Chapter Nine: November 14th
Severus stopped speaking as a knock sounded at the classroom door. A moment later it opened and Albus Dumbledore stepped in.
"Ah, Severus," he said. "Do you mind if I borrow Harry for a minute?"
"Not at all."
"Thank you. Harry?"
Harry got up, and Severus refused to let his eyes follow the boy or wonder what Dumbledore wanted with him.
//Don't worry, I'll let you know all about it.//
//What makes you think I was wondering about it?//
//Telepathic bond, remember?//
Severus pretended he hadn't heard that last comment and began to speak to the class again. Over the last several weeks he and Harry had become something resembling friends, and it was uniquely disconcerting. Their control over the bond was also making progress, but it was excruciatingly slow and prone to frequent, irritating, backsliding. In contrast, the progress of their relationship was little short of astonishing, when the animosity of the last six years was taken into account. Perhaps that was the effect of the bond, but it was still surprising.
At any rate, while they had exchanged little personal information, they had at least discovered that they could be in the same room for a considerable length of time without one of them attempting murder, and that they could even enjoy each other's company. Much to his vexation Harry had proved to be a stimulating and intelligent companion when his more immature remarks were left out.
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"Professor Dumbledore?"
"It's nothing you need to be worried about, Harry. Come up to my office and I'll explain."
Once they reached his office, Dumbledore offered Harry a seat and a plate of sweets. Harry picked a lemon drop, and popped it into his mouth.
"Harry, it has come to my notice that you have been spending a considerable amount of time with Professor Snape recently."
"Er, yes?" Harry managed to articulate around the sweet.
"I am also not unaware of the fact that your friends do not know that you are speaking to him that often. They are under the impression that you are doing homework, or research, or polishing your broomstick, or something of that order."
That was a rather comprehensive list of his excuses for leaving the company of his friends. "Well, you see…" Harry was rather glad the Headmaster had told him there was no need to be worried, or he would have been. The conversation was beginning to sound rather ominous to him.
"Harry," Dumbledore interrupted, "I can understand why you would want to develop a friendship with Professor Snape. I also understand why you might not want your friends to know that. After all, I suspect that few, if any, can see what I and now you see in him."
Harry wondered what Dumbledore saw in Severus. Unless his mother had been keeping even more from him, it couldn't be exactly what Harry saw in him.
Dumbledore was still speaking. "He is an intelligent, loyal, and infinitely courageous man, but most of your fellow students can only see a professor who it is far too easy to loathe." He sounded rather sad and Harry felt quite sorry for being one of those students not so long ago, especially with his new knowledge of the man behind the professor.
"Yes," he said. There was nothing else he could easily articulate.
"That's beside the point, however. What I really wanted to speak to about is that I would like to encourage this friendship. I think it will be good for both of you."
Harry fought not to allow his jaw to drop. Through the bond he could distantly feel Severus' very similar, though better controlled, reaction.
Dumbledore's eyes crinkled with amusement. "I am always willing to give my support to better relations between professors and students," he said. "And in this case, where both of you will have to work closely against Voldemort, it is even more important."
"Uh, yes." Harry wondered if his vocabulary had shrunk to that one word.
"So I'm prepared to offer you an opportunity that will allow you to spend time with Professor Snape without having to lie to your friends."
Harry struggled to say something besides yes. "That…would be good," he offered. Success!
The Headmaster's smile was spreading. "When you return to class, you should inform your friends that I have suggested that Professor Snape offer you support and if required, tutoring. After all, it is impossible to predict when and where Voldemort will strike, and you may be required to contribute. With regular tutoring any disruption to your studies can be minimised. The number of detentions you've earned in Potions so far this year mean that they will certainly believe you need tutoring in that subject at least."
Harry blushed slightly, but he had a question. "But, they'll want to know why Professor Snape?"
"Easily dealt with. No one is better qualified to tutor you in Potions, and he is at the very least respectably qualified in the other subjects. Also, even I can see that the antagonism between you has not waned in public. You may tell your friends that I have insisted that you learn to work together. Which is nothing less than the truth, after all."
"Thank you, sir."
"Not at all. This suits my purposes too.
"Now, to the practicalities. I will provide you with a timetable for the tutoring that takes into account Professor Snape's schedule as well as your own. There are a few things to be worked out, but it should be ready by this evening."
Harry smiled at the irritation he could feel through the bond. While Severus hadn't appeared to mind spending time with him recently, clearly he was only okay with it when it was his idea.
//Think about it this way// he thought at him //now you get an excuse to disparage my abilities on a regular basis and you don't even have to spare a thought for the other people in the class.//
//A good point, Harry. I may perhaps become reconciled to this idea.//
Harry mentally thumbed his nose at him.
"Harry?"
"Oh, sorry Professor. I was thinking."
"I'm glad that this idea makes you so happy. I only hope that Severus feels the same way."
Harry wiped the grin off his face. Their mock-argumentative mental conversations had been having that effect disturbingly often of late.
//I find it equally disconcerting, you know.//
//You've said. Lots of times. Now shush. Don't you have a class to be teaching?//
//Well, it just isn't worthwhile without you here.//
Harry felt Severus' chagrin as that statement hadn't come out quite as sarcastically as he'd intended it to.
//Don't worry, I won't tell anyone that you miss me.//
//Shouldn't you be listening to Albus?//
//Oh shit.//
Laughter through the bond. Harry scrabbled to register what the Headmaster was saying.
"…And perhaps you should talk with him about your mother. You may discover some interesting insights about her from him. I know how much you like to hear about your parents. You may not know it, but she and Severus were quite close friends when they were at school."
Well, at least there was one thing the Headmaster didn't know about their new friendship then.
//A good thing, too.// Clearly Severus was still listening in.
"Really?" Harry asked as the Headmaster innocently as he could manage. "I will do that."
//Harry, I will turn you into a good liar yet.//
//You're a bad influence on me, you know?//
He bit back yet another grin at the aggrieved silence that was his only reply.
"Well, you should be returning to your class now, Harry. I'm sure that everyone will be wondering what I'm doing to you and you should probably go and assuage their curiosity. Don't worry about telling Severus, I'll do that."
"Thank you sir."
"As before, you're very welcome."
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As Harry slid back into his seat, Severus allowed the smallest of smiles to cross his face in welcome, knowing that it would either not be noticed, or would be taken as vicious glee that his favourite victim had returned. No need for them to know his real motivation. Harry gave a tiny smile back in reply. Severus instructed Hermione to catch Harry up "since you'd do so without my permission anyway", and the class resumed.