A/N Hope you all can forgive my absence. The real world took me away from any and all hobbies. Now that the semester has started again, I hopefully will be updating more often, but between 18.5 credit hours and my job I cannot in good conscience make any promises. So please, be patient with me. I will not abandon this story, and I hope I'm able to keep all of your interests for the rest of it.
By ten o clock, Harry was beyond bored. It seemed that he should have been able to occupy himself longer, but going on forty minutes with little else to look at aside from the familiar, monotonous countryside and his surly professor, Harry felt his patience rapidly spinning into nothingness.
He pulled his wand from his pocket and tried to spin it like he'd seen drummers and other students do on occasion. He rushed to catch it as it fell into his lap.
He tried again. It fell. He tried once more. It fell once more; each time it made a muffled clack on either his lap or the carpeted floor for the few times he failed to catch it in time.
Clack.
Clack.
Cl- "You will cease that infernal behavior!" Snape ordered in harsh tones.
Harry's head snapped up from his wand. "What the he—ck," he altered his word midstride, "does it mean to prove myself?
"And what if I fail to 'convince your grandfather of my worth.' What is he going to do, march up to the Ministry and demand his precious grandson be relieved of his burden?" Harry paused, considering the merits of that possibility. "Do you think that would work?"
Severus fought the twitch in his lips, "Have you been dwelling on this?" He leaned back and switched his crossed leg, "My grandfather is a pureblooded prig with delusions of god-hood. He likes to believe everything that goes on in our family is decided upon by him." He held his hands in a disarming gesture, "When Dumbledore appointed you to me without what Grandfather Prince judges to be due consideration, he got his feathers ruffled. That is why we are off to see him."
"Why do you care if he's mad at Dumbledore?" Harry asked, finding it hard to mesh the man before him with a man who scurries to his grandfather's side at the first sign of conflict.
Severus smirked darkly and explained, "I prefer to keep both he and my mother happy. The less they have to complain about, the less they meddle." Something about the statement didn't ring true with Harry. Severus continued less conspicuously, "He does fund the majority of my research, as well. Besides, it is never a good idea to alienate those with power if you can avoid it."
Harry snorted, "You've never seemed very interested in politics. Minister Fudge practically hated you and Minister Heller seems to as well."
Severus smiled genuinely this time, "Those instances were unavoidable."
"What does he do? Is he retired?" Harry asked.
Severus sighed long-sufferingly, "He is the founder, lead judge, and head instructor for a private firm of bodyguards for elitists."
Harry cocked his head, "I didn't realize wizards had bodyguards. I've never seen one." He chuckled shortly, "You would think Malfoy would have one following him around twenty four seven."
"When they are on duty, you won't see them, as is the case with those working for The Princely Guard," Severus offered. "Lucius Malfoy's father, Abraxas Malfoy, uses their services, though he hardly ventures into the public eye anymore."
Harry settled to look out of his window. Snape seemed calmer than Harry believed the situation warranted. Though, Harry wouldn't put it past the older man to try to get on his good side before they approached his grandfather. Then again, when had Snape ever cared about his good side? He couldn't get the memory of his first introduction to his uncle's sister, Marge, when he was five. The woman hated him on sight. Vernon Dursley seemed to be even less favoring towards Harry after that first visit.
He twiddled his thumbs idly. Fighting with Snape during his previous years at Hogwarts had only been tiring. He found himself wanting to remain on neutral ground with the dour man and make the most of the situation they'd been forced in. In that case, it was pertinent he gain Snape's grandfather's approval.
"Do you think he'll like me?" Harry blurted as the train was coming to a halt. Severus stood, pinching his nose in pain.
"I know I am the one always disciplining you for your lack of concern, but you really are over-worrying yourself. What are you, afraid you'll lose a fan?"
Harry followed the man into the train's hall, "No, I mean, I don't care about fans!" He growled low in his throat, "I'm just trying to do what you want me to."
Severus rolled his eyes and turned, "What is it you believe I want you to do?"
Severus turned and exited the train; Harry noted they were the only two exiting at this stop.
"I don't know. That's the problem," Harry grunted.
Severus shot him a questioning look, "Why the sudden interest? You're up to something, aren't you?" He whirled on his apprentice, "If you try any stunts, when we get back to Hogwarts you will be one very sorry Potter." Harry pinched his lips, refusing to answer. Instead, he waited expectantly for an answer to his original question. "Just be yourself," Severus forced out, looking as if the words were particularly sour. "He'd probably like you more if you act the arrogant brat I always accuse you of being."
From the train station, a carriage with covered windows was awaiting them. The inside was dark and cool, and Harry speculated as to the details of Snape's grandfather's home. If it was dark and cool like the carriage, perhaps that was why Snape was so fond of the dungeons.
Something clicked in his head as they traversed the bumpy road, "You said the arrogant brat you accuse me of being. You don't really think I'm arrogant at all!" He grinned in triumph.
"I wouldn't go as far as definite exclusions. But, if I thought you as arrogant as I seem to," Snape responded, "Calling you as such would not be nearly as satisfying."
Harry shook his head in exasperation. His exchanges with Snape were nowhere near as stressing now that House Points seemed to have exited the equation. When the carriage slowed, he pulled back the curtain nearest his seat and gasped at the view outside.
Prince Manor was like nothing in Harry's brief imaginings. During the short carriage ride, his mind had supplemented everything from amphibian filled motes and grimy guard towers complete with ominous clouds looming overhead like black hawks.
Instead, rather, he was granted the sight of beautiful and quasi modern architecture (the sort of building commissioned when 'antique' was in). A cobble stone path led their transport within the gates and through the front gardens along the side of the large half circled front. From their close passing, Harry could see the walls were purely white and smooth like stucco but appearing (and being, Harry figured) of much stronger material.
Their escort disbanded from his topside seat and opened the door for Harry and Severus to exit. Harry followed in awe, offering a small thank you when their driver closed the carriage door after him.
Harry and Snape were forced to walk the remainder of the journey to Severus' grandfather's house. Severus led, and Harry followed in moderate silence.
They reached the main doors all too quickly for Harry's taste, and he could feel his stomach turning with every step. Memories of every relative the Dursley's had ever reluctantly introduced him to flashed before his mind.
His master's hand rose to the door, knocking briskly.
A tall, older man opened the door, smiling tightly when he saw Severus before unsuccessfully biting back a grimace when he looked to Harry.
"Severus," the tall man began, "it is good to see you. Your mother has been upset that you do not call more often." He stepped back to give the pair room to enter, "and this must be the apprentice you have been charged with," the tall man commented, "your grandfather will be most pleased you agreed to bring him." Another grimace bubbled to the forefront if his face, "he is satisfied you have finally chosen some sort of relation, though he is less so for the selection."
"Have the terms of your employment changed so that you merely stand around all day insulting various guests?" Severus asked acidly, moving to stand slightly between Harry and the butler, "fetch my grandfather so he can pretend to approve, and we can be on our way." The butler's face contorted whilst he complied.
Harry could see the anger turning in the tall man's gait. "Is he always like that?"
Severus smirked, "Age has mellowed him."
Harry nodded, "I think I'm grateful for that." He noticed Severus move to tale a look at the different paintings adorning the many walls in the octagonal room. "Is your grandfather like that, too?"
"As you will be meeting him soon enough, I will not deprive you the pleasure of forming your own opinion." The tall wizard moved slowly to the next wall panel.
"Thanks for that," Harry replied sarcastically.
One of the wall panels burst open, swinging forcefully from its previously unseen hinges. A man Harry coukd only assume to be the Prince patriarch led a mockingly short procession (consisting of the patriarch himself and his oddly vertically endowed servant) into the greeting hall.
The man's eyes passed over Harry but he otherwise kept the youngest wizard unacknowledged. Severus turned his back to the older man, "Grandfather, I would like to introduce you to my apprentice, Harry Potter. Apprentice, this is Marcus Aurelius Prince."
Harry nodded to Marcus Prince. "It is a pleasure to meet you, sir," he greeted formally.
Marcus sniffed and sidestepped his grandson. "Mister Potter, the wizarding world's dear celebrity," his sneer was eerily reminiscent of Snape's own. He continued shortly, "And you wish to be Severus' apprentice."
"He is my apprentice," Severus corrected. "You mentioned the desire to assess his practical skills. What did you have in mind?" He noticed his grandfather's butler smirking darkly near the shallow corner door. Severus advanced upon Marcus lightly. "Do keep in mind I will not tolerate any damage even remotely lasting upon my apprentice's person," he mumbled darkly.
Marcus' eyes narrowed and Harry could see the battle between the two dark wizards. As if reaching a decision, Marcus leaned away from Severus and nodded his assent, "That was never my intention, boy." The elder man stepped backward, gracefully covering his momentary lapse in spatial dominance. Regardless, the slip had been noted by all its occupants and the air in the room shifted. Harry was particularly grateful; as if by magic, his butterflies settled on a perch. Though he was hardly happy to be attached to Snape of all people, he was exceedingly pleased Marcus Prince's final decision would have no bearing on his personal or professional relationship with the man's grandson.
Prince circled Harry predatorily, placing the youth between himself and Severus.
"You tie my hands, Severus," Marcus chided cryptically. He pulled up his waltz and folded his hands before him. "My test will be in the room, of course, and the possibility for physical damage will be made all but non-existent." He smiled closed mouth, his cheeks pulling in an unattractive fashion.
Harry's eyes snapped between Prince and Snape. The Butler looked gleeful and Prince looked entirely too smug; neither fact boded well for Harry. Snape's calm visage held no clues as to whether he should be worried or not.
"Very well," Severus accepted. He was acutely aware of his apprentice's unease and its effect on his grandfather's mood and was mentally cheering for it. For all his grandfather's dramatic flair and posturing, he would soon learn his favorite tactic in shocking new recruits, or in this case, his apprentice, would not be quite so effective this time.
Marcus nodded to the Butler, "Jeeves, take Mr. Potter to the east corridor, we will join you shortly." Harry stepped from the mental showroom platform the Prince patriarch had placed him upon. Severus nodded to him in assurance.
Once the door had closed behind the pair, Severus whirled on his grandfather.
"The room?" he sneered. "I could practically hear the italics." He turned before his grandfather could answer and pulled one of the panel doors from its slot. He'd play his grandfather's game and watch the old man be knocked onto his arse.
Harry took rapid deep breaths in quick succession. He'd hoped the way Marcus Prince said "the room" had been for dramatic effect and yet, so far, nothing had disproved his worries. It was painfully large, seeming to encompass the entirety of Prince Manor's basement. Lighting came in stark blasts from an unknown source overhead, illuminating small areas whilst abandoning the rest in bleak darkness.
Cautiously, he stepped forward, letting his foot be placed upon the floor with the upmost gentility. A clack sounded near his ear, drawing his head to whip to its direction. He itched for the wand the butler informed him would be placed somewhere in the room.
Assuring himself the clack had been his imagination or the product of a negligible source, Harry cleared his throat and extended his arm.
"Accio wand!" he intoned and waited for the warm wood to slap against his hand. It remained empty.
"ACCIO!" he called with more force and still nothing happened.
He swallowed thickly and took another step. He could feel the air thicken, pulling him toward the far end. Mentally psyching himself, he headed toward the pull.
Marcus nodded to Jeeves as the butler joined Severus and he in his private study. "Hmm, your boy is far too trusting," he mused.
"In Slytherin, moving toward the room's flow would be too trusting, yes," Severus conceded. "But I believe in Gryffindor," he sneered lightly, "they call it bravery."
"One hoped he has some aptitude for wandless magic," Marcus chuckled, baiting his grandson's temper, "For I doubt he'll find his wand in there."
Marcus glanced at Severus over the large mirror covered table. An image, lighted to show the entire room, displayed Harry's current situation. In the dark patches, Prince had erected several different sarcophagi, each containing a different magical creature, all largely which preyed upon your fears and inner weaknesses. When Marcus recruited, he'd send a time of five into the room together, usually only one or two emerged, dragging their shell-shocked comrades from the darkness. Severus himself could remember being banished to that room several times during his adolescence and had faced every creature his grandfather had to offer. He only hoped, Harry was either very lucky in his selection or had the nerves of a basilisk.
Harry's foot hit something solid, causing his to lurch forwards into a thickly ironed box. He felt the edges, they were cold like winter snow and dry like Aunt Marge's elbows.
Marcus chuckled, "He'll enjoy that one."
"What is it?" Severus asked softly, staring intently upon the mirror, his nerves prickling despite his control.
"A particularly nasty boggart," he smirked, "A simple ridikkulas won't be enough for that one. Oh look, the boy is afraid of dementors."
Severus cocked his head. Had his grandfather ever known of Harry's debacle during the boy's third year?
"What of a patronus charm?" Severus questioned off-handedly.
Marcus appeared to consider it, "Were the charm strong enough, I suppose the boggart could be guided back into its case. You would first need to identify the creature as a boggart, though.
The container blast open from its holding, nearly crushing Harry beneath it as he rolled from the path of the weight. He tucked underneath himself and rose to his feat, wishing never more before he'd had his wand.
A huge black form sprung from the broken lid, surging into the darkness above. Harry stumbled backwards, his weak eyes searching for the barely seen shape.
The darkness lunged for him, following his steps into the sparse light. He batted at it as it whipped around his head before withdrawing back into the darkness. The creature changed shape, the wisps of shadow becoming ragged and harsh like old fabric. A gaunt figure formed beneath the old robe and a light went off in Harry's head.
He searched in vain hope for his wand, the roaring rising in his ears as the faux-demontor pursued him. He outstretched his arm once more.
"Expecto Patronum," he yelled to no avail. He cleared his mind and tried again. "Expecto Patronum!" He felt the wall come up behind his back. The dementor closed in upon him. He could imagine the smirk on Marcus Prince's face. He felt anger bubble beneath his skin. His fingers brushed the tattered fabric and he reached out and grabbed the nearby robes of the dementor and snarled, demanding the magic to obey him. "EXPECTO PATRONUM!"
White light shot from his fingertips and through his enemy as heat traveled up his arms. The power flayed the creature, destroying any physical manifestation it may have held.
The ceiling lit, revealing a completely empty room. Even the broken chest had disappeared. A door appeared at the far end and Harry ran for it, slamming the portal shut once he was on the other side.
Jeeves was waiting for him.
"Where was my wand?" Harry roared, the excess magic still thrumming through him.
He would happily have removed the smirk on the tall man's face had he not been so winded. His arm started to tingle in the way it usually did if he fell asleep on it. Harry looked down; his sleeve clung to his skin in a sickly sticky sort of manner.
"The master is awaiting you in his study with young Master Snape," Jeeves informed him. Without waiting for a response he turned and briskly headed off through the labyrinth of hallways; Harry temporarily set aside his arm issues and jogged after the man.
"Uncalled for and reckless!" Harry paused in the hall just outside the door frame. His new master towered overover Prince patriarch despite their similar heights. For his own part, Marcus looked equal parts smug and displeased, like he'd succeeded in growing the world's most perfect lemon but hadn't expected to find a larva in it when he cut the fruit open.
"Mr. Potter, how pleased I am to see you pass your test," Marcus greeted, his eyes drifted down to Harry's arm, a slow smirk forming on his cultured face. "Not accustomed to wandless magic, are you?"he asked.
Harry gingerly cupped his forearm with his opposite hand, "No, sir."
"Not yet," Snape interjected. "His wand, grandfather," he reminded.
"Well, congratulations, my grandson. You managed to find a half-way decent apprentice, but only time will tell whether you can make anything of each other.
"Tell me, how do you plan to address the journeyman aspect of the agreement. You have your fellow masters picked out for the second half of the apprenticeship?"
Harry glanced to Snape in confusion.
"The ministry has been tight-lipped on that aspect. I cannot do anything without their go ahead," Severus responded smoothly.
Prince's expression turned peculiar and he nodded in rare understanding. "So will you wait to see your mother this visit?"
Severus and Harry wasted no time in escaping – leaving Prince Manor, ignoring Marcus Prince's request they wait to see Severus' mother. The same carriage they arrived in brought them back to the train station. As Harry approached the ticket window, Severus pulled him aside.
"How is your arm?" he inquired.
Harry flexed the appendage, "Still stings a little, but I think I'm alright." His master pulled his sleeve back and prodded the forearm muscles with a pointy finger, taking no heed to the way the fabric was soaked with some sort of clear, sticky substance. "How is it that was not a complete waste of time, Professor?"
Severus smirked, scourgifying both his hands and the material. "I never said it wouldn't be. However, the waste was necessary. He won't be able to cause problems for us later on, and remember what I said about politics."
Harry sighed and rubbed his now normal (mostly) arm. "So where are we off to now? Will we take another train?"
"No, this time we apparate." Snape grabbed Harry's arm and the world swirled around them.