Whelp II The Wrath of Snape

At the sink, Severus settled Harry on the counter just to the right of it, and ran the water till it was warm. 'Did you have fun this morning?' he asked in a low voice.

Harry nodded, studying his hands and picking at a small callous on his thumb.

'Harry, please look at me when we're speaking.'

Harry did, but his teeth took hold of his lower lip, and he looked very nervous for someone who had enjoyed himself. 'Sorry, Father.'

'It's all right. Did anything happen today to make you . . . uncomfortable?' He tried not to use the word 'scared' when referring to Harry's emotions, as the boy clammed up almost immediately whenever he did. It was another legacy of those damned Muggles, the belief that he was not allowed the same range of emotions as everyone else. Severus did not want Harry to be frightened of anything, but neither did he want the boy to think he was not allowed to be if it was warranted.

'No, si— no, Father . . . not really.'

Severus lifted one eyebrow and gazed at Harry calmly. ''Not really' sounds almost like a yes. Would you care to explain?'

'Well . . .' A look of embarrassment crossed Harry's face, and then he shrugged.

'You can tell me,' Severus said quietly. 'I won't be angry.'

'Not even at George?' Once the words were out, Harry's eyes widened in obvious fear, and he clapped a hand over his mouth.

Severus took a slow breath and reminded himself that Harry was uninjured, and so he had no reason to string the twin up by the thumbs. 'Not even at George,' he managed to say. 'What did he do?'

The lower lip went between the teeth again, and Severus used thumb and index finger to gently pull it out before Harry could bite hard enough to draw blood. Harry closed his eyes briefly and nearly leaned into his hand before he whispered, 'Jus . . . Just, he snuck up on me'n grabbed me. I was . . . I mean, I din't expect it, but he said he was sorry.'

Severus nodded, and smoothed the boy's hair away from his face. This time, Harry did lean into the touch. 'And I'm sure he was. Do you wish for me to speak with him?'

Harry's eyes snapped open and he pulled away. 'No, sir, I mean, no, Father. Ron yelled at him already. And Mrs. Weasley said he din't mean to scare me, but I wasn't scared.'

'Of course you weren't,' Severus said soothingly, and touched Harry's hand now, patting it slowly so as not to spook him. Even if Molly hadn't told him, he would have known how starved for affection the boy was, and any touch that wasn't designed to hurt. Severus was not comfortable, himself, with the touch of others, but he knew Harry needed such reassurance, and so made allowances for the sake of his son. 'But, you know, it's all right if something startles you badly, to be frightened by it. Everyone gets frightened sometimes.'

'Not you,' Harry whispered. His eyes were wide as he looked up into Severus' face, the green so dark it was almost black.

'Even me,' Severus said.

'Really?'

'Yes, really.' He certainly would not go into details about most of the things that frightened him, but he would say one thing. 'I am frightened whenever you are in danger, Harry,' he admitted. 'Afraid of losing you, who are the best thing in my life. I was very frightened, for instance, when you were hurt by the giant squid.'

'You were?' Harry's voice was very small, and his eyes were wider, if it was at all possible.

'I was.'