The Bond

This chapter is not corrected by my beta, so if there are mistakes feel free to tell me:-)


Chapter 4: Smile

Harry watched Severus calmly who was standing right in front of a healer, only dressed in boxers. She, the healer Mrs. Rose, was running Diagnosis spells over his body to ensure he was healthy. Every now and then she turned for a second and told Harry about the results.

He had thought about saying something about her complete ignorance of Severus after her first statement, but was distracted by the white lines running all over Severus body.

Scars. How much pain did Severus have to endure?

Gods.

What had this bastard Malfoy done? He let his eyes travel over Severus body again.

Through how much whippings did he have to go…and probably not just that…

His head snapped back to the healer as she began to talk to him again.
“He’s far too thin, Mr. Potter. As the responsive person, it should be your duty, to see that he eats on regular basis. And try to avoid a situation like yesterday. “

Harry nodded „ But I can take him home today, can’t I?”

“Yes. I’ve organized a portkey to your house. Just a precaution to avoid another situation that could cause stress. He will need to rest at least for two days. I have some healing potions prepared: He’ll need to take them two times a day.”

Harry nodded again and observed Severus behaviour. It didn’t seem to matter to him in the slightest that she was completely ignoring him.

Well, but to him it mattered..it was infuriating to see how she treated him.

“Why are you treating him like that?” he snapped at her. “From the legal point of view he may be under my supervision but he’s able to act independently, so treat him like a person and not just like a thing I own! Treat him like you treat every other person!”

He glared at her. She watched him with astonishment first not replying, but answered finally. “Very well, Mr.Potter.”

Then she turned back to Severus and started to explain the medication for the next days, while Severus eyes travelled from time to time back to Harry, insecurely.

After the examination Harry waited until the black haired man was dressed, took the portkey, a small cup, asked Severus to touch it, and activated it.

Seconds later they were standing right in front of Grimmauld Place 12.


Inside the house, Harry send Severus to the bathroom to have a shower and then instructed him to wait for him in his room. He recognised that it was much easier for the older man to react directly to orders than to make his own decisions.
He sighed.
For the time being he would hold to that treatment to not burden him any further, but in the in end Severus Snape would have to learn again how to make his own decisions.

After preparing lunch for Severus he headed upstairs, balancing a tray on his hands.


Severus looked around frantically. He recounted the things Harry asked of him, carefully trying to avoid mistakes.

He had taken a shower, cleaned the bathroom, changed clothes and deposited the sleeping-potion on the nightstand. Exactly the things his master wanted him to do.

As he heard footsteps coming from the stairs he laid on the rug rolling to a small ball, breathing heavily.

He heard the door creak open and closed his eyes. What kind of punishment would it be for yesterday’s actions?

Surely that had been the reason why Harry had sent him to his room. He had to wait for his punishment, he knew it. Such hints could not be ignored.

A shudder rippled through his body. It had been his fault that Harry had to interrupt his visit to Diagon Alley. He knew it. He pressed his legs to his upper body, hid his head between them and tried to lie in absolute stillness.

Then he heard clinking and footsteps on the other side of the room. Thanks to the large bed he was laying quite protected from his master sight. Not that it would help in the end….

„ Hey Severus?“ he heard him call. “ Where are you?

Fear paralyzed him, as he bit his lip to not give himself away. Blood trickled down his chin and into the carpet. He heard his master moving around the room, then a sharp breath and a loud and astonished „Oh!“

A hand touched his back but a he could do was whimper in fear and shut his eyelids tighter. Hopefully it would be over soon…Whatever his master considered to use on him….

„ Hey, you can use the bed, you know.” Harry’s voice said softly. He sat down behind the shaking man and grabbed him carefully under his armpits only to cause Severus to whimper louder. The older man started to shake when Harry lifted him onto the bed.

„ Gods Severus.“ He sighed, when he saw the blood tickling down his chin and the tears running down the cheeks of the pale face.

Harry pulled him closer with one hand while trying to get his wand out of his pocket with the other. Eventually he reached it and lifted the covers with a wave of his wand.

Cautionally he climbed, the shaking man still positioned in his arms under the soft covers. He began to stroke his back and started to murmur kind words of reassurance until the fear seemed to ease slowly and the tension began to fade of the other man’s body.

Then he spoke „ I made you lunch, Severus. It’s right here beside us, on the nightstand.” He caressed his cheek and recognized that the eyes of the black haired man were still shut tightly. “You just have to open your eyes to see it.”

He waited, started again to reassure him with words until finally Severus opened his eyes hesitantly, draw a raspy breath and looked at the nightstand as if to confirm himself that Harry had actually spoken the truth.

„ Well, you see, it’s not that difficult.“ Harry added, as he stroked the black head of hair softly, and then helped the older man to sit, lifting the tray into his lap. After that he placed the fork in his hand carefully and waited until Severus gripped it tightly.

“Please, eat something” he tried to encourage him and watched as the other man complied slowly, first whipping the tears of his face and drawing several raspy breaths.
Before he started he glanced at Harry questionaly.

Harry smiled and made a small gesture towards the meal.

And then….Severus smiled back…very frail and insecure…and so short that Harry wasn’t sure, if he had really seen it.

Eventually, the black haired man started to eat slowly. From time to time he turned to watch Harry intently as if he could decide every moment to change his mind and start to punish him endlessly…but as Harry remained still and relaxed, he finally focused on his meal completely.

Meanwhile Harry seemed to be lost in thought…he couldn’t believe what he had seen….the man had actually smiled…he had never seen Severus Snape smile…well a sarcastic or mean smile before the war, when he had been the teacher Harry hated the most…but never because he was thankful. Perhaps this was a good sign. Perhaps it was the first step to trust him.

Harry sighed inwardly. Severus looked so thin and fragile…and he was so different from the man he knew in school..the man he had hated until he saw the memories and with those memories the real Snape. But it was undeniable, he once so proud and independent man was gone. However, after that kind of torture it would have been a near miracle if he hadn’t changed.

After Severus had finished his meal, Harry handed him the vial with sleeping potion and waited until he had downed the blue liquid. He put the tray on the nightstand laid down on the bed and pulled Severus with him, who complied directly, lying stiffly in Harry’s arms. Huge black eyes looked up at him fearfully.

„ Do you remember what I told you, when you arrived in my house?" he asked softly.

„ You..you told me that I would be safe here..“ Severus answered quietly making it sound like a question.

„ Well, I really meant that.“ Harry said, hoping that someday the other man would really believe that and not just pretending to.

„ Safe“ Severus murmured and started to relax in Harry’s arms. Surprised Harry started to stroke his back gently, admiring the long black hair and the pale face. The sleeping potion seemed to be effective.
When he finally heard the regular breathing of the other man he left the room as quietly as he could.



Someone knocked at the door. Harry blinked and rubbed his face. What?? Again he heard the knock at the door. He seemed to have fallen asleep reading a book at the table. Stretching and yawning he got up and walked to the entrance of Grimmauld Place.

No wonder that he was tired. He nearly didn’t sleep all night because he had nightmares about Severus. He dreamt of a screaming black figure in Diagon Alley and was every time relieved when he woke up and saw Severus sleeping quite noisily in the bed next to him.
When he opened the door he could see the smiling face of a much exited looking Hermione, who was standing there with a lot of bags and boxes.

„ Hi Harry“ she said, pushing past him while all the stuff she brought floated behind her.

You’re looking tired.“ she remarked, drawing him into a firm embrace.

“Well, I didn’t sleep very much”, he held a hand in front of his mouth to stifle a yawn.
„ How is Professor Snape?“ she asked, interested.

„ I think much better. He’s sleeping now.“

After settling down in the sitting room on the big sofa and supplying both of them with a cup of tea, Harry and Hermione started to open the boxes.

„ I visited Professor Mc Gonagall in Hogwarts.” She stated. „ She gave me some things for the Professor and told me that his rooms are intact. Further she told me that he will be always welcomed back as a teacher.” she eyed Harry critically. “Although I think she made that statement without knowledge about his condition.

I brought some cloth for him as well as books from his private collection and some other private things which the house elves stored in the bags.”

„ Thanks a lot, Hermione.“ Harry managed to smile, hoping Severus would react positively to all of that. „ That makes it at least a bit easier for me. But I have to agree, ..it will take some time, until I even can talk with Severus about going back to Hogwarts as a teacher…He will need a lot of time.”

“I hope you are aware that you will have to work to refinance your life? Transferring Severus Snape to you lost you very much of your money….so that’s why I asked Professor Mc Gonagall about the DADA position..it’s still open and she would be glad if you would be the one who would fill in the post. If you’re interested just owl her.”

The smile on Harry’s face broadened. “ That’s great. I already thought about asking her. Regarding the amount of money that is left in my vault it would be wise to think about it.”

But his smile disappeared immediately when he saw how serious Hermione suddenly looked at him.

“ That can’t be it. Was is it Hermione? Is there something else?” he asked. “Yesterday you told me that you wanted to speak to me anyway?”

„ Harry“, she sighed. „ You know we read a lot about slave bonds before we rescued Professor Snape from Malfoy. But I fear there could be some problems.“

„ What kind of problems?“ he asked agitated. “ We read about the crucial things. I don’t think we forgot something.“

“Sure, but it’s not the slave bond I mean, Harry.
Speaking of the slave bond it is quite easy. He has to follow your instructions, you’re conceivabilities about how this has to work out. He will not be able to hurt you in any physical way. Officially you can do as you please. If you decide to hurt him no one could hinder you, seen to the fact that he is a convicted death eater. So the master decides how the slave has to life. You can do the worst to him, like Malfoy decided to do and seeing it the other way round you can theoretically give him all the freedom you want.”

She paused for a moment as Harry whispered the words theoretically with a question in his eyes.

“ Arthur Weasley warned me when a visited the Burrow together with Ron yesterday. He’s quite busy at the ministry at the moment, that’s why I’m speaking right now about the issue of yesterdays talk with you.”

„ The ministry“, Hermione cleared her throat, „ had a reason to give Professor Snape to Malfoy.. The hoped he would want revenge, hoped that he would treat him badly, act on the behalf of the ministry and punish him as they seemed to notice that Malfoy wasn’t Professor Snape's friend after the war anymore. As we can see now the ministry seemed to be right….and Malfoy tortured him in any way possible…”

„ That’s not logical. I mean, giving Severus to him. “ Harry argued. “Because Malfoy was a death eater too and should have got punishment for his actions. But with lots of money you seem to be able to reach everything.”

Hermione continued “The point is, they were not happy when they heard Malfoy transferred Professor Snape to you..and the problem is they don’t seem to be convinced that you will treat him like they expect you to. Which means they want him suffer for the things he did when he was a death eater, like killing Dumbledore…“ she trailed of obviously disturbed by the things she was telling him. Again she cleared her throat. “ They want you to treat him like a slave.” She finally managed to say, nearly choking on the words.

“Arthur suspects they could check on you. I mean check on you to see if you do treat him like they expect. Perhaps they make an appointment but you shouldn’t rely on that.”

Harry looked completely flabbergasted. Eventually he croaked „ And what happens if I don’t…I mean treat him like they expect? Because I promised…I promised to not hurt him, him to be save..and. Hermione he is a broken man. It’s already difficult now and how can he trust me when I tell him that. He will think I lied to him…and I just can’t treat him like…a slave!”

„ I know“ she said, smiling sadly. “ I know, but I fear if you don’t they have every right from the legal point of view to bring him to Askaban again or to find a place where he will be treated like the criminal they think him to be.”

„ That just can’t be happening.“ Harry declared still not able to believe it completely. „ I mean we just got him out of that hell and now..”

“You could try and talk to him Harry, you know. Explain the situation to him. He will understand. Just be a bit sensitive, perhaps wait until you've won his trust.”

He looked at her with disbelief. “Yeah, and what will I say? Sorry Severus, but I was just informed I was wrong. You’ll have to live here like you lived in the Malfoy estate.”

“Look, it’s not like you’ll have treat him that way every day. It could be game..you could fool the Ministry. Allow him a normal life at home and in public you will do what they expect of you. Play the perfect master and slave…“

„ And that from you Hermione…“ he said mockingly.

“ I’m not saying I like that, I’m just trying to find a solution.” She sounded annoyed.

“ I don’t want to be like Malfoy.” Harry said stubbornly crossing his arms over his chest.

“ Well, you won’t be. In fact you are just trying to keep a facade until I find new evidence for his innocence. There is still hope to free him Harry.”

“ I won't beat him or hurt him in any way.” He continued sitting still with his arms crossed. “ And I don’t want anyone sitting like a dog at my feed. No human being should be treated like that.”

She remained silent. After a while she sighed and whispered. “You know I agree with you in the fullest but sometimes there is no other way and you have to do things which you do not consider to be right. It is very important for Severus to stay here. And that’s why no one else should know how he’s living here….If they check on you will have to agree on their terms, the terms of the sentence. It is his only chance to stay here and remain safe.”

Harry nodded, defeated and avoided her gaze.

She sighed heavily and started again hesitantly. „ When you appeared in public during the last days with him, there wasn’t an opportunity for the people to recognize how good you’re treating him, right?”….


To be continued…..

thank you VeracityrulesUK for the two review...:-) glad you liked it.:-)

but really...where is the point of translating it, when there is no response?? So to all the other guys who are reading this: a review would be nice! Do you hate it? Do you like it? Shall I go on with translation?

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Chapter 5 will be puplished in about one week:-)