-130 Snarkiness

Harry pinched the bridge of his nose, hoping to stop the steady flow of blood. It was getting harder for him to keep the memories from hurting his father. This last one had really taken it's toll by not only causing a fever but also this damn bloody nose. He was glad he had already been in his bedroom before his nose had started to bleed. He knew Severus would make him stop helping if he found out.

It was worth the pain and much more to help his father. The faster Severus regained his memories, the faster they could get back to way things used to be.

He pressed a finger to the top of his nose, grateful that it had finally stopped bleeding. His white school shirt still showed the signs of blood, even after he cast a cleaning spell. He took his shirt off, then rummaged through the armoire for another. He stood in front of the mirrored armoire as he put on a black button down shirt. He stopped buttoning it half way up when he saw the bite mark on his neck .

No matter what Poppy had tried to conceal the bite mark, nothing had worked. The medi-witch had thought it was similar to a curse scar, resisting potions, creams and even glamour charms. He touched the bite mark, hating the sight of it and all it reminded him of.

He finished buttoning his shirt, pulling up the collar to hide the mark as best as he could.

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Severus paced in front of the fireplace as he tried to place the memory he had just received. That memory of himself telling Potter that he loved him was a hard one to believe. His lost memories had been coming back slowly. Several mundane, uneventful memories had come back to him during his sleep and throughout the day. These memories were usually of him brewing a potion or teaching a class, nothing to be startled by. They came back so slowly that he hadn't even felt a twinge of a headache. But other times, the memories were powerful and compelling, like the one this evening had been.

In those instances he had felt pain worse than any curse he had ever been subjected to.

As much as he hated the idea of Potter helping him through the memory, he was always grateful for the pain to subside. He knew that Potter paid a price for helping him, those fevers were hard to hide. He felt an unnerving sense of gratitude towards the once insufferable teen.

With that thought in mind, he decided to go speak with Potter. Perhaps it was time he gave the boy a chance. In the very least he should check up on him, just to make sure his fever hadn't progressed.

He pushed open the spare room door, stopping when he saw Potter admiring himself in the mirror. He was suddenly reminded of the boy's arrogant father, James Potter was notorious for spending time admiring his own reflection.

The teen pulled his collar up in that same conceited way that James Potter used to wear his shirts. Severus felt the small measure of compassion he had for the teen suddenly fizzle away.

When the teen looked up at him, Severus curtly replied, "I thought I told you to get to your studies. I see you are too preoccupied with gazing at your own reflection, just like that egotistical father of yours."

"I wasn't gazing," Harry shot back, "And my dad wasn't egotistical!"

"How dare you use that tone of voice with me, Potter!" Severus snapped out. "Twenty points from Gryffindor."

"You can't take points! We're not even in class," Harry accused.

"You insolent little brat, I can do whatever I please," in a much more sinister voice, Severus continued, "You forget…as your guardian I have the authority to punish you as I see fit. That is … unless you wish to sign the ministry document?"

Harry hid his exasperation, remembering just how much of a bastard Snape could be if he wanted to. "No, sir, I won't sign it."

Snape growled, before turning and striding out the door.

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Severus knew he had handled that situation improperly. Those old feelings he had for Potter were hard to deny. He just couldn't accept that this new memory had been true. It didn't seem conceivable that he would ever tell Potter that he loved him. His mind kept telling him that this whole thing was a farce and that none of those memories were true. His thoughts were interrupted when the floo lit up and Narcissa and Draco stepped into the dungeon apartment.

Narcissa immediately pulled Severus into an embrace, "Oh Severus, I was so worried. The headmaster wouldn't allow us to visit you. Draco explained as much as he knew," Narcissa gave her son a frown, "Although that wasn't very much."

Severus had been told by Albus that he and Narcissa had come to establish a closer friendship, since Lucius had passed on. He just wasn't prepared for the familiarity she seemed to be accustomed to. He recovered quickly from the hug, not at all displeased with his new circumstances. If truth be told, he had always been rather fond of the elegant woman. Spending an evening with two people who could not find out about his loss of memory would be challenging though.

"I am quite pleased to see you both," Severus stated, gesturing to the sofa for them to take a seat. . "It is good to have my godson back where he belongs."

Narcissa beamed with pride, "Are you well, Severus? Did Harry get hurt? Of course the Headmaster refused to tell us anything," she snidely remarked.

Severus was prepared with his answers since he had gone over them quite thoroughly with Albus just hours ago. "Harry and I are fine. I am most grateful for Draco's assistance," here he stopped to glare at Draco, "Although, I would have preferred to not put either boy at risk."

Draco tried to look somewhat repentant, "Potter and I just wanted to help. It turned out okay in the end, right?"

Severus spread his arms out, "Well, I am here, so to answer your question, yes. However, if there should be another instance where I am incapacitated in enemy territory, I would hope you would ask an adult for help. I fear Potter doesn't have the sense of a troll, so I will be relying on your intellect, Mr. Malfoy."

"Yes, sir," Draco said, not sorry in the least that he had helped. He looked around, then asked, "Where's Harry at? I've heard about this big Quidditch match and I hear he's the one we should all be thanking."

"You may find him in the spare room. Please inform Potter …, " he quickly corrected his mistake, "I mean Harry, that supper will be ready in a few moments."

Draco got up and walked down the hall. He entered the spare bedroom without knocking, "Hey Potter, Severus says supper is ready."

Harry looked up from his potions text, "Hey, Draco."

"So, you saved him," Draco declared, slapping a hand on Harry's shoulder.

Harry was happy to see his Slytherin friend back at school. Draco had been the only person to believe in his ability to save Severus. He wouldn't forget how much he owed the Slytherin.

"Yeah, thanks for the tracking device," Harry turned around, standing up to face Draco. "We would have never made it out of there without it."

Draco grinned, "No problem. So, what happened while you were there? Dumbledore wouldn't tell us."

Harry shook his head, "It was all fucked up. His aunt almost killed him … it was a bloody mess." He turned away from the Slytherin and picked up his tiny gold snitch from the table Thoughts of the way his dad had looked in that dreaded cell, flashed through his mind.

"I heard Bella was there too," Draco could see he had hit a sore subject when he saw Harry flinch.

"Who told you that?" Harry asked, fearful that others knew about the horcrux scar.

"Crabbe wrote me. He said he heard, through someone else, that Bella spent time with Vespa Snape," Draco saw the fear in his friend's eyes. "Did she do anything to you?"

Harry didn't want to talk about that stuff, especially with Draco. He tossed the ball into the air, catching it before it flew away.

"Harry?" Draco had a hunch something bad must have happened.

Harry turned around to face Draco once more, "I can't talk about it, Dumbledore's orders and all that."

"I also heard something else," Draco leaned back against the bed, studying his friend for his reaction, "I'm not sure what happened between you and Bella but … well, Crabbe said none of the returning Slytherins are allowed to touch you. I asked him who gave him that order but he wouldn't tell me. All he said was that the orders came from someone who had threatened to kill anyone who dared to touch you. He seemed pretty shaken up about the whole thing."

Harry felt the blood drain from his face, he felt weak enough to have to sit down again. He let the Snitch go and pressed his fingers to his scar.

"You okay, Harry?" Draco asked with concern. "Should I go get Severus or something?"

Harry quickly shook his head, "No, don't do that. I'm okay, I just …"

Bloody hell, he had hoped the whole horcrux story was just Bella's crazy mind at work. He felt sick to his stomach at the thought of the Slytherin's treating him differently than they had before. His head pounded worse than ever, making him wish he could just curl up on his bed and sleep forever, or at least until this nightmare ended.

He got up quickly, pushing those awful feelings away, "We best get to supper."

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Narcissa had been glad to see her son leave so she could have a few moments alone with Severus. As soon as Draco left the living room, she sidled up to the tall dark man.

"Severus, it is good to see you again." She ran a long finger down the front of his black robe. She leaned in for a kiss.

To say that Severus was stunned would be an understatement. He leaned down and kissed the impetuous woman. Perhaps the past six months had not been so dire after all?

Once the kiss ended, she smiled up at him, "Is there something wrong?"

"A long day, idiot students, nothing new" Severus commented, breathing in the scent of her understated perfume. "Everything is fine."

Narcissa had been married to Lucius for almost twenty years. In that time she had become very adept at knowing when to search out the truth. She knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that something was very wrong with Severus. She used just a touch of Legilimens, just enough to find out what was wrong but not enough to get caught doing it, "Severus, is everything alright with you and Harry?"

Severus sat up straighter, taking in a deep breath.

"Potter …Harry and I are fine," Severus declared, angry at himself for showing any reaction to the question.

Narcissa didn't want to push any further but she now knew father and son were indeed having problems. Lovely!

Just then, the two teens walked into the room, forcing the conversation to end. Severus recovered his composure as he raised his wand to summon their supper.

Supper had started out as a fairly enjoyable time for all, with talk of the upcoming try-outs for the Quidditch game. Of course Narcissa had felt it necessary to boast shamelessly regarding Draco's amazing talents on a broom. She was quite sure that he would win the position of seeker.

Harry didn't mind her saying so, since it took all the attention off of him. His fever had begun to rise, making him wish he was back in bed. He couldn't even think about touching his food.

"Actually, I believe you will be needing this," Severus said as he pulled a permission slip from his pocket and slid it across the table towards Draco. Draco looked at the parchment then handed it to his mum.

Harry remembered his unsigned permission slip, still in the pocket of his robe, "Sir, do mind signing mine this evening?"

Severus gave him a cold stare, "That would depend on the results from the potion you brew tomorrow. Any mistakes will cost you a signed permission slip."

Severus knew he was being unreasonable but he found Potter's look of defeat quite pleasing. He turned towards his godson, "How are you doing in your studies, Draco?"

Draco went into great detail about how diligently he had been studying. He claimed to be almost finished with most of his school books for the whole year.

"It sounds as if you are further along in your studies than Potter is," Severus dryly commented, giving Harry a reproving glare.

"Oh Severus," Narcissa chided, "You can't compare Draco's brilliant mind with anyone else, that just wouldn't be fair."

"True," Severus stated, thinking of Potter admiring himself in front of the mirror. "Especially with a mind so filled with unimportant nonsense."

Harry felt stung by the reprimand, especially since it was said in front of company. "I'm not that far behind, sir. As a matter of fact, I bet I nail that potions test tomorrow."

Severus shook his head, suddenly reminded of James Potter's arrogance once again. He thought to put the boy in his place with his next comment, "Potter, it is your own overconfidence that keeps you from becoming anything more than mediocre at best."

Harry's face reddened with humiliation and anger.

Narcissa smiled, quite satisfied with the way things were going, "Oh come now Severus, you are being too hard on the boy."

"I am quite certain that had his previous guardians been stricter with him and demanded more from him, he would have applied himself much more rigorously," Severus stridently stated. "They were entirely too soft on the boy."

Narcissa took in a sharp breath, Draco gave Severus a disapproving look.

Harry stood up, "Please excuse me."

"You are not excused," Snape's voice more menacing than usual. There was definitely an underlying threat when he snapped out, "Sit!"

Harry sat back down. He clutched his hands together, holding back the sharp words he wanted to say. How could his dad say something like that? Even if he didn't remember everything that happened, he must have remembered enough to know it would hurt.

The rest of supper was tense, with little conversation. As soon as it ended Harry stood up once more, "Do I have your permission to leave, sir?"

Severus waved towards the hallway without saying anything further.

As Harry left the dining room he heard Draco whisper, "Severus, how could you say something like that? You know what that hideous man did to him."

Severus quickly masked his confusion by falling back on his usual snarkiness, "He is far to arrogant for his own good . Furthermore, the way I decide to talk to Mr. Potter is not of your concern."

Harry shut his bedroom door, wishing he could be with his friends and away from Snape's cruelty.

As soon as Severus finished his supper he escorted Draco to the Slytherin dormitory, leaving Narcissa in his apartment with a glass of wine.

Narcissa, took this time left alone to snoop around. She walked around the living room, noticing the pictures of Severus and Harry that had once been on the mantle were no longer there. Severus' desk was covered in student's homework but there was an official looking document pushed off to the side. She looked down the hallway to make sure Potter was still in his bedroom, then unrolled the document.

Her heart sped up when she saw what she was holding. It looked to be a document that would release Severus from having the heavy burden of parenting the Potter brat. She immediately recognized the long graceful signature of Severus' on the bottom. What did this mean? Had Severus gotten so fed up with this farce of parenting Potter that he had tried to end his guardianship? The only thing missing from the document was a signature from Potter. This was encouraging, very encouraging!

She heard the front door open and quickly dropped the parchment back on the desk.

XXXXXXXXX

The next morning Harry didn't come out for breakfast until it was almost time to leave for class. He had had a long night with little sleep filled with nightmares. His patience was at an all time low. Harry ignored Snape as he walked out the door without stopping to eat.

The rest of the Slytherins arrived that day during lunch hour. Harry had been sitting with Ginny and his group of friends, talking about the Quidditch try-outs, when the doors to the Great Hall banged opened. Severus strode in with the returning Slytherins following behind.

Harry and Ginny looked to where Draco was sitting at the Slytherin table. Malfoy looked a bit nervous but quickly masked his unease.

Draco had been warned by Dumbledore that he would need to be on guard around his old friends. The Headmaster couldn't guarantee his safety and left it up to him to decide if he wanted to return under those conditions. Draco hadn't hesitated, he'd jumped at the chance to be back at school. His mum was driving him right mad back at home!

He knew who he could trust and who he couldn't. Some of the returning Slytherin's would be looking for revenge. The Headmaster had made each and every returning student vow to keep from seeking revenge, but Draco knew better than to trust their word.

Both Crabbe and Goyle came to sit on either side of him, pushing two younger students out of the way. Crabbe leaned in and whispered, "We've got a plan to make sure only Slytherin are chosen for the Quidditch match."

"You guys just got here and already you're making plans that will get you kicked out?" Draco asked incredulously.

Goyle narrowed his eyes at Draco, "So now you're a bloody Gryffindor?"

"No!" Draco exclaimed indignantly, "I'm no Gryffindor, I just can't believe you would risk getting kicked out already."

Crabbe leaned into him from the other side, "Malfoy, you're either with us or against us. Which is it?"

Draco glared back at them, "I'm not sure who you think you are talking to, but NO ONE gives a Malfoy an ultimatum! I'll join along if I feel like it … not because you guys threaten me!" He stood up, glaring back at both Slytherin before storming out the door.

Harry and Ginny had been watching from their own table. They couldn't hear what had been said but knew it wasn't good.

"Should we go talk to him," Ginny whispered into Harry's ear..

"Yeah, he can probably use a friend or two," Harry said. He helped Ginny over the bench and held her hand as they went to find Draco.

They found the Slytherin down by the lake, pacing back and forth and swearing under his breath.

"Hey Malfoy," Harry said, "You okay?"

Draco picked up a rock and threw it in the lake. Harry and Ginny watched it skim across the water, skipping three times before the long arm of the Black Lake creature came up and caught it. The weather was dreary with heavy grey clouds threatening to storm any minute. Harry unclasped his cloak and threw it over Ginny's shoulders.

"My friends are idiots," Draco pronounced, kicking at a large rock with his black shiny boot.

Harry had to stop himself from agreeing with him.

Ginny just came right out and said it, "I have to agree with you. What'd they do now? We saw you arguing with them."

Draco shrugged, he wouldn't divulge any Slytherin pranks.

"You could hang out with us," Ginny offered. "We're having a little party Sunday night, after the try-outs. Its being held up in the Astronomy Tower."

Draco looked doubtful, "Yeah sure, that would go over well. I can just see it now; Draco Malfoy crashing the big Gryffindor party!"

"Draco, everyone in Gryffindor knows what you did to save Ginny. They wouldn't mind at all if you came," Harry said, hoping he would be able to sneak out and attend as well.

"You think so?" Draco asked, suspiciously. "Will Lavender be there?"

Harry's eyebrows shot up, he had no idea Draco fancied Lavender. "We'll make sure she's there." He gave Ginny a sly grin and she squeezed his hand back.

"Well okay, I guess," Draco said, now looking forward to the party. "But if anyone gives me any grief I'm leaving."

Ginny smiled, "The only person who might give you grief is Dean Thomas. He likes Lavender too." Ginny saw Draco frown so she quickly added, "But, I happen to know that she doesn't like him back."

"Well, that's okay then," Draco said with a grin.

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