You Can Live: Chapter 2
Thank you so much for all of your support, and I hope this story lives up to your expectations. :) To answer one of my reviews, I put Draco in my character list on a whim, I'm not entirely sure why, but when I saw your review, it gave me an idea for the direction of the story! Thank you very much!
No slash here, only guardian/ward psuedo-parent/child relationship and friendships. :)
Before we get started...I don't own any of this, except for the plot. I would be able to afford school if that were the case.
Warnings: SEE CHAPTER 1 FOR WARNINGS AND OTHER IMPORTANT NOTES!
Ceremony
The ceremony felt like it took forever and yet like it went by too fast all at the same time. The Headmistress had called each of them up by name, much like their first day at the school back when they were eleven, and given them Ministry of Magic and Wizarding Education diplomas. Hermione was the Grand Witch, the wizard equivalent of valedictorian, followed closely by Draco and then Harry! To say he was shocked was an understatement. His study sessions with Severus must have really payed off.
When his name was announced for him to get his diploma, he looked forward and saw Snape sitting amongst the other teachers. He was clapping for him and gave him a small smile that held so much more than it was showing. Harry felt like he was flying, and he had to covertly wipe tears of happiness out of his eyes. He honestly couldn't remember a time when he had felt so happy.
After that, it all passed in a blur. The ceremony ended, hugs were exchanged, promises of communication and visits were made, more hugs, and then finally Harry found himself alone with Severus in their shared quarters. He walked into the room and promptly slumped into the couch and groaned.
"Ugh! That was amazing, but I'm glad it's over." Harry may have looked relaxed, limp in fact, but in truth he was a nervous bundle of energy. They were still waiting on an answer. A soft chuckle came towards him, and he smiled up at Severus.
The man quirked his lips up at little at the boy he now thought of as his own son. He truly was proud of him, for so much. But now he had news. Snape put on his serious face, the one that Harry knew to pay attention to. The boy sat up and gave the potions master his full attention.
"Harry, I thought I should wait until after your graduation to give you the news." Here he paused. (Harry would forever say it was for dramatic effect, and Snape would always deny it.) Harry's eyes were very expressive, and it was actually quite hard for the boy to hide what he was feeling. Snape could read all of the hope, fear, and anxiety that swirled in those opal green eyes.
He knew he couldn't keep him waiting any longer.
"The Ministry got back to me last night. You will not be going back to Privet Drive. You will be staying with me." Snape expected the boy to be happy, however he had not expected an armful of him. A chorus of Thank You's seemed to never stop flowing from the boy's mouth. Snape wrapped his arms around his new ward and held him tightly in a way that spoke of how many times he had done the same exact thing before. Eventually the litany trickled off, but the boy did not let go. When he felt his shoulder starting to grow damp, he rubbed a hand soothingly up and down Harry's back.
"Child, why are you crying?" There was a small sniffle, then Harry pulled back, a smile blazing on his face.
"Sorry, Sir. I'm just- really happy." Snape was completely honest when he said he was too.
Two Weeks Later
They hadn't been able to leave Hogwarts for a few weeks, because Severus was still a professor after all, and just because his ward had graduated and was free from school, did not mean that he could shirk his duties to finish off the year. Although, he was sure all of his students would be just fine with him taking the two weeks off.
Harry would live at his home during the years until the boy was officially 'of age'. After this first summer, the boy would have to have picked a direction in career, and then would apprentice under a master of his chosen field. When he came of age, he would be promoted to a Master of his field and move on to the work force. The boy had yet to tell him any of his plans, but Snape assumed Harry would be aiming to become an Auror.
But for now school was officially over for everyone, and all that they had to focus on for now was vacating their quarters and going to their new home. Well, for Harry it would be new. Severus had been living in the quiet country home for quite a few years. Right then, the two of them were packing up books and things that were going to be coming with them to their summer (and now permanent) home. Snape's eyes sparkled in amusement as Harry used magic as often as he could to get things to and from and shrunken and moved and- FLOATING.
"Harry James Potter, put that down right this instant. That is very fragile and very precious to me." Harry jumped at the stern tone and quickly ended the spell. The medium sized crystal ball that he had been floating over to a box dropped and was now nestled preciously in his hands. He cradled it to his chest and bit the inside of his cheek to stop himself from asking 'Why?' His new guardian was as private as he was about certain things, and it was not his place.
"Sorry." Snape sighed at the kicked puppy look Harry had mastered since the boy had grown comfortable enough to show some of his true feelings around him. He walked up to him and took the ball out of his hands.
"I just wanted you to be more careful with this, Harry. It was a gift. From your mother." Harry's head popped up so fast, Severus feared that his glasses would go flying off.
"Really?" Snape gave his version of a smile at the boy's enthusiasm. Harry seemed to have gotten a tad childish when it came to things he cared about, or when he got excited. Snape understood, he didn't have a real childhood at all, and if he had to remind Harry to tone it down every so once in a while he was okay with that. Now though, was not one of those times. The boy was allowed to be excited about hearing about his mother. So Snape just nodded and spoke a few incantations into the crystal sphere.
Moving images began to appear. A boy and a girl laying in a field, pointing out clouds. The same two children holding hands while they explored an area of woods. The next appeared to be a few years later, for they were now young teenagers. The red-haired girl was teasing the young Slytherin and stole his book before running away. Only one more image came up. The two now looked to be about sixteen, and they were laying on the ground looking up at the stars. Lily was smiling at Snape as he pointed out constellations. Then the image faded leaving Harry looking into a clear, empty ball.
"You two looked happy." Harry had a bitter smile on his face, and his voice was quiet and subdued. It held a hint of wistfulness and happiness (for Snape and his mother having such happy times), a touch of jealousy, and a great deal of longing. His new guardian decided not to make note of the small tears starting to make their way to the surface, as Harry quickly wiped at his eyes and put a bigger smile on.
"Well, that was the last thing to pack. So, how are we going to get all of this to your home?" Snape smirked at the child and called out.
"Snippy!" A loud crack sounded just in front of Harry, just barely making the boy flinch. He was mostly used to the violent eruptions of house elves from thin air, but still, you'd think they could find a more subtle way to get around. Snape turned to the small creature, and gave it a small smile.
"Snippy, would you please take all of these boxes to my residence, and put them in the appropriate rooms? Don't worry about putting them away. Harry and I can take care of that." Snippy bowed to both Snape and Harry, before grabbing the nearest box and disappearing once more. She showed up not a second later to grab another box, nothing but a crack left in her wake. Harry was amused at her enthusiasm at the simple task, but he assumed it was just the nature of house elves that were treated well.
"Come, Harry. There is time for lunch, before we must head to the station." Snape had the idea for them to take a train, since Portkeys were out of the question, and the floo from Hogwarts was not connected to his private home. Apparation could wait until Harry got his own license. Besides that way Harry could get a good look at the country side, as the boy informed him he had never traveled beyond to school and back before the Horcrux adventure. He wanted the boy to enjoy the travel, not be flooded by bad memories.
They settled at the table and started to dig in. Snape had noticed that Harry still did not eat much, despite the regular meals he himself had forced the boy to take up. His plate was maybe half full, but the professor was not too worried. Harry had already gained a good amount of weight he desperately needed, and he knew his house elf would get right on the boy's appetite.
"I warn you now. Once Snippy gets a good look at how skinny you are, she will not allow you to leave the dining table without having filled your plate at least twice." Harry groaned good-naturedly.
"What is it with everyone wanting to make me fat? I've already got Mrs. Weasly on me about it. Now, you're saying I'm going to have a dancey house elf version of her after me as well? I'll be as round as Uncle Vernon in no time between the two of them." Both him and the professor shuddered at the thought of the whale. Snape watched as Harry began to make his way through the small portion of food, eyes downcast and slightly unfocused. The potion's master was not oblivious to the boy's avoidance of any sort of talk about what had been done to him. However, with the crazy schedules of the ongoing school year and Harry taking extra classes, he had managed to keep pushing it off, until Severus decided it could wait for a time when they would be able to really talk when needed and not just when there was time.
"You may have muscle tone from your years of Quddidtch, but you are as skinny as a rail. I refuse to allow such a twig in my manor. You could be knocked over by a stray potion fume, and then where would we be? I will not be interfering in Snippy's attempts, I can assure you that." Harry snorted and smirked at the professor. The man said most everything with such a straight face, he just had to wonder whether it hurt to hold in what must be howling laughter at his own wittiness.
The rest of the meal was completed in comfortable silence (and yes, Snape did make Harry eat more than half a plate's worth). Without putting their plates away, they stood to leave for the train station. As Harry turned away reluctantly, years of being not allowed to eat and being the one to clear the table, he heard a familiar crack behind him and was proud of himself for not flinching. When he turned back around, he found that the table had been completely cleared and scrubbed down.
"Come along, Mr. Potter." Snape called to him from the doorway, wondering what had captured the boy's attention now. He always seemed to get a bit distracted by things, and he would quickly lose track of time when he did so.
Harry was excited to leave the castle for the first time in his life. It had become his home over the past eight years, as he had never had a safe place to leave the school for. Now though he was leaving for a new place, a place Snape encouraged him to call his home. Harry was both terrified and bursting with anticipation. Everything changed for him that one night, that now seemed ages ago, when he stepped through the door he stood before. Now, stepping out of it would change his life again; he would be stepping into a new chapter of his life. Harry let his eyes linger for a moment over the bare stone walls of Snape's quarters, before finally taking that last step.
Hope this chap explained some things, and made sense. I start and stop in the middle of sections so much that sometimes I forget things or right something that is a complete rewrite of an earlier section, or I just plain forget things that I've written and end up contradicting myself. Ah, the joys of being a way too busy writer. :)
Please Review :)