Of Snake Bites and Dittany Cures
by Iva1201
Chapter 15: Consequences
A/N: Please, excuse any mistakes possibly remaining – I don't think there are many, but who knows. I am actually too impatient to publish something again to wait for a beta.
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The pleasant feeling of relief and satisfaction over a job good done was to leave Severus much too soon. The long mental connection he had needed to maintain with Potter had taken its tool on him – combined with the fatigue from the previous two nights when he had got hardly any sleep, while dealing with the idiotic boy seated opposite to him now, the man started to feel faint and sensed a headache building. Damn, he thought, not now. We cannot afford to loose any more time!
Surreptitiously, Snape's hand reached into the pocket of his robes and pulled out the hourglass of the Time Turner. Thankfully without Potter noticing, the man checked the level of sand remaining in the upper part of the hourglass, keeping the hand holding the devise on his lap, well below the surface of the table. Still some three quarters remaining, Severus noticed with relief and hid the devise once again in his robes. Well then, time to continue – although, maybe a sip of the Headache Potion would be advantageous first. Snape reached in his robes once again, almost immediately finding the right vial by the shape of its stopper, a handy thing when one was to frequently wander in the dark, spying or fighting or simply guarding his students against their own foolishness and its consequences.
Not wanting Potter to spot any weakness by him, Snape stood and slowly walked towards the corner of the room, where a water carafe appeared accompanied by two glasses on his mental biding to give him an excuse to leave the table where Potter was being hold captive by Severus's spells. A glass of water would do both him and the boy good, too – in Severus's case it should help with the headache he had already suffered with and in Potter's case to postpone a headache building, as he hoped.
Once in the corner of his makeshift classroom, a.k.a. Room of Requirement, keeping his back turned to the boy, Snape downed half of the prepared vial, saving the rest for later – either for himself or possibly Potter, should the boy start to feel unwell too. A full dose would have been better, Snape knew, but timely remembered that he had not yet had time to restock his stores. Asking either Slughorn or Poppy for any potion was out of question for him these days, seeing to his rather precarious position at the school and the hatred his colleagues and one-time good acquaintances if not exactly friends, had harboured towards him ever since he had dared to aim his wand at Dumbledore and cast the fateful Avada Kedavra.
Feeling his headache subsiding just a moment later, Snape thankfully reached for the carafe and poured the cool water it contained in the prepared glasses, turning slightly towards Potter so that the boy would be able to see him not altering the liquid. Once finished, Snape brought the glasses to his improvised teacher's table. "Here, Potter," he snarled and set one of the glasses in front of the boy. "Drink it out!" Snape wasn't surprised to see the boy's refusing expression but was determined that the boy would drink at least some of the water to avoid headache as far as it was possible.
"It's not poisoned, Potter," he said emotionlessly. "And there isn't even a drop of Veritaserum, if you can believe that. I prefer to rummage in your brain with Legilimency, you see. It's much more entertaining and with your attitude to protecting, or rather not protecting your mind also much less taxing." Here Snape decided to leave the mocking aside and added sincerely: "Regardless, the magic we are presently occupying us with can lead to quite persistent headaches when applied with the intensity we need to do with at the moment. I have found out that drinking water during the process helps. You will do well to drink some yourself."
This said, Snape gulped down about a half of his own glass. Then he looked expectantly at Harry. "You can move your hands, Potter. Serve yourself." Seeing the rebellious glare the boy was giving him, Snape shook his head. "No, Potter, just because you refuse to drink the water, I will not stop searching your memories. If neither you, nor Dumbledore or his damned portrait can be more forthcoming with the information I need, I have to obtain it myself. I am only offering you a mean to avoid part of the discomfort connected with my actions. It's up to you to use my offer or not."
Harry was thirsty and the glass was tempting. But he didn't believe Snape not to have added something to the water, no matter he had seen the glasses being poured. There were also other truth potions except Veritaserum and many other solutions to loose one's tongue, even if he was to believe Snape's previous words about the contains of his glass. But then the man was correct – drinking water usually helped with Harry's headaches in the past, too. Harry looked at his unwelcome companion, wanting to tell him off, when his eyes fell on Snape's own glass, still in the older wizard's hand. "I don't believe you haven't altered the water," Harry announced, hoping beyond hope that Snape would offer him a sip from his own glass – as disgusting as the thought was that he would need to share a glass with his former greasy Potions Master – and a loathsome murderer in one person.
"I see," Snape nodded, correctly reading the boy's desire and anew disappointed that Potter still wasn't able to hide his thoughts behind a solid Occlumency barrier. "I can drink a bit from your glass to prove my words. You can ask me any question you like afterwards to prove that the water contains no Veritaserum, or any other truth or mind-manipulating potion." Yes, this might even prove advantageous, Snape remarked for himself, unexpectedly satisfied with the development. Tempt the brat to finally apply his brain in mental arts when he wouldn't get his answer (not very likely) – or only a hint of the information he sought!
Harry eyed his former teacher for a while, still mistrustful. But then the boy nodded, reasoning that whatever mind games Snape wanted to play with him, the offered water may keep him in working order for some later moment when he hopefully would find some way to escape.
The quiet acceptance surprised his companion. Snape marveled how the boy had calmed after viewing the memory of his godfather's departing words and he decided to look at the reason later. For now Severus simply reached for Potter's glass and took a long sip from it. Returning the glass back to the table in Potter's reach distance, the acting Headmaster of Hogwarts took his seat opposite to the boy once more. Waiting a bit, the one minute Veritaserum needed to take its full effect, Snape prompted the boy: "Ask your question now, Potter! I am sure you remember how a Veritaserum induced answer would sound like."
Harry nodded. He remembered only too well the half-automatized replies Barty Crouch Junior had given Dumbledore at the end of Harry's fourth year, the night when Voldemort had returned.
As to asking Snape a question to prove his sincerity – Harry actually had an inquiry he longed to have Snape's answer for – as much as he dreaded it. What was between my mother and you? How well did you know each other? Harry knew that he was unlikely to get any answer to this question – just seeing to Snape's previous one-word reactions to the man's Hogwarts Express memory. But maybe another question would grant Harry at least a partial answer... Harry decided to try it, no matter the consequences. "My aunt Petunia," the boy said slowly, eying Snape expectantly. "Why does she hate my mother? Do you know?"
Snape stared at the boy, unhappy about the question. He would have very much preferred 'Why have you killed Professor Dumbledore?' or 'What are your intentions with me?' he had been quite sure would come out of the boy's mouth.
My aunt Petunia. Why does she hate my mother? Do you know it? was not exactly a question after Severus's relationship with Lily, a sort of question that Potter wouldn't have received any good reaction to, but it was still very much a query that reminded Snape rather painfully about what he had lost. What am I to do with you, Potter? You know how to stab your enemy so that it hurts, don't you?
There was the option to not answer. Severus was well tempted to use it and find the easy way out. But answering the boy might prove beneficial, too, and not only in tempting him to try his Legilimency skills, it occurred to Snape suddenly. One day I would need him to trust me – and he would ask for reasons. Give him one more, Severus... Snape nodded to himself, resolving to reply. Harry understood already from Snape's long hesitance to give him an answer that his drink was free of Veritaserum – unless Snape was immune to it. Barty Crouch had always answered Dumbledore's questions immediately. But the boy didn't comment on the fact, hoping for Snape's response.
"Very well, Potter," Snape drawled finally. "You might be surprised, but it's actually quite simple. Unlike your mother, your dear aunt didn't receive her Hogwarts letter. Let us add that the letter Dumbledore sent her instead was not quite what she had expected." Snape raised an eyebrow and pointedly looked at Harry's glass. "Proof enough that there is no truth potion in your drink?"
Harry hesitated. The answer actually brought up more questions than it had solved, but a person who would have consummated Veritaserum would have spoken much differently and the delay in the answer had proven Snape right as well. Alright, then, Snape hadn't killed me until this point – and he prefers to rummage in my brain to using truth potions anyway... Harry parotted the man's reasoning in his mind and swallowed, his throat suddenly dry. Yes, the water ought to be safe, he decided, and at last took the glass, drinking out a good half.
Snape remained still until Harry finished and put his glass down. "Refreshed?" Severus asked sarcastically then, as if it wasn't him who had offered the water to Harry. When Harry hesitantly gave a single nod, the man smiled, a predatory, small smile of twisted amusement. "Let us continue then." Snape pointed his wand at Harry's forehead. "Legilimens," he half-said, half-whispered and entered Harry's mind.
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A/N: A review? Thanks, you will feed my muse. (-: