Methods of Care

by ThatTreeCat

Summary:

Ever since the events of his fourth year, Harry Potter has been drowning. He’d already been struggling for years, and a mixture of fresh trauma, mounting pressure, and disturbing nightmares is pushing him closer and closer to the edge.
His friends see him falling apart more and more, but they’re powerless to help him. The adults in his life are willing to turn a blind eye to his ever-increasing issues, so long as they’re able to maintain their idea of a savior and keep their plans in place.

When Harry Potter arrived at Hogwarts, Severus Snape's life became exponentially harder as he tried to field threats against a boy he didn’t even like and take up spy work again at the same time. With the return of the Dark Lord, Severus also suddenly had to work to protect his godson from the threat looming over them; if Draco fell into the Dark Lord’s hands like his father, he would never escape.
Severus is content to allow the obvious problems rising in Potter to be addressed by the boy’s other teachers, and the people who cared for him. However, as more issues arose and intensified, one thing became obvious: Severus may be the only person with both the power to help Potter, and the will to do so.

Notes:

• Translation into Español available: Métodos de Cuidado by Ariaes_Bijou

Trigger warnings for this overall work: Self-harm, depression, suicidal thoughts, suicide attempt, violent thoughts, alcohol/alcoholism, implied/referenced abuse.
I do not add trigger warnings for individual chapters! This entire work (Especially even-numbered chapters, which belong to Harry's POV) is riddled with these triggers, and if it might be triggering for you, I'd recommend to just steer clear altogether.

This has no specific upload schedule, but the first few chapters are written and the whole work is plotted out. The prologue is by far the shortest (only one page), while the other chapters written so far have been between five and seven pages -- I promise the chapters get longer!!

If you're confused by the timeline of the prologue vs. the rest of the story, it takes place about halfway through. At the top of every chapter is the character perspective and date -- I tried to pick the dates to be mostly cannon-accurate, but it's probably all a bit off.

Enjoy, and take care of yourself.

Chapter 1: Prologue

February 27, 1996

Severus T. Snape

 

Severus Snape was, unquestionably, entirely unsuited to deal with this.

 

“Mr. Potter, why don’t you take a few steps back?”

 

The boy didn’t trust him, not really, and Severus was not a kind enough man for this. Severus didn’t think he could use an actually gentle tone with him no matter how hard he tried.

 

Potter didn’t respond, and Severus took a few steps forward, wand in hand and ready to cast. “Come away from there, now. It isn’t worth it, not like you think it is.”

 

He was stumbling in the dark here; he had no idea what Potter was thinking, or what was really going on with the boy. Severus stomped down the urge to snap at the boy and call him a dunderhead or something equally stupid and juvenile. 

 

“Come away, Potter,” he repeated.

 

They’d been out in the cold for a while now: Severus was trying to make Potter come closer to him, and Potter was staring blankly into the distance, already set on his course. The boy could be stubborn, disobedient, and troubled, Severus already knew, but he hadn’t thought it would get… that bad.

 

Finally, finally, Potter spoke. “Does it matter, if it’s really ‘worth it’? It has to be better than the alternative.” 

 

Potter’s voice was toneless, flat. Any other time, Severus would have snapped at him for not saying “sir” or “professor,” but this wasn’t the time nor place. 

 

“I think it does matter. Step away now, Harry. I’ll stop you by force if I have to, but I’d rather you stepped away willingly.”

 

Potter finally looked away from whatever point in the distance he’d been focusing on, and instead looked to Severus’s face. His eyes, that Avada Kedavra green, were a bit unsettling in the light of the sconces from the stairwell and the moonlight above. Severus fell silent, staring back into the eyes so much like his mother’s.

 

I’m sorry, Lily. I failed you, and I’ve failed your son.

 

He finally stepped towards Severus, and away from the edge of the astronomy tower.