Everything Happens Everything Changes

Everything Happens, Everything Changes Chapter Three Ce que j'ai fais, ce soir la Snape ached. No, he throbbed. His hands came up to feel the bandages on his face, running his fingertips over his covered eyelids. He had no time to prepare himself for the attack, even though he knew it would be coming eventually. Before he even had time to blink they had hit him with almost every stunning spell in the book. After gorilla attacking him and transporting both of them to a safe place, they finally opened his bag to find the letters. Snape could only guess at the expressions on their faces as they realized what was going on. He could only guess mainly because one of the curses had struck him in the face, dangerously close to his right eye. Both corneas were damaged but would heal, thankfully. Unfortunately, it is such a sensitive area to work on with magic that it was best to let them heal the old fashioned way. They told him two to three days before his eyesight fully recovered. Snape tried not to laugh at his situation. He was currently strapped into a car's backseat, hands cuffed just in case, and blindfolds over his eyes. That and the fact that he had just described the whole situation as a gorilla attack in his head. Snape didn't know where this strange sense of humor was coming from, but he guessed he had been sedated somehow. Probably the water they gave him, it had a strange, sweet taste to it. He was feeling strangely euphoric. He was told that they were taking him to a safe house, they wouldn't tell him where just yet for security purposes. They still didn't quite trust him, and hoped their momentary truce with the supposed murderer of Dumbledore wasn't a mistake. Snape tried not to read into other peoples' thoughts without their permission. It was hard not to now use his occulmancy in his current situation though, it was all he had. Snape saw green meadows through their eyes and heard the gravel flatten underneath the car's tires. He had never been out to this part of the country, but seeing what his guards saw, he wished he had. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Harry sat in silence, staring out of his kitchen window. Not at the trees this time but rather the gravel road that led up to his house. Anytime now they would be arriving. Bringing with them someone Harry thought of as an enemy for a year now, and mistrusted much longer. Harry pitied Snape more than anything. His entire life had been controlled by Dumbledore, as well as others around him. It was as if Snape was nothing more than a pawn for everyone he was introduced to. Harry stopped himself mid thought though, the idea striking a nerve. Maybe the last thing Snape needed was pity. After all, Harry never wanted any of that which he had received from others. Their looks, their gentle touches. All of it seemed like an apology for what was happening, everyone had pitied him. Everyone but Snape. No Snape had never gone easy on him. There were no gentle touches or words once spoken between the two. There were gentle words written though, Snape's letters were far from vicious. Not that their undertone was sympathy, just that they stated the truth intermingled with all of Snape's private emotions toward the subject matter. Something Harry had to admit he didn't mind reading but didn't expect it at the same time. Harry was brought back to the present though as he heard the crunching of gravel outside. He saw a black car slowly driving down the path to his house. He took a deep breath before making his was to the front door. Harry stood awkwardly on front porch, his hands shaking a little as they held his cup. The car came to a stop in front of him. It took a moment before a man stepped out the front passenger door greeting Harry silently. The man stepped to the back door, obscuring Harry's line of sight as he opened it. Harry held his breath as a familiar figure was helped out of the back seat. Harry noted that Snape was oddly blindfolded and hand cuffed. He watched the scene silently as the man guided Snape up the front steps, telling him when to step up and when they had at last reached flat ground. Harry saw the irritation on Snape's features and understood the frustration at being incapable of figuring out things for yourself. The man left Snape's side only to hand Harry a sealed letter before climbing down off the porch and getting back into the car. Both men stood in silence as the car left, the only things that dared to make any noise were the birds in the trees. Snape frowned, confused by what must be happening. Harry turned away, facing out towards the trees, his eyes stinging with frustration. Harry sat his cup down before tearing open the seal of the envelope, his eyes spanning over the short letter in side. Harry's eyes widened in surprise at what he read. "...temporarily blinded...uninformed of current situation...Malfoy to join within a couple of days." Harry collected himself, trying not to curse the heavens for what his life had become. He officially felt like the ministries "Make it Better" man. Harry had things to take care of though, and he couldn't let past grievances get in the way. Turning back to face Snape, Harry closed the small space in between them. Snape jumped a little at the unexpected footsteps and at the hand that grabbed his arm gently. Harry silently guided Snape into his living room, placing the man against a couch before Snape took the cue to sit. Harry pulled the hand cuffs key out of the envelope, unlocking Snape's wrists. Snape rubbed his chaffed wrists before saying his first words to the stranger he had been left with. "Thank you. I don't know why those were put on me in the first place.” Snape sounded concerned about his current situation and the silence that received him. The words seemed to rush out of his mouth. Harry felt unnerved staring at this stranger in front of him. This wasn't Snape. This was someone else completely, someone who had either been broken after a year of hiding or was finally free to be who he was in the first place. "They gave me some drops for your eyes. You’re going to be safe here, don't worry." Harry said calmly, noting how Snape was trying to take in his surroundings without the help of his eyes. Snape turned his head, trying to recognize the voice but finding it futile. The only voice he had heard for over a year until recently had been Draco's. "Do you have any idea what happened to the other person I was with. He's just a boy, the last thing I saw was him lying in a hospital bed and then all of this happened. Do you have any idea what I'm talking about?" Snape asked, obviously concerned about Draco. "He'll be here once he's released from the hospital. He is going to stay here as well. He's fine, they didn't abuse a stunning curse on him. He was already unconscious when they found you two." Harry replied, trying not to give too much information about what he knew away to the older wizard. He wanted to keep things simple before he had to expose the truth. He didn't want Snape to know it was him, not just yet. “Would you like some tea?” Harry asked, changing the conversation. Snape silently nodded and tried to get as comfortable as possible on a stranger’s couch. Harry walked into the kitchen, steadying himself on the counter. Taking a deep breath he looked back into the living room to try to make sense of one of the strangest sights he had ever seen. Snape was trying to settle into his living room while tucking a strand of hair behind his ear. Of all things that could of happened this was the most unexpected. Deciding he had stared long enough, Harry got around to doing what he came in to do. After pouring Snape a cup he made his back into the living room. Harry stared at Snape’s hands as he handed the man a cup of tea. Snape's fingers shook as they wrapped around the warm glass and pulled the cup down to his lap. Snape flushed as if embarrassed. Harry sat across from the man, he wasn't sure what to do. They had exchanged very few words since Snape's arrival. Harry couldn’t tear his stare away from Snape’s hands as they held the cup steadily. A finger slowly reached out and paused over the tea's surface before dipping itself in, measuring the temperature. Harry looked away feeling guilty, realizing how awkward it must be to adapt to being blind in front of someone you think is a complete stranger. "If you like, I could you leave you here for a while to relax by yourself. I'd just be in the next room if you needed any..." Harry started before Snape could stop him. "No, please don't. Don't leave me here, by myself...", Snape trailed off, bowing his head in shame. Harry was taken back by his actions, unsure of what to say so instead continued to sit in silence. Snape slowly raised the cup to his lips, blowing over the top of the tea before taking a small sip. Harry noted all of the small changes of the man in front of him. His hair had grown longer, now held with a clasp behind his neck. It seemed fuller somehow, with streaks of dark brown caused from sunlight. He was still pale, but no longer deathly looking. Harry couldn’t help but wonder if his eyes were still that dark onyx behind the bandages. Snape sighed, searching for a place to sit his cup down. He quickly found the small table by him. Harry let the man discover the table on his own, but was willing to help with the bigger tasks ahead. Snape seemed to have filled out more as well. He was still thin, but seemed more physically fit than before. His clothes were the most obvious change. First of all, they were Muggle. Harry never thought he'd see the day. Snape wearing a simple black button down shirt with causal dress pants. At least he wasn't in jeans, that would have been too much. The sleeves of his shirt were rolled up, revealing a bandage on his left arm. "What happened to your arm?", Harry asked before realizing his own stupidity. The Dark Mark. Snape's right hand flew to cover the bandage as color fell from his face. Before Snape could talk though Harry apologized. "No, don't apologize. I didn't mean to react that way. I just hadn't put that much thought into for sometime now.", Snape replied, his fingers slowly loosening the bandages around his arm. Harry didn't want to look, afraid he would stare at it forever. The bandages peeled away exposing what looked like a large open sore at first. If you looked closer you could still see the fading Dark Mark. More like a faded tattoo now, it raised the surface of Snape's skin. Instead of black it was red, with blood. "I'm assuming this means the Dark Lord isn't coming back..." Snape muttered, "Do you by chance have any clean bandages I could put on this?" Snape looked away, his face turned towards his cup on the table. He waited for whatever the stranger sitting across from him might say. Harry sat up and walked upstairs to the bathroom, pulling out the necessary supplies from the mirror fronted cabinet before making his way back down stairs. Harry stopped at a picture frames at the bottom of the stair case. He looked into the picture of his parents, his own reflection shining back at him. His parents smiled at him as they held each other. Lily was playfully draped over James' back, her finger tangled in his hair. His glasses were askew as they laughed. Harry couldn't find the strength to smile back. It seemed these days he couldn't ever find it again. Harry turned away from the picture, apologizing silently. He made his way back to Snape, noting how blood had begun to pool in the crease of Snape's elbow. Harry cleaned the mark before wrapping the bandages around it. "It will never fully heal, you know?", Harry asked, looking up at Snape's face from his crouched position in front of him. Snape nodded silently, already guessing that was the situation. Harry couldn't stop himself as he ran his hand over Snape's arm, fingers tracing around the bandages. Snape shuddered, pulling his arm away from Harry's touch muttering something about it aching. Harry knew the real reason though. Just like how he hated when people traced the scar on his forehead. Harry sat back up, putting the comfortable distance between them once again. "Yes, Harry Potter killed him." Answering the earlier question Snape had put forward. "Four months ago actually. You didn't hear?" Snape shook his head, an odd smile pulling at the corner of his lips. "No, no one told me. I'm pretty sure everyone assumed I was with Voldemort. I was probably actually in a hotel room at the time sleeping. I can only guess it was then because that is when my arm felt like it burst into flames. By the time Draco turned the lights on smoke was coming out of the wound along with the first signs of the bleeding. We didn't know what to do next though, so we continued as we had been." Snape rolled his sleeve down over his arm, looking more at ease now. The wizard looked up to where he thought his host might be, biting his a lip before asking, "Now comes the embarrassing question. Where is your restroom?" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Harry straightened the sheets on the bed, making sure there was an equal amount of pillows on both sides. It had been a long time since anyone else had slept there. Harry stared at the made bed, a feeling of dread rising in his stomach. Was he really about to have to do this? Sharing a bed with Snape was the last thing he expected. Harry was going to sleep out on the couch but quickly realized after the bathroom incident the Snape hadn't quite adapted to the loss of his sight yet. Harry practically had to position Snape in front of the toilet before making his escape. Not before realizing however how flushed Snape's skin was to the touch, hot with embarrassment. It was evening now though and Harry had already cooked them a small dinner before preparing for bed. They had started early knowing it would take a few hours before everything was ready. Snape called to him from the restroom, his nerves clearly audible in his tone. Snape had insisted on taking a bath before going to bed, almost commanding Harry let him. "James." he called out, the name being what Harry had given him to call him by. Harry barely heard him, the man spoke so softly these days. Harry made his way across the bedroom to the adjoined bathroom. Snape stood in a robe against the sink. His fingers clutching tightly to the edge, his knuckles white. Harry made sure his footsteps had been loud enough to hear so he wouldn't have to greet his old potions teacher in this awkward situation. Snape's robe hung loosely on him, exposing his chest down to just below his rib cage. The hem of it fell to just below the man's knees showing his bare legs and feet. A Holiday Inn logo was still stitched across the chest, making Harry smile despite the situation. "Make a habit of stealing bath robes from Muggle hotels?" Harry asked playfully as he turned the taps of the bathtub on. Harry thought he might of actually heard a chuckle from Snape as he felt the water's temperature. "We would steal anything we could get our hands on when we had the chance to stay in a hotel." Snape answered, a smile tugging at his lips before his face went still in thought. "Where'd you sleep when you weren't in a hotel?" Harry turned to Snape as he put the plug into the tub to let it begin to fill. "Where ever we could. In our car, in a field, where ever we ended up usually. Sometimes in abandoned buildings, but those were tricky. There was usually someone who was already occupying those. It could have been worse, though." Snape answered truthfully, his stance relaxing a little. Harry placed a towel in Snape's hands before leaving the bathroom and closing the door behind him. Harry grabbed a book and stretched out on his bed, barely able to focus on the pages in front of him as he listened to Snape get ready in the bathroom. Listening for any of his soft calls or, worse case scenario, Snape slipping and falling. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Snape felt around the bathroom, placing the towel on top of the toilet bowel's seat cover before untying the robe around his waist. He slipped it off his shoulders, hanging it on the hook on the wall he had accidentally found earlier with his head. Trying not to let his frustration get the best of him, Snape followed the sound of running water until he felt the tub egde bump against his leg. A bath was just what he needed after all that had happened over the past few days. Snape sank into the water, mentally thanking the kind man who was watching over him. He reached for the bath knobs, turning the water off. Sinking back into the water Snape was excited for the first full sized bathtub he had seen in over a year. He slowly slid all the way into the water, careful not to let the bandages around his eyes get wet. Snape felt oddly comfortable in this place. Maybe it was finally resting after a year but he feared that he was beginning to form a false sense of security here with this man named James. Snape's thoughts wandered to Draco, wondering where he was. Hoping he was ok and was able to relax as much as he was. Without realizing it his hand began playing with the water over his stomach as his thoughts turned to his traveling companion and the year they had shared. Warm water lapped up over his chest before sliding back off, exposing his nipples to the cooler air. Snape frowned at himself as he felt a stirring in his groin. Yes, he definitely was too comfortable at the moment if he was actually getting hard in the bathtub at a stranger's house. Especially since said stranger was only a room away. He didn't know what it was about James but something continued lingering in the back of Snape's mind. He thought of James' smooth voice and his rough hands guiding him gently around the house. Snape wondered how the man's hands had become so rough. He obviously wasn't very old. Snape could only guess that the man was maybe 20. "Far too young" flashed through Snape's head. "And completely the wrong situation…”, quickly followed. "Draco was only 18..." Snape tried to hush his inner thoughts. Yes Draco was only 18, but things were different then. They only had each other to lean on, and both knew it wasn't the real thing. Snape knew things weren't serious with Draco; that as soon as this was over so would be their imitation of a relationship. They loved each other in many ways, just not that one. James on the other hand, wasn't Draco. Not that Snape felt in any way love towards the man, he just couldn't help but find him extremely attractive by his actions. It was an old habit of Snape's, trying to find ways to repay others for their kindness or actions towards him. Many times it had come to brief physical encounters. Over the past year it was what they both had relied on in certain situations. Not that either of them were proud of their actions. Snape mentally rolled his eyes, giving into what his body wanted to do. His hand traveled through the hot water, down his abdomen, to what had so patiently been waiting for his attention. He wrapped his hand around himself slowly, the sensation more than he expected now that his vision had been taken away. Instantly he felt his cock harden in his hand, his hips jutting a little at the feeling. Snape couldn't believe how his body was reacting already. He put it to the idea that loosing a sense heightens the rest. But he could barely believe the effect it was having on his libido. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Harry begun to get worried about Snape. He been in the bathroom at least a good 20 minutes and had barely made a sound. He put his book down as images of a drowned man in his tub began to flash through his head. Harry made it all the way to the bathroom door before realizing how ridiculous this all was. But still, he wanted to just peek and make sure everything was ok. Just one glance to make sure Snape's chest was still rising and falling with breaths. Harry's hand gripped the doorknob, turning it silently as he cracked the door open. Harry froze at what he saw. His guest was definitely still breathing.
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