Apprenticed to Love 18/?
Title: Apprenticed to Love 18/?
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 Eighteen

"Merlin, Harry, we all knew Malfoy was mental, but doing this to you? What sort of animal is he?"

Ron was sitting on Harry's bed, Hermione was sitting on Harry's desk chair and Harry was standing up as he told his two best friends what had happened to him in the Malfoy dungeons.

"But why would he change you like that? And giving you wolf pheromones, why would he do that?" Ron's eyes crinkled at the corners as he tried to concentrate.

Hermione was being very quiet and Harry wondered if they had finally discovered something that was so strange to her it had rendered her mute. At least Ron didn't seem to think that Harry had changed; not the Harry inside.

"I have a theory about that," said Hermione. "Who was very close to Malfoy and the Death Eaters?"

"You don't mean Greyback, do you?" asked Ron, his face paling so much his freckles all but disappeared.

"Who else? Lucius Malfoy was a sadistic bastard," said Hermione, shocking the two of them. Harry couldn't remember if he'd ever heard her swear before. "It would have amused him no end to sit back and watch as Fenrir Greyback attacked Harry."

"Raped me, you mean," said Harry as he sank down on his bed next to Ron. He could just imagine that Malfoy would have no qualms about doing that. "And that's what he wanted me changed for too, wasn't it? He wanted me to get pregnant by Greyback and have a werewolf baby."

"Yes, it would have been a way to discredit you with the public," said Hermione. "By intimating that you had been having relations with werewolves. People would have been scared. But it didn't happen, Harry. You're safe now."

Harry didn't bother to contradict her, but in his heart he knew it wasn't true. There was no way to reverse his scent; he would always be prey to any werewolf who couldn't control themselves.

"So you're both okay with me being – you know – different now?" Harry could hardly believe they were being so understanding about this. Nothing much ever seemed to shock Hermione; maybe it came from all that reading.

"Harry, mate, you're still you," said Ron, running his fingers through his hair. "You're still my best mate even if you do have some extra equipment down there. Was it weird? How did it feel when you first got it?"

"Ron!" scolded Hermione. "Don't be so rude! You can't ask him that!"

"It's okay, Hermione, I don't mind talking about it now. I'm getting used to it, I think."

"So does this mean you can have children?" Hermione asked, a thoughtful look on her face.

"I suppose so, I never really thought about it before. I was still in a state of shock for a while."

"That's understandable," said Ron. "And Snape, does he know about this?"

Harry couldn't quell his blush quickly enough and Hermione smiled as if she'd just worked something out.

"It was him, wasn't it; who you were talking about in your letter?"

"Um," Harry began but couldn't think of what else to say.

"What letter?" asked Ron. "And what about Snape?"

"Well, we're um – Master Snape and I – we're sort of going out together. Well, actually we haven't gone out together yet, our first date is on Sunday."

Ron gaped like a landed trout, looking first at Hermione and then at Harry. "So you are doing the traditional contract thing after all? But Harry, what happens after the five years are up? Who else will want you if they know you've been with him?"

"Ron!" Hermione scolded him again. "That is none of our business!"

"It is if Snape's abusing Harry's trust!"

"He isn't!" Harry roared. "For your information, Ron, I'm still a virgin and will remain that way until the contract is up! We've both decided that this is the best way to get to know each other without sex getting in the way. I want to wait and so does he."

"He's going to wait? For five years? But why?"

"To some people, sex isn't the be all and end all, Ronald. This is very mature of you, Harry. I'm impressed."

"Thanks, Hermione. It might be difficult sometimes, but we've both decided. This is what we want to do and I won't feel pressured into doing stuff until I'm ready. We can still do other things that couples do, like going out on dates; we just won't be jumping into bed together anytime soon. There's nothing wrong with that, is there?"

"Of course not! Do what your heart tells you, Harry."

"Blimey! I can't imagine giving up sex for five weeks, never mind five years! Can you still wank?"

"Ron!" Hermione threw a cushion at his head and all three of them burst into hysterical giggles.

***

"Harry." Severus woke him up by softly stroking his knuckles against Harry's smooth cheek. Thinking about it now; Severus had never noticed any stubble on the young man's face. Perhaps it was part of his condition or maybe he just hadn't started shaving yet. "We're here," Severus continued when Harry showed no signs of waking quite yet. Almost as soon as the train had left London earlier that morning, Harry had leant against Severus' shoulder and fallen asleep. It was a shame to wake him, but if they didn't get off the train then their first date was about to be cut short. And Severus knew Harry wouldn't want that; he'd been looking forward to this for weeks and Severus was not about to deny him that simple pleasure.

Away from the constraints of the wizarding world today, they were not Master and apprentice here, but Severus and Harry. Both were dressed as Muggles too. Harry was wearing a pair of knee-length navy shorts, a loose t-shirt in a lighter shade of powder blue and a pair of canvas deck-shoes. Severus might have wished Harry had worn something a bit more form-fitting, but he understood that Harry was perhaps not yet comfortable in clothes that would reveal his figure to others. Severus was dressed in a pair of cream canvas trousers and a checked cream shirt. In deference to the unexpected heat this early in the year, he'd rolled the sleeves up past his wrists but didn't reveal too much of his forearms. He was still uncomfortable with the ragged scar where his Dark Mark had been. Although he could have used a glamour, using magic would alert other wizards in the vicinity and Harry had wanted their outing to be as private as possible.

"Not asleep," Harry mumbled in the slow drawl of someone who, until a few moments ago, had indeed been asleep. "I was just resting my eyes." He lifted his head from Severus' shoulder, blinking as Severus handed him his glasses. There was a small wet patch where Harry had drooled on his shoulder but Severus found that he didn't mind in the least. It was a beautiful sunny day, he was here with Harry and there was nowhere on Earth he'd rather be.

"No?" asked Severus with a smirk as he got their picnic basket down from the rack. "It was the invisible man who was snoring, was it?"

Harry blushed in mortification; he was so easy to tease. "Was I really snoring?"

"Just a little." Severus spoke just as the whistle blew and they had to jump down from the train before it left the platform. Severus steadied Harry with one hand, the other gripping their picnic basket. As Severus had noticed in the past few weeks, Harry no longer tensed or shuddered whenever Severus touched him casually like this. Sometimes they both shuddered, but it wasn't from fear any longer.

Harry had noted the name of the station as they walked out of it and had their tickets scanned perfunctorily by one of the guards at the exit. "Hampton Court? Our primary school went on a trip there once."

"Oh? You've been here before?" Severus asked, he had been hoping to show Harry something new.

"No, I wasn't allowed to go. The Dursleys wouldn't have paid for anything like that. The others went, but not me."

"I see." Severus' grip on the picnic basket tightened as he heard again the casual disregard the Dursleys had had for their nephew. "Well, hopefully you'll enjoy the trip today. They have an Easter Egg Hunt in the grounds today and there are plenty of places to have our picnic. They have guided tours of the Palace and we can explore the maze and the gardens."

"An Easter Egg hunt?" Harry queried with a smile. "I'm not a baby, Severus."

"I know that, Harry. I just thought it would be something fun we could do together; you don't have to be a child to do something that's fun."

"Thank you," Harry murmured softly and Severus could tell that Harry was trying his hardest not to cry. Severus was determined that he would do everything he could to make up for all those things Harry had missed out on while growing up. Harry would never want for anything that was in his power to give.

"Shall we?" Severus extended his elbow as they reached the beginning of the bridge leading to the Palace. Below them, people were taking advantage of the fine weather. Some were sunbathing, some were messing about in boats and a few hardy souls were even paddling in the river. Severus shuddered; the Thames did not have a reputation as being the cleanest river in the world and Severus would not risk swimming or paddling in it before he had quite a few antiseptic charms in place.

Harry grinned and hooked his arm through Severus'. "Let's."

TBC