January 5th 2013
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter
Warning: Slash
Pairing: Snarry
Summary: Headmaster had brilliant idea during summer before Harry and Co. 6th year. As term starts in Welcoming Feast he announces that they are taking one of oldest traditions to use again. All students will be paired into life partners, into so called 'marriage' by Sorting Hat. What this will mean for Harry and his friends?
A/N: Sorry about late chapter. It has been months since I've last updated this. As you may have noted from my profile updates, I have been having trouble with my health, as unfortunate as it is. I started this chapter ages ago, as you may surmise the date at the top, but I've been having some difficulties. But here we go now. Next chapter for Age Old Traditions.
Ps: I'll try to get Twist of Fate chapter 6 written as soon as I can, but it's bit difficult when the every damn joint in my body hurts like there is no tomorrow, especially in my hands. Yay... The joys of rheumatism. (Sarcastic much?)
Anyway, onwards we go! Enjoy.
Regards, Stillnight
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Stillnight Presents
Age Old Traditions
───── ◦ ◦ ◦ ───── Chapter three - Unwilling Bondmates ───── ◦ ◦ ◦ ─────
Harry casually walked to Great Hall to see his friends. Ron, Hermione and Ginny were both talking with each other while Malfoy and Parkinson spoke with their other Slytherin friends that had gotten a Gryffindor bondmate.
Noise level in the Hall was high and teachers didn't even try quell it down. Most of staff members were, along with several older students, still giving the headmaster an evil eye to emphase their displeasure over the situation.
As soon as Hermione and others noticed Harry's return to the Hall she waved her hand to him. "Harry!" she gave small shout and Harry waved back and directed his steps toward them.
"Hey you lot", Harry said with small grin in his face. "How do you feel now that you've been engaged to a Slytherins?" he asked and waggled his eyebrows suggestively as he sat down.
"Harry!" Ginny scowled. "This is not funny", she said strongly disapproving. "Just think what our family will say when they find out that we have gotten ourselves engaged to a Slytherins. Fred and George will tease us about it to no end. But, at least, Zabini family is not pro-V-Voldemort, but rather a neutral on that regard. Luckily enough."
"Yeah", Ron said miserably and cast a wary glance at his 'future bride', Pansy Parkinson. He gave small distressed noise when she leered back at him. "I don't know how mum will react to these news. P-Pansy's father is a Death Eater though she herself has no wish to become one."
"Harry, when you will tell us who were chosen to?", Hermione asked curiously.
Said young black-haired wizard gave small whimper and propped his elbows against table. "Can you wait until Thursday? I can answer then. I know who he is and I have already met him early this morning when you were still sleeping", he said thickly. "I was nearly certain that he was going to kill me for dragging him into this, but I was lucky and he didn't even torture me..."
There was shocked silence. "He, Harry? You mean that the person Hat chose for you is a male?" Hermione voiced the question all three of them were thinking.
Harry was sure if he blushed or paled, or if he did both at the same time, and if that was actually physically possible in the first place. "I didn't mean to reveal that just yet...", he muttered under his breath, his cheeks now decidedly flushed and not quite meeting the eyes of his friends. "Yeah, he is very much male. I didn't even know that I would be interested in males..."
"... Well, that explains the what you said last year when you kissed Cho and why your date with her was a disaster", Ron muttered. "Mate, it doesn't matter to us if you're attracted to males instead of females", he said encouragingly and pat his hand calmly.
"What did he say about the kiss with Cho? I don't remember that I heard anything about it", Ginny butted in curiously and peered Harry as if she was seeing him now first time really.
"When I asked about his kiss with Cho in last Christmas after DA meeting, the only thing he was able to say about it that it was a 'wet'. And then he had date with her on Valentine's Day and it went down to the drains, too", Ron explained and Harry let him. Better Ron tell it than him, he wasn't sure if he would have been able to tell it. "That should have told us something about his preferences after that."
"Yes", Hermione admitted. "Well, luckily Wizarding world isn't so prejudiced about same gender couples than the muggles are", she said nodding and gently pat Harry's shoulders.
"I just hope that my uncle never find out about this. If he does it will give him even more reason to yell and shout at me", came Harry's bitterly muttered reply. This summer had already been bad enough when Vernon had found out that Sirius was dead now and wouldn't be there to protect Harry from him.
Other three gave him sympathetic looks and sighed. "What you can tell us about your intended bondmate?", Hermione asked as they settled down to table as small group. "Is he how much older than you? What he does for living? What house he was in?"
Harry swallowed convulsively and cleared his throat anxiously. "Muffliato", Harry muttered privacy spell he had recently learned. "He, er, teaches and works with Potions. He's relatively young, I would think", others cast speculating looks at each others. "And he was a Slytherin."
"Harry, if he is a teacher, then he has graduated even before we came here", Hermione said seriously. "How much older he is?"
Harry closed his eyes and let his head to hit table with low thunk. "That dastardly git is 36 now", he mumbled with small voice.
Deafening silence. "But... That - that's... 20 years older than you! He's old enough to be your father!" Ron said horrified.
"I know that, he went to school at same time with my dad. He was in same year actually", Harry said miserably. "He is currently looking into this insanity if it could be negated or cancelled out somehow. He was not exactly eager about this either."
"Harry, do we know this person?", Hermione asked carefully, she had a slight hunch already who it could possibly be, but she still needed some clues to be certain about it.
Harry pondered if he could tell the truth at this point and came into conclusion that he didn't want to lie about it. "Yes", he replied curtly.
Hermione studied her best friend's face intently for moment and thought about he had told about his bondmate. 'Dastardly git, a teacher and works with a potions, went school at same time with his parents, a Slytherin and we know him. Who he does sound like...?' she wondered her brows furrowing together in deep thought. Then she remembered Harry saying that he was afraid that he would kill or torture him. Who would cause such a reaction in Harry other than Voldemort or Professor Sna... Then it clicked in her mind instantly. 'It is Professor Snape!' her eyes widened and she stifled shocked gasp. 'It all fits perfectly, the clues he gave us. It's so obvious now that I think about it. And their personalities clashes so terribly because they are so similar to each other!'
Harry cast a suspicious look at Hermione's wide-eyed and shocked expression. 'Great...' he groaned inwardly and buried his face to his hands. 'She has totally figured it out already, I shouldn't have said anything about Snape yet. I just hope that she keeps that for herself for now...'
Hermione knew that Harry would tell them when he was ready for it. And it would be better that Ron didn't know just yet. He had that habit of letting his mouth run before he thought what he was saying, especially when he was angry. And this was kind of situation which would most definitely cause some indignation and anger to raise up toward Professor Snape, from Ron's part. Even though Snape was unwilling victim as much as Harry was to it.
"So, you will tell us on Thursday, then?", Hermione asked mildly, placing calmly her hand to Harry's arm. "We will wait until then, right Ron?" She stressed last two words.
"Uh, er, yeah... We will wait until then", Ron mumbled his face getting slightly red with embarrassment. Hermione knew him way too well. He had been about to ask Harry to tell them now, but he had to admit that it would be better if Harry tried to get this straightened out before he told anyone else about it.
They spoke some time more and then took privacy wards down. This had been long morning for all of them, and they were grateful that they didn't have any lessons on that week, at least.
Just as Malfoy, Zabini and Parkinson were leaving the Great Hall, Harry stood up and rushed after them. "Hey, Malfoy, wait up!"
Malfoy and his friends stopped and turned to look at Harry who was hurrying after them. "What do you want, Potter?" Malfoy asked snarkily. He had already enough on his mind even without Potter's input into it.
Harry stopped in front of flaxen-haired boy and looked at him with narrowed eyes over his glass frames, so that his piercing green eyes were unobsecured by lenses. "I know that you are not very pleased about this situation generally as it is now, Malfoy. Believe me, I am not, in the least. In fact I have a firm belief that Dumbledore has finally lost all his remaining semblance to a sanity, or what there ever was to it, if at all. I know that you do not like Hermione very much, her being a Gryffindor and a muggleborn, but if you ever even think about hurting her in any way, be it physical or emotional, I will hex your bullocks off and transfigure them to earrings for her. Or if she doesn't want them, then I will re-attach them to your forehead. And remember, she has very mean right hook", he stated to him in all seriousness. "And that goes for you too, Zabini. I don't care if it results me getting expelled for hexing your bullocks off if either of you hurt my friends."
Both Zabini and Malfoy paled at Harry's straightforward and rather creative threat. Parkinson laughed at them. She was gaining some new respect for Golden Boy.
Then Harry turned to blond, curly-haired girl. "And Parkinson, please, try remember that Ron is dreadfully dense when it comes to emotions and girls. He is brilliant strategist, but he can be sometimes... dense, like I said. But he will never intentionally hurt a girl", he said shook of his head and cast a side way glance at his best friend who was still sitting at table talking with Hermione. "If you want to get to know him better, I have only one advise for it: Play chess with him."
Parkinson looked contemplatively at Harry and nodded then thoughtfully. "I will remember it. Thanks for the advise, Potter", she said, thankful for his advise, knowing that she would need it. "If I am to marry him when we reach our majority then I will turn him into a real man fitting for me. And first one of bad habits and traits to go are his shyness and some more unsavory habits."
Harry snorted. "Good luck with that, you have to work on him hard. And remember, you are marrying a Weasley. That means with him comes the whole Weasley clan", he said, and cast another look at Zabini this time. "And word of warning, try to stay on Fred and George's good side, if you ever meet them."
Parkinson made peculiar face at mention of twins. "Ugh, those two devils. They are terribly clever but wasting their time and resources in to a pranks."
Harry just snorted and shook his head. "They are quite successful business men now", he said wryly. "Their real business is hidden into back room of their workshop."
Malfoy gave contemplative look at Potter and took in his posture. He was casually standing, his hands in his pockets and relaxed without being slouching. In his face played a secretive smile of which he wasn't sure it actually was a smile or just perhaps a smirk. "How positively Slytherin you are today, Potter. If I didn't know any better I would say that you are in wrong house when the Hat put to a Gryffindor."
Harry snorted with obvious amusement and raked his thin, delicate fingers through his untamed mob of raven hair. Any other Gryffindor would've been insulted by his comment, but Harry took it as a compliment. "Thank you, Malfoy. I take that as compliment. To any other Gryffindor it would have been an ultimate insult, but not for me", he said with slight nod and smirk. "Actually, your assessment was rather...", he quirked his brows in curious manner, "correct one. I am a half a Slytherin and the other half of me is a Gryffindor."
Malfoy gulped, suddenly filled with worry. That smirk looked totally unholy in Potter's face, making the Gryffindor look most wicked. "Out of curiosity, Potter... Who your bondmate is? I saw you go up with group that their bondmate already graduated sometime ago."
Harry couldn't help but huff out a laughter. "Oh, graduated my bondmate is... about two decades ago", he replied in very wry tone.
Three Slytherins felt their jaws fell in undignified manner. "You bondmate is 20 years older than you?!" Parkinson shrieked with shock.
"More or less, yeah", Harry confirmed. "I won't reveal just yet my bondmate's name, as we are quite mightily, both of us, against this. They are doing some researching to see if it possible to negate this bonding thingy, but I fear that we might not have a choice but to comply."
Parkinson asked nearly hesitantly. "Is that because you do not like each other? Or that bonding with them, you would put your bondmate in to very great danger when their name get's out?"
Harry inclined his head in reply. "It is actually about both. We both have strong mutual dislike for each other, and I do not want to endanger anyone for bonding - marrying - me, because I have bloody Voldemort out after for my arse." The Slytherins flinched at mention of Dark Lord's name. Harry really couldn't blame them for it though. But at least, they weren't having disgusting thought about Voldemort and Harry, like Ron had. And he voiced his thought about it to a Slytherins who turned quite equally green as Ron had been.
Harry nodded after that at them for good byes, leaving them to contemplate his words, and returned to his friends.
"So, what did you tell them?", Ron asked curiously once he had returned to the Gryffindor house table.
"Just warned them not to mess with our girls", answered Harry casually and grinned in very unholy manner.
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Severus had returned to his quarters as soon he had left Potter earlier. He had been since then going through various books and tomes about bonding and an ancient traditions and rituals. Unfortunately, he had not found any mention that their bonding could be reversed, negated or cancelled out somehow. Only thing that would reverse it was if either of them died. And they weren't that desperate.
Cursing violently he threw book to a cold stone wall with resounding thwack. Situation didn't look good for them. At this rate they really had to marry each other. NO matter if they had not done the formal Promise of Bond rite, as it was the Magic itself that bound them together as soon as the Hat had made its decision. Promise of Bond rite only was to make everything formal and its magic created engagement rings. Next step after it, once both parties had reached their majority, which was 17 by the way in Wizarding World, they would perform Bond of Unity, which would turn the Promise of Bond to Marriage Bond (otherwise known as Soulbond). After that was left the consummation of bond. In other words... sexual intercourse.
Severus scowled at the thought. He wasn't foreign to gay sex but he knew for a certain that Potter was a virgin, boy had not even gone further than a kiss and holding hands with a girl. Never mind having sex with other male. He would have to teach him about gay sex so that he would know at about mechanics...
Pinching his nose bridge he closed his eyes, groaning out loud and leaned against his desk. Why he was even thinking about this yet? It wasn't even certain that things would ever get that far. He was disturbed by his own thoughts, now. Heaven forbid him to start to see boy in any different light other just his student.
Swearing foully he collected the old tome from a floor and placed it to his desk and he sat leaning back in his armchair, his eyes closed and his left forearm thrown over his eyes.
It was not even lunch time yet, and he felt beyond exhausted already. And he needed a glass of something much more stronger than just his favorite Russian Earl Grey tea.
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By the time Thursday rolled around both Harry Potter and Severus Snape were on the edge and very nervous. Snape had dedicated all of his free time for researching the ways to eradicate their bond, but he had found nothing to help their situation. Finally he had, in his desperation, visited the Headmaster and the Sorting Hat, but even they couldn't do anything about it. It was permanent and that's it.
Harry was restlessly fidgeting and rather anxious to find out what Snape had discovered. He knocked at the Portrait frame of former potions professor's quarters. The man himself soon appeared at door way looking tired and rather haggard and his usually blank expression was one of discourage and irritation. Not good nor very promising.
"Sit", commanded Snape as soon as door closed behind Harry.
Harry obeyed the sour man and waited anxiously his reply. And he was not disappointed.
Snape's obsidian eyes gleamed in dim light. "You better start get used to calling me Severus soon", he said flatly.
Harry blanched as implication sunk fully in. "Does... does this mean that there was no way to... to cancel this out?" Harry asked blandly.
"Yes, it means, and I went as far as to bother the Sorting Hat and the Headmaster about this", Snape - or was it Severus now? - replied in matter-of-fact tone.
Harry hung his head. "Damn, I did not want this to happen. I did not want to put you into even greater danger than you already are", he muttered with tired sigh. "Damn the Dumbledore and damn the Voldemort."
Severus agreed quite wholeheartedly with Potter. "Potter, oh just you wait... We will get the old barmy codger yet, no doubt about that. And revenge shall be sweet", he said with strong conviction.
Harry shivered at the tone the older man used. "Oh, it will most definitely be very sweet indeed", replied the younger black-haired man darkly. "And I am going to enjoy every single second of it."
Short silence reigned in between them as they both imagined getting their revenge on Dumbledore. Then Severus broke it by saying. "I think we have to use Promise of Bond rite now that we have finally acknowledged that there is no way out of this", he said with scowl.
Harry nodded solemnly and stood up. He wordlessly lifted his left hand up as Severus stepped in front of Harry. Severus pressed his left palm to Harry's, and noticed that boy's hand was much smaller and more delicate than his own larger, if thin and long fingered, hand. They stared each other into eyes, and Severus - again - noticed that Harry had rather pale complexion, like ivory.
"Do you remember the words?" questioned Severus instead of commenting on the boy's skin.
"Yes", came the younger man's curt reply.
"Good, together now then", nodded Severus smoothly.
Together in unison they spoke. "Faciam promitto anima mea ad te. 'I will promise my Soul to thee'." And like with others few days prior, they were surrounded by a bright, golden flash of light, and it gathered to form of two ring, winding up around Harry and Severus' ring fingers. Rings were mixture of platinum and cobalt, in form of two interwoven snakes, eyes made of onyx and dark green emeralds. Altogether, rings were mightily impressive to look at.
They felt rather awkward after the rite was complete, still holding their hands, not really knowing what to do after wards.
"Uh, erm... Now what we do...? Will I be staying at my dorms at Gryffindor Tower?" asked Harry awkwardly. He remembered that other 6th and 7th years were given their own rooms to get acquainted with their bonded ones. He felt suddenly slightly dizzy. He would have to inform his relatives about this, he realized that with a dread. He covered his eyes with his right hand. "I need to sit down.. I just remembered that I have to inform my relatives about this. That is going to be highly unpleasant event", he muttered sounding exceedingly tired and subdued.
"Oh? Is that so?", asked Severus, partially dreading the answer. He decided just not yet to address their possible life together here at school rest of Harry's career as a student in Hogwarts'. It would be certainly awkward conversation, no doubt.
"Yeah, they are very unpleasant people. Most imbecilic lot of the muggles", Harry said without much of enthusiasm. "Uncle Vernon will be having the field day about my engagement to a man. He will yell at me for being 'unnatural freak of nature' and contaminating his precious Dudley with my freak germs", he muttered bitterly. "But at least he'll not be able to hit me again this time..."
Severus felt his blood run cold. He noticed that Harry paled slightly as he realised what he had just said about his uncle hitting him and snapped his mouth shut, looking everywhere other than Severus.
"Potter, what was that about your uncle?", Severus demanded to know instantly, forgetting everything about younger ones earlier question about living together, instead focusing to subject of Potter's relatives.
Harry scowled mightily over his glasses, green eyes smoldering. "Nothing. Look, I don't want to talk about it, okay? It's nothing", he said tone of finality in his voice.
Severus hadn't known that Potter - Harry, he reminded himself once again - could use that sort of voice. Usually it was heard in his own voice or Dumbledore's, but never before had he heard it in a students voice. "That's nonsense, Po - Harry", he said correcting himself when he spoke of boy's name. "This is serious matter."
Harry shot a withering glare at the dark man. "Be as it may, but there is no need for you to know about it. Dumbledore knows about my living conditions yet he does nothing because the cursed blood wards that my aunt's blood provides are more important than my general well-being. If you want talk about it, then go talk with Dumbledore", his voice was filled with deep rooted bitterness.
Severus started to slowly realize that he actually knew nothing about Harry Potter and who he really was behind that happy, cocky and goofy the Boy-Who-Lived facade. He had not ever heard a such deep tone of bitterness in anyone else's voice than in Potter's now. He realized that if he wanted to maintain some sort of peace with Harry, he would have approach this topic in more subtle ways than this.
"I see", Severus simply said. "I'll leave the topic for now, but you have to talk about it some time. Rather sooner than later, though. And before I'll meet your uncle and aunt to inform about our... engagement", he said hesitating over the last word.
Harry's expression was sour as he nodded. He knew that he would have to talk about it, but it didn't mean that he had to like about it. But, at least, perhaps... Snape - Severus - he corrected himself, would be understanding about this. And give some payback at uncle Vernon.
He decided to concentrate to other things than his uncle now, though. "Can I tell my friends now about our engagement? Well, Hermione has already discovered this on her on own, after I mentioned few things about you, not that I told anything important or revealing. She promised to wait until I will tell on my own to them", he said, feeling uneasy.
Severus gave piercing, scrutinizing look at Harry. "I suppose it will come out sooner or later, anyway. You may tell them... However, I ask you to refrain from spreading the news and keep it to yourselves as long as you can manage", he amended finally and Harry gave relieved sigh.
"Okay", nodded Harry. He kept his eyes closed. Severus had already let his hand go. He felt so tired. He wondered if he would ever get any peace and just live his life normally. He knew that the War with Voldemort was coming and that he had a role to play in it, but he knew, deep inside, that he might not survive through it.
He just wanted to live his life in peace, for once, without anyone poking their noses into it. Especially Dumbledore. He was losing his trust and faith in old headmaster, especially after last year's events. He would have wanted to blame Severus about Sirius' death, but he wasn't one to blame. He could only blame himself, Voldemort and Bellatrix, and Dumbledore.
Sometimes... Life just was a bitch to deal with.
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TBC.
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