Whelp

'But . . .' What would he call him then?

Master Snape must have read the question in his eyes, because he said quietly, 'If you like, you may call me Father.'

TBC

Next chapter: Snape and Harry get to know each other a little better before and after the ceremony.

A/N: I've finished Deathly Hallows, and I very much liked it. Both my stories are now irredeemably AU, obviously, but I can live with that. Next chapter will be done in a day or two.

*Chapter 9*: Chapter 9

Whelp -- Chapter 9

By jharad17

A/N at end

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. I make no money from this. The characters belong to J. K. Rowling. I only borrow them for a brief while.

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'Is that all right?' Severus asked the boy. Harry was so quiet, and his face so shuttered off, that Severus wasn't sure. 'Do you want to call me Father?'

'I . . . I never . . .' Giving it up, Harry shrugged a little, then gave him a look of horror. 'Sorry, sir!'

Concerned, Severus leaned forward, but did not move to touch the boy. He was still berating himself for taking such a harsh tone when he'd first seen the child scrabbling around under the bed, getting who knew what germs and dirt into recently healed lungs. 'For what?'

'Shrugging, sir. Shrugging's not allowed.'

'One of the rules at your old home?'

The boy looked miserable, and was refusing to meet his eyes. 'Yes, sir.'

Severus sighed. 'I won't hit you if you shrug, but I don't care for it either. It's the sign of a weak mind. You should be able to form proper thoughts and voice them, not rely on such a primitive mode of communication.'

'Yes, sir.'

Suppressing another sigh, Severus forbore to correct the constant two word answer. It was obvious the boy was uncomfortable, and it would take some time before he realized he was not going to be punished here as he had with his relatives. Not that Severus would let him get away with disrespect, impertinence or vandalous behavior; he did not intend to relax his standards, but with this boy . . . he had to be careful.

'Are you hungry?'

'Yes, sir,' the boy started, and looked up hopefully. 'But I . . .'

'Yes? But what?'

'But I really have to pee.'

He was just barely able to keep in a laugh, for there was nothing funny about the way his relatives had made the boy go out of doors. But the look on his face was so plaintive, Severus had to smile. A bit. 'Let me show you the washroom. You feel all right to walk?'

'Yes, sir!' Harry scrambled off the bed faster than he'd climbed up it, and bounced on the balls of his feet.

'Careful of that ankle, now. I still need to work on it, before it's completely put to rights.' He had not yet fully decided whether to hand that fine-tuned healing over to Madam Pomfrey. Best that the boy didn't make it worse before it was fixed, though.

'Yes, sir,' the boy said, and stopped bouncing.

'Come along.' Severus led him out the bedroom door, and down the hall to a washroom with blue trim surrounding white fixtures, including a claw foot tub. Harry launched himself at the toilet, and Severus discreetly shut the door and waited on the other side.

He heard a flush a long moment later, and then the sink being run. The door knob turned a moment later, and one very relieved boy stepped out. 'Thank you, sir!'

'Harry, you don't need to thank me for letting you use the facilities. You may use them any time you want.'

Hope sprang to life in the boy's eyes again, and it hurt Severus' heart to see such gratitude, for such a tiny thing. 'Do you want to eat downstairs, or back in your room?'

'My – my room, sir?'

'Certainly, your room. I can't have you sharing with me, can I? Is it to your liking?'

'The room, sir?'

'Yes,' Severus said as he led the boy back down the hall. 'Or would you like to do something else with the decorating? Within reason, of course.'

'Decorating? I . . . I don't.' He shook his head a bit and it appeared for a moment he might shrug, but stopped it midway and blurted instead, 'I'm not sure what you mean.'