. He had a great deal of lore passed down from his ancestors. House elves have their own religion, you know, a complicated mythology."
"Are there any books you could recommend?" Miss Granger asked.
"That would be your question, wouldn't it?" Sev said wryly. "No, Miss Granger, it is almost entirely an oral tradition. Tomorrow I will see if Humby or one of the other elves would be willing to tell you a few stories. For now, I will bid you good night."
They both stood and Sev showed her to the door.
"Thank you, Professor Snape." She said.
"Good night, Miss Granger." He said, closing the door firmly behind her.
Sev sagged against the secured portal.
Sleep. It was time to sleep.
He even made it all the way to his bed.
*****
A/N – He was tired. He was very tired. Hey! Stop that Gusha. It isn't polite to stare into other people's bedrooms!
No, you may not help him take his shoes off. Get away from that door.
*Gusha sulks in the corner.*
Honestly.