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pekelekeTitle: Severus Snape's Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Afternoon.
Fandom: Harry Potter (Snarry)
Characters: Harry Potter, Severus Snape.
Author: pekeleke.
Rating: G.
Word count: 980
Disclaimer: Don't own these characters. No money is being made out of this work.
A/N1: Unbetaed. Written for the adventdrabbles (DW,LJ, IJ) 2015 prompt 10: Snow covered garden/ Prompt 11: Oranges and Cinnamon.
A/N2: This is the fifth part of my Black Smoke series.
Summary: Severus hadn't been amused. He was used to quiet and solitude. To the controlled environment of his classroom and quarters. To children who were too busy studying to waste time playing and, therefore, were quieter. Calmer. Better.
Severus Snape's Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Afternoon.
It turned out that Potter was ridiculous enough to spend half the afternoon chasing his giggling godson around the dining table while claiming to be the 'Hug Monster.' Severus hadn't been amused. He was used to quiet and solitude. To the controlled environment of his classroom and quarters. To children who were too busy studying to waste time playing and, therefore, were quieter. Calmer. Better.
Young master Lupin had an alarming amount of energy, which he spent by fluttering from 'game' to 'game' like a dizzy butterfly. Potter laughed at his antics, kept up with his constant babbling and cast a staggering amount of Cushioning Charms over him as he ran around the furniture, perched precariously on his chair while snacking on orange and cinnamon cookies, and cavorted like a demented squirrel in Potter's snow-covered garden.
Severus had been exhausted within the first half hour and was at his wit's end by the time Potter called 'bath time' and steered the little menace towards the bathroom. Blessed silence finally fell around him, soothing his frayed nerves, and Severus burrowed sleepily under his blanket's soft folds, perched his jaw on his front paws and thanked Merlin for the fact that he'd never had children.
The sudden ping of the Floo, announcing an incoming call, interrupted his peacefulness and he turned weary eyes towards the green-tinged flames, wondering if this was how Potter liked to live, his days so packed with activity that he didn't have time to think.
“Harry, are you there?” Andromeda Tonks' voice reached him, and Severus was dismayed to discover that he seemed to have lost his near-perfect control over his own reactions along with his human form. Her voice had always reminded him of Bella's, but he'd never once before hissed threateningly at her because of it. He was a rational man, after all. He knew that Bellatrix was dead and that the similarities between the sisters were only skin-deep, but none of that stopped him from scrambling out of his blanket to stand, growling, on the sofa.
Andromeda's eyes lit with delight upon seeing him, and she cooed sweetly at him in Bella's horrid sing-song voice:
“You're the kitten the professor turned into? Merlin, you are adorable. And a perfect copy of Mathew's kitten, too. Teddy has been begging us for a cat since he first saw it, so it's no wonder his magic changed you into one. I'm sorry about this, though. Horrible thing to be caught in, wild magic. Teddy told me what happened when I collected him from George's store earlier. Good move on Harry's part, that. Leaving Teddy with George so that he could take you to Hogwarts. I take it Poppy Pomfrey couldn't change you back?”
Severus tried to stop himself from hissing at her, but his precious control was nowhere to be found. She leaned forwards, and he reared back, yowling so loudly that he startled himself and tumbled against the puffy sofa cushions.
“Oh, dear...” Andromeda muttered, consternation clear in her tone as she opened the floo connection and stepped inside Potter's house.
Severus' territorial instincts kicked in before he could blink and, no matter how hard he tried to squash them, all he cared about was that she didn't belong here because she didn't sound right and didn't smell right. Worse still, her floral scent overwhelmed his nostrils, masking Potter's familiar -'familiar?'- scent so completely that Severus reeled at the intolerable sense of loss he experienced when he failed to smell the Gryffindor in his immediate vicinity.
“Let me assist you, professor.” Andromeda said, helpful hand inching towards him, but Severus rolled away, tangling himself in the folds of his blanket. He mewled with outrage, hissing at her when she tried to come closer and displayed his teeth in warning.
Potter's steps thundered down the corridor, and he arrived in the room looking absolutely frantic, recently bathed child in tow.
“What on earth is going o...?—Oh!”
“Gwanny! You found our kitty. Idn't he beaufulul?”
“I think I frightened him. I don't know why. I haven't changed that much since the war, have I?”
“Snape is—gone, Andy. Poppy said the professor isn't there at all. There's only the cat.”
“You mean the kitten is real?”
“No. No. No! The kitty id not a kitty, gwanny. Hawy pwomised. He's a hewo, ya know? Thaths why I can'd 'ave 'im. I'm gonna gebh a REAL kitty foth my berdday!”
“Only if you're good.” Potter reminded the child even as he approached the sofa. Severus' panicked efforts to free himself from his blanket halted as soon as he caught his first whiff of Potter's scent. A bewildering feeling of complete and utter comfort washed over him, and he whimpered in reaction, thoroughly distressed by it.
“It's alright, lil' mate. I'm here. And I'm going to get you out of that tangled blanket before you twist a paw or something, OK?”
Potter pulled the soft fabric aside and curled gentle hands around his flank, lifting him clear off the sofa altogether. Severus' little heart started pounding with overwhelmed gratitude, and he'd headbutted Potter's calloused thumb before he thought better of it.
Potter laughed, drawing him even closer and cuddling him reassuringly. Severus basked in his familiar scent and marked the flannel shirt he wore with his own smell while his mind reeled with shock at the implications of his own instinctive behavior. Severus couldn't believe how badly he'd reacted to Andromeda or how useless he'd been at defending himself and his—human from perceived invasion. He couldn't accept that he'd needed saving -from Andromeda Tonks and a fluffy Santa-themed blanket, no less- and he couldn't accept that Potter had saved him. Rushed to his aid, even. He couldn't reconcile himself with the fact that he—he'd liked it. Oh, Merlin! He'd liked being 'saved' by Harry-Bloody-Potter. This was the end of the world as he knew it.
(no subject)
Date: 2015-12-11 04:06 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2015-12-12 07:22 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2015-12-11 11:00 pm (UTC)Loving this story and grinning so much while reading it. Thanks for the awesome holiday treat, pekeleke!
(no subject)
Date: 2015-12-12 07:54 pm (UTC)I'm thrilled that you're loving this story and that it's making you smile as you read it, mrs_sweetpeach. Thanks so much for keeping up with it and sending me such lovely and encouraging comments. <3
(no subject)
Date: 2015-12-11 11:46 pm (UTC)Potter's scent is soothing? Hm. He may want to ponder the implications of that. *g*
Poor Andie. Not her fault she looks and sounds like her batshit sister.
(no subject)
Date: 2015-12-12 07:59 pm (UTC)It's true that it's not Andy's fault that she looks and sounds like Bella, but Severus couldn't help his instinctive reaction to her, the poor thing. At least she'll never know why he really freaked out.
I'm glad you're enjoying this story, ali. Thanks so much for taking the time to both read and review it. Your lovely and encouraging comments never fail o make me smile. <3
(no subject)
Date: 2015-12-11 11:46 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2015-12-12 08:06 pm (UTC)Thanks so much for keeping up with this story. Your lovely comment was greatly appreciated. :D
(no subject)
Date: 2015-12-12 01:29 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2015-12-12 08:15 pm (UTC)I'm glad that you're finding kitty!Sev so adorable. Thanks so much for taking the time to both read and review this story. Your lovely comment was greatly appreciated. :D
(no subject)
Date: 2015-12-12 02:12 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2015-12-12 08:19 pm (UTC)Thanks so much for taking the time to both read and review this story, ada. Your kind and lovely comments mean the world to me. :)
(no subject)
Date: 2015-12-14 05:37 pm (UTC):)
(no subject)
Date: 2015-12-14 07:50 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2015-12-15 02:29 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2015-12-31 10:46 pm (UTC)I like how he finally accepted Harry's home (the blanket is a symbol for that in my eyes - sorry, I mean *his* blanket, he loves it!) and his human.
How strange that he would be so exhausted by watching and listening to Harry and Teddy play. Though he explaines it himself by stating that his students would be too immersed in work (or too afraid of his wrath) to make so much noise. :)
But then, after all this draining racket, there is this intruder (Andromeda) - and wow, what a reaction to that. It seems that his world tumbles down. No more rationality, no more control over his emotions and reactions. I can understand that he panics like that. -__-
But! There is the hero, and Severus for once lets himself be saved and comforted! Yay! ^^
Thank you for sharing - and (though I still have to wait 15 minutes and thought I'd shorten the time writing a review...)
Happy New Year to you!
(no subject)
Date: 2015-12-31 10:56 pm (UTC)I'm going to leave writing a proper answer to your review until after the weekend, but since it looks like I'll be just in time for this I wanted to wish you the Happiest New Year possible, my dear friend. May 20016 bring you everything that you desire but don't yet have, while preserving all those things -and people- that you value. :D
It'll be five pm here in a few minutes, so I still have a while to go before I can celebrate properly, but thank you for the lovely wishes too.
All my love
pekeleke
(no subject)
Date: 2016-01-01 12:22 am (UTC)Dear pekeleke, thank you so, so much for your nice short and long stories - for the respite, the happyness, the food for thoughts (and comments) they offer. I hope (it is a selfish wish, sorry) that you may post many more of them in the next year. My sincerest thanks for the joy and pleasure of reading and convering with you.
Pekeleke, I wish you a happy, healthy, fun, challenging (but not too much), relaxing, and wonderful year 2016! May your hopes thrive and wishes come true.
(I had thought that I would have more time for that. I have a little something for you. Have a look into your inbox! ^^)
Hugs and best wishes,
teryarel
(no subject)
Date: 2016-01-04 08:51 pm (UTC)I hope things are going well for you and that your first, ever, post at both snape_potter and Ao3 went well enough to encourage you into writing some more snarry for us. ^.^
I'm back to give you a proper answer to your initial review of this chapter, as promised:
I love how you think Severus' weakness for 'his' blanket means that he has accepted both Harry’s affection and his home as a part of his own life. :D
I think Severus' exhaustion when it comes to Teddy’s antics comes from his own lack of practice in dealing with such small children. He's used to solitude so that much activity around him will get on his nerves something fierce, and the fact that he has no control whatsoever over his surroundings is making everything worse. :D
Severus' lack of control over his own reactions works in Harry's favor here because it allows him to be the kitty's 'hero' in a way that he'd never be able to be otherwise. Severus is so accomplished a wizard -and so used to dealing with his own troubles all by himself- that he'd never need Harry's help under normal circumstances, but it was important for him to realize that Harry would come to his rescue, no questions asked, if he ever needed him to do so. :D
Thanks so much for taking the time to both read and review another chapter of this cray story of mine. Your kind and lovely comment meant the world to me, my friend.
Hugs
pekeleke