The Boy: Brandon Dursely

Of Ends and Starts

Green and silver adorned the Great Hall with such frivolity that once again, it brought a sneer upon Snape's face and a huff of pride upon his chest as his House's name was called as the bearer of that scholastic year's House Cup.

"Great job, Little Snape!" Flint clasped Harry's shoulder with a gleeful beam on his face. Harry smiled back shyly in appreciation and thanks to his Captain. The rest of the Slytherin House had been showering him praises for days on end since the spectacular game. The other Houses and his fellow yearmates seem to develop a slight reverence for Harry, both as Snape's son and as a fabulous, amazing young Quidditch protégée. Hogwarts doesn't seem to get enough talk of Harry's astonishing win for the Slytherin House.

For Harry, it didn't matter. It was even embarrassing at some point for some Upper Years in all Houses seem to find him 'cute' for some reason. His friends laughed at him and added salt to the wound as they kept on teasing him mercilessly about it.

Harry would frown and pout every time (which was cute). Harry Snape doesn't do cute.

"Well, well, Severus!" Flitwick exclaimed from beside him, "A great year, isn't it? Congratulations!"

From afar, Severus eyed his little Emerald. Harry was blushing furiously when Hermione Granger whispered something in his ear.

He shook his head in amusement. The girl had a way with Harry, and was always on the lookout for him. Despite his independent nature, it seems his son loved being fussed over every now and then.

Not that Severus doesn't smother him enough.

The morning after Harry won the game, he had cooked a special 'Champion breakfast' for his boy. It was quite different from the usual, nutritious diet he had enforced on Harry ever since Harry agreed living with him.

It was...pancakes.

With blueberry syrup.

Harry helped making it, and Severus enjoyed being able to chase his son around their small quarters, throwing fkour at each other. Harry was also a bit touchy for the morning, as he preferred to eat while being on his father's lap.

He was just thankful that none of their little routines as father and son got out of their quarters. He knows he could trust Harry; the boy, like him, hated to display emotions for the whole world to see. It was always their choice to keep their family life outside of the public's prying eyes, or it would be the death of The Greasy, Grimy Bat of the Dungeons.

But that doesn't mean Harry doesn't like to surprise him with thoughtful, small actions of affection: little trinkets for him, made with the boy's magic, books, letters, cards, even a little kiss on the cheek every now and then.

It felt good, knowing how much Harry and he valued each other like the most precious of stones.

Looking back a year ago, Harry was simply a spoilt brat in Snape's eyes. A brat who knows nothing about empathy and care, or a boy who hated people who doesn't go along his way. He expected James Potter's son to be exactly like the boy James was: pompous, arrogant, a pain in the arse.

But Harry was not that.

For a Term, Severus saw Lily, all over again. Compassionate, passionate, a lover of words, of rhyme and reasons, a naturally voracious scholar, a wonderful, kind boy- all those were Harry.

Despite everything that his little boy had experienced, Harry didn't forget to love, to forgive, to hope. Harry was strong, brave, intelligent. Harry was his son.

He expected himself to have found himself hating Harry for being like Lily, for being nothing like Potter Senior, but one look at the way Harry lit up the whole world for him, showing him all the colours of every shade and hue- nothing could make Snape hate his little raven.

Harry brought with him life. Harry gave Snape a purpose of living, a sense of being. It was a rollercoaster of a ride, but now, Severus was more than sure that he wanted to live, Voldemort be damned.

Harry was a beacon of an everlasting flame, more so than Lily had ever been.

He was supposed to have been raising Harry Potter, Boy Wonder, Saviour of the Wizarding World.

But by Nimue, it seems to have been the other way around.

Like a gentle, rolling, calming wave of the sea, Harry touched Severus with a sense of wonderment and wanderlust- a feeling of a young man on a quest to find Truth, of a knight on a quest to slay a dragon that no man ever dare to come forth and face.

Harry, ever the surprise, taught Snape all the things he had learned with a childlike sense of wonder and curiousity: to tread the road to forgiveness, to find hope in the darkest of days, to trust, to feel, to love.

Once more, under Harry's patient tutelage, his own father learned how to become a father, a teacher, a friend. Snape was taught by Harry how to love once again.

When Lily died, Severus thought that the world had ended in a blast of a bomb. It ended so rapidly just as fast as it started to spin. The stars died along with Lily's green eyes of gentle hue, and Severus thought his heart had been buried along with her.

But he was wrong.

Harry came so suddenly, so much like how rapidly Lily was taken away. Thrust upon him as his sole responsibility, Severus hated the sight of the small, calm, confident boy whose heart was made of pure black diamond: sharp, unbending, unscathed by any blade or foe, except its own. Severus had hated Harry Potter's guts, but how in the world did he loved him so much, so much that it hurts- Severus would never know for sure. Built under constant pressure, Harry Potter hid himself under the deepest of the deep.

At first, Severus tried to evade the treasure of Harry's heart. He tried to ignore the beauty of it. He added to the pressure, but then, he only made it more enticing, more precious. And Harry captured him like no one else, not even the boy's mother, ever had.

Harry, the little, raven jade, taught Snape how to become human again.

No matter how sudden it all was, Severus Tobias Snape, father of one Harry Snape, would NEVER have it any other way.

And Severus would never understand everything. He doesn't want to. All he needs is to know, and for once, even though Snape was a man who hates being unable to comprehend, he found himself content with knowing that Harry Potter- now Brandon Hadrian Snape- was his son. The son he loved so much that it makes him feel so many things all at once. That, and he loved him with every fibre of his being.

That was all he knows, and all he needs to know.

Surprisingly, he was fine with that.

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A/N:
I know that this is kinda short when compared to the prior chaptersbut I found no other words that could sum this whole tale up. It felt kinda hard to end such a wonderful year in Bran's tale, but I promise to come back with more Bran, more Snape, more HarMione thing, and more adventures. I want to thank EVERYONE who managed to stumble upon this book, for the comments and the votes. When I first wrote this, I felt kind of elated and I wrote this for fun. But during the journey, i fell in love with it that it aches my heart to have finished it. 40 chapters or so are never enough, but I am still happy. There may be an epilogue or not, but I just hope that you guys appreciated this last chapter. Again, thank u everyone, and I love you all!

P.S.:

me:WHO WANTS A YEAR TWO!

Snape: ✋

Me: 😐

Snape: Do it brat, or ten points off Ravenclaw.

Me: *gulps* sir, yes, sir.

Snape: I CAN'T HEAR YOU!

Me: (SPONGEBOB.) AYE, AYE CAPTAIN!

Snape: *ruffles hair* good, good. SEE YOU EVERYONE, AND THANK YOU FOR READING!

ME: *bows and waves from the screen w/face like this: 😊* ARIGATO, MINNA-SAN! 'TILL WE MEET AGAIN!