As the weeks went by they got into a routine, three nights a week with Snape, one night a week with Dumbledore. Always at the end of Snape's tutorials they would sit down and have tea discussing the material in the parchments, and the lessons. They hardly touched on personal subjects, for various reasons. Harry knew well how his friends felt about Snape, and he knew Snape knew it too. But Harry's respect for the snarky potions master was growing. The man was absolutely brilliant, and Harry was enjoying that a lot.
He was also doing better in potions for some reason; he wasn't as nervous or defensive around the man, as he had been in the past. Part of that was he had established some sort of rapport as Harry Potter, not as the son of James Potter. It helped. He wasn't partnered with Ron anymore, since he'd dropped potions, nor did he partner with Hermione. Snape still hated her with a passion. When asked Snape told Harry that Hermione reminded him of too many bureaucrats who thought that everything came from books when that wasn't true. Snape valued "thinking outside the box" or thinking outside the cauldron as he put it. Innovation did not come from books it came from within and he didn't think Hermione would ever understand that. Harry had to agree with him, Hermione could be rigid. He didn't even want to discuss Ron. The only reason Hermione had come up was because she still took potions at the NEWT level.
Ron and Hermione found it hard to believe that Harry didn't dislike Snape anymore. Harry didn't discuss his lessons with them, but both could tell that Harry didn't hate the man anymore. He flat out told both of them that what they were doing was Order related and he couldn't talk about it. Of course Ron finally cooled off about quidditch when he heard that Harry was loaning Ginny his Firebolt, and working with her on seeker moves. Ginny really was quite good, and Harry was proud of her progress. The first quidditch match was coming up and from what Harry had heard and could see the team looked good. So he refused to feel guilty for not playing. He had more important things to worry about.
The Order meetings were being held in Dumbledore's office. Harry was not required to attend all of them. He was told at the beginning of the year that he needed to go to at least one a month and Snape would update him on Order matters during the tutoring. Occlumency was going well with Dumbledore. Something Snape had said helped there. They had discussed his failure with it, and Snape suggested visualization as a tool. So Harry practiced building a wall in his mind, it was working and he told Snape that, when he thanked him for the idea.
Draco Malfoy was still a problem. Having his father go to Azkaban had not abated the other teen's malice at all. If anything he was even more malicious towards Harry. His sidekicks were gone and so was some of Draco's power in Slytherin, there were many there who had no love for Voldemort or his Death Eaters. Draco was quieter, but more intense with his hatred. He never discussed Draco Malfoy with Snape. He knew that subject was best left alone.
Other things were going on too. Snape had told him that Voldemort had a spy in Gryffindor: that disturbed him. Harry was shocked that a Gryffindor would be involved with that. He'd gotten quieter in the tower and had told Ron and Hermione to watch themselves up there. Since he told them very little, almost nothing, he didn't worry about them spilling Order secrets. He also knew that his extra lessons with Snape were known to Voldemort. The other Gryffindors were pretty much the same as they had always been concerned with quidditch, pranks and House points. The only change in his year group was how many of them had paired off into couples. Most of them dated outside the House, but NONE of them dated Slytherin. He never asked why, he knew the House rivalry was strong.
But sometimes it disturbed him to hear a Gryffindor say that all Slytherins were Death Eaters and evil. He knew that wasn't true. He was starting to see that Slytherin was getting a raw deal from the students and even some of the professors. He was beginning to wonder if the rest of the wizarding world in Britain felt the same way. Hearing it so often was beginning to get on his nerves. He wondered if Snape ever felt that way.
The journal they'd figured out was written by one of the Slytherin children. From the House history Snape was able to tell that Salazar Slytherin had indeed been married when Hogwarts was founded and had several children at the time. The book also verified that both Gryffindor and Hufflepuff were married at the time of the founding and discussed the other founder's children also. The writer seemed to be friendly with both the Hufflepuff and Gryffindor children and often described lessons taken with them in different magical disciplines. Much of what was written concerned how the school was being founded and set up. The description of the first sorting was riveting, they didn't use the hat then, the founders themselves chose the children they wanted in their Houses. There were few muggleborn and few females.
The way the founders chose for their Houses was fascinating. They actually cast a spell on the children that would identify who had the characteristics each was looking for in their Houses. When the spell was done each of the new students had a feather in their hand in the House color of the House that they were sorted to. Both Harry and Snape found that fascinating. It was too bad the original spell wasn't written down in the journal, as it was probably lost in time.
The arguments of the founders also fascinated them both. It seemed although they were all friends they argued a lot about different issues in running a school. One of those issues was the training of women. Gryffindor like many males of his time felt women didn't need to be educated. The other three founders were firmly of the belief that women should be trained if they so desired it. The first sorting of students had no girls in Gryffindor. Harry wondered what Hermione would think of that.
You know Professor this journal really doesn't show Gryffindor in a good light. I wonder now if the stories we've been told about Slytherin are even true?" commented Harry.
"I don't know Potter, I suspect there is truth on both sides of it. I do think that there may be more to the fight than what was previously passed down." Answered Snape. They had stopped the translation for the evening and were ensconced by the fire with hot tea and biscuits. They were on to their usual discussion of what they'd read.
"I do wonder what the girls attending Hogwarts now would think of the founders time and the arguments about admitting them" Harry commented. "I can see Hermione going ballistic."
"Ms Granger surely understands history?" asked Snape. "It may be something we think nothing about but in our world women have had rights much longer than in the muggle world. I understand it was only in the last 100 yrs that women got the right to vote in the muggle world? In the wizarding world witches were not that patient, and they had full equal rights 500 yrs ago."
"So this argument is just a sign of those times sir? Slytherin was ahead of the curve then wasn't he?" asked Harry.
"Yes I suspect he was Potter. I suspect it was because his own mother and wife were well-educated women and more than able to keep up with him in an argument: in short, exceptional women. I suspect Slytherin saw the potential in women because exceptional women surrounded him. His sister was brilliant in her own right, taught potions to small groups and invented some of the potions we use now. I suspect Gryffindor was not surrounded by that, even if both Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff were both brilliant women he saw them as an anomaly, not potentially what any woman in our world could be."
"Sad then. Wonder what the argument REALLY was over muggleborns then. You know sir I think we may just get the Slytherin side of the argument in the journal. And it may be an education for both of us. I am really suspecting Slytherin wasn't anything like history portrays him. Have you any ideas which Slytherin child wrote this?" asked Harry.
"Two of the children were parselmouths Mr. Potter. It could be either Selene or Draconis Slytherin. I suspect Selene because Draconis was only 4 yrs old at the founding, and the first sorting is described in detail here. Selene was the oldest of the children 16 at the time. To be blunt getting this information was extremely difficult, since most information about the Slytherin family has disappeared in the last 100 yrs. I don't think it was a vengeful Gryffindor that hid the information either. Much of the information concerning the Slytherin family is in private hands and fortunately my family was related to them. I found most of my information in my family home recently."
"Do you think anything in the journal can be used to defeat HIM?" asked Harry.
"IF as I suspect the journal is Selene's there could be a prophecy there. She was a talented seer, I know you know Trelawney and her lack of talent, but Selene Slytherin was NOT Trelawney. She actually foretold many things that did happen in clear language." Snape looked quite uncomfortable with his words, his views on divination as a branch of magic were well known around Hogwarts. He actively discouraged his House from taking the course as he felt it was badly taught here. "Even if there is nothing to defeat HIM in the journal the historical value and information make it worthwhile to spend time translating it."
"Yeah I have to agree with that. And it is interesting to read too. Whether it was Selene Slytherin or not, the person who wrote this had an incredible way of making it alive and interesting. Is HE the only descendent of the Slytherin family left?"
"No Potter HE is not. However, those that are still alive do not discuss that association for fear HE will kill them. He did concentrate on killing founders heirs in the past. It is said he went after your family because the Potters were heirs to Gryffindor, I don't know how much of that is true however. I do know James never denied it or said anything concerning it when he was alive. There is no reason not to think that it is true. And of course I think in some respects you have been deliberately kept ignorant of your own family history."
"Why do you say that sir?" asked Harry, seeing a chance to get information from a relaxed Snape he wouldn't get otherwise.
"I was here at Hogwarts the night your parents were killed." Answered Snape thinking what do I tell and how much do I tell? "Hagrid is the one who brought you back from the house. From what he told us the house was destroyed. Dumbledore sent several other Order members to sift through the wreckage and salvage anything that could be kept for you. You were a mess. Bruises, cuts and such from the house falling all around you. We healed everything but the curse scar you still have. No potion or spell would heal that. None of us knew what Dumbledore planned for you. I think if we had … I don't know Potter. None of us did approve of what he finally decided. Many members of the Order had met the Dursleys at the Potter's wedding. They did not make a favorable impression. I had met them and I thought they were one reason wizards like HIM exist. Of course there are wizards who are just like them. We kept you here for 24 hrs healing your wounds and then Dumbledore came and got you and placed you with them. While we were treating your wounds and mind you this I found out later, Dumbledore was setting the wards on your aunt's house. He keyed them to the blood protections that Lily gave you. Lily, I am sorry you never knew her, was an extremely talented witch in charms and DADA. What Lily did was extraordinary; I doubt the average witch or wizard could do it no matter how much they love their offspring. I do believe it was Dark Arts and I have had you reading about blood magic for that reason. No one has figured out exactly what she did. I'd like to figure it out as I have wondered. I sometimes wonder if Dumbledore didn't just place you there for protection but to keep you away from your world, so when you finally did rejoin it you would fall blindly in with his plans."
"Why do you think that sir?" asked Harry. He was thinking my God this is stuff NO one ever told me. WHY NOT? Was shouting in his mind.
"Every year you are here Potter you face dangers. All of it should be avoidable, yet it seems to find you and home in on you. The stone in your first year? Why were you the one who had to save it? We knew we had a security risk on staff, and most of us suspected Quirrell. The Chamber of Secrets? Oh that was designed to get you. Lucius may have had mischief on his mind when he dumped that diary on a Weasley child, but HE once HE knew you were here set it up so you would follow into that chamber. I don't even want to go into your third or fourth yrs here. EVERY YEAR Potter you have faced it and come out alive, usually with luck and by the skin of your teeth. I have no doubt there will be danger again this year. But some of it HAS been preventable and should have been prevented." Snape sighed as he ended his rant.
"You know sir in the first year I thought someone was guiding me on that whole thing. Giving me just enough information to keep the curiosity going and keep me at it. The second year was just scary. Being thought to be the heir of Slytherin was frightening. I had no idea that being able to talk to snakes was so rare or considered Dark. I really didn't know I could talk to them at all. One of the best memories of that year was how you knocked Lockhart on his arse sir. You were a hero even to the Gryffindors that night. But I saw your face after I spoke to the snake, you looked frightened and that scared me. I know that it scares people that I can talk to snakes but, I don't think it is a Dark talent. Just a different one."
"Do you know how many Slytherins would kill for that talent Potter?" asked Snape. "It is rare and I know Albus told you that you got it from HIM, but I don't think you did. I think you were born with it. What I would like you to do soon is write to your aunt for information concerning your mother's family. Tell her it is a genealogy project. They are common at muggle schools and ask for information concerning her parents and such. I have a feeling the Evans family may not be as muggle as was originally thought. Oh and ask for family gossip. I suspect Petunia would have it. I did meet the woman at your mother's funeral and she seemed the type to know all the gossip. Don't ask for reasons yet Potter, I may be wrong, but I have a feeling about this."
"Yes sir." Answered Harry yawning.
"On that note I think it time you return to the tower and bed," chuckled Snape. "Do not do anything to get detention tomorrow. You need a break."
"Yes sir, good night sir," answered Harry as he gathered his things to leave.
Harry walked to the tower for bed. When he got to the common room it was empty, so he went to the dorm to sleep thinking about what he would write to his aunt in the morning.
A/N Again thanks much for the reviews and the very constructive criticism. I consider myself lucky I have not been flamed. This story really did start as a one off and it has taken a life of it's own. God I can't believe I am actually writing. I had said many times in the past I had the imagination of a turnip. I am awful with names but everyone who has read and reviewed has my gratitude. And those who just read? I hope you are enjoying this story also. Harry and Sev do inspire me. I HOPE JKR DOES NOT TURN SNAPE INTO AN EVIL GIT. I really think she would lose me if she did. His ambivalence is fabulous because he is a character that has dimension and to put him into an evil box would be wrong. Just my rant for the day. Thanks again for reading!
