Apprenticed to Love 17/?
Title: Apprenticed to Love 17/?
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 Seventeen

Dear Harry

It was so good to hear from you! I meant to write sooner, I really did, but I've been so busy with my courses that time just slipped away. There are witches and wizards from all over the world at the Wizarding University of Edinburgh; I've become really great friends with my room mate, Elaine. She's from Ireland and you'll get to meet her soon. That brings me to my other big news.

Ron finally did it, he popped the question on Valentine's Day and I've said yes. We aren't getting married yet, Ron still has to finish his training and I want to get qualified before we get married. You will be coming to our engagement party at the Burrow, won't you? Professor Snape is invited too of course; I'll send you both an official invitation nearer to the time, as we don't have a firm date set yet. Molly wanted to make sure that all the family can get there and she doesn't know when they'll next hear from Charlie; he's been away in China for a while. There'd been some trouble with a nest of Chinese Fireball dragons terrorising a Muggle village. I don't know if he is back in Romania yet.

The work is hard, but I'm enjoying it. Elaine is studying to be a Herbologist, so she and Neville will have lots to talk about at the party! I think they'd make a cute couple. What about you, Harry? Any romances on the horizon? I bet all the seventh years are knocking down your door, aren't they?

Write soon.

Love, Hermione

Harry smiled as he finished reading his friend's letter. Luna would surely have something to say if this Elaine put her sights on Neville, for Harry knew Luna was not one to lie down and have someone else steal her man. Merlin, Neville in a love triangle! Harry giggled at the thought before taking out his own parchment and quill to write back.

Dear Hermione,

I'll forgive you, just this once! You should always make time for your old friends even if you do have some new ones now. I don't think your matchmaking is going to work though, Neville and Luna have been going out for ages now and are very happy together. Neville is really enjoying his apprenticeship and so am I. I never knew Potions could be so interesting.

Master Snape is great and very patient with me even when I make mistakes.

Harry paused and sucked on the end of his quill. Seeing the name written down like that, Master Snape made him feel all shivery in a good way. He dipped the quill in the inkwell again and continued with his letter.

I've got some news of my own, but I really don't want to put it in a letter. The next time you and Ron have some time off; come and visit me and I can tell you then.

The shop has been really busy; Master Snape's potions are the best; we've even got orders from abroad that he sends out by owl order. The twins' new shop is doing really well too; they get lots of customers from Hogwarts! And as for seventh years knocking down my door... no, I don't think so. My taste runs to older men.

Harry stared at the letter and wondered if he should remove that last bit. He'd basically just outed himself to Hermione in the letter, but with him being an hermaphrodite, he didn't know whether the fact that he fancied Severus made him gay, straight or something in between. Sighing, he left it in. It would certainly make her curious enough to write back sooner this time.

Harry finished the letter and as he put it in an envelope, Severus knocked on the open door but didn't come in until Harry had said so.

"Madam Pomfrey is here for your check-up, Harry."

Harry's stomach jolted; he'd forgotten that was today. "Oh, right. I'll be down in a minute."

Severus nodded and made his way back downstairs. Harry's minute turned into five; he was still feeling a bit nervous about this. It was awkward trying to hide his changed body from people, but he knew he wasn't going to be able to hide it from the mediwitch, not if he wanted to find out what was wrong and why he wasn't getting periods yet. Hadn't Malfoy's potion worked properly? Or was it, as Severus thought, that Harry still weighed too little? Harry's appetite had never been anywhere near normal but he tried to eat as much as possible now, although he still couldn't seem to finish what Severus considered a full portion.

Harry lifted his apprentice robes from the back of his chair and put them on, even knowing that they would have to come off again for his medical exam. Being in Madam Pomfrey's company though, meant that he was in public and as such was expected to wear his Master's colours. Harry smoothed down the non-existent creases in his robes, took a deep breath and made his way downstairs. His heart faltered on the middle stairs when he saw that Neville was with Madam Pomfrey. Neville gave him a friendly smile.

"Is it all right if Neville stays to observe, Harry? It's part of his training."

Harry hadn't expected to be telling his friend about his condition so soon, but maybe this was better. Neville had to be professional and Harry knew he wouldn't tell anyone else about his medical history. "That's fine," said Harry, continuing down the stairs. "Can Master Snape stay with me?"

"Would you like him to?"

"Please." Harry didn't want to do this on his own. His tummy felt full of fluttering butterflies.

"Then as long as you're happy he's here, that's fine by me," said Madam Pomfrey. "Take a seat, Harry, and we can discuss what health issues you have."

Harry took a seat on the sofa and was grateful that it was Severus who sat beside him and not one of the others.

"First, I have to tell you something," Harry said quickly before he lost his nerve again. "When Lucius Malfoy abducted me he gave me a potion that turned me into a hermaphrodite."

Neville gasped slightly, his eyes widening, but Madam Pomfrey took the news in her stride. "I see. And your health issues are related to that?"

Harry nodded. "It's been over six months since he dosed me with the potion but I haven't had periods yet. Se– Master Snape thinks it might be because I'm still underweight."

"Right, then. The first thing we'll do is weigh you and then I'll perform an internal exam, just to make sure everything is as it should be. True hermaphrodites are very rare, Harry, that is those who can both father children and bear them in their body as well. It may well be that you look outwardly like an hermaphrodite but in fact do not have a womb or ovaries, in which case you wouldn't ovulate and hence would not have menstrual periods either."

"Oh." Harry hadn't thought of that.

Madam Pomfrey waved her wand at the sofa, transfiguring it into a medical examination table and conjured a screen to go around it along with a hospital gown which fluttered to land on it. "Undress and put on the gown, dear, and hop on the couch for me."

Harry nodded as he ducked behind the screen and removed his clothes before donning the gown, feeling very self-conscious to be wearing so little. The green gown barely came to his thighs and he knew that in a few minutes anyway it wouldn't really matter, the others were going to see everything. As soon as Harry lay down, all three of them came around the curtain. Severus stood by Harry's head and squeezed his hand in comfort. "Okay?"

Harry nodded, glad that Severus had sensed how uncomfortable he was. Neville stood at Harry's other side and gave him a reassuring smile. Madam Pomfrey conjured a small sheet which she draped over Harry's lower half and then her hands dived beneath it, so at least a modicum of Harry's modesty was left intact.

"Knees up, legs apart," the matron commanded in her no-nonsense voice and Harry was glad she seemed to be taking everything in her stride and was being very professional about it. God, had there ever been such an undignified position? Harry had to close his eyes when he felt the matron's hands slip beneath the sheet.


Harry felt Madam Pomfrey's hands press down on his abdomen before examining his prick and balls. Her hands moved lower down and she inserted two fingers inside, making Harry gasp and his eyes shot open at the sudden pain. "Sorry," she muttered as she continued to examine him for a few more minutes. "Take a deep breath and relax for me, Harry." That was easy for her to say! Harry had never felt more uncomfortable in his life! It seemed interminable. Once she'd done that, she waved her wand over Harry's body and a list of numbers glowing red and green scrolled through the air in front of her.

"You can get dressed now, dear," she said, patting Harry's knee as the numbers faded. The others left him alone to dress and once that was done everyone settled back into their seats, the sofa now back to its normal appearance after one of Severus' spells.

"Well, Harry, despite it being a rarity, you are indeed a true hermaphrodite. You have a working set of both male and female genitalia and reproductive organs. As well as a vagina, you do indeed have a womb and ovaries. You are not sterile; you could impregnate a woman or a man could impregnate you."

"Is it his weight stopping the periods, Poppy?"

"No, Severus. Harry's weight is on the lower end of the scale but he is within the normal range for his height. In effect, Harry, what Malfoy did in giving you that potion is causing you to go through puberty again; this time as a female. Have you noticed any mood swings lately? Has your hair been greasier than normal, anything like that?"

Harry nodded. "I thought the greasy hair was caused by potion fumes with all our brewing."

"That could well be part of it, but it is also your hormones going through some upheaval. I've scanned your hormone levels and with those readings I'd expect you to have your first period within a few weeks. I'll leave some leaflets with you, for I suppose you didn't pay much attention to the girls' health lecture at Hogwarts, did you?"

"No, ma'am," Harry said, flushing. Madam Pomfrey had the knack of making him feel guilty about everything.

"You are perfectly healthy, Harry, if just a little different now. It's very rare to actually find a hermaphrodite who can bear children as well as father them; it's usually one way or the other. Now, Neville and I must be getting back to Hogwarts."

"Thank you," said Harry and he meant it. Madam Pomfrey's no-nonsense approach was making him feel a whole lot better about himself.

"You're very welcome, dear. If you need anything, don't hesitate to firecall me and I can be down here in a jiffy."

"Thanks, I appreciate that," said Harry as he walked Neville and the matron to the door.

Neville was looking very curious and Harry knew the two of them would have lots to talk about on his next Wednesday visit to Hogwarts. It had become something of a routine now; Harry would visit Neville on his half day off and Madam Pomfrey had arranged it so that Neville would have his day off at the same time each week so the two friends could spend time together.

"That went rather well, Harry," said Severus once the two of them were alone again.

"Yeah, if a bit embarrassing. Thanks for staying with me. I don't know why I was so nervous; it's not as if I've never been examined by Madam Pomfrey before."

"True, but it was the first time in your new body. Am I imagining it, or are you coming to accept the fact that your condition may not be reversible?"

"Naughty, naughty," said Harry with a small smile. "We haven't got the Scrabble board out yet."

"Do you still need it?"

Harry stared hard at his Master and shook his head. "No, Severus. All I need is you."

TBC