Bonds of Affection

The following morning, Severus, Harry, Ron and Hermione had breakfast together. Severus finished the meal first, kissed Harry\'s forehead and departed to his study, leaving the three friends to himself, as usual. Harry cleaned up after breakfast, with Ron\'s help, while Hermione sat at the table, deep in thought, paging through an old textbook.



After the cleanup was done, they migrated to the living room. Ron and Hermione sat on the couch, curled up together in one corner. Harry sat opposite of them and smiled.



“How did the shopping go yesterday?” Harry asked with a grin. “What did you buy?”



“Nothing,” Hermione said wryly. “That\'s why we are going back tomorrow.”



Harry laughed out loud. Hermione and Ron\'s efforts to stay out of the way and give him and Severus privacy were so... transparent, and so sweet – he thought. He found it incredibly comforting to be under the same roof with his best friends, even if they were not seeing a great deal of each other lately.



“You know,” Harry mused, “After all of this is over, we should continue to hang out like this. This is just brilliant... It\'s the best summer of my life, I swear.”



Ron\'s face paled slightly at those words, but Hermione flashed a brave smile.



“So, Harry,” she murmured, not allowing an awkward silence to set in, “What have you been up to yesterday?”



Harry snickered at her question. On an impulse, he rolled up his sleeve, baring his shoulder, revealing his brand – the image of the Snargaluff, engraved into his skin. Ron raised his eyebrows and smiled uncertainly. Hermione stared at it intently.



“It\'s his personal crest?” Hermione asked. “That\'s quite the imagery... a dead tree stump with wines that shoot out, capture and consume the victim... A bit scary.”



“Well, I think it\'s cool,” Harry said defensively, and covered his shoulder. He was pouting like a five-year-old whose parents did not appreciate his artwork.



“It is,” Hermione said agreeably, even as her back was turned to Harry again. Her voice was absolutely calm. Harry gazed at her intently, and noticed that her shoulderblades were trembling, just a bit. He moved closer to her, quickly covering the entire distance between them, and touched her arm, nudging her to turn around. When she did, Harry saw that her face was streaked with tears.



Ron reached out for Hermione and drew her into his embrace, as she wept into his shoulder. Harry sat close to them and stroked her hair in silence, not sure what to say.



“Harry...” Ron said in a soft voice. “Maybe ... maybe you can explain this for me.. what motivated you to agree to something like this...” Ron\'s eyes darted to Harry\'s shoulder, now covered up again. “I mean...what do you feel... or .. how do you feel...” Ron was stumbling through the questions, looking at Harry desperately.



Harry nodded to him. “Well,” he said seriously, “I feel... I don\'t know. It just feels right. I feel like I belong to him – and now it even feels like I always have, in a way. Sometimes I feel like – I am just a grain of sand on the beach... or a drop of water in the ocean. It\'s a little sad – but it\'s also a beautiful feeling, in its own way. But... that said, it\'s very natural.. you know? I don\'t feel forced or coerced into anything. It just feels right. I don\'t know how else to describe this... whatever it is that drives me to him in this way, is imperceptible... like a part of me.”



Hermione lifted her head from Ron\'s shoulder and looked at Harry thoughtfully.



“Did you ever think that you ... I mean... that this is your true nature?” she asked softly. “That this is just the way you are?”



“No,” Harry said firmly. “Not at all. I mean... All playing around aside, I am not all that submissive, as far as my personality goes. But with Severus – it\'s just different. Like I said... I feel like I should belong to him. But only him.”



Hermione nodded and sniffled in absolute misery.



Ron spoke up again. “Okay,” he said peacefully and quietly. “Harry, I can\'t claim that I fully understand how you feel – but I can see that it means a great deal to you. And for what it\'s worth, I no longer think that Snape is a complete bastard... so... Well... however you feel is fine. Really.”



Hermione nodded again, and wiped the tears from her eyes. “Sorry,” she mumbled sheepishly. “I didn\'t mean to...”



“Don\'t worry about it, Hermione,” Harry said reassuringly. “If you showed up one day with someone\'s personal brand on your shoulder, I\'d be worried, too, I think.”



Hermione smiled sadly. “Oh, Harry, it\'s not that at all. I think Snape is a fine person, underneath his facade. I can see that he cares for you and you for him. And honestly, I am not freaked out by the brand... I mean, goodness – Ginny got a Unicorn tattoo on her... well, never mind where, but what I am saying is that – Harry - I watch you, and things seem almost normal... I begin to believe that nothing at all is wrong, and... and we will all live happily ever after. Then I see something like that, and I can\'t believe that anymore, because I think about the potion, and the termination ingredient, and.. well... it\'s like the world collapses all over again.”



“Oh,” Harry said weakly, all defensiveness gone. “Sorry.”



“Me too,” she whispered quietly. “I really am. I wish I hadn\'t.... helped you, you know...”



Ron sighed tiredly. “What really pisses me off, Harry, to this day, is that you didn\'t come to ask me for advice. You only told me after you were done. You know, I wouldn\'t have let you drink anything Voldemort sent. The only way you could have drank that damn thing would have been over my dead body.”



“Yeah, I know,” Harry agreed softly. “That\'s why I didn\'t want to tell you.”



Ron smiled bitterly. “Well. I guess I can understand that. It still sucks though.”



“Sorry,” Harry mumbled again. He really was – in that he never meant to drive a wedge between him and Ron. But he still thought it was the right thing to do – if Severus had died that week –....



“Yeah,” Hermione whispered softly, seeing the look in his eyes.



They sat together for a while, Ron and Harry hugging Hermione tightly. Eventually, Hermione freed herself from their embrace and stood up.



“I want to go to Hogwarts,” she said quietly, but a faint smile returned to her lips. “Ron? Come on. We should go... do some research.”



“Research,” Ron muttered incredulously, but then, Hermione gave him a meaningful glare, and he nodded agreeably. “Oh yeah. We should go research that ... thing... that we meant to research,” he added, unconvincingly.



Harry laughed softly. “You guys. I appreciate you trying to give us privacy and all, but you really don\'t need to leave, you know. It\'s not like Severus and I will spend the entire day humping each other in the living room.”



Ron rolled his eyes. “Thank you, Harry, for planting that vivid image into my mind.”



“I could Oblivate you, if you like,” Harry offered helpfully.



Ron snorted. “Thanks. I just might take you up on that offer.”



Ron and Hermione departed shortly, and Harry went to find Severus, as usual.



... to be continued...