Created: 3-8-04Do not stand at my grave and weep.
I am not there.
I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow.
I am the diamond glint on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain.
I am the autumn rain.
When you awake in the morning hush,
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of birds circling in flight.
I am the stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and weep.
I am not there.
I do not sleep.
—A Poem for Sirius
Harry rode on his broom and took off. He soared towards the horizons. The stars in the sky twinkled, as if greeting him, beckoning him to join them in their nightly gathering. Harry smiled and closed his eyes, enjoying the midnight breeze blowing at his face.
Slowly, in the midst of his ecstasy, he realized that someone was calling his name. He opened his eyes and saw his parents floating in the midair without brooms, smiling at him. His mother was calling to him, motioning at him to come towards her. His father was grinning at him through his glasses. Harry noticed that his father’s hair was the exact replica of his. Sirius was also there together with them, his wild hair blowing gallantly by the midnight breeze. He held out his hand, anxious to throw himself into their arms. He was almost there when…
“Wake up, Harry, you sleepy idiot!”
“Ouch!! Ron, you little git…!”
Harry found himself on the floor headfirst. Ron was on the left side of the bed holding the bed sheets, grinning from ear to ear. His bedclothes and hair were pretty ruffled, like he just woke up himself. Fred and George were snickering at Harry who was forcing himself to get up.
“Ah, the ol’ wake-up call,” Fred chimed mischievously. “Glad you have mastered it, Ron!”
“Wake up, Harry! Breakfast time!” Ron said, giving his brothers a High-5 each. “You don’t want to miss the first day of being a sixth year in Hogwarts now, do you?”
“Oh, for goodness sake, I’m up already!” Harry grumbled, taking the bed sheet away from his redhead friend and walked towards the bathroom. “I was having a wonderful dream and you’ve ruined it! Don’t you have someone else to practice your wake-up call with? Ginny, maybe?”
“A sixth year doesn’t dream anymore! At least not immaturely,” Ron replied as he put on his casual clothes. “They should be up and about, ready for every day’s lesson.”
“Since when are you so hardworking?” Harry snorted, holding back a laugh. “You never thought of Hogwarts as a place to be hardworking, ever.”
“Besides,” Ron continued, ignoring his remark, “you don’t want to miss the Hogwarts Express and get caught by that ol’ git Snape just like during the second year, do you?”
Harry didn’t need to be reminded twice about the incident when he and Ron had to take Ron’s flying car because they missed the Hogwarts Express and crashed into the Womping Willow in the process, and to top it all up, being caught by the ever cold and sinister Prof. Severus Snape. That was something he surely didn’t want to relive again. Although he had been sort of a member of The Order of the Phoenix and agreed to help out in fighting Voldemort, he still couldn’t get himself to like him just a little bit. He didn’t hate him as much as he did the first year, but he didn’t have much of a fondness towards him either.
“Oh, boys! Are you going to stay in bed all morning? Come on down and have your breakfast so that you can make it to the Hogwarts Express on time!”
That was Molly calling, and when she started calling, Harry and Ron knew that she meant business. They quickly got dressed in their usual clothes and raced down to the dining room. The smell of breakfast brought Harry back to his sweeter memories when he was in The Burrow for the first time. The way Ron and his pesky twin brothers crashed into Uncle Vernon’s home and into his room with the flying car was absolutely out of this world. He simply enjoyed life in The Burrow—it was more than he could ask for and he wished he could just stay here forever without even having to worry that his Uncle Vernon would shower him with ugly remarks or Aunt Petunia looking at him cynically like he was a permanent stain on the carpet or even Dudley who would round him up with his gang to bully him and taunt him.
Then suddenly the memory of Sirius’s death struck him. The way the ball of light struck Sirius, forcing his body to fall back into the mysterious veil, never to return…The way he desperately wanted to rush towards Sirius and grab him from the darkness behind the veil but was stopped by someone he barely remember who due to all the confusion and shock…The way he tried desperately to find some kind—any kind—of contact to Sirius in vain…
“Harry? Harry, are you alright? It’s time to get packing and go.”
Ron’s words struck him back to reality. He smiled weakly and followed behind his redhead best friend upstairs to get their luggage. Summer holidays have passed and it dawned to Harry that he was going to go back to the school he had always looked forward to return—Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It has always been his favourite place among any other place he had been to. But right now, he was beginning to have second thoughts about going back to Hogwarts, especially after the incident with Headmaster Dumbledore and the fight with the scary, evil overlord Voldemort—and also the fact that he hasn’t actually gotten over Sirius’s death entirely. Ron noticed the long face on his best friend’s face and chucked his shoulder a little.
“Still feeling a little peeved with ol’ Snuffles, huh?”
Harry nodded. He was quite pleased that Ron still remembered Sirius’s nickname after all that had happened.
“Cheer up, Harry. The sun is shining and it is a beautiful day. You’ll get over it in time. I’ll help you out. Don’t worry, everything’s gonna be as it has always been once you set foot in Hogwarts again.”
“Thanks, Ron,” Harry finally decided to change his mood a little so as not to spoil the day. He was feeling a little sorry about the day he had finally returned to Hogwarts during his fifth year and was being all bestial and bad mood at Hermione and Ron at The Order and he was determined to make up for it.
As the morning went by, it was plain to see that Harry was back to his old cheerful self again. He laughed and joked with Ron all the way to Kings Cross and was all jolly and stuff when they made fun of the twins Fred and George’s latest expensive buy thanks to the money they got from selling their prank merchandise. They met Hermione at Hogwarts Express and were immediately into the chatty mood, talking about their days spent during the summer holidays. Needless to say, Hermione, who was ever carrying a book with her, had enrolled herself in some kind of Muggle educational camp and had enjoyed every second of it. They even got a glimpse of the ever hateful Draco Malfoy with his dorky henchmen following by his side and Cho Chang with a few of her close friends (not that Harry was too interested anymore, although the feeling still lingered).Time sure flies as their conversation carried on and on until they have finally reached the ever familiar Hogwarts stop.
Harry was half glad to see the ever jolly Rubeus Hagrid standing outside the door of the Hogwarts Express like a giant dark version of Santa Claus. He followed behind Ron and was looking forward to hug the huge half-giant when he felt something grabbed his hand. It was held on tight and was forcing him to stay. He accidentally fell backward and hit his back sharply onto the floor of the train. Everyone spun round and either snickered or guffawed at him, especially Draco and his henchmen. Ron and Hermione were too far out of the crowd to rush back and help him up, so Harry was left there to fend himself. As he tried to gain composure, a tiny voice called out.
“Are you alright, Daddy?”
Harry turned around towards the voice and found himself face to face with a small boy not older than 6. He had long shoulder-length hair and had eyes the same colour as Harry’s. He wore a robe as dark as the darkest night, with skin as pale as the moon, and he had the sweetest smile a 6-year-old could have. Harry was so stunned that he kept staring at the kid without a word. He looked seriously familiar but he just couldn’t put a finger on it.
“Are you OK, Daddy?” the kid asked again, breaking the ice and bringing Harry back to reality. Harry realized that his hand was still holding the little cute kid’s hand and was startled.
“Oh no! What are you doing on Hogwarts Express?!” Harry exclaimed as he got up, picking up the kid in the process. “You must’ve gotten mixed up with us while we’re leaving! Your parents must be worried!”
“You are so weird, Daddy,” the kid grinned as he wound his arms around Harry’s neck.
“I’m not your Daddy. We are going to find your Daddy.”
“Anythin’ wrong, Harry boy?” Hagrid asked, popping his head into the door of the train. “Da train is goin’ tuh leave.”
“There’s a kid got mixed up into Hogwarts Express. We gotta go and tell the officers about it and take him back to his parents,” Harry said as he pointed at the kid who was holding tight on Harry. The kid saw him and lit up.
“Uncle Hagrid! Long time no see!”
“Ye know me, lil’ boy?” Hagrid asked, surprised.
“Of course I know you! You’re Uncle Hagrid the Gamekeeper! Daddy took me to see you, remember? Remember, Daddy?” the kid turned to Harry. “You took me to see him when you were in for the Quidditch Cup, remember?”
“Obviously you’ve mistaken me for someone else,” Harry muttered before turning to Hagrid. “So, are we going to take him to see an officer or what?”
“All righ’, Harry. But we can’t be ‘ere long. The carriages ain’t waitin’ fer us fore’er.”
“Where are we going, Daddy?” the kid asked as Harry set him down onto the floor.
“I told you,” Harry grumbled. “I’m not your Daddy. We’re going to go see someone who will take you to your real Daddy.”
Together, Harry, Hagrid and the kid went to the ‘Lost & Found’ office and was greeted by a woman who was sitting at her desk doing what appeared to be heaps of paperwork. Judging by the weird colour of her hair and the separate colour of her eyes, they assume that she had to be a warlock.
“My, my, if it isn’t the famous Harry Potter,” She smiled sweetly at him. “What is that I can do for you?”
“Has there been any reports of missing children recently? ‘Coz we found a kid who got mixed up into our Hogwarts Express,” Harry said as he pointed to the kid who was holding his hand tightly.
“What a cute little boy!” she squealed as she took a look at the fair little kid with eyes the colour of sparkling jade. She turned back to Harry and said, “We haven’t received any calls from worried parents yet, but don’t worry, I’ll handle this. What is your name, boy?”
“Zephyr!” the kid replied, smiling from ear to ear.
“And what’s your Daddy’s name, Zephyr?”
“My Daddy’s name is Harry James Potter!”
Harry and Hagrid almost hit the wall when the kid announced Harry’s name. it took the warlock a few minutes before she realized what was going on and glared venomously at Harry.
“You rotten git! First you tried to confuse and scare us about the coming of You-Know-Who, and now you’re abandoning your own son? How dare you!”
“What the…He’s not my son!” Harry exclaimed. “I’m still a sixth year in Hogwarts! I don’t even know this kid! I’m not even married yet!”
“Now you won’t even want to admit your own flesh and blood, eh? Well, I expect something more out of the famous Boy Who Lived, but this is outrageous! Preposterous!”
“I’m telling you! He’s not my son! I haven’t touched any girls in my life, let alone have a child with her!”
“Well, ye must’ve summat ‘accidentally’ made a lass pregnant, aye?” Hagrid voiced out, giving Harry a sly, mischievous look. “Or else he wouldn’t ‘av called ye his ol’ man now, would he, aye?”
“Hagrid, not you too?! I’m telling the truth, I have no sexual relationship with anyone whatsoever!”
The argument went on and on until the whole office sounded like Honeydukes on a huge mega sale day. Zephyr looked at all the angry people around him (except Hagrid who was trying to calm down the shouting two) and was beginning to get scared and confused. He couldn’t understand why a bunch of grown-ups would want to argue over him and couldn’t help feeling that it was he who started this commotion.
Needless to say, Zephyr’s loud burst of tears silenced the lot.
Harry had no choice but to bring Zephyr along in the carriage to Hogwarts. He wasn’t surprised to see the Thestrals huffing at the sight of him, but he was surely surprised to see Zephyr actually walking towards those bestial-looking winged horse and petting their heads. Has a young child like him seen death? That would be a serious pressure for a child to take.
Inside the carriage, Ron and Hermione were staring slack-jawed and boogie-eyed at Zephyr who was sitting right beside a very annoyed-looking Harry Potter. They’ve heard Harry’s side of the tale and decided to confirm it for themselves.
“What did you say your name was again, kid?” Ron asked.
“My name is Zephyr,” Zephyr replied cheerfully.
“And who is your Daddy?”
“This one,” Zephyr pointed at Harry. “My Daddy is Harry Potter.”
“You little git! I told you a million times that I’m not your Daddy!” Harry exclaimed, a vein practically popping out of his head. Ron and Hermione turned to their best friend and started pouring accusations.
“Harry! If this is some kind of your doing, you should be responsible for it! Not to mention having a child that big!” Hermione exclaimed. “His mother must’ve had a very hard time raising him and you should’ve been there for her, whoever she is.”
“But this is not my…”
“Oh ho ho, Harry. No point running away from it now, now that your own flesh and blood has come to visit you,” Ron gave Harry a sly look. “He must’ve come a long way. Who’s the lucky lass, hmm?”
“I’m telling you, he’s not…”
“How could you deny your own child? You are even more heartless than…Voldemort!” Hermione still needed time to adjust calling the Dark Lord by name.
“Wha…”
“You know, he looks a little lot like you but he doesn’t look a single bit like Cho Chang,” Ron rubbed his chin, looking carefully at Zephyr. “He certainly looks familiar though. I didn’t know you were interested in anyone else besides Cho.”
“I told you and I’m telling you now!!” Harry practically yelled the whole carriage down, much to Zephyr’s amusement. “HE’S NOT MY SON!! I NEVER FUCKED ANYONE, OKAY?!”
“Alright, alright, whatever you say, Daddy,” Ron grinned as he held his hand up in surrender. Harry glared venomously at the duo sitting in front of him. Never before has he felt so insulted and framed for something he didn’t do. Zephyr giggled in the background.
“What’s so funny?” Harry snapped at the giggling boy.
“It’s funny. Gina looks so much like you two,” Zephyr said as he pointed at Ron and Hermione.
“What are you talking about?” Ron was curious. “Who’s Gina?”
“Uncle Ron, Auntie Hermione, don’t you even remember your own daughter Gina Granger Weasley? She’s 6 years old now, like me. We always play together, remember?”
Ron and Hermione were stunned at first, then they both blushed almost as red as Ron’s hair. They looked at each other for a moment before looking away, Hermione muttering denials about not wanting to marry Ron and Ron truly was dumbstruck. Zephyr looked at them curiously.
“What’s wrong, Uncle Ron? Auntie Hermione? Was it something I said?”
“Obviously it was!” harry growled. “How did you know…Never mind! Just sit there and be quiet.”
“OK, Daddy,” Zephyr smiled at him.
“And don’t call me ‘Daddy’, ‘coz I’m not!”
“OK, Daddy.”
Harry groaned exasperatedly. This was going to be one heck of a first day in his sixth year.
As soon as the Sorting Ceremony was finished (and after a great deal of trying to explain his way through the ceremony with Zephyr in his care), he took Zephyr out of the Great Hall immediately and was bent on sending him straight to Headmaster Dumbledore to sort it out. He hoped that his spell-cast glasses would work. Ever since he was unable to look at Dumbledore straight in the eye after Voldemort’s resurrection, Hermione cast a spell on the lens of his glasses so that whenever he was anywhere near Dumbledore, his lens would become as dark as sunglasses and he wouldn’t have to worry about having killing urges every time he looks at him.
“Where are we going now, Daddy?” Zephyr asked curiously.
“We are going to see Dumbledore to send you back to where you belong,” Harry grumbled. He definitely wasn’t in a good mood after this morning’s incident. “And don’t call me ‘Daddy’.”
“Well, Potter, fancy seeing you here and not in your dormitory. Sneaking out in the middle of the night to one of your escapades, I suppose?”
Harry knew that ice-cold tone anywhere. He looked up tentatively and, as expected, saw Prof. Severus Snape standing right before him with his oily black shoulder-length hair and a pair of dark tunnel eyes boring deep into his green ones. Harry shrank a little and hid Zephyr quickly behind his back before answering the professor.
“Err…I was just going to Headmaster Dumbledore’s office to…err…discuss something…I won’t be long, sir, honest!”
“Oh? And what may the discussion be? Could it have anything to do with the child you are so afraid to show me?”
Clearly Snape had seen the way he tried to hide Zephyr. He had no choice but to show him to the ice-cold professor before he got into any more trouble. As soon as Zephyr saw Snape, he beamed and immediately jumped onto him, wrapping himself around him like a koala bear.
“Mommy! Mommy, Mommy, Mommy~!!” Zephyr exclaimed happily, taking Snape by surprise. Snape glared at Harry venomously with a demanding look in his eyes.
“Potter, who in the name of Merlin, is this child?”
“That’s exactly what I’m trying to find out, sir~” Harry turned pale with trepidation immediately, not sure whether to just carry on with the plan or make a dash for it. Snape tried to pry Zephyr off him but he was stuck there like glue. In the end, both of them went to Dumbledore’s office.
“Hmm…This is interesting,” Dumbledore stroked his beard with interest after hearing Harry’s story. By then, Zephyr was successfully pried off Snape and Harry’s glasses have worked—they’ve become slightly darker, like a pair of sunscreen. Dumbledore looked at Zephyr and asked kindly, “Your name is Zephyr, right?”
“Yes, Prof. Dumbledore. You’ve always seen me. Don’t you remember my name anymore?”
“Well, the old age is getting to me,” Dumbledore chuckled, playing along with Zephyr. “Now tell me, who are your parents again?”
“There, right behind me,” Zephyr pointed at Harry and Snape proudly. “My Daddy’s Harry James Potter and my Mommy is Prof. Severus Snape! That’s how I got two surnames: Zephyr Snape-Potter!”
“I rest my case,” Dumbledore gestured to Harry and Snape. “Children never tell lies and by the looks of it, he seems sure of what he’s talking about.”
“Well, clearly he must’ve made a mistake,” Snape turned away with a huff. “I certainly would’ve been out of my mind or under some kind of dark spell to be conceiving a child with Potter.”
“I wouldn’t even dream of wanting to go anywhere near you!” Harry agreed. “Besides, it’s impossible for a man to get pregnant and all that.”
“Actually, Harry, it is possible,” Dumbledore voiced out, “there is a certain potion which, if drunk the night before men were to have a sexual intercourse, can give them the ability to conceive. It’s quite a hit among the people Muggles would call ‘gays’. I believe you have a sample of it in your office, do you not, Severus?”
“Yes. As a matter of fact, I do,” Snape replied a little hesitantly.
“OK…Anything can happen in the wizarding world anyway,” Harry muttered. “But why would this Zephyr be doing here in Hogwarts? Why does he keep calling us ‘Daddy’ and ‘Mommy’? You know I wouldn’t even want to touch a hair on Prof. Snape, let alone have sex!”
“Precisely,” Snape replied. “I would personally hex you with the Avada Kedavra curse myself if you so ever go near me. You must’ve been fooling around somewhere else and poisoned this child into thinking that I’m the mother to cover up your mistake.”
“Well, we’ll have to ask Zephyr then,” Dumbledore said before Harry could shoot back a denial at Snape. He turned to Zephyr and asked, “What is it that you’re doing here, Zephyr? Why aren’t you at home?”
“Someone sent me here to do something,” Zephyr replied briefly.
“Who might that be? And to do what?”
“I dunno. He just asked me to follow him to do something and here I am, with Daddy in the big train.”
“Do you remember how he looked like?” Harry asked. Zephyr shook his head.
“He was wearing a robe, and his whole body looked very pale, almost transparent. I couldn’t see who he is.”
“Could it be a Death Eater?” Snape turned to Dumbledore. “Only powers learned from the Dark Lord are able to transfer a child miles and miles away to a moving train like Hogwarts Express.”
“Could be, could be not,” Dumbledore replied thoughtfully. “We can’t jump into conclusions yet. I will personally see to this matter. In the meantime, why don’t you baby-sit the child for a while, Harry?”
“What?!” Harry was shocked off his gourd. “You want me to take care of this little git after all the trouble he has caused me this morning?! No way! I certainly will not do this!”
“Are you suggesting that I should take care of the child?” Snape asked, glaring coldly and dangerously at Harry. “I will certainly have no business whatsoever with this child. You found him, so you’re responsible for him.”
“Who do you want to sleep with tonight, Zephyr?” Dumbledore asked the kid who was hugging both Harry and Snape’s arm lovingly.
“Why? Don’t Mommy and Daddy sleep together anymore?” Zephyr’s question almost sent Harry to the ceiling and Snape almost losing his composure. Dumbledore looked knowingly at the two with a mysterious smile.
“You’ve heard the child. Don’t you two sleep together anymore?”
Harry and Snape looked at Dumbledore as if he had just asked them to jump off from the tower of Hogwarts. They knew exactly what Dumbledore meant and took a glance at Zephyr who was looking at his ‘Mommy and Daddy’ curiously. They looked at each other in disgust at the thought of sharing the same room together—alone. They hoped that Dumbledore would think twice about it but Dumbledore had pointed at Zephyr who was leaning on Snape’s arm half-asleep while still holding Harry’s arm possessively. When either of them tried to pry themselves away, Zephyr whined sleepily and held onto them even tighter.
“Pleasant dreams, boys. See you all in the morning,” Dumbledore said as the door of his office opened magically for them, gesturing them to hit the hay.
Looks like they don’t have much of a choice.
It was the first time for Harry to step into Snape’s domain. Everything was as dark and as sinister as he was, including the bookshelves, the bathroom, the work desk, the office that was attached to the bedroom by a secret door on the wall, and the bed. Harry couldn’t help feeling awkward once he entered his room. The moment he stepped in, Prof. Snape gave him so many ground rules, like ‘Don’t touch this’, ‘Don’t move that’, ‘Don’t sit there’, ‘Don’t let your dirty feet on anything’, etc, etc…
“Are you expecting me just stand here and don’t move?” Harry asked, annoyed
“If you are capable to do so, I suppose you should.” Snape replied in an as-a-matter-of-fact way.
Harry sighed. He should’ve known that everything would turn out hostile once he set foot into this room. He muttered, “At least I can have a short wash or something.”
Snape looked at Harry for a few moments before finally saying, “Fine. Just wash your face in the sink. You have 20 seconds.”
‘This is definitely not my day,’ Harry thought dreadfully to himself as he made his way to the bathroom to wash his face, under Snape’s timing.
When they were about to turn in, Harry was ordered to sleep with Zephyr on the sofa bed that was opposite the grayish-blue bed of Snape. He threw him some old, but still intact, blankets for him and retired to his own bed. Harry stayed on the sofa bed for quite sometime until he heard the faint breathing of Snape asleep on his bed. As he slowly slipped into deep slumber, he heard Zephyr whining and he could feel his little hands shaking him awake. He opened an eye and muttered, “What is it, Zephyr?”
“Why aren’t you sleeping together, Daddy? You always sleep together and I will sleep between you. Are you two fighting?” Zephyr asked.
“You can say that,” Harry muttered as he turned his back towards Zephyr. Zephyr shook him again, irritating him. He hissed, “What now?”
“If you’re fighting, then go kiss and make up. Isn’t that what you always do?”
“Wha…? You gotta be kidding me! Go to sleep, Zephyr.”
“No. You made Mommy angry. Now go kiss and make up, right now!”
Zephyr shook relentlessly at Harry until he actually fell off the sofa bed with a thump. Harry groaned silently in pain, rubbing his aching head, hoping that Snape wasn’t awakened by him. Zephyr giggled a little before he hushed him and got off the sofa bed. He pulled Harry up and pushed him towards Snape’s bed, pouting and ushering him towards Snape’s bed. Harry groaned and crept as silently as possible towards Snape’s bed, pushed occasionally by the persistent Zephyr.
When he was about to climb up the bed, Snape suddenly sat up with his wand pointing dangerously at his throat. Harry gasped and froze in the midway. Snape gave him an ice-cold glare and hissed, “What do you think you’re doing, Potter?”
“Well, I’m not as happy either to be doing this but…” Harry pointed at Zephyr who had his hands on his hips.
“Come on, Daddy. Kiss and make up. You made Mommy angry, remember? You know what to do.”
“No, I don’t,” Harry turned to Zephyr, frustrated. “What am I supposed to do?”
“Kiss Mommy on the cheek. Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten that! Why is everyone so forgetful nowadays?”
Harry widened his eyes in horror. Snape looked as if he had just been hit by the Crucatius curse. Harry leapt off the bed and exclaimed, “You have just gotta be out of your mind!! You want me to kiss Snape?!”
“Isn’t that what you always do when Mommy gets angry?”
“No. When he’s angry, he’ll either shoot me with countless cynical words or shove me loads of potion homework, which I don’t mind saying right now!” Harry blurted out, finally able to get this out of his chest for so long.
“Oh? And I suppose you would like to tell me the reason why I shouldn’t do that?” Snape asked coldly.
“Come on. Don’t fight. I’m scared when you fight,” Zephyr begged, beginning to whimper and was close to tears.
Harry was slightly panicked. He was sure that Zephyr’s going to cry the next minute and his burst of tears at the ‘Lost & Found’ office before could easily wake up the whole Hogwarts. He turned and looked apologetically at Snape before he leaned forward tentatively to Snape and finally, after much hesitation, he gave Snape a quick peck on the cheek. Harry felt as if he had just kissed a seriously cold dead body and Snape felt as if the drool from Harry’s kiss was burning a hole through his cheek.
“Yayy! Everyone’s happy and better again!” Zephyr exclaimed and leapt onto the bed, wrapping his arms around both Snape and Harry’s neck, forcing them all to fall onto the bed. Zephyr squealed happily and giggled as he rolled around the bed and played with Snape’s blanket. After tiring himself with all this fun, he wrapped his arms around Harry’s and Snape’s and fell asleep almost immediately between them.
Snape and Harry stared at each other from their side and soon looked away. After quite a long silence, Snape finally blurted out coldly, “I cannot believe you just did that.”
“I can’t believe I did that either,” Harry replied.
“I can assure you, Potter, you’re going to be in serious trouble tomorrow.”
Harry’s sixth year has gotten even worse than ever.
Word spread fast in Hogwarts as the next morning, everyone began to talk about the mysterious little Zephyr who claimed that Harry and Snape were his parents, and the fact that Harry did not return to the Gryffindor dormitory and appearing at the Great Hall following behind Prof. Snape aroused their suspicion even more. Everyone began to become very interested with Zephyr during breakfast at the Great Hall as they looked at how alike Zephyr and his so-called parents looked (including the Slytherins, surprisingly), showering comments after comments.
“He is so cute!”
“He looks so much like Prof. Snape!”
“Look at his eyes; the exact same colour as Harry’s!”
“I knew he looked like someone familiar!”
“You sure knocked up something good, Harry!”
By then, Harry was already sick of explaining and let them assume what they want. He was quiet the whole day and was pulling a long face throughout the day as Zephyr followed him around to every class. When Potions began, Harry was slightly fearful of coming across with Snape. As usual, everyone crowded around Zephyr and asked loads of questions Zephyr didn’t think he could answer all.
“Everyone back to your seats! Class is about to commence!”
Everyone shrank as the ice-cold Potions professor came into the potions lab, looking colder than he supposed to be. It was obvious that Snape’s not-so-good mood has gone even worse. Only Zephyr smiled at the sight of Snape and bounded towards him, sitting beside him on the bench near his lecture desk. Snape gave him a disconcerting look and shifted his gaze towards Harry. Harry got the cue and rushed to bring Zephyr beside him. Silent snickers could be heard from the Slytherins, especially the archenemy Draco.
“Today we are going to create a Vanishing Draft,” Snape said as he scribbled down the list of ingredients on the blackboard. “Here are the ingredients. You may start now.”
The students in the lab got right down to work, afraid to offend Snape even further. Everyone looked busy mixing and matching and measuring the amount of ingredients they were supposed to put into their cauldron. As Snape went around inspecting the students’ work, Zephyr sat quietly as he watched Harry doing his potion. He looked pretty much in a foul mood as Snape was and it was obvious that he was going to forget some of the ingredients for the potion. He kept stirring and stirring the cauldron, thinking about the foul luck that befell him ever since he started his first year in this school. He was about to just forget about the whole potion deal when he heard Zephyr’s tiny voice beside him.
“You forgot the skin of chicken’s feet,” he said as he held up a jar to him. Harry ignored him. There was no way he wanted to ruin his mood further by playing along with this little git beside him. Seeing that he was being ignored, Zephyr fished out a couple of chicken feet skin from the jar and tossed it into the cauldron, knocking Harry back to reality.
“What the…What the heck do you think you’re doing?!” Harry exclaimed as the chicken feet skin slowly sank into the bottom of the cauldron.
“I told you, you forgot about the skin, but you didn’t hear me, and you’re making Mommy mad,” Zephyr replied nonchalantly. “Let me help you, Daddy.”
“No, you are not going to make my potion explode! No, stop it, stop it, Zephyr!!”
“Add some bats’ eyes, fly liver, lizards’ gizzards, a sprinkle of powdered spider legs…” Zephyr muttered as he poured in the ingredients into the cauldron, ignoring Harry’s ranting and raving, begging him to stop. Snape noticed the commotion and walked over to Harry’s seat.
“What is all this commotion about?” Snape demanded.
“I’m so sorry, sir,” Harry apologized profusely. “This little git, he’s…wow, he…he actually completed my potion.”
And so he did. The potion in the cauldron was bubbling beautifully and perfectly and the colour was just right. Everything was nice and set. Zephyr beamed proudly at his work and his face was expecting a praise from his ‘Daddy’. Snape leaned over to inspect the potion. He tested it on a black rat and it vanished as the potion was supposed to. Snape was slightly impressed.
“Who taught you how to brew this?” Snape asked.
“You taught me to do this, Mommy.” Zephyr pointed at a surprised Snape. “Don’t you…oh, I forgot. Everyone is a little absentminded today.”
“Hmph! I suppose the only person absentminded here is Mr. Potter, for letting a child to do his assignment,” Snape said icily as he gave him a cold sideways glance. Clearly those words have offended Harry for he stood up abruptly from his chair and started yelling his head off.
“Hey, I work my butt off trying to survive your class ever since I came to this school and all you’ve given me is this! I don’t deserve this, Snape! You may have a family grudge over my father but it has nothing to do with me! I don’t deserve to pay for what my father did to you and I certainly don’t deserve being discriminated! You are cold and unfair and definitely not the world’s greatest teacher! I refuse to believe that this little git here is my future son or whatever and I refuse to believe that I would have any child with you! I don’t like you as much as you don’t like me and I will never, ever marry you!!!”
A dead silence hung throughout the whole lab as they watch Harry and Snape glaring at each other. Harry has truly lost all patience and was getting even more bad-tempered ever since the death of Sirius. Ron and Hermione could see that Harry was not the usual tolerable, kind and sweet person he used to be when he was in Hogwarts’ first year. Everyone waited for what would come up next but Zephyr was the one who got off the chair and came between the angry duo and the rest of the class.
“Stop it! Stop fighting already!” Zephyr yelled at Harry and Snape without even flinching at Harry and Snape’s venomous glare. He turned to the rest of the class and scowled, “Mommy and Daddy are fighting again. Why aren’t you stopping them? They shouldn’t be fighting now, should they? Am I right?”
The rest of class was dumbstruck. How could they pick up the courage to stop them when one of them was Hogwarts’ most dangerous teacher and the other was practically losing his mind after the death of a loved one and after coming face to face with the true Dark Lord?
Zephyr turned back to Harry and Snape and said, “It is already written in your life. You are going to be married and you are going to have me. There’s no mistake about that. I wouldn’t be standing here talking to you if it’s not true. Live with it.”
Harry and Snape looked again at each other awkwardly. How could this be true? How could someone so cold and icy and heartless be a match with someone far younger than he was and been in the hate list for generations? How could Severus Snape and Harry Potter be a couple when none of them could agree on anything? How could this happen to them? How? How? They just couldn’t understand it. They will not understand it and they will not agree or admit to this preposterous fact. They just wouldn’t.
When the bell rang signifying the end of the lesson, Harry reached for his books and made a dash towards the door. Before he could go any further, the familiar grasp of Zephyr’s hand on him came and, at the same time, Zephyr grasped Snape’s hand. Walking between the unlikely duo, he smiled at each of them and beamed, “Let’s have lunch together, Mommy and Daddy. We didn’t get to eat breakfast together, so we’re not going to miss this meal. Yippee! We’re gonna have lunch together!”
Harry and Snape felt as if they were seriously dragged into a total nightmare.
An unearthly silence was expected at the Gryffindors’ table as the only Slytherin member—the house teacher, for that matter—was sitting at the table beside Zephyr and Harry. Harry and Snape were looking at each other in distaste occasionally and Zephyr was practically enjoying the fact that he was sandwiched between his so-called parents. Neville Longbottom, who was unluckily seated beside Snape, quietly inched away from the ice statue before he got into trouble with him. The teachers at the staff’s table were watching all this in amusement and with much question in mind. Only Dumbledore could understand what was going on.
As they ate, Zephyr dribbled over the spoonful of soup and got it onto his robes. Snape saw it and, noticing that Harry didn’t (or probably pretended not to see it), reached over with a napkin to wipe the soup off the robe without a word. Zephyr grinned sheepishly and asked, “Can you feed me, Mommy? I still can’t handle soup very well.”
“Wha…?” Snape was taken by surprise by this request.
“Please, pretty please, Mommy~!” Zephyr begged, his eyes sparkled pleadingly.
Snape muttered grudgingly under his breath. He couldn’t believe that he has gone down to a degrading point like feeding a small child and he hated himself for succumbing to this little child’s needs (actually he hated Harry for getting him into this mess but this was worse). He scooped a spoonful of soup and gestured Zephyr to open wide. He gladly did and Snape fed him. Unwilling he may seem but Zephyr was enjoying all the attention.
Harry was watching secretly as this happened. He watched the way Zephyr smiled gleefully as Snape fed him with custard pie or soup or a cherry or anything Zephyr wanted. He watched as Snape reluctantly did whatever Zephyr wanted him to do and he realized that for the first time, he was actually looking at Snape up close and personal. He was surprised at how his eyes truly resembled dark cold tunnels that led to nowhere. And yet somehow he thought he saw those dark tunnel eyes began to fill bit by bit with emotions he never saw Snape had before, and he thought he saw Snape smiling just a tiny bit. As his shoulder-length black hair hung a little over his face, Harry couldn’t help feeling that Snape actually looked a little handsome and motherly…
‘What the…What the hell am I thinking?!’ Harry snapped out of his senses when he realized what’s going on in his head. ‘I’m letting that little git get into my head! Snap out of it, Harry!’
“What’s the matter, Potter? Something in your head?” Snape asked when he noticed that Harry was slapping his head profusely. He stopped whatever he was doing and went back to his lunch.
“Nothing. Nothing wrong,” he replied as he shoved a baked potato into his mouth.
The day all students of Hogwarts have been waiting for has finally arrived. It was Honeydukes Day and everyone was eager to get out of school and out into Honeydukes to do whatever they want.
Except for Harry, that is.
It has been quite a while since Zephyr mysteriously appeared and hung around with Harry and Snape. By then, the whole school was beginning to think that something really was going on between Harry and Snape, only that they didn’t dare to say it in front of the professor’s face. During that time, they were forced to sleep together under one bed in Snape’s domain and had to eat together almost at every meal at the Gryffindor table. Zephyr was enjoying this ‘family gathering’ but Harry and Snape looked as if they were ready to get at each other’s throats once this ordeal is over. Dumbledore still couldn’t find out what and why the child was brought here and neither did he find a way to send him back, but he promised he’ll keep trying.
Not that Harry and Snape had much hope on that promise.
So it wasn’t unexpected to see Harry walking down Honeydukes with Zephyr tagging along happily, holding his hand. Ron and Hermione felt sympathetic about Harry’s ordeal but couldn’t do anything to help. Hermione did give Harry her theory on people who had the ability to travel through time.
“It’s not impossible, you know,” Hermione said as they passed by a gift shop. “Remember during 3rd year when Prof. McGonagall gave me that time-travel clock? That could be it.”
“But there is no way a 6-year-old child like him could know the exact time he has to be in order to get here,” Harry replied, stopping to buy Zephyr a rainbow lollipop. “Besides he doesn’t carry anything that shows that he has been through time travel.”
“Well, he’s a genius in potions,” Ron commented. “I’m sure he must’ve figured out some way.”
“Or maybe the mysterious person who sent him here had that time-traveling device,” Hermione suggested. “Who knows? He might be lurking around here somewhere, waiting for Zephyr to do whatever he was supposed to do before sending him back.”
“Well, unfortunately our little genius here doesn’t even have a clue of what he’s supposed to do!” Harry grumbled. “I’m sick and tired of babysitting him all day and have to come face to face with that wretched Snape!”
“Then find a way to just dump this kid,” Ron replied nonchalantly.
“Ron! That’s not very nice!” Hermione exclaimed, horrified. “He could be Harry and Snape’s son! People don’t just dump their kids all over the place!”
“He is not my son,” Harry said grudgingly. “He’s just some lost confused kid and I swear I’ll…”
“Hello, Auntie Cho!”
Harry spun round and was shocked to see Cho Chang and her friends giggling at the way Zephyr waved at them valiantly. Though Harry may have broken off with Cho but he still had some feelings for her left and the kid was embarrassing him big time. When he saw Cho giving him a sort of You-are-pathetic look, that was the last straw. He had to get rid of this kid once and for all.
Finally, he took Zephyr to a nearby bookstore and told him to stand at the door and wait for him.
“But where are you going, Daddy?” Zephyr asked quizzically.
“I…err…I’m gonna go get us some butterbeer,” Harry lied. “I won’t be long. You just stay here and wait, OK?”
“Promise you’ll be right back?”
“…I promise.”
“Alright! I’ll wait!”
Harry sighed in relief. As he turned, he took one last look at Zephyr and his heart suddenly ached when he saw Zephyr with that smile on his pale face and his sparkling green eyes full of trust. Part of him wanted to smack himself for doing this cruel deed and cancel off the whole idea, but the part of him which denied the fact that he could be his son and that he had to do this to save his neck was stronger. He shut his eyes tight, gritted his teeth and made a dash for it, furthering his distance between him and Zephyr…
When he finally felt like he could run anymore, he stopped and looked around and realized that he was far away from the bookstore where he had left the kid. Finally he was free from the little git’s torture and he was finally free from ever going to spend another night in Snape’s domain and having meals with him at the same table. He heaved a sigh of relief as he could feel Zephyr’s hand in his no more.
But somehow, surprisingly, he couldn’t help having this empty feeling inside. Not to mention the feeling of guilt. Whenever he saw something interesting in display at the stores, he instinctively turned around to either side of his hand or half-expected a child’s gleeful giggle or exclamation, only to see thin air. He had second thoughts about leaving Zephyr out there but he was just as hard-headed as his dad. He decided to wave away everything that’s bothering him and to just enjoy his day in Honeydukes.
When he and the rest of Hogwarts came back from their ‘field trip’ in Honeydukes, Harry felt as if he was struck by lightning when he saw Snape standing at the entrance—cold and emotionless as ever—with Zephyr in his arms! How did he get back to Hogwarts so fast? How did he even travel back all alone and be here before him? Could Snape have found him? But how? He wasn’t with them in Honeydukes, he was sure of it. Just then, Hagrid, who was standing behind Snape, gave him an accusing look.
“Harry! Ye flea-bitten rascal! How could ye do such a thin’?!”
“Uh…Do what, Hagrid?” Harry tried to look innocent.
“Do wat, ye says?” Hagrid looked pretty fumed indeed. “Ye leaves da lil’ lad all alone at the bookstore an’ ye runs off tuh ‘av fun wi’ yer frien’s an’ all, an’ yer askin’ ye did wat? Shame on ye, Harry! I thought yer much better than that!”
“Well…I…”
“If it ain’t fer me a-passin’ by, ye could’ve left da lil’ lad out dere da whole nite thru’! Shame on ye! Severus, ye take care of ‘im!” Hagrid bellowed before stomping away angrily to his hut.
Harry watched as Hagrid disappeared out of sight and waited until everyone was inside the castle before looking at Snape guiltily, “Err…Prof. Snape, sir…I can explain…”
Before he could say anything, a sharp pain hit across his face and his glasses fell off onto the ground. He was shocked to realize that Snape actually slapped him. The only time he and Snape got physical was when Snape pulled his hand and threw him across the room for peeking into his memories last year, but never before has Snape ever hit him or anyone else for that matter. Harry staggered as he held his throbbing cheek.
“I had to do this! You know I had to! You yourself denied about him being our son and you yourself didn’t like everything that had happened these past few days when Zephyr’s around just as much as I do! You said it yourself that you wanted to be over with it! I’m doing you a damn favour! Why now? Why are you against me this time?”
Snape didn’t reply. He continued glaring at Harry with hiscold eyes and looked as if he was going to use the Wingardium Leviosa spell to throw him out of Hogwarts grounds. Before Harry could rant and rave at him again, he heard Zephyr spoke timidly.
“You promised you’ll be right back, Daddy. You promised…but you didn’t come…”
Harry turned to Zephyr and his heart ached again as he saw Zephyr looking at him in disappointment with those eyes the exact same colour as his. He was shocked to see that the disappointment portrayed in Zephyr’s eyes was the same disappointment that he once felt when his life began to go wrong. The disappointment towards the Dursleys, the disappointment towards his destiny as The Boy Who Lived, the disappointment when he thought his own godfather Sirius had killed his parents, the disappointment when nobody believes his story of Voldemort’s return, the disappointment with Cho Chang and the disappointment of unable to see Sirius again…that was the exact same emotion he had since his life began and it was all in Zephyr’s eyes.
“From now on, I shall personally take custody of Zephyr,” Snape finally spoke. “You may return to your private life in your dormitory.”
With that, Snape turned and headed inside the castle with Zephyr in his arms, leaving Harry standing all alone outside. His legs went weak and gave way, forcing him to his knees as he watched Snape and Zephyr disappearing slowly out of sight. He felt as if he had truly lost something important to him. He couldn’t pinpoint why and he couldn’t figure out how, but the empty feeling inside him returned and was even stronger. Only when Filch came and hauled him up to his feet then he was able to pick up his glasses and his strength to go inside.
Could his sixth year be anymore worse than this?
The days wavered as the silent treatment continued between Harry and Snape. Harry was able to return to the Gryffindor dorm and sleep in his own canopy bed Ron helped reserve for him and he got to eat in peace at his table without worrying that Snape might be by his side watching his every move, but somehow it didn’t feel right to him.
It didn’t look right either when he saw Snape walking around Hogwarts with Zephyr in his hand and not him. Zephyr occasionally looked back at his ‘Daddy’ and had that quizzical Why-don’t-you-kiss-and-make-up look but Harry knew that not a hundred ‘kisses’ could ever convince Snape to share custody of Zephyr again. Snape conducted his usual ‘toture’ during Potions class but he refused to say a word to Harry and would look away or pretend to do something else every time Harry wanted to say something. He didn’t even allow Zephyr to sit beside Harry during classes and that made hope even bleaker.
This went on until the Quidditch season arrived. All the players from every house were really excited about trying to beat each other’s house and win the Quidditch Cup this year, and Harry was of no exception. He believed that if he was able to show himself up to Zephyr and win the Cup, Zephyr will be so impressed that he might actually persuade Snape to let him take care of him again. He was sure that Snape would do whatever Zephyr asked—take last time’s lunch for example. He didn’t know why he suddenly had that thought but he was sure that it might be worth a try.
The day the game started, Harry and the team were really looking forwards to get out on the field and beat whichever team they were about to go against. When they checked the list and found out that they were fighting against Slytherins, everyone was all charged up and go, but when Harry learnt that it was Snape who will be refereeing the game, he started to have second thoughts. But then for Zephyr, he decided to give it a shot.
He couldn’t deny it anymore.
Zephyr could be his son and he was beginning to grow fond of him.
Harry could see that there was a huge crowd of people sitting and cheering in their audience seat, hollering their house names. Lee Jordan was the game commentary (as usual) with Prof. McGonagalle beside him. Slytherin supporters and Gryffindor supporters can be seen jeering and booing at each other almost all the time, especially when they were traditionally the worst enemies yet.
At somewhere among the crowd, Harry could see from his place Zephyr who was sitting together with Hermione, Nevilla Longbottom and Luna Lovegood, cheering and hollering along with them. Moments later, everyone was cheering when they saw the Slytherin and Gryffindor house players entering the field on their broomsticks, including Harry and Ron and Draco from the other team, looking at each other challengingly. Of course, it was obvious that most of the people were cheering for Harry Potter. There was no doubt about it. But he was glad to see Zephyr jumping and waving valiantly, yelling, “Go, Daddy! Go!” He gave him a thumbs-up.
Snape soon appeared with a whistle around his neck and Harry could see Zephyr clapping his hands for him too. His long, black (but greasy) hair fluttered behind him by the gentle breeze of spring, and so did his robes. Surprisingly under the bright spring sun and blue sky, Snape didn’t seem too bad at all, except those cold eyes, that is. He wasn’t that Prof. Snape who shot cynical remarks at people and gave those ice-cold stares anymore. He looked almost just like everyone else. In fact it was the first time Harry had ever seen Snape actually looking so…gallant on the broom. What was going on? Is this some kind of an influence by the kid because he called him his ‘Mommy’ or was there really a genuine chemistry he’s feeling for him?
With the blow of the whistle, the game started. Harry got back into his senses and flew to his position. The audience cheered and hollered their supports their chosen team. Many cheered for Harry, and that includes Luna, Hermione, Neville and Zephyr. It was, like every year, a really exciting and hectic game as the Chasers fought for the Quaffle, the Beaters hit at the Bludgers and the Seekers searched for the Snitch.
In the midst of all the uproar, there was suddenly a loud protest coming from the Gryffindors. Obviously, Snape was hovering over Harry and was declaring a foul. The Gryffindors booed at the way Snape made a gesture at Harry signifying that he had made a foul and Zephyr was pouting annoyingly at the way his ‘Mommy and Daddy’ were fighting again. Whether he did that on purpose or not, Harry didn’t know. He had always received a foul from Snape anyway. He sighed and accepted the penalty.
Suddenly, something fiery red came blasting towards Snape on a broom and hit him full force, sending him skidding onto the grassy field. When Harry turned to see, it was actually Ron Weasley who was grinning from ear to ear and earning High-5s from his fellow teammates as he looked at Snape who was on the field unmoving and unconscious. The game came to an abrupt stop and Lee Jordan was rambling out comments.
“Oh! That has got to hurt! Ladies and gentlemen, this is something we least expected! Ronald Weasley actually made a head-on ram onto the referee Prof. Snape and sent him plummeting to earth! I’m not surprised if he had gotten this spunk from his brothers the twins Fred and George…”
“What do you think you’re doing, Ron?!” Harry exclaimed angrily at the redhead. “You could’ve killed him!”
“Serves him right! He fouled you when you were playing fair and square and you know it!” Ron replied, annoyed that Harry would be angry at him for doing him a favour.
“That’s not the point! I…”
“Mommy! Mommy, are you OK? Mommy!”
Harry turned towards that familiar sound and could see Zephyr running out from the group of spectators towards Snape, who was obviously still out cold. He was about to descend on ground when he heard a distant thumping. He could see the earth rumbling and the spectators’ seats shaking as the thumping got louder and louder. Then finally the source of the thumping came storming into the field. It was Fluffy, Hagrid’s 3-headed dog. He had no idea how that mutt escaped from the forbidden third corridor (and he sure wasn’t good news) but he could see it incoming closer and closer towards Snape and Zephyr. Hagrid was hobbling at the back trying to catch up with Fluffy, yelling for him to stop.
Fluffy caught sight of Snape and Zephyr who was bent on trying to wake him up and growled. Harry remembered during his first year that Fluffy had very certain distaste for Snape and he was sure that Fluffy wouldn’t hesitate to chew his head off. He head to act quick. Snape and Zephyr’s lives were at stake! He swooped down as fast as he could and with one go, he scooped up both Snape and Zephyr in the mid air almost a split second sooner before Fluffy’s 3 mouths snapped simultaneously at them. He didn’t know where he got the strength to carry both a grown man and a small child, but he had to get them to safety somewhere.
“Wee~! This is fun, Daddy~!” Zephyr cheered gleefully as they continued to soar up the sky and trying to get away from Fluffy’s hungry mouths.
Harry shifted his gaze towards Zephyr to see if he was alright when he realized that Zephyr’s whole body was getting paler and paler, going transparent. What was going on? What had happened? What had he done wrong? Before Zephyr slowly disappeared into thin air, something dangled out of his collar as he flashed Harry a sweet smile.
“I know why I came here for…”
Harry got distracted at the sight for almost a second or two as Zephyr disappeared completely in his arms. He suddenly felt his Firebolt being hit by one of Fluffy’s thrashing head and he and Snape went shooting down back onto the field. By then, Hagrid finally got there in the nick of time and grabbed onto Fluffy’s collar, shouting out angry words and scolding at the now whining Fluffy. Everyone crowded around Harry and Snape and asked profusely if they were alright, but it was something else that bothered Harry’s mind.
For he saw the thing dangling on Zephyr’s neck was one snapped half of Sirius’s wand.
Everything was normal and quiet in Hogwarts. Fluffy has been subdued and a small search party has been sent around Hogwarts to look for the missing Zephyr in vain. He was nowhere to be found and nowhere to be seen. He was gone. Gone as mysteriously as he appeared. Snape was alright though, with just a mild concussion on the head (needless to say, points were deducted from Ron and a week’s detention for assaulting a teacher). The abruptly interrupted Quidditch game was due for a rematch next week, but Harry wasn’t enthusiastic about it anymore.
Later after dinner, Harry slipped away from the crowd and hid himself in a quiet corner of the library. He took a seat and hugged one of his legs as he went into musing over Zephyr’s departure. He found it hard to believe that the Zephyr who had ruined much of his days and brought him pleasurable trouble was finally gone. He was literally gone as he wished he would. Truly there will be no more sleepovers at Snape’s domain and no more sharing the table with him, and this was for real. He found it even harder to believe that he will never hear the small giggles and laughter of the child who continued to see the good in everyone and never had any prejudice over anybody. To Zephyr, everyday was brand new day and utmost perfect and that nothing would stand in his way. Harry felt as if a piece of him was robbed off him.
“Potter.”
Harry looked up and saw Snape at the table. He nodded his head a little and Snape sat down on a chair beside him. Both of them were in total silence, not even saying a word. Harry hoped that Snape has come here to thank him for saving his life, but then again, Snape would never let himself go to that stage. They both looked as if they haven’t gotten over the fact that Zephyr wasn’t with them anymore. Harry could’ve sworn he could still hear Zephyr’s laughter across the library and imagined him running from one end of the library yelling, “Mommy! Daddy!”
“Everything has happened quite fast,” Harry finally broke the ice. “One minute he was there running around and sending joy and laughter all over Hogwarts and the next minute he’s gone into oblivion. It seems as if he just came here yesterday…I didn’t even get to understand what was going on and why was he here…”
“True. I hate to admit it, but it did seem like a dream,” Snape replied quietly.
“Did he come here just because, or is there something behind his existence in this timeline…?”
“Only he knows, I presume.”
‘I know why I came here for…’
Those last words struck him like a gong. Harry’s voice trembled as he muttered softly, “When he disappeared, I saw something around his neck. I saw Sirius’s wand. It was there, right there around his neck. I recognize that wand anywhere. It’s Sirius’s.”
Snape didn’t reply, but it was slightly clear on his face that he was surprised to hear this news.
“Could it be that Sirius’s spirit had seen something beyond that veil and was trying to give us a message through that child…? Our child…? Could it be that Sirius is trying to tell us something behind that veil?”
It took a few moments for Snape to finally sigh silently and look away, saying, “I don’t know. I don’t know anything right now.”
Harry shifted his gaze towards Snape and noticed, though not too obvious, the same troubled and sad look on his face. He must be feeling the same pain as he was feeling. He didn’t know how it feels to finally lose an archenemy you had to work closely with, but he sure knew that it was tough losing a really close friend and the only relative he could count on, and he could see that Snape was sharing a little bit of the same pain he was feeling. He could feel his cheek going a little warm as he continued to look at the way Snape mused in his own thoughts. He was always so mysterious; no one would ever guess what was going on in his mind. And that made him slightly attractive. His suspicions were right—he didn’t just start to like Snape because Zephyr had gotten into him; he had already liked Snape from the very beginning and Zephyr had awoken that emotion and had set it alight. Zephyr had actually helped him face the fact that his heart was yearning for Snape ever since they first met.
Tentatively, he held out his hand and laid it on Snape’s. It was quite cold to the touch but he didn’t mind anymore. He had confirmed his feelings towards Snape; he needed to confirm Snape’s feelings towards him. Snape tensed a little when he felt Harry’s touch on his hand but he left it there for a few seconds or so—3 seconds, give or take—before he slowly inched it away. He got up slowly and, without looking at his face, he voiced out.
“Your curfew is near. Go back to your dormitory now.”
With that, Snape left the library without another word. Harry stared at the disappearing Snape, still wasn’t sure if Snape was really feeling anything for him. He truly was a mysterious man and could take him more than just 7 years in this school to get to know more about him. As he got off his chair and started to head for his dormitory, one question lingered in his mind.
‘Sirius, is this…what you want…?’
The bitterest tears shed over graves are for words left unsaid and deeds left undone
—Harriet Beecher Stowe
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