It started when he was 12. Just after he killed the Basilisk in the chamber, Harry found Severus Snape waiting for him in the hospital wing. Not Dumbledore, not McGonagall, no. It was Snape, angry and imposing, staring at Harry like he was a ruined potion.
Harry was fearful at first. After all, he had just escaped death. Instead of being berated, as he expected, though, Severus drew him into a large hug. Harry hadn’t been hugged much before then. Once by Ron, twice by Hermione. That was about it. Having the intimidating man hold him like that brought Harry to tears.
In Snape’s arms, Harry bawled his eyes out. He hadn’t cried that hard in years, not since he was six and Vernon taught him just how ‘girly’ crying made a man. It was like every emotion from the past 6 years fell from his eyes in that moment, as he gasped into his professors robes.
Severus cradled him close, hushing him softly, gently running his long fingers through Harry’s rats nest of hair. Nobody was there to watch, so Harry didn’t really care how harshly he was sobbing. Even if, at some point, he was practically howling in pain. Severus simply continued to hold him, rocking back and forth to calm the storm of emotions.
When Harry finally managed to cease crying, Severus stared down at him. His eyes were wet, as though he had been crying too, and Harry felt his heart swell at the sight. If he hadn’t known better, he would’ve said Snape cared.
“Never, and I mean never, pull a stunt like that again. You foolish boy, you could have died! You very nearly did!” Severus told him, his eyebrows creased deeply. Harry wondered how much of a toll this whole ‘watch over Potter’ was taking on his professor.
Even so, Severus lectured Harry. He wasn’t angry, no. He was disappointed, and as someone who hadn’t seen Snape disappointed in anyone, Harry felt like his world was about to crumble. He tried to placate Severus, telling him all about Fawkes and the hat and the sword of Gryffindor— but Snape almost cried all over again hearing those words.
Severus made Harry lie in the hospital bed whilst he told him off, starting to preform scans to test if the venom was all gone, and if he had any other injuries. Harry wondered if this was what it felt like, having a doting parent to care for you. He wished that, for a moment, Severus was his parent.
After a few more waves of his wand and more muttered comments about Harry’s foolishness, Severus say at the edge of the bed and stared at Harry. He didn’t speak any words, simply looked at him, and Harry practically dove at the older man.
He gripped Snape’s robes and hugged him tight, falling into more sobs as he explained himself. Somehow, it had felt important for Severus to know that he had no intention of upsetting him. He explained that he just wanted to save the day, that nobody else would listen to him.
When questioned, he told Severus of the attempts he had made to tell adults of his problems in first year. When he had gone to his head of house and was told to ‘leave it be’. When he went to Dumbledore about his abuse, and the man told him that he ‘had to stay there, for the blood protection’. How no matter how bad anything got, teachers never helped him. All the confessions came out rushed and angry and when he was finished, Harry was gasping for breath.
“What… What did they do to you, Mr. Potter?” Severus had asked. And Harry told him. Somehow, he felt safe around Snape. For the first time in a long time, an adult was making him feel protected. He didn’t know why, but he felt the overwhelming urge to trust the older man. He told him of the beatings, of the way Petunia would scrub him raw to try and get rid of his magic. How Dudley would bully him, and the way Vernon had begun to get handsy within his more recent years. How he was treated like a house elf, and kept in a cupboard for 11 years. All of it, and Snape sat and listened.
“I believe you.” Was the response, and then… Harry was alone. Severus got up, gently touched Harry’s hand, and walked out of the room without so much as a goodbye.
Harry didn’t go back to the Dursley’s that year.
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In third year, Sirius Black escaped Azkaban, and Remus Lupin almost killed Harry and his friends because he forgot to take his potions.
Severus, ever the overprotective guardian, had thrown himself in front of the wolf. Had readied himself to take on an actual werewolf, because Harry was in trouble.
That was the first time Harry had called him dad. It was sharp and scared and he was nearly in tears when he said it, his voice shaking with fear of what could happen.
“Dad, no!”
Severus, for his part, did not react at the time. Only when Harry was safe inside the castle and Sirius had been taken to the ministry for a proper trial did he bring it up.
“Dad, huh?” Was all Severus said.
Harry could only nod.
“It’s nice to know you think of me like that, son.”
Harry cried a lot that night, holding onto Severus like the man would disappear.
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When Harry’s name came out of the cup, Severus was livid. He knew Harry hadn’t put his name in there, and for all of his good acting, the rage he felt at the idea that his son would have to compete in such a tournament was immense.
Harry had pleaded desperately with everyone, asking them to believe him. When Severus came flying down the stairs into the staff room, all Harry could do was stare as he ripped into each and every adult in the room.
“Harry will not be competing, magically binding contract or otherwise! You will have to get through me, first, and I know many ways to kill a man slowly.”
The threat made Harry smile despite himself. The way Severus argued on his behalf, ready to protect him no matter the cost, warmed his heart more than he could speak of. He watched in awe as he began to list off the potions he could use to kill Crouch Sr., when Dumbledore finally stepped in.
The elderly man placated Severus gently, saying that, because he was Harry’s legal and magical guardian, his word to precedence over a magical contract. Harry would not have to compete in the competition.
When Harry found himself in the graveyard with baby Tom and Pettigrew, he prayed. He hadn’t ever been a religious person, but maybe a god would bless him with enough luck to make it out alive.
After Tom rose again, the night became a blur. Severus wasn’t present for Voldemort’s rebirth, and that was all Harry really remembered. When he finally stopped dissociating, Severus was cradling him in his arms, in their dungeon quarters.
Harry cried. Severus cried harder.
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Severus got Umbridge fired two months into Harry’s fifth year. With all of his time spent spying and working on potions, he somehow still took the time to get the old toad sacked. All because Harry had asked.
“How did you do it?” Harry questioned one night, two weeks after Umbridge had left. Severus shrugged, told him it was a secret, and turned back to the potion they were working on.
“Chop these, will you?”
Harry smiled, and began chopping.
Sirius still ended up dead, at the end of the year. Harry hadn’t cried that much within the last year, but as his godfather— his soon to be father, fell through the vail, Harry’s heart broke a little bit more.
Severus and Harry weren’t at the funeral.
Severus and Harry weren’t at the reception.
Severus and Harry weren’t anywhere, weren’t anything. Not without Sirius.
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Upon learning about Horcruxes from Dumbledore, Harry immediately told Severus and started to read about them. No matter what the old man said, his dad deserved to know. He deserved to help.
They researched for hours on end, and Harry started a list on each horcrux he believed existed.
“So, we have these so far: The ring, and the diary. We know that there’s probably Slytherin’s locket, Hufflepuff’s cup, and whatever the Ravenclaw item could be. We also have… Nagini… but… I don’t see how that could be possible? She’s a living creature.”
As Severus explained to Harry how it was possible, it seemed like something dawned on him. Mid speech, he trailed off, only to run away and grab more books. Harry considered taking the man down to the chamber to find more.
When they reached the conclusion that yes, Nagini was a horcrux, Severus breached the topic of… Harry himself. Being one.
The conversation was hard.
So days and nights were dedicated to researching a way to remove the horcrux from his sons head. He brewed day in and day out, trying to concoct a potion that would get rid of the evil soul without breaking Harry’s mind, or killing him. Severus barely slept, and Harry had to bring him meals to ensure he ate.
When he finally perfected the potion, Harry realized that he might actually die. Somehow, the thought that his father would be the one killing him made the thought easier to swallow.
When he awoke again, Severus was crying. Harry was free of his horcrux. He was free.
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When Severus came back from a death eater meeting covered in blood and sobbing, Harry knew something was up. The man never cried, and Harry felt immense concern.
“He made me one,” was the only response he got when he questioned his dad. The haunted look in Severus’ eyes was enough to send Harry sprinting to the headmaster.
He prayed again, that night, that he wasn’t too late.
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Severus was going to kill himself.
He was going to kill himself and destroy the horcrux, because he couldn’t possibly brew the potion now that he was one.
He was going to kill himself and leave Harry all alone.
Harry begged for him to let someone else handle it, let someone preform a ritual to transfer it into another person. Dumbledore himself had offered to take it!
“What kind of man allows another to die for his son?!” Severus cried out, anger and anguish clear on his face.
“The kind that loves him!”
“I LOVE YOU!”
Severus was left breathless. Harry was shaking.
His dad was going to die for him. For the world. He was going to die so Harry could kill Voldemort.
Harry had really thought he wouldn’t want to kill the man. No matter what, he didn’t think he was a killer. But in that moment, he knew. He knew that he wouldn’t have trouble getting rid of that bastard once and for all.
Harry was at Severus’ side when he passed. In fact, he was the one to do it. To administer the potion that would allow him to pass peacefully. It included the basilisk venom needed to destroy the horcrux, but his death would not be painful. That, he assured Harry, would not happen.
How could he go on, Harry wondered, without his father. Severus promised he could. Harry didn’t think so.
He fought anyways.
And he won.
And, years later, he awoke to a bright light and found his father. Waiting. He found Sirius, and Remus, and his biological parents.
Harry James Potter, in the end, had found peace. And so, in turn, did Severus Tobias Snape.