Chapter 56 - Chess Pieces
Half an hour later, Severus found himself back out in the corridor, waiting beside Harry while Lupin and Dumbledore dealt with the last of the legal issues and reclaimed Lupin's wand from the Aurors. After the case had been dismissed, they'd all been swarmed by people wanting to ask questions. Severus in particular had been swamped by questions from the other Potion Masters; he'd answered as best he could while still trying to keep close tabs on Harry. He was worried that if he looked away for a moment Harry would disappear into the crowd. Certainly he wouldn't put it past Fudge to whisk the boy away from him.
He'd detailed the potion in the scroll he'd given Master Dorester, though he'd been purposely vague about his source material. They had all agreed that they did not want Voldemort to find out that they had Slytherin's journals. As such, Severus claimed only that the potion instructions had come from 'an ancient source', which he pointedly refused to name. The full story would have to wait for a more peaceful time to come out.
Eventually Severus had managed to usher Harry back into the corridor. They'd watched as the group of Potion Masters headed off down the hallway toward the now empty exit. But the moment they had moved through the golden Press Ward that was still in effect, reporters, who'd been lying in wait around the corner, had descended upon them.
Watching the reporters now, Severus did not relish wading through them once again. Once had been enough. Their questions had alarmed him - particularly the ones about the Pharaoh and the Shelong brothers of China. He suspected that some of those marriage proposals Albus had mentioned had come from them.
While he had never met Pharaoh Nitocris, he had seen pictures of her. She was young yet, only fifteen years old, but still considered one of the most beautiful women in the world. The Pharaonic Dynasties of Egypt had long ago stopped in-breeding amongst close family members and had instead begun searching the world for suitable mates, picking either magically powerful Wizards or Witches, or those with non-human lineages. Supposedly Nitocris had not only Veela blood in her veins, but also Kitsune blood from Asia. That she would be looking to Harry Potter as a future bond mate did not surprise Severus at all. He was equally certain that he did not want Harry to ever meet the girl.
As for the Shelong brothers - he knew only stories about them. But they too were supposedly extremely handsome - their bloodline boasted Imperial Dragon in their ancestry. While he did not know if those claims were true, he did know that both young men were highly sought after by royalty the world over. If he had his way, Harry would not be meeting them either.
He watched as the Potion Guild members spoke with the press at the far end of the hallway. Unlike him, they were not reluctant to talk - no doubt word of the Lycanthropy cure as well as the full transcripts from Remus' trial would be in tomorrow's paper. Severus had already prepared a press release about his potion, which he'd given to Shaklebolt to hand over to the reporters later.
His eyes rested briefly on Andre Serrent who was speaking with a report from the Daily Prophet. A vague sense of unease stirred within him. He had not expected to run into him today - he had not seen the man since the Potion Conference last summer. Their brief association had been pleasant; while the man was handsome, Severus had been far more attracted to his sharp mind. And certainly it had not been Severus' looks that had attracted Andre either. As far as he knew they had parted amicably. But there had been something challenging in Andre's eyes as he'd looked at Harry earlier, which surprised Severus. It had not escaped his notice that Harry had sensed something as well.
Staring now at Andre and the reporters, he couldn't help but wonder if the man would hint at a relationship between them. That would be highly unfortunate - especially in light of the questions the press had been asking about Harry. The idea that anyone questioned the validity of their marriage disturbed him deeply - even a hint of a scandal on his part might bring them both under closer scrutiny.
"Is something wrong?" Harry asked. A quick glance at the boy showed that his eyes too were on Andre. The boy's lips were twisted into an uncharacteristic frown. "I was right, wasn't I?" he grumbled. "He isn't just a colleague."
Severus narrowed his eyes. Why did the boy have to pick now of all times to be perceptive? "As I said I met him last summer at a Potion Conference."
Harry glared in irritation. "Despite your opinion of my intelligence, I do understand that 'meeting someone' is a polite euphemism for something entirely different."
Despite everything, Severus couldn't help the flash of amusement that shot through him. If he didn't know better he'd swear the boy was jealous! That remark had been almost catty. "I have not seen him since you and I got married, so spare me the innuendos."
His words caused Harry to flush with anger, and Severus fought down the reaction that caused in his body. For some reason the boy's anger captivated him - perhaps it was just the lovely color his cheeks turned, or the way his eyes glowed with life. Moments of anger brought out Harry's strongest passion - and Severus knew he was sublimating it with what he really wanted.
"I wasn't making innuendos! I was just pointing out that you're obviously worried about something," Harry replied. "If you haven't seen him, then why do you care that he's talking to the press?"
"Because he might imply something else," Severus replied. "Which under the circumstances would not be good - particularly not with the international press here."
Harry frowned in confusion. "What does it matter that the international press is here? Does this have something to do with that story about the Pharaoh?"
"Amongst other things," Severus confirmed, with a tight nod of his head. His lips twisted into an angry frown at the thought. The last thing he wanted to read about in tomorrow's paper was his merits versus the Pharaoh's. He rather imagined he would be found lacking in the extreme.
Harry just shook his head dismissively. "Well, you're the one who was seeing the creep. I don't know what you expect me to do about it?"
His words stirred Severus' blood. So the boy was angry - jealous perhaps. Or at the very least irritated to be caught between the press and one of Severus' former lovers. It also occurred to him that he could use this situation to his advantage - offer the press something far more interesting to print on the front page of their paper and possibly deter some of the proposals Harry had drawn from the international community. To date no reporter had managed to catch a truly intimate moment between them - he knew there was a high bounty offered on pictures of the two of them together.
"I expect you to help me provide a more interesting story for them to speculate about," he informed the boy, as he raked his eyes up and down Harry's form. He looked perfect today - any photo of him would be beautiful. The pale green of his tunic and the darker emerald of his robe brought out his eyes and the fine coloring of his skin. And while his hair still had the wild, untamed appearance most Gryffindor's sported, it suited him perfectly. He looked like a young prince - even his carriage had changed somewhat over the last few months. He'd always been graceful in the air, but the sword lessons had improved his posture and the way he held himself, and had given him a certain predatory grace in the way he moved.
"More interesting story?" Harry asked uncertainly, looking both perplexed and intrigued. "I can't imagine what they might think more interesting than a scandal. They seem to love them so much they make them up when there is nothing available."
"Use you're imagination," Severus purposely pitched his voice low, letting the words resonate with a tone he knew effected Harry. Immediately he saw those green eyes widen in shock.
"You can't be serious," he hissed at him, the color rising in his cheeks once more.
Severus raised one eyebrow, letting his lips curl into a seductive smile. "Such a photo would certain take the front page - relegating any other story to a lesser position. That would suffice."
Several different emotions flashed through Harry's eyes - too many for Severus to track. There were times when he desperately wanted to look into the boy's mind, find out what he was truly thinking once and for all. But such a violation of his bond mate would be unconscionable. Finally a look of irritated resignation settled over Harry's features - not quite the emotion he'd been hoping to inspire, but sufficient.
"I feel like a bloody chess piece," the boy grumbled.
"A chess piece?" Severus frowned, wondering what he was talking about now.
Harry glared up at him, green eyes looking vaguely wounded, and Severus felt his heart lurch at the sight. "Every single moment of my life is part of some master manipulation, orchestrated by someone else. Even my marriage. None of it means anything!"
Of all the things he'd intended, upsetting the boy had not been one of them. He had not imagined that he would interpret his suggestion in such a way - as nothing more than a manipulation. It was of course - but Severus had not suggested it solely to appease the press. He'd forgotten how ridiculously romantic Gryffindor's could be; such a manipulation would go against their grain.
He found himself reaching out to the boy, laying a hand gently against his arm. "Harry," he began, trying to find some words to ease the bitterness he saw.
But Harry merely shook his head dismissively. "No, you're right of course," he interrupted him before he could speak more than the boy's name. "Let the press have their photo. I'm sure it's all for the greater good after all - isn't everything?"
Before Severus could think of a response, the boy stepped toward him, his body pressing unexpectedly against his as Harry raised his hands to slide them around his neck. When Harry turned his face expectantly toward him, Severus had no choice but to respond - and no desire to do otherwise. He slid his own arms around the boy's waist and captured his mouth in a gentle kiss. Only vaguely was he aware of the flashing of lights beyond the Press Ward as cameras began shooting images of them. He was too caught up in the taste of Harry's lips, the heat of his body against his own. His arms tightened around the lean form, even as he deepened the kiss beyond the superficial display he'd initially intended.
Like before he lost himself in the moment, his body starved for contact. How much longer could he maintain this distance between them - how soon would it be before he gave into his own greedy demands and seduced the boy? Judging by the way Harry innocently responded to the gentle pressure of his lips, such a seduction would not be difficult. But would the boy forgive him afterwards, or would he grow to resent him for taking what should not be his?
He released the boy before he could get carried away, taking sharp note of the color in Harry's cheeks and the way he lowered his eyelashes as if ashamed of his eager response. But from a distance it would all read perfectly - a young man flushed with sudden passion. Severus had no doubt that their picture would take precedence over even the remarkable news of the Lycanthropy cure. The rest of the world was as starved for Harry Potter as he himself was. How nice to know that he could count himself amongst the masses.
The sound of Dumbledore and Lupin emerging from the holding area drew both their attention before they could speak further to each other. They turned, Harry taking a quick step away from Severus, the color in his cheeks still visible. Severus resisted the urge to catch hold of the boy's arm and pull him back into his side - how was he ever going to get over this blasted need to touch him?
Lupin smiled at Harry as he joined him, but far from the smile Severus expected from Albus, the old man's eyes were worried, his mouth set in an angry frown. "Something wrong, Albus?" Severus asked at once. Shaklebolt and Stark were still with them, but it did not look as if Remus was in any sort of further trouble. He suspected the Aurors were going to escort them back through the gaggle of reporters.
Albus just nodded tightly. "Not here," he said simply, and Severus understood that he would not speak of what was troubling him until they returned to Hogwarts. The three of them fell into step around Harry - Albus taking the point position while Remus and Severus walked on either side of him. The two Aurors moved forward to lead them back through the Press Ward where other Aurors were already waiting to push back the reporters.
No sooner had they stepped through the glowing Ward, when the sound of the reporters shouting question returned full volume. Severus saw the color in Harry's cheeks drain away as he moved swiftly amongst his guards toward the elevators. How he could ever have imagined for one minute that the boy liked such publicity Severus did not know. Had he truly been so blind?
With the Auror escort it took them only a short while to reach the main floor and the long corridors of fireplaces. Again Aurors had stationed themselves around one of the floos so that it was free of other waiting passengers when they approached. Amid the flash of the camera light and the shouts of the eager reporter, they flooed, one by one, back to the Headmaster's office in Hogwarts. When Albus stepped through after the rest of them, he waved his wand at the fireplace and sealed it off so that no ambitious reporter could follow them through.
Sirius Black was still waiting for them when they arrived, and pulled Lupin into an exuberant hug the moment he saw him. The sight returned the smile to Harry's face and Severus found himself shaking his head in disgust at the pleasure the sight of so simple a thing had stirred within him. He was turning into a bloody Gryffindor! Moved by someone's smile - he wanted to snarl and snap at all of them, say something appropriately cutting to Black. But he couldn't bring himself to do anything that might damage Harry's enjoyment of this moment.
Black had a thousand questions, all of which he seemed to ask at once. Severus watched in silence at Lupin and Harry attempted to answer all of them simultaneously - he'd seen this happen before. It seemed to be a trait unique to Gryffindors - all of them talking at one time, speaking over one another, babbling as far as he could tell, too excited to speak coherently. And yet they somehow managed to convey a large amount of information in a relatively short amount of time. Annoying, but apparently efficient. He shook his head in bewilderment. Honestly! Was it really necessary for all three of them to hold hands and jump up and down like that? Lupin and Black were grown men - and yet here they were acting like five-year-olds.
Severus turned instead to Dumbledore who was watching the three Gryffindors in amusement, his eyes twinkling once again. Apparently he found their enthusiasm encouraging. "Are you going to tell us what happened now Albus?" Severus asked, drawing the attention of the other three as well.
Albus just nodded and sat down in one of the armchairs near his desk, looking rather tired. "I was informed by Minister Fudge that our National Quidditch team has just recently lost its Seeker. As such in two weeks time, they will be holding an open Audition for a new Seeker - here at Hogwarts."
"What?" Severus asked in shock, not certain he'd heard correctly.
"The National Team?" Black exclaimed. "But that will draw players from every professional team in the country."
"Which in turn will draw thousands of spectators," Remus finished for him.
"I know," Albus nodded in agreement.
"Our Quidditch pitch isn't suitable for such an event," Harry informed them. "It isn't as large as a professional stadium and it can't hold thousands of people."
Albus nodded, tugging on his beard. "Which his why over the next two weeks, our Quidditch pitch will be completely refurbished as a memorial tribute to the Aurors who died there last year."
They all stared at him in silence for a moment, letting his words sink in. Severus tried to imagine the chaos that was going to descend upon them. "So for the next two weeks we are going to have workmen crawling all over the place, followed by a mass spectacle in which thousands of strangers will descend upon us. There's no way we can maintain proper security in such a situation, let alone get anything done in our classes. Can't you deny the request?"
"It wasn't a request," Albus replied. "The Board of Governors has already approved it. They believe this event will bring in much needed revenue to Hogwarts and are completely behind the idea."
"Hogwarts is in need of revenue?" Sirius asked uncertainly.
Albus shook his head. "No, we're not," he glanced around at the portraits of all the other Headmasters hanging on the walls of his office all listening intently to this conversation. "Hogwarts has always managed to remain financially sound."
"Then why subject a school to such madness?" Remus asked in disbelief.
"Oh, I can think of a couple of reasons," Albus sighed as he glanced over at Harry. "I've been asked to inform the students that any student over the age of sixteen is welcome to try out for the position of England's Seeker."
Severus paled at that, realizing the implications and he turned sharply toward Harry, intent on forbidding him from participating. But his protest died on his lips when he saw the expression on the boy's face. Far from the excitement he had expected, the boy's expression had darkened like a thundercloud.
"Fudge wants me to try out," Harry stated flatly, anger in his voice. "And of course being Harry Potter, there's no way the National Team would turn me down - whether I was good enough or not. Fudge wants to be known as the Minister who got Harry Potter to play Seeker for England."
Hearing the bitterness and the anger in Harry's voice, Severus felt cold. He could see by the expressions on Lupin's and Black's faces that they were sharing similar feelings.
"That would be my guess as well," Albus acknowledged softly.
"And the fact that this would endanger not only my life but the lives of all the other player and the spectators doesn't matter to Fudge in the slightest?" Harry demanded, though judging by the tone of his voice he didn't expect any of them to answer. The answer was obvious. "He'll risk everyone's lives to further his political agenda." He turned away from them and strode across the room to stand in front of the tall narrow window that looked out over the Quidditch Pitch. "It's not enough that he has to interfere in my personal life, now he has to ruin Quidditch as well."
Severus flinched at that. He remembered what Harry had said about feeling like he was nothing more than a chess piece - and now here he was being manipulated once again. He couldn't help but remember that afternoon months ago when the two of them had gone to Hogsmeade together and Harry had teased him about being the only Potion Master married to a professional Quidditch Player. It seemed in the time since then Harry had given up on certain dreams he might have wanted for himself. He knew he was not likely to ever be allowed to live a normal life. The realization left a sharp, burning ache in Severus' heart, and he had no idea how to sooth it. He didn't want Harry to give up on his dreams.
"What about security, Albus?" Sirius asked. "With thousands of people coming and going, how are you going to keep the castle secure?"
"It is still a castle," Albus reminded them all. "And castles were meant to withstand sieges. I can't stop the Board of Governors from having their Quidditch match, but I can keep everyone out of the castle itself."
"And if there's an attack?" Harry asked without turning away from the window. "Do we lock up the castle and leave the spectators and the Quidditch players to fend for themselves?"
Severus frowned. He had heard that tone of voice before from Harry - in the Winter Lands when he'd spoke of the duty he felt he owed a people who had asked for his aid. He exchanged a sharp look with Black and Lupin - they too recognized Harry's mood. This whole thing was being orchestrated by Fudge to manipulate Harry, and consequently Harry felt responsible for the safety of the innocent people who would get in the way.
"Of course not, Harry," Albus assured him. "I've already insisted that there be a full security detail of Aurors here." The old man stood up and crossed the room to stand beside Harry. They stood together staring out the window, springtime sunshine bathing both of them in a golden pool of light. "We may not be able to stop these events from happening, Harry, but we can take precautions."
For a moment there was silence, and then Harry bowed his head. "Voldemort is planning something. Something terrible," he said softly, and Severus had to strain to hear him. Dumbledore was staring intently down into Harry's face. "What if Aurors and security details can not stop what's coming?"
Dumbledore looked thoughtful for a long moment, before at last lifting one wrinkled hand and placing it lightly on Harry's shoulder. "There are times, my boy, when one just has to take a leap of faith. Either way, we'll all be together. None of us will be alone."
And of course it was just the sort of thing a Gryffindor liked to hear, for Harry smiled faintly at the old man and nodded his head in agreement.
Harry followed Severus down the many corridors of Hogwarts after leaving the Headmaster's office. He knew Ron and Hermione would be anxiously awaiting news of Remus' trial, and intended to head to straight to the Great Hall. Sirius and Remus had already gone back to their own rooms to celebrate in private, and Severus, Harry guessed, would be returning to his office. Though it was Spring Break, the teachers were all hard at work catching up on school grading and assignments, and he assumed Severus planned to do school work for the rest of the day.
At least he hoped that was all Severus was planning on doing - he didn't want to think about the possibility that he might instead be going to visit Andre Serrent. Certainly he had a perfectly good excuse to visit anyone in the Potions Guild at the moment - the Lycanthropy potion would be the talk of the Wizarding World come tomorrow.
He glanced briefly to the side, noting Severus' rather thoughtful expression, and he flushed suddenly as he thought about the other thing that might also be the talk of the Wizarding World tomorrow; Severus had seemed certain that a photo of the two of them kissing would make the front page of the papers.
When Severus had first made the suggestion, Harry's heart had leaped for a number of different reasons. He didn't want to dwell too long on the fact that after several months he was anxious to kiss the man again - wanted desperately to find out if he had imagined the spine-tingling sensations that had gone through him the last time he'd kissed him. He might be extremely uncertain about the nature of their relationship but he was still a teenager who'd been given a brief glimpse of passion. It was human nature to want more.
And then he'd realized that he was about to be kissed to ward off rumors that his bond mate was seeing a former lover. One moment his thoughts had taken a romantic flight of fancy, and the next reality had come crashing down. Severus had married him because the Headmaster had asked him to - because his life was in danger and he needed protection. He took care of him because it was his duty. And now he was kissing him because it worked in his favor. It wasn't real, it wasn't romantic - hell, it wasn't even about him this time and some possible aberration of jealousy or possessiveness. It was nothing more than a blatant attempt to manipulate the press.
In that moment he hadn't known whom he wanted to throttle more - Severus, the reporters, or Andre Serrent. But after hearing about Fudge's Quidditch plans, he decided he'd settle for throttling the Minister - after all he'd started all of this. Without that man none of this would have happened in the first place.
Strange, though, he found it hard to think about not being married to Severus. The thought made his stomach knot uncomfortably with emotions he couldn't quite suppress. He groaned in irritation - why did life have to be so confusing?
Another glance at Severus did nothing to ease his troubled thoughts. What if he was going to see Andre? The reality was, there wasn't anything Harry could do about it - hell, he wasn't even certain why he was so upset. Why should he care after all? He didn't own Severus, certainly couldn't dictate how he lived his life. But, still, the idea that this was somehow a threat to his family ate away at him.
When he and Severus reached the point where they would need to go their separate ways - Harry to the Great Hall, and Severus to his office - Harry discovered that he simply could not stand the suspense. He had to know - even if he didn't like the answer. When Severus nodded politely to him and then turned and headed off down the diverging hall, Harry impulsively grabbed hold of his wrist, arresting his motion.
Severus turned at once toward him, a look of utter astonishment on his face as if he could not believe that Harry had detained him. Harry flushed in embarrassment, guessing that no one had grabbed the man in a long while - certainly there would not be a student in all of Hogwarts brave enough, or foolish enough, to grab hold of the Potion Master. Still he couldn't bring himself to let go. Strangely enough Severus made no move to pull his wrist from Harry's grasp. He merely raised one dark eyebrow in mocking question, demanding an explanation.
"Are you. . .I wanted to. . ." Harry stammered out, unable to find the words he needed. He knew his face was probably red with mortification - how did he get himself into these situations? "What are you doing for the rest of the day?" He tried not to cringe at the way that sounded - maybe the man would believe it was nothing more than a causal inquiry? Certainly it was better that simply blurting out 'Are you going to go see Andre?' Maybe he could cap his humiliation by blurting out 'are you having sex' once again?
If anything Severus' expression grew more incredulous, but still he did not pull his wrist from Harry's control. "I have papers to grade, and several potions to make for Madam Pomfrey," he informed him. Then he waited a brief moment before cocking his head to one side and asking, "What are you planning on doing?" He made the question sound so polite, so normal, with just enough sardonic intonation in it to make it very clear that it was anything but normal.
Harry surpressed the desire to squirm, but still did not release the man's wrist. "I was going to go tell Ron and Hermione about the trial," he answered, so embarrassed now that his ears were burning.
Severus nodded his head at that, as if finding his response interesting - but of course it was not since Harry had already told everyone in Dumbledore's office that he was going to do that. The man glanced down briefly at Harry's hand which was still wrapped firmly around his wrist as if trying to figure out what precisely Harry intended to do with his hand now that he'd captured it. A faint smirk of amusement lit the man's eyes. It was all the prompting Harry needed - he forced his hand to unclench, forced himself to release the man's wrist. Bloody hell! What was he thinking?
"I'll just. . .be. . .going," Harry stammered again, still anxious and unsettled and now embarrassed on top of all that.
"I'll see you tonight," Severus replied. There was a long, pregnant pause before the man added, "At sword lessons."
For some strange reason that soothed something inside Harry - after all the man could hardly grade papers, brew potions and still be on time for sword lessons if he was also planning on going to see a former lover. In spite of everything, he grinned at the man.
"Right," he exclaimed. "Sword lessons!" And then he turned and raced off, anxious to end the awkward moment. He was certain Severus stood there watching him until he disappeared around the corner.