Chapter 2

Snape really shouldn't have been surprised. That was probably what irked him the most. Being taken by surprise. He hated surprises. He took much care to know what was going on. He had to, he was after all, a spy. He kept tight control over himself at all times. Except when it came to Potter.

It was more than the boy's resemblance to his late father. It was more than the fact that Harry was the son and godson of his worst enemies. It was that the boy made him lose control. As nasty as he was to the students, he never lost his temper. Never even came close. Except around him. The boy's entire existence seemed to infuriate him. And that in of itself was intolerable.

He knew what he was capable of. The only thing that scared him more than Voldemort, was the darkness within him. And Potter made it boil.

And now this. It wasn't enough that the boy had to come to this school and be almost exactly like his damnable father. Now he had the gall to mock him in this manner. He almost laughed when he thought of Potters new "look". The little poseur didn't know the first thing about being Goth. This latest insult could not be borne. How DARE he, the club was Snape's refuge. How dare Harry invade it?

The golden boy, the chosen one. Any pain the boy received from life was needed to keep the little prat from becoming as arrogant as his father. And Snape was proud to do his part to keep another James Potter from being unleashed upon an undeserving world.

Harry could practically feel Snape's glower on him all through class. It had been a week since his visit to the London Goth club, and he'd rather been dreading the return to school. No doubt Snape would take his presence at the club as a personal insult. Chances were there would be extra nastiness from the greasy git for a while now.

With a deep breath, Harry made a decision. He would not be on the defensive this time. It was time to end this. And he would head Snape off before he got a chance to implement whatever he might be plotting.

So it was when the class ended, and all the other students filed to the door, the boy who lived walked determinedly to the teacher's desk.

"Harry what are you doing?" Hermione asked frantically.

"I'll catch up." He said quietly, locking eyes with the potions master.

Ron grabbed her arm and pulled her from the room. "Best we not get in the crossfire." He muttered.

Snape said nothing as he watched the boy approach. Was the little bastard about to attack him?

"My father was a bully." Harry said simply.

Snape, once more, was taken completely by surprise. This was completely not what he'd been expecting. "What?"

"My father, and Sirius. They were bullies. Assholes. There's no excusing their behavior. No apologizing for what they did. But they're dead. Your fight with them is over."

"Potter," Snape began dangerously.

"You hate me because I look like my father." Harry's voice rose to cut him off. "But I'm NOT my father. I actually like to think I take after my mother in a lot of ways. Who by the way tried to defend you. You've no one to blame there but yourself."

"How dare-"

"My father grew out of it!" Harry's voice continued to rise. "He must have because my mother would never have looked twice at the twat he was back then. He grew out of it. He grew up. Time you did the same. Grow up Snape. Find a woman. Get some sun. Go to therapy. Whatever you need to do to get over it. Because you're only making yourself more miserable, and you're trying to drag everyone else down with you. Well not me. I'm through being mad at you. Nothing you can say or do could upset me. Because I've had it all.

"For the first eleven years of my life I lived in a cupboard under the stairs. With the kind of Muggles who make you look like bloody Father Christmas. Who not only overlooked my cousin's beating of me, actually encouraged it. Have you ever heard someone laugh when a dog attacks a small child? Have you ever had the possibility of a better life dangled before you only to have it snatched away at the last minute? Have you ever cared about anyone other than yourself? Ever? Ever have them taken from you? Say what you want, flunk me right out of your stupid class. I don't care. I'm through feuding with you. I'm done. You don't like me, and I don't like you. So let's just ignore each other until we go away. Because your behaving like a five year old. And it's just, sad."

And without a backward glance, Harry turned and walked out of the room. Leaving Snape alone in his empty classroom.

"…"

The End