15

CHAPTER FIFTEEN:

Harry finished the rest of his tea with a smile. He didn't know why he got along so well with this time's Severus, but he wasn't about to question his good luck when he was just glad to have people who understood him. Remus was almost a father to Harry – even though this time's Remus was younger than his time's, the relationship felt the same – but Severus was rapidly becoming Harry's closest friend. He would never share the same relationship he had once had with Ron and Hermione, after all, and Daphne was completely out of his reach, so he was happy that Severus had accepted him so quickly. It was with a happy sigh that Harry stood, deciding that now was as good a time as any to deal with the ring Horcrux.

Heading towards the Headmaster's office, Harry hummed a little tune to himself, wishing that he didn't have a Basilisk fang in his pocket, since otherwise he could have put his hands in his pockets.

It didn't take long for him to reach the stone gargoyle guarding the Headmaster's office, and he hissed Open at it, grinning at the thought that he should let Severus know that all of Hogwarts was open to a Parselmouth. The gargoyle obediently leaped aside, and Harry thanked it as he headed up the spiral staircase. Knocking twice on the door, he pushed it open as soon as the Headmaster's voice sounded.

"Hi, Albus," Harry sang, in ridiculously high spirits. "I came to ask for the location of the first Horcrux you went after in the other timeline," he said cheerfully.

"Ah, I assume you mean the Gaunt house," Dumbledore said, rising. "We can go right away, my boy."

"Is that where the graveyard is that I was taken to in third year?" Harry asked, tipping his head in thought. There had definitely been the name 'Riddle' on several graves, but he seemed to remember a 'Gaunt' as well…

"I believe so," Dumbledore confirmed, and Harry smiled at him.

"Then I can go by myself, thanks!"

"I will accompany you," the old man said as Harry was already turning to go, and Harry turned back with a reluctant expression.

"But Albus, when you came back from there you had that cursed hand; I do think it would be better if I went alone…"

The mention of the curse seemed to give the Headmaster pause, but then he said benevolently, "Even so, I would feel better knowing that I had your back, Harry." His eyes twinkled slightly, but Harry knew that he wouldn't be able to see behind his concerned act.

"Well, if you're sure…" he said hesitantly, and at the Headmaster's smiling nod he shrugged. "Okay then; I suppose you know best. Shall we walk to the apparition point?"

"After you, my boy," Dumbledore gestured for Harry to precede him, and Harry gave him a smile before turning and heading out first. His back itched, but he knew that the rings he wore would protect him from most minor spells – including compulsions. Fortunately, Dumbledore didn't try anything, and they made meaningless small talk on their way through the castle; Harry made a comment about a certain Halloween when they passed by the bathroom where he had killed a troll in his first year, and they continued reminiscing about Harry's school years until they reached the school gates.

"Here, let me side-along apparate you," Dumbledore said, offering his arm to Harry with a twinkle.

"Sure!" Harry agreed, still resolutely holding on to the happiness of the morning as he took the Headmaster's arm.

"And off we go," the old man said, and Harry was oddly reminded of the Wizard of Oz, which he remembered reading in primary school. Then the unpleasant sensation of side-along apparition swept him away, lasting a second or two before they materialized with a muted crack.

Harry stumbled slightly, accepting Dumbledore's steadying hand and muttering, "I hate side-along apparition…"

"I quite understand," Dumbledore smiled, "it is a rather unpleasant sensation."

Straightening, Harry took a look around. "Man, this is not a pretty neighborhood. What's this place called?"

"Little Hangledon," the Headmaster replied sadly. "I believe that there to be the residence we need," he added, extending a gnarled hand to point out a rather decrepit house. Harry sighed.

"Off we go, then."

It took them very little time to find the object of their search; it practically radiated Dark magic. As soon as they had dealt with the wards surrounding the ring Harry saw a strange look enter Dumbledore's eye, and hid a smirk. Now let's see what happens…

"Let me just check that we didn't miss any," Harry murmured, raising his wand and beginning to cast a detection spell when Dumbledore reached out a trembling hand, his eyes wide. "Don't touch it!" Harry exclaimed, but he was – of course – too late, for Dumbledore had already gripped the ring and slipped it onto his hand. A flash of pure satisfaction coursed through Harry when the old man immediately cried out in pain, clutching his hand to his chest.

"Take off the ring!" Harry cried, reaching out to grip the Headmaster's shoulder. With a soft moan of pain Dumbledore pulled the ring off his finger and dropped it to the ground, where Harry promptly struck it with his Basilisk fang. A shrill scream filled the air, and Harry pulled the Headmaster away, hurriedly pocketing the fang and banishing the remains of the ring before apparating them both to Hogwarts.

"Hang in there, sir – I'll get you to Poppy and fetch Severus right away," he said, trying to hurry the old man along the path up to the school. "What were you thinking?" he asked, forcing as much worry into his voice as he could. "I had warned you about the ring – whatever made you put it on?"

"I… was a fool," the man said weakly. "Sorely tempted…"

"By what?" Harry questioned with a frown. He never had found out why the Headmaster had put on that ring.

"Youthful dreams," Dumbledore coughed. "No matter. I should have listened to you, my boy…" Harry looked at the man with a worried frown. Was that ring a special artefact? he wondered, then shook his head, supporting the old man more firmly. It hardly mattered now that it was destroyed, after all; it probably only held worth to Dumbledore and Snake Face anyhow, and if that was the case then good riddance, in his opinion.

"Just a bit further," he murmured to the man who was leaning ever more heavily on his arm. "Nearly there…"

Then they entered the Entrance Hall, and Harry promptly called for Dobby. "Tell Professor Snape to meet us in the Infirmary immediately," he instructed his house elf. "The Headmaster is injured and needs immediate attention." Dobby cast the Headmaster a wide-eyed look before popping away, leaving Harry to practically drag the old man to the Infirmary.

They had barely made it there when Severus burst into the room, a vial of green liquid in one hand and his wand in the other. Harry shot him a meaningful look when their eyes met, and called loudly for Poppy, who hurried over immediately and gasped at the sight of her employer.

"Albus!" she cried, rushing over and helping Harry to lay him on a bed. "What happened?" she asked him.

"Cursed ring," Harry replied worriedly, stepping aside to make room for Severus. "Don't know what he was thinking, putting it on…"

"Drink this for me, Albus," Severus said urgently, holding the uncorked vial to the Headmaster's lips and helping him drink it. He then took a closer look at Dumbledore's hand and hissed. "There isn't much I can do," he said lowly, waving his wand over the already black digits in complex patterns. "I can perhaps keep it contained for a time, but not for more than a month, and then it will spread rapidly." His brow was creased in concentration.

"Do what you can, Severus; any time you can give me I will take gladly," the old man said weakly, closing his eyes as the potion he had drunk took effect, knocking him out cold. Severus cast Harry an unreadable glance before turning back to the blackening hand, casting spells in an attempt to contain the curse to the hand of the wizard.

"What happened?" Poppy asked Harry, clearly feeling helpless in the face of the Dark curse.

Harry cast several privacy wards before replying, giving her a look that told her that he expected her to hide the events of the day with the spell he had taught her so recently. "We went to destroy one of Snake Face's Horcruxes, and it turned out to be a heavily protected ring. We had just taken down all the wards and I was about to cast a last detection spell when Albus reached out and before I could stop him he slipped the ring onto his finger. The curse took effect immediately." Harry shivered, but Poppy didn't recognize it for a shiver of pleasure. "As soon as he got the ring off his finger I destroyed it and brought him back to Hogwarts; I'm just sorry that I didn't stop him in time…" Harry lowered his head to hide his face, for he couldn't let her see the flash of satisfaction that spread across his face for a split-second. Let her think he was ashamed.

"You did what you could," Poppy reassured him, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. "It's a terrible end for such a great wizard, though…"

Harry just nodded, keeping his face turned to the ground. Great wizard indeed.

"I can do no more," Severus broke the silence, standing and pocketing his wand in one smooth movement. Harry cast a look at the sleeping wizard, and felt a thrill of satisfaction when he saw that the curse had reached halfway up Dumbledore's arm. Severus clearly hadn't tried as hard this time around as he had last time; he had also said that he could only contain the curse for a month, when in the other timeline he had guaranteed Dumbledore another year of life.

Not trusting himself to say anything in Poppy's presence, Harry silently followed Severus out of the Hospital Wing and down to the Potions Master's quarters. Only when they were safely in the older man's living room did he let a huge grin spread across his face. Turning to his companion, he found a feral grin curving the thin lips.

"A drink for celebration?" the man suggested smoothly, and Harry whooped indecorously.

"Ding, dong, the bastard will die," he sang in terrible parody of The Wizard of Oz as he skipped over to the couch and sank down in his favorite spot. "Finally!"

"I cannot help but agree; we have suffered too much under that man to regret his slow and agonizing death even one bit," Severus replied, drawing out the words 'slow and agonizing' with relish as he poured two liberal glasses of brandy.

"It's at times like this that I wonder if I'm going Dark," Harry said, turning to look at his companion with the huge grin firmly in place.

"Oh, please," Severus scoffed, setting down the bottle and handing Harry one glass. "As if any Potter is capable of going Dark."

"Oh, you'd be surprised at the things this Potter can do," Harry said, his eyes darkening. The grin suddenly seemed far more dangerous than celebratory, and Severus felt a shiver run down his spine. It wasn't a shiver of fear, but Severus couldn't place the feeling…

"To an opponent skillfully brought to his knees," Severus said, raising his glass and holding Harry's gaze.

"To an opponent skillfully brought to his knees," Harry echoed, his eyes never leaving the Potions Master's as he clinked his glass against the other man's. Tipping back the glass, Harry drank the contents in one go. Severus raised his eyebrows and followed suit although the amount had been a good two fingers in a rather wide glass, exhaling heavily at the end of it.

"Well done back there, by the way," Harry said, smirking at Severus.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, Potter," Severus said blandly, accepting the glass from his guest and going to pour them another finger of brandy. Behind his back he heard Potter snort.

"What was the green potion? I do hope it's something painful," Harry said, and Severus turned back with a smirk.

"I don't know what you mean; it's a simple potion to maximize all sensations…" Harry burst into delighted laughter, and Severus couldn't contain his grin any longer.

"I've said it before, and I'll say it again – you're a genius, Severus. An evil one, to be sure, but a genius nonetheless." Harry raised his glass in a toast and said with a glint in his eye, "To a long and successful partnership." Severus echoed the toast, and they held eye contact once more as they knocked back their drinks.

Harry sighed contentedly, leaning back against the couch, his half-lidded eyes not leaving Severus' face. And then, quite suddenly, Severus realized what the shiver had been that he had felt before. Arousal.

One blink was all that outwardly betrayed his surprise, and he was thankful for all the years of strict control over his expression, for Potter noticed nothing untoward in his face. Trying to cover his realization, Severus sighed. "Unfortunately, I still have classes to teach," he drawled, and Harry laughed.

"Poor dog," he snorted. "Though I don't know who is more unfortunate – you or the students that have to brave your class now…"

"Brat," Severus said, his usual venom sadly absent, and tried not to look at the younger man's lips when they stretched into a grin.

"Yep, that's me," Harry grinned wickedly as he hoisted himself up off the couch. "But fine, since you're going to be all responsible I guess I'll get out of your hair," he said agreeably, giving the Potions Master a look over his shoulder as he walked towards the door. "Perhaps you'll join me for dinner, and we can continue our discussion from this morning?"

"Perhaps," Severus replied noncommittally, strangely wanting the man to both leave and stay.

"Great. Have fun with the – what was it – 'blistering fools'?"

"Bumbling idiots," Severus supplied drily, and Harry left with that laugh that the Potions Master was rapidly getting far too used to. As soon as the entrance had closed behind the raven-haired man Severus dropped his head into his hands and groaned. He was attracted to bloody Harry Potter-Black.