Unbuttoned by lastcrazyhorn
Summary: Harry doesn't know exactly what's happening, but something isn't right between him and Professor Lupin, and he's determined to find out why. Will Snape be able to help? Abuse, implied non-con, AU, HP&PA. The character death is NOT Severus or Harry.
Categories: Parental Snape > Guardian Snape, Teacher Snape > Trusted Mentor Snape Main Characters: Dumbledore, Hedwig, Hermione, James, Lily, McGonagall, Original Character, Pomfrey, Remus, Ron, Sirius, .Snape and Harry (required)
Snape Flavour: None
Genres: Angst, Drama, Family, Fantasy, Horror, Hurt/Comfort
Media Type: None
Tags: Adoption, Alternate Universe
Takes Place: 4th summer
Warnings: Abusive Dursleys, Character Bashing, Character Death, Neglect, Profanity, Rape
Challenges: None
Series: None
Chapters: 31 Completed: No Word count: 69721 Read: 185751 Published: 23 Sep 2012 Updated: 18 Aug 2013
Hadwyn's Gift by lastcrazyhorn

A knock sounded on his door later the next afternoon. Having received word that his friend Hadwyn was coming into Hogwarts as soon as he could, Severus could only assume that the knock was him.

Over the previous day, Harry had remained careful around him, quiet and watchful for the most part, but occasionally showing sparks of his prior rambunctious personality when Severus least expected it. It was heartening, to say the least.

Although he had warned the boy about Hadwyn's visit, the child was understandably nervous and at the sound of the knock, he had jumped to his feet and rushed to stand by Severus's side. He had glanced at the child as he stood; letting the boy know he was aware of his presence, but not that he minded. As he strode over to the door then, he felt the tale tell sound of lightly shuffling feet, and the scruff scruff sound of new trouser legs rubbing together as he moved across the room.

As suspected, on the scroll next to the door, the name "Hadwyn Long" was listed, and Severus allowed himself a small pleased expression to grace his face before pulling the door open.

Hadwyn Long stood on the other side of the threshold, a hearty expression on his wind roughened face that broadened even further when Severus came into view.

"Why Severus! You don't look a day over fifty!" The other man chortled, stepping through and grabbing him in a great bear hug, lifting him off his feet with seeming ease.

"Put me down you great buffoon!" Severus shouted, clapping a hand across his friend's back.

Hadwyn did and then stepped back to gaze at him with a large smile peaking through his auburn and silver streaked beard.

"If I remember correctly, you are the old man!" Severus growled, stepping back and rearranging his robes—and limbs—more comfortably. "Three months you have on me, and what pray tell do you suppose that is in your beard?"

"Eh?" Hadwyn looked down at his silver streaked beard and then grinned. "Don't you know? Worry lines for you, I'd say!"

"Hmph," Severus answered. Hadwyn was probably right about that.

In the brief bit of silence that had fallen between them, he suddenly felt the boy's shy presence standing behind him, small hands buried tightly in the backside of his voluminous robes.

"Why don't you pull your bags inside?" He instructed and then turned to kneel before the small third year.

Harry released his robes as he turned and he glimpsed the boy's white face and wide eyes staring back at him.

"Is he safe?" Harry whispered, eyes flitting nervously back towards Hadwyn's large form.

Severus didn't have to ask what he meant by "safe."

"Quite so," answered Severus in a sombre tone. "I would not let him in here around you if he were not. I trust him with my life and yours as well."

Seeing the child only relax marginally at his words, he tried to think of what else to say that would ease his friend's transition into his quarters.

"He is a healer, Harry and he also works with dragons; much like your own Charles Weasley."

The boy's eyes lit up a touch at that and he was encouraged enough to continue.

"Dragons will only work with people who are trustworthy, Harry," he added, more than aware that Hadwyn was standing behind him listening to their conversation.

"Are you sure?" Bright green eyes stared back at him, the hopefulness in them coming across wide and clear.

"Very," Severus answered, getting back to his feet with a muffled groan. "Shall we take a seat?" He said, turning to their visitor and outstretching a hand towards his sitting area.

"Perhaps some tea would not go amiss either," Hadwyn agreed easily enough, his voice tempered more appropriately for indoor speech and sensitive ears.

"And maybe biscuits too, sir?" Was Harry's whispered request as he carefully closed the door behind them.

"Perhaps," Severus answered with a small smile.

. . .

Harry observed the stranger closely; his brain still trying to work its way around the novelty of Professor Snape having a friend to begin with.

Let alone one brave enough to pick up Snape!

If Mr. Long is daring enough to do that, then he mustn't fear Snape very much. Does that mean he doesn't have to worry about the repercussions of his actions around him then?

That thought didn't sit well with him and he shifted in his seat a bit uncomfortably. He suddenly wished that he had left the fourth chocolate digestive on the plate and not eaten it like a fat twit.

He was seated on the armchair perpendicular to the sofa that Snape and Long were both on. Long was at the far end, while Snape was in the middle between them—something Harry appreciated!

Suddenly he realized that the room had fallen silent and that Long was staring—no, it was more like he was watching him to see what he would do. Harry's cheeks burned and he looked down at his new trousers in embarrassment.

"Snape was right, you know," the man said, sounding just a touch like Hagrid with his otherwise indecipherable accent.

Harry didn't look up, though luckily his red cheeks did begin to fade a bit as he continued to listen.

"A dragon won't touch someone who doesn't take care of the young of his own race. After all, if you can't be trusted to raise your own correctly—and their definition of "your own" is much looser than ours—then how can we be expected to raise a young dragon any better?"

Harry shook his head. He didn't know. Though, it did sound like dragons were better at being people than people were.

He only looked when he heard the big man standing up. Snape was watching closely as well, and had it been another time—say, a time prior to Lupin—then Harry would have been fascinated by the open curiosity on his professor's face.

As it was, however, he could barely stand to be still as Long took several steps closer to him, Snape in the room or not. Finally, when Long was only about an arm's length—Long's arms, not Harry's—away from him, the man stopped and kneeled down in front of him.

"Have you ever heard the term, 'A Dragon Keeper's Playmate?'" Long looked up at him slowly, his eyes so dark blue, they were almost violet in their intensity.

Harry shook his head, his hands clenched down tightly on the arms of the chair he was still seated in.

"Severus?" Long asked, turning his head slightly away from Harry.

"The name does sound slightly familiar," Snape answered slowly, his own dark amber eyes thoughtful.

"They're a bit hard to get a hold of, given their usefulness in working with dragons, but occasionally they show up where they're needed, not where they're wanted."

Harry scrunched up his face in confusion. What on earth does that mean?

He watched with bated breath as Long reached a large hand into one of the inner pockets of his coat and pulled out what looked like a small ball of fuzzy purple fluff.

"I figure he's about a month old, give or take a day," Long said, stroking one large finger over presumably the creature's back? Sides? Harry couldn't tell.

Unbeknownst to him, he had relaxed his hold on the chair and was now leaning forwards just a bit, towards the unknown creature.

Long turned the fuzzy ball over in his hand and that's when Harry saw the small almost black little wrinkled wings.

"Yeh, he flies—when he feels like it. Creature, it's time to wake up now!" Long said, not quite raising his voice as much as putting a bit more command into it.

Harry watched in amazement as the ball of purple fluff stretched, revealing four legs with individual toes and then a head with the biggest most expressive eyes he had ever seen.

Time seemed to stop around them as Harry and the small fuzzy creature made eye contact, and he was overtaken with a quite strong urge to reach out and touch the little guy. Clearly the creature felt no such inhibition and without warning, it stretched out its wings and pushed off into the air, straight towards Harry!

He easily caught the little guy and on a whim, he scratched him just under the chin. It squeaked and then latched itself onto his arm; all the while gazing up at him with those same wide, wondering eyes.

"Hi," Harry whispered, forgetting his fear ever so briefly as the little ball of fur squeaked again, and then he smiled a bit as it clicked something incomprehensible at him.

"Me?" Harry asked, pretending that the little guy was asking him to introduce himself. "I'm Harry," he answered, still in a whisper.

The small ball of fuzz squeaked an agreeing sound at him and then began climbing along his arm, towards his shoulder. Once there, the little purple thing wrapped a wing around Harry's neck, presumably for stability, and then sat down on his shoulder.

"I'd say he likes you, lad."

"He doesn't have a name?" Harry found himself asking, his head turned as he tried to look at the little thing next to his head.

"Hasn't bonded with an owner yet," Long answered with an easy shrug. "The owner names him. He won't take any other name until he bonds."

The little guy was patting his head, squeaking and clicking in his ear as though he very much approved of Harry, and for some reason that simple motion was causing him to sniffle a bit.

"Harry," Snape interjected.

He looked up, unaware that the little guy was mirroring his exact movements.

"Would you please take yourself and your friend to your room, and allow me and Hadwyn some time to speak alone?"

"Yes, sir," Harry said, in a slightly louder voice. For a moment he had been afraid that Snape would have made him leave the purple creature with Hadwyn, and now that he knew he didn't have to, he was filled with relief.

"Come on you," he said, turning to the little guy and standing up carefully. He kept a hand on the side of the fuzzy animal as he walked, even though he didn't think he really needed to. This guy was a climber and probably had excellent balance, but Harry didn't want to take any chances, especially considering how young he was.

. . .

Snape waited until Harry had closed the door before leaning forwards and pinching the bridge of his nose between his index finger and his thumb.

"What are the chances that they will bond in the next half hour?" He asked in a weary, much put upon voice.

"Keeper playmates don't bond with just anyone, you know," Hadwyn answered in a serious voice, making it to his feet slowly and then plopping back down beside him. "You heard what I said to Harry. Sometimes they appear when they're needed, not because they're necessarily wanted."

"And they are magical?" Severus asked, dropping his hand back down to his lap and leaning back to look Hadwyn in the eye.

"Usually," Hadwyn shrugged nonchalantly, a small grin threatening to take over his face.

"Hadwyn," Severus growled warningly.

"Okay okay!" Hadwyn answered in defeat, raising his hands in front of him.

"They're somewhat similar to the pygmy slow loris," he answered intelligently, his face now graced with a half smile. "They're omnivores, and do pretty well on a diet of fruit, snails and insects. Of course, this one isn't old enough for all that. He'll be on a diet of milk and fruit juice for another two to three months. I figure he's the runt of his litter; never seen a magical loris so small, pygmy or otherwise. Historically speaking, playmates are playful, like their name implies, but they're also helpful in finding things."

Severus looked at him and raised an eyebrow.

"I don't know what kinds of things! I've never had one before, and this little guy doesn't seem interested in bonding with me. In fact, the most active I've seen him was after he and Harry first locked eyes."

"Intriguing," Severus admitted. "What else do you know of them?"

"I've heard stories that they're sometimes telepathic, they have been known to defend themselves and their humans with magical fire—I have no idea what that means, Severus," he clarified as he got another eyebrow. "And they're very loyal."

"What of their intelligence?"

"Smart, problem solving little guys, particularly if you try to keep them away from their bonded," Hadwyn rattled off.

"Regarding their bonded," Severus asked, looking somewhat disgusted with the entire mess he felt he was being thrust upon him, "how does one determine when and whom that is?"

"Well—," Hadwyn began, only to be interrupted by the sound of running feet and the sudden reappearance of Harry, with the small animal now cradled in his arms.

"Professor! Honest, I didn't do anything! It just happened!" Harry said in a pleading voice.

"Well yes, that's perfectly normal when a playmate bonds," Hadwyn calmly answered.

The small fuzzy creature was now a bright vibrant orange-red shade, and Severus abruptly understood that they were going to be stuck with the little guy for quite some time.

To be continued...


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