*5 months later*
Harry stretched languidly and smiled to himself, content with his life and the turn it had taken. Life was wonderful. He was back where he belonged, at the side of the one and only man he would ever love. Better yet, Severus had opened up to him completely, and they were able to work through all their problems. Now they were going to be bonded, the one thing that Harry had hoped for when they had first started their relationship.
Harry rolled onto his side and trailed his fingers up and down his lover's naked torso. 'Are you awake?' he whispered.
Severus moaned. 'If I said "no", would you let me sleep?' he mumbled.
'Most likely not.' Harry continued to stroke Severus gently. 'I want to talk about our bonding.'
'Again?' Severus said irritably. 'I've already said that I'd bond with you, and we decided to wait until July, when all those meddlesome brats relieve us of their presence. You're already making plans with my nephew and your parents. What else is there to talk about?'
'How about the type of bond we want?' Harry asked. 'We haven't talked about that, and Draco, Dad, and Remus can hardly help me choose that.'
'Well, you obviously have one in mind, or you wouldn't be so eager to bring the subject up in the predawn hours, disturbing my sleep,' Severus said, rolling onto his side and gazing at his lover. He stroked Harry's collarbone softly. 'Out with it.'
Harry smiled. He knew what kind of reaction he was going got get. 'I was thinking that perhaps we should go with the Beyond Life bond.'
Severus sat up and said, 'No! Absolutely not! I forbid it.'
Harry sat up as well and rubbed the small of Severus' back. 'Why not?' he asked, hiding his amusement.
'For one thing, it is an ancient bonding ceremony that few can perform, even after years of studying it.'
'Albus knows the ceremony. He said he studied it and several other bonding ceremonies when he was younger, before he became a professor.'
'You talked to Albus about this before speaking to me?' Severus asked, his voice so loud that Tabitha jumped up and growled.
'Tabitha, shush! Severus, before I asked you, I wanted to make sure that I could find someone who could perform the ceremony.'
'No, Harry. It's too...I can't let you do that. That bond...it's far too strong. It binds mind, body, heart, and soul. If it's not done correctly, it can kill. If we do manage to create the bond correctly, when I die, the bond will drain you until you die, as it tries to save me.'
'Don't you want to bond with me?' Harry asked innocently, all the while knowing that he had Severus right where he wanted him.
Severus sighed wearily. 'I do, and you know that, but it's far too dangerous. If Sirius or Remus knew you were even thinking about that bond, they'd flay you alive. No, I will bond with you, using any other bond you wish, but I will not use that one.'
'Brilliant!' Harry said, beaming. 'I didn't really want to use that one anyway.'
'What? You lied to me?' Severus yelled, causing Tabitha to jump up again and bark in protest.
'Tabitha, please! No, I did think about that one at first, and I did speak to Albus, but when I realized that I could lose you, I thought better of it. I just asked you about that one so I could talk you into the ceremony that I really want.'
Severus laid back down and laughed. 'You manipulative little...that's quite devious of you. I have to say that I've never been prouder.' Severus pulled Harry down into his embrace. 'Tell me, my love, which bond do you prefer?'
'Eternity,' Harry replied
Severus scowled. 'That's very nearly the same thing.'
Harry shook his head. His fringe tickled his lover's nipple, and Severus had to suppress a laugh. 'No, it's not. It's not a dangerous bond to perform, and it won't kill either of us, should one of us die. Also, while we'll be able to feel each other's presence and strong emotions, we won't invade each other's privacy. Please, Severus?' Harry said, lifting his head and batting his eyelashes.
'You're batting your lashes at the clock, but I do appreciate the gesture,' Severus said, chuckling softly. 'Fine, you can have your way, but you can take care of the details.'
'Fine, I'll get Sirius to help me....ow,' Harry said, sitting up and rubbing his temples with his fingers.
Severus sat up with him. 'What's wrong?'
'Hmm? Oh, nothing, really, it's just that sometimes I get these little pains. It's nothing. They usually go away after a few moments. Before you say anything, I've already seen Poppy, and she's done a complete physical. There's nothing wrong.'
'Why didn't you tell me?' Severus demanded.
Harry reached over and rubbed his back soothingly. 'You got so worked up the last time I had a headache, and I didn't want you to get upset over nothing. Really, I'm fine. See, it's gone now. It wasn't bad at all.'
Severus sighed. 'I'll forget your oversight this time, but next time, just tell me. Perhaps I can make something that would help.'
'Yes, I'd like that, thank you,' Harry said, kissing Severus' temple. He lay back down and pulled Severus down with him. 'How much longer until we have to get up?'
'About two hours. Why, did you have something in mind?'
'Well, yes, I do,' Harry murmured.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
'Dad, did you remember to pick up our list?' Harry asked as he and Sirius walked down the hallway, Tabitha trotting in front of them, yipping happily, eager to get outside. Sirius and Harry were going to leave her with Hagrid and Fang while they made a trip to Diagon Alley.
'Yes, Harry. I've got it right here in my pocket,' Sirius told him. 'What's wrong?' he asked when Harry suddenly stopped and whipped his head to the right.
Harry frowned and shook his head. 'It's nothing. I'm just imagining things, I guess,' Harry said, laughing. 'Really, it's nothing.'
'If your certain,' Sirius said, staring hard at Harry, trying to figure out if Harry was telling the truth. Severus had taken him aside earlier and notified him of Harry's headaches. Severus had also convinced him not to say anything to Harry, but now he wasn't so sure that he should have kept his mouth shut.
'I'm fine,' Harry assured him, tired of repeating himself. He really thought that it was just his imagination, and he wouldn't keep it from his father, because if he did, he would never hear the end of it from Severus. He'd kept the headaches from Sirius, but since Severus knew, Harry knew that he'd have to tell his father...but he would do that after they came back. No need to spoil their trip.
'All right. Are you absolutely certain that this is the ceremony that you want to use?' Sirius asked as he opened the main doors.
'Yes. Severus and I agreed that......sssssssss,' Harry hissed through his teeth and slapped his palms over his eyes, and he dropped to his knees.
Sirius was instantly by his side. 'Harry, what is it? What's wrong?'
'I don't know. All of the sudden, it was as if there was this blinding light,' Harry said. He tried to take his hands away, but quickly covered his eyes again when the same thing happened.
'That's it. I'm taking you to Madam Pomfrey right now, and we're going to figure out what's happening to you.' Sirius helped Harry up and walked him back into the castle.
When they were almost to the hospital wing, Harry tried to remove his hands again. All was normal and he sighed with relief. 'Whatever it was, it's gone now,' he informed Sirius.
'I don't care. You're going through a thorough examination, right now.'
'You need to call for Severus. He'll have hippogriffs if you don't.'
'Don't worry. As soon as I get you to the hospital wing, I'll use the fireplace.'
'Thanks.'
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Severus strode into the hosiptal wing and into the examining room in the back, where Harry was sitting with Sirius and Madam Pomfrey. 'What is it? What's wrong?' he demanded as he made his way to Harry's side.
'Calm yourself, Severus,' Madam Pomfrey chided. 'We're working on finding out what it is, but Harry insisted that we wait for you.'
'Well, here I am, so get on with it.'
Pomfrey let out an indignant huff and Harry couldn't help but smile. 'It's going to be fine, love,' Harry said, squeezing his lover's hand.
'Now that he's here, will you co-operate with me?' Pomfrey asked Harry. Harry nodded and she said, 'Now tell me what happened, and don't leave out any details.'
'There's not a lot to it, really. You know I've been getting small headaches and sharp pains, but they're always short. I've also noticed that at times...I don't know what it is exactly, but the darkness seems to get...less dark. When I was with Sirius, the lightness became, well, for the lack of a better expression, almost blinding.'
'How long have you been having these episodes?' Pomfrey asked as she jotted down notes in Harry's file.
'Probably no more than two weeks, maybe less. I thought I was imagining things, so I never really thought to mention it before now.'
'What do you think it is, Poppy?' Sirius asked.
'I'm not sure. I need to call one of the specialists at St Mungo's and conduct a few tests before I know anything for certain. Just sit tight and I'll be back in a few moments.'
As soon as she left the room, Severus said, 'You are in a great deal of trouble, Harry. Why didn't you tell me this? We just had a discussion about your headaches!'
'Severus, please calm down. I told you that I thought it was just my imagination. I simply brushed it off as that and thought no more about it. I wasn't keeping it from you, or you, Dad. I just forgot about it.'
'Should we believe him?' Sirius asked Severus.
'He seems sincere. Perhaps we should give him the benefit of the doubt this time.'
At that moment, Madam Pomfrey walked back in. 'One of the Healers will be here in a few moments. Severus, I'll need you and Sirius to sit over there, out of the way. We're going to need some room.'
Harry kissed Severus before his lover could protest. 'Go on, you and Dad sit over there and attempt not to kill each other. Let them look me over. I promise that I'll be fine. You'll see.'
Severus glared at Pomfrey one last time and went to sit over on the other side of the room. At the same time, a wizard that Severus had never seen before came into the room. 'Hello, my name is Stephen Andrews,' he said, walking up to Harry and taking his hand. 'I'm the new eye specialist at St Mungo's.'
'You think this has something to do with my eyes?' Harry asked, suddenly concerned.
'Yes, I do. I've read your file several times, Mr Potter, on the off chance that my services might be needed. Yours is an interesting case. It's not often we come across a wizard who has lost his sight, and even rarer for it to be a psychological issue. Before I make any presumptions, however, I need to do an examination. So, if you will bear with me, I'll be as quick as possible.'
Harry nodded. 'Let's get on with it, then.'
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After doing several scans of Harry's head, Severus and Sirius watched as Mr Andrews pulled out something that looked like a small Muggle torch. 'All right, Harry, I want you to keep your eyes straight ahead, and tell me when something changes, all right?'
Harry nodded. A second later, Harry winced. 'There it is again. Not as bad as earlier, but it's still bright. There, it's gone now.'
Andrews toned down the brightness and turned the torch onto Harry's eyes.
Harry shook his head slightly, as if to shoo away an irritation. 'The black isn't as black now, but it's not irritating. It's gone now.'
Andrews turned up the light, making it brighter than it was before and slowly waved it back and forth through Harry's field of vision.
Harry winced and made a face. 'Now it's even brighter than before, and it keeps flashing in and out. What the hell are you doing?'
Andrews said nothing as he turned off the light and put it away. Then he pulled out a tiny torch and told Harry, 'I'm going to have a look at your eyes, all right?'
Harry nodded and tilted his head so the Healer could have better access. He resisted the urge to wince as the brightness came back, not as blazing, but still mildly irritating.
Finally, Mr Andrews clicked off the torch. 'Well, these flashes aren't going to go away, and with the more frequent episodes you've been having, I think they'll get even stronger. You'll have to wear dark glasses to protect your eyes, not just the protective spells.'
'What's wrong with me?' Harry asked, his impatience creeping into his voice.
'Absolutely nothing. What you are seeing are flashes of light. The brighter the light, the more it hurts, because your eyes haven't been working properly, and they've weakened. They're not used to the light. There's activity happening in your pupils, which are responding to light sources.'
'What does all that mean?' Sirius asked.
'It seems that your son's eyesight just might be returning.' He smiled at the shock on Harry's face. 'I can't promise anything, but all signs are good. We'll just have to wait and see what happens.'
'So, what should we do for Harry?' Pomfrey asked.
'He'll need those glasses...a pair of Muggle sunglasses should suffice. Other than that, perhaps Harry should restart his therapy sessions with Aunt Ana?' He smiled again when he saw Harry's surprise. 'Don't look so shocked. Ana just happens to be my great- aunt. I knew you were one of her patients.'
'Oh...do you think it might help?' Harry asked.
'It very well couldn't hurt. Would you like me to contact her for you?'
'Would you, please?' Harry said. 'She can owl me to let me know when she has time.'
'Of course. From now on, I'll be making weekly visits to keep track of your progress. If there is any significant change, you are to call for me immediately, day or night.'
'Yes, sir,' Harry said.
'All right, then. Get those glasses, today, if possible. I'll see you in a week.'
As soon as Pomfrey escorted Mr Andrews out of the room and back to the fireplace, Harry found himself being twirled around the room by his father in some sort of odd dance. 'Harry, this is so wonderful!' Sirius exclaimed.
Harry laughed at his father's exhuberance. 'I can't see yet, Dad. Let's not get too far ahead of ourselves.'
'I know, but this is such good news. I've got to tell Remus! Here, Severus, he's all yours,' Sirius said, moving Harry in front of Severus and dashing out of the room.
Harry soon found himself in his lover's tight, comforting embrace. 'Can you believe it?' Harry whispered.
'It's incredible. After so long, I wasn't sure if it would happen. Tell me, are you comfortable with talking to Ana again?'
'Yeah, I am. I stopped the sessions because all she wanted was to talk about my relationship with you, but it was just too difficult for me. I like her, though, and I'm comfortable with her.'
Severus kissed the top of Harry's head. 'I think we'd better get in touch with Draco before he finds out from someone else. He'd be quite upset with us, then.'
'I think he's spending the day at Fred's shop. He's taking this week off for Christmas...you know how he loves gifts. We can use the fireplace in our room to call him.'
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
'Good morning, Harry.'
Harry smiled at the sound of the familiar voice. 'Hello, Ana. I bet you thought that you'd never hear from me again.'
'Oh, I suspected I would, but I wasn't sure when. Stephen told me that your sight was starting to return. Congratulations.'
'Thanks. Mr Andrews says there's a good chance, but I'm trying not to get my hopes up too high. What if it's just a fluke? What if it comes back to a certain point and then fate says "No, that's it. No more"? I don't want to be disappointed if things don't turn out as well as everyone else expects.'
'I can understand that. We'll just have to see what happens. Well, why don't we start with what brought you back here? The last I heard, you'd gone to live in the Muggle world, for the most part, helping at an institution that taught the newly blind.'
Harry nodded. 'Yeah, I was helping them and I do miss it sometimes, but I missed the wizarding world more.'
'Is the wizarding world the only thing you missed?' Ana asked, not even trying to hide her amusement.
Harry grinned. 'No, it wasn't. I missed being with my family and friends. Most were so far away and so busy that I didn't have a chance to see them often. I missed Severus most of all, though.'
'He's the reason you left, isn't he?'
'Mostly. I couldn't stay at Hogwarts, so close to him, and I didn't want to keep running into him elsewhere. Besides, with everyone still treating me like I would break if they blew on me too hard, I needed to prove to myself, and to them, that I was fully capable of taking care of myself.'
'Looking at you, I'd say that you did quite well,' Ana commented.
'I'm quite proud of myself,' Harry said. 'It was difficult the first few months, but once I got the routine down and I was comfortable getting around, things were easier. I lived on my own for two years.'
'And then came yet another accident.'
'Yes. It seems that I attract trouble wherever I go. It happened so fast that I had no reaction time. I can't Apparate, so even if I thought about it, I probably would have ended up splinching myself,' he said, laughing. 'It doesn't matter, though, because if it weren't for that, I doubt I would be here now. I don't think I would have had the nerve to come back.'
'I'm sure you would have, as much courage as you possess,' Ana told him.
'I'm not so certain about that,' Harry replied. 'It's easy for me to be courageous when trying to help others, but when it comes to risking my own heart, I don't know if I would have been able to deal with it if Severus rejected me again.'
'Do you think that we'll be able to talk about Severus this time around?' Ana asked.
Harry nodded. 'I couldn't talk about him then. It hurt too much, and the harder everyone pushed me to talk about what was happening, the more I refused. I'm ready now, though. Do you still think that this has something to do with him?'
'I do, especially now. May I speak freely, as a friend? I know I'm not supposed to guide you in this way, but since your sight is returning of its own volition, I don't think it will hurt anything. We might as well cut to the heart of the matter, so that you can get on with your life.'
'Of course,' Harry said. 'I'd really like to hear what you think.'
'The reason I think that your blindness is related to your relationship wiht Severus is because of the secrets and insecurities you felt, all of which surrounded the past that Severus refused to reveal. Now that you're back together and there are no more secrets, you don't have the same insecurities.'
Harry thought for a moment. 'WHy would I do that, though? Why would my body betray me like that? I understand what you're saying, and it does make sense, but why would my mind think that becoming blind would help?'
'That I can't tell you, but you're doing well. Just keep talking out loud, trying to reason it in your own mind.'
Harry sighed and sat back. 'All right. Okay....Severus was keeping things from me, and I couldn't stand it. I thought he didn't trust me enough to confide in me.'
'Why did you feel that way?' Ana pressed. 'What were you thinking at that time?'
'That if he couldn't confide in me, he didn't trust me or love me enough. If he didn't love me as much as I thought, then I thought that he might find someone better, someone who he could tell his secrets to. But if I was worried about that, why would I make myself weak and vulnerable? Wouldn't I want to be stronger and try to make him see that he could trust me?'
'Perhaps you thought that your vulnerability would endear you to him?' Ana suggested.
'That's ridiculous. I know that Severus doesn't like weakness. What are you saying? That I thought that if Severus saw me as so weak and pathetic, he would feel so sorry for me that...' Harry's mouth dropped open, his eyes grew wide, and his eyebrows disappeared underneath his fringe. 'Oh,' he said in a low voice, giving Ana a sheepish grin.
'Care to finish that thought?' Ana asked, amused.
'Do I have to? I feel incredibly stupid for not seeing it before, especially since I've spent the two years that I was on my own trying to figure out how Severus fit into this.'
'I'd prefer if you said it out loud, to make sure that it becomes absolutely real for you.'
Harry nodded his head, understanding what she meant. 'If Severus felt sorry for me, then he wouldn't leave me, because he would feel too guilty about leaving poor, blind, little Harry Potter.'
'And now?'
'Now I know that he trusts me, that he always has, and that he loves me. He would have never left me to begin with, and he would have eventually confided in me all those things that I wanted to know, if I had been patient enough and mature enough to wait. Now that we're bonding, there's no reason for my mind to continue this farce.'
'That's what I've always thought,' Ana said. 'Tell me, how is your relationship with Severus now?'
'It's wonderful. Sure, we had issues to work through, like Armand and Bill, and the problems with trust, but knowing that neither of us is going anywhere made it that much easier. I think I love him now more than I ever have. We're even using the Eternity Bond.'
'That's a strong bond, one that isn't performed lightly. But knowing your love for each other, I have no doubt that the bond will take.'
Harry grinned. 'I know that it will. You, of course, are invited to the ceremony.'
'I am looking forward to the event,' Ana told him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Harry's eyes blinked rapidly and he yawned as he stretched and turned his lover's arms. He jumped when he heard a small, sharp crackle and his mouth was filled with a minty taste. 'Warn someone when you do that,' Harry complained and yawned again.
'I wanted to be certain that your mouth wasn't offensive when I did this,' Severus explained, sealing his mouth against Harry's, giving him a long, unhurried kiss.
As Severus finally pulled back, Harry moaned and rested his head on his lover's chest. 'Now that I did like,' Harry said. 'Do we really have to get up to teach this morning?'
'Alas, yes. I refuse to allow those miscreants to run rampant through my classroom. Parents really ought to teach their children to behave properly...what are you smiling about?' Severus asked, when he saw the dreamy look on his face.
'I was just thinking about what our children will be like, especially in class,' Harry told him.
'Thinking about children already?' Severus teased. 'I think you'd be content with me for awhile first.'
Harry chuckled. 'I don't mean that we have to go to the adoption agency the moment after we're bonded. In a few years, though, I think that we would be ready.'
'I think that it would be odd and a bit unfair to teach them ourselves,' Severus commented.
'I would think that we will have moved on by then. I thought that you wanted your own Apothecary and research laboratory.'
'Yes, but that takes money, something that I do not have in abundance. As I said before, what my father didn't squander away goes to the upkeep of the Manor.'
'Severus, there is more than enough money in my account to get us started.'
'Harry, I'm not going to take your money-'
Harry sat up and put his hand over Severus' mouth, stopping him mid- sentence. 'Love, what's in that account is ours. As soon as we're bonded, we're going to merge our accounts. We'll keep the account for the manor separate, we can add to it. Before you start protesting, we're going to bond our souls together for eternity. That includes everything about our lives, including money. What good will it do collecting dust in a vault when it could be used for this?'
'Are you certain that you want to invest your money-'
'Our money,' Harry corrected.
'-in this endeavour?'
'Of course. When we get back from wherever it is you're taking me on holiday, we'll start planning. I know it will take some time to do this properly, so we can keep our positions here at the school, until we're ready.'
'You want to help me?' Severus asked.
'Yes. Someone will have to mind the Apothecary, someone with a bit more patience to deal with the customers.'
Severus could help but laugh. 'That isn't me, now is it?'
'No, you're not the patient kind, except with the rare few people that you actually like,' Harry said, lying back down and resuming his former position. 'I tend to be more sociable than you are, and people will respond to me better.'
'Not to mention that people will spend their money just to see the great Harry Potter at work,' Severus remarked.
'That, too. Who cares? If they spend their money on your potions, they can ogle me all they want. Of course, they'll keep coming back because you're the best. Not to mention that it will be the only place that a werewolf can get the Wolfsbane potion.'
Harry sat up again. 'I was talking to Remus about selling it, and he made a good point. Most werewolves don't have much in the way of money, and I was thinking that we should be fine if we sell it below cost, especially if we make it up in other areas.'
Severus thought for a few moments and then said aloud, 'Yes, I suppose we could figure all that out. Also, we could use a barter system. We can have some that are particularly hard-pressed for money to go out and harvest ingredients as payment. That will free up time for us and help defray the cost of supplies.'
'Brilliant!' Harry said. 'I think we're going to have to finish this talk later, though. We should get up and shower.'
'I suppose that if we must, we must,' Severus said, sitting up and stretching his arms up over his head. He turned to watch Harry stand and walk toward the bathroom. 'You've got the sweetest little arse,' he commented.
Harry stopped, turned his head, grinned, and then gave said arse a little shake, as if to say, "Come and get it". Harry was in the bathroom by the time Severus made it around the bed.
Severus walked in and slapped Harry on the arse. 'You're too slow.'
'Well, excuse me, Mr Perfect Vision, if some of us are still mostly blind and don't want to run into the walls,' Harry replied, making his way to the toilet.
Severus chuckled and turned on the water, adjusting the temperature while Harry used the toilet. He turned back around when Harry started laughing, and he jumped just the slightest bit. It was almost as if Harry was looking him straight in the eyes. 'What is it?'
Harry continued to chuckle. 'I can see your silhouette in this lighting.'
Severus pulled Harry to him and kissed him soundly. 'That's wonderful. Your eyes are becoming stronger. It won't be long before your eyesight returns fully.'
Harry sighed and leant his head against his lover's chest. 'I hope so. It's irritating, to be able to see light and shapes, but nothing else. I want to see your face.'
'Soon, love, soon. Now get your arse into the shower. We've got classes to attend to.'
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
'Look up, Harry,' Mr Andrews said, shining a light in his eyes. 'Now look to the left...to the right...and down.'
Harry blinked rapidly as Andrews turned off the light. 'What now, Stephen?'
'I want you to follow this,' Andrews said, holding up a small orange ball on a stick. Turning the lights back on, he placed the ball even with Harry's face, standing about a half-meter away. 'Without moving your head, I want you to follow this with your eyes.'
Harry focused on following the orange, unfocused blob as it moved all around. 'It's a month and a half before the ceremony. Do you think I'll be able to see by then?'
Andrews grinned upon hearing the hope in Harry's voice. 'We'll just have to see about that,' he said evasively, knowing that Harry was now ready for the little surprise that he had in his briefcase. 'So you can see colours fairly well now?' he asked as he put the ball away.
Harry nodded. 'Yes, especially when it's part of a rather large surface. I can tell when Dumbledore or McGonagall are coming, I can tell if a child I'm talking to is a blond, brunette, or a redhead. I can tell which book is which by the colour. I can make out shapes and such, but it's all extremely blurry. I've tried using my glasses, and they help just the tiniest bit, but not enough to matter.'
'That's because they're normal Muggle glasses,' Andrews explained as he dug into his briefcase and pulled out a small box. 'I have something that I want you to try.' He opened the box and pulled out a pair of glasses. 'I want you to try these glasses. They're fairly pricey, but since your father already paid for them, you don't have to worry about that.'
Harry's hands were shaking slightly as he reached for the glasses. Sliding them on his face, he watched with amazement as his world quickly shifted into focus for the first time in over four years.
Harry looked at his Healer and started laughing. 'You have a blemish on the tip of your nose.'
Andrews went to look in the mirror that was hanging on the far wall. 'So I do,' he said, pointing his wand at his nose and healing it. Then he turned to Harry. 'These glasses will change with your eyes as they become stronger. Your father picked out the style, so if you like them, you can wear them for the rest of your life. If not, then when your eyes fully return to normal, you can buy a regular pair.'
'Who the hell cares?' Harry yelled happily. 'I can see!'
Andrews smiled at Harry. 'Yes, you can. And I am no longer needed.'
Harry walked up to the Healer and shook his hand. 'Thank you so much. You have no idea how much I appreciate all you've done.'
'You were an absolute pleasure to work with. I wish all of my patients were so congenial. Why don't you go find your family, in particular that fiancé of yours.'
'I will. Say hello to Ana for me,' Harry called back as he literally ran out the door.
The first person he saw was Madam Pomfrey. Running up and peppering her face with kisses, he said, 'Poppy, you are the most beautiful woman that I have ever laid eyes on!'
'I think you need to have your eyes examined!' she said, lauging as Harry ran out of the hospital wing.
Harry made his way down to the dungeons, grateful that this Saturday happened to be the last trip into Hogsmeade before the exams. He smiled at the few first and second years that were in the halls, chuckling to himself as they whispered excitedly to each other, once they realised that Harry could see again. They all knew that their professor's sight was coming back, and they were happy for him.
Harry didn't stop, using his will on the castle to move the stairs, and when he reached the dungeons, he sprinted down the hallway and threw open the door to his lover's office.
He stood in the doorway, frozen, as he took a moment to just stare at his lover, his throat growing tight as he took in the sight of Severus all at once.
Severus turned when he heard the door nearly come off the hinges, but the scathing remark he had for his invador promptly died on his lips when he saw Harry looking him up and down. 'Harry?'
Hearing his name broke Harry from his stupor, and he beamed at Severus as he ran across the room and threw himself into his lover's arms, peppering his face with kisses. Then he leant back and held his lover's face in his hands. 'You are the most beautiful sight that I have every laid eyes on,' he whispered in a choked voice.
'You can see me,' Severus said, pulling him into a tight hug.
Harry laughed and hugged him back. 'Stephen gave me these glasses that allow my eyes to focus. He said that Dad bought them for me.'
Severus stepped back. 'Have you seen Sirius yet?'
Harry shook his head. 'I came directly down here to see you. I couldn't wait to see your face,' he said, stroking Severus' cheek.
Severus leant down and pressed his mouth to Harry's, brushing the tip of his tongue across Harry's lips. Pulling back, he said, 'We should find Sirius and Remus. They'll want to know.'
Harry nodded. 'They're in Hogsmeade. They were going to buy supplies.'
'Let's go, then,' Severus said. 'I'm sure that you'll enjoy the view while we walk.'
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
'Maybe he's in Fred's store,' Harry said, walking toward the door to the shop. They had already checked The Three Broomsticks and the bookshop, with no luck.
'No doubt buying something with which they can torment us,' Severus said, smirking.
'Not if I can help it,' Harry said, pushing the door open. Sure enough, Sirius and Remus were inside, discussing the twins' newest line of products.
Harry grinned. 'Dad, if you even think about using those on us, we're going to have serious problems.'
'What are you talking about?' Sirius asked, turning around to face his son.
Harry looked down and pointed his father's hand. 'That package of whatever it is in your hand.'
Remus laughed and hurried over to pull Harry into his embrace. 'The glasses worked. You can see.'
Harry chuckled as he was engulfed from behind. 'Yes, they did. I just got them about half an hour ago.' He turned around and hugged Sirius. 'Thank you so much. Stephen told me that you bought these for me.'
'Remus and I did, yes,' Sirius said. 'We bought them about a week after we found out your eyesight was returning. Stephen told us that it would take about a month to create them, because of all the spells and such, and then we had to wait until you were ready for them. We'd hoped that they would do the trick.'
'Well, they did. Thank you so much, both of you. It means everything to me that I'll be able to see during my own bonding,' Harry said, hugging them both again. 'This is the best gift that I could have ever received. You couldn't have made me happier.'