Salazar Slytherin was sitting petting his snake when Harry arrived to his portrait. He glared at it.
"Now why would you give me such a look young wizard?" Salazar asked.
"I nearly got turned into a dementor because of your insightful ritual." Harry said to it. Salazar looked surprised.
"I'm impressed you're looking so well."
"Why thank you." He replied.
"Now why must you be sarcastic to Slytherin's portrait?" Harry turned to see Snape standing there.
"Hey, I beat you."
"Yes, well. It wasn't a race Potter." He said. The portrait opened at the mention of the password. Harry followed him into the rooms. Severus lit the fireplace and a golden glow illuminated the room.
"I should have you know that professor McGonagall will be having a stern conversation with Miss Brown about over dramatization." He said sitting across from him on the one seater. Harry sat and noticed the pile of uniforms on the coffee table. "Those are yours."
"You really did order them." Harry said, reaching to take them. Even with only a week left of school, he could hardly re-use the same uniform every day until Friday. He'd had enough of that throughout primary school. "How much were they?"
"Do not worry yourself about money. They are yours, that's the end of it." Snape said.
Harry couldn't quite put his finger on it, but something told him that the potions master was nervous. He kept shifting on the chair and avoiding eye contact. It couldn't be because of the uniforms.
"What's wrong?" Harry asked.
"There's something I would like to talk to you about. But first, I would like to tell you something about me that you need to know before anything else."
Harry sat up a bit more seriously. He rested his hands on the uniform sets on his lap. "Ok…"
"Harry," This was bad if the other was on a first name basis with him and Harry wasn't even dying. "Before you were born, a prophecy was made. Someone overheard that prophecy being made and went to the Dark Lord to tell him about it."
"But… why would he need to steal it if he already knew what it said? I mean… was it all a ruse just to lure me out?"
"No, I believe the Dark Lord genuinely wanted the Prophecy at the beginning. You see, he only heard the first half of it. The person that overheard the prophecy, only overheard the first half." He said.
Harry looked down, nodding as he made sense of the other's words.
"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches… born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies… and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have the power the Dark Lord knows not…" Snape continued. "That was the half that the Dark Lord heard."
Harry looked at him, his throat feeling dry. "And I'm the one the prophecy meant?"
"There was another he could have chosen, Longbottom. In the end, however, he marked you as his equal. So it could only have been you." He said.
Something didn't make sense. "If… if the Dark Lord knew that… why would he tell you about it? He didn't seem the kind to brag about his weaknesses." Harry said. Snape had the tips of his fingers together. He stared at them and then looked up at him.
"It was me that told him about the prophecy."
Harry couldn't control it when his mouth fell open. "What? You? What?!"
"I was young, I was stupid." Snape tried explaining but Harry could barely stand listening to him.
"Voldemort came after my parents because of you!" Harry yelled. "McGonagall was right about you and my dad wasn't she?!"
"Potter, no. Calm down, let me explain."
"Explain what?! My parents are dead because of you!"
"I didn't know it was going to be you! I never would have told him if I had known he was coming after you!"
"So you wanted Neville dead then! What is wrong with you?"
"Hey! I have lived every day since that night with the weight of my mistake. But I would be lying if I said that I would not have traded your life for Longbottom's!"
"Why?! You hated my father!" He yelled.
"Yes! I loathed your father!" Snape yelled back.
Harry became quiet. "But my mother… is a different story."
Snape hissed as he stood and turned his back to him. "I returned to Dumbledore, told him what I did. I begged him to hide Lily and her family. I agreed to spy for Dumbledore." He said with an icy tone of voice. Harry gripped the uniforms tight. "When Halloween arrived I heard the Dark Lord had gone for your family. I went but I was too late. Dumbledore asked me to keep protecting you. He explained that the Dark Lord could still return. I agreed."
"Really? Where were you when I was seven?" Harry hissed, anger boiling in his chest and this time it was all his own.
"Don't! I had no way of knowing what was happening! And you know that! With that muggle or your mother's family."
"Would you have come back for me?" Harry challenged. Snape paused.
"I would have pushed until Dumbledore got you out of there. Potter… Harry… I told you this because I-"
"Save it Snape… I don't want to hear it." Harry said standing and heading for the door.
"Potter, would you just lis-"
"I don't want to hear to anything you have to say! My parents were murdered because of you! I grew up in that hellhole because of you! Do me the same favour again and leave me alone!" Harry yelled and kicked the door open. He felt comforted at the grunt that came from Salazar after hitting the wall.
Harry didn't look back and stormed away. He didn't stop until he was back in his room.
"New uniforms now Harry?" Neville asked. Harry looked down at the new uniforms Snape had ordered for him and held them tight against him. He had a knot at the back of his throat, like he wanted to cry. But the reason wasn't clear for him. Did he want to cry for the parents he never knew? Or for the… mentor… he just lost? "Harry?" Neville asked worried.
Harry looked up and nodded. "Yeah… I ran out… ruined them all. I ordered these before I was taken though." He mumbled, taking them to his trunk and placing them inside.
He fell asleep holding the duvet close against him. Why did it have to be him? Why did it have to be Snape? Life definitely couldn't give him a single blessed break.
Thankfully Friday arrived quickly. He wasn't exactly happy to go back to the Dursleys but anything was better than having to use so much energy to avoid Snape. It seemed that he won avoidance game this time though, because Snape did not seek him out. He didn't push for another conversation.
It left him feeling lonely. And curious. He wanted to know what the other had wanted to say to him. But he would have to put up with not knowing. After two months he was sure Snape would forget all about him and be relieved that he had shaken Harry off.
Harry nodded to himself. After stuffing his duvet messily into his trunk, he made his way with Ron and Hermione to the station. Once in the compartment they found he watched the teachers ensuring that everyone was on the train. He didn't see Snape. Oh, wait. There he was, hovering a trunk and owl into the luggage compartment while a nervous first year muttered apologies behind him.
Harry felt the knot at the back of his throat tightening once more and looked away. Dumbledore was there too, what a surprise. And he was staring right at him. Harry gave a small wave and looked down.
The train soon departed and it was easier to forget about the knot that made it hard to swallow.
"Oh Harry… what are you going to do? Are the Dursleys even going to let you study for your O.W.L.s?" Hermione asked then.
"Who cares what I get. What does it matter?" Harry mumbled. Hermione frowned and was going to argue but Ron must have made a face to leave him alone because one glance at the redhead to Harry's right made her sigh and quiet down, focusing on a small book she chose to take out from her pocket.
