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A Prince in Lion's Clothing	By : Sablesilverrain Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Tom Views: 36570 -:- Recommendations : 7 -:- Currently Reading : 9
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, or anything you recognise here. I make no money off of this, and am writing it purely for entertainment. Don't take it too seriously.

Chapter List
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Dumbledore sighed.

The main reason he had kept the Selwyn baby alive was because he’d known, if he cultivated things carefully enough, he could have a talented young witch that would obey him in everything.

He had taken an especial interest in Lily’s schooling and friendships, and while he had not liked her connection to Severus, he had not tried to influence it, knowing that it would peter out on its own, since she had sorted Gryffindor.

She had listened to him in everything, and had shared things with him that she told few people. Once she had joined the Order, she took an active part in everything she was able to help in.

And she had been most helpful.

She had listened, given pep talks, kept positive, and helped greatly in keeping morale up, in addition to her other duties. Losing her was hard, but it had been a necessity. Dumbledore had tried to keep them safe, but to be honest, he was almost happy when they had died, and Harry was left alone.

It made him mouldable, especially after placing him in a home he knew would be abusive.

The boy trusted him, though he was starting to show signs of distrust toward everyone lately. Dumbledore was sure the boy would come back around, in time. Lily had pulled away her fifth year, after all, and had come back the next. He could give Harry time for his teenage angst. All teens needed some space while they grew up.

The connection to Severus, though, was a problem.

Dumbledore trusted Severus, of course he did, the man had been distraught when Lily had died, and had vowed to Dumbledore to be his man henceforth.

But there was always that doubt, in the back of his mind.

That what if.

What if the man found out that Voldemort had only thought the Potters had betrayed him thrice?

What if he found out that the prophecy was a fake?

What if Severus found out who Harry’s father really was, and told the boy, but not him?

So many things could go so wrong.

Dumbledore would have to be careful in the future, to cultivate an even closer relationship with the ex-Death Eater.

Even though the man disgusted him, some sacrifices had to be made.

And Severus was nothing if not useful.

*****

Harry packed up his things, freezing when Severus' voice called out for him to stay after.

He sighed. What now?

After everyone left, Severus walked over to his desk and propped one hip against it. “Rough night?” He asked.

Harry groaned. “Nightmares. Is it that obvious?”

Severus smiled. “Only to me, I’m sure.” He held out a potions vial he’d plucked from his pocket. “Dreamless sleep, two doses. Drink half the bottle before bed for a full eight hours of sound, uninterrupted sleep. You can take them back-to-back, but then you will need to go a week in between doses to let the after-effects wear off. It can be addictive, and addiction to this one is a very dangerous thing. The nightmares that it induces when used for too long are worse than horrible.” The man warned.

Harry took it, smiling. “Do you carry an apothecary around in your pockets, or something?” He asked.

Severus chuckled. “Very nearly.” He revealed. “Actually, this one was stored on a shelf behind my desk. It is a variant of regular dreamless sleep, altered for my use. I am allergic to valerian, and I suspect you may be, as well. It is highly genetic in the Prince line. Almost all of us are. I grabbed it while I was back there. Use it and get some rest. If you ever need more, come to me, but try to get by without it if you can.”

Harry nodded, slipping the potion into his pocket. “Thank you, Severus.”

Severus smiled and nodded. “Now get to class.” He said fondly.

Harry grinned and left the classroom.

Severus went to sit at his desk and began grading with a slight smile on his face. He had a son, and now that he knew, he could look after the boy properly. Merlin knew, the boy needed it.

*****

Severus was watching Alastor Moody in between bites of his dinner, suspiciously. If it was a teacher brewing Polyjuice, Severus was almost certain it was that one. None of the others would have a use for it, and if it was him using it... That would mean Moody was not Moody, after all.

And Severus was sure the imposter would be the reason Harry's name had come out of the Goblet of Fire. He just had to wait and catch him in a slip-up—there! That flick of tongue over lips was familiar...

He gritted his teeth when he realized.

Barty Crouch Jr.

A low-ranking Death Eater from the first war who was supposedly dead, but what had brought him to Hogwarts?

Was his Lord ready to make his comeback?

Severus would have to find out.

If the Dark Lord was coming back so soon, Severus had to step up the Occlumency lessons so he could begin grooming his son for a place in the Death Eaters.

Because no Prince was going to be the Saviour of the Light.

It was not to be borne.

Severus waited until ‘Moody’ finished his meal and made his excuses, following the man out of the Great Hall.

He followed the man to his office and waited while he went in. He knocked, waited for a response, then opened the door. “I was wondering, Alastor, if you had time for a drink with a colleague. I have some concerns about Potter, I wanted to make sure you were aware of them.” He said, closing the door behind him.

The Auror turned and began rifling through his trunk. “Sure. I believe I’ve got some scotch here somewhere.” He said.

“So. Barty.”

‘Moody’ tensed and slowly turned around. “What did you call me?” He asked.

Severus Prince crossed his arms over his chest and smirked, leaning against the closed office door. “How did you get out of Azkaban?” He asked.

Barty Crouch Jr. scowled at him. “None of your business!”

“Fine. I suppose that’s fair, I wouldn’t have told you, either. Let’s try something else. What does Our Lord want with Harry?” He asked.

Barty smiled. “He just wants a little bit of blood. Just a trickle will do.”

Severus curled his lip. “And if I can procure him an entire vial? Will he cease interest in the Triwizard Tournament and not try to tamper with it further?”

Barty stared at Severus. “Why would you do that?” He asked.

“Oh, that’s easy, Barty. The boy is my son. He’s also the underdog here. I’d like to relieve some of the onus from him by making this Tournament just as dangerous as it was intended to be, rather than far more.” Severus said.

Barty smiled. “Oh, but Our Lord also wants to… Talk to the boy.”

Severus’ glare sharpened. “And he will get the chance to. At another time, once I have had time to talk some sense into the misguided young man. For now, I will get you the blood. You will deliver it to Our Lord. And I will make Harry’s excuses for him until such a time as he is ready to speak for himself. Oh, and as insurance that you won’t tell Our Lord who the boy’s father really is…” Severus cast a tongue-tying spell on the man. “Get rid of your nervous tick, Barty. It’s what gave you away.” He advised as he left the room.

Barty scowled as his tongue poked out to quickly trace his lips again.

*****

Severus sat down and began working on a potion he knew his Lord would require. He wouldn’t want to look as horrible as the ritual he was no doubt thinking to use would make him look, so Severus would brew and store the potion to restore his attractive form, so that he could once again charm people into joining him.

As well as be more anonymous. Aside from the red eyes, which a glamor could cover, he would be able to blend in, since he would look decades younger than he really was.

Severus would make the man appear twenty-five, and since he had worked so hard to become immortal, and had apparently achieved his aim, he would only need to take the potion periodically to retain his youthful form.

Harry could brew it for him, in the future, and pass the recipe down when he aged too far to properly brew the tricky potion.

It would make the Prince line invaluable to the man, after all. And that would keep them alive as long as he was.

*****

Harry came into the room and smiled at Severus. “Hey.”

“Hey, yourself. You look well-rested today.” Severus remarked approvingly.

“I took the first half of that bottle last night. Figured I’d need it.” Harry explained.

Severus smirked. “You figured right.” He confirmed. “Now, we will see how well you can resist my intrusions now, with some of that poison purged from your mind. Are you ready?” He asked.

Harry nodded. “Yes, Sir.”

“Legilimens.” Severus slid in, and found mist. There were shapes in the mist, yes, but for a first try, it was not bad. He attempted to grab onto something, and found himself immersed in a memory of Harry clinging to a tree as a large dog barked below him, lunging up in attempts to bite him every few minutes.

Harry managed to throw him out eventually, but Severus had seen most of the memory play out by then. He shook his head. “Not bad, but you can do better, I know you can.” Severus said.

Harry groaned. “Is this supposed to be so hard?” He asked.

“For one like you, who wears their heart on their sleeve, yes, it can be. I did not raise you, so you were not taught to control and manage your emotions properly. We will be rectifying that this year. Again.” He said.

Harry shored up his defences, and nodded.

“Legilimens.” Severus slid in, and it looked a bit better. The shapes were vaguer, less identifiable. He latched onto one, and was drawn into a memory he’s much rather have not seen.

A large, overweight man was pinning a thirteen-year-old, crying Harry to a bed, attempting to remove his pants.

Harry pushed him out quickly this time, and Severus came back to himself to find Harry down on the ground on all fours, tears leaking from his eyes as his thin arms shook.

In fact, his whole body was trembling.

“Sorry.” The boy said through tears. “Sorry, I... That one got away.”

Severus rushed over to the boy and wrapped arms around him.

Harry tensed at first, then relaxed into the hold, burying his face in Severus’ robes as a sob escaped his throat.

Severus held the boy while he cried, softly shushing him and telling him, over and over, “You're safe here. I've got you. You'll never go back. You're safe.”

Harry sobbed for long minutes, until his tears had spent themselves and his shuddering breaths evened out. He pulled back to look at Severus, and had to look away at the furious light in his eyes. “Sorry.” He mumbled again, trying to wriggle out of the hold of the incensed man.

“Not as sorry as he is going to be.” Severus said lowly, tightening his arms. He pressed a quick kiss to the side of Harry's head and released him.

Harry scrambled up, flushing. “What was that for?” He asked.

Severus smiled and shrugged. “I never got to when you were younger, and it seemed like you could use some platonic affection. Besides, the look on your face right now makes it completely worth it.”

Harry chuckled. “Are we going to try again?” He asked.

Severus groaned. “Not until we fix that issue. Seeing that happen once was enough for me. I can’t kill the man, so we have to do something to ensure that I don't.” He said. “What I want you to do, tonight, is to envision a strong, metal box with a lock on it.”

“Like a safe?” Harry asked.

“Precisely.” Severus agreed. “You are going to take every memory of his violations of you, and every nightmare that seems to be more of the same, and you are going to put them in that box. Then lock it up tight. You will still be able to remember them, if the memories get called up by something, but they will be harder to recall overall, and only a skilled Legilimens such as myself would be able to find and get into the box. Furthermore, you are then to hide the box, as deeply in your subconscious as you can go, so I don’t find it and get reminded of why it is there.” He told the boy.

Harry nodded. “Did you ever have to do that, Sir?” He asked curiously.

Severus nodded. “Yes. My father was an abusive drunkard and liked to beat my mother when he drank. He sometimes turned his fists on me while I was young. When Septimius Prince taught me to hide my most troubling memories, this was the method he gave me to do so. It is secure, and only you will be able to open that box. Because to open it, you need to know exactly what it contains. You will be the only one that has the ‘combination,’ so to speak, so there is no worry of myself or anyone looking to harm you tearing it open and spilling the contents out. It will not stop you from having nightmares entirely, but it will lessen the severity of the new damage they do, at least. And after them, you can simply shove them in the box and lock it back up.” Severus said. His voice gentled and he placed a hand on Harry's shoulder. “It will help.” He assured the boy.

Harry nodded. “I believe you, Sir. Am I excused?” He asked.

Severus hummed. “Wait a moment.” He went to the shelves at the back of the classroom and plucked a pearly, bluish potion, handing it to Harry. “All of it. Tonight, please.” He said firmly, pressing it into Harry's hand.

Harry frowned at it. “What is it?” He asked. It was pretty.

“The Sweet Dreams potion. For someone your age with no history like yours, it would likely induce a very realistic wet dream.” Severus explained, and Harry’s face flamed as shocked eyes met Severus’.

He was grinning.

“For someone with an aversion to sex, or someone too young to know about it, it causes the drinker to dream of sweets and other treats. It will keep you nightmare-free tonight, and ensure that your night is pleasant, besides. You'll like it, I promise.” He said in amusement.

Harry snorted. “If you say so.” He pocketed the vial. “Thank you, Sir.” He turned to leave.

“Sweet dreams.” The dour man told him.

“They should be.” Harry shot back as he walked out of the room.
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A Prince in Lion's Clothing