Heat, Light and the Properties of Plants

Chapter 12 Revelations

Hermione gasped, looking horrified yet intrigued at the same time. \"You mean, Harry, that when Snape was sweeping about in those long black robes of his, he was going commando?\"

\"Euch!\" exclaimed Ron, looking revolted.

\"No, no,\" Harry said, blushing. \"He only does it on, erm, special occasions.\"

His friends\' horrified expressions intensified. Harry had been trying (without success, he now realised) to explain his relationship with Snape.

\"Don\'t tell us any more, mate,\" said Ron. \"We\'ll help you look for the git, but don\'t expect us to like him.\"

\"Ron!\" reproved Hermione. \"I\'m sure once you get to know him properly, he\'s, erm -\"

\"A git,\" repeated Ron firmly. \"But don\'t worry, Harry. I still think chances are he\'s gone back to the dark side, but either way we\'ve got to track him down. Him and Fenrir Greyback.\" He shuddered.

\"Any idea how we\'re going to find them, Harry?\" asked Hermione.

\"Remus went off again this morning to talk to some more of his werewolf friends. He thinks one of them is bound to know the places Fenrir is likely to be. He should be back any time now.\"

But night came, and no Lupin. Harry, Tonks, Hermione and Ron sat up late, playing wizard whist to while away the time, but eventually Tonks looked at the clock and said \"He won\'t be back tonight. Best get some rest\" and so they all trailed off to bed. Harry tried not to notice that Ron went into Hermione\'s room next door. And later he tried to ignore the rhythmic creaking of their bedsprings - it was none of his business - he didn\'t begrudge them anything - but oh, how he wished his lover was here too.

It was amazing how quickly he\'d got used to sharing his bed with Severus Snape, and how desperately lonely it felt now, going to bed without him. Harry looked at the wizard photo of Snape standing on his bedside table. Would it give any clue to where he was now? The tiny figure seemed to be standing on a deserted road, wearing his black robe, his arms folded. Every so often a swirl of wind lifted his hair so that it streamed out behind him; other than that there was no movement. Harry sighed, looking at the intent gaze of Snape\'s picture and comparing it to how the real Snape had looked at him, their first night in this room.

He sat up in bed and stroked his cock, blushing as he remembered some of the things Snape had taught him. He squeezed himself firmly with one hand, tracing patterns on the sensitive dark red head of his cock with the other. Soon his fingers were coated with a pearly sheen. He reached round behind and pushed them into his opening, fantasising about Snape touching him, stroking him, handling him...

\"Sev, SEV!\" Harry groaned as he savagely pumped and pinched his cock, while flexing his hole around the fingers of his other hand. At last his release came with thick gouts of warm viscous fluid, wrenched out in painful spasms.

Afterwards he felt empty, obscurely cheated. He needed the warmth of Severus\'s body against his, that deep voice murmuring in his ear. Harry pulled the other pillow towards him, burying his face in it and breathing in deeply to find the last lingering scent of Severus Snape. He fell asleep holding the pillow, his eyes moist with tears.

When he woke the next morning Harry put on his glasses and looked at Snape\'s photograph again. It seemed to have changed. Harry peered more closely. The tiny figure was holding up a large calendar marked with phases of the moon, pointing to it and making \'haven\'t you forgotten something\' gestures.

\"Remus\'s new potion!\" exclaimed Harry. \"It\'s the fortnight before the full moon!\"

Harry pulled on his clothes and went downstairs. Modifying the potion to Snape\'s new instructions would be complicated and fiddly, maybe Hermione could help him.

*********************************************

\"We\'d better get this done before Remus gets back,\" said Harry. He weighed out the correct amount of moon-herbs in the scales. Hermione poured the contents of a glass jar into the cauldron, which began to smoke.

Harry carefully carried the herbs over to the table and put them on the chopping board next to the cauldron. Hermione started stirring the potion, muttering incantantions, with occasional glances at the parchment of Snape\'s instructions.

Harry pulled out the silver dagger Snape had given him and began chopping up the moonherbs. \"Ooh, that\'s a keepsake dagger, isn\'t it?\" said Hermione. \"Yeah, I s\'pose\" said Harry, not sure what she meant.

\"Severus gave it to me.\"

\"Gosh, they\'re rare aren\'t they,\" said Hermione. \"What does the inscription say?\"

\"There isn\'t an inscription,\" said Harry blankly, staring at the dagger. Hermione tutted impatiently. \"Really Harry, you mean you\'ve never heard of keepsake daggers? Snape must\'ve put an inscription on it before he gave it you.\"

\"No, he -\" Harry stopped, remembering how Snape had tapped the dagger with his wand before handing it over. \"Well, maybe he did, but how do I read it?\"

\"Oh that\'s easy,\" said Hermione. \"Only you can reveal the inscription, though.\" \"Yeah, but how?\" asked Harry impatiently. \"You just touch your wand to wherever he put the inscription and say his name.\"

What would Snape have spelled onto the dagger, Harry wondered. A sarcastic comment, probably or at best something like \'I want to fuck you senseless\'.

Harry tapped the handle of the dagger with his wand and said \"Severus Snape\". Instantly letters of fire appeared in the air above the dagger.

My Harry
In remembrance of our times of deep sexual joy
And in the hopes of many many more
Your Severus

Harry stared at the fiery writing. \"Deep sexual joy,\" he whispered. \"Oh, Severus.\" It was the message he\'d wanted - but had he discovered it too late?

Hermione patted his hand comfortingly. \"Don\'t worry, Harry, we\'ll find him.\"

\"Suppose he doesn\'t want to be found?\" said Harry miserably. \"Oh, Hermione, I can\'t help feeling this is my fault.\"

\"Don\'t be silly,\" Hermione said briskly. \"If you ask me, he owes you a lot. You did save his life with the Essences potion - \"
\"But it only needed saving because he jumped between me and Voldemort; I\'d be dead if he hadn\'t done that.\"

\"Well, okay, you owe each other a lot. And I know you care about him. I\'m sure he realises that, Harry.\"

\"I\'m not sure what he realises,\" Harry said \"I just know I miss him dreadfully.\" He looked at Hermione. \"YOU don\'t think he\'s gone over to the dark side, do you?\"

Hermione looked serious. \"Well if he has, I think you\'re the only person who can bring him back.\"

Harry gazed at her unhappily. \"But did I drive him away in the first place?\"

*************************************************

That evening was a stormy one in the countryside around the Silent Witch. Wind howled through the trees, bending their branches almost to the ground. The inn sign swung wildly. Perched on top of its support was an even larger crow. A flash of lightning revealed the dark figure of Snape standing outside the pub door. The door opened and the barman came out.

\"Well?\" Snape asked him menacingly. \"Where is the person I\'m supposed to meet?\"

The barman gestured towards the inn sign, with its picture of a headless witch. Snape glared at him. \"Is this some kind of a joke -\" he began, but the barman was pointing at the crow, which cawed derisively and launched itself off the post. Midway to the ground it Transformed into a dark haired wizard with a long, pointed nose.

\"Corvid Simonides,\" said the barman, indicating the wizard. \"Meet Severus Snape.\"

The two wizards nodded distrustfully to each other. They looked superficially alike; both tall, pale faced and dark haired, dressed in long black cloaks.

Snape scowled at the other wizard. \"Fenrir Greyback.\" he said. \"You know where he is?\"

\"I might,\" replied Corvid, his voice a harsh croak. \"What\'s your business with him?\"

\"I have ... ah, access ... to something he wants ... and I\'m willing to deliver it. If we can agree on a price.\"

\"And that something would be?\"

\"Harry Potter.\"

\"Ah - rumour says you\'ve been fucking that lad senseless - you sure you want to give him up?\"

Snape gave an elaborate yawn. \"I\'ve plumbed his shallows already thankyou. Time to move on.\"

\"Then you might like to stay at the Silent Witch with me tonight, I\'ve a couple of energetic little cock jockeys we could share.\"

\"Gladly,\" said Snape with a salacious smirk. \"I\'m in need of a bit of, ah, variety. That Potter slut was rather boring after a while.\"

\"But why turn him over to Fenrir?\" asked Corvid suspiciously.

Snape shrugged. \"I\'d intended a lucrative career for him as a whore in Knockturn Alley when I got tired of him - like the rest of my castoffs. But he\'s really far too conventional. Simply refused to do anything the least bit ... ah ... unusual. But I mean to get some profit out of him somehow.\"

Corvid laughed raucously. \"I think I\'ve had a few of the tarts you broke in. He\'s lucky to get away from you - even if Fenrir does kill him!\"

***************************************************

After a hard day\'s work, Harry and Hermione had finally finished making the modified Wolfbane Potion.

\"You\'re not going to let Remus drink that, are you?\" Ron asked incredulously. They stared at him. \"I mean, come on, Snape left instructions for it? Just before he buggered off? Just before he went back to the dark side?\"

\"Don\'t be silly,\" Hermione said crossly. \"I might not be as good at potions as Professor Snape, but I know a genuine potion when I see one. This should do exactly what he said it would.\" She glanced apologetically at Harry. \"And we\'ve no proof he\'s \'gone back to the dark side\' as you put it.\"

Ron laughed scornfully. \"Come on, Hermione, we know Harry\'s thinking with his cock where Snape\'s concerned but there\'s no reason you should, err, \"

\"Think with mine?\" Hermione said coldly. \"In case you hadn\'t noticed, Ron, I haven\'t got one.\"

\"Uh of course not.\" Ron was bright red. \"Obviously I meant think with your cu-\"

\"Shut up, Ron,\" Harry interrupted, trying not to laugh. His friends were making him feel better, in spite of his misery about Snape. \"We\'ll let Remus decide himself. When he gets back.\"

Remus didn\'t get back until late that night. Harry was woken by a door slamming and loud angry voices outside his room. Tonks was shouting.

\"YOU\'VE BEEN WITH THAT BITCH AKEYLA AGAIN HAVEN\'T YOU!!! WELL HAVEN\'T YOU?\"

\"What if I have?\" Remus snapped. \"She\'s the only one who\'s been able to help -\"

\"I BET!! I CAN SMELL HER ON YOU, A BITCH IN HEAT -\"

There was the sound of a slap. Horrified, Harry jumped out of bed and rushed out onto the landing.
\"Guys, stop! What\'s happening?\" he exclaimed.

\"None of your business Harry\" Tonks snapped, turning to glare at him, then doing a double-take as she took in his nakedness. \"Harry, go back to bed,\" Remus said wearily. \"Everything\'s okay.\"

\"But have you -\"

\"I don\'t know where Severus is, no. My friend,\" - Tonks gave a bitter snort of laughter - \"My friend\" repeated Remus \"only knows that there\'s a haunt of dark wizards, a pub she thinks, where all the Death Eaters that are left hang out. If we can find it, chances are we find Snape and Greyback, or news of them anyway.\"

\"But not tonight,\" Tonks said. \"Get some rest Harry.\" She took him by the shoulders and turned him round, then swiped at his bare arse. \"Get on with you. We\'ll talk about it in the morning.\"

The next morning at breakfast Remus repeated his news for Ron and Hermione\'s benefit. Harry was relieved to see that he and Tonks appeared to have made up their quarrel.

\"A pub...\" Hermione repeated thoughtfully. \"Presumably it\'s hidden away somewhere Muggles don\'t go... \"

\"How do we go about finding it?\" asked Harry.

\"Well...\" Remus said consideringly. \"I think first of all we need to go up to London, ask around at the Ministry - \" He looked at Tonks. \"You\'d better do that, you\'ve got contacts there. And maybe we could have a word with a few people in Diagon Alley - \"

\"Knockturn Alley would be more to the point\" Hermione said.

\"Yes, that too.. I suppose I\'d better do that... a werewolf would be more likely to fit in.\"

\"If we\'re going to London,\" Harry said reluctantly \"I suppose we\'d better all stay at Grimmauld Place, while we\'re asking around and things.\" He visited Grimmauld Place as little as he could, it brought back too many memories.

\"Oh!\" Hermione suddenly exclaimed. \"That reminds me - gosh I\'m sorry, Harry, I\'d completely forgotten. Professor McGonagall wanted me to ask you about the house elves.\"

\"House elves?\" Harry asked. \"Oh, yeah, I remember now.\" During the latter stages of the war with Voldemort, Grimmauld Place had been used as a refuge for many of the Hogwarts house elves. Dobby (hindered by Kreacher) was in charge.

\"Yes, now Hogwarts has reopened as a school she needs the rest of them back - I think Kreacher was causing some trouble about it?\"

\"Kreacher always causes trouble\" groaned Harry. \"Yeah, okay, I\'ll sort him out.\"


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