The Boy Who Lived
I - Severus Snape

A/N: Collaboration with obsidianrapture! :) More chapter(s) can be found at /s/8552854/1/. This fic is a collection of random ideas and plot bunnies, those written by her can be found on her page! They're standalone chapters so you can read them in any order. We do not hate Harry, but we had a lot of fun coming out with ways to kill him.

Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling. I do not own anything.

-x-

"Fools who wear their hearts proudly on their sleeves, who cannot control their emotions, who wallow in sad memories and allow themselves to be provoked so easily - weak people, in other words - they stand no chance against his powers! He will penetrate your mind with absurd ease, Potter!"

"I am not weak," said Harry in a low voice, fury now pumping through him so that he thought he might attack Snape in a moment.

"Then prove it! Master yourself!" spat Snape, clearly irritated at the stupid boy who couldn't hold his mental shields, who didn't bother to put up any defense against his assault. He even went easy on him, but that boy was weaker than a flobberworm.

Harry stared in Snape's general direction, his eyes focused on the bottles of potions in a glass cabinet instead of the figure in dark robes standing at the opposite end of the room. Occlumency is stupid, he thought, knowing Snape could read his mind. THUMP. Harry's eyes flitted to an open cupboard that housed containers of ingredients. THUMP. Harry saw a black container hop a little and hit the shelf above it.

"Harry James Potter. You will look at me when I talk to you!" Snape raised his voice a little, half sneering at his middle name and seething with rage.

"I see you've inherited your dad's stupidity." Snape's voice suddenly returned to his usual drawl and Harry rolled his eyes. "It pays to listen to instructions and work with it." Snape descended onto his enemy's son with one clean swoop, his cloak billowing behind him, "Defiance," he emphasized, "gets you nowhere."

THUMP. THUMP. THUMP. Harry continued to stare at the hopping jar. Snape pointed his wand at the shelf behind him and fired a silent curse at the ingredient. The jar stayed rooted to its shelf.

Harry whistled. Blimey his aim was good, even without looking. Harry rubbed his forehead. His scar, no, his head was hurting from Snape's previous assault. Clear his emotions? That's unlikely to happen, especially when Snape's pissing him off every minute. Snape grabbed Harry chin and turned his head forcefully to meet his.

"Eye contact is not required for the Dark Lord to access your mind, Potter." Snape said in almost a whisper, his eyes staring into the green pools behind a pair of round spectacles.

-x-

Eyes of the prettiest green and that unique glint of defiance - Snape will never forget those eyes that used to make his heart flutter every time it stared into his. Lily. His Lily. Why must she chose that useless Potter? After all he had done for her, why must she associate herself with those stupid Marauders? She could have been safe! She could have been alive and by his side, and they could open the combined charms and potion shop they planned for when they were in second year.

"I never meant to call you Mudblood, it just-"

"Slipped out? It's too late. I've made excuses for you for years. None of my friends can understand why I even talk to you. You and your precious Death Eater friends"

Snape closed his eyes and pushed all his emotions behind his mental barriers.

"You've chosen your way, I've chosen mine."

Lily.

-x-

Harry jerked his chin away. He had enough of Occlumency lessons. If he all he was going to do during his 'remedial potions' class is to have his mind raped over and over again by this mad man, he rather continue having those dreams.

"One - two - Legilimens!"

Lily and James in the mirror of Erised... Lily hugging Harry tightly and putting him into a crib, standing before the crib to protect it as the door slammed open... A green flash of light and a scream...

Harry felt the intrusion end immediately. He fell on his knees, trying to catch his breath, while the intruder simply stood there, wand pointing straight at his scar. Harry thought he saw a single tear form at Snape's eyes.

Harry felt a sudden chill in the room as his professor's mouth twitched into a smile, if Snape could even smile.

"You have your mother's eyes, Potter." Snape suddenly said, staring intensely into the green eyes, the defiance still as pronounced, but now with a hint of fear.

"Sir?" Harry was unsure of how to respond. Snape's voice carried a hint of tenderness that he has never heard before.

Harry saw the glint of a silver knife on the table out of the corner of his eye. His professor walked slowly towards him. Harry's heart started racing. He knew it. Snape was never on the light side. He was planning to use the Occlumency lesson to help Voldemort kill him!

THUMP. Harry felt the wall behind him. The door was quite a distance away, and he can never make it in time with all the tables around him. He leaned against the wall, planning his next move. If he made a run for it... No, Snape will stun him with his wand. He had nowhere else to go.

Snape was standing directly in front of him and Harry felt something cold on the side of his cheek, moving gently towards his temple.

"I like them very, very much."