Disclaimer: None of this stuff belongs to me, with the exception of Silver Riddle!

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Chapter 12 – Apologies

"Harry, by the goalpost!" Silver said exasperatedly as she batted a Bludger away from him.

"Huh?" he asked blankly.

"The Snitch!" she exclaimed.

"Oh – goalpost," he repeated as he realized what she was saying. He had been watching her swerve around players, batting the Bludgers away and complimenting the other players as she did so.

Better not lose concentration like that during a game, Harry thought as he sped toward the goalpost for the elusive Snitch. His Firebolt readily put on speed for him, and although it was just practice, Harry felt a competitive urge driving him to fly at top speed. The Snitch veered over the top of his broomstick to the left, and Harry after it. He reached out his hand and caught it by one wing.

"Got it!" he announced.

Two Bludgers came racing toward him, and Silver appeared out of nowhere. She hit them both with the handle of her broomstick and sent them speeding toward the ground.

"Nice move," he complimented her.

"Same to you," she replied easily.

The team landed and headed for the locker rooms.

"Did you see me block that shot Alicia sent my way?" Ron asked excitedly.

"Uh, no," Harry answered.

"Oh, that's right, you were gaping at Silver," Ron teased.

Harry glared at him, but it turned into a smile when he realized Ron was right. When he arrived back outside, Silver and Hermione, who had been watching their practice, were already headed off towards the castle.

"Hey!" Ron yelled after them, "Thanks for waiting!"

"Your welcome," Hermione replied sarcastically over her shoulder.

Grumbling, Ron and Harry jogged to catch up to them. The foursome walked through the halls discussing the upcoming Gryffindor : Ravenclaw match when Snape appeared in front of them.

"Twenty points from Gryffindor," he snapped as he brushed by without even looking at them.

"See?" Ron hissed after Snape was out of earshot, "He is a git!"

Harry glared at Ron. He had told them about his dream, and he expected Ron to be a bit more sensitive toward Snape, especially considering the fact that Silver was staring after him with a very hurt expression on her face. Ron immediately looked abashed.

"He's still in a bad mood," Silver said in disbelief.

"Well, he had a pretty trying meeting with Voldemort," Harry replied comfortingly, "I'm sure he'll be fine in class tomorrow."

Silver didn't look too sure, and Harry had to admit that he wasn't so sure either. Snape had visited Voldemort on Wednesday, and it was now Sunday afternoon, and he was still as angry and irritable as he had been on Thursday. Harry put a hand on her shoulder and steered her toward the Gryffindor common room. Ron and Hermione were silent, and Harry knew Ron was silently beating himself up for his comment.

Silver looked frustrated and upset as they climbed through the portrait hole.

"He didn't even say hi to me," she said, biting her lip.

"He'll warm up," Harry reassured her.

She didn't look convinced, and Harry desperately hoped that Snape would miraculously be in a good mood the next day. For the rest of the day Silver moped, although occasionally she would laugh at something particularly funny, but Harry saw the brooding in her eyes as she walked up the stairs to bed.

He sighed as he and Ron headed for their own beds. "Snape needs to lighten up. Okay, so he just had a meeting with Voldemort, but he must realize that when he brushes her off like that it hurts her."

Ron shrugged. "Hopefully he'll realize it by tomorrow, mate," he replied unhelpfully.

Harry tried to clear his mind, but was still a bit frustrated as he fell asleep. For once, his mind didn't jump at the chance to torture him, and he slept fitfully.

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The next morning Silver seemed in a slightly better mood throughout all their morning classes, but at lunch Harry knew she was thinking of Snape.

"Just relax," he told her as she picked at her food.

She nodded and forced a smile onto her face. Harry and Ron did their best comedic act to cheer her up, but it only served to get a slight chuckle out of her before she dropped back down into despair. For some reason, Hermione was looking at them disapprovingly, so they followed her lead and were quiet for the rest of lunch.

When the bell rang they proceeded to the dungeons in silence. Another complex potion was on the board, much to Harry's disappointment. This potion was particularly hot, and Harry found himself backing up often to wipe his face of sweat before continuing. Soon the dungeon began to heat up uncomfortably, which only seemed to make Snape more irritable. Ron, who didn't fare well in the heat, kept dropping things, which would make everybody jump. When he accidentally knocked his stool over as he was backing away to wipe sweat off his face, Snape lost it.

"Twenty points from Gryffindor and the next person to drop something from the blasted house loses them fifty points!" As he said it, there was a particularly nasty glint in his eye that he didn't manage to wipe before he looked at Silver.

Harry glanced at Silver, who was biting her lip determinedly and looking close to tears. He could tell that Snape's harshness was affecting her concentration as well as the heat. She was very flushed, and seemed to be breathing hard as she slaved over her potion.

"Are you okay?" he asked her concernedly, "You look sick."

"I'm fine," she replied stubbornly.

He noticed, however, that she was working progressively slower, and her grip seemed to be failing her at times. Please don't let her drop something, he prayed silently, She'll have a heart attack if she loses Gryffindor fifty points. Almost as if on cue, a porcelain cup filled with crushed cockroaches slipped from her fingers and crashed to the floor. Snape looked up menacingly.

"Fifty –"he began, but suddenly Silver collapsed into a heap on the floor.

Abandoning all dignity, Snape rushed to her side as Harry picked her up.

"What," he hissed at Harry, "happened?"

"I think she's sensitive to the heat," Harry answered dumbly.

Snape gave him a withering look and disappeared into his private storage room. Whispers broke out around the classroom.

Harry sat down on the floor and leaned her against him. Snape returned holding a vial of liquid that was either a dark shade of green or black. He gently eased it into her mouth and trickled it down her throat. Her eyes fluttered open momentarily. She sat up, away from Harry, looking a bit dazed.

"Are you okay?" Snape asked her, trying to mask his concern.

Her eyes landed on the smashed cup. She began to cry.

"I...lost...fifty...p...points," she sobbed.

Snape rolled his eyes.

"You haven't lost any points, child," he said impatiently.

"B...but I d...dropped it," she protested, pointing to the shards of porcelain.

"You haven't lost any points," he repeated.

She continued to sob. Sighing, Snape grasped her arm and helped her to her feet. He led her to the door, and before he exited, he turned back around and stated fiercely, "When I get back each of your potions had better be perfected."

He then proceeded to exit the chamber and close the door behind him. Surprisingly, everyone began to work on their potions once more. Nobody dared to disobey Snape. Harry was amazed at the fact that his potion was coming along nicely. It was nearly as good at Hermione's, and he thought that if he kept it up, he might be able to convince Snape to give him an "O" for once.

The door opened, and Snape came in, followed by a much happier looking Silver. The moment she came in, she returned to work on her potion, although Harry noticed that she stopped at times and went to stand in the coolness of the back of the classroom. She didn't say a word, but she looked much more content. When the bell rang, she completely ignored it.

"The bell rang," Harry informed her.

"I know," she replied, "Snape said I could stay afterwards to finish my potion. He said you could stay with me, if you want."

"Alright," Harry agreed, "I'll turn in my potion and wait for you."

She nodded and continued to tend to her potion.

Harry confidently took his potion up to Snape's desk. Snape sneered at it for a few moments before announcing, "Well done, but it's not quite dark enough. You've earned an E."

Harry knew that his handsomely colored purple potion was "O" material, but didn't say anything. Instead, he turned a bit dejectedly back to his desk. Now that the room was not full of broiling cauldrons, it was cooling down nicely.

"Done!" Silver announced proudly.

Harry looked at hers and was disappointed to find that it was a tad darker than his, so Snape had an excuse for giving her an O. Sure enough, that was her grade when she took it up to his desk.

"Be back at six," she reminded Snape as she turned to leave.

"Looking forward to it," Snape replied, although he didn't sound all too eager. Harry decided that it was hard for Snape to express his true emotions, because he was sure that what Snape said had been sincere.

As they worked on their homework, Silver was particularly cheerful.

"Did you and Snivelly make up?" Ron asked, raising an eyebrow as she happily pulled out her quill for a History of Magic essay.

"Don't call him that," she replied as she began to write.

"Did he apologize?" Ron probed.

She looked up. "For what?"

"Being a git," Ron said truthfully.

She sighed. "Yes," she relented, "But it's not as if he didn't have a reason."

"I know," Ron answered sincerely.

Soon they were done with their homework, and all doing something of their own. Harry was reading the Occlumency book Snape had given him, Silver was writing a letter, Hermione was stubbornly knitting new clothes for the house elves, and Ron was tutting at her insistently.

"Will you stop it, Ron?" she asked impatiently.

"Well, I –"Ron began, but he cut himself off as he got a glimpse of Silver's reproving face.

"You what?" Hermione asked dangerously.

Harry glanced up to join Silver in observing them.

"Nothing," Ron mumbled, "Sorry."

"I accept your apology," Hermione replied in a dignified voice.

Suddenly, without warning, Ron reached over, pulled Hermione toward him, and kissed her. Then, blushing furiously, he told her, "The house elves don't wanna be freed," and walked off to the boys dorms.

Hermione looked dumbstruck. "Well...I...well!" was all she said before getting up and going up to the girl's dorms, blushing almost as much as Ron.

Silver burst into giggles. Harry couldn't help but laugh with her.

"That's what happens when you give people advice!" he teased.

"I didn't know he would take me literally. That was kinda cute – did you see the looks on their faces?" she replied.

Her eyes sparkled as she looked into his. He sat up and pulled her closer. As was commonplace by then, they were interrupted. Harry was furious. He looked at Ron and Hermione, who had exited their dorms at the same time, and glared.

"Come on, Harry," Silver said, pulling on his arm.

"I don't want to go anywhere," he replied.

"They need to talk," she hissed.

Reluctantly, he allowed himself to be pulled off the couch and led out of the common room. It was five forty-five. They headed towards Dumbledore's office, and Harry was still mad that their kiss had been interrupted. It always happened, without fail. They reached the gargoyle and Harry glared at it, and when he fixed his gaze on Silver, she was smiling.

"What?" he snapped.

"Nothing," she said innocently, putting her arms around his neck and smiling mischievously.

Grinning, he slid his arms around her and pulled her closer to him. Amazingly, there were no interruptions. Their lips met and Harry felt his stomach do cartwheels as fireworks exploded in his mind. She tightened her arms around him, and he was about to do the same, but suddenly something hit him on the side of the head, knocking him away from her.

"Ouch!" he exclaimed, grabbing his head, and ready to curse whatever had interrupted. His resolve to curse failed, however, when he found himself looking into Snape's flashing eyes.

Silver seemed at a loss for words.

"Get up to your Occlumency before I rip you apart, Potter," he threatened.

"Why would you rip me apart?" Harry challenged.

"Because you were...you were..." Snape looked as if he could not find words terrible enough for what Harry had just done as he gestured to Silver.

"Kissing her?" Harry finished.

"Yes," Snape hissed, looking angrier than Harry had ever seen him.

"So what?" he challenged, "Why is it any of your business?"

"Well she didn't want to kiss you!" Snape yelled.

"She did too, ask her!" Harry told him.

Snape turned to Silver triumphantly. Harry realized that Snape actually thought he had forced Silver to kiss him.

"Actually, I did," she told Snape meekly.

Snape looked from her to Harry and back at her.

"Are you telling me you went along with...him?" he asked.

"Yes," she replied.

Snape looked as if his eyeballs were going to pop out. He looked at Harry suspiciously.

"What, do you think I forced her to put her arms around my neck?" Harry challenged.

Snape didn't reply, he just looked at the two of them again and then turned and stormed off toward the dungeons.

Silver was smiling.

"What's so funny about that?" Harry inquired, rubbing the side of his head, "He's going to kill me!"

Silver sighed. "He's just a bit protective is all...and he wont be so mad after I talk to him."

"Did he punch me?" Harry asked in amazement.

"I think so," she replied, walking up. She took her head in her hands and gently rubbed over the spot where Snape had hit him. "Does it hurt?" she asked concernedly.

"Depends," Harry replied, his eyes flashing with mischief, "Will you kiss it and make it better if it does?"

She smiled. "I think I might," she replied.

"Well, he got me right here," Harry said, pointing to his lips.

She giggled and stepped closer to him, but suddenly the gargoyle sprang open.

"Harry!" Dumbledore said delightedly, "Just the man I was looking for!"

Harry did his best not to glare at the Headmaster, but he couldn't help it. Dumbledore smiled brightly at him in response.

Silver giggled again. "See you later, Harry," she said as she headed off toward the dungeons.

Harry sighed and followed Dumbledore up to his office. Once there, he proceeded to rant to Dumbledore about what had just happened. Dumbledore chuckled when he finished.

"Well, well, Severus is recuperating quite nicely, I see," he said.

"Oh yeah..." Harry said, "I had another dream. I think I saw Snape's meeting with Voldemort."

He told Dumbledore all about his dream, and this time included the fact that he hadn't cleared his mind before he went to sleep.

"Are you sure, Harry?" Dumbledore asked, "Are you absolutely positive that it was actually what happened?"

"Yes," Harry said miserably, "I mean, what else could've happened to put Snape in such a bad mood? Mind you, this is Snape we're talking about, so he's in a bad mood to begin with."

Dumbledore looked on the verge of smiling, but only his eyes gave away his amusement.

"Professor Snape, Harry," he reminded him.

"Yeah, yeah," Harry muttered, still angry with Snape for the blow he had given him.

It only took Harry ten tries to block Dumbledore, and he successfully did that five times before Dumbledore let him have a rest.

"Very nice, Harry," Dumbledore complimented, "I think soon we will be able to start without the use of the Pensieve."

Harry sighed. "Do we have to add that memory?" he asked.

"Yes, Harry, I'm afraid Voldemort might not be so courteous as to let you use a Pensieve before he invades your mind," Dumbledore reminded him.

"Alright," Harry grumbled.

They practiced again, and Harry was elated that he blocked Dumbledore successfully on his seventh try, as was Dumbledore.

"Well!" he exclaimed, "We're out of the two-digit numbers, that's something!"

Harry couldn't help but laugh.

At nine o' clock, while Harry and Dumbledore were discussing Harry's current victory of success on the fifth try, Silver entered, dragging Snape behind her. Harry eyed the professor suspiciously.

"Hi, Harry, Professor Dumbledore," she beamed.

They said hello back, and she continued, "Professor Snape just has something he'd like to say to Harry."

Harry looked into Snape's eyes, and Snape glared back at him.

"Sorry," he mumbled.

"Ah...no problem," Harry said.

Snape quickly changed the subject. "Headmaster, I've come to discuss something with you."

"Very well, Severus, I have until breakfast tomorrow morning," Dumbledore said cheerfully.

Snape looked at Dumbledore in disbelief before sitting down in one of the fluffy armchairs in front of Dumbledore's desk.

"Well, off you go," Snape ordered Harry and Silver. He smirked as Harry tripped while turning around, but refrained from making fun of him.

"See?" Silver asked Harry delightedly as they headed for the Gryffindor common room, "He's not that bad."

"Yeah, he totally wanted to apologize," Harry said sarcastically.

"Well the point is that he did," Silver answered, not letting his sarcasm get the better of her good mood.

"I suppose," Harry agreed, "But I bet you anything he gives us a really hard potion Wednesday."

Silver laughed, and Harry was content.