You Can Live: Chapter 6
First and foremost, I want to thank Babs707PertemisDrarry for such a lovely review. You were right. I haven't gotten a lot of reviews, and when I have they've been really short. Not that I don't appreciate every single one that I get, but what you particularly said really made me smile. :)
PS Glad my characters don't seem too OC :)
PPS I will most likely not be updating next week, as every night next week I will be at dress rehearsals and then performing. Next Saturday, however does mark the beginning of my spring break, so I hope to use my week off to get a lot of writing done to make up for the missed week. :) Sorry and thanks :)
No slash here, only guardian/ward psuedo-parent/child relationship and friendships.
Disclaimer: 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!
Wards
Harry shot upright and fell out of the chair he had fallen asleep in. The sudden shock and pain, no matter how insignificant, brought back flashes of his time at the Dursley's.
"What did you do now you Freak!?" Harry flinched as his uncle's voice rang through his head, and he began to struggle on to his feet. He found himself caught in a blanket; it felt like being caught in the Devil's Snare again, and panic rose as he couldn't rush to stand before his uncle.
"Is Master Harry alright? Snippy did not mean to frighten Master Harry." The small, meek voice snapped Harry back to the present. His breathing was rapid, but calming now, and he noticed that he had apparently been sleeping on a couch with a blanket over him. But how-?
"Master Snape, wants Snippy to see if Master Harry is awake. He says he wishes to talk to Master Harry before breakfast." Harry shook his head to clear it and rubbed his eyes to clear them. His glasses were around here somewhere, and he rather liked being able to fully see who he was talking to, rather than just a blurry blob in the middle of the room.
"Uh, yeah. I'll be right down. But, um, Snippy?" The blurry blob got very close then, close enough that Harry reeled back and wacked his head on the arm of the couch.
"Master Harry's lips are moving, but Snippy can not hear Master Harry." Oh, right. He must have fallen asleep with his silencing charm still on. He removed it and repeated what he had said. Snippy smiled then and bounced on her feet.
"Is there something I can do for Master Harry? Snippy will love whatever the task is." Harry felt rather awkward at the amount of pure excitement radiating from the house elf at only the prospect of doing something for him.
"Well, can you get my glasses for me? I think I fell asleep with them on and-" Harry was once again startled by the blob coming towards him, only this time, they slipped his glasses onto his face, and the world came back into focus. Harry let of the small breath he had apparently been holding and let a small smile peek out.
"Thanks, Snippy. I'll just get dressed before I come downstairs." Snippy nodded and bowed, before disappearing in a loud crack. Harry smiled sadly as having Snippy around made him think a lot of Dobby. He was hoping he would be able to convince Snape to let him visit the grave he had dug for the loyal creature. Wait-speaking of-
"Kreacher!" A vicious looking house elf appeared right in front of Harry and bowed. Harry nodded his head in greeting and felt a sort of relief wash over him.
"Is something Kreacher can do for Master? Is Master coming back to home of Mistress?" The house elf eyed him critically, no doubt judging his state of entanglement, but making no move to assist him. Harry shook his head in the negative, and he swore Kreacher seemed happy about his answer.
"No, Kreacher. I just wanted to see if I could call you from here, and to ask how Grimmauld Place is doing." Kreacher grumbled under his breath about Master make Kreacher come for fun. Mistress never play tricks on Kreacher, before answering.
"Mistress's house is well. Kreacher takes good care of Mistress's things. Is Master wanting anything else?" Harry knew that was all he was going to get from the disgruntled house elf, so figured he would leave it at that. He nodded, and Kreacher was gone in a snap. As he then contemplated his own situation a fierce set of feet were making their way quickly up the stairs. Harry got tense and grabbed for his wand on instinct. A rush of embarrassment flooded his cheeks when he realized it was Professor Snape.
The man looked as if he had rushed up the stairs, and his own wand was drawn. His eyes scanned the room in a matter of seconds and then narrowed at Harry suspiciously.
"Why did my ward alarm just alert me that they had been breached, Mr. Potter? Hmm?" Harry rubbed the back of his head sheepishly and looked up at the man over the tops of his glasses.
"Sorry, Si- I mean Severus. It must have been Kreacher." Snape raised an eyebrow as he slipped his wand back into his robes. His eyes ran over Harry and his little predicament, much as Kreacher's had, but Harry could see the well concealed amusement in the man's eyes.
"The grouchy house elf from...the Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix?" Snape sneered as his tongue tied. Harry was now the owner and Secret Keeper of Grimmauld Place. He had yet to allow anyone else be acknowledged by the house.
Harry nodded and went about freeing himself from the blanket more calmly now. Only once he was standing and folding the blanket up, out of force of habit, did he speak.
"Yeah. I was curious as to whether he would come to me, if I called him from here. He did, though can't say he was happy about it. I didn't know you had wards up, Severus. I won't do such a thing without warning you ahead of time ever again." Snape nodded in acceptance of the terms with a slight scowl at the false alarm.
"See that you do. You can't go around allowing anyone in here. Now, instead of waiting downstairs to speak with you, I will simply carry out our conversation up here." Harry nodded with a noticeable amount of trepidation. Being told by an adult that they want to speak to you has never led to a nice chat over tea. Harry didn't move to sit, until Snape rolled his eyes and patted next to him on the couch. Harry sat at a respectable distance from the potions master and gave him his full attention.
"Harry, what, may I ask, possessed you to wander around my house under a silencing charm in the middle of the night?" Harry was nervous and when he was nervous he got stupid. He had learned a bit from his mistakes, mainly that his mouth got him in trouble quite a lot, so to prevent digger himself into a deeper hole, he clammed up. Snape waited patiently for an answer, holding his brow raised until the boy would speak. However, he was not well known for his patience, and he quickly grew irritated.
"Speak boy. I am merely curious." Harry could hear the irritation in his voice, and growing scowl, but he didn't see any real anger. He decided to take his chances.
"I didn't want to wake you. I know my uncle didn't appreciate me making such a racket at night, so I figured it would only be polite." Snape gazed at him for a few moments, moments long enough to make Harry uncomfortable. Finally, the man shook his head and rolled his eyes.
"Well, I am not your uncle, am I? What if you had fallen in the dark or someone stole you away in the middle of the night and you called out for help? I would not have heard you. Besides, I will on most occasions, be up at that hour. I might even be inclined to join you. If you feel so compelled for a midnight prowl, be sure to invite me next time." Harry was confused, but nodded anyway. Was he saying he didn't mind if Harry woke him? That didn't make sense. The man then sighed and brushed imaginary lint from his trousers before standing.
"Mr. Potter, if you would, get dressed and then come down to breakfast. Snippy will retrieve you, if I think you are taking too long, understand?" Oh, yes. Harry understood. His privacy would be nonexistent if he did not adhere to the strict meal schedule. Severus nodded, then left the room, leaving Harry alone in the quiet library.
Harry turned back to the couch to grab the book he was reading and put it back in its spot on the shelf. As he slid the book home, something dawned on him. Snape hadn't blinked when he saw the couch. Did he- Harry was certain he was going insane, but- did he tuck Harry in?
Just try to picture Snape tucking Harry in without smiling. I dare ya! :)
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