A Most Trusted Soldier

Ron found Harry a few minutes later sitting out by the Black Lake, angrily chucking stones at the giant squid, only to have them flung back at his head by a dripping tentacle.

“If you are trying to kill yourself, you’d be better off chucking one of those into the Forbidden Forest. The Centaurs have better aim,” Ron teased.

“Not now, Ron,” Harry said in his best I-killed-Voldemort-and-could-ground-you-to-dust-with-a-thought voice. A minute later, after deftly ducking yet another return throw from the cephalopod, he desisted his rock throwing and sat down on the grass, his face set in a deep scowl.

“You do know that you channel Snape when you scowl like that, right?” Ron stated, as he removed his Auror outer robe before sitting down roughly next to his friend.

Harry, refusing to be baited, just continued to glare out at water, the squid having sunk beneath the surface.

“Harry, listen mate. I realize this is a bit of a shock, but I mean you and Snape get on fine now, mostly. Have since before graduation, yeah? Maybe it won’t be so bad,” Ron offered, hoping to calm and reassure his best friend.

“Ron, think about what you are saying,” Harry said, with a tone of exasperation that was very Hermione-like.

Ron sat quietly for a few beats, his brow furrowed in concentration. He was missing something. Harry, while a natural brooder, was generally more direct. Ron knew that could only mean it was something Harry did not even want to give voice to explain. Then it dawned on the redhead, just what the big deal was.

Ron slapped a hand to his forehead. “How could I have forgotten? Shit, Harry, m’sorry. What are you going to do?”

Harry took a deep breath, but did not look Ron in the eyes as he spoke.

“I’m not going to complete the bond. I can’t. I wouldn’t be fair to Snape. I can’t fucking believe Dumbledore would do this. Why? Why would he do this, Ron?” Harry’s bottle-green eyes were swimming with a complex mix of anguish, sadness, fear, and betrayal.

Ron just shook his head, looking nearly as defeated and lost as Harry at the moment. It was just too good to be true. The last seven years had been too easy, too free. Something had to give. Ron just wished these types of things did not always involve his best friend.

“You know, Harry, maybe if you explain it to Snape…”

“No. Absolutely not. We never told anyone for a reason, Ron. Remember?”

“Yeah, I know mate, but it’s Snape. We trust him. Dumbledore trusted him. He’d never tell, Harry,” said Ron, his bright blue eyes beseeching his friend to listen to reason.

“That’s not why I am refusing to tell him. I don’t think his knowing would help the situation. I am not going through with the bonding. If he knew why he’d be compelled to seek me out, Ron. I don’t…I don’t want to control him,” Harry stated, his voice beginning to tremble.

“Harry the Right has no compulsion, remember?”

“No, the Right of Fides doesn’t. But, if I were to tell Snape about myself, he’d want me, he wouldn’t have a choice, not really. Especially because he is Dark Sought. Then he’d want me off the potion and that cannot happen.”

“Even if it means he gets to turn me into his own personal incubus?” Ron asked, a grin settling on his lips.

“Actually, you might like it Ronnikins. I’ve always imagined that Snape, despite that chilly disposition, would probably be really good in bed. All that pent-up anger and emotional repression just has to erupt in some passionate way, I bet. ”

“Well, I don’t know about that, but I imagine Hermione might take issue with me servicing our esteemed Potions Master.”

Ron gave a small shudder at the thought. He was pretty sure that nothing short of an overdose on Firewhisky and Polyjuice containing Hermione’s hair would make him want to do Snape. Despite what many would have thought given his temperamental nature, Ron truly had nothing against being gay, straight, bi-sexual or whatever. Having been brought up in the wizarding world, he had never even had to fathom the kind of prejudice Harry described in the Muggle world. He didn’t get what the big deal was anyway. Living in a society where there were centaurs, Merpeople, werewolves, giants and even wizards with magical creature blood, simply being gay or bisexual was about as pedestrian as one could get.

Harry gave small chuckle as three or four ideas passed through his mind for what Hermione might do to Snape if he dared hurt her husband.

“Well, we won’t need to worry about that. I’ll just tell Snape that I can’t take his Right, ask him to select a personal alternative and be done with it. I’m sure he’ll be glad not to have me as his Guardian, anyway.”

“You sure, Harry? Dumbledore would not have bequeathed something of Snape’s lightly, nor would he have given it to you without thinking it through. We may not understand right now why he chose to make you two bond this way, but I don’t recall an instance where Dumbledore ever did anything that wasn’t for the best when it came to you or Snape.”

“Dumbledore may have done this believing he was doing the right thing, but I am telling you right now, Ron, I won’t do it. Nothing good will come of it,” Harry ground out, before stalking off across the grounds back towards the castle.

Ron watched his friend storm off for a moment, before collecting his outer robe and following, desperately wishing Hermione was there.