It was a cloudy morning, looking dreary and about ready to pour at
any given moment. Harry stood at the windowsill, gazing out with an empty
look on his face. He hadn't had the courage yet to look into a mirror and
see if he had another vivid dream or if it was completely true. Frankly, he
hadn't wanted to know at this point. Was... he really Snape's son? It wasn't
really all that impossible as he thought about it. Lily was about the only
one who treated Severus like a person outside the Slytherin house. He shook
his head, remembering when he'd looked into Snape's pensieve last year,
where he'd felt sorry about what he saw and what James had done.
"Harry?" A soft voice asked, now standing beside him. Harry looked and saw Remus gazing out the same window. "Are you alright?"
The boy rested his chin on top of his hands, sighing and turned his head away from Remus. He wasn't entirely sure if he wanted to talk to the man at the moment, or hear what he had to say. Starting slowly, "I wasn't dreaming last night, was I...?" Hoping for any kind of mention of that he was and it had all been a bad dream. Remus didn't look at him, which Harry immediately took as a bad sign.
"No."
It was all that needed to be said to confirm Harry's fears. "Remus? Would you be my teacher for becoming an Animagus? I mean, I trust Professor McGonagall, but, you just..." Harry broke off trying to take his mind off things, looking up to see the werewolf beaming at him. "Gladly, Harry, gladly. Just this time I think we'll make sure you don't have a family of Dursleys to try and eat if the leopard gets hungry."
Harry smirked, making him laugh loudly as he escorted the boy from the hospital ward. "I do believe you're ready to go get yourself in trouble again and in oh, say about two weeks, you'll be back here according to Poppy," Remus grinned wickedly. Harry shot back a look that could kill if he knew the right spell, but luckily for Lupin, he didn't.
After a few minutes and being near the Great Hall, Remus broke apart from Harry. "Dumbledore has granted you permission to roam the grounds, but no transforming attempts alone or else he'll have my head. And, you know what? While you're at it, no sneaking off, going into the Forbidden Forest, or just plain going places you aren't supposed to. And just to let you know, tomorrow I'll be escorting you to Hogsmead."
Now Harry was left alone to his own devices, and seeing the Great Hall, realized just how hungry he was. There weren't any professors around to ask where he could get some food, but remembered the previous years and sneaking down to the kitchen to get food from the house elves. He grinned and made his way down there, knowing this time he wouldn't get in trouble for being out past curfew or such. "Harry Potter! Dobby is so glad to see you again, sir! We've missed you!" The small house elf squeaked, running around frantically to get the boy food. "Here! Pastries and cakes and breads, all for Mister Harry Potter!" Harry struggled under the weight of the food that was placed in his arms and stumbled out of the room and back towards the Great Hall to nimble on the food where it was still deserted.
"Enjoying yourself?" A drawling voice asked from behind. Harry turned his head to find Snape standing there. "I, uh, not especially," he admitted. He missed his friends and at this point, didn't know where he stood with Snape. "Miss Ron and Hermione. They never wrote to me this summer, not even on my birthday." Severus looked down at the boy who'd rested his head on his hands, staring blankly out at the wall. "Being alone all summer with a family who doesn't care about you and then have friends who don't write to you?" A small tear formed at the edge of Harry's eye. He hadn't intended to tell Snape all this, but it hurt and he needed someone with an ear whom was in the Order and could therefore, trust, even if it wasn't his first choice. Snape on the other hand, raised an eye from all of this; here was Harry already telling him something without the use of Veritaserum. "And then losing my only real family last year. Sirius..." Harry rubbed his eyes, not wanting to let the tears loose.
"Sirius, while we weren't close, was a good man," Harry chuckled at Snape's reply. "There's the understatement of the year. I though you hated him more than you did me." The familiar smirk appeared on the man's face, showing his distaste for Sirius once again. "He was one of the first who believed I was in with Voldemort on my own free will, him and James. Those two always thought that I enjoyed all his prattle. No, I hated them because they turned Lily on me." He was silent for a moment. "Sir? You really wanted no part of the Dark Arts?" To this, Severus smiled slightly. "That isn't entirely true. I did enjoy many of the curses and hexes, but to be in the lot of Voldemort and the Death Eaters was beyond my taste."
Harry's empty look continued, still trying to take everything in step by step. Nothing made sense to him anymore. "I have a question," he started, shifting in his seat uncomfortably, "Where do we stand now, I mean, you've always hated me before..."
"I loathed James," Severus started, "He took the only person I'd every was able to love away from me. I never was able to forgive him or Sirius for what they had done, or myself for being weak and letting the Death Eaters trick me. Those feelings of hatred never left me..." He broke off, for the first time in his life, at a loss for words. Harry had always hated him, he knew that, and couldn't blame him for that, not with how he'd treated him in the past. "Where we stand... I'd prefer to not let this get around the school, especially to the Slytherins, not with all the Death Eater children in there. Although, with how you've grown in the past year, that could be rather difficult," Snape mused, idly realizing with the boy's long hair, it covered his scar exceedingly well. "So..." "Tell who you can trust, leave the rest to either not notice or figure it out on their own."
Snape heaved a sigh as he picked himself up from the table, leaving Harry to himself again. Looking at the man leaving, he found that a parchment had been left on the table and Harry recognized it as being his Marauders Map. "So Snape...dad? Is back in his office, Dumbledore is skiving off his duties and is lounging in the bathrooms; Filch doesn't seem to be on here, perfect, and ah! There you are Remus, hmm, back on the line up of teachers perhaps?" Noticing that he was sitting in the DADA room. He made his way out of the Great Hall and down towards the room, deciding that he wanted to attempt transforming again and thought it'd be best to not annoy Dumbledore again by trying it alone.
Remus smiled lightly as Harry stepped into his room. "Couldn't go a day without attempting it again, now could you? Alright, alright, at least you didn't try it on your own again," he muttered, shooing Harry over towards a seat by his desk. "First, empty your mind and simplify your thoughts and emotions. This should be easy for you since you were studying Occlumency with your father last year, and you might as well get used to hearing that similar phrase..." Noticing Harry's distasteful look on his face. "Now that you know what species you'll be, this will be a bit easier. Concentrate on being the leopard, your fingers becoming paws with deadly claws on each tip. The hairs of your fur breaking through your skin, coating you with a black pelt, spotted with raven black spots. The long tail pushing itself from your backend, your muscles honing themselves into a powerful cat." As the man spoke, the changes swept over Harry, this time going much easier. A problem was there though, the full moon was that very night, and Lupin seemed to have forgotten it in all the excitement of seeing Harry awake. His own transformation went faster than Harry's had, a full-grown wolf was left in the room with a passed out boy who was quickly changing back to human. The wolf snarled being back in control for so long since that damned potion had subdued him. It was time to taste blood again...
"Harry?" A soft voice asked, now standing beside him. Harry looked and saw Remus gazing out the same window. "Are you alright?"
The boy rested his chin on top of his hands, sighing and turned his head away from Remus. He wasn't entirely sure if he wanted to talk to the man at the moment, or hear what he had to say. Starting slowly, "I wasn't dreaming last night, was I...?" Hoping for any kind of mention of that he was and it had all been a bad dream. Remus didn't look at him, which Harry immediately took as a bad sign.
"No."
It was all that needed to be said to confirm Harry's fears. "Remus? Would you be my teacher for becoming an Animagus? I mean, I trust Professor McGonagall, but, you just..." Harry broke off trying to take his mind off things, looking up to see the werewolf beaming at him. "Gladly, Harry, gladly. Just this time I think we'll make sure you don't have a family of Dursleys to try and eat if the leopard gets hungry."
Harry smirked, making him laugh loudly as he escorted the boy from the hospital ward. "I do believe you're ready to go get yourself in trouble again and in oh, say about two weeks, you'll be back here according to Poppy," Remus grinned wickedly. Harry shot back a look that could kill if he knew the right spell, but luckily for Lupin, he didn't.
After a few minutes and being near the Great Hall, Remus broke apart from Harry. "Dumbledore has granted you permission to roam the grounds, but no transforming attempts alone or else he'll have my head. And, you know what? While you're at it, no sneaking off, going into the Forbidden Forest, or just plain going places you aren't supposed to. And just to let you know, tomorrow I'll be escorting you to Hogsmead."
Now Harry was left alone to his own devices, and seeing the Great Hall, realized just how hungry he was. There weren't any professors around to ask where he could get some food, but remembered the previous years and sneaking down to the kitchen to get food from the house elves. He grinned and made his way down there, knowing this time he wouldn't get in trouble for being out past curfew or such. "Harry Potter! Dobby is so glad to see you again, sir! We've missed you!" The small house elf squeaked, running around frantically to get the boy food. "Here! Pastries and cakes and breads, all for Mister Harry Potter!" Harry struggled under the weight of the food that was placed in his arms and stumbled out of the room and back towards the Great Hall to nimble on the food where it was still deserted.
"Enjoying yourself?" A drawling voice asked from behind. Harry turned his head to find Snape standing there. "I, uh, not especially," he admitted. He missed his friends and at this point, didn't know where he stood with Snape. "Miss Ron and Hermione. They never wrote to me this summer, not even on my birthday." Severus looked down at the boy who'd rested his head on his hands, staring blankly out at the wall. "Being alone all summer with a family who doesn't care about you and then have friends who don't write to you?" A small tear formed at the edge of Harry's eye. He hadn't intended to tell Snape all this, but it hurt and he needed someone with an ear whom was in the Order and could therefore, trust, even if it wasn't his first choice. Snape on the other hand, raised an eye from all of this; here was Harry already telling him something without the use of Veritaserum. "And then losing my only real family last year. Sirius..." Harry rubbed his eyes, not wanting to let the tears loose.
"Sirius, while we weren't close, was a good man," Harry chuckled at Snape's reply. "There's the understatement of the year. I though you hated him more than you did me." The familiar smirk appeared on the man's face, showing his distaste for Sirius once again. "He was one of the first who believed I was in with Voldemort on my own free will, him and James. Those two always thought that I enjoyed all his prattle. No, I hated them because they turned Lily on me." He was silent for a moment. "Sir? You really wanted no part of the Dark Arts?" To this, Severus smiled slightly. "That isn't entirely true. I did enjoy many of the curses and hexes, but to be in the lot of Voldemort and the Death Eaters was beyond my taste."
Harry's empty look continued, still trying to take everything in step by step. Nothing made sense to him anymore. "I have a question," he started, shifting in his seat uncomfortably, "Where do we stand now, I mean, you've always hated me before..."
"I loathed James," Severus started, "He took the only person I'd every was able to love away from me. I never was able to forgive him or Sirius for what they had done, or myself for being weak and letting the Death Eaters trick me. Those feelings of hatred never left me..." He broke off, for the first time in his life, at a loss for words. Harry had always hated him, he knew that, and couldn't blame him for that, not with how he'd treated him in the past. "Where we stand... I'd prefer to not let this get around the school, especially to the Slytherins, not with all the Death Eater children in there. Although, with how you've grown in the past year, that could be rather difficult," Snape mused, idly realizing with the boy's long hair, it covered his scar exceedingly well. "So..." "Tell who you can trust, leave the rest to either not notice or figure it out on their own."
Snape heaved a sigh as he picked himself up from the table, leaving Harry to himself again. Looking at the man leaving, he found that a parchment had been left on the table and Harry recognized it as being his Marauders Map. "So Snape...dad? Is back in his office, Dumbledore is skiving off his duties and is lounging in the bathrooms; Filch doesn't seem to be on here, perfect, and ah! There you are Remus, hmm, back on the line up of teachers perhaps?" Noticing that he was sitting in the DADA room. He made his way out of the Great Hall and down towards the room, deciding that he wanted to attempt transforming again and thought it'd be best to not annoy Dumbledore again by trying it alone.
Remus smiled lightly as Harry stepped into his room. "Couldn't go a day without attempting it again, now could you? Alright, alright, at least you didn't try it on your own again," he muttered, shooing Harry over towards a seat by his desk. "First, empty your mind and simplify your thoughts and emotions. This should be easy for you since you were studying Occlumency with your father last year, and you might as well get used to hearing that similar phrase..." Noticing Harry's distasteful look on his face. "Now that you know what species you'll be, this will be a bit easier. Concentrate on being the leopard, your fingers becoming paws with deadly claws on each tip. The hairs of your fur breaking through your skin, coating you with a black pelt, spotted with raven black spots. The long tail pushing itself from your backend, your muscles honing themselves into a powerful cat." As the man spoke, the changes swept over Harry, this time going much easier. A problem was there though, the full moon was that very night, and Lupin seemed to have forgotten it in all the excitement of seeing Harry awake. His own transformation went faster than Harry's had, a full-grown wolf was left in the room with a passed out boy who was quickly changing back to human. The wolf snarled being back in control for so long since that damned potion had subdued him. It was time to taste blood again...