AN: Here's chapter 3! Hope you enjoy :)
~GreenEyes
Everyone in the Hall was silent. No-one dared speak after the disbelieving exclamations from the Boy-Who-Lived and the Dungeon Bat.
Harry realized he was still wearing the Sorting Hat. In a way, he wished he could just sit there forever with the Hat covering his eyes from the gawking of his fellow students –and some teachers lacking in tact– and the furious glare of his Potions Master.
You know you can't stay here forever. Best to just –no pun intended– face the music.
"Hilarious" Harry thought sarcastically, taking the Hat off without waiting for a reply.
As expected the Seventh Years were staring at him in disbelief –even Malfoy, not even able to muster up a mocking smirk. If any of the teachers were surprised, they hid it expertly. Dumbledore's eyes had that maddening twinkle. And Snape… Did "furious" even begin to describe the look on the man's face?
Harry met the gaze defiantly. He refused to be cowed under the older wizard's gaze.
Finally, Dumbledore broke the silence. He seemed unfazed by the turn of events.
"Ah, yes" He said cheerfully "Fine matches, fine matches indeed."
Everyone turned incredulous eyes from the unlikely pairing to the Headmaster. Was the old man really that ignorant of what was right under his crooked nose?
"Now," The Headmaster continued as if nothing were amiss "Just a few last things before you all leave.
"Firstly, no student is to speak a word of who another student is paired with. Students may tell classmates who they, themselves, are paired with, but I feel it would be better if the majority of the school was surprised on the night of the competition."
There were a few nods of consent from the students.
"Also it will not do if the show is affected by Students and Teachers not practicing" Dumbledore continued "Therefore I expect each student and his or her partner to meet alone after we are all done here and come to some sort of agreement of when, where and how often to practice before the show. It would also be best if you spit-ball ideas about which song you would like to sing."
Snape scowled at Harry. Harry glared at Snape.
"The competition will be on the night of the 13th –next Saturday– final arrangements concerning rehearsal in the Hall and time slots will be discussed closer to the time." Dumbledore finished "Are there any questions?"
Silence.
"Okay then" Dumbledore clapped his hands together "All of you off to planning. Come on, Draco!"
Malfoy and Dumbledore walked off in the direction of the Headmaster's office. Dumbledore was beaming, while Malfoy's expression resembled one of a man being led to the gallows; cool resignation.
Susan and Madame Pomfrey went toward the Hospital Wing, chatting excitedly. It made sense; since it was the start of term, there would be no patients in the Hospital Wing yet.
Professor Flitwick and Terry left the Hall in the direction of Ravenclaw Tower; perhaps toward the Professors Quarters. Terry kept his gaze to the floor, Flitwick seemed to know what was wrong –then again, as the boy's Head of House it was his business to know if something was wrong.
Finally it was just Snape and Harry.
Snape sent one last glare at his student, then signaled that Harry should follow him with a jerk of his chin. The Potions Master stalked toward the dungeons, Harry trailing in his wake.
They walked in silence down into the dungeons. Harry thought they were going toward the Potions classroom, but Snape walked right past the door and kept going until he reached a blank expanse of stone wall. Snape hesitated for a moment.
"I trust" said the Potions Master in a carefully neutral voice which surprised Harry, "that you will not breathe of word of anything you find out tonight to anyone."
Harry nodded, vaguely confused at the change in his Professor.
"To anyone, Potter," Snape emphasized "that includes Miss Granger and Mister Weasley."
"I swear I won't tell anyone anything, Sir" said Harry, realizing this must be important.
Snape observed him closely, trying to find just one small scrap of evidence that his student was lying.
"If it makes you believe me, Sir" said Harry, tired of the cross-examination "I will gladly let you administer Veritaserum."
Snape drew back with a small smirk –could it be a smile?– and said, "That won't be necessary, Mr. Potter, I believe you. And if, by chance, you break your word… Rest assured your end will be slow and painful."
He said it threateningly, but it seemed to Harry as though he was only half serious. Harry merely waited for the older wizard to go on ahead.
Severus turned back to wall. He leaned close and whispered a single word.
Lily.
Harry's jaw dropped. His mother's name? No, no, of course not! Maybe Snape just like the flower, though he didn't seem the type to have the name of a flower for a password to his quarters. But his mother's name? It couldn't be!
For that's where they were. After Snape had spoken the password, a door had appeared in the wall. Snape opened it and went inside, holding the door open for Harry.
Harry stepped in numbly; still wondering about the password Snape had used. He barely noticed that the Professor's quarters were nothing like the speculations of his classmates. There were no torture chamber, no coffins, not even décor in Slytherin House colors. Nothing that would suggest a so-called 'dungeon-bat' lived here.
Snape led him into a small sitting room. There was a black, leather sofa and two matching armchairs with the same material on either side of the sofa. In front a the sofa was an Ebony coffee table and beyond that was a large, stone fireplace.
Snape lit a fire in the fireplace with a flick of his wand, and gestured for Harry to take a seat while he sat down on one of the armchairs. Harry sat of the sofa –the side closest to Snape.
"Professor Snape?" Harry asked, using the man's full title for the first time in a long time.
"Yes, Potter?" Snape seemed to know where this was going, but said nothing more.
"Your password-"
"It is your mother's name" Snape interrupted, confirming his suspicions.
"But why?" Harry asked "Why would my mother's name be your password?"
Snape sighed. There was sadness in his eyes, the first emotion other than anger and loathing that Harry had ever seen in his Professor.
"Sir, please. I have to know."
Snape gave a small nod.
Your mother was my best friend," Snape said, keeping his voice even by sheer will-power, "my first friend."
Harry couldn't believe it. And yet, he could, seeing the grief and regret clear as day on the man's face.
They spent the night talking.
Harry learned that Snape was a Death Eater-turned-spy who loved his mother as a sister. Snape showed him the Dark Mark on his arm and expressed the deepest loathing for both it and the one who had put it there. He admitted to Harry that it had been his fault that the Dark Lord had visited the Potters that Halloween night, but Harry immediately forgave him seeing the grief and self-loathing that event had triggered in the man. Harry finally understood that Hermione had been right all these years; Snape had only ever tried to protect him.
Snape learned that Harry wasn't a spoiled, pompous idiot like his father. Harry in fact thought his father was a right prat for treating Snape they way he had when they had been classmates, and finally got to apologize for spying in the man's Pensive back in Fifth Year, an apology which Snape accepted with good grace.
By the time either of them noticed the time it was well-past midnight.
"Do you think your legs can carry you to Gryffindor Tower without collapsing?" Snape asked, but without any mocking tone.
Harry yawned, and stood up to leave "Yeah, I think I'll make it."
"Very well" said Snape, standing as well, "Goodnight, Potter."
"Harry" the young man corrected.
"Pardon?" Snape said, confused
"Harry" said boy repeated "I think you can call me Harry, at least while we're working together on the Headmaster's 'project'."
Snape considered, then nodded.
"Then you may call me 'Severus'" The older wizard said "while we are alone."
Harry smiled.
"Goodnight then… Severus"
"Goodnight… Harry"
Only when Harry reached his dorm room and flopped onto his bed did he realize that they hadn't discussed anything to do with the competition.
There was a tap at the window. Harry got up, careful not to wake the other boys, and saw that there was a black owl sitting on the window sill. He opened the window, and it stuck out it leg. Harry took the note and the owl flew off immediately.
Apparently Severus had had the same realization. The note wasn't signed, but Harry seen that neat handwriting in red ink all over his Potions Essays every year since he began at Hogwarts. Though this note was in black ink, and read:
We shall discuss arrangements for the competition tomorrow after your Fourth-Period Potions class. If you feel that your friends will notice your absence, I'm am quite certain you'll think of something creative to land yourself in detention.
Harry smiled, he was sure he would think of something very creative for tomorrow's class. But first, sleep.
AN: So what do you think? I know that they went from enemies to allies in a really short space of time, but I thought it worked *shrugs*
Ooh what will Harry do to get detention? I wanted to use an elegant font for Snape's note, but it didn't paste from MS Word and I didn't wanna waste time trying to check if there is a way to do it.
Reviews are always nice (just saying!) and I will try to post the next chapter in a week. Hope you enjoyed!
~GreenEyes