Trials and Tribulations

Trial14


Disclaimer:  Right, the usual stuff belongs to J.K.
Rowling - characters, some places, etc.&nbThatThat's all her's, and her
publishers'.  I don't make a penny.  I have committed a Cassie
Claire, and included a Buffy quote/misquote.  Chocolate covered Snape
cookies to whoever can spot it!  Buffy, naturally, belongs to Joss
Whedon, Mutant enemy and WB.  There's also a quote from the BBC adaptation
of Tipping the Velvet.  I'm not sure if it's in the book, because
it's been absolutely ages since I last read it.  The book,
anywho, was written by Sarah Waters and that particular quote belongs to
her and the BBC teams who adapted the book to screen.  Chapter title,
for anyone hethonistic enough not to know, is the name of the second book
of the Bible, meaning Escape.
Author's Notes:  I hope this satisfies everyone's idea
of a happy ending.  If you don't want any more angst, I suggest you
leave it at this, and ignore the next chapter when it comes out! 
Thanks to the delectable betas, Ria and Big Momma.  This chapter is
dedicated to them, for their very hard work and for sticking to this series
throughout.  Much love to both of you, darlin's!  *Glomps*
***
Exodus
 
“Didn’t he have something to do with it in the first place?”
“I heard he secretly poisoned him.  You-Know-Who’s orders.”
“Well, I heard he went mad and they sent him to St Mungo’s.”
“No, no.  The other teachers chucked him out.  No one wants
him now Dumbledore’s gone.”
“Forty points from Hufflepuff,” Harry growled, coming up behind the
small group of third years.  “Ten from each of you, for gossiping
mindlessly about Hogwarts staff.”  He scowled at their horrified expressions. 
“Be thankful.  If it were me you were talking about, it would be more
than double that.  Now go and find something sensible to
Th
They scuttled off somewhere.  Harry didn’t care where. 
He concentrated on the map he held in his hands, walking through the twists
and turns of the dungeon corridors without really knowing where he was
going.  He concentrated on reaching the small dot that read ‘Severus
Snape – Slimy bastard’.  On a better day, he would be smiling inside
at the joke his father and godfather had made.
He reached the door that led to the room Snape was in, and banged
on the door.  He waited a short while, then banged again.  Still
no reply.
“Snape, if you don’t open this door, I’m going to blow it off its
hinges!”
There was a shuffling inside, and the door was opened a crack.
“Piss off, Potter, I’m not in the mood.”
The door closed a little way, but Harry wedged his foot in the small
space to stop it closing completely.  “Do you want to do this in a
place where your students can see us, or are you going to let me in?”
Snape grumbled loudly, but opened the door further allowing the boy
to slip in.  Harry took just a moment to sweep his gaze over the sparsely
furnished living room.  His eyestedsted on the nearly-empty bottle
of firewhiskey on the table.
“What do you want, Potter?”
Harry rounded on the taller man angrily.  “I am here, because
no one else dares.  You’ve managed to scare off anyone else – but
you don’t scare me.  I’m here to pull you out of this slump you’ve
shoved yourself into.”
Snape scowled, and pushed past Harry to sit in the chair by the hearth. 
“It’s been two months, Snape.  Two months of the staff trying to cover
your classes, and explain away your absence.  But it can’t go on!”
“You don’t understand, Potter.  Just get lostore ore I hex you
out of my quarters.”  His voice was void of its usual bite. 
Harry had a feeling that it had something to do with the firewhiskey.
“If I don’t understand, then explain it to me.”  He stood over
Snape, who cowered in the chair.
“I can’t.”  He tried his best to reach for the whiskey bottle
without touching Harry, or making eye contact with him.
Harry fell to his knees and took the hand that reached blindly for
the bottle.  He held it tight, and leant forward to look into the
older man’s eyes.  They avoided his.  “Snape, we have all suffered
his loss.  I know that you think he’s the only one that trusted you
– but look around you.  We’re all breaking our backs to keep you from
going under.  We’re all trying to help you.  Why won’t you help
yourself?”
“I can’t think about it…Don’t make me…”
Harry wasn’t nearly as shocked as he should have been to see Snape
break down into tears.  The man was becoming frantic, and Harry did
the only thing he could think of to calm him down.  He drew his hand
back and slapped his teacher’s face sharply.
The silence in the room was eerie, and Harry sat waiting for Snape
to punch his lights out.
“You hit me.”  Snape said quietly.
Harry was breathing heavily.  “Are you ready to be rational,
or will I need to do it again?”
Snape actually looked scared.  “I’ll be rational.”
This was scary.  A distant part of Harry’s mind muttered that
he should have hit him a long time ago.  “Right.  Now, what is
all this about?”
“I-“ Snape began, but he faltered.  Harry raised his hands to
the other man’s face, this time to hold it gently.
“Go on.  It’s alright.  Nothing we say leavess ros room.”
“I should have saved him.  I should have been able to stop it. 
It’s my fault.”
Harry shook his head.  “He died of a heart attack, Professor. 
If Madam Pomfrey had been there with all her remedies, there was nothing
she could have done.  It’s most certainly not your fault.”
Snape frowned.  “A…A heart attack?  Not a poison?”
Harry smiled.  “A heart attack.  There were no poison traces
in his blood stream or nervous system.  There was nothing you could
have done.”
“But I thought…”
“You thought wrong.  It isn’t your fault.”
Snape’s eyes blinked out more tears, and Harry pulled him forward
into a gentle hug.  He stroked his back soothingly.  “We’re all
suffering his loss,” Harry said again.  “But he wouldn’t want it this
way, would he?  You know that.  The last thing he’d want is for
us all to give up.”
“I’m sorry,” Snape said, rather pathetically.
“You don’t have to be-“
“No.  I mean, I’m sorry for wallowing in self pity.”
Harry shrugged as Snape pulled away from him slightly.  “It’s
not really me you have to apologise to.  It’s just me that had the
balls to come down and drag you out of the whiskey bottle.”
“Then thank you.”
Harry could feel himself blushing slightly, and loodowndown. 
“You’re welcome…I guess.”
“I see what you mean, now.  Albus would want us to carry on
with the plan.  He’d want us to see it through, wouldn’t he?”
Harry nodded.  “He would want to see it finished.”
Snape nodded more firmly.  “Then that is what shall be done.”
Snape stood, and Harry followed suit.  He walked briskly to
one of the doors that led out of the sitting room.  He stopped midway,
as though remembering Harry was there.  He sneered at the boy, making
Harry smile to see the old potions Professor back.  “If you don’t
mind, Potter, I would quite like to have a shower.  And pleasant as
I’m sure the experience would be, I do not wish to lose my job and earn
myself castration by your godfather, I do not wish you to be here while
I have it.”
Harry grinned.  “Of course not, Professor.”  He turned
back to the door, opening it once again.
“Oh, and Potter?”
“Yes, Professor?”
Snape smiled sadistically.  “Fifty points from Gryffindor for
striking a teacher.”
Harry couldn’t even bring himself to complain as he left the dungeons. 
He had a feeling it was worth it.
***
“Are you sure we have enough sandwiches?”
Hermione chuckled, watching Harry flit around the small flat. 
“Harry, if you make any more sandwiches we’ll be swimming in them. 
Now hurry up, or he’ll be standing around outside Azkaban without anyone
to meet him!”
Harry stood in the centre of the bustling room, looking around. 
His eyes had widened comically.  “Right.  Yes, right. re’sre’s
my wand gone?”  Harry resumed running around the flat like a blue-arsed
fly.
Bill grinned, and slid Harry’s wand from his back pocket as he went
past.  “It’s right here, Harry.”
Harry smiled at him.  “Thank you.”
His eyes made one last sweep of the room, before he smiled.  “Right. 
I’m off then.  See you all in half an hour.”
The room full of past students, friends and colleagues smiled and waved
their goodbyes, before returning to the tasks at hand.  Harry visualised
the dingy grey wall that surrounded Azkaban prison, then flicked his wand
and disappeared with a pop.
Once Harry had disappeared, Hermione walked over to Bill and placed
a hand on his lower back, making him turn.  She lowered her voice
as she spoke, “Harry’s been getting himself into an awful tiz, don’t you
think?”
Bill smiled, but didn’t stop pouring fruit punch into glass goblets. 
“Mmm,” he said.
Hermione frowned in mild exasperation, and lowered her voice further. 
“You don’t think there’s anything going on there, do you?”
Bill’s smile widened.  He turned around and held Hermione’s face
in both his hands, dropping a kiss on her forehead.  “I love you very
much, Hermione, but you realo hao have to learn to stop snooping into other
people’s business.”
Hermione gave an indignant look.  “I wasn’t snooping.  I was
just…speculating, that’s all.”
 “If he is, he is.  Would that be so bad?”
“I didn’t mean it like that.  I just meant…well, look at the age
difference.”
Bill raised an eyebrow.  “You’re talking to the man who’s been
labelled by his family as a cradle-snatcher!”
“Oh!”  Hermione slapped his arm softly.  “You know it’s completely
different.”
“Not really.  Now, stop thinking about it and help me with this.” 
Hermione grumbled softly, but conjured up another ladle.  “And I forbid
you from asking Harry about it.”
“But-“
“But nothing.  If Harry wants to tell you about his love life,
he will do so.  It’s not fair to pry.”
Hermione sighed heavily.  “You just don’t want to have to admit
I’m right.”
Bill returned the sigh.  “Between you and me, I think you could
be right.  There’s been something going on between those two for ages. 
But like I said, it’s nothing to do with us, so just be patient.” 
His voice held an air of finality, that made Hermione begin ladling, while
smiling to herself that Bill had agreed with her in the end.
***
Harry stood in Mr Arnold Filch’s office.  Looking around him, he
smiled to notice how very similar it was to Mr Argus Filch’s office. 
Being the older of the two brothers, Arnold had obviously attained the
better (but equalismaismal) job of chief warden of Azkaban.
The door banged open and in stomped Filch senior.  He was dressed
in a very crusty set of brown robes, with knee-high brown leather boots,
which had a small hole in the right toe.  Professor Snape, looking
much the worse for wear, slowly trailed behind him.  His eyes were
hollow and downcast.  Filch didn’t seem to notice.  He was waving
his wand and conjured a small metal box, like a safety deposit box. 
He opened the lid.  “Come here, Snape.”
Snape took a halting step forward, until he reached the desk that Filch
had placed the box onsp; sp; “Your possessions,” Filch growled, pushing
the box across the desk.  “One wand, one leather belt, one pair of
dragon-hide boots, one shirt, white, one pair of trousers, black, and three
galleons, 5 sickles in change.  Is that correct?”
Snape nodded, wordlessly.  He still hadn’t noticed Harry’s presence.
“Sign here, Snape.”
A piece of parchment and a quill flew out of the end of Filch’s wand. 
Snape took up the quill, making Harry notice how thin and bony it was,
how transparent his skin had become.  He tried to remember if Snape
had always looked that way.  As he signed, his hand shook slightly.
“Severus Snape, you are free to go.”
“Thank you,” his voice was like a low growl, but thin.  His head
raised slightly, a frown came over his features.  “Should someone
be here to take me?”
Filch said nothing, but nodded sharply in Harry’s direction.  Snape’s
turned, and his eyes took a moment to focus on Harry’s form.  He frowned
again, in concentration, for just a split second, before his lips twitched
into a small smile that Harry was sure would be a smirk if Snape were in
his right state of mind.  “Potter.”
Harry forced a smile onto his face.  “Professor Snape.  How
are you feeling?”
Snape bli.&nb.  Harry felt indescribably stupid.  “Never better.”
“Right.  Sorry to break in on this touching reunion, but I have
a lot of work to be getting on with, if I could please have my office back.” 
Filch pushed the metal box into Snape’s hands, before shooing them out
of the office.
“Um…thank you,” Harry managed, before the door was shut in his face. 
“Lovely man!”  Harry said sarcastically, turning back to look at Snape.
The smile on his lips was no longer forced, as he watched Snape blink
his eyes against the bright autumn sunlight.  His face was upturned
and relaxed into a wide smile as he breathed in the sweet, fresh air of
freedom.  Harry was loathe to pull Snape from one of his brief moments
of happiness, but he really hated the oppressive grey walls that stood
behind them, and could feel the icy affect of the Dementors from where
he stood.  He stepped forward and placed a gentle hand on Snape’s
shoulder.
If anything, his smile widened at the touch.  He turned to face
Harry, and opened his eyes.  Although they didn’t glitter with repressed
anger or annoyance, the way they usually did, Harry was relieved to see
that Snape’s essence was definitely still in residence.
“I missed you.”  Harry had said the words without even thinking
about it.  He bit his lower lip, waiting for the scathing response.
“Thank you.”  That smile was getting unnerving.  He finally
turned away again and began walking away from the shadows of Azkaban.
Harry began to walk after him.  “I have a portkey with me,” he
said, “It’ll take us to my flat.  We can make arrangements to get
you back to Hogwarts or Wales from there.”
Snape stopped, and turned once again, frowning this time.  “Could
we not walk for a short while first?  As fun as I’m sure the surprise
party you have planned will be, I have spent the last two months surrounded
by noise.  I do not wish to go straight to another prison.”
Harry blinked.  “How did you know?”
“Because I know you, Potter, and the way your mind works.”
Harry sighed.  can can walk for a while, if you want.  I suppose
it wouldn’t hurt you to stretch your legs a bit.”
Snape nodded sharply, becoming more and more like himself every moment. 
“Indeed.”
They walked a short way in comfortable silence, standing beside each
other and keeping stride.  Every so often Snape would pause loo look
up at a tree, or at the sky, or to inspect a flower.  For an island
containing one of the most feared prisons in the wizarding world, the scenery
and wildlife in the surrounding area really was quite impressive. 
Peaceful, almost.
“So, what has the great Harry Potter been doing since his evil Potions
Master was jailed?” Snape asked at length.
“Well, first he drank himself into a mild stupor.  Then he treated
his hangover in the morning.  Then he pulled himself together from
his introspection, and did some actual work.  Then he partially made
up with his former best friend – don’t worry, he’s not at the party. 
Then he wrestled your book out of Hermione’s grip and, after a promise
that I would help her persuade you to let her visit your library, took
it back to your house.”  Harry very carefully left out the fact that
this was not the only book he had returned on that visit.  “Then he
arranged your surprise party, and now here he is.”
“How very interesting your life is, Potter.  Tell me, when
are your memoirs due to be published?”
Harry couldn’t help smiling at the sardonic comment.  “Bastard.”
Snape smirked.  “Drama queen.”
“Slimy git.”
“Unruly brat.”
“Poofter.”
Snape smirked.  “Guilty, as charged.”
Harry felt a flush raise over his cheeks and looked down at the floor. 
He cleared his throat, certain his voice would squeak if he didn’t. 
“You remember the day of the verdict – when I came to see you…”
“No.  The incident has completely left my memory.”  Snape
raised an eyebrow at Harry.  “Stupid boy, of course I remember.”
Harry gave a small smile, and picked af faf from a plant, slowly shredding
it to give his eyes something to focus on that wasn’t Snape’s expression. 
“Did you enjoy it?”
Snape stayed quiet for a long time, but Harry had promised to himself
that he wouldn’t look.  He stared fixedly at his hands.
“What do you want me to say?”
Harry frowned deeply.  “What do you mean?  I just wondered,
that’s all.”
Harry felt a finger lift his chin, raising his head to look into Snape’s
obsidian eyes.  Snape sighed heavily.  “Yes, I enjoyed kissing
you.  I enjoyed that you wanted to kiss me.  But, Harry…Thing
are,” he sighed again.  “Difficult.”
Harry felt like the thing he’d wanted most sine wae was seventeen was
slowly slipping away from him.  “I know…Because of you and Lucius,
and you have baggage and there’s been a lot of angst and bad stuff, and
I get that.  Believe me, I get that.  And I’m not asking for
any kind of commitment or anythin “Wh “Which is a bloody good job, too,” Snape said severely.  “I do
not do hearts and flowers.”
The thought of Snape doing anything remotely flowery made Harry smile. 
“Don’t worry.  I don’t think I do them, either.  I just…I’ve
always known that there’s a lot to you, and it’s interested me.  You
interest me.”  He reached up and cupped Snape’s cheek in his hand. 
“I’m not saying ‘let’s play house’, or even ‘let’s start dating’. 
I just want to…see how this pans out.  Do you think that could be
something you want, too?”
Severus smiled briefly, and turned his head to kiss Harry’s palm. 
“I think I want to stop talking and kiss you again.”
He leant forward, but Harry pulled away slightly.  “Is that a yes?”
Snape’s lips twitched, and he hovered inches from Harry.  He murmured
a soft “yes”, before pressing his lips against Harry’s and wrapping his
arms around the other man.
***
The room was dark and silent, but for the odd hoot of an owl, and the
muttered, “Someone shut that bloody bird up,” that came with it.
Someone was fiddling with the muggle lock, and eventually the door opened
with a clunk.
“Lumos!”
“SURPRISE!”
Snape raised an eyebrow in response to the grinning faces that beamed
at him from around the room.  “Quite.”
There were about twenty people in the room, from red-haired Weasleys,
to colleagues, to school friends (and foe), to students and ex-students. 
Above them all, a glittering green and silver banner floated, reading ‘Welcome
back, Professor Snape’.  He smirked at the fact that not a one of
them had thought to write his first name.
The group walked towards him, and began to enfold him.  They were
all speaking at once, and it made his head spin slightly.  He sighed,
and resigned himself to the horrifying fact that some of these people might
actually like him.
He noticed Harry slip off to one side, and begin muttering to Granger. 
He narrowed his eyes, guessing that the whole thing was their joint fault. 
He saw Granger nod to someone, and felt his arm pulled.  He looked
to the puller.  One of the Weasleys.  The tall one, with the
long hair.  The one that was shagging Granger.  He frowned, trying
to putame ame to the freckles.
The boy leant forward and whispered in his ear.  “If you come this
way, you can be surrounded by gifts rather than people.”
Snape smirked.  It was the one that had been Head Boy first – the
only one whose company he could stand.  “My hero,” he muttered back.
Snape attempted to reflect the right combination of contempt and disgust
to reflect the fact that these people had dared to be grateful he was returned
to them.
***
Five hours, twenty presents and several glasses of an excellent port
later, Harry and Severus were the last people left in Harry’s sitting room. 
Each was sat at either end of the sofa.  Harry had kicked his shoes
off and rested his feet in Snape’s lap.  Snape, for his part, showed
surprisingly little resistance (Harry had a feeling he had the port to
thank) and was now stroking Harry’s right foot idly.
“It wasn’t that bad, was it?”  Harry grinned at Snape lazily, and
twitched his foot as he ran his thumb over a ticklish spot.
“Not that bad?  I was forced to be nice!” Snape said with mock
indignation.  He purposely brushed his thumb over that spot again.
“Mmm.  Think they thought Azkaban had driven you nuts.”
Harry turned around, pulling his feet away from Severus’ teasing touches,
and lay his head in Snape’s lap.  Snape blinked, raising his eyebrows,
before giving in and running his fingers through Harry’s hair.
Harry smiled vaguely.  “It’s getting dark outside.”
Snape frowned down at the boy, who had obviously has far too much to
drink.  “Potter, it is half past eleven at night.  It got dark
outside a long time ago.”
Potter wrinkled his nose in a way that made him look like an Essex girl. 
“Oh, yeah.”  His face turned serious, and he raised those delicious
emerald eyes to Snape’s.  “Are you going to apparate back to Wales?”
Snape’s hand brushed the hair back from Harry’s forehead.  “Well…I
have heard that sometimes it is a good idea to begin with simple spells
after being through an experience as extreme as Azkaban.”
Harry nodded solemnly.  “And you are incredibly inebriated.”
Snape raised an eyebrow and smirked.  “I’m inebriated? 
You’re the one who can’t hold his drink!”
Harry gasped, clutching his chest dramatically.  “You slay me with
your insults.”
“Insufferable child.”
“Self-centred prat.”
“Intolerable pillock.”
Harry smirked.  “Sexy beast.”
Snape smiled, “Touché, Mr Potter.”  Snape kissed the boy
soundly, pulling him up to meet him half way.  Harry scrambled and
wriggled into a more comfortable position – that just happened to place
him in Snape’s lap. n’t n’t go.”  Harry said, as they pulled apart.
Snape nodded.  “Not until morning.  Then there is…a matter
I need to attend to.”
Harry rested his forehead against the older man’s.  “Do I want
to know?”
“I won’t lie to you.  It involves Lucius.  I need to…” For
what was possibly the first time ever, Snape was having difficulty finding
theht wht word.
Harry nodded, and pressed his lips to Snape.  “I understand what
you mean.  Don’t worry.  You need to kind of…make your peace.”
Snape nodded.  “In a manner of speaking.”
“But I have you for tonight?”  Harry tightened his arms around
Snape’s neck.
Snape didn’t answer.  He was too busy kissing Harry senseless.
***
AN:  I hope you're all suitably mushed into goo from
that!  That was to please all of those who were outed aed at the prospect
of there being no happy ending.  See?  I'm not as much of a sadistic
bitch as you think!  The next chapter will include Snape breaking
with Lucius and, believe it or not, Lucius breaking with Snape.  Confused? 
You will be!  Please review.  My pride and joy is nearly finished,
and I need to be pulled out of the depression that comes with the thought!