Heat, Light and the Properties of Plants

Chapter 2 Consequences

"Consequences?" faltered Harry, staring at his former teacher.
Snape regarded Harry sombrely, and sighed. "Sit down, Potter," he said quietly. Harry obediently pulled up a chair and sat at the man's bedside. He was confused; had he saved Snape's life, or hadn't he? The man certainly didn't look very grateful.
"The Essences potion," began Snape, and winced. He closed his eyes for a moment, looking even paler than usual. "The Essences potion is a very ancient potion, seldom used" he paused again "and with good reason." He frowned. "In fact I'm amazed it worked, considering..."
"Considering what, Professor?" asked Harry stiffly.
"It relies not only on the ingredients themselves, but the, ah, intention? emotion? with which they are applied. For instance, what was in your mind when you added your blood to the potion? The struggle with the Dark Lord, perhaps?"
Harry frowned, thinking back. The recent fight with Voldemort had certainly been very fresh in his mind at the time, and...
"Those last few moments in his stronghold, when you took that killing curse meant for me," he finally answered.
"And your feelings towards me at the time?"
"Well, gratitude I suppose, and friendship...comradeship?"
"Yesss" hissed Snape. "I thought as much. There were three active ingredients, weren't there" His voice took on a singsong tone, almost an incantation:
"Blood from comradeship, giving strength
"Tears from pity, giving peace..." his voice trailed off. Harry looked up at him fearfully. Snape was very white, his dark eyes blazing at the younger man. There was an awful silence which Harry didn't dare break. Eventually Snape said slowly and with extreme difficulty, "Which brings us -" he stopped. Harry blushed again, he knew what was coming, he didn't want to meet the older man's black stare but found himself unable to look away.
"- which brings us...Mr Potter...to...the...THIRD ingredient."
Harry gulped. "What were you feeling for me, Mr Potter," Snape enquired acidly "when you er provided the third ingredient?"
Harry shut his eyes. "Lust" he whispered.
"Sorry, I didn't quite catch that?"
"Lust" mumbled Harry again, his face scarlet.
"You'll have to speak up, Mr Potter, I'm afraid I still can't hear you."
"LUST!!" screamed Harry, throwing his head back wildly, hating the man for goading him. Snape reached out and pulled the youth towards him, cradling Harry's head on his chest. "Oh, let's call it...*passion*, Mr Potter," he breathed silkily into the youth's ear "it sounds so much more...acceptable." Harry was trembling against him. Snape reached out his hand and stroked his long fingers slowly through the youths hair. "Harry." The man's voice was a deep murmur. "Tell me what happened. I'm not angry with you." His expression belied his words but Harry couldn't see his face. From his position half lying on Snape's chest, he could feel as well as hear the deep velvety rumble of the man's voice repeating:
"Blood from comradeship, giving strength
"Tears from pity, giving peace..." There was a silence. Snape kept mechanically stroking Harry's hair. Then he continued:
"And...'Seed from passion, giving life.' Is that how it was, Harry?"
"Yes," the young man whispered. "I'm not sure how it happened. I was exhausted from the fight and sitting up with you and I was so afraid we'd lost you." He took a deep breath. "Then, you seemed to be calmer after that last sip of potion, your face was all white but peaceful, younger, and you looked...beautiful." Snape's hand stilled on his head. "I had this sudden urge - I was so hard - I could barely get it out of my jeans in time." He was breathing hard, reliving the moment. "I came everywhere it was so strong I've never felt anything like it the orgasm was awesome, I - " he broke off as the man violently pushed him away.
"Spare me the sordid details," hissed Snape. "Did you intend it to go in the potion?"
"Er, not exactly," mumbled Harry wretchedly. "But it went everywhere, and your potion was standing on the bedside table..."
"How far away were you at the time?" enquired Snape interestedly. Then he hurriedly raised his long-fingered hand in a silencing gesture. "No, don't tell me, I can't imagine why I'd want to know. So some of your spunk went in my potion. What happened then?"
Harry took a deep breath. "Well, it changed colour again..."
Snape glared at him. "I'll assume you're talking about the potion; what colour did it go?"
"Erm, sort of purple - " Snape relaxed slightly, although a faintly puzzled look came over his face. " - then it hissed and fizzed" - Snape's mouth fell open in disbelief - "and then it cleared, it was completely transparent," Harry finished. Snape groaned and closed his eyes. "So dare I ask how you managed to get me to drink it?" he whispered finally.
"I kissed you," Harry said quietly. They stared at each other for a long moment. "I kissed you and you opened your mouth. I managed to get a few drops of potion in..." he stopped. Snape's expression was unreadable. "You don't remember any of this, do you?" Snape shook his head. "Well, you sat up, you took the glass and raised it to me as if you were giving a toast though you didn't say anything. Then you drank about half of it and handed me the glass. I don't know how, but I knew you wanted me to do the same. So I raised the glass to you and said something silly like 'to defeated enemies' and I drank the rest of it. It felt really weird. Then I must've fallen asleep, cuz the next thing I remember is Hermione shaking my arm and telling me to go and get some sleep. So I did."
* * * * * *
Hermione is in the library, in the shadowy depths of the Restricted section. She sits alone at a long oak table, a green-shaded reading lamp casting a pool of light over the large leather bound volume in front of her. There are no other lights; the high ceiling above her is hidden in shadow. She murmurs to herself as she carefully searches through the old parchment leaves of the book. Eventually she finds the potion she seeks but mutters in irritation: the description is written in ancient wizards'-Latin.
* * * * * *
"Sir," Harry said hesitantly, breaking a long silence. "You said something earlier - about consequences?"
"Ah yes," whispered Snape. "Consequences..."
* * * * * *
Hermione now has a pile of books in front of her, dictionaries and reference works as well as the Potions tome. Her quill scratches busily across a scrap of parchment as she translates. She has worked out the incantation which Snape already quoted to Harry:
'Blood from comradeship, giving strength
'Tears from pity, giving peace
'Seed from passion, giving life.'
"Oh dear," Hermione whispers, staring at the words. "Sanguis, lacrima cum sperma - of course." Then she continues to translate.
* * * * * *
Snape is frowning intensely at Harry. "There are some important things you should know about that potion you and Miss Granger so light-heartedly er *tossed-off* Mr Potter...."
* * * * * *
Hermione's quill moves more slowly now as she puzzles out the final sentence word by word, repeating the translation aloud: "And the most er most serious...consequence...of, no in the spheres of...brotherhood, erm movement? - no, emotions. In the spheres of brotherhood, emotions and sexuality, an unbreakable and lifelong...um, connexio? connexio?..."
* * * * * *
"Connection?" exclaimed Harry blankly. "What do you mean, connection? I can't be connected to you, I'm engaged to Ginny Weasley!"
"Well I think you'll find that won't happen now, Potter," sneered Snape.
"What do you mean," Harry cried hotly. "I'm going to marry Ginny and there's no way you're going to stop me."
"You just don't get it, do you," Snape snarled. "It's not ME who's going to stop you, it's your own unconsidered actions, you stupid, thoughtless - "
"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" shouted Harry. But Snape went on, shaking with fury "And how do you think I feel, bound for life to the son of that arrogant prick James Potter - "
"Don't you diss my Dad," Harry snapped. "And I might not have known what I was doing with that potion but at least it saved your life!"
Snape slumped exhausted back on the pillows, his eyes closed, a terrible look on his face. Slow tears began to leak from under his dark lashes and trickle down his wasted cheeks. "I'd rather I'd died," he whispered.
Harry stared at him, aghast, then let out a low moan. He jumped up, sending the chair crashing over. Snape's eyes flickered open, staring into the young man's brilliant green gaze. Harry's eyes were now swimming in tears too. He tried to speak, gave up, and ran for the door.
"Harry, wait" Snape said, or thought he said. "I didn't - "
The door slammed.
"-mean..." Snape muttered, staring bleakly at the closed door.
************************************************************************
Hermione got up from the library table and, hastily stuffing her notes and quill into her bag, ran to find Harry. "Poor Harry," she said under her breath. Then gasped as another thought struck her. "Poor Ginny!"
She hurried up the stairs to the hospital wing, but it was deserted save for Severus Snape, who appeared to have relapsed into a coma. Where was Harry? What had happened between them? Hermione stood in the doorway, torn. She wanted to look for Harry but felt she couldn't leave Snape, who looked wretchedly ill. As she hesitated she heard firm footsteps coming up the stairs and then the welcome voice of Professor McGonagall. "Miss Granger, I've managed to get a Healer to come down from St Mungo's to help nurse Professor Snape..." her voice tailed off as she saw Hermione's expression. "Why my dear, whatever is the matter?"
"Oh Professor," gasped Hermione. "That potion we used - oh it's awful - "
Professor McGonagall walked over to the bed. Hermione was surprised to see Snape open his eyes again. "Hello Minerva" he said weakly. "Severus," said McGonagall "Good to have you back with us." "Is it." he grimaced, and closed his eyes. A moment later a matronly witch bustled into the room. "Is this the patient?" she asked cheerily. "Yes," replied Professor McGonagall. "I'll just tell you what needs to be done, then I must have a word with Miss Granger here." She turned to Hermione. "Go and wait in my office, my dear, I'll be with you in half an hour."
"But - I've got to tell you about -"
"Later, dear," said the headmistress. And when Hermione tried to protest, she made a slight silencing gesture nodding towards the Healer who was now bending over the bed, mouthing "Not here, Hermione."
**************************************************************************
Hermione and Professor McGonagall sat by the fire in the headmistress's study. The professor had insisted on serving the girl with cocoa and chocolate biscuits before listening to her story.
"So you see," finished Hermione "we were really pleased when Professor Snape came round, but when we told him we'd used the Essences potion -"
"The Essences potion?" exclaimed Professor McGonagall in surprise, raising her eyebrows. "Which variant?"
"Err, 'Sanguis, lacrima cum sperma'" confessed Hermione. The professor gasped, then laughed. "Oh dear!" she said. "Poor Severus."
"Poor *Severus*?" exclaimed Hermione indignantly."What about Harry and Ginny?"
"Well yes that does complicate matters," said Professor McGonagall, "but what you have to understand, Hermione, is that the Essences potion, especially that particular version of it, will not work, cannot work, unless - at some level, however deeply buried, however denied by the parties concerned - they both, er, desire it." She smiled at the thunderstruck expression on the girl's face. "I know, with those two it does seem unlikely. But the reason I feel sorrier for Severus..." She sighed.
"He's had a very troubled life, tormented even and he can't seem to get past his hatred of James Potter. It doesn't help that Harry looks so much like his father."
"Yes," said Hermione doubtfully. "But, Professor, Harry really hates Snape. He still blames him for Sirius's death, and as for Professor Dumbledore..."
"Yes, I know. But Albus wanted that you know, to save Draco Malfoy from becoming a killer. And Albus left a sworn statement exonerating Snape, which is the only thing that's kept him out of Azkaban so far. Mind you, there are certain members of the Ministry of Magic who'd still like to put him away. I promised Albus I'd keep Severus safe here at Hogwarts" and she glanced up at the former headmaster's portrait. Dumbledore smiled encouragingly down at her, and gave Hermione a conspiratorial wink.
"All the same," Professor McGonagall continued, "I think it was too much for him to ask of Severus. Albus was the one good influence in his life who was strong enough to keep him with us. Severus was distraught at having to do it. After Albus's death it was hit and miss whose side Severus would finally choose. And when he leaped between Voldemort and Harry, in the end I think it was as much that he wanted to die as to protect Harry Potter."
"Still," she added briskly, "there may be hope for him now if Harry can come to terms with what's happened."
But Harry was far from coming to terms with anything. Astride his beloved Firebolt, hurt and confused, he was swooping through the night on his way to The Burrow and the Weasleys.

TBC >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Many thanks to all of you who've read and rated Chapter 1. Even more thanks to the few who left reviews (only 3 so far...hmmmm) Keep 'em coming, folks!