Chapter 4: Potions and Pranksters
''Wormwood, Hornwort, Nettles, Ginger,'' Harry dutifully replies as Severus pushes bushes and roots in his face with a stern look. He sits on a stool in the potion's classroom, which is empty apart from the two of them as it is past dinner already.
Severus nods gravely and hands Harry a Knut. ''You're starting to get better at this than most of my dunderhead students and you're half their age,'' he grunts. ''I'll have to start coming up with more complicated tests for you, or I'll end up poor.''
Harry grins and pockets the Knut. He kind of likes playing along with these 'tests', not because he gets money out of it - he knows very well how large his own vault is and how little a Knut is worth - but because of the time he gets to spend with Severus. It sometimes baffles him still that he has such an opposite view on this man as last time around. Sure, Snape had shown his true colours in the end and somewhat redeemed himself in Harry's eyes, but he'd never forgotten how unfair and downright cruel the potion master had been at Hogwarts. To see Severus kneeling in front of his five-year-old godson, patiently waving ingredients around in the hope of that said godson will pick up a love for potions, is not a sight Harry thought to ever see. The rough outer shell starts cracking whenever Harry is around.
One other good aspect of it is that Severus, in general, does not like children. That suits Harry just fine, as the man is the only one who is incredibly grateful for and thus unconcerned about how grown-up Harry acts for his age. Sometimes, Harry has the feeling that his godfather forgets entirely that he is supposed to be talking to a five-year-old, starting conversations about topics that even early teens might have troubles with. Harry tries to downplay the knowledge he has, but not his interest whenever politics or discussions about magic come up. It is a very refreshing change from when he is with the Weasleys or Sirius, who attempt to spoil him rotten without being demanding.
Severus puts the ingredients away and takes out a small black notebook in which he writes down lesson plans and potion ideas, then grabs a cauldron and pours water in. ''I want to have this freshly boiling by tomorrow morning,'' he explains when Harry curiously peers over the edge of the cauldron. ''This will become a Rano potion, which makes the drinker wake up refreshed in the morning. It is also a great cure for hangovers, as discovered by the mutt two years ago when he barged into my office and mistook this potion for a pepper-up.''
Harry tries to hide a smile at that, unsure whether he is supposed to know what a hangover is. Neither of his godfathers drink when he is around, the only exception being Sirius at Christmas and some birthday parties. Severus absolutely despises alcohol, something Harry hadn't known in his previous life. Like so many things, he can't tell if it is something new or not, which he learned to just accept as time went by.
He does not forget about his first life, but details do start to become a bit blurry, as is usual with old memories. At times, it feels like a distorted dream, until he suddenly meets a person he recognises from ages ago and knows far more about them than he should. Possibly the most disturbing 'meetings' were with Ron and Ginny right after moving to Grimmauld place, both still drooling toddlers by then. The children he finds most agreeable to spend time with are Neville and Luna, both quiet and dreamy. It looks like the crying phase Alice complained about already passed. One unanticipated change that Harry brought forth was completely changing Neville's childhood as well. The few hours that Voldemort came earlier after Death Eaters killed Lily and James in London ensured that Neville's parents were never attacked. Harry hopes dearly that Frank and Alice will be able to boost their son's self-confidence instead of tearing it down like the boy's grandmother had always done.
In either case, Neville makes for much more pleasant company that Ron, who is currently going through a phase where he is either running around, fighting with his brothers or nonstop asking questions. As much as Harry will surely come to love and appreciate Ron again, the other isn't quite there yet.
Pulling himself back into the present, Harry focuses on watching his godfather at work. The potion Severus is brewing is neither complex enough to keep his attention though, nor does it include any spectacular elements. While watching Severus brew, his thoughts thus once more drift off, this time to the one thing that has kept Harry up a couple of nights already now.
He's avoided any talk about the topic of soul marks since moving in with Sirius, even though he picked up some more information about it during conversations between several adults. One detail that he didn't think about before it was mentioned, is that soul marks make it far more important to scout for Muggleborns, as they can also receive a mark at birth if their soulmate is out there already. The Ministry employs a full team of trackers for the sole purpose of finding these children, hiding the marks with spells and obliviating everyone who has been present. Muggles themselves do not have such marks and are never tied to mages, greatly changing entire family lines Harry heard of in his previous life. It does not entirely stop people from marrying Muggles however, especially when their actual Intended is already married to another for one of many reasons. Again, never a fate to be envied.
Harry's own mark is still hidden under a concealment charm that Sirius now and then renews when he believes Harry to be sleeping. However, after living in this world for five years, Harry finds it becomes about time that he gets some answers and has been trying to find a way to breach the issue.
He decided to combine his questions about it with finally revealing some magic to distract from the fact that he might ask too precise questions. Harry has passed the minimal age where he was supposed to start showing accidental magic a year ago. Not wanting to catch too much attention, he still bided his time so his godfathers would not think him to be exceptional in any way yet. Showing magic the very moment he reached the age of four would certainly have raised a few eyebrows of those who know who his Intended is and might fear what road Harry will take. Nonetheless, he does not want to wait too long anymore either and it will be much better to have a semi-serious conversation about it with Severus rather than give Sirius a heart attack by dropping these topics on him.
''Severus?'' he carefully prods.
A grunt is his reply, and Harry is silent for a second while trying to muster up some courage.
''There is an itch on my hand,'' he simply mentions, holding it up. ''A really bad itch.'' As Severus frowns and gets up to inspect it, Harry rubs the skin for good measure and quietly whispers 'Finite' to cancel the concealment charm. Maybe if he doesn't know what to do later in life, he can become an actor, Harry muses as he pretends to look down in surprise at the eye that appears. ''What is that?'' He mentally claps himself on the back for how convincingly he sounds like a curious child.
Severus, who is probably the only one who outshines Harry in acting, does not even bat an eyelash as he gazes down at the tattoo that is still as vividly red as it was four years ago. It only takes a second before the other replies: ''It's a mark, Harrison. One that supposedly connects you to another person.''
''Supposedly?'' he inquires in genuine surprise. From his gathered knowledge about these tattoos, no-one has ever shown a hint of doubt as to how they work.
Severus smiles thinly. ''Supposedly means that it is a generally assumed or accepted belief. Most people think that these marks are signs that determine which person on this world is most suited for you to… spend time with,'' he clarifies diplomatically.
''You don't think it is?'' Harry presses. In all these years, Severus never breathed a word about his own soul mark or the possible lack thereof. Not to Harry, not to Sirius, and as far as he is aware not to anyone else either. Now that he thinks about it, neither has Harry's other godfather about his mark. How odd.
The man looks sorrowful, the creases around his eyes deepening. ''It is believed that soul marks always match. I have not seen proof of this. My own…'' he grimaces. ''The one I thought was destined to me, had a mark for someone else.''
Hoping he wasn't too brash about it, he tentatively asks: ''What is yours?''
''It doesn't matter anymore,'' Severus replies, shaking his head and rising again to go over to his potion. ''The woman I loved died in the war. Maybe one day, when you're older and I have stopped grieving, will I show you.'' He takes something gleaming out of his pocket and flips another Knut to Harry, who catches it in mid-air with his quick Seeker reflexes.
''Here you go, little raven. Congratulations on casting your very first piece of magic.''
Harry isn't quite done yet with his investigation, however. Maybe a regular child would have been distracted enough by the shiny coin, he pockets it without comment. ''Why did my mark not show before? It sounds as if everyone is born with these.''
Severus releases a soft, annoyed grunt. ''Not everyone is, soul marks only appear when both have been born. A soul mark is a highly private matter, however. Most hide it when they can. As yours is in such an obvious place and we did not want to give the rest of the world any hints to whomever your Intended might be, we concealed it for you. Come here, I'll redo the spell. You're far too young to think about going out into the world and finding your soul-bonded. Not being around your Intended will only start to affect you negatively once your magical core has matured.''
Harry does not protest when the spell is applied, knowing damn well that he won't be seeing Voldemort for a good while still and that he can cancel the charm whenever he pleases. For now, he lets the topic rest. Severus clearly does not wish to speak of it anymore, and Harry also gained some new insight. While still convinced that one of the main reasons why they hid it was so neither he nor others would ask questions about the red eye, he didn't actually give thought about his own privacy being a concern to his godparents.
The day after, when Harry is brought home and pretends to play in the living room while secretly reading a book from Severus' study on the side, he listens in on the whispered conversation between his godfathers. Sirius is ecstatic about learning that Harry has performed magic, less so when hearing it dropped the concealment charm. When the potion master leaves, Sirius sits with Harry and, without even asking, takes off the sock on his right foot to reveal his own mark.
Not having had any expectations, Harry looks down in wonder at the trail of delicate silver hoof prints along the side of his godfather's foot: they clearly belong to a deer.
''I still don't know who my soulmate is,'' Sirius confesses while Harry traces the lines. ''I thought it was a childhood friend of mine… we became Animagi together and he was a stag. But his mark did not match mine, and I don't know anyone else who could be linked to deer.''
Small fingers stop the tracing as he frowns and looks up at Sirius. He'd thought James to be his soulmate? It does make sense in a way, considering their tight friendship. But Sirius is right, the tattoos of Harry's parents had matched each other's perfectly and Sirius could not deny that a lock of red hair didn't have anything to do with him.
''Do you know whom my mark could be linked to?'' Harry asks. Not that he believes Sirius will give an honest answer, but it might be useful to know the excuses the man can come up with to explain the mark away. A troubled look crosses his godfather's face.
''I'm not sure,'' he evasively replies. ''Your father hoped it would mean you'd be linked to a Vampire, to liven up the family drama,'' The tight smile that accompanies the words illustrates that Sirius has long given up on that hope, ever since the fateful day that Harry survived the Killing curse. Knowing that he won't be told more, Harry retreats, pondering upon what he's learned today.
Severus' words were not surprising at all. Harry had already been made aware of Snape's feelings towards Harry's mother during his last life. After seeing how much closer they'd been here, it isn't a shock in the least to hear Severus thought the woman he had been supposed to be with had not had a matching mark and had died in the war. The theory about Sirius and James is a lot more to take in. On the other hand, Sirius did not sound as certain as Harry's other godfather about the soul mark not having a match. Deer hoofs can mean many people after all. Perhaps there is someone out there with a deer in their family crest, or another Animagus. It makes Harry even more curious about Severus' mark, as the man seems so sure that it could not possibly belong to anyone else.
With how tight-lipped Severus is however, the matter is pushed to the back of Harry's mind as life goes on. The outings to Hogwarts he loves most, to see the beloved castle again in its former glory instead of the state of ruin that the Battle of Hogwarts had left it in. After the second wizarding war, they'd only been able to partially undo the damage until Muggles found the castle and tore it down completely. Thus, Harry had never felt it to be the safe haven as it had once been to him, only visiting a few times for events such as Hermione's graduation ceremony during happier times. To see it untouched now is an immense relief.
Those visits to Hogwarts are one of the few occasions that he meets other people. As a compromise for not having Harry grow up in the muggle world, Sirius agreed to curb the possibility of 'fame getting to Harry's head' by not taking him out much. Harry does not mind, he never liked the way he'd been treated as a celebrity, and people are even much pushier about it when said celebrity is an adorable small child they think needs pampering. He can forego that, thank you very much. It isn't as if a five-year-old has much business in Diagon Alley or any other typical places where wizards and witches gather anyways, so the times he's been there can be counted on one hand. The only other place where he regularly gets some fresh air is the Burrow's garden on days that Molly insists on taking care of him.
He does not spend his new childhood completely in the supervision of adults, however. Time is of the essence, especially in a world that never fails to surprise him. If there is one thing he learnt in all that time on the run, it is the importance of being prepared. Plans might not always work out, but having any is better than being passive. True, there was no reason to believe that Voldemort would return sooner than he had in Harry's first life, but the possibility exists, and in that case Harry will be ready. One of the great advantages about the Ministry not tracking his magic before starting Hogwarts means that Harry holds a unique position of freedom now that will be lost once he'll turn eleven. Making the most of that is more important than anything.
Unfortunately, Dumbledore still holds onto the invisibility cloak, having 'borrowed' it when finding the item during the clean-up of Godric's Hollow, promising Sirius he'll keep it safe at Hogwarts until Harry will be old enough to inherit it. Honestly, it is one of those moments where Harry could slap Sirius for not being rebellious for once. He holds far too much trust in Dumbledore… maybe also partially because this Sirius is not as reckless as the one he'd known. His current godfather has never needed to start a rebellion against his parents, has never run away from home, and even been far less active at Hogwarts because of it.
Not that Harry can complain too much, as Sirius' new sense of responsibility was in the end key to why Severus wasn't bullied. Pranked, certainly, but the Marauders skipped their mean streak. If not for that, perhaps Harry would be at the Dursley's right now.
Without the cloak, Harry resorts to other spells to get around, from disillusionment charms to darkening spells. Aided by Voldemort's wand, which works just as well as his own had, he has no problem casting every piece of magic he'd been able to at 34. And so, it comes to be that in nights when Sirius is asleep or at work, Harry sneaks out and travels across the countryside. There is no guarantee that even with the fact that Voldemort is his Intended now, any talks with the Dark Lord will work out. He needs a position of power to get his points across, and holding hostages is a perfect way to do so. It's a very nice bonus that he knows where each Horcrux is likely located.
That isn't to say that it is easy, location alone does not get him very far. There were good reasons for why it had taken Dumbledore months to get a hold of the ring that ultimately brought about his demise. Harry also has no way to move a boat, that does not recognise a child as a full wizard and thus does not activate its spell, across a lake of Inferi. Much less to find a way to counter the Nightmare potion that protects the Locket. For it has to be the real locket in that basin now, unless the house-elf Voldemort used this time also has a master who loves it so much they'd die for it.
All the complications cause many a headache, but Harry has the entire Black library at his disposal, two separate potion ingredient storages and two godfathers who answer whatever curious questions he has as long as he words them vaguely enough to not come across as suspicious. So far, he has been able to obtain two Horcruxes. The easiest one was the diadem during one of the nights he spent in Severus' quarters. The other was the diary, which he wisely does not write in after nicking it from Lucius Malfoy's study during a rare event where Sirius brings him to meet Narcissa, technically his family too now.
He can't say that the Malfoys are any different in this world as in the old one. He feels a strange mixture of hatred and gratitude towards them for all that happened in his previous life. They were a complex family that made a lot of awful choices due to their bigoted upbringing and views, but each of them had at least tried to redeem themselves after. Draco had learned that bullying wouldn't get one anywhere and had not wished to serve Voldemort any longer, Narcissa had saved Harry from instantly being killed again and given him a chance at this new life, Lucius had chosen his family over his Lord, which Harry respected the man for even if he knows not what became of Malfoy Snr in the end.
The quest to gather Horcruxes continues. By the age of six, Harry has scouted around Little Hangleton a few times, taking a look at the ring's hiding place without removing it. While one of the easier pieces to find, it is the Horcrux he is most wary about considering even Albus Dumbledore had not managed to break its curse, which had ultimately become his end. Harry exhausts all knowledge, old and new to break that same curse. Only having a few hours to move about unmissed each week due to his age, it takes almost two years before he can at last touch the object he's spent so many nights admiring with barely contained frustration.
It was worth the effort, he finds when cradling the ring at last, peering into the dark stone its golden setting holds. There is something more about it, Harry realises the moment he dares trace the Peverell mark. Voldemort's soul is there for sure, but that isn't all that calls out. Swallowing heavily, Harry recognises the echo of the feeling he had during the Battle of Hogwarts, right after he'd opened up the snitch and the Resurrection stone had touched his palm. The brief minutes in which he'd theoretically been the owner of all Deathly Hallows.
He hadn't considered the Hallows after the war had been over, not even when a new one started. Not even when a whole new life started. In his mind, he'd only ever truly owned the Cloak, without knowing it was part of a set or what that meant. The Elder Wand had been Dumbledore's, borrowed by Harry only through a fluke of magical technicalities. The Resurrection Stone had been Voldemort's, even if the man had never been aware of it. The images conjured by the stone had given Harry no more than a moment of peace when calling forth his loved ones, before he'd left it to wither away on the forest floor. Before he had died his first death in that same place.
The Hallows had been a fleeting mention in his crazy adventures, barely important as more than something he'd wished to prevent Voldemort from accessing. Yet now, in this new world, he holds one of them shortly before turning eight years old. A ridiculous thought starts to form, one he pushes far away. It is no use getting distracted by grandeur.
He stows the ring away with the rest, as he has no explanation ready for how he came across such a trinket, not even to mention the disaster that might follow if Dumbledore were to cast a glance at it. Harry thus merely adds it to his collection of Horcruxes for now and dives back into his studies. Only a few months later, he is close to a breakthrough on researching the possible curses he'll encounter during a trip to an Inferi-infested cave.
Harry is in the middle of reading a book on water-wards that can potentially be useful, when he absentmindedly walks into the bathroom of Severus' quarters at Hogwarts to quickly go to the loo, looks up and locks eyes with his horrified, stark-naked, showering godfather. The book falls to the floor as Harry freezes, unsure how to deal with this situation while mentally smacking himself because he's probably wandlessly and nonverbally unlocked the door without thinking. It is then that his eyes fall on something he most definitely has not been allowed to see:
In dark letters across the man's neck, the words 'Mischief managed' are spelled out.
Well, that does explain a few things. For one, why his godfather always wears high-collared robes. Harry tries to concentrate on that rather than the full awareness of who Severus' soulmate is.
How both of Harry's godfathers have been able to remain so oblivious during all the years they have raised a child together, he does not know, nor why Severus ever thought those words could relate to Lily Evans. Resolutely, he puts the Horcrux-hunt on hold to solve this mystery. After having obtained three soul pieces already (four when counting himself), it is much less pressing to gather the rest than to get to the bottom of this new discovery.
Severus does not approach him to speak about the slip-up after Harry snatched up the book and hurriedly shuffled out, maybe because shouting at an eight-year-old for accidentally unlocking a bathroom would be a bit of an overreaction. Harry decides to take the matter in his own hands to at least get some sort of information and that evening still, tries to strike up a conversation about it.
Not one to mince words, he starts with: ''Sorry I saw your mark. I hadn't meant to.''
''I know,'' Severus grunts, poking his food around as they eat dinner together in the dimly lit office.
''What does it mean? The words?''
He receives a glare, which does not make him cower in the slightest. Severus is always very consistent in his rules, and one of those is that 'if you want answers, you have to ask'. He would never punish Harry for being curious.
''I don't know,'' the man admits. ''The only thing I do know is that these are words I have only heard spoken once, by a good friend of mine. She was, at the time, already dating someone else however, whom she also married before being killed. So, I will never know more, or why she said those words.''
''Did she say them to you?'' Harry prods.
Severus takes a long time before answering, while Harry patiently waits. It is clear how sensitive of a topic this is. ''Not quite, but I would recognise her voice anywhere. We were both Prefects on night duty at Hogwarts. I wanted to meet up with her halfway in the castle, and heard her speak those words right before I rounded a corner… When I asked her about it, she only smiled and said: 'It's a secret'. I did not pursue the matter, as she and Ja—as she was already with another, one whose soul mark matched hers as she told me the moment they started going out.'' He sighs deeply. ''Start eating, Harrison, your food is getting cold.''
He obeys, internally screaming about the word 'misunderstanding' that is stamped on the story. To him, it is perfectly clear what happened. His parents were dating, Lily got her hands on the Marauder's map for whatever reason and Severus thought destiny was waiting around that corner… Meanwhile, Sirius still thinks the only person related to deer was Prongs, not knowing that Snape - because of Lily - has a doe as a Patronus. Silver hoof prints… Harry groans, he should have realised that sooner too. Why else would it be silver? No aspect of a soul mark is purely aesthetic.
It does make him wonder about the whole 'bond' soulmates are supposed to share. But maybe the two did not really feel a difference at all? From the stories he heard, their whole friend group, including Lily and Snape, were often together. Even after graduating, both Sirius and Severus spent most evenings over at Harry's previous house, more often than not together due to their schedules. Maybe in their assumptions of having a one-sided bond with James and Lily respectively, they dismissed the fact that the other was also usually present.
Harry debates long and hard on whether he will interfere in their life. On one hand, Harry does not truly want to get involved after lifting the mystery, his mind being on more pressing matters again such as getting as much leverage as possible over the Dark Lord that he is sure to meet in a couple of years. On the other hand, he does feel responsible. Both Sirius and Severus have taken on much work to raise a child not their own, and it has been Harry's choice to never reveal that he is so much more than a child. If he can put some of their fears to rest and create a more comfortable space for the both of them by making them aware of their soul bond, is that not the least he can do to repay them? Knowing his godfathers, they'll never get there on their own…
The next couple of weeks, Harry thus waits for the perfect opportunity. It is rare for the two men to actually be together in one room, as Snape is drawn to his potion kits in the cellar while Sirius does extra work in his study, trying to play private investigator when his team of Aurors does not have enough proof to arrest a criminal. As days pass and no good moment arrives, he starts to orchestrate a plan. First, Harry out-of-the-blue starts grilling a poor Remus, who comes over for a quick chat, about their childhood at Hogwarts and is rewarded by the man spilling the beans on having a magical map of the castle. To Harry's immense relief, it looks like they were careful enough this time around to not have gotten it confiscated by the Hogwarts caretaker.
Next, he and Kreacher prepare a platter of all snacks both men like, then invites them over for tea in the living room. Naturally, both of his godfathers don't want to sadden their godchild by refusing such a simple request, the three of them ending up sitting in the drawing room, where pleasant conversation about work is quickly interrupted by Harry.
''Sirius, I'll be going to Hogwarts in a couple of years, right?'' He keeps the tone light and curious. Making this a heavy conversation will only put the focus on himself instead, which is certainly not his intention.
''I think you already spent enough time there to be considered a student now.''
''Right. Then maybe I should already get that nifty map that Uncle Remus was telling me about… He said it showed the castle and everyone inside of it. It sounded so amazing! The… the Marauder's map?''
Sirius grows red in the face. ''He told you... The bastard! No respect, he knew that I wanted to give that to you on your first day there!'' Harry feels only slightly guilty, knowing that Sirius will forget all about that after all the bombs that will be dropped today.
''Oh… maybe he forgot… I got really, really curious about it though. How does it work? Can I see it?''
Sirius grimaces. ''As I don't really have much use of it right now, it's in my vault so I can't show it to you…'' He looks up at Severus, who has one unimpressed eyebrow raised at the revelation that the Marauders have a secret map of Hogwarts. ''And information is only for insiders,'' he winks.
That won't do, it is time for a nudge in the right direction. ''Did my parents ever use it?''
''James did for sure, he and I were the geniuses who had the idea to create it,'' the man grins. ''The others only helped with the spellwork. I think your mother did get her hands on it a few times… James was so in love that he told her everything, including the existence of the map,'' he scowls. ''She would just take it and James always laughed it off, until he realised that she wasn't as secretive as we were. She almost got caught a couple of times when saying the activation and deactivation spells.''
''Like passwords?'' he inquires.
''Exactly like passwords! Well, I suppose I can tell both of you. Then Sevvy'' -Severus scowls heavily at the nickname- ''can make sure that no other teacher sees it if you ever lose it!''
''Or I will confiscate it on day one,'' Severus throws in.
''Don't be like that, what if Harry needs a safe room to hide from mean Slytherins? Or is late for class and wants to know the quickest secret passageway? Anyways, you activate the map with a tap of your wand and by saying 'I solemnly swear I am up to no good'-''
''How fitting, you never are,'' the other drawls.
Sirius continues as if he hasn't been interrupted ''-and to make the map blank again, you only have to tap it again and say 'Mischief managed'.''
Instantaneously, Severus freezes, still as a statue as Harry looks at him with a deadpan face while asking: ''Interesting. Whoever came up with that?''
''I did!'' Sirius proudly smirks, not noticing the shift in atmosphere at all. ''Our Care of Magical Creatures teacher always threatened that we wouldn't get away with our mischievous pranks, so it was very satisfying to say this whenever one succeeded!''
''I can imagine. A bit off-topic, but Severus, don't you have a doe as a Patronus? I bet it would make some nice silver hoof prints if it were to run over a foot.'' He smiles politely at Sirius, who is now giving him a strange, slightly fearful look while Harry takes a long sip of tea, then slides off his chair.
''Thanks for the talk, I'll be in my room.''
As he walks through the door, the disbelieving 'Mischief Managed?' and 'Hoof prints?' follow him.
Who is the biggest prankster now, huh? :3
Hope you liked getting a bit of insight in Harry's day-to-day life as well as what he gets up to at night: gathering blackmail material on his own soul mate. Aren't those two perfect for each other.
Please Read and Review!
Xx GeMerope