A/N: Hurrah! Someone commented at my LiveJournal site! And what a nice
comment it was- not to mention the other heartwarming ones I've gotten
here last chapter. Thank you!
This chapter, I've actually posted two pictures to go with the story;
they're the actual photographs described in this chapter, so go and
look! I would however strongly suggest reading the chapter before doing
so- you'll be less confused that way as to what they're for. I just hope
this doesn't run up my bandwidth ;)
http://www.livejournal.com/users/athenakt
Disclaimers apply as always. Resistance is futile. Thank you for reading
and reviewing!
------------------------------
Chapter 37
Keeping a wary eye on Harry, Severus moved around him to return to the
parchment's table. A distinct mixture of distrust and protectiveness was
present in his aura, accompanied by a trace of fear and his ever-present
self-loathing. Harry blinked as the last emotion sunk in, having just
realized it for what it was despite how much it had constantly permeated
the aura; almost like the background color for a painting on canvas. The
base layer upon which all else rested. Disturbed at this new awareness,
Harry remained where he was.
Severus finally turned his attention away in order to mutter a few
spells at the parchment and the room in general. As Harry watched, the
energy flowed from and around Severus, moving fluidly from his wand to
their targets as though they were a darker and gaseous form of
quicksilver.
Distracting himself with a passing curiosity of what his own spells
looked like to Severus, Harry shoved his hands in his pockets and asked,
"Are we going to do the second scan now?"
It took a moment before Severus could tear his eyes from the parchment
he had retrieved from the table. "Yes. Quite." Scowling at Harry, he
added, "I forbid you to try anything on the Dark Mark. If you are
harmed, I will make certain you are healed so that I might make you
deeply regret the action myself. Go stand there," he muttered,
indicating the same spot Harry had stood during the first scan and
placing the parchment roll on his chair off to the side.
The scan, once Severus activated the room again, felt as it did the
first time. A wash of power like a strong, cool wind swept through them,
guided by Severus' quiet murmurs. Where last time he had been watching
Severus' magic affecting the room, this time Harry tried appreciating
the refreshing sense the unmoving wind gave him, closing his eyes and
just feeling the power around him. It surged and retreated like ocean
waves ... beamed over him like the sun warming his skin ... gently
caressed him like a spring breeze. It involved his senses so much he
could barely get out the wondering thought that such a sense of nature
could be locked up within the cold stone of Severus' dungeons.
At long last the feelings slowly faded, but Harry was reluctant to open
his eyes. Off to one side he could just barely hear the swish of
Severus' robes as he moved toward the runes in front of them. More
muttered words were heard and the humming of the room grew softer until
it became only background noise; something one might not notice unless
one knew it was there. Harry sighed, slowly blinking his eyes open.
Severus stood before him, smirk firmly in place, "I was not aware that
your species of student had evolved the ability to sleep whilst
standing. How fortunate; that should save on space and furniture in the
student dorms."
"Very funny." But Harry had trouble hiding his amusement completely.
"So. What do we do next?"
"'We' change the configuration of the runes so that it will be able to
store several scans at once and process them in sequence. Then we will
begin our next set of readings." When Harry made a groaning noise,
Severus raised an eyebrow. "You didn't seem to mind doing this while the
scans were running."
Harry harrumphed, "I don't mind the scans at all. It's the waiting for
the readings. And how long is it going to take you to do these changes
to the runes?"
Having been vindicated as the one doing the work, Severus generously
didn't sneer at Harry's behavior. "Approximately an hour. Quite possibly
less depending upon how well the new equations take. Why don't you wait
outside the room. Next year's potions text can be found on the second
bookshelf to the left on the third level from the bottom. You can start
revising and your chatter will not cause distractions and delays."
* * * * *
Feeling like he'd been kicked out of the rune room, Harry decided to get
even by thoroughly perusing the photographs on Severus' shelves. As soon
as the door closed behind him, Harry went over to the area he'd only
gotten a brief look at the first time he'd been in Severus' personal
rooms. The small potions bottles were curious but not surprising
considering who he was dealing with. Many of them were empty, but there
were a few that were not ... and he noticed that one of the smallest
ones held a liquid that Harry thought just might be Veritaserum.
Shivering, he recalled when Severus (who had then been The Greasy Git,
Snape) had threatened to use some Veritaserum on Harry. Apparently the
threat hadn't been idle; not that he'd thought it was, but seeing the
liquid in the flesh brought the concept home rather forcefully.
Harry quickly decided to turn his attention upon the sparse photographs
to be had. They were all kept in simple frames also made of wood except
for one which was an elegantly shaped silver. Two boys stood on the
Quiddich pitch, their smiles ones of accomplishment and dark humor as
they held their diplomas before them for the camera. The boys were
studies in opposites, one being pale-haired, slender and proud while the
other's hair was long, dark, and frequently blew in the wind to
partially cover his face, his body wiry rather than aesthetically slim.
It certainly wasn't difficult at all to recognize them as being Lucius
Malfoy and Severus when they graduated Hogwarts. The silver frame marked
this picture as likely having been a gift from Malfoy as all of the
other frames matched each other perfectly.
The next picture also took place on the quidditch pitch, this time
containing a small group of students in their sixth year perhaps. The
Slytherin quidditch team from the looks of it. Lucius stood with the
confidence of the team captain, smiling and surveying his team with
pride. Severus smirked rather than smiled, and only briefly after
lightly tossing the quaffle at the head of one of the chasers whom Harry
couldn't recognize.
Another picture that drew Harry's attention was one of an older man with
the look of intelligence in his black eyes. His hair was short and
somewhat severely styled, drawing attention to his intent gaze as he
poured liquid from a long beaker into a test tube. Despite working on
what looked to be a potion, the man was dressed quite formally in a robe
with a white shirt buttoned at collar and cuffs underneath. Harry
wondered if this person is from where Severus got his tastes in clothing
and became curious as to who this unfamiliar man was.
The last picture was also of the unfamiliar man, this time in more of a
home-like setting although not a lot can be seen of it in the
background. Apparently the man was in a thoughtful mood when the picture
was taken as he looked quite distracted, although the faintest of traces
of what could become a smile could be seen as well. Again he was dressed
buttoned up to the collar, and in this picture which was more of a close
up than the other, Harry could also make out concentration lines on the
man's forehead in a similar pattern to Severus'. Harry's next
speculation was a wondering one as to if this man might just be ...
Severus' father.
There weren't any other pictures- not even of any women who could
potentially be Severus' mother. Disappointed, Harry wandered over to the
bookshelf Severus had directed him to in order to take down the potions
text for next year. At least he'd have it on hand to pretend to read
while he was thinking over what he'd seen.
By the time the door to the other room eventually opened, Harry had sat
on the chair he had chosen and stared through the book for a while,
gotten up and paced around the chair, leaned on it with the book in hand
(just in case), wandered back to the shelves with the book in hand
(again just in case), and was currently staring at the picture of the
man working on his potion.
Absorbed in his thoughts, Harry didn't hear the near-silent approach of
the older wizard behind him and nearly jumped out of his skin when
Severus suddenly spoke. "Yes, he is in fact working on potions. However,
it would be rather difficult to learn anything by watching without
interaction."
Harry looked up and behind him at Severus who was gazing at the
photograph of the man without expression, his aura difficult to read but
not the most pleasant, either ... a muddled rain-like mixture of sorrow,
guilt and anger. Returning his attention to the man in the photograph,
Harry saw that he was returning Severus' gaze with that very faint
almost-smile which almost looked like fondness. "Is that your ..." The
word 'dad' didn't seem to fit in with this man, " ... Father?"
"Yes," Severus quietly replied.
Just as quietly, Harry asked, "Is he ... still around?"
"Yes." Severus' aura grew harder to read, if anything.
"Where is he, then?" Harry curiously studied Severus.
"In Azkaban."
comment it was- not to mention the other heartwarming ones I've gotten
here last chapter. Thank you!
This chapter, I've actually posted two pictures to go with the story;
they're the actual photographs described in this chapter, so go and
look! I would however strongly suggest reading the chapter before doing
so- you'll be less confused that way as to what they're for. I just hope
this doesn't run up my bandwidth ;)
http://www.livejournal.com/users/athenakt
Disclaimers apply as always. Resistance is futile. Thank you for reading
and reviewing!
------------------------------
Chapter 37
Keeping a wary eye on Harry, Severus moved around him to return to the
parchment's table. A distinct mixture of distrust and protectiveness was
present in his aura, accompanied by a trace of fear and his ever-present
self-loathing. Harry blinked as the last emotion sunk in, having just
realized it for what it was despite how much it had constantly permeated
the aura; almost like the background color for a painting on canvas. The
base layer upon which all else rested. Disturbed at this new awareness,
Harry remained where he was.
Severus finally turned his attention away in order to mutter a few
spells at the parchment and the room in general. As Harry watched, the
energy flowed from and around Severus, moving fluidly from his wand to
their targets as though they were a darker and gaseous form of
quicksilver.
Distracting himself with a passing curiosity of what his own spells
looked like to Severus, Harry shoved his hands in his pockets and asked,
"Are we going to do the second scan now?"
It took a moment before Severus could tear his eyes from the parchment
he had retrieved from the table. "Yes. Quite." Scowling at Harry, he
added, "I forbid you to try anything on the Dark Mark. If you are
harmed, I will make certain you are healed so that I might make you
deeply regret the action myself. Go stand there," he muttered,
indicating the same spot Harry had stood during the first scan and
placing the parchment roll on his chair off to the side.
The scan, once Severus activated the room again, felt as it did the
first time. A wash of power like a strong, cool wind swept through them,
guided by Severus' quiet murmurs. Where last time he had been watching
Severus' magic affecting the room, this time Harry tried appreciating
the refreshing sense the unmoving wind gave him, closing his eyes and
just feeling the power around him. It surged and retreated like ocean
waves ... beamed over him like the sun warming his skin ... gently
caressed him like a spring breeze. It involved his senses so much he
could barely get out the wondering thought that such a sense of nature
could be locked up within the cold stone of Severus' dungeons.
At long last the feelings slowly faded, but Harry was reluctant to open
his eyes. Off to one side he could just barely hear the swish of
Severus' robes as he moved toward the runes in front of them. More
muttered words were heard and the humming of the room grew softer until
it became only background noise; something one might not notice unless
one knew it was there. Harry sighed, slowly blinking his eyes open.
Severus stood before him, smirk firmly in place, "I was not aware that
your species of student had evolved the ability to sleep whilst
standing. How fortunate; that should save on space and furniture in the
student dorms."
"Very funny." But Harry had trouble hiding his amusement completely.
"So. What do we do next?"
"'We' change the configuration of the runes so that it will be able to
store several scans at once and process them in sequence. Then we will
begin our next set of readings." When Harry made a groaning noise,
Severus raised an eyebrow. "You didn't seem to mind doing this while the
scans were running."
Harry harrumphed, "I don't mind the scans at all. It's the waiting for
the readings. And how long is it going to take you to do these changes
to the runes?"
Having been vindicated as the one doing the work, Severus generously
didn't sneer at Harry's behavior. "Approximately an hour. Quite possibly
less depending upon how well the new equations take. Why don't you wait
outside the room. Next year's potions text can be found on the second
bookshelf to the left on the third level from the bottom. You can start
revising and your chatter will not cause distractions and delays."
* * * * *
Feeling like he'd been kicked out of the rune room, Harry decided to get
even by thoroughly perusing the photographs on Severus' shelves. As soon
as the door closed behind him, Harry went over to the area he'd only
gotten a brief look at the first time he'd been in Severus' personal
rooms. The small potions bottles were curious but not surprising
considering who he was dealing with. Many of them were empty, but there
were a few that were not ... and he noticed that one of the smallest
ones held a liquid that Harry thought just might be Veritaserum.
Shivering, he recalled when Severus (who had then been The Greasy Git,
Snape) had threatened to use some Veritaserum on Harry. Apparently the
threat hadn't been idle; not that he'd thought it was, but seeing the
liquid in the flesh brought the concept home rather forcefully.
Harry quickly decided to turn his attention upon the sparse photographs
to be had. They were all kept in simple frames also made of wood except
for one which was an elegantly shaped silver. Two boys stood on the
Quiddich pitch, their smiles ones of accomplishment and dark humor as
they held their diplomas before them for the camera. The boys were
studies in opposites, one being pale-haired, slender and proud while the
other's hair was long, dark, and frequently blew in the wind to
partially cover his face, his body wiry rather than aesthetically slim.
It certainly wasn't difficult at all to recognize them as being Lucius
Malfoy and Severus when they graduated Hogwarts. The silver frame marked
this picture as likely having been a gift from Malfoy as all of the
other frames matched each other perfectly.
The next picture also took place on the quidditch pitch, this time
containing a small group of students in their sixth year perhaps. The
Slytherin quidditch team from the looks of it. Lucius stood with the
confidence of the team captain, smiling and surveying his team with
pride. Severus smirked rather than smiled, and only briefly after
lightly tossing the quaffle at the head of one of the chasers whom Harry
couldn't recognize.
Another picture that drew Harry's attention was one of an older man with
the look of intelligence in his black eyes. His hair was short and
somewhat severely styled, drawing attention to his intent gaze as he
poured liquid from a long beaker into a test tube. Despite working on
what looked to be a potion, the man was dressed quite formally in a robe
with a white shirt buttoned at collar and cuffs underneath. Harry
wondered if this person is from where Severus got his tastes in clothing
and became curious as to who this unfamiliar man was.
The last picture was also of the unfamiliar man, this time in more of a
home-like setting although not a lot can be seen of it in the
background. Apparently the man was in a thoughtful mood when the picture
was taken as he looked quite distracted, although the faintest of traces
of what could become a smile could be seen as well. Again he was dressed
buttoned up to the collar, and in this picture which was more of a close
up than the other, Harry could also make out concentration lines on the
man's forehead in a similar pattern to Severus'. Harry's next
speculation was a wondering one as to if this man might just be ...
Severus' father.
There weren't any other pictures- not even of any women who could
potentially be Severus' mother. Disappointed, Harry wandered over to the
bookshelf Severus had directed him to in order to take down the potions
text for next year. At least he'd have it on hand to pretend to read
while he was thinking over what he'd seen.
By the time the door to the other room eventually opened, Harry had sat
on the chair he had chosen and stared through the book for a while,
gotten up and paced around the chair, leaned on it with the book in hand
(just in case), wandered back to the shelves with the book in hand
(again just in case), and was currently staring at the picture of the
man working on his potion.
Absorbed in his thoughts, Harry didn't hear the near-silent approach of
the older wizard behind him and nearly jumped out of his skin when
Severus suddenly spoke. "Yes, he is in fact working on potions. However,
it would be rather difficult to learn anything by watching without
interaction."
Harry looked up and behind him at Severus who was gazing at the
photograph of the man without expression, his aura difficult to read but
not the most pleasant, either ... a muddled rain-like mixture of sorrow,
guilt and anger. Returning his attention to the man in the photograph,
Harry saw that he was returning Severus' gaze with that very faint
almost-smile which almost looked like fondness. "Is that your ..." The
word 'dad' didn't seem to fit in with this man, " ... Father?"
"Yes," Severus quietly replied.
Just as quietly, Harry asked, "Is he ... still around?"
"Yes." Severus' aura grew harder to read, if anything.
"Where is he, then?" Harry curiously studied Severus.
"In Azkaban."