Ron awoke suddenly to the banging of a door, and sat bolt upright in the bed. He shut his eyes tight as a blinding light flashed in his face. He groped on the nightstand for his wand. Stupid, he should have been holding it.

"Lazy," was all Snape said.

Ron's eyes soon adjusted to the brightness. Snape was standing at the end of the bed and when Ron looked at him, he said "nox" and the brightness went down.

"You could have at least been respectful enough to remove your shoes," Snape said acidly.

Ron realized he hadn't even taken his shoes off, let alone gotten under the sheets or taken off his clothes.

Ron didn't say anything, just gripped his wand tightly in his hand and slid off the bed. He made to leave for the door, but Snape stopped him on his way.

"And where, do you think you're going?" he asked calmly. Ron yanked his arm out of Snape's grasp.

"I'm not staying here with you, I'm not a child,"

"No Weasley, but you are unstable. The Dark Lord has asked me to keep a watch over you based on your history,"

Ron rolled his eyes. He had to admit, he had nowhere to go, but the last place he wanted to be was with Snape. He cringed at the thought.

"Term ends on Friday. You are to stay here until my return then. Kitchen, bathroom, and this bedroom are the only places you may go in this house. Linky will prepare your food." Snape drawled. Ron was surprised at the amount of hospitality Snape seemed to be giving him, until Snape continued.

"Let me just warn you though Weasley," he said, "when I get back on Friday, you will have wished the Dark Lord had finished you off,"

"You have no idea what I wish," Ron spat.

"Enough," Snape said quietly. And with a swish of his cape, he had left the room.

Ron heard the door close down the three flights of stairs and Ron presently threw his wand as hard as he could against the wall. Red sparks shot out of it and left a mark on the wall, but Ron didn't care.

There was a scuffling outside the door, and Ron suddenly remembered the house elf that had been in here before. He fetched his wand from the floor and warily opened the door.

A house elf that looked a considerable amount like Dobby, but with not as wide eyes, and not as huge ears stood looking frightfully up at Ron.

Ron thoughts immediately strayed to Hermione and her tireless efforts at S.P.E.W, whatever that had stood for. He missed her.

"Well?" Ron tried to sound annoyed as a Death Eater might, but it came off sounding more agitated.

"Master has told Linky to give Ronald Weasley sustainance," the elf squeaked. Ron gave the elf a look of derision.

"Sustainance?" he said scoffing at the elf's word choice.

"If you would follow me sir,"

Ron followed Linky down the spiral staircase to the foyer and through a door where there was indeed a kitchen. Although this kitchen was nothing Ron would have expected.

Everything was clean and shiny. A small round table stood to the side of a large counter top with sparkling sink and stove. Ron was surprised at the glamorous life the dreary potions teacher lived outside of the dungeons.

Linky led Ron to the table and Ron obediently sat to wait. Then the elf set to work pulling something from the oven and setting it in front of Ron.

Ron's mouth watered as Linky set the steaming plate of roast beef, mashed potatoes, and Yorkshire pudding in front of him. He couldn't remember the last full meal he'd eaten. It was probably the last thing Kreacher had made him before they'd left Grimauld Place.

"Shall Ronald Weasley be needing anything else?" Linky asked pulling Ron's gaze from the food.

"No…" Ron said uncomfortably. He wasn't used to being waited on, it felt wrong, "you can just call me Ron," he told the elf. Linky nodded and turned to leave, when Ron thought of something.

"Wait!" he called. The elf turned and gazed wide eyed at Ron. Ron wasn't sure how he could ask Linky this without saying it outright, what if Linky told Snape?

"Does Snape keep anything… special?" Ron asked. The elf only stared at him. "Does he have anything hidden and probably well protected?"

At the word hidden, Linky's eyes bulged, and for a minute he looked almost scared. Ron raised his eyebrows, he was almost sure he was right in his assumptions.

"Linky knows nothing, and even if he did, he would not tell a stranger his Master's secrets," the little elf crossed his arms and scurried away.

Ron sighed. He had expected as much. After all, Winky had kept Bartamus Crouch Junior a secret for an entire year. He would try again later, maybe mention Dobby.

Ron ate Linky's meal hungrily, relishing each bite

When Ron was finished, he stood and looked around for the elf, but Linky was no where to be seen. Ron took this as a stroke of luck. The potions master would be at Hogwarts until Friday, neither of them would know if Ron had explored the house for just a minute.

Ron left the kitchen and entered the hallway. The staircase was to his right, and there was a room to his left at the end of the hall. The door was ajar, and Ron could see inside the brightness of the room.

Something just inside the door caught his eye, and Ron hesitantly looked around for Linky before creeping down the hall, and inching the door open.

It was a bowl. A bowl full of silver liquid. Ron blinked trying to clear his mind as he thought he'd imagined small images swirling inside the bowl. But he suddenly realized that's exactly what was in the bowl. Memories. This must have been a pensieve!

If Snape ever found out what Ron was about to do, Ron was sure Snape would kill him. But if Snape never found out, Ron would get precious information. Information that was sure to help Harry, or at least tell Ron something about horcruxes!

Ron decided that it was too good of a chance to pass up. Ron looked back out the door and could hear Linky banging around in another room, obviously not paying Ron any attention. He slid the door shut as quietly as he could and looked back in the pensieve.

Ron wondered how you were supposed to watch individual memories. He reached his hand inside the bowl and was surprised when he didn't feel the expected fluidity of liquid, but instead a sort of pulling sensation. Before he could stop himself, the pensieve had pulled him headfirst into a memory of two kids: one with green eyes and brown hair, one with black eyes and black hair.

Ron watched in amazement as he witnessed Snape's childhood, his years at Hogwarts, and his decisions afterwards. Finally, Ron reached a memory of Snape and Dumbledore in Dumbledore's office, and Dumbledore was telling Snape that Harry had to die, and that Voldemort must do it.

Ron fell back onto the study floor breathing heavily, images of the last memory stuck in his mind. Was it true? No. It couldn't be. Snape couldn't be a spy. But he'd seen it in the memories. Memories couldn't lie.

This changed everything. Snape had been good this whole time, that meant Dumbledore had been right. And the new information about Harry's future. Harry must be a horcrux! It made sense, what with the ways that Voldemort and Harry were connected.

Ron gawked. He'd come snooping looking for a horcrux and he'd found something much more important.

Suddenly the study door banged open, and Linky stood in the doorway staring at Ron's frozen stature and the pensieve still glowing blue with Snape's most recent memory.

"Ron is not supposed to be in here," Linky said angrily.

"Err…" Ron stalled trying to make an excuse, "There's nothing to do in my room!" he said lamely.

"Master Severus has provided books for you to read," Linky said pulling Ron towards the stairs. Ron grumbled something about how books were probably the last thing he wanted to do at this minute, but he hardly had another choice.

The house elf led him back to the room he'd been sleeping in, and sat him at the desk. Then Linky dropped a book into Ron's lap. Legilimency at it's Core by Alphonse Nailman. Ron sighed as Linky left the room locking the door.

Well, if Snape wanted him to read, Ron would read. At least he would be reading about something useful.

Ron sat back and cracked open the cover of Secrets of the Dark Arts and began reading.