Worthy

*~ Disclaimer ~* I do not own any of the characters, language, plots, or locations from Harry Potter.
J. K. Rowling, the writer, holds all rights to Harry Potter and this story is only created for pleasure, not profit.

Summary: Death, battle, pain, facing your fears, saving the world… the Wizarding World expected the Boy-Who-Lived to endure it all. But what if he can’t? Who will be there to save the boy-who-only-wanted-to-be-normal? … Post-HBP

Author’s Note: Not much to say. Please enjoy.


Worthy
Chapter Five

Now the entire world had disappeared and Snape could only feel the heat of another energy close to him. He wondered whether he had grabbed Potter’s hands or not, but decided to ignore that in favor of the new energy. The opposing force was gone but there was still a separation between what Snape could feel to be his own energy and Potter’s.

“Potter!” he called out. “Are you there?”

There was only silence and Snape attempted to step towards the nearby energy. The space between them seemed to double at the attempt and Snape halted. He huffed to himself in annoyance and frustration.

“For Merlin’s sake, Potter, you’re not helping matters! I’m here and there’s no going back now, so just cooperate and we can be done with it.”

Snape could almost feel Potter’s stubborn refusal coming at him. Intrigued by the feeling, Snape tried to project a burst of irritation back at Potter and was gratified to feel Potter’s surprise at the new circumstances. At least that was something different than pure space.

“Come on, Potter. I’m sick of your pride. Just have some sense for once and get this done.”

“No. I won’t be responsible for your death.” Well, at least Potter was responding.

“If you don’t complete the spell, you will not only be responsible for my death, but for Poppy’s and the werewolf’s as well,” Snape growled out.

“Not if you leave right now,” Potter’s voice held some urgency in it. “Please, sir, just leave and tell them to go. I can direct the magic away from you long enough for you to escape.”

“And have the entire Wizarding World blame me for the death of their Savior?” Snape spat. “Use your head, Potter, keeping you alive is better for my continued life, if not for my health.”

Potter seemed to hesitate a moment. “The Ministry won’t kill you. I’ve left a will and testament that secures everyone that was left after the battle. You’ll be protected.”

“Protected by you?” Snape sneered. “Don’t imagine that the Ministry will be so kind. For that matter, don’t believe my former colleagues will be so lenient with me after this War. You’re wasting time, Potter. Complete the bond.”

The pause seemed to stretch a lifetime, until Potter finally replied, “No.”

Hot anger and impatience consumed Snape and he threw the emotion at Potter with a vengeance. He was surprised, however, when he actually felt a return of pain and fear from Potter. The pain didn’t surprise Snape so much as the fear. There was something odd about the origin of Potter’s fear that felt… wrong. Potter’s fear wasn’t just based on this situation, or the War, or anything else. It felt like a natural reaction to his anger.

With deliberate coolness, Snape asked, “What are you afraid of, Potter?”

Potter didn’t respond and the distance between them felt as strong as before. Now Snape was beginning to feel the heat of the magic tugging at him and knew that he was running out of time.

“I won’t take ‘no’ for an answer, Potter. I’m staying here and if you don’t complete the bond, you’ll be killing us all.” No response and Snape burst out. “Do you really want to die so badly, Potter? That’s the most selfish, arrogant thing you could do. After all of Poppy’s and my own work, you are just going to die? Complete. The. Bond. Now, Potter!”

The heat was really beginning to burn Snape and he tried to close the distance between them once more. For a moment, nothing seemed to happen, but then the air seemed to shudder and he heard Potter say, “Okay, professor.”

It felt as though he had slammed into a shower of sparks. His whole body seemed to tingle with pinpricks. The magic around him seemed to be judging him and Snape felt irritated that his life would depend on whether or not he was compatible with Potter. Surely he was dead. The sparks faded slowly until they were a slight tickle over his skin. At least dying wasn’t too horrendous this way, probably better than Cruciatus.

“Severus? Severus?”

Was he already dead then? Who was that?

“Severus, open your eyes.”

Were they closed? Snape slowly blinked. Yes, they had been closed. It took a moment for Snape to comprehend the colors around them into shapes, and another moment for those shapes to have any meaning. He felt ridiculously light-headed. “Yes, what is it?”

“Ah, thank goodness, Severus. You’re all right.”

“Poppy?”

“Yes, Severus. Can you see me?”

Snape double-checked. Yes, he was looking at the mediwitch now. He nodded.

“Wonderful, can you move?” Lupin asked somewhat sarcastically.

“Who put fleas in your bed, Lupin?” Snape grumbled.

Lupin sighed and said, more politely, “Please get up, Severus. We need to check on Harry.”

Snape blinked and found that he was lying down on something warm. Realization kicked in and he recoiled from Potter’s (thankfully unconscious) body. Feeling surprisingly woozy, he only glared a little as Madame Pomfrey directed him into a nearby chair before turning towards Potter. Snape looked at the young wizard on the table. Physically, he looked to be in the same condition as before, but his features were also more relaxed. The bonding spell must have worked. A wrenching in his gut showed the impact of his efforts. He was soul bonded to Harry-bloody-Potter.

Putting his head in his hands, Snape ignored the wider room around him and chose to look at the floor. He breathed slowly, trying to regain his equilibrium that was apparently now off. As he focused, he could feel a whisper of a thump against his chest. Snape held his hand to his heart and felt for his heartbeat. It was there and regular, but there was also an additional pulse that seemed to echo his own heart. Instinctively, Snape seemed to know that the new beat was Potter’s. Along with that, Snape could also now feel every inch of distance between them. It was as though there was a cord wrapped around him that attached him to Potter.

“Everything all right, Severus?” Madame Pomfrey leaned over him in a concerned manner.

Snape sneered. “Just fine. I’m bonded to Harry Potter, how could it be any better?”

Pomfrey clucked at him. “Now Severus, really. You’ve done a great thing for Mister Potter. He is now safe because of your quick thinking.”

Snape waved off her praise. “Then it worked as it was supposed to?”

“As far as we can tell, yes. There may be some side effects,” the mediwitch added, thoughtfully, “but due to the circumstances, I am not certain of all that may entail. The disorientation is noted by the books as well as a certain physical dependency in the first couple months, but beyond that may vary due to the magic involved.”

“Hopefully we won’t have to keep you bonded to Harry for months,” the werewolf muttered by his place hovering over Potter. “I’ll look into alternatives once Harry is stable.”

“Wonderful,” Snape grumbled. “Now can you take Potter away? I’d like to have the Manor in peace for a while.”

“I’m afraid Mister Potter will have to stay here, unless you’re willing to return to the Hospital Wing, Severus?”

“What? Why?” Snape growled.

Pomfrey shook her head. “Didn’t you hear me? You will both be physically dependent on each other for a few months. Mister Potter will only be able to heal properly if you are near him and it would be dangerous for you as well, considering the bond.”

Lupin glanced over at the mediwitch. “You didn’t mention before… how close will they have to be, exactly?” Feeling the cord around his chest, Snape had a dawning anxiety over just that fact.

“The closer they are, the easier it will be,” Madame Pomfrey stated. “This was intended for married couples, originally. Of course, the bond will not force any sort of… attractions, but it will be best for Mister Potter and Severus if they remained in the same room at all times.”

“Are you saying that I’m going to have to stay with Potter for two months? How do you expect this to work?” Snape asked in a tone that questioned Pomfrey’s sanity.

The mediwitch fixed Snape with a glare. “You will make this work, Severus Snape. We did not go through this ordeal for everything to fail now. You agreed to bond with Mister Potter and now you must take care of him.”

Great, Snape thought. He had a lot to look forward to in the next couple months.

“Where will we be staying?” Lupin asked.

“Excuse me?” Snape asked.

The werewolf sighed. “I’m assuming that you won’t be staying in the Hospital Wing for two months. So what room will Harry and I be staying in?”

“Absolutely not,” Snape bit out. “There is no way that you are staying here, Lupin. I already have enough to deal with.”

“Be reasonable, Severus,” Lupin said calmly enough, but Snape could see his hands clutching the table. “You’re bonded to Harry, fine. But I have voluntarily promised to take care of him. And that is exactly what I’m going to do. So I will be staying with Harry while he has to be here.”

“I will not have a werewolf staying at Snape Manor,” Snape snapped. “Least of all, you.” Things were off-kilter as they were and he had a rising headache, he did not need to deal with the mangy wolf.

Madame Pomfrey held up a hand to stop the growing argument. “Gentlemen, please. Remus, you can’t stay here either, not with the full moon tomorrow night. You have been pushing yourself hard enough already and you need your rest. And Severus, I’m sure that you can make arrangements for Remus to check up on Mister Potter as he grows stronger. I will also be stopping by regularly to check in and make sure he is not suffering any lingering effects.”

Snape closed his eyes as he acquiesced to her terms. He loathed not being in control of the situation, especially in his own Manor. Mentally cursing the aftereffects of the bonding, he asked, “Have you anything more to do with Potter? I would like to have the Manor to myself now.” And a glass of brandy, he thought.

Pomfrey smiled at his gruff manner and gave him a few instructions to take care of the young wizard as well as himself. Snape inwardly cringed as she warned him against any alcoholic beverages for the first few days. There went one coping mechanism. The mediwitch bustled about for another moment and gave Potter one last look-over before taking her leave. Snape glared as he watched the werewolf linger after Pomfrey moved towards the door. Lupin leaned over Potter and whispered something into his ear before straightening up and leveling Snape with a dark stare. Snape could see the werewolf lingering beneath Lupin’s gaze and put himself on his guard.

“Take care of him, Severus.” The werewolf’s eyes glittered. “I’ll be back soon.” Hearing the threat and promise in his tone, Snape chose not to answer and merely followed the mangy wolf with his eyes as he went out the door with Madame Pomfrey.

It wasn’t until Snape heard their echoing footsteps going up the main staircase that he let out the breath he had been holding in since he woke up and he slumped back onto the chair. Reaching a hand to his heart, he rubbed at the skin and allowed himself to feel the ache in his body. It wasn’t as though the invisible cord wrapped around him was painful in itself, but the feel of the distance between Potter and himself kept his body tense and it began to be an ache. This bonding was going to be more taxing than he had previously supposed.

Wearily, he stood up and called out to Dot. She appeared next to him with a surprised glance at the Boy-Who-Lived-Again and then at Snape.

Snape took in the glance with some curiosity, but first things first. “Have Madame Pomfrey and the wolf left?”

“Yes, Master Snape. They flooed out of the living room and then Dot sealed the fireplace.”

“Good. Now,” Snape paused to look directly at Dot. “Did you notice something strange when you first arrived?”

Hesitating only a moment, Dot nodded. “Yes, Master Snape.”

“What is it?”

“Dot was surprised to see Master Snape bonded to Master Harry.”

Raising an eyebrow, Snape asked, “You can see the bond?”

“Yes, Master Snape.”

That raised some interesting questions as to what the bond looked like and how Dot could come to see it, but Snape decided that it would have to wait for another time. He was overtired and he needed to get this situation under control. Snape levitated Potter onto the floor and changed the transfigured table into a stretcher. Moving the young wizard onto that and strapping him down for security, Snape levitated the stretcher and motioned to Dot.

“Follow me, we’ll put him in the East Suite.”

“Yes, Master Snape.”

They silently trooped down the halls and up the stairs. After a few staircases and more than a few hallways, they arrived at the suite and Snape entered impatiently. The doorway opened into a cozy sitting room, complete with two lush sofas and a short table. Beyond that, the room expanded into a large bedroom, with an expansive canopy bed and two sets of wardrobes and desks. There were two other doors, one on either side of the room and there were tall windows on the eastern side of the room.

Snape was surprised to see the room lit with a dull gray glow and realized that it was the morning after the battle. It was strange to think that everything had passed in a matter of hours. Five hours ago, Snape would have thought the mere idea that he would be bonded to Harry Potter in the morning was inconceivable, and the person who suggested it would have probably lost an appendage or ten. And now… Snape shook his head and gestured for Dot to place Potter on the bed.

Dot moved with a great deal of care and gently rested Potter back onto the bed. Mindful of his various wounds, she eased back the sheets and lowered them on top of the young wizard. Task complete, Dot turned to Snape for further instruction.

Feeling drained, Snape eased himself into a seat near the bed. He looked over at Dot, who moved towards him in concern. Raising a hand held her off, but Snape disliked the look in her eyes. “Dot, go fetch my travel bag of potions and bring it here. Make sure the others know that Potter will be staying here for the time being as well.”

“Will Master Snape and Master Harry be needing breakfast?”

Hmm, Master Harry? Oh well, later. “No, Dot. Just keep an eye on him and when he wakes, be sure to let me know.”

“Yes, Master Snape.” With that, Dot popped away and Snape leaned back in the chair. He thought drowsily of his bed and the rest that he sorely needed. He still felt disoriented and hated it even as he sunk his weight back into the chair. As soon as he got the potions bag on hand for Potter, then he could go rest… Potter… Snape would have to make sure that he had all of the potions that Pomfrey said he would need soon… he would have to double-check the restoratives… tomorrow…

Dot reappeared and took in the sight of Snape dozing in the chair. She quietly set the travel bag on the nearest desk to the bed and drew the drapes over the windows. Then she left to inform the other remaining house elves that the Masters had returned.

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