Harry's guide to being a grownup by Hopeless Wanderer

Bonus chapter.

"Home sweet home Harry." the boy shyly stepped in the house, dragging his suitcase across the hard creaking floorboards. The wheels left trail marks on the dust.
His heart hammered in his chest. Though he wouldn't admit it to the man, the house was not what he had expected it to be.

Sure, it was big, and was very open, considering Severus' general mood, this place was even generous. But deep down, much to his shame, the twelve year old had been expecting... Well, more.

"Our rooms are upstairs and the bathroom is by the end of the hall, Harry. Is that alright with you?" the jovial man set Harry's trunk by the stairs. Uncharacteristically looking happy.

Harry smiled at the man's happiness, it was nice to finally get to live with him. After five months of mentorship, and a magical parental figure by his side, Harry was finally feeling ready to be adopted.

Harry knew the teacher's history. He knew that Severus had lost his son to a terminal illness when he was younger, the man had completely closed up to love then. Severus had even told Harry that he didn't have the heart to clear out his son's room. The room Harry was supposed to stay in until adoption.

Robin's room.

"Harry?"

"I'm coming Severus." as he moved to climb the stairs a sudden chill settled down his navel and Harry took a startled step back. He stood still for a moment before hesitantly grabbing his suitcase. Nothing.

Had he imagined it? The chill? he shrugged and trailed after his humming mentor.

Severus was humming along happily, opening the curtains dramatically as he passed each window. Checking the lights as he passed.

"I'm going to fix up the electrical engine, I'd will be back soon?"

"Sure."

Harry tried to ignore the dust covered furniture and someone of the peeled off wallpaper. It would be offensive and a little ungrateful of him to admit that Severus had really let go of the house while away.

"So sorry about the dust son. I really don't spend much time here." Severus mentioned apologetically, having downstairs with a flashlight in his hand.

"No problem." he wasn't entirely tactless, even though the Dursleys didn't do a good job of raising him, Harry still knew some manners.

"Alright then, get unpacked huh? I'll make us some dinner. Or would you prefer take out?"

"Anything is fine sir. Thank you so much."

"Never mention it Harry. Before I show you to your room, can I make a friendly request?"

Harry gulped. Here it comes, house rules. He nodded meekly.

"I would really appreciate it if you would keep to yourself for a few days? At least until I had packed Robin's things or..."

"Oh, of course." why would he go through a dead boy's stuff? Even the mention of Severus' dead boy sent shivers up his spine. He was going to sleep in a dead boy's room for at least a week. He wasn't going to fuss over the man, he wasn't certainly going to be a baby about it. But still.

Robin has been dead for eight years, Harry was twelve now, it wasn't like that tonight was Halloween, or the fact that it was suddenly chillingly cold.
He reassured his teacher once again, and left the man to nervously run back and forth in the kitchen and basement. He heard the man shuffling and reluctantly opened the said door handle.

Specks of dust broke out in the air and Harry covered his mouth with a muffled cough. Damn. He thought with a grimace.

The room was ancient. It was almost tragic. Harry really felt sorry for the man. He didn't talk about Robin much, but Harry saw the sorrowful look on the man's stoic face every time he dared to mention him.

The room was obviously fit for a small child, the bed was the only new furniture Harry could see, there was a rocking chair with a stuffed bear in the corner, both covered in dust and grim, the faded yellow curtains looked something straight out of a scary movie. There was a moldy smell about the room, Harry could swear that Robin's clothes were still in the wardrobe.

With a heavy sigh, he dragged his suitcase inside the room, he took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He could sleep in here tonight. At least the bed was new.
There was a sudden heavy thud, his eyes snapped open in a flash and Harry turned with a yelp. The lights all turned on with a 'ping '.

He shook his head, with a shaking hand on his chest. No, it's okay. It's okay. It's probably just a mouse scurrying around the house. It wouldn't be unlikely given the house's general state.

Anxiously, Harry sneaked a look around the filthy room, and decided that he wanted to sleep with an open door tonight.

He opened the door with a cringe, and hurried back to unpack. He would feel safer with Severus with him anyways.

The room was cold, so he made sure to put on his red jumper and quickly hurried down the stairs, trying to ignore the constant goosebumps and the fear of someone stalking him.

"How do you feel about Chinese? I hope you like egg roles." Severus said, having just set the phone back on the table. Harry nodded distractedly.

"I do, thank you."

Severus nodded back and pulled out a brown (slightly creased) packet out of his bag, he rolled it out on the table.

"Are you sure that you don't want to check out the neighborhood? It's Halloween after all. "

"I'm not trick or treating." he never had, and never would. Ever since Dudley had spent a whole night devouring and gleefully lickking candy wrappers and expensive chocolates right in front of him dressed in a pig custom, Harry had abhorred the idea of Halloween.
Everyone always used to call him too 'mature' for his age because of that, or because he hated every other holiday in general, and often showed next to no enthusiasm for the gifts and whatnot.

Severus stilled, and Harry immediately felt guilty.

Although, the man was one strict teacher and his no kidding attitude in class have granted him the nickname 'bat of dungeons ', the man was so nervous and unsure as a parent. Harry thought that it was somehow related to the loss of his child and the period he had spent living alone... In this house.
The man shook his head and opened the packet anyway, drawing out some sort of pastries that were deliberately decorated like childish, smiling jack o' lanterns.

"It's Halloween though. I thought you would like to eat some candies? But then I thought that would be too unhealthy, so I settled with pumpkin pastries, actually
I've been craving them..."

"Cool. May I have some?" this was really uncharacteristic of the man. Harry mused. Severus wasn't certainly one to ramble. It must be the house.

"Sorry, Harry. I know this must be hard for you. I tried to tidy up the house a bit, but I had to stay in and grade some of the seven graders..."

"It's alright Sev, I love the house, it's really relatable to the holiday you know."

"Maybe we should turn it into a haunted mansion." he smirked. "I already spoke to a real state manager, we're going to be looking into some houses next week."

Harry took a tiny bite out of the cookie and chewed. "It's okay, really. So... Can you give me the house tour now?" there was no way that he would stroll around this creepy house more than he should've. Even if the house was too small for a guest room. Still.

"Restless, aren't we Ro...Harry?"

Something cold brushed against his arm in a flash, Harry jumped out of his skin. "Yeah... Ahhh!"

"What?! What is it?" Severus asked.

"I... I could've sworn something just brushed over my arm!" it was cold, wrong and eery. It didn't just brush over his arm, it /went / through his arm. He must be going crazy.

"Maybe it was a bug. It wouldn't be a surprise, honestly." Severus shrugged, a little more relaxed.

"I hate bugs."

"I take care of them for you." the man reassured him and turned to wash some of the dishes. At least those weren't left to rot. Harry thought. He took another bite out of the cookie. They were actually good.

"Thanks. Wow, these pastries are really amazing!"

"hmm."

"What about you go wash up?"

"Yeah. I'll be right back."

For no rational reason, he felt genuinely unsettled and also a little taken back that he had agreed to move in with the man. He really understood the struggle though, Severus was a teacher after all, with an average salary, and had been living alone ever since his son had died.

He creeped into the bathroom and closed the door softly, immediately, he crossed out any thoughts associated with showering and just decided to wash up.
The tub was atrocious, and Harry would rather die than bath in that, at least until after he had cleaned it out. Severus was telling the truth, he really didn't spend much time here. Maybe because he feels sad, Harry compromised with himself and turned on the faucet.

He payed no attention to the dust covered mirror and roughly scrubbed his sweaty face clean, being sure to wash out his mouth as well. He hadn't thought of unpacking his toothbrush, and stepping in his room seemed... Well, it seemed too off for him to consider, so he just went on and cleaned out his mouth as nicely as he could.

Suddenly the ghosting breeze brushed past the back of his knees again harshly and Harry leapt out of his skin.
Yelling, he threw himself back, mouth still filled with water, muffling his yells. His eyes were immediately drawn to the once dust covered window.

'Go away pest.'

Oh god. Oh dear jesuse christ. Oh god, what was that?

"Oh my god, oh my god." the water just spurted out of his mouth as Harry backed away from the mirror, his back hitting the door with a soft thud. He was gasping as the toilet suddenly flushed. Too startled and afraid to open his mouth, Harry could only watch with wide blurry eyes.

He shrank down to his knees as the toilet flushed on its own accord again. His eyes went back to the mirror. Go away pest?
Who would write such a thing? Was this some sort of prank? Severus wasn't definitely the pranking kind of guy. He was Harry's teacher for God's sake! Why? Why would someone do this to him?

Shakily, he rose to his feet, and tugged at the doorknob, he pulled with all his might, while keeping an eye out for the toilet.
It was jammed. His heart fell. It was jammed. Feeling like he could puke all of his pumpkin pastry right up, the boy fisted his hands and started yelling.

"HELP! Help me! SEVERUS HELP!"

The toilet flushed for the third time, and then the curtains creased. Harry gasped, his eyes as wide as saucers.

Oh dear God.

There was no reply from downstairs. Severus hadn't heard him? How could that be possible?! He must have heard Harry!

"Severus! SEVERUS HELP ME! PLEASE!"

"W..what..What are you?" he was trembling head to toe, suddenly cold in his two layers thick jumper. Was it a ghost? Was this house hunted? Was such a thing even possible?

The thing wrote on the mirror again.

Go!!

"I can't! Please! Let me go! SEVERUS! HELP ME!"

The thing only seemed to worsen when Harry called Severus' name and flipped, bursting the faucet in its rage. Harry shrieked as cold freezing water forcefully blasted him away, his small twelve year old body, hunching by the door, Harry could only cry and protect his face from the brutal force of cold numbing water raining down on him.

Thief!

Shivering and hiccuping, Harry stared in bewilderment. Thief?

"What did I steal? I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

You thief! You stole him!

"What?" just as the words were out of his mouth the door was thrown open and everything just... Stopped.

Harry's eyes, glued to the mirror, were now gazing at a flabbergasted Severus standing by the door with a screwdriver. Soaking wet, dripping with icy cold water and about to start crying in a moment. The bathroom looked like a disaster.

"What?..."

With a loud sob the boy flew into the man's unprepared arms, tackling both to the ground as he bawled his eyes out, forming incoherent sentences with no meaning. Severus, the poor man, did the best he could at calming the child, still confused and clueless.

Xx

a white fluffy towel was ruffling his hair, softly drying his mop of a hair as Harry sat, shaking on the couch. "So, you're telling me, that a /ghost/ appeared in the bathroom while you were washing your face?"

He nodded, trembling. "And called me a thief. Told...Told me to go away."

The towel patted down his face, and Harry cringed.

"It wrote on the mirror." Severus rose an eyebrow.

"You don't believe me." how could he possibly not?! This was the third time Harry was retelling his story, the clock had already struck past ten.

"Well there was no writing left on the mirror, and the faucet's pipes were already loose when I checked them... Maybe you just.." the man shrugged helplessly, picking up the steaming mug from the coffee table, he pushed it in Harry's shaking hands.

"No! I'm telling the truth! It... It brushed past my arm and the toilet kept flushing... Then water just burst out of the faucets..."

He shushed Harry and tapped his chin in thought. "Alright, calm down. Harry, maybe it's just the Halloween air getting to you? Did you watch a scary.."

Harry shook his head helplessly. "Why can't you just believe me?! It was a ghost! It wrote on the mirror! Telling me that I stole someone! I.. I.." Severus squeezed his shoulder, wrapping a red afghan around the shivering boy.

"Someone?"

"Is that even the point?! Severus you have to believe me!" he had to. He had to believe him because he was telling the truth. This bloody house was hunted.

"But Harry.."

"The door was jammed! I yelled for help, but you didn't come!" his throat was still hurting with effort he put through screaming his head off. It would be impossible for anyone to pretend that they hadn't heard him.

His mentor pinched the bridge of his nose. "I warned you about the doors in the kitchen, and no, I heard no yelling Harry. I was just getting the food when I heard you crying."

"But.. But..."

"Maybe you should have an early night tonight? Come on, eat the food before it gets cold...er."

"I... I'm not going.. Into..."

"Alright. This is getting ridiculous. What is the real issue here?" the man asked arms on his knees.

"I swear I'm telling you the truth! Someone's trying to hurt me."

"Is that supposed to be a metaphor? Are you trying to subtly tell me something?" the man inquired helplessly, Harry hung his head miserably.

"It was a ghost. The house. I don't know." it was real, Harry knew it was.

"A ghost... Honestly. Alright, fine. Just eat your dinner and we'll see what I can do about your sleeping arrangements." he pushed the plate across the table and Harry gasped on the couch.

"Ahhh!" he shrieked.

Severus nearly jumped out of his seat. "What?!"

He pointed at the plate with wide eyes. "It's here! It moved! The plate moved!"

Severus slumped down and closed his eyes. "Harry..."

"I swear it..."

Go away! Go away!

"No..." he muttered. It was talking in his head. The voice was in his head.

"Harry."

"It's talking in my head Severus, it's.." he whimpered.

Stop! Go!

The man rubbed his tired face and huffed. "Harry, I know the last few days have been emotionally exhausting for you..."

"Please! Get it out of my head!" he pleaded, grasping the man's arm in a death grip.

You can't have him! He's mine! _ the voice cried in his head.

"Who?! Who?!" who's his? What was the ghost talking about?!

"Who what?! Harry stop this now!" Severus grabbed his shoulders and forcefully pushed him down in his seat.

That's right. Get him angry. You pest! Go away!

"We have to go! Please."

"What is this? Is this a new young adolescent behavior I'm not supposed to know about? I'm a teacher Harry, I know when..."

"Please Dad!" Harry blurted out of nowhere and his mentor immediately stiffened. The ghost went nasty in his head.

Dad?! DAD?!! He's not your DAD!

"No! He's not my Dad!"

"Harry. Harry look at me." Severus checked his temperature and eyes. Suddenly looking concerned.

"Are you alright?"

"I... I'm..." his ears were ringing.

Severus grazed his lips in worry.

"Oh god, what if you're having some kind of allergy? Have you eaten or consumed something you weren't supposed to? Did you went through my chemical ingredients?"

Poisoned? Severus thought he was hallucinating?

"I..."

The man leapt out of his seat, almost knowing the table down in the process. "We need to get you to a hospital. God, I haven't thought about poisoning at all. The hallucinations... Dizziness, voices in your head... Get up, I'm.."

"It's a ghost! I swear my life on it!" Harry insisted, swallowing the bile of vomit forming his throat. He would not take another trip to the bathroom.

That's right! Go! Go away! You're not welcome here!

"He says I'm not welcomed here."

"He?" Snape turned to face him.

"It's a boy?" the man asked with worry glinting in his eyes.

"Jesuse christ, I'm going to fetch your coat." he raced out of the room.

"No! Please! It's a ghost! It's angry at me for calling you Dad!" Harry screamed after the man, pressing the heels of his palms in his eyes to fend off the nausea.

You nasty pest! Of course you're not allowed to call him Dad! He's my dad!

"What?" Severus asked, Harry's coat in his hands.

Harry was too stunned to form coherent words. "He... He's... He's... Ro..Robin." he croaked out.

Severus frowned immediately. "Stop. Harry this isn't funny anymore." he said sternly.

"But... But.." This couldn't be happening, it shouldn't be real.

Severus frowned and glared. "I said stop. Seriously? God, why couldn't you just tell me that you didn't want to spend the night in his..." oh. Oh no.

"No, stop! That's what he wants! He wants you to be angry!" he exclaimed, extending his hands to grab the man.

"How could you possibly know what he wants?!" Severus snapped out, Harry knew the topic of his son was too sensitive for him to bring up.

"Severus..."

"Drop your ridiculous act and I lower the punishment now Harry." the man wagged a finger at him and shook his head, leaning back and gazing at Harry with disappointment shining in his eyes.

"Please."

The teacher narrowed his eyes a Harry flinched. "You have ten seconds Harry, or I'll swear I make you scrub the cafeteria with nothing but a rag. I am dead serious."

"Severus..."

You don't deserve him. He's mine. My Dad, my parent. You're just a pest. Go away now.

"Severus please." finally the man's concern for him over threw the anger and Snape heaved a sigh.

"We're taking you to a hospital now. God helps you if I find out it's all a prank Harry, or worse, that you went through my things."

"I can't leave, you have to tell him to let go of me, please!"

"Who? Who are you talking about?!"

Don't you dare tell him about me! Don't you dare!

Angrily, Severus stood and strode to the door, his coat draped over one arm and his keys in the other. Out of fright Harry scrambled to his feet and ran after the man.

There was a deep crease between the man's brows and his stoic nonsense face indicated to how unsettled he really was.

"I'm taking you to the hospital. Maybe we can talk in the way." Harry opened his mouth to protest but no sound came out, Severus tugged the doorknob. It didn't budge.

"Bloody door." his mentor cursed and tried to open the door with the keys. It was jammed. Sighing, Severus went back in the kitchen to retrive the screwdriver. Harry stood shivering by the door, already wrapped in a cocoon of blankets.

"Stand aside Child." as there was no sound trying to scream in his head any longer, Harry obliged reluctantly, he willed his legs to move.
the door didn't open, even when Severus loosened the screws and greased the hinges. It was bolted shut. By that point, Harry was sitting next to his mentor, knees drawn to his chest.

"We should just try the backdoor. Come on."

A breaking sound interrupted Harry and both heads turned to the shattered window, a debris of broken glass showered down to the ground. Harry whimpered.
Severus sighed and picked up his phone. "It's the local kids then. Bloody menaces, it's okay Harry. Don't fret, they're just pulling a prank. I'm calling the cops."

"B..But, Sev..."

"It's alright, just..." the man blinked, lowered the phone and dialed again.

"What?" Harry asked, his blood ran cold.

"The phone seems to be out."

Let him go! You can't have him!

Harry screamed and latched on to his mentor. Severus didn't shrug him off. His face remained stoic and focused. Did /he/ hear it?

"Chemical exposure. The fumes must have spread."

"Se..Sever...Did you hear that?"

"Yes I did. And I'm getting you out of the house, do you think you would fit in the window frame?" he kneeled to pick up the screwdriver and circled his arm around Harry.

"No, I'm not leaving." he pressed the heel of his feet firmly to the ground.

"Then you can open the door or ask help from the neighbors. Whatever this chemical is, it's toxic, I don't want you be any more endangered than you are now." he dragged Harry by the kitchen's window, opening the curtains with a huff. Harry shivered.

Dad no!

Severus dropped the screwdriver, his eyes gazing ahead.

"Severus..."

"What did you hear? Tell me."

"He said, Dad no."

"Shit."

You're replacing me! I'm mad! I never talk to you again!

"Oh jesuse. Harry come stand near me!"

They both ran out of the kitchen and into the living room, Severus was hugging him to his chest, looking around the house frantically.
It was Robin, both son and father looked at each other with grim realization, Severus hoisted Harry in his arms like a child and backed away against the door. The palm of his hand pressed Harry's head in his shoulder.

Why him?! Why not me?! I'm the better son!

The voices were getting more acute, as if taking a form, Harry buried his head in the man's shoulder and scrunched his eyes closed. Willing to wake up from this nightmare already.

"Robin?"

Severus' body trembled under his head, Harry didn't dare to look, but couldn't help but peer past his shoulder.

He gasped, his mouth falling open. There stood, in front of them a small child. He was tiny, had big black eyes that were undoubted like Severus ' and his black hair fell in soft childish locks on the boy's shoulders. His eyes were narrowed, and his hands on his hips.

'Why did you leave me? Why him?! '

Severus shook his head, in denial. "I didn't. I didn't leave."

Robin crossed his arms like a petulant child.

'Why are you hugging him? Why not me? '

Severus' breath hitched, he backed away against the entrance, Harry still tightly in his arms. Harry hiccuped, willing to shrink in the man's arms.

"You're gone. You're the one who left... Robin."

'You gave my room to /him/! /My/ room! '

"I'm sorry!" Harry bawled. Severus shushed him, his eyes darting between his supposedly dead son and the clock. The minutes until midnight.

"Robin? I'm sorry, but you're... You're gone... You can't, use the room anymore. I had to let you go."

'Are you willing to let go of him?! '

"No. But I wasn't willing to let go of you too. You had to leave Robin. You were sick, remember?" Severus was crying, Harry realized. Wake up! He yelled internally. I have to wake up.

'you promised I would get better. And here I am. Now let him go, we don't need him Daddy. '

"No." Severus' back hit the wall. "You're dead Robin. I'm sorry that you're gone, but you're not here."

From there, Harry could see the clock chiming five minutes forward, and gulped.

'I hate hide and seek Daddy. Let him go, we can play again. '

"No." Harry's hands clenched around the man, Severus hugged him tighter.

' you really love him more than me? ' the little voice trembled.

Severus exhaled and shook his head. "I love you both. I love you both the same, but you're gone Robin. Hmm? I'm still your Daddy, but now I'm his Daddy too."

' He's not your son! '

"He is. And so are you. Robin, kiddo, you have to go. You don't belong here. I love you so much, but the clock is going to struck past midnight and then..."
Out of a whim, Severus lowered Harry on the ground, the man scrambled forward to the tiny child with tears ringing in his eyes and hugged the boy. Harry was hunched next to the wall.

' I love you Daddy, no one can love you more than me. Okay? Can I have my room back? '

"Yes. Yes, I love you too. You can't come back again, alright? Kiddo, you can't hurt Harry."

' You want me to leave? '

"Because I love you. I will never replace you. If you go now, you can watch over us wherever we go, yeah? Robin, kiddo, you have to go now."

' hug me.'

And hug Severus did, crying, the man gathered the tiny boy in his arms and wept, promising that he would never forget him, and he was sorry. He was sorry that he forgot and it would never happen again.

Robin hugged the man back with a satisfied smile, looking oddly angelic as he kissed the man's head and waved good bye.

' I can still see you. '

"You will. I love you ."

The clock struck twelve, loudly declaring the midnight's arrival, Robin slipped right out of the man's arms and faded into dust. Just like that. For a moment Severus stared at the specks of dust circling around him, and then rushed back to Harry in a blink. Hugging him to his chest.
Father and adoptive son sat on the ground in a heap of blankets and limbs, leaned against the wall all night until dawn.