The Question, part 3
SS/HP, angst, adventure
All the usual disclaimers apply. I own nothing but the plot.
Please review. I need to know how I'm doing on this.
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The best thing about Harry Potter was the fact that he never asked. No annoyingly saccharine questions. No pretence of surprise. If Potter was anything, he was not a hypocrite. Even now, he didn't attempt to hide his annoyance with the potions master. His smallish hands moved deftly around Severus' ribcage but he made no attempt at small talk. Severus much preferred his bedside manner to Poppy's. It was a shame she'd died. Still, she knew what she was walking into when she ran out onto the Quidditch pitch to save yet another Weasley. After neatly tying off the gauze, potter turned to him with a raised eyebrow.
"I don't suppose you'd be willing to take two days of bed rest?" To his half amused shake of head, Harry nodded and unwarded a smallish safe on top of his desk.
"Take these for three days, no longer. It's codeine, and is more addictive than anything you've ever come up with". With that, Severus was handed a tin of pills and ushered out of the medi-wizard's office.
"Killian will be expecting you at tea time", said Potter and was gone in a swish of moss green robes. The man never wore any other colour. It was almost like his own use of black, although, he chose his colour as a shield. The less inviting he looked, the less people would come his way and find his lacking. Thus a huge amount of heartache and disappointment was avoided and no time at all was wasted on petty socializing. If Severus knew anything, it was that time was precious, not only because of this pathetic war, but because life was a fickle woman. One never knew when she'd leave him and Severus was determined not to loose a single moment. So what if he knew not to expect personal happiness? He would leave a mark on this world; make it better and live on in his accomplishments. How many greats were happy anyway? He opened his classroom door with a satisfying bang and sauntered in, terrifying his fifth years. The class was Slytherin and Ravenclaw, stable, if thoroughly predictable and boring. Slytherins knew to fear him, and studying was in the very nature of the Ravenclaw house. He hastily commanded the chalk to write out the scheduled formula, and gingerly sank into his chair. His ribs hurt; and while he would not let Harry see his agony, he was not above making it easier for himself. They throbbed with the distracting while of torn and neglected flesh and each pulse was a reproach. He would not take any of the shiny white pellets until he'd eaten, and so it was just he and his body until lunch.
Two hours and four melted cauldrons later, Severus made his way down to his quarters in hopes for a quiet hour to eat and savour the silence. The brown haired eight year old lounging in his sitting room dashed his hopes. He also dashed Severus' breath when he slammed into him in greeting.
"And what are you doing here at this hour?" He asked once able to breathe again. His attempt at being imperious failed when he bent down to ruffle Killian's hair.
"Daddy said I could have lunch with you, so I jumped into the fireplace in my room" replied the boy and headed for the kitchen as though he owned the place. Considering how much time he'd spent there, it was not at all surprising.
"And who said I would have enough for you?"
"Dobby, and daddy, and uncle Ron, and daddy said to wait for him, because uncle Ron's tail caught in the infirmary door and daddy's fixing him". With that, the boy pulled the platter of sandwiches to him and snagged the top piece. Well leave it to the mutt. The mutated grim would no doubt tag along with Harry and stick around for lunch negating any possibility of conversation with Potter. After this people had the nerve to ask why he was not a dog person.
"I suppose you're to say here until he arrives?"
The boy nodded with his full mouth and turned around effectively devoting all of his attention to the triple-decker monstrosity with ham, cheese, turkey and Dobby knows what else. Severus busied himself with his own liverwurst and cucumber, trying to eat as much as possible because there would hardly be time once Potter came in. He remembered the last time he'd waited for Potter to get there in order to eat. He ended up without any dinner that night and was summoned until the very morning. Time was not to be wasted. He had just flushed two pellets down with water when the overly familiar shaggy head poked around the door to the stairs connecting their quarters. The slender medi-wizard noticed them at the table and jauntily made his way to his son's chair.
"I see everyone's fine. Killian, really, do wipe that off your nose." With that, Potter settled himself on the counter and bit into his own sandwich. Severus tried not to stare at the lithe body directly in front of him. The younger man was a creature of beauty, all sleek line, taught sinew and flawless skin. He was forbidden to Severus by that alone. No use is jeopardising their friendship with his lechery.
"Since when is your son allowed to floo? He may be your, but he is not above the laws of physics"
"Killian?"
"I saw you do it, I did it right daddy! I took the purple sand from the pretty vase Aunt Hermione gave you for your birthday and said ' Snape's rooms".
"Killian that's not an excuse. Please go upstairs and wait with uncle Ron until I return." Once the child was up the stairs and effectively out of earshot he turned to Severus and raised an expectant eyebrow.
"What?"
"I know what Albus knows, mainly that the Grangers have to be moved tonight. Remus is taking care of that right now. I know that Draco is under suspicion and that centaurs are to be backed up in three days time. I want to know what would offend Albus' delicate sensibilities."
" We have three months before he strikes. We both need to be ready by then. Draco is not going back there if Hermione is worth her salt as his partner and Lucius is the closest agent we've got to Voldemort. Anything else?"
"Do drop the sarcasm Severus, seeing the condition of your ribs, I'd say your position was shaky. I don't want you to risk your too much."
"As I've said before, I am expendable, you, Draco and Lucius are not."
"Pray tell how you've arrived at this brilliant conclusion?"
"It's quite easy, Lucius, Draco and you have direct dependents, and I do not. That said, I've class to teach." said Severus and walked out, leaving his shell-shocked companion to gaze into the greenish flames in the hearth.
Oh Severus, but you do...
