A Bunny Tale Part Three

The visits to the Weasleys proved to be a welcome distraction. Not only did they give Severus more time to brew, but Harry returned from his trips in good spirits. In an effort to appease Harry and keep him busy at the Weasleys’ (and away from private time with the chit), Severus had bought and charmed a Quidditch broomstick for Harry. It had taken him a week to figure out how Black\'s motorbike had been charmed, but once he figured out the basics, it was only a matter of time before he had applied all the other charms.



Harry could control the broom, but he was prevented from going too fast, too high, or too close to any hard surface. Sticking charms prevented him from falling off or even dismounting from the broom unless his feet were on the ground. Cushioning charms protected his bum and his hands, making it nearly impossible for him to hurt himself - even if he tried. Severus knew Harry too well to believe that Harry couldn\'t rough himself up a little bit with the broom - they were playing Quidditch after all - but, after making Harry promise to play Seeker (and thus not have to worry about much beyond the Snitch), Severus had no problem with Harry engaging in matches with the wild Weasley offspring.



Harry loved it. After nagging Severus to allow the broom to go faster for the first two weeks, Severus relented and gave him a bit more speed. After that, Harry caught the Snitch so regularly, they changed the rules so that he had to catch it twice in order to win a game.



A subscription to a popular Quidditch magazine kept Harry even more occupied, so that, even on days when he didn\'t visit the Weasleys, he no longer spent most of his time demanding sex. On top of that, the seeds arrived for their new garden soon after, and Harry spent even more hours away from Severus. It was due to those distractions that Severus didn\'t think anything of it when Harry didn\'t stop by his lab at all after lunch. When traditional dinner time had come and gone, and Harry still hadn\'t shown up with an announcement that dinner was ready, Severus went in search of him.



He found him in bed, curled up with Champignon.



"Wore yourself out?" Severus teased, tussling Harry\'s hair. "Maybe you need a pick-me-up." He bent down to kiss him, but Harry weakly put out a hand to stop him.



"I\'m not in the mood," he said.



"Not in the mood?" Severus was sure he\'d misheard.



Harry slowly nodded, his eyes barely open. "I don\'t want sex."



Alarmed, Severus shot his hand out to Harry\'s forehead, only to find it burning with fever. Grabbing his wand out of his robes, he cast cooling spells and hurried to his medicine cabinet. He\'d have to treat Harry himself. Pomfrey was on holiday and he didn\'t dare take Harry to another healer. Summoning books on medicine as he hurried back to the bedroom, he lined up several vials on the bedside table.



Selecting one, Severus propped Harry up into a sitting position. "This will help your fever."



Harry opened his mouth to swallow it, but he hadn\'t drunk very much when he suddenly stopped, pulled back, and put his hand over his mouth. Quickly conjuring a bowl for Harry to be sick in, Severus held back his ears. The potion and bile were the only things returned to the bowl, making Severus suspect Harry\'d already emptied himself of lunch. Thick or pungent potions wouldn\'t work. He\'d need light, watery ones that wouldn\'t upset Harry\'s stomach.



On his way to the lab, Severus stopped by the kitchen. Since Harry made everything from scratch, there wasn\'t much on hand for him to try to cook with, but he found some chicken defrosting in the fridge and threw it in a pot with a bit of salt.



With his years of experience aiding Madam Pomfrey, it didn\'t take him long to build a combination fever reducer and stomach stabiliser. The chicken had been boiling a while by the time he returned to the kitchen and he was able to pour a nice, large bowl of chicken broth. Grabbing some crackers to add to the meal tray along with water, Severus floated it behind him as he made his way back to the bedroom.



Propping Harry up on the pillows, Severus fed him the potion. Normally the questioning type, Harry didn\'t even ask what was in the vial, he simply drank it. When he had finished, Severus floated the tray over to his lap.



"You should try to eat," he said.



"I know," said Harry miserably. "But I get sick when I do."



"This shouldn\'t upset you." Severus slid the spoon through the soup and brought it to Harry\'s lips. Harry sipped the fluid down slowly.



"What\'s wrong with me?" Harry asked between spoonfuls.



"You have a flu. Hopefully just a flu."



After Harry\'d had a decent amount of soup and crackers, Severus sent the tray away and examined Harry again. His temperature was high, but no longer dangerously so. Based on Harry\'s lack of other symptoms and his experience in the hospital ward, Severus suspected Harry would be sick for another day, but fine beyond that. If he wasn\'t better by the next evening, then Severus would find a healer or vet for him, privacy be damned.



His own stomach growled and he realised that he hadn\'t eaten since lunch. "I\'ll make dinner for myself, then I\'ll return."



"Mm," said Harry sleepily.



Giving the limp ears a stroke, Severus left. It had been so long since he\'d cooked for himself, it took him a moment to figure out what to make. Rather than take his meal alone for the first time in almost a year, Severus returned to the bedroom and watched Harry sleep as he ate. Champignon kept guard on the bed, watching Severus through narrowed eyes whenever the Potions Master approached to check Harry\'s temperature and measure his pulse.



That night, when it was time for bed, Severus climbed in with Harry.



"I\'ll get you sick," mumbled Harry.



Not wanting to aggravate Harry\'s fever with the warmth of his own body, Severus kept his distance, just putting a hand on Harry\'s chest. "I\'ll take that chance."



The next morning, Harry looked better than before, although Severus knew he was still sick. "Stay in bed," he warned when Harry tried to go fix breakfast. "I\'ll take care of the household chores."



As he was frying eggs, he spotted Strix bringing the post from their box in Diagon Alley. However, rather than fly to the kitchen window, her customary landing spot, she flew straight to the bedroom. Knowing that Harry wasn\'t the only one due to receive post, Severus set the eggs to the side and returned to the bedroom.



As he walked in the door, Harry was pulling two envelopes and a Quidditch magazine out from among the others. His eyes shot to Severus when he saw him in the doorway. "Sorry, I asked Strix to bring the post directly to me in the morning since I always post the next day’s food order when she comes."



"That\'s quite all right," Severus assured him. He strode over, searched through his post - the Daily Prophet, a few more requests for orders, and a property bill - before leaving the room, tossing the Daily Prophet to Harry to read.



Severus had rather liked spoon-feeding Harry and hoped to do more, but when he returned with breakfast, Harry was in the bathroom, freshening up. Since he was well enough to walk around, Severus transfigured a small breakfast table and chairs for the two of them.



Harry asked, "May I have some parchment and a quill to write back to my friends?"



"Is Granger still sending you homework?" Severus asked, amused. That girl loved to teach.



Harry wrinkled his nose. "She still gives me assignments, but I\'ve been telling her I\'m really busy. Do you think I\'ll be well enough to visit the Weasleys tomorrow or should I write to them too?"



Although Harry should be recovered by then, it was best not to take chances. "Write to them and let them know you are sick."



After breakfast, Severus helped Harry back to bed, cleared the dishes, and brought Harry his requested writing materials. He returned to his lab, popping in occasionally to check on Harry. Once in a while he\'d find Harry awake and either reading his magazine or petting Champignon. A few hours after lunch, he stepped in to find Harry fast asleep, the Quidditch magazine in his hands. Stepping over to the bed, Severus picked up the magazine to move it, only to have a letter flutter out from between its pages. The hand that had scrawled \'Harry Potter\' across the front of the envelope was not one Severus had seen before. Curious, he slid the letter out. It read:



Dear Harry,

Sorry to hear that you\'re sick. I\'ll understand if you don\'t write to me for a few days. To be safe, I won\'t write to you anymore until you tell me it\'s OK to do so. I don\'t want to get you in trouble.

Wishing you well,

Sirius



That bastard had been in communication with Harry. Even worse, Harry, knowing Severus wouldn\'t approve, had been sneaking letters to him.



Severus\'s first instinct was to go to Sirius\'s flat and make sure the coney never spoke to Harry ever again. However, he couldn\'t leave Harry home alone, not while he was sick.



Instead, Severus burnt the letter and went on a frantic search through the house, hunting for more letters. He found them hidden in the broom cupboard, in an old shoe box. They were undated, but from the references to events contained within, Severus was certain that Harry and Sirius had been writing to each other starting shortly after Sirius first visited. They appeared to have been put in the box in chronological order and Severus carried them to the kitchen table to read them.



Although he couldn’t see what Harry had written to Sirius, the responses were damning enough. In the first letter, Sirius had written, Be careful with this letter, Harry. You mustn’t let Snape find it. I don’t want you to be hurt anymore because of him. If you can freely and truly say you don’t want to be free, then I’ll leave you alone unless he hurts you. Are you happy being his slave?



Whatever Harry’d written had prompted Sirius to write, Think of yourself first, Harry. Snape is a grown man and can take care of himself. If he loved you, then he would let you go because, in his heart, he knows that’s what you desire. Instead, he’s keeping you a slave because he prefers you that way. He’s a human and, in his eyes, you are nothing more than a pet. Never forget that. The next time he hurts you or yells at you, remember that.



Harry’s response should’ve been to tell Sirius to bugger off. Instead, the next letter said, I have connections and friends all over the world. He’ll never find you. You’ll be safe and free with me. Don’t worry about a thing; I’ll take care of you.



Severus felt as though his heart had been ripped from his chest. Was Harry really scared of him? Was slavery just something Harry pretended to enjoy in order to pacify Severus? The evidence was overwhelming that Harry wanted his freedom at the very least.



In the later letters, the topic wasn’t brought up anymore, Sirius asked Harry how various events had gone and no more mentions of Severus took place.



Severus wasn’t foolish enough to assume that Harry had convinced Sirius he’d rather remain Severus’s coney. Most likely, Harry had insisted he was too loyal to leave Severus.



There was nothing he could do about it now. He would talk about this with Harry when the coney woke.



Severus was cooking dinner when Harry poked his head around the door. Alert and cautious, Harry hesitantly took a few steps into the room, glancing at the letters on the table. Severus pretended to ignore him.



After a moment, Harry said, "You didn\'t say that I couldn\'t write to him."



As calmly as he could, Severus retorted, "You knew damn well what I meant and you did your best to hide your communication from me.” He pointed his wand at the letters.



"Incendio!"



"NO!" Harry lunged for the letters only to have to back away from the fire. Whirling to face Severus he cried, "Those were my letters! You had no right!"



"I own you! I can do whatever I want!"



Trembling, his ears flat back and his hands clenched at his sides, Harry shouted, "You humans are all the same! You have to own everything, and if you can\'t control something, you destroy it. You think you\'re better than all the rest of us, but you\'re not! You\'re just a bunch of bullies! He\'s right, you know, he\'s right! I hate being your slave!" With that, he fled from the room.



Feeling as though he\'d been gutted by a vicious curse, Severus could do nothing but stand there. He\'d been suspecting as much for some time, but it was another thing to hear it directly from Harry\'s mouth. How long had it been like that? Had Harry hated it from the very beginning? How could he have been so blind to have possibly thought otherwise?



Numb, he found his favourite scotch and poured himself a drink.



After giving them both two hours to calm down, Severus went in search of Harry. He found him in the library, curled up on the sofa with Champignon.



Taking a seat in the chair opposite the sofa, Severus said, "I don\'t want you to end up like him."



Facing the back of the sofa, Harry scoffed. "No, you\'re just jealous. You\'re jealous because you think that I like him more than you, and you\'re taking it out on me."



"You were jealous about those girls-"



"It isn\'t the same at all!" Harry shot upright. "You can do whatever you want and I can\'t. You fuck them and I can\'t even hug Sirius-"



"Wait," Severus had to interrupt. "I haven\'t fucked them."



Narrowing his eyes, Harry said, "You have them in your office and you lock the door! What else are you doing with them?"



Shocked that Harry had believed him to be sleeping with the girls all this time, Severus could only say, "Harry, since I bought you, I\'ve not slept with anyone besides you."



Harry stared at him, then frowned. "Then why\'d you make me think otherwise?"



"I didn\'t know you thought otherwise! You honestly believed I was having sex with them in my office?"



His ears flattening further, Harry petulantly stated, "You acted like it. You wanted me to believe it. Why shouldn\'t I?"



Severus sputtered, "It\'s highly illegal! I\'d lose my job! I was only pretending because I thought you knew it was only pretend."



Pulling Champignon into his arms, Harry said, "I don\'t see why it\'s illegal. They\'re of age."



"They\'re not of age," explained Severus. "Humans have to wait longer before they are permitted to have sex with adults. I’m also still in a position of authority over the few who are of age. I\'m their Professor."



"You\'re in a position of authority over me," Harry pointed out.



"It\'s different for coneys," Severus explained with a sigh.



Harry scowled.



Severus got up to join Harry on the sofa. Stroking Harry\'s ears he said, "As a coney, even if you are free, you\'ll still have to face the same treatment from wizards."



"I know," said Harry bitterly, staring down at Champignon.



Severus continued, "Sirius is strong and he enjoys the attention of men like Malfoy. Do you really want to spend the rest of your life as an object of entertainment for people like the Malfoys?"



Harry softly said, "No."



Severus placed a hand on Harry\'s forehead, checking his temperature. "You should go back to bed, otherwise you might aggravate your illness."



"I can sleep here," said Harry sullenly.



Picking up Champignon and setting him to the side, Severus picked up Harry and carried him into the bedroom. "The bed is far more comfortable. You can write to Sirius if you want; however, I don\'t want any secrets. I\'ll check the letters because I don\'t trust him, but if he behaves himself, I\'ll let him visit you."



"He just wants to help me," Harry mumbled against Severus\'s chest.



"So do I.” Severus tucked him into bed and stroked a thumb across his cheek. “Does he know as well as I how much you love Hogwarts?"



"No," Harry admitted softly.



"Can he protect you as well as I can from men like Tom Riddle or Lucius Malfoy? Will he be able to stop men in the Ministry from pawing at you like I can?"



Harry shook his head.



“Even if you’re free, you will still be a coney. As long as you are a coney, wizards will never treat you as a human. I can protect you from humans who would harm you. I can care for you in a way he never can.”



Harry whispered, “I know.”



Severus kissed him on the forehead. "Sleep. You’ll feel better in the morning."



~



The only thing Severus could do was hope that Harry\'s outburst had been fuelled by anger and not any degree of seriousness. When Harry woke him the next morning with head, it appeared that had been the case. Severus was all too happy to have sex with him - being as gentle as possible of course - although he insisted on making breakfast and having Harry avoid any sort of work or travel until the following day.



Harry wrote a letter to Sirius that read:



Dear Sirius,



The Professor found your note. He said it\'s OK if we write to each other, so you can write to me any time you want now. I\'m feeling better. I can\'t wait to go outside and ride around on my broom.



Harry



For a week, nothing came. Harry didn\'t show any signs that he was hoping for a response to his letter, but Severus knew he was checking the post just as regularly as Severus himself.



Then, a package arrived shortly before dinner.



Harry eagerly read the attached note aloud.



Dear Harry,



Happy Birthday! Sorry that I\'ve not written sooner. I was on holiday in Morocco with a client. You\'ll need help with your present, but I\'m sure Snape can take care of that.



Hope to see you soon,

Sirius



Severus said, "You never told me it was your birthday."



"I didn\'t know!" Harry stared at the note. "He knew my dad, so maybe he asked him."



"Are they related?"



Harry nodded. "Cousins. He says that he went to a coney training school with my dad."



Harry\'s black fur had come from the purebred James, rather than the mutt Lily. Lucius would love to learn that.



Placing the card to the side, Harry tore open the package, only to find a broom. Severus knew little about brooms, so it had no meaning to him, but Harry\'s mouth dropped open.



"It\'s a Firebolt!" Seeing the blank look on Severus\'s face, Harry added, "It\'s one of the best brooms in the world! I\'ve wanted one for ages, but they\'re so expensive and...." Harry\'s fingers trailed along the wood of the handle. "It\'s beautiful," he said in a hushed, reverent tone.



Reaching over to take the broom, Severus said, "I\'ll need to check it over first."



Harry\'s face fell.



"I can\'t have you flying on anything substandard - no matter how highly it\'s touted. It won\'t take as long as last time. I\'ll have you flying on it in no time."



"Okay." Casting a longing look at the Firebolt, Harry returned to grating the cheese for the casserole he was making.



After putting the broom in his office, Severus returned to the kitchen. "Go put on something nice. I\'m taking you out for dinner."



Harry glanced over at his nearly completed meal. "But what about-"

"I\'ll put charms on it. We can have it for lunch tomorrow."



"What should I wear?"



"Your fanciest dress robes."



Harry grinned and darted from the room.



Although Severus had not made reservations, a little bit of magic got them seated in a decently nice restaurant in downtown London. When Harry took the menu, his eyes widened at the prices and he shot a glance at Severus.



"Order whatever you like," said Severus, feeling generous. He\'d settle for something inexpensive himself.



Harry behaved himself perfectly throughout dinner, although he scratched his head often. "My ears itch," he said by way of explanation when he noticed Severus eyeing him. "They don\'t itch when you turn them into glasses, just when you transform them into hair."



"What about your tail?" asked Severus. "Does that bother you?



"No. I prefer your new way of hiding it. It\'s only the ears that bother me now. But it\'s okay. I pass so much better with the glasses. It feels more natural."



Although he was certain he knew the answer, Severus asked, "Would you like to be human?"



Harry adjusted his glasses. "I\'m fine being a coney," he replied too quickly.



Severus set down his water glass. "If I could design a potion to permanently change your body into that of a human, would you take it?"



Harry\'s eyes widened. "You can do that?"



Severus nodded. "With time and money," he lied.



Fidgeting with his fork, Harry said, "It would probably be useful to you, wouldn\'t it?"



"Moderately so," acknowledged Severus, although he suspected that, based on how Harry was avoiding his eyes and squirming in his seat, Harry wanted to be human for other reasons.



"I guess I\'d take it," Harry finally said. "Why? Are you making it?"



"Yes," answered Severus, pretending not to notice the momentary delight that crossed Harry\'s unguarded face.



The rest of the night was otherwise perfect.



~



Despite Severus\'s claim that he\'d be finished faster with the broom, he still didn\'t trust Sirius, so he first examined it to be sure that no enchantments had been placed upon it. By the time he finished that and added his own spells to it, it was nearly two weeks before he finally presented it to Harry. That night, he told Harry to wear his Quidditch uniform, cast concealment charms on both of them, and sneaked Harry to a local park where he\'d set up a modified version of a Quidditch field.



Harry took off on his broom and, with only two people to play each position, it was hardly a true game, but Harry didn\'t seem to mind. He laughed with delight, even when Severus was mostly able to score because of the protection spells on Harry\'s broom. Finally, Harry caught the Snitch and the game ended, both of them landing on the lush grass.



Jumping on Severus, Harry gave him a kiss and breathlessly said, "In our next lives, we\'ll play Quidditch together."



"Of course," agreed Severus to pacify him. He didn\'t share Harry\'s conviction that someday they would reincarnate to live together as wizards. Harry turned from him, and gazed up at the hoops with a wistful expression on his face. Severus knew that if Harry reflected on his desire to be human for too long, his ears would droop, so Severus distracted him by sliding a hand down to Harry\'s crotch.



Harry gasped and rubbed against the hand, reaching back to clutch Severus\'s shoulders for support.



Unable to wait, Severus pushed him back onto the grass.



"We\'re in public," protested Harry.



"I\'ve set up charms," Severus told him, too lost in the smell of fresh grass and Harry to take things slowly. He tore open the fastenings on the front of the robe, cut through the cumbersome guards and jumper, and ripped off the trousers and y-fronts. Harry\'s face flushed when the air hit his bare skin.



"What if someone sees?" he asked nervously. It was unusual for the coney to be so coy, and his hesitation only inflamed Severus.



"No one will see," Severus promised before he swooped down for a kiss and Harry melted against him. They rolled into the grass, their limbs tangling together. Sharing hot, frantic kisses, Severus fumbled with his clothing until he was freed and then slid inside Harry.



Gasping, Harry slowed and Severus met his pace. Staring up at Severus with his captivating eyes, Harry’s face bore such a wild openness. "Severus...." he gasped softly. "Severus...."



Severus rocked in Harry slowly, wanting to hold his pleasure for as long as possible. Unfortunately, the weather conspired against them and rain began to fall, the thick drops spattering on their skin and turning the field to mud. They finished and then hurried back home, Harry clutching his hastily mended clothing.



~



It was two weeks before they\'d be expected to return to Hogwarts and start preparing for the new school year. Severus had dropped Harry off with the Weasleys early in the morning and, although he\'d said he\'d be brewing, he spent most of the day sitting by his picture window in the sitting room, leafing through potion magazines. He couldn\'t take his eyes off the diamond cauldron. It was exactly the cost he\'d originally paid for Harry.



Ever since Harry\'s outburst, he\'d tried to pretend it had never happened, but, as the days passed, he knew it couldn\'t be ignored. There was no way around it. Harry, in order to be happy, needed to be free. Free and human.



Sighing, he set down the magazine and left for Hogwarts.



As expected, the Headmaster was in his office.



"Lemon drop?" Albus offered.



Severus said, "Harry won\'t be returning with me next term."



"I see," said Albus, his bright eyes growing sombre. "You\'ve decided then?"



It hadn\'t been an easy choice, but he knew he was fooling himself to think it could be any other way. "It\'s what\'s best for everyone. You won\'t have to worry about parents finding out that you\'ve hired a coney, or about paying for his employment."



"And Harry desires this?" Albus asked quietly, peering over the rim of his half-moon glasses at Severus.



He hadn\'t told Harry yet. "He hasn\'t told me as such, but he\'s too polite to openly speak his desires. I know this is what he wants. You will handle the financial accounts I’ve set up for him?"



"I\'ll take care of it," Albus assured him.



"Thank you." Severus returned home to collect Harry\'s papers and arrange everything.



When he fetched Harry, the coney was bouncing on his heels with excitement over a game. "Angelina, her sister, and two of their friends visited and played with us and since Bill and Charlie are back, we had enough for two whole teams! It was the best game I\'ve ever played. We were down by three hundred points...."



Tuning Harry out, Severus wordlessly flew him home, where he had all of Harry\'s belongings packed and ready by the Floo.



When Harry saw his belongings, he stopped talking for a moment. Finally, he asked, "Are we returning to Hogwarts early? What happened?"



Severus handed him some Floo powder. "Say Atterolepus."



"Atterolepus!" Harry vanished in a cloud of green smoke.



Grabbing and resizing Harry\'s belongings to fit in his pocket, Severus followed, landing in the front lobby of a hospital in Italy, where coneys were granted more rights.



"Why are we here?" asked Harry, his wide eyes staring.



"Professor Severus Snape?" asked a buxom blonde witch in healer garb.



"Yes?"



"Please follow me, sir." She strode off down a long hallway. Severus followed her, Harry scurrying to catch up. Selecting a door, she led them into a hospital room. "Here are your rooms."



As soon as the door closed behind her, Harry rounded on Severus. "What\'s going on!?"



Severus restored Harry\'s tail and ears, which were laid flat on his head. Removing Harry\'s papers from his robes, he said, "These are your coney registration papers. As long as they exist, you will always be a slave. Incendio!"



Harry jumped back from the cloud of flames that destroyed the papers.



Removing the box that contained Harry\'s belongings from his robes, he returned it to its proper size and set it in the corner of the room. "Everything you own is in this trunk, except for Champignon, whom I will send to you once you are situated in your new home."



"I don\'t understand," said Harry, his face white. "Are you selling me to Sirius?"



Severus scoffed. "Don\'t be stupid. If I were to sell you, I\'d need your papers. You\'re free. I\'ve arranged for your tail to be removed and your ears transformed to human ears by the skilled wizards here. When you leave here, you\'ll be fully human by legal standards and, if you regularly take a potion I\'ve developed, no one will ever be able to tell otherwise. Your new records list you as a Squib. After your operation, a Squib will come to collect you and help you integrate into your new life. I\'ve set up an account with enough Muggle and Wizard money to last you for five years. In that time, you should have found a job and settled comfortably into society as a human." He wished he could give enough to set Harry up for life, but he didn\'t have the funds. He\'d had to mortgage his home just to collect an amount sufficient to last five years.



Harry just stood there, staring, his eyes large and round.



The longer he stayed, the more he\'d let his emotions get the better of him and stand in his way. Firming up his resolve, Severus took one last look at Harry and said, "Goodbye, Harry." Before he or Harry could stop the process, he left and Flooed to the Headmaster\'s office.



"Is he free?" Albus asked solemnly.



Severus nodded. "Soon he\'ll be human. I\'m ready to sign."



Albus silently pushed across the desk the papers that would separate Severus from Harry legally. Severus signed them with a flourish of his quill. It wasn\'t as hard as he’d thought it would be. He simply focused on how happy Harry would be as a human and, even though the black pit inside of him didn\'t dissipate, it didn\'t hurt as much as it had at the hospital.



As he watched Severus, Albus said, "While coneys are mature for their ages, Harry has lived his entire life in slavery. I feel-"



Severus waved away Albus\'s concerns. "If he has any intelligence at all, he\'ll be fine. I\'ve been careful to organise everything so that he\'ll have a decent life as long as he tries." More than a decent life. With Harry\'s intelligence and the care Severus had put into the planning, he should have a wonderful life.



"You\'ve taken care of most of his physical needs," agreed Albus, "but surely you must know how attached he is to you."



Severus scoffed. He\'d once been fooled as well, but now he knew the truth. "He\'s young and impressionable. He became attached to me solely because I\'m his owner and I gave him affection. His feelings of affection would surely shift in time, if they haven\'t already, yet he would feel obligated to remain with me. I don\'t want that to happen."



"While that may be true," said Albus, "there is no reason that this break must happen now, while he is in the greatest transition of his life."



"If I had insisted on keeping Harry with me, setting him free would\'ve just been a formality and nothing would\'ve changed. This way, he will truly be free."

Albus\'s piercing blue eyes searched Severus. "Will he?"



"Of course," answered Severus confidently. "I know what\'s best for him. This is what he needs. When I told you of my plan, you were quite enthused. Don\'t tell me you\'ve changed your mind." Not that it mattered to Severus anyway; Harry had been his to do with as he pleased, and he knew that Harry wanted to be free, even if the coney had never admitted to such feelings out loud.



"While I applaud your decision to free him, and I know of his longing to be human, I had assumed that you would remain with him until he established himself," responded Albus. "Severus, just be sure that this is for his benefit."



"I\'m sure." Severus left the Headmaster\'s office and returned home. Without Harry taking up space any longer, Severus moved his desk back to its original location. As he reorganised his shelves, he spotted a bit of green near the back of a drawer. Reaching in, he found the remains of the jumper Harry had knitted him for Christmas. He\'d thought he\'d left it at Hogwarts, but he must\'ve accidentally packed it. Turning it over in his hands, he knew he should destroy it, but couldn\'t put his heart into the spell.



Although he\'d done his best to pack up everything so that there\'d be no trace of Harry anywhere in the house when he returned, Harry\'s presence still lingered. He couldn\'t brew, he couldn\'t cook, he couldn\'t even read in the library without thinking of Harry. He\'d got rid of his old bed and purchased a new one, but even with the bright new sheets fresh upon the mattress, it still smelled like Harry.



When it was time to go to bed, Champignon curled up on Harry\'s side of the mattress, giving Severus a dark look as he wrapped his long tail around himself. Glaring back at the cat, Severus said, "You know it\'s exactly what he wanted."



Champignon blinked and looked the other way.



~



A week later, Severus returned home from a visit to Diagon Alley only to find Sirius and Harry sitting by the road just outside the wards of his house. Sirius stood and marched over to Severus.



"I don\'t know what kind of shit you\'re trying to pull," Sirius spat, drawing himself up to his full height. "But if you ever try something like that again, I will kick your fucking arse! And don\'t think I won\'t be able to do it either. I may not have magic, but I\'ll put you in your place."



What in the bloody hell was Sirius doing with Harry? Harry was supposed to be with Squibs, not running around with this arrogant whore. Accusingly, Severus asked, "What are you doing with Harry?"



"Saving him from being mutilated, that\'s what I\'m doing!" Sirius\'s lips twisted into a sneer. "You bloody humans and your arrogance. Who are you to decide that you want to take his ears and tail just because they don\'t conform to your standards?"



Severus shot a glance toward Harry only to realise that his ears were draped flaccidly behind his head. He\'d not had the operation. All his work and planning had been for naught. Turning back to Sirius, Severus said, "You had no right to-"



"No!" Sirius took a menacing step forward and Severus whipped out his wand. "You had no right! Carving him up like a piece of meat is no way to treat a kit, even if he was legally-" Sirius rolled his eyes. "-your property."



"He wanted-!"



"You fool! If he wanted it, he wouldn\'t have sent an owl straight to me to come rescue him! You stupid, arrogant arsehole-" Sirius took another step forward and Severus moved into attack position. Harry flew in between them.



Grabbing Sirius\'s arms, Harry pleaded, "Please don\'t fight!"



Lowering his wand, Severus said, "I will only ask you this one more time: What are you doing on my property with Harry? If you think that I will let you take him-"



"I\'m helping him get back to you!" Sirius shouted. "Although Merlin knows why, since you don\'t deserve him. For some mad reason, he\'s in love with you. Soon, he\'ll realise what a worthless piece of shit you are, but for now, he\'s heartbroken at the thought of being apart from you. Mark my words," Sirius jabbed a finger towards Severus\'s chest. "Hurt him again, and you\'ll suffer."



His anger thick, but unwilling to do anything with Harry between them, Severus could only order, "Get off my property."



In a huff, Sirius turned his attention to Harry. Giving him a kiss and a hug, he softly said, "If this arsehole causes you any more pain, I\'ll take care of him for you. Be sure to send me an owl if you need a place to stay. I\'ll be back in three days to check on you." Shooting Severus one final glare, Sirius marched over to his bike, hopped on it, and roared away.



Flabbergasted, staring at Harry in disbelief, Severus could only say, "You didn\'t get your ears and tail removed."



Harry slowly shook his head.



Frustration welling up, Severus snarled, "You stupid kit! Everyone will know you\'re a coney. You\'ll face constant harassment!"



His eyes steady, Harry said, "I don\'t care. I want to be myself."



Not understanding the reason for the change, Severus said, "You wanted to be human."



"I did," agreed Harry. "But when I realised that I could change, I also realised that I didn\'t want to change. I don\'t want to have to be human to be a person. I\'d rather be a coney and a person. I don\'t see why I have to change to be accepted. Why can\'t the humans learn to accept me as a person instead?"



Severus sighed. "Even if you wish to be treated like a person, you are a coney and will always be seen as such as long as you have your ears and tail. And now, since you refused the operation, we can\'t go back to the way things were before. When I freed you, your name appeared in the registry at the Ministry under \'Freed Coneys\'. We can\'t go back to Hogwarts and-"



"I know," said Harry calmly. "I don\'t want things to be the same. I mean, I\'d like to go back to Hogwarts, but I don\'t want to do that unless I can be myself. I know you don\'t want me if I\'m human, but-"



"Whatever makes you think that?" Severus asked hoarsely.



Harry frowned. "You left me because I was going to be turned into a human."



Severus pushed back hair from his eyes. "I left you because you are young and I know your feelings will change with time and circumstance. I wanted you to be free to choose what you wanted without any sense of duty holding you back."



"I don\'t know if my feelings will change, maybe they will later," acknowledged Harry. "But they haven\'t changed now. I know how I feel."



"You are far too young-"



Harry scoffed. "If I\'m too young to know what I want and what\'s best for me, then I\'m also too young to live on my own, aren\'t I?"



For a moment, Severus could only stare at him. Finally, he had to acknowledge he\'d been bested. "I suppose you may be old enough to make up your own mind."



Smiling, Harry stepped closer. "I don\'t want to be your slave. I\'ve never wanted that. I just wanted you, and I figured acting like a slave would make you want me."



"You\'ve always hated acting like a house-elf?" It was still hard for Severus to wrap his head around it.



"Well, I hate cleaning." Harry gave Severus a small, apologetic smile. "And you\'re much better at it anyway. But I don\'t mind cooking, especially because you\'re terrible at it."



Severus sniffed. "I\'m not a bad cook. I simply couldn\'t make anything decent for you while you were ill."



Giving him a challenging look, Harry said, "Then you want to cook?"



Grudgingly, Severus admitted, "No, you\'ve proven yourself quite skilled at it."



Striding past Severus, Harry walked into their house. "I\'m still going to apply for my old position at Hogwarts, but whether I get it or not, Sirius wants to hire me to help him with a coney rights organisation. Hermione and I have been talking about helping coneys for some time, and Sirius has the money but not the know-how."



Following close behind, Severus asked, "Why didn\'t you tell me?"



His brow furrowing, Harry sat down on the sofa. Champignon, in a rare display of athleticism, jumped up into his lap, and gave the low guttural noise that was his attempt at purring. "I wasn\'t sure how you\'d take it. I mean, I knew you were different from most humans when you transfigured that sofa for me, but-"



"Transfigured the sofa?" asked Severus as he sat beside Harry, unable to recall.



"On my first night with you," said Harry, snuggling against Severus, his ears pricking. "All the other humans either tried to touch me as soon as they brought me home, or they\'d have me do chores, then go to their bed. You not only ate dinner with me, but also gave me my very own bed. I was going to sleep with you - if you wanted - because everyone told me that one day I\'d end up in the brothels or with a wizard who wouldn\'t take \'no\' for an answer. You were better than most. I mean, I didn\'t want to have sex with you, but I figured if I let you sleep with me, you\'d take care of me. At least for a little while."



Stroking Harry\'s steadily rising ears, Severus asked, "And that bed made you want it?"



"Well," said Harry, setting Champignon to the side and crawling into Severus\'s lap. "Not at that moment. But it was the start. You also weren\'t picky about how I did my chores and you let me do whatever I wanted when I was finished, as long as I didn\'t bother you. You also made me that step stool."



Severus had to think back to it; it had seemed like nothing at the time. "I couldn\'t have you hurt yourself when climbing up to put things away on high shelves."



"When I lived with the family, they never gave me anything. Not once," Harry said shaking his head. "If I fell, I just had to be careful not to fall and break something of theirs. They didn\'t care when I fell and hurt my arm at all, just that I\'d broken a dish. All my other owners always hurt me when I made mistakes. You yell, which I don\'t like," Harry wrinkled his nose in disgust. "But you\'ve only hurt me a few times."



Even the knowledge that he\'d hurt Harry \'a few times\' was enough to make Severus fervently wish he\'d never hurt him at all.



"I\'ve noticed," continued Harry as he met Severus\'s eyes with his calm ones, "that whenever you were really mad at me, it was always because you were concerned for me. For a long time, I thought you were only concerned about your money, because you brought that up a lot. But you could\'ve sold me to Sirius, and you didn\'t."



Severus snorted. "And let that bastard introduce you to a life of brown-nosing wizards?" Even though he feared the answer, he knew he had to ask, "Don\'t you want to stay with Sirius? You\'d sleep with him, wouldn\'t you?"



Blinking rapidly, Harry said nothing for a moment. Then, in a hesitant voice, he said, "He is one of the few people that I’d consider having sex with."



"Few?" asked Severus, wanting to know everything, even though it hurt to have confirmation that he wasn\'t the only individual Harry\'d ever considered for a sexual partner. At the same time, he consoled himself with the knowledge that it would be silly to think otherwise; after all, there were plenty of individuals he found sexually attractive besides Harry.



Harry nodded, his hesitation slipping away. "Yes, you, Sirius, and Charlie Weasley."



"Charlie Weasley?" Severus asked, an eyebrow rising up to his fringe. He resolved to never let Harry go near the Weasley house when the second eldest son was at home.



Grinning, Harry said, "Cedric Diggory is pretty cute too. And, if Draco wasn\'t such an arrogant prat-"



"I\'ve heard enough." Taking Harry to Hogwarts had been a more dangerous decision than he\'d known.



His grin fading and eyes solemn, Harry clutched Severus\'s right hand in his own. "Even though Sirius is really handsome, I\'ve never wanted him. Just you. He\'s nice to me and I know I\'d be happy living with him, but I\'m not in love with him. If I didn\'t have you, then I\'d probably sleep with him, but I\'d rather be with you than with him."



It made no sense. Sirius was wealthy, handsome, and (Severus had to admit to himself), much kinder to Harry. "Why?" asked Severus, thoroughly flummoxed.



His eyebrows arching in surprise, Harry said, "You could\'ve sold me to Sirius and regained all your money, but you didn\'t; instead you made a plan to turn me into a human because you thought that\'s what I wanted. But even before then I loved you. Even before Hogwarts."



At Severus\'s look of astonishment, he explained, "You taught me how to read. You threatened to cut off the hand of the man who pulled my tail in Diagon Alley. You didn\'t get angry when I mussed up your library, even though I know how much you love your books and order." Capturing Severus\'s other hand as well, he put them both on his bum. "Most of all, you never once tried to have sex with me. For so long, I was convinced you weren\'t interested, but then I heard you tell Lucius it was because you refused to force me, and I knew that I would die unless I had you."



His intense green eyes meeting Severus\'s, Harry whispered, "My feelings haven\'t changed since then. You\'ve always been my wizard. Even when I\'m angry at you, I still want to be with you. When I said that I hated being your slave, it wasn\'t because I hated you. I\'ve just always wanted to be your partner, so there was never any possibility that you could ever get rid of me, so that you would be mine as completely as I am yours."



Even at that moment, with his heart feeling as though it would burst, and his entire body wanting to fly, Severus couldn\'t help but tease, "Even if you are my partner now, I can still get rid of you."



"Nope!" Harry answered cheekily, looking entirely too pleased with himself. "I\'m staying with you whether you like it or not." With a wicked gleam in his eyes, he added, "And since I\'m free, I can do all the things that you humans get to do, like threaten to chop off the hand of anyone who tries to touch you inappropriately."



Severus had to choke back laughter at the idea of anyone trying to touch him inappropriately. For all of his wisdom, Harry still carried a lot of silly notions. If Harry thought he was desirable as a mate, he would cultivate that belief for as long as he could get away with it.



His fingers moving up to undo Harry\'s buttons, he asked, "Do you want to end up in Azkaban?"



"I won\'t let anyone harm you," promised Harry, his eyes fierce. "But I\'ll be careful. I want to spend the rest of my life with you."



Severus leaned forward and kissed Harry on the lips. He was all too happy to make Harry\'s wish come true.









That\'s the end of A Bunny Tale!