"Severus, there is something I should have told you years ago."
"Really, Albus? This sounds like one of those conversations you have at the end of every one of Potter's infernal adventures."
"That thought had occurred to me also. You and Mr Potter have many things in common, the most notable –"
"Potter and myself have nothing in common. He is pampered and egotistical, whereas I -"
"Still have much to learn, I see. As I was saying, many parallels can be drawn between the two of you, however much it irks you to hear me say it."
"I am sure, Headmaster, that you have your reasons for saying this, but I do not see the reason or your bringing Potter into this conversation."
"If you will allow me, Severus, I will make myself clear in time." Severus nodded, his face not betraying any emotion. "You, like Mr Potter, have spent most of your life feeling misunderstood. You both have had unfortunate family lives, which has reflected on each of you. Also, and this is the part of our conversation it pains me most to speak of, you have both spent a large portion of your lives so far without me telling you the truth."
Snap's mouth was twitching, apparently without his knowledge, as he stared at the Headmaster. He did not speak, however, but waited for Dumbledore to continue. "Harry never knew that he would have to kill Voldemort, a truth which you and I are the only two to know of."
"What does that have to do with me?"
"Nothing directly, I suppose, although it is a strange thing to consider. You remember, Severus, the people you grew up with?"
Severus nodded curtly. "My mother and that intolerable –"
"Well, Severus, the thing is…"
"Albus, are you finally going to tell me why I had to live with them? He wasn't even my father, and you know what he did to me. To me and my mother. You know what it drove her to, and you didn't –"
"Severus, please listen carefully to me now, and let me finish what I have to say before you attempt to hex me. The man you lived with was not your father. Nor was Eileen Prince your mother."
"What?"
"Severus, please –"
"Albus, I have a lesson to go to," and, without a goodbye, Snape flung open the door of Dumbledore's office and swept out, slamming the door behind him. The older wizard glanced at the clock on the wall above the door, and sighed. It was a full hour before Severus had to teach another lesson.
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"And what is all this noise about?" Severus said in a soft, deadly voice. He had seen the argument between Potter and his little pals and Draco Malfoy. Now it was time to pay Potter back. As his Potions class clamoured to explain what happened, Severus pointed at Malfoy and said, "Explain."
"Potter attacked me, sir –"
"We attacked each other at the same time!" Potter shouted, and Severus seethed.
"- and he hit Goyle – look –"
Severus examined Goyle, whose face now resembled something that would have been at home in a book on poisonous fungi. "Hospital wing, Goyle," he said calmly.
"Malfoy got Hermione!" Weasley said. "Look!"
Snape smirked as Weasley forced Hermione to show him her teeth. He had no sympathy for anyone associated with Potter, whatever – but as he saw her teeth, he had to control his expression. She tried to cover them with her hands, but this was difficult as they had now grown down past her collar.
He looked at her coldly, and then said, "I see no difference."
Granger let out a whimper; her eyes filled with tears, she turned on her heel and ran, ran all the way up the corridor and out of sight. Severus watched her go with a strangely empty feeling. He was not angry any more, merely – he was distracted by Potter and Weasley.
It was lucky for them, perhaps, that they both started shouting at Severus at the same time; lucky their voices echoed so much in the stone corridor, for in the confused din, it was impossible for him to hear exactly what they were calling him. He got the gist, however.
"Let's see," he said, in his silkiest voice. "Fifty points from Gryffindor and a detention each for Potter and Weasley. Now get inside, or it'll be a week's worth of detentions."
Severus watched with a sense of satisfaction as Potter and Weasley shook with anger, slamming their bags down on separate tables. It had not escaped his notice that the dream team had encountered a blip in their perfect partnership. Maybe now, Potter would get a sense of what it was like to be an outcast. Dumbledore was quite wrong when he compared Potter to Severus; that was clear to anyone who knew the two of them. But, after all, who really knew Severus Snape? He smiled to himself.
"Antidotes!" Severus said, looking around at the class, an unpleasant smile on his face. "You should all have prepared your recipes now. I want you to brew them carefully," not that that would make any difference in Longbottom's case, "and then we will be selecting someone on whom to test one…"
Severus' eyes met Potter's, and he could see by the look on Potter's arrogant face that he knew what was coming. Severus was going to poison him. In fact, why not use Longbottom's antidote? After all, if ever there was an antidote that surely wouldn't work…
And then a knock on the dungeon door burst in on Severus' thoughts. It was Creevey, that annoying Gryffindor twerp that worshipped Potter, not that any Gryffindor didn't; he edged into the room, beaming at Potter, and walked up to Severus' desk at the front of the room.
"Yes?" said Severus curtly.
"Please, sir, I'm supposed to take Harry Potter upstairs."
Severus stared at Creevey, whose grin rapidly faded. He would be damned if Potter got out of being poisoned. He always seemed to wriggle his way out of things, but not this time.
"Potter has another hour of Potions to complete. He will come upstairs when this class is finished."
Creevey went pink. "Sir – sir, Mr Bagman wants him," he said nervously. "All the champions have got to go, I think they want to take photographs…"
"Very well, very well," Snape snapped. He couldn't believe Potter's luck, yet again. "Potter, leave your things here, I want you back down here later to test your antidote."
"Please, sir –" Creevey said plaintively, "he's got to take his things with him. All the champions –"
"Very well!" Snape almost shouted. But he would not lose his cool. He had not lost it with Dumbledore, and so he would not lose it with Potter. "Potter – take your bag and get out of my sight!" It gave Severus only a small feeling of satisfaction as he watched 'Potter Stinks' flash from every direction.
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Severus stormed back to his office after the lesson to find a note waiting for him on his desk. It read:
'Severus,
When you are ready to hear what I have got to say, I will be happy to continue. Enjoy the rest of your day,
Albus Dumbledore'
Severus growled in the back of his throat. The man was so infuriating. First he admits to lying for Severus' whole life, then he expects him to just accept the fact? Well, he had no plans to turn around and listen. What did it really matter, anyway? It wasn't as if Dumbledore could just change the past.
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The only time Severus really had in which to vent his frustration were the detentions that he had given to Potter and Weasley. He took great delight in forcing the two of them to pickle rats' brains in his dungeon for two hours, but even this didn't relieve him of the anger and confusion which had irked him constantly since his conversation with Dumbledore. He was beginning to think that he would have been better to listen to the Headmaster, if only to understand. His resolve was stronger than that, however. He would listen to Dumbledore only when Dumbledore begged him to.
Short, but a good jobI hope. Please lemme know what you reckon - I'm kinda enjoying writing something intriguing.
Becca