gin_tonic | snarry_games Mini Games 2014 Drabble Series

Title: New Perspectives
Author(s):

me_midget
Prompt(s): Reunion
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Drag mouse over space if you wish to know: * disability *

Hands hurriedly grabbing for something to hold on to as the carriage started moving, Harry’s clammy fingers found his neighbours‘. The carriage wobbled and in his panic Harry squeezed the other’s hand.

"You didn’t use to be unnerved so easily," his neighbour said and with a jolt Harry realised he was sharing his carriage to Hogwarts with none other than Severus Snape. He quickly tried removing his hand, but Snape covered Harry’s fingers with his other hand quickly, not letting him move backwards.

Harry swallowed, strangely comforted by the touch, and said: "Well, I didn’t use to be blind either."

******

It had happed a little over a year ago. 'Wounded in action', they said. There had been a raid and his partner had failed to cover him as he had been supposed to. Harry had been attacked from behind and had spent three week in St. Mungos before the healers had accepted that they couldn’t cure his blindness. Ron still felt guilty about what had happened. About his failure to protect Harry. A small part in Harry thought that he should, too.

"Bitter much?"

"No, not really. I had time to adjust," Harry said and was only lying a bit.

******

Harry had never questioned whether or not he should come to the reunion at Hogwarts. It was a chance to return home – a chance he gladly accepted. Years had passed since the war, but the reconstructions at Hogwarts had taken their time. After all, Hogwarts wasn’t just stone and walls and windows. There was magic in every molecule, in every piece of dust.

It was weird having Snape help him out of the carriage, but Harry accreted it gladly. He would be able to find his way through the common parts of the castle, but getting there was the problem.

******

As they walked towards the entrance, Harry tried his hand at some small talk.

"I didn’t expect you to come."

"Why? Because I’m an unsociable bat that likes to hide in his lab?"

"Yeah, pretty much."

Snape snorted. "I’ll have you know that I’m not a bat –"

"But unsociable?”"

Snape smacked the back of Harry’s head – but rather gently. "- And I wanted to see what Hogwarts looked like now that they’ve finished the reconstruction."

Harry nodded and bit back the comment about wanting to see it, too. He wasn’t bitter. It was just moments like these… No. Stop.

******

"You haven’t been back then?" Harry asked.

"Not since the war. And you?"

"The same. I just… I couldn’t, not with it being still so fresh. When they offered me the option to do a joint education and Auror training program instead of coming back here, I jumped on it."

"I heard about that."

Had Snape followed Harry’s career, he wondered? The thought was nice, really. Especially what with Harry following Snape’s activities. Harry had often thought about contacting Snape, but had never dared to. Now it felt like all those things that had once stood between them were gone.

******

They were almost at the castle, Harry’s memory told him when he just had to ask: "Are you being nice to me because I’m a cripple?"

"You’re hardly a cripple," Snape said. But Harry had heard that word being tossed around frequently in the wizarding world, knew how they regarded him. Months before he had decided two things: To accept the word and to prove to everyone that he was as capable as he had been before.

"That’s not my point."

Snape was silent for a while then. And just when Harry was sure he’d reply, they reached the castle.

******

Once inside, they were quickly whisked away in different direction by teachers and former students alike. Harry had trouble keeping up with conversations, noticing not for the first time how much everyone relied on gestures. And while he enjoyed talking to these people from his past, he soon found himself wishing for a reprieve.

A hand at his elbow startled him, but the aftershave quickly told Harry it was Snape who was next to him. Waving his goodbye at the group he’d been talking to, Harry let Snape lead him off.

"You came up with an answer?"

"I have mellowed."

******

"Mellowed? Like hell. This is a special treatment. I want you to treat me like you did before."

"I doubt that. Potter, you only know me as a spy. You know me as a teacher."

"Then what are you like when you’re not either? I somehow doubt you pet kittens in your free time and hug little old ladies."

Snape gave an almost laugh. "No, I do not."

"Then what? What are you like?" Harry held out his hands, felt his way to Snape’s shoulders, to his neck, his face. "Show me." He heard Snape swallow thickly.

"If you’d like."

******

Snape’s lips brushed against Harry’s wrist. A sharp gasp broke from Harry’s mouth. He didn’t know if the touch had been an accident, but he guessed that it wasn’t. And somehow… somehow it felt right. For the first time in a long time, something felt right.

"I..." Harry clumsily pulled Snape in for a kiss.

After a few seconds, Snape pulled back. "I’m not sure this is such a good idea."

"How do you know when you haven’t even tried?"

"Okay."

"Okay?" Harry smiled brightly.

"Yes. Okay."

Whatever this was, wherever this was going, Harry was looking forward to it.

******

The End

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