Snarry-a-Thon23: FIC: Fresh Air Title: Fresh Air Author:drwritermom Other pairings/threesome: None Rating: General Word count: 1930 Content/Warning(s): None Prompt: No. 46 Postwar, Snape is destitute. Harry offers him money. Snape agrees on one condition. Summary: Who knew that a chihuahua stepping out for fresh air would reunite Harry with a man long thought dead. A/N: The characters belong to JKR; the plot, story, and most importantly, the OC characters were the fever dreams of the mystery author.
No one knew the deserted playground where Severus Snape and Lily Evans met, and played together, many a summer ago, was the makeshift home and hiding place of the lone survivor of their ill-fated friendship. No one would ever have known, save for his secret keeper, if his familiar hadn’t escaped the wards of his Fidelius protected Wizarding tent. In the tent, Muggle repelling charm and a blanket Muffliato kept the wizard and his pet invisible to the outside world.
Outside of the tent was a different cauldron of potion altogether. This crup/chihuahua hybrid was imbedded with a charm that alerted its breeder of its location should it stray from its warded residence.
An alert sounded at Luna Lovegood’s residence in Ottery St. Catchpole, shattering the silence that only occurs when a litter (or four) of puppies finally falls asleep. Previously sleeping little crup/purebred dog hybrids (crups bred with Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, Miniature Longhair Dachshunds, Chihuahuas, and English Toy Spaniels) began their shrill puppy yips, leaving Luna no choice other than to cast a Muffliato over the nursery, giving her some respite as each litter was calmed by their mama. A flashing yellow light over a name on her whiteboard of current owners of her Wixen service dogs identified the source of the alert - Tinkerbell, Severus Snape’s long haired chihuahua crup. Luna would have panicked, but today, Fate was smiling upon her, for Harry Potter, the Boy Who Volunteered Two Days a Week at the “Service Dogs for Wixens” facilities, was on site and could handle the situation, leaving her to the duties in the nursery. She just needed to find the least shocking way to let him know the identity of their client, as no one, other than Luna, knew of his survival.
“Harry, there is a dog, a chihuahua/crup, who has escaped its home, I need you to return it to its owner. I’d do it, but all of the puppies are awake and I can’t silence them forever,” Luna blurted out in a hurried manner, deciding that Harry would just have to deal with the aftermath of the “among the living Snape reveal” on his own. She handed him a slip of parchment with the Apparition coordinates, and left him to settle the litters and the mamas.
A thoroughly confused Harry Apparated to the exact location of the yipping canine, and scooped her up, preparing for return, when a stinging hex landed squarely on his backside. It was a miracle of sorts, that he didn’t drop the little barker when he faced the wizard who zapped his (pert) backside. “Unhand my familiar,” snarled a thoroughly cheesed off Severus Snape. Unlike the Professor Snape of old, he was clothed in tattered robes, his hair was a tangled mess, and he was thin almost to the point of emaciation. Harry stood, dumbfounded, too shocked to move. Snape snatched the tiny pooch from Potter’s grip, and was set to return to his warded home, when the sight of Harry, speechless, compelled him to speak.
“What’s the matter, Potter? Am I no longer “the bravest man you ever knew”? Do I disgust you, a poor, battered wizard with only a yappy little dog for company? Would it have been better if I had just bled out on that dusty floor?” he hissed, spittle flying as he launched his vitriolic diatribe.
Harry couldn’t stop the tears rolling down his face. “You bastard! You lived! I mourned for you, I defended your memory, I preserved your home, and you were alive all this time! Suffering, when you deserved a hero’s reception, more so than I ever did. Why?”
Snape did not at all expect that response. “Don’t be maudlin where all and sundry can see you. Come inside. The damn tent is keyed to you already,” he grumbled, as he led the way into his meager dwelling.
“Keyed to me?” Harry stuttered as he entered.
“You remember being told to keep your blood away from other Wixen, that it can be used for nefarious purposes? You left your blood on my sleeve. I figured it was inevitable you would find me, so this tent is warded to all but you. I didn’t want you tearing down all of the U.K. searching for me. I owe my life to you, I am told. Your wish magic kept me alive until Fawkes arrived. That phoenix brought me to Aberforth, the last person anyone would go to, in search of me. He helped heal me as best he could. He introduced me to Luna’s small breeding facility, and acquired this dog for me. Why did I not hear from you before this?”
Harry listened, spellbound, until approximately thirty seconds had passed, before he realized Severus had ceased speaking. “I guess I’m wondering why you didn’t contact me. You had to know that any communication would have been welcome. I am in your debt…”
“Don’t speak to me of debt!” Snape shouted. “It was a life debt that has damned me to hell! I had to kill my only living friend because of the damned life debt with Narcissa Malfoy-”
“You saved a man from torture at the hand of the Death Eaters! Besides, he was dying already, from the Horcrux poison surrounding the fake Horcrux. He told me to make him drink it, even if he later begged me not to. I killed him as much as you did-”
Snape took pity on the young man. Both of them contributed to Dumbledore’s death, both of them carried a guilt that never ended. “Harry, I thank you for the return of my dog. Unless you have any questions, I would ask that you leave, I’ve had enough excitement for one day-”
Harry couldn’t leave him like this. “Professor, you can’t stay here, you need feeding, you need clothing, and a nice, warm bath. And most of all, access to your vault, which Aberforth and Luna kept active. Those two owe me an explanation-”
“Potter, I told you, I figured you would seek me eventually. I didn’t want you to feel obligated to save me. And I don’t need saving now-”
“I beg to differ, Professor, you need saving from yourself!”
Severus visibly deflated. “Just how will this salvation work? I’m keeping my dog, but I need a wand to access my vault, and my house is known to the Death Eaters-”
“We’re way ahead of you here. Aberforth has your wand. Luna, Aberforth and I placed your house under Fidelius. We can go to your place, to gather clothing and personal items. Then, I’m taking you to my home in Godric’s Hollow, where you can get cleaned up, and the Kreacher can begin the task of putting meat on your bones. Your dog will obviously be welcome in my home. I’ll have Madam Pomfrey check in on you, for it is obvious that you have cared for your dog at the expense of your own health.”
“That was quickly put together, seeing that I’ve only been alive to you for what, twenty minutes?”
“A small part of me hoped you were alive. Your portrait never appeared at Hogwarts.”
“Ah, if someone paid attention in History of Magic, you would have found me sooner…”
Harry blushed in embarrassment. “It is no matter, Harry. Yes, I called you Harry. It’s hard to keep calling you Potter when I see none of your sire in you now. You may call me Severus. Before I agree to your benevolence, I require the following from you. You will not announce my return to Wixen society, I shall do so when I am ready. You shall not talk to me in the morning until I have at least one cup of strong tea and a scone with jam. And you shall not feed table scraps to my dog, no matter how insistently she begs.”
“Agreed,” exclaimed Harry, who, after placing his arm, Apparated them to Snape’s Spinners End home. It took him all of fifteen minutes to gather his belongings before they then continued on to Harry’s comfortable home in Godric’s Hollow. Severus was given a quick tour of the house, after which he vanished to the bathroom. After a long, relaxing soak in the tub, followed by a shower (to thoroughly wash his hair), Severus dressed, then finally followed his nose to the kitchen. A delicious stew was being plated by Kreacher, when Snape noticed Harry spooning what looked like the same stew into two small dog bowls, while two chihuahuas were yapping excitedly at his feet.
“I thought we agreed, no table scraps for Tinkerbell, Potter!”
“I thought we agreed you’d call me Harry-”
“Master Harry is feeding good food that Missy Luna teaches Kreacher to make. No scolding my Master! Harry’s Snape should iron his ears-”
“That won’t be necessary Kreacher, although I admire your loyalty. Severus, I asked Kreacher to make this stew, he makes a smaller portion, without onions or garlic, and fortified with essential nutrients, for my dog, and now your Tinkerbell. Nice name, by the way.” Harry chuckled as he winked at the now silent wizard.
Severus took a few deep breaths before responding. “I have a final condition to add, Harry. I require that you provide funding for Miss Lovegood’s prison dog program. She has two therapy dogs in Azkaban, but there is a waiting list for the therapy dog appointments, the program needs at least ten dogs to meet the demand.”
“How did you hear off the program, Severus?”
“Miss Lovegood informed me when she suggested I let Tinkerbell get more fresh air-”
“Professor, when did Luna suggest this? Spinner’s End isn’t known for its air quality-”
“A week ago, when she made her weekly dog food delivery. Merlin, we’ve been set up. She fussed that my self care had deteriorated, and made an offhand comment that Tinkerbell needed fresh air-”
“Well, to be fair, your robes were in tatters and you were in sore need of a bath, so your little chihuahua did need fresh air.”
“The stews be getting cold, time for dinner. Harry’s Professor is having to eat two big bowls. Kreacher will take care of dogs, Kreacher likes little dogs.”
“Should I be worried that Kreacher likes chihuahuas?”
“I don’t understand it, but my little Peter Pan and Kreacher have a very special bond, they adore each other.”
“Peter Pan, Potter? Did you name Tinkerbell, or was that Miss Lovegood’s doing?”
“Luna has themes picked for each litter, and the puppies are named accordingly. Our dogs are litter mates. I had no idea Tinkerbell was yours.”
The two wizards continued their discussion into the early morning hours, only retiring to separate rooms when Snape couldn’t keep his eyes open one moment longer. Severus never left Godric’s Hollow, for Kreacher had been correct, Severus was Harry’s, it just took time for those two oblivious men to figure it out.
The canine therapy program in Azkaban was wildly successful, so much so that canine therapy dogs were utilized in St Mungos and with Wixen orphanages.
And Wixen society lived happily ever after.
Psst, author here - It should surprise no one that Kreacher and Luna were friends, and that the whole matchmaking effort had been cooked up between those two. Harry was pining for Snape, Luna was at her wit's end before Kreacher suggested the “fresh air” scheme, this allowed Luna to reveal Snape’s survival without betraying his secret. Luna gifted Kreacher his own chihuahua puppy, that he named Master Regulus, for his role in their joint effort.