In the months that followed the meeting with Voldemort, Harry continued to meet with Karissa. Each meeting seemed to help the young teen, however the Healer left each meeting with a scowl on her face as she went to report to Dumbledore, the old git. Karissa Wentworth was beginning to truly fear that as Harry improved, Dumbledore plotted to toss him back into the proverbial ring with He Who Must Not Be Named, he'd spoken about it enough. Trying to coax Karissa into signing the papers that would state Harry had finished treatment. As far as Karissa was concerned, Harry Potter would be in therapy for a very long time, however Albus didn't need him healed or whole once again, he just needed him mentally competent to take on the Dark Lord. Karissa suspected Albus didn't intend for Harry to survive his encounter with You-Know-Who, and she had shared these fears with Severus. Until the end of the school year though, neither Severus nor Karissa could do anything more then prolong the therapy to keep Harry safe. Harry of course, was completely unaware of the fears of both his father-figure and his Healer and continued to attend therapy, no longer reluctant to speak to the woman.
HP/SS
Silver yawned and stretched out on Severus' couch, his green eyes flickering upwards as the tall man paced the room. As exams approached, Severus had gotten more and more frantic, muttering about incompetent dunderheads and preparing his exams for his younger years. As Severus continued to mutter, Silver let his mind wander to earlier that day when he had joined the fifth year Slytherins for their frantic OWL study session, they had nothing on Hermione of course, but Draco tended towards obsessive about his grades, especially his OWLs. A knock on Severus' hidden doorway startled both man and kitten out of their musings and mutterings and Severus hastily opened the door, revealing a beaming Albus Dumbledore. Quickly schooling his face into the typical Snape sneer, Severus allowed Dumbledore to enter his quarters, one didn't refuse entrance to the headmaster of the school, even though Severus wanted nothing more then to slam the door in Albus' face.
"Yes?" He asked, raising an eyebrow as Albus settled himself on the couch next to Silver.
Albus, knowing better then to beat around the bush with Severus, immediately launched into his speech (well prepared obviously).
"I have just been speaking to Madame Wentworth" Albus said, summoning his personal house elf and asking the squeaking creature for tea. Silver was fascinated by the elf and attempted to pounce on it, only for it to disappear and leave the poor kitten tumbling to the ground in confusion.
"Oh?" Severus asked, eyebrow arching impossibly higher as he waited for Albus to reveal his hand.
"Yes and she mentioned how far Harry has come since we began this treatment just months ago" He said, twinkling eyes landing on the kitten, whom was rolling around on the floor now.
"Yes he has progressed well, however we both know he still has a long way to go before he recovers Albus" Severus said, his tone stern. He now knew what this visit was about and he would not allow Albus to force Harry into anything.
"Yes yes" Albus said, waving his hand carelessly, "I understand he does have some way to go before he is truly healed, but his growth in such a short period is remarkable, is it not?" The man asked, eyes twinkling like mad at the dark-haired potions' master.
"Perhaps" Severus allowed, "But we can't assume he is better, the human mind is a fragile thing Albus, you should know this" Severus reprimanded the man.
"Relax Severus, we are just speaking after all. I am, after all, the Headmaster of this school and have a vested interest in the health and wellbeing of all my students" Albus chide lightly. "Harry has been through so much and I just want to make sure he is doing better"
"More like want to see if he's on track to fight the Dark Lord" Severus hissed, hands clenching into fists.
"My word Severus, what sort of monster do you take me for?" Albus asked, looking faintly upset, though Severus could see through his mask, "I am merely the Headmaster of a school who is concerned for one of his students, a student who has been through far too much in his young life" Albus added.
"Harry will be fine Headmaster, I will make sure of it. He has me now, and his animagus form and Slytherin house and we will make sure that he recovers at his own pace. Make sure that he is not forced to do anything that will cause him harm" Severus hissed, hands still clenched into fists.
"Oh Severus, working for that madman has truly warped your mind if you think that I only see young Harry as a means to an end. Perhaps I was a bit remiss in allowing you to adopt Harry" Albus said, slowly rising fro his seat, as if his joints were bothering him in his old age. "Goodnight Severus, Silver. I shall see you both later" He said, inclining his head and disappearing out the door.
Severus gaped for a moment, before scooping up his son-turned-cat and cuddling him to his chest. He just needed to finish the school year and then he could take Harry and run, protect the lad and continue allowing him to heal, away from Hogwarts, away from everything. Blaise and his mother had extended an invitation for Harry and Severus to spend the summer with them in Italy, which Severus was very keen to accept. As much as he wanted to keep Harry for himself and get to know the intriguing young man better over the summer, he was not a wealthy man and couldn't afford to flee the country. He also needed to speak to Lucius, if his conversations with Draco were anything to go by, Lucius may see the benefit in breaking away from the Dark Lord, if only to save his own hide (and that of his family).
Stroking Silver, he smiled as the kitten drifted to sleep against his chest, thankfully Albus had visited while Harry still was in his animagus form, he doubted Harry could have handled that visit and all that it implied. Despite Albus' threat, Severus knew that his adoption of Harry was ironclad and nothing could tear them apart, not even Albus, the meddling old coot.
Sighing, Severus headed to bed, needing to catch some shuteye before exams began. Setting Silver in his bed, he didn't bother asking him to change back to Harry, not tonight.
HP/SS
Blaise leaned back on the couch tiredly. He had just finished his Ancient Runes exam and man had it been rough. He had been prepared and he knew he had done well, but it had mentally wrung him out. Thankfully he had a day of rest between his Ruins exam that afternoon and his next exam, which was Defense. He knew Draco would rally the troops and all fifth year Slytherins would spend the next day studying under the blond's watchful eye. A small paw patting his nose had him popping his eyes open rather comically (eyes he hadn't known he closed).
"What?" He grumbled at his boyfriend-turned kitten, resisting the urge to smile at the adorable face which was inches from his own.
"I know you don't have exams yet, not until this summer, but the rest of us have them" Blaise muttered, "And I was just killed by my damn exam and need some time to rest before Draco forces us all to study again" Blaise added, dropping a kiss on the furry head. Silver made an adorable chirping noise and nuzzled Blaise lightly, his green eyes shining playfully. He had had another bored day in Severus' quarters what with exams going on and all and now he wanted to play with his friends and Blaise. Wiggling his tail, he launched off of Blaise and landed on a sprawled out Draco's stomach, startling the dazed blond into a state of wakefulness.
"Little beast" Draco grumbled, snatching up the kitten and holding him eye level.
"As Blaise said, we just wrote a grueling exam and would like the chance to allow our brains to melt before we have to begin studying for our other exams" The blond stated, taking on what Blaise and the others dubbed his 'Malfoy' voice. It was the voice that all Malfoys used when dealing with those beneath them or those that they considered undesirable. Instead of cowering like any sane being would do, Silver sneezed, his paws coming up to scrub at his little nose. Blaise snorted before breaking into peals of laughter.
"I've seen people wet themselves when your father uses that voice, but sneeze? That's a first" Blaise giggled (something he would later deny).
"Stuff it Zabini" Draco growled, though he was unable to keep the small smile off of his face as he regarded Silver. The kitten mewed apologetically and patted Draco's face with his tiny paws, whining when Draco caught them up and glowered at him, though once again the blond was fighting a smile.
"Poor thing" Pansy cooed from her seat next to the fire, "He's probably bored being cooped up in Professor Snape's quarters all day" She said, watching Silver continue wiggle in Draco's hands.
"We're all so busy with exams and so is the Professor with overseeing exams, he's probably not getting as much attention as he's used to" She added, charming a piece of scrap paper to fly around the room for the kitten's enjoyment. Freeing himself from Draco, Silver took after the paper, leaping with paws outstretched to try and catch it. Small mews of enjoyment escaped the kitten as he bounded around the Common Room, launching himself off of furniture and people alike in his haste to try and catch the fluttering parchment. Most Slytherins dropped what they were doing to watch their small mascot, some adding their own bits of paper or different rubbish to the game, sending the kitten all over the room until he flopped, panting hard, on Blaise's chest.
"Guess we finally wore him out" Blaise commented, summoning a house elf and asking for a dish of water. Once the creature returned, Blaise set the bowl down on the table and plopped the still panting kitten down next to it.
"Drink, we don't need you dying of dehydration, or the Professor will chop us into pieces to use in his potions" Blaise commanded, his tone serious though his eyes sparkled with mirth. Once the kitten had drank his fill, Blaise gathered him up and wandered down the hall towards Severus' quarters, needing to return the kitten before curfew.
"Normally I'd stay and chat" Blaise told Severus while he handed Silver over, "But with exams and what not I'm just as worn out as he is" He added, nodding at the sleeping kitten. Silver had fallen asleep on the walk over, lulled by the beat of Blaise's heart, it was his favourite napping position, ear pressed firmly down on the chest of the one he was sleeping on.
"I understand Blaise, thank-you for returning him. I'm sure he'll be just as relieved as we are once exams are over" Severus mused, knowing Silver missed spending time with his friends, boyfriend and surrogate father, however, until exams were done, it was difficult for any of them to sit down and just relax.
"No kidding, my mother wrote me and said you had responded to our invitation to stay at the Manor" The Italian teen said softly, he was beyond excited at the prospect, he often spent holidays completely alone due to the fact that his mother was often off with one of her...suitors. Just the thought of having company over and someone to spend time with was a dream come true for the tall teen.
"Ah yes, we have, in fact, accepted the offer. We both look forward to spending the summer with you Blaise, and I'm sure Harry will be out and about much more then normal with the safety afforded to him within your Manor walls" The snarky man added, a small smile curling on his lips. Blaise grinned, the thought of spending the summer with his boyfriend was an exciting one, even if his boyfriend's father was to be around the majority of the time.
"I look forward to it sir, just another week before we can be off" Blaise added, biding the man goodbye before returning to the Common Room and his dorm for some much needed sleep.
HP/SS
Harry sighed as he sipped the tea that Madame Wentworth had ordered for him. It was nearing the end of their last session before summer holidays and Harry was beyond excited. He and Severus were spending a fair chunk of the summer with Blaise and his mother, though Blaise had already confined in him that his mother wouldn't be there very often, if at all.
Grinning at the teen in front of her, Karissa sipped her own tea and relaxed. This had been a particularly tough session, talking about Harry's earliest memories with the Dursleys and it had taken all of her willpower to keep her in her seat and not going after the atrocious muggles. Despite how hard the session had been, Harry had come through it beautifully and was now returning her soft smile.
"Just remember to keep writing and I'll see you at our next session" Karissa said, closing her notebook. Harry had taken to journal writing and it seemed to be a good way for him to vent his emotions. He shared with her at each session and they discussed the writing, it was healthy for Harry and it gave Karissa a deeper insight into his mind.
"Yupp" Harry grinned at her, Karissa was going to keep seeing Harry over the summer time, flooing to Zabini Manor for the sessions. She was taking a two week vacation in August however, but she knew Harry would be fine with one missed session.
"Have fun in Italy with Blaise and Severus and try to stay in human form, just like we talked about" She added, a small smile on her face as she set down her empty tea cup.
"I will" Harry said, though he looked a bit nervous. He hadn't spent a lot of time as Harry this year and Karissa wanted him to try, he needed to adjust to being human, to dealing with his emotions and problems. Silver was a good coping technique but the animagus form never forced Harry to deal with his problems. She knew that at this point in his therapy, Harry needed to start working through his problems and trying to overcome or at the very least accept them.
"Bye" Harry said, before shifting back into his animagus form and allowing her to attach his collar to him before she opened the door and let the small kitten out into the empty hallway.
"Bye" She said softly, before shutting the door and gathering her things. Steeling herself, she headed to Dumbledore's office to floo back to her main office in Diagon Alley, she had asked the man to set up a floo between this office in Hogwarts and her main office, but he had refused. Now she understood why, Dumbledore liked to ambush her after her sessions with Harry, drilling her about Harry's mental health, trying to figure out when he would be 'better', of course they had differing definitions of what 'better' truly was. Stepping into Albus' study, she politely greeted the man, smiling inwardly when she saw his mountain of paperwork.
"Karissa" He greeted, blue eyes twinkling at her. "How was your session" She mentally groaned, despite his mountain of paperwork, Albus still intended to interrogate her.
"It was fine" Karissa responded, fighting to keep her annoyance in check. "Now if you don't mind Albus I have things to do in my own office. I'll see you again in the fall" She added, stepping towards the floo.
"Hopefully we won't. I expect Harry to be better by fall and you to have signed off on his papers" Albus spoke up.
"I doubt it Albus, Harry is a troubled young man, he won't be better for a very long time and their is a good chance he will need therapy on and off through out the rest of his life" Karissa said stiffly.
"I understand that Karissa" Albus said, looking at her over steepled fingers, "However, we have talked about this before and Harry is needed for the final battle, as soon as you sign off on those papers declaring him mentally competent, Harry can return to classes, return to Hogwarts as an actual student and should be ready to take on his role as our saviour once again" Albus said.
"He is not mentally incompetent Albus, those papers merely state that my time with Harry has ended and he is either voluntarily ending his therapy or I have decided that he's ready to move on" Karissa said, grabbing a handful of floo powder.
"Until that time, Harry will remain in therapy and Severus, as his guardian, will make decisions for him based on his welfare. You are just the Headmaster of this school, you are not a parent or guardian and you have no rights to Harry" She said, tossing the powder into the fire and calling out her destination. Damn she hated that man.
Albus watched the flames of his fire for a time before glancing at his Fawkes, the bird was staring diligently at the wall, not even looking at Albus. Popping a lemon drop in his mouth, Albus turned to his paperwork. Harry would be ready in time to take on Tom, Albus would make sure of it, with or without Severus and Karissa Wentworth's help if need be.
HP/SS
Silver walked into Severus' classroom, his tail twitching madly as he headed straight towards the dour man.
"There you are" Severus said with a grin, scooping up the kitten and rubbing his furry ears. "I take it your session went well?" He asked, the kitten made a soft chirping noise, one Severus took to mean agreement. "Just think brat, in only two more days and we'll be in lovely Italy" The only downfall is Blaise had yet to tell them which part of Italy his family Manor was in, wanting it to be a surprise, or so he said. The only information he gave away was that it was on the beach and to pack swimwear. Of course Severus' own swimwear was horribly outdated and Harry didn't own any, so a shopping trip was needed, of course Severus needed to wait until the end of school before visiting Diagon Alley or another wizarding shopping district. Silver wanted to ride on the train with Blaise, which left Severus ample time to shop for the pair of them, something which was easier without a small, meowing tagalong.
Silver chirped again at the idea, he couldn't wait to explore Italy, he knew he was supposed to avoid his animagus form, but his cat side was anxious to check out the Manor from a cat's perspective. Twitching his tail again, he crawled into Severus' robes, making himself comfortable while the man walked back to their shared quarters.
Once inside, Severus set Silver down and laughed as he watched the kitten immediately pounce on one of his mouse toys.
"I've never seen you come back from a session in such high spirits" The man mused as he bustled about the kitchen, preparing a pot of tea for himself, though he made enough for Harry in case he chose to appear, though he doubted it. Karissa had a habit of drowning Harry, and herself, in tea during their sessions. Picking up a potions' magazine, he settled himself in his chair and began to relax, tomorrow was the last day of exams, and then their was one final day of school, in which students were encouraged to pack and get ready to return home, before the final feast and train ride home. He couldn't wait to get away from here, from Albus and from the school itself, both he and Harry needed a vacation and to get out from under Albus' thumb and watchful gaze. Silver continued to play for a time before the kitten crawled into Severus' lap, nudging the man with his cold little nose until he started to read out loud, his deep, smooth voice lulling the kitten into a purring, gelatinous mass on his lap.
"You little suck" Severus teased before continuing to read his article, "There are multiple different ways of properly storing Unicorn blood (freely given), the first being..." He continued on, his reading occasionally accented by a particularly loud purr from the mass in his lap.
Just another typical night in the Snape-Potter household.