The Ties That Bind

Harry had joined the staff at Hogwarts five years ago after the war had ended. It was at that time a Defense Against the Dark Arts position had opened, and the newly appointed headmaster, Severus Snape, sought him out specifically for the position.

It was still hard for Harry to come to face the reality that Snape truly had been a double agent for the Order. It was Snape who had killed Dumbledore, but what was not understood at the time was that Snape and Dumbledore choreographed the whole dramatic event. Snape was not the Death Eater that Harry had believed him to be, he was Dumbledore‘s man through and through.

It was now common knowledge that the potions master was instrumental in the capture and death of Voldemort. Snape was personally responsible for the chain reaction of events that lured the Dark Lord into a trap. It was this very trap where Harry was able to kill Voldemort.

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“It was my hope upon hiring Mr. Malfoy that after ten years you two would be able to put your petty squabbling behind. To hear you bickering about the quality of your meal is giving me an insufferable headache.”

Both young professors looked down at their plate as if being chastised by a parent. It was not their father who had given them a lecture, it was their headmaster and boss Severus Snape.

“My apologies Professor,” humbly stated Professor Potter.

“Sorry Sir,” Professor Malfoy grinned, realizing the humor of the situation. It was the first time in over a week that Malfoy had smiled. For a moment he felt normal. He felt as if he were a young wizard again getting caught pulling a prank. This lightheartedness lasted only momentarily, however. When he caught himself actually enjoying himself, he instantly felt guilt grab a hold of him and drag him back to reality. How could he be laughing. His mother had only been lowered into her grave just days before.

Harry looked over at Malfoy. The blond’s overgrown bangs were obscuring his eyes. Malfoy’s face also needed to be shaven, Harry couldn’t remember the last time Malfoy had allowed himself to appear so un-kept.

Harry could see Malfoy’s face change from mischievous, to being weighed with burden. It’s OK, Harry wanted to say to Malfoy. Your mother would want you to live, not just slug through life! He wanted to scream to Malfoy Live! Laugh! Love! But Harry remembered all too clearly what the loss of one’s closest family member and confidant could do to a person’s drive. It was at that moment that Harry made it his personal mission to save the first year professor from taking a journey down a dark and lonely path.

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After aimlessly wandering the grounds of Hogwarts, Malfoy ended up in front of the headmaster’s office. “Bloody Git,” he barked, and the staircase allowed him access. What a Snape password, thought Malfoy.

Malfoy noticed that Snape was at the far end of his office, extracting a silvery, threadlike object from his head and stirred it into a big bowl. Malfoy instantly stopped where he was and watched Snape with mild curiosity. Being so engrossed in removing a memory with his wand, Snape had not heard the professor enter the room. Snape then plunged his head into the bowl. Malfoy was completely at a loss as to what Headmaster Snape was doing. In typical Malfoy style, he strode over alongside the headmaster, and plunged his head into the bowl as well.

Once Malfoy landed, he noticed he was in potions classroom. But it was not how he had cleaned and reorganized it the other week, it looked like it did ten - fifteen years ago. What was going on here? He scanned the classroom quickly, then noticed movement in the corner. “Hey, Hey you over there,” he called out. But the figures in black did not turn around. Outraged that whoever was in that corner did not have the respect to turn around, he began to stride over to what he now could tell were two bodies. Five long strides across the classroom and he suddenly came to a halt. Oh my God! In shock and horror, he saw a much younger version of himself with his head in the lap of a then pantsless Professor Snape.

“Enjoying the Show?” sneered Headmaster Snape as he stood next to Malfoy.