I feel like this chapter's better. Again, the plot and writing quality gets progressively better. For future reference, I am trying to keep my chapters around 2k words +- , but some will be longer. Also, I will be focusing a lot on conversations and the emotional development between Sev and Harry, so, yeah.
Also! I am very sorry about the paragraph spacing issue. When I go to preview my chapters, the paragraphs have no spacing between them, despite me having tried everything to add them(don't know if u guys are experiencing this). I will also be posting this fanfiction on AO3 soon, so stay tunned for that (i don't think there should be this problem there).
Enjoy!
CH.6 - REUNITED SOULS
Harry made his way down to breakfast the next morning, feeling up for a strong cup of coffee after yet another night of nightmares. He was really starting to appreciate the Muffliato Spell, which he routinely put up every night before bed, and took down in the mornings.
Again, Harry considered asking Snape for some Dreamless Sleep, but refrained from doing so, as he wanted to avoid an unnecessary conversation as to why he needed it, and to be spared of the 'addiction' speech about it, like the one Madame Pomfrey had given him last week.
When Harry entered the dining hall, he wasn't surprised to find Snape already there, dressed in his usual black attire and sipping on some tea and skimming through a potions magazine. The table had a large selection of different breakfast foods, including fresh fruit, yogurt, porridge, eggs and bacon and so on.
Snape didn't so much as look up when Harry entered and sat himself down in the same spot he'd occupied at dinner.
Harry didn't mind the ignorance, and helped himself to some plain yoghurt with fresh fruits, as well as poured himself a large cup of strong coffee — the only thing he knew would keep his exhaustion at bay.
As Harry half-ate, half-played with his food, his thoughts strayed to his friends. He really wanted to write to Hermione and the Weasleys about where he was, and to explain the current situation, but he had no owl of his own now, and knew he would have to ask Snape's permission for him to send any kind of letters.
Steeling himself, Harry cleared his throat. "Er…Sir?"
Snape looked up from his book at Harry after a moment. "Potter?"
Harry put down his cutlery and started lining it up neatly on the table absentmindedly with one hand. "I was wondering if I could write to my friends?"
Snape considered him for a quiet moment before replying. "Yes. I have anticipated you inquering me about this. As it so happens, I had consulted the headmistress prior to our leave, and we've decided that contact with the others is preferable to be kept to a discreet minimum. There is a small owlery here at Prince Manor, though you will have to ask Nibby for directions. Furthermore, you will have to be very vague and careful not to include any information that might compromise our location," Snape told him.
Harry's shoulders sagged with relief a bit. "Ok, thank you, sir." Harry thought he heard Snape mumble under his breath "Gryffindors", but let it slide.
"Sir, where's Nibby?"
Snape looked at Harry curiously before answering. "I'm not sure. I believe she is tending to the manor. She likes to keep out of the way, from what I've gathered. All you need is to just summon her."
Silence fell between them, until Snape spoke again. "Mr. Potter, I would like to make a proposition," He stated out of the blue, putting aside his potions magazine.
Curious, Harry nodded. "Yes, sir?"
Snape took a deep breath before continuing, black eyes locked with the green. "I have been considering this for some time now, and I believe this decision has much merit." Snape paused to judge Harry's reaction, and continued.
"After all you've told me about your defeat of the Dark Lord, I have come to realise that you possess great potential in you, contrary to what I have told you all these years." he admitted stiffly. "Since there is still a present danger to your life, I believe you could use some… proper training."
"Proper training?" echoed Harry.
"Indeed. I am going out of my way to train and teach you in all that I can. I know of spells, hexes, and curses that you could never even begin to imagine, Potter," he informed in a low, dark voice. "Things I've learned from under the wing of the Dark Lord and Dumbledore. You may have defeated the Dark Lord, but that does not make you all powerful against the Death Eaters, especially now that they are as good as wild dogs without a leash, without orders to hold back."
Harry sat in stunned silence for a moment, mulling over what Snape's just said. Were his ears deceiving him, or was Snape offering to actually…teach him? Harry gave an involuntary shudder as he remembered their disastrous Occlumency lessons.
But, this is what he'd wanted, wasn't it? Just last night, in fact.
As if reading his mind, "Remembering our disastrous Occlumency lessons, I can assure you that these lessons will be nothing of the sort." Snape sighed, his lips thinning into a straight line. His voice terse, he surprised Harry by saying, "I admit to my methods of approach having been… unorthodox and uncalled for."
Harry stared at Snape in shock. Had he just… Apologised? To Harry Potter, not to mention!
The rememberence of the Occlumency lessons brought a bitter taste to Harry's mouth. He still partially blamed Snape for Sirius' death. He suddenly felt a surge of anger and resentement towards the man sitting just a few seats away.
Still, a voice murmured in his head, you should have tried harder; made an effort. It's also your fault Sirius had gone to the Ministry in the first place.
Harry sat in silence, staring into his coffee. Maybe he should consent to Snape's offer. He did, after all, skip his seventh year at Hogwarts, so he had missed quite a lot. In truth, Harry didn't know many spells or curses; his favourite and signature one was Expeliarmus. And Snape was Voldemort's most powerful and trusted Death Eater, so the man was obviously very skilled and powerful. So, why not? Not that Harry had anything better to do here at Prince Manor, after all.
"Alright, sir," Harry finally said with a small, resigned shrug. "When do we begin?"
Snape seemed surprised by the abrupt decision, but school his features quickly.
"After breakfast, if you are up for it," he answered.
Despite himself, Harry was itching to do some magic that wasn't casting a Tempus spell. In a few swift gulps, Harry downed the rest of his coffee. "Sure."
Once they'd finished breakfast, Harry ran up to his room to grab his wand, with instructions to meet Snape in the entrance hall.
Downstairs, Snape was already there, waiting for him, arms crossed, tapping the side of his arm with his other hand impatiently. Harry had to admit that the entrance Hall looked beautiful with the rays of sunshine streaming through the tall windows, lighting up the small, decorative details engraved into the walls. It was quite big, too — perfect for lessons or duelling.
Being the strict, no-nonsense teacher that he was, Snape jumped right into it without preamble. "You obviously know how to cast a patronus but do you know how to send messages with it? It is crucial that you possess this knowledge."
Harry shook his head in answer, remembering his mum's doe patronus that was now Snape's.
The man went into full teacher mode. "This form of the Patronus spell is more complex, and requires an ample amount of concentration," Snape drew out the last few words, looking pointedly at Harry.
"Mind you, the strength of the memory you choose will determine the length of the message you choose to send. Before speaking the incantation. think of the message you wish to send clearly and concisely," Snape lectured. "Still in the land of the living with me, Potter?"
Harry nodded. "So far," he replied cheekily.
"Watch it. Wand out, brat."
Snape brandished his own wand, while Harry raised his. "Watch me closely. Do not attempt this until I tell you to." Snape swished his wand in a smooth arch, summoning the beautiful doe Patronus. The animal leaped gracefully around the hall, before stopping at Harry's feet.
"Remember to focus on a strong, positive memory," the doe spoke in Snape's baritone voice, and returned to its master's side.
Snape then turned his attention back to Harry, who had been watching the beautiful doe in awe.
"Ready to try it for yourself, Potter?"
Harry nodded. "I think so…"
Harry copied Snape's instructions. He brought up the memory he had always used when casting a patronus, and racked his brain for something to relay to his dour instructor.
He barely suppressed a chuckle when the words 'You're a Potions Master… Haven't you ever heard of shampoo? Really popular these days, you know.' flitted through his mind. He knew if he used them, he might as well sign his own death certificate.
A majestic stag emerged from his wand. It flew over to Snape, and spoke in Harry's voice, "I think I got it."
The two wizards then watched as the stag made a circle around both of them, and then returned to Harry's side. Snape was about to say something, but what happened next made them both speechless.
The doe and stag started playfully prancing after one another around the hall a few times, and then coming to a halt, only to put their heads together and stand remain like that until they disappeared.
Both Snape and Harry were at a loss for words, their faces portraying dissbelief. How was that possible? What happened?
Snape stared at Harry, then back at the spot where the patronuses disappeared. "Impossible," he breathed. Harry was sure he had never seen such shock on his ex-professor's face.
At last, Snape seemed to have recovered. "Come," was all he said. Harry followed without a word. Snape led them into the sitting room and sat — more like slumped — himself into an armchair. Harry sat on the sofa, his legs feeling like jelly. Neither said anything for a minute, before Harry broke the silence.
Harry had to swallow the lump in his throat, thinking of Lily and James. "Sir…How…How was that possible?"
Snape looked at him, boring his black eyes into the green ones. "The patronus is the purest form of magic that there is, Potter. It relates greatly to its owner's soul, or the previous owner, much like ourselves." Snape spoke softly, his deadpan voice lost. "Although it is hard to explain, I think your parents' love was so strong that it impacted their Patroni, and thus what happened when the two were reunited after such a long time," saying this, his voice was terse
Harry was leaning forward, elbows resting on his knees, hands clasped in between. "So…Almost like…Reunited souls?"
Snape nodded. "That is one way you could view it, I suppose."
There was silence for a moment. A soft smile appeared on Harry's face. "You really loved her, didn't you?" It was a statement, not a question.
For the first time in history, Snape smiled sadly at Harry, his voice thick with emotion. "More than you could ever know," he said solemnly, his voice barely audible.
They sat in silence for some time, neither saying a thing, both lost in their own thoughts. Suddenly, despite himself, Harry snorted lightly. "You know, sir, it's kind of ironic."
Snape tilted his head to the side a little. "Care to elaborate?"
Harry scooched into the corner of the couch and drew his knees up to his chest, wrapping his hands around them. "Well, we've hated each other since my first potions class in year one, but both shared the same love for my mum. You hated my dad, and I got his Patronus, while you have my mum's. On top of all that, you have always tried to protect me…" Harry trailed off when he realised he probably wasn't making any sense and was babbling. It made more sense in his head than when put into words.
He glanced at Snape uncertainly, who was staring out into the distance with an unfocused gaze, deep in thought.
Harry was starting to regret saying anything.
Finally, Snape blinked himself back to reality, shifting a little in his seat, and locked eyes with Harry's. He clucked his tongue, looking at him as if he were the most interesting thing in the room. "How ironic indeed…" Then, much to Harry's surprise, Snape smiled. It was so subtle, only the corners of his lips curling slightly… But it was genuine. Harry couldn't help but smile back.
"My mum and dad seemed happy…" he said suddenly before he could stop himself. Harry didn't know why he'd brought it up, but it was the first thought that had come to his mind.
Snape's brows crinkled in confusion, not really sure what the boy meant by that. "What do you mean by 'they seemed happy'?" he asked slowly.
Harry started twisting the hem of his shirt around his fingers, drawing his knees a little closer to his chest at the memory. "Sir…do you remember when I told you about the Deathly Hallows?" he said carefully.
Severus nodded, not sure where Potter was going with this. The boy had already told him about the whole debacle with the elder wand, and mentioned briefly the Invisibility cloak…But something seemed to be missing, Snape could tell.
Potter started fidgeting with a loose thread in the couch, giving his utmost attention to it. "There's the wand, which belonged to Dumbledore, and the Invisibility cloak, which was also in his possession until he gave it to me…And there's also the Resurrection Stone. In Dumbledore's will, he gave me the first snitch that I caught back in my first year, with the words 'I open at the close' on it. At the time, none of us knew what it meant. But once I found out that I had to die, it all made sense. Do you see what I am getting at, sir?"
Severus sat still, gears turning in his head as he tried to make a connection. What was the boy getting at? Dumbledore had two of the Deathly Hallows in his possession out of the three. So that left the Resurrection stone. But if Dumbledore had two of the Deathly Hallows, what were the chances of him having the third? Realization was slowly dawning on Severus, his heartbeat quickening, though his expression remained stoic. I open at the close…The snitch…The Resurrection stone…
Severus paled, looking just like he did when Nagini attacked him in the Shrieking Shack. He stared at Potter, eyes betraying the disbelief he felt.
Potter only nodded his head at him. "The Resurrection Stone was inside the Snitch," he confirmed. "It was meant to be a sort of…closure for me, I guess you could say."
Severus' mouth felt dry at what he'd just realised. His body felt numb as he stared at the seventeen year old boy on the couch. Finally, Severus seemed to find his voice. "You saw them," he stated hoarsely.
"Yeah…I did. Mum, Dad, Sirius, and Remus."
Severus felt a lump clog his throat. "What did they say?" He knew it was a private matter between the boy and his loved ones, but curiosity overtook him.
Potter's voice was thick when he replied, fixing his gaze on an imaginary point. "They said they were proud of me…and that they will be with me to the end." Potter paused briefly, but then continued, speaking more to himself rather than the other wizard.
"She was beautiful. I really do have her eyes," the boy said softly. "The way she smiled at my dad…and my dad at her…Sirius looked younger, and Remus less exhausted. They all looked…Happy…At peace." Potter suddenly stopped talking, his voice cracking a bit.
"What happened to the Stone?" Severus inquired, forcing himself not to fidget with his hands.
"I left it in the forest," Potter answered simply after taking a breath.
Severus had a hard time coming to terms with what he was hearing. The boy had seen them and talked to them. James and Lily…After sixteen years, the boy spoke with them. The things Severus was feeling were uncountable. Relief, happiness for the boy, jealousy, pity, remorse…guilt.
He even threw away the Stone….
Before Severus could lose control of his emotions, he stood without warning, startling Potter a bit, whose gaze followed him as he walked over to a cabinet in the corner of the room, and took out an elaborate glass bottle crystal glasses. Silently, he made his way to the coffee table in front of the couch and poured the amber liquid into each of the glasses halfway.
Potter eyed him curiously, but said nothing when he was handed his glass, swishing the liquid around in it in his hand. Severus went back to his seat, and held up his glass of Firewhisky.
Technically, he was of age.
"I trust you are familiar with Firewhisky, Mr. Potter?"
Potter chuckled. "Yeah…Sir. A bit."
Severus gave him a stern glare. "I trust you to be responsible, young man; I will not have a drunk seventeen year old brat setting fire to my Manor." His expression sobered a little. "I figured we could both use it after such an eventful morning."
Potter smirked cheekily as he lowered his feet so that they were touching the carpet below and slung one arm over the back of the couch carelessly. He held up his own glass. "To Voldy being finally dead, sir," he toasted.
"Indeed," Severus toasted back.
At the same time, both wizards tilted their glasses back and drank the traditional, wizard drink, feeling the warmth spread through them like fire, much like implied in the drink's name.
That's chapter 6! I think I'll post Ch.7 a bit later today (have to edit it and stuff). Also, really surprised by how many views this story's already got! Pls R&R
