The Potion Master's Apprentice

Chapter 10

Harry suddenly felt like he could breathe once more. He had known for some time that Severus wasn't completely human and he had known since his chat with Hermione that the man in front of him was, in fact, a vampire. But the feeling of release he got knowing-without a single doubt-was incredibly liberating. He wasn't even scared. He had meant it when he told Severus that he trusted the man with his life. He watched in fascination as Severus looked down into his goblet before going incredibly still.

Reaching out, Harry gently took their glasses and set them on the coffee table before settling himself down on the floor between the man's legs. It was perilous business, such a move, but he was willing to take the risk-if only to shock the man out of his current state of mind.

"Master Severus?" Harry hadn't made the decision to call him by his given name instead of his surname but he was pleased with the way it sounded, nonetheless. The man looked up at him, his eyes shielded from emotion. The small crease between his eyebrows gave away his concern, though. "What is it that you're afraid of?" Harry was delighted to feel long fingers carding through his hair.

"I do not wish to harm you. And, by nature, that's exactly what I'll do. As loathe as I am to admit this, you've managed to make me care about your wellbeing. I am, by definition, a monster. I could easily crush your skull just by squeezing too hard." He felt the hands on his hair grip tighter, as if to prove his point. "I could easily, so easily, kill you without a second thought." Harry shook his head.

"No, you couldn't. You would never willingly cause me harm. You drink your potions to keep myself and everyone around you safe and you're so overly cautious about what you do around others that I think it would take much more willpower to actually hurt me than you're thinking it would." A moment of silence passed between the two.

"Harry, I-" Harry didn't give himself permission to interrupt the man, but he did. And flushed at what he heard himself say although he couldn't bring himself to regret it.

"Do you have any idea how handsome you are? I'm sure you have glamours, I'm sure I would have noticed if you looked like this-even when I was a first year. There's no way I didn't notice before..." Severus stopped short at the sudden change of subject.

"Harry, I take an incredibly strong glamour potion every night before bed to make myself as undesirable as possible, how on earth do you find anything about me remotely attractive right now?"

"I think your potions must be getting weaker or they aren't working properly. You've been getting more attractive lately. I've only just now noticed but now that I think about it, a few weeks ago your hair stopped looking so greasy and then your nose shrunk a bit-then it straightened out completely. And then you were less lanky and more fit and now your skin isn't all sallow and stained." He couldn't prevent rising to get a better look or his hand from moving up and touching Severus's hair if he had tried. "It definitely doesn't work right anymore." Harry was so mesmerized by Severus's looks that he almost hadn't noticed his voice dropping to a whisper.

Severus was stunned. No one had ever seen through his glamours before, not even the dark lord had any inkling that they were there. Severus himself had started to forget what he really looked like. And yet, Harry was speaking the truth. It rang out with every syllable that he was saying. Suddenly, a wave of warmth came over him followed quickly by fear.

"No, Harry you must be wrong. You must be wrong! You can't see through the glamours, you've just tricked your mind into thinking you can." He watched as Harry scrunched up his forehead in thought.

"What does it mean if I can see through your glamours?" Mild panic started to settle in and Severus shoved it down to deal with it later. He couldn't be...he wouldn't even entertain the thought. He was a horrible person, he'd done unforgivable things...