A/N: Okay, I've taken a bit of a break from Harry's Savior, due to the
intense court scenes coming up. I'm working on it! I swear! I just want
it to be perfect! I'm doing this on my break time. ~Sylvia
"Harry, may I speak with you after dinner?" Harry looked up at the question. He had found the library within Snape Manor, and found several Muggle books, as well as wizard books on the shelves. He marked his place in the Tell-Tale Heart and searched Severus's face as to why the man wanted to speak with him. He found no clues to that and sighed. He had a funny feeling about what it was and did not want to discuss his earlier stupidity. It seemed his father wished to, and would not stop plaguing Harry until the boy agreed to speak with him.
"Certainly." Harry said. Severus nodded and moved away. The boy was at least willing to talk with him. The scarring on Harry's body had surprised him, making him wonder how much torture Harry had endured before the Order of the Phoenix had gotten to him in that hellhole from which the war erupted. He would have to make sure that tea was provided, and he might even employ Dumbledore's trick by slipping some Calming Potion into the tea. Maybe even a potion that would remove reticence? Severus shook himself from those thoughts. If he wanted the boy to trust and confide in him, he couldn't resort to trickery. Then again, he wished to know everything, not just what Harry was willing to tell him.
Dinner came quickly for the three Snapes. Gran filled the courses with her stories of when she was a girl and her early marriage years to the man Harry was mentally calling "Grandfather Snape". Gran was Gran, of course, and he had wondered how he had gotten along without such a person his whole life. She seemed to understand him better than he understood himself. She loved Minn and the dog seemed to dote on her, protecting her from furniture and rugs.
Although Gran found her way by memory alone, Minn had become attached to her side and would growl when Gran walked too close to the furniture for the dog's comfort. Harry swore that there was more to Minn than he or Severus was willing to admit. Severus had mentioned something about Minn being a familiar, an animal that was specially attuned to his or her master's needs. Harry wondered if that was why Minn had picked his house as her permanent residence when she had.
Harry shook off those feelings and refused to remember his state of mind during that time. He returned his attention to Gran's recounting of the Giant Squid fiasco of her fifth year. Harry chuckled when Gran described her future husband as "dignified, yet drenched" as he climbed out of the lake.
Severus discreetly watched his son throughout dinner. If the boy had anything that was bothering him, he was hiding it well. He had thought that the boy would be having thoughts about what Severus wanted to talk about. The boy should have some idea about it. He didn't seem nervous though, for which Severus thanked all of his lucky stars by name. Nervousness meant that Harry would try to keep something back, and though Severus knew he could eventually force it from the boy, he didn't want to try that. He wanted Harry to feel comfortable at the house, and in his presence. He did not want to alienate his son from his home. He had a son, and by Merlin, nothing was going to keep him out of the boy's life except the boy himself!
"You wanted to speak with me?" Harry's voice broke Severus out of his musing. He nodded and led Harry to the library. He motioned Harry towards a chair and took one himself.
"I'm sure that you have some idea of what it is that I wish to speak about." Severus told Harry. Harry nodded. Merlin, this was difficult. "May I ask some questions?" Harry nodded again and reclined in his chair, waiting for Severus to ask the first one.
"The scars on your back." He stated, waiting for Harry to say from whom he had received them.
"I was unconscious. I'm not sure how they happened, or who did them." He answered. Well, this was easy. Hopefully, it would remain that way.
"And the scars on your chest?" he asked. Harry shrugged.
"Sometime during the battle. I can't remember what spell they used, but it didn't hurt as much as the Cruciatus spell." Harry leaned his head back on his chair and closed his eyes. He decided that this was going to be his favorite chair from now on. It felt too good to want to move anytime soon. "The doctors said that it was lucky that they were not deep, or I would have lost more blood that way." Harry told him.
"What happened to your leg?" Severus asked, remembering the limp when he had first seen Harry. Harry smirked.
"Muggle weapons are very effective when you're not searching for them. It was a sword. Some Death Eater had come up from behind and got me before I even knew he was there." He remembered that all too clear. There had been some kind of poison on the blade that had hurt worse than the actual slice. The Muggle doctors had managed to extract most of it while he was unconscious, but the rest of it had to wear off. Harry hadn't minded at all, it had just hurt like someone was slowly sawing off his leg. He had needed to learn how to walk again due to the poison destroying all of his muscle mass in that leg. "The poison on the blade caused a lot of problems and destroyed a lot of my muscle. That's the reason I limp now." Severus nodded and sighed, steeling himself for the next question.
"Your suicide attempt?" He saw the boy visibly flinch. He waited, refusing to let this one alone. The boy would not leave the library until he answered. This was the most important question of all, and he needed an answer from the only person who could really give one.
Harry remembered the night that he had tried to take his own life. It had been after a vision, a particularly gruesome one that involved too much for anyone to handle, let alone the sixteen year old that Harry had been that night. Voldemort had enjoyed toying with him, not only causing a lot of havoc in the Muggle village that included rape, torture and murder, but the Dark Lord had also made it seem that Sirius had been there and had been enjoying himself.
Afterwards, he had shown Harry images of Sirius sliding through the veil, accusing Harry all the while that it had been his fault. Harry had left the dormitory, but had not gone to Dumbledore as he had before. He had gone to end it, the pain, the guilt, and the fear. He had found an old, unused classroom, where no one would think to look for him until it was too late. Students had sometimes used it as a snogging room, but then, on that night, it had been Harry's sanctuary. He had pulled out his pocketed knife that had he smuggled from the Great Hall and stared at his wrist for what had felt like hours, but was really only five or ten minutes. Then he had calmly sliced both wrists, sat down and waited to die.
Harry had heard a noise somewhere in the background, but had dismissed it as delirious thoughts. When the face of Draco Malfoy had appeared in front of him, he knew it was delirious thoughts. No way would Draco Malfoy look that concerned. Two muttered spells later, Harry found his rational mind returning to him, and Draco Malfoy sitting next to him. Harry had yelled at Malfoy for stopping him, had wanted to hurt the other boy for taking away the only decision that Harry felt was his right to make. Why should Draco Malfoy care that Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived, wanted to off himself? Harry had thought that Draco would have helped him, and then scampered off to inform the Dark Lord of his nemesis's demise. Instead, the boy had held Harry down while Harry ranted, cast silencing charms so no one else could hear Harry's breakdown, and made sure that all sharp objects and Harry's wand were out of his reach. When Harry had calmed to tears, Draco had told Harry his own secrets in regards to self- harm.
Harry remembered the look on Draco's face when he had revealed his secret to the suicidal boy. Draco had been a cutter, and had seen the signs in Harry quite a while before Harry had tried to end it. The two had formed an alliance after that night, when Pomfrey had agreed not to tell anyone. They never spoke of it, but they both knew. Harry had not been alone that night, and the most unlikely person had helped keep the savior to the wizarding world alive and safe from his own hands.
"I was sixteen. Voldemort had been torturing me with some visions. I wanted it to end. I was stopped and haven't really considered it an option since." Harry answered. Severus looked to be considering his next question.
"Voldemort was the cause of it?" Severus asked. Harry nodded. Severus sat back. If he had been able to train Harry in Occulmency, that would not have happened. "What stopped you?" Severus knew of Harry's stubborn streak, and knew that it had to have been something major to stop any of his actions, much less one that serious.
"An unexpected ally. He shared some of his own experiences and told me that it doesn't solve anything, and in fact, only causes more problems, except you aren't there to deal with them." Harry said quietly. He really hoped that Severus was done questioning him, because he was getting tired. "He took away that decision, told me I wasn't allowed to make it anymore, because I wasn't thinking right, and that only sane people could make such a decision. I hated him for a little while, but I came around." Harry hoped that he had explained it well enough to sate Severus's curiosity, because he had a feeling that he couldn't explain it better, even if he needed to try.
"May I ask who it was?" Harry smiled and shook his head.
"We agreed to never tell anyone about the other." Harry answered. "I still keep that promise to this day." Severus nodded in understanding. It sounded like a wizarding contract, and he wasn't about to violate it. Harry raised a hand to his head and massaged it. Severus pulled out a vial and tossed it to his son.
"Take it." Harry nodded and swallowed the potion.
"Thank you." Severus was very perceptive. Harry hadn't even known that he had had a headache until he moved his head to the side. He looked over at Severus and raised an eyebrow. "Any more questions?" he asked, watching the older man for some clues about whether or not his fears had been set to rest.
"No." Severus answered, looking his son over. "Thank you for answering my questions. It means a lot to me." Harry wanted to ask who this man was and what he had done with the real Professor Snape. Instead, he just smiled and nodded before excusing himself for the evening.
"Good night, Severus." He said as he left the library. Severus watched as Harry disappeared up the stairs.
"Good night, son." Severus answered, with only the empty library and large tomes on the shelves to hear him. He gazed into the fireplace, looking for some sort of direction as to how to proceed with the man who was his son. Merlin, he hated feeling helpless! Thank goodness that Harry was stable and had no desire to take his life. Now, he just needed to figure out how to relate to the boy and find something in common. Albus had said it would not be easy, but Severus had never expected it to be so hard. He summoned his newest book, a gift from the Headmaster, and turned to his bookmark. The book's cover blinked a bright yellow, and the picture had two men, obviously father and son, waving from the cover. It's title, "Relating to Your Grown Son", had soothed Severus's nerves, and given some good tips. The next step was allowing the son to know that, as a parent, Severus would always be available to him should Harry need him. How to tell the boy that?
The next morning, Lucky crept into Harry's room with a bundle clutched to his chest. Several other items floated behind him in a line. He shut the door gently and placed his burden down on the nightstand. He reached out a hand and shook it lightly. Harry grumbled and rolled over, ignoring the house elf's attempts to wake him. "Master Harry? It is time you were up." Lucky whispered. The boy waved him away and burrowed deeper into his covers and sighed. Lucky frowned. This boy was more like his father than either of them knew. Both hated to wake up earlier than their usual time. Lucky pulled Harry into a sitting position and snapped his fingers.
Harry's pajamas disappeared and Lucky started pulling other clothes on him. Harry groaned and tried to fight off the house elf. "Just like Master Severus, especially in the mornings." He commented to the semi- aware Harry. "Give me your foot." Harry raised one foot and Lucky slipped a sock and a boot on. "Other one." Lucky easily finished dressing Harry and slid the boy's jacket into place. Harry had just managed to open his eyes as Lucky started messing with his hair.
"Lucky, what are you doing?" Harry grumbled.
"You needed to get dressed. I am assisting you, because you were unable." Harry nodded, causing Lucky's tentative attempts at a hairstyle to fall apart. "Ladies' maid I am not, Master Harry; please hold still." Harry followed the simple command and allowed the house elf to tie off his hair with a black ribbon. "Well done, sir, now to your feet." Harry got to his feet and started towards the door. He froze when he heard the mirror comment on his wonderful riding habit.
"Lucky!" Harry scolded. "There is no way!" Lucky rolled his eyes and took hold of Harry's hand and proceeded to drag the young man out of his room. "Lucky, what are you doing?" Harry demanded of the small creature.
"Following orders, Master Harry. You would not want poor Lucky to have to punish himself for not following his orders?" The house elf knew of Harry's thoughts on the house elf situation and played on the boy's sympathy for his ease of his job.
"Whose orders?" Harry asked as Lucky dragged him out of the house.
"Lucky cannot say, Master Harry. That is in the orders as well. 'Do not tell Master Harry who ordered you to do this.'" Lucky quoted his orders.
"Fine." Harry said, and allowed himself to be pulled along. "Where are we going?" He asked, looking around.
"Master Harry's intelligence should know better than to ask such silly questions." Lucky said, ignoring the boy's repeated questions. Harry rolled his eyes as Lucky continued to comment on Harry's high levels of intelligence, and even mentioned his O.W.L. scores. Harry groaned as Lucky lectured him on his poor standing in Divination. "Here we are!" The house elf smiled and released Harry's hand and scampered off. Harry looked around to find himself in the barn.
"Harry?" Harry turned to see Severus's head poking out of one of the stalls. The face looked completely bewildered, as though surprised to see his son standing there.
"Er, surprise?" Harry said, completely bewildered to even be awake at this ungodly hour, much less dressed and in a barn.
"What happened to you?" Severus asked, coming to walk around Harry, inspecting the almost identical riding habit Harry was now wearing.
"A scheming Gran and a house elf." Harry muttered, causing Severus to do something completely out of character. Collapse in laughter. Severus found a handy bale of hay and proceeded to laugh until he couldn't breathe. Harry watched for a few minutes before smiling at him. "Guess it is pretty funny." Harry admitted to the now gasping man.
"Yes, it was." Severus took in his son, a feeling of pride worming its way to the surface. This wonderful person standing in front of him was his child, and he intended to make sure that no one would ever hurt the boy again. He shook his head lightly, wondering where all these parental feelings had come from. "Well, since you're here, let's get you on a horse and teach you something." Harry looked up at him in surprise.
"Do you think that I could really try it? Even with my leg?" Severus nodded as he started tacking a mare.
"Of course. We'll just take it slow." Severus reassured him. "One step at a time, so we'll be using a lead. We'll move on to reins later." Harry nodded and watched as Severus readied the mare and started leading her out of the barn. Harry followed.
"Um, Severus, how am I going to hold on if there aren't any reins?" Severus smirked as he tied off the lead to a convenient pole and gestured for Harry to come over.
"You aren't going to hold on." Harry froze at that. "Take off that jacket. It's not cold out here, and that will only hinder you for now." Harry followed the order and removed it, laying it over the fence. "You're going to hold on with your legs. You need to learn a seat first." Severus helped Harry get his foot in a stirrup and watched as Harry settled himself in the saddle. "The easiest way to do this is to cross your arms. Helmet." Severus handed the helmet up to Harry, who put it on and made sure it wouldn't fall off.
"Cross my arms?" Severus nodded and started leading the mare to the center of a ring.
"The first thing you are going to learn is how to post, or ride with the rhythm of the horse's gait. I'll start you slow, and then move it up as you figure out what is going on. Cross your arms now and we'll start." Severus gave the horse a bit more lead as she started walking around. He watched Harry grow a little tense at first, and then relax as the horse didn't make any sudden movements besides walking. "You're doing fine. Just relax." Harry nodded and relaxed a bit more, which in turn relaxed the horse, as she didn't feel his anxiety as she had before. "Just fine."
"What are they doing Lucky?" Gran asked from her bedroom.
"Master Severus is teaching Master Harry to ride, Mistress." Lucky informed her. "Master Severus has the mare out and Master Harry is learning how to ride without his arms." Gran smiled and nodded to herself. That had been an excellent idea on her part. Throwing the two of them together would do wonders for their relationship.
Reviews:
Lady Krista: Gotta love that Mr. Darcy! Thanks for the review!
Chin5cai: Thank you! Thanks for reviewing!
JE aka Yessina: I'm glad you liked it. Harry's skills with Occulmency (mastered sometime right before the war) have also allowed him to give images to other people. Think telepathy with images instead of voices. It was useful when fighting in the war, and helped a lot of people survive. So, it's only Harry. Thanks for reviewing!
Snoring snoopy: What a cute name! Thanks for the wonderful compliment. I based her on my own grandmother, who is 95 and still as feisty as ever, bless her soul. There'll be more, though I don't know how far from now.
Ennui de Morte: Nice name. Thanks. I just wanted Gran to be able to see her grandson, and thank goodness Harry figured out how. Thanks for reviewing!
Sky: Thank you. I've read a lot of these stories (my family can attest to that fact) and some of them have the two of them like each other much too quickly while others take far too long. I'm trying to find that balance. Thanks for reviewing!
Kateri1: Thank you! Thanks for the review. Any and all make me smile.
Kjkit: Thank you. The OCC may be coming from the fact that Voldie's no longer around, allowing Severus to relax a bit. I think that most of his "snarkiness" comes from his fear to allow anyone close for fear of their being harmed. Sounds like a boy with a scar that we all know... Anyway, this does have a definite path, as I already have the outline. We're only looking at seven or eight more chapters. Certainly not the longest thing I've written, but that's all it needs. Ron and Hermione, as well as our new friend Draco, will be making an appearance in two chapters or so. It's sure to be fun. I don't know when the next update is going to be, but it should be soon. Thanks for reviewing!
Naia: *author blushes* Thank you! I'm glad you like it. I've loved horses all my life, and even though I don't know how to ride, that doesn't stop my passion for them. They've always seemed like protectors or best friends somehow, don't know why. Next post should be soon.
Athenakitty: Hmmm. Maybe. They never even entered my mind, but now that you've mentioned it. Ah, well. Perhaps Severus will be happy to oblige us later. Not go away, but fade. They were first treated by Muggles, and a lot of time has passed. Gran loves shopping, and taking Harry was just a part of her master plan to get the two men she loves the most in a working father/son relationship. She's like a female Dumbledore! Thanks for reviewing!
A/N: I'm glad that you all like this story, but I have a feeling a lynch mob is starting over my other one. I'm going into hiding now to post the trial chapter within the next two days, or I might not survive. Oh, good. Severus just walked in. He promised to protect me. See you all later! ~Sylvia
"Harry, may I speak with you after dinner?" Harry looked up at the question. He had found the library within Snape Manor, and found several Muggle books, as well as wizard books on the shelves. He marked his place in the Tell-Tale Heart and searched Severus's face as to why the man wanted to speak with him. He found no clues to that and sighed. He had a funny feeling about what it was and did not want to discuss his earlier stupidity. It seemed his father wished to, and would not stop plaguing Harry until the boy agreed to speak with him.
"Certainly." Harry said. Severus nodded and moved away. The boy was at least willing to talk with him. The scarring on Harry's body had surprised him, making him wonder how much torture Harry had endured before the Order of the Phoenix had gotten to him in that hellhole from which the war erupted. He would have to make sure that tea was provided, and he might even employ Dumbledore's trick by slipping some Calming Potion into the tea. Maybe even a potion that would remove reticence? Severus shook himself from those thoughts. If he wanted the boy to trust and confide in him, he couldn't resort to trickery. Then again, he wished to know everything, not just what Harry was willing to tell him.
Dinner came quickly for the three Snapes. Gran filled the courses with her stories of when she was a girl and her early marriage years to the man Harry was mentally calling "Grandfather Snape". Gran was Gran, of course, and he had wondered how he had gotten along without such a person his whole life. She seemed to understand him better than he understood himself. She loved Minn and the dog seemed to dote on her, protecting her from furniture and rugs.
Although Gran found her way by memory alone, Minn had become attached to her side and would growl when Gran walked too close to the furniture for the dog's comfort. Harry swore that there was more to Minn than he or Severus was willing to admit. Severus had mentioned something about Minn being a familiar, an animal that was specially attuned to his or her master's needs. Harry wondered if that was why Minn had picked his house as her permanent residence when she had.
Harry shook off those feelings and refused to remember his state of mind during that time. He returned his attention to Gran's recounting of the Giant Squid fiasco of her fifth year. Harry chuckled when Gran described her future husband as "dignified, yet drenched" as he climbed out of the lake.
Severus discreetly watched his son throughout dinner. If the boy had anything that was bothering him, he was hiding it well. He had thought that the boy would be having thoughts about what Severus wanted to talk about. The boy should have some idea about it. He didn't seem nervous though, for which Severus thanked all of his lucky stars by name. Nervousness meant that Harry would try to keep something back, and though Severus knew he could eventually force it from the boy, he didn't want to try that. He wanted Harry to feel comfortable at the house, and in his presence. He did not want to alienate his son from his home. He had a son, and by Merlin, nothing was going to keep him out of the boy's life except the boy himself!
"You wanted to speak with me?" Harry's voice broke Severus out of his musing. He nodded and led Harry to the library. He motioned Harry towards a chair and took one himself.
"I'm sure that you have some idea of what it is that I wish to speak about." Severus told Harry. Harry nodded. Merlin, this was difficult. "May I ask some questions?" Harry nodded again and reclined in his chair, waiting for Severus to ask the first one.
"The scars on your back." He stated, waiting for Harry to say from whom he had received them.
"I was unconscious. I'm not sure how they happened, or who did them." He answered. Well, this was easy. Hopefully, it would remain that way.
"And the scars on your chest?" he asked. Harry shrugged.
"Sometime during the battle. I can't remember what spell they used, but it didn't hurt as much as the Cruciatus spell." Harry leaned his head back on his chair and closed his eyes. He decided that this was going to be his favorite chair from now on. It felt too good to want to move anytime soon. "The doctors said that it was lucky that they were not deep, or I would have lost more blood that way." Harry told him.
"What happened to your leg?" Severus asked, remembering the limp when he had first seen Harry. Harry smirked.
"Muggle weapons are very effective when you're not searching for them. It was a sword. Some Death Eater had come up from behind and got me before I even knew he was there." He remembered that all too clear. There had been some kind of poison on the blade that had hurt worse than the actual slice. The Muggle doctors had managed to extract most of it while he was unconscious, but the rest of it had to wear off. Harry hadn't minded at all, it had just hurt like someone was slowly sawing off his leg. He had needed to learn how to walk again due to the poison destroying all of his muscle mass in that leg. "The poison on the blade caused a lot of problems and destroyed a lot of my muscle. That's the reason I limp now." Severus nodded and sighed, steeling himself for the next question.
"Your suicide attempt?" He saw the boy visibly flinch. He waited, refusing to let this one alone. The boy would not leave the library until he answered. This was the most important question of all, and he needed an answer from the only person who could really give one.
Harry remembered the night that he had tried to take his own life. It had been after a vision, a particularly gruesome one that involved too much for anyone to handle, let alone the sixteen year old that Harry had been that night. Voldemort had enjoyed toying with him, not only causing a lot of havoc in the Muggle village that included rape, torture and murder, but the Dark Lord had also made it seem that Sirius had been there and had been enjoying himself.
Afterwards, he had shown Harry images of Sirius sliding through the veil, accusing Harry all the while that it had been his fault. Harry had left the dormitory, but had not gone to Dumbledore as he had before. He had gone to end it, the pain, the guilt, and the fear. He had found an old, unused classroom, where no one would think to look for him until it was too late. Students had sometimes used it as a snogging room, but then, on that night, it had been Harry's sanctuary. He had pulled out his pocketed knife that had he smuggled from the Great Hall and stared at his wrist for what had felt like hours, but was really only five or ten minutes. Then he had calmly sliced both wrists, sat down and waited to die.
Harry had heard a noise somewhere in the background, but had dismissed it as delirious thoughts. When the face of Draco Malfoy had appeared in front of him, he knew it was delirious thoughts. No way would Draco Malfoy look that concerned. Two muttered spells later, Harry found his rational mind returning to him, and Draco Malfoy sitting next to him. Harry had yelled at Malfoy for stopping him, had wanted to hurt the other boy for taking away the only decision that Harry felt was his right to make. Why should Draco Malfoy care that Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived, wanted to off himself? Harry had thought that Draco would have helped him, and then scampered off to inform the Dark Lord of his nemesis's demise. Instead, the boy had held Harry down while Harry ranted, cast silencing charms so no one else could hear Harry's breakdown, and made sure that all sharp objects and Harry's wand were out of his reach. When Harry had calmed to tears, Draco had told Harry his own secrets in regards to self- harm.
Harry remembered the look on Draco's face when he had revealed his secret to the suicidal boy. Draco had been a cutter, and had seen the signs in Harry quite a while before Harry had tried to end it. The two had formed an alliance after that night, when Pomfrey had agreed not to tell anyone. They never spoke of it, but they both knew. Harry had not been alone that night, and the most unlikely person had helped keep the savior to the wizarding world alive and safe from his own hands.
"I was sixteen. Voldemort had been torturing me with some visions. I wanted it to end. I was stopped and haven't really considered it an option since." Harry answered. Severus looked to be considering his next question.
"Voldemort was the cause of it?" Severus asked. Harry nodded. Severus sat back. If he had been able to train Harry in Occulmency, that would not have happened. "What stopped you?" Severus knew of Harry's stubborn streak, and knew that it had to have been something major to stop any of his actions, much less one that serious.
"An unexpected ally. He shared some of his own experiences and told me that it doesn't solve anything, and in fact, only causes more problems, except you aren't there to deal with them." Harry said quietly. He really hoped that Severus was done questioning him, because he was getting tired. "He took away that decision, told me I wasn't allowed to make it anymore, because I wasn't thinking right, and that only sane people could make such a decision. I hated him for a little while, but I came around." Harry hoped that he had explained it well enough to sate Severus's curiosity, because he had a feeling that he couldn't explain it better, even if he needed to try.
"May I ask who it was?" Harry smiled and shook his head.
"We agreed to never tell anyone about the other." Harry answered. "I still keep that promise to this day." Severus nodded in understanding. It sounded like a wizarding contract, and he wasn't about to violate it. Harry raised a hand to his head and massaged it. Severus pulled out a vial and tossed it to his son.
"Take it." Harry nodded and swallowed the potion.
"Thank you." Severus was very perceptive. Harry hadn't even known that he had had a headache until he moved his head to the side. He looked over at Severus and raised an eyebrow. "Any more questions?" he asked, watching the older man for some clues about whether or not his fears had been set to rest.
"No." Severus answered, looking his son over. "Thank you for answering my questions. It means a lot to me." Harry wanted to ask who this man was and what he had done with the real Professor Snape. Instead, he just smiled and nodded before excusing himself for the evening.
"Good night, Severus." He said as he left the library. Severus watched as Harry disappeared up the stairs.
"Good night, son." Severus answered, with only the empty library and large tomes on the shelves to hear him. He gazed into the fireplace, looking for some sort of direction as to how to proceed with the man who was his son. Merlin, he hated feeling helpless! Thank goodness that Harry was stable and had no desire to take his life. Now, he just needed to figure out how to relate to the boy and find something in common. Albus had said it would not be easy, but Severus had never expected it to be so hard. He summoned his newest book, a gift from the Headmaster, and turned to his bookmark. The book's cover blinked a bright yellow, and the picture had two men, obviously father and son, waving from the cover. It's title, "Relating to Your Grown Son", had soothed Severus's nerves, and given some good tips. The next step was allowing the son to know that, as a parent, Severus would always be available to him should Harry need him. How to tell the boy that?
The next morning, Lucky crept into Harry's room with a bundle clutched to his chest. Several other items floated behind him in a line. He shut the door gently and placed his burden down on the nightstand. He reached out a hand and shook it lightly. Harry grumbled and rolled over, ignoring the house elf's attempts to wake him. "Master Harry? It is time you were up." Lucky whispered. The boy waved him away and burrowed deeper into his covers and sighed. Lucky frowned. This boy was more like his father than either of them knew. Both hated to wake up earlier than their usual time. Lucky pulled Harry into a sitting position and snapped his fingers.
Harry's pajamas disappeared and Lucky started pulling other clothes on him. Harry groaned and tried to fight off the house elf. "Just like Master Severus, especially in the mornings." He commented to the semi- aware Harry. "Give me your foot." Harry raised one foot and Lucky slipped a sock and a boot on. "Other one." Lucky easily finished dressing Harry and slid the boy's jacket into place. Harry had just managed to open his eyes as Lucky started messing with his hair.
"Lucky, what are you doing?" Harry grumbled.
"You needed to get dressed. I am assisting you, because you were unable." Harry nodded, causing Lucky's tentative attempts at a hairstyle to fall apart. "Ladies' maid I am not, Master Harry; please hold still." Harry followed the simple command and allowed the house elf to tie off his hair with a black ribbon. "Well done, sir, now to your feet." Harry got to his feet and started towards the door. He froze when he heard the mirror comment on his wonderful riding habit.
"Lucky!" Harry scolded. "There is no way!" Lucky rolled his eyes and took hold of Harry's hand and proceeded to drag the young man out of his room. "Lucky, what are you doing?" Harry demanded of the small creature.
"Following orders, Master Harry. You would not want poor Lucky to have to punish himself for not following his orders?" The house elf knew of Harry's thoughts on the house elf situation and played on the boy's sympathy for his ease of his job.
"Whose orders?" Harry asked as Lucky dragged him out of the house.
"Lucky cannot say, Master Harry. That is in the orders as well. 'Do not tell Master Harry who ordered you to do this.'" Lucky quoted his orders.
"Fine." Harry said, and allowed himself to be pulled along. "Where are we going?" He asked, looking around.
"Master Harry's intelligence should know better than to ask such silly questions." Lucky said, ignoring the boy's repeated questions. Harry rolled his eyes as Lucky continued to comment on Harry's high levels of intelligence, and even mentioned his O.W.L. scores. Harry groaned as Lucky lectured him on his poor standing in Divination. "Here we are!" The house elf smiled and released Harry's hand and scampered off. Harry looked around to find himself in the barn.
"Harry?" Harry turned to see Severus's head poking out of one of the stalls. The face looked completely bewildered, as though surprised to see his son standing there.
"Er, surprise?" Harry said, completely bewildered to even be awake at this ungodly hour, much less dressed and in a barn.
"What happened to you?" Severus asked, coming to walk around Harry, inspecting the almost identical riding habit Harry was now wearing.
"A scheming Gran and a house elf." Harry muttered, causing Severus to do something completely out of character. Collapse in laughter. Severus found a handy bale of hay and proceeded to laugh until he couldn't breathe. Harry watched for a few minutes before smiling at him. "Guess it is pretty funny." Harry admitted to the now gasping man.
"Yes, it was." Severus took in his son, a feeling of pride worming its way to the surface. This wonderful person standing in front of him was his child, and he intended to make sure that no one would ever hurt the boy again. He shook his head lightly, wondering where all these parental feelings had come from. "Well, since you're here, let's get you on a horse and teach you something." Harry looked up at him in surprise.
"Do you think that I could really try it? Even with my leg?" Severus nodded as he started tacking a mare.
"Of course. We'll just take it slow." Severus reassured him. "One step at a time, so we'll be using a lead. We'll move on to reins later." Harry nodded and watched as Severus readied the mare and started leading her out of the barn. Harry followed.
"Um, Severus, how am I going to hold on if there aren't any reins?" Severus smirked as he tied off the lead to a convenient pole and gestured for Harry to come over.
"You aren't going to hold on." Harry froze at that. "Take off that jacket. It's not cold out here, and that will only hinder you for now." Harry followed the order and removed it, laying it over the fence. "You're going to hold on with your legs. You need to learn a seat first." Severus helped Harry get his foot in a stirrup and watched as Harry settled himself in the saddle. "The easiest way to do this is to cross your arms. Helmet." Severus handed the helmet up to Harry, who put it on and made sure it wouldn't fall off.
"Cross my arms?" Severus nodded and started leading the mare to the center of a ring.
"The first thing you are going to learn is how to post, or ride with the rhythm of the horse's gait. I'll start you slow, and then move it up as you figure out what is going on. Cross your arms now and we'll start." Severus gave the horse a bit more lead as she started walking around. He watched Harry grow a little tense at first, and then relax as the horse didn't make any sudden movements besides walking. "You're doing fine. Just relax." Harry nodded and relaxed a bit more, which in turn relaxed the horse, as she didn't feel his anxiety as she had before. "Just fine."
"What are they doing Lucky?" Gran asked from her bedroom.
"Master Severus is teaching Master Harry to ride, Mistress." Lucky informed her. "Master Severus has the mare out and Master Harry is learning how to ride without his arms." Gran smiled and nodded to herself. That had been an excellent idea on her part. Throwing the two of them together would do wonders for their relationship.
Reviews:
Lady Krista: Gotta love that Mr. Darcy! Thanks for the review!
Chin5cai: Thank you! Thanks for reviewing!
JE aka Yessina: I'm glad you liked it. Harry's skills with Occulmency (mastered sometime right before the war) have also allowed him to give images to other people. Think telepathy with images instead of voices. It was useful when fighting in the war, and helped a lot of people survive. So, it's only Harry. Thanks for reviewing!
Snoring snoopy: What a cute name! Thanks for the wonderful compliment. I based her on my own grandmother, who is 95 and still as feisty as ever, bless her soul. There'll be more, though I don't know how far from now.
Ennui de Morte: Nice name. Thanks. I just wanted Gran to be able to see her grandson, and thank goodness Harry figured out how. Thanks for reviewing!
Sky: Thank you. I've read a lot of these stories (my family can attest to that fact) and some of them have the two of them like each other much too quickly while others take far too long. I'm trying to find that balance. Thanks for reviewing!
Kateri1: Thank you! Thanks for the review. Any and all make me smile.
Kjkit: Thank you. The OCC may be coming from the fact that Voldie's no longer around, allowing Severus to relax a bit. I think that most of his "snarkiness" comes from his fear to allow anyone close for fear of their being harmed. Sounds like a boy with a scar that we all know... Anyway, this does have a definite path, as I already have the outline. We're only looking at seven or eight more chapters. Certainly not the longest thing I've written, but that's all it needs. Ron and Hermione, as well as our new friend Draco, will be making an appearance in two chapters or so. It's sure to be fun. I don't know when the next update is going to be, but it should be soon. Thanks for reviewing!
Naia: *author blushes* Thank you! I'm glad you like it. I've loved horses all my life, and even though I don't know how to ride, that doesn't stop my passion for them. They've always seemed like protectors or best friends somehow, don't know why. Next post should be soon.
Athenakitty: Hmmm. Maybe. They never even entered my mind, but now that you've mentioned it. Ah, well. Perhaps Severus will be happy to oblige us later. Not go away, but fade. They were first treated by Muggles, and a lot of time has passed. Gran loves shopping, and taking Harry was just a part of her master plan to get the two men she loves the most in a working father/son relationship. She's like a female Dumbledore! Thanks for reviewing!
A/N: I'm glad that you all like this story, but I have a feeling a lynch mob is starting over my other one. I'm going into hiding now to post the trial chapter within the next two days, or I might not survive. Oh, good. Severus just walked in. He promised to protect me. See you all later! ~Sylvia