Brother of All, With Generous Hand

Authors note: I will apologize for not getting this out sooner. It is a fortunate thing that I am a mother, because without my daughter I would die of boredom. Unfortunately, I have little time to write updates in a timely manner. Now, to the legal mumbo jumbo… I don’t own Harry Potter or his sexy little friends. If I did, there would certainly be trampolines and whipped cream involved in a chapter out of each book. Now that I have your attention, this is the point where I say…



On with the show.



Chapter 2 (In which Snape berates a small animal and Harry has a dream.)



Harry was well rested. For the first time in months, maybe even years, Harry had slept an entire night and had not dreamt. He had in the past taken potions to dissolve his dreams away and even wipe his memory of them clear, but this was the first night he slept with a clear mind that was not magically induced.



Harry stretched out the horrible little knots that were kinking up in his back and shoulders and looked around his bedroom. Despite his house colors, Harry chose a deep blue (which could probably be mistaken for black if caught at a glance) to accent his room. Everything else, which wasn’t cloth or artwork, was made out of a darkly stained oak.



Harry liked his room; it almost reminded him of a secluded cave. He liked his room so much that he had not left it for two weeks. He visited the other portions of his quarters, of course, in order to bathe and eat. Otherwise, Harry was a recluse, and he liked it.



“Potter, are you ever going to leave your quarters?” The voice thundered and shook Harry’s bed frame. It was possibly the voice of evil. It was possibly the voice of reason. All Harry knew for sure was that it was certainly the voice of Snape.



“No. No, I don’t believe I will.” Harry burrowed deeper under his covers. “It’s normally quite peaceful and quiet here.” Harry grunted and closed his eyes tightly against the light that was suddenly flooding his cave-like bedroom.



“It’s time to get up and out, Potter. No excuses. You were a lazy and unappreciative child, and you are no different as a man. I use the term loosely, of course.” The annoyance and displeasure dripped from the Slytherine’s voice.



Harry rolled over and bit his pillow in order to drown out the contemptuous reply that was forming on his tongue. He wanted to try to play nice when possible. He was Snape’s peer, after all. The thought made him laugh internally. For some reason the thought of being classified with the potions professor was extremely funny. “I believe me being ‘loosely’ a man means I can decide when it is time for me to come out of hiding.”



“Not when it means that I have been placed in charge of finding out whether you have expired or not.” Snape sounded almost disinterested in the conversation. “Come out of your burrow, little rabbit, or be smoked out. You get one warning. It is a courtesy I do not extend to most.”



“You are too kind.” Harry stated drolly. It was probably a good idea for Harry to see some sunlight, now that he considered it. He was pretty sure that if he looked in a mirror that he would be transparent to some degree. “Maybe I can see if there are any students come early to practice on the Quidditch court.” Harry said to no one in particular.



“That would be a good waste of time.” Snape’s voice bellowed.



Harry turned red, partly from anger and partly from embarrassment. “At first I considered it an invasion of my privacy that you entered my quarters in such a way, but now I am seeing it as voyeurism. You are a twisted snake, Severus. Leave my bedroom.”



There was no answer. Only the sound of a house elf tidying up in the study answered Harry. Once again the Gryffindor was left in solitude.



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Harry, once he walked out into the daylight, was bombarded by teachers from the different houses. Each teacher had pointers and tips to help him through the school year. Each teacher advised him that his hair was a little too long and he needed new robes. Harry took each comment in stride; he smiled and nodded every time he considered rolling his eyes. He felt more like an adult already.



Harry considered the teachers from the different houses; plump and short, tall and lean, brave and foolhardy, intelligent and introspective. All of the teachers had seemed to have a definite personality assigned to them. Harry was not tall or short. He wasn’t really lean and certainly not plump. Harry was never one to continually act as if he were brave or intelligent; his actions changed with the given situation, whatever it may be.



Harry imagined that no matter what changing events took place Professor McGonagall would always remain composed and thoughtful. Harry at any given moment felt as if he could explode and implode all at once; as talented as Harry was at magic or fighting… or surviving… he never did manage to develop a good poker face.



The day was bright and the grass was lush and soft. Harry walked around barefoot and smiled at the shift of the soft earth beneath his feet. He wore khakis, rolled up to his knees, and a short sleeve white tee-shirt. It was the type of day written about in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. The sounds of happy birds filled the summer air. Harry felt calm and ready to take on the school year.



His day was perfect… and then he spotted Snape. In a way, seeing Snape right at that moment actually made his day even better. Snape was scolding a bullfrog. Harry thought to call out at the odd couple, but bit his lower lip in order to stop himself. Why was Snape fussing at a bullfrog? Harry decided there was no better time than the present to become a better detective.



As Harry approached the potions professor from behind, he listened intently and tried to make out the lecture that Snape was so intently involved in.



“If you mix the root in last you throw off the entire potion.” Snape growled at the pathetic little creature. “You deserve this. Now, you show your true self as the pest I have known you to be.”



The little animal looked like it was sweating. Harry wasn’t sure whether it was sweating because of Snape’s looming form was terrifying it so, or because the sun had reached the highest point in the sky and was beating straight down on them all. Harry decided it was time to save the animal from certain doom. It was what he was good at.



“Professor Snape, why do you insist on scaring small animals and children so?” Harry strolled up to the potions master, his hands stuffed deep in his pockets and his fists clenched. He suddenly wished he had his wand in his hand.



Snape was noticeably tenser the moment he heard Harry’s voice. “No one invited you to interrupt this conversation, Potter.”



Harry looked at Snape like he had grown a third ear and maybe even a second nose. “I’m sorry, Snape, but I am almost certain that he invited me to interrupt your bellowing.” Harry pointed at the little green lump, which seemed to actually frown at the two teachers who hovered over it. “Who is it?” Harry was actually quite worried for the little… person, he assumed.



Snape bent down and swooped up the animal, while letting out a slight growl. “Professors assistant is what Dumbledore calls her. I call her an annoyance.” Snape hid the ‘girl’ in a pocket in his robe and sniffed. “I suppose it is good that you have left your quarters.” Snape hissed the word good and sneered.



Harry shrugged. “I suppose.” Harry looked down at his bare feet and then at the hems of Snape’s robe. “Why don’t you attempt a little more casual wear when the kids aren’t around?”



Snape appraised Potter and snarled as menacingly as he was capable. “The ‘kids’ have never left.” Snape patted his pocket lightly. “Isn’t that right my little frog princess?” The looming professor turned and headed back toward the school.



Harry was positive that the poor girl was Snape’s reluctant prisoner, but he knew of no way to save her off-hand. He hoped he would meet the child in her real form and apologize for his lack of gumption. The truth was that Harry was still thrown off every time Snape was within a good… mile of him.



Harry didn’t like to think about it very often, but he couldn’t deny that the Potions Professor was… an asshole. Harry sighed and shook his head. His thoughts would try to push past a specific place and suddenly his head was clouded with anger. Even if Harry felt anything other than derision for Snape, it was overcast by the contempt that bubble beneath the surface.



Harry looked at the sun, which was shining as brightly as ever. Harry lay down in the soft grass and closed his eyes. The wind blew across his face, and he drifted off to sleep.



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Harry opened his eyes and stared up at the moon. A long dangerous howl drifted through the air; it was far enough away that Harry did not worry. He sat up and looked around the graveyard where Cedric died. He was no longer sad, because the pain was no longer required. Harry had used the pain to spur him to kill the dark lord. It was over.



(You’re foolish to believe that it is ever over.) The voice was not really a voice so much as a projected thought.



Harry stood up, searched his surroundings, and realized that he was in a library. The headstones of the graveyard had not disappeared yet. Harry walked up to a shelf and pulled a book off of it. It was written in runes and hieroglyphics.



(Those are a part of my special collection. We can give them a try if you would like.)



Harry shook his head. Something felt wrong about… everything. It was like a puzzle piece too big for a hole. It didn’t fit.



(Just relax and clear your head. It will all make some sort of sense later.)



Harry felt like the ‘voice’ was right and wrong all at once. Harry put the book back and looked around the darkened cave. A very large bed was nestled in the back corner and tangled in the black sheets was a man. Harry was suddenly more scared than he had been in a long time.



(Don’t linger, Harry. Just do it. You’ll feel better for it.)



Harry didn’t walk toward the bed; he floated. As he reached the side of the bed, oversized curtains were pulled back and a blinding wave of light crashed in on him.



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Harry was awake once more and his face was burning. Damn. He has fallen asleep in the sun. Now he was sweating through his clothes and half of his body was white, while the other side was pink.



Harry promised himself that he would stop to analyze his dream later… when he was no longer blistering. Until then, he was going to see Miss Pomfrey about a salve that might spread his new ‘tan’ around.



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This is the point where my darling readers leave there thoughts and where I take a moment to recognize those who already have.



Tina109- Thank you, love. It means the world. Sorry it wasn’t updated sooner.



Jilliane- Ahh… sarcastic is what I do. Thank you. So you know, I am only able to act this way in writing, because I believe it is rude otherwise. Might as well have fun with it.



Dragonfyre and Dark Gothic- I certainly hope to keep this story going, as well. I want to see where it goes too. Hehe…



SuzieGeorge- Yes, funny is part of my charm. Ha! Sorry, I’m trying my hand at feigned arrogance.



Now, as for you Enslavement Thesis- Thank you for being so honest. The paragraphs running together and whatever else I missed, was me trying to figure out the new system on this site and me not having a beta. I am not British, but I must say that you have flattered me with saying my humour was witty and droll. (The ‘u’ in humor was intentional and meant for effect.) Thank you a million times.



I will attempt to update my story as soon as possible. Until then, well wishes to all.