Emancipation II
Bloodcrusher offered Harry a carefully crafted black ring. He instantly recognized it as the Head of House ring for his family.
It was quite a simple design, actually- a deep obsidian band with the golden and emerald house crest on the front. This wasn’t what startled Harry- No, it was the power.
He could instantly feel unbreakable charms on the obsidian ring that felt ancient. Harry suspected it was made approximately 22,569 years ago, when his family emerged.
Less noticeable, however, were the detection charms and Occlumency charms. Seems it protected against vile acts to the Head of House and Legilimency.
Harry took the ring from Bloodcrusher and slipped it on. It shrunk down to the appropriate size for his right ring finger.
A second later, all the memories of the men that had worn this ring rushed into his head. It was flooding with the knowledge of hundreds of people, and suddenly, he knew why people waited for their seventeen to claim lordship. This shit hurt.
Harry dully noticed a splitting pain not only in his head, but his whole body too. It felt oddly similar to the changes he got from touching his wands for the first time.
At last it receded. He opened his eyes slowly, to which Bloodcrusher smirked at him knowingly and handed the newly emancipated boy a hand-held mirror.
Harry took in his appearance sluggishly. It took him a while to focus on his image, but it was worth it.
He was now the average height and build of a thirteen year old. Still quite lean, but definitely muscular. The only thing that set him apart from an average magical teenager was his eyes.
Yes, Harry knew that he had his mother’s strange emerald eyes. But now they were more than that, striking pools of deep intelligence that made him unique. Harry loved it.
A loud shout was heard outside, and a sneering man with billowing black robes stormed into the room.
“What is the meaning of this?” He hissed at Bloodcrusher without even noticing Harry. “Why was my Lord Prince title removed?”
Harry had a striking realization. This man was Severus Snape, a submissive in his family relationship. He already didn’t like this man.
The goblin looked up and sneered back. “It seems, Mr. Snape-“ Harry saw Snape flinch back from not being called his formally proper title. “-that Lord Potter here is the dominant in your relationship, and was required to remove your former title. It is his now, just as you are.”
Snape turned and stared at the child in front of him. How had it just snatched perhaps all of his dwindling political power and wealth, in one day? And it was a Potter. He was guaranteed to have to do ridiculous shit for this son of his enemy.
“Potter,” he snarled aggressively, despite something suspiciously close to what he suspected was family love settling deep in his chest. Severus had to ignore this.
The menace didn’t even spare him a glance as he started to converse with the Potter Manager. Severus rolled his eyes. What had he suspected? This child was just as uncaring and cruel as his father was.
Eventually, after several infuriating and embarrassing minutes of him standing there waiting for something to happen, the goblin nodded and brought out several potions that he didn’t recognize. How could that be, that he, the youngest potion master in England, could not recognize potions that were sure to be in first year books?
James downed the potions immediately. What a foolish move. Not even checking for poison from goblins? Just as empty headed as before.
James closed his- emerald?- eyes briefly before opening them again. Severus just barely managed to keep a gasp to himself.
This was not James, and this was not Lily. This was someone different.
The eyes that haunted Severus slowly turned to face his own dark ones. Achingly similar to Lily’s, but at the same time not. Huh.
“Snape?” Harry finally addressed the peculiar man. This was the man his mom once loved?
Cool eyes calculated his every movement, and the tension in the air was so thick you could cut it with a butterknife.
Finally the man nodded. He lowered his wand, which Harry did not know he had, and handed it to the eleven year old.
Harry looked at it in confusion before realizing- the Potters were notorious for being the perfect example of a dominant. Even most women in the family turned out to be dominant.
That sparked off pure instinct in his mind.
He reached out with his left hand, the one without the man’s wand, and placed it on Snape’s right shoulder. Harry was a bit annoyed at their large height difference, so he did what was so very obvious- grew a foot and a half, so the previously 5’5 child was now a 6’11 giant of a man. His big hand rested comfortably on nearly all of the now small Snape’s shoulder, whom was only a mere 6’3.
Harry raised the hand firmly gripping Snape’s wand and pressed it to his temple.
“Do you, Severus Tobias Snape, accept me, Harry James Potter, as your dominant?” The man murmured softly.
“I do,” Severus agreed on instinct. No sparkles or softly glowing magic erupted from any of them, but they felt a certain type of bond forming. It wasn’t romantic, not by a long shot, but Severus loved Harry and knew he was loved in return. It was quite an odd felling. Kind of like… family.
Harry gave Severus a warm smile. He removed the wand from the potion master’s temple and gave the shoulder he was still holding a squeeze. Harry lingered for a moment before removing himself from Severus and shrinking back to the quite tall eleven year old.
He handed the wand back to Severus and smiled again. “Harry James Potter, pleased to meet you,” he greeted even though it was surely not necessary.
“Severus Snape.” The response came formally. Harry noticed him tensing, so he brushed his fingers against Severus’ own before stepping back a bit more.
He turned towards the amused goblin in front of them. “Never have I witnessed such an event.” He clicked his tongue. “I suppose, as the muggles say, there is a first time for everything.”
——————————————————————
Severus and Harry talked quite often after that. They met only at public places in Diagon Alley, because bonded or not, they were both raised to be suspicious of everyone.
Their relationship was strange. It was not one of lovers, or father and son, or brother and brother. They both almost threw up when they talked about being lovers. Harry said Severus was much too old. Severus said Harry was much too young. The two came to an agreement to never be lovers.
Father and son was quite odd with Harry being able to transform into a fully grown man much taller than Severus. Brother and brother was shot down as soon as Harry mentioned it under the assumption that ‘family relationship’ meant just that. The two were much too affectionate in odd ways and Severus was twenty years older than the boy.
It was never fully decided on what they were to each other, so the two settled for simply enjoying the other’s presence.
Jayden and Gabriel, who were now dating, were more than a bit skeptical about Harry caring for a much older man like he does. He quickly explained the situation to them about being Severus’ dominant. The potion master was simply following submissive protocol without even realizing it.
“I didn’t know your emancipation would lead to this,” Gabriel frowned as they all gathered for a meal at the Leaky Cauldron.
Harry shrugged. “Me either,” he admitted. “It kind of still disturbs me sometimes.” Severus nodded in agreement.
Jayden took a swing of Butterbear out of a shiny glass he had brought himself. “However much it makes me have nightmares of Severus secretly being a lurking pedophile, I understand it is an essential part in your relationship and I will not try to separate the two of you.”
“I can assure you, Jayden, that I am not a ‘lurking pedophile’.” Severus drawled out through a small snort. “I sometimes question my sanity deep into the night.”
Harry patted Severus’ shoulder reassuringly before drumming his fingers on the table. “However delightful it was to talk to you, I’m afraid we must be going. I believe the Hogwarts owl is looking for us.”