A/N: Sorry to have to tell you this, but I won't be able to update again
for a couple of weeks cos I'm away on a Berlin exchange. I HAVE NOT
ABANDONED THIS STORY!!!! and I'll start updating again as soon as I return,
so stick with me.
~~~~Sev's POV~~~~~
Severus Snape stood stiffly in the window of the Headmaster's study, watching the two boys carefully. Albus Dumbledore stood beside him, looking on with interest.
"You were out with Harry earlier, Severus, weren't you?" asked Dumbeldore.
"Yes. He beat me on a Cleansweep 5," Severus replied sourly. To think that he, Slytherin Seeker for six years and one of the best players Hogwarts had seen in the present century, had been beaten by a sixteen year old boy on a battered school broom.
"What were you flying?"
"Potter's Firebolt," he admitted unwillingly. To have been beaten was bad enough without having such a superior broom.
"He lent you his Firebolt?" Dumbledore asked, sounding surprised for once. "How curious - it was a present from Sirius. Did anything interesting happen?"
"Well, he somehow persuaded me to train with him sometimes, I'm badly out of shape," Severus said negligently, then added to vex his mentor, "Oh, and he's a Sorcerer."
"How do you know that?" the old man demanded sharply.
"How many wizards do you know who can perform the Accio charm properly?"
"Point taken Severus, thank you. I'll have to mention it to him. Harry's bringing young Mark on quite nicely, isn't he?"
"I suppose so."
"I might see if I can't arrange for him to help our new Quidditch assistant with the first year coaching. You know he's good Severus, but you just don't want to praise him because he's James's son. Merlin! Harry had nothing to do with what his father did to you, so at least try to give him a fair chance for your own sake. He's a fine young man, and you're going to be seeing a lot of him in the future."
"Two more years, Albus," Severus said with relish. "And then I will never have to see him again."
"Especially if he's been killed before then, which is more likely now than ever, and increasingly so."
"I would have though that you or Minerva would be more of a target than Potter."
Dumbledore looked at him, appearing very disappointed. At last, he stopped staring intently and made up his mind.
"Severus, I am now going to tell you what so far only Harry and I know, and I am sure that you understand the need for secrecy. Harry is the most important boy in the world and this moment of time. He is the only thing that stands between Voldemort and invincibility, and he knows that someday he must either destroy Voldemort or be killed by him. I told him of the prophecy last summer, after Sirius's death, to try to explain why he's such a target. But I don't know! Maybe I was wrong to do so, but he's retreated further into himself than he ever has before. Even I can't read him most of the time now, and I always could before."
"He's growing up Albus, it happens to us all. He is a Sorcerer. He has the power, if he can be bothered to learn how to use it. Its his destiny, so he'll do it. There's no need to worry about him, he's just being a self-centered fool who doesn't realize just how man lives besides his are at stake, my own included."
"That's where you're wrong!" Dumbledore snapped, sounding more vexed with his former student than Severus had seen him in a long time. "Harry knows exactly how much is at stake. He's lost even more than you to Voldemort, Severus. He first lost his parents and the godmother he never had a chance to know to death, his innocent godfather to Azkaban, and all likelihood of a happy childhood. In Sirius, years later, he discovered a second father, then loses him too, and I know that he still blames himself for that death. Remus, who came a close second, is now running so close to insanity that Harry might lose him too. In his fourth year, Cedric was killed in front of his very eyes, before Harry himself was tortured and forced to witness Voldemort's rebirth. On top of all that he's almost died himself seven times!! He's only sixteen, and sometimes he looks as though he's seen more horror than someone twice that!"
"I'll concede that he hasn't had a pleasant time, and I will give him a chance since you ask it, but I don't believe that he's had a worse childhood than me."
"Oh Severus, don't you see now? You had Cassandra beside you until her death, and friends who understood what it was like. Harry's had no one. You've met his family, and all of the other children in the area were too scared of Dudley to make friends."
"What are Weasley and Granger then? Enemies?"
"They are friends, certainly, and they mean even more to Harry than he shows, but he worries for them constantly. They don't understand what they're up against to the same degree and don't understand his life and feelings. He will never open himself completely to them, indeed, I'd be surprised if he did to anyone now."
"Pure Gryffindor stupidity," Severus snorted. "Call it bravery if you will."
"And a very Slytherin wish to stand on his own two feet, just like young Draco Malfoy is attempting to do."
"What?"
"No, I suppose you wouldn't know. The Sorting Hat very nearly placed him in Slytherin, it would have if Harry hadn't decided to go to Gryffindor with Mr. Weasley. I sometimes wonder how things would be different if he had."
"Draco and Potter in the same house? We wouldn't have a moment's peace! If you'll excuse me now, I have some essays to mark."
"Certainly Severus," Dumbledore said, with an irritating, knowing little smile as he looked at one of the few men who, whatever he might say to the contrary, would always look at him as a surrogate father.
Severus nodded curtly to him and returned slowly towards his dungeon lair, intending to eat in his rooms if possible. He'd told the truth about having marking to do, but he really wanted time to get his feelings strictly back in order. Damnitall, why had he rescued Potter anyway? The boy wasn't physically harmed, in fact he seemed quite used to the treatment. Severus could easily have returned to Hogwarts with no one the wiser. It would probably have done the boy good to have a month's discipline - it was good for the brain.
But then, he'd never known how much the Potter boy kept bottled up inside him, and he'd actually been openly friendly in his Quidditch training. Later, he had been so careful with Evans, hardly in character at all. It couldn't last. Soon, once he'd recovered from the shock of being rescued by his harsh, uncaring Potions master (and that was his cover gone for good) he'd be back to being the arrogant Gryffindor Golden Boy without a sense of politeness in his head.
But why had the Sorting Hat nearly placed him in Slytherin? That was certainly an unexpected tidbit of information. James Potter's son, in Slytherin? The thought didn't bear thinking about. Potter had never shown any signs of the cunning, intelligence and understanding that marked the Slytherins apart. Severus wondered if Dumbledore knew what most of his Slytherin students' home lives were like? If he even cared? There were reasons why it was the closest knit house in the school. Even Dumbledore tended to discriminate against them sometimes. Still, it hadn't happened. Potter was in Gryffindor, where he belonged, and that was the end of the matter.
~~~~Sev's POV~~~~~
Severus Snape stood stiffly in the window of the Headmaster's study, watching the two boys carefully. Albus Dumbledore stood beside him, looking on with interest.
"You were out with Harry earlier, Severus, weren't you?" asked Dumbeldore.
"Yes. He beat me on a Cleansweep 5," Severus replied sourly. To think that he, Slytherin Seeker for six years and one of the best players Hogwarts had seen in the present century, had been beaten by a sixteen year old boy on a battered school broom.
"What were you flying?"
"Potter's Firebolt," he admitted unwillingly. To have been beaten was bad enough without having such a superior broom.
"He lent you his Firebolt?" Dumbledore asked, sounding surprised for once. "How curious - it was a present from Sirius. Did anything interesting happen?"
"Well, he somehow persuaded me to train with him sometimes, I'm badly out of shape," Severus said negligently, then added to vex his mentor, "Oh, and he's a Sorcerer."
"How do you know that?" the old man demanded sharply.
"How many wizards do you know who can perform the Accio charm properly?"
"Point taken Severus, thank you. I'll have to mention it to him. Harry's bringing young Mark on quite nicely, isn't he?"
"I suppose so."
"I might see if I can't arrange for him to help our new Quidditch assistant with the first year coaching. You know he's good Severus, but you just don't want to praise him because he's James's son. Merlin! Harry had nothing to do with what his father did to you, so at least try to give him a fair chance for your own sake. He's a fine young man, and you're going to be seeing a lot of him in the future."
"Two more years, Albus," Severus said with relish. "And then I will never have to see him again."
"Especially if he's been killed before then, which is more likely now than ever, and increasingly so."
"I would have though that you or Minerva would be more of a target than Potter."
Dumbledore looked at him, appearing very disappointed. At last, he stopped staring intently and made up his mind.
"Severus, I am now going to tell you what so far only Harry and I know, and I am sure that you understand the need for secrecy. Harry is the most important boy in the world and this moment of time. He is the only thing that stands between Voldemort and invincibility, and he knows that someday he must either destroy Voldemort or be killed by him. I told him of the prophecy last summer, after Sirius's death, to try to explain why he's such a target. But I don't know! Maybe I was wrong to do so, but he's retreated further into himself than he ever has before. Even I can't read him most of the time now, and I always could before."
"He's growing up Albus, it happens to us all. He is a Sorcerer. He has the power, if he can be bothered to learn how to use it. Its his destiny, so he'll do it. There's no need to worry about him, he's just being a self-centered fool who doesn't realize just how man lives besides his are at stake, my own included."
"That's where you're wrong!" Dumbledore snapped, sounding more vexed with his former student than Severus had seen him in a long time. "Harry knows exactly how much is at stake. He's lost even more than you to Voldemort, Severus. He first lost his parents and the godmother he never had a chance to know to death, his innocent godfather to Azkaban, and all likelihood of a happy childhood. In Sirius, years later, he discovered a second father, then loses him too, and I know that he still blames himself for that death. Remus, who came a close second, is now running so close to insanity that Harry might lose him too. In his fourth year, Cedric was killed in front of his very eyes, before Harry himself was tortured and forced to witness Voldemort's rebirth. On top of all that he's almost died himself seven times!! He's only sixteen, and sometimes he looks as though he's seen more horror than someone twice that!"
"I'll concede that he hasn't had a pleasant time, and I will give him a chance since you ask it, but I don't believe that he's had a worse childhood than me."
"Oh Severus, don't you see now? You had Cassandra beside you until her death, and friends who understood what it was like. Harry's had no one. You've met his family, and all of the other children in the area were too scared of Dudley to make friends."
"What are Weasley and Granger then? Enemies?"
"They are friends, certainly, and they mean even more to Harry than he shows, but he worries for them constantly. They don't understand what they're up against to the same degree and don't understand his life and feelings. He will never open himself completely to them, indeed, I'd be surprised if he did to anyone now."
"Pure Gryffindor stupidity," Severus snorted. "Call it bravery if you will."
"And a very Slytherin wish to stand on his own two feet, just like young Draco Malfoy is attempting to do."
"What?"
"No, I suppose you wouldn't know. The Sorting Hat very nearly placed him in Slytherin, it would have if Harry hadn't decided to go to Gryffindor with Mr. Weasley. I sometimes wonder how things would be different if he had."
"Draco and Potter in the same house? We wouldn't have a moment's peace! If you'll excuse me now, I have some essays to mark."
"Certainly Severus," Dumbledore said, with an irritating, knowing little smile as he looked at one of the few men who, whatever he might say to the contrary, would always look at him as a surrogate father.
Severus nodded curtly to him and returned slowly towards his dungeon lair, intending to eat in his rooms if possible. He'd told the truth about having marking to do, but he really wanted time to get his feelings strictly back in order. Damnitall, why had he rescued Potter anyway? The boy wasn't physically harmed, in fact he seemed quite used to the treatment. Severus could easily have returned to Hogwarts with no one the wiser. It would probably have done the boy good to have a month's discipline - it was good for the brain.
But then, he'd never known how much the Potter boy kept bottled up inside him, and he'd actually been openly friendly in his Quidditch training. Later, he had been so careful with Evans, hardly in character at all. It couldn't last. Soon, once he'd recovered from the shock of being rescued by his harsh, uncaring Potions master (and that was his cover gone for good) he'd be back to being the arrogant Gryffindor Golden Boy without a sense of politeness in his head.
But why had the Sorting Hat nearly placed him in Slytherin? That was certainly an unexpected tidbit of information. James Potter's son, in Slytherin? The thought didn't bear thinking about. Potter had never shown any signs of the cunning, intelligence and understanding that marked the Slytherins apart. Severus wondered if Dumbledore knew what most of his Slytherin students' home lives were like? If he even cared? There were reasons why it was the closest knit house in the school. Even Dumbledore tended to discriminate against them sometimes. Still, it hadn't happened. Potter was in Gryffindor, where he belonged, and that was the end of the matter.