Yay chapter eight out sooner than expected, enjoy!
~Chapter Eight~
Waking up sore was noting knew to Harry, waking up sore in an unfamiliar place was not unusual either, waking up sore in an unfamiliar place with the scowling face of his former Potions Professor hovering over him was new though. Usually the face was Hermione's but with a worried look rather than a scowl.
"You know that's creepy right?" Harry absently informed the dark haired man who only glared down at him as he straightened his posture.
"I see your insolence hasn't lessened over the past four years and neither has your stupidity." Harry merely yawned widely before fixing the Potion's Master with a bored stare and a raised eyebrow as if to say 'can't you come up with something better than that?'
Snape actually surprised Harry, instead of glaring and hissing insults the man gave a rather undignified snort of amusement, his obsidian eyes gaining a spark he had never seen in their depths before.
"Okay, am I dreaming or is this an alternate reality?" Harry asked more to himself than the man that eyed him in amusement rather than extreme distaste or hatred.
"And what, pray tell, has led you to that ridiculous conclusion?" Harry eyed the man before him critically. He still scowled and glared, he was still sardonic and still had his acidic tongue. So why did Harry have the feeling the man was teasing him rather than mocking him?
"Because you're acting weird." Harry replied after a minute of intense scrutinising of the black clad man who only smirked at him for his answer, it made Harry's blood seethe. There was no doubt the man was now mocking him with that smirk and Harry scowled in return, sending a filthy look at the man which only made the bastard's smirk widen.
"And where, Mr Potter, did you get the notion that you knew me?" Harry's scowl deepened because the man was actually right. The Severus Snape he knew was a snarky, sarcastic bastard who hated pretty much everything but especially Harry. The Severus Snape standing before him however, while still being a snarky sarcastic bastard, was completely foreign to him.
"Alright I concede to that," Harry muttered ignoring the smug look on the man's face and adding for familiarities sake, "You're still a bastard though." Snape merely rolled his eyes at Harry's statement.
Now I've seen everything, Harry thought to himself, never even considering Snape to be capable of such an inane action. No matter there was a rather important question to be asked and hopefully answered.
"Sod off." Harry said in reply to the eye roll before narrowing his eyes on the man with sharp intensity. "Care to tell me where I am and why?" To Harry's shock he saw Snape's face change from amused to downright furious and the glare sent his way was one of the more potent ones.
"You are here, idiot child," Snape smoothly ignored Harry's indignant exclamation and continued. "Because you recklessly threw yourself in front of a cutting curse that makes my Sectumsempra look like a flesh wound!"
Harry's eyes had gone wide in astonishment as he watched, fascinated by the way the man's voice rose and his eyes flashed in anger for Harry's actions not quite managing to hide the…dare he think it, let alone believe it, worry in those black depths.
Several minutes passed in silence where Harry simply stared at the man, not sure what to make of him now. Severus Snape on the other hand was mentally cursing himself for revealing his worry and he knew the brat had detected it. Contrary to what most people thought Severus did not hate Harry, how could he hate the son of his best friend? No a roll needed to be played and it was just his abysmal luck that he was the one to play it.
"Okay," Harry's voice broke Severus out of his thoughts. "I don't know what to make of that and it hurts my head to think about so how about we move on to where I am instead?"
Severus could readily agree to that; a smirk curling his lips upwards in anticipation of Harry's reaction to his next statement.
"You are in a guest room in the Dark Lord's manor."
Silence. That wasn't exactly what Severus expected, neither did he expect what the brat said once he finished staring into space.
"I was hoping that was a dream but since I hurt like hell I ruled that out." Harry muttered with a resigned sigh. "Still he was disguised so I had hoped I could still be wrong. What was he doing in Diagon Alley disguised anyway? Shouldn't he be happily causing mayhem and fear?"
"The Dark Lord's business is none of your concern brat," Harry hissed something that was no doubt unflattering in parseltongue but Severus ignored it. "You are most likely here, still alive, because you threw yourself in front of that maniacs curse an-"
"Did he get him?" Harry rudely cut the man off, suddenly remembering the hissed killing curse as he blacked out. "Please tell me he got the bastard." Harry watched as Snape raised an eyebrow at his pleading tone, no doubt wondering what had changed since they last met.
Harry was still essentially the same and Snape was still one of two people who knew Harry well, the other being Hermione. The only difference was that Harry had matured in many ways and his views of the world had changed also.
"Unfortunately he managed to dodge at the last second but not before one of your twins sent a nasty curse in his direction, I do not know the effects as they created it themselves." To Severus' surprise Harry grinned wickedly.
"Moody will be having so much fun." Severus rose a brow for Harry to elaborate. "I'm not sure what it does either, it is an experimental spell combining a bad case of genital warts, aphrodisiac, laxatives and giggling fits."
"How do they even come up with these things?" Severus muttered but he was certainly curious to see the result.
"I have no idea, I don't think anyone could ever understand their minds." Harry replied to Snape's rhetorical question and received a snort.
"I can name one." Harry blinked, curious.
"Oh? And who would that be?" Harry asked, wondering who on earth Snape knew that was like the twins.
"An old acquaintance of mine." Severus replied vaguely after realising he almost gave away some highly valuable information. He ignored the imploring look, returning it with a stern stare.
"Fine don't tell me," Harry refused to believe he was pouting and dutifully changed the subject. "How long was I out?"
"A week." Severus was never one to beat around the bush if he could help it and so gave Harry his answer blunt and to the point.
"A week!" Harry exclaimed, shooting up into a sitting position only to regret the movement as soon as he had done it, hissing out in pain and slumping back into the mattress.
"Idiot!" Snape hissed at him, wielding his wand in agitation and threat. "What do you expect after being hit with a curse like that?! If you so much as think of moving until I clear you I will bind you to this bed!"
Harry stared at the fuming man for several minutes, unsure what to make of this Snape. The Snape he knew never cared about him, sure kept him safe but never truly cared about him.
Harry could understand the protecting him despite the man not caring for him because Dumbledore asked him to do so and for some kind of redemption for his mother's dearth but what he couldn't understand was the scene in front of him. Snape seemed genuinely furious with him because of his lack of self-care and what's more he was obviously loyal to Voldemort, his trips to Voldie's mind proving that time and again.
So then was all that hatred and animosity just an act? An act to fool Dumbledore into believing Snape had switched sides? As farfetched as it sounded Harry could actually believe it. Snape was a Slytherin, cunning and sly and Harry believed him Slytherin enough to fool Dumbledore.
And what of Voldemort? Would that not be unwise to feel any form of affection towards his enemy? It was just so confusing.
"Why do you care so much?" Harry asked quietly after several minutes of silence and watched as Snape took a deep breath before letting it out, diverting his gaze as he answered.
"The Dark Lord does not wish for you to die yet." Harry scoffed at his answer, drawing his former Professor's frown to his form.
"If Mouldy-shorts is so concerned for my wellbeing then why isn't he sitting worried by my bedside?" Harry replied sarcastically, fixing Snape with a bland stare. "Do you really expect me to believe that?"
Offended on his Lord's behalf Snape opened his mouth to give the brat a scathing remark and a thorough dressing down however another voice beat him to it.
"For your information you ungrateful little brat, I was the one to heal the curse you foolishly stood in front of." The voice hissed the words from where the owner stood just inside the door. "I am the only one who could possibly have saved you from staying dead this time because the curse you were hit with I created and until this morning had no counter curse."
Harry turned towards the voice and brilliantly hid his shock as he caught sight of not the man from the alley but a twenty something Tom Riddle. Tall, dark brown hair almost black framing a pale face that offset the crimson eyes that were glaring at him.
Valiantly ignoring the sudden shift of his blood towards inappropriate regions Harry managed a sly smirk to accompany his next words.
"Why if it isn't my Stalker Dark Lord," Harry's smirk widened at the twitch he detected of one elegant eyebrow. "I am correct in assuming you have been there this entire time spying?"
O.o…Harry must really have a death wish huh? Anyway tell me what you think
