Caregivers

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Caregivers Chapter 5


Severus pulled on the collar of his robe to be sure it covered completely the collar that Potter had forced on him. Finally satisfied that it was well hidden, he smoothed the front of his new robe as he looked at his reflection in a full-length mirror. He was content with his look. He wasn’t so vain as to think he was handsome, but once he cleaned up he was, at least, presentable.

His heart raced at the thought that in a few minutes that he would meet the man he had admired since his school days. He opened the top drawer and pulled out his wand (he had slept with it the previous night). He clenched it to his chest. He slipped the wood up his sleeve and took a deep breath. Pulling up his collar one more time, he turned to go down the stairs to go to work.


Gustav Lundquist was the opposite of what Severus was expecting when he stepped gracefully from the floo. From their correspondence years before when Severus had requested to be his apprentice, the Grand Potions Master seemed intense and aloof. The man that stood before him was nothing like that. The man in front of him looked more like Saint Nick with cheeks that were rosy and a full white beard. As broad as he was tall, the Grand Potions Master wore cut-off shorts and a very colorful Hawaiian print shirt. His hands were more like muttonchops, broad with thick fingers, and his eyes twinkled like Albus's. Potter must have made a mistake and set up the floo to the wrong address, Severus deduced. There was no way this man was a Potions Master.

'Idiot Potter,' Severus thought.

“I’m sorry,” Severus apologized, “I believe the floo system has made a mistake.”

“No, Professor Snape, you are at the correct address that is if you wish to meet Gustav Lundquist,” the jolly man lumbered over to take Severus’s elbow to lead him out of the room.

Severus gave a sigh of relief. This huge oaf wasn’t the world-renowned Potions Master. He followed where the man led him. The house was enormous with as many twists and false turns as Hogwarts. They finally came to a door with a black robe and an apron hanging on a hook on the right hand side of the doorjamb.

“Well Severus, should we begin?” the portly man asked, slipping easily into the robe. The transformation was remarkable. Where there was once a fat, jolly, old man stood now was a seriously intense individual.

“We must have an understanding between us, young man,” Lundquist began. Severus felt mcuh as he did the first day at Hogwarts and nodded his head meekly. “You have been a Potions Professor for a very long time and are used to having your students following your directions. Here, you will be following my orders, and I expect absolute obedience and no arguing with me. If you have questions, write them down and keep them until the end of the day. I will be pleased to answer them at that time. You will not speak unless you are spoken to. I understand you’ve been used to doing things your way for a very long time, but I expect you to dice, slice, and stir the way I want you to. If you don’t think you can handle taking orders from me, then let’s call it a day. There will be no hard feelings, just two Potions Masters that can’t agree; there is nothing new to that,” Gustav gave a loud, explosive laugh. “Do you think you can abide by my rules?”

Severus would have expected nothing less from his own apprentice if he ever had one. Even though he wasn’t fond of all the rules, if he wanted to learn from the greatest Potions Master alive he would have to tolerate the restrictions that Lundquist had laid down.

“Was there any doubt that I would accept your terms, Grand Master?”

“None. Now on with your apron there is work to be done,” Gustav said as he tied his dragon hide apron in the back.

“I’m ready if you are,” Severus pulled his new apron from the satchel he had his lunch in. He slipped it over his head and started to tie the apron when the large hands of the Potions Master touched the dragons hide.

“Very nice, very nice indeed. Top of the line, I see. A Rhodesian dragon, very rare, very expensive. Would like one myself, but can’t afford it.” With that said, the Grand Potions Master turned on his heals and entered his lab. Severus puffed up like a peacock.

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Severus walked through the floo at exactly five after five. Exhausted, he collapsed onto the couch, throwing one arm over his eyes. He was drifting off to sleep when he felt a nudge to his shoulder. He chose to ignore it thinking sleep was the better option. There was that nudge again. Severus was hoping that it would go away. The third time he felt it he moved his arm and peeked to see who was bothering him. Potter, of course, but this time he was bringing gifts. In his hand was a snifter filled, by the aroma of it, a find Napoleon brandy.

“I can honestly say that this is the first time I’m ecstatic to see you,” Severus said as he reached for the brandy. “Thank you.” He took a long sniff before savoring the flavor.

“Long day?” Harry asked sitting down next to the Potions Master.

“The maniac,” Severus started. Harry could hear the affection in his voice. “Had me for eight hours draining beetles of their blood. Had to be careful not to get bile mixed it or I would have had to throw the whole lot out.” Severus explained wearily.

“Do you have any idea how many beetles I drained?” Severus continued before Harry could reply. “Do you? One thousand two hundred and seventy-three. That was part of the lesson: keeping track of how many I drained. He‘s exasperating, annoying and has an ego to fit his size. Arsehole. ” Severus said the last word more to for his own benefit than that of Harry’s.

“I take it you didn’t enjoy yourself,” Harry took a swallow of his drink as he scowled. He really had hoped that working with Lundquist would get his mind off of some of the anger Severus was holding on to.

“It was the most exhilarating day of my life,” Severus sighed as his fell back on the couch. “I learned more by observing the Grand Master than I did in all of my years in Hogwarts. You should see his hands,” Severus sat up and showed him his hands, “they’re huge compared to mine, twice the size and yet they are the most graceful thing I ever seen. He could slice a piece of parchment so thinly that when he was done you would have two useable pieces of paper. Amazing,” Severus said with the slightest upturn of his lips.

“I can tell you’re exhausted. Would you like dinner with me or in your room where you can relax?” Harry asked, quite pleased with the outcome.

“I’m so exhausted that I find I don’t have the strength to hate you at the moment,” Severus said as he yawned.

“I’m sure after a good –night's sleep that will all change,” Harry smiled at Severus.

“I’m sure,” Severus agreed. “However, I doubt that if I tried to sleep I could and I’m too wound up to just lie in my bed. Maybe a slight repast and a good book to settle me down before bedtime.”

Harry ate in silence as Severus regaled him with his day’s activities and what he had learned. Severus played more with his food than he ate, but Harry just smiled. This was the first time since he met Severus that he saw a genuine smile of his ex-teacher's face. His mind wandered as Severus spoke, not understanding most of what the man was saying. Instead he looked at Severus, really looked at him as if it was the first time he had ever seen him. He was a little disconcerted that he thought Severus handsome…well perhaps not handsome but definitely sexy. Startled, Harry sat up straighter and took a gulp of air. This would not do. Having ‘feelings’ for one patient was not only inappropriate, but also unethical. This was not good but he liked the warm feeling he got in the pit of his stomach when he looked at Severus. This feeling he had for Severus was nice, more than nice. It had been a very long time since he felt anything for anyone.

“Are you even listening to me?” Severus raised his voice to catch Harry’s attention.

“Severus you taught me for years in Potions; did you really think I would be able to follow what you were saying?” Harry grinned.

“I suppose not,” Severus heaved a sigh in exasperation. “Let’s go into the study and have a bit of sherry.” Severus suggested.

“That sounds like a very good idea,” Harry agreed.

“I do have them once in a while,” Severus snarled as he pushed his chair back and stood.

“Please Severus,” Harry pleaded, “Don’t make everything I say an issue. There is no arguing that you are the smartest man I have ever met. I know without your help that I would have never defeated Voldemort and that you should be acclaimed a hero instead of being my slave…”

“And yet, here I am…your slave to do your bidding,” Severus said emotionless.

Harry rolled his neck back and forth trying to release the tension that was building up there. “You’ve had a fairly good day, let’s not spoil it by arguing. There’s a drink in my study with our name on it.” Harry left without another word, leaving Severus standing in the middle of the room.

Severus worried his lower lip, trying to decide the best way to handle this situation. He could give in to the boy but that would be one more skirmish that Harry would have won. There was a war to be won between the two of them; a war in which he must choose his battles and this issue was not important enough to fight over. Besides, the sherry was after all his suggestion. With his shoulders back and his head held high, Severus joined his Master in the study.

The rest of the evening was rather pleasant in Severus’s opinion. They continued to bicker but there was no bite to any of the comments. It had been a very long time, and Severus was never perceptive to flirting, but he was almost certain that Potter was making a pass at him. Severus thought this development was interesting and wondered how he could use it to his advantage.

When Severus’s head hit the pillow, he had the intention of thinking about his day of brewing, even if it was squeezing blood out of beetles. For some unknown reason, Severus’s mind insisted on drifting back to Harry, no matter how many times he tried to think of something else.

Finally giving up, Severus let his mind wander back to Harry: the shape of his lips, the way his hair went every which way, the firm, compact body and…Severus fell peacefully to sleep.


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