Chapter 116 – Getting Even
Harry felt a tug on his robe as he prepared to leave with his classmates when dinner was over. A house elf, who seemed to be invisible to the others, was signaling for him to stay behind.
"You go on ahead," he said to his friends. "I need to speak to Severus. I'll catch up later."
Harry sat back down in his seat, his back against the table, as the others walked off in groups. It was just a few minutes later that Severus swept through the Great Hall to his side to speak to him.
"Very clever, using a house elf to get my attention," he said with a smile as Severus approached. "Good thing they're invisible. I don't think too many muggles would have appreciated a house elf popping up in their midst."
"Indeed," Severus mumbled. "No, I needed to get your attention before you disappeared off to the Gryffindor Common Room to visit with your friends, or out to the lawn to fly."
Harry had to smile – that pretty much summed up the evening's itinerary. The very long days of early summer meant extended flying time, something most of Harry's friends valued highly.
"The Headmaster has invited the guests staying at Hogwarts to join him for drinks in his office. While you may have successfully skived off the pre-dinner reception, Prince Philip mentioned that the Queen is most anxious to meet you. I said I'd ask you to join us after dinner."
"I thought the man you were talking to looked familiar. We noticed that Neville's grandmother had quite a bit to say to Queen Elizabeth. Neville said he'd never seen her speak to anyone so enthusiastically. What was that about?" Harry asked. The Gryffindor table had no particular interest in who was at the Head Table most evenings (although some of Sirius' antics had been worth watching over the last few months), but when Hermione noticed how much conversation was flowing between Mrs. Longbottom and the Queen, she pointed it out to Neville. He, and of course then all of them, began to watch the goings-on with great interest. The long and animated conversation between the Queen and Neville's grandmother was one none of them would have predicted.
"Apparently, one of her early assignments as an Auror was as a driver to the Queen's mother. Back then, the Ministry usually had an Auror tasked to the royal family as well as to the Prime Minister's office. The Headmaster told me that the Queen was staring at Mrs. Longbottom's hat with a peculiar look. As soon as he offered her name, the Queen added her maiden name, and they were embracing as old friends. I imagine Mrs. Longbottom's hats do tend to stay with one, in nightmares, at least."
Harry couldn't control the laugh that burst out at that point. He wasn't sure if anyone had ever told Severus that he was the form taken by Neville's boggart in the Defense Against the Dark Arts class, and that in response to Neville's Riddikulus spell, the boggart had donned Mrs. Longbottom's dress and hat.
No, it was unlikely that anyone had ever thought to share that with Severus. And on further thought, this didn't seem like the time to share it, either.
While Severus gave Harry a funny look in response to his outburst, he did not pursue the cause of the laughter further, to Harry's great relief.
"Yes, I imagine those stuffed vultures create their own memories," Harry agreed instead. "Why on earth does the Queen want to meet me?"
As Harry stood and started to walk with Severus the rest of the way to the exit to the Great Hall, Severus explained. "I gather that your friends, the two princes, shared some of your story with her, and she'd like to meet you."
Harry never responded to that comment, because he noticed two hulking forms taking up position at the end of the aisle between the long tables, blocking him and Severus from strolling out of the Hall. Vernon and Dudley were standing before them. Vernon looked angry and menacing, his face getting redder as the seconds passed, his beefy hands flexing into fists. Dudley had that look he often got, more sadistic than actually menacing, when he was hoping that he'd be able to watch Harry get a good thumping from his father.
Severus also noticed what was going on, and as soon as he saw Petunia lurking timidly behind the two behemoths, he knew who they were. Up at the Head Table, Sirius and Remus had spotted the three Dursleys moving toward the Gryffindor table where Harry and Severus were speaking. As the crowd in the room began to thin out, they began their own quick stroll down between the tables. Neither was quite certain where this confrontation was heading, but wanted to be there should their assistance be needed.
Severus bristled ever so slightly and stepped just a bit closer to Harry, so Harry would know that he was standing beside him. As much as he'd love to just hex those two into large gobs of oozing matter on the floor, he knew he could not. There would no doubt be Aurors involved. Albus would object. It would probably even upset Harry for reasons he'd never understand. And one had to consider how the other just-awakened muggles would react to the sight of two of their number being turned into sludge. Whatever happened (and Severus silently vowed that there would be retribution even if not at this particular moment), they were not going to be allowed to harm Harry in any way. Severus would enjoy killing them, but he had to put that thought aside. They could not be allowed to do any harm to Harry.
Harry and Severus continued their stroll toward the doors, joined shortly by Sirius and Remus. No words were spoken as the two caught up with them, but in a silent exchange between Severus and the two, it was clearly understood that they were going to protect Harry.
The foursome stopped when they were a bit more than two arms lengths from the bulky duo who stood shoulder-to-shoulder to block their paths. Very calmly, Harry nodded at his relatives and spoke softly but with assurance. "Uncle Vernon, Dudley, welcome to Hogwarts. Please step aside; we need to leave the Great Hall."
It was Vernon who replied, with breathless menace. "I don't think so, boy. You have some explaining to do. Why did my son and I fall asleep for months? That must be something you freaks did. Why were we brought to this God-forsaken place? You know how I feel about freaks like you, so how dare you bring my family to a place absolutely rife with them? I'll show you what I think of you, and this horrible place!" Vernon was warming up, getting more and more riled, and starting to lose control. Spittle was starting to collect in the corner of his mouth, and spray out as his invective grew louder. He kept flexing his hands into fists.
But his decision to make a move toward Harry was his biggest mistake of the day.
With a lazy wave of his hand, Severus caused Vernon to stop in his tracks, turning nearly purple as he sputtered impotently. Harry suspected that Severus had done something to Uncle Vernon's airway, but to anyone looking on, the man appeared to be near tears, gasping to control himself. Dudley seemed unwilling to completely step down from his own menacing stance, but he was looking uncertainly at his father and not sure why he'd abandoned what had been shaping up to be quite a tirade. Petunia continued to hover behind them, not sure herself what had caused Vernon to stop mid-rant.
Severus spoke up now, his own voice deep and menacing, and the look on his face one that had been known to reduce even Ravenclaws to tears of fright. "My, my, Mr. Dursley, you seem to have forgotten your manners. How unfortunate. A more appropriate greeting for your nephew should have included a warm smile and heartfelt thanks for assuring that you and your family were sheltered and cared for during this terrible time."
No one noticed that Severus was looking very intently at Uncle Vernon for several seconds. Harry held Sirius back by the forearm to keep him from interrupting; he could see Sirius was prepared to make quite a scene, and he was really hoping that Severus would find a way to just enable them to walk out of the Great Hall peacefully.
Now Severus had focused on Dudley. "And you, young Dursley, no better manners than your father! Shame on you." Dudley looked to be equal parts terrified and confused as this incredibly evil-looking person peered at him.
It was Remus who noticed, as Dudley seemed to lose focus for a second, that it was quite likely that Severus was performing Legilimency on him. That might have explained why he'd seen the father shaking his head as if to clear mental cobwebs seconds ago. He was not sure what Severus was finding; from what he'd learned of Harry's time with the Dursleys, it was probably not good. He was hoping that Severus would not lose control.
It was taking all of Severus' self-control to maintain his civility toward the Dursleys. What he'd seen in the minds of each of the Dursley men made him feel ill. He took a deep, calming breath.
"We will speak again, I assure you. But for now, Mr. Potter and I and our two colleagues must excuse ourselves. We are expected at a reception for your Queen." Looking at Vernon, he continued. "You, sir, will find it very difficult, maybe even impossible, to breathe if you speak disrespectfully to your nephew. Behaving in a civil and polite manner will enable you to go about your business here without problem, but any aggressive or hostile actions or disrespectful comments will prove to be most uncomfortable, and maybe even injurious to your health." With a dismissive glance at Dudley, he added, "The same goes for you, young man. Your behavior here tonight was disgraceful. Looking to brawl like a common hooligan!"
Severus took a slight step back, and maintained eye contact as Vernon suddenly found he could breathe again.
Harry could tell that Uncle Vernon was considering his options; he was looking around shiftily, assessing the odds that he and Dudley could take on the four wizards standing before them. Harry hoped Severus understood the risk that they continued to pose.
Severus finally spared a quick glance at Sirius, who caught the unspoken concern that Vernon was likely not to be trusted. Sirius flicked an invisible shield into place around the foursome, just in case, earning a nod from Severus. When Vernon and Dudley stepped aside, joining Petunia pressed against the seats of the table behind them, the four walked past, Remus and Sirius going on ahead and Harry and Severus following.
As Harry swept by, just inches from his uncle, Vernon could not control his anger at the boy, and Vernon lunged for him. The shield protecting Harry completely blocked the man from making any contact, and the hostile action toward Harry caused Vernon's airway to constrict. Petunia and Dudley helped Vernon, now quite purple and sputtering, to sit on the bench behind him.
Severus turned once all of the foursome had passed, and observed the scene before him.
"Tsk, tsk. Very stupid of you, Dursley. You had been warned of the consequences of taking action against Harry, and yet you went ahead and tried to attack him." Severus made a show of sighing and shaking his head. "I imagine that it will be several minutes before this breathing problem abates, assuming that you sit quietly and make no further attempts to bother anyone. If you do try to hurt anyone, well . . ." he concluded with an elegant shrug of his shoulders. He turned on his heels and, robe billowing behind him, left the Great Hall.
Petunia sat sadly beside her husband, and held his hand in hers, patting it gently as he calmed down and slowly became able to breathe normally again. Dudley sat on the other side of his mother, looking near to tears in distress as he watched his father struggle for air.
"Mummy, what's wrong with him? Why is Daddy having so much trouble breathing?" he asked softly.
"I suspect the tall man with dark hair did magic on him. I get gassy when I say something nasty about wizards, and it seems he's made your father, and you, if we believe what he said, have difficulty breathing if you do anything against Harry or wizards. I tried to warn you both, things are different here. Brute force doesn't work against magic, and here, Harry and the others can do magic. And there are many people here who will protect Harry."
Dudley looked very confused. He could not fathom a place where people actually liked Harry and wanted to protect him, not after growing up hearing his father and mother constantly tell him how awful Harry was and how useless and worthless he was. How could things be so different here?
"What did that man mean; the Queen wants to meet Harry?" Dudley asked his mother.
"Well, we did see her up at the Head Table, so we know she's here. I've overheard people speaking about Harry here – he's very highly regarded among these people. Children are named for him, that sort of thing. Recently, they seem to have decided that he's the king of the wizard world."
Petunia's timing was bad on that last statement. Vernon was nearly recovered and starting to breathe easily again, but he reacted loudly to the news that Harry was regarded as the king of this world, with the beginnings of a diatribe about his worthless nephew and the freaks and drunks and reprobates in this freakish world. He did not get too far into it, though, before his airway constricted again and he had to sit quietly for several more minutes before the purple color faded from his face and he was able to breathe comfortably again.
X X X X X X X X X X
Harry was quite tickled when the Headmaster presented him to the Queen. He remembered his lessons from muggle school about what to do when meeting the Queen, and was pretty sure he had not committed a faux pas, although it was very awkward to have her and her husband bowing back at him. He also had to reassure her several times that his preferred form of address was, indeed, "Harry," and not "Your Majesty."
Harry was very relieved to have Severus by his side as they chatted, although he sensed that the Queen and Prince Philip were a bit uncomfortable. She was a lovely lady, very grandmotherly, sort of an older and much more reserved Mrs. Weasley. All that was very positive to Harry, but she kept looking at Severus in a way that suggested she wasn't entirely sure about him.
All was clarified when the Queen, very delicately, inquired about their relationship as bondmates. "I have heard several people refer to you as "bondmates" and I am not certain that I understand what that means," she had ventured.
Severus did not look happy with the question, but Harry felt emboldened enough by Severus' presence to attempt the response.
"It's not unlike marriage, your Majesty. At the start of this school year, I faced a threat from a politician, who wanted to use me to further his political career but in a way that was almost guaranteed to do me harm, probably get me killed. We had little time to react to this, and we cast about for something that could protect me from this man. We had very few options, one of which was to get me married immediately. The Headmaster has a very ancient artifact called the Marriage Stone that shows people their soul mates, and when he said my name to the Stone, it identified Severus as my soul mate. Severus had protected me from threats many times since I came to Hogwarts, and he was persuaded to accept me as his bondmate. The politician's plan was thwarted."
The still-suspicious looks on their faces suggested to Severus that the royals might be thinking that such a permanent solution to what appeared to be a temporary problem seemed excessive. He was disinclined to share anything more with them, however, feeling that this entire line of inquiry was inappropriate. Once again, however, Harry's sense of propriety seemed to be a bit more flexible than his own.
"I couldn't be happier about being bonded to Severus, actually. We had no idea about all this at the time," Harry went on, with a vague wave of his hand that could encompass this particular gathering but clearly meant so much more. "I really cannot imagine having to face it on my own, without someone like Severus, who is brilliant, and extremely strong, brave beyond measure, and who knows how the world works."
The Queen's expression softened dramatically at that statement. She'd experienced that exact feeling herself, as she settled into her royal role with Philip by her side.
For his part, although he'd deny it, Severus stood ever so slightly taller and his eyes glistened ever so slightly darker.
"He's even saved my life a few times since – I do hope the need for that starts to taper off at some point – but finding your soul mate in the magical world is very exciting and significant," Harry continued. "We share a magical resonance, you see. Bondmates can impact each others' magic, or work their magic together. We haven't figured it all out yet, but I know I need Severus by my side to do what I need to do."
Severus seemed to have a large lump in his throat that prevented him from saying anything at that point, and he was desperately hoping one of the royals would offer a rejoinder to that statement because he certainly wasn't capable of doing so. Harry wasn't quite finished, however.
"The Headmaster has some fascinating artifacts here, and I'm sure he'd be willing to show you some of the more significant ones, like the Marriage Stone."
Albus had been standing a few feet away, chatting with Sirius and Mrs. Longbottom. Actually, the conversation was pretty much just between him and Mrs. Longbottom, as Sirius was intently eavesdropping on Harry's conversation with the royals. At that moment, Sirius was profoundly torn between blind, killing rage (on general principle) and a lump in his own throat at Harry's declaration of his feelings toward Severus Snape, made to the muggle Queen, of all people!
Albus turned when he heard Harry refer to his title, with a question on his face.
"Sir, I think the Queen and Prince Philip might enjoy the opportunity to see some of the remarkable artifacts and magical devices that you have here."
"Show off some of my trinkets and do-dads? You know I always love to do that, Harry!" Albus excused himself from Mrs. Longbottom and Sirius and happily shepherded the royals and Harry over to the tall shelves on which he kept his treasures.
Remus took advantage the shuffling of the people in that little group to excuse himself from a conversation with Minerva and pull Severus aside for a word. "That looked like Legilimency you were doing on the uncle and cousin, Severus. What did you find out?"
This was not the place for such a conversation, especially as they were joined almost immediately by Sirius. Remus gently took Sirius by the arm, and with a look, silenced him. It was obvious to Severus that Sirius had been eavesdropping on their conversation with the Queen, so his temper was already at the boiling point. With a nod toward the door, Severus led the two out of the room. Once they reached the landing, Severus opened the door to Harry's offices and led the others into the reception room. No one sat; Severus stood in front of the large fireplace, Remus leaned on the back of a chair, and Sirius paced, having a hard time containing his anger and nervous energy.
"We have to consider what to do about the Dursleys," was Severus' opening statement, offered quickly to preempt any comment from Sirius about what he had just overheard in Albus' office.
Remus nodded. "What did you learn about how they treated Harry, Severus?"
Sirius stopped his pacing and showed sudden interest in Severus, divorced from his inner distress over Harry's professed feelings for the man. He'd almost forgotten that Severus had some unusual but often useful skills. Severus' face showed true pain, and that took Sirius and Remus aback. Sirius in particular would have wagered the man had no feelings (except perhaps of superiority) and was incapable of feeling pain because of what was done to another, but the man appeared to be suffering.
"They preyed on him, that's the only way to describe it. They both took pleasure in hurting and humiliating Harry," Severus said softly.
"They belittled and mocked everything about Harry, at every turn. The uncle took all his personal or business slights or disappointments out on Harry, locking him in that damnable cupboard, depriving him of food, working him like a house elf, smacking him about. It's active, seething hatred he feels – he wants Harry to suffer. And he seems to have conveyed some of that to his son. That boy is a bully, pure and simple. Happy to go after anyone who is smaller, or weaker, or less able to defend themselves. Likes to hurt people, but is fundamentally a coward. Harry is just one of his victims, although because of his parents and their attitudes, Harry is his favorite victim. Despicable people, truly. Both of them."
Severus folded his arms across his chest, as his words hung in the air for a moment. Each man processed the information in silence.
Ever the voice of reason, Remus spoke first. "We know that we can't kill them, or inflict a permanent injury."
Sirius looked crestfallen at that statement, but Severus nodded. "I have to agree, as much as it pains me to do so, that we are limited in terms of what we can do to them. Albus has cast spells on all of them: they are painfully claustrophobic and afraid of the dark, and they have lost all sense of taste, although they continue to crave food. I've added a few quirkier spells of my own, as I believe you know."
"We should take advantage of the fact that they are within the castle grounds; this will be more complicated once they return to Little Whinging. Do you think they'll be looking to return there immediately?" Remus went on.
Severus nodded at Remus. "You're right, we should act now, because I am concerned about how soon they will want to leave. The uncle hates all things magic, so from his perspective, he hates being here. I think they are all lazy people, though, and until their world is back to where it was, it's easier for them to remain here, and be fed, taken care of."
Severus heaved a dramatic sigh. "I, personally, would like to inflict physical pain on the two. I also want each to feel the frustration, the impotence, of being alone against larger, more numerous, stronger foes. If we were to bring them to the Room of Requirement, for example, and spend some hours delivering a beating, and some physical terror, we could heal them sufficiently that they'd be able to go about their day. I could obliviate them before we return them to their tent, so they'd not really know why they had aches and pains."
Sirius was shocked to find himself in agreement with his former nemesis. He cringed within himself as he realized that the description of the Dursley's behavior mirrored most of the Marauders interactions with Severus himself long years ago, at least in terms of many against one. "I agree with you, Severus," he offered. "We should do this tonight."
All three joined in a quick strategy session. Not surprisingly, it was agreed that Severus was to handle the extraction, movement within the castle, repair and obliviation and the return to the tent, and Sirius and Remus planned out the events in the Room of Requirement, with Severus' only condition being that he get to take the first swings at each. Sirius was about to give Severus an argument on that, stressing his relationship to Harry as his godfather, when a well-placed jab of an elbow from Remus into his midsection distracted him.
In not much more than a few minutes, the three left Harry's offices and returned to Albus' office, to rejoin the festivities. They hadn't even been missed.
When the gathering broke up for the evening, Severus walked with Harry back to the dungeons. Harry was surprisingly excited about having met the Queen, and very pleased to have been there to watch the Headmaster reveal and explain his various artifacts to her and the Prince. He described the various items that were shown to them, and their reactions.
"It was like I imagine having your family come to visit, and seeing their reaction to the fantastic things here," he explained.
Ah, that did answer some questions. Harry would never have the chance to show off his world to his own muggle family on such a friendly basis, so he experienced the revelation of the magical world through the eyes of the Queen. At least he seemed quite pleased about the matter.
"Are you feeling any after-effects, Harry, from earlier?" Severus asked as they entered the parlor.
"You mean from seeing Uncle Vernon and Dudley?" he replied. "No, not really. For once, I wasn't outnumbered. I knew I was safe from them."
Severus could not understand why his eyes suddenly stung so. Certainly, it had nothing to do with the fact that Harry had faced down what had to be some of his more significant demons and was unperturbed, secure in the belief that he, and Remus and Sirius would protect him. How he wished he could deliver on that confidence in every instance, and truly keep Harry safe!
"That's good to hear, then. Nonetheless, it has been a very eventful day, and I think a dose of dreamless sleep before bed would be appropriate, lest any of those unpleasant events get into your dreams and disturb your sleep."
Harry had turned into him in the middle of the parlor, and was pressing his body against him, stretching up to nuzzle his neck, clearly hoping for something other than immediately falling asleep when they went to bed. Severus returned the hug and bent his head down to nuzzle Harry's neck as well, eliciting a moan from his bondmate. Soon, the hugging and nuzzling has progressed to kissing and groping, the point at which Severus simply swept Harry up into his arms and carried him to the bedroom.
As he gently placed Harry onto the bed, Severus found his wand and conjured up the big bathtub they had enjoyed many times before, filling it with warm, bubbly water. He felt a bit conflicted and cynical has he stripped out of his clothes and watched Harry peel off his own. A bath would give them time for intimacy and pleasure, but it required just a finite amount of time. He wanted this time with Harry, of course, but he had to get Harry to bed and asleep with a potion in time to collect the Dursleys for their visit with Remus and Sirius.
As Harry eased himself into the warm water, and stretched himself out to rest between Severus' legs, he observed "You really are worried about me being upset, aren't you? Well, that was probably the first time Uncle Vernon and Dudley came at me like that when I knew they would not be able to do anything to me. I knew you'd stop them, of course, as would Remus and Sirius, I'm sure, but I also knew that I could use my own magic to stop them. It felt, I don't know, good? Strong? Like I was in control."
Severus had begun to gently massage Harry's shoulders as he spoke, and he kept it up as he replied. "I imagine you felt empowered, no? But you've always had the option of using your magic, if you were threatened."
"Last time I exercised that option, I had a trial before the entire Wizengamot and was nearly expelled. No, thank you. The beatings were temporary, and I have realized since I've been here that with magic in me, I seem to be able to recover faster than muggles. Madam Pomfrey told me I had a few bones that had been broken and allowed to heal incorrectly when I got here, so she fixed them up for me. I never realized anything was broken – within a few days, I was always healed."
Severus eyes were blazing black as he listed to this. Oh, those muggles were going to pay for this!
"Anyway, they mostly left me alone, which was fine with me. Since I got to Hogwarts, Mrs. Weasley always sent me packages with food over the summer, and I kept those hidden in my room. Even if I was supposed to be going for days without food as punishment for something Dudley framed me for, I had something tasty stashed away."
Any notions of leniency for the younger Dursley went out the window with that observation.
"So, what exactly did you do to Uncle Vernon and Dudley? What did that spell do, to make him shut up and turn all purple?"
Severus really wanted to change the subject; he had no desire to spend his time naked and lounging with Harry in a warm bath, discussing his despicable muggle relatives. "Just a little constriction of the airways. It comes on when he attacks you in any way, verbally or physically, and it persists until he backs down. Just like your Aunt can avoid social embarrassment by keeping her mouth shut, they can breathe easy if they behave. It's all on them, actually."
With that, Severus definitely changed the subject. He abandoned his ministrations to Harry's shoulders and began working his way down his chest and torso, while nibbling gently on the spot where Harry's neck connected to his shoulders, a spot he knew drove Harry to distraction. Harry began to squirm as he tried to hurry Severus along to what he assumed was his final destination, and moan when he felt the gentle bites at the base of his neck. He also felt the nudge of Severus' own arousal and tried to reach behind himself to fondle Severus, but Severus held Harry fast against his chest, and did not allow his hands anywhere near his erection. Finally, Severus reached between Harry's legs and began stroking and pumping the leaking erection he found there. Harry did not last long under the barrage of pleasurable sensations. He arched his back and exploded in Severus' hand, finally sagging limply in his bondmate's arms.
Severus continued to nibble gently on Harry's neck as he recovered his senses and got his breath back. When Harry was able to think clearly, he pivoted in place so he could reach Severus' face, and pulled the man into a long, deep kiss.
Harry finally stood up and stepped out of the tub, choosing a large, fluffy towel with which to dry off. When he was dry, he selected a fresh towel and helped Severus stand, batting his hands away when he tried to take the towel from Harry. "No, it's your turn now. Hands away from your side, I'm doing the drying here." Gently and very painstakingly, Harry blotted the bathwater from Severus' skin, occasionally planting a kiss on a freshly-dried patch. He worked his way from Severus' arms down his shoulders and torso, deliberately ignoring his erection to focus instead on his butt, and then between and down Severus' legs.
Finally, Harry was ready to address the only spot that had not been thoroughly and carefully dried. He took Severus by the hand and led him back to the bed, getting him settled comfortably on his back. A quick, gentle kiss went on his lips, followed by a series of kisses on his chin, down his neck, various places on his chest (with a small bite to his right nipple, earning him a noise that was something between a growl and a moan), and his stomach. When Harry was reasonably certain that Severus was near to bursting, he finally took him into his mouth. Harry wasn't quite able to swallow Severus whole, but he did a very admirable job, and when he began to fondle his balls as he sucked, he pushed Severus right over the edge.
Harry retrieved a small towel from near the bathtub and dipped into the cooling water, wringing it out carefully. As Severus continued to recover from a dizzying release, Harry gently wiped him clean. He finally stretched out on his side next to Severus, pushing Severus arm up to serve as a pillow so he could press himself fully against Severus' body. He gently pushed Severus hair away from his ear, and he alternated nibbles to his earlobe with little forays of his tongue into his ear, earning further growls from Severus for his efforts.
"You are quite an amazing young man, Harry," was all Severus was able to say, as he finally found his voice again.
"I'm not going to change my mind, you know," Harry whispered.
"I suspect that to be the case, but it is not your 17th birthday yet, so we don't definitively know that for certain yet. We are going to wait," came the whispered reply.
Fortunately, Harry was in a good mood despite Severus' annoying insistence that certain activities were going to have to wait. He accepted the vial of Dreamless Sleep potion as he and Severus adjusted themselves under the bedcovers for sleep.
Except of course that Severus was not going to sleep.
He waited until he heard Harry's breathing become deep and steady, and then a few moments more to be sure he was sound asleep. Only then did Severus get out of bed and with a wave of his wand, dress again in the clothing that he'd peeled off a while before.
A quick Lumos in the sitting room established that he had half an hour to get the two Dursleys to the Room of Requirement. They were going to have a late night session with some wizards who really did not like the manner in which they'd treated the magical child who had been placed in their home years ago.
Severus swept through the castle – he did enjoy the place late at night, no snotty students and annoying faculty about. Even now, with the castle crowded with guests, a post-midnight stroll was a solitary experience. He was out in the yard by the guest tents in mere minutes, and his wand pointed him to the tent occupied by the Dursley family. How fortunate; it was at the edge of the large cluster of tents, no doubt to ensure an unimpeded view of the sky from the windows.
Severus wanted the fear to begin here. As he entered Dudley's room, he cast a silencing spell around him as he rousted the whale-sized young man from his bed. Dudley was befuddled by sleep, but snapped to attention when he saw the malevolent face of Harry's boyfriend (according to his mother) looming over him, instructing him to get out of bed, this instant. He called for his mother and father, but discovered that he made no noise. The man snarled in amusement as he became agitated, trying harder and harder to summon help, but making no sound. Severus roughly led Dudley into the sitting room, and cast an Immobulus spell to keep him in place while he brought the father to join him.
Extracting Vernon from a double bed without waking his wife would have to be handled a bit more carefully. A sleeping spell was directed to Petunia, a strong one that would not be broken until he returned her husband later. Only then did he cast a silencing spell around Vernon, so his cries would not disturb the peace in the tent community. Finally, he grabbed Vernon's arm in a vise-like grip and dragged the confused muggle out of his bed.
Vernon, not surprisingly, resisted strenuously.
"Unhand me, you freak! There must be laws against such intrusions into our rooms, and I'll see that you pay for this! Leave us alone! At once!" His frustrations grew as he realized, in short order, that Severus was paying no attention to his protestations and did not even seem particularly worried about them, Severus was shockingly stronger than he would have expected, and all of his yelling and screaming did not seem to be waking Petunia.
Severus succeeded in dragging Vernon into the sitting room, where he became incensed anew at the sight of his precious Dudley huddling near tears in the center of the room. "What have you done to my boy, you fiend? Release me this instant, and leave these rooms immediately!" he bellowed imperiously, if silently.
Severus casually flicked his wand with an Immobulus spell to hold Vernon in place.
"The shoe is on the other foot, as I believe you muggles like to put it. You are in for a fine evening, I assure you. You will have the wonderful opportunity to experience the world that you created for Harry. You will be treated with all the care and gentleness that you showed him as a member of your family. I, for one, can't wait. Neither can Remus Lupin and Sirius Black. You might remember them, Vernon, as I believe you met them at Lily and James' wedding. Black is Harry's godfather – did you know that? Oh, they can't wait to see you. They're waiting in the castle." Severus spoke conversationally, with great restraint. He wanted to be sure the two quivering blimps heard him, and understood vaguely that something awful awaited them.
"Shall we go, then?" Severus inquired sarcastically. He cast a magical rope that bound the two together, and adjusted the Immobulus spell holding them in place to allow them to walk. He took hold of the rope and dragged the two out of their tent.
As they reached the door to the castle, a Viking appeared. It was clear that Vernon wasn't entirely sure if this was a good thing or bad: anything that enabled him and Dudley to get away from Severus had to be better than being dragged off to the castle where who knows what awaited them, but those Vikings were rather frightening all on their own. Vernon's hopes turned out to be for naught.
"Good evening, Severus," the huge man greeted their captor. "Is all well?"
"Good evening to you as well, Alrik. These are Harry Potter's uncle and nephew; Remus, Sirius and I want a private word with them." Severus had shared a few vague details of Harry's family life with his sister when they'd visited earlier this afternoon, and was trusting that his sister had shared some of those details with her husband. She had. Alrik clenched his fists upon hearing who they were, and peered at them with menace enhanced by his nearly seven-foot height and massive brawn. Dudley was whimpering, and Vernon was trying to yell for help, but of course unable to muster any noise at all.
"This is them, huh? Do you need any help getting them inside? They seemed to be resisting you a bit there."
"No, thank you, Alrik, I can manage. If I need help, I know I can call on you," Severus continued. He hadn't planned on encountering a Winter Lands warrior, but was so pleased that Alrik appeared when he did, and to such wonderful effect! These two had now experienced the shattered hope of encountering an authority figure who they expected to provide help, who instead aligned himself with their tormentor. Perfect.
Severus resumed his task of dragging the resisting muggles into the castle and down the corridors to the Room of Requirement.
There was a door in the wall, so he knew that the Marauders had arrived and were awaiting their guests. He pushed the massive oak door in, and dragged Vernon and Dudley into the room. The door slammed of its own volition after they'd entered.
Severus looked around, to see what the Marauders had decided was "required" for this evening's meeting. Not much, it seemed. The room was apparently empty, and its large size was enhanced by lighting that was concentrated in the middle of the room, with darkness disguising the depths to which it extended on the three sides away from the door.
Remus and Sirius walked out of the shadows on opposite sides of the room to greet the new arrivals. Severus had to give them credit – the overhead lighting created a very sinister mood, and made the two Marauders look particularly menacing. They weren't large men, certainly none of them came anywhere near to the bulk of either Dursley, but the way they moved conveyed agility and power.
Remus stopped in front of Vernon. Severus had to agree with the tactic of having Remus take the lead here. He had the calmest disposition. There was no way anyone could expect Sirius to keep his temper and stay on topic with these people. Remus was also taller than either Dursley, giving him the advantage of height from which to look down on them.
"Vernon Dursley, I wonder if you remember me? Remus Lupin – we met at the wedding of Petunia's sister Lily, and James Potter." Gesturing to Sirius, he continued, "And Sirius Black, who was also at the wedding? Possibly you've seen the WANTED posters with his image? Although he's been exonerated of the crimes for which he was wanted. Of course, you're already acquainted with Severus Snape."
The three stood together now, shoulder to shoulder, before the Dursleys. Vernon was a deep pink, with fear evident on his face, his little eyes wide. Dudley was beyond fear – he was terrified, and tears were already rolling down his cheeks.
"What? You can't speak? Can't move?" Remus continued. "Severus, I think it would be a good idea to remove the spells – the room is soundproof, and they aren't going anywhere."
With a nod, Severus waved his hand, and his silencing and immobilizing spells were gone. He also removed the spell he'd imposed earlier from their airways. He wasn't entirely sure what was going to happen, but felt it was probably best for them to be able to breathe, no matter what transpired at this point.
Vernon reacted loudly to finally regaining his voice. "What is the meaning of this? I demand that you freaks release us immediately! I'll call the police! I'll call my solicitor! You'll pay for this! How dare you abduct my son and me from our beds? An outrage!"
Sirius could resist no longer. With his own face full of unbridled rage, he got right into Vernon's face and began to scream himself. "Oh, there will be payment made tonight, Dursley, of that I assure you. But it will be you and your son who do the paying, for the atrocious way you have treated Harry! A small child, an orphan, was placed into your home for care, and you abused him. You, your wife and your son are the freaks."
Remus placed a calming hand on Sirius' shoulder, hoping to remind him that this war of words was not the point of the evening's encounter. Sirius stepped back a few paces, still visibly seething. "I don't want to hear him, Remus," he said as he waved his wand.
Severus' eyebrow arched at the result of Sirius' spell. Most inventive. Instead of a mundane silencing spell, Sirius had made their mouths disappear. Both Dursleys were facing forward, and reacted initially with frustration at discovering that once again they could not make noise. But when they looked at each other and understood the reason for their enforced silence, they both edged toward full-on hysteria.
Remus nodded at Severus as he guided Sirius off to the side again.
Severus stepped in front of Vernon, who was trying to shove his son behind him to protect the boy.
"Don't worry, Vernon. I'm interested in you right now. We'll deal with that lump later," Severus muttered, as he grabbed for a handful of Vernon's pajama top. Vernon shoved Dudley back, and immediately sprang into the defensive boxing moves he'd learned years ago in Smeltings.
Severus took a moment to analyze the moves and determine the strategy of this muggle activity, and concluded quickly that it bore a rather direct relation to his own sport of the sword. The goal was to avoid or attack with fists, rather than unsheathed swords. There was something wonderfully primal about that, the very direct opportunity to sink your fist into your opponent's face or gut. With an evil smile, Severus flexed his hands into fists that he held in front of his face, and he joined the match.
The two men circled each other. Vernon looked wary, but arrogant. He'd been a champion boxer in his last year at Smeltings, and was confident that he still "had it." He moved with rather surprising agility for such a large man. Severus was mimicking what Vernon did, to get a feel for the tempo of this endeavor. Vernon sent a few jabs his way, which Severus, even more agile and with far less bulk to move around, easily avoided. When Severus finally aimed his fist into the massive belly, he experienced a feeling of great satisfaction as he connected. He immediately followed that punch with an even more satisfying one to Vernon's face, which was accompanied by a crunching sound that probably was Vernon's jaw breaking.
But that was it. Vernon crumpled into a very large heap and did not move again.
The three wizards stood around him, wondering what had happened. Severus cast a diagnostic spell, which confirmed that he'd broken the man's jaw. His vital signs were within acceptable range for a muggle, but the man was unconscious.
"Well, that was disappointing," Severus observed, flexing his fingers. "Let's fix him up, and see if we can wake him." With a wave of his wand, Sirius's spell was undone, and Vernon's mouth reappeared, and a further wave of the wand repaired his jaw. A few not-so-gently slaps to his face failed to rouse him.
"Maybe he fainted?" Sirius suggested. He pointed his wand at Vernon and spoke "Aguamenti," causing a torrent of cold water to flow from the wand into Vernon's face. That did the trick, as Vernon immediately began to sputter.
Severus stepped aside, signaling to Remus and Sirius that he was done, and it was their turn. If the man could have fought him, Severus would have gladly continued the fight, but it was clear that Vernon was not capable of putting up any resistance. Landing those two punches had felt quite wonderful, and at least momentarily it felt good to realize he'd knocked Vernon out cold. But continuing the fight meant he'd have to continually repair and revive the man, and there was no great pleasure or sport in that.
Vernon staggered to his feet, and seemed unaware that he'd put up such a poor showing in the fight with Severus. He seemed almost proud as he saw Severus walk away. Then he realized that both Sirius and Remus were pointing their wands at him.
"Aren't any of you real men? Fighting with sticks? Not your fists?" he dared them.
That was all they needed to hear. They each unleashed a barrage of spells at Vernon, who began to run a broken pattern around the Room of Requirement desperately trying to avoid the hexes that kept hitting him. He felt as if a swarm of bees had attacked him with every stinging hex that struck him, and the stinging lingered. He was tripped, pulled one way, pushed the other. At one point, he could have sworn that his own snot had been propelled out of his nose and was attacking his face.
After what felt to Vernon like hours of torment, he simply collapsed. He did not faint this time, but he could simply no longer move. He was panting, and sobbing, and groaning.
The three wizards assembled again to inspect the heaving mess. Severus cast a diagnostic spell and shrugged. "Nothing seems to be physically wrong here."
"This is quite a disappointment," Sirius observed, echoing Severus' statement earlier. "Why in Merlin's name do Death Eaters even bother with muggles? This is no fun at all!"
Severus leveled a look at Sirius. "It is my understanding that there is no real sport involved in tormenting muggles, as I think we've established for ourselves here. Some enjoy the torment for its own sake, of course. And muggles can provide lighter amusement, to those inclined that way."
To illustrate, Severus levitated the blob off the floor into the air above their heads. He turned Vernon on his head, and spun him about like a top, then he extended Vernon's arms and legs and cartwheeled him about. Finally, he bounced him up and down as if he was a puppet on a string. Vernon was finally deposited back on the floor in the position from which he'd been taken. He hadn't been able to so much as mutter in protest to what had been done to him.
Severus shrugged. "Not much entertainment value there, in my opinion."
Remus and Sirius looked at each other, and then at Severus. They had to nod their agreement. This had been such a let-down.
"We aren't finished this evening, in any event. We still need to deal with Mr. Dudley Dursley," Severus reminded them. Dudley was huddled, mouthless and teary-eyed, back by the door, to which he'd retreated when the wizards addressed his father.
Severus led the group over to stand around the cowering young man, and spoke as if describing a specimen in a jar. "This one is the bully, the tormentor. He regularly blamed Harry for his own misdeeds, so Harry was subjected to punishments that should have been his. He put Harry down in every possible way, looking for every opportunity to hurt or humiliate him. He liked to surround himself with a group of like-minded bullies, and they would go preying on smaller children. It was usually four against one, three if they were feeling brave or the one they sought to torment was particularly small and weak. I think it is quite prophetic, really, that we find ourselves here, three of us, one of him. Don't you all agree?"
Severus waved his wand to restore the young man's mouth, which was promptly employed in begging and pleading to be let alone.
Sirius crouched in front of Dudley for a closer look. "You know, I think I prefer the arrogant old bastard, to this whining wretch. What do you suggest, Severus?"
Severus was momentarily amused at the absurdity of one of the Marauders, a veritable bullying machine in its day, asking him, their favorite target, for advice on how best to torment a muggle bully. Ah, well it was Black doing the asking, never the sharpest knife in the drawer.
"I propose that we do to Dudley what he would do to Harry, if he and two of his colleagues found Harry on his own. Of course, as we have magic, this will probably hurt our target a bit more, but that can't be helped."
Severus stepped forward and pulled Dudley to his feet, and began peppering him with a series of small punches. Dudley didn't like that, and pulled away, only to find himself within reach of Remus, who repeated the process, finally causing Dudley to pull away again, allowing Sirius to take his shots. They proceeded in this manner, taunting Dudley and peppering him with punches so light they wouldn't even produce a bruise, until the young man broke down in heaving sobs, pleading for them to stop.
Severus looked down at Dudley. "Now, let's see. If I'm correct, normally at about this time, Piers Polkiss would step in and hold your victim for you, so you could get in some good punches while your victim was defenseless. Isn't that right, Dudley?"
Dudley was too busy sobbing and pleading to respond, so Severus repeated himself. "I said, isn't that right, Dudley? Don't think you can get away with not responding, young man."
Dudley couldn't even meet Severus' eyes – he just mumbled "Yes."
That admission got the attention of the others. Even at their worst, the Marauders would never have considered such a cowardly tactic.
Severus drew his wand, and launched a stinging hex at Dudley, who squealed and lumbered away, much like his father had done. The three wizards didn't even have to move from where they stood to launch volley after volley of spells at him, and there was absolutely nothing he could do to avoid them.
Dudley finally had enough running, and tried to turn on Sirius, no doubt because he was the smallest in the lot. Drawing on his own boxing prowess, he tried to take Sirius down with a roundhouse punch to the head, which Sirius dodged. "At last, some gumption! Of course, you can't hope to actually land a punch on me, but let's see you try," Sirius taunted. After Dudley had swung and missed half a dozen times, Sirius took advantage of his own prowess with swords, and easily snuck in under Dudley's defenses and landed a knock-out punch of his own.
Severus shook his head as he ascertained that nothing had been broken. "Just a bump to the head; he'll wake soon," he confirmed.
"I'll hurry him along then," Sirius volunteered, using an Aguamenti spell to douse the son with cold water just as he had the father.
While the young man sputtered and moaned, the three wizards convened a small meeting of their own, ignoring Dudley, and Vernon, who had waddled over to comfort his son.
"This was a complete waste of time," Sirius complained. "There was absolutely no sport in going after them! Despite the fact that they are most likely the two most despicable muggles we are ever to meet, they are defenseless against us. I was looking forward to getting back at them, for all that they did to Harry. I wanted to make them suffer for the years of abuse they inflicted. But they are no match, no match at all, for even one of us."
"How could you expect a muggle to give one wizard, let alone three powerful wizards, a fair fight?" Remus asked. "I don't think this was about us, though."
Sirius looked puzzled, as Severus smiled. "No, I certainly didn't expect to get any satisfaction with the odds stacked like this. But I did want Harry's relatives to experience the way they treated Harry." He spoke a bit more loudly at this point, to be sure that his comments were heard by those relatives. "To be able to tell Harry that his uncle took just one punch to the gut and one to the jaw and was out cold. That he got a stinging hex to the bottom that brought tears to his eyes. And a Bat-Bogey Hex that scared him half to death. And that Dudley cried and blubbered when he had to face three tormentors, all of whom were smaller than him and not even punching him hard. And wet himself when we started sending spells at him."
They all looked over at the young man, now crimson with embarrassment, and at the tell-tale dampness on the front of his pajama bottoms. Dudley and his father looked totally defeated. There had to be something in that.
Severus got his charges standing and trussed again in magical ropes for the walk back to their tent. Before they left, Sirius cast a silencing spell so he, Remus and Severus could have a private word.
"I thought we were going to obliviate the uncle and cousin, and that Harry wasn't to be aware of this little gathering, Severus," he said pointedly.
"Don't worry, Black," Severus replied silkily. "They'll be obliviated and won't recall exactly what went on here. And I made sure Harry took a sleeping potion and was fast asleep before I left our rooms to come here. I have no intention of telling Harry about this. But I am certain it is their worst nightmare to be shown as cowardly and ineffective to Harry. And they'll always have a nagging suspicion that somehow he might know that about them."
Remus chuckled. "You always were a very worthy adversary, Severus, and now I'm beginning to understand why."
X X X X X X X X X X
Half an hour later, as Severus was once again stripped and settling into his bed beside his sleeping bondmate, Severus smiled into the darkness.
It had been a surprisingly glorious day. The muggles waking was neither here nor there to him, personally, but that figured in the feeling he had right now.
Harry's statements to the Queen about their relationship were as affirming and revealing as they were inappropriate. He was still stunned hours later by the depth of the young man's apparent feelings for him.
The high he still felt from as his time with Harry earlier in the evening was an amazing feeling. Harry's 17th birthday couldn't arrive soon enough for him. He knew it would be memorable.
There was a satisfaction in knowing that he taught the Dursleys a lesson, too. They'd experienced what Harry had at their hands. They felt the frustration and fury of being subjected to dismissive and punitive behavior that they were powerless to fight. And, in truth, it had felt good, very good, to sink his fist into the massive girth of the uncle and see his eyes bulge ever so slightly in surprise, before he went into a cold faint.
And finally, perhaps most unexpectedly, was the realization that he'd been a challenge, all those years ago, to the Marauders. His teenage self would have been appalled at the way he felt right now, but he realized that, for all their efforts, the Marauders had never actually beaten him. They made his life a living hell at times, but he always gave at least as good as he got. He savored now the belated realization that they knew it.
He slipped into slumber with his arms around Harry and a satisfied smile on his face.