Summary: Can one person and fate make the difference in Severus' life?
Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot, sue me and become poor.
A/N: This fic is AU, not canon. and thanks! to my beta Karri
Now to my reviewers!
SeulWolfe: Voldie is alive, but he has not yet let it be known as Harry is only 9 right now.
Elwen of Imladris: thankies
Ruse: Thank you, I love your reviews they make my day
lilyseyes: I like them happy at times, sharing those special times
Lady Lily3: here is another one!
AccioSeverus: YES he does
mb: thanks, I might have to try it
athenakitty: they are not dead
Ceyxa: he will make some, but with each step there are two back sometimes
blonk: Sirius reappears soon and then he will stay till the end of the fic
rosiegirl: yesssss
juliedecarson: you shall see a little more of them soon
Thanks to you all I hope you enjoy the new chapter!
Chapter 11
The next morning Harry awoke to find his father sitting at the table drinking a cup of coffee, and reading the newspaper. Only, in this newspaper the pictures were moving just like in the book. Harry tossed back the covers that he was wrapped in, and walked over to the table. Standing on his tiptoes, he tried to read the back of the paper while his father was reading the front.
"Daddy, who is Sirius Black, and where is Azkaban?"
Severus peered over his paper at Harry. "Those are some serious questions. Azkaban is the wizard prison, and Sirius Black is a very bad man who hurt many Muggles. Now no more questions I believe it is time for your breakfast, so why don't you go and try to comb that unruly hair of yours and wash up."
Harry, content with those answers for now, went to do as his Dad had asked. In ten minutes he returned with his hair slicked down on his head with water, and a freshly scrubbed face. When he sat down, Severus placed two pancakes on his plate today instead of one. "How about you try to eat both of those, but do not gobble them down."
Harry, with a big grin on his face, poured maple syrup all over them both until they were drenched in it. Then, picking up his fork, he dived into the pancakes. He was eating so intently he did not hear Severus speaking to the house elf, or Lotty leave with a pop. When Harry finally ate the last piece of the pancake, he looked up to see Severus staring at him. Dropping his fork quickly Harry shied away in his chair.
Severus saw the flinch in the boy, and wondered when he was ever going to stop doing that. It broke his heart to know that Harry had suffered so much, in such few years of life. Clearing his throat, he spoke. "Harry, what would you like to do for your birthday, I do believe it is coming up."
Harry's mouth fell open, and then he seemed to be thinking hard because his brow furrowed. "I've never had a birthday, what do you do at one?"
"You mean to tell me those Muggles never even told you it was your birthday, or had a party?"
Harry's eyes grew misty. "Yes, Uncle Vernon always used to tell me that it was the day my mother gave birth to a freak, and he would give me one less chore to do, but I never had a party."
Severus wanted to pound his fist on the table at the injustice the boy had suffered, but knew it would only scare Harry. Sighing, he put down his paper and pulled Harry's chair closer to him. "Would you like to have a party? You could invite a few friends."
"I don't know anyone except Ron, could he come over?"
Severus ground his teeth. Why was it the only boy Harry ran into had to be a Weasley? He supposed it was because there were so many of them. Swallowing the urge to sneer, he looked back down at Harry. "Yes, of course Ron can come, is there anyone else?"
Harry sat for a second before a look of shame came over his face. "I don't know anyone else."
"It is settled then, this weekend we shall have your birthday party here, but Harry that means you will have to learn how to have fun." Severus said, with a smile coming over his face. He was rewarded as Harry launched himself from his chair and wrapped both arms around him in a big hug.
The days went by quickly, and Harry saw very little of Severus. His father had said each time that he had some errands to run, but Harry didn't mind, for he had spent countless hours immersed in his father's many potion books, and teaching Lotty to play hide and seek. The house elf had an unfair advantage, being able to pop in and out of the rooms, but Harry enjoyed it nonetheless.
On the last day, Harry awoke to Severus leaning over him. It scared him so badly he jumped back, before realizing Severus was waking him up before the sun was even up. Staring at his father he asked. "Why are you waking me up in the dark?"
Severus pulled Harry into his lap, to explain. "My father was not a gentle or kind man most of the time, but he always woke me every year at midnight on my birthday and took me to a special place."
Harry wanted to know where they were going, but his father would reveal nothing to him, telling him instead that it was a secret. Harry also wanted to know why Severus was bundling him up in several layers of clothes, even though it was July. Harry finally gave up the losing battle as Severus threw on a heavy snow suit on top of the three layers of clothes he had on already. He was about to ask again, when Severus took him by the hand and headed straight out the door.
The wind that night was humid, and Harry was beginning to sweat underneath all the layers. He wanted to rip them off, but knew that his father would not have made him wear all of them without a reason; he simply didn't know what that reason was.
"Harry, I want you to hold onto me tightly, and do not let go," Severus said as he pulled Harry into a hug.
Harry felt as if someone were sucking him through a straw, and his head felt dizzy as he watched several scenes go by. It was so nauseating that he closed his eyes and prayed to stop soon. This helped a bit, and just as he was beginning to relax the swirling stopped, and he landed with a thud on the ground.
The first thing Harry noticed was the bitter cold. He was glad that his Dad had insisted on the many layers, for he thought he might have frozen in only his jumper. Harry looked up to see his father gazing out over the horizon and wondered what he was looking at. Harry turned around, and saw exactly what he was looking at. They were on top of a mountain and Harry could see for miles as he looked.
Severus pulled him over to a couple of rocks and then performed a warming charm on them. Sitting down, he pulled Harry into his lap, and they both sat there staring at the beauty that was before them. Harry could speak no words, his awe taking away all thoughts for the time being, but he listened intently as his father spoke.
"My father used to bring me here every year on my birthday. He said that this was as close to heaven as you could get, and that it was so high up that you felt you could reach up and touch the stars. He said here the evilness of the world was but a thought, and that not even the Dark Lord could taint such a beautiful place." Severus said no more that night as he and Harry sat there, but after an hour Harry began to shiver even under all his layers. Severus gathered the boy up in his arms, and walked over to the apparition point. Taking one last look around, Severus and Harry were gone with a pop.
They arrived back outside the house in meadow, and Severus took the still shivering Harry back into the house. As he walked in, he motioned for Lotty to turn down the covers on Harry's bed while he peeled the layers of clothes off him. Once Harry was again in nothing more than his pyjamas, he was laid back in the bed, and the covers pulled up to his chin. Severus was about to walk away when he saw the boy shivering, and pulled his wand from his robes. He saw Harry still flinch at the sight of it, but heard the sigh of relief as he performed the warming charm on the sheets.