Severus had just come into the castle not too long before, and he was
walking towards his rooms when he heard movement in the dungeons. The
closer he got, the more nervous he became, because there were no torches
lit. He could hear the familiar hissing of something being added to a
potion, and the stirring of the liquid.
So when he walked into the room and saw Harry and the vial he was about to consume, he panicked.
Oh my God! he thought, It's the Leximor Morirtis Potion I made twenty years ago!
**************************************************************************** ***********************************************
"HARRY POTTER!!!"
Harry jumped and the vial slipped from his hand. It crashed to his feet into a million pieces, the potion spilling out onto the marble floor. He spun around to see both a shocked and slightly enraged Severus Snape standing three feet behind him.
"What in the name of HELL do you think you're doing?" Snape shouted, the panic clearly lining his voice.
"N-nothing, sir," Harry said, trembling.
"No! Don't give me that bullshit!" Harry cringed away from Snape, backing up towards the door. Snape's hand reached out and grabbed Harry's wrist before he could get far. This was a big mistake.
"NO! LET ME GO!" Harry screamed, his eyes widening in fear as his body tensed.
Terror gripped the edges of Harry's senses. He twisted his arm around in an effort to get out of Snape's grasp, but succeed only in causing himself pain.
"Potter?" Came Snape's tentative voice. He loosened his grip slightly, enough to keep Harry from getting out.
"Let me go," Harry whined. "Please, just let me go."
"I can't do that," Snape whispered.
"Don't hit me," Harry moaned. "Please, Uncle Vernon, don't, please!"
Suddenly, comprehension dawned on Snape. The pieces fell into place, and he completely understood Harry's behavior.
He kneeled in front of Harry, holding both hands.
"Harry, look at me."
"No, please-"
"I'm not going to hurt you, I promise."
Harry had never heard those words before, so he opened his eyes. He looked into Snape's eyes, and was surprised at what he saw. There was no hatred, no coldness. Instead, they were filled with pain, fear, and understanding.
"Trust me, Harry," Snape said softly, his eyes pleading to him. "Please trust me."
Harry fell to his knees and began to sob uncontrollably. He felt Snape's arms wrap around him and pull him closer. He flinched, and started to shake again.
"Shh, Harry, relax. It's okay, you're safe here."
**************************************************************************** ***********************************************
Severus gathered Harry closer to his body. He could feel the tremors pass through Harry as his muscles tightened in fear.
"Shh, Harry, relax. It's okay, you're safe here." He whispered in the boy's ear and began to rock him slightly.
Harry's cries subsided after a while, and he looked up at Severus.
"Why are you trying to help me?"
"Because I know what you're going through," Severus replied, looking down at him. "I wish I knew before, I would have never put you through what I did." He shook his head sadly.
"How do you know what it's like?" Harry asked. "I thought I was the only one."
"No, Harry, you're not the only one. I thought I was the only one, just like you."
"What do you mean?" Harry asked, sitting up and looking at his Potions Master. "What happened to you?"
Severus didn't want to think about what had happened, let alone tell Harry about it, but he knew he had to, or Harry'd never let Severus help him. He looked at the floor as he talked.
"It was my father who did it to me," he said quietly. "I wasn't anything he wanted me to be, so he made my life a living hell far beyond words." He hesitated, raising his head to look at Harry, whose face was one of understanding and mixed curiosity.
"What did he do?"
Severus laughed humorlessly. "What didn't he do? That bastard did everything he could to give me pain. He threw my mother out when I was six, after years of them fighting. She told me she would be back soon, and I haven't seen her since. She was the one who wanted me to be happy, who comforted me after he was through beating me, and he threw her out." He shook his head. "He's done more things than you can think of. Of course, nothing grand occurred until I came here."
"Why?"
"He was the Potions Master at the time."
Harry raised his eyebrows. "Is he why you're the-"
"No, Harry," Severus said. "He pushed me into it, but I liked Potions. I invented the Leximor Morirtis Potion that you were going to drink. I made it so that if he ever got hold of me again and didn't kill me, I'd do it myself."
**************************************************************************** ***********************************************
Harry was shocked, but he didn't show it. Snape?
"Why do you keep it in your office down here?"
Snape smiled slightly.
"Because it would make sense to have it here. If he came back and found it in my rooms, he'd get suspicious. Here, I can say I use it as an example for the students."
"Oh," Harry thought for a moment. It all made sense to him. "Professor Sn-"
"Severus."
"Huh?" Harry frowned.
"Call me by my name, Harry," he looked Harry in the eye as he said this. "Please?"
"Okay," Harry said slowly. "Um. Severus?"
"Yes?"
"Why did you become a Death Eater?"
Severus looked at him curiously. "Why did I become a Death Eater?" he repeated. Harry nodded.
"My wonderful father told me that if I didn't, he'd kill me on the spot, in front of everyone. And it would be extremely painful, not to mention embarrassing."
The bell rang for dinner. Severus glanced over at Harry. "You going to eat some time in this lifetime?"
Harry shook his head. "I'm not hungry."
"Liar." Harry gave him a dirty look.
"How would you know? You're not me."
"Good point." Severus sighed as he stood up. "But I was there once, remember?" He held out his hand. Harry just looked at him.
"I'm here to help you, Harry, not hurt you," Severus said reassuringly. "Just eat a little, please?"
Harry grabbed Severus' hand and pulled himself up. "Fine."
"Thank you."
**************************************************************************** ***********************************************
I know it's a bit short, but I wanted to get two out in one day. I'm going to try to get these out faster, one a week maybe. I have to work around my Regents' and all the homework you get in eleventh grade. Please review!
So when he walked into the room and saw Harry and the vial he was about to consume, he panicked.
Oh my God! he thought, It's the Leximor Morirtis Potion I made twenty years ago!
**************************************************************************** ***********************************************
"HARRY POTTER!!!"
Harry jumped and the vial slipped from his hand. It crashed to his feet into a million pieces, the potion spilling out onto the marble floor. He spun around to see both a shocked and slightly enraged Severus Snape standing three feet behind him.
"What in the name of HELL do you think you're doing?" Snape shouted, the panic clearly lining his voice.
"N-nothing, sir," Harry said, trembling.
"No! Don't give me that bullshit!" Harry cringed away from Snape, backing up towards the door. Snape's hand reached out and grabbed Harry's wrist before he could get far. This was a big mistake.
"NO! LET ME GO!" Harry screamed, his eyes widening in fear as his body tensed.
Terror gripped the edges of Harry's senses. He twisted his arm around in an effort to get out of Snape's grasp, but succeed only in causing himself pain.
"Potter?" Came Snape's tentative voice. He loosened his grip slightly, enough to keep Harry from getting out.
"Let me go," Harry whined. "Please, just let me go."
"I can't do that," Snape whispered.
"Don't hit me," Harry moaned. "Please, Uncle Vernon, don't, please!"
Suddenly, comprehension dawned on Snape. The pieces fell into place, and he completely understood Harry's behavior.
He kneeled in front of Harry, holding both hands.
"Harry, look at me."
"No, please-"
"I'm not going to hurt you, I promise."
Harry had never heard those words before, so he opened his eyes. He looked into Snape's eyes, and was surprised at what he saw. There was no hatred, no coldness. Instead, they were filled with pain, fear, and understanding.
"Trust me, Harry," Snape said softly, his eyes pleading to him. "Please trust me."
Harry fell to his knees and began to sob uncontrollably. He felt Snape's arms wrap around him and pull him closer. He flinched, and started to shake again.
"Shh, Harry, relax. It's okay, you're safe here."
**************************************************************************** ***********************************************
Severus gathered Harry closer to his body. He could feel the tremors pass through Harry as his muscles tightened in fear.
"Shh, Harry, relax. It's okay, you're safe here." He whispered in the boy's ear and began to rock him slightly.
Harry's cries subsided after a while, and he looked up at Severus.
"Why are you trying to help me?"
"Because I know what you're going through," Severus replied, looking down at him. "I wish I knew before, I would have never put you through what I did." He shook his head sadly.
"How do you know what it's like?" Harry asked. "I thought I was the only one."
"No, Harry, you're not the only one. I thought I was the only one, just like you."
"What do you mean?" Harry asked, sitting up and looking at his Potions Master. "What happened to you?"
Severus didn't want to think about what had happened, let alone tell Harry about it, but he knew he had to, or Harry'd never let Severus help him. He looked at the floor as he talked.
"It was my father who did it to me," he said quietly. "I wasn't anything he wanted me to be, so he made my life a living hell far beyond words." He hesitated, raising his head to look at Harry, whose face was one of understanding and mixed curiosity.
"What did he do?"
Severus laughed humorlessly. "What didn't he do? That bastard did everything he could to give me pain. He threw my mother out when I was six, after years of them fighting. She told me she would be back soon, and I haven't seen her since. She was the one who wanted me to be happy, who comforted me after he was through beating me, and he threw her out." He shook his head. "He's done more things than you can think of. Of course, nothing grand occurred until I came here."
"Why?"
"He was the Potions Master at the time."
Harry raised his eyebrows. "Is he why you're the-"
"No, Harry," Severus said. "He pushed me into it, but I liked Potions. I invented the Leximor Morirtis Potion that you were going to drink. I made it so that if he ever got hold of me again and didn't kill me, I'd do it myself."
**************************************************************************** ***********************************************
Harry was shocked, but he didn't show it. Snape?
"Why do you keep it in your office down here?"
Snape smiled slightly.
"Because it would make sense to have it here. If he came back and found it in my rooms, he'd get suspicious. Here, I can say I use it as an example for the students."
"Oh," Harry thought for a moment. It all made sense to him. "Professor Sn-"
"Severus."
"Huh?" Harry frowned.
"Call me by my name, Harry," he looked Harry in the eye as he said this. "Please?"
"Okay," Harry said slowly. "Um. Severus?"
"Yes?"
"Why did you become a Death Eater?"
Severus looked at him curiously. "Why did I become a Death Eater?" he repeated. Harry nodded.
"My wonderful father told me that if I didn't, he'd kill me on the spot, in front of everyone. And it would be extremely painful, not to mention embarrassing."
The bell rang for dinner. Severus glanced over at Harry. "You going to eat some time in this lifetime?"
Harry shook his head. "I'm not hungry."
"Liar." Harry gave him a dirty look.
"How would you know? You're not me."
"Good point." Severus sighed as he stood up. "But I was there once, remember?" He held out his hand. Harry just looked at him.
"I'm here to help you, Harry, not hurt you," Severus said reassuringly. "Just eat a little, please?"
Harry grabbed Severus' hand and pulled himself up. "Fine."
"Thank you."
**************************************************************************** ***********************************************
I know it's a bit short, but I wanted to get two out in one day. I'm going to try to get these out faster, one a week maybe. I have to work around my Regents' and all the homework you get in eleventh grade. Please review!