Bonds of Affection

Author\'s Note: Thought it was going to be 2 chapters, but ... no.. this is the last chapter of anticipation. Next chapter, Voldemort !!! Thank you all for reading, for your kind reviews.... you really make my day with your thoughtful comments. Some dark, disturbing chapters are ahead. Hope at least some of you stick around for the ride : ) And now, on to the story:



The Long Goodbye



The following morning, Harry woke up from the touch of a hand to his face. He opened his eyes, and saw Severus, kneeling by the bedside, gazing at him. There was ache in the black eyes, and the thin lips were forced into a faint stoic smile.



“Today,” Harry said with certainty. It wasn\'t a question.



“Yes,” Severus said. “We will be leaving in a few hours. Albus and Minerva are already here. They will see us off.”



Harry nodded, and reached for his clothing. He got ready and dressed himself in silence, while Severus waited for him, never taking his eyes off of him.



They walked out into the living room together, where Hermione, Ron, Dumbledore and McGonagall were already seated around the coffee table. The table was set for breakfast, with tea, and scones, and fruit, but no-one reached for the food.



“I can\'t believe we are doing this,” Hermione whispered in absolute misery. “Sending Harry off to Voldemort\'s hideout...”



Dumbledore nodded gravely. “The good of the situation, however, is that it\'s only for two days, give or take a few hours. That\'s how long it will take to access the tracking spell I\'ve placed on Harry, locate the hideout, and mount an assault... Harry,” Dumbledore looked at him seriously. “There will be someone coming to get you out. Keep an eye out for her. Come with her without arguing, no matter what.”



Harry nodded in silence.



“Well, it\'s not so bad,” Ron said calmly. “I mean – if it\'s only for two days...”



“Yeah,” Harry agreed readily, even as the knot in his stomach tightened. “Honestly, Hermione, you are worried over nothing.”



Before she had a chance to say something sarcastic, he stood up and glanced at his friends. “Come with me,” he offered, and they followed him to his bedroom. Once there, he knelt in front of his trunk, and pulled out his Invisibility Cloak from it. “Here,” he said, and pressed it into Hermione\'s hand.



She gave him a miserable look. “Harry,” she murmured. “You should take it with you... it could come in very handy...”



“No,” Harry cut her off with a faint smile. “This isn\'t a Hogwarts field trip, Hermione. I have a feeling I should go in with nothing.”



Hermione was still shaking her head, but Ron placed his hand on her shoulder. “We\'ll take the Cloak,” he said firmly. “Give it back to you when you return.”



“Good,” Harry said. “Take Hedgwig, too.”



“Okay,” Ron muttered. “But she better not fight with the family owl over the next two days.”



Harry snickered. “Honestly, Ron. I don\'t think your owl needs anyone to fight him... he\'s pretty good at knocking himself out on his own.”



They both laughed, but Hermione was still looking at Harry with concern.



“Harry,” she pleaded quietly. “Tell me... no.. promise me, you won\'t do anything self-destructive...”



“I won\'t,” Harry said softly. “Not needlessly, anyways... if at all possible, I want to come back... and .. well... as far as dying at the age of seventeen goes, I\'d much rather die with my friends and Severus around me, than .. well. The other guys.”



She nodded to him with a brave smile. “Good,” she said and hugged him tightly. “Harry... no goodbyes. We will always be with you. Wherever you go, you\'ll never be alone.”



Hermione and Ron left shortly. Harry stood at the doorway of the Manor, and watched the two of them load their belongings, plus the cage with Hedgwig into the back seat of the Weasley flying car. They took off, and once the car was high in the air, he waved at them, without knowing if they had seen him do so.



When he returned to the living room, Minerva and Dumbledore had already departed, leaving Harry and Severus to themselves.



Together, Severus and Harry walked through the Manor, Severus setting things in order, and Harry watching his every move. Severus shut down the Floo, turned on the automatic irrigation system for the greenhouse, secured each window, and one by one, took the surveillance spells from each room in the Manor. Harry watched him absently, with each step realizing that Severus was not shutting down his dwelling for two days – he was preparing to leave it for good.



They continued walking together. Every preparatory action, every step only underscored the inevitability of their departure, but Harry no longer minded. They had waited long enough.



When they stepped into Severus\' study, Harry stopped by the desk and took out his tongue piercing. Severus looked at him questioningly.



“I don\'t want anything that makes me feel more vulnerable than I need to,” he said quietly. “Can you close the hole in my tongue, and spell my hair short?”



Severus nodded. “How short?”



Harry brought the thumb and the index finger of his right hand nearly together, indicating a length of a quarter of an inch. Severus nodded again, pointed the wand at him, and two spells later, his tongue was whole again, and his hair was the length of a military crew-cut.



“All done,” Severus said softly.



“Yeah,” Harry whispered. He found a lump in his throat, and swallowed hard to be rid of it, but it still persisted. He glanced at Severus and saw that he was watching him with concern.



“Nervous?” Severus asked seriously.



Harry just nodded, keeping his face as calm as he could. He was afraid – genuinely so, more than he had ever been in his entire life.



“What are you scared off?” Severus asked with a wry smile. “I mean – apart from death, torture, losing the entire world to darkness, and ending up as a soulless shell with a piece of Voldemort stuck in it?”



Harry laughed out loud involuntarily and threw his arms around Severus. “Honestly,” Harry whispered with dread. “I am afraid that Voldemort – and others will do things to me... and damage me to the point where... you\'ll just tolerate me, or pity me ... but deep down, you\'ll be disgusted to see me. I am afraid that I will die alone, without even knowing that I\'m alone.”



Severus shook his head sadly. “You have such a vivid imagination, Harry. Let me assure you – that is not possible.”



“No?”



“No.”



Harry watched Severus intently. “You are scared too,” he said with confidence.



“I am,” Severus admitted, but added nothing further. His face was impassive, and only the glow of unshed tears in his eyes betrayed his anguish.



“You are afraid he\'ll... want you to.. well... hurt me... badly... ” Harry guessed. “And you will.. not under Imperius – but to keep your cover... and.....”



“Yes.”



Harry smiled a little. “Well...in that case, I forgive you in advance, for anything and everything you will do to me. You have my consent to do anything that may be necessary. I will never stop loving you.”



Taking his face into his hands, Severus stroked Harry\'s cheekbones with his thumbs, and Harry pressed his face into his palms, kissing them. Severus took gathered Harry in his embrace, and Harry leaned against his chest, hearing his heartbeat, that raced wildly and furiously. It sounded like a thunderstorm, buried within him, almost ready to burst forth.



“I will never stop being yours,” Harry told him.



Hand in hand, they walked through the hallway to the exit of the Manor.



Once they were out, Severus closed the doors that locked behind them of their own accord. For a few minutes, they stood outside together, July sun blazing in the cloudless sky, trees casting sharp shadows on the ground.



Severus placed his hand on Harry\'s shoulder, and Harry looked up at him.



“Shall we proceed to our next misadventure, Mr. Potter?” Severus asked kindly.



Harry smiled a little. “We may as well.”



To be continued...