Potions and Snitches
Snape and Harry Gen Fanfiction Archive

Author's Chapter Notes:
It's wedding day! This story just took a totally unexpected turn and added a new element I hadn't planned on. I hope I don't lose anyone with this chapter. Just know, this is NOT going to be a cross over. It just makes sense that they would have the chance to encounter this element in this universe. Anyhow, lots of excitement!
Sword In The Stone
Harry stared uncertainly in the mirror as he tried to do up his tie. Jo had taken him just yesterday to get a nice suit to wear to the wedding, and it was an expensive one at that. He'd protested, like always, saying that he already had dress robes, but no one was going to wear dress robes apparently.

Sam came up and slapped him on the back. "Got that thing figured out yet?"

"No one ever taught me how to do it. Severus gave me detention last year for having it wrong so many days in a row. Hermione usually does this for me." He wished she was there just then, but she hadn't been invited, like Ron, despite that she was currently staying with the Weasleys. Harry wasn't sure if he should feel put out for her and Ron or not. He supposed they weren't close to anyone involved in the wedding except him though, and it wasn't his wedding. He was, after all, still just a guest in Jo's home.

"Here," Sam said. He pointed his wand at Harry's tie and it straightened and tightened. "Take this too. Severus said you need it." He handed Harry the jar of hair straightening cream and Harry globbed the clear gel onto his hair, using a comb to smooth it out. The wedding wasn't for another two hours, but they were supposed to help get things ready so they'd been sent to get dressed early in the men's dressing tent.

"Harry."

Harry turned at the sound of a familiar voice and found Ron with a pair of dark slacks and a button up shirt and tie folded over one arm.

"Ron! What are you doing here?"

"We got an owl late last night from Sam's mum inviting me and Hermione."

"Really?" Harry asked. He turned to Sam, but Sam only shrugged.

Ron nodded. "It surprised mum. She gave me a lecture for half an hour about being a gentleman and not causing any trouble or else she'd have my hide."

Harry laughed. "Is Hermione here then?"

"She's in the girl's tent with Ginny."

Harry worked hard not to think about Ginny in the changing room, but his red cheeks drew a frown from Ron anyway.

Just as Ron took his shirt off to change into his button up shirt and tie, Snape hurried into the tent, looked around for something, grabbed the tin of hair straightening cream and hurried back out again. Harry laughed because he'd apparently startled Ron, who was hugging his bare torso to hide himself.

"What's so funny?"

Sam looked and laughed too. "Well he's the dungeon master isn't he? I don't want him to see me starkers."

"Dungeon master?" Sam asked, and laughed again.

When they finished changing, they barely had time to say hello to Ginny and Hermione before Molly was instructing them to hover tables under a white tent top, polish silverware, lay out place settings, bring in benches, and set up rows of white wooden chairs in the sunlit clearing in front of the vine covered arch.

"I can't believe it's all for Snape," Ron said.

Harry shrugged. He wasn't a bad guy or anything. He'd been bad to Harry, but the more he found that Snape was decent, the more often he wondered if he had deserved all of the negative attention he'd gotten from the man over the past five years. Maybe he'd deserved what he'd got from the Dursleys too.

"I'm going to have to change again if this keeps up," Sam said, pulling at his shirt after Molly had just made them move the larger of the five tables for the third time.

When Molly's back was turned, Harry, Sam, and Ron hurried away, hoping to sneak some punch from the food table before they were set another task again.

"I hope we get some free time today," Ron commented as they each took a cup of punch and hurried into the trees.

"Well, once the work is done we'll just be sitting around," Sam said. "It will be pretty boring. Especially with Draco here."

Hermione and Ginny chose that moment to come up to them. They also had punch. "Mum's looking for you Ron," Ginny told him.

"I bet she is," he scoffed. "We just got away from her."

"We've been helping Professor Snape," Hermione said then. "He said he was bad at decorating so Ginny and I put all the flowers and streamers up."

"He taught us a spell to make vines grow too," Ginny said. "I think I want vines like that at my wedding."

Harry choked on his punch at that moment and Sam laughed, slapping him on his back. Hermione also covered her mouth to hide a giggle, and Ron chose to ignore Harry altogether.

"Really Ron," Hermione said, "I think your mum is about to find an owl to send a howler if you don't hurry back."

"Come on," Ron said, and Harry and Sam went back through the trees to the clearing, Harry turning to give Ginny a smile as he passed, even if his face was still red.

"You're hopeless," Sam told him as they neared Molly again. "You haven't even asked her out yet, have you."

Harry looked at Ron.

"Er."

Ron turned and shook his head. "He is hopeless. All summer Ginny and mum have been conspiring against you Harry. When Hermione got to our house it got even worse. You should ask her already so I don't have to listen to them any more."

"They- they have?"

"Well Harry likes Quidditch, you should take more of an interest in that," Ron mocked a high female voice, though Harry wasn't sure why anyone would say that since Ginny was already on the Gryffindor team as a Chaser. "And I think he likes the color blue, you should wear blue to the wedding." He snorted when he finished with his fake female tone.

Harry turned back to see if Ginny and Hermione were still in the trees, and noted that Ginny was wearing a light blue dress. It was very pretty, he thought, but pulled his mind away from her as Molly came out from the women's tent and scolded all three of them for disappearing when there was work to be done.

Guests started to trickle in around 10 am, and Harry started trying to identify the people who were mulling about. Dumbledore and McGonagall were there, and since they were on school grounds he knew they didn't have to travel very far. Sam and Ron pointed out various other people from the ministry or St. Mungos. Not including the Weasleys, Hermione, Sam or Harry there were about 25 guests. It was definitely a small wedding, but Harry rather liked it this way, even if Draco was there. If he ever got married (he turned red again and Sam nudged him and laughed since he wasn't even looking at Ginny) then he thought he would like a small wedding like this. Maybe even right here in this same spot. It was perfect really. The area was mostly shaded but there was a clearing large enough for the event where tall trees let the light filter down through the canopy. They'd already trampled the grass flat that morning, but other than that it was perfect. Harry longed to explore the area having never been given a proper chance to do so while at school, and wondered if he could sneak away with the others after the ceremony.

At ten thirty Molly came and began ushering them to sit down, instructing Harry and Ginny, Sam and Katie Davis (who was also in their year) to sit in the front row, and Ron and Hermione to sit in the row behind that. Draco was also instructed to sit next to Ron and Hermione (apparently this was the teen row), and though he scoffed, he did as he was told. Harry wondered if Severus had already told him to behave.

There were to be no bridesmaids or groomsmen in this wedding. Severus had confided in Harry that he felt too awkward asking his future step son to be his best man, and that if he had Harry and Sam up there, Draco might throw a fit if he wasn't invited. It would be awkward to have three sixteen year old boys as his groomsmen, so Severus and Joanna had decided not to have anyone up there with them at the altar at all. Harry wondered that he didn't have any adult male friends. He was nice enough to have Joanna and Sam, and Harry thought that Severus was friends with Dumbledore, but maybe not.

Finally, at eleven, Severus and Joanna met at the altar (there was no brides music to march to, as this was a Muggle tradition), and a man from the Ministry wedding office greeted them with a smile.

As he read the vows and had Joanna and Severus repeat them, Jason nudged Sam and pointed to his mom. There were tears there in her eyes. Harry looked around at the seats behind them and on the other side of the aisle and was surprised to find that all the women were crying, even Ginny and Hermione. Draco looked as disgusted as Harry felt perplexed at the show of emotions. They must have been tears of joy, because Harry couldn't imagine why anyone would come to a wedding and cry for being sad.

Turning his attention back to Severus, Harry wondered what was going through his mind at that moment. Unlike the women there, his expression was neutral and unreadable. He was smiling, but Harry wasn't used to seeing that from him and felt like it was a neutral smile. When the bride and groom kissed, Harry heard Ron make a gagging noise behind him followed by a noise of pain and turned to see that Hermione had kicked him. Harry stifled a laugh and looked back to the front as Severus and Jo began to make their way back down the aisle. Everyone stood and clapped, and when Harry let his hand fall again, Ginny took his hand in hers as they walked down the aisle behind Sam and his girlfriend and Jason.

Draco chose to sit at a table full of adults after the ceremony rather than sit with Harry and Sam and the Weasleys. Harry noted that he looked uncomfortable and unhappy. That was just Draco, he thought and didn't draw anyone elses attention to it.

The party wore on through the afternoon, and finally Harry and his friends moved off for the trees, his hand in Ginny's again.

"I'm not saying it wasn't fun," Sam said, "but I'm glad we've got a chance to get out of there."

"Me too," Ron said, taking his tie off and stuffing it in a pocket before unbuttoning the top two buttons of his shirt. Sam did the same thing and so did Harry. Sam and Harry had left their coats back at the table since it was hot out.

"Why didn't Katie come?" Hermione asked, looking back through the trees towards the now distant reception.

"Her aunt wanted to introduce her to people from the Ministry."

"Has anyone actually been out here aside from during Herbology?" Ron asked, wondering if there was anything to do aside from perhaps make their way towards the castle, which was quite a distance.

"I haven't," Hermione said, "but in Hogwarts A History, I read that King Arthur came through here several times on quests."

"You and that book," Ron snorted.

They wandered for a while, hopping a stream and then hopping it again as it doubled back on itself, Harry helping Ginny jump over and Ron trying to help Hermione, though Hermione reminded him that she was more than capable on her own. Ron fancied Hermione, Harry knew, but hadn't asked her out yet.

The forest was starting to get darker and Harry knew that even though there was still plenty of light above the canopy, they would have to turn back soon if they didn't want to find their way back in the dark.

"Just a little further," Ron said. "I don't want to go back yet. Besides, we haven't found any traces of Hermione's Arthur yet."

Hermione shot him a look but softened when she realized that Ron hadn't been making fun of her.

"What do you expect to find?" Sam asked. "The sword in the stone? That's been lost for thousands of years."

"You mean like that one?"

They turned to Harry who was pointing to a boulder in the distance, with a metal handle glinting in the little ray of light shining down on it. Motes of dust hung in the air over it.

"Very funny Harry," Ron said. "What charm are you using to make us see it?"

Harry held up his hands to show that he was wandless and Ron looked to Sam who held up his hands as well.

"It can't be," Ron said.

They stared at it quietly for long moments. "If it's on Hogwarts grounds," Hermione said, "that would make sense why no one ever found it. There are Muggle repellant charms all around the perimeter. Legend says that after King Arthur died, Merlin put the sword back in the stone."

"And only someone who will bring in a new age for the people can pull it out," Sam said. "I remember that story. Dad used to tell it to me all the time when I was a kid."

They looked at each other and then walked towards the boulder.

"Think Dumbledore knows it's here?" Ron asked. No one answered.

"It's pretty far in, and no one is allowed to come in except during class," Hermione said. "Maybe it really has been lost."

"You'd think one of the founders would have found it," Ginny commented. She didn't say so, but Harry knew she knew Hogwarts A History backwards and forwards like Hermione did. The day he and Sam had stayed at the Burrow, she'd told Harry about how the founders had explored the area before building Hogwarts.

Ron rolled up his sleeves as they stared at the stone and Hermione giggled. "Ron, what are you doing?"

"Well, if someone's going to herald a new age for the people, I might as well give it a go. Think about it Hermione! I could be the Minister of Magic!"

They all laughed and Ron gave them a frown, throwing his hand down at them. "You just wait and see," he said, pointing a finger, and walked to the boulder. They quieted, and he put his hand on the leather wrapped golden handle. He gave a tug and nothing happened.

"Come on, you can do it," Harry said jokingly, and Ron put his foot up against the boulder and leaned back, pulling with all his might. He tried several times before he stepped back, panting.

"No, it's going to be a girl," Ginny said with a laugh and hurried forward to try. She even encanted a charm to make the rock softer, but the sword didn't budge. Hermione also tried with several charms, and finally Sam tried. None of the teens were aware that while they'd been bantering about the sword and each trying their hand at pulling it from the rock that Severus, Jo, Dumbledore, and McGonagall had gone out into the woods to find them because they'd been gone for so long.

"Is that?" Jo asked, and Severus held a finger up to his lips. It certainly looked like the sword in the stone. Sam tried three times to pull it and finally gave up, panting.

"It has been here for an age," Albus said quietly. "We have never let students come in to the woods this far because we feared one of them may try to blast the rock apart to get at the sword. Not even Tom Riddle knew of it's existence here on the grounds."

Jo flinched at the mention of Voldemort, but stayed quiet as they watched the group.

"Albus," Minerva said, and pointed. All of the children were looking at Harry now. Apparently he'd been the only one yet to try.

"Go on Harry," Ron encouraged him. "If anyone's going to pull it, it's you."

"Me? It's been stuck in that rock forever. I don't think it's going to let me pull it."

"Come on Harry, try," Ginny said, and her sentiment was echoed by Sam and Hermione. Finally, after giving all of his friends a look, Harry walked quietly and slowly to the boulder. He put his hand on the handle, and then pulled it away again.

"Go on Harry!" Ron shouted. Harry turned to look at his friends again and then put his hand on the sword again, though he didn't try to pull it.

"What is he waiting for?" Jo asked.

"He doesn't want it," Albus said.

"The sword?"

"The responsibility that comes with it. Legend says that an enchantment was placed on the blade. Only someone as powerful as Arthur, as loyal, as kind, as true... only someone who can lead his people into a new era of peace and tranquility will be able to pull Arthur's sword from that stone."

"He has enough to deal with," Severus said, moving forward, intending to stop Harry from trying, but Albus put his hand on Severus' shoulder to stop him and they stilled as Harry tightened his grip on the handle.

"What are you waiting for?" Sam said.

Without looking back, Harry pulled on the handle, and the sword made a single fluid motion out of the boulder, surprising Harry so much that he stumbled backwards and almost fell. He held it up in the air, staring at it as the last of the light filtered down to glint off of the blade. No one spoke. Turning to his friends Harry didn't know what he expected them to say, but nothing at all was fortcoming from them.

With a swift and sudden motion Harry turned and tried to stab the sword back into the stone, but the blade made a clanging noise and slid off the edge of the rock.

"It is his now," Albus said, and Severus wondered at the awe in the old man's voice. It was something he'd never heard from his wizened mentor. Harry turned back to his friends and walked to them, sword still in hand.

"What- what do I do with this now?" Harry asked.

They stared at him. It was Ginny who steped forward and took Harry's hand. Without a word, she lead him back towards the party, and his friends followed.

Severus split off from Jo, Dumbledore, and Minerva as they made their way silently back to the party through the darkness. Harry couldn't walk back into the reception with that sword. It would create too many questions, and if the media got wind of this... well, if Voldemort got wind of this, there would be an attack on the castle for sure the day school got back in.

"Harry." He stepped out from behind a tree and the group of teens stopped, looking guilty. If not for the gravity of what he had just witnessed, he would have found their looks amusing.

"Come."

Harry's grip tightened on the sword as he took a few steps forward.

"Go back to the party, he will join you shortly," Severus told the others, and Sam lead them off. As they went, Harry and Severus could hear Sam telling Ron that Harry would be fine.

"I saw what you did," Severus said when they were gone.

"You- you did?"

He nodded and held his hand out for the blade. Harry pulled it back a little, but then handed it forward. Snape hadn't done anything bad to him for most of the summer. He'd told Harry all summer he could trust him... would help him through whatever he was going through. If there was an adult to trust, he thought it would be Snape.

Severus took the blade and balanced it on one finger, admiring the sheen and good condition of it after being in a rock and out in the elements for thousands of years.

"Jo, the Headmaster, and Professor McGonagall also saw."

"They- they did?"

He nodded.

"Am I- in trouble?"

"That remains to be seen. By pulling the sword you have taken on something new, and possibly more challenging than the task that lays before you already."

"I- I wasn't going to try. I didn't want it."

"I know."

"What do we do with it now?"

"It is yours. It chose you as much as a wand chooses a wizard. I believe it is enfused with magic. It was forged by Merlin after all, and Merlin it is said was the creator of wands. Before wands, people had to find other ways to channel their energy."

"So... it can do charms?"

"I do not know. I do not believe it is the same as a wand. It will take research to find out what is known about it. I do believe it is powerful though. Other witches and wizards, with the sword of Merlin in mind, have tried to enfuse their own blades with their own energy througout the ages. The swords of Gryffindor and Slytherin, for instance, have powers."

"They do?"

"The sword of Slytherin was intended to be used with brute force. It can smash through rocks, metal, and other hard surfaces. The sword of Gryffindor, which I believe you already discovered, seeks out those with the qualities Gryffindor himself held in high regard. The Headmaster believes that is why his phoenix brought the sword to you in your second year. Though I do not know if it is true or not, they say Gryffindor's sword was made by Goblins by the flame of a dragon. If that is true, it is a powerful sword indeed."

"And- and this sword?"

Severus handed it back to him. "I do not yet know. We will take it to the castle for safe keeping until we can research it more. As much as a blade endowed with magic can do good, it can also do evil, as any object with magic can. It's best that we don't find out first hand what it can do until we know what we are dealing with." Instead of leading Harry back toward the party, he lead him towards the castle, and when they came out of the woods Harry could see the great oak front doors in the distance. He was lead up to Gryffindor tower and to his dorm room.  Severus moved Harry's bed over with a levitation charm and did some magic to make stones lift up from their place in the floor in the shape and length of the sword.

"Put it inside."

Harry did as he was told and watched as Snape put the stones back into place and used another spell to shorten them so they didn't stick up above the rest of the floor. After the sword had been incased in stone for so much time, Harry felt sorry to see it under stone again. Severus moved the bed back into place and lead Harry back to the party, which was beginning to wind down now.

"It would be for the best if you did not tell anybody about this or where it is hidden. If Voldemort were to find out that you pulled the stone and were in posession of it, your life would be in even more danger than it already is."

"My friends know."

"Yes, and the Headmaster will have told them the same as I have told you."

Harry nodded.

When it was time to leave a half hour later, Sam and Harry didn't go with Jo and Snape, who were taking a three day trip to Norway for their honeymoon. Instead Jason collected them, and after saying goodbye to Ron, Ginny, and Hermione, who were still quiet and perhaps a little in awe of what had happened, took them back to Sam's house.

"You two are so quiet," Jason commented with a little laugh after they walked in the front door. "I know it's strange to have your mum married again Sam, but it's not that bad."

Sam nodded and he and Harry went up the stairs and into Harry's room, closing the door.

"I can't believe you did that," Sam said quietly. Was it fear in his eyes?

"I didn't want to," Harry said, laying back on his bed and staring at the ceiling.

"But you did. You pulled the sword. It didn't even give up a fight."

Harry turned his head to look at Sam, who was sitting in his desk chair.

"Who are you?"

Harry stared back at the ceiling. "I don't know."

Chapter End Notes:
Thoughts? What roll will the sword play a role in the story? How will this affect Harry? Things you want to see in this story? Back to Hogwarts soon!

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