"Harry, up! You have twenty minutes before class," Severus Snape called down the hall of his quarters toward his adoptive son's closed bedroom door. "Don't make me use Aguamenti."

There was a muffled thump and some frantic scrambling. "M'up!" Harry yelled.

Snape went about his morning routine of preparing breakfast and giving one last look to the day's class schedules. Harry appeared, hair standing on end and eyes heavy with sleep, several minutes later. The boy slumped into a chair at the table while he struggled into his robes. Snape watched in amusement as Harry thrust an arm through the neck hole and tried to pull a sleeve over his head. Smirking at the tired Gryffindor, the headmaster flicked his wand and instantly the clothes swirled into their rightful positions.

Harry blinked up at him owlishly. "Thanks."

"Just how late did you stay up last night?" Snape asked, taking a seat across from his son.

Harry yawned widely in answer, his jaw popping. "Dunno. Charms essay."

"I see." Obsidian eyes turned hard. "I hope this does not indicate a new trend in your sleeping habits."

"No-pe." Harry said around another yawn.

"Quite right," Snape said with a satisfied nod.

They ate in companionable silence, broken only by the crunch of toast and tin-tink of cutlery. When they finished, Snape wiped his mouth with a napkin and then banished the empty dishes to the kitchen.

Harry raised his hand and started to say, "Acc-", when he caught Snape's glare. "I'll just go get it," the boy said sheepishly. He retreated down the hall and returned moments later with his book bag. "I guess I'll see you at lunch." Harry fidgeted with edge of his gown. "I'll probably stay in the dorm tonight," he added carefully.

"Thank you for letting me know," the headmaster said gently.

The man knew how hard it was for his son to be vocal about certain things - sleeping arrangements being one of them - because of the way his Aunt and Uncle had reacted. Making slow, wide movements, Snape stood and put a hand on the boy's shoulders. He gave them a brief squeeze before turning away and heading toward the door. Harry watched him go with a small smile and a warm heart. He fingers stilled their anxious movement and he adjusted his book bag, following in his father's wake.

-

It was blindingly sunny and the sky was a ceiling of clear blue when Harry stumbled out of Herbology. He rubbed at a bruise on his chin where a Bouncing Bulb had clipped him.

"Stupid things," he grumbled darkly under his breath.

"'Aye, 'Arry!"

The boy turned at Hagrid's booming voice. The half-giant was walking toward him, waving. In his other hand, he held a leash attached to the one creature Harry had hoped to never see again. Eyes widening in disbelief and panic. Hagrid was practically on top of him within a few moments with the three headed Cerberus, Fluffy, panting happily at his side. One of the heads was fast asleep, but the other two were pulling impatiently forward.

"H-Hagrid," Harry greeted the gate keeper, gaze stuck on the three mouths with their rows of shiny white teeth. "It's sharp to see you. . .uh, good. It's good to see you."

Hagrid laughed off the boy's slip and slapped a beefy hand on Fluffy's middle head. The creature licked it, giving a growl of contentment. Harry started at the sound, his whole body tense and waiting for Fluffy to lunge forward, mouths open. When that didn't happen, Harry carefully edged to Hagrid's far side, putting the half-giant between himself and the Cerebus.

"I'm just takin' ol' Fluffy 'here for a bit of a walk," Hagrid explained. "Tis nearin' 'is imprint phase. Canna be too careful," he said that last in a stage whisper, nodding in the creature's direction.

Lost, Harry simply smiled. It was at that moment that a piercing howl shook the ground. Even Hagrid looked alarmed.

"Fluffy w'as wrong?" Hagrid said, turning to the creature.

Another howl rent the air and Harry slapped his hands over his ears. There was something soul-haunting about the sound. It made him feel lost and alone like he was stranded in some far off desert with no way of reaching home. Afraid of what might happen next, but not wanting to leave Hagrid's side in case he needed assistance, Harry hovered several feet away from the half-giant and Cerebrus. He could see now that the head that had been sleeping was the one now making the plaintive sounds. Just as he was about to give up and make a run for the castle doors, Harry made eye contact with the animal. All three heads stood at attention, ears facing the boy, listening.

"Fluffy? W'a...Oh....Oh, no."

Hagrid's words were enough to send Harry into full panic mode. Nothing had ever frightened the gate keeper, but there was an undercurrent of fear in his voice now.

"'Arry, you get inside quick," Hagrid ordered, his voice hard as steel.

No further invitation needed, Harry turned and sprinted full out for the castle, tearing through the front doors. It was only as he came to a crashing halt amid a mob of sixth years that he thought of where the rest of his class had gotten to. He had been too distracted by Fluffy's appearance. It wasn't just the sixth years crowding the front hall, it seemed like all the students were pressing against the windows and looking between the sliver of open doors to see outside.

"What's wrong with it?"

"Is it dying?"

"What if it eats Hagrid!"

"Nothing can eat Hagrid, stupid."

"What if Hagrid eats it?"

"Shut up, arsehole. This is serious."

The rush of young voices fell over Harry as he gasped for breath, his heart beating too fast. Something was wrong with him. He had an almost overwhelming need to turn right around and go back out to the creature. Fluffy needed him. Just thinking that left Harry horrified.

"Dad," he whispered hoarsely, not realizing it had been said aloud.

"Harry! Harry are you okay?" Hermione called as she pushed past students to reach the boy. Ron was right at her heels. "Oh, Harry we were so worried about you!"

"Yeah, mate," Ron said, his eyes bugged out, "We knew something bad was up when we saw that bloody thing."

"I need...I need dad," Harry ground out the words.

Hermione latched onto his forearm, brow furrowing. "Who? Oh." Her eyes lit in understanding and she considered something for a moment before flicking her wand. A translucent river otter appeared and then galloped down the hall. "He's coming, Harry. Everything's going to be okay," she soothed.

-

In the potion's classroom Snape had already been alerted to the disturbance by the castle's wards. He had directed his students to return to their respective dorm rooms and was spelling the cauldrons, full of volatile liquids, to stasis when an otter patronus burst through the floor in front of him.

An echo of student voices was muffled by Hermione's worried tone. "Harry needs you, headmaster. We're in the front hall."

Snape was out the door and halfway to the nearest staircase before the otter had time to dissipate. His black robes billowed around him like an angry storm cloud.

-

Fluffy needed him. The thought superseded all others.

Harry clutched at the breast of his robes, no longer coherent enough to hear anything. He could only see lips moving, but no sound reached him. He needed Snape. He needed his dad. At that moment, a familiar hand fell on his shoulder and the chaos of the front hall erupted into silence.

"I'm here, Harry," Snape enunciated carefully, not wanting to startle the boy further.

Outside the howls had tapered off into loud whimpers of discontent interspersed with sharp growls. Hagrid's calming voice muttered nonsense words to the creature, trying to calm it in much the same way that Snape now soothed his son.

"It's alright. Everything's alright. I'm here, Harry."

Finally, after what seemed like ages, the boy looked up from under a too-long fringe of black hair. "Dad?" he asked hopefully.

"Yes, I'm here," his father assured him.

At that moment the noises outside abruptly ceased. Harry's body jerked and his eyes rolled back in his head. Snape caught his son before he could hit the floor. Scooping the boy up in his arms, the headmaster stood and strode purposefully toward the infirmary, the sea of students parting before him. The Slytherin's face was a stoic mask, his mouth set in a grim line, and his long fingers tightened around the precious boy in his arms.  

 Snape sat in a chair next to Harry's usual bed in the infirmary. His knuckles were white from gripping the arm rests too hard, but the headmaster had yet to notice. Pomfrey was busy deciphering the results from her latest scan on the boy. Harry himself was pale against the white pillow, but otherwise seemed to be fine.

Thundering footsteps approached and Snape looked up in time to see a tearful Hagrid walk into the room. The half-giant was blubbering in his thick accent before the headmaster could greet him.

"I did'na know! I woulda never, never'da done it if I'd know!" Hagrid howled in obvious distress. He came to stand over Harry, twisting his hands together. "Sorry, professor,"

"I don't understand what you are going on about. Is this about that damned dog of yours?" Snape asked, voice colder than necessary, his concern for Harry masked with a biting indifference to the gate keeper's emotions.

"No! No! 'Course not. It's 'Arry, isn't it? And it's all my fault. If I-"

"What do you mean?" Snape interrupted, standing to his feet. "What about Harry?"

Here Hagrid wiped at the stream of tears watering his beard. "He's imprinted on Fluffy!" The half-giant collapsed onto a nearby bed, the structure groaning under his weight, and burst into sobs.

This was not good. The headmaster looked down at his son and then back over at the other man. He had a vague idea that what Hagrid had said was not a good thing, but his knowledge about familiars and imprinting was rusty at best. He would need the man to pull himself together.

"Pomfrey!" Snape called out.

"Here," she answered sheepishly from where she had been hovering next to her office door, listening to the exchange with growing worry. "What do you need, Severus?"

"A Calming Draught to start, thank you," he said.

She turned and disappeared, returning moments later with a vial in her hands. The mediwitch walked over to Hagrid and patted his shoulder, handing over the vial. Sniffing loudly, Hagrid carefully took it from her, the vial cartoonishly small between his thumb and index finger, and drank it in one sip. Its effects were almost immediate. Pomfrey stayed by his side though, continuing to pat his shoulder.

"Now, what did you mean about Harry imprinting on Fluffy?" Snape asked once he was certain the gate keeper was coherent.

Sniffling miserably, Hagrid said, "Fluffy's been comin' up on 'is imprint day for a while now. I was out walki' 'im when I saw 'Arry. We was talkin' when...when..." The man steadied himself, scrubbing his face with both hands. "...when it started. I didna know at first what had happened, but then I tried. I tried, professor. I told 'Arry to run. But the bond was already made, wasn't it."

"Bond? What does that mean? Why is my son lying on this bed, Hagrid? What is happening to him!" Snape's calm demeanor slipped for a moment as his desperation flared into anger. The headmaster stopped, took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of his nose. "How do we break it?"

"We don't," the half-giant said quietly. "They're bonded now, fer better or fer worse."

"Then why is Harry unconscious?" Snape asked through gritted teeth.

Hagrid shrugged helplessly. "I never seen a bond in real life. There's only one man who'd know, Angus Wilcox, he wrote a whole mess of books about familiars and bonding."

"Can you retrieve this Wilcox, Hagrid?" the headmaster asked.

Hagrid stood, his expression one of consternation. "O' course, professor! I'll go now, shall I?"

"Yes, that would be a good idea." Snape leaned over so that he could look around the man to the mediwitch. "Pomfrey, perhaps some Calming Draught for his trip."

She nodded. "Good idea. Hagrid, come with me. You can use the floo in my office."

The two disappeared into the office, leaving Snape standing over his son. He had so few answers and too many questions. Sitting back down, he reached out and smoothed the dark bangs out of his son's face. Snape once again marveled at how innocent and unmarked by violence Harry seemed when he slept. Even the lightening bolt scar - his once strong connection to Voldemort - was gone.

Chin trembling minutely, Snape took Harry's hand in his own and brought it up to his cheek. "Come back to me, Harry," he whispered.

-

It was nearly an hour later when Pomfrey's office door opened once again and out came a tall, bald man with regal bearing and impeccable posture and Pomfrey at his side. Hagrid was nowhere to be seen.

"Well, well. This is the bond-mate, I presume," the newcomer said in a clipped English accent. He motioned vaguely in Harry's direction.

"Yes, it is, Mr. Wilcox," Pomfrey said.

"Now, none of that. It's Angus - Angie to my friends, of which I most certainly consider you one, m'lady," he gave a half-bow. The woman blushed. "I'll need to see his earlier scan results."

"Of course." Pomfrey drew her wand and within moments a golden chart was floating in the air, certain areas of it flashing a worrying red.

Snape watched this all impassively. Angus Wilcox looked about as helpful as Gildroy Lockhart, but the Slytherin knew when to wait and watch rather than assume. So he settled back in his chair, obsidian eyes taking everything in, his hand still clutching Harry's in a protective embrace.

"Ah, I see. Not good, not good," Wilcox said, humming and hawing between words. He scratched his bare chin and continued squinting at the test results. "How soon after the bond was introduced did he become unconscious?"

Beside the bed, Snape's fingers tightened around his son's wrist. "Within minutes," he said.

Angus turned to the headmaster, as if just noticing his presence. "That is good to know. Anything else that you remember? Was the boy trying to reach the Cerebus or saying anything out of the ordinary?"

"He was in obvious pain and quite...dissociated by the time I arrived on the scene. Hagrid would have better answers, I'm certain," Severus said.

"Your giant friend is off on a little mission for me, but he did tell me everything as he saw it and, unfortunately, his attention was quite focused on the Cerebus - Fluffy, was it? - at the time," Wilcox said. The man heaved a sigh. "I believe the dissociation was due to the boy's ignorance."

"Excuse me?" Snape's voice was level, but frozen around the edges.

"It's not an admonishment!" Wilcox said hurriedly, waving his hands in a dismissive gesture. "Quite the opposite, in fact. Anyone with a weak mind would have been stuck to that creature's side without a moment's hesitation. It speaks to young Potter's strength of will that instead of falling prey to the needs of the newly formed bond, he retreated within himself for safety. Perfectly normal," the man assured Snape. "Normal, but problematic."

Wilcox went back to scratching his chin, failing to elaborate. The headmaster brushed his hand over Harry's pale cheek, checking for a change in temperature, but he felt only slightly colder than normal. It was pure hell listening to the click, clack, click, clack of Angus Wilcox's black leather boots hitting the infirmary floor when all Snape wanted to do was make Harry magically better.

"I am a potions master, is there not a draught or something that can alleviate his symptoms?" Severus dared not look up as he asked.

"Hm. Perhaps. If you had some Cerebrus blood on hand that could certainly give the boy some of his strength back. Maybe even wake him. Though I'm not sure that's what we want at the moment," Wilcox cautioned.

"Accio Cerebrus Blood," Snape commanded without hesitation.

The large purple vial appeared several minutes later, crashing through the infirmary doors at speed. Snatching it out of the air, Snape turned to Wilcox and raised a questioning eyebrow. The bald man nodded in defeat.

"Alright, you can wake him but no strenuous activity. Three drops should do it."

Snape measured out the amount and opened Harry's mouth, allowing 3 even drops to land in on his tongue. The boy swallowed automatically, grimacing in his sleep. His eyelids began to flutter and then Harry was looking up at his father with a mixture of relief and desperation.

"Fluffy needs me," Harry whispered hoarsely. "I need to get to Fluffy."

Gently pressing the boy against the mattress, Snape shook his head. "No, Harry. Everything will be fine, but you need to stay here. You aren't well."

Harry whimpered and the sound cut through the headmaster's chest like a knife. "I need...I need. Fluffy? Why do I need Fluffy? No. No, Fluffy needs me!"

"It is as I feared. He was better of asleep," Wilcox said sadly.

A calming draught appeared in front of Harry and his father urged him to drink it which he did with a confused frown. The effects were immediate. The boy slumped back into the pillows, staring up at the ceiling with an unhappy expression. "Fluffy," he repeated the word endlessly in a soft whisper.

"Well, that's that, I'm afraid. Best you can do for the boy as long as the bond is still rather weak."

"It does not appear to be weak," Pomfrey pointed out, speaking a bit louder to be heard over the boy's mumblings.

"Ah, but, my dear, the bond's strength is determined by proximity. If he had gone to the creature right away there would have been no helping either of them until the melding of their magics was complete. As it is, he is not currently sharing any of his magical core. You would know if he were."

"I see," Pomfrey said, paling.

"Perhaps we should move him to my quarters?" Snape suggested. "They are deeper in the castle and the wards might even be helpful."

"Ah, yes. Good idea!" Wilcox agreed.

Drawing the nearly incoherent boy into his arms, Severus allowed Pomfrey to lead the way into her office. The trip would be much quicker through the floor system. Looking down at his son, Snape felt his heart constrict painfully. Harry's eyes were glassy and staring at nothing while his mouth moved, repeating the one word over and over. Praying his ordeal would be over soon, the headmaster threw down floo powder and was consumed by green flames.  

 "Here's the thing," Wilcox started, tapping his chin as he spoke, "Proximity is key. Stretch the bond too far and it will snap, rendering the bond-mates mentally damaged-" He ignored Snape's horrified expression. "- but bring them together and the bond solidifies, melding their magical cores into one."

"And that's bad?" Pomfrey asked, a hand laid over her heart.

"It can be. It might not be. That is hardly the point," Wilcox said.

"It would seem to be a rather important point," Snape said. His black eyes became beady slits when he added softly, "How do you intend to fix my son, Mr. Wilcox?"

"It is possible for the bond to fade on its own given enough time. Though, I doubt that will happen in this case. The bond was unofficial, no ritual was followed and the bond-mates didn't volunteer. That puts us on shaky ground. I've never attended a bonding this dangerous. The connection of two minds is a delicate thing. One wrong step on our part and they might both be damaged beyond repair. We must be patient. I will need to wait at least several hours to see how the connection progresses. If it remains steady then we have some breathing room to find a solution. If not...well, we'll stupefy that boggart when it jumps at us."

Snape drew in a breath, hissing between his teeth, and turned his attention away from the bald man - whom he would have liked very much to hex - and back to Harry. The boy was on the couch, a maroon and gold blanket covering his still form. Hazy green eyes watched the ceiling, blinking rarely, as his mouth formed a single word over and over. Snape had never felt so helpless in his entire life.

"Do what you must do," the headmaster said finally, not moving from his spot next to the boy.

Wilcox studied the man's bowed head. "I must consult with Hagrid momentarily. It will be important to monitor both bond-mates. M'lady, if you could accompany me, I would greatly appreciate it."

"Of course," Pomfrey said.

Snape didn't look up as the floo burst to life. He kept his gaze focused on Harry. Young, idiotic, brave Harry. If he had been capable of crying, a single tear might have slipped down the Slytherin's cheek at that moment, but his time as a Death Eater had cured him of that weakness. The idea that the boy might never awaken from his state was almost more than Snape could bear.

Pulling Harry into a sitting position, Snape sat and drew the boy to his chest. "It's going to be alright. I'm here. I won't let anything happen to you."

There was no way to tell if the words were reaching Harry.

-

In the recesses of his unconscious mind, Harry heard Snape's voice calling out to him. For a moment, it lessened the all encompassing need to find Fluffy.

"Dad?" He called out into the darkness.

-

A finger twitched. Snape drew himself up from the half-stupor he had fallen into. He watched Harry's hand, but it didn't move again. The boy's blank expression was unchanged, but there had been a twitch, Severus was certain of it. Reassured by the single movement, he let out a steadying breath, the edges of his mouth bending upward.

Belatedly, the headmaster realized that the students probably deserved an explanation to the days chaotic events. No doubt rumors were already spreading about the events at the front entrance. Summoning a quill and parchment, Snape wrote a series of instructions for the other teachers, listing McGonagall as the interim headmaster until Harry was out of danger. He sent it off with a flick of his wand and it darted up the fireplace.

-

It was several hours later when Harry slipped out of the potion induced calm and back into full awareness. He felt something warm against his back and he looked around, instantly recognizing his father's black robes. Chin resting on his chest, the headmaster had fallen asleep at some point. Harry felt a heavy blanket of guilt settle over him.

Inching carefully away from the man, Harry slowly worked his way off the couch. An insatiable need to find Hagrid's Cerberus propelled him forward. Clearly his father didn't want him to go to the creature so Harry needed to make sure the former spy didn't wake up. It felt like forever before Harry was able to get out of the room, but to his relief Snape had not been awakened. Turning, the boy ran away from the headmaster's quarters, magic guiding him to Fluffy.

It wasn't as scary now, the fuzziness in his brain and the overwhelming need to be next to the Cerberus. With each step he took his fears were replaced with a warm acceptance of whatever strange magic had taken him over.

-

Snape snorted, head jerking up. Something was wrong. He glanced down at Harry and found only empty space at his side. He stood and quickly checked the other rooms. The boy was gone. Ice cold horror bubbled up in his chest, but he ignored it. He firecalled the infirmary and Pomfrey answered.

"Have you seen, Harry? He's missing from my quarters," the headmaster said, trying to hide his festering terror.

"No, I haven't," the mediwitch answered, concern furrowing her brow.

"He'll be with the Cerberus, then," Wilcox said, his face hovering into view. "Hagrid's keeping it at the edge of the Forbidden Forest."

"What?!" Snape ended the call abruptly and hurried out of his rooms.

The last things thing he needed was a confused and mentally influenced Harry wandering lost in the forest. Unbidden scenarios started playing through his head. Harry being carried off in the maw of an Acromantula or stampeded to death by a herd of Centaurs was enough to send him practically flying down the corridors. Luckily, the students had returned to their classes so there was no one to noticed his undignified sprint except the spirits and Filch.

Pomfrey and Wilcox met him in the castle square and together the trio ran down the stone steps toward Hagrid's hut. By this point all three adults were huffing and puffing, propelled along through adrenaline alone. They finally reached the edge of the forest and a few yards in saw Hagrid staring down at something, unmoving.

"Harry," Snape asked between gasps, moving forward. "Where's Harry?"

Hagrid turned and put a shushing finger to his beard. Just beyond the half-giant was a sleeping Fluffy with Harry curled up against its chest. They were both fast asleep. Snape froze in shock. Here he had been expecting the worst possible outcome when his son was safely locked in the furry embrace of a Cerberus. Two humongous paws hugged Harry while two heads lay on either side of him, the third propped up on the boy's head. A line of drool was dripping steadily down on the sleeping boy's shoulder. Soft huffs of contentment came from all three dog heads while Harry snored gently. It was the cutest bloody thing Severus had ever witnessed. It made him shudder even as relief flooded his system.

"Well, I guess that wasn't so bad," Wilcox spoke up finally. "Unfortunately, it only takes moments for a bond to solidify so they are, essentially, magically linked. Fortunately, there doesn't appear to be any ill effects. I will, of course, need to take a few scans to confirm, but it is my professional opinion that the Cerberus be legally acknowledged as the boy's familiar and they be allowed to continue growing their connection."

"But I thought it was dangerous," Pomfrey said.

"I said it could be. There is never any telling with unplanned bondings how things will proceed, but the danger is definitely over now. Let them sleep, they deserve the rest."

"And then?" Snape asked. "How will this bond affect Harry magically and physically?"

"He'll have greater stamina, the bond will feed him energy from the creature should he need it, and once the bond is settled they will not be required to be in close proximity. That takes roughly three days and in that time they should not be separated by more than a room." Even as he spoke, Wilcox perfomed a series of magical exams which all glowed a healthy gold in the air. Satisfied, he sheathed his wand. "They seem to be in good health. Everything is normal, but they will need that rest period." 

Pomfrey nodded in understanding. "Three days in the infirmary will do him good. I'll make sure they are uninterrupted."

Wilcox clapped his hands together; the sound echoed in the forest and both the boy and dog shifted, but didn't wake up.

"I'll be off then. If you have any further questions my floo is always open," the bald man said cheerfully. "Now, good day, sirs, M'lady." He bowed to Pomfrey and then straightened. He disappeared with a loud pop, disapparating from the forest.

"He's a character, 'at one," Hagrid said with a shake of his head.

"Agreed," Snape said dryly. "Now, the question is how to get them both to the infirmary. I suppose we could wake them."

"Wouldn't recommend it. Fluffy's not in the best of moods today." Hagrid turned his arm so they could see a pink soaked bandage on his left forearm.

"Mobilicorpus, it is," Snape said. "This should be interesting."

It must have looked quite comical for anyone watching, the headmaster levitating a dog roughly the size of a small car that still held Harry in immobile paws. The walk to the infirmary was a long one, but made without incident.

-

"But I'm fine now. Fluffy can come with me to class. I've already been up here for two days and it's boring," Harry said.

Severus held up a hand for silence. "I'll not have any of your whinging, Harry. You gave us all quite a scare and while I know it wasn't technically your fault this time, I can assure you that my peace of mind is dependent on you and your new familiar staying in the infirmary for one more day."

Harry leaned back against the stack of pillows, hands crossing over his chest. "Well, why can't I just go to your rooms? You said I could always go there and Fluffy won't cause any trouble. Will you, boy?"

The Cerberus barked in response from where he lay on the next bed, furry limbs flopping over the sides, one head resting on the side-table.

"Fine. I guess that is permissible. After all, we'll need to get used to the great lout-" Fluffy growled while Harry made a sound of discontent. "-wandering around our rooms," Snape conceded.

"Yes!" Harry pumped a fist in the air. Fluffy watched, one head turning sideways in confusion. "We're getting out of here, Boy."

At this the dog leaped to his feet and started jumping up and down in excitement, the force rocking the infirmary floor.

"Merlin save us," Snape said in despair, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Come along, Harry....and...Fluffy."

The boy followed his father, the dog less than a step behind him, heads crowding around the boy's shoulders. They were headed home.  

 Harry discovered early on the fifth day after his bonding that he could talk to Fluffy mentally. It had happened accidentally at first. The Cerberus had been sniffing his way around the Gryffindor common room when Harry had thought 'sit down, already' rather strongly. Three heads had turned in his direction and the dog had sat, inconveniently blocking the stairways to the girls dorm rooms. Harry had been having fun using this new found ability to confuse the Slytherins. It was fun to torment them.

The boy had needed to sign a formal contract stating that Fluffy was his new familiar. This seemed to even be accepted by the castle itself, because doorways and classrooms would magically readjust to fit the large dog as he loped after Harry. The Cerberus was insatiably curious about everything, having been given very limited access to the grounds in the past. Now, five days after having woken up in the hospital calling for Fluffy, Harry was finally starting to feel settled into his new role as a bond-mate.

Harry, Ron and Hermione, with Fluffy scuffling along behind them, made their way into the potions classroom. They sat at an empty table and began setting out their books and quills. Harry mentally asked Fluffy to sit somewhere out of the way and the giant creature had decided the area around Snape's desk would fit the bill. Its long black tail thumped happily against the stone floor when the headmaster finally swooped into the room, robes billowing. It had been obvious almost right away that whatever strong emotions Harry felt toward a person was also shared by the Cerberus and sometimes that could cause problems.

At Snape's entrance, the dog walked over to the potion's master and gave him a playful lick. It started at the man's boots and went up his entire right side, coating him with saliva and causing his greasy hair to stand on end. Pure silence filled the classroom for a very long moment and then Fluffy let out a self-satisfied bark and the students burst into laughter. Most of them tried to hide it, but Harry and Ron were clutching their sides and falling out of their chairs. Snape looked furious.

"Mr. Snape, if you would be so kind as to call off your..." He was at a loss for words, mouth forming around one possible descriptor after another without settling on any. "...Fluffy, out of my classroom. Now."

Harry gave the dog a playful pat on its way out into the hall as it obediently followed the boy's mental directions. A quick cleaning charm eradicated all evidence of what had just taken place, but the room was still echoing with titters when the teacher began writing that day's potion on the board. Snape's face remained flushed through the remainder of the class much to Harry and Ron's amusement. Hermione just looked sympathetic, slapping Ron's shoulder in admonishment. The redhead rubbed his arm, but toned down his mirth at the headmaster's bad luck.

-

That evening the trio of friends were lounging around the Gryffindor common room when Snape made an unexpected appearance. Fluffy was sprawled out on his back in front of the fireplace with Ginny reading at his side, scratching the dog's stomach absently. No one was surprised by the headmaster's visits anymore; the Gryffindors had come to realize that Harry and Snape were family and nothing would change that. So they accepted it.

"How are you feeling, Harry?" Snape asked, coming to stand next to his son.

"Fine. A bit hungry, could do with a butter beer," the boy quipped.

Snape gave an exasperated sigh. "Harry."

"Really, dad, I'm fine."

"No magical problems in class?"

"Well, if you count sucking at transfiguration then, yeah...otherwise, no. I'm perfectly alright," Harry reassured the man.

It was going to take a while to truly convince his father that he had been unharmed by the magical bond that had infiltrated their lives. If anything, he felt more stable now that there was a steady emotional background of trust and loyalty cushioning his thoughts. His nightmares weren't so bad when he could share the pain with someone who didn't need him to talk. Although he might not have chosen it for himself, Harry was glad that he had Fluffy in his life.

"Are you staying in the dorm tonight?"

"Yeah, dad."

"And your monster?" Snape said with word with a light smile.

Harry grinned and looked over at where Fluffy was dozing happily in the warmth of the fire. "He likes sitting in the window."

Snape's eyebrows shot up. "In the window?"

"The castle kinda grows around Fluffy sometimes and the window ledge gets bigger for him," Harry tried to explain with a shrug. "He likes it."

"Hmm. I see. Well, it's good to know that Hogwarts herself is accepting your new bond. Have a good night, Harry," Snape said the last softly. "Weasleys, Ms. Granger." He nodded to them before leaving the common room.

"Night, dad," Harry called as the portrait hole shut.

"You have that man wrapped around your finger," Ginny said. She was smiling.

"Nah. He's still a greasy haired git," Harry's mouth lifted up in a quirk, "But he's my greasy haired git."

Fluffy gave a huff of agreement from several feet away, one of his heads lolling to the side so he could look over at Harry. The flickering flames gave the impression that the dog had winked. Even though he didn't know what would happen next in his crazy life, Harry felt good about facing the future. He had a dad, his friends, a newly formed bond that pulsed warmly in his mind.

Being the Boy Who Lived wasn't too bad.