Chapter Three

Harry couldn’t do it…he just couldn’t sleep in his room alone. His eyes kept making dark shadows more than they actually were. What had been a chair at one time turned into a snarling man slumped into the corner. His beautiful white snow owl now looked like a white bat. And above all else, the tapping branch on his window sounded too much like fingers, hoping to lure him away. He wanted his father; he couldn’t be alone in this room with those thoughts plaguing his mind.

Would Severus let him break his promise? He knew that he had given his word to the Potions Master, that he had sworn that he would not be scared. How could he be blamed for being scared of a horror movie though? That was the intent of a scary film; it was supposed to scare the living Hell out of you. So in a way Severus DID get what he paid for, now all he had to do was articulate that to his father and he might have a chance at spending the night in his rooms.

He grabbed his wand and tiptoed from his bedroom. The cold wood of the floor froze his toes and a chill, slowly, crept up his spine. He wished Severus would invest in some carpets, but getting Sev to renovate was like pulling out a dragon’s sore tooth. Sometimes Harry thought this house was a bit of a weapon against Severus. There were times when Harry would find his dad with this blank expression on his face, he would be staring at something and just be incoherent for what seemed like hours. Harry had tried to ask about it once before, but his father just brushed him off and said that he was reading into things.

It was awfully unfair, Severus wanted to know everything about his past, and Harry wasn’t permitted to ask anything of Severus’s. His father told him about his mother and how they had known one another, but never mentioned what his parents were like. Nor did he mention why he had never moved from Spinner’s End. Harry just assumed that there would be one day Severus would have to tell him, he just had to be patient and wait for that day.

Severus’s door was slightly ajar, but that was no surprise. Severus always kept his door open just in case Harry needed him. It was something Harry felt, extremely, comforted by. His old relatives would just lock him away and didn’t care if he needed them. But not Severus, no, Severus wanted to be there for him and wanted him to feel loved.

His father’s room was always cold to him. It was because Severus was so used to the Dungeon’s and if Harry didn’t whine so much he was sure that the rest of their home would be this temperature. Harry stayed up on the seventh floor, all the heat from the castle surfaced there. A person could not take a person from that environment and expect them to be comfortable in below freezing temperatures.

Setting his wand on one of the bed side tables, Harry gently drew back the covers and slid into the crisp sheets that Severus had made his bed with. He shivered slightly at how cold everything felt to him and inched a bit closer to his father. Would it have killed Severus to get a hot water bottle for his bed? Probably, his father didn’t like being overheated.

“I thought you were not going to come in here tonight, Harry.”

Harry jumped a bit when Severus awoke, he had thought his father had been asleep. Sighing a bit he wrapped the blankets further around himself. Severus couldn’t make him leave, not unless he agreed to come with him. Harry refused to go back to his own bed and be alone in that horrific setting.

“Please don’t send me away,” he whispered, pitifully. “I’m scared, Severus.”

Severus sighed but kept his eyes closed. He had to admit that Harry did last longer than he had thought he would, so he couldn’t really be all that mad at him. And when his son spoke to him with such a sad plea, it almost broke Severus’s heart to send him away. One night, that was all he would permit, then for the rest of this year Harry Potter would be sleeping in his own bed.

“Alright, fine,” the Potions Master hissed. “Just for tonight though, understand? Tomorrow night you will be sleeping in your own room.”

Harry smiled and snuggled down into the blankets. He had known that Severus wouldn’t be able to resist his pleas, and now he was all safe and warm with his father’s in bed. Yawning he turned onto his side and closed his eyes.

“Dad,” he whispered. “Thanks for letting me stay with you…I’m sorry for taking up your time.”

“Harry,” Severus said gently. “You do not take up my time, you make it more manageable. I love you, and I love having you here. Please don’t think you are a burden, I had hoped we had gotten rid of that feeling long ago.”

Harry shrugged; he knew that Severus often told him that. It was just nice to hear it again and be reminded that someone loved him. Especially Severus, he had never yearned to have someone’s approval more.

“I’m sorry, sometimes I forget.”

Severus nodded, that seemed to be Harry’s answer for everything. There were times that Severus thought Harry just didn’t believe him when he told him that he loved him. He wanted Harry to, but he was starting to get a bit tired of the constant apologies. It felt like he always had to prove that he wasn’t going to throw the boy out on his ear.

“I wish you would try harder to remember,” he said softly. “I really do.”

Harry fell silent at the sound of hurt that seemed to coat Severus’s tone. He had not meant to offend or upset his dad. Of course Harry knew that Severus loved him, but maybe it was a bit selfish of him to want to constantly hear it over and over again. Well he would know better now, he wouldn’t ask so much.

“I’m sorry, dad,” he said, wrapping his arms around him. “I’ll try harder.”

Severus smiled slightly into Harry’s hair. Wrapping his arms around his son gently, he closed his eyes. He would never understand how such a dramatic change between him and this boy could happen but he would always be grateful for it. The Potions Master never thought he would see a day where the spawn of Potter would actually turn out to be the saving grace Severus needed to change his ways.

“I love you daddy.” Harry whispered, his words becoming heavy with sleep.