[fic] Bonds of Water 4/20 (NC-17) HP: HP/SS
Title: Bonds of Water (4/20)
Author: faynia and stormypup
Pairing: Snape/Harry
Rating: PG-13(for now, will be NC-17 later)
Word Count: 1,841
Genre: Romance, Flangst, Angst, Drama
Summary: Harry has never been entranced by music before now, but he is willing to do anything to learn how to play the same melody.
A/N: Beta'd by windout and topazmusings
Previous Chapters:
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Harry's eyes were burning by the time he had sorted out in his head what it was he was going to do. The sun was rising above the trees of the Forbidden Forest and he knew it was only a matter of time before the rest of Gryffindor House woke up. He'd been thinking about it all night, just how he was going to obtain the necessary gifts for Snape.
Vodka was going to be the easiest of all. It wouldn't take much effort to snitch a bottle from Seamus's trunk. The sandy-haired Irish boy had enough alcohol in his chest to keep a man quite drunk for a few good years. Everyone knew about it, but no one would tell on him - and for a good reason. He threw the best parties once a month where all the older students of the school got together and drank themselves into a stupor. No one wanted to jeopardize that.
A black lamb would be a bit harder, and not just because lambs were exceedingly rare in the wizarding world. He didn't know if he was capable of drowning a baby animal, even with his eyes averted. It would be there bleating in his arms, before he would have to place it in the water to die. The thought made him ill. He'd never taken an innocent life before, and, of course, it would have to start with a baby animal. He just had to be curious; he just couldn't leave well enough alone. If he hadn't obsessed so much on what Hermione had said, he never would have looked for a more specific answer. He never would have found out the ambiguous animal referenced as one of the gifts in their old textbook. Hermione would certainly have a thing or two to say to him when she found out what he knew. There was no chance she wouldn't.
The blood though...he knew it meant his own. He'd need something sharp to accomplish that task, but he could just transfigure something into a knife or needle and be done with it. He sighed, casting a glance around the still empty common room.
His endeavor started today. He just wished he knew how to make himself feel better about what he was doing. He was so deep into thought that he missed Hermione's entrance; however, he couldn't miss her when she stepped into his line of sight.
"Were you up all night?" she asked, sounding worried. Harry didn't blame her: if his eyes weren't at least half as red as he guessed, he'd go kiss a fish. He rubbed his itching eyes with the back of his hand and stretched in his chair.
"Yeah, I was."
Hermione clucked her tongue in a reproving manner. He sagged, waiting for her to lecture him, but none was forthcoming. She continued to stare at him with a searching gaze, and Harry sighed again.
"Yes," he said, knowing what she was going to ask before she even spoke, "I couldn't help it."
"I know," Hermione said, rubbing her forehead. "Did you get caught?"
"I don't think so; at least no one bothered to stop me."
She nodded and took the seat across from him. "So, what were you thinking about so hard?"
"You're going to think I'm an idiot."
Hermione smiled. "You are an idiot, Harry. I thought we'd established this already."
"Hey!" he cried, bringing his hand up to his chest in a wounded gesture.
"So, tell me," she said, bringing the conversation back around.
Harry clasped his hands in front of him and stood up. He paced in front of the dead fire unsure of where to start. He wanted her to understand what it was like when he heard the music. How he had reacted earlier that morning when Snape's playing had drawn him from the tower down to the dungeons.
Before he could begin, however, Dennis Creevey and another 4th year came down the stairs. They stopped when they saw Harry and Hermione, and then began to talk in excited hushed tones to one another before running back upstairs.
"What do you suppose that was about, then?" Harry asked, eyeing their retreating backs with a puzzled expression.
Before Hermione could answer, a booming laugh came from upstairs, one they recognized well. They looked at each other as Ron came down the stairs, a huge smile on his face.
"What's so funny?" Harry asked as Ron came over and kissed Hermione's cheek then put an arm around her shoulders.
"Creevey junior thinks you two are secretly dating," he said, laughing. "I overheard him telling Colin."
"Oi! It's not that far-fetched!" Harry argued with mock indignation.
Ron put his free arm around Harry's shoulder and steered the three of them toward the portrait out of the common room. "I know my best mate would never home in on my girl," he said. If he squeezed Harry a bit hard, neither of them acknowledged it vocally, but Harry got the idea: don't even think about it.
"Course not!"
"I'm right here, you know!"
Ron turned bright red and Harry managed to sneak out from beneath Ron's arm, thus avoiding being smacked by Hermione. He grinned cheekily at the brunette witch who just huffed and folded her arms across her chest. She made to storm away from them, but Ron grabbed her and pulled her back against him.
"Let me go, Ron."
"I'm sorry!" Ron said, nuzzling against her neck.
"For what?" Hermione asked, looking over her shoulder at him.
Ron looked at Harry, who merely shrugged. "Um, because Harry's a prat?" Ron asked hopefully.
Hermione elbowed him in the gut and stormed off, leaving Ron and Harry staring after her.
"Better go fix that," Harry said, trying to keep the smirk from his face.
"Women," Ron muttered, running after her. "Hermione, wait!"
Harry chuckled as he watched the two of them walking ahead of him. Classes would be interesting today!
*****
Harry hadn't given it much thought when he didn't see Snape at breakfast. After all, Snape had missed it before. He was actually glad, because he wasn't sure his nerves could handle his eating while Snape glared at him.
By the time breakfast was over, Ron and Hermione had made up, and the three of them went to Transfiguration together, laughing over a story about Ron and a jinxed shirt he'd got from the twins for Christmas.
It was between Transfiguration and Charms that the rumors began reaching him.
"Yeah, the git wasn't in class. We ended up harvesting ginger root with Professor Sprout."
"Maybe he finally snapped and killed a first year and Dumbledore sacked him."
"It'd be brilliant if Snape was out for the rest of the week; I owe him a two foot essay that I didn't finish!"
"Sprout said she'd be taking his classes for the rest of the week. Maybe he's sick."
Hermione looked at Harry, wide-eyed. "Harry, do you know what's going on?" she asked in a hushed voice.
Harry shook his head, a sense of unease growing within him. "No, I didn't even get caught last night," he reminded her.
"Hey, what are you lot whispering about?" Ron asked, looking at the two of them curiously.
Hermione looked at Harry as if asking permission, and he nodded. "You explain it, I'll just balls it up," he said, chewing on his bottom lip.
"Wait until we're in Charms," she said. "We're still reviewing for NEWTs and I think we're reviewing Cheering Charms today. Nobody will pay any attention to us."
Ron frowned, but nodded; Harry was glad he had a few minutes to think. Snape had always liked to tell Harry that the world didn't revolve around him, but he had a feeling this had something to do with him. Dumbledore had to know about Snape, that he was a Nix. Did Snape tell Dumbledore that Harry had come to his rooms when he had been playing his violin? Had Snape been sent away because of him?
Harry wondered if he could get out of Charms by vomiting in class because his stomach was twisting and turning like mad. He was desperately trying to convince himself that this had nothing to do with him or the music, but he was failing miserably.
"Are you feeling all right, Harry?" Hermione whispered, once they had taken their seats. Harry could only give a curt nod. His stomach protested miserably.
"Perhaps you should go and see Madam Pomfrey," she suggested, not having given up her quest to make sure he was well.
"I'm fine," he bit out in a harsher tone than he had meant to. He sighed and scrubbed at his face, willing his stomach to settle.
"Will someone please tell me what's going on?" Ron hissed.
Harry ignored him, so Hermione began to fill Ron in on the details. By the time she was done, Ron was looking at Harry wide-eyed.
"He's a Nix?" Ron queried, looking between the two of them. "You're sure?"
"Not completely," Hermione whispered back as Flitwick began class. "But it all fits."
Ron ran a hand through his hair, shaking his head. "Mum used to read us a bedtime story about a Nix and a woman who fell for him. I didn't find out until I was older that she changed the ending to something happier. Guess she thought we might be disturbed by a fairy tale that ended in death," he said meaningfully to Harry.
Harry gave him a wry look, his nose wrinkling a bit. "Thanks ever so much for that, Ron."
"Magical creatures are crafty. Should have known Snape was one; he's as crafty as they come. How do you know he's not trying to lure you in like some kind of Siren?" Ron asked, lowering his voice when Seamus looked at him curiously. "I think Hermione's right, mate, you gotta stay away and let it go."
Harry was growing more irritable by the second. "If I could just let it go, I would," he said, scowling, "but I can't."
Hermione put a hand on his arm. "At least talk to Dumbledore," Hermione encouraged. "Maybe he knows how to break whatever hold it has on you."
"And now he's an 'it'?" Harry ran his hand down his face repeatedly, barely restraining himself from slamming his head against the wooden desk before him. Why couldn't they understand what it was like? He was happy in the thrall. He'd rather drown than not be able to hear that music again.
Hermione looked worriedly at Ron and whispered something to him that Harry couldn't hear, but he didn't care. Their words had already passed by him and he was left to think of a way to get the things he needed to get Snape to teach him to play, no matter the cost.
*****
Snape paid his respects to the Merpeople before losing himself in the soothing waters of the lake. Occasionally the songs from the Mermaids reached him and he'd float beneath the water, letting the songs wash through him, his mind translating the melody so he could play it on his violin when he returned to the surface.
He spent hours visiting with the creatures of the lake, becoming one with the dark waters once again and easing the ache in his soul. Albus had been right to send him away--to send him to the place he desperately needed to be.
The Dark Lord was gone; Snape would not be brought from the depths of the lake to heed his painful call. He could lose himself here for a few days until Albus collected him. Smiling, he let himself sink to the bottom of the lake, inclined to feel the sand squish between his toes.
Next Chapter: Chapter Five
Author: faynia and stormypup
Pairing: Snape/Harry
Rating: PG-13(for now, will be NC-17 later)
Word Count: 1,841
Genre: Romance, Flangst, Angst, Drama
Summary: Harry has never been entranced by music before now, but he is willing to do anything to learn how to play the same melody.
A/N: Beta'd by windout and topazmusings
Previous Chapters:
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Harry's eyes were burning by the time he had sorted out in his head what it was he was going to do. The sun was rising above the trees of the Forbidden Forest and he knew it was only a matter of time before the rest of Gryffindor House woke up. He'd been thinking about it all night, just how he was going to obtain the necessary gifts for Snape.
Vodka was going to be the easiest of all. It wouldn't take much effort to snitch a bottle from Seamus's trunk. The sandy-haired Irish boy had enough alcohol in his chest to keep a man quite drunk for a few good years. Everyone knew about it, but no one would tell on him - and for a good reason. He threw the best parties once a month where all the older students of the school got together and drank themselves into a stupor. No one wanted to jeopardize that.
A black lamb would be a bit harder, and not just because lambs were exceedingly rare in the wizarding world. He didn't know if he was capable of drowning a baby animal, even with his eyes averted. It would be there bleating in his arms, before he would have to place it in the water to die. The thought made him ill. He'd never taken an innocent life before, and, of course, it would have to start with a baby animal. He just had to be curious; he just couldn't leave well enough alone. If he hadn't obsessed so much on what Hermione had said, he never would have looked for a more specific answer. He never would have found out the ambiguous animal referenced as one of the gifts in their old textbook. Hermione would certainly have a thing or two to say to him when she found out what he knew. There was no chance she wouldn't.
The blood though...he knew it meant his own. He'd need something sharp to accomplish that task, but he could just transfigure something into a knife or needle and be done with it. He sighed, casting a glance around the still empty common room.
His endeavor started today. He just wished he knew how to make himself feel better about what he was doing. He was so deep into thought that he missed Hermione's entrance; however, he couldn't miss her when she stepped into his line of sight.
"Were you up all night?" she asked, sounding worried. Harry didn't blame her: if his eyes weren't at least half as red as he guessed, he'd go kiss a fish. He rubbed his itching eyes with the back of his hand and stretched in his chair.
"Yeah, I was."
Hermione clucked her tongue in a reproving manner. He sagged, waiting for her to lecture him, but none was forthcoming. She continued to stare at him with a searching gaze, and Harry sighed again.
"Yes," he said, knowing what she was going to ask before she even spoke, "I couldn't help it."
"I know," Hermione said, rubbing her forehead. "Did you get caught?"
"I don't think so; at least no one bothered to stop me."
She nodded and took the seat across from him. "So, what were you thinking about so hard?"
"You're going to think I'm an idiot."
Hermione smiled. "You are an idiot, Harry. I thought we'd established this already."
"Hey!" he cried, bringing his hand up to his chest in a wounded gesture.
"So, tell me," she said, bringing the conversation back around.
Harry clasped his hands in front of him and stood up. He paced in front of the dead fire unsure of where to start. He wanted her to understand what it was like when he heard the music. How he had reacted earlier that morning when Snape's playing had drawn him from the tower down to the dungeons.
Before he could begin, however, Dennis Creevey and another 4th year came down the stairs. They stopped when they saw Harry and Hermione, and then began to talk in excited hushed tones to one another before running back upstairs.
"What do you suppose that was about, then?" Harry asked, eyeing their retreating backs with a puzzled expression.
Before Hermione could answer, a booming laugh came from upstairs, one they recognized well. They looked at each other as Ron came down the stairs, a huge smile on his face.
"What's so funny?" Harry asked as Ron came over and kissed Hermione's cheek then put an arm around her shoulders.
"Creevey junior thinks you two are secretly dating," he said, laughing. "I overheard him telling Colin."
"Oi! It's not that far-fetched!" Harry argued with mock indignation.
Ron put his free arm around Harry's shoulder and steered the three of them toward the portrait out of the common room. "I know my best mate would never home in on my girl," he said. If he squeezed Harry a bit hard, neither of them acknowledged it vocally, but Harry got the idea: don't even think about it.
"Course not!"
"I'm right here, you know!"
Ron turned bright red and Harry managed to sneak out from beneath Ron's arm, thus avoiding being smacked by Hermione. He grinned cheekily at the brunette witch who just huffed and folded her arms across her chest. She made to storm away from them, but Ron grabbed her and pulled her back against him.
"Let me go, Ron."
"I'm sorry!" Ron said, nuzzling against her neck.
"For what?" Hermione asked, looking over her shoulder at him.
Ron looked at Harry, who merely shrugged. "Um, because Harry's a prat?" Ron asked hopefully.
Hermione elbowed him in the gut and stormed off, leaving Ron and Harry staring after her.
"Better go fix that," Harry said, trying to keep the smirk from his face.
"Women," Ron muttered, running after her. "Hermione, wait!"
Harry chuckled as he watched the two of them walking ahead of him. Classes would be interesting today!
*****
Harry hadn't given it much thought when he didn't see Snape at breakfast. After all, Snape had missed it before. He was actually glad, because he wasn't sure his nerves could handle his eating while Snape glared at him.
By the time breakfast was over, Ron and Hermione had made up, and the three of them went to Transfiguration together, laughing over a story about Ron and a jinxed shirt he'd got from the twins for Christmas.
It was between Transfiguration and Charms that the rumors began reaching him.
"Yeah, the git wasn't in class. We ended up harvesting ginger root with Professor Sprout."
"Maybe he finally snapped and killed a first year and Dumbledore sacked him."
"It'd be brilliant if Snape was out for the rest of the week; I owe him a two foot essay that I didn't finish!"
"Sprout said she'd be taking his classes for the rest of the week. Maybe he's sick."
Hermione looked at Harry, wide-eyed. "Harry, do you know what's going on?" she asked in a hushed voice.
Harry shook his head, a sense of unease growing within him. "No, I didn't even get caught last night," he reminded her.
"Hey, what are you lot whispering about?" Ron asked, looking at the two of them curiously.
Hermione looked at Harry as if asking permission, and he nodded. "You explain it, I'll just balls it up," he said, chewing on his bottom lip.
"Wait until we're in Charms," she said. "We're still reviewing for NEWTs and I think we're reviewing Cheering Charms today. Nobody will pay any attention to us."
Ron frowned, but nodded; Harry was glad he had a few minutes to think. Snape had always liked to tell Harry that the world didn't revolve around him, but he had a feeling this had something to do with him. Dumbledore had to know about Snape, that he was a Nix. Did Snape tell Dumbledore that Harry had come to his rooms when he had been playing his violin? Had Snape been sent away because of him?
Harry wondered if he could get out of Charms by vomiting in class because his stomach was twisting and turning like mad. He was desperately trying to convince himself that this had nothing to do with him or the music, but he was failing miserably.
"Are you feeling all right, Harry?" Hermione whispered, once they had taken their seats. Harry could only give a curt nod. His stomach protested miserably.
"Perhaps you should go and see Madam Pomfrey," she suggested, not having given up her quest to make sure he was well.
"I'm fine," he bit out in a harsher tone than he had meant to. He sighed and scrubbed at his face, willing his stomach to settle.
"Will someone please tell me what's going on?" Ron hissed.
Harry ignored him, so Hermione began to fill Ron in on the details. By the time she was done, Ron was looking at Harry wide-eyed.
"He's a Nix?" Ron queried, looking between the two of them. "You're sure?"
"Not completely," Hermione whispered back as Flitwick began class. "But it all fits."
Ron ran a hand through his hair, shaking his head. "Mum used to read us a bedtime story about a Nix and a woman who fell for him. I didn't find out until I was older that she changed the ending to something happier. Guess she thought we might be disturbed by a fairy tale that ended in death," he said meaningfully to Harry.
Harry gave him a wry look, his nose wrinkling a bit. "Thanks ever so much for that, Ron."
"Magical creatures are crafty. Should have known Snape was one; he's as crafty as they come. How do you know he's not trying to lure you in like some kind of Siren?" Ron asked, lowering his voice when Seamus looked at him curiously. "I think Hermione's right, mate, you gotta stay away and let it go."
Harry was growing more irritable by the second. "If I could just let it go, I would," he said, scowling, "but I can't."
Hermione put a hand on his arm. "At least talk to Dumbledore," Hermione encouraged. "Maybe he knows how to break whatever hold it has on you."
"And now he's an 'it'?" Harry ran his hand down his face repeatedly, barely restraining himself from slamming his head against the wooden desk before him. Why couldn't they understand what it was like? He was happy in the thrall. He'd rather drown than not be able to hear that music again.
Hermione looked worriedly at Ron and whispered something to him that Harry couldn't hear, but he didn't care. Their words had already passed by him and he was left to think of a way to get the things he needed to get Snape to teach him to play, no matter the cost.
*****
Snape paid his respects to the Merpeople before losing himself in the soothing waters of the lake. Occasionally the songs from the Mermaids reached him and he'd float beneath the water, letting the songs wash through him, his mind translating the melody so he could play it on his violin when he returned to the surface.
He spent hours visiting with the creatures of the lake, becoming one with the dark waters once again and easing the ache in his soul. Albus had been right to send him away--to send him to the place he desperately needed to be.
The Dark Lord was gone; Snape would not be brought from the depths of the lake to heed his painful call. He could lose himself here for a few days until Albus collected him. Smiling, he let himself sink to the bottom of the lake, inclined to feel the sand squish between his toes.
Next Chapter: Chapter Five