Chapter Two: Secrets

Once in the hallway of Hogwarts, Harry pulled the Marauder's Map out of his pocket and searched diligently for Severus Snape. He was not frequenting the Headmaster's Office, nor was he in his usual habitat: the dungeons. Harry had almost resigned to the fact that perhaps he was away from Hogwarts when he spotted the little dot that was labeled Severus Tobias Snape. The professor was not inside the castle at all, but rather roaming the castle grounds. He paced along a spot that Harry knew all too well. It was besides the lake, a tall and beautiful tree that supplied the perfect amount of shade for hot summer days. A plethora of students, Harry included, had sat underneath that very tree. The Marauders had haunted that spot once, many moons ago. Snape had been there then as well, ridiculed by Harry's father in front of his peers. It seemed ironic that the Potions Master would be there now.

Harry walked quietly and purposefully to the front doors. He had no real plan in mind of what he would do when he encountered Snape, but he knew that it must be done. With revenge in his heart, he slipped through the entrance of Hogwarts and into the dark and starry night.

The wind blew with gusto as Harry made his way towards the lake. He struggled to keep the Invisibility Cloak from blowing away, then decided it was best to keep just take it off anyway. Stealth was never Harry's strongpoint and he didn't want to seem as if he was hiding from anyone. Off in the distance, Harry could see the outline of Severus Snape. He was facing the lake, his long black robes billowing in the wind. Harry continue his steady march forward, wand outstretched. Snape was by far the superior wizard, but hopefully Harry would enough of an advantage with his element of surprise. He was about five feet away when he hear the menacing voice of Professor Severus Snape.

"You have got nerve showing up here , Potter," the aged man projected over the wind, not even turning around to face Harry.

"You've got nerve to even dare to pretend to be a fraction of the man Dumbledore was!" Harry shouted and lifted his wand, shouting "Expelliarmus!". With lightning fast agility, Snape whipped around and blocked the spell. Harry fired again and again, naming off any spell that came to his head. Snape repeatedly reflected them, but made no attempt to fight back. The two men moved closer together, their wands orchestrating an intricate dance filled with color and sound.

"I have no intention on fighting you, Harry Potter," Snape called out. He could see the hurt in the young man's eyes, physically see the burden that the poor boy had been carrying for the past seven years. So much pain, so young Severus thought remorsefully.

"Then you are a coward! He never should have trusted you! How could you, Snape? How could you look a man who had given you everything in the eyes and murder him? You spineless coward!"

"I did not murder him, Potter."

"I was there! I watched you."

"What you saw was a prearranged agreement between Dumbledore and I that was merely being fulfilled." The bizarre nature of that comment made Harry stop trying to curse Snape.

"What are you talking about?"

Snape spoke with uncharacteristic patience. He owed Harry Potter, of all people, an explanation. It wouldn't be easy, but it was necessary. Dumbledore had once requested that Snape tell Harry of his destiny when the time was right. Feeling that he wasn't going to get another opportunity like this again, he knew that the time was now.

"There is something that I must tell you, Potter. Something that Dumbledore wants you to know."

"How do I know that I can trust you?" Snape thought for a moment, then reached into his robes and pulled out a minuscule vial of a clear-colored liquid. "Surely you know what this is, Potter."

"Of course, Veritaserum."

"And you are aware of the functions of such a potion?"

"It makes someone tell the truth."

Snape allowed a small smirk to escape. "At least I taught you something in potions class."

"As I remember it, professor, you threatened to use it on me."

"Well, given your background, it seemed to have been necessary. Now, I am going to take this dose of Veritaserum. Since I would have the inability to lie, will you believe what I have to tell you then?"

Harry hesitated for a moment. Why was he even bothering to listen to this? Surely it was a trap. Snape was delaying him so that Voldemort could arrive and kill him. And yet, something stopped Harry from walking away. Perhaps it was the look in Snape's eyes. That kind of soft look that was extremely rare for a man like Snape. Or maybe it was because Harry wanted to know what secret Dumbledore would entrust in Snape that he hadn't told Harry. Whatever it was, Harry's heart told him to stay and he followed it.

"Alright, but I don't have a lot of time. Swallow the potion and tell me what I need to know." Snape uncorked the vial and slipped the liquid into his mouth. He grimaced at the taste and looked thoughtfully at Harry before he began to speak.

"Before we begin, I want you to know that I did not want to be the person to tell you this."