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It wasn’t grief and loss that drove Potter to this moment; it was the ennui of normal life. That made this moment especially delicious for Severus. He sat behind his desk, letting the gleaming expanse of cherry wood distance him from the man - no, boy - before him.
Harry Potter had not aged well in peace. Twenty years distant from his victory over Voldemort and he looked worse now than he had when he was seventeen and starving. His skin was sallow, his facial hair wispy and the thick thatch of unruly hair he inherited from his father was now liberally shot with grey. The body remained scrawny, underfed as nerves ate away at his substance. His eyes, though - they were still the same luminous green that had haunted him for most of his life.
It was the eyes, really, that convinced Severus to indulge himself in this one instance.
“Well,” Severus said quietly. His voice had healed from Nagini’s attack, though the scar marred his neck. Twenty years of peace had been very kind to him.
“Well, what, Snape?’ Harry replied with a half-hearted sneer.
Severus leaned back in his chair and steepled his fingers. The boy wanted a villain to conquer. He would oblige him.
“You asked for this meeting, Potter. You are the one in debt. You are the one who is late on payments. You are the one with the reputation to uphold. I assume that this meeting is in regard to one or more of those facts.”
Potter slumped, though he remained standing. His shoulders hunched over and his posture screamed defeat. Ugly beads of sweat began to prickle the boy’s scraggly salt and pepper hairline. “You’re right, Snape,” he whispered.
“Mr. Snape,” severus corrected mildly. For a second, a hint of the boy’s old fire and defiance sparked - his head snapped up, his lips thinned with anger and his posture grew erect; the boy wonder come back to life. Then it was gone, and the beaten wizard returned.
“Mr. Snape,” Harry echoed back hollowly.
“Very good, Potter,” Severus murmured, encouragingly. Come into my parlor, little fly, he thought.
Harry inhaled deeply, closed his eyes and said quietly, “I can’t pay you back.”
Severus sat upright, carefully keeping his face blank. “Really? I am surprised. The Potter family’s wealth was considerable and so was the Black’s. And now you are a pauper,” Severus allowed himself a smirk, “So much for celebrity.”
Harry sighed and now collapsed into the chair before the desk, the penitent's seat. He cradled his head in his hands and sighed. Severus waited patiently until he began to speak.
“It started with the Weasleys. They were family and they deserved a new home, more spacious than the Burrow. And then Bill lost his job and it was just a little bit of money to help tide him over. And then a little bit more. Until I was supporting his family. And Ron and Hermione, while she took time off to have Rose and Hugo. And an Auror’s salary doesn’t stretch very far, you see. And then Ginny - she insisted we had to be the Potters everyone expected in public. And then the lawsuit from the Creevey family, I had to settle.
“And then Draco….” Harry trailed off.
“And so you borrowed funds from me, expecting a Malfoy investment to bring your fortunes aright. You are truly an idiot, Potter.”
“I know, I know!” Harry cried. “I just...I need time.”
“And how do you plan to pay me back if I give you this time?”
“I, I don’t know, but I’m sure I could find something…” Harry stammered.
“I don’t think so, Potter. You are broke. You live well beyond your means. You are already indebted to me and you have no hope of obtaining solvency in the near future. So, no, Potter, I will not extend you another loan, nor will I delay your payments on the current amount.”
Harry’s shoulders began to shake as he stifled sobs. Severus looked forward to reviewing this scene in a pensieve later with a glass of fine wine in hand.
“I will, however, clear your debt plus a sufficient amount to see your outstanding debts cleared,” Severus said quietly, his voice barely above a whisper.
Harry’s shoulders stopped their shaking and he looked up at Snape, his eyes shimmering with unshed tears. “How?”
“For a price, of course,’ Severus replied silkily.
“Anything, you name it-” Harry began when Severus held up his hand. He fell silent with alacrity.
“Really, Potter? What if my price was your daughter? Another Lily, with red hair and those eyes - would you sell her to me to clear your debts?”
Potter, to his credit, recoiled. “My Lily...no!” he cried, ashamed of himself for even thinking about for a split second.
“Ah, well, then, another lie from your lips, Potter. Not anything after all,” Snape purred.
“I, I don’t know. What do you want? There must be something I can do…” Harry said desperately.
“Ah, ah, Potter. I have made my offer - your daughter for your debts - which you rejected. It is your turn to propose a counter-offer.”
“I, I, I could grease some wheels for you at the Ministry, help get something past the Wizengamot,” Harry offered helplessly.
Severus sighed. “If you were any good at influence peddling, you wouldn’t be in this mess right now. And, frankly, I have better contacts at the Ministry than you do. So, no, your vaguely worded offer to sell your influence to clear your debts is not accepted.
“And now, it’s my turn. You won’t trade your daughter, what about your wife? She was a hellion in her day and from your press I can see she’s kept her figure. While I don’t particularly care for used goods, I’d make an exception for her in this particular case.”
Harry took a long moment before shaking his head. “No, I - I couldn’t trade Ginny.”
Severus sighed again. “Very well, Potter, who will you trade?”
Harry thought frantically and Severus bit the inside of his cheek to keep from screaming the answer to the boy. FInally, after an interminable silence, Harry sat up straight and looked Severus in the eye. “I’ll trade myself,” he said quietly.
Severus made himself play the part through. “Really? And why should I accept such a shoddy offering? You’ve clearly let yourself go. Why would I want you?”
Harry still looked him in the eye, as though daring him to use legilimency. “You want me because I am Harry Potter. The son of the woman you couldn’t have and the man who took her away from you. And I will be at your beck and call, your servant, for as long as the term of our agreement.
“Want to beat the hell out of my father? Here’s your chance. Want to humiliate his son to avenge your childhood wrongs? I will be humiliated. Anything you want, Mr. Snape,” Harry said still holding Severus’ gaze.
“We know well the value of your word, Potter. And the value of mine.” Severus rose from his desk, and placed himself at Harry’s side. In Harry’s ear he whispered, “I’m tempted to accept your offer. But do you know what you are offering?”
Harry nodded, his adam’s apple jumping in his throat.
“Let me tell you what you are offering, Potter,” Severus said, his words sliding against Harry like velvet. “I will own you. I will do with you as I please and you will beg me to do it. I will do things to you that are illegal in our world and the Muggle world. And I will do them only when you say ‘please’. I. Will. Own. You.”
Harry trembled in his chair, but said nothing. Severus continued.
“There will be no end to this save death. Harry Potter will disappear from the world. You will never see your wife, your children, your friends again. Your world will be limited to me and what I choose to allow you.
“I will care for you. I will provide for you. But you will never again be free to choose another way.” Severus stood up and returned to his seat behind the desk, letting the wood separate them once more. He could see Harry trembling like a frightened hare in his seat still.
“Well, Potter. Is that what you are offering?”
Harry licked his lips and nodded. Severus reached into his desk and pulled out the contract he’d prepared before this meeting. “Then sign here.”