Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

Emancipation	By : BadGirlgoesworse Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Snape Views: 14093 -:- Recommendations : 5 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Anything recognisable does not belong to me. Story is based on the books by JKR and inspired by other writers of this genre. I do not make any money with this story.

Chapter List
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REQUESTS AND CONFRONTATIONS
Harry was sitting quietly at the Gryffindor table, chewing on his toast, instead of joining in the heated discussion Ron had with Seamus and Dean about the yesterday’s article. He was withdrawing himself without meaning to it seemed, but could not help it. Talking about meaningless things meant distracting oneself from important ones, and about those he did not want to talk, not with them at least.
He had spent the whole afternoon yesterday researching the great Houses, his own in particular, but found out little beyond general knowledge. A short inquiry towards Neville had revealed that the families themselves were usually the ones documenting their own history and keeping the records in private libraries out of the public’s reach. That meant of course that he would have to wait another year until he could look into them, the family grimoire especially. On the brighter side, since the records of heredity and bloodlines were managed by goblins, he could request a family tree, which he did immediately together with the overview of his assets.
Despite this drawback he found that he had made quite a bit of progress. With Neville’s help he had compiled a detailed list of things someone in his position was expected to be proficient in. It was long, very long, which made Harry the more annoyed with Dumbledore. He should have been educated since childhood instead of having to learn it all at once now. Thinking about it made him realise just how dependent he would have been after turning seventeen, most truly a puppet with the strings firmly in Dumbledore’s hand, and even grateful for it.
Neville leaned over to him. “My grandma is coming at ten to take me to Diagon Alley and finally get me a new wand. I just realised I’ve never introduced you to her properly. You could make your request to her directly then.”
“Thanks, Neville, I’d like that very much,” he said, then suddenly had a brilliant idea. “And there is something else, if you’re going there anyway, could you please withdraw 100 Galleons from my vault and exchange them into muggle currency?”
“Of course,” he said surprised.
“Excellent,” Harry refrained from rubbing his hands in glee, discreetly taking his golden key out of his inner pocket and giving it to Neville.
The grin disappeared though and was replaced with a blush of embarrassment when he suddenly realised something.
“Ah... you said ‘introduce properly’, is there some sort of protocol and such involved?”
Neville smirked. “Why yes, there is, want me to show you?” he asked innocently.
Harry glared at him blushing even deeper.
“Oh fine,” Neville relented amused, “come on, we’ve still plenty of time.”
They rose and left the Great Hall not noticing Ginny’s curious eyes following them, nor the group of Slytherins for that matter, but Snape did and excused himself from the head table immediately.
xxxoooxxx
Draco knew that what he was doing was foolish and undignified, but he just couldn’t let it be. He had lost face. Gryffindors were laughing at him openly, Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws were either doing the same or showing him the cold shoulder, even within his own house people were either treating him indifferently or smirking behind his back. He had to vent his frustration somewhere and Potter was the best candidate at hand.
He hastened around a corner on the second floor with Crabbe and Goyle in tow and finally saw Potter and Longbottom ahead. That he was with Longbottom and not the Weasel was quite strange he had to admit, as he called out to them disparagingly, making them stop and turn towards him.
“Feeling smug, are we, Potter?” he spat coming closer. “Just you wait! Father and the others will be out of there in no time. You, your mudblood and blood traitor friends are going to pay!”
He stood there breathing heavily and watched Potter... not react at all, which was quite unnerving actually. No triumphant smirk, no derogatory remarks, nothing! Potter just looked at him dispassionately, as did Longbottom next to him. If it had been Weasley, wands would have been drawn already.
Potter tilted his head to the side, as if contemplating something. “Proud of your father, are you, Malfoy?”
Draco straightened taken aback. Whatever he had expected, this was not it.
“Tell me, Malfoy,” Potter continued, “what is the motto of your House?”
Not knowing what else to do he answered firmly. “A Malfoy bows to no one!”
“Really?” Potter drawled with an amused glint in his eye. “To be honest, I have yet to see it.”
This was the moment Severus came upon them. “What is going on here?” he demanded looking them over suspiciously.
“Nothing, sir, just a friendly chat,” Potter contributed.
“Ten points from Gryffindor for your insolence, Potter, now leave!”
Potter half nodded half bowed gallantly and he and Longbottom went on.
Draco stood there feeling his world tilting dangerously. Potter’s words had pressed into a wound deep inside, which had been festering more or less consciously since his childhood.
“Draco?”
He looked up into his godfather’s worried eyes.
“Nothing,” he shook his head distractedly. “It’s nothing.”
He turned and made his way down the corridor with Crabbe and Goyle on his heel feeling Severus’ concerned gaze on his back, but having neither strength nor conviction left to reassure him.
xxxoooxxx
Harry turned to ask Neville if the side corridor over there was alright for the impromptu lesson and was surprised by the look his friend was giving him. Respect and pride were shining in his eyes, reassuring him on many levels that even if Ron decided to cut all strings one of these days, he would not end up completely friendless. More so, it was someone who he actually could call his equal in everything that counted. They had so much in common and had grown up and out of their insecurities now, he didn’t see why this wouldn’t turn out to be a friendship for life. And Neville thought the same he was quite sure.
Three quarters of an hour later a completely humiliated Harry was now ready to meet Mrs. Longbottom with all proper decorum. Who in the name of Merlin had thought that there were five different ways to bow, seven different ways to smile, three ways to kiss a lady’s hand and about two dozen formal phrases for greetings and farewells. And those were only the basics!
Mrs. Longbottom was waiting in the antechamber right off the Entrance Hall when they arrived promptly at ten.
“Grandmother, may I present my friend Harry Potter,” Neville got right to it, “Harry, this is my grandmother, Augusta Longbottom.”
“A pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Longbottom,” Harry said bowing.
The haughty lady looked them both over approvingly giving Harry her hand, which was kissed dutifully.
“Well, finally remembered your manners I see. A bit too late, but better than never.”
They sat down for a bit of small talk, until Harry finally found the opening for his question.
“Well, I must admit I have a small service to ask of you, Madam,” Harry smiled nervously. “You have followed the articles concerning me the Prophet has been publishing this year, I assume?”
She nodded sternly.
“I wish to sue the paper for compensation and wanted to ask you to recommend a good solicitor in this case.”
Mrs. Longbottom smiled her assent. “But of course, Mr. Potter, it is of no difficulty at all.”
“Thank you, Madam.”
When they were finally departing Neville gave him thumbs up behind his grandmother’s back, reassuring him that all went well and Harry fell back into his chair sighing in relief. If this was what they called politics, he could tell already that he did not like them, but it was good to know that he was capable to swim through on occasion. Now though he needed a cup of tea, for the lack of anything stronger. He rose and headed for the kitchens.
xxxoooxxx
Harry could honestly admit that he was quite nervous when approaching the white washed doors of the hospital wing this evening. He knew very well that unlike Ron, who would simply give him the bloody pamphlets and be done with it, Hermione would not allow him out of her sight without explanation. Trouble was that he could not decide what to tell her exactly. He would like very much to tell her the truth, she was his best friend after all and he’d rather not lead her on, but...
And therein lay the problem. She had always had this unwavering trust in authority figures, Dumbledore especially. Should she decide that he had simply lost his mind due to the stress he had been under these past days and needed to be ‘taken care of’ until he became reasonable again... then everything was lost. He would either have to flee the country or... Well, he just didn’t know!
He took a deep breath and emptied his mind calming immediately. Hermione had been always a reasonable, logically thinking human being. All he had to do was present to her the undeniable facts and she would draw the right conclusions on her own.
He needed her, he reminded himself. She was like a sister to him in many ways and he just couldn’t continue on the road he had set out on without her advice. Ron was an alright bloke, but there was no denying anymore that their ways had begun to part. He gathered the famous Gryffindor courage and stepped inside.
Hermione looked up from the book she was reading as he reassured Madam Pomfrey that, no, there was nothing with him and he just came by to visit. Escaping finally he approached her with obvious care.
“You are making a face like a funeral,” she joked teasingly when he sat down on the edge of her bed.
“It might become one, who knows?” he sighed looking away.
“Okay,” she put her book aside, “I know that face, out with it!”
He took out his wand and placed a privacy ward around them.
She raised an eyebrow at him. “It’s not about Sirius I suppose.”
“No, I’ve accepted that more or less I think...” he played with his wand nervously. “I don’t know how to start. I...”
He looked directly into her eyes. “Did you know I’m going to be the Head of House Potter?”
She nodded.
“I didn’t! I didn’t even know there were such things like great Houses or inherited seats in the Wizengamot and what not. Did you know I’m going to inherit a shitload of money?”
She nodded slowly getting an idea as to where this was going.
“I didn’t! I didn’t even bloody know how my parents made their living in the first place!”
Hermione smiled understandingly. “Dumbledore told you only now and that’s why you are angry with him?”
Harry blinked at her. This was not going where he wanted it to, but it would. He would make her understand.
He leaned forward slightly. “Dumbledore didn’t tell me ANYTHING!” he almost screamed into her face.
He leaned back and watched her stare at him in shock. “Neville did,” he continued calmly. “And only after I’ve asked specifically, suspecting for the first time in my life that there are things the old goatfucker is hiding from me, which have nothing to do with Voldemort or the war whatsoever.”
They sat for a while in silence. Hermione’s mind was valiantly trying to come up with an explanation that did not show the Headmaster in a very unbecoming light. She didn’t manage it, so she leaned back into her pile of pillows and sighed heavily, accepting it.
“I don’t know what to say,” she looked up at him quite lost.
“He’s a self-serving bastard and deserves to be strangled with his own beard?” Harry proposed innocently.
“Oh, Harry!” she refrained from thumping him, but only just.
Silence again.
“What are we going to do now?”
He smiled relieved. We, not you.
“Not much for the time being,” he sighed rubbing the back of his neck. “There is nothing we could do before my coming of age anyway.”
Then he remembered the list. Taking it out of his pocket he removed the concealing charms and handed it over.
“Only a small excerpt of everything I should have learned by now and will be expected to know by my future peers,” he sneered sarcastically.
She looked through it carefully, then eyed him with a raised eyebrow.
“You will need to organise yourself.”
He could only burst out laughing. “That’s my Hermione!” he leaned over and kissed her on the forehead.
“Don’t you get too hasty,” she poked him in the chest. “That means no Quidditch for you next year of course.”
“Yes, I’ve already figured as much, thanks,” he sighed as if suffering greatly.
“You’ll survive it,” she patted him comfortingly and reached for her wand to make a copy for herself.
“I’ll look into it and work out a study schedule for you over the summer.”
“Thanks, and I wanted to ask you for those introductory pamphlets and books you received as a muggleborn. You do have them here, do you?”
“Of course I do, as you well know,” she narrowed her eyes at him playfully. “Look in my trunk under the bed. ...there in the side-compartment.”
Harry took the already shrunken items out and put them into his pockets, pushing the trunk back in its place.
He sat down looking at her seriously. “Don’t tell Ron.”
“No,” she sighed agreeing, “Ron would most truly never understand.” She smiled suddenly. “Oh, when he finds out about you quitting the team...”
“I’ll never going to hear the end of it I suppose,” he chuckled. “But Ginny managed alright this year, so it’s not that big a disaster. And as for my suddenly acquired ardour for studying, it can be passed off for the wish to be best possibly prepared for the upcoming war, which is not a lie actually.”
Hermione regarded him, her head tilted. “You have changed, you know.”
“I know,” he smiled sadly. “They call it growing up or something.”
She did thump him this time.
They were lost each in their own thoughts again. This was something he could never do with Ron, just sit and think in comfortable silence. There was one point he had left out so far he realised suddenly.
“How’s your Occlumency going?” he asked startling her.
She blinked at him. “How did you know?”
He raised an eyebrow.
“Well,” she smiled sheepishly, “it’s progressing well enough I suppose. The yoga breathing exercises my mother does seem to help actually. You should try them as well.”
“No need,” he grinned. “It looks like I’m a natural.”
Hermione stared at him for several moments in complete disbelief before spluttering, “...and what was that with Snape?”
“If you ask me, I’d say it’s because Snape was the one teaching me. My brain simply refused to take any directions from him.”
He saw her swell putting her hands on her hips and continued quickly.
“And it’s not like he had been actually teaching me in the first place!”
She considered it for a moment.
“Are you spurting theories of conspiracy á la Ron now, too?”
“No, Ron sees only evil Slytherins slash Death Eaters everywhere. I say Snape acted on Dumbledore’s orders.”
“Hm,” she commented furrowing her brows. It did make sense she had to admit.
Harry saw Madam Pomfrey stepping out of her office and removed the privacy ward.
“Mr. Potter, you are still here, it’s almost curfew!”
“I’m on my way, Madam.” He turned back to Hermione. “Good night I suppose, unless this mess is going to give you nightmares.”
“When is anything concerning you not giving me nightmares, may I ask?”
“I’m wounded,” he pouted adorably, holding his hand to his heart on the way to the door.
“Good night, Harry,” she called after him shaking her head at his antics. Grown up or not, he was still her little brother.
xxxoooxxx
Severus was marking the last of the end of year exam papers in his office when the wards informed him that one of his fifth-year students was standing before the door.
“Come in!” he answered the knock and looked up putting his quill aside. “Mr. Nott, have a seat.”
“Good evening, sir,” the young man took a chair before the desk. “There is a problem I need your help with.”
Severus nodded for him to continue already guessing the subject of this discussion. He may have been Head of house only for a year during the last war, but that was more than enough to give him an inkling of the consequences the children had to bear.
“As you know, my father was convicted two days ago,” Nott proceeded without emotion. “Unfortunately, I have no other close relatives, who could take guardianship of me. Due to my near maturity though, the Ministry has allowed me to stay at my home over the summer, on the condition that an adult takes the responsibility in loco parentis. I wanted to ask, if you could spare time to do it, sir.”
“Of course, Mr. Nott,” Severus opened a drawer and took out the proper forms he had already requested four days earlier.
“I will be visiting about once a week to ensure your continuing wellbeing,” he informed him while filling them out. Nott didn’t even blink at the fact that he had them at hand. Contrary to some of his colleagues, Severus knew very well that the boy was far from stupid. Signing and sealing them he made two copies, giving one to Nott and putting the other away.
“I will send them in immediately.”
“Thank you, sir,” Nott rose to leave. There was no need for arse kissing and never had been with Severus. “Good evening,” he bowed and he let himself out.
Severus sighed rubbing the bridge of his nose.
So it has begun.
He only hoped Aurora would manage alright after his departure. He had specifically insisted with Dumbledore that the position was to go to her and not Slughorn, who was coming back to teach Potions next year. The Headmaster had been displeased, but only mildly, so he was quite sure his wishes were going to be followed. If this was the last thing he could do for his Slytherins, then so be it.
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Emancipation