Chapter Five -
A simple caress of your hand awakens me
"Wait… What? You're not…. I mean, you never... you didn't come up with… You've never even heard of..."
Harry realized he was spouting out incoherencies, but he found it difficult to control his disjointed stammering. His mind was reeling from this unexpected revelation.
Despite Harry's rambling, Severus answered his hard-to-follow inquests with a negatory head shake, a single raised eyebrow and a growing smirk of amusement, intimating the surprising truth.
He had no idea what Harry was talking about and had never referred to himself as the Half-Blood Prince... not yet, anyway.
Bemused grey eyes darted over to the Potions book in a nervous action, but snapped back after only an instant. The distrait movement did not go unnoticed. Severus mimicked Harry's furtive glance, his dark eyes seeking out the other boy's previous focal point. With narrowed eyes, Severus returned his attention to Harry, smirk still in place.
"My potions book?" he questioned, "Gray… I assume from your confounded expression and from that involuntary glance at my textbook, that you are under the impression that I've written this… Prince title… somewhere within its pages. I assure you… I haven't."
"Can... can I see it?" Harry requested, a growing sense of dread pervading his consciousness.
"I suppose. Am I correct in presuming that you've already seen this book… in the future?" Severus countered.
"Y-y-yes," Harry answered, stumbling over the single word acknowledgment. A part of his stunned brain marveled at how analytical the other boy's mind was, to have put two and two together and come to the correct conclusion so soon.
Throat tightening, heart hammering in his chest, Harry realized that he and Severus were entering into dangerous territory. The adult Professor Snape had almost caught Harry with the Half-Blood Prince's potions book back in sixth year. The professor had never actually seen him with it, but he had known that Harry had been in possession of it at some point. Written upon one of its pages was the incantation to Professor Snape's own personal spell, Sectumsempra, and he had no trouble that day recognizing its vicious effects as Malfoy lay sliced open and bleeding to death on the cold, wet floor of Moaning Myrtle's bathroom.
The complex time conundrum weighed heavily on Harry as he considered the consequences of his current conversation with Severus. Was it foolish for Harry, as Gray, to admit to Severus now that he would have access to this book in the future? Would this admission cause the future Professor Snape to suspect that Harry Potter might be Gray Skye?
Harry took a deep breath to calm his escalating panic. There was no benefit in worrying about whether his current words and actions would cause his future Potions Professor to become suspicious decades from now since this conversation had already occurred for the man. The damage was already done. Still, Harry thought, he'd better be cautious.
Severus reached over to his bedside table and grabbed the topmost book from the towering stack. After a slight hesitation, he handed the book to Harry, his dark eyes keen with interest as he surveyed Harry's perusal of the text.
With trembling fingers, Harry rifled through the familiar hand-me-down book. Its pages were adorned with Severus' scribbled revisions and amendments, just as they had been in his time. When he reached the inside back cover, his eyes descended to the very bottom where he remembered the Half-Blood Prince's proprietorial statement to have been written.
The space was blank.
Harry was stunned. The significance behind this discovery made his head spin. If Severus hadn't thought up the 'Half-Blood Prince' title... if he'd never even heard of it until this moment... then the person responsible for introducing it to him... was Harry himself.
"Satisfied?" Severus commented.
Harry ignored Severus' remark while he thumbed back through the pages he had skimmed over moments earlier, wondering what else could be missing from the Half-Blood Prince's textbook. His frenetic search halted when he reached the page containing instructions on how to brew Felix Felicis. He turned the page, expecting to see the very spell that had gotten him into so much trouble in that bathroom a year ago.
A small gasp of astonishment escaped him as he scanned the unblemished page. The handwritten incantation Sectumsempra, along with its ominous description For Enemies, was missing from the margin.
Severus had yet to invent it.
Harry looked up and peered into the dark eyes that were still trained on him, emanating a burning curiosity. Harry then looked down, gazing at the book in his hands while he considered how to word his next question. After only a brief hesitation, he plunged into his earnest inquiry.
"What spells have you invented, Severus... besides Muffliato?"
Severus narrowed his eyes at the bold question, but answered, most likely to pacify his own desire to understand.
"Just one other... Levicorpus. It causes one to be lifted in the air by the ankles. It's not entirely my greatest achievement as, unfortunately, Black came across the spell not long after I invented it in fifth year. I made the mistake of jotting it down on a spare leaf of parchment which I kept in my bag. That moronic, tag-along friend of theirs, Pettigrew, stole it out of my bag during class one day and gave it to Black. He and Potter have been casting it on anyone that annoys them ever since."
"So... just Levicorpus and Muffliato... that's it?" Harry pressed, too anxious to brood on yet another example of the Marauders' sins towards Severus.
"Yes. Well... no, I had been working on another, but... it didn't go very well."
"What do you mean?"
"The spell was meant to be an advanced protection spell... for dire emergencies, you know, life-threatening situations. I thought it would be very useful during wartime. Except, I was unsuccessful in controlling the protective shield."
At Harry's furrowed brow and narrowed eyes, Severus expounded further.
"It's basically a shield charm, like Protego, but the actual surface of the shield is razor-sharp, like the blade of a knife. If your enemies attempt to penetrate the shield, they will get cut... and badly. However, every time I erect the shield, it does not maintain its form. Instead, it spreads out as if deliberately seeking to harm, slashing through the air like a whip at whomever is nearby. For this reason, I had to abandon the spell."
Harry stared at him, eyes wide and heart thudding away.
"Was it called... Sectumsempra?" he whispered.
Severus nodded, an astonished expression on his face. There was a long pause where they stared at one another, both caught up in the gravity of the moment, rendered speechless by the unnerving paradox of time.
Harry was shocked by Severus' initial intention for Sectumsempra. Regardless of how his adult self had used the spell in the future, the eighteen-year-old Severus Snape had only ever imagined it to be used as a means of defense, even giving up on the spell altogether when he couldn't maintain absolute control over it.
This was what surprised Harry the most, once again causing him to question what he thought he knew about the Slytherin. Harry had gone back in time expecting Severus Snape to be... well... the Half-Blood Prince... expert in potions, inventor of Dark spells, as much instigator as he was victim, left arm poised to take the Dark Mark.
For the second time today, he was forced to admit his ignorance.
To be fair, there were several valid reasons for Harry's assumptions. He recalled Sirius telling him once that Snape knew more Dark curses as a first-year than most seventh-years. Of course, that must have been an exaggeration. Harry hadn't really believed the slander when his Godfather had said it. Sirius had obviously been prejudiced by his childhood grudge.
However, that wasn't the only basis for his false presumption. Even those memories given to him by the adult Professor Snape in the Shrieking Shack indicated that the Slytherin had been immersed in the Dark Arts in his youth. Harry's own mother had implied as much when she argued with Severus the night following their OWLs.
As Harry reflected on that memory, he realized that it had occurred almost two years ago from this current time. That night when Severus had begged for Lily's forgiveness outside of the Gryffindor common room was at the end of their fifth year. It was obvious to Harry now that sometime between that moment and this one, Severus had taken on a different perspective. He wasn't the Dark Arts-loving, bitter, muggle-loathing pre-Death Eater portrayed in that memory.
He had changed.
Harry thought about his own experience with the current teenage Severus Snape. He recalled the confrontation by the Forbidden Forest only hours ago with his father and Sirius. Both Gryffindors had their wands leveled at the Slytherin, ready to instigate a fight at any moment, yet he stood down, his wand lowered by his side. Only when it appeared as though Harry was about to be attacked, did Severus take defensive measures.
Harry shook his head to clear it, a faint ache building behind his eyes. He pressed his fingers against his closed lids to temper the intensifying throb, while considering what to say next.
"I think..." Harry began, still rubbing his eyes, "I think maybe we should leave it here for now."
Blinking open his burning eyes, he saw the confusion still evident on Severus' pale face.
"Severus, is it alright if we... if we talk some more tomorrow?" he added, "I mean, you know, after classes?"
At Severus' nod of agreement, Harry began to rise from the bed, but was halted by the feel of gentle fingers wrapping around his wrist. Harry's head snapped back, grey eyes locking with obsidian ones.
"Gray..." Severus whispered, a slight tremble in his timbre, "Thank you... for... for helping me... during my nightmare."
Harry responded with a small smile and a nervous nod, cheeks flushed with sudden heat again as the memory of his lips against the pale knuckles sprang to mind. Severus' grip loosened, his long fingers unhurried as they withdrew from Harry's skin. Heartbeat speeding up at the soft caress, Harry forced his gaze downward, staring at the stone floor, hoping to conceal his rekindled blush.
Exhausted, his mind still reeling from their stunning conversation, Harry hastened back to his four-poster and climbed into the warm bed, eager for a few more hours of sleep. Once he was secured beneath the covers, he raised his wand and canceled the Muffliato spell. Just as the spell's effects dissipated, Harry heard Severus chuckle, a faint utterance issued amid the quiet laugh...
"Half-Blood Prince... ridiculous."
o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o -
"Gray... Gray, wake up! God knows you've slept enough..."
"Huh? Wha– What time is it?" Harry mumbled through a sleep-induced fog, eyes squeezed shut and right hand fumbling about in search of his non-existent glasses. He wasn't coherent enough to register the use of his new name.
"It's seven-fifteen, and if you don't get up now you're going to miss breakfast as well as your first class... or should I say, our first class."
Harry abandoned the fruitless search for his glasses and pushed himself up into a sitting position, blinking away the remnants of sleep. Once the world came into focus and his brain caught up with his vision, Harry peered up.
An annoyed Severus Snape was looking down at him with what looked like Harry's course schedule in his right hand, his arms folded across his chest and a glower of chagrin discernible on his pallid features.
"Why is it... that you seem to have the exact same schedule as myself? Coincidence, maybe? Or perhaps it was the brainchild of a certain jovial Headmaster who loves to have his hand in things."
Harry took a deep breath and ran his fingers through his hair, fingertips lingering on the unaccustomed length and softness, pondering exactly how much to disclose to Severus. He couldn't come right out and tell the boy that he was only here to make sure Severus survived a deadly snake attack two decades from now, but he had to tell him more than the ambiguous advisory he'd mentioned the night before.
"Severus, remember last night when I told you that I was here to ensure that a positive outcome is achieved following a terrible event?" he ventured at last.
After Severus' succinct nod, Harry continued, "Well, that future event... it involves you."
Dark eyes lowered, unseeing as they drifted back and forth along the floor by Harry's bed. Then Severus swallowed hard, released a shaky breath and lifted his gaze to meet Harry's again.
"So... you're here to... to help me?"
"Yes. That's why the Headmaster gave me the same schedule as you. I guess he thought it would be wise for us to... spend most of our time together."
Severus took another languid, steadying breath. He nodded before placing the schedule back on his bedside table. When he turned back around, Harry was startled to see that his expression had changed into one of sheer amusement, that familiar smirk lighting up his thin face.
"Mastery Prep Potions, Gray? I hope you realize there are only four of us in that class, and it's not even offered every year... not unless there are students who show an immense aptitude for Potion-Making," he goaded, smirk growing, "Do you think you can handle it?"
Despite the panic that should have swamped him at Severus' warning, Harry couldn't help but revel in the playful banter, enjoying the brilliant smile on Severus' face as he teased Harry. He was aware that his heart suffered two tugs at the same time; a pang at how Professor Snape in his time had never teased or even smiled like this, and a warmth at the impish expression and the spirited look in those dark eyes.
"Well... I don't have anything to worry about, do I?" Harry answered cheekily, "Not with the Half-Blood Prince by my side."
Severus' laugh was even better than Harry could have imagined it. Not that he had before the last twenty-four hours. All at once, that thin, pale face was rendered animated and full of life, low rumbling chuckles falling from those grinning lips. The tenebrous eyes were aglow with such welcome vivacity and emotion that Harry couldn't help but laugh along with him.
After a few moments, Severus somehow managed to formulate a directive, pulling both of them back to a semblance of normalcy.
"Come on, Gray. Get dressed. I'll wait for you in the common room."
o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o -
The moment they entered the Great Hall, Harry knew there would be trouble.
Sitting at the Slytherin table while surrounded by future Death Eaters was a challenge for which Harry had not been prepared. He had never given much thought to who the other Slytherins were during Severus' seventh year, but after sitting down with him at the far end of the table, Harry wished he had.
Every single eye at the table was leveled at him. A rigid silence ensued while they stared at him and followed his every movement.
Harry attempted to avoid the pressing weight of their penetrating glowers of instant mistrust and wariness, but found it almost impossible not to glance in their direction every few seconds. He noticed that Severus never once looked up from his plate. Harry was certain that the boy was aware of the overt glances in their direction, but whether it was because he was used to it or whether he was just skilled at ignoring uncomfortable situations, he wasn't sure.
Trying to serve himself some food under the strain of forced quietude and the tension of scornful looks, Harry was distracted by a flash a crimson near the entrance to the Great Hall. It was followed by an amiable laugh that seemed to permeate the vast room. He spun around in his seat and strained his neck to get a better look, an audible gasp escaping him when his eyes connected with the owner of that melodious sound.
Lily Evans, walking hand in hand with James Potter, strolled in through the open doors of the Great Hall, a magnificent smile lighting up her heart-shaped face. She seemed to bounce with every step, a ponytail of long crimson tresses swinging back and forth from where it was tied with a gold ribbon at the back of her head. Her brilliant, virescent eyes never left James' face as he continued to entertain her with conversation while making animated gestures with his free hand.
Harry knew he shouldn't be staring at her with every Slytherin at the table openly scrutinizing him, but he just couldn't stop, his eyes greedily drinking in the sight of his mother at the age of seventeen. Young... happy... lovely... alive. The last time he had seen her, just a mere day ago in the Forbidden Forest, she was but a whisper of life, an echo of spirit, called forth by the magic of the Resurrection Stone.
But right here, right now, in this very room, she was alive, breathing, bounding, laughing, full of vivacity and exuberance. The image nearly took Harry's breath away, his eyes gaining swift moisture, his throat swelling as he continued to watch her with rapt attention.
Harry's intense fervency was soon interrupted by a commanding voice issuing from the opposite end of the Slytherin table.
"Snape... who's your friend?"
Harry tore his gaze away from Lily to see the questioner ascend from the table and approach him and Severus, striding toward them with a confident, intimidating gait. He was a tall, brawny boy with chiseled features and a fake grin that seemed out of place amid his arrogant, haughty expression. His auburn hair was perfectly parted and well-groomed, and his teeth were a gleaming white, giving him the unmistakable look of an affluent Pureblood heir that had been pampered since the day he was born.
As the boy neared them, Harry stole a quick glance at Severus who shook his head an infinitesimal amount. That told Harry all he needed to know; this was not someone to underestimate.
"This is Gray. Gray Skye. He will be finishing his seventh year with us," Severus informed in a monotone voice. The muscles around his jaw were tight and his gaze was cast down, eyes averted from the boy as he replied. It was obvious that Severus was uncomfortable in this boy's presence and his anxious, tense aura put Harry on guard even more than he had been.
"Well, Gray, welcome to Slytherin house. I'm Avery. Caedis Avery."
"Avery, pleasure to meet you," Harry answered in a short, clipped tone as he stood up and shook the outstretched hand in mock formality.
Meeting Avery's cold, blue eyes with his own unwavering gaze, recognition came to Harry at last. He felt every muscle in his body stiffen and he pursed his lips together, willing himself not to say something he would regret. He knew what the future held for this pompous, overindulged boy.
Avery would one day become a vicious Death Eater. He was in the graveyard the night Cedric was murdered, and he fought alongside Lucius Malfoy and Bellatrix Lestrange in the Department of Mysteries.
At that thought, another scene from Professor Snape's memories surfaced in Harry's mind, Lily accusing Severus of being friends with Avery. However, if current tensions were anything to go by, that friendship had now dissolved.
"I take it from your lack of accent that you're local. Home-schooled, were you?" Avery asked.
"Yes, I was," Harry replied, his muscles still taut with the strain of concealing his anger, his voice flat.
"What changed? I mean, it's a little late to alter your method of education," Avery pressed, eyes narrowing in suspicion, as well as agitation at Harry's unfriendly tone.
"I... well, my parents... they had to..." Harry stammered, frantic to find a believable explanation but coming up with nothing.
"His parents are healers, Avery," Severus announced, turning at last to face the interrogator, "They recently were called upon to assist in the opening of that new Wizarding hospital in Germany, Barmherzigkeit Klinik. They will be out of the country until the end of July."
"Healers, huh? Hmmm... Skye... I don't know any British Pureblood wizards by that surname, Gray. You are a Pureblood, aren't you?"
Harry's eyes widened only for the briefest of moments. Harry glanced at Severus again, hoping his ability to fabricate falsehoods under pressure would continue.
"Not that it is any of your business, Avery, but his father is part of a very old, well-established Norwegian Pureblood family," Severus added, his tone cool and calm, even as his deception deepened. "Gray's mother is British, and I think you'll find her line is quite pure. I take it you've heard of the Prewetts?"
Avery's disdainful expression transformed into one of mild interest upon hearing the details of Gray Skye's blood status. His cold, disapproving blue eyes turned away from Severus and focused instead on Harry, looking him up and down. Their probing gaze, narrowed in circumspection, scanned him as if searching for flaws on which to pass judgment. After a moment, Avery turned back to Severus, a malicious grin in place.
"So, Snape... your new friend is a Prewett. Considering the whole line of Prewetts are known blood-traitors, I'm not so sure he's much better than that filthy mud-blood girl you used to..."
Harry was on his feet in an instant, his wand leveled at the Slytherin's smirking face. Blinded by fury, he pondered the incantations to a hundred different hexes as he struggled to manage his overwhelming rage. He wasn't even aware that he was trembling until Severus grabbed his wrist, steadying his tremors.
"Gray... no... don't..." Severus whispered, applying firm pressure on Harry's wrist, coaxing his arm down.
"Bravo, Mr. Skye," Avery praised, his hands clapping together in a slow, mock applause, "I knew we'd get there in the end... and I must compliment you on your choice of friends... Snape's a fucking blood-traitor too."
Avery turned from them, an amused chuckle escaping him as he strolled back to join the others. Every one of the Slytherins had been watching the scene unfold and was now laughing along with him, their chortling interjected with snide taunts and jeers of ridicule, while those from the other tables stared wide eyed at Harry for having pointed his wand at the burly Slytherin.
"Severus... I'm sorry... I shouldn't have reacted like that, I just..." Harry began, belated chagrin tempering his rage, along with thankfulness that his future parents were seated at the other end of the Gryffindor table and had not heard the interchange.
"No, you shouldn't have," Severus interrupted in a curt tone.
The two ate in silence after that. Harry was convinced he had wrecked his tentative friendship with Severus and spent the next twenty minutes or so swallowing food he had no appetite for while trying to figure out if Severus would ever speak to him again.
When most of the Slytherin students had left the Great Hall and the table only consisted of the two of them and a few first-years, Severus turned to Harry, fixed him with a penetrating stare and spoke in a hushed, yet urgent undertone.
"Gray, you must be very careful around Avery. He, Mulciber and Rosier are designated to be Marked as soon as they graduate. You must control your rage around them, especially if your anger is directed at them for their bigotry. Their families are extremely powerful, and their influence is far-reaching. The lie about your status as a blood-traitor is just deprecating enough for it to be believable, but I caution you to keep your mouth shut around them at all costs. Being a Pureblood in Slytherin will keep you from being harmed, even if your family are known blood-traitors, but not if you continue to pull that Gryffindor shit!"
"Gryffindor? I... I'm not... I..."
"Oh for God's sake, Gray, I spent most of my childhood as a Gryffindor's best friend. I know one when I see one. You're about as Gryffindor as they come."
At Harry's look of outright astonishment, Severus got up from the table, threw his bag over his shoulder and turned back around to face Harry, a wide grin lighting up his features.
"Come on. Defense Against the Dark Arts starts in five minutes. I suppose if yesterday's confrontation with Potter and Black is anything to go by, you should be able to get through it well enough with little assistance from the Half-Blood Prince!"
o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o -
"...as you all should well remember, today's lesson will be a continuation of Friday's practical. In just a few minutes, I will ask you to break up into your assigned pairs to work on casting a nonverbal defensive shield. Just as we did last week, I will ask one of your pair to cast the shield, nonverbally of course... and, no Miss Greengrass, whispering does not count as nonverbal... while the other will cast a few minor jinxes at their shield. Then you will switch."
"Now then, we do have a new member of our class today... Mr. Skye, is it?"
"Yes, sir," Harry answered, trying hard to maintain eye contact with the Defense Professor. It was difficult considering the Marauders and Lily were also in this same class. His heart was nearly beating out of his chest at the sheer unbelievable irony of the situation.
"Mr. Snape, since I usually partner with you due to the previous odd number of students, I think it will work out nicely if you and Mr. Skye pair up for the remainder of the term."
Professor Gazzoni bid all the students out of their seats, and with a swift flick of his wand, relocated the desks to sit in neat rows along the back of the classroom. As the students formed their pairs and proceeded to separate areas around the room, Severus made his way to the very back corner, beckoning Harry to follow with a slight jerk of his head.
"I will be circulating around the room to check on your progress, class, so you'd best be productive the entire time," Professor Gazzoni announced, "You will have fifteen minutes for this exercise, and if all goes well, we will have another go at the Patronus charm."
At the professor's words, there was a collective groan. It was obvious that the students were not looking forward to working on their Patronuses. Harry wholeheartedly agreed, though for a different reason.
The very idea of conjuring his Patronus in front of his future parents, whose doe and stag Patronuses were the reason his was a stag, was terrifying. After yesterday's face-off with Sirius and his father, Harry was certain the Marauders were wary of him since he had not held back in implying that he had inside knowledge about them and their secrets. He was certain they had no idea that Harry was James' and Lily's future son, but casting the silver stag in front of them would give them a huge hint.
Harry also didn't want Severus to see his Patronus. Severus' Patronus was a doe, the exact replica of Lily's because he had loved her, a love so enduring that he had cast nothing but the argent doe throughout the entirety of his life. If Harry were to cast his stag here... now... in front of all of them... the repercussions could be nothing short of disastrous.
Harry's utter panic must have been blatant, because when he peered over to look at Severus, the dark eyes were narrowed in keen interest, one corner of his mouth upturned into a crooked simper.
"Worried about casting a Patronus, Gray?" Severus inquired.
"Actually, yes. I... I don't think it's a good idea for... certain people to see it," he replied, his eyes darting around the room in search of his future parents and the Marauders.
"Are you worried about your specific Patronus being recognized in the future?"
"Um... yes. And... well... my Patronus might... well... uh... correlate with someone else's here..." Harry added, fumbling over his words.
There they were – his young parents-to-be were in the far corner of the classroom diagonally opposite from him and Severus. Remus and Sirius were directly beside them. Remus' young appearance and less lined face gave Harry's heart another pang. He turned his attention to the first couple and watched as Lily had no problem holding her defensive shield while James threw a series of stinging hexes at it.
"Professor Gazzoni is heading our way. Cast your shield," Severus directed.
Harry spoke the incantation in his head, and at once, his shield formulated. Severus hurled a powerful jelly-leg jinx at the center of the barrier, just as the professor reached them. The curse dissolved on impact. Professor Gazzoni gave an affirmative nod in acknowledgment, then moved on to the next closest pair, which happened to be Avery and another Slytherin boy. Harry suspected it was either Rosier or Mulciber, but wasn't certain which one.
With the professor's attention diverted, Severus continued their previous conversation in a low voice.
"Listen, Gray... you have little to worry about in this class. Out of the sixteen students here, there are only four who have been successful in producing a fully-fledged, corporeal Patronus. Does your Patronus take the form of a common creature or a magical creature?"
"It's a common creature... but what does that have anything to do with..."
"Patronuses that take on the form of a magical creature are quite unusual. Professor Dumbledore's is a phoenix. That is exceptionally rare. If you had told me that yours is a magical creature, like his is, I would advise you not to cast the charm. However, if it is a common animal representation, as you say it is, then you shouldn't have anything to fear. Duplicates are not so uncommon."
"Really?" Harry asked, feeling a bit more at ease with the idea, "So... who can cast one here?"
"Remus Lupin can, that's the boy working with Black. His is a wolf. And both Sean Smith of Hufflepuff and Kelly Thompson of Ravenclaw can produce one. Coincidentally, they produce the same Patronus, a tiger," Severus informed him.
"Oh... the two that produce the tiger... are they... are they together?"
Obsidian eyes narrowed in an instant, fixing Harry with an unusual glare.
"No, Gray, I told you... it is merely a coincidence that both of their Patronuses take on the same form. But if it were not, I would certainly expect you to ask me if they were related... not if they were in a relationship. You do understand the theory of how a Patronus gets its form... don't you?"
"Well... yes. A Patronus either takes a form based on its caster's inner spirit, which is called the true Patronus, or it can replicate the Patronus of either a family member or someone they are in love with..."
"No," Severus interjected, "That last part is not correct."
"What? Yes, it is," Harry argued, "I know of... two instances where someone's Patronus took on the form of someone they were in love with..."
"No, that's not how it works. You are mistaken. The Patronus can only ever take on the replica form of another if it is a coincidence, as in the case of Smith and Thompson, or if the two people are part of the same immediate family, usually passed down from parent to child."
"B-but..." Harry spluttered, confused by this information, "But... I thought..."
"The two instances of which you had referred, are you certain they were the exact same Patronus?" Severus asked.
Harry thought back to the first time he'd ever encountered this situation. It was when he'd seen Tonks cast her Patronus at the beginning of sixth year. Hers had changed its form in accordance with her growing feelings for Remus, and it took on the form of a wolf.
Lowering his head and squeezing his eyes together to heighten his recollection, Harry attempted to formulate an accurate picture in his mind of what Tonks' wolf Patronus looked like. His eyes snapped open when the details of that memory became more pronounced. He was mistaken. It wasn't a wolf... not exactly. It was a werewolf.
"Oh... wait... I guess I was mistaken about one of those situations. They... they weren't exact replicas, but they were... similar..." Harry expounded.
"Yes. That's how romantic love affects a Patronus' form. If two people are in love, and only if that love is shared between true soul mates, then one of the lovers' Patronuses will change to a form that complements the other. Complements, Gray, not replicates."
Harry's brow furrowed in confusion as he pondered this new information. It did make sense in the case of Remus and Tonks. Tonks' Patronus was a werewolf and Remus' was a wolf – complementary creatures. Now that he thought about it, this idea held true for his mother and father as well. A doe and a stag were not the exact same form; they complemented each other.
Why then, was Severus' Patronus a doe if it wasn't because he had been in love with Lily? Could it have been a coincidence like the two tiger Patronuses in their class?
"Anyway," Severus remarked, pulling Harry from his focused reverie, "the fourth person in the class who can produce a Patronus is myself."
Harry's eyes snapped up, meeting the dark, shadowy eyes in an intense gaze. He took a deep breath to alleviate his renewed panic as he weighed his choices. Since neither his mother nor his father could successfully cast a corporeal Patronus yet, it might still be safe to cast his stag. However, if Severus produced the silver doe and he the stag, there would be more leading questions that he was not ready to answer.
"Time's up, ladies and gentleman. I have checked your nonverbal shields at least once and I must say that you've all improved tremendously since last week," the professor announced, "Now, let's see if we can keep that competence going, shall we? Please spend the next thirty minutes practicing the Patronus charm with your partner. I am aware there are still only a few of you who have achieved more than silver vapor, but I am confident that we can do better than that by the end of term. I will be walking around to check your progress. Begin."
Again, Harry turned around to watch the four Gryffindors in the corner, just in time to see Remus raise his wand and call out the familiar incantation. A huge silver wolf erupted from the end of his wand, greeted by the tumultuous applause by the other three. It circled the four Gryffindors and reared back on its hind legs, before disintegrating into a fine grey mist.
"Show off," Severus muttered, before raising his own wand and articulating the same spell.
"Expecto Patronum!"
Harry gasped, shocked by the startling image in front of him. He blinked several times before he allowed himself to believe what he was seeing. The magnificent silvery creature was enormous and breathtakingly exquisite. It was the most impressive Patronus Harry had ever laid eyes on. It glowed with a brilliant, almost blinding luminosity, and Harry felt his breath catch in his throat as he watched it circle them, its movements majestic and graceful. It was beyond beautiful... but it was not a doe.
It was a Chatham raven.
Harry's heart raced and his breathing quickened as, all of a sudden, a profound understanding came to him. This raven was Severus' true Patronus, a representation of his inner sprit, his soul, his very being. This raven was his original Patronus. The doe came later, but its precipitous transformation had nothing to do with Lily Evans. If Severus had truly been in love with Lily, and that love had been powerful enough to render a Patronus change, then Severus' Patronus would have transformed into a stag, like James' Patronus, so that it complemented hers. But this was not the case.
The simple fact that this brilliant, powerful raven Patronus would one day change into a doe implied that its transformation would be complementary. It could not be a replication form which would have manifested as an original Patronus, like Harry's stag taking the form of his father's. No... at some point, this raven would evolve into the complementary form of someone else's Patronus, and that someone was Severus' soul mate. The love of his life.
Harry shivered hard as he realized that there was only one person that could be, a fact that caused a dizzying surge of excitement to course through him.
"Ten points to Slytherin, Mr. Snape! Excellent technique and manifestation, as always!" Professor Gazzoni exclaimed as he approached them, "Now... Mr. Skye... let's see what you can do."
Harry knew it was risky. He knew this could very well cause suspicion in the future, not only in Severus, but in the Marauders as well. But he didn't care. Breathing hard, heart pounding in his chest, Harry kept his eyes locked on Severus' intense, dark eyes, burning with a fervent curiosity. The words to the incantation were out of his mouth before caution could override them, the memory of Severus' hand entwined with his own in the forefront of his mind...
"Expecto Patronum!"
The immense silver stag burst from the Hawthorn wand, its radiance dazzling as it charged through the classroom. All eyes turned to watch the striking creature as it circled the room once before returning to Harry.
Just as it neared its caster, the stag changed course, drawing closer to Severus instead. With slow, tentative steps, it approached, its luminescent head tilted to the side as if studying the boy. Harry watched, both shocked and fascinated, as Severus raised his arm, his long fingers outstretched in a gentle gesture of trust, persuading the stag to inch closer. When the Patronus reached him, Severus placed his hand on its translucent head, just beneath its antlers, in a show of affection and tenderness. The stag leaned into his touch, resting its long, slender neck against Severus' chest, nuzzling him on the cheek. The warm exchange took Harry's breath away.
He had never seen his Patronus interact with anyone but himself! He hadn't even realized it was possible...
"And another ten points to Slytherin! Well done, Mr. Skye, well done indeed!"
Paying little attention to the professor's praise, Harry's regard remained transfixed on Severus as he continued to stroke the stag's head, a serene, contented expression adorning his features.
After another moment, the stag vanished into a fine silver mist, pulling Severus from his mesmerized state and prompting him to look up, meeting Harry's enraptured gaze. The two said nothing as they stared at one another, both immersed in the significance of the last few minutes. A long respite ensued, finally broken by Severus' hushed, timorous words.
"I've... I've never even heard of that happening before. I... I didn't know that Patronuses could... could interact with anyone but their caster..."
Harry allowed a small smile to curve his lips at Severus' flummoxed expression and his declaration of confusion. The grin soon turned reciprocal as a hesitant smile emerged on the Slytherin's startled visage.
"Alright class, there are only ten more minutes to work in your pairs. Then I will ask you to return to your desks and begin your assignment which will be due this Friday. I want three feet on the theory of how a Patronus chooses its form as well as its uses in Defensive Magic," Professor Gazzoni directed.
The professor's instruction seemed to pull both he and Severus back to themselves, their eyes finally turning away from each other. Harry took the opportunity to steel a quick glance in the Marauders' direction. All three were glaring at him, expressions of deep suspicion and mistrust obvious on their faces. James in particular, wore a wild, frantic look, his features twisted in apprehension. When his narrowed, hazel eyes pierced Harry with a curious, inquisitive look, his head tilting to the side in questioning, Harry swallowed past the lump in his throat and looked away.
He sought the fourth Gryffindor in the room, who was the only one not staring at him. She alone seemed unaffected by the earlier scene. Lily stood apart from the others, her wand raised, as she chanted the words to the charm several times with only silver vapor to show for it.
Turning away from the the Gryffindors, Harry saw Severus digging through his school bag. He pulled out a quill and parchment and motioned for Harry to follow him over to the desks near the back of the classroom. If the Slytherin had noticed Gray's riveted focus on his former best friend, he gave no comment.
"Come on Gray, let's start on our essay. Professor Gazzoni won't care if we end this practical a little early... not after that display," Severus remarked, his usual smirk in place.
o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o -
The rest of the day proved to be a huge challenge for Harry. For one thing, two out of the three remaining classes that day were courses of which he had absolutely no understanding. Arithmancy and Ancient Runes were difficult subjects to learn even when attending beginner classes. Harry had the unfortunate disadvantage of having to try and decipher the material at the advanced level.
As it turned out, Severus was a huge help. The Slytherin sat next to him in both classes and kept his notes in plain view so that Harry could read his commentary whenever he felt complete confusion, which turned out to be often.
Advanced Potions was a little easier. Harry got lucky. Professor Slughorn had explained that they would be spending the entire week reviewing sixth-year potions that could possibly come up in their NEWT practical. This particular day's assignment had been to brew the Draught of Living Death, and since Harry had been quite successful in brewing this potion during his sixth year, he was able to produce a decent draught. Of course, it was nowhere near the quality of Severus' potion, or Lily's for that matter, both of which got raving reviews from Slughorn, but it at least it earned an approving nod from Severus. If only the man had been as generous with approval in his later years as a Potions Master!
During lunch and dinner, Harry and Severus again ate at the very end of the Slytherin table, far away from the others. They took advantage of their distance from the rest of their housemates by speaking in hushed voices, Severus pointing out each one of the Slytherin seventh-years to Harry, as well as informing him the threat each one posed to someone who wasn't exactly a 'Pureblood' zealot.
Severus explained that the boys sharing their dorm were Caedis Avery, Evan Rosier and Miles Mulciber, all three dangerous in their own right. There were only three Slytherin girls in the seventh year, two of which, Severus informed Harry, kept to themselves and were only interested in settling down with a proper Pureblood boy and starting a family. The third, Laurel Greengrass, according to Severus, was also considering taking the Mark when she graduated, but apparently was receiving pressure from her family to wait.
Despite the stress of his advanced classes, the massive amount of homework he was given and the overwhelming information about the four future Death Eaters sharing his living quarters, Harry had trouble focusing on anything but the surprising events of their Defense class that morning. He could not stop thinking about Severus' raven Patronus and the fact that it would one day become the silver doe, a visual representation of his unwavering love for Gray Skye.
The idea was overwhelming, and the more Harry pondered it, the more confused he was over the whole thing. He had been so certain that the doe was a symbol for Severus' love for Lily. After pondering further on what had happened this morning, he realized it was because the adult Professor Snape had implied as much in those memories he had given Harry. After all, those memories were given to him before Professor Snape had recognized him as Gray Skye. So, perhaps, the memories were meant to be inferred by Harry Potter as a tribute to Lily, Severus' long lost best friend.
Harry recalled a scene in one of those memories when Dumbledore asked Professor Snape if he had grown to care for Harry. A livid Snape had brandished his wand and articulated the incantation to call forth the beautiful silver doe. She had appeared and circled the room with graceful steps before vanishing through the vaulted window. Dumbledore had turned to Severus, who had tears falling from his dark eyes, and had asked him... After all this time?... to which Severus had answered... Always.
Harry had been certain this was a conversation about Severus' undying love for Lily, but now he knew that couldn't have been the case. The doe didn't represent Severus' love for Lily, it represented his love for Gray.
Then it hit Harry. Dumbledore knew. He always knew. He knew that Severus and Gray had fallen in love as teenagers. He also knew that Harry Potter was Gray Skye... but he never disclosed that secret to Severus. Never.
Perhaps this was the real reason why the elderly wizard was so keen to have Severus teach Harry Occlumency. Maybe he was trying to get Severus to see what he was too blind or too stubborn to see... that his most hated student was actually his soul mate, his abiding lost love from the past. Only that ruse hadn't worked, Harry mused wryly, and in fact, had widened the rift even further between teacher and student.
Harry remained deep in thought as he and Severus left the Great Hall, unaware that the other boy was speaking to him until they neared a deserted dungeon corridor leading to the Slytherin dorms. Severus stopped walking and turned then, placing his hand on Harry's shoulder to halt his forward movement and yanking him from his musings.
"Gray? Are you even listening to me at all?"
"What? Oh... sorry. What were you saying?"
"I... I was just wondering if you wanted to... to go with me to feed Spera. That's... that's the thestral. I thought maybe... well... it was just an idea. Never mind..." Severus murmured, an uncharacteristic stammer to his words.
He had already turned to go, when Harry's brain caught up with his surroundings. Reaching for Severus in an instinctive motion, Harry grabbed his wrist, halting the other boy's progression. Severus turned back to face Harry, his wrist still clutched in Harry's grasp, his expression the same as when he had first discovered Harry's feather pendant. There was such an open, honest hope emanating from his dark, emotive eyes, that Harry found himself lost within their depths, just as he had been then.
"Yes. I want to go with you," Harry whispered, "I really do."
Severus kept his eyes locked with Harry's as he nodded in understanding. After a brief moment, Harry's gaze travelled down to his own hand, which was still holding Severus' wrist, lingering when he noticed the faint quiver of Severus' hand below his.
Whether it was because he wanted to ease the slight tremor or because of his own desire to feel Severus' hand in his again, Harry wasn't sure, but almost without thought, he released the slender wrist and allowed his fingers to drift down to touch the trembling hand.
While the tips of Harry's fingers and thumb ghosted along Severus' quivering fingers, caressing the pale skin, a soft gasp issued from the other boy. Grey eyes shot back up, their owner certain he had gone too far, but the obsidian orbs were now focused on their hands too.
Harry glanced down again and watched as the pads of their fingers touched, each one of his fingers lining up with one of Severus', then sinking in between his, closing themselves together as if they were one instead of two, entwining them, uniting them. Harry felt his own hand quiver as Severus' calloused thumb brushed across the very edge of the raised flesh on the back of Harry's left hand.
Harry's heartbeat began to accelerate and his breathing shallowed, just as it had the night before. He closed his eyes, reveling in the feel of the warm hand in his and the tender caress of Severus' thumb sweeping along the side of his scar. Grey eyes opened once again when he felt Severus raise their entwined hands, turning them so that the dark eyes could view the faint blemish.
Severus took a moment to study the scar, brushing his thumb along the etched letters a few more times, before lifting his gaze to look into bemused eyes once more.
"You must not tell lies?" He whispered in a timid, nervous tone. "Then... then tell me, Gray... please..."
His words faltered, and Harry was surprised to feel Severus squeeze his hand, as if afraid he might pull away at any moment.
"... you said last night that we will become close..."
Severus paused again to peer down at their hands while he brought his other hand up, gliding his fingertips along the scar. The roving fingers continued their caress, making their way along Harry's wrist, then ghosting up the underside of his forearm and back down again. The light touch drew shiver after shiver from Harry, making him feel lightheaded and weak.
Harry drew in a huge, steadying breath and held it while those dark, impassioned eyes locked with his again and Severus continued his tentative question.
"...when you said... close..." he asked, voice impossibly quiet, yet laden with apprehension. "Is... is this what you meant?"
Chapter End - TBC
A/N: Well, I didn't meet my August 12th deadline for this chapter, but I was pretty close! As I mentioned before, August is a very busy month for me. So... I am giving myself more time for the next chapter. I think I should be able to complete Chapter six by August 27th, two weeks from now.
Once again... thanks to my amazing Beta YenGirl. You are the best!
Please Review.