The Tower Chap 7

Dorie Kaiba

AN: I dedicate this chapter to pilas14 and WhiteDragonHawke for their thoughtful reviews.

Harry was stunned. Snape was actually sitting beside him with a look of only slight annoyance on his face. Harry thought this was probably the happiest Snape ever looked when something dreadful wasn't happening to Harry. Snape had not said Harry could read so Harry just glanced over at his fearsome torturer. Snape did not look too fearsome at all. Some of his ebony hair had escaped its ponytail. Harry hadn't remembered Snape every wearing one at school but Snape's hair had gotten long enough to make a decent ponytail. He looked elegant like a gentleman from the old days.

Harry shook his head quickly. Imagine him looking at Snape. The man was ugly and cruel. Well... not ugly just different.

Harry was awakened from these awkward thoughts because Henny passed him a cup of tea. Harry gave her a questioning glance, but she gave him a look that told him to drink it fast. Harry drank the warm tea down. Some of it missed his mouth and fell on to his throat.

Snape looked at him. "That is not the way you are supposed to drink tea. Didn't anyone ever teach you any manners?"

Harry looked at Snape an eyebrow slightly lifted. Who cared if he slurped his tea down he wasn't going anywhere.

"Lower that supercilious eyebrow, Potter."

"What?"

"It means haughty and arrogant. Why must you act like you have the vocabulary of a five- year old?"

"Why do you care?"

Snape looked at Harry like he was a moron. "I don't but Lord Voldemort does. The man loves the regency period, he think himself a British Napoleon. For some reason he likes medieval tournaments as well." Snape glanced at Harry without really seeing him. " Do you think I would socialize at a ball if I did not have to?"

"A ball?" Snape was holding a ball? What next Henny tap-dancing?

Snape glowered. "Like I said I was forced into it. Oh for God's sake stop staring at me like I have gone mad."

Harry looked away.

After five minutes of uneasy silence he ventured, "Why does he love the period so much?"

Snape actually looked thoughtful for a second. "I have no idea, but thank heavens he was not interested in reenacting the Renaissance." He thought of Draco's wife stuffed in a corset and visibly shivered.

"Here read this, maybe you vocabulary will improve." Harry was handed a book. Snape looked like he suddenly remembered where he was and who he was talking to. "And you will get fifty lashes for your impertinence next time." Snape went back to reading.