Chapter 3! The chapters are going to be getting progressively longer until closer to the end of the story. In total there are 11 chapters so it isn't an exceedingly long story. Also if you haven't noticed the chapters are split based on the change in perspective of Snape and Harry. Review and tell me what you thought of the story.
Harry had been so pleased to see that Snape was still the same. The man was still rude and thoughtless. He also saw Harry as an idiot so that made everything easier. If the man agreed to follow the rules he could keep them both alive until help could arrive. He had grabbed a jacket and his money to pay for some food. He was going to buy enough food to last for a week and hide it in the room. Things that wouldn't perish.
He left the house with his wallet and Snape's wand. He went to the shed and grabbed the bicycle that Dudley had given up learning how to use after the first month of owning it. He jumped on the bike and began the ride down to the nearest store. Harry had had some of his wizarding money converted into muggle money and he was using this to buy the food.
He bought everything ignoring the glares the shop assistant was giving him. Vernon and Petunia had made it clear to anyone in the immediate area that Harry was a criminal. Even the workers were warned to not leave him alone in the store. When he bought the food he got back on the bike and began the ride back. His scar began to prickle and Harry picked up the pace.
He knew it was dangerous to be out alone, even if he did have a wand, so he hurried onto his own property. His scar instantly stopped tingling once he was within the wards. At least they work. Harry snorted as he put the bike away. All the pain and suffering was worth something at least. The knowledge that Dumbledore had ordered his isolation lit a fire in his gut he hadn't felt in a long time. After the third task he had been out of it. Not feeling anything but guilt, he just drifted through life. His uncle's beatings did not faze him as they once did. Nothing bothered him anymore.
He had gone into survival mode and only did things to keep himself alive. He did his chores and took the beatings. He did not argue he just survived. When Snape had arrived half dead he had begun to feel something else. Worry and fear, not for himself but for someone else. Now that he allowed himself to feel again, anger had returned. He felt furious at the headmaster, at everyone. Dumbledore was such an idiot.
The man was supposedly the most powerful wizard of this age but he couldn't even tell when a teacher was being possessed. Or when a longtime friend was actually a death eater using polyjuice. Dumbledore had denied Sirius a trial 14 years ago and Harry had suffered. Dumbledore had left him with physically abusive people and continued to send him back there. The man was a menace to Harry's very existence.
Harry stomped up the stairs with the bags of food. He opened the door to see Snape staring at him. Harry ignored him in favor of storing the food in a place that wouldn't be seen. He ground his teeth in fury as he loosened a new floor board, cast a cooling charm on the area and shrunk the food items. When that was done he burned the paper bags so that the evidence was gone. He replaced the floorboard and cast a notice-me-not charm on it so Vernon would not look there. Hiding food was a big offense in the Dursley household.
He did the same thing with the floorboard that held his medical supplies. He packed everything up except for the invisibility cloak. He needed that to hide Snape. Harry continued to ignore the man who was studying him like he was some sort of strange potion ingredient. It was 11pm now and Harry needed to sleep. He flipped off his ratty tennis shoes and plopped himself onto of the blanket he had swiped from the hallway closet. He tore off his glasses and pushed his head face first into the pillow trying to calm himself. He tried to pretend that nothing was wrong but it didn't work.
"What has gotten you so angry Mr. Potter?" Snape asked in a bemused tone.
"Why do you care sir?" Harry growled out. He really did not want to talk.
"You save my life Mr. Potter. I can't help but be slightly curious about you." Snape said.
Harry looked up and stared at the pale man who was staring back at him. He searched his eyes for signs of deception and saw nothing but mild curiosity. Harry smirked.
"I propose a deal. I'm curious about how you ended up here and you are curious about me, for reasons I don't quite understand. I ask you a question and if you answer it to my expectations then I'll answer yours to your expectations. We can keep doing that until we get bored."
"And if I refuse?"
"Then I tell you nothing." Harry said.
Snape studied him before nodding.
"So how did you end up in my yard?"
"I apparated."
"Not a good enough answer I want the whole story. The deal was you answer to my expectations. Answering with a little information just wastes time."
"Fine." Snape said with a sneer. "I was a spy for Dumbledore during the last war. After his return I made plans to return to the Dark Lord's loyal service. He discovered my true loyalties and tortured me. My first wand was taken and he left me with his followers to be tortured further. After many hours I was left in a prison cell. They did not discover my secondary wand which I used to escape. I used my remaining magic to try and apparate to a safe house. Apparently the closest one was your residence. Was that to your liking?"
"I was right!" Harry said. "You were a spy. Sweet. Yes, that answer is totally acceptable. Now do you want me to answer the question you asked earlier or do you have a different one?"
"The earlier one is fine."
"Well. I was angry because of Dumbledore. The man is a menace to my continued existence. I feel like he has done everything in his power to kill me and I've only survived thanks to an extraordinary amount of luck."
"Dumbledore has done nothing but work to protect you." Snape argued.
Harry snorted.
"Potter you will be grateful to the headmaster. He had bent over backwards to accommodate your arrogant hide." Snape commanded.
"Accommodate?" Harry demanded with vitriol. "Look around this room and what do you see? Do you see the room of a spoiled arrogant prince or the room of a prisoner?"
"This room does look rather bare." Snape admitted quietly.
"Do you see the blood on the walls? The 13 different locks and the cat flap on the door? Do you see the signs?" Harry demanded.
"Whose room is this?" Snape demanded.
"It's mine. Has been for four years now. It was an upgrade from my old accommodations."
"Your old accommodations?" Snape whispered out.
Harry sneered and sat up. He whipped out the wand and used the levitation charm. Snape swore in surprise but did not fight the charm. Harry took him on a tour of the home. First he pulled him out of Harry's room and closed the door. The locks looked almost comical.
"Here you can see the freaks room. Freak is only good for two things cooking and housework. Freak should've died when his drunken worthless parents did. This room used to belong to our precious Dudley since he needs two rooms to hold all of his stuff." Harry began sarcastically then taking him to the next room. "Here is the room of Dudley Dursley. Filled to the brim with all the newest toys and electronics. Nothing is good enough for Dudley. Here is the guest room that is only used once every few years by Aunt Marge. When not in use it is left empty. Here is Aunt Petunia and Vernon's room. It is the only room the freak is not allowed entrance. If he entered into their room he would taint it with his freakishness."
Harry ignored Snape as he continued down the stairs. He took him into the living room first.
"Here we have the living room of the Dursley Residence. It is filled with pictures of the wonderful Dudley. The boy who can do no wrong. Freak is only allowed in here to clean he must not sit on the couch or touch the tv. He would ruin it with his freakishness. If Freak is called into this room he must stand at attention until he is sent away." Harry explained bitterly recalling all the rules his uncle had set up, he walked to the kitchen next. "Here is the kitchen and dining room. The freak is meant to cook every meal but he does not deserve food. The freak does not eat with normal people else he would ruin their food. The freak will stand while others eat. The freak will eat the table scraps and the freak will be grateful for them for it is better than he deserves."
Harry led them back to the stairs and stopped at the innocuous looking cupboard door. He opened the door. He took a deep breath and levitated Snape over so he could see the cupboard. It looked exactly the same as it had. He had lived with the cleaning supplies so nothing had been added or removed in his absence. The plank in which he had poorly written his name in crayon on. He levitated his teacher so that Snape could view his room in all his glory.
"This is the freak's room. It is better than he deserves. Freak belongs with the brooms and mops."
Harry took them both back into his room and placed Snape lightly back on the bed. He laid himself down on the blanket. He waited for Snape to say something. Minutes passed before Snape spoke.
"I take it that you have never told anyone what goes on within these walls?"
Snape's voice sounded strained as if he was holding back some unnamed emotion. Harry spoke with a blank voice devoid of any emotion.
"Rule number 2 don't tell. Freaks should not speak about their treatment for they deserve it and no one will care."
"What was rule number 1?" Snape said in a quiet tone.
"Never forget your place. I am a freak. I should've died when my parents did. I deserve every single thing that happens to me for I am a freak."
Harry recalled memories of being forced to repeat those sentences before he could eat. He smiled bitterly. Freak was his first word. Something that the Dursley's reminded him of often. After the 'tour' of the house Harry felt almost empty. Harry spoke up again.
"Does that explain why I am so very angry sir?"
"Yes I do believe it does. What is your next question?"
Harry thought for a moment. He knew Snape knew his father, he had made that clear enough. He had gone to school with his father which means he had gone to school with his mother.
"What was my mother like? No one ever talks about her. Whenever they speak of her they say she was good at charms and potions. A smart girl. But nothing else. I can't figure it out. Everyone is always so much more open about my dad. Not that it helps. I still know so little about him too."
Harry waited quietly for Snape to speak. It was just a random guess that his professor knew his mom. They were in different houses he may have known nothing about her at all. It was nearing midnight now but Harry felt no need to sleep quite yet. After some time Snape spoke in a quiet voice.
"Your mother was a vivacious girl. We met when we were both nine." Snape said. "Even then she had a strong sense of duty and honor. She defended those weaker than herself. She defended me the weird boy who lived in the drunk's house down the street. I wore hand me down clothing and always had a sneer on my face. Your mother was one of the few to see through all that. I had been spying on her and her sister. I thought she was such a wonderful person. I saw her do some accidental magic. She was on the swing set and she jumped off and she flew through the air laughing."
Harry smiled trying to imagine the scene.
"They saw me and Petunia her older sister demanded that I never tell anyone what I saw. I told her that Lily had something that she shouldn't be ashamed of. I told her about the world of magic. I introduced her to the wizarding world. From then on your mother was in love she would meet with me every day and we would talk about everything from potions to charms to Hogwarts itself. Even then she was able to see through my exterior and see the boy inside." Snape sounded fond as he spoke a tone Harry had never heard him use before. "When we got to Hogwarts your mother was sorted into Gryffindor very quickly and I was sorted into Slytherin. Despite this your mother remained my stalwart friend. She befriended those who were lonely or in need. She was fiercely protective and easy to anger. If you did something to make her furious she would tear into you with her tongue leaving you a quivering mass with shredded pride. Lily loved potions and charms because to her they were the most magical. She saw those subjects as the things that wizards and witches did in her muggle stories. She excelled in mostly anything she set her mind too. There were a few exceptions. She could not fly on a broom. Our first flying lessons ended when she fell off her broom and twisted her ankle. Any broom lesson after that ended with her having an injury. She found transfiguration impossible. Her magic just didn't work that way I think."
Harry imagined the smiling woman with the fiery red hair falling off a broom and brewing a potion. He grinned despite himself. Snape was a childhood friend of his mother. He knew what she was like her personality her likes and dislikes. No one knew those things about her.
"Your mother only liked white chocolate. Any other kind and she would refuse to eat it. She loved breakfast foods, if she could she would have those for every meal of every day. During our younger years she had a huge sweet tooth but one day when we were 14 she declared to me that she would not eat candy any more. An adult witch needed to control such base urges, she said. I would still catch her sneaking sweets though when things got stressful." Snape said this with a grin. "When your mother became prefect she took more points from James Potter than she did anyone else. Your mother wanted to marry her true love. She told me that she wanted to have a giant family. She wanted to have 10 children and raise them all with love. I do believe that as she got older she lowered the number to a more manageable 8 children though."
Harry chuckled and suddenly felt a pang of loss. He should've had 7 younger siblings. He should've had that family. With his two parents and his siblings who never got a chance at life. Snape had stopped speaking. It seemed that was all he had to give.
"Thank you sir. I only ever had one memory of my mother and now I have all these facts about her. Do you have a question before we go to sleep?"
"Do they hit you?" Snape asked the question quickly as if he was afraid of the answer.
Harry stiffened. Really he should have expected this kind of question. The signs for physical abuse were all there right in that room. He took a deep breath and exhaled trying to force himself to answer. There was no point in lying. None at all. The man knew he was just asking for confirmation. All he had to do was answer yes. Then that would be the end of it. He steeled himself he turned his body so that he was facing the wall. He didn't want to see the man's face. He took another deep breath. He could do this.
"Yes."
They said nothing else for the rest of the night. Harry drifted off to sleep as did Snape. For the first time in over a month Harry did not have any nightmares. He woke up at 7am and stretched. He still had to paint the fence and a few other chores to complete. If he used magic he could get everything done quickly. He got up used the bathroom. He went down to the kitchen and prepared breakfast. This was going to be the last time he had any kind of cooked food for a while.
Harry could not believe how open he had been with the man. He had never told anyone about the things that happened within the walls of this house. He had lied to everyone, his best friends, his godfather. He had laid bare his entire life to the man for no discernable reason. It wasn't because the man knew his mother, he had told him mostly everything before that point.
Harry couldn't figure it out. Snape had torn into him since his very first day of school. The teacher had despised him. If anyone was likely to make fun of Harry for his life it would have been Snape. Maybe it had been that look of curiosity. An adult had never wondered about his life before. No adult had ever cared about his emotions or actions.
Harry spooned out the two plates for breakfast and glided up the stairs. He opened the door quietly and smiled to see that the man was still asleep. He spoke up to wake up the man.
"Professor. It's time for breakfast." Harry said.
The man's eyes shot open and he looked around. When he realized where he was he scowled. At least the man hadn't changed much. Harry set the plates down on the ground and moved to help Snape sit up. The man was still incredibly weak. Harry hoped he could feed himself though. He placed the plate on the man's lap and sat down on the ground to eat his own food. After a moment Snape began clumsily feeding himself. When they finished Snape cleared his throat while looking resolutely at the wall.
"Mr. Potter. My legs are not yet strong enough to support me and I require aid to go to the restroom."
Harry suddenly understood. Knowing how humiliated the man must be for having to have help to the restroom Harry refrained from saying anything. When Snape had been unconscious he had just used a spell that nurses used that vanished waste directly from the body on the man. Now that the man was awake Harry doubted Snape would approve of that rather uncomfortable method.
So Harry nodded and stood up. He helped Snape roll out of bed and allowed the man to lean on him. They made their way down to the bathroom and Harry helped him onto the toilet. He left the room and allowed the man to do his business. When he called Harry back in, Harry said nothing but merely helped the man back into the bed. When that was finished Harry took both of the plates to wash them.
"I still have to get the chores done before they get home. I should be back by lunch. Then I'll shut the door and we will stay in here. It's better for everyone if he doesn't see me when he gets home."
Snape nodded and Harry left. He cast a large notice me not charm on the backyard and quickly used magic to repaint the fence. He used magic to recut the lawn and then put everything away with magic. All in all the job was finished in 15 minutes. He removed the notice me not charms and went inside. He checked the list again and did a thorough sweep of the house. Everything was perfect. The entire house in so pristine a condition that it looked like it wasn't lived in. He smiled to himself feeling that everything was in fine condition.
He made himself and Snape some sandwiches with the final supplies of the kitchen and went upstairs feeling that everything was as best as he could make it. He returned to see Snape leaning up against the wall and glaring at the room. Harry smirked.
"It doesn't get better if you stare at it. Trust me I've tried that particular trick many times before." Harry said in a dry tone.
Snape snorted. He looked at Harry with interest as Harry handed him his lunch.
"Why did you never tell anyone?"
"Tell anyone what?" Harry asked even though he knew exactly what Snape was referring too.
"Potter." Snape growled out.
"Simple really. When I got to Hogwarts I listened to the gossip. They said there was one professor to go to if you were having problems. That this professor would believe you and make sure you didn't have to go back. Do you know which professor that was?" Harry asked lightly but his voice was laced with steel.
Snape said nothing. So Harry took a bite of his sandwich and chewed thoughtfully. He almost didn't want to finish the story. He almost didn't want to lay the blame for his situation on the man before him. He honestly didn't know who was truly at fault. Was it Harry's fault for never speaking up? Was it Dumbledore's for never checking up on him after leaving him there? Was it Sirius' fault for not fighting for him instead of going after Peter? Was it Voldemort's fault for killing his parents? Was it Snape's fault for being so angry and hateful that Harry did not feel comfortable trusting him? After a few moments Harry did speak though.
"You Professor Snape. You are the professor whose name is whispered in the halls. The one that older students speak of with hushed reverence. I asked a lot of students to find information I had to be careful. No one could know of what happened here unless they were very trustworthy." Harry said in a voice almost like a whisper. "You made it very clear you did not like me and would not believe me. Where you would believe and help others for me it was still different."
"I was unaware that I had such a reputation."
"It was funny actually. It isn't like everyone knows about it. I think students would treat you differently if they did. I had to search long and hard to find out which professor was the most approachable with the subject. It wasn't easy, your Slytherins were not at all easy to get information out of. I had to lie to a lot of them to get them to talk."
"What did you say to them?" Snape asked very interested.
"Well it was interesting. First off I listened to the rumors about kids who didn't have the best family life. Then I would find them in the hallways and call out to them. Your Slytherins usually had the same reaction to the boy who lived seeking them out. Mistrust and confusion." Harry said with a smirk. "I would tell them I had a very important question and that it was imperative if they would come with me and help me out. I would be in their debt if they would at least try and help. What ambitious Slytherin wouldn't want an in with the boy who lived?"
Snape coughed in surprise as if he expected Harry to tell him that he held the students at wand point.
"I would tell them that I needed a very knowledgeable person to help me. There was a boy in Gryffindor who has really terrible guardians. I implied physical violence. I think most of them assumed it was Neville and I never corrected them. Most of them were nicer to Neville after that though. They would tell me that Snape was the one to go to." Harry explained. "But I could never go to you."
Harry paused for a moment. Snape had a strange look on his face as if he was trying to swallow a large egg. Harry quirked up half of his lips and smiled at the man's discomfort.
"Do you need anything sir? The sooner we get everything settled the more likely we can avoid my Uncle's wrath."
"Perhaps going to the restroom once more before they arrive would be prudent." Snape said looking at the wall.
"Good plan." Harry said helping the man up quickly.
Harry helped the man to the bathroom across the hall once more. He waited for Snape to finish only feeling slightly awkward about it. When Snape finished he helped the man out and to the bed. He left and used the bathroom himself after that. Harry did one more sweep of the house and felt confident he returned everything to the cupboard under the stairs and locked the door. It was then that he heard the car. Harry rushed up the stairs and quietly shut the door. He grabbed the invisibility cloak and breathed out.
"They're here. Vernon might come in here, you must be quiet. We can't leave until someone comes and gets us if you do something and he realizes you're here, he'll probably try and kill us both. If he doesn't and just kicks us out we are dead anyway without the wards. Do you understand?" Harry said quietly but fiercely.
Snape nodded with a look of grim determination in his eyes. Harry laid the invisibility cloak on his professor and nodded when the man disappeared. He sat down on the floor to wait, he was rewarded when moments later the door burst open to reveal the noises of his relatives. There was a lot of walking around, Harry could hear Vernon walk outside to the backyard, and then upstairs to the attic, checking each room except for Harry's own. Eventually the house settled down and Harry heard the shout he had been expecting.
"BOY! GET YOUR LAZY BUTT DOWN HERE!"
"That's my cue, I'll be back professor." Harry whispered before shouting. "COMING UNCLE VERNON!"
