Apprenticed to Love 23/?
Title: Apprenticed to Love 23/?
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 Twenty Three


Harry couldn't seem to help angling his head up for a kiss as they Apparated on a small hill overlooking the Burrow. The lights of the Weasley homestead flickered in the evening twilight as Severus bent his own head – for truth be told, he too wanted the kiss. Ever since that first kiss in the lab it was if they were addicted to each other's mouths. It was as if an invisible string joined them and tugged each other back if they ventured too far away from each other.

Harry had all but moved into Severus' bedroom now. The past week had been a feast of discovery for both of them, but some of Harry's body still remained uncharted territory. He wasn't yet comfortable with being completely naked with Severus, but Severus was a patient man. They could still enjoy other things that didn't involve complete nudity, and Harry was eager and responsive to all of them. Severus had never taken such a young lover before, but the age difference was not so great when you considered how long wizards lived compared to Muggles.

Severus continued kissing Harry until they were rudely interrupted.

"How touching," sneered a cold voice. Severus' arms instinctively held Harry tighter to his chest to protect him, at the same time summoning a wandless and silent Shield Charm to envelop both of them. "So distrustful, still, Severus? How very like you."

Severus turned to see the haggard and ragged form of Fenrir Greyback. The werewolf's hair was white now, but so completely matted with filth that it was hard to tell. The hem of his leather coat was so mud-splattered and torn that it was difficult to discern what colour it had once been. Underneath the coat he was shirtless, his chest covered in dark grey hairs and scars too numerous to count. His trousers and boots were also filthy, as if he had been living rough for some time. Severus knew no one in their right mind would have given this vicious werewolf a job.

"What do you want, Greyback?" Severus growled in reply. In the circle of his arms, Severus felt Harry stiffen in fear. They should have Apparated straight to the Burrow and its extensive wards rather than take the walk that would have been so romantic. Greyback didn't care for romance, that much was for sure.

"You know what I want, Snape. My mate. Hand him over."

"Your mate?" Harry laughed hollowly. "I belong to Severus Snape."

"Such naivety. You have not yet been claimed by him. You belong to me!"

"I do not!" Harry retorted with a cry so shrill that the Shield around them rippled with it.

"You were promised to me!"

"Lucius Malfoy is in prison," snapped Harry and Severus could feel the tension in the boy's shoulders. "His promises mean nothing!"

"Oh, yes, it was Lucius who was going to hand you over eventually, but it was my Master who promised you to me, boy! I will tear you to shreds!"

"I am not your boy!"

"You will fight me for him," Greyback said, twirling his wand and apparently paying no attention to Harry's outbursts. "Tomorrow."

"At dawn I suppose?" Severus feigned boredom. "How tedious. You know I will win."

"Well, we'll see tomorrow, won't we? At the Dancing Maidens."

Severus nodded his acceptance, his heart only keeping its steady beat by sheer force of will. He didn't relax until Greyback had Apparated away.

"What did you just agree to?" Harry demanded, stepping out of Severus' embrace and disrupting the shield as he did so.

"It's the only way to stop him haranguing you. We will duel for you."

"A duel? You agreed to duel a werewolf? You do know he'll cheat, don't you? It won't be an honourable fight?"

"I wasn't in Slytherin for nothing, Harry. I will win. It's only two days since the last full moon. He will be weak from the change and won't be back to his full strength. Greyback always thought his wolf strength would be all he'd ever need; he never bothered to study magic properly. I will best him a wizard's duel, Harry. I promise."

"Good," said Harry. "Good."

Severus wrapped Harry in his arms and Apparated them straight to the Burrow and the engagement party. Almost as soon as they arrived Harry was occupied with greeting his friends. Hermione Granger was showing off the small diamond engagement ring with a proud smile, while Fleur Delacour was dressed in something that would have looked more suitable for a nightclub rather than a family party. It was a slinky, silver affair with no sleeves and cut so low at the front that it almost stopped at her navel. Two splits at either side revealed her long, pale legs up to the thigh.

Hermione kept giving Fleur scathing glances and Severus could hardly blame her – it seemed that Fleur had to be the centre of attention no matter what the occasion. Hermione herself was dressed conservatively in a peacock blue robe, her hair swept up in ringlets rather then the bushy hair he was used to seeing. Ron was holding onto her arm and steering Hermione round the room to all the guests. Quite a few of them must have been Weasley relatives judging by the amount of redheads in the crowd.

Neville Longbottom was dressed in his apprentice dress robes, as was Harry, they being the only apprentices in attendance tonight. Bill Weasley took Fleur's arm and steered her towards the buffet table, where they seemed deep in argument about something, probably Fleur's attempts to upstage the bride-to-be. Remus Lupin was talking with Minerva, both of them holding champagne glasses.

"Harry, I need to talk with Remus Lupin and Bill Weasley. I will be back in a moment."

Harry nodded and turned to talk to Longbottom and the Weasley twins. Severus debated whether or not he should leave Harry alone with those mischief-makers, but knew he had to talk to the only two people in the room who shared the werewolf curse. Severus hadn't told Harry everything.

He and Greyback would duel, yes, but it wouldn't be a wizard's duel. As Greyback had claimed Harry for his mate, it had to be a werewolf duel and there could only be one outcome. One of them would die.

***

"It's a lovely ring, Hermione," said Harry as he held Hermione's hand in his and studied the diamond in question.

"Thanks, Harry. Ron must have saved up for ages to get it. I just wish he wasn't spending half the night ogling her." Hermione jerked her head towards the buffet table where Fleur was standing, a crowd of men around her offering drinks and food and Ron was indeed one of them. Bill was nowhere to be found, he must still be with Severus, but Harry didn't think the man would be too pleased at they way the other men seemed attracted to his fiancée. "She'll ruin the whole night."

"I don't think she will," said Harry, trying to reassure his friend.

"That's right, defend her! Just like a typical man!"

Harry flushed, he wasn't sure whether it was from embarrassment or anger. "Oh, Harry. I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that."

"I know what you meant," said Harry and he wandered off to find Neville or someone else he could talk to until Severus came back. He wasn't sure he'd be able to keep his tongue around Hermione for much longer if she kept going on about things. What did Severus need to talk to Bill and Remus for anyway? Why couldn't Harry have been there too? It was him they were bound to be discussing, wasn't it? Him and Greyback's so-called claim on him. Harry shuddered, although it was quite warm in the Weasleys' large kitchen.

Harry couldn't find Neville in the crush of guests. Harry was too short to see over people's heads, so perhaps he just couldn't see him or maybe Neville had taken advantage of the balmy evening and taken Luna out for a walk in the orchard. Harry hid a sigh and sat down on one of the sofas dotted about the room, a plate of party nibbles in front of him. Someone poured him a glass of champagne. Harry didn't see who, but he just caught a glimpse of red hair melting away into the crowd. He took a sip, but didn't really like the taste, so he set the glass back down and instead absently ate a few of the Cauldron Cakes and Pumpkin Pasties that were arranged on the plates in front of him. He hardly tasted anything though, too worried about what Severus and the others were discussing, not to mention the duel at dawn.

Harry had no idea how long Severus was gone. The Weasleys' kitchen clock didn't tell the time: the hands were all pointing at Party and had been in that same position ever since they'd arrived. It could have been ten minutes; it could have been hours. Without a watch of his own there was no way of telling.

"So, what's going on?" Ginny asked as she plopped down into a chair next to him.

"What do you mean?"

"Snape, Bill and Remus all left rather suddenly, didn't they?" Ginny fanned her hands out, looking at her nails.

"They left? When?"

"Almost as soon as you two got here."

"Did they say where they were going?" Harry stood up, frantically searching for Ron in the crowd.

"Nope, but they did say they wanted to wait there all night, just to be ready. You do know something, don't you?" Ginny accused him.

"I have to talk to Ron and Hermione," said Harry, pushing past her as he saw them bickering in a corner. They stopped as soon as they saw Harry and plastered smiles on their faces.

"Do either of you know where the Dancing Maidens are?" Harry asked them.

"They're a few miles away," said Ron. "It's a circle of standing stones."

"Can you take me there? Tonight?"

"Harry, mate, what's going on?"

"Greyback challenged Severus to a duel there. Over me. I have to be there!"

"Shit!" Ron exclaimed in a loud voice, earning him a disgusted look from an elderly aunt.

"Aren't duels traditionally held at dawn?" asked Hermione.

"I don't think Greyback cares about the finer points of etiquette, Hermione. If Severus has gone to the Dancing Maidens now, there's only one reason for that. He knows Greyback will cheat and will be there tonight, probably trying to sabotage the stones themselves or something. Please, we have to go!" Harry's voice was rapidly rising towards hysteria. He'd seen some of Greyback's victims during the war: their bodies savaged and mutilated, with blood everywhere. He couldn't let that happen to Severus. He couldn't.

Hermione and Ron both nodded. "You slip out first, Harry. We'll follow in a minute."

"Right." Harry opened the back door and stepped out into the night, his heart frozen in his chest.

Severus would be fine. He would be fine.

Anything else didn't bear thinking about.

TBC