A/N: This chapter is not beta'd. I am actually looking for a beta, for this and my other fics. If you are interested, please e-mail me or let me know in a review. Also, let me know what story (s) you are interested in beta'ing.

A/N 2: I apologize for the delay…my laptop died (will be about another month before it's fixed, at least), and I am trying to find time on my sister's comp between her & the kids.

Most Evil Plan
Chapter 18
Birds and Bees

Previous Chapter

(Monday)

"Um, well, a few minutes ago I mentioned how my mum was a Gryffindor and how it obviously meant that you didn't really hate them, but then I started thinking…I mean, you were a Death Eater, and well, I guess I just wanted to know what happened between you and my mum," Harry finished awkwardly, half expecting Snape to throw him out the door for asking such a personal question.

Severus stared at Potter in shock. He hadn't expected to answer that question for at least another week.

"Lunch is nearly over," Snape finally answered, as Harry continued to look at him. "Go to your next class."

"But-"

"Now, Potter," Snape interrupted.

"I have a right to know," Harry demanded.

"This is neither the time nor the place. I have a class I need to prepare for and you should probably check in with your fan club."

Harry growled, he should've known that Snape wouldn't treat him any better.

As if he could read his mind, Severus interrupted Harry's thoughts and said, "We will discuss this subject later, we both have places we need to be."

"When?" Harry asked as he reluctantly picked up his book bag.

"Later," Severus reiterated as he shepherded Harry out the door. "We have agreed that we would meet a few times a week for meals. One of those times should suffice."

After finishing his last class, Snape made sure the lab was clean and the door locked before removing the journal from his desk. It wasn't long before the familiar writing of the Dark Lord appeared.

'Severus, did Potter change his name?'

'No, my lord,' Severus wrote, 'It is as I thought. Potter decided not to change his name at this time.'

'And your plan to change his mind?'

'My Lord, I spoke to him today after his potions class. He has agreed to meet with me a few times a week to get to know one another.'

'Excellent start.'

'Also during my discussion with Potter, he suggested that I be nicer to him and his friends. Knowing that your plan hinged on Potter and I getting along, I agreed to be nicer to the boy. Not only would it be pleasing to you, My Lord, but it also allows Potter to believe that I listen to him, that what he wants is important to me.'

'Very good,' the Dark Lord wrote, 'Any problems?'

'One minor one, my lord. The boy also wanted to know how he came to be."

'Just tell him something,' the Dark Lord commanded.

'I just wanted to know if you had a preference for the explanation, my Lord.'

'My only requirement is that it torments the boy. The more, the better.'

Thanks for the help, Severus sarcastically thought before writing, 'Yes, my Lord.'

'How about visions, has the boy had any?'

'No, my Lord, as far as I know, the boy hasn't had any visions since last June,' Severus responded, wondering why the Dark Lord was suddenly asking about this when he hadn't in the past. Was he able to connect to the boy's mind once again? Was Potter so distraught over this revelation that it reopened the connection?

'As far as you know?' Voldemort wrote, 'As his father, you should make sure that you are informed by Dumbledore or the school nurse about his visions. If need be, obtain the information from his mind.'

'My lord, I'm not sure legilimency would work in this situation,' Severus wrote, glad that this communication was in writing and not in the Dark Lord's presence. He could feel Voldemort's anger in his earlier response and is sure that his comment wouldn't help matters any.

'And why not?' Voldemort demanded.

'He is aware of the art of legilimency and occlumency.'

'Occlumency?'

'Yes, my Lord. After some of his visions last year, Dumbledore requested that I teach him occlumency.'

'And why wasn't I informed of this at the time?'

'I'm sorry, my lord,' Severus wrote, knowing that the next time he appeared before Voldemort he would receive punishment for this infraction. 'I assure you that anytime I spent with the boy was done with you in mind. I continually and brutally attacked his mind, in hopes of making the boy more vulnerable. I also tried to learn valuable information that I could pass onto you. I had hoped to please you with some information at the same time that I informed you of the lesson. Unfortunately, all I was able to learn was some not so important information about the boy's family.'

'And did Potter learn anything during these lessons?'

'The boy has no natural talent for occlumency or legilimency,' Severus wrote, 'And I made sure he did not learn anything under my careful tutelage last year'

'Do you have any reason to suspect that he is aware of our plans?'

'No, my lord,' Severus wrote before once more wondering why Voldemort was asking.

'Excellent,' The dark lord replied. 'Inform me at once if Potter does have any visions.'

'Yes, my lord,' Severus wrote before closing the journal and storing it back in the drawer. Now he only had to decide what to tell Potter.

(Tuesday)

"Harry, where are you going?" Hermione asked after Charms the next day.

"You aren't skipping lunch are you?" Ron asked in horror.

"No, I'm going to see Snape."

"That's just as bad," Ron joked before asking, "Why?"

"We agreed to meet together for meals a few times a week to talk, remember?"

"Yeah, but you met with him yesterday," Ron muttered. "Don't you need a few days for your stomach to recover?"

"Ron!" Hermione scolded, "That's Harry's father and a professor you're talking about!"

Ron shrugged as if to indicate that that didn't make it any less true.

"Is he expecting you?" Hermione asked. "I believe you also mentioned yesterday that the two of you hadn't set up a schedule of when to meet."

"We hadn't," Harry agreed, "But I asked him a question yesterday and I don't want to wait for the answer."

Before Hermione could ask what was so important, Harry quickly muttered, "Bye," and ran off, leaving his friends staring after him.

"Harry?" Ron mumbled around a mouth full of food as a body sat next to him fifteen minutes later at the Gryffindor table. "Weren't you going to see Snape?"

"He had other plans," Harry grumbled as the potions master skulked into the Great Hall and took a seat at the head table.

"Eating in the Great Hall constitutes as other plans?" Hermione asked doubtfully.

"Apparently so," Harry snapped, turning to glare at Snape.

"Probably just didn't want to spend time with you," Ron muttered.

"Ron! That's a terrible thing to say," Hermione scolded.

"It's okay, Hermione," Harry interrupted, "He's probably right."

"If that was true, then why did he say he wanted to get to know you?" Hermione argued.

"'Cause he had no choice," Harry responded. "And if I had a choice, I wouldn't spend time with him either."

"But…But you just went down there to see him," Ron reminded his friend in confusion.

"Only to get an answer to my question," Harry clarified, "Not to get to know him better."

"Did you get the answer?"

Harry just shook his head no since his mouth was now full of food.

"What was your question anyway?"

"Nothing important," Harry answered, after looking around the table and noticing that others where listening to their conversation.

"Don't give me that, Harry," Hermione warned, "It has to be important to you since not only did you ask, but you willingly sought him out to get the answer."

"It was just about my mum," Harry finally mentioned, "And that's all I'm going to say for now."

"But-"

"Hermione, not now," Harry spoke firmly, ending the trio's conversation.

Snape sat at the head table and returned Harry's glare, including the other two members of the trio in it as well.

"I must say, Severus, he does resemble you at times."

Changing the focus of his glare to the witch next to him, he scorned, "I think not. A first year Slytherin holds more power in their glare than a Gryffindor ever could."

Minerva chuckled, "Think what you will, Severus, you can't deny it forever."

With another glare at the Gryffindor table, Severus began to eat, often looking up and glaring at the students who were whispering and talking about him and Potter.

"It's personal, Hermione," Harry stated again that evening. Much as he loved his friends, he really didn't want to talk about the question that he asked Snape, especially since it would most likely result in a lecture from her about respecting a professor's privacy and a look of disgust from Ron.

"Fine," Hermione reluctantly agreed. "But will you at least promise me that you'll give him a chance?"

"How much of a chance?"

Hermione sighed, "Just don't antagonize him like you usually do,"she responded.

"I antagonize him?" Harry yelped in disbelief. "You were there for our first class six years ago when he ridiculed me and asked me impossible questions, weren't you?"

"Harry," Hermione said with a sigh, "Just do your best on your homework and behave in class. Pay attention and be careful. Besides, he did that before he knew who you were."

"Huh," Harry snorted in disbelief. "He knew exactly who I was. 'The boy-who-lived' and destroyed his lord."

"Harry,"

"I know, I know," Harry interrupted, "He's on our side; Dumbledore trusts him; he's my father; play nice, don't antagonize him;

"Fine," Hermione snapped, "If you don't want my help."

"Hermione, you know I don't mean it like that," Harry said in apology. "But you've got to remember that there are two of us involved in this. I already promised that I would treat him with respect and if he does the same to me and my friends. And I even agreed to meet with him to get to know him. Maybe it won't be that bad getting to know him, and who knows," Harry said with a shrug, "Maybe it'll even help my potions grade."

"Harry, you only agreed to get to know him to keep the ministry from getting involved," Hermione commented, while Harry simply responded with a shrug. "And you can't honestly believe that Professor Snape will give you grades that you don't deserve, do you?"

"He has in the past," Harry complained, "Giving me D's for potions that should've been acceptable; zeroes when Malfoy threw something in the cauldron or he accidentally dropped my potion on the floor. But no, that's not what I meant," Harry continued. "I meant that maybe now, since the whole school knows that I'm his son, maybe the Slytherins will stop their tricks. And with the Parent-Teacher rules, he'll have to treat me fair."

(Wednesday)

"Potter, what do you want?" Severus asked when the boy didn't leave the classroom with the rest of the students.

"An answer to my question," was the succinct reply.

"There are much more important things going on in the world right now than satisfying your curiosity," Severus sneered.

"This isn't about my curiosity," Harry argued, "This is about my life!"

The potions master snorted at Harry's histrionics. "When I'm ready to talk about it, you will be the first to know. Until then, leave me alone."

"But-"

"Go!" Snape ordered.

"No," Harry argued, "I want an answer."

"And I don't want to discuss this right now, now leave before I assign you a week worth of detentions."

"You can't," Harry said gleefully, "This is regarding a personal matter not school. According to the Parent-Teacher-"

"SILENCE!" Snape roared. "I am well familiar with those rules, however, you are the one who brought up the subject now and you are the one who is detaining me from preparing for my next class. Trust me," Severus sang, "I know how to get around those rules. Now leave unless you want that week of detention or worse."

With a final glare at Snape, Harry reluctantly left the room, angrily saying, "Trust you? Not bloodylikely, it's been two days and you haven't even bothered to set up a time for usto talk and get to know one another. You probably just thought about ways to avoid me. I should've known that you weren't going to be fair or honor our agreement," on his way out the door, pushing past students who were standing in the hall.

"That's it," Harry said firmly as he slammed his books on the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall. "I've had enough. I don't care what that stupid potion said, what you or Dumbledore or anyone else says. That man is NOT my father. I don't want anything to do with him," Harry told Hermione as he sat down, quietly adding "Well, except for potions class, but if I didn't need that, I wouldn't be anywhere near the dungeons while he was there."

"Harry, what happened?"

"Snape," Harry retorted.

"Like that's a surprise," Ron muttered.

"Is it really that bad?" Neville asked.

"Worse," Harry stated. "You wouldn't believe it."

"Hey, if anyone knows how bad Snape could be, it's Neville," Ron commented, "After all, he's the one who's Bogart takes the shape of the git."

"Ron! Quiet," Hermione commanded, "You shouldn't insult a professor."

"At least not in the Great Hall where he or another professor could hear you," Seamus commented dryly, causing Ron to look over his should and make sure that none of the professors where there.

"What about your agreement with him and your promise?" Hermione quietly asked Harry.

"I don't care," Harry muttered as he stabbed the fork into his plate and began to eat, "He obviously doesn't."

"But…But…But he's your father," Neville finally said.

"Huh! It takes more than a name as a result of a potion to make someone a father," Harry replied.

"Yeah," Seamus commented with a grin, "It takes a man and a woman, in this case, Snape an-"

"Seamus! There are first years here." Hermione scolded.

"Not to mention that we were eating," Ron said as he pushed his plate away from him. "That is not a good time for this discussion. Actually," Ron clarified, "Never's a good time for that subject if you're talking about Snape."

"It doesn't matter anyway," Harry said. "As far as I'm concerned he's nothing but a professor to me. And not even a good one at that," Harry said firmly, ignoring the surprised look from Neville and the worried look from Hermionethrown in his direction.

Severus watched as Harry exited the Great Hall, every step seemed to be filled with anger. Apparently the conversation with his friends did little to soothe the boy's temper. For the first time, Severus hadn't mean to make Potter angry. He was just so frustrated with himself for not deciding on an answer to the boy's question that losing his own temper happened naturally when Potter continued to ask him about it.

The main problem was that he had to find an explanation that not only was plausible and met the Dark Lord's requirement of causing the boy torment, but also wouldn't create an impassable barrier between him and Potter.

Snape absently finished his meal and headed to his labs, pondering his options as he waited for his next class to arrive.

The most obvious solution was to say that Potter had been conceived after a night of Death Eater 'fun', where Lily had been held captive. Severus was positive that this situation would sufficiently torment Potter as the Dark Lord requested, but was it too much? After learning that his life began in such a way, most likely the boy wouldn't want anything to do with him, nor would he trust his new found father. This would not only interfere with Voldemort's plans, but the headmaster's as well.

He also thought about saying that he and Lily was having a secret love affair, but knowing Potter, the boy would want to know how, when and where they met. All it would take was a conversation with the wolf and any information Severus had given could be refuted, causing the boy to become suspicious.

Of course, he could always refuse to answer Potter's question, like he has forthe last two days. Unfortunately, Severus knew that Potter wouldn't accept that as an answer. Either 'his son' would continue to ask him about his origins as the two got better acquainted, or would refuse to talk to him unless he had an answer.

Perhaps he could say that he didn't know? Imply that he had a one-night stand with a woman, who he knew had been wearing a disguise and refused to provide her name. Because of the result of Potter's Amevi potion, Severus could only conclude that the woman was Lily Potter, who came onto him with the explicit purpose of getting pregnant. Perhaps he could add that there were rumors about the senior Potter being unable to father a child, and his wife decided to take things into her own hand? He could also say that perhaps he was chosen because of his superficial resemblance to Potter, height, build, and dark hair.

Snape shuddered as he realized that in each of those scenarios he would've been intimate with her. Severus smirked as another thought came to him. He supposed that not even Potter would be gullible enough to believe that he was conceived due to a potions accident, one that didn't involve his 'parents' being intimate, would he?

(Thursday)

Severus was just about to charm his door against intruders when Voldemort's quill indicated that the Dark Lord had written in his journal. With a sigh, he reentered his lab, charmed the door, with him on the inside, and took out the notebook to read the Dark Lord's message.

'I haven't been able to completely penetrate the boy's mind since our last talk. I take it that you weren't successful in causing the boy distress with your answer to his question?'

'I apologize, my Lord,' Severus wrote, for the first time not paying too much attention to what his pen pal wrote, 'but I have not gotten together with the boy again since Monday.'

'Monday?' Voldemort angrily confirmed, 'It's been three days since then. How do you expect my plan to succeed if you don't spend time with him? How is he going to be able to trust you if you delay conversations and don't answer his questions?'

Severus wasn't about to admit to the Dark Lord that currently Potter wasn't talking to him for that very reason. 'You're right, my lord. I apologize.'

'I don't accept apologies, you should know that by now. What I do accept is atonement. Next time we communicate, you best have rectified this situation.'

'Of course my Lord,' Severus wrote, it appeared that at some point during the weekend he would need to summon Potter and explain the birds and bees to him, or at least the birds and bees concerning his conception. The earlier the better, Severus reasoned, figuring that that would give them sufficient time to get over any embarrassment before they faced each other again in class.

'Now that this information has become public, what is the general opinion?'

Severus groaned as he remembered the articles that had appeared in the Daily Prophet this last week. It seemed that just as the school was ready to return to normal, another article would incite the students once again. 'The students are still excited about it, though some still don't believe it's true. Based on the letters I've seen and heard, most of the wizarding world seems to be happy that the Boy-Who-Lived has family in this world. A few are a bit concerned about the identity of his family, but most don't seem to care about the details,' Severus wrote, shaking his head. Surprisingly he received very few Howlers or letters that referred to him as a Death Eater, most of them just advised him to 'love and cherish' his son. 'For the most part, things seem to be returning to normal here. Potter and Weasley have reconciled and most of Gryffindor still supports their Golden Boy.'

'And the rest of the school?'

'Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw don't seem to care, as long as I don't treat them as I previously treated the Gryffindors.'

'What about my house and the staff?' Voldemort asked.

'Except for constant congratulations, comments about how Potter seems to take after me, and conversations inundated with the phrase 'your son', everything is progressing as expected with my coworkers.' Snape paused as he thought about what to write regarding the Slytherins, 'The slytherins appear to be confused, as if they are unsure how to act. They don't want to be caught being rude or insulting to a professor's son, especially their head of house, but neither do they want to be pleasant to Potter, since they know that you detest the boy.'

'I see,' Voldemort wrote, 'Something will have to be done to insure that they don't interfere or jeopardize the mission.'

'My Lord?' Severus questioned in concern, it wouldn't please Albus to know that Voldemort was staging something that he didn't know about, especially since it would concern other students, most likely Death Eater's children.

'It is not your concer, Severus. I will take care of it. Your only concern is to gain your son's trust.'

'Of course, my Lord, but please remember that I am always at your service if you need to assist,' the Death Eater spy wrote at another attempt to discover more information.

'Naturally,' Voldemort wrote before ending their conversation.

Definitely wasn't a good move for 'the plan', Severus acknowledged to himself as he quietly observed the dark haired Gryffindor at lunch on Thursday. Throughout breakfast and lunch, Severus noticed that neither the boy, nor any of his friends, glanced his way at all. It was as if the whole incident on Halloween never happened. As if Potter's Amevi Potion results never listed him as the boy's father, Severus realized.

"Severus?" The headmaster addressed him, releasing him from his thoughts. "What occurred between yourself and Mr. Potter?"

Glancing at his coworkers who also appeared to be interested in the matter, Severus replied, "A slight family disagreement, nothing more."

"I hope you have plans to rectify the situation?"

"Of course, Headmaster," Severus commented, recognizing an order when he hears one. "I'm just allowing an opportunity for our tempers to simmer down before we discuss the matter calmly and rationally."

"And he says their nothing alike," one of his coworkers quietly murmured to another, causing everyone at the table to give a slight chuckle, much to Snape's disgust.

"Sir," Severus remarked as he remembered Voldemort's plan to make sure the Slytherins don't interfere with his plan, "I will need to discuss something with you later."

(Friday)

"Hey! Stop!" Malfoy yelled down the hallway as he approached the entrance of the Great Hall for breakfast. "Not you," Malfoy snarled as a second year Hufflepuff looked at the Slytherin, pointed at himself and asked 'Me?'. "Him," the Slytherin continued, indicating Harry. The raven-haired Gryffindor, along with Neville, Hermione, and Ron had also stopped and turned around at Draco's yell.

Looking around and noticing that most of the hallway had stopped at his shout, Malfoy snarled, "I don't need any of you, go to your seats."

"You know," Harry smirked, "If you were more specific about who you wanted to talk to, you wouldn't have everybody's attention."

"I'm always the center of attention," Malfoy replied. "Besides, what was I suppose to call you? Obviously you're not really a Potter, and I wouldn't dream of insulting my head of house by calling you by his name. Don't even bother to suggest I use your first name, no magic on earth could accomplish that, especially with how you've been acting."

"Why you," Ron sputtered angrily while withdrawing his wand, only to have it confiscated by Hermione.

Draco ignored Harry's friends as he silently observed the Gryffindor. He had noticed the last few days that the boy had alternated between glaring and ignoring his father. He also remembered how he had acted so disrespectful to him the few times the father and son duo came into contact with each other. Finally breaking the silence, Draco spoke, "He doesn't deserve this treatment or you."

"You've got that right," Ron agreed, "Harry's way too nice to be the son of a greasy Slytherin."

"Shut up, Weasel," Malfoy spat, "As usual, you don't know what you're talking about." With a glare at Harry's friends and the other Gryffindors that stood in silent support around them, "None of you do," he continued, before addressing Harry once more, "When I said that Professor Snape doesn't deserve you, I meant that he deserved much more in a son."

As Harry remained silent and Ron turned red in anger on his friend's behalf, Hermione calmly asked, "What do you mean?"

Malfoy sneered at her, but answered the question, "I meant that anyone else in his position would be glad to learn that they had a family. After all, family is the most important thing to any respectable witch or wizard, more so than power or money."

"So?" Ron asked, finally able to get a word out.

"So?" Malfoy mocked, "Scarhead here is throwing it away, even Longbottom wouldn't be stupid enough to throw it away without giving it a chance. Instead of getting to know his family, he's spending all of his time yelling, crying, and whining about it; glaring, slamming doors, and throwing killing looks at the only wizarding family hehas."

"What would you have him do?" Ron angrily asked, "Ask Snape to join him for tea?"

"Professor Snape," Hermione quietly corrected.

"It might not be a bad idea for Potter to initiate time with his father. An opportunity to spend time with the man, not the professor. After all, you really can't blame this on Professor Snape, it's not like he planned this or wanted it," Malfoy completed, walking a few steps past the quartet before turning back and locking eyes with Harry, both his eyes and his tone filled with disgust. "And you're supposed to be the Saviour and hope of the wizarding world? Merlin help us all, considering how you've been treating your family."

"The nerve of that git," Ron muttered as they watched the students clear a path for Malfoy to walk through.

"He's right," Neville quietly said, as they sat down at the Gryffindor table. "In more ways than one."

"He's not right, he's Malfoy!" Ron protested.

"Hermione," Harry said quietly, "Is he right about the importance of family to wizarding culture?"

"I'm not sure," Hermione quietly admitted, "I have read about wizarding customs, traditions, and rituals, and a lot of them involve family, so it is possible, but I've never really looked into the particulars of why or to what degree family is of so importance."

"Family," Neville said firmly as if repeating a lecture he had heard many times, "Are the people we let into our heart and homes. None more so than the ones that share your blood. That is more important than anything an individual might have said or done. Our magic is our blood, therefore we must respect it and those of same blood above all else, before everything else." He fell silent when he finally realized that his friends and many of their schoolmates who had heard him were staring at him. "Sorry," he sheepishly apologized, "That's just something my Gran taught me."

"Nothing to be ashamed of, Mr. Longbottom," Professor McGonagall commented, "Those were wise words. Five points to Gryffindor," she continued, before completing her journey to the head table.

"But still," Ron protested, after she was out of hearing range, "Snape?"

"He's Harry's blood," Neville reiterated, "His magical blood. Malfoy's right."

"But it's Malfoy," Ron whined again.

"And you can bet that he would know about the traditions and values of the wizarding world, since they started with pureblooded families," Hermione commented. "Regardless, Harry, you should give Professor Snape a chance. At least try to get to know him. I'm sure your mother would've wanted that."

Harry still didn't comment; all of his attention was focused on Neville, as he wondered what else Malfoy was right about.

Noticing Harry's inquisitive gaze, Neville spoke again, "We were both in similar situations, neither of us were able to know our parents firsthand. We had to rely on the opinions and perceptions of others who had a chance to know them. I know that I often wished that things were different and that I could hold a conversation with one of them, well," Neville said with a look at the head table before turning back to meet Harry's eyes, "now you have that chance. It might not be who or how you wished it would happen, but it has happened. Malfoy's right, I wouldn't be stupid enough to throw this away without giving it a chance."

As Harry opened his mouth to defend himself, Neville continued, "A real chance. It's expected that the two of you would clash, given the last five years, after all, it is Snape," Neville said with a slight grin, "But he did make an effort to be, well, I guess nicer isn't quite the word to use in regards to him,"

"Fairer?" Seamus offered as Neville paused to find the right word or phrase to describe the potions master behavior at the beginning of the week.

"I definitely wouldn't say that," Dean disagreed. "Any other suggestions?"

Hermione shrugged not wanting to appear disrespectful to a professor or her friend's father.

It was Ginny you suggested, "Not as bad?"

Ron gave a small snort as Neville nodded his head, "Okay then, we'll just say that he wasn't as bad as he could've been. Even after you two fought he didn't return to his 'old self' and try to embarrass or humiliate. That has to count for something."

Most of the Gryffindors, remained silent as they thought about Neville's words and wondered what Harry would do next. Some decided that if blood was as important as Malfoy and Neville implied, then Snape wouldn't let Harry continue acting as he was. Others felt that Harry would be the one suggest peace with his father. There were even a few who decided that Snape didn't deserve a second chance due to his past treatment of Harry.

It was only Ron who thought about something totally different and vocalized his thoughts, "Can I please have my wand back?"

"Sir?" Harry hesitantly addressed Snape as he voluntarily stayed after class.

"Potter, this is not the time for that discussion," Severus spoke, he knew that he wouldn't be able to get out of it, but he still had another twenty-four hours before he expected to talk with Potter about this. Speaking of that, he might as well inform the boy of the meeting now since he was here, "If-"

"I know sir, I just wanted to tell you that I don't need an answer to my question," Harry quietly responded.

"Figured out the birds and the bees on your own, then?" Severus snapped, "Or have you just decided that you know everything after all?" Severus was torn between relief that he didn't have to create some story about himself and Lily and anger at Potter's arrogance.

"No, sir," Harry said, responding to Snape's second statement. "I know that I don't know everything and I've decided that I didn't need to know the details about you and my mum. Nothing good could come from me knowing, nor would the information change the situation we find ourselves in."

Snape raised an eyebrow as he looked at the boy-who-lived, "Very mature of you, Potter, but what are you going to tell your fan club?"

Harry glared at his professor, you would think by now that the man would realize how much Harry hated his fame. With a small smirk, he finally answered, "I'll simply tell them to ask you if they want to know so badly, and that as far as I'm concerned, it was a fluke potion accident that didn't even require you and her in the same room."

As Snape listened to Potter's explanation, he tried to hide a smirk of his own, "If such a thing could be accomplished by a potion, accident or otherwise, the creator would be rich."

"At least until the Ministry banned it and the creator for being 'dark'," Harry retorted.

"True," Snape agreed as the two fell into silence.

"Well," Harry said, "that's all I wanted to say, I guess I'll head to the Great Hall, now before lunch ends."

"Potter," Severus called as the boy reached the door, "you can stay here and I'll have an elf bring us some food."

"Thanks," Harry said with a slight grin, "But my fan club is expecting me. I wouldn't want them to worry and raise the alarm when I didn't show."

"Indeed," Snape smirked, "Glad to know how you feel about your fan club."

"Uh," Harry said after a moment of pause, "You do know that I wasn't serious, don't you?" Harry explained, continuing after Snape simply raised an eyebrow indicating his doubt. "I don't want a fan club, but Ron and Hermione are expecting me."

"Of course," Snape smirked, "After all, how could two-thirds of the golden trio survive a meal without its leader?"

Harry scowled, "Now I really have to go," he said as he turned towards the door, only to turn back a second later and ask, "How about I join you for dinner tonight?"

Severus scrutinized the boy, hoping his mask didn't show the shock he felt at the fact that Potter initiated a meeting with him. When no evidence of humor was found, he answered, "Very well, then, meet me here. I'll see if the Headmaster will agree to let us go into Hogsmeade."

"Oh, wow," Harry muttered in shock. "I just figured we would eat in the labs again."

"If you don't want to…" Severus began.

"No, no, I do," Harry protested before nodding slightly at his professor and leaving the classroom. A quietly muttered, "I just hope the headmaster agrees to let me go," left his lips as he exited the dungeons.

END CHAPTER 18

Well, I think a lot happened in this chapter (hopefully you could read it in spite of the fact that it wasn't beta'd), not all of which you recieved details of (The articles in the Daily Prophet, SS's convo with AD). The details weren't important (at least not at this time), so they weren't included.

I would love to know what you thought of the chapter (as well as any suspicions or concerns you might have).

UPCOMING:
CHAPTER 19 Hogsmeade

6/23/06