A Bond for the Ages

Chapter 19

Severus woke with a groan as remnants of last night's torture made themselves known. He glanced at his clock, surprised to see it nearing nine-thirty. Between the torture and the late-night conversation with Potter, he must've been exhausted. He wondered if the boys were up. Normally they would be, but mostly because he woke them each day. As he woke further, he began to feel the tugs and swirls of power, telling him Potter and Malfoy were, indeed, awake and in the middle of training with Leif and Alexei.

He dressed quickly, going more casual in just a grey long-sleeved Henley and black slacks as had become more common in recent days. He made a beeline for the kitchen and made a pot of strong coffee, draining one cup in seconds and pouring a second for slower consumption. He spotted Potter and Alexei through the kitchen window and headed out the back door to observe. He stepped off the back porch and walked around the manor, stopping once he found the two. He put one hand in his pocket while the other held his coffee.

From what he could tell and what Leif and Alexei had told him, both Potter and Malfoy had finally gained basic control of their magic. Both could direct their magic wherever they wanted, Potter kept his from wanting to mix with his and Malfoy's, and Malfoy no longer automatically connected to signatures. He remembered the first day of training, the feeling of Potter's exploding magic and of Malfoy draining some of his own. It had been startling, but impressive to feel such power from ones so young.

Leif and Alexei had also told him of the hesitations the boys had regarding the use of their magic. Both boys still had a deep-seated fear of being beaten by him in particular and of being sent away should they do anything wrong or hurt any of them. Despite any progress that had been made, he knew it would be some time before they finally believed in their safety. However, he supposed it wouldn't be necessary to convince them once they returned to Hogwarts. They would be safe there and with plenty of others to look after them.

He turned his attention away from their return to Hogwarts and back to Potter and Alexei. Now that Potter had basic control, Alexei had moved the Gryffindor onto specific element use. He took a sip of his coffee and watched the session. A pile of leaves sat on the ground in front of Potter who was staring at it with his hands out towards it. Even from where Severus stood, he could see the green shimmering strands weaving through Potter's fingers, indicating their focus on Earth Magic.

He could feel the power pulsing through the air and watched, intrigued. The green threads began to leave Potter's hands and travelled down to the leaves, wrapping around a few. The targeted leaves shook slightly in the pile as the magical strings continued to encompass them. After several seconds, the magic moved to the stems of the leaves and, after even more time, he was stunned to see the stems begin to slowly lengthen. They grew centimeter by centimeter, beginning to curl the longer they became. Eventually the stems were guided and twisted with each other, creating a slowly growing braid. It was incredible to witness and he found himself in awe of the boy he once hated. Potter was truly something special and, as he remembered the worry the boy seemed to have for him the previous night, he realized it wasn't just in terms of his magic.

He was startled when power rushed across the grounds and a few leaves suddenly whipped around him. Looking at Potter and Alexei revealed the pile of leaves had been dispersed across the property, unintentionally if Potter's expression was anything to go by.

"Sorry, Professor!" Potter called to him.

"No harm done, Mr. Potter," he said. "Do not push too hard."

"Yes, sir!"

"You have nothing to worry about, Severus," Alexei said.

"From you, perhaps."

"Hey!" Potter said, affronted.

Alexei laughed while Severus smirked. He watched Alexei guide Potter to try again and returned to the manor. He finished off his coffee and sent his mug to the kitchen before heading up to the third floor. He opened the door to the training room and leaned against the door frame, crossing his arms as he watched Leif and Malfoy. Leif spotted him over Malfoy's shoulder and gave him a wink and a grin, making him raise an eyebrow.