Author's note: as usual, kudos to all you guys who fav, follow and review the story, it makes me very happy=)
Hope you enjoy the chapter=)
#-&-HP-&-#
"I'll do the Vow," Nalanell sighed defeated. She didn't really have much choice, and it did beat all the alternatives.
"Alright, follow me." Snape then brought the two teenagers to his private chambers and locked the door, placing a couple of protective charms.
"Pray tell, Miss Cross, what were you doing in my lab?" he asked not even trying to mask his annoyance with the girl.
"I needed Dreamless Sleep," Nalanell shrugged and Snape looked at her with confusion.
"That's why you broke into my lab? For the potion I would have given you regardless?" he asked bewildered. He couldn't believe, they have been exposed over something so stupid! Of course, he couldn't blame anyone but himself for not locking his office properly in his absence, or at least running a proper check up on his surroundings, when with Potter.
Nalanell had the decency to blush. "I thought, I'll just tell you later, that I took it. Obviously, I thought, the worst thing I would be facing was detention or something. Didn't expect to find, that you betrayed Voldemort, enslaved Potter, and are preparing him to take down the Dark Lord."
Harry stared at her. Did she figure all that just from 10 minutes of eavesdropping?
"And since when are my detentions such a weak consequence?" Snape huffed irritated. His carefully built reputation should have prevented any acts of such foolishness from the students.
"No offense, Professor, but my nightmares were worse. And I needed to sleep." And still do. Though Nalanell didn't dare to voice the complaint.
"Why didn't you approach a prefect to summon me?"
"Didn't think of that," she admitted sheepishly.
"Obviously," Snape snorted exasperatedly.
"Come on, stop grilling her. What's done is done," Harry chipped in and received a glare from both Snape and Nalanell.
"Did you enslave him, cause he wouldn't listen otherwise?" Nalanell asked Snape mockingly.
"No, that was Bellatrix," Harry answered instead, crossing his arms on the chest. He just saved her from the Obliviation and girl was yet to show any kind of appreciation, she was just as spiteful and sarcastic as ever.
"So that's why you killed her? I knew it couldn't have been Potter," Nalanell remarked, slapping the table victoriously with a satisfied smile.
Harry scowled at her, "Because of my noble marshmallow personality?"
Nalanell narrowed her eyes then, "So, I'm not the only one eavesdropping here. What else have you heard?"
"Just that you needed a favor from Malfoy. What was that about?"
"Doesn't matter anymore," she replied dejectedly, casting her eyes down with a sad smile, then she looked at Snape with determination, "So, what am I getting myself into?"
"You are not to reveal our arrangement to anyone..."
"Unless they already know... like Ron or Hermione, or Dumbledore." Harry interrupted him.
"Under the penalty of death," Snape continued.
"But only till the bond is over," Harry said quickly watching Nell's concerned face.
Snape frowned, "I can't have my position compromised even after the bond ends."
"And you want to bind her for life so that she gets an instant death when 60 years from now she tells the story to her grandchildren?" Harry argued hotly. Nalanell just rolled her eyes. Potter actually expects me to survive this shit and have grandchildren? That's cute.
"Fine, you are bound till we release you from it. Although I hope you won't be stupid enough to ever breathe a word to the Dark Lord because he won't care about the Vow. Not bringing critical information would be the betrayal that warrants a very painful death," Snape said, leveling her with a menacing stare, but Nalanell only glared defiantly in response.
"You don't have to threaten ME, Snape, I have spent the whole summer hanging around Death Eaters!"
Snape decided to ignore the disrespectful tone, "Good. Other than your silence you will also be required to assist us when necessary," he continued unaffected by the girl's anger.
"Doing what?"
"I need him to practice dark curses on somebody..."
"FUCK NO" both Harry and Nell exclaimed in unison. Snape suppressed the laughter, teenagers were so easy...
#-&-HP-&-#
After Nalanell took her Vow, Snape poured them all some tea, spiking Harry's cup with a mild pain reliever sneakily, just in case. What? He still needed Harry to focus on the training. Just that. Not because he cared if the boy was in pain after the paddling. Not at all.
"Miss Cross, you need to work on your Occlumency," Snape said sipping from his cup. Nalanell looked at him surprised. Occlumency was one thing she was quite confident about and Snape failed to breach her defenses completely, so what was there to work on?
"Don't get me wrong, you are far superior to Potter here," Snape hinted his head at Harry, and the teenager gave him a curious look.
"But you couldn't break into my mind, so what is there to improve?" Nalanell asked confused.
"Yes, you shield perfectly, who taught you?"
"Bellatrix taught both me and Draco."
Harry snorted at that, "I guess you had a better teacher," he said sarcastically aiming the jab at Snape.
"Or perhaps Lestrange had better students," Snape replied with a sneer, then turned his attention back to Nalanell, "The problem is that when you shield completely, you give an indication that you have something to hide."
"But no one has any business rummaging through my mind," the girl argued.
"The Dark Lord won't see it that way. Of course, it's better if you don't give him any reason to invade you at all. But in case he does and you block him the way you did me, it will raise suspicion, " Snape explained and Nell nodded at the valid point.
"I will help you. You can join Potter on one of our sessions, he is yet to make any progress at all."
"Hey! I am getting better this year," Harry protested defensively.
Snape ignored the outburst. "Anyway, we still have our training session and since Miss Cross so conveniently volunteered as tribute, I think we can try something different today," he announced smirking at the concerned faces of both teenagers.
"It's time we move from defense to offense. Let's start with something easy. Cast Imperius curse on her, Potter."
"Huh?"
"You heard me. You don't expect to defeat the Dark Lord by stunning him, do you?" Snape raised an eyebrow at the reluctant teen.
"Well, no, but I didn't think you will make me use Unforgivables, " Harry muttered uncertainly.
"You had no such reservations when trying to kill Lestrange."
"But that was Bellatrix! She killed Sirius!"
"It's a waste of time, Potter obviously can't do it, " Nalanell snapped, throwing her hands in the air with exasperated annoyance. Snape did a little dance inwardly. Cross girl was clearly cooperating with him, goading the stupid Gryffindor into proving himself to her. Perhaps it wasn't so bad having the girl on the team. The whole situation might even prove useful.
Harry shot her an angry look, "Of course I can!"
"Let's see it then. Remember, the most important is the intention and concentration," Snape reminded the teen.
Harry raised his wand at Nalanell and hesitated. The girl looked beat and tired. Why won't Snape just give her a break? She already had to take an Unbreakable Vow, wasn't that punishment enough? He sighed and cast Imperio.
Which did absolutely nothing.
"See, told ya," Nell rolled her eyes demonstratively.
"Potter, focus. Enunciate properly and concentrate. You need to have the will to dominate somebody's mind to be successful. The sooner you manage, the sooner she can go to sleep," Snape instructed him as if sensing Harry's thoughts.
"Imperio!"
Nalanell's body went meek at the spell, the usual annoyed expression on her face replaced with the compliant and almost a friendly one. Harry couldn't help noticing how much prettier she looked when she wasn't scowling.
"Smile," he ordered the girl and smirked when the girl complied. Yes, definitely much better.
Harry gave a couple more commands ordering Nalanell to jump, walk or sit down and watched the girl obey with a sense of satisfaction. He looked at Snape expectantly.
"Test the strength of the spell, make her do something, she wouldn't want to. Give her a reason to resist," Snape prompted him, and Harry's mind went incredibly dirty at that. He blushed furiously trying to resist improper thoughts. Snape didn't need to be an Occlumens to guess what went through the mind of a 16-year-old boy.
"Potter, do control your teenage hormones, please! Unless you plan on never letting her off the Imperius I suggest you quickly forget whatever crossed your mind just now."
Harry just chuckled imagining getting punched in the face again and then an idea sprang to mind. "Apologize."
"I apologize," she said with a blank expression. Harry frowned, "No. Apologize, like you mean it. For punching me after I saved you during the Quidditch practice, and be inventive about it. Persuade me, that you are regretting it," he ordered the girl, an impish smirk playing on his lips. Might as well use this opportunity to get revenge.
He watched Nalanell expression change slightly as the girl bit her lip, "I'm really sorry, Harry. It was very ungrateful and wrong of me. I just felt, I have no other choice."
Harry raised an eyebrow in surprise, but before he could question the girl further, Snape ordered him to end the curse.
"What was that supposed to mean?" he asked Nalanell when she regained her consciousness.
"May I go now?" she ignored his question, turning her attention to Snape.
"Yes, you..."
"No," Harry cut him off, "Not until, you explain yourself," he said firmly, putting a hand on her shoulder to stop her from moving.
"Well, use your brain, Potter!" she snapped at him angrily shoving his hand away, "How do you think the Dark Lord feels about one of his subjects being saved by the bloody Boy Who Lived? Perhaps, like setting a permanent claim with a Dark Mark?" she gave him a look full of hurt and hatred and turned to leave.
"Miss Cross," Snape stopped her, waving a bottle of Dreamless Sleep in his hand. Nalanell snatched it crossly and stormed out of the room.
Snape then looked at Harry. The teenager was sitting with a blank shocked expression on his face. That's why she hates me. He thought miserably.
"So this is also on my hands?" Harry said after a couple of minutes of silence, his face twisting with a pang of self-loathing guilt.
"No," Snape stated firmly watching as guilt started eating at the teenager.
"But Nalanell said..."
"Nalanell is having a hard time coping with her situation. She is blaming the whole world at the moment."
"But she is right, isn't she? Me saving her during Quidditch... it played a role, right?"
Snape watched Harry glance at him with such desperation in his eyes, he wanted nothing more than to deny it. But he was not going to lie to the boy.
"Well, it certainly didn't help," he said carefully and immediately regretted it when he saw the pain crossing Harry's features. Damn it, I should have lied.
"First Cedric, then Sirius, then you, then Nalanell..." Harry stared in his lap muttering incoherently.
"Potter,"
"Cedric's dead because of me, Sirius's dead because of me, putting everyone in danger..."
"Potter!"
"All my fault. Should've never participated in the tournament. Should've never gone to Hogwarts. Should have just stayed in the fucking cupboard like the freak I am..."
"HARRY! SNAP OUT OF IT!" the dominant command brought Harry out of his trance back to the room and he looked at Snape with confusion.
"I swear Potter, If I hear one more self-hating line, or one more time the word "freak" coming out of your mouth, I will paddle you raw till you can't sit for a week!"
Harry just stared at Snape round-eyed at the weird threat. Snape should be jumping on the hate wagon, not stopping it.
"But if it wasn't for me..."
"Stop being so full of yourself, Potter! Not everything is about you!" Snape huffed in annoyance, "Yes, you played your role in everything, but you can't take the sole credit for anything!" he continued sternly. Harry was confused, was Snape scolding him or comforting him?
"But it was my actions that led to..."
"Oh, pray tell, Potter! Was it you, who cast a killing curse on Diggory?" Snape raised an eyebrow.
"No, but..."
"Then perhaps you killed your Godfather? Or gave Nalanell the Dark Mark?" Harry shook his head, opening his mouth to protest, but Snape was faster.
"No? Then stop beating yourself over it!"
Harry fell silent, sulking slightly at not being given the opportunity to speak. It was hard to argue with Snape when he was like this. But Harry still had one argument up his sleeve, that Snape couldn't possibly counter.
"If I tried harder in Occlumency last year, Sirius would still be alive," he looked at Snape expectantly. What do you say now, huh? You were the one always complaining about how utterly useless I am. Try and contradict yourself!
"Maybe," Snape agreed, "And maybe not. Maybe many more people would have died because Voldemort would employ some different strategy. The thing is, Harry, we will never know. But if we take all the partial circumstances in consideration then surely there are more people to blame for Black's death? Me for telling him where you went? All of the Order members who let him come to the Ministry? How about Dumbledore for letting an innocent person rot in Azkaban for 12 years? Or Lupin, for believing the worst of his friend? I could just keep going."
Harry fidgeted on his seat, whinging his hands painfully. Snape did have a point. But letting go was just not that easy. "I get it, but I still somehow feel responsible. I mean in the end, he did come there for ME, so if it wasn't for me..."
"That's it!" Snape snapped jumping from his seat. He conjured a paddle and pointed the implement at Harry menacingly, "I warned you, Potter!"
"No no no... wait, wait! You are right! You are right! Not my fault! It was Bellatrix, and the bitch is dead!" Harry exclaimed waving his hands frantically and Snape struggled to maintain a stern expression at his antics. He kept standing and glaring at the boy for the effect for a bit before sitting down and tossing the paddle away. He saw Harry breathe out a sigh of relief and smirked.
"I just miss him so much," Harry said honestly. He wasn't sure why he was telling it to Snape. Not like the man even liked Sirius. But Snape was here, and he listened, and he almost looked as if he cared.
"Yes, but carrying all this guilt won't help to ease the pain. Trust me, I know." If Harry bothered to look at Snape at that moment, he would notice the painful expression that crossed his features and would probably wonder, what the man meant by it. But he was too preoccupied with his own grief to dissect the deeper meaning behind his Master's words.
TBC
Not sure if Snape would win a "consoler of the year" award;D But as long as it works with Harry...;)
