kbinnz - Harry's New Home

Indeed, the child was now staring at Snape as if he were some alien creature, mouthing gibberish. Snape growled in frustration, then decided that тАУ so long as no one was around to witness it and since he had already outdone a Hufflepuff for sheer emotional gooeyness тАУ he might as well take a page from Molly Weasley's book. He lifted the boy onto his lap (HIS LAP! What was he thinking??) and patted him awkwardly. "It is all right, Potter. You deserve these things. You deserve to be treated well. You are aтАж good boy." He couldn't suppress a grimace as he said that last тАУ it was so totally foreign to his nature тАУ but he still forced the words out.

There was a roaring in Harry's ears as he tried to process the completely impossible statements that had just come out of Snape's mouth. All this was for him? The professor had gone out and bought them for him? With his own money? But why would the professor do such a thing? He'd already done so much for Harry! Why would he spend so much more time and effort and money on him?

"B-b-but why?" Harry finally managed to stutter.

"Potter! Weren't you listening?" Snape admonished, tightening his grip around the boy's thin shoulders. Good тАУ he had a reason to scold. He was much better at that. "I told you. You are now my ward. It is my responsibility to ensure you have the things a young wizard needs."

"B-but all this?" Harry squeaked, waving an arm at the enormous, wonderful, magical (literally) room. "I d-don't need all this."

Snape scowled even more fiercely. "Of course you do, you ridiculous child. Just because you have been treated like an illegitimate house elf for most of your life is no reason for such a state of affairs to continue. Do you imagine I will behave like those horrible Muggles? You deserve and are entitled to the same things that any other wizarding child has, and it is my responsibility to see that you have them."

Harry's eyes dropped. "But you already gave me a dad," he whispered, one hand playing with Snape's sleeve. "You don't need to get me anything else."

It took a moment for Harry's words to sink in, and when they did, they were immediately followed by a roaring so loud that Snape wondered if someone was using the floo. Only the odd, squeezing feeling in his chest told him that the noise came from within.

Had that impertinent, unfathomable, unpredictable child just said that? Had he really referred to Snape as a father, his father? Snape wondered if the flying pigs that must surely have invaded Hogwarts were interfering with Quidditch practice.

He tried to speak and found it necessary to clear his throat first. "Erm, yes, well." What was he supposed to say in response to such a ridiculous, inaccurate statement? "Well, erm, yes." He needed to clear this up once and for all. He couldn't have the brat running around Hogwarts spreading such ridiculous ideas. It was one thing for him to тАУ reluctantly! тАУ serve as the brat's temporary guardian until Albus finally came to his senses and replaced him with someone appropriate, and quite another for anyone, particularly the spawn of his nemesis, to imagine him in some kind of paternal role. He could only imagine the howls of incredulity and derision with which such a notion would be greeted. And that would just be the faculty's reaction.

No, better to set the little menace straight once and for all. Make it clear that no self-respecting Snape would ever affiliate himself with an urchin, let alone a Potter. Just because he may have vowed to look after the boy didn't mean he had to deal with anything beyond his material well-being. Even the Dursleys had done that тАУ more or less. Well, rather less, if truth be told.

He opened his mouth to tell the brat, once and for all, that he was never to use that term again. That he was Snape's ward by order of the Headmaster. That Snape would look after him because that was the man's duty, nothing more. But before he could, Harry glanced up from where he had appeared mesmerized by his gentle tracing of Snape's sleeve, and Lily's eyes once again pinned his soul.

In the recesses of his mind, he dimly noted that тАУ to his surprise тАУ Harry wasn't tentative or worried. Rather his eyes held quiet contentment and peace. As if whatever else might happen in the world, he had found his place of safety. He was shy, but not frightened.

Snape cleared his throat again. "You sound like a simpleton, Potter. Being in, er, that sort of position makes it all the more likely that I would provide these items. Now if you don't like the room or the toys, then тАУ "

"No!" Harry yelped. "No! They're brilliant! I love them!"

Snape sniffed disapprovingly. "Well, since you have yet to say thank you, naturally I assumed тАУ"

And once again the boy flung himself against the professor, hard enough to drive the breath from the man's body. "Thank you thank you thank you," he whispered into Snape's chest, squeezing as hard as he could.

The exquisite pain in his chest was obviously caused by Potter driving his pointy skull against his breastbone, Snape told himself. "Yes, well, there had better not be any more of those ridiculous tears, Potter. I have no intention of letting yet another of my robes be spoiled by your inability to reliably use a handkerchief." There was a suspicious snuffling sound from the area of his chest, and Snape muffled a sigh. "You have twenty minutes before dinnertime. I suggest you use it exploring your room, though if you insist, you may instead spend it weeping helplessly upon my shoulder."

"I don't weep helplessly!" Harry retorted indignantly, drawing back and looking up at the professor through eyes that were suspiciously shiny.

Snape raised an eyebrow. "Of course not," he agreed sardonically. He lifted the boy off his lap and deposited him on the bed. "I will summon you when it is time to go to the Great Hall."

He left the boy to his explorations тАУ hopefully the little idiot would be able to bring himself to touch the things in his room if he were unobserved for a while тАУ and to be fair, he wasn't sure if he could bear to remain in the room much longer. Dumbledore would doubtless have remained behind, demonstrating every game and toy, but Snape found he was having an unexpectedly difficult time maintaining his cool demeanor. Every time the little brat expressed shock at the most mundane civility, Snape was seized by an almost uncontrollable desire to Apparate to the Dursleys and demonstrate some Death Eater party tricks. He wondered if he could borrow Bellatrix LeStrange from Azkaban for a few hours, and maybe a Dementor or twoтАж

Harry gazed about the room тАУ his room, he swiftly corrected himself тАУ and everywhere he looked, he saw new wonders to explore. He stroked the sheets on which he sat, and the hippogriffs on the sheets squawked and fluttered their wings in welcome. Dudley didn't have sheets like these. He'd never even seen sheets like these. And his room wasn't this big, either. Even if you put his two bedrooms together, this room тАУ Harry's room - was still bigger. And Dudley's toys didn't do anything. Harry's toys (HARRY'S TOYS!!) did all sorts of amazing things. He knew he should probably be walking around and looking at the different toys and stuff, but right then, all he wanted to do was to sit and stare.

He had a room. A real room, that was all his own. And it was filled тАУ practically to the brim! тАУ with toys and books and all sorts of wonderful things. But the very best part, the part that was making Harry so happy that it hurt, in an odd, marvelous sort of way, was that Professor Snape had done it. For him. He had created the room and bought all the stuff Just For Harry.

Harry looked around the room, and his eyes didn't see objects, they saw Love. Tangible, concrete examples of love and kindness and caring. Harry thought, a bit breathlessly, that his heart might explode if he were any happier. He flung himself down on the bed and stared up at the canopy and wondered if any other boy in the entire history of the world had ever been this happy.