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“I don’t like him.” Harry said, referring to Sirius when they were having a reunion because of the werewolf situation. Dumbledore just sighed and petted Harry’s horns. He wasn’t a little child anymore, but he wasn’t going to change either. His ability made apparition a game.
Sirius just rolled his eyes and James snorted. Harry was always so sure of his critical thinking and aware of his surroundings. Snape was just looking down at the ground, hearing the chirping voice of the boy, but he didn’t know what he was saying.
He knew about Harry’s existence when he arrived at Hogwarts. At first he thought he was going to be his classmate, but Dumbledore explained Harry was adopted by him a long time ago. He was a creature. An other. The most characteristic thing about him were his horns and his pale skin, but it had a certain reddish hue which expanded all over his body. Also, his eerie green eyes. Snape never dared to ask what his age was. He seemed like a teenager. Or at least the appearance was of a teenager.
“I told you Albus he is trouble.” Harry pressed, crossing his arms and Sirius tried to compose himself. He didn’t do anything to Harry, but the boy hated him or something like that. Every time he came back to Dumbledore’s quarters, Harry was there to judge him. “Remus is nice, but I saw them pranking on the Slytherin students.” He uttered again.
Dumbledore laughed lightly. “I am deeply sorry about my companion's behaviour. He doesn’t hate anyone, but it's just his personality. Harry is very honest and really likes Slytherin. You can see in his attire.” The man gestured to his adopted son. Snape’s eyes lit up when he saw Harry’s green uniform with overlapping shades. Also, he was using the scarf and the proud gadget of “Head of the Houses” near his heart.
He controlled every Head of House and every prefect of the different houses. Harry was swinging his legs above the desk and watching carefully every little twitch of them. He raised his eyebrow when Snape stared at him for too many seconds and followed his gaze to the other side of the office.
Suddenly, he disappeared when Dumbledore was speaking to him and the man easily let him go. His voice never got louder. He was used to Harry’s quirks. When the meeting ended, Snape was the last one to leave the office.
“Why is Harry not studying with us?” He asked sheepishly.
“Oh, my boy. He was one of the first students of Hogwarts. Harry is not a kid, but he won’t like it if I tell you his age.” Dumbledore winked at him and at the same moment the boy apparated to the quarters with sweets which he shared with the wizard and tried to give one to him, but Snape didn’t accept it.
“I saw Tom the other day.” Harry said when Snape finally left. Dumbledore was eating the biscuit with the tea and hummed after finishing reading all the letters of the parents. “He looks cuter now with all his snake features. He was uglier then.” He nodded to himself and Albus couldn’t stifle his laugh. Harry was endearing.
“I told you not to spy on him. I think you miss him, Harry. He was a dear friend of yours.” He playfully teased. It was probably a ridiculous sight seeing a man in his middle seventies and a boy who was immortal acting like two teenagers.
“He wasn’t a dear friend of mine! He was my rival.” Harry shrieked. He liked to spy on his classmates. The majority of them were dead, except Tom.
Dumbledore remembered when Harry started Hogwarts after he finished adopting him. He was a beautiful tiny kid at eleven years old. He was mocked worse at that moment because of his horns, because he was a creature. But he saw the first time someone accepted him, his green eyes shone, even though Harry never needed anyone to assert his identity in the society. However, Tom was acute and kind. They were outcasts at first.
Sadly, only Harry was left being an outcast by the third year because Tom had a charismatic and sympathetic view of pureblood laws that he was trying to enforce on the students. Everyone was frightened by them because of their knowledge, but something broke their bond when Tom found out Harry was different, and was immortal. By the end of the fifth year, they didn’t talk anymore, they even didn’t glance at each other.
Dumbledore always thought that Tom was in love with Harry, but his little devil assured him that it wasn't the case, that it was just absurd thinking that. He couldn’t glimpse Tom’s sadness, but he could see his desperation.
After that insufferable meeting, Snape felt eyes over him all the time. He never caught once who was spying on him. Even in the class, there was a presence looming over him. He tried to use one of his spells, but he only found a reddish stella in the place.
In the common room, Regulus Black was speaking with Harry. He barely talked with the man, because he was two years younger than him, but they seemed to chat about a lot of themes, especially books. They loved to read. He knew it. Dumbledore told the students graciously one time, because Harry was an enigmatic character. He sang and jumped and used spells like he was born with them, but never had many interactions with the students.
“What is that?” Harry piped out of nowhere, while Snape was fidgeting with the letter. Malfoy invited him to a special meeting where someone was trying to mould a new world for wizards.
Snape found himself blushing out of embarrassment. Older students taunted Harry’s appearance, but every time he looked at the teenager, he found him stunning, even with those devil horns like half-bloods liked to say thanks to the representation of the bible. His long and red tail was swishing behind him and for some reason, he thought that it was probably soft to touch. “Just a letter.” He replied curtly.
“I don’t think so. You seem nervous.” Harry blinked a few times and it was frightening that he seemed to acknowledge everything about Hogwarts, every secret, every delusion. “I see! It’s from Lucius Malfoy.” He gasped dramatically and Regulus snickered. He wasn’t far away from them, just sitting relaxed on the couch.
Snape hid the letter in his robes and Harry rolled his eyes out of annoyance. “Leave him alone, Harry.” Regulus playfully said.
They were in sixth year. For bloody sake. Snape wasn’t a scrawny eleven years old boy anymore. Why was he trying to appease Harry? A person who would never notice him, who would never care about him. However, Harry narrowed his eyes and they turned red, glossy.
“I have a letter too!” He shouted and showed him his newly found letter. Snape was sure it wasn’t there at first, but he would never discover every Harry intricacy. “It’s Voldemort.” He said, at last, smirking and proudly showing Lucius handwriting, inviting him to the same meeting. “We are going to go together. So much joy!”
Snape paled after hearing that name. He only heard it in haunted whispers at Slytherin corridors.
“Why are you here? This is not your area.” Snape questioned darkly. He didn’t hate the teenager, especially for the way he pouted and their height difference. But sometimes, he would love to strangle him.
“Who are you to tell me which part of Hogwarts it’s my area? I am not a pet, Severus.” Harry hissed and displayed his fangs. They weren’t that big. In fact, they looked good on him. They were white medium pearls.
Regulus wasn’t paying attention. He was just completing his homework and writing in the parchments. “Also, I was a Slytherin once, so I can be here if I want. If you don’t like me, go out!” He said loudly and sat beside Black again, as if they were longtime friends.
Snape tsked and left the common room, not without hearing the taunts of Regulus. He was different from Sirius, but his disgust for mudbloods was almost suffocating. He was sure that he treated Harry equally, because of his importance and the seniority the other one had, no because of his creature inheritance.
“Lucius sent him a letter.” Harry grumbled, changing his clothes for his pyjamas. Dumbledore was sipping tea quietly in a corner, reading the latest news of Quidditch, because he was antiquated like that.
“You should answer Tom someday.” Dumbledore responded. As if! The infuriating man tried to convince him with that awful letter years ago.
“It was years ago, Albus! He probably doesn’t remember me anymore.” Harry's childish tone made Dumbledore chuckled.
“You are not that naive, Harry. I can barely count how many times students have proposed to you or made drawings in their parchments with your name in it. You are not forgettable, my boy.” Albus believed he was so wise. Harry burned the Quidditch magazine on purpose, but the wizard just recovered the pages with his efficient magic.
“I will! I will send a letter to Tom saying that I hate him and I hope he relapses and dies.” Harry began to write with a glitter pen, because the older one hated it. He hated everything that was related to muggles, even being one himself. The hypocrisy!
Later, because Albus didn’t even flinch at his accusation, jumped on his lap out of spite and made him pet his horns. They didn’t hurt, but it was comfortable receiving caresses on them. “It’s true that I was invited by Lucius too. I have known him since he was an ugly baby and Abraxas kindly presented him to me.”
“They were your classmates.” Albus articulated with all the burden of old age and Harry found he was tearing up, staining the horrible pyjamas the other one was wearing.
“They were. And they used to have a better sense of style than you.” Harry cried softly against his chest. He hugged Albus and it was definitely a precious moment which was going to make him sick. “You made this monster craving affection. I hate you.”
“It’s just that you’re old, my friend.” Dumbledore answered sincerely and kissed Harry’s forehead.