Snape was handing out sweets. Harry wasn't entirely sure why but it was end of term and apparently Snape had decided to treat them all for their hard work throughout the year. Harry got a droobles bubble gum and some ton tongue toffees, which he secretly swapped for Ron's sugar quill when he wasn't looking.
Harry had got an O for his last assignment that Snape had just given back to them and Snape had commended him on it out loud to the whole class. Malfoy was scowling at Harry and Snape both, then he crumpled his assignment up into a little ball and tried to throw it at Harry but Snape caught him. He took twenty points off Slytherin and assigned him detention.
Snape then declared happily to the class that there would be no homework over the holidays. It was at that point that Harry knew that he was dreaming.
He had no idea why it had taken him so long to realise.
----------
Harry was lying across the couch engrossed in a book when Snape came in through the front door. Harry looked up sharply but stopped himself from saying something along the lines of 'Where the hell have you been?'
'Hello.' He just said coldly and went back to his book.
'Hello yourself.' Snape said. Striding past him and into his bedroom.
Harry just shrugged.
About ten minutes later Snape came back out again, freshly showered and changed. He went straight into the kitchen to make himself a cup of coffee and only then did he come and sit down in the chair opposite Harry.
'Did you know that in the early 1900's there was a teacher here called Mr Flipperty?' Harry asked looking up from his book.
'Yes. I too have read that book. He was a charms teacher, was he not?'
'Yes and apparently he only lasted two years as he couldn't take all the teasing from his students.'
'There are worse names than that.' Snape said, yawning.
'Where have you been then?' Harry couldn't help asking.
'None of your business.' Snape replied.
Harry wanted to ask more but felt it wasn't the best idea. Snape didn't seem to be in the best of moods.
'I had a dream where you were handing out sweets to the class.' He said instead. He didn't know why he was saying it, what would Snape care about a silly dream he had.
'What kind of sweets?' Snape asked, actually sounding interested.
Harry smiled. 'Wizarding sweets. It would have been funnier if you had been handing out muggle ones though. I could just imagine you handing out cola bottles and liquorice allsorts.'
'What and what?' Snape asked.
'Never mind.' Harry said, smiling. He went back to his book as Snape got up to peruse the bookshelf.
'These yours?' Snape asked, picking something up from the table. 'You should have said you preferred muggle cigarettes, I would have got some for you.'
'Oh, those.' Harry said, craning his neck to see what Snape was talking about. 'No, I don't like them either, even less actually. But I was given them and … well they were got especially for me so I felt a bit rude saying no.'
Snape laughed. 'Only you could think something like that. Well these are going in the bin then. I've never liked the muggle stuff, they have all sorts of shit in them you don't want to be putting into your body.'
'Oh, and the wizarding ones don't?' Harry asked curiously.
Snape shrugged. 'Well they're better than muggle ones anyway, at least for wizards and witches.' Snape smiled, Harry thought a bit sadistically. 'If a muggle was to smoke them though…'
Harry got the feeling Snape was trying his hardest not to cackle.
Snape took a heavy book from the top shelf and laid it on the coffee table. It was black with silver lining and had absolutely nothing written on the cover. Harry looked at it in curiosity but as Snape had already gone off into the kitchen to make some coffee Harry decided it wouldn't hurt to have a quick peek at it. As soon as he had done so he put it down again in a huff. It was written in another language where even the letters weren't English.
A few minutes later Snape came back in with a cup of coffee in tow. He took one look at the position of his book and sent a sharp glance at Harry. He sat down opposite him and picked the book up.
'Did you find it interesting?' He asked, eyebrows raised.
'Oh yes.' Harry replied with as much conviction as he could. 'Very informative.'
Snape grunted but Harry could see a smile trying to form on his face. Harry settled back against the couch and looked at Snape appraisingly.
'What?' Snape asked, sensing the eyes on him.
'Oh.' Harry jumped. 'Um, yes, there was something I wanted to ask you.'
'Ask away.' Snape said, still with his nose in his book.
Harry coughed a few times. 'Yes, well, um, while I was at the club a situation came up and I wasn't quite sure what to say.'
'Continue.' Snape said. He was obviously getting interested now as he put his book down.
'Well Blaise Zabini came up to me and we started chatting.' Snape only showed his slight surprise by the raising of one eyebrow. 'He showed me this room they had inside the club which was a muggle room.'
'What do you mean, a muggle room?' Snape asked, confused.
'I mean it was a room that played muggle music and it was set out like a muggle nightclub. I much preferred it actually.'
'Don't be ridiculous. As if there would be a muggle room of all things at a club like Invincible.'
'There was.' Harry insisted. 'I saw it. I was in it for most of the evening. It was through a door that said Authorised Personnel Only.'
'Then why did you go through it?' Snape asked, scepticism written all over his face.
'I was just following Blaise, he led me through it. I think it's supposed to be a secret place, only certain people know about it. I don't think either Martin or Steven knew about it.'
'I bet they didn't. If it's true- and I'm still finding that hard to believe- then I expect most of the people who go there don't know about it or they would stop going.'
'Blaise knew about it.'
'Obviously, which is slightly surprising but not overly so. I think a lot of his attitude is an act.'
'Can I ask you something?'
'I thought you were already about to do that.' Snape said.
'Oh yes.' Harry blushed. 'But this is something else?'
'Yes?'
'Um, how many people know who I really am. Is it just Death Eaters and their children or all Slytherins or what? 'Cause Blaise isn't a death eater and neither are his parents but he knows.'
'Yes but then Zabini is friends with a lot of Death Eaters, he hangs out in that crowd. Suffice it to say that those who know are trusted to keep their mouths shut and those who don't are not. So don't go talking about it with anyone, including Slytherins, unless you know for certain that they already know about you.'
'Sounds complicated.' Harry yawned.
'So what was it you wanted to ask about this muggle part of the club then.' Snape asked.
'Oh it wasn't about the room itself it's more about the person I met there and what she asked me.'
'Who did you meet?' Snape asked suspiciously.
'Oh, um, I kind of bumped into, uh, Ginny.' The last word came out as only little more than a whisper.
'What?' Snape asked.
'Um, Ginny. I saw Ginny.'
Harry waited for the explosion to come but it never did. Instead the corner of Snape's mouth turned up into the start of a smile.
'You're kidding me?' He asked.
'N-no.' Harry said, confused at Snape's lack of anger. 'She was in the muggle part, but she didn't recognise me.'
'Ginny Weasley was in … Invincible?'
'Yes.' Harry said, starting to get irritated that Snape seemed disbelieving of everything he was saying.
Snape sat back against the couch, running one finger along his lips, which were still made up into that half smile. 'Well that girl is full of surprises.'
'She apparently goes there a lot.' Harry said, trying to gage Snape's reaction.
'You certainly pick your girlfriends don't you?'
'What's that supposed to mean?' Harry asked, getting angry himself.
'Only that she is more Slytherin than I realised. But she didn't recognise you, right?' Snape asked, voice getting serious.
'No. But she was talking to me and started asking me questions, you know like where I come from and my name. I didn't know what to say.'
'So what, you just said nothing?'
'Well no, Blaise dragged me away. He was quite angry actually, reminded me a lot of you.'
'In what way?' Now Snape was properly smiling.
'Oh, just saying how she might recognise me and I'll get myself killed. Blah, blah, blah.'
'I knew there was a reason I liked that boy.' Snape said.
'So, anyway.' Harry said, trying to bring the conversation back to what he wanted to talk about. 'A name. Do you have one for me or can I choose—'
'You can choose up to a point. It has to be a name that I agree with as well.' Snape replied. 'Go away and think about it for a while and come back with a list of first and sir names and I'll see if there are any that I agree with They must be nothing like your name at the moment or anything connected with it.'
'Oh, alright.' Harry was surprised but pleased. He never actually thought that Snape would let him choose his name- to an extent.
It ended up taking Harry a few hours to come up with a list of names that he liked, with lots of crossing outs and starting over. Finally he had a list he liked the look of and was sure Snape would find at least one that he agreed with.
He traipsed back into the lounge only to find that Snape wasn't there anymore. Figuring that he had probably gone to his lab to brew a potion Harry got his book out again and continued reading.
With a small laugh he thought he must be getting like Hermione with the amount of reading he was doing. But then the thought of his friends only depressed him so he quickly went back to his book.
By the time Snape came back into the room Harry was half asleep over his book.
'Looks like you didn't get much sleep last night.' Snape said.
'Looks like you didn't get any sleep last night.' Harry sniped back.
Snape scowled but said nothing more on the subject. Instead his eyes fell on the piece of paper Harry was holding. 'Well, what have you got?'
'Oh, right.' Harry said, holding the piece of paper up and clearing his throat. 'Well I was thinking of Alexander.'
'Why?' Snape asked.
'I don't know, I just like it.'
'Okay, what else.'
'Um, I thought of maybe Justin or Theo.'
'You already have a Justin in your year, and what kind of name is Theo?' Snape shot down both suggestions.
'I don't know, I thought it was kind of cool.'
'What else?'
'William. Will for short.'
'Very mugglish name.'
Harry sighed and looked at his paper again. 'Robin?'
'Robin?' Snape echoed back. 'That's worse than Theo. Next you'll be saying Batman. Where are you getting these names?'
'What about Nick?'
'Ugh.' Was Snape's only reply.
'Okay, the last three names I had were Thomas, Phillip and Matthew but I wasn't too sure about them.'
'Neither am I. Far too common.' Snape said.
'Well in that case you think of one?' Harry said, starting to lose his temper.
'I did want you to choose your own name but you don't seem to have any good taste. Alexander sounds the best so far though, unless you have any other ideas.'
'Well I did have Ashley but I don't like that name any more.'
'Ashley… Ashley… I quite like that name.'
'Well I've just told you I've gone off it.'
'That's quite a good name actually.' Snape said, ignoring Harry. 'What surnames have you got there?'
Harry furrowed his brows in annoyance but started to read the names out. 'Jacobson—'
'Ashley Jacobson.' Snape interrupted before Harry managed to get any further. 'I like that. It sounds slightly mugglish but we don't want a name that sounds like it is from an old wizarding family either. There will be too many questions asked.'
Harry sighed wearily. 'You know, I don't really care anymore.'
'Why do you say that?' Snape asked. Harry thought he detected concern in his eyes but decided he must be mistaken.
'Just that everything else has been taken out of my hands anyway so what does a stupid name matter.'
Snape just stared at him and said nothing.
'If I had my way I'd be searching for the horcruxes with Ron and Hermione.'
'Like I said you wouldn't know where to start.' Snape said. 'And haven't you always been telling me how you hate being the boy who lived. That you didn't like being famous and would rather be someone else. Or was that all an act.'
'I never said I wanted to be someone else.' Harry said angrily. 'I just said that I wanted to be me. Myself. Harry, just Harry.'
With that he stormed off to his room.
An hour later Snape knocked on Harry's door and the let himself in before Harry had the chance to invite him.
'What do you want?' Harry didn't mean it to come out the way he did but he certainly wasn't about to apologise.
'I just wanted to know if you were planning on having any lunch today or if you would rather starve.'
'Oh.' Harry said, slightly chagrined. 'Yeah I'm quite hungry actually.'
'Good, because there are a few things we need to discuss.'
For lunch they had smoked salmon and cream cheese bagels. Something Harry had never tried before but vowed he'd definitely have again.
Snape had again been drumming advise into Harry, in between spurts of 'don't slouch' or 'for Merlin's sake eat like a human being and not a blast-ended screwt.'
Harry had then asked exactly how a blast-ended screwt ate to which Snape quickly changed the subject.
'You don't stand up again until he tells you to. You got that?'
'How about I just don't do anything until he tells me to? How's that?'
'Actually, that's a good start.' Snape replied taking a swig from his pumpkin juice.
Harry had never seen Snape drinking pumpkin juice before and found it mildly amusing. Not that he told the man that.
'But he will expect you to do some things without having to ask.' Snape continued.
'Yes, like bow at his feet when I first get in, I got that. It's not like he has enough of an ego as it is.'
'Actually he's told me in confidence before that he's quite conscious of the way he looks. He thinks his bum is too big.' Snape said nonchalantly.
Harry could only stare at Snape in shock for almost a full minute before Snape couldn't hold it in anymore and burst out laughing.
It only took a few seconds after that to realise that Snape had been making a joke. And a few seconds after that Harry was laughing too.
----------
It was strange, Harry thought to himself while tossing and turning that night, it was less than twenty four hours before he would have to appear in front of the Dark Lord and yet he felt less nervous about it than he did going to Invincible or that dinner party. The thought of that made him shiver.
He got to sleep around about midnight and managed to sleep surprisingly well. In fact he was busy mentally congratulating himself on how well he was handling this as he walked into the kitchen that morning, when he took one look at the scrambled eggs laid out for him and felt like he was going to be sick.
Snape looked at him curiously with a raised eyebrow.
'I can't eat.' Harry said miserably.
Snape shrugged. 'Suit yourself.' He said and then sat down to hungrily devour his eggs.
Harry watched Snape eat his eggs with a passion that Harry normally had but certainly not in the proper way in which Snape would normally eat, and something happened. His stomach rumbled.
'Uh.' Harry said, moving closer to the table. 'Maybe I will have a little bit.'
Snape smirked as Harry sat down and as soon as he saw Harry tucking into his breakfast he slowed down his eating to a sensible rate.
Harry scowled at the realisation that Snape had been eating that way on purpose to try and get Harry to develop an appetite.
'Smarmy git.' Harry mumbled around his eggs.
It was raining. Harry could hear it pounding on the roof and his mood plummeted even further. He helped Snape to wash up and then started looking around for something to do. He couldn't go out and fly on his broom as it was pouring with rain but that was the only thing that he could think of that would cheer him up.
After about an hour of moping around Snape came across him rummaging in the fridge for lack of anything else to do.
'I do not allow my children to snack between meals just because they are bored. That is why there are so many obese children.
It was lucky that Harry had not actually been eating at that point as he would have surely spat it out at the mention of 'my children' coming form Snape's mouth. Harry didn't comment on that though as they had already had conversations about them not feeling like father and son. So instead he just closed the fridge and turned around guiltily.
'I wasn't looking for something to eat I just felt a bit hot you know, and needed to cool down.'
'Of course you did.' Snape said in a sickly sweet voice. 'How about a game of chess instead?'
'But you always win.' Harry pouted.
'Well it wouldn't be any fun if I let you win either, would it?'
'No.' Harry said sulkily. 'But how about we play something else like gobstones?'
'If you wish.' Snape replied.
----------
Snape won.
Harry went into a sulk.
A few hours after that they left. It was still pouring with rain. Harry still felt sick. He was trying to memorise the fist 50 cheats in his quidditch book to try take his mind off where he was heading.
Number 22- Quaffle beating: Where the quaffle is made to look like a bludger. This is best done when the opposite team are about to get the quaffle. It needs to be done at around the same time as a bludger is near so as to not look too suspicious. If done properly the opposing team will then be speeding as far away from the quaffle as they can leaving you to—
'Grab hold of me. I will be apparating us to the hillside near to the meeting place.'
Snape's voice interrupted his thoughts. Harry shook his head to bring his concentration back to reality and grabbed hold of Snape's arm. The world around him dissolved and he found himself on his stomach on a grassy hill.
'Come on, get up. We can't be late.' Snape said impatiently.
Harry got up. 'Would he be any worse than you are when I'm late for your class?'
'Well I doubt he would take points or give you a detention.' Snape joked. Harry was glad that Snape was still in the mood to joke, it helped him to keep calm.
'To tell the truth I don't know what he'd do with you.' Snape continued as the kept walking. 'With anyone else he would give them a round of crucio but I think he has a slightly different method for dealing with you. After all you are Harry Potter.'
'Oh, really. I thought my name was Ashley Jacobson, coming to Hogwarts for my last year to take my newts.'
Snape didn't reply but just looked straight ahead. They were coming up to a cave of all things. For the first time Harry could see that Snape was also nervous, he could see it in the way he held himself so stiffly.
They continued in silence. As they neared the cave though Harry was struck by a memory, a memory of force-feeding an old man some green liquid that seemed to cause him immense pain. He had to swallow bile at the realisation that he would be meeting the person to blame for that. How he wished he could take out his wand and curse him.
As they entered the cave their world was shrouded in darkness but it didn't last long. Torches started illuminating the place as they passed them. They seemed to walk for a long time and soon Harry's mind switched off. All he could hear were his and Snape's footsteps and the dripping of water all around him as drops splashed onto the cave floor.
After about twenty minutes they cam to what appeared to be a dead end but Snape kept on walking until he was standing face to face with the cave wall. He then took out his wand and Harry watched in wonder as Snape tapped a portion of the wall twice with his wand and incanted something in Latin that Harry had never heard of.
Harry expected a door to appear or for the wall to grind back or to the side to show an entrance. Instead the wall just disappeared. It was the most disconcerting thing Harry had ever seen. One moment the wall was there and the next it was gone. They walked forward into an anti-chamber and Harry was just about to ask how much longer it was before they arrived when Snape stopped dead in front of him. Harry just had the time to side step him and was about to open his mouth again when he glanced movement out of the corner of his eye.
Harry fortunately realised quite quickly that his mouth was hanging open and quickly closed it again. Voldemort was standing in the middle of this empty chamber in the depths of a cave on a deserted hillside, smirking at Harry as if Christmas had come early. At least that is what Harry assumed Voldemort was doing but his lipless mouth made it hard for him to read the expression.
Harry would have been standing there for hours if Snape hadn't given him a little push forward. Harry finally got his feet moving and averted his eyes from the man in front of him quickly. He stepped forward nervously, trying not to trip. As he got closer he began to realise that his scar no longer hurt and he couldn't figure out if this was a good or bad thing.
He remembered to keep his eyes averted at all times and didn't stop until he could see the end of Voldemort's robes right below him. His heart was beating so loud he doubted he would be able to hear Voldemort speak over the noise.
He gulped loudly and the slowly lowered himself to the ground, picked up the hem of the Dark lord's robes and brought them to his mouth. He knew he made quite a sloppy show of kissing them but he couldn't muster up enough to care about that right now.
He stayed as he was in a low bow, teetering on the edge of his feet with his eyes fixed on the floor, and waited.
'Harry, stand up.' That was Voldemort.
Harry did so.
Voldemort started to walk around Harry, looking at him from all sides. Harry made a point of keeping as still as possible. His heart felt like it had finally got itself under some control but he could still feel it beating painfully loud.
'Well, I see Severus has been treating you well. I do hope the two of you have got on.'
'Each others nerves, yes.' Shit, he hadn't meant to say that out loud.
Voldemort laughed which Harry was relieved about. He seemed to feel his whole body give a huge sigh of relief. He didn't know how he could do it be he started to relax slightly.
'Yes, I see you've been having fun with this one Severus.'
Snape only grunted.
'Seriously Harry, how has he been treating you?'
Harry glanced up slightly at Snape but he was only looking at Voldemort with a slightly curious expression.
'Um, fine. Really.' Harry replied, not quite sure what Voldemort was getting at.
Then Voldemort did the strangest thing. He laughed. 'You have no idea, do you?' He said, still with humour in his voice.
Harry could tell he was missing something but was still not sure what. No idea .. about what?'
'Tell me Harry. How is it that you can converse in another language and not know you are even doing it.'
Harry felt a sudden jerk in his stomach, not that unlike the feeling of a portkey, at the realisation that he and Voldemort had been having a conversation in parseltongue. He looked back at Snape but he still had that curious expression and he could now see also looked slightly confused.
Harry couldn't help then but smirk slightly. 'So I can say anything I like about Severus and he won't know about it?'
It was now Voldemort's turn to smirk, at least as much as he can do with his snake-like face. 'Precisely Harry. What is it you would like to tell me?'
----------
AN: Sorry this took so long, I have no excuses I can be bothered to write. Virtual cookies to anyone who can tell me where I got the different first names from for Harry.
This was sent out in quite a hurry as I know you have all been waiting a long time, so sorry if there are some mistakes in it. If anyone wants to be a beta reader for me let me know.