A/N - Hey Guys! This chapter talks about Harry's first Halloween at Hogwarts and skips the whole troll incident.
Enjoy and let me know any new ideas you have!
Chapter 2: My Beloved
Eleven years old Hermione Granger ran down the corridor of the library and up the Grand staircase. She waited impatiently for it to move and quickly jumped off of it before it even stood still.
The castle looked utterly beautiful. The carved pumpkins laughed at every corner of the corridor, making the children giggle with glee. Halloween was a widely loved festival of the students of Hogwarts.
Hermione gave the password to the Gryffindor commons and dashed inside, ignoring the frantic scolding of the Fat Lady on the door. She found her friends just down by the fire, in their favourite places and walked over to them.
"Hey 'moine." Ron said around a bottle of Butterbeer, which he had probably gotten from Fred and George - who probably got it from the kitchens during one of their nightly rounds for midnight snacks.
"Hey Ron." Hermione said breathlessly and fell down in the armchair beside him.
"Did you run all the way upstairs?" Harry Potter asked from where he was lounging on a pink rug which he had tried to transfigured out of Hermione's old small teddy bear. It still had small eyes glued to it and Ron had forbidden Harry to pluck them off, just for the sake of the entertainment factor.
"Yes." Hermione panted and opened her bag to get out her ever-refilling bottle of water.
"What for?" Harry asked as he toyed with his half empty bottle of the sweet flavoured drink.
"No reason." Hermione shrugged.
Ron narrowed his eyes. "That's the worst lie if I can ever catch one."
Hermione rolled her eyes.
"Fine." She snapped and dropped her bottle back into her bag. "I was in the library when I saw Professor Snape."
"It's his other lair, Hermione." Harry said casually. "If he's not rotting in dungeons, he's in the library, if he's not tainting the library, he's in Dumbledore's office."
"No!" Hermione protested. "He wasn't reading or anything. He was just sitting there in the corner of the library. Doing nothing. He was staring at a piece of paper clutched in his hand. He looked so sad."
Ron and Harry looked at each other before shrugging.
"Well, he's not done anything remotely good to earn our sympathies." Ron said as he finished his drink before tapping his wand at the bottle and watching it refill.
"Seriously?" Hermione asked him. "It's sugary enough to kill off your organs and make your teeth fall down in ashes."
"Ah but Herms you forget that we are wizards and magic is the best healer." Ron retorted.
Harry gazed into the fire as his friends talked in the background.
It was Halloween today.
It was his parents' death anniversary.
He wanted to tell everyone to stop celebrating but he figured that would be wrong. So, he decided to put the pretence of 'I'm fine'.
Hearing about Snape got him thinking.
'Why was Snape sad?'
'Did he lose someone too?'
'Did he know my parents?'
'How old is he, anyway?'
Harry scowled as the questions roamed around in his head.
He needed to get out for a while, maybe say something to his parents?
"…Isn't that right, Harry?" Harry's head snapped towards Hermione as she addressed him.
"What?" He blinked.
"Are you alright?" Hermione frowned.
"Yeah, yeah. Perfectly fine." Harry said and sat up properly. "Um…can you guys do me a favor?"
"Of course." Ron said and Hermione eyed him curiously.
"Can you cover for me?" He asked them. "Till dinner, maybe?"
"Where are you going?" Hermione inquired as he stood up.
"I-I need to be somewhere other than here." He mumbled and was about to turn around to leave when he spotted his wand beside Ron. He picked it up and thanked his friends before walking out of the common room.
Hermione suddenly slapped her forehead.
"Of course!" She cried and looked at Ron who was looking at her oddly. "How can we forget?! It's Halloween!"
Ron's eyes widened in realisation.
"Oh crap." He said. "You think we should tell someone? Or go after him?"
"No." Hermione shook her head. "Leave him be for a while. We will see if he turns up for dinner."
"How can we be so daft?" Ron asked, mostly to himself.
"How can I be so daft?" Hermione said and Ron glared at her.
/
Harry wandered through the crowds of students with his mind floating somewhere else. His feet unknowingly took him out of the castle and near the Black Lake.
He breathed in the fresh air and sat down on the cool grass.
The winter hung in the air and Harry shivered in the wind. Her mentally berated himself for not getting his newest cloak which Hagrid had got for him during their shopping spree in Diagon Alley.
He looked up at the sky and found it to be astonishingly clear with the stars twinkling brightly.
Harry's eyes filled with tears as thought about his parents. For his whole life, he had been told that his parents were drunks who got themselves killed in a car accident. And now, suddenly, he was told that that they were heroes. He was a hero.
'Mum, Dad, please come back. I need you.'
He wiped a tear on his sleeve and sniffed.
He wondered what his life would have been if he had grown up with his parents, in the wizarding world.
'Well, I wouldn't have to do chores on my fourth birthday.' He thought wryly.
'What an ungrateful and worthless son am I? I don't even know where my parents are buried.' He frowned at himself and made a mental note to ask Dumbledore about it.
Come to think of it, he didn't know anything about his parents. He didn't even know how they looked. Sure, he had seen their names in hundreds of books, but he couldn't remember them.
'How pathetic, Potter.'
Harry took a deep breath as the tears made their way down his cheeks. He pulled his knees closer to his chest and rested his forehead on them.
'I am so sorry, Mum, Dad. I just want you with me now. Please come back.'
He wished desperately, hoping for some miracle which he knew wouldn't take place.
/
Severus Snape hated Halloween. And he had no qualms in showing that to Albus or the students or the insufferable cat, Minerva.
10 years ago, Halloween had robbed him of his only joy. He had lost his Lily. And Harry Potter walked this castle everyday as the living and breathing reminder of Severus' loss.
'No doubt the brat is in the Great Hall, stuffing himself with candy and laughing with his friends. Obviously oblivious to the day's importance.' He thought with a sneer as he made his way towards the Great Hall. Albus has insisted that he dine in there. Everyday.
'Blasted damn old coot.'
The students were milling around in front of the door and immediately went inside to take a seat as soon as they saw their irritated Potions Professor stalking towards them.
Severus' expression softened a little at their fear.
'Good.' He smirked to himself.
With a flourish, he seated himself in his usual seat beside Albus who warmly smiled at him.
"Good evening, Severus." He said joyfully as he opened up some sort of sweet which was shaped as a dragon.
"Albus." Severus gave him a nod. His eyes scanned the Slytherin table, making sure every child was present. Then his gaze averted to the Gryffindor table where he saw a worried Weasley and Granger looking around.
The third part of their puzzle was missing and Severus frowned.
It was mandatory for everyone to attend a feast in the Great Hall. Not even he could escape the clutches of Dumbledore's persistence, what made Potter think that he can?
"I wonder where Harry is." Minerva said out loud from beside him. "The poor boy looked downright miserable all day. Maybe you could talk to him, Severus?"
Severus raised his eyebrows at the idea.
"Had a little extra to drink, did you?" He said rudely and McGonagall smacked his arm in annoyance.
"You lost Lily, he lost a mother. You lost a good friend, he lost a father. Maybe you can talk to him about it, tell him what good people they were."
Severus looked at her as if she had lost her mind.
"What makes you think he was miserable because of his parents' death? He might be sad because he couldn't get to dress like some creature this year and get 1000 candies from his neighbours."
Minerva rolled her eyes and leaned forward to look at Albus.
"Really, Severus? Even you are empathetic enough to know that that is not the case." Albus said.
"Will you both stop cornering me?" Severus snapped.
"Minerva's idea isn't so bad, my dear boy." Albus continued as if Severus hadn't said anything.
Severus gave them both an exasperated look before roughly standing up.
"I am not a boy." He muttered before leaving.
Albus winked at Minerva who chuckled softly. Their plan worked.
Severus stalked through the tables and glared at anyone who dares to look at him.
He would take a walk to clear his head, he decided. The air was cold but not frigid. The sky was gloriously lit and the mountains, instead of dark looming shadows, looked like protective guards. Severus breathed in deeply before making his way over to the grounds.
He soon found himself staring at the Black Lake from a distance. His mind flooded with the memories of numerous times when him and Lily had sat beside the lake throwing stones at the squid. He allowed a small smile to appear on his face.
Oh, dear Lily, what can I do to tell you how much I miss you.
He closed his eyes as soft wind blew his hair.
A small scuffing made him squint in the direction of the Lake. A lone figure sat there, digging through the mud aimlessly.
Severus instantly made him out to be Potter. Albus and Minerva's words rang in his head and he sighed.
Maybe he can do this.
He slowly made his way to the small boy and cleared his throat to tell him of his arrival.
Harry's head snapped back and his eyes widened as he scrambled to stand up.
"I-I and so sorry, sir. Did I miss dinner? I didn't mean to! I swear! I just- jut lost track of time here and I just have missed it. I am extremely so-"
"Potter! Quit your blabbering." Severus said with a roll of his eyes. Harry instantly fell silent and looked at his shoes.
"What are you doing out here?" Severus asked as he closed the gap between them and stood beside Harry, overlooking the Lake.
"I-I…" Harry bit his lip. Could he trust Snape with his feelings?
"Do you remember your parents, Potter?" Harry wasn't sure what surprised him more, the question, or the soft tone of voice that he had thought his professor was not capable of.
He gulped and looked at the man.
"I don't, sir." He said in a small voice, as of afraid that he would disappoint the man.
"Well," Severus said, his eyes fixed over the Lake. "You were too young. But surely Petunia must have told you something about them."
Harry bit his lip and didn't answer.
"Potter?" Severus frowned and finally looked at the boy.
"She-she doesn't like to talk about them, sir." Harry admitted.
Severus closed his eyes in resignation.
He should have known. Petunia was a downright scumbag.
"So you have no inclination of how they looked or what kind of people they were?"
"No, sir."
Silence reigned between them for a minute.
"The good kind, Potter."
Harry was surprised for a moment. He couldn't believe that Snape was talking to him about this.
"Your mother…I knew her since I was 8 years old." Harry's head snapped over to him.
"Really?"
"Yes." Severus said. "I was the one who told her she had magic. We were best of friends throughout school." He then pointed to a large tree about 20 meters away from them. "That was where we sat everyday after school."
Harry looked at the tree and imagined two happy students laughing and talking underneath it. One with pretty red hair and the other with stark black.
"We used to study there, sometimes even eat there. It was our spot." Severus' throat constricted as he talked, but he felt good telling all of this to Lily's next of kin.
"Hermione said she saw you in the library today. Did you sit there as well?"
Harry asked.
"Yes. When it used to rain or snow, we sat at the back of the library. It has the best view from the window, and Madame Pince can't see you."
Harry made a note of it the next time he decided to study in the library.
"What about my father, sir?"
Severus' expression changed and Harry thought he wouldn't talk.
"We didn't get along." Severus said.
"Why?"
"I was in Slytherin and he was in Gryffindor"
"Oh…" Harry instantly got the gist of it. "He bullied you." Severus blinked at the statement. He wanted to counter it, but he knew that lies would take him no where.
"Yes. But after our fifth year, Lily and James started dating…and James and I made up." Severus said. "He was a good man. A little impulsive, but good at heart."
"What about his friends? Did he have any?"
"Of course he did. But we never saw eye to eye. James was the only one I had made…acquaintances with."
"I wish I knew them." Harry whispered. "It's not fair, you know? I never got to know them." A single tear slipped down his cheek and Harry wiped it quickly.
"Life is seldom fair, Potter." Severus said, his eyes shining with understanding. "You can either complain about it, or move on and do something about it."
Harry mulled over the words.
"What did you do?"
"I complained." Severus admitted. "But a wise man helped me move on."
Harry frowned at him before saying:
"Dumbledore."
Severus didn't say anything and Harry got his answer.
"Till I came to Hogwarts, I thought my parents had died in a car crash." Harry said.
Severus' anger bubbled in his chest.
"Petunia was always jealous of Lily." He told the boy who nodded.
Severus then slowly reached in his pocket and took out a paper. He looked at it for a moment before handing it to Harry.
"It was taken the day we graduated Hogwarts." Severus said.
Harry slowly looked at the photo.
There were three people in it.
The girl, his mum, with her fiery red hair stood in the middle. Her hands draped across the shoulders of both the boys beside her. She was grinning widely. Her eyes, the same as Harry's, were shining with mirth and happiness. Harry took in her beauty. She was absolutely mesmerising.
His eyes then sought the boy on her left. His raven hair and round rimmed glasses instantly reminded Harry of his own. Harry looked exactly like his father. The boy was laughing too. His hand was behind Lily's back, and judging by the posture of the other boy, he was obviously ribbing Severus jokingly.
His professor was also quite handsome, Harry noticed. The black hair draped over his face like curtains and his full-blown smile made his face come to life. He was leaning a bit oddly, trying to escape James' hand but he too had his left one across his mother's back.
The trio looked so happy. A drop of tear fell on the photo and Harry realised he was crying. His sniffles were getting hard to control.
"Where- Where are they buried, sir?"
"Godric's Hollow. That's where your house was." Severus answered promptly.
"Ca-can you take me there? Someday?" Harry asked, his tone was cautious, as if he was expecting to be denied of the simple request.
"Whenever you want, Potter." The answer came without hesitation.
Harry's tears now fell freely and his breath hitched with every sniffle.
A calloused hand fell on his neck and that was all it took for Harry to jerk his body towards his professor and bury his face in the man's black robes. He held on for dear life as his soft sobs disturbed the silent night.
Severus, a bit astonished, quickly recovered and pulled the boy closer. With one hand, he cradled the boy's head and with the other he rubbed his back in an attempt to soothe him. He leaned down and whispered in the boy's ear.
"I'm so sorry for your loss, Harry."
Harry sobbed harder in his chest.
The wind blew again and Severus allowed his own grief to shatter. His eyes, for the first time in 10 years, became moist.
The feast was almost over, but the duo didn't care. They stood there, at the edge of the lake, holding each other.
Comforting each other in their own twisted way.