As Potter is to Snape

Chapter 41

The time for term to start back seemed to sneak up on Harry and Severus. They spent the last week of break simply hanging around the Manor. A couple of times, Harry helped Severus in the lab and they had taken to playing chess together every night during tea. On New Year's Eve, Severus took Harry into town and they had dinner at one of the restaurants there. Afterward they went to the park where they were having a New Year's Eve party and they watched fireworks together. He was under a disguise of course, but Harry didn't mind. He enjoyed every moment of it, even if he did have to pretend to be someone else.

On the second of January, however, Severus and Harry left the Manor and flooed back to their quarters at Hogwarts. Classes would start back the next morning and Harry was a mixture of both nervous and excited. He wasn't sure how or when Severus was going to tell everyone the truth about the guardianship, but he couldn't stop thinking about it.

As he lay awake up in Gryffindor Tower that night, long after the other boys had drifted off to sleep, he wondered what would happen to him next. If Severus told everyone, he would be in danger from Voldemort's followers. If he didn't say anything, they would have to keep their relationship a secret forever, and the weight of that was really starting to get to Harry. He found himself constantly trying to be careful with his words so that he didn't accidentally slip up and say something he shouldn't.

He'd told Ron and the others that night before they'd gone to bed and they had all been happy for him. Though, Neville was still understandably wary when it came to his Potions professor. Harry wondered how it would be for him after everyone knew. When Severus didn't have to pretend in front of anyone anymore, would he be nicer to the Gryffindors?

These thoughts and more swirled around in Harry's head until the early morning hours, when he left the warmth and comfort of his bed to head downstairs to the Common Room. He sat on one of the couches by the fireplace and dropped his head into his hand as he watched the flames. A movement from the stairs caught his attention and he looked up to see Hermione coming down as well, her backpack on her shoulders.

"What are you doing awake so early?" Harry asked as she came over and sat next to him.

"I've been getting up early in order to get in extra study time," she answered as she reached down and pulled her charms textbook from her bag.

Harry rolled his eyes, "We haven't even had our first class yet, 'Mione."

"I know. I'm reading up on the chapters we covered before break so that I won't forget anything."

"I doubt that that will be a problem for you."

"Oh, hush," Hermione said with a grin. She opened the book to the page that had been bookmarked with a spare piece of parchment and then pulled her legs up under her before looking back to Harry.

"So why are you up so early? Certainly not for studying."

"Just thinking," Harry answered, watching the flames once more.

"About Professor Snape? You've been kinda quiet since we got back yesterday. Did something happen over break?"

Harry nodded, realizing that he hadn't told Hermione yet. "He wants to be open about the guardianship. And he wants to petition the Ministry to adopt me legally."

Hermione gasped. "Harry, that's wonderful! How do you feel about it?"

He shrugged. "I'm happy. I really am. This is what I want, but..." He trailed off and Hermione nodded, understanding at once.

"But it's also a dangerous secret to let out."

Harry looked over at her then. "I don't want him to get hurt because of me."