You Can Live: Chapter 33
I am back, and time is mine to command! Sort of. I couldn't help passing out for a few days after I got back home. :/ Anyway, here is a brand new chapter for all of you!
Please enjoy this update. :)
Disclaimer: you know I don't own HP. A very rich, brilliant lady does.
Warnings: Nothing much except a lack of communication...
John Smiles
They were greeted by an enthusiastic house elf and lots of food. Snippy, thankfully, restrained herself and didn't throw herself at Harry or put a mountain of food on his plate. She just smiled and led them straight to the dining room. Snape almost broke his table manners and sat directly beside Harry at the table, but decided he would rather see his face as they spoke.
Severus made certain that Harry put a decent amount of food on his plate, before taking any for himself. He watched as Harry slowly but surely made his way through most of what was on his plate. In fact, he found that he spent most of the time watching Harry than he had eating. It didn't bother him; it only surprised him a bit. They had been quiet throughout most of the meal, and Severus felt that that should change.
"Miss Lovegood sent a short letter informing me that she will gladly stay with you while I am at trial." The statement coaxed a fond smile out of his ward, for which he was immensely happy about.
"I'm glad. Luna's great. I've missed her." Harry looked at his guardian and rolled his eyes. "And she'll definitely keep me out of trouble. Trust me, she's a lot tougher than she looks." Severus nodded.
"Of that I have no doubt. She is…extraordinary." Snape watched Harry push the excess food around on his plate a bit more. "You do not have to finish that, Harry. It is alright." Harry happily set his fork down and sighed in relief.
"Thank you, Sir." Snippy came and took their plates away, but she also had a message for them.
"Mister Ronald Weasley would like to come through the Floo. Shall Snippy let him?" Harry looked surprised but quite happy at the announcement, so Snape told the house elf to allow the red-head entry. Harry looked expectantly at his guardian, until the man waved him off.
"Go. I would not tell him to come in, if I were just going to keep you at the table." Harry smiled and surprised Snape by not hurrying out of the room. Instead the boy ran around the table, hugged Severus and then bolted. The old potion's master was struck dumb for a few moments, before smiling privately to himself.
Harry walked into the living room just as Ron was rushing out of the fireplace. He suddenly found himself being charged by a very desperate redhead.
"Mate, you gotta help me. They've gone mental!" Harry opened his mouth to ask for an explanation when Ron started to babble.
"They've been talking color schemes for a week, and then Mum and 'Mione started arguing over what kind of flowers we should have. Mum says white lilies, but 'Mione says those are funeral flowers in the Muggle world! Mum is throwing a fit because they're considered good luck for wizard weddings and they started fighting and then they tried to drag me into it. They wanted me to choose! But….I couldn't, Harry! I couldn't! They were both just staring at me with those looks. You know what I'm talking about, Mate. Hermione looks like she's gonna do something super smart and diabolical if I don't agree with her, and Mum…." Ron shuddered. Harry had just been standing there as his friend went on, and found himself torn between laughing and offering his friend a drink. Trying to contain it, he asked,
"Well…what did you do?" Ron just went pale.
"I froze, Mate. Then I ran over here as fast as I could." They both looked at the fireplace warily, as if expecting one of the witches in question to come bursting out. Harry patted his friend's shoulder and shrugged.
"Well, you can hide out here for a little while, but I can't guarantee that one or both of them won't come knocking at some point." Ron let out a deep breath and fell onto the couch.
"Thanks, Mate. You know, Mum went a bit mad over Bill and Fleur's wedding, but I think this time she's really lost it. Dad's hiding at the Ministry, and Fred is always popping in for only a second to steal some food before popping back to his shop." Harry sat down in the chair across from his friend and just decided to enjoy his company and forget about the crazy stuff that's been going on. Well, he tried.
"You know, Harry, she's going to be just as bad about your birthday party." Harry held back the cringe at the mention of his birthday, then tried to put on a smile. He's pretty sure it came out a bit crooked.
"I would be surprised if she wasn't. There's no chance of me saying I just want something small and quiet and her actually doing that, is there?" Ron barked out a laugh and shook his head.
"No, Mate. You'd be out of luck there. This is the first post-war birthday that she gets to do something for you. It will probably be just friends and family, but there's no way it'll be quiet." They kept talking for a while. Ron told him more about their plans for the wedding and the following honeymoon. Harry was able to keep Ron off of him for a good enough time. He didn't want to lie to his friend, but he also knew they he couldn't tell Ron about the trial. The more people involved the more messy the situation would get. They were interrupted by a knock at the front door.
Ron raised an eyebrow at his friend, but Harry looked just as confused as Snape who had come from around the corner. Harry stood, but his guardian waved him down.
"I'll answer the door, Mr. Potter. Just, stay in here with Mr. Weasley." As soon as he was gone, Ron seemed to grow as wary as his hosts.
"I take it you guys don't get many visitors." Harry shook his head.
"None that come to the door. The wards would have alerted us." Ron looked at his friend, and his fingers itched for his wand.
"Should I be worried, Mate?" Harry didn't answer. All the color drained from his face when the voice from beyond the door drifted in.
Severus approached the door cautiously. No one passed through the wards without him being alerted. However, someone just had, and they were standing on his porch. His wand was tucked up in his sleeve, ready at a moment's notice. Before opening the door, he cast a small scrying spell. His suspicions grew as he saw the man lacked anything indicating that he was a wizard. The visitor's appearance suggested that he was muggle. So, how did he get past the wards?
Steeling himself for an interesting conversation, Severus opened the door. The man had his fist raised as if to knock again. Snape blocked his view into the house and kept his hand firmly on the door, ready to slam it in the man's face if it came to that. He raised an eyebrow at the surprise visitor.
"May I help you? This is a private residence, Sir, and I do not take kindly to solicitors." The man smiled and shook his head.
"Oh, no need to worry about that. My name's John. I work at my own booth near George and Clara's in town. I was just heading back home when I thought I would stop by, see how Harry's doing." John held out a hand when he gave his name, but Snape didn't take it. Instead, Severus's lips pursed and his wand hand twitched.
"How, may I ask, do you know my ward?" John retracted his hand awkwardly and placed both in his pockets.
"I guess he didn't tell you? I helped him a while back. Some local bullies were picking on him and I stepped in. I came to check on him a day later, but he still seemed pretty shaken up." Severus glared at the man and had to fight to keep his anger in check. It was difficult as John's eyes flicked past him and tried to see into the house.
"You have been to my house before? You came and talked to Harry when I was not here?" John narrowed his eyes at the potion's master.
"Yes? Look, Harry looks old enough to decided whether he can answer the door or not. And why are you so protective now? Where were you when your ward was getting beaten up in an alley?" Severus had his wand in his hand behind the door and was really feeling the urge to use it.
"I will ask you to leave only once. Do not come here or near Harry again." John glared at Snape and clenched his fists, looking ready to argue with him, before he thought better of it.
"Fine. Tell Harry I said 'hi'." Severus watched the man stomp away, however he couldn't see that smile that crawled onto John's face as he walked off down the road. Snape closed the door with a scowl and determined to check and strengthen the wards around the property. That man should not have been able get to their door unannounced. It took Severus a moment to realize how quiet it had gotten and went to the living room.
Neither Harry nor Ronald Weasley were there. There was, however, a note on the coffee table, looking as if it had been written hastily.
I suggested we go up to Harry's room, Sir. I think whoever was at the door really shook him. He hasn't said anything though.
-Ron
Severus mentally thanked the red-head for telling him this. This way he could at least be a little prepared for whatever reaction Harry might have when Severus asked him about this newly discovered previous encounter. So, determined as he was, Snape went upstairs after assuring Snippy that everything was alright. He knocked on Harry's bedroom door and was surprised when Ron answered.
"Uh, hi, Sir. I was about to leave. Wedding stuff and all." He stepped out of the room, but paused right behind his old potion's professor. "He doesn't look too good. Go easy on him," he whispered.
Snape nodded his acknowledgement, but knew that he would only determine that when he actually saw his ward. Harry was by the window with Albus, looking shaken, yes, but not as bad as Severus was imagining. Harry looked over at him and bit the inside of his cheek before focusing back on his owl.
"I know you're both worried, Sir, but I promise it's nothing." Severus raised an eyebrow.
"And yet, I do not believe you. Why didn't you tell me that someone came to the house when I was not here?" Harry sighed, as if put upon.
"Because…I forgot. It was the day Ron and Hermione were coming over, and there was a knock at the door. I was cautious. I had my wand on me, so I opened the door. He asked how I was, I said I was fine, and he left. That's all that happened." His ward's little speech was almost convincing, except the minute shaking in his hands gave him away.
"Did we not just have a large misunderstanding this morning? I thought you were lying then, Harry, and you weren't. Now, however…" Harry huffed out a frustrated breath and ran his fingers through his hair a few times.
"I'm not lying! That's what happened. There was a lot going on that day, and I just…didn't see the point in telling you." Severus stepped up to his ward and set his hands on Harry's shoulders. When the boy tried to avoid meeting his eyes, he found his chin pinched between cold fingers and his face dragged up so he couldn't look anywhere but at Severus.
"There is quite a difference between you forgetting to tell me and seeing no point in telling me something, Mr. Potter. You are keeping something from me, and I wish to know what. What do you feel you cannot tell me?" Harry clenched his fists and his jaw. It was getting increasingly more difficult to keep things from his guardian. He just barely held it together in front of his best friend, and now the man he saw almost as a father was interrogating him. Every time Harry was bothered it felt like he was fighting off an Imperius Curse that was compelling him to come forward with the truth.
A thought, then, nibbled at the back of his mind. The man at the door was Menos. Harry did not want Severus anywhere near that man or the situation Harry found himself wrapped up in. He had to tell him something that would convince him that Harry didn't want to be around Menos, but not anything that would make his guardian plot the man's demise. Harry had never seen Menos in town except for the one incident in the alley, and the man seemed to have a knack for not being seen if he didn't want to be. What Harry was about to tell Severus, would hopefully make the man stick close to him and keep an eye out for someone he would probably never spot out and about. Mind finally made up, Harry bit the inside of his cheek again.
"I…it's just. That man…that is all that happened. I swear, but…he makes me uncomfortable." Snape squeezed his shoulders in encouragement. "I don't like the way he looks at me. It makes my skin crawl." Severus pursed his lips and pulled Harry to sit on the edge of his bed.
"Harry, this is the man that protected you from the group of wool brains that attacked you, correct?" At Harry's nod, Snape continued. "Had you seen him before that? Have you caught him watching you? Did he…touch you in a way that made you feel uncomfortable?" It was obvious that they were both extremely uncomfortable with just the conversation, but they each felt it to be important for different reasons.
"That was the first time I had really seen him, but….Well, I sort of felt like someone was watching me sometimes, but I figured I was just being paranoid. After the war and all…." Harry grew quiet, shuddering at the truth behind the words he meant to just feed the idea he put in his guardian's head. He had felt that way a few times when they went to town.
"Harry…you did not answer my last question." Harry then shook his head, not only to deny Severus's question (blatant lie) but to shake the vivid images of his nightmares and actual encounters with the vile Menos.
"No. He only ever grabbed my shoulder that time in the alley. That was it. I didn't even shake his hand when he stopped by the house that first time." Severus put an arm around Harry's shoulder, and soon they found themselves in the exact same positions they had been in only about an hour ago.
"Next time we go into town, do not leave my side. I want you in my sight at all times. And I know you are not a child, you grew up far to soon for that to be the case now, but please do not answer the door if I am not in the house and we are not expecting anyone. That man should not have been able to get to the house without triggering the wards." After Harry nodded without argument, Severus squeezed him tight to his side. "Despite your rash Gryffindor brain, you do have good instincts. Trust them. And talk to me, Harry. You are not alone anymore. Never again." They fell silent after that.
Harry could only think that his guardian would retract that statement regarding his instincts if he knew that they were telling Harry not to tell Severus about Menos. In fact, he was pretty certain, Severus would be furious.
My writing is so sporadic and spread out over days that I forget what time frame I left my characters in from the last chapter and have to reread a few pages to make sure if I wrote that they had just had dinner that I'm not having them sit down for breakfast in five minutes. :/ Talk about time warp...
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