Harry Potter and the Legacy of Slytherin

Chapter 12

Severus Snape, Master of Misery

A little over an hour later, Harry, Ron and Hermione were walking down the corridor toward the entrance to the Potions Room, when they came across the crowd of people waiting for Professor Snape to come back to the dungeons. This time, the door was unlocked, but nobody dared enter the room without Professor Snape being present. If one of the Gryffindors were caught inside the Potions Room before their teacher arrived, then they would find themselves with detention for a large portion of their life at Hogwarts. Even the Slytherins waited outside, even though they had little to fear from the Head of their own house; Professor Snape would never give them a detention in front of the assembled Gryffindors, but incurring his wrath was still a bad idea.

Draco Malfoy was standing closest to the door, flanked as ever by his two cohorts, Crabbe and Goyle. Although it wasn't immediately clear what he was talking about, it seemed to be of great interest to the other Slytherins, who were mostly gathered in front of him. The other Gryffindors were on the other side of the corridor, keeping away from whatever was going on. That was worrying enough, but the look on their faces when they saw Harry and the others really said that something was wrong. Neville's face was the most noticeable, but all the Gryffindors had a similar expression of shock and concern. Whatever Malfoy was doing, it was bad, and it seemed to involve one of more of them.

"What's going on?" Ron asked, as soon as he was close enough to the others to do so, "Is Malfoy sharing hair care tips?"

"Not exactly..." Neville mumbled. He looked incredibly uncomfortable, and he wasn't particularly keen to speak at all. Malfoy, on the other hand, had no such reluctance, and he chose that moment to join in the conversation.

"There you are, Potter..." he said, "And the Weasel too, of course. How much do you pay him to hang around with you? I can't imagine it's very much, but you do get what you pay for. A shame you've never learned that..."

Ron looked furious at Malfoy's words, as Harry expected, but he also managed to keep his anger in check, despite the laughter of the other Slytherins, which was echoing across the stone corridor, making it sound ten times as bad as it actually was. Ron's ears did start to burn their distinctive Weasley red, but that was all. Hermione, on the other hand, seemed less willing to take Malfoy's taunts lying down, and she stepped in front of Ron, glaring at Malfoy with intense loathing. At first, Malfoy seemed surprised at the way Hermione was looking at him, but then his smirk seemed to reassert itself, and he simply smiled confidently in the face of Hermione's stare.

"Get a new act Malfoy..." she finally spat out, "You're pathetic."

For a moment, Malfoy looked surprised that she would speak to him like that, and he wasn't the only one; Hermione rarely spoke in such a crude, blunt manner, even to Malfoy. There were shocked faces on both sides of the corridor, but Malfoy's was probably the best. Unfortunately, like the look he had worn before, it didn't last. The irrepressible, irritating smirk returned after only a moment, and it wasn't much longer before he was coming back with another snide comment.

"What..." he said slowly, allowing every word to sink in for the full benefit of his audience, "would a filthy... little... Mudblood... know about other people being pathetic?"

Malfoy's words had the desired effect; the Slytherins gave soft cheers at the word 'Mudblood', just as the Gryffindors' hands twitched in the direction of their wands. Hermione, in spite of herself, turned her head just a fraction, showing how the taunt had got through her defences. She recovered herself just as quickly as Malfoy had, and met Malfoy's gaze again, but not before giving Malfoy a clear indication that he had hit home. Even as Hermione looked toward him again, she could see that he was already thinking of a way to press the advantage.

"Don't call me that..." Hermione hissed angrily, making the only response she could think of. She was fighting to keep tears from her eyes, as the Slytherins began to chant the word over and over again. She was dimly aware of Ron behind her, his hands gripping his wand in fury, but she remained between him and Malfoy, trying to prevent a fight that would get Ron into more trouble than Malfoy.

"Call you what?" Malfoy asked, tauntingly.

"You know what..." Hermione said, not quite whimpering, refusing to say the word out loud.

"I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about, Mudblood..." he said, putting more venom into the word than anyone had thought possible. Even the Slytherins had stopped their chanting, to listen closely to what Draco was saying to Hermione. The Gryffindors, on the other hand, were also looking at Malfoy, and they also saw the way Hermione was interposing herself between him and Ron. If Hermione wanted to keep this between herself and Malfoy, then who were they to argue?

"You do..." Hermione whispered angrily, "You know exactly what I mean, you miserable little ferret..."

Hermione was just throwing insults out in anger, trying to give herself time to regroup before Malfoy said anything more. But once again, Malfoy looked surprised, and maybe even a little confused, by Hermione's comment, but the moment didn't last very long. And the moment before he spoke again was even shorter.

"Tell me something, Mudblood... Why are you friends with Potter over here? Does he pay you off too? Or does he pay you in ki-" Malfoy started, before he was cut off by Ron charging into him, and tackling him to the floor. That seemed to be the signal for the rest of the Gryffindors to join in the fight, too; Harry was only an inch or so behind Ron, while Dean, Neville and Seamus dived straight into Crabbe and Goyle's path, stopping them from getting involved.

Before long, most of the Gryffindors were involved in the fight; even Parvati and Lavender leapt in, trying to hold back the oversized form of Millicent Bulstrode, while Hermione did her best to subdue Theodore Nott with a couple of carefully placed charms. Harry, Dean and Neville were managing to handle Crabbe and Goyle between the three of them, while Seamus was caught between his sense of chivalry and the need to keep Pansy Parkinson away from where Ron was pinning Malfoy to the ground. He was having some success with pushing her back, without actually hitting her, but it wouldn't be long before Parkinson managed to get past him, and find some way to involve herself.

Ron, for his part, seemed to have decided not to get involved in the larger fight, and concentrate solely on Malfoy. Ron was flushed and breathing heavily, as he punched Malfoy repeatedly, trying to get as much punishment in before Malfoy was able to get up off the floor. Unfortunately, it didn't seem to take Malfoy very long to throw Ron off; he managed to twist himself out from under Ron in one quick motion, and was back on his feet almost as quickly. In the next instant, he drew his wand out of his pocket, and cast the Full Body-Bind Curse on Ron, making him crash painfully to the floor. His head hit the floor very hard, and to everyone's horror, Ron just lay there, completely still.

Malfoy, on the other hand, seemed to spring up from the ground as soon as Ron was no longer pinning him down. Almost before anyone noticed, he had his wand in his hand, and was casting a curse in Harry's direction, neatly tripping him up, and giving Crabbe and Goyle the upper hand. But that was just a quick curse, sent off on his way to his true target - Hermione. Hermione was still distracted with keeping Nott out of the fight, so she didn't see him coming until it was far too late, and Malfoy made sure she would have no time to react. As soon as he was close enough, he lashed out with his fist, and caught her on the side of the head, knocking her to the floor as well. Luckily, she managed to avoid hitting her head on the hard stone floor, but she was still sprawled out on her back, and Malfoy's blow had been enough to stun her somewhat.

It was immediately clear that Malfoy's actions had helped the other Slytherins to get the advantage over the Gryffindors, as three of the Gryffindors were now out of the fight. Crabbe and Goyle were pummelling Seamus and Dean, while Neville was trying his hardest to keep out of Nott's clutches, while the girls of each house were now involved in a fight all of their own. Meanwhile, Malfoy concentrated his attention on Hermione, who was still lying on the floor in a daze, while looking worriedly at Ron, who still had yet to move. Malfoy stood over her, and slowly lowered himself down to the ground, so that he was leaning dangerously close to Hermione's face, his lips almost touching her nose.

"You snivelling little Mudblood... Why they let filth like you in this school I will never know..." Malfoy spat out disdainfully, so that nobody else could hear. What he was going to do next, however, would remain a mystery, as an unwelcome voice from the entrance to the corridor chose that moment to sound over the general din.

"What is going on here?" Snape rasped, refusing to raise his voice, as ever. Even though his voice was little louder than normal, it was still enough to make everyone jump, and several people made desperate attempts to look as though they were never fighting in the first place. Ron also took this opportunity to get back onto his feet, rubbing his head where it had struck the floor.

"That was the most disgusting display I have seen, during the whole of my tenure at this school..." Snape hissed, "And if it were up to me, several of you would find your places at this school under very serious threat..." There was no mistaking the glance that Snape gave to Harry and Ron at this point, and they both had the sense to keep quiet, rather than irritating the Potions Master further.

"Unfortunately, it is not up to me. So, each and every one of you will report here for a detention, next Monday at eight pm-" Snape started, before he was interrupted by Malfoy, who had leapt away from Hermione at the first sign of Snape's presence.

"All of us?" he spluttered, clearly in disbelief. He was not alone; the Gryffindors had expected to bear the brunt of Snape's displeasure alone, and this development came as a surprise.

"That is what I said, Mr Malfoy. You were all involved in the fight, so I am forced to punish you all, or none of you. As I said, you will all serve your detention next Monday at eight. Make sure you do any homework you may have before the lesson, because you will not have enough time to do it afterwards."

A few of the Gryffindors relaxed slightly at the sound of Snape's words, but only a little. This was most likely the closest to a fair hearing as they would ever receive from Professor Snape, and it gave them some hope that their detention might not be as horrible as they had feared. Unfortunately, that hope did not last long.

"However," Snape continued, "as the Gryffindors were clearly responsible for starting the fight, I can see no problem with adjusting their punishment accordingly... Fifty points from Gryffindor should suffice, I think."

The Slytherins grinned to themselves, although they restrained themselves from cheering. The detention would be much easier to bear, knowing that the Gryffindors were being punished worse than they were. Malfoy was the only one who looked less than satisfied with the way things were going, but Snape's back was turned, so that fact went unnoticed. Snape, on the other hand, had turned his attention to Hermione, who was still sitting on the floor, where Malfoy had knocked her just a few moments before. The look on Snape's face was unreadable, but it was clear that he was not finished yet.

"Now, get up off the floor, Grainger..." Snape said, his voice as cold and unforgiving as the stones Hermione was sprawled on. Slowly, gingerly, Hermione got to her feet, trying to brush some of the grime from the dungeon floor from her robes. Ron moved to help her, but she quickly waved him away, not wanting to be seen to need help. All the while, Snape stood still and watched, completely silent until Hermione had finished brushing the worst of the dirt off.

"Better, but not much," Snape finally said, "A further ten points from Gryffindor for lying down in the corridors. And another ten for the filth all over your robes," Snape sneered, and waved the students behind him into the classroom. Malfoy looked as if he was having trouble keeping his laughter to himself, and satisfied himself with giving the three of them a long, condescending glance before following the crowd inside.

"But, Professor..." Ron started, trying to defend Hermione, and ignoring the pain in his cheek, "It was Malfoy who-"

"Shut up, Weasley! Now, get inside, before I decide to take more points from you for your cheek!" Snape rumbled, turning his back on all three of them. As they didn't want to incense the Potions Master further, they all shuffled after him quickly, following him into the dank room. They took the only three places that were still available, at the front of the room, just as he was starting to address the class.

"Now, we are already behind, thanks to certain members of this class," he started, with a significant glance at the front row of desks, "So let us not waste any more time. Today, I will attempt to teach you how to make the Revitalis Potion, which can be used to recover energy after exerting yourselves. It may come up on your OWLs, as may any potion taught this year or last. Therefore, I suggest you at least try to learn this material, in order to spare yourselves humiliation later..."

Snape then proceeded to write a lengthy and complex potions formula on the blackboard, interspersed with several thinly veiled derogatory comments about the abilities of the Gryffindors in the class. Fortunately, all of the Gryffindors were used to their teacher's attempts to provoke them, and they managed to keep their temper, although Hermione had to lay a warning hand on Ron's arm more than once. The instructions that Snape was relaying were quite detailed, and before long everyone was scribbling furiously, trying to take down what Snape was writing as quickly as possible.

"Any potion last year might come up on our OWLs?" moaned Ron, as he dipped his quill into an inkwell, "Why couldn't he have told us that last year?"

"It's not his fault you weren't listening last year, Ron..." Hermione said, not glancing up from her notes for a moment. Even though Snape had just taken twenty points from Gryffindor because of something that wasn't Hermione's fault, her natural respect for her teachers still prevented her from making any open complaint about him. But from the way she chewed the words out, it seemed as if her respectful attitude was in very vocal conflict with her better judgement.

"Like it would make a difference... He'd change the lessons just to spite us, you know he would..." Ron replied, looking to Harry for support. But Harry wasn't paying any attention, looking at Snape as he continued writing on the board. Although Harry couldn't honestly claim to have spent a great deal of time looking at Snape's back, it looked as though the Potions Master was carrying himself more awkwardly than usual, and his back looked as if it was extremely stiff, and very difficult to move. Nothing in Snape's face showed any sign of difficulty, but Harry expected nothing less from the stoic teacher.

"Does Snape look different to you?" he said finally.

"Snape? No. Same hooked nose, same greasy hair, same evil smirk..." Ron opined, without even looking at Snape at all.

"No, look at him..." Harry insisted. He had abandoned note taking for the moment, despite the problems it would cause if Snape were to catch him. Once he pulled Ron's arm away from the parchment it was resting on, Ron began to look at Snape more closely, but a blank expression still prevailed on his face; either Harry was mistaken, or Ron just wasn't seeing the same thing he was. There was only one way to find out which, however.

"Hermione!" Harry hissed, as loud as he dared in the front row of the Potions classroom.

"Hold on a minute..." Hermione muttered back, not willing to look up until she had finished her sentence. Both Harry and Ron looked at her patiently, knowing that Hermione's notes were important to her - and to them too, as theirs were now severely behind. If they were to have any hopes of making today's potion successfully, then they would have to share notes with Hermione.

"There!" she said in triumph, looking up finally, "Now, what is it?"

"Do you think Snape looks different?" Harry said quietly. He didn't want to point out what he was looking for, so as not to give Hermione any idea what she could be seeing. He wanted an honest opinion, and he knew that was precisely what he would get. For several long minutes, the only sound was the surrounding quills, scratching on the parchment, as Hermione looked at Snape intently, her eyes looking for anything out of the ordinary about their teacher's appearance.

"You know, I think he does..." she said eventually. Her notes were now forgotten as well, much to Ron's horror; Snape was still giving instructions to the class, and Hermione was the only one who would have been able to catch up with the notes in time. But Hermione's attention was well and truly riveted by Snape now, just as Harry's had been a few minutes ago. Snape's discomfort was clear, and that made the wheels turn in Hermione's head, wondering what could be the matter with him.

"It looks as though he's in pain..." Hermione said at last, stating what Harry was already thinking, "But I don't know what he could have been doing to hurt himself so much..."

"Maybe he just fell down a staircase, or something..." Ron mumbled, more worried about Snape's lesson than his injuries.

"No... If he'd just fallen down, Madam Pomfrey would have been able to heal him in a minute!" Hermione said.

"I don't know... He's not really one to look for help, is he?" Ron replied.

"No, but I don't think he'd be stupid enough to mess about when he's hurt his back, either. He wouldn't do anything to risk making it worse." Harry pointed out. He was right; Snape may be a stoic, private individual, but he wouldn't take any chances with something as potentially serious as a back injury.

"Exactly," Hermione confirmed, "So that only leaves one possibility - Madam Pomfrey can't do anything for him."

"Could it be too serious to be healed with magic?" Ron asked, "Some injuries can't be, you know..."

"Possibly..." said Hermione, "But if it was, I don't think he'd still be teaching. In fact, I don't think he'd be moving..."

"So, Madam Pomfrey probably can do something, but she won't... Why?" Ron said, not understanding where this discussion was going.

"Because she's not allowed to. You know her, Ron - she'd never let anyone wander around injured unless there was some good reason," Harry said.

"Unless he can't be healed..." Hermione mused.

"I just said that, Hermione!" Ron hissed, exasperated.

"Not because he can't be healed by magic, but he can't be healed at all. He needs to keep the injuries, for some reason..." Hermione went on, barely acknowledging Ron's comment. Harry, on the other hand, was nodding. He had already come to the conclusion that Hermione seemed to have reached.

"He has to look like he's in pain," Harry said, "because somebody's watching him, and they're expecting him to be hurt."

"Well, most of the Slytherins could be keeping an eye on him for their parents..." Ron said, finally taking an interest in what was happening, "But why?"

"Because Voldemort wants to find out what he does. Malfoy could be keeping an eye on Snape now, and some of the other Death Eaters must have children in other years..."

"You think You-Know-Who is watching him?" Ron said.

"Who else? He's the only person I know who would torture someone, and then send people to make sure they were still in pain..." Harry pointed out, a little bluntly.

"I guess... But why would You-Know-Who just torture Snape? I thought you said he was planning to kill Snape?" Ron said, before Hermione cut in.

"Remember what Professor Dumbledore said after the Third Task, about how Professor Snape knew what he had to do? He must have been telling Professor Snape to go and watch You-Know-Who again, like he did last time!"

"So, now You-Know-Who isn't sure what side Snape's on, so he's testing Snape's loyalty!" Ron finished.

"Exactly," said Harry, glad they had reached the same conclusion he had. "Snape was Dumbledore's spy before, and he's trying to get back in again. But Voldemort's punishing him for not going back quicker, and testing his loyalty at the same time."

"So, if he's spying on You-Know-Who, then why is he-" Ron started, but he was cut off by a soft, dangerous voice, that came from just in front of them.

"Is this a private discussion, or can anyone join in?" Snape said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. They had been talking for too long, and Snape had caught them in the middle of their conversation.

"N-No... We were..." mumbled Hermione, embarrassed to have been caught.

"No matter, Granger..." said Snape, sounding thoroughly bored, "I doubt whatever you, Potter and Weasley discuss is worth taking up the class' time, let alone my own. Another five points from Gryffindor, and if I hear you talking again, you will spend even more of your time in detention."

With that, Snape walked away, leaving the three of them looking quite abashed. Once again, they had become the focus of attention for the Slytherins, who shot mocking glances at them for most of the rest of the lesson. Even a couple of the Gryffindors looked annoyed, as if Harry and the others were deliberately trying to make Snape's foul mood worse. But that wasn't a huge concern for Harry, who was far more worried about what they had been talking about than what the other members of the class thought about him. The thought that Snape might be spying on Voldemort made him worry more than he would like to admit. No matter how much Professor Dumbledore trusted Snape, there would always be that little doubt in Harry's mind about how much he deserved that trust.

For a while, all three of them concentrated almost exclusively on getting their potions right, rather than talking about what might have happened to Professor Snape. At first, it looked like a completely hopeless task; none of them had completed the notes, and the board had already been erased. Fortunately, Hermione had studied the potion over the summer, and she managed to guide Ron and Harry through the steps without too much difficulty. Before long, they just got used to copying everything that Hermione did, without asking questions. But when all three potions needed a few minutes to simmer before the next step, Ron took the opportunity to ask a question that had been bothering him for most of the lesson.

"Do you think he knows what we were talking about?" whispered Ron, as he leaned over to inspect his potion.

"I don't know..." Hermione said, sounding worried, "I mean, if he knew, he wouldn't exactly have told us, would he..."

"I don't think he did," Harry said. "If Snape knew what we were talking about, he would have taken a lot more than five points from us."

"Good point," said Ron. He then returned his attention to his cauldron, satisfied that they had not been caught.

"But how can we know for sure?" Hermione asked, still worried. It was a good point; Snape was more likely to let them off their Potions homework than intentionally let them know about something like this.

"Well, we could always try the direct approach..." Harry said.

"What do you mean, Harry?" Hermione asked, suspiciously.

"Ask him."

"What?" hissed both Hermione and Ron, in perfect unison.

"I could ask him what happened," Harry said. "It's got to be worth a try, hasn't it?"

"He'll never tell you, Harry!" Ron said, fighting his urge to yell the words at the top of his voice.

"Probably not..." Harry admitted, "But we might be able to get something out of what he tells us. He's not likely to curse me for asking a question, is he?"

"Well, it could be worth a try..." murmured Hermione, who seemed less than convinced that it would work. Ron, on the other hand, didn't seem convinced that Snape wouldn't curse him, but he kept his thoughts to himself. Luckily, Hermione asked another question, to cover Ron's silent thinking.

"When are you going to ask him?" she said.

"After class... There's no point putting it off any longer than I need to. I'll wait behind after everyone is gone, and ask him when the room is empty." Harry said. Hermione nodded her agreement, and a sharp glance from her got Ron's approval, too. Neither of them looked very happy about the idea, but neither was Harry.

For the rest of the lesson, the three of them worked on their potions in silence, not wanting to invoke the wrath of their teacher any further, especially if Harry was going to try and talk to him after the lesson. Several times, Snape cast suspicious glances in their direction, but he didn't come over again, except to look down his long nose at their potions. It was almost as if he had decided they were beneath his notice, but Harry was sure he was keeping an eye on them, even if he wasn't making it very obvious. The Slytherins continued their silent mockery, of course, but that was barely noticeable, as all three of them had more important things on their minds.

Finally, the end of the lesson came, and everyone took samples of their potions to the front desk, for Snape to mark before the next lesson. Harry waved Ron and Hermione off, and took as long as possible to prepare his potion for marking, so that by the time he got to the front, everyone else had already left the room. He knew that Ron and Hermione would be waiting outside, making sure that nobody was listening through the door, so that what happened remained between them. As soon as he saw the look on Snape's face, Harry began to question the wisdom of his simple plan, but it was too late now, so he pressed ahead regardless.

"Professor Snape..." Harry said, "Can I ask you something?"

"If you feel it necessary, Potter..." Snape sighed, trying not to sound exasperated, but failing to do so. His back was turned, as he placed the potion samples on a shelf, giving Harry another glance at how painful his back must be. That thought gave Harry the confidence to continue, so he did so at once.

"Well, I noticed that you seemed very stiff today, like you were having trouble... with your... back?" Harry said, trailing off as Snape turned around to look at him. As soon as Snape's face came into view, Harry realised he had made a grave mistake by asking Snape directly. Snape's face was like a picture of silent fury, framed by his black hair, which seemed to be quivering with rage. But it was the eyes where the anger shone through the most, looking like two small, tightly clenched balls of pure hatred, boring right into Harry's eyes. After a moment where they both sat and stared at each other, Snape began to speak, in a very tight, controlled voice.

"Potter... The Headmaster may give you all the latitude he wishes. That is his right, as the Head of this school. Just as it is my right as your teacher to tell you to leave your over-protected nose out of things which do not concern you!" Snape said, emphasising the words in a low, dangerous hiss.

Harry pulled back from the desk as soon as Professor Snape began to raise his voice, and was already moving slowly toward the door, trying not to do anything to irritate him any more. Even though Snape's drawling voice barely rose any higher than normal, it was still enough to convey his quiet, bubbling anger at not managing to conceal his discomfort. Without saying another word, Harry turned and almost dived through the door, closing it behind him, just to have something between him and Snape's fury. It wasn't long before he saw Ron and Hermione, standing together by the corridor, and he ran to join them, relieved to leave Snape and his mystery behind for the time being.


Disclaimer: Quite frankly, if I told you I owned Harry Potter, and you believed me, then you would deserve everything you get. :p


Okay, first off - I am immensely sorry that this has taken as long as it has. The last few weeks have not been easy, and I have had more important things to worry about than fic, I'm afraid. :( Still, I hope it was worth the wait. This chapter also continues the trend of being the longest yet, if anyone is interested.

Chapter 13 is already underway, and will feature Hermione's birthday, and another confrontation for Harry. I hope it will be out before the end of the month, but I really should never make another prediction as long as live. ;)

Now, I get to thank my wonderful and long-suffering reviewers, who have waited so long for this chapter. So, thanks to stevethecool and Inu Yokai - I'm glad someone is still reading. Lol! Now, I am going off to write the next chapter, in the hope that it will be done quicker. Happy Single's Awareness Day, as that is on Saturday. ;)