Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

Giving A Chance	By : Leania07 Category: Harry Potter AU/AR > Slash - Male/Male Views: 17356 -:- Recommendations : 2 -:- Currently Reading : 9
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor do I make money from this fic.

Chapter List
- 15
- 16
- 17
A/N: This chapter is a bit longer, and again this story is still un-Beta'd so any mistakes I apologize for. Thanks for the reviews; I just finished chapter 17, and things are heating up just a bit. ~.^
Chapter 16: One Setback and Solution
November went by with only minor problems; the students soon got used to seeing various students in friendships that were enemies before. Draco still kept his distance as much as possible, though Harry often saw his name and Hermione’s in a secluded corner of the library. He often snuck down to see Severus to check on the progress; he wanted to remove Draco’s Mark even more so that his best friends could spend time together openly.
He had received a few letters from Narcissa inquiring about his classes and his grades. When he spoke to Draco about it, Draco laughed and said his mum always wrote asking about his classes and grades. He sobered up quick when Harry explained he never had letters inquiring about his schooling before. It pleased him that someone was showing interest in his academic successes and improvements, other than his friends and the teachers.
It was the first week of December when Severus made a mini-break through. Harry had gone down to check on his progress and was quickly pulled into the man’s private chambers.
“Harry I think I’ve narrowed it down but we have a small problem.” Severus had sat down in his wingback chair, ushering Harry to the other before leaping right into things.
“Okay, what’s the problem, and what did you narrow it down to?”
“I’ve narrowed it down to 3 different master/servant bonds, but the problem is we have no books on those here in the school, nor do I have those in my personal library. I was wanting to go down to the Chamber to look, however I was hoping you could write to Narcissa and have her check the library where she’s staying.”
Harry thought it over a moment before nodding, “Yeah sure; Draco said she likes to research and I’m sure it’s a bit boring for her anyway. Is there any particular names to these types of bonds, or should I have her look up the rituals to each? I mean, there’s got to be quite a few different types; should we tell her it’s to remove the Mark?”
“Don’t specify it’s for the Mark, in case the letter is intercepted, however I know she’ll figure it out. Ask her to research Master/Servant bonds that allows the Master to call upon the Servant’s magic.”
Harry looked wide eyed at Severus, “You mean he can use your magic, at any time?”
Severus nodded, “Yes, apparently his mark connects to our core, so if he needs a ‘boost’ he can use the magic from any or all of us.”
Harry paled, “That mark has to go if for no other reason than that bastard doesn’t need to have access to that much magic.”
“Language.” Severus looked at him but nodded. He gave Harry a piece of paper, “Those are the three spells I’ve found, the Mark may be one or a mix of those; we’ll only get one shot so we need to be sure.”
“What do you mean one shot?”
“If we get it wrong, the person who’s Mark we’re tampering with is as good as dead.”
Harry nodded, “How can we narrow it down more? I mean, if Narcissa comes up with the same 3, or doesn’t know how to narrow them down either, what are we going to do?”
Severus sighed and leaned back in his chair, “I’m not entirely sure, Harry. Out of those 3, only one is completely removable. One is transferrable, and one is permanent.”
Harry read over the parchment, frowning. None of them had exactly the same wording, but each had one component. “What if he didn’t use a known spell? What if he took these three spells and used the wordings he liked best, but in doing so he used one completely different?”
Severus closed his eyes, “Then I fear we will not be able to remove or tamper it successfully.” He shook his head, the thought didn’t cross his mind.
“Well, explain to me why the spell that is permanent is that way. Perhaps if we can figure out why it is, perhaps we can figure out a way to make it not. I mean, everything but the Killing Curse can be undone; so what makes it permanent?”
Severus grabs the book he found the spells in and flipped it to the correct page, “It says the spell was used to bind the Servant’s soul to the Masters. It’s supposed to be a humanized version of the House elf bonding spell, so that the Servant has to rely on a Master to function properly. The ‘Submit to my command, my will is law’ and ‘my magic brands you, punishment upon my command’ is part of this spell.”
“So,” Harry began, “you are not certain what in the spell words makes it permanent, but you are thinking cautiously of the worst case scenario, correct?” Severus just nodded, “Forgive me if the answer is obvious, but have you tried a finite, just to see what happens?”
Severus gave a minute twitch of his hand, and the two sit in silence. “No, it has not been attempted, however we have been told the Mark is permanent and we had no reason to question it.”
Harry just raised an eyebrow in imitation of Severus, “Then how do you know he will notice if you tamper with the Mark? Has someone tried?”
Severus shook his head, “Not to my knowledge, but it was part of the statement he gave.”
“What statement? It wasn’t part of the ritual, was it?” Harry didn’t recall hearing anything else during the memory and wondered if he left too early.
“No, usually after a few new Death Eaters are marked, we are all gathered and told, or reminded, what having the Mark means. ‘The Mark you bear is my symbol, and it will show your loyalty to me. It will alert you when I call for you, whether as a whole or individually, and punish you if you do not come. The Mark is permanent, like a binding contract, and if anyone is caught tampering with it, you shall wish for death.’ Then he usually goes on about his plans to rid the world of muggles and their children, the muggle borns, and bring magic back to only those who are worthy.”
Harry eyed the man, “So let me get this straight, nearly the lot of you hear this over and over again, a good portion of you Slytherins, and you didn’t question the wording at all?!” Severus looked at him in question and motioned for Harry to continue.
“Let’s go over what I heard you say and what I heard from the speech. ‘The Mark is permanent, like a binding contract.’ Okay so we have an egocentric maniac who claims the Mark is like a binding contract. LIKE a binding contract, not IS a binding contract. That contradicts the whole ‘permanent’ part to me; melted chocolate looks like shite but isn’t the same thing.”
Severus closed his eyes, in part because of the crass analogy, in part because it was funny; he just didn’t want to let on that he thought it was funny.
“Sorry, but I’m just surprised that you never thought of this before. So that phrase to me basically says, ‘I want you to fear the Mark because I don’t want you to know it can be removed, reversed, or transferred.’ Same thing with ‘Anyone caught tampering with it, you shall wish for death.’ Caught? Not ‘If I feel anyone tampering’ blah blah blah; which means they have to be seen trying to remove the Mark. If no one sees you do it, you can’t get caught…Isn’t that something Slytherins harp about? ‘Do what you want, but don’t get caught,’ or something like that?”
Severus gets up and begins pacing, “It can’t be that simple! This is the Dark Lord, he would’ve ensured no one could get out of the Mark.”
“Can’t it? Listen to me, please.” Severus closed his mouth and nodded, having halted in his pacing and leaned up against the mantle, arms crossed. “First, he did the spell in Parseltongue, a language no one else could speak, as far as he knew. I don’t know if a Parseltongue spell can be undone in English or if it has to be done in Parseltongue, but I can try. Secondly, he uses fear and intimidation to get what he wants, and as a back-up he has his followers on a cutthroat hierarchy, where it pays to rat out your fellow man. He’s implanted the idea that snitching on your fellow Death Eaters, and having a vicious temperament, will escalate you through the ranks. So if anyone was caught pointing their wand at the Mark, being seen by a lower ranked Death Eater, they’re going to go to their ‘Master’ and squeal. The perpetrator is punished, the snitch is elevated, and they cycle begins anew. Creating something permanent requires a lot of magic; anchoring wards to a ward stone takes numerous witches and wizards and all are exhausted and drained after. He did the spell and was fit to go about his everyday tasks; that should’ve been a red flag that it is NOT permanent.”
“Is everything alright, gentlemen?” Salazar slipped into the painting and looked at each, having heard the voices through his painting.
“Sal, does a spell done in Parseltongue need to be undone in Parseltongue? Or can anyone cast a finite?”
Salazar blinked and smirked, he liked the fact Harry was thinking of using Parseltongue to cast spells. “Parselmagic can only be cast and undone by a Parseltongue.”
“Okay, what about a regular spell spoken in Parseltongue, is that Parselmagic?”
“Yes, Harry; Parselmagic is simply a part of magic used by Parseltongues, the same part that allows them to speak the language of the snakes. What do you plan on casting?”
“I just saw a memory of the spell Riddle used to cast the Mark; he spoke it in Parseltongue. I’m trying to convince Severus that I can try to cast finite, spoken in Parseltongue, to get rid of it. He’s worried that Riddle will know whose mark is being ‘tampered’ with and react; I don’t think that is the case. He used words like ‘if caught’ or ‘like’ when talking about it.”
Salazar thought it over, “I take it this theory hasn’t been tested before; Severus, what are your concerns?” He waited as the older man spoke of his fear that the Dark Lord could kill whomever was tied to the Mark, and as he was needed to spy the only other person was Draco. He nodded at the man’s concern, “Have you spoke to Draco yet about it? Perhaps he is willing to take the chance if he could be free.” Salazar looked at Harry, “Have you thought perhaps a bit more than a finite is needed, perhaps taking over the magic of the Mark, over powering it? Perhaps the ownership of the mark needs to be transferred to someone more powerful, since he will not let them go willingly, before you can remove it.”
“I admit I hadn’t thought of that, we’re still arguing over how this spell could be permanent.”
“You said you saw the spell cast in a memory, right?” Salazar waited for the nods and continues, “How was his reaction after the spell?”
“That’s my point exactly!” Harry saw Salazar and Severus with an eyebrow raised and nearly laughed as how identical the two looked, “He wasn’t tired, he looked like if he had more to mark, he could. That’s why I don’t think it’s permanent; you agree, Sal?”
“I do have to agree with Harry on that; any type of spell that is meant to be ‘permanent’ is either anchored to a ward stone, or tied directly to the caster’s magic. The former is most common, but wouldn’t work in any type of bonding marks, the latter is still slightly draining on the caster’s magic, the more bonding marks he/she carries.”
“What of the risk to the person whose mark is being tampered with? If we don’t get it right, and Draco offers to be used, the Dark Lord will kill him! I cannot allow him to be harmed like that, not knowingly.”
“I understand, Severus,” Harry stared back into those obsidian orbs, “we will take every precaution we can and ultimately it will be up to Draco. If Draco believes the risk is too high, you know he won’t go through with it. As much as he’d love for it to be gone, he’s not in any rush to die.”
Severus nodded, though he still didn’t feel satisfied. He heard the conversation between Harry and Salazar, the words filtering through his brain to be reviewed later, as he goes over the information. The best chance they had is for Harry to prove his magic is stronger than the Dark Lord’s and he wasn’t sure if the young man’s magic was. Oh he knew Harry was powerful; there was just so much luck in the past interactions between the two for Severus to be sure. He looked at Harry, wondering if perhaps he would also be affected if the attempt failed.
“So we’ll go down to the chamber, go through those books, but I’m fairly certain it’s an amalgam of different Master/Servant bond spells and so won’t have an easy counter. Oh,” Harry faced Severus, “I was going to spend the holiday at the home where Narcissa is, bringing Draco with me. I’d like to offer you an invitation as well; somewhere safe for you to relax and interact without the overbearing presence of that Snake-face bastard or Dumbledore intruding on some peace and quiet.”
Severus chuckled, “I think I shall accept your invitation; it will be nice to have some peace during the holiday. However, if I have Slytherin students staying, I’m required to be here, though spending some time away is not forbidden; I just have to return for the evening. How shall I get to the location?”
“I’ll give you the Floo address and password; currently I’m the only one who knows. Shall we head to the chamber, then?” At Severus’ nod the two made their way down to the Chamber, having some time yet still in their nightly ‘lessons.’ Harry cast the spell to summon the books containing the specific Master/Servant bonding spells and they looked through the books. It was well past midnight when the two emerged from the Chamber hall and Severus wrote Harry out a note, stating he was in detention, in case he was caught by Filch or a teacher.
They both went to bed that night with thoughts swirling in their mind, though Harry had enough sense to lock what they discovered in his mind, strengthening his Occlumency shields, before slipping off to sleep.
“Lucius, your son still has not made enough progress…CRUCIO!” The blonde haired man fell and writhed on the floor, a scream fighting its way past clenched teeth. It was lifted after a moment and said man got shakily to his knees.
“My Lord, I have reminded Draco of his duty and his time restraints on each letter. He is adamant that he will complete the tasks by the end of the year; that is still 6 months away.”
A dark laugh filled the air, “6 months Lucius? I said the end of the year not the end of the school term. No, your son has only a few weeks to complete his task, Lucius. If he does not, you will be in need of a new Heir; and with your wife missing, that may prove to be impossible unless you can prove her death and remarry.”
“I understand, My Lord; I shall send a letter to re-educate him of his time frame.”
“Indeed, Lucius; you are dismissed.” He watched as the man left the room, chuckling in dark humor, petting soft scales beneath his pale white, spindly hands.
‘Nagini, my dear, you may have a Yule feast of your own, should the young Malfoy fail.’
‘That would please me, Master. His fear is always so delicious. Will you have your potion master complete the task, Master?’
He stroked the top of her head in thought, ‘Perhapss, my pet; Sssseverusss has seemed a bit, distant, lately. Having a task may help, and with this particular one, it will either prove his loyalty to me or Dumbledore.’
Harry rolled over and vomited, Ron nearby with a glass of water, the green vial, and after handing off both waves his wand vanishing the vomit and clearing the air.
“It’s been a while since Snake-face was this active.” Ron left the statement open, leaving Harry to fill him in or say to wait.
“We need to speak with Draco, tomorrow is Saturday; there’s been a development that his father overlooked or misunderstood. I think some of our plans need to be stepped up, Ron.” Harry fell back onto his pillows as his friend nodded.
“We’ll talk about it in the morning, mate; get what rest you can.” He climbed back into his own bed, nodding at the others who just looked for his confirmation that things were alright before going back to sleep.
In the morning, Harry left Ron to get Hermione and Draco and would meet them in the Room later; he made his way down to Severus.
“Professor, I would like to have a moment to speak with you.” Harry is motioned in and he closed the door behind him.
“What’s wrong Harry, you’re awfully pale?” Severus got up from his desk and stepped over to Harry, a hand brushing back some of the hair from his face.
Harry took a moment to settle his thoughts; he enjoyed these moments when Severus seemed to care about him more than just a student or friend. “I had a vision last night,” He saw Severus pale, “I locked away what we discussed, Severus; no I found out some information. Draco’s task is set for the end of the year.”
“We know this Harry, and we’ll have a plan set before school is out.” Severus looked puzzled as Harry shook his head.
“No, Severus, the end of the year, not term.” He nodded as those onyx orbs widened, “He has until December 31^st to complete his task; that’s not too far away.” Already they were nearly through November.
“Merlin, no…”Severus wracked his brain; Dumbledore was planning on near the end of the year, which was what they all believed. They had to figure out something or Draco would die; he refused to let his Godson die like that.
“Severus, I had Ron get Hermione and Draco, I’m meeting them in the Room; I need to try to remove the Mark.” Severus started to shake his head, but Harry continued, “We’ll tell him what we’ve found out, what we’re concerned with, and hear what he decides. If he wants me to try, I will; I’ll go straight for trying to gain control of the Mark.”
“Harry, I…” Severus soon pulled the young man in his arms, “I will join you and I will not interfere if it is what Draco decides; let me gather some of my potions and we shall go.” He released Harry and moved off to his personal lab; he wouldn’t admit out loud, but he was afraid. Not only for Draco, but for Harry too. He soon joined Harry up to the Room, and sat in one of the chairs, watching.
“Harry, Ron said you had a vison last night and that you would explain?” Hermione had the room set with comfortable chairs, and added one when Professor Snape showed up, and they were all watching their pale, black haired friend.
“Snake face tortured Lucius last night for Draco’s lack of progress, and when reminding him of the time, Lucius assured him he’d have it done before school was out.” He saw Draco’s nodding, but held up a hand before he could say anything, “Voldemort then laughed and corrected him, saying the order was for the end of the year not school term. That leaves Draco with around three weeks and we won’t be able to plan for that. He is assured you will fail and will be feeding you to Nagini; then having Professor Snape complete the task to prove his loyalty.
Even though Severus had known about the time, he was not aware of the plan to feed Draco to Nagini, nor would he be taking over his task. He felt his mind blank out of ideas, he already knew he would complete the task of taking down Dumbledore as he had sworn to that at the beginning of term. Merlin, he still had yet to warn Harry about this; even though he knew the young man would understand, there was still so much he had to tell him. He was uncertain Harry would still want him around after, and found the thought terrified him; he had grown quite fond of Harry already.
Hermione was afraid; she had just come to accept her feelings for Draco and found him to be receptive. They had started ‘dating’, as much as a Gryffindor and Slytherin could without word getting back to that Snake bastard. They had to find a way to help Draco without completing the tasks, but what that could be she didn’t know.
Ron sat in contemplative silence. Draco had the Mark, and while it wasn’t proven, they worried he could be tortured or killed through it. He looked around the room. Snape was a bit paler and had his fists clenched; the man was worried though he didn’t want it known. Hermione was fretting and soon, yup she just started pacing; Draco and she had gotten really close and she didn’t want to lose him. Harry was patient…he must already have an idea, but it must be risky and so waiting to see if anyone else had a plausible idea. Ron didn’t see anything unless there was a way to dampen or remove the Mark. Like Harry, he decided to wait for the others.
Hermione soon sat down with a huff and wrapped her arms around one of Draco’s. “I can’t think of anything that would work. Every idea I had so far all fails with the fact that Draco has the Mark and so much is unknown; then you tie in the fact that there are other mini-Death Eaters he has to face and well…” She huffed again, and Draco squeezes her hand in support.
Everyone is silent a moment before Ron speaks up, “Alright Harry, let’s hear your plan; it’s obvious no one can think of anything that may work.”
Harry just smiled at Ron, “It was a shot, though. Alright Se...Snape had been looking into ways to remove the mark or transfer it; a lot was reliant on knowing the spell however. Since Riddle spoke it in Parseltongue, I had to translate; we’ve been looking up possible solutions for a while now. The solution I have, he isn’t pleased with but it’s the only thing that may work. However his main concern is that Draco may be killed through the Mark if it is found out someone is tampering with it.”
“Well who would tell? It’s just us, Harry wouldn’t tell, I wouldn’t, hell Hermione would bash us both over the heads with the thickest book she could lift if we even thought of it. Snape’s the only one who could, but since he’s the one who started looking into it, it would be suicidal and…well the man’s a Slytherin; self-preservation and all that.” Ron just shrugged as if that should’ve been obvious.
“Mr. Weasley, while I appreciate your reassurances that no one here would tell, the concern is that the Dark Lord will feel what is going on, pinpoint whose Mark it is, and retaliate.” Snape sneered, though it wasn’t full of his normal malice.
“The problem with that concern, to me, is that no one actually knows he will feel it and I will repeat what I said earlier to you when we talked about it. The saying was ‘anyone caught tampering with it shall wish for death.’ The whole point is the word ‘caught’; you’re worried he will feel it and I doubt that’s the case. So,” he faced Draco, “I decided it’s best to let you decide if you want to go through with this. What I plan to do is wrestle control of your Mark from him and then rid you of it. I don’t know what kind of pain is involved, if it will work, and we established that no one is certain he won’t retaliate in some fashion. If I am successful, you’ll no longer bear the Mark nor will you have to worry about these tasks.”
Draco thought it over carefully; on one had he’d be free of the Mark and could help Harry, his friends, and perhaps Sev, but on the other he could end up dead…well he’ll end up dead if he didn’t try either. “I think we should try.” He saw Severus’ face but spoke before he interrupted, “I understand you want me to be sure and cautious, Sev, but either this works or I’m dead by the end of December. I’d rather try for my freedom then just sit and wait for death.”
Severus just nodded, there was nothing he could say. He watched as they changed the room and Harry had Draco lay down on the cushioned floor, sitting on his left.
Harry had Draco expose his Mark, having Ron and Hermione stand off to the side near Severus, before slowly gathering his magic. He reviewed what the spell light looked like and the spell words and once his magic was ready he looked at the Mark, his wand pressed to it.
“Binding magic, your purpose is no longer true, and I will take over.” He felt the dark magic lash out at him and pressed back with his own; his eyes had shut and he saw flashes of dark purple magic sparking against dark green.
Draco whimpered, feeling his arm heat up like it was placed in a fire. He had closed his eyes, and was soon swamped in a mental image of the fight. He saw two vertices and the silver blue of his magic; his magic was being drawn towards this black and purple swirl and he fought against it. He didn’t want it, and when he looked to the green vortex that reminded him of Harry, he rushed his magic toward it. He felt tendrils of green magic wrap around him, gently pulling him closer as the black and purple kept trying to pull him back. He felt like a toy between two children, being fought over, and was afraid he may split in two. He fought harder, and saw as the green tendrils encountered the black and purple wrapped around his left arm. The clashed, crying out as the black and purple squeezed harder; the green soon began unwrapping the opposing tendrils. As it passed over his reddened, burned, and blistering skin, he felt it cool; soon he saw just one thread of black, but that was soon struck by a thick green tendril and it snapped away. He found himself wrapped in green and sighed; already his magic felt better, stronger.
The three watched as Harry’s magic, a deep green, surrounded Draco’s arm. It encountered a black and purple magic, and Ron grabbed Hermione’s had in comfort when they saw Draco’s arm begin to blister. She had gasped and started to move forward, and Ron knew she wanted to help but interfering would’ve been worse. They watched as the black and purple began to slowly fade, the green magic wrapping around the Mark and changing it; to what they couldn’t see but they could tell it was no longer the same. Soon the last black and purple magic was snapped off, and they watched as Harry’s magic healed the burned and blistered arm. Once the light died away, Harry slumped to the side; Hermione ran to Draco, sparing a concerned glance to her friend. Severus had fished out a few pain potions and when he saw tired grey-blue eyes, handed over a Pepper-Up potion as well before turning to Harry.
Harry was pale, and Ron carefully shifted his friend to be laying comfortably. He watched as Snape approached, and smirked on the inside at the worry he clearly saw in the man’s eyes. Snape cast a diagnostic and spelled a few potions into Harry, and Ron looked at him expectantly.
“He has magical exhaustion and some pain, so I gave him the potions to assist with both. After a bit of rest, he should be fine,” He turned back to Draco, “How do you feel?”
“Like a weight is off; we should talk about what you’re going to do now, Sev.” Draco sat and pulled Hermione into his lap, the girl squeaking in surprise, but Draco merely wrapped his arms around her.
Ron laughed and Hermione blushed, but she too had a smile; Draco was free of the pressure and could be himself now. Severus merely shook his head, “There is nothing to discuss, Draco. I still have a role to play, duties to do, and I shall do it.” He sat in a chair and refused to elaborate further.
“I think he meant when Voldemort questions you about any backlash he felt, or why, if he tries to summon Draco, he cannot.” Harry had sat up and looked around. He smiled at Draco and Hermione, chuckling at Hermione’s still red face, widening at Ron’s answering grin; they would tease the girl later. Harry got up and sat in the closest chair, closing his eyes as the world spun for a moment.
They sat in silence a moment, and Draco noticed how Severus would glance at Harry and clench his fists; he recognized the action as wanting a private moment and he wondered if he ever told Harry what his role was that Severus now would have to do. ‘Nope…damn, maybe I should ask Sev if he wants me to tell him.’
“Severus, can I speak with you a moment, privately?” Draco lightly kissed Hermione’s cheek as he shifted her to the chair and stood, walking off to one side. Severus joined him and a frosted glass wall separated them from Harry and the others.
“Sev I haven’t mentioned to Harry the second part of my task; he only knows about the part to fix the Vanishing cabinet. Did you want me to talk to him…?”
“No.” Severus shook his head, “There has already been arrangements made, since I know you wouldn’t have been able to complete your second task. I will tell Harry later…I have much to tell him.” Severus felt a moment of fear and sadness grip him; would Harry even want to look at him after?
Draco saw the sadness in his godfather’s eyes and it confirmed his suspicions. His godfather had feelings for Harry and Draco was sure they would be happy together. He didn’t understand the fear, thinking it was coming to terms with how he felt. “I’m sure everything will work out, Sev. Why don’t yo do that here, and the rest of us will go elsewhere.”
Severus smiled and the glass wall disappeared; Draco spoke with the others and soon it was just him and Harry. Severus took a seat across from Harry and cleared his throat. “There are some things we haven’t talked about that I think I need to say. I ask you wait until I am done speaking before you say or do anything; after which we will talk, if you so wish.” He left off mentioning any action Harry may wish to take.
Harry just nodded and settled back in his chair.
“I know you are aware that I am a Death Eater, Harry, but I do not think you are really aware that I once was completely a Death Eater. When I was younger, I was a very angry and vicious young man; I did enjoy other’s pain. That changed when I heard the prophecy and told the Dark Lord.” He heard Harry’s sharp intake of breath, but continued. “He was intent on killing children and though I had no issue with torture or killing, I did draw the line at underage witches and wizards. Adults could defend themselves, and if they lacked the knowledge, or the spine, to do so it was their own fault. Children were to be protected by adults, and I saw no purpose in harming them. Then I had learned Lily and Alice were both pregnant, and both were due around the same time. Dumbledore persuaded me to tell the Dark Lord, I think he knew if I didn’t that Pettigrew would, even though I was not even aware Pettigrew was a Death Eater. He said someone else would find out and tell, and I will be tortured or even killed and he would no longer have his spy.” He shifted, uncomfortable with this but knowing it had to be done.
“So I told him, but he had once said he would give me one favor for being so loyal to him; I asked him to spare Lily. I knew he would never agree to spare you, because he was intent on killing his enemy. You know how I feel about your father, and at that particular time my feelings were even stronger, however I did not wish the torture the Dark Lord could inflict on him and merely hoped he had a quick death. I knew Potter would give his all to defend your mother and you, but I knew he would not survive.” Severus sighed, resolving to, at the least, be completely honest, “I admit I do admire his will to protect his family and that he died defending those he loved; I have seen others that flee leaving their spouses and/or children behind, but Potter would never have. I still went to Dumbledore and begged him to keep your mother safe, and he had me swear to keep you safe when you came to school, but while your family was hidden I had to leave you alone.
“When I saw the Mark had faded, I knew the Dark Lord was defeated, but not completely gone. I had gone to Godric’s Hollow in hopes your mother was still alive; when I saw her dead I was devastated.” Here he had the grace to blush, “I barely noticed you crying in your crib, but after my grief settled I did check on you. I could do nothing for you, however, and knew Black would be along soon; it unsettled me that I had to leave you and that you had a clear view of your mother. I put the blanket over the bars to block your view and gave you just a bit of pain relieving potion; I knew Dumbledore would see to you even if Black had things under control, but I had to leave. I left the pile of ash that was the Dark Lord’s body, and his wand, and went home. Dumbledore contacted me to tell me of your parent’s death and that you were placed somewhere safe, once again reminding me of my vow to keep you safe in school and that I would not try to contact you; I tried arguing, since it was to leave you and your family alone but now that you were not with your family, it was null and void. He said that even though it was not your parents, you were still with family and so my vow was still valid. When I tried to visit without his authorization, I found I could not and the vow was indeed still valid.” Severus frowned further, had he never had that vow perhaps he could’ve saved Harry from his relative’s treatment but that was not the case.
“You are aware of the things I had to do when you were in school, however there were two more vow’s I have had to make that will make this year more upsetting. Before school started, Narcissa, Draco, and Bellatrix came to my home, and Narcissa had me make an Unbreakable Vow to keep Draco safe and complete his tasks if he is unable to. I had to inform Dumbledore, who had done something incredibly stupid during the summer himself. I’m sure you’ve noticed his blackened hand?” Harry nodded and Severus took a moment to close his eyes, tucking his emotions in a tight ball and hiding them away, “He put on a cursed ring that will end his life. I could not remove the curse, but delayed it; Draco’s second task was to kill the Headmaster.” He opened his eyes and Harry could see the walls were up, “Since we all know Draco could never do that, even if Dumbledore was wandless and giving encouragement, Dumbledore made me swear to kill him in place of Draco. Thus I will satisfy the Unbreakable Vow, Draco’s soul will be spared, and, to quote Dumbledore, his ‘death will serve to keep me in the Dark Lord’s favor’. So it will happen sooner than we were expecting, but nonetheless I will have to kill Albus Dumbledore in Draco’s stead; with the Headmaster’s blessings.” He sneered the word, and he sat stiff waiting for Harry’s response.
After a moment of silence, which Harry used to gather his scattered thoughts and assure Severus was done, he looked at the man. Severus told Voldemort the prophecy, told him when his mother was due, admitted to being once a real Death Eater before ever being a spy, admitted to seeing him eventually in the crib but leaving him after giving him a bit of pain potion ‘least he did that’, and now admitted to having to kill Dumbledore soon. The man sat motionless, and emotionless, and though a small part of him knew he was merely hiding his emotions, Harry could not deal with him right now.
“I need to think, be alone; do NOT come to the Chamber until I say otherwise. Leave me alone, do not speak to me unless necessary for class, and stay out of my sight.” Harry abruptly left and nearly ran down to the Chamber, going into the bedroom he used now and then when he needed peace, quiet, and privacy, and proceeded to cry.
Severus sat where he was after Harry left, tucking his hurt away behind his walls; he left the room with quick strides, his emotionless mask firmly in place. He gave the password to his quarters, ignoring Salazar’s questions, merely glaring until the portrait relented and opened. He then locked himself in his lab and drowned out the world by brewing.
Neither male was seen for the rest of the day, though Draco found Severus locked in his lab and after a terse comment that Harry did not wish to see him, was once more locked in. He spoke with Hermione who suggested giving Harry time to come to them; he compromised and said if Harry didn’t make an appearance for breakfast the next day he was going to have a few words with the stubborn Gryffindor. She nodded and spoke with Ron later in the common room; the small group of friends met up outside by the lake to talk.
“So Harry’s gone into hiding after Professor Snape told him some harsh truths about himself, which he told the Professor to, essentially, go away? The Professor has since locked himself away, only tending to his duties as Potion Master and Head of House when necessary and back to being cold.” Pansy looked to Draco who nodded and she huffed, “So the Professor has very strong feelings for Harry and is hurting by this, while Harry sulks; does he even know how he’s hurting Professor Snape?”
Hermione and Draco give a sad, small smile, Blaise choked, Ginny, Neville, and Daphne sat in shock, while Luna and Astoria shared a small smile. Ron looked at his girlfriend, whom he had asked out last weekend, before shaking his head.
“I don’t think he is aware, Pansy; Harry’s really naive about that. He has told Hermione and me that he feels strongly for the Professor, but he’d rather not press it and lose his friendship. He probably isn’t sure what to think and he often needs time to be alone to think; he’s probably hurting too, and didn’t want to lash out or react in a way he would regret later. I think Hermione should go with Draco tomorrow, and no I don’t believe he’ll be there for breakfast in the morning. Draco, you may need to inform him how he is affecting the Professor, even unknowingly, else he may start to pull away once he sees how cold Snape is again. I understand it’s his way of reacting, but Harry will interpret it differently that his friendship is gone and will pull into himself again.”
“Not that I won’t, but why do you think I’ll need to be there, Ron?” Hermione wanted to know if Ron was thinking what she was.
“He knows that you observe and can point out logical facts, and so he’ll believe what you have to say more than Draco. Sorry, mate, but he even doesn’t believe me sometimes; Hermione’s the only one who can get through his thick head.”
“Yours too, prat.” Hermione smiled to show she was teasing, causing the others to chuckle.
“I’ll speak with Professor Snape, tomorrow then,” Luna smiled at the other’s questioning, and slightly worried, gaze. “It’s obvious he’s let the Barbing Sortles swarm his head again.” The dreamy blonde ignored the other’s confused gaze as she plucked some grass and twirled the blades.
“Okay, at the very least perhaps we can convince the two not to act differently than they normally would. So Draco, how do you feel; is the Mark really gone?” Pansy led the discussion away from the two stubborn men and the group spent some time talking about other things.
As predicted, Harry didn’t show up for breakfast, and neither did Severus; Draco and Hermione made their way down and Luna had disappeared sometime during breakfast. They approached the bedroom door and knocked once, before Hermione opened it and walked in.
“Harry,” she sighed as she saw the tear-stained face and dark circles around his eyes. She sat beside his head and smoothed back his hair, green eyes blearily looking up at her.
“Hmm, ‘Mione?” He looked past her and saw Draco, before glancing around. After seeing it was only the two, he sat up.
“You weren’t in for meals yesterday, nor breakfast; I’m here to help you go through whatever information you feel overloaded with and since it happened after you spoke with Professor Snape, Draco is here to help from a Slytherin’s point of view.” Hermione blinked at the angry look on Harry’s face.
“That bastard; how the hell does he think I’m supposed to react when he drops a bombshell like that?” He huffed and grumbled. His time spent yesterday was about thinking, but he felt so hurt he didn’t know what to do.
“I imagine he thought you would rant and rave, probably curse him, may even hate him, and has since locked himself in his lab after you left. He was quite cold when I spoke with him and he said unless he was needed as Head of House or Potion Professor, he was to be left alone.”
Harry wanted to say he had no right to behave like that, that Harry was the one hurt and confused, but he remembered telling the man to essentially disappear and it seemed like he did just that.
“Harry, perhaps if we talk over what he said, we can help you come to terms with it and come back up.” Hermione tsked and pulled Draco down beside her; he was standing ridged and all cold and it wouldn’t help.
Draco for his part yelped and glared at Hermione, though she was unfazed, and sighed. “Listen Harry, I may be able to help, or I may not, but Hermione thought I could help but we can’t do that unless you talk.”
Harry snorted, “Fine; he told me that he was once a real Death Eater and that he enjoyed the torturing and killing…well maybe not enjoyed killing, but he enjoyed their pain. He admitted he was the one who told Voldemort the prophecy that sent him after me; he said he was given one request and he asked for him to spare my mum. He also asked Dumbledore to keep her safe; guess neither one upheld his request because she’s dead.”
“That must’ve been a huge blow; I doubted he expected Snake-face to really honor his request, but I’m certain he believed Dumbledore would do so.”
“Dumbledore cast the Fidelius charm, so by all rights it should’ve protected them.” Harry rubbed a hand over his face; he didn’t think of the twin acts of betrayal on Severus’ request and how that would’ve affected the man. The both said his mum would be safe, they both lied; its little wonder Severus had trust issues.
“Dumbledore cast the Fidelius? So he knew who the Secret Keeper was, and that it wasn’t Black?” Draco nodded to himself as Harry snarled.
“He knew Sirius was innocent, knew that Pettigrew betrayed them, yet let him go to Azkaban. That bastard.”
Hermione’s lips were pressed tight, “Alright, so what did Dumbledore ask of Professor Snape in return for keeping your mum safe?”
“For him to spy and to keep me safe during the school years. He told him, though, he wasn’t allowed to visit me while I was with my family…” Harry frowned as something seemed to stick out to him.
“What is it, Harry?” Hermione looked concerned, and even Draco was puzzled by the flash from thought to sudden anger.
“He made Severus swear he wouldn’t contact me while I was with my family. He knew Sirius was innocent as he knew Pettigrew was Secret Keeper and so had to have been the one who told Voldemort. I should’ve been with Sirius, as he was my godfather, but he placed me with my Aunt and Uncle; when he told Severus about my parent’s death, not aware he already knew, he reminded him not to try and contact me because he swore he wouldn’t while I was with my family. So Dumbledore planned to put me with the Dursleys, thus ensuring I would have absolutely no contact with the Wizarding world until I was 11.”
“Wait, what? Didn’t your family tell you about being a wizard and such? I mean, one of them knew about your mum being a witch and all…right?” Draco looked confused.
“My Aunt knew her sister was a witch and that I was a wizard, but they refused to tell me that. I didn’t know the things that happened around me was real magic, hell I thought my parents died in a car crash until then. If someone was able to contact me before then, so much would’ve been different.” Harry slammed his fist onto the bed.
Draco looked gob smacked, and yet now so much made sense. Why Harry knew nothing about his heritage, why he always seemed so clueless and in awe about the simplest of things, and why he was so easily swayed at a young age.
“So Dumbledore wanted you to remain in the dark about your family history, wanted you ignorant of magic, and essentially groomed you to be a Gryffindor.” Hermione huffed, “Why though?”
“He wanted a weapon, not a person…” He looked into brown and blue-grey eyes, “My relatives are very negative people, and the first few people I meet that are magical is Hagrid, a Gryffindor and Dumbledore supporter who came to ‘rescue’ me and bring me into the wizarding world, who told me about who really killed my parents, and that the man was a Slytherin. Draco at 11, who was a pompous, arrogant, and snobby git who knew he was going to Slytherin. Ron and the Weasleys who are all Gryffindors and not only welcomed me, but Ron told me all evil wizards came from Slytherin. So by the time I was getting Sorted, I was told Slytherin was where my parent’s killer came from and all evil people went to, and Gryffindor was where my parents went and everyone who was nice to me belonged. So when the Hat said I would do well in Slytherin or Gryffindor, I begged it not to put me in Slytherin. Already he was playing with my life, moving me where he wanted. Then all those things that happened every year…”
“He was testing you.” Hermione quickly got up and began pacing, “The Stone, the Chamber, saving Sirius, the Tri-Wizard Tournament…all things he could’ve prevented from happening if he did something. Instead he let you do everything.”
“Then last year, with Sirius. He ignored me, wouldn’t tell me anything, and instead of finding out if Sirius was in danger or not, I was left on my own. He knew I wouldn’t just sit back, that I would act and go to save Sirius. He could’ve told me that Sirius was safe, or gone to see if he was there and got a message to me somehow.”
“You were supposed to be in Slytherin?” Draco was still staring at Harry dumbfounded and the two looked at him and started laughing. “What?!”
“Out of all that, you focused on the bit about me supposed to be in Slytherin?” Harry laughed for a while before calming down to soft chuckles, “Thanks, Draco; I needed that.”
“I always thought you had Slytherin tendencies, now I see it wasn’t just my imagination. So why are you still upset with Uncle Severus?” Draco snagged Hermione’s wrist and pulled her into his lap, shifting to where is back rested against the footboard and post.
Harry sighed, “I suppose I’m not, really, and I snapped at him…Draco, he told me what your second task was.”
Draco swallowed and Hermione looked at him, “I was ordered to kill the Headmaster, Hermione.”
“But you wouldn’t have…he knew that when, oh…OH!” She looked at Harry, “Professor Snape will have to…”
Harry nodded, “The thing is, Dumbledore placed a cursed ring on his finger during the summer that should’ve killed him already. Severus managed to keep it contained in his hand, but it would eventually kill him. Dumbledore made him swear a vow to kill him instead of Draco, and with the Vow Narcissa made him swear…”
Hermione looked at Draco, “What vow?”
“Mum had Uncle Severus swear an Unbreakable Vow that if I couldn’t complete my tasks, he would do it for me.” Draco banged his head against the post, “So he has to kill Dumbledore before the beginning of January, or he will lose his magic, and perhaps his life, or if he is unlucky be tortured by that Snake bastard.”
“And I had to go and act like a right prick.” Harry sighed, “He’s under so much pressure and I went and snapped at him after he was honest with me; damnit, I’ve got to make him understand I wasn’t really angry with him, it was just so much information at once.”
“Good luck, Luna said she would speak with him, but she has a weird way of talking and I don’t think it will help.” Draco gave him a sympathetic look, “Come on, let’s get you something to eat before you grovel.”
“Grovel?!” Harry sighed, “If that’s what I have to do…” He led the way back up to the ground floor then to the kitchens, never seeing the shocked but pleased faces behind him.
Severus snarled at the insistent knocking on his door; Draco had better have a good reason for…He opened the door and noticed a different head of blonde hair and was shocked enough to not snap. “Miss Lovegood, is there a problem?”
“Indeed Professor, may I come in?” She walked in as he stepped to the side and looked around, “You seem to have a lot of Barbing Sortles around your head, and it’s no wonder, there all over the place.”
Severus had closed the door and just stared blankly at the unusual girl. Barbing…what?! “Miss Lovegood I have no clue what a Barbing Sortle is, and unless you have something important to say, I wish you good day.”
“Oh but it is important, Professor. Barbing Sortles cause a lot of confusion and harm; they often are the reason behind bad dreams and self-doubting thoughts. I saw Harry yesterday as he rushed past me, in quite the hurry, and he had quite a few of them, and a few Sniprits. Sniprits are horrible as they usually cover one’s eyes and hide the truth; but I’m sure Harry got rid of them, usually deep thought and sorting through ones feelings and information scares them away. I’m sure he’ll help you get rid of these Barbing Sortles once he’s finished.”
“Miss Lovegood, Mr. Potter had no need to help me and I doubt he shall wish to. If you don’t mind, I have potions to brew.” Severus ignored the hurt as the memory of those irate eyes flashed by.
Luna had been looking around, “You know Professor, I think you could use a few things to help get rid of these Sortles; green and red is the trick.” She nodded her head, “Don’t worry Professor, things may look bleak right now but by Christmas things will look better.” She made her way back to the door, Severus had opened again, before stepping out she turned back to him.
“The chains will be gone soon, and you will find that which you seek but fight to accept. Remember you have friends who won’t let you down.” She stepped out of the room and skipped down the hall. Severus closed the door and puzzled over her words.
A few hours later another knocking at his door brought him out of his musings, and he sighed, exasperated, as he opened the door. He expected Draco, or perhaps Lovegood again, and felt his stomach drop and throat tighten as Harry stood there. “What do you want, Potter?”
Harry pushed back the angry retort at the cold greeting as he saw the sadness, pain, and brief fear flash in Severus’ eyes. “I would like to speak to you, Sir, since you offered earlier. I realize I left before we could.”
Knowing he did offer, Severus opened the door and raised an eyebrow at the basket the young man carried, closing the door behind him. He sat in one of his wingback chairs across from Harry and fought to keep himself aloof and withdrawn.
Harry sighed, inside of course, as Severus remained ridged; he didn’t expect the man to be welcoming, but had hoped he would be willing to listen. He opened the basket and pulled out a few plates of food and some drinks. “The house elves informed me you haven’t eaten today either, so I thought we could eat and then talk, and sort things out.”
Before he could refuse the food, Severus’ stomach growled and he sneered. It slipped a little when he uncovered the plate and saw his favorite foods. “I suppose it would be a waste of good food if I refused.” The two ate in silence, though Severus couldn’t eat much; he refused to admit it, but he was worried about what Harry had to say. He was still hurting at the dismissal he gave yesterday and didn’t know what he’d do if Harry hated him again.
Harry sat back once they were done, and the dishes vanished. “It was a lot of information to take in at once, Severus, and I couldn’t speak yesterday because the main thing I was feeling was hurt and angry. I knew I would say something stupid I would regret, and I knew it would take a while for me to sort through everything. I stayed in the Chamber until a few hours ago; Draco and Hermione came to speak with me. Hermione’s always been good at pointing out the facts to me, or at least questioning things to make me think more. Draco’s always been good at making me feel like an idiot for what I did, and I’m sure it was even more incentive that you’re his godfather.
“I’m not angry with you, Severus, nor do I hate you. I did at first, I won’t lie, which is half the reason I didn’t want you to approach me. I would’ve said something and then I would’ve regretted it. However the more I thought, the more I realized you dealt with the situations you were faced with the way you felt you had to. Dumbledore and Snake face made things even more difficult for you, and have just heaped responsibilities, tasks, and requests upon you without giving you anything in return. You’ve had to deal with the fact you told Voldemort the prophecy, and what he did because of it.” He noticed Severus flinched and knew he had to plug on. “You’ve had to face restrictions because of your choice as a young man, a choice based on needing an outlet that was never provided. You’ve been denied closure to move past these things because those two meddlers want to keep you as their spy, their insider, to the other’s camp with no care for you. Now you have more added onto your shoulders, with no concern to how it will affect you.
“You’ve given me honesty, told me the truth, and held back nothing. You didn’t sugar-coat your deeds, nor made excuses, because I needed to know.” He saw how Severus’ hands clenched the arms of the chair and his eyes shined; Harry knew he had to continue because Severus deserved it. “You’ve atoned for so much, you’ve given so much, and you’ve been used by them; but I’m not them, Severus. You made mistakes in your past, but you’re human; I cannot fault you for that, and so I don’t, but I know what you seek. You’re more than forgive, Severus, for your mistakes, and I thank you.” He swallowed as the sight of Severus’ astonished gasp and tears was like a punch to the gut. “Thank you for doing all you could to try to save my mum; thank you for trying to preserve me from seeing her dead. Thank you for wanting to contact me, even though you were deceived into swearing you wouldn’t. Thank you for trying to keep me safe each year, though I was an ungrateful snot through all of it.” He stood up and walked over to Severus, who was still fighting to keep his composure; he knelt down beside his chair and grabbed onto one hand.
“Thank you for telling me the truth, for giving me information, and for not keeping me in the dark. Thank you, Severus Snape, for everything you have done, sacrificed, and still continue to do.”
He fought it, as hard as he could, but the sob escaped his lips and he couldn’t help the shivers. He soon found himself wrapped in strong arms, soft words soothing him as a hand went through his hair. He laid his head against a firm chest, letting the anguish that has built up over the years go.
“No one has ever thanked me…” It was said softly and into his chest, but Harry heard it nonetheless.
“I know, Severus, and you deserved to be thanked.” Black eyes searched his and Harry wiped the tear tracks as he gazed into them, letting him see the truth and sincerity.
“Why do you forgive me? I cause your parent’s deaths, caused the maniac to come after you, and have been a bastard to you since you were 11.” Part of him was afraid to hear the answer, but he knew he needed to know.
“Because you have done so much to make up for it, because if it wasn’t you it would’ve been someone else, because you tried to save my mum even though you knew you could do nothing for me.” He tucked some black strands behind Severus’ ears, “Because you have held onto your guilt for all this time and have done much harm to yourself because of it. Because even though you made bad choices, you have a good heart and a good soul, and don’t deserve to be blamed any longer. Because you may have hated my father, and disliked me for making you remember bad times, but you still did all you could to keep me safe.”
Severus laid his head against Harry’s chest again, feeling weary and tired but that a weight has been lifted off his shoulders and soul. “Harry, thank you.”
“You’re welcome, Severus.” They sat in silence a while before Severus poked him in the side. Harry squirmed and realized he wanted him to move, so he got up and sat back in the chair.
“Severus I’ll need to inform Minerva about what Dumbledore is having you do; you know things will become quite difficult once that happens and if we don’t tell her, she’ll feel extremely betrayed.”
“Harry, I can’t tell her…”
“Then let me tell her,” Harry could see how this task was weighing him down, “Let me tell here and I need you to remember you can talk to me, Hermione, Draco, Ron, Pansy, Blaise, Neville, Luna, Astoria, Daphne, Minerva, and even Fillius.”
“Fillius?” Severus blinked, “When did that happen?”
Harry smiled, “Minerva told me a month ago he had questions and that I should speak with him. She reminded me that he was a Ravenclaw, and part goblin, and that combination made him more observant to shifty behavior than others, except perhaps Slytherins. He asked me straight out why I have been gathering a group of students from each house and Dumbledore doesn’t seem to approve it. He swore the oath, and after I told him, he agreed to help; he said he knew you had a lot of weight on your shoulders and he always enjoyed the challenge of deciphering your words during conversations.” Harry chuckled at Severus’ amused snort.
“It is good to know there are now two other adults; having to rely on children to speak of such things with is nauseating.” He had a small smile, and his onyx eyes shone with amusement.
Harry snorted, “Sure, but at least us children have more sense than many adults. Besides, couldn’t you just take a potion if it cause you such ill feelings?” Harry smiled more as Severus let out a laugh; it was the first real laugh he’s heard from the man, and Harry vowed to cause him to laugh more.

“It may aid the stomach, brat, but it wouldn’t lessen the sensation.” He chuckled softly and smiled more; for once in his life, Severus felt his soul was light and at peace.
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Giving A Chance