Chapter Text
“It’ll roll in sooner than you think,” Severus’ eyes were glued to the horizon. Harry stood at his eyes, leaning on the railing of the astronomy tower.
“You said that half an hour ago,” Harry replied, brushing a curl away from his forehead.
It was storm season.
Half of the sky was still a stark blue. The other half an ombre of gray, almost black clouds settling on the horizon.
The breeze was cool but heavy. They had been watching the skies all morning.
“I have a good feeling about this one,” Severus lowered his pair of Omnioculars, handing them to Harry, “You can see the shelf clouds in the distance.”
Harry adjusted the dials on the omnioculars. It had been the same pair they always used.
They used to feel gigantic in his hands as a child, now they seemed normal.
“Yep, but it’s still much further out than you said.” Harry smirked, handing the brass goggles back to Severus, who muttered under his breath.
Harry paced around the astronomy tower deck.
He remembered being five years old, running laps around the old deck until Severus yelled at him to stop.
Thunder rolled in the distance. The leaves of the forbidden forest rattled in the wind.
A thestral shot up from the tree line and dove back down.
Harry circled around back to Severus, “That same one keeps diving.”
“One will usually keep watch if a calf is nearby,” Severus adjusted the omnioculars, “Thestrals are highly protective of their young.”
Harry had never asked why Severus could see the thestrals, too. He thought better than to ask.
“Are you sure you secured the jars, Evans?” Severus asked.
“Mmm hmm,” Harry nodded, pulling a licorice wand out of his pocket and taking a bite, “They’re anchored down. Not even a hurricane could blow them away.”
“Good,” Severus tucked the omnioculars into his robes, “This may be our day.”
“You say that every time,” Harry chuckled, biting another bit off of his licorice wand, “There’s a reason that the phrase ‘catching lightning in a bottle' is a metaphor. It’s incredibly rare.”
“Yes,” Severus replied, snatching the licorice wand from harry and breaking off a piece, “And I find myself a collector of incredibly rare things. Including metaphors.”
Severus handed the licorice wand back to Harry, popping the broken piece into his mouth.
Another roll of thunder in the distance.
“Ah, see? Here we are.” Severus dusted off his hands, and turned towards the horizon, “Rain will be here any second now, put your glasses away.”
Harry rolled his eyes, “I’m not going to take them off! I won’t be able to see it, if it happens!”
“Ah, see? You do have faith.” Severus smirked, leaning on the rail.
The breeze swept his dark hair back, where Harry noticed the scarring on Severus’ cheek.
Another thing he knew not to ask about.
Harry rubbed his forehead, his fingertips tracing over the raised skin of his own scar.
Then, he saw it. The sheet of rain pouring in the distance, stampeding towards them.
A flock of raindrops rapidly draped over the astronomy tower, pattering hard against the roof.
Severus grabbed Harry’s arm, pointing towards the horizon, raising his voice over the rain.
“The east is where we’ve tracked the most strikes, keep your eyes in that direction, and I’ll cover the west!” Severus let go of Harry’s arm, and strode away, pulling out the omnioculars once more.
The first strike of lightning jutted across the sky.
“Anything, Evans?” Severus called, his eyes still glued to the omnioculars.
“Not even close to our anchor point!” Harry shouted back, wiping the rain from his cheek.
It was coming down in sheets.
The wind began to pick up, causing the structure of the astronomy tower to creak and groan.
Severus and Harry called back and forth over the rain.
“Two strikes west!”
“Watch the north every so often!”
“Watch your footing, the deck is getting slick!”
The wind was whipping past them, pushing the rain directly into the tower.
They were both soaking wet, constantly wicking away the water from the deck with their wands.
More lightning, branching out in all directions.
Thunder so strong it shook the beams of the tower.
Severus grabbed Harry’s shoulder, “I told you this was going to be a good one.”
Harry wiped his glasses on his robe, pushing them back up onto the bridge of his nose.
Another crack of lightning struck the treeline of the forbidden forest.
A booming crash. A tree had been struck.
Debris was swirling in the wind below them as plants and shrubs were pulled up by the wind.
Then, there it was.
A bolt in the east had struck the ground.
Harry gripped Severus' arm, his vision blurred behind his streaked lenses, his excitement beaming in his voice, nearly jumping up and down,“DAD! The north anchor!”
“I saw it!” Severus replied, nearly grinning, replaying the moment in the omnioculars, “It was directly over it…”
Then, his expression shifted. Slowly lowering the goggles.
A moment of silence passed.
Harry felt his stomach drop.
He had said it again. Without thinking.
How could he ruin such a perfect moment?
The rain began to lighten and the wind slowed down.
“Yeah, uh…sorry,” Harry muttered quickly, “We definitely need to check that anchor.”
Severus cleared his throat, “Indeed, however - the apology was unnecessary.”
“Just a slip of the tongue, I’ll try not to -”
“No need.”
Severus tucked his damp hair behind his ear, his eyes locked on the horizon.
Harry rubbed his glasses on his damp sleeve (a pointless effort), feeling sick with embarrassment, “Oh, uh…alright.”
“I’d say all the anchors are worth checking,” Severus said, “We’ve gotten through the brunt of it now. It’s slowing down.”
“Right,” Harry nodded, trying to ignore the dread (and…relief?) that had overcome him.
They cleared the deck of any remaining water, and the rain had died down to a sprinkle as they descended down the astronomy tower stairs.
They trekked across the damp grass, soaked from head to toe, towards the north anchor.
It was a humble glass jar, anchored down with the force of a thousand tons.
Nothing. Empty. A scorched piece of glass.
Harry sighed, slightly out of breath from the walk.
“Well, that was probably the closest we’ve ever gotten.” Harry muttered, released the jar from it’s anchoring spell with his wand.
“We haven’t checked them all,” Severus called back, already on his way to the next anchor point they had placed on the ground.
The east, and the south, were both empty as well.
“I say we call it,” Harry breathed heavily, three empty jars in his arms, “I want to go in and dry off.”
“One more,” Severus muttered, dissatisfied, “Just to collect the jar.”
Harry grumbled, dragging his feet as he followed Severus.
The awkwardness of the moment was killing him inside.
Harry couldn’t wait to go inside, get out of his soaked clothes, and disappear.
They turned towards the west, to the far edge of the grounds where they had placed the last jar.
But it was no longer just a matter of collecting their supplies.
Severus and Harry stopped dead in their tracks when they saw it.
A white orb perched on the grass. Scrambling and flashing like an animal trying to break free.
Severus looked at Harry.
Harry looked at Severus.
And they ran.
Harry skidded on his knees over the wet muddy grass and seized the jar in his fist, like a snitch in the final minute of the game.
“Holy shit!” Harry yelled in triumph, clutching the vibrating, glowing jar.
“Language,” Severus said absently, his eyes wide, kneeling down next to a filthy, grass covered Harry, gently taking the damp jar from Harry’s fist, “But I agree with the sentiment entirely.”
Severus marvelled at the jar, turning it in his fist.
It was a coiled, shimmering snake, encased in a glass prison - glimmering like a million stars.
Nearly blinding. Hot to the touch.
They both sat in the muddy earth, staring. Hypnotized.
Harry finally spoke, “Dad?”
“Yes?” Severus replied, with zero hesitation.
“We did it.”