Snape shook his head. "I never wanted it at all. If you recall, I said I'd like you to put it away somewhere safe."
"Oh, right," Harry murmured, breaking his gaze away, finally. "I know. But that's just the thing, sir. You wanted me to put it away and not use it until I was really an adult, but I'm not sure I can manage that. Don't you understand? Since I was eleven I've had to handle my own financial needs! I don't think I can let you handle them unless I have to, and I won't have to unless I don't have my key, and I really, really want to know what it's like to have someone who will handle things like that for me." He swallowed back a sigh, wondering if he sounded as completely stupid to everyone else as he did to himself.
Draco certainly seemed to think he wasn't sounding any too smart. "It's just a vault, Harry," he interjected, ignoring Snape's warning glare to stay out of it. "I've had my own vault for forever, too."
"Look, I know you have your own problems, but they're not the same as mine," Harry wearily explained. "You weren't raised by people who constantly told you how much they resented spending any money on you. I didn't have a childhood, okay? I want one now, and whether it makes sense to you or not, that money's in the way."
Snape extended a black length of candy. "Have some licorice," he said, strangely reminding Harry of Remus and his chocolate-solves-anything obsession. Not that Remus really thought that. It just seemed that way, sometimes.
"I appreciate the gift, Harry," Snape said, but since the key was still where he'd set it, atop a fold of tissue, Harry didn't know what he meant.
"The licorice?"
"The trust."
Harry tore off a bite of licorice and nodded. So that was it, then. No flowery speech, but he wouldn't expect one from Snape. "I already did trust you, though. I'm sure you know that," he pointed out.
"Yes. This, however..." Snape fingered the note Harry had written, and reaching beneath his jumper, slipped it into his shirt pocket. The key followed. "This is trust made real."
"Yeah," Harry mumbled. Now that it was done, he was nervous already. Almost regretting it. That key had been a source of security to him for over five years. However bad the Dursleys had gotten, Harry had known that he had options. Choices. A way out if he ever really couldn't stand it any longer.
And now all that was gone.
Now, all he had was Snape.
But that's all he should need, right? The man was his father, had been for a while already. Harry knew it was true, knew it was legal, knew it was real, but somehow, it hadn't felt as real as it should have.
Snape had been right, Harry thought. He just plain didn't know how to be anybody's child. But he was going to learn. He was going to learn by experience, as his father had said.
And nothing as stupid as money was going to stand in his way.
Steeling himself even though he had no fear whatsoever of being rejected, Harry shifted close to his father and gave him a quick hug. Strange.... it was harder than last time, but then again, that one had been spontaneous. This one though, was more important. It was sealing something.
"Happy Christmas, sir," Harry said when he pulled away.
"It certainly is," Snape answered, his dark eyes once more fathomless, but for all that, Harry could tell that his father meant every word.
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Coming Soon in A Year Like None Other:
Chapter Fifty-One: Ten Thousand Times
Comments very welcome,
Aspen in the Sunlight
Chapter 51: Ten Thousand Times
http://archive.skyehawke.com/story.php?no=5036&chapter=51
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A Year Like None Other
by Aspen in the Sunlight
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Chapter Fifty-One: Ten Thousand Times
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"Well, that was without a doubt the best Christmas I've ever had," Harry said a few days later as they were getting ready to Apparate from the cottage.
"But the worst-cooked goose," Draco added, chuckling.
"I told you Incendio wouldn't work," Harry scolded. "It has to roast slowly. We went over that!"
Draco shrugged. "I thought it was worth a try. How was I to know that Severus couldn't make it raw again with a wave of his wand? I thought we'd be able to start over!"
"Instead we had burnt goose for Christmas dinner!" For all that though, Harry was laughing. It hadn't been any big deal, especially since the house-elves had packed loads more food than they'd really needed.
"You are both ready to depart?" Snape interrupted the good-natured argument.
"No, I need a moment more," Draco murmured. He popped open his floating trunk and pulled something from it. "Here, Harry. I never got around to giving you this. I was going to say, 'I hope you get well soon...' Hmm, I suppose I can still say that, only I'll make it, 'I hope your magic gets well soon,' all right?"
A heavy weight settled in Harry's palm as he took the gift wrapped in foil and ribbon. This time though, it was gold foil with crimson ribbon. Harry set his duffel down and fingered the gift uncertainly. "You... you said it was hexed?"
Draco smirked a bit. "Well, it is. Just a bit. But not in any bad way."
Harry didn't understand, but since he didn't think Draco was out to hurt him, he went ahead and tore off the wrappings.
What emerged from the foil was a tiny figure of a griffin. Silver-colored, no taller than three inches tall, it sat on its haunches in Harry's hand, eyes closed and wings neatly folded in. The moment Harry breathed, however, it came to life, furling out its wings and puffing out its chest as it gave a tinny little roar. The griffin began looking around, darting a fierce emerald glare all about. Harry lifted it closer and decided those eyes were definitely gemstones.
"This is very interesting," Harry said, returning his gaze to Draco, who actually looked a tad nervous. "A Griffin, but in Slytherin colors? Are you so sure you bought this back before I got adopted?"
"Yes. I'd just seen you at Samhain, remember. And I remember being impressed with your cunning. You hit Severus just to keep up appearances, when all the time you were relying on him to save you... things which I figured out later, obviously. But when they said I could see you in the hospital, I thought... he's brave like a Gryffindor's supposed to be, but there's more to him than that..." Draco suddenly grinned. "Besides, you were blind. You weren't going to know the griffin was platinum."
Harry raised an eyebrow. "This isn't silver?"
"Oh, please. Silver... that's practically an insult, you know."
"Your amulet's on a silver chain," Harry reminded him.
"Oh, well that's different, as you were raised with different standards," Draco retorted, reaching below his collar to pull up the turquoise disk and dangle it for a moment before tucking it back away. "I like the amulet, Harry. Really."
Harry sneaked a glance at Snape. "Well, I hope so. Because unless I can get... ah, Severus here to give me some sort of allowance, I won't have any money for Christmas next year."
"What happened to your cunning?" Snape smoothly inquired. "That's about the least subtle way of raising the subject I can imagine."