Chapter Forty-Six: Just Your Imagination
Once Harry and Sarah got to their father's room Severus got back with Patches, Fluffy, Hedwig and the rest of their things. Harry was in a sudden state of rage and busy taking the lamp off the desk and then smashing it onto the ground. Severus instantly knew that something was wrong with his son and rushed over to him.
"Harry! Harry calm down son!" He cried out while Harry started breathing heavily and flinging papers off the desk as well.
"He was their friend! And he's our godfather!" Harry hollered while quickly turning over to face him and then started to break down in tears.
"I know son, I know. Just come here." Severus began while wrapping his arms around him tightly and holding him inside his arms hearing the pain and hurt with every sob and it had brought tears to his own eyes as he held him. "I'm here son, I've got you." He told him with a sniff while Severus remembered back to when Harry had been seven years old.
He had woken up in the middle of the night due to a nightmare he had about Voldemort, and he had told him exactly the same thing. Harry was crying just as hard now if not harder and it felt to Severus that he had his little boy back. His little boy who needed him. That's when he quickly broke out of the embrace and gently held his face inside his hands and looked into his eyes while tears rolled down his cheeks.
"Don't worry, he's going to pay for this. I promise you he will pay for this." He told him. "And I'm not going to let him hurt you, Sarah, Lily, or anybody else in this family."
"He lied. He killed my father by betraying him." Harry said as he looked into his eyes and then started choking over his tears.
"Just calm down, you're going to make yourself sick if you're not careful. I know it's hard, but you must calm down." He told him before hugging him tightly again as tears silently rolled down Sarah's cheeks while Harry continued coughing. "Shh,.. calm down." He whispered while rubbing his back gently. "Why don't you get ready for bed? It's late." He told him.
"I don't know if I can sleep tonight." Harry confessed with a sniff.
"You should try though. Try to relax. Sleep usually helps when you are stressed out. Take it from somebody who knows. I was like that when your mother left me and now, I am worried sick about both of you. Let's all try and get some sleep, and I know that I usually don't do this anymore as you are a bit big for this but right now you need it." Severus told him before kissing the top of his head gently. Afterwards he slowly let go of him and Harry and Sarah started getting ready for bed.
Harry climbed into his sleeping bag and laid down on the floor while Sarah laid down on the couch. Severus tucked her in and kissed her goodnight before he went to bed himself. The next morning Harry, Ron, and Hermione were all rather repulsed by the fact that Draco was telling his friends that they should have Buckbeak put down.
"Ya know, I was really starting to have hope for him last year." Ron said with a scowl.
"Yeah, I think it has to do with the fact that Hagrid never acknowledged him that he played a part in helping him out of Azkaban." Hermione said when suddenly Snape walked over to their table.
"I just thought that I would like to let you three know that I am substituting your defense against the dark arts class this afternoon." He told them.
"You mean you're actually taking the time to warn us?" Ron questioned him before Hermione simply just elbowed him in the ribs and Snape rolled his eyes.
"Honestly Weasley, as irritating as you and Granger are, you two are my son's best friends. The least I can do is learn to tolerate you." He told them before he turned around and exited the room.
"His bark really is worse than his bite." He told them.
…..
"Turn to page 394." Severus began as he entered the classroom later that day and rolled his eyes when Ron was taking forever to turn to the proper page so with a flick of his wand he wound up doing it for him.
"Werewolves?" Hermione began while she turned her head back to look at him. "Professor, we're supposed to be learning about red caps and hinkypunks. We're not supposed to start nocturnal beasts for weeks." She told him.
"Quiet." Severus warned while Harry started silently wondering to himself just what exactly those were as his father went to the front of the room and tapped his wand on top of the projector to turn it on. "Now, who can tell me the difference between a werewolf and an animagus?" He wondered while he turned over to look at Harry.
"Of course it's going to be the teacher's kid." Draco whispered quietly over to Crabb and Goyle while Snape turned over to glare at him.
"I hate to do this from my own house but ten points from Slytherin for talking out of turn." He began before turning to look back over at Harry. "Well, do you know the answer? I figured that it would be a change of pace to let you answer for once instead of your friend Hermione." He told him and at that Ron and Hermione silently turned to look at each other and widened their eyes at the fact that Snape had just called Hermione by her first name for once.
"Isn't an animagus a witch or wizard that elects to turn into an animal and a werewolf doesn't have any say in the matter?" He questioned as Severus slightly bowed his head and smiled at him.
"That is correct. Ten points to Gryffindor." He told him.
"Snape just gave Gryffindor ten points and took away from Slytherin?" Ron began. "I'm in a dream. Either that or somebody abducted the real Snape, and this guy has gotten high on Polyjuice potion." He finished and with that Severus burst out laughing. Nobody in the class except for Harry (on rare occasion) seen him laugh that much. A few moments later he composed himself.
"In all seriousness Mr. Weasley, you aren't allowed to speak out of turn any more than Mr. Malfoy is. However, since I found your comment rather humorous, I will only remove five points from Gryffindor. This time." He told him.
"Can I at least ask you a question?" Ron began as he slightly bowed his head again.
"Go on." He told him.
"Is it my imagination, or are you actually starting to like us?" He wondered as a moment of silence passed between them.
"Perhaps." Severus began. "That it's your imagination that is." He finished teasingly with a grin and a wink before he went to go back to teaching the class and Ron and Hermione silently turned to smile at each other while Harry smiled at them as well.
