The Wolf's Howl

Pie

Ummmm....yeah.

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Harry padded down the hallway, making sure to avoid the glances of Slytherin students. He probably wouldn't be recognized, but he didn't want to take the chance. 

He made it past the crowded areas and huffed a sigh of relief. He allowed himself to gallop the rest of the way, ears pricked and listening for more students. The soft scent of strawberries and powdered moonstone reached Harry's nose, making him grin slightly. 

When he reached the desired door, he leapt up at at it and threw his weight against the door with his front paws, creating a loud sound that resembled a single knock. The door quickly opened, and Harry was met with the sight of the resident dungeon bat wearing black slacks, a green button-up shirt, and a small smile. However, this greeting failed to shock Harry, as he had gotten used to the difference between Snape and Severus. 

"Hello, Potter," Severus said. Harry bowed his head in response before padding into the cozy room. He sniffed the air, catching a whiff of pumpkin pie. Severus walked up beside him and ran a hand through Harry's thick neck fur. 

"How are you?" he asked softly. Harry shrugged one shoulder in a non-committal manner, before trying and failing to suppress a large yawn. Severus sighed. "Come on," he said, walking towards the couch. Harry followed, his limbs suddenly seeming to realize just how tired he was. It had been about two and a half days since he last slept - though he wouldn't admit it to Severus. 

The tall man folded himself onto the couch, making himself comfortable in the corner made by the back and the armrest. He held an arm up, inviting Harry to come up with him. Harry looked at the couch for a minute, mentally calculating the energy it would take to get up there, before deciding that a cuddle session with Severus was definitely worth it. 

He rocked back on his haunches and thrust himself up onto the couch with a small grunt, then allowed himself to collapse next to the Potions Master. He could sense that Severus knew he hadn't been sleeping, and that the man was disappointed. However, that did not stop the hand on his side from gently stroking the fur, luring Harry into a state of relaxation that he only managed to achieve while in Severus's presence. 

An odd thought struck him just as he was about to drift off to sleep - if he had been in his human form, Severus's touch would be wholly inappropriate. But somehow, Harry couldn't find it in himself to care, and soon found himself drifting off to sleep. 

-.-.-.-

Severus looked at the large canine laying in his lap and smiled. He was glad to see Potter finally trying to take care of himself. He ran his hand through the soft fur of Potter's side, suppressing a sigh when he noticed that he could feel Potter's ribs easily. "You really need to eat more," Severus muttered to the sleeping wolf. 

He allowed his head to fall back against the headrest of the couch and began to think. Why do I care so much about him? he wondered. I haven't cared about someone this much since...well, since Lily. Maybe it's because he is her son, he reasoned. That had to be it. 

He rubbed the sleeping wolf's chest, feeling soft snores vibrate under his palm. This caused him to smile affectionately, deciding to take Potter under his wing. He had treated the boy horribly over the past seven years without truly learning about him. He wondered what made Potter tick. Why Potter acted the way he did and valued the things he valued. How Potter made the decisions he made. 

He sighed, looked down at the wolf and gently stroked his head. Potter shifted slightly, causing him to move closer to Severus. The man smiled and held the wolf closer, feeling a bond begin to form between them. 

He glanced at the clock, shocked to see that about an hour had passed by. Severus gave a small smile. He happened to know that Potter liked pumpkin pie, and Severus had just made one to celebrate the 25th anniversary of his Potions Master certification. 

He pushed Potter's shoulder gently, urging the wolf into a waking state. The noises that Potter made while trying to wake up made Severus smile. "I know it's not morning, but you're definitely not a morning person," he commented. Potter rolled his eyes and shook his head. Severus smiled. 

"Are you hungry?" he asked. The wolf raised one shoulder. Severus rolled his eyes. "Come on. I have pumpkin pie," he said, trying to entice the black canine. Luckily, it worked, and Potter sat up and looked hopefully at the Potions Master. Severus gave Potter a grin as he stood up and walked over to the kitchen. 

After a few seconds, he heard the soft click of nails on the linoleum floor of his kitchen behind him. "Whipped cream or no?" he asked, looking over his shoulder at the large wolf. Potter tilted his head to the side, obviously thinking. After a few more seconds, he gave a short nod accompanied with a small yip. "You're welcome," Severus replied, understanding that Potter's vocalization was a representation of 'please and thank you'. 

He spooned home-made whipped cream onto a rather large slice of pumpkin pie and held the plate out to Potter. "Why don't you take that out to the living room, and I'll be out there in a minute," he said. The wolf gave a short nod, grasped the edge of the plate gently in his front teeth, and padded out of the room. Severus smiled at the wolf's retreating back before grabbing his own, slightly smaller piece of pie and dabbing a little bit of whipped cream along the top and going to join Potter on the sofa. 

When he walked out, he chuckled seeing Potter's nose tipped with whipped cream from where he had struggled to put the plate down without spilling the food. "Come here," he said, holding out his hand. The wolf looked at him and came over, allowing Severus to wipe the whipped cream off with his thumb. 

Potter gave another small yip of thanks, then jumped up on the couch. He sat in the middle, waiting for Severus to take his customary position in the corner of the sofa. Severus sat down heavily, causing Potter to look at him with concern. "Don't worry," Severus said, stifling a yawn. The past week was catching up with him. "It's just been a long week," he said by way of explanation. 

Potter breathed out gently through his nose and settled on Severus's lap. "Are you going to eat your pie?" Severus asked the wolf. Potter rolled onto his side and looked up at Severus with large doe eyes. 

Severus couldn't deny the wolf when he looked at him like that, so he reached over and picked up Potter's plate. He carefully used his fork to cut a small piece off of the pie, then held it in front of Potter, who carefully took the food off the fork. Severus continued feeding Potter the pie until there was about half of the slice remaining. 

Severus cut the next piece off and held it for Potter to take, but the wolf simply looked away. "Full already?" he asked. The wolf nodded with a huge yawn before settling further down in Severus's lap. Severus sighed quietly and put the fork back on Potter's plate before holding the wolf close, his own slice of pie laying forgotten on the coffee table. 

"You worry me, you know?" he whispered to the wolf who was already sleeping, snoring softly with his head on Severus's lap. Severus shifted so that he was laying next to Potter, then grabbed a blanket from the back of the couch and threw it over his legs, careful not to cover Potter. That black fur was definitely thick enough to keep the Animagus warm, and Severus didn't want Potter to overheat.  

"Good night, Potter," he whispered before laying his head on the armrest, wrapping an arm around the wolf's too-thin body, and allowing sleep to overtake him.

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Guys I'm sorry, but I'm putting this story on a hiatus for a bit, at least until I get some more chapters written. I'm focusing a bit on my other stories in addition to recently having a death in the family, so it might be a while before this is updated again. Sorry y'all. I tried to have an updating schedule, didnt work all that well. Oops 😅