Lily's Charm- Severitus fanfiction

Tentative

1996

Severus was less than pleased when his bedroom door creaked open. He opened only one eye, keeping his head firmly where it rested on the headboard, wishing he hadn't moved quite so sharply earlier. The door continued to open slowly. Lupin's concerned face peered around the edge.

Lupin's features dissolved into a ridiculously sappy smile and with a muffled sigh, Severus brought his head up and opened his other eye. As much as he did not want to be disturbed right now, he was certain he owed a great deal to the werewolf.

"Lupin," he greeted, keeping his voice low so he wouldn't disturb Harry, who was still leaning into Severus' side.

"Severus," Lupin returned, still smiling, "it's good to see you well again."

Severus inclined his head, resisting the urge to demand the reason for the intrusion, but Lupin spoke up almost immediately anyway. "Poppy asked me to give these to you," he explained, holding out two vials. Severus nodded and Lupin set the vials on the night table. "She says you're to take both of them within the next hour," he added and Severus nodded again. Lupin gazed at him for a minute as though trying to decide whether or not to say whatever was on his mind.

Stifling his annoyance, and thinking of the boy sleeping in the crook of his arm, Severus said quietly, "I assume you've been here the entire time."

Lupin didn't even look surprised at Severus' inference. He nodded. "We didn't think it wise to leave Harry alone."

Although Severus had already surmised that would have been the case, Lupin's words still made him tense. "Poppy said he hasn't been eating or sleeping." Without meaning to, Severus was asking Lupin for a confirmation.

Lupin sighed and although not invited to do so, he sank into Severus' desk chair. Severus raised an eyebrow at his presumption but didn't comment as Lupin clearly felt Severus needed to understand how his son had been affected by the events of this past week. And Severus wanted to understand; he needed to know how best to approach Harry's recovery.

"Severus, he thought you were dead," Lupin said with a weary sigh. And again, the words wrenched Severus. He looked down at his son, sleeping so contentedly and he silently swore revenge on Voldemort. "He was convinced of it, even when we tried to tell him otherwise," Lupin stressed and Severus looked up at him again in surprise.

"Perhaps I prepared him too well for the possibility." He frowned but Lupin was shaking his head.

"Severus," he said intently as he leaned forward in his chair, "Harry saw you being tortured by Voldemort."

A tremor convulsed through Severus and before he could stop himself, he dug his fingers into Harry's arm. He froze as Harry stirred, but Harry didn't wake; Severus carefully pulled his fingers away from his son's delicate skin. Closing his eyes to focus himself, he calmed his raging flames before opening his eyes once more. Lupin was watching him with concern.

"Are you certain?" Severus asked calmly, though his mind was churning with what this might mean for Harry's mental health in the upcoming weeks.

Lupin nodded, looking grief-stricken. "He became violent when I tried to tell him you were alive. He said he saw Lucius chanting Avada Kedavra...before that he was virtually comatose. He wouldn't respond to anything or anyone."

Severus let his eyes slide closed again as his head thumped softly against the headboard. Damn Voldemort! Severus knew immediately that those particular visions must have been courtesy of the bastard. Lupin started speaking again and though Severus took in every word, he couldn't open his eyes.

"He tried to act normally once he found out, but I'm fairly certain he was ignoring all of his emotions. He was almost like a zombie, simply going through the motions," Lupin told him. Severus sighed and opened his eyes despite his intentions and gazed down at his son again.

Well, at least both of the mini-breakdowns Harry had had in the past few hours made more sense. And Severus was certain it wouldn't be the last over the course of the next few weeks...not if Harry had buried every trace of emotion he'd had for a week now. That combined with lack of sleep and food... Training his exasperation away from the helpless child in his arms, Severus glared at Lupin.

"Perhaps if you would have fed him, he might have fared a bit better," he snapped. He realized his tone was harsh and accusatory but he did not try to modify it, feeling very real irritation that his son hadn't been better taken care of. "I believe you agreed to care for Harry when I could not. This is your idea of taking care of him? Nutritive Potions?" he sneered.

Lupin was staring at him with an air of incredulity. "I tried to get him to eat!" he exclaimed quietly, eyes flicking to Harry.

"You must not have tried very hard," Severus growled, hard pressed to continue in his low tones.

Lupin gaped at him. "As I'm sure you've noticed, Severus, your son is extremely stubborn!"

'Why did you not simply order him to eat then?"

Lupin threw up his hands, overly agitated. "I did! He refused, over and over again. He finally started agreeing to eat whatever I'd bring him but I know it was simply to appease me. I don't think he ate much of it, if anything at all." He shook his head. "I don't even think he realized he wasn't eating. Frankly, Severus, I don't know how you're going to do much better. I can't imagine he'll be ready to get back to normal so soon."

Severus set his jaw. "He will eat," he said in a hard tone, tightening his arm around his son. Because this was an issue Severus was willing to argue about.

"He probably will," Lupin agreed after a moment, smiling and shaking his head. "You do seem to have a way with him," he said lightly.

Severus narrowed his eyes, attempting to determine if the assertion was meant as a slur, but he decided that it was most likely against Lupin's moral code to insult a man who had just woken from the dead.

"I don't think he's going to be willing to leave your side anytime soon," Lupin said abruptly, looking pointedly at Harry. Severus ran his hand over Harry's hair.

"I have no intention of making him leave," he said, more sharply than he meant to. Lupin was predictably unperturbed by his tone.

"Of course not," he agreed, with a little nod, settling himself more comfortably against the chair. Severus raised an eyebrow, wondering just how long Lupin intended to stay; he looked as though he was readying himself for an annoyingly long chat. "Albus is anxious to speak with you...did you know?"

Lupin's voice was almost exaggeratedly carefree, and Severus had the distinct impression that Lupin was in fact doing exactly what Harry had earlier. But of course, the werewolf could only be thinking about Harry if he was indeed attempting to reassure himself that Severus was all right. And yet, he felt unsettled by Lupin's concern.

"That is indeed shocking news," Severus drawled, not bothering to keep the sarcasm at bay as he attempted to ignore the waves of unease tripping through him. Lupin smiled again, making Severus wish he could just order the werewolf to get out. It was only the sound of Harry's contented breathing that stopped him from doing just that.

"He wants to discuss Lucius," Lupin explained. "He activated your Portkey. Lucius begged Voldemort to let him be the one to deliver the Killing Curse just so he could."

Severus did not react outwardly. He had already surmised as much. "Is Lucius still alive?"

Lupin nodded. "Voldemort apparently did not suspect Lucius. Several of your Slytherins have been expelled though."

Severus' eyebrows lifted in surprise. "Nott?"

"They captured Nott Sr. in Hogsmeade and questioned him under Veritaserum. Gregory Goyle and Vincent Crabbe have been removed as well, along with three more seventh years who had already taken the Mark. All of them admitted to plotting to aid in removing Harry from Hogwarts."

Severus was heartened by the news. Harry would be infinitely safer now. And he couldn't deny that he felt a rather vindictive pleasure that the two men who had spearheaded his vicious assault would suffer now.

"Excellent," he approved.

"Albus still has no idea how Voldemort found out, though," Lupin said, eyeing Severus as though expecting to be enlightened. Severus considered not answering, but he knew that no matter that their friendship still bothered him, Lupin would not do anything to hurt Harry.

"I told Harry that my shields slipped."

Lupin studied him closely for a moment, before nodding once.

Grateful that Lupin understood, Severus said, "I presume our relationship has been publicized already."

With a grimace, Lupin reached into his robes and handed over a folded copy of the Daily Prophet. Scowling, Severus read Rita Skeeter's article through quickly and then with a muffled growl, he flipped it toward the end of the bed. "She should be strangled."

Lupin nodded his agreement, smiling slightly. "Are you going to let Harry read it?" he asked quietly.

Severus leaned against the headboard once more; he felt completely drained. Of course he would have liked to shield Harry from the unpleasantness the following weeks were going to bring, but he knew Harry well enough that he understood his son would not appreciate being coddled.

"You need to sleep, Severus," Lupin said abruptly. "Will you let Harry know I came by?" Lupin's voice had thinned with ill-concealed emotion, making Severus extremely uncomfortable.

"I will," Severus agreed. Looking away, he said gruffly, "Thank you for taking care of Harry." He hoped Lupin would not find it necessary to reply.

"We were all relieved Harry was able to bring you back," Lupin said quietly.

"I'm sure Harry appreciates your concern for my welfare," Severus acknowledged stiffly, his eyes still trained on the heavy door.

"It is not only for Harry that we were concerned," Lupin murmured softly. Severus clenched his jaw with this confirmation of his earlier suspicions. He didn't answer and after another minute, Lupin smiled a small smile. "I will stop by later in the day, if you don't mind." Severus nodded stiffly and Lupin, still smiling, turned and left the room, closing the door softly behind him.

Severus stared at the closed door, wishing he could Obliviate that conversation from Lupin's memory, as well as from his own.

--

Harry made a small groaning sound as he pulled himself back into the realm of consciousness. He felt a moment of disorientation as he sifted through the past night's events. Not really meaning to, he resettled himself against his father and then as he realized he had obviously fallen asleep like this, his cheeks warmed and he felt a panicked urge to jump up and leap over the edge of the bed.

"Good morning," Severus' deep voice rumbled before Harry could follow through.

Harry stilled. He glanced up, feeling the heat creep up his neck again. But his father didn't seem bothered that Harry was curled up next to him like a little kid. And truth be told, there was a part of Harry that felt contented leaning into his father's side.

"Morning," he finally answered. "How do you feel?"

"I am well," Severus answered as he handed Harry's glasses over.

"Thanks," Harry murmured as he put them on. He pulled up a bit from his father's side and looked him over critically before asking, "Did you sleep?" Severus looked mildly amused by Harry's question.

"I did."

"Have you taken any potions yet?" Harry inquired immediately, remembering Pomfrey had said that he would still need to take something to help him to get stronger.

"Yes. Lupin brought them to me," Severus told him and Harry nodded once again.

"Good," he approved, satisfied that his father really was okay. Severus gazed down at him, still looking amused.

"Have you any other questions?" he asked, his mouth almost smiling again. Harry smirked at him.

"No," he answered. He frowned in thought. "Well, actually, yeah. Do you want me to help you get out of bed?"

"I would like to speak to you first," Severus answered, his mouth turning down in a slight frown. Harry tensed. But he couldn't think of anything he'd done recently that would warrant a lecture, so he shrugged.

"All right." He sat up straighter and twisted around a bit so that it was less of a strain on his neck to look at his father. Severus rested his hands on either side of the bed, next to Harry's knees. He leaned forward a bit, narrowing his eyes. He seemed to be studying Harry intently and Harry wondered exactly what he was looking for.

"How are you feeling?" Severus finally asked. Harry shrugged.

"I'm all right."

"I spoke with Lupin earlier." Severus paused, his eyes shadowed with concern. "He said you refused all his requests to eat." Harry bit his lip. Those conversations with Remus were vague against his memories.

"I meant to eat..." At least Harry thought he had. Severus' face relaxed a bit.

"A self-imposed fast is a common reaction to stress," his father assured him and Harry nodded, relieved as it seemed he wasn't going to comment on how irresponsible he'd obviously been. Severus gazed at him for a moment before asking, "Do you feel ready to begin eating again?"

Harry felt certain his father was really inquiring over his mental state. He was about to answer in the affirmative anyway, when his eyes fell on a folded copy of the Daily Prophet at the end of the bed.

Harry Potter...Junior Death Eater?

With a gasp, Harry snatched up the paper.

The true nature of Harry Potter seems to rest securely with Severus Snape, Hogwarts Potions Master, once believed to be a former supporter of He Who Must Not be Named. After recent events, there is no doubt that Snape, until two nights ago, was still one of You Know Who's most loyal followers. Unfortunately, for this duplicitous Potions Master, his darkest secret finally came to light this fateful Halloween, exactly fifteen years after Harry Potter became the only person to survive the Killing Curse.

Harry continued to read as his breathing quickened, his face beginning to flush in anger.

For sixteen years, Snape carried around his shameful secret. And after years of careful concealment, Snape's Master finally learned the shocking truth: Snape's son is none other than Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived.