Chapter Text
Staring into the eyes of Snape, in a dimly lit bar, wasn’t exactly what Harry thought he would be doing this summer.
Harry stepped back a few paces nervously, sliding on a smile that felt awkward even to him. “Hello Sn- Professor Snape. What brings you to-”
Snape cut him off with an annoyed sounding sigh, “You shouldn’t be here Potter.” Harry glanced at the doorway, only a few meters away. “Well, I’ll be going then sir” He started to move around the man.
A hand grabbed his wrist sharply. Harry felt his body flinch, before he registered the touch himself. “Why in Merlin's name are you at a pub, Potter? Sneaking in for a drink?” Harry sighed, he wasn’t getting away from this. “I’m not drinking, I just came down to leave.”
“And why pray tell, did you think it would be appropriate as a minor to-”
Snape paused. “You came down? Are you staying here?” Snape rubbed a hand over his face. “ I know your aunt, and she would never enter the wizarding world, especially not overnight. So who in Merlin's name took you? The Weasleys?”
Harry pulled his arm out of the man's grasp. “Sir, I am just fine, you can go back to your..whatever you were doing, I'll just go back upstairs.” Harry backed away, heading back up to his room uncomfortably.
BREAK
Following after an insolent teenager was not what Severus Snape wanted to do with his evening. In fact, he wouldn’t want to do that any time of day. Yet as the mopped headed boy rushed away from him, he couldn’t help but follow after him, especially if it meant speaking to the adult in charge of the boy.
So as Potter tried to close the door on him, he stuck a foot out. Shoving the door open to the brightly lit, vaguely musty smelling room. The boy stood there awkwardly as Snape took in the room, clearly lacking any sign of another person living in it, given the single bed. Severus rubbed a hand over his face in annoyance, this wasn’t going to be simple was it? Things never were with this brat.
Snape scanned him. Taking in the greasy hair, fidgeting demeanor, and shiner on his face. Perhaps he had gotten in a fight, and ran from his grounding? He may have been a Griffindor, but it wouldn’t be the first time a child had run to avoid repercussions.
“Collect your things.” He sighed.
Harry blanked. “What?” Snape shot him a look. “Collect your things, you have to go back.” The boy backed away a bit. “No. Why the hell are you even here? It’s none of your business.” Harry's legs hit the edge of the bed. “You can’t order me around outside of school!”
“Trust me, this isn’t what I want to do with my time either, but Dumbledore would have my head if I just left you here-” Snape crossed his arms.
“I’m not going back! You don’t get to choose. It’s my choice.” Harry ground out.
Snape felt something shift in the air, a couple of Harry’s books lifting off of the floor. “Get yourself together. You really think throwing a tantrum will convince me?” He drawled.
Harry seemed to pause at the sensation of his accidental magic, shoulders tensing up.
Snape continued. “Just get your stuff. Or do you want me to shove it in bags for you?” Snape stepped forward towards Harry's items, more as a threat than anything. He didn’t want to pack the boy's things. Snape paused when Harry startled backwards, losing his footing and smacking his head off of the canopy rod hanging around the bed.
Snape grimaced slightly in sympathy before catching himself. “Are you truly that daft-” Snape cut himself off, taking the boy's sudden appearance change in.
Harry was now sitting on the bed, not cradling his head or glaring. He was staring at Snape, shoulders practically vibrating, sharp breaths coming from his mouth. The items and clothing floating around him only seemed to shake further. Severus almost thought he looked angry, but when he looked into those eyes, Lily’s eyes. He only saw fear.
Snape was caught in the awkwardness of teenaged emotions, and he wasn’t fully sure what he was supposed to do.
The professor slowly raised his hands, one reaching into his cloak, and the other reaching beside his head. “Alright lets pause.”
Harry backed up on the bed. “This-this is stupid okay? Just pretend you never-” Harry cut off, his throat choking up like acid reflux. This boy was supposed to defeat the Dark Lord? Snape supposed he had seen stranger things in his life.
Severus slowly and steadily pulled a small, turquoise blue vial, a calming drought which he had originally intended for his own uses. He would have to brew another one, how annoying.
Harry eyed the vial from his spot on the bed. “What the hell is that-” “Potter. Mind your language in the company of your professor.” Snape said sharply, taking a step forward, a sudden shattering sound burst below his chin.
The blue vial not only laid destroyed in his hand, the thin liquid was also dripping from his fingers. Bloody accidental magic.
Potter stared at the liquid as Snape shook the shards off of his hand. Suddenly he seemed to still.
Snape sighed “That was a perfectly good potion, you will be expected to replace it Mr.Pott-”
Harry wasn’t even looking at him. More-so past him.
Snape sighed, this wasn’t getting him anywhere. Slowly he stepped forward towards the bed, the Griffindor wasn’t even reacting anymore, the magic around him thudding softly onto the floor.
BREAK
Harry wasn’t fully sure how he had gotten back to the Dursley’s home, but he could recognize the strong scent of cleaning chemicals anywhere. Sitting on his bed, back in his locked room, his heartbeat felt like it was thudding in his chest like a bass drum.
Slowly he looked to his side, why was Professor Snape here? He shouldn’t be here. “This…no…this is wrong. I don’t..” His head felt ten times heavier than a bowling ball, Snapes form shifting in and out of view. He looked down to his hands, were they always so green?
Green like Petunia's garden, green like his eyes, green like her eyes. Green like- no the liquid on the ground was blue.
Oh, that smell wasn’t chemicals was it?
Was someone speaking? Ah, right, Snape. What was that git doing here anyways?
He should probably clean that potion up. Potion? Or chemicals?
Harry stood from the bed on wobbly knees, his skin shivering cold. A hand grabbed his wrist, and suddenly as his knees buckled, Harry was back in the dusty room above the leaky cauldron.
“Potter?” The man above him questioned.
Harry pulled his arm away from the man with a start, holding it to his chest. He hastily pushed himself up from the floor, taking note of the room’s mess. Clothing once haphazardly on his chair, now laid on the floor, shattered glass on a puddle of blue below him. A less than impressed professor in front of him.
He swallowed, crossing his arms to his chest. “Can you not just leave..I won’t tell anyone you saw me?” Harry mumbled.
Snape watched the boy with calculating eyes, and then sighed.