The Friday Boy

CHAPTER 9

Harry didn’t know what had drawn him down into the dungeons at 10 o’clock at night but here he was, sitting on the steps leading down to Snape’s classroom staring into the gloomy torch lit corridor in his sleep pants and Weasley knitted jumper. The ritual 11 o’clock came and went the clock tower’s gears grinding with each strike of the bell. In the silence of Hogwart’s Harry was rather surprised just how loud the chime on the old clock was, it was a wonder it didn’t wake half the school. 12.30 found Harry still sitting on the step his head now resting on his hands as he began to fall asleep. Harry was just beginning to doze off when he heard footsteps coming down the corridor behind him. Snapping his head up Harry watched as a familiar robed figure strode into view. Harry noted acutely the slight shuffle the elder wizard had in his step and frowned to himself as he stood up to reveal his presence. Almost immediately Snape stopped as his gaze focused on Harry. Harry was horrified by the picture Snape made. Even in the shadows of the flickering torches the streaks of blood, and the swollen jaw were clearly visible on the professor’s face. In one hand Snape held his wand his bloodied white-knuckle grip practically strangling the length of wood. In his other hand, hanging limp at his side was a very familiar mask; it’s white expressionless face the stuff Harry’s nightmares were made of.

“Bad night?” Harry whispered cringing at how loud his voice was in the silent corridor. Snape’s gaze didn’t leave Harry’s and the wizard made no effort to reply. “I couldn’t sleep I thought we’d play a game.” Harry swallowed nervously as he met Severus gaze wondering distantly where he’d plucked his courage from. The silence was deafening for the few short minutes after Harry’s comment and the boy fully expected to be hexed into an oblivion or at least lose some house points but the worst never came.

“You better come in then.” Snape’s voice was raw and he sounded tired. Harry stepped aside from the steps as Severus shuffled the rest of the way down the corridor and down the steps Harry had been sitting on. Snape’s classroom was on the right and Harry wasn’t surprised to find that the next doorway along the corridor was Severus private chambers. An empty portrait frame hung on the wall beside the doorway and Harry watched as Snape waved his wand over the empty frame. Harry thought he heard the hiss of a snake from within the empty picture before the door creaked open permitting them entrance.

Harry had never been in the private chambers of a professor before and was mildly impressed by how homely it was. The living room was small, most of the furniture gathered around the large fireplace. An archway on the far wall led to what Harry assumed was Snape’s bedroom and another archway beside Harry looked to lead into a lab or kitchen of some sort. Just as Harry had predicted the place was immaculate, every item placed meticulously in its place on the shelves and tables. Harry knew better than to invade Snape’s privacy and so merely stood by the door as he watched the professor move around his lounge room, tossing his cloak off carelessly and throwing his mask almost with disgust towards the cupboards beneath the bookcase.

“There’s a decanter of whisky on the bookshelf and some glasses in the cupboards pour us a drink.” Harry nodded as he watched Snape lower himself painfully into the worn leather chair beside the fire. Finding the decanter of amber liquid on the third shelf Harry spent a moment rummaging through the cupboards before he found two crystal glasses. The glasses didn’t match and one was cracked but Harry filled them both anyway. Harry had noticed the other wizarding artifacts in the cupboards but had squashed his inquisitiveness and urge to touch knowing what happened last time he’d touched Snape’s stuff. With a glass in either hand Harry brought the whisky over to Snape and easily handed it to the man. The hand Snape used to take the glass was covered in blood but Harry ignored it as he backed up and sat himself down on the edge of the leather couch that matched the chair Snape currently sat in. Judging from the almost pristine condition of the couch, compared to the chair it was obvious Snape didn’t get a lot of visitors sitting in his lounge room. With both hands cupping the glass Harry sipped from the liquid shuddering as the fine single malt burnt its way down his throat and settled warmly in his stomach.

“Is it yours?” Slightly concerned for Snape’s health Harry gestured to the man’s bloodied hand that was still nursing the whisky glass. For a moment Snape considered the question as he stared at the hand before quietly shaking his head.

“No, but I believe this is.” With his free hand Snape reached up to his face running his fingertips through the trail of blood that had run from a cut on his head and pooled in his chin. Harry watched as Snape closed his eyes having swallowed heavily before slumping back in his chair. The hard stern exterior of the potion professor was beginning to crack under the pressure. Putting aside his glass of whisky Harry rose from the couch and headed in to the kitchen type lab in search of a cloth and some clean water.

“The towels are in linen cupboard on the right and there’s a rack of potions set out on the table you can bring me while you’re up.” Harry smiled to himself as Snape called to him from the lounge. Gathering a large fluffy towel and a smaller washer from the cupboard Harry filled a bowl with cool clean water from the tap and balancing that in one hand picked up the rack of colored potions from the central bench. Returning to the lounge room Harry placed the bowl of water on the side table next to Snape’s chair along with the vials. Harry sat back down on the edge of the couch and picked up his whisky as he watched Snape carefully dip the washer into the water and begin sponging away the blood from his face. As Harry watched Snape carefully wash his face the boy began to notice other injuries on the man’s body. The leg of Snape’s pants was chard revealing an angry burn on the man’s calf. A whip like slash ran from beneath Snape’s ear lobe all the way down his neck and disappeared into the collar of his robes.

When he’d cleaned his face Snape proceeded to pick up each potion vial one at a time from the rack, uncorking it and downing the contents in one go. Each potion seemed to take more effort to swallow than the next until Harry could physically see the potion master trying not to wretch as he struggled with stubborn cork of the last vial. Getting to his feet quickly Harry moved over to Snape’s chair and in silence pulled the tough cork out of the vial. Snape stared at Harry as he downed the potion a shudder of revulsion wracking his body as he swallowed before he replaced the empty vial back in the rack.

“I’ve done this for 25 years without your help Potter.” With his voice raw Snape’s growl didn’t quite have the effect it should have had and Harry merely shrugged his shoulders as he finished his whisky and returned to the couch.

“How did you get them out without me?” Harry inquired coolly as he watched Snape put his shaking hands in his lap, trying to stop them from moving involuntarily.

“With my teeth.” Snape whispered back as his eyes slid closed and an expression of pain swept over his pale face. “If you’ll excuse me, I prefer to sit in the bath to ease the cramp…” Harry watched as Snape painfully pushed himself to his feet, his trembling hands still clutched in his lap trying and failing to hold each other still.

“Sorry, this is a bad time isn’t it? I wasn’t thinking when I came down here, I better go.” Harry got to his feet and moved towards the door feeling very awkward and realizing he should have known better than to come in search of Snape after a death eater meeting. Harry however paused as he heard Snape’s reply.

“…Actually Potter I was going to ask you if you’d consent to keeping me company for a little while. I sometimes pass out and despite my better judgment I’d infinitely prefer it to be you who drags my sorry carcass out of the bath rather than that infernal medi witch or worse still the headmaster.” Severus was already shuffling towards the archway into his bedroom, his back turned to Harry. Harry hesitated for a moment to consider what he’d just been asked but when he found no alteria motive hidden in the request smiled warmly.

“Sure.” Harry carefully followed Snape through his bedroom, noting the overly large four-poster bed and the trunk at the bottom of it with the gold initials S.S carved into its top. The only other pieces of furniture in the room was an old mirrored wardrobe and a dresser with draws and a mirror above it. Harry went to follow Snape into the bathroom but was stopped by Snape’s bloodied hand pushing into his chest.

“Wait here.” Harry didn’t miss the suspicious gaze Snape threw at Harry over his shoulder and the boy knew why he was waiting outside. In a way Harry was almost glad Snape had preserved his privacy. Leaning against the wall beside the archway into the bathroom Harry took the opportunity to glance around at the personal items in the bedroom. On the dresser there were three photos and Harry smiled as he stepped closer to have a look. The first photo was of a man and woman, locked in a hug and surrounded by what Harry assumed was snow. The pair looked happy and the woman in the picture even gave Harry a small wave. Harry thought perhaps they were Snape’s parents the family resemblance slight but not too much of a stretch. The second photo was of a young Hogwart’s student Harry instantly recognized as Snape when he was at school. Sadly judging from the photo Harry knew why Snape had been teased at school. The stern faced boy in the picture was gangly and ghostly pale, his face littered with the unsightly redness of acne, and his hair was a strangled mess of greasy locks. The third picture was one Harry found extremely puzzling. It was of Harry himself. Harry remembered when the picture had been taken; it was one of the promotional pics the prophet had taken before the tri-wizard cup.

“Bring a pillow in to sit on, the floors cold.” Snape’s voice cut through the silence making Harry jump. With a glance at his smiling self in the picture Harry grabbed one of the cotton pillows from Snape’s bed and wandered in through the arch into the bathroom. Harry was impressed by the white marble finish of the bath but reluctantly kept his comments to himself as he put the pillow down beside the sunken bath and sat down. Snape was fully immersed in the large marble tub and the purple bubbles that covered the surface of the water when popped let off a fragrant smell.

“So, a question for a question?” Harry inquired as he relaxed back against the wall so that he was comfortable.

“Deal.” Severus muttered his head resting back on a towel on the edge of the bath while he nursed his injuries in the healing water. “Why did you really come down here tonight Potter?” Harry had expected he would go first this time around but was sadly disappointed as Snape beat him to it.

“I was pissed off that you seemed to get a lot more out of our last game, than I seemed to.” Harry muttered the truth sounding bitter in his mouth but the truth nonetheless. If he was honest that was what had bugged him for the last few weeks, the fact Severus now knew intimate details of Harry’s life yet Harry knew nothing he didn’t already know about the man.

“You’re not asking the right questions then.” Severus whispered as he shifted in the water as the cramps from his latest round of Cruiatus began to take hold of his body in earnest.

“Alright then, why have you got a picture of me on your dresser?” Harry inquired hoping that that question would provide some interesting results.

“It was a gift from a friend who takes delight in torturing me.” Harry was unimpressed by Snape’s reply already beginning to realize he probably wouldn’t learn anything new out of this session with Snape either. “Rumor has it your sweet for young Ginny Weasley, is it true?” Harry scoffed and rolled his eyes in amusement at Snape’s comment, gossip had always been that he and Ginny were an item, even after she’d begun dating Dean.

“No, she’s like a sister to me.” Harry mumbled in reply blushing a little as the memories of the afternoon in the Weasley’s shed came flooding back. Harry took his time thinking of his next question, trying where possible to use Snape’s tactics. “Okay, the night I followed you what did you actually do with that guy from the bar?”

“I fucked his virgin tight backside.” Harry practically choked on his own tongue at Snape’s candid reply the man’s voice lacking any shame or hint of embarrassment that Harry would expect from admitting something like that. “Are you gay Potter?” Harry didn’t have chance to comprehend the answer to the last question before Snape was asking his next.

“I’m not sure, although its recently been brought to my attention that apparently if you don’t get a hard on when a girl kisses you that the likely cause is the fact you like boys instead.” Harry glanced cautiously across at Snape who had now opened his eyes and was taking an avid interest in their little game. Some of the swelling had gone down on Snape’s face and the cuts seemed to be healing themselves in the water on the elder wizards face. Harry thought Snape looked a little healthier “Alright, when you paid that wizard in the alley outside the club he mentioned something about having a hard time finding what you wanted. What is it you want every week on a Friday?” Harry smiled in success as Snape pondered the question for a long moment, seemingly toying with several answers before replying calmly.

“I believe my official shopping list reads, Male, 14-18, brown hair, green eyes, short, medium build and untouched.” Snape closed his eyes again when he’d finished listing off the items he’d wanted from his Friday’s and for a while Harry didn’t really make anything of it until his mind flickered back to the picture of himself on Snape’s dresser.

“Hey they all look like me.” Harry stared at Snape in shock but it seemed as if Snape had been waiting for Harry to trig. Without a word Snape rose from the bath totally ignoring Harry’s shocked expression as the wizard reached for the towel and wrapped it hastily around his waist.

“No, you look like them, now I think you better go Potter.” Snape didn’t pause as he disappeared out of the bathroom his wet feet creating puddle marks on the stone floor. Scrambling to his feet Harry quickly followed Snape out into the bedroom. The elder wizard was sitting on the far side of the bed, his back to Harry deliberately ignoring the boy now staring at him. Harry couldn’t help but stare at Snape’s back. The elder wizards pale skin was littered with scars, ranging from tiny ones barely visible to long thick strikes that stretched from one side of his back to the other. Some of them were new, fresh and pink as if they’d been done yesterday but many more were old, hardened and raised with time. Harry had been too stunned to have taken much notice of Snape’s body as the wizard had gotten out of the bath but now in the flickering candle light of the bedroom every painful memory the potion professor had seemed emblazoned forever on his skin. The red slash Harry had seen earlier on the man’s neck leading down into his collar was now all clearly visible and it made Harry heave to see that the slash circled the man’s neck like a noose. The man was painfully thin too, the jut of the man’s hipbone protruding out from beneath the fluffy towel wrapped around his waist.

“Why do you do it?” Harry’s voice trembled as he whispered unable to stop himself from asking the impossible question. There was silence in the bedroom as Harry’s question lingered in the awkwardness. There were no specifics in the question but Harry had a feeling Snape knew what he was referring to. Harry wasn’t expecting a reply but remained standing in the middle of the bedroom staring at Snape’s pitiful figure.

“You need to go Potter, you’re not welcome here.” Snape’s icy cold regard wasn’t unexpected and Harry sighed as he turned and strode from the room, not even bothering to look back as the door in the lounge opened and he stepped out into the dark cool corridor outside unaware of the pair of sad onyx eyes watching him leave.

TBC>>>>>>>>>>>>>

A/N Thanks for the reviews guys, I\'m glad you\'re enjoying this little story. I know it started off slow, and it kind of counter balances what\'s still to come....*shivers* Sometimes I really do fuck with my characters, and this time Snape\'s got really big secrets apart from the obvious as has a certain blonde who has yet to stick his head in. Surprisingly enough there\'s some sex on the way.....*looks shocked* Yeah I know I can\'t believe I\'m writing smut this early into a story but it\'s an essential plot piece so be prepared for it...

Cheers Riffraff.

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