Chapter two - Meeting with Snape
Harry didn't sleep that night, at all. He couldn't. Sleep avoided him studiously and his mind kept wandering back to that parchment. He kept fearing how his friends would react to news him marrying second most feared and hated professor in Hogwarts recent history. Title of most hated professor went in consensus to Dolores Umbridge (but that was beside the point). But he most feared how Snape would be reacting to Hat's decision. He wondered if he would survive alive that meeting and if he should start write his Last Will just in case that Snape would murder him.
When morning finally dawned upon Hogwarts Harry had written his Last Will in all seriousness and packed all his belongings just in that case that Snape would murder him after all. Though Harry dearly hoped that it would not get that far. Harry had placed his Will to his trunk and left down to dungeons, clutching the parchment Sorting Hat had given him. He was going to tackle this like Gryffindor he was and meet Snape before breakfast started.
As he pale-faced and defiant determination etched into his expression he trudged toward dungeons, using Marauders Map to find man's quarters. It was barely six in morning and Harry wondered that how Snape would take early morning intrusion to his quarters. Probably not too well, he mused with wry smile.
He arrived to Snape's quarters way too soon if asked Harry and stood for five minutes gathering his wits and courage to knock the portrait frame. He swallowed thickly and knocked hesitantly. Man in portrait woke up with surprised jolt.
"Oh, hello there, young Gryffindor", portrait said with sleepy yawn. "You have come to meet young Severus?"
Harry smiled nervously. "Good morning, sir. Uh, yes, I came to meet him. But he isn't exactly, erm, expecting to see me. But I - I need to speak with him, quite desperately actually", he said struggling with words.
"I see. I'll go to fetch him then. It'll take just a moment", portrait said kindly taking note of disheveled and tired appearance of young Gryffindor.
Harry watched as man in the portrait disappeared from view. He leaned nervously against cold stone wall and closed his eyes, praying whatever deity was listening that Snape wouldn't kill him straight away. And not torture him, either.
It took few very long minutes before the portrait opened with ominous creak and expressionless face of Severus Snape stared from doorway at Harry Potter. "Potter, what in blazes you want at this hour of morning? Sun hasn't even come up yet", he said with scowl and took then note of Gryffindor's appearance. "Have you slept at all last night?" he asked.
Harry took deep, shuddering breath and opened his eyes. "Morning, sir. And no, I couldn't sleep... I was too occupied to fell asleep at all", he said and pushed himself apart from wall. "May I come in? What I need to speak about with you isn't exactly topic that can discussed in corridor or doorway", he said and his grasp around folded parchment tightened.
Snape's gaze fell onto parchment. "This has something to do with yesterday's Pair Sorting, doesn't it?"
Harry didn't trust his voice at the moment so he just nodded. "Alright then, come in", Snape amended finally.
Snape allowed Harry to enter into his quarters, grudgingly, and led him to living room. "Take a seat, I'll go make some tea", he said. "When I come back you better be ready tell me why felt need to speak about Pair Sorting with me and not your bond mate", he said and disappeared into room Harry supposed was kitchen.
It didn't take long for Snape to return with tea-tray. He put tray down to table between two plush armchairs and sat down directly facing Harry. "Now, speak", he said and took his teacup and sipped his tea.
Harry paled further and with trembling hand he gave parchment to Slytherin house head. Snape, frowning, took parchment to his left hand while holding teacup in right. He easily unfolded it and abruptly coughed to his tea. "What kind joke this is, Potter?" he demanded placing cup down and glared at now ashen pale Gryffindor.
"It isn't any kind joke or prank, sir", Harry said with small, trembling voice. "I was afraid that you would react badly to this. I asked Hat not to pair me with no-one because of Voldemort but it refused to listen me..." he swallowed audibly and shrunk down in his armchair, shivering with fear. "If... if you are going to murder me because of this...", he said barely audibly, "please, let it be swift and painless."
Snape looked at parchment in incomprehension and then fearful young black-haired Gryffindor, and pinched his nose bridge and covered his face then with groan. "I knew that this was pure insanity from very start. I'm going to murder Albus for this", muttered darkly under his breath and looked then at Harry. "Have you told anyone about this yet?"
Harry shook his head and said with small voice. "No, no one knows."
"Not even your two ever faithful friends miss Granger and mister Weasley?", Snape asked unbelievingly.
"Not even them. I thought it would best tell you first", Harry replied. "Are you going to murder me now?" he asked hesitantly.
Snape raised his eyebrow. "What makes you think that I would actually murder you for this, Potter?" he asked amusement obvious in his voice.
Harry stared him wide-eyed. "You are not? Going to kill me then? Aren't you angry about this, at least? I got things badly messed up again, and this time dragged you into it", he mumbled and drew his knees to his chest, wrapping his arms around his knees.
"If there is someone to blame all this it is Albus, not you Potter. It wasn't your choise to make but the Sorting Hat's and you tried to talk it out of it, without success", Snape darkly said and returned to stare parchment once more. Tea was long forgotten at this point.
"Is there anything that we can do about this? Is this already... I don't know, sealed, or something?", Harry asked timidly, peering Snape under his fringe.
Snape thought about it carefully before he answered. "I don't think this can be negated or cancelled out, but I will try find some answers to this. I definitely didn't expect this to happen when Albus announced Pair Sorting to be taken use again", he said frowning, voice weary despite it being just early morning. "That man has gone finally absolutely raving, barking mad."
"Well... At least I wasn't only one Gryffindor to get paired with Slytherin", Harry muttered under his breath and picked gingerly his tea-cup from table.
"Oh? Who else did?" Snape asked curious about that. Only few of his older Slytherins had revealed at this point with whom they were paired with.
Harry gave small laugh, melting away his nervousness. "Lavender Brown and Nott, Ginny and Zabini, Ron with Pansy Parkinson and Hermione with Malfoy... I dare say that their union will be quite lively", he laughed quietly and added. "I wonder, though, if Malfoy still remembers when Hermione punched him into nose in our third year."
Snape's lips twitched that looked like unwilling smile. "So that is what happened back then. I wondered it when he refused to reveal who had hit him. What provoked miss Granger into a such violent activity?", he asked.
"Malfoy called her 'weak mudblood' if I remember it correctly", replied Harry to Snape's inquire. "And Hermione hates be referred as a weak and a mudblood is mightily disgusting word."
"Ah, I see", Snape nodded sagely.
"What are we going to do now?", Harry asked more bravely now that Snape wasn't going to kill him, at the moment at least. "I have no intention to mention about this to my friends until we are sure that it can't be negated."
"We have to talk about this with Albus and Minerva. There is no need to pull other people into this mess", Snape said pursing his lips. "Minerva will be having kittens about this, that is sure."
"She is rather scary when she's angry", Harry mumbled.
"Quite so", Severus agreed solemnly.
When Harry arrived at Great Hall for breakfast time he saw people from all houses talking with each others. Newly formed couples, he surmised and slipped to sit to his seat next to Hermione, scaring bejesus out of her.
"Morning, Hermione", Harry said.
"Harry!", Hermione nearly screeched. "Where you were this morning? You weren't in dorms or common room when we woke up."
"Just thinking about things. I gathered my courage last night in RoR and read my parchment. I met the person early on this morning and we agreed that we are not going to reveal it to anyone just yet. We are going to have talk with Dumbledore to see if we can cancel this out", he told and munched his toast and ate ravenously his eggs. "What about you? Did you have talk with Malfoy yet?"
"Not yet", Hermione sighed miserably. "This is going to be hell."
"Remember what I said yesterday. I will stand behind what I said about hexing his bullocks off if he hurts you", Harry reminded her very solemnly and Hermione giggled little about it.
"This week will be very busy", Hermione said and searched Malfoy with her eyes from Slytherin table. "And I need to owl my parents... Oh, God, Harry! My parents! Dad is going murder Malfoy", she realized and her eyes grew wide. "How I will explain this to them?" she asked with panicked voice.
"Hermione, calm down. It's not your job to try to explain this your parents", Harry said with strong voice. "Dumbledore caused this mess and he will explain your mom and dad why exactly you are going to marry that dastardly git Malfoy. But imagine how hard time Malfoy will be having when he tries to explain his father why he has to marry a muggleborn. And not just any muggleborn, but a Gryffindor one", he said wryly.
"You are right", Hermione agreed.
Not long after that Headmaster arrived to Hall and many students were giving him evil eye, including Harry and Hermione. And Snape and McGonagall, too. Apparently Snape had told her about who Sorting Hat had chosen for him.
When everyone was in Hall headmaster spoke up. "I trust that all of you know by know with whom they were paired with. I hope that everyone has brought their parchment with them. Those who have been paired with person who has already graduated, please gather here next to Professor Sinestra."
There was mutterings and mumblings and rustling of clothing and a parchment. Harry pulled his own from his pocket and glared at it for few seconds and stood then up. Hermione gave him bewildered look. "I will explain when I can, I promise, but not just now", he said and trudged toward Professor Sinestra, who was their Astronomy teacher. Harry stopped in front of headmaster and gave him extra evil eye just for added measure. And Dumbledore just had gall to smile him.
"Now, rest of you, go for to your bond mate and face each other", headmaster continued. Students started to shift around hall towards their bondmates, forming pairs. "And now, place left hand's palm to palm your bondmate and repeat after me your Promise of Bond ritewords. Now, repeat: Faciam promitto anima mea ad te. 'I will promise my Soul to thee'."
There was ritewords exchanged and magic flared in golden light around their hands. Hermione noticed that in her ring finger had now engagement ring. It was made of platinum and it had polished moonstones and amethysts. Malfoy had matching ring in his finger.
They both felt decidedly awkward after promise rite and didn't know how to behave. Hermione looked for Ron who was red-faced and Parkinson was grinning winningly as she grasped his hand and in their ring fingers had white gold rings embedded several sapphires and rubies.
Harry stood bored near wall and shook his head in amusement. Perhaps this would be fun to follow what was going to happen in this school year. It promised interesting year, at least. Those whom future partner had already graduated were ushered one of free tables to write missives to inform them about the Sorting Hat's Pairings choices. Harry felt ridiculous as he scrawled letter to Snape. When he had finished it he sealed it to envelope which he spelled so that it could opened only by Snape and no one else, even if it by some cosmic mistake ended in wrong hands. He handed it to McGonagall who handed it to Snape who slipped it into one of his many pockets.
With roll of his eyes he left from Great Hall and settled to front door entrance stairs.
Snape slipped out of hall to corridor to read letter Potter had written him. He shook letter open and peered at scrawling that was Potter's handwriting.
'Dear Professor Snape
I feel utterly ridiculous that I have write this letter to you when I have already told you that Hat chose you for me to bond with. But nonetheless I do as I have told to do, so...
I feel humbled to inform you that you have been given honor to be bonded with me by choice made by Hogwarts School's Sorting Hat as old tradition was invoked recently by our esteemed Headmaster Albus P. W. B. Dumbledore. I would feel honored if you would agree to meet with me this week's thursday, September 5th, in private setting. If date is not favorable for you please inform me so that we can set new date for meeting.
Sincerely yours
Hadrian 'Harry' J. Potter'
Snape noted that letter was heavily laced with wry sarcasm and it amused him greatly. Snorting he folded letter back to its envelope. He cast 'Point me!' spell to locate Potter and started to follow his wand as it guided him to right direction.
He found Potter sitting on front entrance's stairs staring passing clouds slightly amused expression on his face. He stood next the Potter. "I got your letter, Potter. I didn't realize that you owned a such sarcastic wit", he said.
Harry just hummed and turned his face toward his teacher. "Just because I don't use it often, or in your presence, doesn't mean that I'm not capable of using it", he replied wryly.
"I realize that", Snape said amusedly. "I found quite interesting litany of charms on letter and envelope. Paranoid much, Potter?"
Harry raised his eyebrow imperiously at that question. "I wouldn't say paranoid, yet, just overly cautious. And is it really a paranoia when people are out to get you?" he asked.
"Ah, true enough", Snape amended. They stayed in for uncomfortable silence for few minutes before Harry broke it.
"How long it will take you to find some sort of answers to this bonding thingy and if it can be cancelled out?", Harry asked.
"I do not know for a certain but I will start immediately when I have a free moment. Which incidentally would mean... right about now", Snape replied Gryffindor's question. "And what you shall be doing, Potter?"
Harry shrugged helplessly. "I don't know. Currently I'm trying not to panic, truth to be told", he answered with tight tone. "This scares me more than Voldemort, currently. If we, you and I, were to bond - to marry - each other... I will be putting you into even more greater danger than you are already. And knowing Dumbledore, he will do everything in his power to make this bonding to happen. He is always nagging for both of us to get over our mutual dislike for each other... If I didn't knew any better I'd say he knew this would happen when he decided to enact that stupid pairing thingy."
Snape didn't say anything to Potter but he knew that boy was correct in his assumptions. He admitted that this frightened a bit him too. It would meant that he was marrying a teen, not even in of age yet. 20 years of his junior, young enough to be his son. And if he was bonded to Potter, it would be only matter of time before his career as spy for the Light would be over and his name would take place right next to Potter in Dark Lord's Wanted Dead hit list.
Snape jolted back to from his thoughts when he heard Potter muttering darkly under his breath. "Malfoy better be behaving himself, or I will hex his bullocks off... And transfigure them into earrings for Hermione", he heard boy say. "... or re-attach them to his forehead..." Snape bit his tongue avoid laughing out loud. The Potter surely had a creative threats. He would have to remember that for a future references.
"I will be returning to my quarters to do researching. And perhaps even pester Albus later", he said.
Potter nodded. "Okay. I will see you then later, perhaps in lunch", he said absent-mindedly and stood up. "I have to go check how my friends are coping with their new... bondmates."
Snape snorted. "You do that."
*** SSHP ***