Disclaimer: The disclaimer on the first chapter applies pretty much to everything else in the rest of the fic.
Rating: Still PG-13.
Pairing: Now you know. Severus/James, though James is woefully dead and gone.
Notes: I'm inserting my original character here, who have made her cameos in all my other HP fics. Don't worry if you are confused with her (she seems to have a deep role, though it would not be explained in this fic), I'll write a fic concerning her soon enough.
The DiaryBy: Astral Fou-lu
Part Three: In Which Harry Learns That There Is Something Amiss or An Overheard Conversation
The Gryffindor Common Room. By the table Harry lazily twirled his quill, his chin on his elbow, wishing that Snape had made him serve detention that night. He certainly wouldn't have minded something to do (even detention), and having detention in the weekend certainly cut his time for rest. The week was arduous for him and the rest, what with nearing the finals, and the students were either cramming or sleeping with fatigue.
Ron was snoozing beside him, obviously bored with his History of Magic texts. His ink pot was accidentally swiped by Ron's arm, splattering on Hermione's finished three-foot assignment on Astronomy.
"Oh, Ron!" Hermione whimpered. "Look what you've done!" Teeth gritting, she whapped Ron's head with her wand. "Why don't you continue your sleep in your room? I'm busy here dealing with my assignment and you Weasley, have ruined it with your—"
"Shush, will you, 'Mione?" Ron groaned, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "It's half-day tomorrow. You probably won't be needing to hand it over until next week."
"That's not the point!" Hermione screeched. "You ruined my work!" she lifted the casualty, the parchment partially covered with a patch of black not unlike a continent.
"So?" Ron drawled tastelessly. "It looks like the continent of Europe. See?" he ran his fingers on the parchment, tracing the outline of the ink patch. "There in the north, you can just add Mongolia—"
Ron was stopped by Hermione's enraged slap in his face. Before he had anytime to react, Hermione already stomped off to the girl's dormitory. He rubbed a hand to the red hand mark on his face when Harry decided to put his two Knuts in.
"You could have said sorry, Ron," he said, feeling sorry for Hermione but not feeling up to telling Ron off about it. "I mean, you did do something wrong."
"I was just joking, I mean—" Ron faltered, shades of realization of what he did slowly showing in his face. Then he shrugged. "Oh well. I'll fix it up with her tomorrow."
Harry had a feeling that either Ron was too dense, or there was something fraying with his brain.
"You know, Hermione looks pretty when she's angry, d'you reckon?"
That certainly affirmed Harry's suspicions.
"Ron, she just slapped you…?" Harry rolled his eyes.
Ron just smiled and shook his head. "Oh well," he just mumbled.
Minutes of companionable silence passed when Ron mentioned, "You know, I kinda miss Snuffles," he said, tone pensive. "I know, he's your uncle but—well, from what I've heard from him, he just might know lots about some stuff."
Harry snorted. "Well, what stuff?"
"You're so smart, you should have guessed by now," Ron impishly said. "Why don't you owl him, Harry? He certainly wouldn't mind receiving a letter about everyday things, would he?"
Harry shook his head. "No. I think he would be lots pleased," he smiled. "I can put in a word for you. Maybe I'll write 'Ron has a problem with a particular girl. Can you help him?' "
"You wouldn't." Ron threatened him with the ink pot.
Howling with laughter, Harry ducked and shouted, half-panting, "Well you asked for it!"
That night would be the last night where Harry would be in a good mood for the rest of the term.
Remus Lupin descended from the Owlery, having delivered a letter for Dumbledore for the rest of the Order of the Phoenix members. That was just a sundry task, something unrelated to the current issue regarding Harry and Severus Snape. Lupin dismissed it as a way of Dumbledore's to buy time to himself to think about the situation.
He made his way through the corridors, confident enough that no students would see him roaming around, as they were occupied in their classes, unless—
"Professor Lupin," a voice called out behind him.
Unless they were out being truant.
But it was the Head Girl, a Slytherin named Zinfandel Highwind. Remus smiled and beckoned for her. "Zinfandel, how are you?"
The girl smiled back and approached him, but still reserved enough not to show too much affection, which she certainly felt for the kind but firm professor. "Fine. Professor Severus is fine too. Snarky, biting, but nothing out of the ordinary. The Order of the Phoenix members here in Hogwarts are getting too lax though, because they think everything's going as they planned," her nose crinkled in distaste. "I don't like that. Tom Riddle would catch them unawares, he would. He's a Slytherin, and I bet that he thinks just like I do."
Remus smiled, never ceasing to be amused at the way the precocious young member of the Order refers to Voldemort by his real name. "If Voldemort does catch them unaware, then I myself bet that he would be a bit smug about it and it will be your turn to catch him by surprise."
The Slytherin's eyes flashed with pleasure, green-gold glints sparkling. "That's why I'm here. Potter-boy would be too Gryffindor enough for his own good. You know," Zinfandel shrugged, "he may one day decide that he would be better off dying as a sacrifice. But that's stupid. He's better off, and we as well, if he is alive."
"How is your apprenticeship under Severus faring, if I may ask?" Remus inquired, still surprised that the girl chose Snape to be her Master at Dueling. He sensed that there maybe something more running under the currents, but he brushed it off as being too suspicious and biased against Slytherin character.
"'S okay, I guess," Zinfandel off-handedly replied. "We get to pour our frustrations for the day at each other, and we get to have an excuse for yelling and breaking things about."
Remus' eyebrows shot up. "It comes to that?"
"Well…yeah." Zinfandel grinned sheepishly. "I like to kick the living daylights outta him too. It's a great privilege."
Remus smiled faintly. No doubt their sparring would heat up a few degrees with Severus dealing with his situation with Harry. They would have to hold their sparring matches in the Shrieking Shack…Remus could just imagine how much frustration and anger Severus had to let out. He fervently wished that Zinfandel would be enough to hold against Severus' predictably violent flow of anger.
"There's something wrong, is there." Zinfandel said, a statement and not a question.
"Nothing much, really."
"Bugger that," Zinfandel sniped pointedly. "If your Order decides to close me off from some information just because I'm a bloody Slytherin (Literally, Remus thought), then you've got another one coming."
"No, no," Remus spoke up, raising his hands to appeal to the young Slytherin heir. "It has to do with the—er, personal issue regarding Professor Snape and Harry Potter."
The Slytherin's eyes gleamed. "Really now," she murmured vaguely. "Should have come around earlier though. Professor Severus really has heart made of stone not to address the issue in all the six years Harry's been here. But then—" she was broken off by Remus' expression of surprise.
"How do you…?" Remus did not even bother to hide his shock. "From what I've learned, no one other than the persons concerned knew about…"
Zinfandel promptly shut him up with a gentle and chaste finger across his lips. "Slytherins have a way…and not to mention I see through the disguise."
"Wha-what?" Remus stammered, obviously taken aback.
Harry stole away from his Herbology class (Only for a few minutes, Harry promised himself) to deliver his letter to his godfather, Sirius. It was quite boring, actually, and Harry decided that a few minutes of walk would be just the thing to wake him up. Sirius would have a field day reading this letter, Harry thought, bemused. It would be like nothing wrong's happening and Voldemort does not exist. Like all we ever worry about are love problems and academics. I hope it would turn to that.
Stalking through the abandoned corridors towards the Owlery, not making a noise, until he heard two people talking just beyond the bend…
"It's a strong form of glamour," a slightly familiar female voice said, almost inaudible. Zinfandel Highwind, the Head Girl. No, you git, the voice inside him corrected. Zinfandel Slytherin. You have got to look out for her, no wonder Dumbledore still hasn't decided to ask her to join the Order.
"That's because its probable she won't join anyway," he whispered to himself. Along the years he had developed the curious habit of talking to himself, learning that besides Ron, Hermione, Sirius and Dumbledore, along with the rest of the Order of the Phoenix, he had virtually no other people to trust with his thoughts.
Harry tuned in his ears to the conversation. This could be vital, and the Head Girl might deduct points…
"I wonder why it has not occurred to me that how come Harry looked a lot like James."
Professor Lupin! Harry thought with elation. I wonder why he's here?
More importantly, why did he question how come you look like your father, the voice inside him viciously told him. Pay attention!
Harry quieted and steeled himself, trying not to think as he listened.
"Mm. Very perceptive of you, Professor Lupin. Your enhanced senses have failed you."
"You're starting to act like Severus. He's starting to grow on you."
Laughter.
Harry edged further towards the bend, to clearly hear the dialogue. Luckily he had chanced upon a suit of armor and ducked behind it.
"—impressed that the glamour had lasted, even grew with him, over the years. Strong Slytherin magic, used for deception of course. I have a strong obvious guess that Professor Severus has had a hand in that," Zinfandel said, in her usual encyclopedia sort-of manner. Harry did not know which was worse, a simpering and arrogant Malfoy or a knowledgeable, intelligent and arrogant Zinfandel Slytherin. More like Hermione gone bad, Harry thought.
"I confronted Severus about it, but…he won't even take Lily's diary."
Lily? Harry started. Mother?
"Take it to Harry then," Zinfandel said, finality in her tone. "We all know Professor Severus has difficulty in dealing with emotions and grudges."
Harry smiled at that. He could never forget how Snape had acted the night Sirius and Buckbeak had escaped…
"I know it would be quite an unlikely and uncomfortable time for him to deal with this, but…Tom Riddle would certainly take advantage of it. I won't even try to imagine how he would use it. Professor Severus would probably die mortified. I say you tell him," Zinfandel's voice started to near Harry's direction. She was starting to walk out to the outer corridors—she would certainly catch him…Harry gulped.
"It would be terrible, yes." Remus' voice was nearing him as well. Oh no, Harry moaned inwardly. They'd catch me if I don't get away soon enough.
Starting to run out to the outer corridors before ther see him, his foot got caught at the suit of armors spear and he fell down, with a yelp.
"Who's there?!" Lupin shouted. Then his expression of alertness quickly changed into slight apprehension as he saw Harry sprawled on the ground. "Harry—" he croaked. "What are you doing here?"
"Delivering a letter for…er…" Harry stuttered, taking out his letter for Sirius from his pocket and showing it to Lupin and the poker-faced Zinfandel.
"Crawling on the floor?" Zinfandel drawled. "Honestly, Potter, you never cease to amaze me."
Harry said nothing. Then, against his better judgment, he blurted out, "What's wrong with me looking like my father?" He dusted himself off as he stood up.
"Y-You heard?" Lupin asked, pale-faced, He wasn't ready yet. Zinfandel was unreadable, though.
"You always turn up at the right moments, no? Fortuna must have been borne with you," Zinfandel sighed. "I know you should be in your class, Potter. Go run along and send your letter, I won't deduct points off you. You're probably doing something important," she said the last word with slight distaste.
The pair started to leave Harry to his own when Lupin turned around. "Harry, why don't you meet me down at Hagrid's later? After your classes."
Harry nodded. He should have been happy but—there was certainly something wrong…
Clutching his letter for Sirius, he also rummaged through his cloak for his quill. No doubt he has going to add some lines on the letter.
Just in case.
Harry turned up at Hagrid's hut fifteen minutes late. He had to deal with Malfoy after some stupid remarks on his performance in Potions and had to quiet him with a good, subtle hex. He will certainly have a jolly time saying the reverse of the things he means to say, Harry thought with glee.
He remembered Draco blurting out, after Harry had cast the spell, "Harry, you wonderful, handsome prince! I love you!" He'll never forget it. Never. He was certain that it outclassed Moody's (no, Crouch) transfiguration of Malfoy into a ferret.
Pushing the door in after he had patted Fang's head, he was greeted by darkness. "Hello? Hagrid? Professor Lupin? Hello?"
"Hello, Harry," Lupin's voice carried out from behind him. Harry jumped and turned around.
""Sir," he gasped. "Don't ever do that again, please…"
"I'm certain that that would not be the only thing that will surprise you this afternoon," Lupin said curtly, his jovial disposition gone. "Come in, Hagrid had given us sometime for ourselves here. Let's not waste it."
Harry stepped aside to let Lupin in and went in himself. Lupin casually whispered "Lumos" and set light to the meager space, which was Harry's hut.
"Sit, Harry," Lupin beckoned at the chairs by the small, rickety dinner table. Harry promptly complied.
Lupin fished out a thick leather-bound book. "I think you should have this."
Harry tentatively took the book and inspected it with care. "What is this?" he asked as he turned over the book, whose outer binding was decorated with white paisley patterns. The book was closed by and unlocked latch.
"Lily's—your mother's, rather—diary."
"I heard the Slytherin Heir mention earlier to hand this to me."
"That certain Sytherin Heir has a name, you know."
"Okay, Zinfandel." Harry said dismissively. "What about this?"
Remus Lupin sighed and regarded Harry with exasperation. ("I have a feeling he would be as dense as his father, Lupin thought) "Just read it. Excuse me, I have things to settle with Dumbledore."
Remus Lupin left Harry alone, in the dark, with the diary in his lap.
A/N: Yeah, yeah, it was a bit slow, but I will get to the issue about Severus and James in the next. I missed Sev in this chapter…but hey. R and R guys! Please!