Author's note: Sorry it took so long to upload the last chapters, not only did my internet go out, bvut I had a softball tournement which we almost won if it hadn't been for the umpires in the last game. Grrr. Here is chapter four of just like your father then…..
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Harry was unsure whether to attribute his inability to fall asleep to the thunder storm outside, or his complete and utter paranoia. He was leaning toward the latter as the culprit because every time he would begin to doze his mind would become painted with images of his fellow classmates laughing at him, with Snape in the center. All of them, pointing their amused fingers at him, giggling, chortling, snorting, and getting immense enjoyment out of his little secret.
The worst image was that of his potions professor, standing arrogantly before him with a glitter of accomplishment in his eyes. 'He's been out to get me since I started here at school' Harry thought as he remembered the first day when Snape had stumped him with questions only Hermione could answer, 'so why wouldn't he use this to destroy my life?'
His suspicion that Snape had "accidentally mentioned" his homosexuality to someone only increased at breakfast when Lavender and Parvati were giggling and whispering to one another. His face was a bright red with both anger and embarrassment.
"Oi Harry, you're as red as Ginny's hair. What's the matter?" Ron looked to Harry, his brow furrowing in mild curiosity. Harry could feel the burning in his face and realized that he had not even tried to keep his angry shame to himself.
"Oh nothing Ron, just a bit tired that's all." Ron rolled his eyes as Harry put his fork to his plate and pushed his uneaten eggs around distractedly. If only he had some kind extendable ears to listen to the girls' conversation.
"Seriously Harry, you're a horrid liar." Said Hermione, from behind a large leather-bound book volume of The Many Secrets of Truth Potions.
"What makes you think that I'm lying, Hermione?" Harry responded nastily. Hermione tipped the book forward slightly, exposing her large cinnamon eyes.
"Because, you're getting defensive about it." She said in a matter of a fact tone. Ron stopped eating his toast, and pretended to busy himself with clearing the table of crumbs, a habit he had hardly practiced.
"Am not, besides its none of your business. If something is bothering me, that's exactly it. Its bothering ME!" Harry had been caught dead and he had just admitted that he had been lying too. His face turned an unsurpassed red, almost to a shade of purple like his Uncle Vernon, although Harry doubted that his blood pressure would ever be high enough to become that flamboyantly colored in the face.
"Don't get so angry, both Ron and I were just concerned for you, or would you rather have friends that don't care!" Hermione was trying dreadfully to keep her composure, and fill her argument with more sarcasm than volume. Harry didn't respond which came as a surprise to Ron, because he had hardly ever seen Harry abandon an argument in such an early stage.
Harry didn't have the time to argue with Hermione, he was much more worried about the fact that the girls were still whispering in the corner. Another thing he had noticed was that Snape had decided not to attend breakfast. He was obviously plotting a way to make Harry's secret public. Maybe he had set up a small interview with that conniving Rita Skeeter. She would love to write an article about Harry's choice of lifestyles.
Hermione had decided to remove herself from Harry's company, and Ron seemed dumb to the fact. Harry began to rub his eyes, they were becoming rather sore and itchy from his lack of sleep.
"Harry…psst." Ron whispered to him. Harry shook his head, what was the point in whispering. "Harry, I've got to tell you something. It's a bit of a secret."
Harry's eyes widened. Could it be? Was Harry's fantasy going to be shifted into the reality gear? He leaned into Ron, trying to cover up anyway for words to seep out from in between them.
"What is it Ron?" Harry whispered back in an almost satisfied voice. Ron Smiled to Harry, and pulled out a small piece of paper that had been folded over several times.
"You see, well, I have this big crush on…." Harry's heart fluttered a bit. This couldn't be. "Well, on…err….Hermione"
Harry balloon of happiness deflated with a loud squealing noise, somewhat like flatulence. He watched as Ron unfolded the paper carefully and smoothed it out. It was covered with tons of scratch outs and script writing. "Yes, why are you telling me?' Asked Harry in a tone bordering between disappointment and nastiness.
"Well, I'm not quite sure how to break it to her. I don't want her to tell me to bugger off, you know?" He nudged Harry with his elbow as if making a joke and at the same time encouraging him to nudge him back playfully.
"I don't know what to tell you. What do you want to hear?" Harry seemed detached from the conversation, because again he could hear the whispers and giggles coming from the two girls. Now Ginny had joined in the fun. 'Oh no, her to!' Harry thought. His biggest fan was laughing at him and knew his devastating secret.
"It's not what I want to hear, but what do you think Hermione wants to hear?" Ron was still trying, but Harry's ears were straining to hear what Ginny was adding to the little club of giggles over there.
"Ron, I really don't care." Harry said absentmindedly and Ron seemed taken aback a bit. The words were still indiscernible, but Harry strained more to hear them.
"When it was my sister Harry, I helped you. You can't just help me a bit now?" Said Ron in an almost offended voice. "I didn't care then, but I still helped you." He added.
Harry didn't answer, but was borderline ignoring Ron because he was trying to hear what the girls were saying. Ron refolded the paper angrily and jammed it into his robe pocket. Harry tore his attention away from the giggling. Ron's anger had invited itself to his forehead in the form of a crease between his eyebrows.
"Some friend you are." Ron mumbled to himself, and Harrys face burned with anger. Didn't Ron know what he was going through right now? He couldn't just lay off for a moment? Harry watched as Ron stood, after a final swig of pumpkin juice. Harry looked up at him, as he jammed his books into his little knapsack.
"Ron, you really want my advice." Ron swung around angrily and stared at Harry, through narrowed eyes. "Don't bother with Hermione; she'll end up having an affair with a book!"
Ron's face flashed a bright red color and he turned on his heel and disappeared through the gigantic double doors. Harry had said that in a rash and final attempt to get Ron to lose attraction for Hermione. It wasn't going to work, but it was almost like a final leap of faith for Harry. It was like his last chance, but instead of fixing what was broken, he smashed what was cracked to begin with.
After that, the girls' laughter seemed to melt into the crowd and Harry's suspicion of them, turned from suspicion of the entire Great Hall. For the rest of the morning, he sat by himself listening intently to the chatter all around him. Every time he heard laughter, he would shrink with the assumption that it was at his expense. He almost swore, that he could hear his name muffled below the low rumble of other voices, or was it just his imagination?
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Apparently Snape hadn't said a word, because Malfoy was rather quiet all day. Harry had also made a complete project of staying scarce to both Ron and Hermione. Even so, the classes they shared had been rather quiet because the three just didn't communicate at all.
In Mcgonagall's class, Rona and Hermione sat separated from one another, and Harry wasn't sitting close to either of them. Harry was looking around nervously, despite his attempts to assure himself that Snape kept the little secret to himself.
The nervousness had created a shakiness to his work, and he was unable to even vanish a hair on his rat. He was rather happy though, that instead of Occlumency, he was going to quidditch practice.
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Harry had decided to skip lunch to evade another confrontation with Hermione or Ron. He figured that it would be better to spend the free period in the library working on his configuration essay, as opposed to sitting in the loud Great Hall mashed in between two people who would refuse to even pass a pitcher of pumpkin juice.
Harry spread his books and materials on the table before peering around the empty room. He sighed with relief when he saw that no one was behind the library counter either.
The quiet was nice for a change. It gave him a chance to clear his head of all that had happened in the past few days. He stiil was coming to terms with the fact that Snape knew. Suddenly he remembered something.
"Mr. Potter, its people like you who make people like me feel normal." Harry could hear Snape's voice repeat in the back of his head. He had almost forgotten that.
Harry's face flared with anger and he clenched his teeth. He understood it now. "Oh, I'm a slimy, greasy, dirty git that never bathes or changes my clothing, but when I see gay people I feel completely normal." Said Harry in a mocking tone, trying his best to imitate Snape. "Oh boy, if Snape could hear me now, I must be completely hitting the nail on the head."
Harry stopped abruptly, and was almost scared to inspect the noise behind him. It was slight and not heavy footed, followed by a graceful swishing sound.
"Oh yes, I the greasy slime ball am made feel superior to helpless little faggots. Isn't that what you meant to say Mr. Potter?" Harry's muscles tensed when he recognized Snape's voice from behind him, filled with mild disgust and amusement.
"I…I" Harry stumbled, but was cutoff by Snape's condescending tone.
"You…You…You What?" He mocked and Harry's surprised transformed to anger. " I think, Mr. Potter, that you are in no position to be criticizing anyone else."
Harry spun to a stance and faced Snape's brooding eyes, letting the chair slam to the floor and lay sideways. " I hate you you dirty Git!" Harry sneered. "You've told the whole school by now, I'm sure." Harry added before looking at the floor to find where his tear had fallen.
"Oh for someone so angry as to address me in such a manner, you're going to cry?" Snape seemed entertained by the tears burning in Harry's eyes. His pride had welled up and exploded in the form of water flowing through his eyes. Harry refused eye contact. "It's a sign of weakness Mr. Potter and when facing an enemy you should never admit your weakness. I'm sure the dark lord taught you that, or was it your parents?"
Harry responded by planting two open palms on His professor's firm chest and pushed with as much power as he could muster. Snape stepped forward, completely overpowering Harry, with his strength. Harry fell backward onto the table, knocking down books and his quills.
"Violence is not the answer for you Mr. Potter. It makes me wonder how such a weak child could overpower the dark lord. " Snape proceeded to push Harry's hands above his head. "You really should stop struggling, after all you'll come to find it quite useless."
Harry stopped fighting against Snape and just panted below his weight. Despite the fact that Snape was threatening his well being, he felt unusually secure and protected. Warmth filled Harry's abdomen, and he titled his head back on the table. Snape released him and stepped backward.
"Ahh, I knew you'd see it my way." Snape brushed off his robes and turned to the bookshelf to continue his research. Harry lie on the table completely stunned at what had just happened. Anger, confusion, and disgust mingled with one another in his mind, and his brow furrowed before he sat up. (Aww, I was expecting something to happen ;(. Weren't you guys?)
Snape's finger ran over the bindings of volumes, and he acted as if Harry wasn't even there and none of this had just happened. It made Harry almost wonder whether or not Snape was all there. He jumped from the table and began picking up what their little shuffle had left strewn about the floor.
"I said nothing to anyone, Mr. Potter. But I believe that I should have, considering your actions." Snape said as if he was in casual conversation, without making eye contact. Harry stopped and turned to look Snape up and down through squinted eyes.
"You still had no right to talk about my parents that way." He spat through clenched teeth. Snape seemed not to notice that Harry had even said anything, but swished his black robes to cover the front of his body.
Harry had finished cleaning his thing from the library floor and shoved them into his book sack. He stood and straightened out his robes, before attempting to leave.
"Oh, by the way, you didn't quite hit the nail on the head. This parting seems so awfully cliché." Snape said. Harry stopped short, but kept his back turned.
"It does." Mumbled Harry as he continued toward the door. He stopped again when Snape yelled to him.
"That was solid advice I gave you Potter. Don't ever show your weaknesses, it only causes you more pain. We all wear a façade."
Harry continued out the door. Snape heard it slam before he pulled the leather bound volume of potions off the shelf. He opened the old and worn book, shuffling a few pages to the left and then a few to the right.
"Potions to sexually gratify and induce a non sexual state." He read aloud.
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Author's note: So guys what do you think? Please R&R with your thoughts. I disappointed myself when they didn't do anything. Do you guys think that Snape is OOC? I'm trying my hardest to make them believable and in character, but I wasn't sure that Snape breaking his composure was like him. Please give me your opinion on that too =)! Thnx for reading this. Next chapter coming soon.