Thanks to all those who reviewed! Appreciate more then I can say!
Okay people, from the first chapter you have to have known that Harry was Bi (if you feel the need to use labels for people). Well in this chapter we really get into the Slash element of this story so be warned! If Slash is not your thing… STOP READING! Don't bitch to me because you did have had fair warning! This story has a definite SLASH element!
Warning: SLASH, though not yet graphic…
Chapter FiveAfter their conversation things moved quickly. It only took Severus a few minutes to make a portkey to Little Whinging and then another for Harry's return trip to Snape Manor, and then he left with only a brief nod goodbye. Harry had politely refused his offer to accompany him to his relatives, which made Severus a bit uneasy but there was little he could do. He knew better then to press his luck with Harry by questioning him about what he had seen in the family room of number 4 Privet Dr. the night before. But Severus hadn't forgotten. It was never okay to hit a child, and Harry really hadn't seemed that surprised when his uncle had struck him.
Instead Severus headed upstairs to inform Cassi, and an overly excited Tainen, of the good news. Harry would be staying, with just a few conditions. Cassi felt that it was important that they talk with Harry about not bringing any of his drugs, booze, girls or boys onto the premises where Tainen could find them but otherwise she was happy with the news, happy for her husband who so wanted his sons with him, happy for Tainen who would have a big brother, and happy for herself… who was about to become the 'dreaded stepmother' to a teenager who, despite his manners this morning, from all accounts had a bad attitude. Oh, happy didn't really even begin to define her emotions. But she knew she had to try and make this work, for all their sakes.
While Harry was in Little Whinging Severus headed out to a local jewelry store. His sons birthday was last week and Severus hadn't given him a present, and he needed a nice portkey he could keep with him at all times… a nice ring or maybe a pendent would suit both requirements terrifically.
Severus soon discovered that it wasn't easy shopping for a 16 year old boy you hardly knew. Did he even like jewelry? Was he more into rings, bracelets, or necklaces? If he chose a necklace should it hang halfway down his chest or would be prefer something more chocker like? Did he prefer silver, gold or platinum? Would he prefer a ring with precious stones or not?
It seemed like Severus had been browsing the store for hours, a clerk had tried to help but Severus had dismissed him when every suggestion he made had been so obviously not Harry that even Severus knew they would be wrong. And then he saw it. It was a simple platinum chain, it's round links about the size of Tainen little finger nail when he was born, it would hang so that the charm would sit just above the breastbone. Maybe a little chunky, but Severus somehow knew it would suit his eldest son. His eldest son Severus couldn't help the grin that spread over his face at that thought. It had seemed so natural when he thought it, 'oh yeah, my eldest', 'oh, that's just my eldest's', 'oh, my eldest is a star Quidditch player'… oh gods, he loved that thought!
Hanging from the chain was a simple Celtic Pentacle, which represents the five elements (earth, air, fire, water and spirit) and also the five stages of life (birth, youth, adulthood, old age and death). It was carved from Snakeskin Agate, a gemstone with protection, power and healing properties, and done with crossed lines to layer protection against evil into the charm. It was about an inch and a half in diameter. The shiny metal against a stone which few consider pretty created an interesting effect. It was just plain enough that he thought Harry would wear it, but was still very beautiful. With the necklace in hand, Severus headed home to set it as a multi-use, multi-destination portkey.
Harry's POV
Arriving in a park about a block and a half from the Dursley's Harry promptly sat down under the nearest tree. He considered telling the fates that after the shit they had pulled in the past day he wasn't moving again until they apologized but having tried this once before when high he knew that it wouldn't work, they wouldn't even have the decency to manifest physically and tell his to go screw himself.
It had been a long 30 odd hours and he really just wanted a few minutes to himself before the inevitable fight with his relatives. Harry also figured he would have to owl Ron, Hermione and Charlie about tomorrow. Deciding that Charlie was the least of his problems right now, Harry decided to focus on him, promptly ignoring all other problems.
As a general rule in life Harry rarely slept with the same person twice, well, more correctly, on more then one occasion. Unless he was so drunk that he didn't really remember sleeping with whoever it was. But Charlie was a different story. The first time he ever met the second eldest Weasley he had wanted him probably more then he had ever wanted anyone in his life. It didn't take much to seduce the guy, and they were both happy with the totally casual way they occasionally fell into bed together when Harry visited the Weasley's during summer, the family's direct floo link to Charlie was a real bonus, or the way they sometimes met up in Hogsmeade when Harry made use of the secret tunnels.
Harry knew, in theory, that Charlie wasn't really the type of guy who did casual but as long as Harry was the exception to Charlie's rule Harry didn't mind. Charlie knew that Harry didn't do emotional involvement, that while he did believe in love, he didn't believe it was for him. And this had worked, for far longer then Harry would ever have expected it too, this had worked. And then 2 days ago Harry had turned 15, and when the owls had arrived at midnight, like always, they had brought with them a most unexpected gift, a gift from Charlie.
Charlie had bought Harry 4 tickets to see Linkin Park play in London tomorrow night, he had also mentioned in passing that he was in town and that he was sure he could convince his mother to let Ron out for a the night, and that Hermione's parents would be just as easy to convince. Linkin Park was Harry's favorite band. He would probably have walked on broken glass and hot coals for these tickets, the fact that Charlie had a) remembered they were his favorite, b) remembered Harry telling him they were touring, c) spent so much money on him and d) was prepared to sit through a night of music which Harry knew he hated, said very interesting, and more then slightly alarming, things about Charlie's emotional involvement with Harry. The fact that Harry wasn't really unhappy about this, that it in fact made him feel oddly warm inside, was even more alarming. In fact, if he thought about, that was one of the main reason he had needed so badly to party the night before.
After some go around with Hedwig it had been decided that they would grab a suite at a hotel in London for after the concert and make a real night of it. Harry was feeling very excited about it, and try as he might there was a small part of him that wouldn't shut up saying that a big part of that excitement was in seeing Charlie. Harry really didn't know how to deal with such thoughts. They weren't something he had ever really dealt with before, or ever really expected or wanted to deal with. And now he was sitting under a tree, in a park, trying desperately to not think about Tommy or Snape so instead he was thinking how he was going to stop what he was starting to think might just be an impending train wreak complete with Charlie being hurt and bystanders who should know better.
He could end things. Hell, he could really play the arsehole. After the concert, he could go back to his and Charlie's room, thank him properly for the gift, and then the next morning pull one of those famous 'it's been real' speeches. Charlie might get hurt but better to end it now before he really fell, right? But he didn't really want to part with Charlie, he was a great fuck, had a mouth to die for, and he was someone who Harry could actually talk to sometimes, the first person Harry had ever lain in bed with and just talked. Harry didn't see why he should lose all this just because Charlie had been stupid enough to get emotionally involved. And hey, it wasn't like he was declaring his undying love, right? As long as Charlie didn't say anything, Harry could keep what they had, and just ignore anything else that may be there.
With a definite game plan decided for at least one of his problems Harry figured he really should be getting on with the immediate business of the day. Standing, Harry headed toward his relatives.
The first time Harry had stayed out all night his aunt and uncle had been beside themselves with worry. Of course they never told the boy that, they just grounded him, called him worthless, Vernon may have manhandled him a bit, and gave him plenty of extra chores. The second time was less of a surprise, still worried but tempered by the reassurance of experience. Now they barely blink when he walks in moments before breakfast, and they hide the momentary flash of relief before they begin the standard yelling session. But this morning, breakfast had come and gone, and still Harry didn't stumble in. He was always back in time for breakfast, no matter what he had pulled the night before he always made it back in time for breakfast unless he had actually told them that he wouldn't be there, usually scrawled in a note that he knew he would catch it for later.
So when Harry didn't arrive before breakfast began his aunt and uncle weren't to worried, when he still wasn't there when breakfast finished, they hoped he was just running late, but the unease was defiantly picking up. It was a weekday and as such Vernon needed to be getting off to work, he muttered quickly in Petunia's ear to call when the boy showed up, pecked her on the lips and left, hoping to hide how tense he was behind an especially bad mood. Petunia went about doing the housework, all the while keeping half an eye on the clock. He was never this late. 9o'clock passed, followed at a snails pace but 10, 11 and then 12. Time, slowed by growing fear, seemed to mock her with every sound Dudley made which she hoped was her returning nephew. Suddenly she wished she knew who his friends were, maybe she could have called them. But that would have been taking an interest in his life and they had never been prepared to do that.
At 12:40 her nephew strolled in looking like some hoodlum in tight black jeans a see-through top which showed off his tattoos, the clothes were as rumpled as the boy himself, but right then she had never been so happy to see his trashy little self. Of course, she never let on; instead the relieved gasp of breath she had taken when he entered was used to begin what she hoped would prove to be the lecture of all lectures. He stood there calmly, as always meeting his relative's contempt with an impassive wall. She ranted about his disgusting clothes, his lack of virtue, his substance abuse, his ungratefulness, and several other things which he tried really hard to pay attention too in case there was a test later, but it had already been a long day and he hadn't gotten much sleep the night before.
Instead of entering a 6th verse of 'woe are we, your poor relatives' Petunia decided to send him upstairs to shower. He decided that a nice shower and a fresh set of clothes would defiantly put him in a better frame of mind before he tried to tell his relatives that he was leaving. Besides, he could use the time upstairs to pack, which meant that after he told them he was leaving he could do just that without delay.
After a quick shower, Harry decided to dress in some of his own clothes instead of Dudley's old hand-me-downs, which he usually still wore around the Dursley's. Throwing on a casual pair of washed out blue jeans, a red wife-beater and his boots Harry began to throw everything he owned in to his school truck. It didn't take long, he tended not to really unpack when he was at the Dursley's, aside of course from his hidey-hole of treasured possessions. It was really just them and some clothes which he needed to pack. Hedwig was currently out hunting, she would find him later. That handled quickly he headed downstairs.
While he was in the shower Petunia had called Vernon to let him know the boy was safe, knowing that the boy probably never realized that they did worry about him. Oh, she knew he knew that they didn't really hate him; he probably just figured it was dislike mixed with extreme disinterest, which maybe it was, when she really tried to identify the emotion. She heard him banging down the stairs and went to see what on earth that racket he was making was, and also she needed to assign him his extra chores for his little misadventure. She was, needless to say, shocked to see him headed downstairs with his trunk and owl cage. They had been given no warning that he would be being removed from them until next year again.
"Are you leaving then, boy? That's all the thanks we get, you don't even think to tell us that you're being picked up today!"
"I only found out today Aunt Petunia. It turns out that I do have another living relative and they have invited me to spend the remainder of the summer getting to know them and their family. I don't know what will happen with next summer but you are free of me for this one." The boy didn't seem particularly thrilled one way or the other, and Petunia figured it was a bit of 'the devil you know' syndrome, but she also knew that while they might not miss him, she also hated the way it was so easy for him to just up and leave them. It barely took 20 minutes to have a shower and pack everything he owned.
"Well then, when will they be here, are you having lunch before you go?" From the look on his face he was as shocked as she was by the offer. Not only did she not yell but she offered him lunch? This had never happened and neither really knew how to react.
"That's okay thank-you. I'm not being picked up, I have a password-activated portkey, I can leave anytime. So, see you next summer I suppose."
It was possibly the weirdest conversation he had ever had with his aunt, both of them trying to be polite, trying to 'chat' and it seemed that it was only going to get weirder…
"Well then you can stay for lunch. It's already made and you will eat it." With that Petunia swept from the room, figuring neither of them could stand it if this got any weirder. Harry decided it was easier to just do it, 'when confused HJ, just go with the flow' this theory had often saved him.
Dragging his trunk and cage with him, he sat at the kitchen table and ate the sandwich Petunia placed in front of him, afterwards he thanked her, she merely nodded and with a half muttered bye he portkeyed away, hoping that somehow his day wouldn't get any weirder but somehow knowing it would.
R&R please!