Hey there all. Me and Snape are back: he won't tan, I won't tan, so we figured we should find some shade and get some pina coladas and just chill until September. *snickers*

He is also prodding me to announce that the original Go with the Tide has been nominated for best snape characterization! *confetti* You can go here to check it out, and if you feel the story should be awarded, then vote for it ;) It's an msn group called Fanfiction.net awards.

That said, let's get on with the story. Chapter 5 *hit play*

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It had almost been a week since that talk Harry had had with Blaise and Hermione, and he still had gotten no decision. When he told Sirius about it, he had clapped him on the shoulder and told him to go ahead, then ran off again to whatever his business was.

But Harry was not so sure.

What can I possible offer that Remus can't? He is the bloody DADA prof, let him earn his bloody pay on the never never! Sirius had seemed only too eager to have Harry teach outside the classroom, and hinted that every professor involved in the Order agreed. Harry hadn't talked to Remus about Blaise's offer. He felt he wouldn't know how to phrase it.

He tapped his way towards the main hall after his study period, where, contrary to his usual practice, he had not studied for the O-levels, ruminating everything that had transpired. But if Blaise goes off and dies because she didn't know something I might about Voldemort? That would be worse than Cedric. At least in Cedric's case I didn't know there was a trap. But then again he hesitated making the step forward and accepting, just like it had been such a hard step out of his room and into the rest of the castle when he was first learning how to cope with lack of sight.

Perhaps that is all it is; fear of the unknown, and then once I get the hang of it, it will pass… but what if I mess with fire and burn someone else?

Perhaps Snape or Dumbledore would help him more than his topsy-turvy godfather. Harry decided to speak to the first one of the two he'd find available.

"Over here, Harry!" Hermione's voice guided him to the correct place in the bench, and he folded his cane and sat down. It was almost time for dinner, and the buzz of the main hall grew louder and louder.

"Hey, Hermione. Is Ron here yet?"

"I'm right next to you," Ron said, prodding Harry's shoulder, snickering.

"Should have known by the smell of quidditch practice," Harry smirked a little sadly.

"You know you could have been there practicing along with us," Ron said, still not quite happy with Harry's decision not to spend any more time playing quidditch.

"Ron, we have been through that. I played that one game after I got blind to prove a point. Not to put on some show. Besides, Ginny will make a great seeker," Harry breathed patiently.

"But we are playing Slytherin next!"

"Ron! Will you give it a rest already??" Hermione's voice rang with irritation. Harry smirked as the chime announced that dinner was ready, and the professors had just taken their places on the high table.

***

            Blaise Zabini sat between Pansy and Goyle, enduring their chattering about everything- or rather Pansy's chattering and Goyle's sounds. Sitting erect, back straight, face somber and eyes on fire with the anger that fuelled her will to live, she spoke little and ate even less; this would be the moment it would happen. The Slytherin table was almost completely engulfed in the adrenaline of anticipation. Her eyes met Draco's and they sneered to each other- an endearment that had sent gossips about their mutual distaste or their mutual attraction raving.

Truth was, Blaise liked Draco- and trusted him. It had been a whole week and her secret had not been found out, and most importantly, nothing in his demeanour indicated his true colours- just like Professor Snape. Her thoughts ran again towards the reason for her agitation. She hoped to God he had taken her seriously and gotten some sort of precaution. But that also scared her. If the Potions Master was prepared, would they perhaps suspect her to have given the newly-initiated death eaters away?

            "Now is the time, now is the time!" Pansy whispered and whimpered in anticipation, like a child that watched a much-wanted gift dangled in front of her. Blaise nodded.

"Will you stop looking like you expect something to happen? I said I'd do it now, and I will- so try to control yourself!" she snapped at Pansy, and Draco smirked. "Really, Pansy," he drawled, "one would think V- the Dark Lord initiated you just because he needs a jester." Pansy scowled, but said nothing.

            Blaise realised, however, that she had no more room for procrastination. She had to do it now. She pulled her wand from her bag so that all Slytherins could see, but no professor would. She looked at the high table, where Severus Snape was eating.

Their eyes met. He was expecting her; he was ready. He blinked once, as if giving his consent, then drew his eyes from her and asked a question to Madame Hooch. Blaise swallowed and muttered the spell, which travelled, resembling a small gush of air, towards Snape and engulfed him for a second. Accordingly, Snape frowned, as if in immediate suspicion and looked around. Blaise immediately hid her wand up her sleeve, and Pansy squealed in delight.

            The whole room gasped as Snape suddenly shot up from his seat, knocking the chair back, grasping at his clothes in agony. Indeed, soon enough his flesh bubbled and broke, and blood started trickling through. Madame Pomfrey rushed to his side, Dumbledore sat up and pointed his wand at his potions master, and Snape was rendered unconscious. he was wisked away by Remus and Madame Pomfrey before any student could do more than scream. Blaise almost ignored the kudos she was receiving from her classmates, horrified: The spell had taken full effect! Snape had sat there and allowed her to curse his clothes acidic without any protection whatsoever. She didn't know what to feel. She got up and ran off.

***

            Ron and Hermione had a lot of trouble holding Harry back from running an all-out sprint to the infirmary. Hermione kept replying to the blind boy that it was not good to go there now, when Poppy would need all the space she could get to treat Snape quickly and effectively. Ron tried to stammer his support, then gave up and just did most of the job holding Harry back until the boy relaxed and took deep breaths.

"I wonder who did that to him," Ron said.

"One of the Slytherins, no doubt," Hermione frowned.

"Don't kid yourselves. Blaise did it; she said something about warning him some time ago, didn't she?" Harry said with a grim finality that made both his companions shiver. It was just one more realisation that war was not necessarily fought in battlefields.

"But why would she? He teaches and protects her, they are a team!" Hermione exclaimed, horrified.

"Yes, and they are both Slytherins, Hermione: they play hardball. Blaise needs to prove her loyalties, and Snape is helping her do it."

"I am so glad that I am not in Slytherin!" Ron whimpered.

"I need clean air," Harry said abruptly and walked towards the gardens. As he did so, tapping around in an irritated manner, he felt the essence of a ghost.

"Please," he muttered to it. The reply revealed that it was the Bloody Baron. Harry regarded that as a stroke of destiny, for what he had just decided to do. "Find Blaise Zabini alone- tell her I'll be waiting for her outside the greenhouses."

***

            Harry sank down against the steel skeleton of the green houses, and simply let his breath be even and regular. Sasha hissed and caressed his skin at the wrist.

"He knowsss what he iss doing, Harry," Sasha tried to console the boy. She always felt so proud when Harry would use her as his eyes; but usually he would see such unpleasant things. Sasha wished she would once look on something pleasant for him, once.

"He invited trouble! Again! I don't know what he tries to prove," Harry hissed back to Sasha in parseltongue.

"Don't be angry with him," Sasha said, her coils turning, hugging Harry's hand before snugging close around it again.

"I am not angry with him… more than normal," Harry muttered. The persistant swishing of grass made him grunt and call out:

"Ron, Hermione, come here already, your fidgeting will drive me mad!"

            Ron huffed and glared at Hermione.

"I told you he'd hear us!" he told her. Hermione didn't mind. It sufficed that Harry was in a good enough mood to want them around.

"Why did you follow me?"

"We didn't think you'd want us around," Hermione said cautiously.

"So you weren't afraid I'd pounce on Slytherins at all, did you?" Harry smiled in sardonic irony.

"We were afraid you'd send them to kingdom come," Ron said, and Hermione nudged him hard in the ribs. Harry chuckled, listening to his friends settling down near him.

"No, Sasha and the fact that Snape chose to take that hit kinda removed murder from inside me for now," Harry smirked.

"That is good to know," a new voice answered the comment, throaty with emotion, yet most undoubtedly Blaise's. "What do you want to tell me?"

***

            "Severus… I know you can hear me." Dumbledore said gently to the reclining form of the potions master. Snape was covered in welts and blisters that were fading gradually. The reddish hue on his skin would stay on for some time, however. Dumbledore felt his heart sinking at what war and skewed points of view could do to perfectly fine people.

"Then… why are you trying to verify it?" the tired voice of the ex-death eater wafted in the air.

"Because old men like to state the obvious," Dumbledore said with a warm smile and twinkle. "Did you really take the whole spell without any sort of protection?"

"If I had… I would have woken up in Easter," Snape shifted in bed painfully, "so to cut a long story short, I took a potion protecting my vitals from the dark arts. I didn't know… what I would use," he sighed and shut his eyes again.

"It didn't show," Dumbledore said, straightening the bedsheet absentmindedly.

"Come, Headmaster. I have face worse than an adolescent in combat," Snape sneered.

"I know you have, Severus, I know. But I wonder if you aren't putting yourself in the way of harm more than you have to."

"Nobody knows how much I have to, now do we? It suffices that Zabini is now appreciated in her circle." Snape said and turned over, calling the matter over. Dumbledore sighed, and left without another word.

***

            Blaise watched Harry with a bit of contempt- because he was on a side she felt she belonged, but couldn't openly attest to. She had chosen this, and that she couldn't forget, but that didn't make her feel… slightly jealous. Her path was now more shady than she expected. Harry's was on the sunshine of righteousness, if nothing else.

"You asked me to do something some time ago," Harry said.

"Yes," she said cautiously.

"I agree. Of course we have to figure out where to do these lessons so that your new… friends don't realise," Harry said.

"Leave it up to me, I'll find the place," Hermione said and took off.

"Say Harry… are these lessons open only to Blaise?" Ron asked.

"You can come, Ron, if you want to," Harry said with a sigh, as if giving up.

He had taken the step out of the room again. Now, Harry only hoped that the outcome would be as good as it had been when he had walked out of his room being blind for the first time in his life.

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That's it. It's shorter than usual, but it is still holidays. So the usual quota will be up when school starts and I get myself indoors more than outdoors. Cheers! Reviews will be answered when the quota is restored to normal. Please be patient? Okies then.