Disclaimer: I don't own anything of Harry Potter.
Note: Thanks so much for all the reviews. Wow. Once again I am totally wowed by the many people who reviewed for this story. Anyway, some snappy moments, perhaps even some romantic ones and lots of shouting and red faces because of Vernon. Lily will be discussed as well so let's begin.
Harry stepped back from the stove and carried the pot over to the table. It might not be a meal worthy of Hogwarts but he was proud of it all the same. Simple potatoes and vegetables, canned ones though, and the only thing left in this house. It had taken him a while to work out the stove and his way around the kitchen and Harry counted himself lucky for learning how to cook the muggle way when he was at the Dursley's.
In response his magic simmered when he thought of it and Harry wiped his hands on his baggy jeans, checking the table one last time. Two plates, forks, knives, spoons, glasses and everything was set. He wrung his hands; it was a habit he had learned from childhood to check if everything was perfect.
Thinking about his family got him thinking about tomorrow's visit. He swallowed thickly. Couldn't they just wait a month? He would turn 18 in a month but it seemed that in regards to Snape's trial, they couldn't wait even a month.
He sighed again, fingering his wedding ring. He was doing that a lot lately and he was barely married for a day. He tugged at his shirt and then took a deep breath, steeling himself as he walked into the sitting room.
His resolve faltered when he saw Snape reading the paper, one leg stretched out over a low stool. He cleared his throat and the paper was lowered slightly. It reminded him of Uncle Vernon whenever it had been a Sunday morning and Harry had to announce that breakfast was ready and that nothing was burned.
Harry shook himself firmly at the memory and called himself back to the present. Snape had ignored the conflicting emotions in his bond mate and was still reading the paper. His husband….husband….nobody should be afraid of their husband. Harry steeled himself at that thought. Snape was his husband, not his uncle.
"Uhm, Severus, dinner is ready," The black eyes blinked up at him, momentarily confused when Snape heard his given name. Then the wizard rose, a bit unsteadily at first but then the older wizard brushed past Harry into the kitchen, Harry releasing a shaky breath as he joined Snape in the kitchen.
The older wizard was eyeing the food with some reluctance and then glanced at Harry when he entered. "Did you make this?"
Harry could only give a nod as he pulled back his chair and sat down. Snape was still glancing at the pot and Harry got a horrible feeling in his stomach, what if Snape didn't like what Harry had cooked or didn't even eat it. He should have checked before, he should have…
The sound of the lid being lifted startled Harry and he glanced up from his musing. There was a steaming plate of potatoes and vegetables before him. "Enjoy," He said softly.
"That remains to be seen, Potter," Snape snarled at him before taking a bite, at which Harry waited with bated breath before the verdict fell.
He didn't know what Snape liked to eat. Come to think of it he didn't know anything about the man in daily life, except things he didn't want to know, such as some of Snape's worst memories. He had assumed that whenever he would be getting married he would at least know a little bit about the person's likes and dislikes, though he could safely name a few subjects Snape didn't like, the others were veiled territory.
It would be a learning experience to know which subjects were safe to discuss and which weren't. He would learn through trial and error.
"Adequate, Mister Potter, certainly much better than your Potion making skills." Snape took another bite but Harry could see the hearty bites the Professor took. He allowed himself to feel the relief, relaxing and then taking a bite himself.
It was good, even as he said it himself. It stilled the worst of his hunger but he wasn't very hungry these days anyway. Because of his magic and because he was still tired easily, Harry didn't eat very much.
Truth be told he had never eaten much and he was once again shaken from his thoughts when the lid moved again. Snape was going back for seconds. "Adequate, Professor?" Harry asked with a grin.
The black eyes trained on his face and then Snape sighed, running a bandaged hand through his hair before he said, "I am on explicit orders from Poppy to eat more because of our bond. Because I require the most magic to heal it would be wise for me to keep my strength up as much as I can. I never ate enough for a man of my build and age so she has always harrased me to eat more…."
"She did the same for me in my first year. I had to have a medical exam before I could start on the Quidditch team and she said that she expected me to eat more. But I have always been small and thin for my age." Harry didn't know why he was sharing that particular detail but somehow it seemed right.
The older wizard before him had paused on the way of moving his fork to his mouth and brought it back to his plate as he asked, "Were you starved at the Dursleys?"
Immediately Harry shook his head out of instinct but then the next moment he became aware that Snape was sitting very still. The older wizard was gazing at him thoughtfully, dark eyes unreadable and steeple his fingers before his face as he said, carefully, "There must have been a reason for you to be so small. The most critical years in a child's development are between the ages of 5 and 10 especially with a good balanced diet. If you are small, then something must have been cut short in your diet, irregular meals or not enough nutrition is often at fault."
Harry swallowed thickly; he had been a fool for thinking he was never treading on thin ice when he was talking to the other wizard. Finally managing to find his voice, though it now sounded as if he had a severe cold he said, "Dudley would eat everything he could get his hands on. No matter if it made him ill or not. Usually I had to wait until they were done with eating and I could get a slice of bread unless I had been really good, then sometimes I could get a cup of tea. I would often sneak down to the fridge when they were gone to get something to eat unless Uncle Vernon locked the cupboard….door I mean. If I had done something bad, like coming home with a better report card than Dudley, I would be locked in the cupboard and be given the leftovers, which wasn't much because of Dudley and Uncle Vernon."
Harry fell silent, realizing that Snape was staring at him. The older wizard had been about to take a sip of his water but his hand had frozen in mid air and the dark eyes were narrowed as they gazed at Harry, intensely, making him feel uncomfortable. "Tell me if I am getting this right, would you be so kind, whelp?"
Harry only gave a nod, his ears burning.
"You didn't get regular meals, even having to go in search for your food? You were sleeping in a cupboard until you got the Hogwarts letter? They would punish you for getting better grades than your cousin? And they still send you back to your family each summer?" As Harry finished nodding, his green eyes stubbornly fixed upon the table, his ears bright red and his lips tightly pressed together.
A fist slammed down upon the table and Harry nearly jumped five feet in the air. The plates and the glasses were rattling but Snape looked livid. Harry ducked his gaze and went back to his meal, pushing his food around.
"Eat up, Potter, it is time that you get some meat on those bones. If the food is good enough for me, it is for you," The older wizard was growling as one long fingered hand toyed with the knife by the plate.
"You aren't eating either! But then I guess it is something adults can do, telling people to do things without doing them themselves. It is only proper to be eating the meal I cooked," Harry remarked. Snape had gone still again and Harry feared for one moment that Snape was going to reach over the table and hit him but instead the older wizard shook his head and said.
"Impatient whelp. I will eat if you do…"
To show Snape that Harry wasn't about to back down he took a bite. He took another one, hearing the older wizard doing the same. He wondered, not for the first time, that if his parents had still been alive, would he have been in the same predicament then?
"You are very silent during a meal, Harry, usually at the Gryffindor table, you were chatting none stop."
"Oh, I was just thinking something…" Harry carefully breeched the subject.
"Really? And what has engrossed your attention that you cannot seem to focus upon your meal?" There was a touch of amusement in the dark voice and Harry took a deep breath before he said.
"I was thinking about what would have happened if my mum and dad had survived." The next moment a glass was slammed down on the table and Harry looked up, startled. He hadn't even begun to voice his thoughts but Snape immediately snarled at him.
"I am sure that they would have gotten you out of this marriage as soon as you said a word, Potter, but by all means waste your time wishing for your saintly father and mother to come and save you; it is not as though other people are trying to make the best of it. It is what Lily and James did best, going out of their way to help those they said they loved when they couldn't even forgive somebody who desperately tried everything to save them." With those words Snape pushed his chair back and left the table, plate partly untouched and Harry was left alone.
He balled his fists, hearing the hidden door bang shut. This was not how he had imagined the first meal to go. He had messed up again and simply because he had been thinking something, would it never end?
He couldn't help himself but wonder about people, people that had died. It was the only way he could imagine his parents. He knew they weren't saints but they had been people and they had been remembered. He wanted to know, he needed to know.
He couldn't stop remembering when they had come to collect him when he had the Resurrecting Stone. He knew he was going to join them and it had ached so much that when he woke up, it had been Dumbledore and not his parents waiting for him, would he never see them?
Swallowing away the angry tears Harry wiped at his eyes I am tired of crying all the time…and cleared away the table. He knew from Snape's memories that Lily had hurt him badly but it hadn't been Harry's fault. Couldn't the older wizard understand that Harry wanted to know about her? Nobody ever spoke about them.
Sirius had expressed his regret that Harry hadn't been more like James but how was Harry supposed to be then? He didn't know anything about James or Lily, he knew just as much about his parents as he knew about the wizard sitting upstairs, wallowing in hate and pity.
Lily had made a mistake but did it have to mean that Harry had to pay for that mistake as well? It hadn't been him who had ended the friendship between them or who had picked on Snape from the very beginning. No, everybody assumed Harry had been fine with it, but no, he had felt ashamed when he had seen the memories of his parents in their fifth year but did it have to mean that he couldn't talk about them. Surely there had been more sides to Lily than the unforgiving one, he just wanted to know but perhaps if he would have another go at it, Snape would tell him and thus Harry sat down in the living room, aware of the angry wizard upstairs and hoping against his better judgement that Snape would come down and talk to him about anything really and he felt extremely alone when Snape didn't.
Hp
Later that night Harry eased open the bedroom door. The lights had been dimmed and Snape was lying on his side, away from Harry. By the too deep breathing Harry knew Snape was awake. He closed the door behind him and then said, "I am sorry for what happened at dinner. I didn't mean to….well actually if you would allow me to finish what I was saying, you would know that I didn't want to say what you thought I was going to say…."
Harry waited with his breathing held, wondering if Snape would turn or pretend to be asleep. The bed creaked and Snape turned, brow furrowed but his eyes were blazing. "What in the blazes are you talking about, boy? That sentence makes less sense than the rubbish that normally comes out of your mouth…"
Harry merely sighed wearily and asked, "Will you hear me out, without being mean or interrupting me?"
The dark eyes fixed on his face and then Snape gestured with his hand, pushing himself up against the headboard as he said. "Make it short then, brat, it is late and tomorrow is a long day. We aren't all as young as you are…"
Harry approached the bed and sat down, tugging off his shoes and then sat crossed legged on the bed, folding his legs and facing his bond mate. He took a deep breath, knowing that Snape might kick him from the bed because of what he was about to say. "I meant that if my parents had survived like Neville's parents, unable to take care of me, would I also have gone to live with my aunt and uncle or would it have been alright then to live with a wizarding family? And if I had lived with the Dursleys, would somebody have notified somebody then if I had been neglected? I do wonder these things and it doesn't mean I am not grateful that they saved me, and because of my mother's sacrifice but sometimes I don't want them to be hailed as heroes because of their sacrifice and death. I want them to be alive. I want them to be here, to tell me what I am supposed to do, and if I am doing it right! I don't want to meet another person who says I look like my dad or have my mother's eyes; it isn't going to bring them back. It will just be another person who sees them instead of me, who knows them in a way that I never will. I don't want people to look at me and see what James or Lily has done, I want them to see me for what I have done…"
Harry took a deep shuddering breath. He wasn't going to cry this time, even as his eyes burned badly. He blinked them away, starting when a low chuckled reached his ears. His eyes flew up to meet the dark ones across the bed and for a moment he felt angry but then Snape said, "Trust me, ignorant whelp; whenever somebody looks at you after what you have done nearly a month ago, they aren't going to see James or Lily Evans, Potter any longer."
"You knew my mum when she was a small child, didn't you?" Harry asked eagerly, he noticed that Snape had stiffened but he pressed on. "Can you please tell me about her? I mean if it doesn't hurt too much….."
Harry had stiffened himself, wondering if Snape would tell him, the older wizard finally said with a sigh, "It doesn't hurt as much as you think it might. It did at one time but after 17 years even the worst wounds only sting. Time heals all wounds, even those that tear your soul apart. I will tell you about her, in time, but only when I want to. Most people didn't know Lily like I did and when I told Dumbledore that he was to keep her safe, I realized that she wouldn't accept it without the safety for her son and husband. I stepped aside to allow her to live her life in happiness, as a friend, even if she no longer considered me one, it was the least I could do…."
"But the prophecy wasn't your fault. I mean, somebody else might have heard it and Voldemort would have found out eventually. It might have bought us more time together as a family but it could have ended much worse….."
"When you first found out, you didn't agree with this, wisdom," Snape carefully picked the right word.
"I didn't know all the facts. By seeing your memories, I….I felt remorse for everything you endured without any regards for your safety or happiness. You can still be a git and you probably always will be but I don't hate you anymore. Or at least not as much, even when you go out of your way to hurt me and then confuse me by pretending to care, even when you are just supposed to because of our shared magic…."
"Such an endearing act of kindness, and this on a late evening. You will soon learn that despite my failing mask, people out there still hate me and are quite desperate to prove it. At the trial they will get their say. But go to sleep, tomorrow will be a long day without you keeping me awake at odd hours." Snape was sneering but it was without the usual arrogance or loathing.
Harry slid under the covers, turning on his side after a quick goodnight. He knew that perhaps with some work this marriage would be bearable and as his eyes slid closed, he hoped for pleasant dreams for once but he was again proven wrong…
Hp
Severus muttered the spell to douse the lights when he heard the first even breaths coming from Potter. Twice in one day had the brat completely baffled him. It seemed that there were more sides to his husband than he would ever know.
A Potter feeling remorse for a Snape? Yes, the world was coming to an end. Of course Potter would eventually want to speak about his mother. Severus should have known the moment he had shown the brat his memories, the earliest ones when he had met Lily Evans and Petunia….
Severus sneered at the very thought of having to meet the woman tomorrow. One of the many factors which had shaped Potter's personality. No, Potter wasn't like James, or Lily, there were certain characteristics but many were Potter's own or a combination of his two parents.
Of course the brat had wanted to know more about his parents but Severus had assumed that Black or Lupin had been quick to take Potter under their wing and teach him everything there was to know about James, strange that the two friends hadn't done it, another failure to see Potter through.
And now it was his job. Potter would, once he had recovered from grieving and the losses he had suffered, go back to being himself. Angry at whoever said something bad about his father. Well he would deal with it then.
A whimper caught his attention and he turned. Potter was tensing in his sleep, frowning at some unforeseen opponent. Severus rolled on his back, one hand loosely on the brat's arm and he shook him, calling out, "Potter, wake up!"
The next moment, instead of flinching away, Potter turned and pressed himself tightly against Severus' chest, green eyes blinking up at him for a moment and then they closed again and Potter relaxed.
Hp
Harry was fighting his way through the darkness, he felt fearful. Somebody shook him and he turned into the warmth the person offered, soon safety surrounded him and he fell into a deep sleep.
Hp
I will be damned….
Severus closed his arm loosely around Potter who had buried his head against his chest, snoring softly. This was the last thing he had expected but as Severus tried to pull away, a hand fastened in his shirt and he settled back with Potter in his arms.
Allowing himself one shake of the head, Severus made himself comfortable and settled down for the night, not telling anybody it had been the best night's rest in quite a while.
Hp
Harry had woken up flustered and cold at the same time. His body was burning with an inner fire even as his stomach was feeling odd because of the fact in a matter of hours he would see his aunt and uncle again. His brow furrowed when he remembered waking up with the blankets tightly wrapped around him.
He had first woken up when Snape had left the bed and Harry could have been sure, though he hoped he wasn't because he would have been mortified, he had moaned at the loss of contact and he had been sure, though he would never say it out loud, that a hand had tousled his hair and that had settled him back down.
In the shower he noticed just how flustered he really was. He cursed at himself when he noticed his erection. This wasn't normal. Nobody should get an erection when simply sleeping with somebody. It just proved again how much of a freak he was.
But he is your husband…
Yeah, soon to be widow when he finds out.
But still your husband…it is quite normal.
Not as far as Uncle Vernon is concerned.
I didn't marry Uncle Vernon.
"Potter, what is keeping you in there? Do you need me to come in and wash you?"
Damn, that was the last thing he needed. Harry stumbled in the shower before he managed to find his footing and shouted back. "No, thanks, I am good. I will be right out."
"Make it quick, the headmistress is waiting." The loud footsteps died away and Harry cursed at himself. It was bad enough that for some unfathomable reason Snape aroused something in him but he didn't need the man to know so he could make his life a living hell.
He quickly washed and dressed in his muggle attire, jeans and a shirt. His wand, out of habit, not of use, went in his pocket and he proceeded downstairs. He pushed open the hidden door that still needed some getting used to.
Inside the living room Snape wasn't the only one; Professor McGonagall was there as well. She was dressed in a dark long skirt and a dark blouse, looking like a finely dressed woman. Her hair was tied back in the same bun as always but she looked even more intimidating than normal.
Snape was dressed in a dark shirt and dark trousers, showing off his height and the broadness in the shoulders. The dark hair was tied back and Harry could see the carefully hidden bandages.
"I will apply a glamour for the bandages," Professor McGonagall raised her wand and, with one movement, the bandages were hidden from sight.
Harry could see how Snape was pressing a quick hand against his neck. He could feel his own magic simmering just below the surface of his skin and for one moment the black eyes fixed upon him.
"Gentlemen, we will try to behave today. No hexing, cursing, hitting or in any other way harming the Dursleys. We have to get their signature and I will not resort to unforgivable to get our way. Yes, Severus, you may insult them but they do not need to know that both of you are too weak to perform magic." The headmistress' voice was stern and Harry swallowed thickly.
"But our combined magic can be much stronger," Snape carefully remarked. He was eyeing his wand.
"That depends, have you consummated the bond between you and Harry yet?" Snape sighed and scowled heavily at her.
"Very well then, let us go. We will be taking a portkey. They do not know that we are coming. I am hoping that our presence together with Harry's will force them to be civil," She sighed and then held out a battered ball. Harry stepped closer, he didn't really want to do this but there was no other way.
He took a deep breath and then nodded, unaware of the long fingers that trailed over his shoulder before coming to rest next to his hand on the ball. Harry closed his eyes tightly and then they were pulled away even when he wanted nothing more than to remain behind.
Hp
They landed in a back street behind two gardens and Harry immediately recognized the setting. It had been one of his favourite haunts when he had been home during the summer of his fifth year. He had tried to be away from the Dursleys as much as possible and had taken to walking the streets day and night.
The dark eyes of his bond mate glanced around and Harry felt the need to do the same, though he suppressed it. "The house is right through that street. It is number four."
Professor McGonagall glanced around warily, and Harry wondered if she had ever before been to a muggle neighbourhood. Most wizards and witches never got close to muggles because they had everything they needed and wanted in their own world but this had been the place where Harry had grown up. He had seen his godfather for the first time here not too far away.
He sighed and glanced up at the other adults, pushing past them as he said, "Follow me. Don't expect a happy welcome. My uncle was never very happy when I got home. He was afraid the neighbours would see me."
A snort was issued behind him but Harry knew that they looked just like a family going out for walks. Perhaps a father with his son and his mother or grandmother. Harry suppressed a grin at the thought of Minerva McGonagall as a grandmother. She would be a very stern one.
He looked around the street, seeing the many beautiful cut lawns, all alike, and the washed cars. All houses looked alike as well and Harry could almost picture the neighbours peering through their windows to see who walked the street.
One lawn was a little bit of a mess, or actually a fairly big mess. There was no car and the blinds were folded and it looked like nobody was home. Harry stopped, feeling somebody bump into him from behind. "Potter, don't stop in the middle of the road!"
"That is it," He whispered, unconsciously leaning into the warmth of the person behind him. A light shove sent him walking again and Harry proceeded towards the door that he had known so well from his earliest memories.
He swallowed thickly again before Professor McGonagall preceded him and rang the doorbell. A strong hand on his shoulder pushed him forward even as Harry fought with all his might against the fear that had suddenly sprung up. His heart was thumping just a bit too heavy really and his throat had gone dry.
He hoped for a moment that nobody would be home but then the door opened and a high shrill voice came out. "Delilah, is that you, dear? It has been so long….Oh, Vernon…VERNON, come quickly! It is them!"
Loud footsteps could be heard from upstairs as they hurried down the steps and the voice which had hurled insults at Harry could be heard shouting, "Hurry, Petunia, close the door! Don't let them draw their sticks…don't let them."
The door was falling close but then Snape suddenly moved forward, placing one foot in between the door and pushing it open with all his might. The pale woman with the short cropped blond hair, thin and frail looking with the huge teeth and the pale eyes moved backwards, screaming at the top of her lungs, "Vernon, they are coming in! Vernon, call the police."
The big beefy man with the multiple chins and the skin that hung off of him, making him appear like he had lost a lot of weight recently was quickly pulling Petunia Dursley behind him with such a hard movement that it could dislocate her shoulder. She hid behind her husband's large frame as the man stood his ground, saying, "You are trespassing and those fancy sticks aren't going to impress me."
"They should! And calling the police won't work. By the time they have gotten here, you will cheerfully tell them that you have invited us." Snape had drawn his wand and Harry could feel his magic responding, drawing away from him and towards the other wizard as he swayed a bit.
"That will be enough! Put that wand away before they see you! I am sure we can handle this as grown ups," Professor McGonagall snapped, stepping forward and drawing Harry with her.
"Dudley, come down! The freak's lot is here! I need your help! We've got to fight, son…we have to show these people that there is no messing with a Dursley."
"Oh shut up, Silencio!" Vernon fell silent, opening his mouth and closing it but no sound came out. Professor McGonagall stepped around the tense Potions Master who couldn't suppress the smirk on his face.
"Vernon? Vernon! What has that woman done to you? Oh my poor Vernon, you fix him, you fix him right now!" Aunt Petunia was shaking Vernon hard, trying to hear his voice inside.
"Or what are you going to do? Throw a cleaning towel at us?" Snape sneered, crossing his arms over his chest. Petunia looked dumbfounded and Professor McGonagall turned to stare at the younger man. He visibly backed away from her glance, one hand rising up to his neck even as Dudley appeared at the top of the stairs.
His cousin gave a loud shriek, rattling Harry's ears before he grabbed his bottom for one moment and then flew down the stairs, nearly stepping in front of his mother when the Headmistress lifted her wand, saying to the tall blond haired, muscled man before her, "I will 'fix' him if you promise to let us in without making a fuss. We have some business to discuss and I will not listen to that man being a child at it. We mean no harm…We are all adults here and I am sure that we can handle this as adults…"
"They are not! My Dudder's isn't and the boy isn't either," Aunt Petunia was shaking but she had managed to pull herself together, just like on the night when Harry had been nearly tossed out by his uncle and she had stood up against him.
"That is the reason why we are here. If we could proceed into the sitting room and you could perhaps persuade your husband to keep silent and not start screaming, I will end the spell." Professor McGonagall looked faintly sick at the nickname she had heard accompanied with an anxious glance at the blond boy beside her by Petunia.
Dudley was glancing at Harry, taking in the wide green eyes and the paleness of his skin. The older boy frowned at the ring on his cousin's finger. The same ring on the finger of the dark imposing man beside him. He took one big arm of his father and then nodded when he caught Harry's glance.
Vernon, Petunia and Dudley preceded them inside. The normally clean living room was a right mess. Boxes were everywhere and everything was in a state of being packed or unpacked, Harry wasn't sure. The Dursleys all managed to cramp onto the couch, no mean feet because of the size of the two men, even if Uncle Vernon had managed to lose some weight.
"Finite," Professor McGonagall said as Harry took one chair as the headmistress took the other. Snape stood in between them, arms crossed over his chest, looking every bit the formidable wizard he was, even without magic.
"Come to gloat, boy? Come to see what you have done to us?" Vernon's voice was deadly cold and the hateful eyes of his uncle travelled over the other occupants in this room before he continued. "But it isn't enough, is it? You come back for more. It isn't enough that you chase us away from our home and our comfortable lives, no you have to come back and gloat. Do you even care to know what has happened? We lost a year of our lives thanks to you. Your people were to kind of offer us protection but they won't give back my job or anything else so what more can you possibly want from us? The house will be sold and we will be leaving. It is too expensive!"
Harry shifted in his seat. It reminded him too much of old times when he would be sitting in the same chair, listening to the same things over and over again. "I don't need money. I need your signature because I am not yet of age in this world…"
"Why would you possibly need my signature? So you can get the house and all our belongings."
"Why would I possibly want this house? For all the happy memories that I have here?"
"Don't get cheeky with me, boy! You are just like your worthless father. Never showed any gratitude for what we have done for you. But I know of ways to shut you up so don't even try it. Like you said, you are not an adult yet in our world and no magic in the world is going to…."
"Vernon! Think of what the neighbours will say if they hear you say that word ever again." Aunt Petunia glanced around and Uncle Vernon nodded at her.
"You are right, Petunia. But the boy…."
"The boy is of no concern. Let's just hear out what they have to say and they will soon be out of our lives again, never to return I am sure. It is what all those people do; they leave everybody behind for their freakish ways…" Aunt Petunia fell silent and for a moment Harry had been afraid she was going to say Lily but she didn't.
Professor McGonagall took out a piece of paper, sliding it across the salon table as she said. "This is a marriage agreement which was drawn up by a lawyer. It needs a signature of Harry's guardians because he is not yet of age…"
Uncle Vernon snatched the paper up and hissed, "A marriage agreement? What has the boy done? Gotten somebody pregnant out of wedlock? I am not going to sign this if the boy chooses to take after his father. It was what that worthless waste of space did too, got somebody pregnant and then married her and got killed, leaving us with his spawn. I can see where this is going. The boy will go the same way as his father did. Well I say terminate the child, it is better for the rest of the world anyway if no more of your lot pollutes the world. It is what should have happened to this one. We should have gotten rid of him the moment he appeared on our doorstep, Petunia, and look what we have gotten ourselves into. Another spawn of Potter in this household…well I say…."
Harry could hear the words wash over him. They didn't even sting anymore. He bowed his head, was that really what his dad had done? Gotten his mother pregnant and then they had to marry in a hurry?
"Mister Dursley! I didn't ask for your opinion, I simply asked for your signature…."
"The boy turns 18 in a month, why won't you wait until then? Why does it have to be so fast? Has he gotten somebody pregnant?" The pale large eyes of Aunt Petunia were narrowed and Harry lifted his head a little.
"Because certain events make it impossible for us to wait until then," Professor McGonagall dodged the question, casting a look at Snape whose pale face was unreadable.
"So he has gotten somebody pregnant then?"
"Nonsense, woman, the boy…I mean Potter hasn't gotten anybody pregnant. It would be impossible. The person he is marrying is awaiting trial!" Snape snarled at her.
"Ah, so finally somebody worthy of the boy!" Uncle Vernon expressed delightfully, looking at Snape like he was seeing somebody he could talk to. "The boy's actions were always bordering on the criminal behaviour so I am sure he will feel right at home. I mean with such a breeding who would have expected anything else. I don't know about the Potters but I for one am glad they got killed when they did. My Petunia here is the only good one who ever came out of that family of Evans, no offence Petunia, dear. Lily, her sister, well she was…"
"Do not say a bad word about Lily Evans!" Snape snapped at him, eyes blazing and magic swirling about him. The older wizard had uncrossed his arms and was balling his fists.
"Severus, calm down!" Professor McGonagall snapped at him from where she was sitting.
"It is you! You are that Snape boy from Spinner's End whom Lily was always parading around with!" Petunia shrieked and Vernon added.
"Lily was a good for nothing sort of woman. She could have made something out of herself if she hadn't always been loitering around with that Potter. Nothing good came out of her, just look at the boy. He is the reason we are here right now and still it isn't enough that we took him into our home, fed him, gave him a place to stay…"
"Fed him? You call that feeding, Dursley? The rats in the sewer got fed better than the boy!" Snape snarled, hands tightening around his wand as he added, icily, "Do not insult Lily Evans in my presence if you know what is good for you…."
"Severus, be careful! You have done enough things to damage your reputation without killing another person," Professor McGonagall warned. Harry was frozen in his seat, staring from one adult to the other just like Dudley was doing.
"You are the one he is marrying. It seems like the boy isn't the only one who takes after his father. What is next? Going to get drunk too and beat the boy up?" Petunia had gotten to her feet and was staring at Snape, face full of hatred.
In that one moment Snape had gone deadly silent, face white and Harry realized Petunia had made a mistake. The older wizard was trembling every so faintly but his wand was steady as he fixed Petunia with odd glittering eyes. "It is better than doing Lily's legacy justice by starving, neglecting, and abusing her son that you promised to take under your care. Lucky for you that you didn't do it within the sight of James' friends because they wouldn't be so sure to forgive you when they would have learned what you had done to Potter's precious son. Lucky for you they are all dead now."
She snorted before she met his gaze and said, "Those friends of hers are no better than yours. It went wrong the moment she got that letter. If my parents had put their foot down and stopped her from going none of this would have happened. She wouldn't have died and she wouldn't have left that brat with us. We never wanted him! Why should I want to take care of him? I had finally managed to find something good for me, a husband with a decent job and somebody who was normal, unlike my perfect sister. I only wish that my parents had still been alive to hear about her being killed, I wonder if they thought she was still so perfect then."
Her eyes travelled to Harry and he got a bad feeling in his stomach as she said, "I remember that letter from that old man, telling us about that prophecy…well I will tell you what, boy, none of this would have happened if you hadn't been born. As far as I am concerned this is all your fault! The moment you came into our lives, everything went pear shaped. I will sign this agreement but I never want to see you again…it is all your fault. Your mother died to protect you, well I wish you had died with her, because you are nothing but trouble. Have fun with your husband, you will get what you deserve when he starts to beat you too, just like his dad did…"
Harry jumped to his feet, heart pounding. "I saved you! I didn't want any of this!"
"But it happened and it is your fault, everything that has happened. You should have died and I should have let Vernon put you out when we had the chance, good riddance. I should have left you on the doorstep and let you freeze to death!" Aunt Petunia shrieked at him and Harry felt his heart nearly stop.
It was another affirmative that he should have died or stayed dead. Breathing labored, he summoned all his magic and turned on the spot, not caring where he would go, except away from this place.
Hp
Severus barely had the mindset to grab Potter by the arms as the boy sought to Apparate, splinching himself badly in the process if he had succeeded. His mind was still reeling from the insult that Petunia had thrown at him, that he would turn out to be like his father.
His magic was swirling but he managed to grab Potter even as the brat struggled in his arms. He was breathing heavily, thankful for the distraction that Potter caused him, because he was one breath away from hexing them all.
He looked at Minerva, who had rising fury in her eyes and had picked up her wand, pointing it at the three Dursleys who were quivering at this moment. Even Petunia had backed down and was sitting in the crook of Vernon's arm.
"You are the most hateful muggles in the world. You have met these people, who have saved the world from a terrible evil, and all you can do is blame them for doing something that isn't their fault. You will sign the contract this moment and you won't remember us ever being here," Her voice was chilling to hear and Severus was reminded of what a strong witch she was.
"No!" Vernon said in a sudden moment of courage.
"You will pick up that pen and sign your name or so help me, I will hex you until you are nothing but a quivering pile of flesh! Not that you are much better now!" Severus had trouble focusing upon Minerva's words when Potter's struggling intensified in a basic survival need to flee.
He used more force. Perhaps Potter's magic was stronger but he was physically much more powerful then Potter and even as his wounds throbbed he crushed Potter to his chest, locking his arms over the smaller wizard's chest and held him there, regardless of the kicks he got.
He allowed his magic to rise and to sooth Potter who went still and slack. For a moment Severus feared the boy had lost consciousness but when he glanced down he noticed the green eyes were hazy with pain as the younger male bowed his head and rested it against Severus' chest, body shaking.
"Let me go please," The voice was so soft that Severus feared he had misunderstood. "Please, release me."
"No, Harry, you don't have the magic needed to Apparate," Severus continued to hold on and Potter's voice broke on the next plea.
"Please let me go! I can't…."
Severus moved his hands as he pressed Potter tighter against his chest. The sobs that overcame the younger male were making his heart break as he continued to hold Potter, blocking out the other occupants in the room as he glanced over his shoulder.
Minerva had joined him and she was rolling up the parchment. She nodded grimly at him and then raised her wand… "I knew I couldn't trust you lot. You said you wouldn't hex us if we signed the paper."
"I am not hexing you, mister Dursley; I am doing you a favor. Obliviate!"
Severus felt the blast of the memory charm and he accepted the portkey, guiding Harry's hand in between his own to hold the portkey. His other arm tightened around Potter's shoulder as they were pulled away back home.
Severus sat Potter down on the couch as he turned to Minerva. She gave his shoulder a squeeze and then disappeared through the floo to file away the parchment, leaving Severus alone with his bond mate.
He turned to go to the kitchen, to make some tea for the both of them and take his potions when Potter caught his hand and asked, "No, please stay?"
Severus turned and the black eyes met the green ones, filled with pain and the rejection which was sure to come and he gave a nod, sitting himself down on the couch. He sat down stiffly but when Potter didn't move from his position, nor sought to get closer, he allowed himself to relax.
His eyes took in Potter's appearance. The red eyes, the dark circles and the pale skin before his bond mate turned to him. "What Aunt Petunia said wasn't true…."
Severus felt his throat go dry and he could only nod as the stubborn green eyes met his and Potter said, "She was wrong about her saying you were going to hit me. You won't, I know because you may be unfair and unpleasant and a complete git, but you have never hit anybody. You won't be any more like your father than I want to be like mine, when he was fifteen. You won't, Severus, I know that. You are too honorable for it…"
Harry leaned into him but Severus was hardly aware, baffled as he was by the frail trust Potter placed in him. For one moment he sat frozen before his arm moved and he wrapped it around Potter, folding the brat to him.
For better or for worse they were stuck together, and while Severus swore he would never strike Potter, he couldn't keep the brat from getting hurt because, in a few short weeks, his trial would be here and Severus wondered if Potter could withstand Severus' past when even Severus himself could barely think of it.
I hope you liked it. Wow, that was sure a difficult chapter to write. Review of course and send some ideas. Harry is slowly moving out of character and I promise he will shape up with regards to the crying and grieving.
Next chapter: The defense is preparing for a difficult task in proving Snape's innocence even as Harry struggles with the feelings for his bond mate and when Ginny comes along, can he deal with seeing his former girlfriend? That and more in: Preparing for battle.