Bonds of Affection

The following morning, Severus woke up with a self-satisfied smile on his lips The last evening was just... dreamlike. Not many things amused the former Death Eater, but to tie an obstinate, undisciplined, lacking self-control, begging and whimpering Harry Potter to the bed – and just abandon him there, would definitely fit the bill. Severus had to admit, that was ... wonderful. And this form of cruelty was entirely guilt-free. It\'s not like he\'d caned the brat...



Severus got dressed, and groomed himself, ensuring that no wrinkle on his clothing, and no single hair out of order would betray his distracted state of mind. When he was satisfied with his appearance, he exited the bedroom.....



... to come face-to-face with Harry, fully dressed, free of restraints, arms crossed on his chest, and a smirk on his lips that looked intolerably complacent.



“Good morning, Sir,” Harry said smugly.



“I see you\'ve escaped,” Severus said coolly, not allowing his face to betray the utter shock at the sight. “How nice for you.”



“I know,” Harry said, not a small note of self-congratulation in his voice. “Care for some breakfast, Sir?”



“Yes,” Severus said simply.



In the dining room, Severus sat at the table, and permitted Harry to serve him breakfast. He did, brining out tea, fruit, and freshly baked raisin bread. Apparently, Harry had been awake long enough to have gone out shopping to Diagon Alley. They ate quietly, with Severus remaining absolutely silent.



“Well?” Harry demanded finally. “Aren\'t you going to ask me how I escaped?”



“No, I am sure your need to brag will save me the trouble of having to inquire,” Severus said dryly.



Harry shot him a quick playful glance. “Admit it, you are impressed,” he insisted with a smile.



Severus was in no mood to admit such a thing. “Hardly,” he drawled contemptuously. “You are a ... bad slave.”



Harry snorted disrespectfully, and proceeded to drink his tea in stoic silence. A few times he opened his mouth to say something, but then shut it defiantly, without uttering a single word. Finally, Severus took pity on him.



“Fine. Go ahead. Tell me about your miraculous escape,” Severus offered generously.



Harry beamed. “Well – I used the wand... Just the basic Relashio spell. You know, there\'s a way to use the wand without touching it, right?”



“Naturally,” Severus said impatiently. “However, it requires a great deal of focus and self-discipline...”



The smug grin on Harry\'s face grew wider. “I\'ve known how to do that for over six months now. I started by practicing doing a Lumos spell, without touching the wand... then, progressed to other spells.”



Severus rewarded him with a raised eyebrow. “Just out of curiosity, what motivated you to acquire this skill?”



Harry\'s smiled faded a bit. “This year... training Dumbledore\'s Army... I thought it would be a useful ability to have in battle,” he said. “Now, we can all do it.”



“I see,” Severus mused, and then, his curiosity got better of him. “What other things did you teach?”



“Protego, Patronus charm, disarming and stunning spells... then, this – and, also how to use spells without saying the words out loud...”



Snape could not suppress a look of surprise. “That\'s typically not taught until the final year, at Hogwarts...”



“I know,” Harry agreed. “We\'ve been reading ahead. Hermione helped teach too – she knows a lot of really obscure spells. Like the Undetectable Extension Charm... that\'s neat.”



Severus looked at him, amused. “You think so?”



“Yes,” Harry said, a little defensively. “Properly applied, it can be really helpful. Theoretically, there is no limit to how much stuff you can cram into a small space with that charm.”



Severus could not suppress a smirk. “Mr. Potter – I have never heard anyone make a simple charm sound so... utterly... dirty.”



Harry blushed profusely. “That\'s not what I meant!” he protested. “I mean – ... you\'ve seen Hermione bring dozens of huge reference volumes to class, right? How did you figure she does it?”



“I always presumed, some abominable Dark Magic,” Severus said humorlessly. “I see, I was not too far off.”



Harry snickered a bit, but then an awkward silence ensued – apparently neither of them did not know what else to say. Finally, Harry spoke up to break the silence:



“By the way,” he said quietly. “I never thanked you... for ... you know. Not giving Umbridge Veritaserum to question me. That could have gone badly.”



Severus winced a little. “It did go badly,” he reminded him. “She nearly Crucioed you. And...”



Harry lowered his eyes and looked at the faded scar from Blood Quill on his left hand. He shrugged a little. “At least she didn\'t get any information out of me,” he said quietly. “If you hadn\'t helped, she would have.”



Severus eyed him thoughtfully. “I can brew an ointment that will remove the scar completely,” he said.



Harry nodded with a smile. “I\'d like that. Once the war is over.”



Severus did not argue. Harry was still smiling, but Severus sensed a question coming up.



“Are you going to punish me? For escaping?” Harry asked.



“Why did you?”



Harry shrugged. “I was angry... then annoyed... then bored... but ultimately, I just didn\'t like being helpless like that, without anyone being around. Didn\'t seem... safe. I mean, all playing around aside, we are still at war. Should there be an attack for some reason, I would rather not meet it inescapably chained and butt-naked...”



“Ah,” Severus said evenly. “Then you should be pleased to know that the spell on your room would have released your restraints in case of a natural emergency, intruder alert, or danger to your person.”



Harry blushed slightly. “Oh,” he said weakly. “Sorry.”



“No matter,” Severus said impassively. “There is always the next time. But, to answer your question, no, I am not going to punish you for escaping.”



Harry grinned a bit. “Thanks.”



“I am, however, going to discipline you for leaving the Manor without advising me,” Severus said evenly. “This morning – did you go to Diagon Alley? To shop for breakfast?”



Harry nodded with a sigh. “Damn it,” he muttered.



Severus was eying him thoughtfully. “Is it so difficult to follow that simple rule?” he asked. “Why? Do you think it\'s unfair? Overbearing? Undignified?”



“No,” Harry whispered. “The rule is fine. I\'m just not used to this.”



“What?” Severus asked sternly. “Discipline? Self-control?”



“I\'m not used to thinking someone who sets the rules might care,” Harry said reluctantly. “It\'s not something that occurs to me automatically, you know?”



Severus gazed at him thoughtfully. Harry was far from spoiled, and used to pain, in one form or another, even if he still dreaded it. Just as Severus had guessed, Harry\'s routine disobedience stemmed from not believing that an authority figure would care for him on a personal level. Albus cared for Harry deeply, but he was not someone who ever set boundaries for him. Harry\'s family obviously did set rules, but without warmth or caring.



Severus realized that he could cane Harry daily, and it would not change his behavior. In fact, any punishment or disciplinary measure that created a distance between Harry and his disciplinarian, would likely result in reinforcing the attachment disorder that his upbringing had created.



Harry was staring at him expectantly. Severus smiled thinly. “Detention, Mr. Potter.”