Second Place - Drama

Harry paced the study, pulling books off the shelf at random, flipping through several pages and then replacing the book back in its proper place. He had already cleaned and dusted every item in Severus� vast collection and then reshelved them, sorted according to subject matter and alphabetized according to author.

Severus watched him from the corner of his eye. He knew Harry felt trapped within the walls of the townhouse. With the exception of several areas he had been warned not to enter, Harry had scrubbed and polished the entire structure. He was in the process of weeding the back herb gardens, but inclement weather forced him inside.

Harry pulled a book from the erotica section, read for several moments before setting it aside. He pulled another book from the shelf and cringed when he opened it. His expressive eyes looked at Severus and he opened his mouth as if to say something but seemed to think better of it.

Curious, Severus approached and plucked the book from Harry�s fingers. His lip curled in distaste at the contents. He returned the book to the shelves.

"A gift from Walden McNair."

"This stuff is raw, Sev...It�s absolutely foul...does it..uh..." Harry stuttered, trying to phrase his question in a non-insulting manner.

"Does the subject matter excite me? Arouse me? No. As I said, that book was a gift from a former associate as were many of the others. They knew I collected sexual fantasies...I began my collection while still at Hogwarts...light schoolboy dreck...much like a Muggle boy hiding "Playboy" beneath the mattress. Worth a detention and confiscation if discovered by a teacher, but not grounds for suspension.

"Once I graduated and became a Death Eater, my collection did not stop, but it did grow more explicit. I�ve never been an admirer of �Bodice-Rippers� nor am I a supporter of bestiality. More than half of my collection frankly turns my stomach."

"Then why keep it?"

"As an active Death Eater or as Albus� spy, I had to perpetuate a fa�ade. A Death Eater craves power and feeds off the pain of others. In some of my �brethren�, torture created an orgasmic high. The owner of such a graphic collection as this would certainly be aroused by rape and torture, don�t you think?"

"You are no longer a Death Eater and no longer need to retain the fa�ade for Voldemort..." Harry pushed the lank black hair from his lover�s face. "Why don�t we pick an evening to cull through this collection and keep only those articles you actually enjoy. Merlin knows you could use more space on these shelves."

Severus looked critically at his neatly organized collection. Harry was right. There was no reason to hold on to these nightmares. His stained fingers quickly plucked a series of books from the shelves, dropping them carelessly at his feet. Harry had never seen the man treat any book so disrespectfully before. He worked his way through the shelves, adding to the mess on the floor.

"Sev?"

"No time like the present..." He smiled a rare smile, his heart lightening as the pile grew at his feet. After a few minutes, he paused. "There may be a few more...but that is the bulk of them."

With a casual flick of his wand, Severus sorted the discarded books into several stacks. Two smaller stacks were piled neatly and bound with conjured twine. "The booksellers of Knockturn Alley may have an interest in these...they are considered classics in the genre and many are first editions."

"And these?" Harry inquired pointing to a much larger stack. Using the tip of his boot, he flipped closed a particularly graphic image.

"Incendio." Severus gave his wand an abrupt flick. Harry jumped back at the bright flash and blinked at the pile of ash remaining. "Scorify."

Harry lifted the two small book stacks by their twine bindings. He set them on a side table, pausing to read their titles. A thought came unbidden to his mind.

"Severus...the authors of these books...were they declared �morally corrupt� and banished from �polite society�?"

"Possibly one or two of them...but on the whole, no."

Harry�s hands fell away from the books. "Then why was I? I didn�t even have my trousers off...certainly it couldn�t compare to that."

Harry�s finger pointed to the foot of the bookcases where Severus had incinerated the books. The Potion Master clasped the smaller hands in his, giving them a comforting squeeze.

"You really don�t know?" Severus pulled Harry in for a hug. "Put the Slytherin side of your brain to work...you�ll figure it out."

Harry was silent, soaking in the warmth of the taller figure. Sometimes it frustrated him when Severus forced him to work out the answers to his own questions.

"Dumbledore could have stopped Ron, but he didn�t. He could have stopped Fudge, but he didn�t."

"Keep going."

"What did Dumbledore have to gain by discrediting me? I did everything he ever asked of me...I was his perfect little pawn..."

"And?"

"Once I killed Voldemort...he didn�t need his pawn..."Harry�s eyes widened in comprehension. "He thought I would die and he could make a martyr out of me...but I didn�t die. He was left with a living hero...a threat to his power...He�s afraid of me."

"One hundred points to Gryffindor, Mr. Potter."

Severus watched Harry methodically slice a bunch of carrots into even sections. Casually he slid the orange disks from the cutting board into a simmering pot of chicken soup before turning his attention to a bowl of green beans.

Harry�s fluid motions reminded Severus of watching a master brewing potions. The slender fingers crushed a handful of dried herbs and Harry brought the coarse powder to his nose, giving it a critical sniff before adding it to the soup.

The Potion Master continued with his research notes as he waited for a luncheon guest to arrive. He had told Harry that the Mistress he had apprenticed under was paying a visit to answer any questions Harry might have about applying for the Apprenticeship Program at St. Mungo�s, but he had not informed the young man that Madam Jones was also coming to evaluate him.

"Severus, does she know who I am?" Harry asked as he wiped his hands on a dishtowel. With the exception of Bill Weasley, Madam Jones would be the first magical person he would meet since moving into Severus� townhouse. The slight wizard glanced around the kitchen, looking for some other activity to calm his nerves. He noticed the animal welfare calendar was missing from it�s nail beside the pantry and he was relieved.

"I mentioned to her that you were interested in an apprenticeship, but did not give her a name."

Harry nibbled his lower lip for a moment before making a decision, reaching for his wand. Murmuring an incantation, he grew his wild hair out into the sleek pageboy Severus had first seen him wear at Tommy�s.

"Perhaps you should introduce me as Corvus Corax..."

"If you wish, Corvus, although Madam Jones is a very unbiased witch. Her own history contains some very dark episodes. She did not reject me for my Dark Mark and I do not think her likely to hold a youthful indiscretion against you."

Harry opened his mouth to reply, but silenced as the floo network came to life and ejected a wizened witch into the kitchen fireplace.

Madam Jones savored the small forkful of mixed fruit tart, quickly categorizing the ingredients, her taste buds wrapping around a slightly unexpected blend.

"What did you use as a thickener? It is not corn starch."

"No, Madam. Severus did not have any corn starch on hand so I substituted tapioca."

The elderly witch nodded, examining Harry with her ancient green eyes. "So, Mr...Corax, are you Muggleborn?"

Whatever Harry expected her to ask, that wasn�t it. "No, but my mother was a Muggleborn. My Muggle aunt and uncle raised me after Death Eaters murdered my parents. Why? Would being a Muggleborn present a barrier to acceptance as an apprentice?"

"Oh no, my dear. It�s just that you made the luncheon as would a Muggle. I could detect no trace of magic used in any step of the preparation."

"I only recently returned to the wizarding world. As I said earlier, I was raised by Muggles and, due to uncontrollable circumstances, I have lived exclusively in Muggle London for the past few years. I have watched others cook with magic, but I myself never have. I find cooking to be a relaxing experience."

Madam Jones looked at her former apprentice, expecting him to comment, but he thoughtfully chewed the tart, washing it down with a sip of tea.

"Tell me, child. Were you any good at brewing potions?"

Harry laughed and looked at Severus to judge his reaction to the question. "I scored well on my OWLS and my NEWTS, but my class work did not impress my Potions professor."

"You are more skilled at potion brewing than I ever let you know. You scored well on your exams because there were no distractions or sabotage. Did you really think I was blind to the interhouse rivalry and the destructive ingredients tossed into undefended cauldrons? If you noticed, there was never a fatality in my classroom � something that could easily have occurred with an exploding cauldron."

Madam Jones hid a smile. She had been saddened when her apprentice was forced to curtail his breakthrough potions research to take a frustrating position teaching children at Hogwarts. She always thought it to be a terrible waste of his considerable talent, but understood that the young man�s foolish acceptance of the Dark Mark had effectively closed all doors except the dubious sanctuary offered by Albus Dumbledore.

The Mediwitch reached for Harry�s hands. She gently massaged them, feeling the strength in the fingers. "You have very nice hands, very soft. Tell me, Mr. Potter, how long has it been since you played Quidditch? I imagine your hands were once quite calloused."

Harry startled at the use of his proper name. He graced Severus with a look of betrayal. Severus� eyebrow quirked, but his face remained blank; he had not revealed Harry�s identity to the Mediwitch and wondered what had given Harry away.

"Don�t blame Severus, dear. He kept your confidences."

"How?"

"How did I know you were Harry Potter? It was your eyes."

"My eyes? But other people have green eyes. You have green eyes."

The elderly woman smiled, pushing back the fringe of hair from Harry�s forehead. "I am a Mediwitch as well as a Potion Mistress, my dear. Many wizards do have green eyes, but not that vibrant a green, and their eyes do not bear the scars of a failed Muggle surgery."

Madam Jones could feel the young wizard begin to withdraw. She saw him begin to erect walls to protect himself from her expected scorn.

"Your alias suits you. Blackbirds are intelligent and tenacious creatures. If I do accept you into the St. Mungo�s program, you will use this alias and continue any disguises you wear."

Harry pushed back his hair nervously. "The Ministry declared me morally corrupt...not fit for polite society."

"Your only crime," she snorted in an unladylike manner. "...Was to force them to accept that their �anointed savior� was a sexual being. You are no more morally corrupt than a fifteen-year-old witch seeking a birth control potion � all you are guilty of is poor judgment. Exactly how did a photograph of you being hugged by a man harm society? You are not the first or last wizard to seek comfort in the arms of another wizard. Pah, I say to the Ministry of Magic and their decrees. Homosexuality and bisexuality are a given in society � wizard and Muggle alike. It is expected that a certain degree of harmless experimentation occurs in the young."

Severus casually banished the luncheon plates to the kitchen. He wondered if Harry would be angry at his deception, but he ferverently believed that the young man would be more relaxed not knowing Madam Jones was evaluating him as her possible apprentice. He only wished he knew what thoughts were spinning behind those beautiful eyes.

"Why do you want to apprentice as a Healer, Corvus?"

Harry shrugged and gave her his shy, crooked smile.

"I�ve seen so much death in the war...and I..." Harry paused. Madam Jones saw his cheeks flush. "I�ve been accused of having a �people saving thing�."

"There is no shame in wanting to help another creature. I would be pleased to accept you as my apprentice, Mr. Corax, but, if I may be so bold as to suggest it � you should consider a dual apprenticeship. With your innate ability to think beyond purely magical solutions, you could bring objective insight to the brewing of potions for the Curse Damage Wards. Perhaps Severus and I could train you jointly � Potions and Massotherapy."

Both wizards looked at her, but Harry was more surprised than Severus. The Potion Master had observed Harry cook in Muggle fashion for weeks and was often reminded how similar a science cooking and potion brewing actually were. Severus decided that the real reason his young housemate had failed at brewing most of his potions while a student at Hogwarts was that he never actually followed a recipe while he cooked. Harry would study the recipe and absorb the bare skeleton of the directions, but he added ingredients intuitively, improvising constantly. Creativity and basic potion brewing were polar opposites.

"As Corvus Corax." Harry said flatly. "There is no record of Corvus Corax attending any magical school. Won�t I need to provide some documentation?"

"You leave that to me, child. You can purchase anything in Knockturn Alley, even a new identity."

Harry ran his fingers through his straight hair. Was he really ready to finally �kill� Harry Potter for good?

"Wouldn�t you enjoy anonymity, my dear?" The witch gave him a sly smile. "When I changed my identity years ago, I found it liberating. I could finally be myself, not the witch society demanded based upon my given name."

"You changed your name?" Harry asked, suddenly remembering Severus� comment about dark episodes in the witch�s past.

"You have perhaps heard of a wizard named Grindlewald?" Harry�s head shot up. Madam Jones graced him with a sad smile. "He was my brother."