'Severus, come.' Voldemort commanded of his servant.
As Snape stumbled over towards the Dark man Harry looked on in slight confusion. The confusion was only slight because, as interesting as this was, he just couldn't get his mind off the pain that seemed to be dancing all over his body, not just his back. In fact, he thought in dismay, that was not strictly true considering he could not actually feel his arms at all, let alone any pain in them. Thank heaven for small mercies. He thought sarcastically.
By now Snape was kneeling in front of his master, long hair hiding his face from Harry's view. I hope he tortures him. Harry thought to himself.
'Severus, look at me.' Voldemort said in a semblance of compassion.
Snape looked up at him and Harry thought he was about to be sick at the look of admiration he saw in Snape's eyes.
'Master?' Snape murmured in a pleading voice.
Voldemort placed a hand on top of Snapes greasy hair, as if giving him comfort. 'Severus, I know.' He said.
Harry certainly didn't know. He had absolutely no clue what was going on and his curiosity was now overriding his need to pee and the pins and needles that had just started shooting up and down his arms. In fact this last feeling was one of relief for Harry because it meant that he at least still had some feeling in his arms, even if it was extremely painful.
'Severus, you know it to be true.' Voldemort was saying, still in that sickly comforting voice that Harry was sure must be fake.
'Yes Master.' Snape said and Harry had the uncomfortable feeling that Snape was about to cry. But of course he did not.
'I assume it was because of Potter.' Voldemort carried on, leaving Harry in more confusion.
'Of course.' Snape said bitterly. Voldemort's hand was still resting on top of his head. 'A lot of good that did. He didn't even know.' Snape said reproachfully and a little angrily. 'Nor did I.' He finished softly, sounding completely lost.
'Why?' Voldemort asked.
'Because…' Snape glanced in Harry's direction and turned back quickly, looking sickened. 'He looked -no looks- so much like Potter … and he must have been very late.'
'But he is your son.' Voldemort said matter-of-factly.
Harry's whole world suddenly spun. He didn't need to be mentioned by name to know it was him they were talking about. The whole thing suddenly made sickening, dreadful sense.
'Yes.'
That was it. Harry's fate seemed to be sealed with that one word. He was Snape's son. He knew it unmistakably. There had been no clues before this night but from this one conversation Harry knew it to be clearly true. Suddenly the pain in his arms no longer seemed that interesting.
'But … I can't.' Snape said, sounding as though he had no clue what to say or indeed of what he was saying. 'He's Potter … he's the Boy Who Lived … he- he's … I can't stand him.'
'He is not a Potter as you well know. He has no ties to James.' Voldemort said. 'You will grow to accept him.'
'No—' Snape started but he was cut off.
'Yes!' Voldemort thundered. 'You have no choice in any case. You have … marked him.' Voldemort's smirk grew.
Snape's eyes widened imperceptibly and he turned round to stare at Harry's lacerated back. Harry could see some sort of realisation dawn as he turned back, although of what he had no clue.
'Master, you tricked me.' He said in a resigned voice.
Voldemort smiled once more. 'But of course my Severus. I knew you wouldn't take it upon yourself to mark him. Some wounds run … too deep.' He said, dragging a fingernail along Snape's jaw line. Both he and Harry shivered but Harry had to assume that it was for different reasons. 'It had to be this way; Harry will make a powerful asset as you well know, and you will teach him.
'You will do my bidding and you will do it well. You have marked him and he now belongs to you in more than blood. You will take your responsibility and will soon realise that he is not his father. As such he is already bonded to me through his scar and blood and now through you as well. It will work Severus. Now take your son and go. I expect to be kept fully up to date and will send one of my servants to check up on your progress regularly.'
'Yes, master.' Snape said. He stood up and bowed, then turned swiftly and walked intently towards Harry. With a swish of his wand the chains holding Harry vanished and he unceremoniously crumpled to the ground. Snape unceremoniously grabbed hold of him and yanked him back up again.
Harry would have resisted but he had no energy in his arms or legs and had to accept defeat at this time. He had also been listening quite intently to Voldemort's words and had come to the hopeful conclusion that Snape was going to take away, although why he had no idea. Of course he wasn't sure that being anywhere with Snape would be any better than being dead, unless of course, he was torturing Snape at the time. That sounded like a good idea.
'Master.' Snape said. 'Does Lucius still have the portkey?'
'No, it was one way. But you will not need it, trust me.' Voldemort said. 'You can apparate with him Severus, you are bonded.
'Yes Master'
'I will remove Wormtail from your service so that you may be able to get to know your son. '
'Thank you Master.'
'Now, go to the edge of the clearing where you will be able to apparate with your son.'
'Yes Master.' With that Snape grabbed Harry by the hair and started dragging him along behind him. Harry was having a hard time trying to keep up and more than once his legs went out from under him but Snape would pull him back up again by his hair.
They had just moved out of the circle of Death Eaters when Voldemort's voice rang out again. 'That is no way to treat your son, Severus. Hold him properly.'
Even Harry could tell that it was an order rather than advise so Snape roughly let go of his hair and instead pulled him harshly by his arm the rest of the way towards the forest.
Just inside its reaches he pulled Harry towards him in a semblance of a hug and Harry had the sickening feeling of being shred into thousands of little pieces.
----------
As soon as Harry became aware of the feeling of being in one piece again he was again dropped to the ground- or more aptly put, pushed to the ground. He fell on a multitude of broken sticks, making his back scream in agony, and found himself looking blearily up into the canopy of trees just outside a run down and gloomy looking house that looked as if it had hardly been used.
'Follow me.' Said a crisp voice in front and above him. 'Come on, hurry up.'
Harry tried to push himself up with his arms, forgetting that he had absolutely no strength in them and ended up sprawled on his back on the forest floor again. This time he screamed at the contact to his lacerated back.
In a moment Snape was there staring down at him dispassionately. 'Forgotten how to stand, Potter?' He asked nastily.
Then Harry did something so crazy for the situation that Snape actually stumbled back a few places: he laughed. It wasn't a short bark of a laugh either, or a steady giggle. It was full out hilarious laughter, as if Harry had never heard anything so funny before.'
'Do you find something about this situation funny, Potter?' Snape asked. 'Because I certainly can not see it.'
'Potter?' Harry said when he had finally calmed down enough. 'Who's Potter?'
'You—' Snape floundered for a minute, which sent Harry into another fit of laughter.
'You have finally gone completely mad.' Snape said looking at him as if he was an alien he had only just set eyes on. 'But I am certainly not going to stay out here with you, playing hysteria.'
With that said he turned sharply, robe flying out behind him and started striding away.
'Well forgive me for seeming a bit reliant but you did just whip me half to death.' Harry shouted after him. 'And I wouldn't follow you unless it was to torture you anyway.'
Snape turned around and looked at him sharply. Then he chuckled mirthlessly. 'I'd like to see you try. But I don't see why I should feel guilty about whipping you half to death when you don't even know how long lace-wings have to be stewed for to make the polyjuice potion.'
'I do know that.' Harry said indignantly, even though he had never meant to start arguing with Snape about something as stupid as that. 'I never heard you ask me that.'
Snape looked at his fingernails in a bored fashion. 'I certainly can't help it if you were only half-conscious at the time. So what is the answer then?'
'Twenty-one days.' Harry replied automatically.
Snape's eyes narrowed dangerously. 'And just how is it that you know that information?'
'I thought you said I should.' Harry said, trying to roll off his back without creating more pain.
'I was lying.' Snape replied. 'What would have been the point in asking things you knew the answer to. I'm sure the Dark Lord would have been positively bored. Now I want to know just why you know that information, because I'm sure you would never get it in any … orthodox way.'
'As if I'd let you in on it when you're willing to leave me out here to die.' Harry said brashly.
'I have more use for you yet Potter.' He replied and with that he flicked his wand at Harry's horizontal form and levitated him into the air, following along behind him.
'Bastard.' Harry mumbled under his breath.
'Ten points off Gryffindor.' Snape replied tersely.
---------
Five minutes later Harry was lowered none too gently onto a soft single bed, making him groan in pain.
'Are you forgetting the back you shredded?' Harry said.
'No.' Was Snape's reply as he lit the torches and the hearth in one flick of his robes.
'Figures.' Harry mumbled.
'What figures?' Snape asked while rummaging through a potions cabinet.
'Green.' Harry said, waving towards the bedspread. He could tell that he was still slightly delirious, the fact that he was thinking about the colour of the bed at a time like this attested to the fact.
Snape came out of the cabinet holding a small green bottle. 'Of course.' He smirked. 'Drink this.' He said holding it out towards him.
'What is it?' Harry asked suspiciously.
'It gives you riches beyond your wildest fucking dreams.' Snape said dryly. 'Now drink it.'
Harry stared at him in shock. Did Snape just swear? Yes, he was sure he had but he was still shocked. Although, thinking about it now, Snape did seem the type to swear seeing as he was always so angry. He probably just had to hold back when around students. But now it's just his son it doesn't matter so much, hmm. Harry thought bitterly.
'Fuck off.' He replied.
Snape raised an eyebrow. 'Oh? You like that stinging sensation on your back then? I never knew you had a thing for pain.'
Harry grunted and then tried to take the potion but his weakened hands would not grip the bottle and his arms felt dead and lifeless. Finally Snape sighed theatrically, as if Harry was doing it on purpose, and put the bottle to Harry's lips himself. Harry downed it one go. It tasted like lemon washing up liquid and he gagged on it a few times but after only a few seconds the pain in his back and arms started to ebb away a little.
Snape wasn't even paying any attention to him by then. He was pacing along the other side of the room, seemingly oblivious to Harry being there any more and looking angrier than Harry had ever seen him.
Harry let him pace in silence for a few minutes until he could hold back no longer. 'Do you wanna actually tell me what the hell is going on some time soon?'
Snape's head whipped back round to stare at Harry. 'No.' He said simply and then carried on pacing. The sick look still hadn't left his face.
'Well I'd like to know what the hell you're playing at. You just whipped me half to death and then willingly took the pain away. If you're gonna kill me you'd better just get on with it before I have the strength to do to you something I have been dreaming about all summer. You owe me an exp—' Harry started.
'I OWE YOU SHIT!' Snape roared at him. Two angry red blotches had come out on his cheeks while the rest of him was deathly pale. 'You have no idea what's just happened. You have no idea of the shit we've both just landed in.'
'Well maybe if you told me…' Harry said, getting angry himself, but before he could finish his sentence Snape had stalked out the room.
Harry could hear him ranting and raving for few minutes, banging cupboard doors as loudly as possible, until he came back in with a jar of some kind of cream and a pair of scissors. Harry watched him warily for a moment as Snape sat down on the edge of the bed next to Harry.
'Turn over onto your stomach.' He said in a deadened voice.
'Yeah right.' Harry said.
'Fine. Be in pain I certainly don't care about that but it will help you later on if you're able to move.'
Harry eyed the scissors one last time but remembered the potion and decided it was worth the risk and did as he was told.
He felt the cold metallic touch of the scissors on his bare skin before he realised Snape was cutting off the remains of his ripped T-shirt.
'I will tell you everything I know.' Snape said quietly. 'After all, you need to know. But don't interrupt, this may take a while.'
Harry shivered as he felt Snape rub some cold salve onto one of his wounds but he didn't say anything.
He heard a sigh above him and then…
'Seventeen years ago the Dark Lord wanted to recruit more followers, he wasn't very happy with the ones he had at the time. Lucius and I were probably his most loyal but I was very young and Lucius was very power hungry, something the Dark Lord was always concerned about. Most of all though he didn't like the way the children of his death eaters were turning out. They either didn't want to join him, were as power hungry as their parents or were too incompetent for him to want them to.
Snape stopped a moment as he moved to get more salve. After a short pause, at which he seemed to be thinking about what he was going to say, he started up again.
'The Dark Lord wanted to have some young followers that he knew would join him when old enough and that he knew would be loyal only to him, so he came up with a plan. It is called the Vinculeira charm, a very powerful spell that, if done correctly, would bond the person it is performed on to him eternally. That should do.'
'What?' Harry said loudly, sitting up suddenly in his anger.' You haven't told me anything.'
Snape glared at him irritatingly. 'I should stop telling you everything purely for your behaviour just now but alas, you need to know. I only meant that the amount of salve I've used on your back will do for now.'
'Oh.' Harry said, slightly chagrined. 'Well…carry on then.'
'Oh well thank you for the permission Potter.'
This time it was Harry's turn to glare. 'Yes. I want to know where my mother comes into this.' He said determinately.
'Oh of course you do.' Snape commented. 'You're not going to like it though.' Snape screwed the lid back onto the cream and put it on his bedside table. 'The Dark Lord got each of his loyal followers to invoke the spell on the woman of their choice who would, if things went well, become pregnant by them and the charm would be carried onto their unborn child.'
'And you chose my mother.'
'Yes.'
'Because of my father.'
'Who?'
'James.'
'Of course.' Snape smirked at him. 'As soon as the Dark Lord told us of his plan I thought of her. I wanted to get back at him for everything he had done to me.'
'By raping my mother!'
'I thought I told you not to interrupt.' Snape said reprovingly. He got up suddenly and started pacing again.
Harry only now took the time to look around the room he found himself in. After all, it wasn't every day you were allowed into Snape's living quarters. Harry had a feeling he would be spending a lot more time here than he could ever wish to but at this moment in time he was still telling himself that this was either all a joke or a very real dream.
The room was fairly small, the bed taking up most of the available space. There was a rickety wardrobe on the right hand side, a chest of draws on the left with a bookcase above it running the length of the wall that looked like it was falling apart, crammed full of books to bursting point. The only other things in the room were a bedside table, a sheepskin rug and two doors, one Harry supposed led to the bathroom. There was a large tome on the bedside table beside the lamp and Harry squinted his head to try to see the title as Snape carried on talking.
'Everything is not black and white.' He carried on, still pacing. 'Yes I did rape your mother but I could have done so in a much more brutal way than I did. I was a loyal Death Eater at the time so by all accounts I should have been more violent than I was.'
'What was you then?' Harry said coldly. He caught a word on the book cover that looked very much like 'potions' and decided he had seen enough.
'I drugged her.' Snape said plainly.
'Drugged her? As in…'
'An aphrodisiac.' Snape elaborated. 'It meant there was no physical force involved. With the potion she was only too happy to comply.'
'Oh, well that's okay then.' Harry said sarcastically. 'For a moment there I actually thought you had done something wrong.'
Snape glared again. He had been doing a lot of that lately but Harry couldn't bring himself to care at that moment.
'I laced the potion with a memory modification. The women chosen were not supposed to know they were carrying a mini death eater. However the potion obviously didn't work.'
'How do you know?' Harry asked.
'Because you are the spitting image of her husband.' Snape snapped. 'What, did you think that was a coincidence?' He sneered.
Harry shrugged.
'Someone must have done that and the only other person who knew about it was me. Evans was always very good at charm work and it doesn't surprise me that the potion didn't work on her.'
'Why?' Harry asked.
'Again do you think your being able to fight the imperius curse is just a coincidence or because you are just so amazing. Well I hate to break it you but it's neither, it's genetic. Your mother could fight the imperius curse and she passed that onto you. She could also fight other similar things like memory modifications. They are both to do with the mind and she was very good at controlling her mind. Something she obviously has not passed onto you.'
'What do you mean by that?' Harry asked, mildly affronted.
'One word. Occlumency. Something you will need to learn even if I have to drum it into your brain. But we are going off subject.' He said, sitting down again on the edge of the bed.
'Did my mum know it was you who did it?' Harry asked and was rewarded with another glare.
'If you keep asking questions we'll be here all night and I would like to get some sleep some time today. As far as I am aware she did not know, but then as far as I was aware before today she didn't know about any of it and you really were Potters child. You were meant to be born in June you know, so it never crossed my mind.'
'Wh-what does this spell do?' Harry asked.
'I will get to that.' Snape said irritably. 'No one was to know who these children were so that when they were brought into the fold it would be a shock to everyone.' Snape glanced at Harry. 'None more so than yours. Also of course, if the ministry ever got word of what had happened they would probably try and track all the children down and kill them.'
'Kill them? The ministry?' Harry asked in disbelief.
'I have told you before boy that nothing is black and white, no one is light or dark. The ministry have done these type of things before, for the greater good, they say. As far as they would be concerned these children are already death eaters and they will not hesitate to treat them as such. Whatever they did would not bode well for the Dark Lord so the whole thing was kept very under wraps. Albus knew of course.'
'How come?' Harry asked.
'Because I told him, you idiot boy. Unfortunately he could not do much as no one knows the names of these children and telling the ministry could be harmful to innocent children if they decide to do what they did … last time.'
'What—'
'It is of no consequence.' Snape interrupted. 'All that matters is that at seventeen years old, when the child comes of age the bond comes into existence, very lightly at first. Their name then appears on the Dark Lords parchment and they are brought in for the ultimate bonding.
'Once they have reached seventeen it is very easy to take the children, as you will have noticed. Any obstacles that may have been there before are there no longer, in your case it was the wards surrounding you relatives house.'
'Um… are my relatives alright.'
Snape laughed cruelly. 'Nice to know they were the first thing that came to mind.'
'Well I was a bit busy trying to save my own skin, then being whipped to death by my dear daddy. Plus, it's not exactly as if I was that fond of them.'
'And I'm sure the feelings mutual.' Snape replied. 'Yes they are all right but they never want to see you again, which suits us.'
'And are people looking for me?'
'No Potter.' Snape said, voice dripping with sarcasm. 'You were just abducted from your relatives home by a follower of the Dark Lord's but no, they're not the least bit worried about the supposed saviour of the wizarding world.'
'Do you always have to be sarcastic? I only asked because if they're looking for m—'
'Then they will just have to keep on looking.' Snape replied unconcernedly. 'I don't have time to keep answering your inane questions.'
'What about the marking?' Harry asked, ignoring Snape's last comment.
'The marking,' Snape carried on, not bothering to fault Harry. 'Is part of the ritual for the complete bond.'
'And what is the complete bond?' Harry asked eagerly.
'The complete bond links the child not only to their father but to the Dark Lord as well. It is irrevocable. The father marks the child in a certain way acceptable to him and to the rules of the bond and says an incantation very much like the one said during the conceiving. This is what links the child's mind to the Dark Lord's.
'So why wasn't anything like that done with me?' Harry asked, sitting up now and leaning forward almost subconsciously in order to hear everything Snape was saying.
'There were a few reasons for this.' Snape said, going over to the drinks cabinet and poring himself a glass of amber liquid. 'And they will be the Dark Lord's downfall.' Snape sat down again on the edge of the bed. 'Firstly he did not believe I would willingly mark you if I had known you were my son beforehand, that may well have been true although no one can deny the Dark Lord for long. He believed however that my marking you without knowing I was doing it and without invoking the rite would suffice.'
'Why?' Harry asked.
'Because you are already marked and bonded to him through that scar of yours. He believed that this link was enough for your bond with him and all that would be needed was to bond you to me. For that all I needed to do was to mark you, because the incantation has already been said when you were conceived.'
'I—' Harry was slightly confused.
'The incantation said at the ultimate bonding,' Snape carried on, 'is to bond the child to the Dark Lord, the marking is to bond the child to the father.'
'Right, so am I bonded to him?' Harry asked wearily.
'In a way, but then in a way you always were. You are not bonded to him in the way he thinks though, not at all.'
'Why not?'
'The way the bond works is that the child is linked to the Dark Lord through the father, but of course that relies on the father being a loyal Death Eater.'
Harry stared at Snape a moment and then burst out laughing.
Snape's lip curled upwards in a semblance of a sneer. 'Of course I don't expect you to believe me. I'd be disappointed if you did because the whole point was that you don't believe it. But soon you will have to believe it because it is going to keep us both alive. There will be time for that tomorrow.'
'What are you going to do?' Harry asked sarcastically. 'Turn back time?'
'No.' Snape said, his patience wearing thin. 'Just show you a few truths.'
'But why would Vol—' Snape gave him a sharp look. 'You-know-who,' Harry corrected hastily, 'take such a risk of not performing the whole thing. I wouldn't think he'd normally make mistakes.'
'The only mistake he's made is trusting me.' Snape continued. 'And you can't blame him for that- I'm very good at my job.'
Harry grimaced.
'Shown by that revolting face you pulled.' He carried on. 'The dark Lord's plan would have worked if I was loyal to him and, now more than ever, he is so sure of that that it didn't seem like a risk to him. Do you know what that means?'
'Yeah, that you're a lying bastard.'
Harry didn't see it coming. In a flash Snape had crossed the room and landed a searing blow across his face. Harry was so surprised that for a moment he didn't feel the pain even though his head was thrown back by the force of it and hit the headboard. Then the pain came.
Snape only smirked down at him. 'You'd better get used to that. You see my son.' He said mockingly. 'Now that I am no longer your teacher and you are no longer my student the rules do not apply.'
Snape waited to see what Harry would do but he just continued to stare up at Snape in shock so he continued. 'What it means is that the Dark Lord thinks the bond has worked and if he finds out it has not then he will know I am a spy and will kill us both. So you have got to learn Occlumency pretty sharpish, and believe me I'll make you learn it, any way I see fit. I will not have you compromising my position.'
Harry, who still had his hand to his stinging cheek, was breathing heavily and glared angrily at Snape. 'You mean to say that if I don't learn it you'll hit me?' He said incredulous.
'Probably not hit you.' Snape replied, unconcerned. 'But I will not be averse to causing you pain. And you will need to learn to get used to pain anyway so it will serve two purposes. I will be giving you lessons on pain anyway, don't doubt it.'
'I don't have to do anything you say.' Harry said angrily.
'You do and you will. Remember it's your life on the line as well as mine.' Snape paused and started pacing the room. 'You will need to learn a lot of things, most importantly it is to trust me and to block your mind. The Dark Lord will find it much easier now to read your thoughts.
'You don't know how close you came to being a mind slave of the Dark Lord. The bond would have still worked without the full incantation if I was loyal, and it would have still worked without me having to be loyal if the full incantation had been performed. It is only both of these things together that have stopped you from fully being at the Dark Lord's mercy.'
'Wh-what has happened to me then?' Harry asked, not knowing if he really wanted to know the answer.
Snape ran his hand through his hair, as if to give himself time to think. 'The bond will usually give the recipient's mind completely over to the Dark Lord. He will not only know what you are doing and why but he will be able to make you do almost anything he wants.'
'Like imperius?' Said Harry.
'Not really like imperius. This bond makes the person want to do these things, rather than being made to do them without their wish. They are in much more control of their body and the mind control only works up to an extent. If what the Dark Lord is proposing is so against the person character then they can and will rebel. Also the bond strengthens over time. So at first it will not be very strong and the person has the chance to… grow into it, if you like.'
'So is that why I can't feel any change yet.'
'There are two reasons for that. Firstly the link is extremely weak with you. The Dark Lord is able to read your thoughts, probably easier than everyone else's because of the bond you already share. He will be able to see what you are doing, who you are with and every little thing in your mind- hence your desperate need for Occlumency. He will not, however be able to change your mind or your thoughts at all. He can see them but he cannot interact with them. But—'
'But because he thinks the bond has worked he thinks he can make me do things so I have to act like he can.' Harry interrupted.
Snape looked at Harry appraisingly. 'Maybe you're not as thick as it first seemed. Secondly while you are in this house you are protected from his legilimency because of the wards I put up here a long time ago. This is the only place I can relax my mind but I still do not do that in case I fall into the habit of it. It has been my haven though, and shall also be yours.
'In fact, if it wasn't for this we probably would already have been found out. And that is the reason why you need to completely master Occlumency before you step out of this house.'
'Does Voldemort know about the wards?' Harry asked.
Snape winced at the mention of the name. 'Of course he does. I think he would realise if he couldn't reach someone's mind. But he just thinks I am generally a suspicious bastard and he's not about to believe any different now. Anyway that is enough for now.'
He got up and walked over to the potions cabinet once more. 'You need to get some sleep.' He mumbled into the cupboard as he rummaged. 'Tomorrow I will start you on your Occlumency training and teaching you how to act around the Dark Lord and his followers. Acting well is an extremely difficult thing to do, especially where the Dark Lord is involved.'
He came out holding a small vial with some purple liquid inside and placed it on the bedside table. 'Dreamless sleep.' He said. Then he went to the wardrobe and took out some nightclothes. 'But first I will show you a few things. That the bond didn't work should be enough for you but as you are also a suspicious bastard I believe you will need more evidence of my real loyalties. You may sleep here, I will transfigure the couch.'
With that he picked up his potions book and his drink and stalked out of the room.
Harry was left staring blindly at the wall.