I am so sorry for the long delay between chapters! Though I had initially thought I would have more time to write over the summer, that has not been the case. Also, I like to keep a few chapters ahead and the conclusion to Chapter 10 and the entirety of Chapter 11 had to be COMPLETELY rewritten. More on that in due course.
In any case, the update is here now, and here is our first MAJOR canon divergence. I have taken some creative liberties in this chapter (remember, this is fanFICTION), and I am aware of the changes I've made, so don't flame me too hard. Also, this chapter contains some of the best dialogue between Harry and Severus that I think I've written to date.
Enjoy!
Chapter 8- Severus
While Harry may have had the luxury of sleeping until noon, Severus was rudely awakened much earlier than that.
Obscenely earlier, in fact.
His head had scarcely hit the pillow before Minerva's cat patronus was summoning him to Hogwarts "with great haste" and he was pulling on his clothes again. He delayed long enough to check on Harry, easing his door open silently and peering in. He watched the rise and fall of his son's chest, hearing the deep, rhythmic breaths pass in and out. Harry seemed to have suffered no lasting effects from his concussion. Good. He eased the door shut again, leaving it cracked just so, then walked down to the sitting room and cast floo powder into the fire to whisk him away towards Hogwarts.
He stepped out onto the oriental rug in front of his hearth in his private quarters. He could have flooed directly to the Headmaster's office, or Minerva's, or even straight into the teacher's workroom, which is where he suspected he'd need to go, but he was partial to arriving in the privacy of his own quarters, and besides that, he could use the walk to reinvigorate himself.
So, he set off briskly in the direction of the workroom. The rising sun was just beginning to peek over the tops of the surrounding hills and cast a pinkish glow through the narrow windows in the corridors. Severus guessed he'd had maybe three hours of sleep the previous night and he could feel the back end of the Wakefulness Draught begging him for more. But there were, apparently, important matters to attend to–more important than his sleep, or at least they'd better be, or someone would soon be feeling his exhaustion-fueled indignance–so he pressed on.
He arrived at the staffroom in due course and greeted his assembled colleagues. All were present, with the exception of whatever unfortunate soul was supposed to be filling the role of Defense Professor this year. In fact, it appeared that Severus was the last to arrive. Minerva didn't waste any time getting started.
"Ah, good. We're all here. Good morning. Sorry to rouse you all so early, but we have important work to do and I'm afraid it cannot wait. In case you had not previously heard, last night, the Ministry was taken by You-Know-Who's forces." Severus was unsurprised to see that his colleagues were similarly unsurprised. "Obviously, this presents a problem for us. Up to this point, Hogwarts has been untouchable, largely because of the presence of Albus. With him…no longer here, I fear Hogwarts will be the next target."
"But surely, even without Albus, Hogwarts's defenses are strong. He wouldn't stand a chance," Filius chirped.
"If we were talking about a direct attack, I might agree with you. But I fear his plans will not be so…straightforward. Sources within the Ministry are already reporting that the Death Eaters are not seeking a bloodbath, but something more akin to a coup de grace. Department heads are being run out of the office and replaced by those loyal to You-Know-Who. I suspect that in a few days time they will start spreading a 'business-as-usual, nothing-to-fear' narrative. Albus's absence is problematic for several reasons, but the greatest is actually that it creates an opening for the board of governors and the Ministry itself to appoint a new Headmaster. It is my primary fear that they will select someone sympathetic to their cause. Someone who may not have the best interest of students, all students, at heart."
"Would the governors allow such a thing to happen?" Pomona questioned. "Now that Lucius is no longer a member, can they not be trusted to make a proper selection?"
"Lucius was only part of the problem. The politics are complicated, but I won't mince words, it isn't looking good."
"Well, what can we do?" Pomona asked again.
"As I see it, we have two options. The first is the most straightforward: we return to Hogwarts, likely under the leadership of a Death Eater, or at the very least a sympathizer, do our best to protect the children as much as we can, and hope for the best. Our only other option is to act while we can and lock down Hogwarts. The school will remain closed for the school year, for the first time in Hogwarts history."
The room was silent. The wheels were turning in Severus's head. Had he still been a loyal Death Eater, he suspected the Dark Lord would have appointed him Headmaster. It would be the smart move. Severus's tenure as a professor would lend credence to the "nothing to see here" ploy that they seemed to be making. The vacant Defense and Potions positions would then need to be filled, of course, likely from his own ranks. Dougal was expendable. Possibly Amycus or Alecto. Perhaps both. None of those were people he would want around his son, not that Harry would be permitted to return to Hogwarts anyway. He strongly suspected it would be a purebloods-only institution moving forward.
And, regardless, his presence would no longer be tolerated. For him to step foot into a Death Eater controlled Hogwarts as the biological and legal father of Harry Potter, now Harry Snape, would be as idiotic as marching into a Death Eater meeting unmasked and unarmed. He may as well sign his own death certificate.
The silence stretched.
"Hogwarts has been a bastion of magical education for a thousand years. In that time, it has never been closed, not during the time of Grindelwald, or the Goblin rebellions, or the twelfth century clan wars–and we know how heinous those were–nor any of the muggle conflicts and wars that have erupted from time to time. Who are we to presume to close it now? Hogwarts must remain open," Filius declared.
"But the children, Filius!" Pomona countered. "Think of what they will go through! Hogwarts has always been a safe haven, but how can we keep it safe if the threat is within? It is our job to protect the children and we cannot do that with a Death Eater as a Headmaster."
"And what of the children of mixed heritage?" Septima asked. "If we were to remain open, I consider it unlikely that the blood status of each child will not be taken into account. The student population would be decimated."
"Even a new Headmaster can't stop us from letting in half-blood and muggle-born students! It's against the rules of Hogwarts" Hagrid asserted, boldly. And incorrectly. Severus barely suppressed his scoff.
"Of course they would," Septima replied with a dismissive wave. "The only admissions requirement listed in the school charter is that the child possess magical ability and be sorted by that wretched hat. The rest is up to the Headmaster."
"As a point of fact, during the great MacDougal and MacMillan clan dispute of 1158, Hogwarts was briefly only admitting students who had paid tribute to Clan MacMillan. Those aligned with clan MacDougal were stricken from the roles. This was entirely due to the fact that the Headmaster at the time was William MacMillan, a cousin of the then leader of—"
"In any case," Minerva cut across Binns's droning voice. The spectral professor was still attempting to educate them about the nuances of twelfth century Scottish wizarding clan wars as they related to Hogwarts admissions and bylaws of the time. Severus tuned him out in much the same way he had when he was a student. "I agree that I do not believe Hogwarts will be the same as we have known it, even if we do choose to remain open."
"You cannot be seriously considering closing down!" Filius continued to protest. "We have a duty to the children! Education is important! If we close down, how will they learn to defend themselves?"
At this, Severus did scoff.
"I daresay they won't learn it from whatever Death Eater sycophant is appointed to the Defense position, either. Not that it much matters. The parade of incompetence over the last several years has assured us that the children are entirely ill-equipped to do more than Transfigure tea cups and attack the enemy with tickling charms. My own son, who took it upon himself to lead an underground Defense club last year, attempted to fight off Death Eaters with tripping jinxes last night. The fact that he was successful is entirely attributable to his seemingly exhaustible good fortune. The time for education is woefully behind us. We are officially at war. We cannot bury our heads in the sand as we have done. It will not be bumbling fools appointed to the vacant positions, one of which, incidentally, will be mine, for reasons which should be obvious at this point. No, the Dark Lord will take great pleasure in selecting those who have a particular brand of cruelty, yet are able to hide behind a mask of respectability. Even if Harry was not who he is, I would not send him off for months on end with such people."
"Filius, I see your point," Aurora chimed in from Severus's left. He was confused. Her actions as temporary head of Slytherin last year had caused him to believe she valued the care of students above their academic success. Perhaps he was mistaken. "However, I think we need to look at this from another angle. If You-Know-Who's plan is to make things appear as if they are normal, then Hogwarts remaining open serves his purposes. It appears normal. This could lure some parents into a false sense of trust, sending their children to us as they always have, but I do not believe we will be able to adequately protect them, despite our best efforts. Perhaps this year we could manage well enough, but none of us are irreplaceable, and over time I think each of us would be supplanted with someone more closely aligned to the Death Eater ideology. By keeping Hogwarts open, we are aiding the cause to which we all stand opposed. We cannot allow Hogwarts to fall into the hands of those who would seek to harm these children."
Ah. There was the Aurora he expected. Filius looked as if he wanted to reply, but said nothing.
"Well, let's put it to a vote. All in favor of remaining open?"
Filius raised his hand, as well as Hagrid, and of course Argus.
"Those opposed?"
The other hands in the room were raised. The majority was clear.
"It is decided. We must move quickly. Even now, the Head of the Department of Magical Education is buying us time. My emergency appointment as Headmaster at the conclusion of the last school year is still in effect. We must lock down the school and vacate it as quickly as possible. Once the school is locked down, it will remain inaccessible until a staff member, er, a coporeal one," she added, glancing at Binns, "willfully re-enters the building. For this reason, it is imperative that no one returns to Hogwarts until I give word. Once the lockdown is broken, it can only be reset by the current Headmaster, which is unlikely to be me. Gather your things as quickly as possible. Argus, Hagrid, I'm sorry, but you'll both have to leave, too."
"But what about the creatures in the Forest?"
"They will have to make do without you for a while. You may inform one of the centaurs of your departure. Their movements throughout the forest will not be impeded, but they will not be able to cross the boundary onto the school grounds. Pomona, I'm sorry, but you will not be able to tend your plants, either."
"It's all right. Better to risk the plants than the students. I'll take what I can to my greenhouse at home."
Minerva nodded.
"Aurora and Septima, when you have finished collecting all you need, will you please assist Argus and Hagrid?"
The two nodded.
"Well, let's do it then. The quicker, the better. The Head of the Department of Magical Education is stalling for time and should be able to buy us most of today, but I can't guarantee it. When you've finished, we'll meet at the gate to set the wards."
Then she nodded and the meeting was adjourned. The staff scattered quickly to their various rooms and offices. Severus walked swiftly down the stairs and entered his quarters. With a wave of his wand, his various furniture pieces and personal effects began shrinking and packing themselves into conjured boxes. Confident in his spellwork, he strode through the door to his office. The quarters were easy. This would be more complicated.
One of the reasons there was no "foolish wand waving" in a Potions class was because of the volatility of certain ingredients. Even the slightest brush of magic could destabilize powdered erumpent horn, for example, and would bring several stories of the castle crashing down onto his head. Or, it would if there weren't wards and spells in place specifically to prevent that from happening. Still, this was not a task he could do as haphazardly as he had packed his quarters. He took a deep breath and began.
He glanced at his watch a few hours later as he placed the last phial carefully in the chest. It was just past one, and he rather thought he'd done as quick of a job as he possibly could have.. He tapped his wand onto the box from his quarters, as well as one of the boxes from his office and lab. They obediently shrunk and he placed them into his pocket. The last box he hefted into his arms and carried out the door.
The walk to the entrance hall was longer than usual. Objectively, Severus understood that the distance itself had not changed in the slightest. The feeling of the walk was different, though. Severus had been in the castle when it was devoid of students countless times over the years. But never had there been such a sense of finality in the air. He couldn't put his finger on exactly what was different–perhaps it was the portraits being quieter than usual, or maybe it was the way the very dust seemed to be unnaturally still–but it just felt different. It was as if Hogwarts itself knew what was happening. Perhaps it did.
Hogwarts was sort of a mixed bag for Severus. He'd been so excited to come his first year. He was especially excited to come with Lily. He couldn't wait to see the look of wonder on her face. Then, there was the sorting. He hadn't known exactly what to expect. His mum had been a Ravenclaw, or at least that's the crest she'd painstakingly removed from the robe she'd given him to wear to school. She didn't talk about Hogwarts, or anything, really, at home. His father, naturally, hadn't gone to Hogwarts, seeing as he wasn't a wizard. Severus being sorted into Slytherin had come as a bit of an unpleasant surprise, actually. He'd heard some of the boys talking on the train about the reputation of Slytherin house, and he wasn't sure he wanted to be associated with that sort of thing. His father had been a bit of a manipulative bastard and he was quite sure he wanted nothing to do with that way of thinking. But, perhaps the apple hadn't fallen far from the tree, as his father liked to taunt him whenever he caught Severus doing something he shouldn't.
When Lily had been sorted into Gryffindor, he'd wanted to follow her there, but the hat had barely entertained the notion before it declared Severus's mind "too sly by half," and had plopped him in Slytherin, where he was supposedly supposed to hate all Gryffindors, including her. Not that he could, which just made things worse. His roommates constantly made fun of him for having a Gryffindor best friend, and a Gryffindor girl to boot. Lily, as charming as she was, made her distaste for his yearmates well known, which didn't exactly help. Then there was James Potter, who took the whole mess and made it into a three-tiered nightmare cake that he then served at his wedding to Severus's former best friend that he was still madly in love with.
The Werewolf Incident and subsequent destruction of his relationship with Lily wasn't even worth mentioning. The safe haven he'd hoped Hogwarts to be turned out to be decidedly less salvatory than he'd envisioned.
His return to Hogwarts as an adult was not much better. Yes, it had provided an alibi and helped him avoid Azkaban, but it was still a prison of sorts. It was a daily reminder of exactly to whom he was beholden and why. He worked for Dumbledore. He worked for Dumbledore because he'd inadvertently murdered the love of his life and her husband (no great loss) and orphaned her son. Her son who might also, maybe, actually be his son, not that he was brave enough to actually go and check. He'd long since decided that the hat was absolutely right not to put him in Gryffindor. He was disgustingly cowardly.
His imprisonment in Hogwarts served as a daily reminder of his cowardice.
He also didn't particularly enjoy the teaching aspect of his job. Potions was a fine subject. He was skilled in that area. He and Lily had been great potions partners, actually, until they weren't. He couldn't say he didn't enjoy making potions. He even greatly enjoyed experimenting with potions. But he did not enjoy teaching potions.
Children were just so remarkably stupid.
To be fair (was that a thing that Severus was, now?), there had been a few each year that showed promise. There were a handful that were able to complete his NEWT course without completely embarrassing themselves. But, on the whole, they just didn't seem able to grasp the subtleties required to successfully brew even a simple potion effectively. He had no patience for the sort of corner-cutting that most students tried to implement. It was maddening. He was not cut out to be an educator.
And yet, despite all of that, Hogwarts still, inexplicably, brought him joy. Stepping into the Great Hall for the first time each year was, yes, a chore (the Sorting took absolute ages), but he also strangely looked forward to it. How could a place that had brought him so much pain also be a place of comfort? A place that had very much come to feel like home.
It was some strange magic at work here, of that Severus was quite certain.
At long last, he passed through the Entrance Hall, through the front doors, and down the path towards the wrought iron gates that marked the entrance to Hogwarts grounds. Once again, it appeared that he was the last to arrive.
No, wait. Argus and Septima were still missing.
He set his box carefully on the ground and leaned against the old stone wall next to the gate to wait for them. Aurora Sinestra caught his eye and crossed the group to lean against the wall beside him.
"What kept you?" she asked.
He gestured to the box at his feet. "Some ingredients cannot be removed by magic. It was a delicate process. I trust you had no such trouble?"
"Not for myself, no. Most of the astronomical equipment was for student use, anyway, so I didn't bother packing it. I took a couple of star charts and reference books that I don't have at home. My office and quarters took about five minutes each. Getting Hagrid packed was another story, though. We only just got here a few minutes ahead of you, actually."
"How difficult is it to understand what must be done?" Severus groused.
"Well, you know how devoted he was to Albus. He kept going on about how 'Dumbledore never would have wanted this' and so on. But we got it sorted in the end, and that's what matters."
"What you said to Filius earlier was quite good. I was unsure what to say to convince him of his fallacy."
She dipped her head and smiled.
"Thank you. He just needed another perspective, is all. You said it best, anyway. None of us are here just because we love our subject matter. If I simply wanted to study the stars for my own benefit, I could do it at the British Astronomical Institute, or even go back to the Ugandan Celestial Observatory where I apprenticed after Uagadou, though it would mean leaving my family behind again. But I'm not doing any of those things. I'm here. I'm here because I want to impart that knowledge to others so that they may study the stars as well, but I can't impart knowledge if the students are not able to receive it. And a student whose life is in danger cannot receive knowledge. It's just psychology."
"And where did you come to be an expert in muggle psychology?"
"Well, first of all, there's no such thing as muggle psychology. There's just psychology. It's the same whether a person has magic or not. Wizards could do with pulling their heads out of their own arses long enough to recognize that the human mind needs as much nurturing as the human body and we should really take some cues from our magicless friends in how to deal with trauma. There's a massive shortage of mind-healers, but nobody wants to talk about it because it's such a taboo topic to begin with. Yet, here we are, in the middle of a war, again, and nobody wants to talk about the importance of feeling safe." She looked at him with a passion burning in her eyes. Severus had never seen her so worked up before. Something in his face must have clued her in.
"Sorry," she said, shaking her head. "That wasn't what you asked, was it? To answer your question, my mum is a psychiatrist. She's a muggle, but she actually has a whole host of magical clients because there just aren't enough mind-healers and she actually knows about the magical world because of my dad and me, so people can be open with her. She's been spouting psychology at me since I was a little girl. When I first started my professorship she actually made me read all these books about the psychology of teaching and the adolescent psyche. It's fairly fascinating and it actually did make me a better teacher."
"I didn't know your mother was muggle."
"Well, given the current political climate, I don't go around advertising it. Not that I'm ashamed. I think my mum is doing incredible work, in fact. I just don't see the need to cast a spotlight on myself."
"No, I quite understand. My father was a muggle. It was a fact I often conveniently left out of conversations amongst my Slytherin classmates."
"Really? Did that make things difficult for you? You know, when you were doing whatever it was you were doing with the Death Eaters?"
Severus took a deep breath and shifted his weight. Nobody had ever asked him these questions before. Albus seemingly hadn't cared about that aspect of things and Lily had already known the answers and had no need to ask.
"I'm sorry," she said. "I'm prying. You really don't have to answer."
"No, it's all right. It certainly didn't make things easier. It helped that there was no love lost between us, so it was easy to turn my back on him when I needed to. My father was…not a good man."
"Oh. I'm sorry. I didn't realize."
"It is in the past, now, but it made a good motivator, at the time. Among other things."
They stood in quiet companionship for a few moments before Aurora spoke again.
"Listen, I don't know all the details, and I'm not asking to. It's clear to me that you weren't really a Death Eater, at least not at the end. How it started for you seems like a long story and we don't have time for it today. I don't know how much of what I knew of you was an act, but I saw the way you handled things with Harry last year and I can tell that you've changed, or maybe you've just allowed the rest of us to see who you have always been, I don't know for sure. All of this, though…" she paused and put her hand on his arm, looking into his eyes earnestly, "it's a lot. And it's especially a lot when I suspect the only person you ever actually talked to about any of it is now gone. It's going to get harder, not easier, particularly for you and Harry. Not coming back here…trying to do it alone…don't. I don't know if you've got people you talk to, but even if you do, if you need someone else, you can always talk to me. I'm just an owl or a floo call away."
She was gazing at him so intently and with such openness that Severus was wholly unable to look away, or even to move. Her eyes were a dark hazel, deep brown rimmed with a band of forest green. They searched him in a way that made him feel utterly exposed, like she could see into his very soul, yet the way she looked at him was as if she was inviting him to do the same, to search her in return. He wasn't sure he'd ever been looked at quite this way.
Albus's gaze was knowing, always knowing. He didn't need to search Severus because he already knew what he would find. Lily's gaze has been hopeful. When she looked at him, she saw a better version of him, a version he had tried very hard to be, but had never quite lived up to. Harry's gaze was guarded. He kept himself locked up and respected that Severus often did, too, but when they let the guards fall Severus knew they looked at each other with trust and love and home.
This, though, was altogether different. It invited him to lay it all out, all of it, the good, the awful, everything and it promised that there would be no judgment, not even for the things for which he judged himself. These eyes that were so often pointed towards the stars, divining their secrets, were now directed at him and he could not have hidden from them if he had tried.
He wasn't altogether sure he wanted to try. He was captivated. He breathed a deep breath in and something within him that he had thought was long dead fluttered weakly. He blinked once. Twice. He exhaled. It felt like he hadn't breathed in a very, very long time. She smiled, gave his arm a squeeze, then pulled away, dropping her eyes and tucking a long ebony braid behind her ear.
The spell was broken. Severus cleared his throat.
He never got to speak.
"Argus! At last!" Minerva cried, and all eyes flew towards the grumpy caretaker stomping through the gate, followed by a clearly agitated Septima Vector. Once both were through the gate, Minerva waved her wand and it closed and latched heavily.
She regarded the assembled group solemnly.
"Thank you all for your service. I know this has not been an easy decision for any of us, but we are doing the right thing. Remember, it is of utmost importance that none of us re-enter Hogwarts or its grounds for any reason until I give leave to do so. I hope we will see each other again soon for the grand reopening. Severus, stay. The rest of you may go. Argus, see Aberforth in the Hog's Head. He'll set you up with some lodging until you can find something more permanent. You too, Hagrid. Godspeed."
"Godspeed," they chorused back, then with a series of pops, they vanished. Aurora gave him a long look and small smile and he found himself looking at the place where she had stood even after she was gone. Hagrid and Argus began the walk towards Hogsmeade, Hagrid's gigantic dog trotting along behind them, Argus's cat hissing at it from his arms. Then, Minerva turned to him.
"Severus, Filius said he couldn't have the closure of Hogwarts on his conscience and ceded the post of Interim Deputy Head to the next in line, which is you. I assume you are not opposed?" Severus shook his head in the negative. She continued. "Good. We have to do this together. It's quite simple, really. Point your wand at the gate, then repeat after me: claudatur excludere omnia."
He dutifully repeated the phrase, his wand pointed at the center of the Hogwarts crest adorning the gate. As he completed the incantation, a shimmering silver barrier erupted from the gate and spread outwards, curving gently dome-like, as far as he could see. He imagined it encircled the entirety of the Hogwarts property.
Minerva sighed.
"I know it had to be done, but I wish I was not the one to have to do it. Once again, I wish Albus was still here."
"His absence has never been more keenly felt. But we have done the right thing. It is what he would have done in our stead."
"That's what I keep telling myself. Well, Severus, I'm sure I'll see you at Headquarters. Tell Harry I said hello. I didn't get a chance to speak with him yesterday."
"I will tell him. I should be getting back. It's unsafe to linger."
"Yes, quite right. It's just hard to say goodbye. But it's time."
With a last nod at each other, Severus picked up his box, prayed desperately that the erumpent horn would behave, and twisted away.
He landed in an empty lot a short walk from the house, just in case. It was a good thing he did, as one of the phials of powder was rattling alarmingly. He quickly extracted it from the box and threw it as hard as he could away from him, propelling it with his wand once it left his hand. It exploded with a bang that Severus was fairly certain would draw the authorities. He quickly ducked into a nearby alley and began the walk home.
He gingerly wrestled his box through the front door, watching his phials closely for any more signs of volatility as they crossed the threshold of the wards, then kicked the door shut behind him. He glanced up and was met with the business end of a wand centimeters from his face. Harry's eyes were narrowed behind it.
"While I appreciate your vigilance, I feel duty bound, as your father, to warn you that this box contains my most unstable potions ingredients and a stray spell will have disastrous consequences for us both. But, if you're looking to do Voldemort's job for him, then, by all means, do continue."
Harry's wand lowered a fraction, but he remained wary.
"Why are you using the front door?"
Severus lifted the box slightly.
"Unfortunately, I have already lost one phial of powdered erumpent horn in the process of apparating from Scotland, but as I didn't intend to walk across the entire continent, nor blow myself up on that infernal Knight Bus, it couldn't be helped. Erumpent horn is exceedingly difficult to acquire, so I'd prefer not to lose any more." Distantly, the sound of emergency sirens could be heard rushing down the street in the direction he'd just come from. He ignored them.
Harry finally lowered his wand and stowed it in the back pocket of his jeans. He shook his damp hair out of his eyes, which Severus noted the boy was rolling, at him (the audacity!), and smiled.
"Only you would be more concerned with replacing an ingredient than, oh, I don't know, blowing up the house," Harry said, fondly.
"Don't be ridiculous. Of course I was concerned about the house. That's precisely why I didn't apparate directly into the sitting room. However, the cost of rare potions ingredients cannot be ignored."
"How much powdered erumpent horn can you possibly need, anyway?" Harry questioned, following Severus down the stairs towards the potions lab. "I've literally never seen it on any ingredients lists for any potions I've ever encountered.
Severus scoffed and barely suppressed his own desire to roll his eyes.
"Given that you destroyed my potions lab with a revealing potion, a potion which, in my twenty-odd years of brewing and decade-and-a-half of teaching, has never exploded, what would possess you to think that I would allow you to be anywhere near ingredients as volatile as erumpent horn? As a matter of fact, take a few steps back for me, please. You're entirely too accident-prone."
Harry merely rolled his eyes again, and did not step backwards. Severus hadn't truly expected him to. He carried the ingredients carefully and set them down in a corner of the lab. He turned the handle on the door to the cabinet and began carefully transferring the contents inside. Some were still showing small signs of instability.
"Are you putting those in a safe?" Harry asked, incredulous.
"Where would you like me to keep them? In the bathroom cabinet? Yes, it's a safe. It's also magically shielded from outside interference and surrounded by a dampening charm. If one of these phials should destabilize, it's likely what's inside the safe will be obliterated, but everything outside it should be fine."
"I hadn't realized potions was so…explosive."
Severus gave him a withering look over his shoulder.
"Disregarding your own penchant for pyrotechnics, your friends Fred and George Weasley could happily educate you on the turbulent nature of potions and their ingredients."
"Oh, right. I guess I just never thought about it."
"Potions is a subject which is often overlooked," Severus said, swinging the safe door shut and latching the handle. "I did attempt to illuminate the potential usefulness of it on your first day in my class, but it appears to have fallen on deaf ears."
"No, I was taking notes. Or, I was, until you snapped at me about asphodel and vinewood and bezoars, or whatever it was. I don't actually dislike making potions. But you have to admit, I had a bit of a rough start."
"Asphodel and wormwood. Asphodel and vinewood would be pointless and taste like battery acid." Severus replied, walking over to Harry. He placed a hand on his son's shoulder, squeezing gently as he continued. "And for what it's worth, I do apologize for my earlier treatment of you. Especially in the beginning, when you walked in looking so like James. Any lingering hope I'd fostered that you might have been my son was ruthlessly crushed. It's no excuse for me to have treated you the way that I did, but my heart was so bitter and broken. I had vowed to protect you, regardless of whose son you were, from the moment your mother died. Dumbledore assured me that you were well cared-for with the Dursleys, and I was in no fit shape to be a father back then, but that didn't mean I didn't wonder about you. I did. More often than I cared to admit, at the time. Seeing you looking like a carbon copy of James was too much. I had already committed to playing the villain, for the sake of my role as a spy, but I'm afraid I took it too far, and I'm sorry. Truly."
Harry didn't hesitate to reply.
"It's okay," he said, sincerely, nodding away Severus's apology with easy forgiveness. "I can't say that I understand, because I don't, really, but I forgive you anyway."
Would this boy's capacity for forgiveness ever end? Was there anything on this earth that he wouldn't overlook in the name of love? Severus sincerely hoped not.
"I will never deserve you, Harry."
He wasn't sure he'd intended to say that out loud, but he had. Harry shook his head and his eyes grew flinty.
"You have to stop with that, though," he said, sharply. "Almost nobody gets what they deserve in life. It's bloody unfair. But for all the times we get the bad stuff we shouldn't, there have to be times when we get the good stuff, too. Keep the scales balanced, or whatever. And, frankly, I'm overdue for some good stuff, so, just, shut up about it and be my dad. Okay?"
As much as he wanted to argue with that–there were several holes in that line of logic–he either couldn't or simply didn't.
"All right," he said, instead. "Can I hug you, now, or is that too much emotional contact for one day?"
Harry chuckled good naturedly and stepped into Severus's embrace.
"Listen, I've already told you you're a hugger. You need to just accept it and move on."
"Would you say I should, perhaps, embrace it?"
Harry pulled away sharply and gave him a mock glare.
"No. Oh my–no." He threw his hands up and shook his head. "That's just bad. I can't believe you just said that."
Severus let out a baritone chuckle and pulled the other boxes from his pockets, setting them on the bench and enlarging them. The one from his quarters he set to the side and waved his wand to instruct the remaining phials of stable potions ingredients to sort themselves neatly on the shelves around the room. Harry walked back over, curiously.
"Wait, what's all this? I assumed you were getting something specific for something new you're brewing. This looks like the entire contents of your potions stores at Hogwarts."
Severus sighed, the smile slipping from his face.
"It is. There's been a development."
"Oh, no. Hogwarts hasn't been attacked, too, has it?"
"No. It has, however, been closed."
"Closed."
"Yes."
"I assume you don't just mean for the summer."
"No."
"It's because Voldemort wants it, isn't it."
"Partly. While the staff maintains the belief that the Dark Lord would be unable to take the castle by force, at least not without significant increases to his numbers and a protracted assault, there is significant risk of Hogwarts being used as a tool for political machination, which could pose great danger to the students within. We felt that the risks were too great, and there was no time to devise an alternative solution. Once Minerva is replaced as Headmistress, which will likely happen by the end of the day today, our options diminish significantly, so we had to act swiftly. It was decided that Hogwarts should close and the grounds be placed under lockdown. I'm sorry, Harry, but you will not be returning to Hogwarts for your seventh year."
Harry appeared to be contemplating this newest development with his usual fervor.
"I can't say I'm not upset about it, but it's probably for the best. If I really think about it, I probably should have planned on not going back, anyway. Every time I've come into contact with Voldemort so far has been while at school. I'm starting to think it may not be the safest place for me. Or you, for that matter."
Severus nodded in acknowledgement.
"Will you still do like you said last night? Teach me defense and stuff?"
"Of course. The closure of Hogwarts only makes this more imperative."
"But what about Ron and Hermione? And Ginny? They're going to need to know this stuff, too. Who's going to teach them?"
Severus sighed, resigned.
"I shall teach them, as well."
It seemed he was cursed to a life of professorship. Harry smiled.
"Brilliant!" he gushed. Severus suspected his friends would be somewhat less enthusiastic. Harry's smile faltered. "Well, assuming Ginny actually wants to be in lessons with me. Do you think I could go over to Grimmauld and talk to her today? I know it's chaotic right now, but–"
"Undoubtedly there will be a meeting called tonight that I will need to attend, anyway. Allow me to shower and change and we will go together later. Does that suit you?"
"Yeah, that works. I'd like to come to the meeting, too."
"Yes, I believe that would be prudent. Attempting to keep information from you has only led to disaster thus far."
"Finally, someone figures it out."
Severus's only response was a long-suppressed eye roll that could no longer be held back.
