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And as golden sparks flew around him and the black ink he had signed the contract with turned red, Harry knew it had worked. It was done. His fate was officially his own now, he even had that in writing. The future was suddenly less scary than it had been one day ago. And he was more ready than ever to face it.
It had been over ten minutes, Severus thought as he paced up and down the corridor outside Gringotts director's office. He kept staring at the door every time he passed it by, fully aware that just a few feet away -and behind that bloody door that kept him hidden from his eyes- his son was getting prepared to undergo an Emancipation Ritual. He could feel Lily's eyes on his back, her confusion over his anxiety palpable on her face.
"Severus, calm down!" She exclaimed after watching him glare at the door for the umpteenth time. "It's not like the ritual is dangerous!" Severus sighed and nodded, leaning back on the wall next to Neville; the boy was fidgeting, clearly understanding the magnitude of the event at hand just as much as he did. Sirius and Remus eyed him curiously while Albus chuckled softly. The potions master, finding the moment wasn't even remotely funny, huffed and crossed his hands over his chest. How long was this going to take? His nerves were a jumbled mess and his body was going solely on caffeine fumes; sleep had evaded him last night and thus he had opted to read a bit more on the Emancipation Ritual Harry was to cast on himself.
He had asked Nagnok to send him the exact ritual the same day the Potters had agreed to let Harry go through with it and had already read it, of course. It was nothing more than the standard wording that asked magic to recognize the caster as an adult from that moment on. Severus had seen nothing dangerous to it until late last night when his anxiety had propelled him all the way from his bedroom to the library; it had struck him a bit odd that one had to ask magic to be granted their emancipation, as if needing consent.
As it turned out, one did need magic's consent to become an adult in the wizarding world. Apparently, the original rituals cast upon the law that stated a witch or wizard became an adult at seventeen were the ones that had to recognize you as an adult when you wanted to be emancipated too. And, should they find you lacking in some way, you were denied the emancipation. So no, Harry couldn't get physically hurt by the ritual. That, however, didn't keep him from get hurt in a worse way.
"What's gotten into you, Snape?" Sirius questioned, unable to keep silent a moment longer. Seeing how the dog animagus appeared apprehensive himself, Severus opted not to be snarky for once. Well, not much.
"Rituals make me nervous. Why are you fidgeting though?" He eyed Sirius carefully and slid a bit further away from him. "Fleas?" He asked raising a perfectly arched eyebrow. Neville laughed out loud, some tension easing from his frame; Adrian smirked and soon followed his example while Lily and even Remus chuckled slightly.
"Why you…" Sirius seethed while Albus, his mustache trembling slightly, walked forward and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Come now, Sirius, Severus." He said, looking at the two men with twinkling eyes. "Let us wait in peace for a few more minutes. It won't be long now." Severus sighed and nodded while Sirius returned to staring holes through the door.
"It's not such a big deal anyway." Adrian grumbled his eyes locked at the tip of his shoes once more. Neville and Severus shared a furtive look of confusion while Remus and Sirius one of understanding. Albus simply sighed while Lily rested her hand softly on Adrian's shoulder. The potions master observed the scene from the corner of his eye, trying to make heads or tails from the latest development. Adrian looked like he was… jealous? He inwardly rolled his eyes; he truly hoped the older Potter twin was simply having a teenage sullen fit and nothing more. He truly didn't wish for more strain to be place upon the relationship between him and Harry.
Severus was well aware that his son considered Neville to be his brother more than anything, but that didn't mean he had written off Adrian. If anything, Harry usually cared too much, putting himself in harms way if that meant he could keep somebody he cared for from getting hurt. His son had the tendency to place too much on his shoulders -he still hadn't found the way to make him completely unwind and he suspected he wouldn't till after the coming war was over- and he didn't need to carry his twin's misplaced jealousy too. And while the potions master was pondering on that, the door of the office opened and Nagnok walked out followed by James and a radiant Harry. It had worked, was all Severus could think of at the moment. Lily run forward and held her son close.
"It worked then?" She asked, while Harry nodded.
"Yes, it did!" The teen announced, smiling widely, his eyes looking for his father and brother over Lily's shoulder. He wanted nothing more than to run towards him and call him Dad for everyone to hear but he knew this was not the time yet; the shadow of Lord Voldemort was hanging over their heads still and, in order to keep his twin safe -Prongs and Lily, Remus and Sirius too- he couldn't afford and even bigger fall between them. They would know of how he regarded Severus; just not yet. And, looking at James' smile as Sirius patted his shoulder, maybe it was that he didn't want to cause his once family pain; they were trying to reconnect with him he knew though it didn't help. Maybe he could delay the inevitable, just for a little longer. Still, his eyes locking with the dark ones of his father, he couldn't help but smile wide once more. Severus beamed with pride and Harry couldn't help himself; he broke free from Lily's hold and made a beeline straight for Severus hugging him close while he did the same.
HI GUYS IF YOU WANT READ 300 + CHAPTERS THEN VISIT
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