Potions and Snitches
Snape and Harry Gen Fanfiction Archive

Chapter 9: Acceptance

The weeks passed; Molly had her visits, the physical therapist came, and the other two-thirds of the Gryffindor trio talked to Harry almost every day. It was now nearing the end of May and Harry had learned a great slew of words, not all of them acceptable in Snape's opinion. He was now able to walk short distances unassisted and was even feeding himself. Through Lupin's hard work, Harry was now also able read a few small words and had recently learned to write his name. Severus kept a house elf in his quarters full-time in order to help him deal with a mobile Boy-who-lived and the Potions master had left the child to the elf's care to attend a meeting in Dumbledore's office to discuss Harry's progress with him.

"Remus came to talk to me last night, Severus. He is concerned that, although Harry's recovery is progressing smoothly, that we are not exposing him to enough experiences…in other words, he is being too sheltered. As he is right now, he is as naïve as a toddler."

"I am aware of this Albus, but I don't see how we can allow him to be seen in public without running the risk of revealing my true loyalties. If word were to get out about this, I'm as good as dead."

"Perhaps it is time to stop your spying duties then, Severus. You know as well as I that he has been suspicious of you for quite a while now. You could…"

"No, Albus," Snape interrupted. "I can't…"

"You paid your debt long ago; if you continue to go back to him merely for the sake of the limited amount of information you gather, you will end up getting yourself killed. Is that what you want?"

"No, of course not. But once word reaches the Dark Lord of my betrayal, it will no longer be safe for me to walk the streets."

"Severus, it is hardly safe now…not for you, not for anyone.

Long minutes passed in silence, the only sounds being the occasional small trill of song from Fawkes sitting on his perch in the corner.

Finally, Snape bowed his head a little, staring at seemingly nothing and he spoke in a weary, tired voice. "Perhaps...," he faltered, "Perhaps you're right."

As Harry woke the next morning, he stretched and relaxed in his bed for a while, enjoying the warmth of the sunshine that came in through the window and fell across his resting form. When he had decided that he had soaked up enough sun, he threw his covers to the side and clambered out of bed. After sliding on his glasses, he padded down the hall and into the other bedroom to see his 'daddy'. Harry silently pushed the door open and hesitated. The shades had been drawn and the thick, dark green curtains had been shut tight against the morning light. Harry glanced through the room toward the bed. The dimmed light that escaped the curtains wasn't enough to illuminate the entire path from the door to the bed and, being scared of the dark, Harry felt it best to get the journey over with as fast as possible. He hurried across the stone floor, almost tripping on the ornate rug that was laid beside the bed, and leaped atop the bed and shut his eyes tight as he huddled against his 'daddy'.

Snape was jolted out of his slumber by what felt like a bludger ramming into him. He threw his eyes open and almost shouted out in alarm. One arm snaked out to grab his wand from the bedside table while he tossed his head to the side to see what the disturbance was. Letting out an almost silent sigh of relief, he placed a hand on the boy's shoulder and said, "Potter, what are you doing in my bed?"

Harry slowly opened his eyes, cast Snape a sheepish grin, and replied, "I came to wake you up 'cause I'm hungry…" The smile slid off his face and he continued, "But it's dark and I was scared."

Snape patted the bony shoulder a few times before rising from the bed and throwing a robe over his night clothes. "Well, come on then. Let's get you something to eat"

Harry jumped out of bed and grabbed Snape's hand with his own. This had become a habit with the boy as of lately, one that the potions master had begrudgingly accepted. The pair made their way into the main room and sat at the small wood table set up in the corner.

As Snape called for a house elf and requested their meals, Harry flipped through the pages of a story book that had been left on the table the night before. That was another habit that Snape had to deal with. Every night for the past several weeks, Harry had insisted on a bedtime story and, of course, Snape was the only other person there to read to him. He had tried to get out of it at first, refusing to read at all; but Harry had pitched such a fit that Snape learned it was easier to just read and get it over with. By now, the professor didn't mind reading so much since it always relaxed the child and made him fall asleep faster.

The house elf arrived with their meals and Harry sat his book aside as Snape served out a portion of eggs onto both plates. Snape decided now was a good a time as any to broach the subject of what he had discussed with the Headmaster the night before. "There is something I needed to speak to you about."

Harry paused his actions, his spoonful of eggs suspended halfway to his open mouth. He slowly lowered his arm, taking in the look of seriousness on Snape's face. "Did I do somethin' wrong?"

Snape quickly let his expression soften before answering, "No. Nothing like that." He thought for a few seconds in silence wondering how best to explain things to the child in front of him. He looked up and noticed that Harry still wasn't eating; the boy was just sitting there looking quite worried while his plate of food grew cold. "I know you're hungry, eat your food." He waited until the boy had taken his first bite before starting again. "I spoke with Professor Dumbledore last night…"

"You mean Albus?" Harry asked, grinning around a mouthful of eggs. Snape winced at the bad table manners and thought of this other bad habit of Harry's. Not only did he display atrocious table manners at times, but he was also constantly calling people by their first name, despite Snape's repetative correcting.

"Yes. I spoke with Dumbledore last night and we decided that you should get to see more of the castle and meet the other students. Perhaps even go outside occasionally."

"I can?" Harry asked excitedly. He had spent many hours looking out the windows, staring at the other children walking around Hogwarts grounds and wishing he could as well. "Can I go today? Can Remus take me?"

"No, I'm afraid not; not today at any rate. I'll be taking you to breakfast in the Great Hall tomorrow morning though, and I expect you to be on your best behavior. Lupin will be coming at his usual time this morning to work with you on your studies. You can ask him then about taking you outside sometime tomorrow. Now finish eating, he should be here any minute."

Sure enough, there was a knock sounding on the door five minutes later. Snape let Remus in and explained what had been discussed with Dumbledore the previous evening, and Remus was smiling widely by the end of it. This was a big step for Harry as far as Remus was concerned and it was as if this served as evidence of the lengthy recovery process…a good sign to show how far Harry had already come.

Snape left shortly thereafter, getting a tight hug from his charge before he could escape out the door. It wasn't so much that he minded the hugs Harry frequently gave him now, it just embarrassed him to no end to let it happen in front of Remus, who had heard all about the whole 'daddy' incident from Ron and Hermione and had been teasing Snape relentlessly about it.

"Alright Harry, let's get started." Remus interrupted the pair, allowing Snape to make his get-a-way. "Go fetch your parchment and quill." Snape slipped out the door as Harry rushed as fast as his still-wobbly legs could take him and quickly reappeared with what he needed to start the day's lessons. Harry loved his lessons with Remus. The two had grown quite close over the past several weeks and he preferred to be with Remus whenever he could not be with his 'daddy'.

Meanwhile, Snape was entering his classroom and silencing the combined group of sixth year Gryffindors and Slytherins with his patented death glare. The class carried on as usual and Snape was glad that Longbottom had not scored high enough on his O.W.L.s to be in this advanced class. But despite this, there was still an exploded potion by the end of class, courtesy of Ron Weasley. How he made it into advanced potions, I'll never know.

He scowled at the boy and watched with well concealed glee as he cowered slightly before letting Granger usher him out of the room, following the other students fleeing the billowing smoke and noxious fumes. As the last of the students disappeared through the doorway, Snape scanned the classroom and found his godson, Draco Malfoy standing at his desk.

"What are you still doing hear Draco? Don't you have a class to be running off to?"

Malfoy put on a cocky grin and replied, "Don't be short with me just because you're having a bad day. Honestly, Weasley had to have cheated to have made it into this class. So, you still haven't told me why I never get to visit with you any more. You never minded before if I came to your quarters to study or talk…you know Crabbe and Goyle aren't exactly the talkative type." He added on sarcastically.

Snape released a longsuffering sigh and steered Draco toward the door to the side of the room that led to his office. "Come and sit." He gestured to a chair in the corner of his office. "I have much to tell you, and I have a few minutes before the next class period starts."

Snape took a second chair, pulled it in front of Draco's and sat down. What followed was a hurried description of the previous few months, with limited details on the specifics in order to preserve some of Harry's privacy. By the time everything was finally said, Draco's eyes were wide open and his mouth agape with shock. He had thought his godfather was doing some secret work for Dumbledore, as he had known about Snape's true allegiance for over a year now, but he had no idea it involved Harry Potter of all people.

"So Potter doesn't remember anything?"

"No, he has had to relearn everything, even the most basic of things. And now the Headmaster and I have decided it's time to reintroduce him to the rest of the world."

Draco sat in contemplation for a few moments before giving a slight nod of his head, as if coming to a decision in some type of internal debate. "I want to see him."

A momentary look of shock crossed Snape's face, but he quickly regained his composure before the boy had noticed and replied, "Why? What are you planning, Draco?"

Donning the most innocent look he could muster, he answered, "I'm not planning anything. I would just like to re-offer my hand in friendship. He refused me during our first year and I would like to try again. There's nothing wrong with that is there?"

As Snape seemed to consider the proposal, Draco silently begged for him to say yes. Draco was expected to officially become a Death Eater this summer, and when the time came to defy his father's wishes, Harry would be a powerful ally to have on his side, even if he wasn't 'up to par', so to speak. It was surely nothing that time would not solve.

"I will allow it, but, Draco, if you try to pull one of your little schemes with him, so help me," Snape narrowed his eyes, "they'll never find the body. Understood?"

Draco gulped and silently nodded his head. He had no doubt whatsoever that his godfather was telling the truth.

….

The next morning, the Great Hall erupted in shocked whispers and even a few muffled shouts of astonishment as Snape and Potter walked in. Here was their missing Golden Boy, who had not been seen or heard from in almost six months, and he was holding the hand of every Gryffindor's worst enemy, Severus Snape. Harry continued to clutch Snape's hand, and from the way he was squeezing it, the potions master could tell the boy was nervous. And why wouldn't he be? He had only met a handful of people since his recovery began, and he certainly was never in a crowd as large as this before. They walked only a third of the way before Harry stopped dead in his tracks.

Snape glanced down and saw Harry's face stricken in a look of panic. The boy's eyes were wide and his bottom lip was slightly trembling as he swung his head back and forth looking for some mode of escape. Snape snapped his eyes back to the crowd of pointing and staring students and he threw on his best death glare. Slowly, the students regained their seats and their composure, and did everything they could to avoid eye contact with the Professor before them.

Once everyone seemed to be minding their own business again, Snape leaned forward and whispered in Harry's ear, "Come on, Potter. No one here will hurt you." He tried to pull the frightened boy forward again, but he still refused to budge. Snape leaned down again, "Look at the front of the room. Do you see that large table?" Harry barely nodded his head in affirmation. "Good. Do you see those two empty chairs? That is we are going to sit. You see, you'll get to sit next to Lupin." Snape gestured toward the table and Harry looked at it again and saw the empty chair next to where Remus sat, smiling and waving at Harry from across the room.

Harry gave a hesitant half-formed smile and allowed Snape to pull him slowly forward. When they finally reached their seats, Harry threw himself into Remus' arms and gave him a big hug. Once he finally sat down, Snape began spooning small amounts of food onto Harry's plate.

The rest of the meal passed without incident and as they were finishing up, Dumbledore rose from his seat to address all of the students.

"As you can all see, one of our own has been returned to us. He was rescued from Voldemort's clutches and has been recovering here at Hogwarts for a while now. He still has a ways to go before he will be able to return to classes, so I ask that you all refrain from making yourself a nuisance if you happen to see him in the halls." He gave a pointed look towards the Slytherin table before concluding his little speech. "Now, off to classes, and good luck to those who are about to take their O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s."

The entire student population rose from their seats and began making their way towards the main doors to the Great Hall, occasionally throwing furtive glances over their shoulders at the oblivious Gryffindor sitting at the Head Table.

Once all the students left, the professors then lifted themselves from their seats to either head off to their classrooms or join one another in a little small talk. Remus sat down in the now vacant seat next to Snape's and leaned closer in to keep Harry from hearing their little conversation. "Well, Severus," Remus began with a smile, "Is he still calling you 'Daddy' ?"

Snape scowled at the man and answered, "Of course he is. He's somehow gotten it stuck in his head to call me that. I've bloody well tried everything I can think of to persuade him otherwise, for all the good it's done me."

Remus tried and failed to hide a sly smile. "Really, now. It isn't that bad is it? I've noticed you don't even complain about it anymore unless someone else brings it up."

"And what good will it do to complain," Snape answered in annoyance, "He'll still call me that and you know it."

Remus stood to leave, shaking his head and chuckling under his breath, "Sure, Severus. Whatever you say."

Snape cast Lupin one last look of indignation before turning his attention back to his young charge. "Almost done?" Harry nodded his head in affirmation, put one last bite of eggs in his mouth, and stood up to leave. Snape stood as well and had taken but one step forward before Harry once again slid his hand into the Potion master's and gripped it in a steady firmness. Snape glanced in both directions to be sure no one was watching and he smiled down at the boy. "Alright, now come along."

….

It was evening and gossip had spread throughout Hogwarts that day faster than a snitch on the Quidditch field.

"Did you hear? Harry Potter is back."

"I heard that You-Know-Who never kidnapped him. I heard that Dumbledore had secretly sent him away for training."

"No, that's not true; he was kidnapped alright. I heard they tortured him."

The voices suddenly hushed as the students milling about the hallway looked up and caught sight of Snape and Harry walking up the corridor on their way to supper.

"Don't you all have somewhere to be?" Snape asked as harshly as he could. The students suddenly scattered like leaves in the wind.

Having learned his lesson at breakfast that morning, Snape was sure to arrive with Harry well before any of the students began to show up so that there would be no repeat performance of that morning's events. Harry sat happily coloring away on a piece of parchment Snape had given him as the two waited on the rest of the students and faculty to arrive.

As the staff table filled, Harry was putting the finishing touches on his creation and he then held it up in front of Snape's face and announced, "Look Daddy! I made this for you. Do you like it?" Snape's cheeks turned an alarming shade of red as he snatched the picture from in front of his face and swiftly set it flat on the table in front of him. Out of the corner of his eyes, he could see several of the staff who had overheard, covering their smiles and giggling behind their hands. He looked towards Harry and noticed a confused and hurt look on the boy's face. "But don't you like it? I made it just for you, da…"

"Harry," Snape blurted the boy's first name out in an effort to stop him from completing his sentence. "It's a very nice picture, but it's almost time to eat and we must put your crayons away."

"Oh…" Harry answered, still somewhat confused by Snape's behavior. "But can I color some more later?"

"Yes, of course you can. Now hand me your crayons." Harry gathered the crayons and handed them to Snape one at a time, watching as they were slid back into their box one by one. Snape then placed the box and the colored sheet of parchment into his large robe pocket and turned his attention to the rest of the occupants of the room. By now, most of the students had arrived and he was irritated to notice both Weasley and Granger staring at him, both with wide smiles on their faces. They didn't hear him say that to me did they? It should be punishable for any Gryffindor to grin at the head of Slytherin house like that! Not that I mind so much when Harry does it…Great Merlin! Now I'm referring to him by first name in my head! What is this world coming to?

Snape's thoughts were interrupted by a sharp tug on his sleeve. He looked down at the source of disturbance and saw Harry grinning up at him. Harry pointed towards Ron and Hermione and then waved excitedly back at them. The boy acts as if he didn't just see those two dunderheads less than 3 hours ago.

Snape got Harry's attention and informed him that, "It's rude to do that at the table. If you rather, you can go and sit with them instead." Harry's grin faded from his face and he threw his arms around Snape's shoulders. And in a voice on the edge of panic he said, "Don't make me sit there; I want to stay with you."

Snape freed an arm from Harry's grip and patted the boy on his back, temporarily forgetting that anyone might see the gesture. "You can stay here if you like; you don't have to sit with them if you don't want to." He paused to allow the child to settle down and then asked, "Why don't you want to sit with your friends?"

"They're just my friends, but you're my daddy; I want to sit with you." This time, Snape did nothing to refute the soft spoken words.

To be continued...

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