Two nights later, Harry came out into the sitting room after changing into his nightclothes, carrying his potions textbook and some parchment, ink and quill.
“May I join you, professor?”
“Of course, Harry. What do you have there?”
“Erm, I was wondering if you could help me with your homework assignment… There are some parts that I don’t understand… You were so helpful with my transfiguration and charms assignments, I just thought…” Harry stood there, near the professor, with a hopeful expression on his face.
Severus stared at the boy for a moment. Harry, figuring he wasn’t going to get any help began to head back to his room. “I understand, sir, I won’t bother you any further…”
“Harry, come back here,” Snape stated, and Harry turned with a grin on his face. “What areas are you having trouble with?”
“Brilliant, sir! Thank you!” Harry returned and sat down on the floor, laying his papers out on the low table. “Can I ask you some basic questions first, and then get into the specifics? See, I tried all last year to understand Potions – I was really looking forward to it, even tried to read ahead in the book before my uncle locked up all my books until I had to leave for the train.”
Severus anticipated the next statement and beat Harry to the punch line. “And then I treated you like dung that first class.”
Harry’s face darkened in remembrance. “Well, yeah, you did. I understand now why you had to; it stinks, but I understand.” Harry and Severus had had several conversations concerning Severus’ seeming dislike of Harry during class times. “But see, those of us raised as Muggles really have a hard time understanding why we have to do things certain ways. Hermione understands, but I really think it’s a Hermione thing – the rest of us are clueless. For instance, what is the difference between all the different ways to prepare ingredients and why does that difference matter? I think if I understood a lot of the things you take for granted, I would do so much better in class. I tried reading the books, but they are written as if the student already knows these things. Do you understand what I’m asking?” Harry felt a bit of trepidation in asking these things – but it had been bothering him for a while now.
Severus tapped a finger against his lips in contemplation. “I do, Harry. I think the only way you will understand is if I show you. Come with me.” He gave Harry a hand up and led the boy to a door along the second wall. “You are not to enter this lab without my express permission, it is entirely too dangerous.” He walked over to a cupboard and removed several jars, placing them in a neat row along the counter. He retrieved a small spoon from a nearby drawer and began to remove a spoonful from each of them, placing the contents on a stainless steel tray in front of the line of jars.
“Now, Harry, these are several different preparations of a Shrivelfig. Can you identify the types of preparations?”
Harry walked along the line and named them off. “Fresh, sliced, diced, minced, quartered, peeled, mashed, dried and powdered,” he said proudly.
“Very good. Now, none of these will hurt you – have a tiny taste of each one and try to discern the difference.” Harry walked back along the line, taking a little taste of each pile.
“It is so different, professor. The powdered is almost bitter, while the fresh is sweet and the diced is salty… wow, I never knew it would make such a difference!”
“And this is why how you prepare your ingredient is so important to the potion you are trying to make. Are you sure you never knew this before?” Severus asked.
“Positive, sir. This helps me a lot – it makes more sense now.” Harry began to help his guardian clean up the counter, enjoying the quiet camaraderie. “Professor, I think I’ve made my decision.” Snape looked down at the child standing near him, handing him jars to put away. “I – I think I’d like to have you take my guardianship.”
“You’re sure about this, Harry?”
A vigorous nodding head was the only answer he got.
“Alright, I’ll contact the solicitor and set it up for tomorrow . We do need to get the quarters decorated for the holidays; I was planning on doing that tomorrow.”
“That sounds brilliant!”
“Good. Now off to bed with you, you can finish your paper in the morning; meanwhile I need to fill out the reams of paperwork this will entail. I think I'll be up for quite awhile..” Severus sighed good-naturedly and Harry grinned as he headed towards his bedroom.
“Good night, Professor!”
“Good night, Harry.”
****
Harry woke up early the next morning, excited about decorating for Christmas and changing his guardianship. He stared up at the canopy above him going over the last few days with the Premier Slytherin. Severus Snape had tried very hard to make Harry feel at home, and to feel comfortable with him as a trustworthy adult. One of the things that Severus had insisted on was a full explanation of Harry’s life at the Dursleys. It had been hard – Harry didn’t like talking about his relatives. Heck, he preferred not thinking about them at all when he had a choice. Snape had insisted however, stating that would be the only for him to understand where Harry came from physically and mentally. So Harry had told his professor about his cupboard, his clothes, his chores, having to always underscore Dudley at school, his punishments from his aunt and uncle. Severus had been irate and had taken a walk for nearly two hours to let off some steam that afternoon.
Harry had been scared, he knew he shouldn’t have told – didn’t Vernon always tell him that no one would care about him and his complaints? Harry had sat on his bed berating himself verbally while waiting for Severus to return and chuck him out, because surely Severus wouldn’t want him now, he was such a Freak! He had even packed his trunk in anticipation!
When the Professor had returned, he had been shocked at Harry’s assumptions and had unpacked Harry’s trunk with a wave of his wand, then sat down on the bed with the boy and explained in plain language that Harry was not a freak, that his relatives had been the ones in the wrong. Severus was not mad at Harry, he had taken a walk in order not to go over to Privet Drive and hurt the Dursleys!
Harry smiled as he remembered what had happened then; Harry had gone through such an emotional rollercoaster in a short time that he had broken into tears in relief. The professor had awkwardly patted him on the back and Accio-ed a Calming Draught, which Harry had gratefully swallowed.
That evening, Severus Snape had helped one Harry Potter with his holiday homework, checking for spelling and accuracy and handing Harry some books that supplemented his readings. When Harry was done, Snape had pronounced the results adequate – which Harry was learning was high praise from Severus Snape.
Harry only had one more essay to write and, after last evening’s tutelage, he felt that he could do an ‘adequate’job. Smiling he tossed off his covers and, after putting some slippers on his feet and pulling on a dressing gown, he sat at his desk and began to write his potions essay.
Two hours later, Severus had cracked open the door to wake Harry up and was surprised to see the student industriously working. He knocked gently on the wood to gain his ward’s attention. The messy hair turned toward him with a grin.
“Professor! I’m almost done with your essay. Just give me fifteen more minutes? I really want to finish it – it is Wednesday, and you said…”
“To have your homework done by Wednesday; yes, I believe I did say that.” He stood there for a moment, taking in the picture of this happy child in his quarters. “Alright, fifteen minutes and then I want you washed, dressed and ready to go visit the solicitor to fill out the paperwork. We have a very busy day ahead of us!”
Harry grinned at him and turned back to his parchment. Severus took one more indulgent look at the boy, then turned back to order some breakfast from the kitchens.
Harry was as good as his word and had handed his guardian the finished essay before sliding into his seat at the little table and piling eggs, bacon, and tomatoes onto his plate. Severus sipped his coffee as he perused the essay, summoning a red quill from his desk. Harry watched nervously as Severus made several marks on his work. He had expected not to have this draft accepted, and really hoped the marks weren’t too bad.
“Well, Harry,” Snape finally said, letting the parchment roll back up with a snap, “you have definitely improved. Most of my corrections were spelling and grammar mistakes. Fix those and you will have a quite adequate composition.” He cast a warming spell on the rest of his coffee and began sipping again.
Harry sighed with relief. “Thank you, sir! Your explanation last night really helped me understand the questions you were asking.” He shovelled the last forkful into his mouth and washed it down with one more gulp of pumpkin juice.
“Are you ready to go?”
“Yes, sir,” Harry replied.
“Then grab a set of robes and we’ll head up to Professor McGonagall’s office. We are meeting the solicitor there.”
Harry headed back to his room to set the parchment scroll on his desk and took a new set of robes out of the closet, pulling them on as he met the professor at the portrait hole. Severus set the pace and Harry followed closely behind as they walked out of the dungeons and up to the second floor where the Deputy Headmistresses offices were. Madam Pomfrey was already there waiting for them along with a slight man who introduced himself as Aldus Bennington.
Mr Bennington took the seat behind the desk and Harry sat between the other two adults in front of the piece of massive oak furniture.
“Mr Snape, I believe we are here to transfer guardianship of Harry Potter from his aunt and uncle to yourself. Do you have the requested documentation showing just cause for this transfer?”
“I do, it is right here in this folder.” Snape handed the little man the manila folder that documented Harry’s injuries and signs of abuse in medical terminology. Bennington took some minutes to read the file, tsking to himself periodically.
“Oh, my… yes, yes… dear me… how horrible!” He finally turned to Harry. “Do you agree to this change in circumstances, son?”
Harry was annoyed, he didn’t like this adult and felt the man was far too interested in Harry’s file, and he hated anyone calling him 'son' when they weren't even related; but he wanted this change to go through so he answered. “Yes, sir.”
“And everything that is documented here is true?”
“Yes, sir,” Harry answered warily. How could they falsify the wand readings?
The solicitor nodded to himself before reaching into his satchel and pulling out a large stack of paperwork. “Then all we need to do is fill out this application… and oh.” He stared at Severus when Snape had pulled a similar stack out of his satchel that Harry hadn’t seen previously.
“I believe you will find it all in order. I had your office owl me the forms last week in anticipation of Harry accepting me as his new guardian. We are trying to make this happen as quickly as possible. The only thing we need to complete is Harry’s signature and Harry taking the guardianship potion, which I just happen to have right here,” Snape said as he set the pile on the desk in front of the slight man and pulled a small blue bottle from his robes, setting that down on the desk as well. Harry had to try very hard to contain his giggles at the look on the Solicitor’s face, which was made even harder when Snape looked over at the boy, raising an eyebrow in pure Snape humour causing Pomfrey to snort to herself.
“Why, yes of course – Sandy should have told me she had owled the papers over to you. This makes things much easier, much easier indeed. Well, son, just sign here… that’s right. And now your Medi-witch will administer the potion…” Harry watched as Madam Pomfrey opened the bottle, using her wand to gather two drops of blood from the Professor and himself and letting them fall into the neck of the bottle. She recapped the bottle and swirled it in her hand five times to the right and then five to the left before uncapping it again and handing it to Snape.
Severus peered into the bottle and sniffed before declaring the potion correct and handing the flask back to the Medi-witch. She conjured two small glasses and poured even amounts of the potion into the cups until the bottle was drained. Handing one cup to Snape and the other to Harry, she cast a warding ring around them and stepped away from the glowing spell that encircled the teacher and student.
“At the count of three, you two, I want you to both drink the potion – all of it!” she advised. “One… two… three!”
Harry and Severus drained the glasses and they both shuddered as the taste and the magical bonding hit their systems. Neither of them noticed the cups falling from their hands as they watched the spell that surrounded them coalesce into a purple haze that swirled rapidly before narrowing into a ribbon of power that licked at their magic, almost tickling them. Harry loved the feeling of warmth and contentment that the ribbon induced in him and he looked up into Snape’s face seeing the same emotions registering there as well. The purple ribbon wrapped tightly around them, then contracted through them until it became a single bright beam of light that connected them at their midsections before it flared once and dissipated.
Although they could no longer see the magic bonding them together into guardian and guarded, they could feel the bond pulsing beneath their skin; a subtle reminder of the change they had each accepted.
In a burst of enthusiasm, Harry took the one step forward that brought him to Severus and he wrapped his arms tightly around the older man, burying his face into the now familiar robes and their comforting smells of potion ingredients.
Severus was stunned for a moment, but he could feel the acceptance that exuded from Harry and he completed the embrace by bringing his own arms around the boy, bending his head down to rest his chin on top of Harry’s head. He breathed in the scent of freshly washed hair, and the soap that Harry used, revelling in the feelings of protectiveness that he now felt for the child. He gave one more squeeze to Harry before stepping back and they turned towards the solicitor.
“Excellent, the bond is perfect and shall be in effect until Harry comes of age. At that point you can choose to extend it to a lifelong family bond or dissolve it and go your separate ways. So, if that is all, gentlemen and Madam, I shall take my leave and head back to the ministry to file these papers.” He stuffed the folders back into his case and grabbing his cloak and hat, followed Pomfrey out the door.
Harry stared up at his professor. “Is this what every child feels when they are with people who care about them?” he asked, awestruck at the feelings that permeated his small body.
Severus nodded his head. While he had never felt this type of bond with his father, he had experienced it with his mother and - for a while - with Lily. “Yes, Harry, they do. Do you not remember it with your parents?”
Harry shook his head. “Not really… I sometimes dream of them, or at least I think it is them, but the only memory I really have is of a green light. I used to think it was the car crash that my aunt said had killed my parents, but now I know it is when He came and killed them.”
Severus gathered Harry to his side, letting the boy quietly hold onto him as they headed back to the dungeons. Several students, on their way to a late breakfast, were astonished to see their stern professor comforting his supposedly most hated pupil, walking said student down to the dungeons. Their eyes would have truly bugged out a few minutes later if they had seen this professor sitting in his most comfortable chair in his quarters with this same child ensconced on his lap, leaning into this man and sighing contentedly while the adult periodically rubbed his hand up and down the child’s back.
Chapter 4