Apprenticed to Love 16/?
Title: Apprenticed to Love 16/?
Author: Eriador117
Pairing: Snape/Harry
Rating: Adult
Warnings: not sure yet, but AU and angst for starters, hermaphroditism, mpreg, abuse.
Summary: Six months after the end of the war, Harry Potter turns up at Snape's apothecary to beg for a job. They both get more than they bargained for.
Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns the Potterverse, I just like playing in it from time to time.
Beta'd by Rakina, thanks so much!



Earlier Parts

Part Sixteen

The dinner had been eaten; the dishes washed and put away; the Scrabble board cleared, but not before Severus had written down all of Harry's words on a spare piece of parchment. It was only now that they sat down beside each other on the sofa that Harry's nerves decided to make an appearance. Deciding on the words and putting them on the board hadn't been that difficult; it was the talking about them now that Harry was worried about. But then wasn't that why Severus had suggested it in the first place? Harry knew that if he didn't start talking about these things and soon, then Severus would either make him see Madam Pomfrey again or maybe even a stranger at St. Mungo's.

"So what word should we start with, Harry?"

"You pick," said Harry. The truth was, he wouldn't feel comfortable about talking about any of it, but he knew that if he was ever to get better and stop letting those people have a hold over him, he needed to talk about the things that made him uncomfortable.
Severus glanced down at the list of words as Harry's heart beat a rapid rhythm against his chest.

"Petunia," said Severus, glancing back at Harry. "You find it difficult to talk about her?"

Harry nodded. "Sometimes what she did was worse than Vernon. I wasn't related to Vernon by blood, but she was my aunt and she was supposed to look after me. She was never supposed to hurt me."

"Yet she did?" Severus prompted.

"All the time. At first it was little things – a pinch on my leg or arm if I hadn't cooked the breakfast properly of if the dusting wasn't done just right. Petunia was very house-proud and very angry when I got it wrong. She didn't want me to show her up in front of the neighbours or her visitors. Petunia was in all of these: the Neighbourhood Watch; the Women's Institute; the Residents' Association and of course she was very active in the local church."

"She was?" Severus asked in surprise.

"Yes. I overheard one of the other church ladies joke that Petunia was in everything but the Crib. She cleaned it; arranged flowers, set up fetes, lots of things like that. I don't think she did it because she was religious; I think she did it because she wanted to be seen to be. She wanted to impress people. Other people, not me. I wasn't considered good enough to impress."

"Did she ever take you to church?"

"No, that would have meant buying me some nice clothes and shoes and they didn't want to spend money on me. They went every Sunday without me and locked me in the cupboard until they came back. Then Petunia would complain because I hadn't done any chores for the few hours they were away.

"I hated Sundays the most," Harry said softly. "They locked me in for hours, Severus. They never even left me a bucket or anything like that. Sometimes I had accidents. I couldn't help it! I couldn't help it!" Filthy, disgusting freak!

Harry shuddered as he remembered the humiliation as he tried desperately to keep control of his bladder and the despair when he failed miserably. He could almost feel it, could almost smell it again. His throat closed up with unshed tears and he wrapped his arms around himself to try and calm himself down. But this time, another set of arms wrapped around his body and he was tugged back against Severus' side.

"Ssh, Harry. It's all right. All children have accidents like that sometimes. You did nothing wrong."

"I – I felt so dirty, Severus. They would make me do the chores in my wet clothes and wouldn't let me wash until the next day when I had to go to school. Then Dudley would tell everyone in the class that I had wet myself the day before and they tried to get me to do it again; holding me down and tickling me or forcing me to drink lots of water and barring the way to the toilets. The first time it happened at school, I was so upset I just ran out of the class even though the teacher kept calling me back."

"Oh, Harry," said Severus, pressing a soft kiss to Harry's hair. "People can be so cruel."

"I know," said Harry, sniffling a little as his tears dried. "I never had any friends until I came to Hogwarts. Dudley had bullied them all into either ignoring me or joining him in tormenting me. I hated that school and everyone in it. The teachers knew how horrible the other children were to me, but they never did anything to stop it."

"And then you came to Hogwarts and got bullied by me," Severus said.

"Yes," Harry admitted. "But you've never held me down and forced me to wet myself so you could have a good laugh at my expense. Compared to them, you were a pussycat."

Severus laughed. "I don't think anyone's ever called me that before. Do you feel better now you've talked about it?"

"I do actually. It was hard at first, but once I got going the words just kept coming. Does that mean you're going to ask me about another word?"

"If you're feeling up to it."

"Okay."

"Malfoy."

Harry shook his head against Severus' side. "No. It's too soon. I can't talk about that yet, but I promise I will tell you, Severus. Just not yet."

"Well, is there anything else you do want to talk about?"

Harry blushed even more, but he knew he'd feel much better if he told Severus. "Um, about what you said. About you having feelings for me. I..."

Severus cut him off. "Harry, I promised you I wouldn't do anything to hurt you. I won't break my word."

"I know, Severus. That wasn't what I was going to say. I think – I think I might be having feelings for you too. I know I'm not ready for anything more yet and maybe you don't want to be with me anyway, knowing what I am. Would it be too strange?"

"Harry, you're getting too far ahead of yourself there. I'd like for us to get know each other a bit better before we think of anything concerning sex."

"So how are we supposed to get to know each other better? You already know my dark secrets, don't you?"

"Well, in this situation people usually go on dates, don't they?"

"Dates? Like going out to dinner and stuff?" The only date Harry had ever been on was that disastrous tea with Cho in Madam Puddifoot's on Valentine's Day. He hoped his and Severus' dates would work out a lot better.

"Indeed, Harry. And since there will be no sex between us until your contract finishes, no pressure either."

Harry sat up and stared at his Master. He could hardly believe it. Severus would be prepared to wait five years for him? Did that mean that what Severus was feeling for him was more than just lust? Five years was a long time, but it was also a good way for them really to get to know each other without sex getting in the way. Harry knew he was nowhere near ready for a sexual relationship yet; what with his memories of the Dursleys' and Malfoy's abuse, as well as his changed body; he needed time. And Severus was prepared to give him that.

"I would love to go on a date with you, Severus," Harry said, smiling up at him. "Where would you like to go?"

"I'm not sure yet, I'll have to think about it."

"Thank you, Severus."

"For what?"

"For being so patient with me."

"You're very welcome, Harry. It's getting late and it's time apprentices were wrapped up in bed."

Harry nodded and quickly, before he lost his nerve, he pressed a kiss on Severus' cheek and headed off to the bathroom to get ready for bed. Feeling his heart a lot lighter than it had been for a while, Harry eyed the claw-footed bathtub. He felt his cock swell in his trousers as well as the wetness between his legs that he was starting to get used to. Could he actually do it, though? That day when Petunia had scalded him was still bothering him, but she wasn't here, was she? No one was going to come in and catch him. It was his body, wasn't it? If he wanted to do this, he should be able to, shouldn't he?

Harry turned on the taps and added some lavender oil to the water as the bathtub filled. Even if he couldn't bring himself to touch himself, lavender was supposedly good to help you sleep. Harry locked and warded the door; even as he did so he knew that Severus would never invade his privacy like that. Not like them. Once the bath was filled, Harry stared at himself in the mirror above the sink; it was charmed so that even with the steam coming out of the bath, it remained clear. His scar was fading more and more each day and he wondered if one day it would fade completely out of existence. As if Voldemort had never been.

As he started undressing, he turned away from the mirror, unwilling to see the other scars that marred his body. His underwear felt very sticky with the evidence of his arousal and as he removed them; his cock twitched in anticipation. Harry climbed into the bath and sank back against it; his legs were so short they didn't even reach the other end of the bath. For a few moments he toyed with the idea of just having a wash and going straight to bed, but his cock seemed to have other ideas and hardened even further as the warm water lapped against his body. Harry's eyes fluttered shut as he remembered the tender way Severus had caressed his hair.

Harry had had plenty of wet dreams over the years, but he'd deliberately never done this often, not since that day Petunia had caught him. It had been the first time he'd tried to masturbate and it had put him off for a long time. Sinful, disgusting boy!

Harry curled his hand around his length and gasped at the wonderful sensation as he did so. It didn't feel disgusting. It felt good and he'd had so little in his life that felt good. He began stroking up and down like he'd seen some of the other boys do in the shower. Soon his hips were arching up to meet the strokes of his hand as his cock seemed to pulse with its own heartbeat. His sac was feeling very full and as well as that, there was an ache deep inside him. There in that place that he had never touched.

With his left hand still stroking his cock, Harry moved his right hand down beneath the water and behind his balls. He felt so open and so slick with moisture that one finger slid in easily. It felt so strange. Inside it was soft and wet and Harry couldn't help a small moan escape as he pushed his finger in and out. His cock was throbbing even more now and he could feel his abdominal muscles contract around his finger, as if his body was trying to suck it inside him.

God, he'd never felt anything like this before! His nipples were hard and standing up in little peaks above the water line, but he couldn't stop what he was doing with both hands in order to touch them. They were feeling very sensitive and tingly and he wondered what it would feel like to touch them or pinch them and even at the thought his hips jerked erratically.

The sensations were building and building in his lower belly. "Severus!" Harry gasped as he pressed his feet flat against the floor of the bath and arched upwards as the orgasm tore through his cock, spurting white hot heat over his hand and belly. But as he finished shooting he realised he wasn't finished. He still felt so aroused. With one hand no longer on his cock, Harry used that to pinch his right nipple while he now put two fingers inside and squeezed his thighs together. It didn't take long. His body convulsed at the second orgasm; it was a different feeling to the first one, almost as if his whole body was coming, not just where he had his fingers. Harry groaned in relief when it was finally over, his hands working frantically to wring every last delicious sensation from within him.

He panted for breath as he recovered; a broad grin on his face.

Sod Petunia and her scalding baths, he had to do this again!

TBC