A Menagerie

A Menagerie

Disclaimer:
HP franchise is owned by J.K. Rowling and associated companies. Written purely for nonprofit.

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Severus decided house elf portkeys were better then wizard made portkeys. For one thing the trip was less disorienting; he wasn`t spun about like he was on some merry go round gone seriously wrong, and he was able to keep his balance with ease as it set him down at his destination.

It seemed that destination was some sort of tropical forest. Surrounding him were plenty of creeping vines, massive trees whose broad leaves formed the impressive canopy above, and several dozen different brightly coloured (and no doubt highly poisonous) flowers could be seen.

``Get down!``

All of a sudden, Severus was bowled over by what felt like a very heavy sack of bricks.
He opened his eyes only to stare into the intense indigo eyes of a enormous black panther, and judging on the eyes and build, it was of a rare and highly dangerous magical breed and not really a panther at all. He lay very still.

Over the sound of the dangerous predators growling, Severus heard a voice. Male, and young too, judging by the timbre and pitch. Whoever he was, the stranger spoke softly, in almost a whisper.
When he managed to catch the whisper was saying, it almost seemed he was talking to himself, but then Severus realized, the soft spoken stranger was speaking to the CAT, and the creature answering back.

“Sasha, get off him….No, I don’t care if he is an intruder and smells weird….You are hurting him….Of course I won’t let him get away…. if he tries to run you can sit on him again, happy?....Fine. Now get off him,” came the sound of a distinctly male voice.

English, but with a noticeable Australian accent.

The giant cat who he assumed was Sasha, hefted her considerable girth off Severus’ body, allowing him to get a good look at her companion.


Lily had given all her friends, including Severus, a picture of baby harry just before they went into hiding, when her son was about a year old. At the time, he had looked so much like his father with his dimples, messy black hair and baby fat.

The boy standing over him was no longer a clone of James Potter, but rather a well balanced blend of both Lily, and James.

Any traces of baby fat were gone. In fact, there was not an ounce of extra fat on his petite frame; in its place were lean muscles and heavily tanned skin, suggesting to Severus that he spent a great deal of his time outside.

He had Lily`s green eyes, nose and slightly rounded chin, but James cheekbones, shoulders and black hair, though instead of short, wind swept, and perpetually unruly, it was impossibly long, or would be, if taken out of the carefully braided and complex arrangement that kept it from dragging on the forest floor and out of his eyes.

He wore a plain brown sleeveless shirt over kaki shorts; his small feet garbed in a pair of thin dragon hide sandals. The ensemble looked worn, but well made and of obviously high quality materials. Around his neck was a large, highly polished, clear gem suspended on a sturdy piece of leather string. His wrists were each adorned with a plain leather wrist band that laced up the side.

Surprisingly, his attention strayed to the famous lightning bolt scar adorned on his forehead after taking in the-boy-who-lived `s unusual appearance, as well, Severus could see the leather wrapped hilt of some sort of blade strapped to his back.
But the strangest thing about the boy was the two furry black tails, trailing behind him.

“Who are you?” the boy asked shyly in his whispery voice.

“I am Professor Severus Snape. Are you Harry Potter?” Severus asked to confirm what he already knew.

“I’m Harry.” He replied.

After confirming this was in fact, the boy he had come to in search for, he decided to hold off the rapid fire questioning until later, in a more private, and comfortable setting than in the middle of a unknown forest.

“ I have been sent to give you your Hogwarts letter and take you to get your school supplies for the upcoming year. You do know about Hogwarts, am I correct?`

`` Why don’t you come with me up to the house and we can have some tea. You can tell me all about this….school…and how you managed to get here.”

“I could use a cup of tea right about now. Perhaps you will explain some things while we talk, Potter.” Severus said with a raise of his eyebrow.

“Harry.”

“Pardon?”

“I’m Harry, remember? Not ‘Potter’.” Harry said.

“All Hogwarts teachers call all their students by their surnames.” Severus replied as if he shouldn’t have to explain to someone so beneath himself.

“But I’m not a student.” He pointed out.

“Fine, Harry. Now, where is your home? We are in the middle of a forest.”

“Oh, far away from here. But don’t worry, I’ll call an elf to take us. Fynn?”

The elf appeared with a small crack. “What can I do for you Harry?” the little elf asked politely.

“Can you please take us to the house by the reef. We have a human guest.”

“A human? I see. I trust you have everything under control then?”

“I’ll have Sasha with me, and Em is at the house.``

``If you require assistance…``

``Don`t worry, I will handle this. Nothing is going to happen on my watch.`` Harry reassured.

The elf gave a sharp nod and with a soft 'crack', the four figures disappeared, and reappeared on a white sand beach hugging the shoreline.

Severus felt a gentle tugging on his sleeve.

It was the elf, silently bidding him to follow.

Behind them was a small house, surrounded by thick forest. The house had many large, wide windows, and boasted a small greenhouse attached to its side. A spacious deck was snugly wrapped around the strange ensemble.

“Thanks for taking us Fynn. I was supposed to look in on Ophelia today. Can you tell her what has happened, and let her know we are not to be disturbed unless it is urgent?”

"I will deliver your message to her myself. If what we are waiting for happens, i will come and get you.” Fynn replied before he gave a short bow and 'cracked' away.

“Would you like to come in? There is tea, and i think Minky left a snack out if you like.”

“Thank you, tea is just fine” Severus replied.

He had expected a massive, stuffy, red and gold monstrosity with a homage to Godric Gryffindor and at least a quidditch pitch with the latest broom designs, with the potter brat waited on hand and foot by hordes of house elves.

There was not a house elf to be seen.

The modest property gave off a warm, cared for feeling. The outside was tiled in Grey slate with a rich Terra-cotta grout.

The garden was weed free, healthy, and impressive for its small size. The inside was painted in cool earth tones and accented in fresh greens and creamy beiges. The main room was of a open concept design; the kitchen with the sliding door to the deck at the end, the living room/ library taking up the rest of the main area.

Most of the available wall space was taken up by shelves, filled with books on every available subject both magical and muggle; several were hand written journals, the majority looking quite old, while a few looked significantly newer, perhaps even written by the potter boy himself?

Tucked into small spaces unclaimed by books were many carvings, most depicting rare and exotic plants and animals, made from numerous different types of wood, bone, and minerals. Potted plants hung from the ceiling, basking in the suns rays filtering in through the sky lights.

“Do you like it?” Harry asked.

“Its certainly...not what i was expecting.” Severus replied.

“It was my mothers house. She designed it all. This was meant for her when she needed to relax and just be herself. The journals on the shelf are all hers too. Her notes on spells and potions she created are in there, as well as her diary detailing her life.

You were her friend.”

It was a statement, not a question.

Severus absently cleared his throat. “I was.”

“I'm sorry for the way you were treated by my father and his friends.

From what have read about him, James Potter was a spoiled, arrogant show off who thought his pranks were harmless, strongly needed a taste of his own medicine, and came off looking rather silly most of the time.”

Silence.

“Why?--”

"Did i say that?... Because i could tell you were thinking that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

I think you came here expecting a James Potter in miniature, complete with arrogant smirk and a 'snivelleus' on the tongue.

In truth, the only substantial things i have inherited from him are my looks, talent for flying and the potter legacy passed down to every potter heir.

Not that i don't love my father dearly for his love and sacrifice, but he was a bully. The two things i can't stand in this world are bullies and manipulators.

I am saying this all because i want to let the past be past. I want to be friends with you , and i couldn't let any more time go by without getting that off my chest.


So, will you be my friend Severus Snape?”

Severus was at a complete loss as to what to say. Everything he had encountered so far had defied all of his expectations.

But he never thought in a million years the brat-who-lived would apologize for his fathers behavior towards him, Snivelleus Snape, geek extraordinaire, or that Harry would hold such a objective point of view, or seem so mature for his age. With that in mind, he made his decision.

“Yes, Harry. I will be your friend.”

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A/N:
More explanation to follow in the next chapter, don't worry.

Thank you all for your votes. I won't tell you who won just yet, but if you didn't get a chance to vote, my decision may be swayed yet.

To all those who reviewed, thank you so much, i love getting reviews, even though i don't ask for them. If you find any spelling/grammatical errors or have any ideas that you think would be great for 'A Menagerie' or any of my other fan fiction stories let me know, i'd be glad to hear some fresh perspective.

Also i am working on two new plot bunnies at the moment, so hopefully the first chapters for 'Harry's a Fairy' and ' A Dream of Beauty and Secrets ' will be up shortly.

Bye for now.

;:Fairytopian:;