May 1996
"I'm never going to bloody get it," Harry complained as his head fell onto the kitchen table that was covered in his Potions textbooks and notes from the last five years.
"Watch your language," Severus reprimanded his 15-year old son sitting across from him.
They had been doing extra study sessions in their quarters between dinner and curfew to help him prepare to take his O.W.L.s. in only a fortnight. Sometimes, like tonight, it was just Harry, but occasionally Harry managed to convince the Potions Master to include his friends for the extra help too.
"You'll get there Harry," Severus told him. "You're thinking too hard about it."
"These are important, I won't be accepted into Auror training without the N.E.W.T. in Potions."
Severus laughed, "Believe it or not, I was actually aware of such a fact, as I do have to give the same career advice to my Slytherins."
Harry placed his quill down, apparently having decided to give up on the question he should have been answering, "Who wants to be an Auror from Slytherin?"
He should have seen that one coming, "It is none of your concern."
Exhaling deeply, Harry squinted his eyes, "You say that a lot you know... That it's none of your concern."
Severus pointed back to Harry's Potions book, determined to help him understand the content, "That's because it's true. Move onto the next question."
And so the night went on, father and son going back and forth preparing for the test that would determine if Harry would get to move further towards his future goal to become an Auror; a career that Severus loathed. It's not that he didn't think Harry would do well; no, Severus knew he'd do extreme well as an Auror. Harry was a very powerful wizard with quick reflexes, already knew a large repertoire of spells he could filter through with a seconds notice, and the Occlumency skills he learned last year would set him apart from the sea of applicants. Severus didn't want him to join the Aurors because it was probably the most dangerous career he could have chosen and losing Harry was too much for him to even think about.
When Harry first mentioned the Aurors, Severus had tried to stay neutral but as time went on, he found himself at odds with Harry about it. Why did they think 15 years old was an appropriate time to pick a career? In all the times Severus had sat down with his fifth year Slytherins, how did that fact never cross his mind? And of course his son - the son he loved more than anything else - picked the single most dangerous career in the wizarding world.
"You should go back up to your tower," Severus finally said when it was not only almost curfew, but clear that Harry couldn't take much more studying tonight. "I promise I will help you finish tomorrow, maybe we can work on your practical instead, but you need to get some sleep."
Harry looked up at his Dad with his bright emerald green eyes that at first looked so much like Lily's, but now Severus could tell every speckle that made them unique to his Harry, "I was hoping I could stay here tonight. Sometimes it's just too loud in the tower... and I may have already told Ron and the guys that I would be."
"How very Slytherin of you," Severus responded. "Of course you can stay here, but don't stay up too late."
"Thanks Dad." Harry said while he gathered up his books knowing Severus did not like them left out all night even if he had every intention of picking back up with it first thing in the morning.
"Good night Harry," he said walking out of their kitchen and down the hallway to his bedroom.