CHAPTER 11

It was Harry's turn to "invite" Snape to his rooms (his office was a shameful mess) and he had done so, dispatching an owl and receiving a curt affirmative answer. And so, on a calm cold Friday evening, there was a forceful knock on the Harry's door and the familiar black-robed figure entered, the black eyes glowering above the haughty nose, taking in the furnishings of the room critically.

"Good evening, Snape," Harry said politely, getting up from the floor where he had been setting up a row of dominoes in the shape of a huge spiral.

"Potter," he said curtly. The teen was wearing sneakers, blue jeans and a green T-shirt which accentuated his eyes and proclaimed: I FEEL GOOD.

"Dear, dear. Are all your robes in the laundry?" Snape commented acidly, his gaze lingering on Harry's slight figure for a moment.

"No, I like to wear Muggle clothes sometimes, no sleeves to get in the way, you know. I'm sure you've got a pair of jeans at your disposal as well."

"I am not here to discuss the contents of my wardrobe, Potter."

"Please sit down. You're right on time – I just finished with the dominoes." Harry did not guide him to his desk but to the fireplace where there were very comfortable armchairs and a handsome coffee table.

"Would you like something to drink?" Harry asked.

Snape raised an eyebrow.

"Being the perfect host, aren't you?" he murmured.

"Pumpkin juice? Tea? Coca-Cola?"

Snape, who had actually pulled a sour face at the last beverage, chose tea. In no time at all, a cup was steaming gently on the table in front of Snape.

"Why do you bother arranging those by hand?" Snape asked suddenly, gesturing at the dominoes.

"It's no fun with a wand. The fun thing about it all is to set them up without a mistake, and if you make one, well, you've got to start from scratch."

"That's fun?" Snape said sceptically.

"Yes. Sunflower seeds? Said to be very healthy."

A bowl glided over to him in the air. Snape helped himself to some of them, and the bowl glided back.

Snape shelled all the sunflower seeds simultaneously with a non-verbal charm, the empty husks landing on the table in a neat pile.

Harry stared.

"But…the fun about eating sunflower seeds is peeling them," he pointed out.

"Potter, if you are so keen on doing things in the most impractical manner possible, then the Club's chance of surviving the initial stage is nil."

"Maybe you'll want to give peeling a try. You might be surprised."

"Nothing surprises me nowadays, Potter."

"Life is always full of surprises."

"And you are full of moronic statements," Snape answered rudely. "Is the small talk over? Can we move on?"

"Yeah. Sure. I considered it more than small talk, though."

"Whatever."

This time, the discussion wasn't so smooth as the first time; they disagreed on the kind of spells to teach the students.

"The Patronus spell is too advanced," Snape snapped.

"Not for everyone."

"Yes, yes, you're the huge exception, aren't you, Potter?"

"Snape, who says that Bellatrix doesn't have Dementors at hand? She'd know them pretty well after so many years in Azkaban, too."

"Searching for an army of students to defend you in case an army of Dementors descends upon you, Potter?"

"Don't be stupid!" Harry said angrily.

"Stupid? I am really not sure whether that is an apt description of myself. I am inclined to think that it suits, ah, other people better."

Harry jumped from his chair.

"You drive me up the walls, Snape!" he exclaimed, frustrated.

"Your father also didn't have much self-control," Snape remarked. Harry turned, picked up a cushion from the couch and flung it at Snape with all his might. Snape, who had just been setting down his cup of tea, saw it too late.

"POTTER!" he roared, his left cheek red due to the impact of the cushion.

"You deserve it, you bad-tempered git!" Harry shouted.

"You want to duel again, you insolent conceited brat?" Snape hissed.

"Let's do it the Muggle way, if you're so keen on destroying this project. Without wands. We both have good physical training, don't we? You as a former spy for both Voldemort and Dumbledore, and I as a Quidditch player."

"Muggle way?" Snape sneered.

"There is no need to sneer that way at the word. I know that your father was a Muggle and your mother a witch, so don't go all pureblood on me!"

There was a ringing silence. Then Snape hissed:

"How did you find out? Who told you?"

"So you don't deny it."

"Who told you?" Snape repeated, striding forwards, placing his hand on Harry's chest and thrusting him back.

"I won't divulge the name. You would hex the person into kingdom come."

"You're damned right, Potter!" He made to push Harry again, but Harry seized both his wrists.

"Listen to me. Why is having a Muggle parent or ancestor such a shame? Do you really think I'd care about it? I'm proud of my heritage, and you should be too. And look at Hermione. Muggle parents and one of the most powerful witches I've ever known. Is that a reason to freak out?"

"Did Albus tell you?"

"No. Dumbledore didn't do anything of the sort. He trusts you and I know you trust him. Do you think he would want to break that trust? I know how much he values your trust. It was someone else."

"Hermione Granger told you, didn't she? There are marriage and birth records in the library. She was doing a project on Wizarding genealogy last year."

Harry remained silent, not moving his eyes from Snape's.

"Look. We've got to get along."

"You lost your temper first." Snape tried to snatch his back his wrists, but without success.

"Of course I did. You were provoking me deliberately. You know that it would happen. And it did. I want a truce."

"You're not going to get it by throwing objects at me. Try humiliating me, Potter. It won't work. Not like it did back then."

"Do you want to know what I felt like when I saw you in the Pensieve?"

"Careful, Potter. You're stepping on dangerous ground."

Harry shifted his grip from Snape's wrists to his forearms.

"I felt pain and pity when I saw you like that, and I felt the same way after what I saw in the Pensieve."

Snape ground his teeth.

"Pain and pity. I abhor both. And do you expect me to believe you?"

"I do."

"Give me one good reason as to why I should believe you."

"I want to put aside our differences. And…I have been in the same situation several times. I know what it is like to be humiliated in front of people."

"You? Popular Harry James Potter? Humiliated? Tell me another!"

"You witnessed my memories. You know it's the truth. It happened with the Dursleys. It happened at Hogwarts as well."

He looked unflinchingly into the dark angry eyes.

"We can work together. We did it before."

"So a shallow feeling of, ah, sympathy where humiliation is concerned…Is that the only reason you want a truce?"

"My feelings are not shallow. They are sincere. And there is another very important reason."

"Go ahead."

"I never thanked you for saving my life during all these years. I didn't trust you back then. Until now." He decided not to include the extremely recent episode where he had decided to spy on Snape outside the bar.

"I trust you. I could not have defeated Voldemort without you. You risked your life for me more than once, and I never acknowledged it because of all the history between us. Now the circumstances are different. So…thank you, Severus. I don't know how I can ever repay you, so this is all I can say. What you did for me means a lot to me."

Snape gazed at him. The anger faded in his eyes. Harry released his forearms. Then he said expressionlessly:

"Better late than never. Truce accepted, Potter."

Harry smiled at him and extended his hand. Snape hesitated, then took it and shook it very quickly.

"I may call you Severus?"

"You already did. I prefer using your last name."

"Okay."

"Fine. That's done. Now get lost, Potter."

"Are you trying to chuck me out of my own rooms?"

"Right, Potter, let us go over this Patronus issue again."

Harry smiled again and they sat down, Snape's eyes lingering on Harry's T-shirt for the smallest moment.

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