Severus' Reflection
By Severus27
Disclaimer: Just for the hell of it, I daresay I own NOTHING! Except the laptop this was written on and a few other electronics….o and the plot is mine! Mine, mine, mine!
Enough of that crap.
I read the sixth book the night it came out, and about halfway through it, I concluded that my story line is basically completely destroyed. As in totally trashed. At first I was like, "I'm gonna have to change the entire story line," but now that I've had a few weeks to think about it, I've decided we'd all be better off if I just leave things as they are.
Obviously Severus will be extremely OOC, but all will be explained as things unfold. Just thought I'd let y'all know, so I don't get flamed for Potterland inconsistencies.
I gotta stop hangin' around these Texans. They're startin' to rub off on me real bad.
snapes-numba1-fan-haleigh: Hermione has always been the calm one when things get rough, so that's to be expected of her. Harry, on the other hand, isn't as close to Ron as he was before their big fight in the Great Hall the previous year. Things'll smooth out as the story goes on, especially when Ron realizes that Severus isn't as bad as he appears to be.
O yea, I also need to know what happens next. I've reached something of a plateau here and I hate how I don't know how to get from mid-November to February. Grr This part wasn't included in my original vision (which was, o god, three years ago? LOL).
Marauder Megan: Yea, slash not my strong point, as I've said before. However, their "odd" relationship will come in handy down the road, when their survival is on the line.
Ah, yes…fowl loathsome evil little cockroach…smiles evilly Hehe. Couldn'ta said it any better myself :-P
Lady Darkness13: Aww…you're too sweet! I think this is helping my writing skills a lot, even while I'm out of school. Yea, I never liked Arsenius either, the jerk. I got his name, and Severus' first name (Anastasius) from a book I had to read over the summer for tenth grade, Pope Joan. I liked the names a lot, and it wasn't long after that the idea for this story came about, so, voila! But thank you so much! sniffs
You guys are all awesome. Thanks for sticking with me, even with my lack of consistent updates.
"Bottle up and stopper what you've got, bring your potions to my desk, and then you're all dismissed," Severus told his fourth year Hufflepuff-Ravenclaw class after the bell rang. The students did as instructed, creating a relatively noisy atmosphere in the generally silent dungeon.
Over their heads, Severus saw his father enter the classroom and walk towards the front desk.
"Good afternoon, Severus," Arsenius said in greeting.
"Good afternoon," Severus replied. "Think twice before leaving your brother to clear your area, Blakely!" he sneered at a scrawny Hufflepuff who was trying to sneak off without bothering to clear his desk off. "Ten points!"
He smirked as the boy's face reddened, and turned to his father.
"And what can I do for you?" Severus asked as calmly as he could.
"Oh, I was just wondering," Arsenius began slowly, watching the students bring their potions up to Severus. "When is your N.E.W.T class?"
"If you continue to make cement instead of potions, Rotwood, the British Ministry may find you more suitable for Public Works. I want a four foot long essay on the properties of the antidote that you are supposed to be brewing by next class," Severus snapped at the Ravenclaw that handed him a thick and goopy concoction. "Friday morning's their next lesson, and it's a double period," he answered his father. "May I ask why you wanted to know this?"
"Well, I was rather curious to see how far along that particular group is, firsthand," Arsenius replied.
"In other words, you'd like to teach them," Severus said, his mind racing at the thought.
"Always quick on the uptake, Severus," Arsenius commented. "Yes, that is precisely what I was going to request of you. That is, if you don't mind."
Severus did mind, very much, in fact. However, he was in no hurry to start anything between himself and his father if he could help it.
"Be my guest," he smirked. "I'm sure it'll be an interesting experience, to say the least."
"Very well," Arsenius said. "First thing Friday morning it is. I'll see you then."
Severus nodded, and Arsenius swept out of the dungeon along with the few remaining students who were gathering their belongings together.
'Bloody hell,' Severus thought.
That Friday, the N.E.W.T Potions had class filed in and were settled at their seats before the bell had even rung. Not a word had been uttered, and not even the slightest dirty look had been exchanged.
"Good morning," Arsenius began, and the class replied the same back to him. "Your professor has kindly allowed me to teach you all today, for my own personal reasons. I'm rather curious to see just how far along you've gotten in the last six years."
Out of the corner of his eye, Severus saw Harry glance over to the side of the room where Severus was standing. For a brief moment, Severus' eyes met his, and he knew that Harry was thinking the same thing he was, that Arsenius also wanted to see just how well Severus had taught them over the years.
"Today we will be brewing a complex but not impossible potion, the Catatonic Draught," Arsenius continued. "The key to this potion lies not in the ingredients, but in the manner of which the potion is stirred and the concentration of the brewer. This means that the success of this potion depends on the strength of mental magical power." He flicked his wand at the board. "Those are the instructions. The end result should be orange-red, smooth, with a peachy odor."
Setarina raised her hand cautiously.
"Miss Evanis?"
"What does the Catatonic Potion do, sir?" she asked.
"A very good question," Arsenius commented. "Can anyone volunteer an answer?"
He scanned the room. Severus knew exactly what the potion did, and he was more than aware that his father did as well. He strongly doubted any of the ten students in the room even knew what the word 'catatonic' meant, let alone what the potion would do to them if they were to ever take it. So he was quite surprised when Harry raised his hand.
Apparently his father was as well.
"Mr. Potter?" Arsenius called on him, his own astonishment barely hidden in his voice.
"'Catatonic, catatonia:' A psychotic syndrome, or severe mental disorder characterized by symptoms of delusions or hallucinations which indicate an impaired contact with reality. It is especially known in schizophrenia and is characterized by muscle rigidity and mental stupor," Harry recited. "Using that, we can conclude that the Catatonic Draught puts the drinker in a catatonic state. What this means is, the person becomes entirely unresponsive and unaware of his or her surroundings. They do what is called 'freezing,' in which they remain completely still for unimaginably long periods of time. This 'freezing' is what gives the person's limbs what is known as a waxy flexibility reflex, meaning you can put them in any position you so desire and he or she will remain in that position either until you restore him or her to his or her natural condition, or the catatonic state ends."
Severus just stared at Harry, along with the rest of the class. Harry raised his eyebrows at them all, as if to say, "what?"
"How do you know this?" Arsenius asked for everyone else.
"Er…I saw a movie, Don't Say A Word, some time ago," Harry replied. "It's basically about a girl who's been in and out of institutions since her father was killed when she was 8. Apparently she was overlaying, mimicking the symptoms of other patients with severe mental disorders. She had about twenty different diagnoses. Anyways, the men who killed her father were hunting her down to try to get some number out of her and it took a psychologist with a talent for working with kids to get it from her."
"Ah, I see." Arsenius turned to Severus. "Severus, would you mind adding to what Mr. Potter has described concerning the potion?"
Severus told the class how the mental magic affects the potion and its outcome. "Those of you who excelled in nonverbal magic last year will have no problem with this," he said. "The rest of you, however," he sneered, "will have a particularly difficult time brewing the potion."
"Thank you, Severus," Arsenius said. "Kind of gives you a sense of déjà vu, doesn't it?" He smirked at his son.
Severus said nothing and kept his face impassive.
The tension is high with Arsenius teaching. Severus was rigid and extremely cautious, trying to stay a step ahead of his father. The students are tense too, because of what they know. Harry's the tensest, overly cautious, working quickly and meticulously, keeping Arsenius in the corner of his eye. Arsenius, having fallen into his former role of Potions Master, maintained a sharp eye on the students' work. Ever quick to snap at a mistake, he was keeping them all on edge.
Severus was pacing. He tried to stay busy, but he was too worked up to concentrate on much. He found himself watching his father. It had, after all, been over a decade since they'd seen each other.
For a man in his fifties, Arsenius was still well-built and strong. Despite his mask of anger, he looked younger than he was.
Watching his father monitor the class, Severus felt like he were part of the class as well, but without a cauldron. He was well aware that his father could make a student learn how to brew a potion exactly the way it should be. However, Severus thought his father's teaching methods to be too cruel for children.
"Mr. Malfoy," Arsenius drawled, looming over the blond in question. "Why is your potion crimson?"
Malfoy stuttered his excuses. After delivering a guilt trip concerning the elder Malfoy's performance in Potions, Arsenius makes Draco start over.
The man favored Slytherins above all, despising the rest, yet he disciplined them all the same. It didn't matter who you were; slip just once and you'll wish you'd never woken up that day.
Severus noticed that the rest of the potions were very close to where they should be, yet it was Harry's that stood out. His was exact, perfectly smooth, right down to the number of bubbles that rose to the surface. While his father critiqued the others, Severus watched Harry work for a few moments.
Cautious. Alert. On edge. Steady. His movements were precise, his timing correct, his measurements were even and leveled off at the line. But he was too guarded, slightly over-sensitive to his surroundings, and kept glancing towards Arsenius warily.
"Mr. Potter." He didn't jump, not physically, but Severus saw Harry's left hand flinch from where it hung at his side.
"It seems you've inherited more from your mother than her eyes." Arsenius paused. "Or perhaps it's your lucky day."
Eyes determinedly fixated on the liquid before him, not a single falter in stirring and regular breaths.
"Bottle, stopper, and label," Arsenius said, moving away.
"Yes, sir." Completely neutral voice, somewhat below Harry's usual pitch. Emotionless. Closed face, mechanical movement. Severus tried to use Occlumency to see into Harry's mind, but he found himself outside several layers of unmoving walls.
When Harry approached the front desk with his potion, Arsenius was helping (surprise) another student, his back turned. Harry set the bottles in front of Severus, who then grabbed Harry's left hand.
It was still twitching.
Their eyes locked, and Severus' senses were overwhelmed with feelings of nervousness, anxiety, and an undercurrent of desire, all of which was tightly wrapped in fear.
"The bottles, professor," Harry whispered. Severus glanced over Harry's shoulder at Arsenius' back, lightly caressing Harry's palm with his fingers.
"Thank you, Mr. Potter," he replied, releasing the boy's hand.
"A surprisingly intelligent group, I must say," Arsenius said after class, studying Lileanna's potion. "It still amazes me how Potter's was so perfect."
"He wasn't always like this," Severus said. "His results used to be quite poor. Not to mention useless."
"So when did he start producing satisfactory results, or is this a recently acquired talent?" Arsenius sneered.
"He began to put more effort into his work last year," Severus replied. "And I used to wonder if what I thought were rare glimpses of Lily's brilliance were mere delusions."
Arsenius finished marking the students' work. "The Evanis sisters look promising, as well as Mr. Boot," he said. "I don't see how Draco made it to N.E.W.T level." At this he looked straight at his son.
"Draco has always been borderline in this class."
"Yet he is also a favorite of yours, yes?"
"He's my godson."
"And he expects you to show favoritism towards him because you are his godfather," Arsenius said. "You've let him remain under your tutelage, despite your strict acceptation standards."
Severus wasn't quite sure what to say to this. It was true he'd wanted to keep an eye on Draco.
"The art of potion-making is something that only those who are truly gifted can appreciate," Arsenius said. "Favoritism plays no part in that, Severus. I thought I'd taught you that."
"You did—" Severus began.
"Silence!" Arsenius snapped. "Do not speak unless I tell you to!"
'Shit,' Severus thought, 'this is not good.'
"Do I need to inform the headmaster that you are allowing incompetent fools to continue in a field where they have not the slightest hope of learning anything?"
Severus didn't say anything.
"Answer me!"
"I don't think Draco—"
CRACK!
Arsenius' hand connected with the side of Severus' head with such force that it sent him backwards until he was half sitting on his own desk.
"I don't give a bleeding damn what you think!" Arsenius hissed, towering over his son. "You haven't changed at all! Always thinking, never knowing! Do you know anything?"
"Yes, I—" Severus started.
Arsenius grabbed Severus' collar and threw him aside, causing Severus to land on the end of a long desk that was piled with scales. The table collapsed from under him and the scales cascaded over him as he hit the stone floor.
"Did I give you permission to speak?" Arsenius sneered.
Severus remained silent, frozen. Arsenius grabbed Severus' robes and slammed him against the wall. Their faces close, he snarls, "Did I give you permission to speak?"
Severus shook his head. The next thing he knew, he was being sent headlong into his own desk.
"Seems you've forgotten my rules, Severus," he heard his father say before he passed out.
Meanwhile, Harry was in the headmaster's office.
"Harry, I want to apologize for this past summer," Dumbledore began. "I had no idea things had gotten that far out of hand."
Harry shrugged. "Don't worry about it, Professor," he said. "What's done is done. There's nothing we can do about it now, so let's just let it go."
Dumbledore looked at the boy seated in front of him. He didn't want to do what he was about to do, but he had to do something.
"Harry, your time here is running out," he began. "There's still a large amount of tutoring that you need to get before you leave." He paused. "Especially in Advanced DADA, which is four times what you had going in your fifth year. I've requested that Professor Arsenius Snape oversee your training in that field."
Harry had to take a second to digest that.
"No," he said numbly. "No. No way in bleeding hell, professor!"
"You need this, Harry."
"But—no! Just—no!"
"Harry, listen to me!" Dumbledore commanded. Harry fell silent.
"This is crucial to your defense education! You must have this knowledge in you before you leave Hogwarts, do you understand?"
Harry nodded.
Dumbledore sighed. Harry could see in his eyes that the older man did not want to do this.
"Will you please accept these lessons from Professor Snape Sr.?"
Harry swallowed.
"Yes, sir," he said dejectedly. "Only for you."
"Thank you."
Harry got up and swirled to the door.
"Harry?"
Harry turned and looked at the headmaster.
"I'm sorry."
Harry looked at the floor for a second, then left Dumbledore alone in his office, worried and confused for the boy.
Severus came to several hours later. The dungeon was dark and cold. He moved to get up and felt a sharp pain sear through his head and arm. When he got into a vertical position, he made his way to the looking glass to check himself out.
It wasn't bad, but it wasn't what he normally looked like, so he put a Glamourie on to cover the marks.
There was a knock at the door. Severus hesitated at his desk.
"Who is it?" he sneered.
"Me…sir." Harry's voice, also hesitating, wafts through the door. Severus opened it and Harry becomes a blur, rushing past him and pushing the door shut, all the while muttering a string of charms under his breath.
"Harry?" Severus watched Harry glance around the dim dungeon, as if someone were to jump out and attack at any moment. There was an odd glint in the emerald orbs as they connected with Severus' black ones, and it sent a chill through Severus' body.
"What happened to you?" Harry asked. Severus frowned. "Yes, I can see through the Glamourie," Harry said swiftly.
"Don't worry about me, Harry," Severus told him. "You shouldn't be here—"
"I don't care. You should know that."
Severus watched Harry pace between the desks, eyes darting at every shadow. Severus strode over to him and put his hands to Harry's arms to stop him. At his touch, Harry flinched and froze, a reaction that also caused Severus to freeze.
"Harry?" he whispered. Harry kept his eyes low. Severus tilted the boy's face up so their eyes could meet. He could feel Harry begin to tremble as he fought his body's reaction to physical contact. He saw the fear in Harry's eyes, and the desperation. Sighing, he drew Harry into his arms and held him tightly.
"Sev?" Harry said a few minutes later.
"Hm?"
"I need to tell you something." Harry moved away from Severus. "Dumbledore's having your father give me Advanced DADA lessons."
Severus' blood went cold.
"I told him no, but he insists that I need this training," Harry continued bitterly.
"Whose idea was it?" Severus asked.
"His, apparently. He said he asked your father to do this."
Severus shook his head. He was going to kill the old man.
"When do these lessons begin?"
"Monday evening, after dinner."
Harry was pacing again. Severus could feel his aura twist and turn around him. There was more to this than Harry was going to tell him. That fact alone made Severus' heart ache. He walked over to Harry and ran his hand through the disheveled hair.
"I don't want to do this," Harry muttered.
"I know," Severus replied quietly. His hand shook and Harry looked up at him.
"How long has it been?" he asked softly.
"Too long."
Harry nodded. Severus felt Harry's aura shift again, this time pushing against his own. Abandoning all pretense, he pulled Harry closer and kissed him gently. Then he pulled back and looked at Harry.
"Screw this," Harry said, pulling Severus back to kiss him desperately.
A few minutes later, Severus moved them back against a desk so he could hold Harry. That was how they remained for the night, until Harry fell asleep in Severus' arms.
December in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was becoming a rather crazy month for the students. Everyone seemed to really be into the holiday spirit, even more so in the classes themselves. The teachers couldn't get any of them to settle down long enough to do lessons, and at least a few of the professors looked about to give up.
Harry was the only student that wasn't involved in the holiday mood. The lessons with Severus' father were pretty much the same as the DADA classes themselves. The only exception to that was that whenever Harry slipped up, he was hit soundly about the head, at times with so much force that he was knocked aside.
Christmas morning was grey and dreary. There was no snow, just rain that seemed to go on for eternity. Of all the students, Harry and the Evanis sisters were the only ones staying at the castle for the holiday. Among the remaining staff were the headmaster, McGonagall, Severus and Arsenius. Nothing particularly interesting happened during supper. The most enlightening part of the evening was the duel that Lileanna convinced Harry to participate in with her sister.
It wasn't long after that Harry dragged himself up to Gryffindor Tower and collapsed on his four-poster and drifted off to sleep.
"You're not trying hard enough!" Arsenius roared at Harry. It was the fourth time that he'd messed up on his "rubbery" shield that evening, and he was quickly losing his energy.
"I'm sorry, professor, but—"
"Shut up! I don't want to hear your pathetic excuses!" Arsenius sneered. "You're going to do it properly, and quit playing games!"
Harry refrained from retorting to that last part, although it took considerable effort to do so.
"Again," Arsenius commanded.
Harry gathered all his remaining strength and willpower together and poured it all into his concentration. He blocked everything out, the vision of a large rubbery dome surrounding him the sole thing in his mind.
What he actually produced was a filmy, flimsy, pus-coloured balloon-like thing around him. This did not please Arsenius in the least.
The next thing Harry knew, he was sprawled out on the floor, his arm throbbing from Arsenius' fist.
"Imbecile!" Arsenius snarled in Harry's face. "Completely incompetent! Ridiculous fool!" And with every insult, he punched Harry with what felt like as hard as was conceivably possible. "Is this not simple?" Arsenius spat.
"Yes, but—"
CRASH!
Harry was thrown into a corner of stacked desks and cabinets. He rolled off one of the cabinets and fell between two desks that split apart from one another as he landed on them. He'd barely had a chance to catch his breath when Arsenius yanked him up again.
"Did I give you permission to speak, insolent brat?" Arsenius hissed. Harry cringed.
"Well?"
"N-n-no, sir—" Harry stuttered. He was promptly rewarded with a solid punch to the jaw, which jerked his head soundly against the cabinet next to him.
"Exactly!" Arsenius snarled. "And you still don't follow instruction! Apparently you need things pounded into your insubordinate brain in order to get anywhere! Look at me when I am speaking to you!"
He jerked Harry's head up, causing Harry to get a sharp dizzy spell and nearly pass out. The blood was pouring down from Harry's temple at this point. His lip was also bleeding, as he'd accidentally bit down on it when he'd fallen through the desks.
"Do not talk unless I give you explicit instruction to do so, do you understand me?" Arsenius barked at Harry. "Have you got that through your unbelievably thick skull? Do you?"
Harry didn't answer.
"Are you listening to me, or are you trying to ignore me?" Arsenius roared, smacking Harry hard across the face twice. "Do your ears work?"
"Y-yes…" Harry slurred.
Arsenius screamed in pure anger and threw Harry violently across the room. Harry slammed into the stone wall and slid down, leaving a trail of blood as he went.
"Now look what you've done!" Arsenius exclaimed, striding over to the shaking teenager. "You're nothing but a filthy Gryffindor, and even less capable than the rest!"
He grabbed Harry's sleeve and pulled him off the floor. Still holding the boy's sleeve, Arsenius flung him into the other group of desks. Once more, Harry fell through them, knocking them over in the process. He rolled to the side once he hit the floor, the legs of one desk narrowly missing his face. Lying on his back near the door and on the verge of blacking out, he looked up.
Severus was standing in the doorway, all the colour in his face completely gone.
Hehehehehe. I'm such a wench! But w0w, did that take a while to come to. I spent two weeks writing all of it down, and I was trying to find the perfect opportunity for Severus to catch Arsenius in the act. And then it was like, why can't I just have the story go from my head straight to the computer? Grr! It's a lot of typing. But it's worth it.
So…..do we likes? waits anxiously Lemme know, soon!
O, and did I mention I FINALLY got a job? I was so hyper, it was crazy!
Lataz.