Latent | By : GryffindorToy Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Snape Views: 20116 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0 |
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story. |
Disclaimer: I don’t own it and I never will. I’m only
borrowing the characters for my own twisted pleasures…
A/N: I absolutely LOVE all of the
reviews I’ve been getting! Thank you to EVERYBODY who has reviewed so far and I
truly hope that you continue to do so. It really makes my day!
Chapter Four
XXXhpXXX
At The Burrow
A/N: (This part wasn’t in the
original hand-written chapter. It’s all new! Enjoy!)
“Hermione, could you get that?”
Ron said gesturing toward the window and the source of the loud tapping that
was disturbing his and Ginny’s game of Wizard’s Chess.
She sighed, walking to the window.
When she saw the beautiful snowy owl, she gasped and hurried to let her in. She
took the envelope from Hedwig, who immediately went to where Pig was lounging.
“Ron! It’s from Harry!” she said,
tearing into the letter without waiting for him, “There are two here… well,
shall we read ‘letter one’?”
“Read it aloud, could you?” Ron
asked, turning to her, “It’s easier that way and I’m sure whatever Harry says
in there is suitable for Ginny, as well. His letters usually just say ‘Hey. I’m
doing fine. See you at school.’ Boring and a half.”
Ginny laughed. “He’s probably busy
fighting off the girls…”
“I’m sure,” Hermione said, raising
an eyebrow at her, “Alright, here goes…”
She read the first letter, pausing
several times to allow the information to settle in. All the times Harry told
them he was ‘fine’ and he was really suffering. Then, there was the fact that
their best friend wasn’t exactly human, but some strange being and he was predestined to be with
another guy? It was a bit much to drop on them in one letter.
“So… Harry’s a- Caelestis,” Ginny said slowly, “He has wings… and can fly…
and he’s gay…”
“Pretty much,” Hermione agreed,
“And his magical and physical strength has increased exponentially.”
“Right,” Ron said, “Jolly good,
then. What’s the second letter say?”
“Hopefully it’ll say, ‘Just
kidding. Had you worried didn’t I?’…” Ginny said.
Hermione pulled it open. “No such
luck. It says;
‘Dear Hermione and Ron (and probably Ginny),
That was not a joke.
It was all the truth. So, guess where I am? I’m currently occupying a quaint
little house in a small muggle town. Guess who I’m
living with? Well- please, please, please don’t freak out- my housemates just
happen to be Severus Snape
and Draco Malfoy. I know. It’s crazy, right? I’m
still alive, though. To say the least, they aren’t nearly as horrid as I
thought they were. Don’t roll your eyes at me, Ron, I’m serious. Remember what
you told me about that whole Unbreakable Vow stuff? Well, Severus
took one for Narcissa Malfoy
so that, in the event that Draco was unable to complete his mission- killing
Dumbledore- he would have to do it. And the only reason Draco was cooperating
with Voldemort was because the bastard was threatening
his mum. You see, neither of them had any choice in the matter. They both went
on trial and they both testified, voluntarily, under the influence of the Veritaserum and were cleared of all charges. However, they
are still in hiding from Voldemort and the Ministry
chose to keep it all hush-hush, so don’t go blabbing. They figure it’s better
if nobody knows anything until I kill the megalomaniac. Also, I can’t tell you
exactly where I am, only that I’ll see you in Diagon
Alley to buy supplies. Sev and Draco convinced me to
go back to school. Gave me the guilt trip, they did! Damn Slytherins…
I really can’t wait to see you guys. I’ve got so much left to tell you and I’m
sure you have some questions. I’m afraid you can’t write back, though, because
of all the wards and stuff. Send Hedwig back after a few days of rest. She’s
had it pretty bad this summer, too.
Love,
Harry Potter’
“Huh…” Ron said, “That was…
interesting?”
“I’m confused now,” Ginny said,
“At the end of last year, Harry was all gung-ho for hunting You-Know-Who down.
What happened?”
“I wonder how Snape
and Malfoy convinced him…” Hermione sighed, finally
ceasing her pacing and sitting down.
“Yeah… and why does Harry seem so
chummy with them?” Ron growled, “I mean Draco?
Severus? For Merlin’s sake… SEV?”
“They’ve probably bonded,”
Hermione explained, “You can only spend so much time in the constant company of
people before those people become dear to you.”
“It’s still bloody strange,” Ron
grumbled, “But I suppose we just have to accept it, right?”
Hermione smiled. “That’s very
mature of you, Ron. I’m impressed.”
He blushed. “Yeah, well… he’s my
best mate. I can’t exactly abandon him just because he’s attached to a couple gits.”
“Harry says they’re okay, so I’m
going to give them a chance,” Ginny said, “Besides… they seem to be treating
him right.”
“Exactly.
That earns them a chance with me,” Hermione said, looking at Ron expectantly.
“Alright!
I’ll give ‘em a chance, too,” he muttered
resentfully.
One week passed amazingly fast for
Harry and before he knew it, they were in the yard, practicing furiously,
sparring without the use of wands. Surprisingly, the wandless
training was relatively easy and by the end of the day, Harry had mastered most
first, second, and third year charms, spells, and curses, as well as a few that
weren’t in the curriculum. The Healer would be arriving in just a few minutes
when Harry and Draco were instructed to wait outside, which they did, quite
happily, while Severus went inside to receive her.
Harry immediately took off into flight with Draco right behind him on his
broom.
There was a crack like a whip and
a woman stood before Severus. Her strawberry blonde
hair, deep indigo eyes, and warm smile gave away her identity at once. Severus smirked when he saw that she was still wearing her
pure white Healer’s robes.
“Hello, Brenna,”
he said.
“Severus,”
she replied, chuckling, “It’s a pleasure to see you, as usual.”
“And you, as well,” Severus replied, “I need to ask you a favor.”
She narrowed her eyes. “What?”
“Harry will undoubtedly ask you
about his mate. When he does, I ask that you tell him nothing,” Severus explained.
“But- Severus,
as his Carus… why don’t you want him to know?” she
asked, confusion seeping out of her aura.
“We have not had a very pleasant
relationship in the past,” Severus said, “I want time
to- court him properly, I guess.”
Brenna
sighed. “Alright, but denying the bond, even for a short period of time, will
only hurt you- both of you.”
“It won’t be for long,” he assured
her, and she nodded.
“Take me to him, then,” she said.
“He’s outside, flying about the
yard with Draco, no doubt,” he said, smiling as he led Brenna
to the back where Harry and Draco were resting in the only tree on the grounds.
It was a large Peach Tree, standing tall with branches jutting out in every
direction and then some. It looked old, but held as much vitality as any
sapling, and Harry loved it.
“Hello, there,” Brenna said with her lilting Irish accent, coming to stand
beneath them, “Would you like to come down?”
“I wouldn’t like to, but I will,”
Harry said smartly as they jumped from their perch, landing on either side of
her. She chuckled lightly, smiling first at Harry, then at Draco.
“You must be Mr. Malfoy, then,” she said.
“Draco, please,” he replied.
“Thank you. My name is Brenna Murray,” she said, “And I must say that I am
pleasantly surprised.” She took a step back so that she could look at them
both. “It appears that you’ve already found your Companion.”
“My- er- what?” Harry asked.
“Your Companion,” she repeated,
“They’re the person who is the most suited to be your- comrade. Your friend, I
guess. Every Caelestis is born parallel to two
humans; their mate, and their Companion. That’s what the triangular markings
represent. The topmost point would be the Caelestis,
and the other two points are your earthbound counterparts. Your Companion is
the brother, or sister, to your soul.”
“So… I’m like- what?- his sibling?” Draco said, smirking.
“In essence, yes,” Brenna said.
“Brenna,”
Harry said suddenly, “What can you tell me about my mate?”
She sighed, dropping her gaze. “Nothing- not yet, anyway. All in due
time, Harry. You’ve got so much to deal with already.”
He frowned. ‘Why won’t anybody tell me anything? You’d think it was some big
secret…’
“So,” she said, brightening up again,
“Just curious, but have you put a shirt on since you arrived here?”
Harry blushed, his eyes suddenly
wide. “No… I haven’t…”
Draco laughed. “I hadn’t noticed.
We just never realized- got used to it, I guess.”
Severus
chuckled.
“There’s a spell you can use on
your clothes so that they will accommodate your wings,” she said, launching
directly into their training.
They sat in the yard, with Harry
and Draco in the tree- Harry finally wearing a shirt; a semi-tight black tee-
and Severus and Brenna on a
blanket beneath them. Brenna had taught Harry two
charms; one for his clothes and one to hide his markings. She had also taught
him how to ‘bend’ magic- that is, control any magic sent at him, be it a charm
or curse, and either void it out or send it back, as well as some elemental
magic.
Severus
and Draco had been used as guinea pigs and had spent the evening throwing
spells at Harry, only to have them turn on them. Brenna
said that, when his training was complete, he would even be able to deflect an
Unforgivable. This had Harry the most intrigued. If he could deflect Avada Kedavra, Voldemort would have no power… it would be almost too easy
to defeat him when he would be disarmed like that.
At the end of the day, he could
make small fires, make single flowers bloom- when he’d tried the whole bush,
he’d accidentally set it afire- and call upon small amounts of water. He found
that controlling the air was much
easier than the others, which Severus explained to be
because his main element is air.
So, currently he sat in the tree
with Draco, making miniature twisters in his palm. Brenna
looked up at him and smiled. He really was an extraordinary child, and she had
no doubt in her mind that he was extremely powerful. She turned back to Severus.
“He’s learning so fast,” she said,
“A couple more weeks of training like this and there won’t be anything else I
can teach him.”
“He’s always been an exceptionally
bright pupil,” Severus agreed, “Even if he doesn’t
always show it.”
“He may just be the most powerful Caelestis since… my mother,” she said, smiling sadly, “And
perhaps an even greater Healer. Which is, in itself, unusual.
You won’t see many male Healers… least of all with Caelestis.”
Severus
raised an eyebrow at her. She rarely spoke of her mother, a Caelestis
who had been taken by the Ancients for her incredible power. Was she implying
that this could be Harry’s destiny, as well…? Surely not.
Brenna
chuckled. “Don’t give me that look, Severus. I doubt
that he would go willingly- or that those close to him would allow him to be
taken.”
“What do you think they’re talking
about?” Draco asked.
“Who cares?” Harry replied,
looking up at the stars through the branches of the tree, “The stars sure are
pretty…”
Draco elbowed him playfully.
“You’re such a posy.”
“Shut up,” Harry said, laughing.
Severus
smiled, looking up at them fondly. This is, until he saw that Brenna was watching him, at which point he quickly masked
his emotions and looked away. Brenna sighed.
“You’ve been doing that all day,”
she said, “I’ve never seen you drop your guard so often.”
He simply raised an eyebrow at
her.
“You can’t hide behind that mask
forever,” she said, “He’s bound to figure it out on his own, probably sooner,
rather than later.”
“I know,” Severus
agreed, “But I want to protect him from the truth for as long as I can.”
“Sev…
keeping the truth from him is not
going to protect him,” she said, “It’s putting him in unnecessary danger. He already trusts you, Severus…
a blind man could see that. I think the real problem is that you don’t trust yourself.”
She stood, glaring at him before smiling at Harry and Draco. “I’ve got to go,
boys. Same time tomorrow, okay?”
They waved at her and she was
gone.
“Sev,
why can she apparate through our wards?” Draco asked.
“The wards are designed to keep
out any human but our Secret
Keepers,” Severus snapped, “And they’re obviously not human, now are they?”
Harry looked at him, his brow furrowed.
He wasn’t human, was he? He hadn’t
truly realized that, in the process of becoming this strange new being, he
would subsequently be giving up his claim to humanity. He sighed, dropping from
the tree and heading toward the house without a word to either of them.
Draco dropped down shortly after. “Real smooth, Sev. What the hell
is your problem?”
He didn’t wait for an answer, but
strode after Harry, leaving Severus alone with his
thoughts. He sighed, banishing the blanket with a flick of his wrist, walking
slowly toward the house, supposing that he should apologize to Harry.
Draco stepped into the room he’d
shared with Harry for nearly two weeks to see the dark haired boy sitting at
the desk. He closed the door and stepped toward him, opening his mouth to say
something. He stopped when he saw that Harry was reading something intently. He
moved to stand behind him and could have smacked himself when he saw that Harry
was reading the notes he’d written down from what Severus
had told him about mates.
Harry turned and looked up at him,
realization and confusion dawning, simultaneously, in his eyes. He stood
suddenly, nearly knocking Draco over in the process. He practically ran from
the room with Draco right behind him.
“Why didn’t you tell me it was him?” Harry exclaimed.
“I’m sorry… I promised him I wouldn’t-!” Draco stopped mid-sentence when
Harry collided with Severus just as the man entered
the house.
“Harry? What’s wrong?” Severus asked, noticing the frustrated tears in his eyes.
“When were you planning on telling
me?” Harry spat bitterly, moving away from him.
“What are you talking about?” he
said, glaring at Draco, who was silently retreating.
“He read my notes! I didn’t tell
him anything,” Draco said, making a swift exit.
“You know what I’m talking about,”
Harry said, “You told Draco, but not me? I’m
the one it affects! I’m your mate!”
“Harry, calm down and listen,” Severus said, trying to lead Harry into the kitchen.
He tore his arm from Severus’ grip. “No, I won’t calm down. You wouldn’t explain
when I wanted to listen, and I now I don’t want to hear your excuses.” He
walked past him and out of the house.
Severus
sighed, following him out.
Harry turned around, still walking
away from him. “I don’t even know why
I’m upset! I don’t even want a mate!”
“Harry…” Severus
said, but Harry’s next statement cut him off.
“… least of all,
you!”
Severus
visible blanched, and Harry instantly regretted saying that. “Harry… I’m
sorry…”
He stopped abruptly, gazing at Severus in shock.
“I shouldn’t have hidden this from
you,” Severus continued, “But- I didn’t want to force
you into this. It’s your choice,
Harry.”
“Why?” Harry asked.
“I’d rather you were happy with
somebody who would be better for you than miserable with me,” he said.
“But… I can only be truly happy
with my mate,” Harry said.
“Do not feel obligated to choose
me,” Severus said, “You hold the power to walk away
from me and I won’t stop you- no matter how difficult it might be.”
Harry smiled. “Thank you, but I
think I’ll stick with destiny- willingly, for once.”
It was Severus’
turn to be confused. “But- why?”
Harry shrugged, walking back
toward him. “Who am I to deny the Universe’s Master Plan?” He smirked, giving Severus a quick kiss before he lost his courage and walking
back into the house, “Besides,” he added when Severus
followed, “I’m always willing to try new things. And… this definitely qualifies
as new.”
Severus
smirked. “I still don’t want to rush anything. That way you’ll have plenty of
time to back out if you need to.”
“I’m not going to back out,” Harry said stubbornly, “Contrary to what
you are probably thinking, I’m not completely adverse
to being with you. Though this may have freaked me out if I had learned it a
week ago, I find I rather like the idea of having you wrapped around my little
finger.” He sat down on the sofa and, after conjuring some tea, Severus sat next to him.
“Who say’s I’ll be wrapped around
your finger?” Severus said.
Harry grinned, sipping his tea.
“Anyway, it’s not as though you’re a bad guy. I am still sore about your role in the last few years’ events and I
don’t think I’ll ever really get over it, but I’m willing to admit that you
weren’t entirely at fault. On top of that, you’re powerful, intelligent, and
not too hard to look at.” He smiled at Severus’
dumbfounded expression. “Yes, I find you attractive… and you smell delicious.”
Harry had no idea where any of
that came from or why it came out of his mouth or even when he began to feel
this way, but he shrugged it away for the moment. He chose instead to focus on
the impossibly dark gaze of the man sitting next to him. He could lose himself
in those eyes, everything he was, everything he is, everything
he could be… he could lose it all to those glittering black orbs, which,
instead of being cold, as he’d originally thought, seemed to burn from the
inside with intensity. He blushed at his own train of thought, although he
didn’t break the gaze.
It took everything Severus had not to ravage the boy until that sexy little
smirk was replaced with a look of absolute bliss, until Harry found himself
lost in oblivion. He swallowed the rest of his tea and crossed his legs to hide
his growing problem. If Harry kept giving those smoldering looks, he wouldn’t
be able to control himself. Severus couldn’t remember
the last time any creature had affected him thusly, and he found it rather
exhilarating.
“The two of you are settled then?”
Draco said, “I figured as much when the yelling stopped.”
Harry smiled as the blonde sat
down on the end of the sofa, forcing Harry into the middle. He looked at Draco,
then at Severus. He decided he liked being between
them- feeling safe and cherished- and settled into the cushions, leaning just
slightly toward Severus and inhaling his scent deeply
before taking another sip of tea and sighing contentedly.
Draco and Severus
exchanged a glance and Draco shrugged. “So, Harry,” he said, “What does he
smell like to you?”
Harry blushed. “Vanilla…”
Draco smirked. “That’s- a really
sexy smell…” He chuckled good-naturedly.
“I know,” Harry muttered ruefully.
Severus
grinned, placing an arm around Harry’s waist and pulling him closer.
Draco laughed when Harry looked up
at Severus in shock. “That’s what I’m thinking,
Harry.”
“Well, you’ll just have to get
used to it,” Severus said, “Because, despite my
reputation, I’m not completely heartless. In fact…” he smirked, “I’m a man of
great passion and strong emotions. I just hide them very well.”
Draco nodded. “It’s true. When
that hippogriff attacked me, he was first at my side and he furiously demanded
retribution. Come to think of it, when that Moody bloke turned me into a
ferret, he was murderous then, too.”
“The only time I ever lost my rigid
control was when Draco was put in danger- or when you decided to take a dip
into my memories,” Severus said, looking at Harry,
who was curled to his side with his eyes closed, his tea abandoned on the
table.
“Sorry about that…” Harry murmured
drowsily.
Draco looked up at Severus, who mouthed ‘I’ll tell you later,’ motioning to
the sleeping Harry. Draco nodded, smiling at how adorable they looked together.
He never would have thought that to be the case before, but, looking at them
now, he thought that they did, indeed, look good together.
Harry muttered something in his
sleep when Severus unconsciously began toying with
the soft hair at the base of his neck. Severus was
gazing into the fire, lost in his thoughts. He had hoped that Harry would not
find out anything until the very end of summer… but the boy was taking the news
quite well. He was already beginning to adapt to the relationship- or what
relationship there was- and become more intimate, when he had only know for minutes.
It was as though he had known all along and was merely waiting for ‘official’
news. ‘Which,’ Severus thought, ‘may
have actually been the case. Somewhere inside himself, he had to have
known that I was the one.’
“He’s a pretty expressive guy,
isn’t he?” Draco said, grinning.
Severus
looked over at him, smiling. “Yes, he’s definitely that.”
“He’s accepted everything so
easily,” Draco said, “It just amazes me that a guy who has been put through so
much shit can be so kind and accepting of these things that are, once again,
being thrown at him without his consent.”
“Harry has always been an
amazingly good person,” he stated, “That’s one of the reasons I always found
him to be so aggravating.”
Draco chuckled. “Yeah… damn those
pure-of-heart, right Sev?”
Severus
grinned half-heartedly. “I think I’m the only one who’s damned.”
“Nonsense,” Harry murmured, moving
closer to him, “You’re a good man… a good person. I’m sorry it took me so long
to see it.”
“How do you know?” Severus asked softly, “How can anybody know something like
that so certainly?”
“I can see into your soul,” Harry
said, opening his eyes and meeting Severus’ obsidian
gaze, “Brenna was telling me that one of our powers
is to see into people’s hearts- their souls- and see their guilt or innocence.
Your soul has some stains, yes, but they’re faded. You may have done bad
things, but they were usually for good reasons. Your misdeeds are forgiven.”
Severus
and Draco looked at him in confusion. “Why didn’t she tell me about this?” Severus asked.
“She didn’t want you to know that
she’d seen your soul,” Harry explained, “She thought you might feel- violated.”
“A little… but I’m mostly
relieved,” Severus said, “Both that I am forgiven and that you trusted me
before you knew that fact.”
Harry smiled. “You know… we also
have the power to cleanse small stains from souls that we deem worthy.”
“No,” Severus
said, “My wrongs are still a part of me.”
“She said that’s what you’d say,”
Harry said.
“She seems to say an awful lot,
doesn’t she?” Severus said, narrowing his eyes.
Draco grinned at them. “You two
have only been together for less than a day and you already act like you’re
married. It’s too cute!”
Severus
grimaced. “I am not, nor will I ever be, cute.”
“Sinfully handsome, maybe…” Harry
said, “But if anybody is cute here, it’s me.”
Draco nodded. “I can agree with
you there, I guess.”
Harry yawned, stretching next to Severus.
“You should go to bed. The
training probably took a lot out of you,” Severus
said.
Harry nodded, standing up. He left
the room, already half-asleep and looking forward to the warm bed. He dove
under the covers and fell asleep almost instantly, welcoming the serene
darkness of slumber.
XXXhpXXX
I am on a roll! The next chapter
will be up sometime during Holiday Break, too! Look for it! And don’t forget to
make my day!
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