Caregivers

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Caregivers Chapter 4

Severus was pleasantly surprised that his cell was a bedroom when he got home from the group session. The room was dark but far from dreary. Dark wood paneling covered the walls and heavy embroidered drapes framing the enlarged windows. He now had a plush bed with nice linens and an end table with a lamp so he could read once it got dark. On one wall was an extensive bookshelf that was filled with Muggle and Wizard fictions. Severus quickly surveyed the books, looking for Merlin’s tome that Harry had let him read the day before. He sighed heavily when he saw it wasn’t there.

Checking the closet, he was more than pleased to find five black, high-collared robes, one very nice dress robe and an extremely expensive dragon hide apron used in making potions. He ran his long fingers across the finely made apron, ignoring the soft dark maroon colored dress robes. Oh, how he missed his potions! They were his reason for waking in the morning. He knew he was a great spy and a fair teacher, but his passion, the one thing that gave him his greatest joy, was working in his lab. There, he could be who he truly was: a thoughtful, intelligent person who didn’t care what happened in the world around him. He would give a lot if he could have that back again. He shook his head sadly. He wasn’t about to ask Potter if he could do some basic potions in the kitchen. He would not oblige himself to the boy.

“Like the clothes?” Harry asked. He was casually leaning against the doorframe, his legs crossed at the ankle and his arms loosely folded over one another.

“Since I have no place to go, I don’t see the need for them,” Severus said, closing his closet door and sitting at the end of his bed, his back as straight as a board.

“Well that’s not quite true, if you agree to my terms…” Harry began before Severus interrupted.

“Your terms…it’s always your terms. When do I have a say in my life? When can I take a breath of air without thinking I have to ask you for permission?” Severus ranted.

“God, Severus would you just shut up and listen to what I have to say? If you don’t like it, you can rant away afterwards and I’ll just stand here and listen. Okay?”

Severus saw this as a win-win situation but he couldn’t give up to easily. After a long drawn out pause he looked Harry in the eyes. “Agreed.”

“In my study the fireplace’s floo system is linked to a Grand Potion Master living in Sweden…”

Severus eyes grew large with excitement, his mouth was dry and he could barely choke out the word, “Who?”

“His name,” Harry pulled out a little notebook and read the name off of the top sheet of paper. “Let’s see…Grand Master Lindquist. Have you heard of him? I’ve heard he the best…after you that is,” Harry tried to placate Severus.


“I am but a babe in arms compared to the Grand Master,” Severus spoke in awe.

“Well,” Harry was please to see Severus so animated, “you are to be his apprentice.”

“For how long?” Severus asked.

He had tried years before to contact Gustav Lindquist to ask him if he would take him on as assistant, but was turned down without cause. The man was a legend, and only one day under his tutelage would have been a blessing. Being accepted as his apprentice was unheard of.”

“When I talked to him earlier about you…”

“You talked to him about me? He knew who I was?” Severus was in shock.

“Yes, he’s quite impressed with the resume that I had sent him,” Harry smiled.

“You sent him my resume?”

“Severus, please calm down and let me finish. I’m glad to see such a reaction but I must give you all the details before you can make an educated decision,” Harry said.

“Ah, the price I’ll have to pay. What is it, scrubbing toilets? Mopping the floor?” Severus with a disgruntled tone.

“Nothing so dramatic. I wish only for you to join me in a swim every morning for an hour before you leave,” Harry informed Severus. “Monday through Friday, you will rise at six a.m., swim, have breakfast, leave for Sweden at eight a.m. and return at five p.m. when you join me for dinner. After which you can do as you would like.”

The back of Severus’s neck bristled. He wanted the apprenticeship so bad he could taste it, but the taste was bitter since he had to do his Master’s bidding. He could refuse, but then what would he do but sit and brood in his room day in and day out. He hated exercise, always had, and since he couldn’t swim, he especially hated swimming. His pride was too great to tell Potter the truth, but if he didn’t tell him he would sink like a lead balloon to the bottom of the pool and drown. He would have to deal with that when the time came. He was a brilliant man, how hard would it be to learn to swim? By observing Potter, there was no doubt he would be able to mimic him the therefore be able to swim.

“Fine, but I don’t have any swimwear,” Severus knew better than to think that excuse would get him out of swimming.

“There’s a couple of pairs of trunks in the third drawer of your chest. Your wand is in the top drawer. You may use it as you see fit as long as you’re working, but please once you get home put it back where you found it. The wand has wards on it, and will be useless outside of the lab. If Master Lindquist …”

“Grand Master…” Severus corrected.

Harry was delighted to hear the Snape of old correct him. It felt… right somehow.

“Grand Master Lindquist,” Harry rectified. “If he should ask you to run an errand, you may leave the confines of his lab but you will find if you try to leave on your own accord that you will not be able to.”

Severus pushed the palms of his hands against his eyes and rubbed his face hard with the hands. “You know I hate this as much as I hate you. I want to refuse, to tell you to go fuck yourself, but I can’t. This opportunity is too great.”

Severus stood and walked over to stand toe to toe with Harry. He was surprised, after all this time, to realize that this ‘boy’ was almost as tall as he was. “You do realize that this will change nothing between us.”

“I would be very surprised if it did,” Harry grinned, which only irritated Snape even more. “I’ll see you first thing in the morning.”

Harry turned to go to his room and stopped. Unsure of himself, Harry turned back and looked at Severus. “Since the two of us have gotten along relatively well today…”

Severus snorted, “Relatively!” He didn’t hate the boy quite as much as normal but he had no doubt that would change soon.

“Would you like Merlin’s tome to read before you go to sleep?”

‘Damn Potter,’ Severus thought. The boy was a greater manipulator than the old man. He would do Dumbledore proud. At least he didn’t have those damn twinkling blue eyes. No matter, slave bond or not, he would have had to strangle the youth if he did. He once again decided to give in. He was far to awake on adrenalin to sleep and the book was fascinating.

“Yes, give me the damn book.”

“Severus a simple ‘yes please’ would have sufficed,” Harry informed the sour Potion Master. Harry waited…and waited…and waited. He was not going to leave until Severus asked nicely.

Between gritting teeth Severus asked, “Please Harry, may I have Merlin’s tome?”

“Yes, Severus I would be happy to let you have it for the night,” Harry said cheerfully.

With a bitter taste, Severus settled down for the night. Hours later, he dreamt of black caldrons on unblemished frozen snow. He stood sweating over the caldron and stirred the mixture clockwise, counting each stroke. A large hand slipped over his and slowed him down, showing him how to do it properly. Instead of being agitated he felt a satisfaction of doing a job well done.

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

No matter how good he felt from the previous night's sleep, Severus felt like a fool standing on the edge of Harry’s indoor pool in his swim trunks. With his bony, long feet, knobby knees and yards and yards of pale skin, he knew how ridiculous he looked. He didn’t like to be reminded every morning just how truly ugly he was.

He watched Harry smoothly going back and forth the length of the pool, trying to memorize everything he was doing. He had to remember to take a breath when the right arm is coming out of the water and must not forget to kick hard. It looked elementary, like a child should be able to do it.

“Come on Severus, I warmed the water for you,” Harry encouraged.

Severus took a deep breath and held tightly to the rail as he lowered his foot into the pool. Potter was an idiot if he didn’t think the water was cold. The damn water was frigid, and he had the goose bumps to prove it. Severus forged ahead until he was knee deep in the water.

“Pot…Harry,” Severus corrected himself. He felt too vulnerable almost naked in front of the boy. ”If you are planning to kill me, please do it swiftly and not by freezing me to death.”

“What?” Harry was baffled. “Why would you think I was trying to kill you?”

“The water is glacial. I will sure die from hypothermia,” Severus whinged.

“You’re being melodramatic. The water is warm…tepid at the least. Now don’t dawdle and get in.”

Grumbling, Severus entered the water until he was shoulder deep. Harry had gone back to doing his laps and was ignoring Severus. He went through the list of everything he saw Harry do. Once he was sure he remembered everything he pushed off from the bottom of the pool towards the deep end.

One stroke, two stroke, Severus was doing fine. Three strokes, he started to slowly disappear under the water. Kick harder, flaying arms, reaching for the surface, Severus sank deeper. Don’t breath, hold breath; hopefully Harry isn’t so dense that he would let him drown.

"Can’t hold breath any longer, going to die, how I despise Potter," Severus became unconscious.

Severus didn’t feel the strong warms that wrapped around his chest and pulled him to the surface. He wasn’t aware that Harry had him out of the water and onto the cement that surrounded the pool. Harry rolled him onto his stomach and forced some water from his lungs. Harry rolled him back over and started to give the lifeless man CPR. Severus became very aware of the warm lips pressing onto his. To his dismay, he found it rather intoxicating.

Choking and coughing up more water from his lungs he pushed Potter away. “Thanks, oh so much for saving me…what took you so bloody long?”

“It would have helped if you weren’t such a stubborn, irritating, prideful son-of-a-bitch and told me you couldn’t swim,” Harry growled back.

“If ‘you’ could swim I certainly should be able to,” Severus tried to sit up but a firm hand pressed on his chest settling him back onto the ground.

Harry was exasperated. “Look, if I came to class my very first day of school and I tried to make wolfsbane what do you think would have happened?”

“If ‘you’ tried I’m sure the lab would have blown up,” Severus muttered.

“I’m sure it would have but my point is you have to be taught… supervised at the very least. Will you be open to suggestions while you learn to swim?” Harry asked.

“I can learn to swim by myself but suggestions will be satisfactory. Now I should have a bit of food before flooing over to my job,” Severus said as he tried to get up.

“I think it best if you stay down this morning. I’ll firecall the Grand Master…”

“You will do no such thing. I nearly drowned because I agreed to your terms now I get my reward. You will not take that away from me,” Severus argued.

“Find but don’t be surprised when I check up on you,” Harry said.

“You will do no such thing. I am not a child that needs taken care of. I maybe pissed off at the world but I will not jeopardize my chance to work with the Grand Master,” Severus insisted.

“Fine, go get ready for work,” Harry helped Severus up.

“I’ll be back at five after five. Have dinner ready for me,” Severus ordered. He strode off with a purpose he hadn’t had in years.


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