My fic....
I've decided to try my hand at writing an actual HP fic. It's a Snarry fic, so if the idea of Harry and Snape doesn't agree with you, don't read!
If anyone is interested in being a beta, let me know. Thinking I could use one.
Feedback would be most welcome...
Discmaimer: Not mine in any way, shape or form. Don't own, don't sue. Just playing with them.
Pairing: HP/SS
So, here is chapter one.....
An Accidental Bonding
Harry was beginning to think that he might as well move into the infirmary permanently till he died, which he was sure wasn’t that far away. This was the fourth time in just as many days that he had ended up in there. At first, things hadn’t been that bad. A slight ache in his head, an odd thought or two that he was sure weren’t his own, but then they had gotten worse. He was sure that he was going insane, if he didn’t die first. Most days his head felt like someone was hitting it with a sledge hammer. The slightest bit of noise or light made it to the point where he was ready to cut off his head just to get away from the pain. He could feel that he was beginning to slip; death really wasn’t that far away.
The door opened and Professor Snape glided in and went to where Professor Dumbledore and Madame Pomfery were in deep discussion. Pomfery looked at Snape for a moment.
“I’ve placed a silencing charm around Harry. The slightest bit of noise sends him into fresh bouts of agony,” Pomfery told Snape as he came to a halt next to them.
“Did you find out what happened?” she asked.
“Yes, of course, I did,” he snapped at her.
“Well, tell us then. What did you find out? What’s wrong with him?”
“Longbottom,” Snape replied.
“Longbottom? What does he have to do with it?” she asked, clearly not following.
Dumbledore looked at Snape from the top of his half moon spectacles and waited for him to finish.
“Longbottom has everything to do with it. I just wish that Potter had mentioned things earlier about what was going on.” Snape shook his head.
“What did you find out?” Pomfery asked again, her patience wearing thin.
“A few weeks ago, we were making a simple potion. Potter was paired with Longbottom who had another one of his brilliant accidents and blew up his cauldron. I managed to push him out of the way before the contents could get all over him. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to push Potter out of the way in time. He wasn’t paying attention and didn’t realize what was going to happen till it was too late. The botched potion ended up drenching Potter and I. I didn’t think much of it, things like that happen all the time with Longbottom around. However, what he did to it…….”
“What? What did he do to it?”
Snape turned to look at her.
“He ended up making a bonding potion that exploded all over Potter and myself, that’s what happened. How on earth he managed to make it with what they were supposed to be making, I will never know,” he said, never breaking eye contact with Pomfery.
“A…..a…. a bonding potion?” she asked, shocked. “But there’s no such thing. Is there, Albus?”
She turned to the headmaster, looking for some small sign of comfort.
“Oh, I assure you that there are such things as bonding potions. There are various degrees of them. True to Longbottom’s spectacular messes, this one tops them all.”
“Bonding potions?” she shook her head, looking at Harry.
“He’s right, Poppy. There are bonding potions. I believe that there are at least three kinds or levels of them. Someone created a potion for the three main types of bonds that one would enter into willingly or naturally,” Dumbledore said in a soft voice.
“Why would anyone create bonding potions?”
“To forcefully persuade someone who otherwise wouldn’t want to enter into a bond with a particular person.” Snape informed them. “Harry is going through what the ‘reluctant’ person would experience, being the younger wizard.”
“You mean to tell me that you and Harry are…. are….” Poppy looked from Harry to Snape, her voice trailing off.
“Yes, Harry and I are bonded,” Snape supplied for her. “Or at least we’re trying to be.”
“What will happen if he doesn’t go along with it?” Poppy asked, turning back to look at Harry. He was making faces in his sleep. Dumbledore and Snape shared a look over the top of her head.
“Let’s not think of that, Poppy. Let’s figure out how we can convince Harry to complete the bond,” Dumbledore said.
“Which type of bond is it? Were you able to find that out? What role will he have in this bond?” Poppy looked back and forth between Snape and Dumbledore. The two men shared another look. “I’m not going to like the answer, am I?” Dumbledore shook his head with a sad look to his eyes. “It’s not the last kind, the marital bond, is it?”
The looks on Snape’s and Dumbledore’s faces were all the answer she needed. She slumped into a chair on the outside of the curtain surround that closed off Harry’s bed from the rest of the infirmary and put her face in her hands.
“And what if he refuses….., if he won’t go along with it, he’ll die, won’t he?” She looked up and was twisting around so she could still look at Harry, the concern and worry etched on her face. Dumbledore stood next to her and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze.
“I’m afraid so, Poppy. That’s why we need to explain this to him in a way that he will understand and accept it. How much longer do we have, Severus? I’m sure you have some idea of what kind of timetable we are looking at.”
Snape folded his arms across his chest and gave them each a look. “Of course I know how much time he has left.”
“Well?” Poppy prompted.
“Not long. That’s why I said that I wished he had said something about all this earlier. He had to have known that there was something a bit off. There are early warning signs.”
“How long is not long? Are we talking about days, weeks or months?” Poppy asked impatiently.
“A week, maybe two max. The headaches are a result of the potion trying to split his mind from his body.”
Poppy looked at Snape dumbfounded.
“Trying to split his mind….?” Poppy looked at Snape with a fresh wave of worry.
“The potion is trying to kill his mind. The body can’t really live without the mind,” Snape replied.
“What are we going to do? If you are right, and I don’t doubt that you are, he may end up going into a coma before we can do anything,” Poppy leaned into the hand that Dumbledore still had resting on her shoulder.
Dumbledore started chuckling. Poppy and Snape looked at him with horrified expressions on their faces.
“Trust Neville to do something like this. In a few years, we’ll all be chuckling about this. Trust me. Now, I must go. I’m sure that Remus and Sirius will want to know what we’ve been able to find out. Don’t worry, Severus, it will work out. You’ll see,” Dumbledore patted him on his folded arms.
“Why doesn’t the potion affect you, Professor Snape?” Poppy asked, looking at him.
“Because I’m not the one that got labeled as the ‘reluctant’ party. It only has adverse affects to that person. Although in order for it to work right, both parties must ingest the potion. Longbottom made his so potent that it could just seep in through our skin and works just as well, though from looking at Potter, I would say that it was working better then any other formula that I’ve seen,” Snape stated with a bit of awe escaping into his voice.
“How do you feel about all this, Severus? Are you willing to go through with this?” Dumbledore asked, turning to look at him.
“I haven’t really had a chance to think about it. It is the only way to save him. I don’t really have much of a choice, do I?”
When there was no reply, Snape said, “That’s what I thought.”
“What will this mean for you, Severus, with Voldemort?” Poppy asked, turning her worry and concern to him. Dumbledore’s eyes lit up more then usual.
“Yes! Yes! Why didn’t I see this before? It’s perfect!” Dumbledore looked back and forth at the looks of confusion both adults were giving him. “Don’t you see? Two powerful wizards bonded, sharing magic. It would be a huge advantage to us, especially if we can keep it a secret till the last minute.” Dumbledore looked excited. “Now I really must go and get in touch with Remus and Sirius. They will be very helpful in talking to Harry about his, which I think we should do soon. Perhaps the next time he wakes?”
He didn’t wait for an answer and swept out the doors. Snape and Poppy looked at each other then at Harry.
“I’ll watch him,” Snape said as he sat in the chair that Poppy had vacated. She nodded her head and went to her office. Snape maneuvered the chair to where he was facing Harry with out going into the enclosed area and setting off the multi layers of charms and spells. Snape sat there, watching and waiting for Harry to wake, letting his mind drift. After a while, he noticed that Harry was stirring and groaning.
“Poppy, he’s waking,” Snape said with a tone of indifference.
She rushed over to check for herself and the fire called the headmaster with the news. A short while later, he appeared next to them. Snape looked up at Dumbledore with a questioning arch of his eyebrow while he stood up from the chair.
“I was able to talk with both Remus and Sirius. They will be arriving shortly. They have agreed to help us talk to Harry about the situation .Black fervently wanted to believe that this was some trick of yours,” he turned to look at Severus at this. “He has realized, with some persuasion that you are just as much of a victim as Harry. Sirius will want to talk with you privately when he arrives. They are both interested in knowing what kind of plan we have.”
Harry chose that moment to try to open his eyes. The lights had been dimmed for his comfort but he still groaned. Poppy removed some of the charms and spells and walked over to stand at his side. She ran her wand up and down his body and especially around his head, checking his vitals and other necessary items.
Harry blinked up at her and she handed him his glasses. While he put them on, Dumbledore walked over and stood at the other side of his bed while Snape remained near the end.
Dumbledore leaned down and spoke to Harry very softly, “We have news for you. We’ve, well, actually it was Professor Snape that did all the work. He has figured out what has been going on with you. How are you feeling?”
“Like my brain is trying to break out of my skull,” Harry replied with a minimal amount of movement.
At that time, the doors opened softly and Remus and Sirius appeared in the opening of the curtain dividers.
“Ah, yes, good. Now that we are all here, I can tell you what happened. But first, I need to make it very clear to all of you, that this was an accident. No one is at fault, no one is to blame. We will just have to make the most of this. We all are here for you, Harry, to show you support and let you know that you are not alone in this.”
Harry looked around at each person around his bed and settled his eyes on Dumbledore. He had a bad feeling that whatever was going on was not going to be good.
“Can we just get on with it, then? What is wrong with me?” Harry asked quietly, gently pushing himself up into a sitting position.
“Do you remember that potions class which you and Professor Snape got drenched when Neville’s potion exploded? It turns out that he had made a very powerful, very potent bonding potion.”
“A bonding potion? What is a bonding potion?”
“Yes, Potter, a bonding potion. Such things do exist. They were created to force two people who otherwise would not willingly bond to do just that. You are bonded to someone, you are bonded to me.”
“What kind of bond?” There was a hint of suspicion in Harry’s tone.
“Harry, calm down. It will work out,” Remus said, rubbing Harry’s arm gently.
“That doesn’t answer my question.” Harry shot back, his agitation growing.
“How much do you know about bonds?” Remus asked softly.
“I know that there is a brother type bond, a family or parental bond and a marital bond,” Harry replied.
“The strongest bond is the marital bond.”
“And what kink of bond are we going to be sharing?” he looked at Snape.
“We will be sharing the strongest one of the three. Surely, I don’t need to tell you which one that is.”
They all watched Harry’s face as he digested what Snape had just told him. They could read it in his face as he realized what that meant.
“You mean to tell me that I’ve been bonded and not just any kind of bond, but maritaly bonded to… to…” his voice trailed off as he looked at Snape.
“Yes, Harry,” Dumbledore said gently.
“How do we reverse it? You can’t expect me to go through with this?”
“There’s nothing that can be done, Harry. You are going to have to go through with it.” Remus stated in a soft voice. Beside him, Sirius growled.
“What will happen if I don’t go along with it, if I fight it?”
“You can’t fight it, Harry. This is one of those things that you’re going to just have to do. No choice.” Sirius told him.
“Just face up to it, Potter. Where’s your Gryffindor courage? If you fight it and we don’t complete the bond within this week, it will kill you. You can already feel it, can’t you?” Snape said squinting at him, looking deeply into the young man’s eyes.
“I have to complete it by the end of this week or die? What do you mean ‘complete the bond’?”
“Come on, Potter, even you aren’t that dense. What do you think it means?”
“Calm down now, Severus. This is going to take Harry some time to get used to.”
“We don’t have the luxury of time!” Snape thundered at Dumbledore.
“As much as I am against this whole thing, I’m going to agree with Snape.” Sirius said, giving the man a curt nod. “We don’t have that kind of time.”
“I need some time to think about this,” Harry stated, looking down at his hands folded in his lap.
“I think that we should all leave Professor Snape to discuss this with you,” Dumbledore said ushering everyone out. As everyone was leaving, they gave Harry reassuring looks and encouraging words, telling him that everything would be okay and that it would all work out. Harry wasn’t so sure about that, but anything had to be better then what he was going through now. Even if it was with Snape.
Snape sat down in the chair next to Harry’s bed, all emotion and thought hidden behind his usual mask. For a while the two men just looked at each other, lost in thought. Harry broke his eyes away first, starring at his fidgeting hands in his lap. He looked back up at Snape.
“What does this mean?”
“It means that for the rest of our lives, we will be bonded and married. There are things that we will both have to change, things that the bond will allow and won’t allow. It will take some time for both of us to get used to and to adjust, but we will have to do all that after we’ve gone through the ceremony. We don’t really have the time it takes to do that all now. For what it’s worth, Potter, I am sorry. This isn’t something that I would have wanted either, but we are going to have to make the most of it.”
“What do we do?” Harry asked, defeat coloring his voice.
“Get you to where you can leave the infirmary,” Snape deadpanned.
“That’s not what I meant and you know it,” Harry leveled.
“I think it would be in your best interest, health wise and all, to complete the bond as soon as possible. I’m sure that the Headmaster would be willing to perform the ceremony to formally bond us and then we take it from there. But like I said before, it needs to be completed by the end of this week. Totally completed.”
“Yeah, well, I guess we should get it done soon then. When would you like to have Professor Dumbledore do the ceremony? Do we need to make any kind of announcement, any paper work for the Ministry or anything like that?” Harry asked, looking back at his hands.
“I’ll talk to Dumbledore. We could do it this evening, if that’s okay with you? Or we could wait till tomorrow. I can have my family bonding rings here in time for the ceremony no matter when we decide to do it, even if we choose to do it this evening. I’ll talk to Poppy about when it would be best for you to complete it. Now, I will make my leave. I’ll be back to let you know what I’m able to fine out.”
And with that, he left, his robes billowing behind him.
Harry leaned back into the pile of pillows behind him, closed his eyes and sighed. His brain felt overloaded from the amount of info that had been thrown at him in such a short time. There was a good chance that by the time he fell asleep tonight, he would be formally bonded to Severus Snape. His mind reeled at the idea of it. He never thought in a million years that he would have any kind of relationship with the potions master other then that of professor and student. He had been hoping that something might be able to happen once he had finished school.
There was only another month left as it was, but now even though they were going to be bound together, there was no hope of anything happening between them. He felt like dying and then remembered that was why he had to go through all this to begin with. What had Neville done to the dang potion? He felt like hitting his head against a wall, but didn’t want to run the risk of his headache returning. He couldn’t believe that Neville messed up a potion this badly. They had been working on a simple, rather stupid reviving potion.
~*~*~
Snape was in his dungeon thinking about all the events that had transpired. He was working on a potion that they would need for the bonding ceremony. He enjoyed working on the more difficult potions, they helped to relax him and sooth his mind. He couldn’t believe his luck. Of all the things to happen, this! The object of his recent fantasies had been virtually dropped into his lap. If he could, he would give Gryffindor house points for this. Not only was he going to be able to get to know Harry on a more personal level, he was going to be bonded to him for time and eternity. Thank god for Neville and his disasters.
It had been so long since he had felt this way about anyone. So long in fact that he couldn’t remember. He only hoped that over time Harry could grow to feel something for him in return. Given the situation, he didn’t think it would happen any time soon. But maybe, just maybe it would. After all, they now had all the time in the world.
He was putting the finishing touches on the potion and letting it simmer for the required amount of time when he felt someone enter his chambers through his floo. There was only one person who was allowed to do that. After bottling the potion and setting it aside, he turned to face Dumbledore.
“I take it you have talked to Harry?” he asked
Dumbledore nodded his head, “He wishes to have the ceremony take place tomorrow evening in my chambers if that is okay with you.”
“That will be fine; I’ll send an owl to Gringotts to retrieve the jewelry and have it made ready for tomorrow evening then. Who are to be his witnesses?”
“He has asked Remus and Sirius to step in for him. Who are you going to ask to step in for you?” Dumbledore asked as he sat down in a chair facing the fireplace. He conjured himself a cup of tee and turned to Snape. “Would you like a cup?” Snape shook his head and sat in the other chair.
“I haven’t really had a chance to think about who would be my witnesses to be honest. Is there anyway of getting a message to Moody in time?” Dumbledore gave a slight nod to his head and Snape went on, “I would like him and Pomfery, I guess. You are going to be performing the ceremony?” he asked conjuring a glass of brandy and taking a small sip.
“Yes, Harry mentioned that you were going to ask me. I told him that I would. He seems to be handling this situation rather well. How do you feel about it? And remember who you are talking to.”
“How am I supposed to feel? Would you rather I felt bad for what has been forced on us, on him? Or as glad as I am able to feel, because of the way I feel about him? Right now I am confused, but to be honest, I am more glad then anything. You know how long I’ve had to hide how I really feel for the boy. To keep up with this pretense of hating him.”
“Long ago I realized that he wasn’t his father. After watching the way he handled the incident at the end of the tournament, things started to change the way I looked at him and how I felt about him. It had been my hope that maybe something could have happened after he was finished with school, but now I’m not sure. I have no doubt that he will go through all that we ask him to with his head held high, but how much of it does he want?”
“For that I am sad.” Snape turned to look at Dumbledore to see his reaction to what he had told the man. Dumbledore looked into the fire before turning to face Snape. He had a gentle smile on his face.
“I think you should give Harry more credit. Everything will be fine and work out for the best, you’ll see.” He got up and patted Snape on his shoulder before heading for the door.
Snape turned in his chair to face the headmaster, “How can you be so sure?”
Before slipping out the door, he turned his twinkling eyes to the potions master and said, “Trust me,” with a small smile playing on his lips before he vanished down the hall.
Snape stood up and shook his head.
~*~
If anyone is interested in being a beta, let me know. Thinking I could use one.
Feedback would be most welcome...
Discmaimer: Not mine in any way, shape or form. Don't own, don't sue. Just playing with them.
Pairing: HP/SS
So, here is chapter one.....
An Accidental Bonding
Harry was beginning to think that he might as well move into the infirmary permanently till he died, which he was sure wasn’t that far away. This was the fourth time in just as many days that he had ended up in there. At first, things hadn’t been that bad. A slight ache in his head, an odd thought or two that he was sure weren’t his own, but then they had gotten worse. He was sure that he was going insane, if he didn’t die first. Most days his head felt like someone was hitting it with a sledge hammer. The slightest bit of noise or light made it to the point where he was ready to cut off his head just to get away from the pain. He could feel that he was beginning to slip; death really wasn’t that far away.
The door opened and Professor Snape glided in and went to where Professor Dumbledore and Madame Pomfery were in deep discussion. Pomfery looked at Snape for a moment.
“I’ve placed a silencing charm around Harry. The slightest bit of noise sends him into fresh bouts of agony,” Pomfery told Snape as he came to a halt next to them.
“Did you find out what happened?” she asked.
“Yes, of course, I did,” he snapped at her.
“Well, tell us then. What did you find out? What’s wrong with him?”
“Longbottom,” Snape replied.
“Longbottom? What does he have to do with it?” she asked, clearly not following.
Dumbledore looked at Snape from the top of his half moon spectacles and waited for him to finish.
“Longbottom has everything to do with it. I just wish that Potter had mentioned things earlier about what was going on.” Snape shook his head.
“What did you find out?” Pomfery asked again, her patience wearing thin.
“A few weeks ago, we were making a simple potion. Potter was paired with Longbottom who had another one of his brilliant accidents and blew up his cauldron. I managed to push him out of the way before the contents could get all over him. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to push Potter out of the way in time. He wasn’t paying attention and didn’t realize what was going to happen till it was too late. The botched potion ended up drenching Potter and I. I didn’t think much of it, things like that happen all the time with Longbottom around. However, what he did to it…….”
“What? What did he do to it?”
Snape turned to look at her.
“He ended up making a bonding potion that exploded all over Potter and myself, that’s what happened. How on earth he managed to make it with what they were supposed to be making, I will never know,” he said, never breaking eye contact with Pomfery.
“A…..a…. a bonding potion?” she asked, shocked. “But there’s no such thing. Is there, Albus?”
She turned to the headmaster, looking for some small sign of comfort.
“Oh, I assure you that there are such things as bonding potions. There are various degrees of them. True to Longbottom’s spectacular messes, this one tops them all.”
“Bonding potions?” she shook her head, looking at Harry.
“He’s right, Poppy. There are bonding potions. I believe that there are at least three kinds or levels of them. Someone created a potion for the three main types of bonds that one would enter into willingly or naturally,” Dumbledore said in a soft voice.
“Why would anyone create bonding potions?”
“To forcefully persuade someone who otherwise wouldn’t want to enter into a bond with a particular person.” Snape informed them. “Harry is going through what the ‘reluctant’ person would experience, being the younger wizard.”
“You mean to tell me that you and Harry are…. are….” Poppy looked from Harry to Snape, her voice trailing off.
“Yes, Harry and I are bonded,” Snape supplied for her. “Or at least we’re trying to be.”
“What will happen if he doesn’t go along with it?” Poppy asked, turning back to look at Harry. He was making faces in his sleep. Dumbledore and Snape shared a look over the top of her head.
“Let’s not think of that, Poppy. Let’s figure out how we can convince Harry to complete the bond,” Dumbledore said.
“Which type of bond is it? Were you able to find that out? What role will he have in this bond?” Poppy looked back and forth between Snape and Dumbledore. The two men shared another look. “I’m not going to like the answer, am I?” Dumbledore shook his head with a sad look to his eyes. “It’s not the last kind, the marital bond, is it?”
The looks on Snape’s and Dumbledore’s faces were all the answer she needed. She slumped into a chair on the outside of the curtain surround that closed off Harry’s bed from the rest of the infirmary and put her face in her hands.
“And what if he refuses….., if he won’t go along with it, he’ll die, won’t he?” She looked up and was twisting around so she could still look at Harry, the concern and worry etched on her face. Dumbledore stood next to her and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze.
“I’m afraid so, Poppy. That’s why we need to explain this to him in a way that he will understand and accept it. How much longer do we have, Severus? I’m sure you have some idea of what kind of timetable we are looking at.”
Snape folded his arms across his chest and gave them each a look. “Of course I know how much time he has left.”
“Well?” Poppy prompted.
“Not long. That’s why I said that I wished he had said something about all this earlier. He had to have known that there was something a bit off. There are early warning signs.”
“How long is not long? Are we talking about days, weeks or months?” Poppy asked impatiently.
“A week, maybe two max. The headaches are a result of the potion trying to split his mind from his body.”
Poppy looked at Snape dumbfounded.
“Trying to split his mind….?” Poppy looked at Snape with a fresh wave of worry.
“The potion is trying to kill his mind. The body can’t really live without the mind,” Snape replied.
“What are we going to do? If you are right, and I don’t doubt that you are, he may end up going into a coma before we can do anything,” Poppy leaned into the hand that Dumbledore still had resting on her shoulder.
Dumbledore started chuckling. Poppy and Snape looked at him with horrified expressions on their faces.
“Trust Neville to do something like this. In a few years, we’ll all be chuckling about this. Trust me. Now, I must go. I’m sure that Remus and Sirius will want to know what we’ve been able to find out. Don’t worry, Severus, it will work out. You’ll see,” Dumbledore patted him on his folded arms.
“Why doesn’t the potion affect you, Professor Snape?” Poppy asked, looking at him.
“Because I’m not the one that got labeled as the ‘reluctant’ party. It only has adverse affects to that person. Although in order for it to work right, both parties must ingest the potion. Longbottom made his so potent that it could just seep in through our skin and works just as well, though from looking at Potter, I would say that it was working better then any other formula that I’ve seen,” Snape stated with a bit of awe escaping into his voice.
“How do you feel about all this, Severus? Are you willing to go through with this?” Dumbledore asked, turning to look at him.
“I haven’t really had a chance to think about it. It is the only way to save him. I don’t really have much of a choice, do I?”
When there was no reply, Snape said, “That’s what I thought.”
“What will this mean for you, Severus, with Voldemort?” Poppy asked, turning her worry and concern to him. Dumbledore’s eyes lit up more then usual.
“Yes! Yes! Why didn’t I see this before? It’s perfect!” Dumbledore looked back and forth at the looks of confusion both adults were giving him. “Don’t you see? Two powerful wizards bonded, sharing magic. It would be a huge advantage to us, especially if we can keep it a secret till the last minute.” Dumbledore looked excited. “Now I really must go and get in touch with Remus and Sirius. They will be very helpful in talking to Harry about his, which I think we should do soon. Perhaps the next time he wakes?”
He didn’t wait for an answer and swept out the doors. Snape and Poppy looked at each other then at Harry.
“I’ll watch him,” Snape said as he sat in the chair that Poppy had vacated. She nodded her head and went to her office. Snape maneuvered the chair to where he was facing Harry with out going into the enclosed area and setting off the multi layers of charms and spells. Snape sat there, watching and waiting for Harry to wake, letting his mind drift. After a while, he noticed that Harry was stirring and groaning.
“Poppy, he’s waking,” Snape said with a tone of indifference.
She rushed over to check for herself and the fire called the headmaster with the news. A short while later, he appeared next to them. Snape looked up at Dumbledore with a questioning arch of his eyebrow while he stood up from the chair.
“I was able to talk with both Remus and Sirius. They will be arriving shortly. They have agreed to help us talk to Harry about the situation .Black fervently wanted to believe that this was some trick of yours,” he turned to look at Severus at this. “He has realized, with some persuasion that you are just as much of a victim as Harry. Sirius will want to talk with you privately when he arrives. They are both interested in knowing what kind of plan we have.”
Harry chose that moment to try to open his eyes. The lights had been dimmed for his comfort but he still groaned. Poppy removed some of the charms and spells and walked over to stand at his side. She ran her wand up and down his body and especially around his head, checking his vitals and other necessary items.
Harry blinked up at her and she handed him his glasses. While he put them on, Dumbledore walked over and stood at the other side of his bed while Snape remained near the end.
Dumbledore leaned down and spoke to Harry very softly, “We have news for you. We’ve, well, actually it was Professor Snape that did all the work. He has figured out what has been going on with you. How are you feeling?”
“Like my brain is trying to break out of my skull,” Harry replied with a minimal amount of movement.
At that time, the doors opened softly and Remus and Sirius appeared in the opening of the curtain dividers.
“Ah, yes, good. Now that we are all here, I can tell you what happened. But first, I need to make it very clear to all of you, that this was an accident. No one is at fault, no one is to blame. We will just have to make the most of this. We all are here for you, Harry, to show you support and let you know that you are not alone in this.”
Harry looked around at each person around his bed and settled his eyes on Dumbledore. He had a bad feeling that whatever was going on was not going to be good.
“Can we just get on with it, then? What is wrong with me?” Harry asked quietly, gently pushing himself up into a sitting position.
“Do you remember that potions class which you and Professor Snape got drenched when Neville’s potion exploded? It turns out that he had made a very powerful, very potent bonding potion.”
“A bonding potion? What is a bonding potion?”
“Yes, Potter, a bonding potion. Such things do exist. They were created to force two people who otherwise would not willingly bond to do just that. You are bonded to someone, you are bonded to me.”
“What kind of bond?” There was a hint of suspicion in Harry’s tone.
“Harry, calm down. It will work out,” Remus said, rubbing Harry’s arm gently.
“That doesn’t answer my question.” Harry shot back, his agitation growing.
“How much do you know about bonds?” Remus asked softly.
“I know that there is a brother type bond, a family or parental bond and a marital bond,” Harry replied.
“The strongest bond is the marital bond.”
“And what kink of bond are we going to be sharing?” he looked at Snape.
“We will be sharing the strongest one of the three. Surely, I don’t need to tell you which one that is.”
They all watched Harry’s face as he digested what Snape had just told him. They could read it in his face as he realized what that meant.
“You mean to tell me that I’ve been bonded and not just any kind of bond, but maritaly bonded to… to…” his voice trailed off as he looked at Snape.
“Yes, Harry,” Dumbledore said gently.
“How do we reverse it? You can’t expect me to go through with this?”
“There’s nothing that can be done, Harry. You are going to have to go through with it.” Remus stated in a soft voice. Beside him, Sirius growled.
“What will happen if I don’t go along with it, if I fight it?”
“You can’t fight it, Harry. This is one of those things that you’re going to just have to do. No choice.” Sirius told him.
“Just face up to it, Potter. Where’s your Gryffindor courage? If you fight it and we don’t complete the bond within this week, it will kill you. You can already feel it, can’t you?” Snape said squinting at him, looking deeply into the young man’s eyes.
“I have to complete it by the end of this week or die? What do you mean ‘complete the bond’?”
“Come on, Potter, even you aren’t that dense. What do you think it means?”
“Calm down now, Severus. This is going to take Harry some time to get used to.”
“We don’t have the luxury of time!” Snape thundered at Dumbledore.
“As much as I am against this whole thing, I’m going to agree with Snape.” Sirius said, giving the man a curt nod. “We don’t have that kind of time.”
“I need some time to think about this,” Harry stated, looking down at his hands folded in his lap.
“I think that we should all leave Professor Snape to discuss this with you,” Dumbledore said ushering everyone out. As everyone was leaving, they gave Harry reassuring looks and encouraging words, telling him that everything would be okay and that it would all work out. Harry wasn’t so sure about that, but anything had to be better then what he was going through now. Even if it was with Snape.
Snape sat down in the chair next to Harry’s bed, all emotion and thought hidden behind his usual mask. For a while the two men just looked at each other, lost in thought. Harry broke his eyes away first, starring at his fidgeting hands in his lap. He looked back up at Snape.
“What does this mean?”
“It means that for the rest of our lives, we will be bonded and married. There are things that we will both have to change, things that the bond will allow and won’t allow. It will take some time for both of us to get used to and to adjust, but we will have to do all that after we’ve gone through the ceremony. We don’t really have the time it takes to do that all now. For what it’s worth, Potter, I am sorry. This isn’t something that I would have wanted either, but we are going to have to make the most of it.”
“What do we do?” Harry asked, defeat coloring his voice.
“Get you to where you can leave the infirmary,” Snape deadpanned.
“That’s not what I meant and you know it,” Harry leveled.
“I think it would be in your best interest, health wise and all, to complete the bond as soon as possible. I’m sure that the Headmaster would be willing to perform the ceremony to formally bond us and then we take it from there. But like I said before, it needs to be completed by the end of this week. Totally completed.”
“Yeah, well, I guess we should get it done soon then. When would you like to have Professor Dumbledore do the ceremony? Do we need to make any kind of announcement, any paper work for the Ministry or anything like that?” Harry asked, looking back at his hands.
“I’ll talk to Dumbledore. We could do it this evening, if that’s okay with you? Or we could wait till tomorrow. I can have my family bonding rings here in time for the ceremony no matter when we decide to do it, even if we choose to do it this evening. I’ll talk to Poppy about when it would be best for you to complete it. Now, I will make my leave. I’ll be back to let you know what I’m able to fine out.”
And with that, he left, his robes billowing behind him.
Harry leaned back into the pile of pillows behind him, closed his eyes and sighed. His brain felt overloaded from the amount of info that had been thrown at him in such a short time. There was a good chance that by the time he fell asleep tonight, he would be formally bonded to Severus Snape. His mind reeled at the idea of it. He never thought in a million years that he would have any kind of relationship with the potions master other then that of professor and student. He had been hoping that something might be able to happen once he had finished school.
There was only another month left as it was, but now even though they were going to be bound together, there was no hope of anything happening between them. He felt like dying and then remembered that was why he had to go through all this to begin with. What had Neville done to the dang potion? He felt like hitting his head against a wall, but didn’t want to run the risk of his headache returning. He couldn’t believe that Neville messed up a potion this badly. They had been working on a simple, rather stupid reviving potion.
~*~*~
Snape was in his dungeon thinking about all the events that had transpired. He was working on a potion that they would need for the bonding ceremony. He enjoyed working on the more difficult potions, they helped to relax him and sooth his mind. He couldn’t believe his luck. Of all the things to happen, this! The object of his recent fantasies had been virtually dropped into his lap. If he could, he would give Gryffindor house points for this. Not only was he going to be able to get to know Harry on a more personal level, he was going to be bonded to him for time and eternity. Thank god for Neville and his disasters.
It had been so long since he had felt this way about anyone. So long in fact that he couldn’t remember. He only hoped that over time Harry could grow to feel something for him in return. Given the situation, he didn’t think it would happen any time soon. But maybe, just maybe it would. After all, they now had all the time in the world.
He was putting the finishing touches on the potion and letting it simmer for the required amount of time when he felt someone enter his chambers through his floo. There was only one person who was allowed to do that. After bottling the potion and setting it aside, he turned to face Dumbledore.
“I take it you have talked to Harry?” he asked
Dumbledore nodded his head, “He wishes to have the ceremony take place tomorrow evening in my chambers if that is okay with you.”
“That will be fine; I’ll send an owl to Gringotts to retrieve the jewelry and have it made ready for tomorrow evening then. Who are to be his witnesses?”
“He has asked Remus and Sirius to step in for him. Who are you going to ask to step in for you?” Dumbledore asked as he sat down in a chair facing the fireplace. He conjured himself a cup of tee and turned to Snape. “Would you like a cup?” Snape shook his head and sat in the other chair.
“I haven’t really had a chance to think about who would be my witnesses to be honest. Is there anyway of getting a message to Moody in time?” Dumbledore gave a slight nod to his head and Snape went on, “I would like him and Pomfery, I guess. You are going to be performing the ceremony?” he asked conjuring a glass of brandy and taking a small sip.
“Yes, Harry mentioned that you were going to ask me. I told him that I would. He seems to be handling this situation rather well. How do you feel about it? And remember who you are talking to.”
“How am I supposed to feel? Would you rather I felt bad for what has been forced on us, on him? Or as glad as I am able to feel, because of the way I feel about him? Right now I am confused, but to be honest, I am more glad then anything. You know how long I’ve had to hide how I really feel for the boy. To keep up with this pretense of hating him.”
“Long ago I realized that he wasn’t his father. After watching the way he handled the incident at the end of the tournament, things started to change the way I looked at him and how I felt about him. It had been my hope that maybe something could have happened after he was finished with school, but now I’m not sure. I have no doubt that he will go through all that we ask him to with his head held high, but how much of it does he want?”
“For that I am sad.” Snape turned to look at Dumbledore to see his reaction to what he had told the man. Dumbledore looked into the fire before turning to face Snape. He had a gentle smile on his face.
“I think you should give Harry more credit. Everything will be fine and work out for the best, you’ll see.” He got up and patted Snape on his shoulder before heading for the door.
Snape turned in his chair to face the headmaster, “How can you be so sure?”
Before slipping out the door, he turned his twinkling eyes to the potions master and said, “Trust me,” with a small smile playing on his lips before he vanished down the hall.
Snape stood up and shook his head.
~*~