BEYOND SECRETS AND LIES

By: Chiki Yumeshisa

Disclaimer: I solemnly swear I am up to no good…okay fine! Harry Potter does not belong to me. All original characters/ideas are mine to claim though.

AN: I'm back from a 5-year hiatus with this story. I could spout all my excuses here, but I'm afraid it won't do any good. I really do apologize though but I wanted to finish this story no matter what. Forgive me, all!

Recently, I just got back into fanfiction and I decided to put pen to paper (or lack thereof) once again. Here is the next chapter – better 5 years late than never!

Warnings: None.

Chapter 17

- Mother -

No sooner had Harry stepped away from the crowd, did someone grab him by the collar of his trench coat, dragging him forcefully toward a narrow alley.

Gasping, Harry did the first thing he could think of, brandishing his wand and struggling.

"Expelliarmus!" The attacker sneered, and the wand was promptly knocked out of the teen's grasp.

Eyes widening in fear, Harry realized that his opponent, undoubtedly, was a wizard as well.

The sun was blotted out by the height of the buildings enclosing them and the darkness made it hard to see who it was that had grabbed him.

"Potter." The chided comment was spoken by none other than Snape, who spun the boy around to face him.

"Professor!" he gasped, staggering at the strange lever of an angle that he was placed upon. "What-?"

"-What on earth did you think you were doing, conducting spells outside so carelessly?" the Potions Master hissed, shaking him. He was wearing a long black trench coat, very similar to the one that Harry was wearing, his attire making him look menacing.

"I – I just thought...I didn't…." In a confused state, Harry could only stare at the man before him in bewilderment.

"You didn't think." Snape released his collar. Freed, the boy leaned against the wall, holding himself up and trying to catch his breath. "In a group of Muggles no less!" Angrily, he retrieved the fallen wand while Harry massaged his shoulder uncomfortably. "You were suspended on account of your stupidity. I thought you would have learned something from that, but apparently you didn't."

"Nobody saw me," Harry said, trying to sound confident, but failing miserably.

"Then explain, genius, how I was able to?" The professor snapped angrily. "I know a spell when I see one. A levitation charm? How perfect." Feeling his cheeks color, Harry groped for something to retort, but could find nothing.

"I expect that that no good Black has only managed to make you stupider," Snape said, shoving the wand back to its rightful owner, handle-first. That comment made Harry's anger spark.

"Sirius isn't stupid," He said, hotly.

"Yes, just extremely dim-witted, I suppose," Snape snarled. "Where is he anyway? I knew Dumbledore was losing it when he suggested you stay with him."

"And it would have been better to stay with you?" Harry demanded.

Snape's gaze smoldered. "Yes," he said simply. "Do you know what could have happened? What if you were tracked down by the dark wizards?"

Harry grabbed the handle, his hand shaking with his fury. "It was one spell! How could anyone find me after that?"

"You were not under Albus' influence leaving you wide open to the eyes of The Dark Lord," Snape snapped back. "If neither I nor Black were present, you could have easily been tracked. It's a pity I have to keep reminding you that a part of The Dark Lord resides in your head, Mr. Potter. I would have thought you already knew that."

Mind spinning, Harry knew that he had slipped up. Snape was talking again though, in tones of disgust, making Harry's insides squirm uncomfortably. "Of course it didn't occur to you that with a direct link, he has full access to you the moment you use your abilities."

"And you would know all about it, wouldn't you?" Harry spat, gripping his wand tighter. He hated the sarcasm that he heard in the Professor's voice. "You would know all about how a dark wizard thinks because - "

"-Don't even go there," Snape warned, putting his face so close to Harry's that their noses were almost touching. His gaze was so intense that Harry had to shrink back a bit.

They faced off for a while, before Snape turned abruptly, leaving Harry to falter in his steps. "Come with me," he ordered, in a voice that spoke of no protest. Meekly, the boy did as he was told, knowing that he was in a load of trouble but angry enough not to care.

Back into the crowded streets of London they went, and Harry was half tempted to run while Snape's back was turned to him, but he didn't dare. The guy would probably find him again anyway. How he had done so in the first place still escaped him, but he followed the man through the throngs of people and into what looked like a pub.

It reminded him of The Leaky Cauldron with the way it was so dark and gloomy. A few customers were there, and Harry had his suspicions that they were no ordinary Muggles. He guessed correctly when a few of them nodded heads at him or stared with wide eyed wonder at the scar on his forehead.

Self-consciously, he patted the dark fringe on his head down, trying to keep it out of sight and hunched his shoulders, suddenly glad for Snape's towering figure above him.

He caught sight of Sirius in the corner, sitting next to a woman with bright pink hair and another man, whose face (in Harry's opinion) resembled that of a gnarled tree. They all looked up in surprise when Snape strode over to them, Harry in tow.

The girl with pink hair stood suddenly, her face puckered in interest. "Goodness, Severus, what do you mean by bringing him here?"

At the same time, Sirius stood, saying, "Harry, what are you doing here?"

Snape glowered at him. "Good question, Black." He turned to Harry. "Sit," he commanded, and as much as the teen wanted to hex him right then and there, he didn't. Instead, he gazed at Snape levelly. "I'm not a dog," he retorted, tightly.

Snape brought his face close again, as he had done moments before. "Try my patience, Potter. I beg you. Sit. Down. Now."

Feeling goose bumps race up and down his arms, Harry swallowed. This guy could be terrifying when he wanted to be: he had never seen Snape look so angry before. He sat down heavily on a stool at the end of the table and the Professor settled himself down angrily across from Sirius.

"Nymphadora, please stop ogling. We have things to finish," Snape said impatiently, as the pink haired girl stared at Harry unabashedly.

"Sorry," she mumbled, ruffling papers before her in a business-like manner. "We've gotten no further into our investigation, but we do have a full week to keep trying, if I'm not mistaken. Albus did manage to get Harry out for that long, correct?"

"Yes," Snape confirmed.

Nymphadora's worried frown did not leave. "The dementors won't leave unless they're satisfied that no one got in. Did Remus see anyone, Sirius?"

Sirius shook his head. "Not yet." He took a sidelong glance at Harry who, from the beginning of their conversation, had been lost completely. He wondered what they were talking about and why they talked of him as though he weren't present.

At Snape's annoyed look, Sirius quickly added, "We're doing everything we can though. We haven't had enough time, Severus."

"The sooner we catch the culprit, the better. Lucius Malfoy was more than eager to poke his nose into our business the other day. He's like a dog sniffing at every scrap he can find," the gnarled man growled. His voice was husky and gruff. "Good thing he's got his brat to take care of for the week. Should keep him out of our hair for the remaining time."

Harry stared at him, feeling a strange sense of foreboding with his words. Unconsciously, he found himself standing.

"Wait…." he heard himself say in a shaky voice. "…Are you telling me that this 'suspension' was planned?"

Everyone turned to look at him, as though realizing that he was among them after all.

"Of course," the gnarled man said, somewhat surprised.

"Moody," Severus said without turning to look at him, his intonation stepping up a notch in warning.

Moody grunted, turning his face toward Harry so that the teen could see that he had one normal eye, but the other was rolling around lazily in its socket, slowly at first, and then faster and faster. It was a very disturbing sight.

"I have reason to suspect Lucius," Severus continued, as though they had not been interrupted at all. "But there's no hard evidence. If we can get his wand, then it will be easier."

Nymphadora bit her lip, thoughtfully. "We're all trying our best," she said. "No updates as of yet. Don't worry though, no more students will get injured, Dumbledore has assured us of that." She stood then, getting her papers together. As she did, Harry noticed that her hair went bleach-blond, and her eyes changed to a gray color. "I'll be heading back now. Owl me if there has been any change." With that, she gingerly stepped out of her seat and made her way out the front door.

Harry stared after her, wondering how she was able to do that. Before he could ask, Moody got to his feet as well. "I'll be returning to the office as well," he was saying. "Until then." His glass eye swiveled to look at the teen, who stared back in fascination.

Moody reached up and pulled the cowl to his overcoat up and over his features, so that they were hidden from sight and clumsily left the pub.

A silence so strong settled over the three of them that Harry swore he could suffocate under it.

It was Sirius that spoke first. "I didn't expect you to bring him in," he said.

"Yes, just leave him out there with the whole Muggle world watching while he stupidly incanted spells, why don't you?" Snape replied coldly. "Who in their right mind would leave the everlasting Potter alone? Why didn't you leave him in the safety of your house?"

Sirius grit his teeth. "He can damn well take care of himself, Severus. Since when were you ever concerned for his safety?"

Snape got to his feet so fast, that his chair crashed against the back wall with a loud thud, making a big ugly black mark. "He is my son!" He thundered. It caused everyone in the pub to turn heads and look.

Sirius didn't seem to care as he leant back casually in his seat. "Funny. If James could only hear you now."

"I don't give a damn what Potter would think," Severus snarled. He lowered his voice so that everyone else could not hear what he was saying. "I'm not about to let Harry turn out to be as dimwitted as him. I'm not about to lose him again." He paused then, his anger dissipating as he turned to contemplate Harry, who was staring at him now, with wide eyes.

A strange mix of emotions ran through Harry then. The aching feeling in his chest seemed to dissipate, and a new one arose. Was it…hope?

Angrily Snape tore his gaze away and spoke with Sirius. "I will be back, Black, to collect him myself. If I hear that you let him out of your sight again, I will come after you, so help me."

He turned his smoldering eyes to Harry who actually shrunk back. "If you fool around so carelessly again, you will answer to me."

Nodding, Harry managed to squeak, "Yes, sir…."

Snape held his glare for a while longer, before mimicking Moody's actions of pulling his cowl up over his head to hide his features and striding out.

Sirius let out a sigh of the breath he had been holding in during the tense moment. "Well!" He said at last, that witty smile playing over his lips again. "That went swell!"

0-0-0-0-0

Back at the House of Black, Harry went straight upstairs, in no mood to get scolded by Sirius for earlier. He entered a random room, thinking that if he didn't want to be found, he wouldn't go where Sirius would look first so he avoided locking himself up in his bedroom.

The events from that day made his head spin. Snape's words echoed in his mind, and he didn't want to think about it: he had never heard Snape ever reveal any sort of sentiment toward him. If there had been any, it would have been hatred. It made Harry's chest ache with longing for some reason and he pushed that away.

He wandered the room then, looking absently at the photos on the walls, not really paying attention to the people behind the frames, his mind occupied with the information he had heard.

A planned suspension.

He had gathered very little from the short meeting he had witnessed, other than the fact that the Dementors were clearly looking for someone and according to Nymphadora, someone had been hurt. That would have explained Madam Pomfrey's wretched mood the other day, he supposed, but who was it they were looking for? And why did Snape suspect Lucius Malfoy?

It's none of your business, he told himself sternly.

But it is. Another part of his mind persisted. I wouldn't have been sent away from the school unless it was really dangerous.

Just as he was thinking this, his eye caught sight of a particular photo that stood on a dusty stand. Behind the frame, a younger version of Sirius, Professor Lupin and James jostled each other. They were wearing Hogwarts robes, so Harry guessed it had been them during their schooldays. Beside the three stood another boy, who was smaller and looked very nervous. Occasionally, this boy would smile shyly and wave.

His eyes traveled to the other photo frames. One held a photo of the Black family. Sirius seemed to be very moody indeed, but he had his arm around a girl. She was tall and thin, and very beautiful. Beside her, stood a bigger teenager, looking strangely out of place. Unlike the others who possessed a certain attractiveness, this one managed only to look sour and crooked.

After a few more photos, Harry guessed that the girl and boy were the brother and sister of Sirius.

Which only meant one thing…

The girl in the photo was Harry's real mother.

He went back to the family photo then, staring at her. She had straight black hair, almost like that of Liliana's. Her movements were graceful when she walked around her photo frame and she was almost always smiling. There were not enough photos though, almost as if they had all been removed at one point of time or another, so Harry decided to search for them. Perhaps, they would be in another room.

He wandered the dark hallways then, looking overhead to see if there was any chance for light, but he saw, that all the lights in the fixtures had been burnt out. That made the place very gloomy, and somewhat haunted. Of course, Harry did not mind this…with ghosts in every part of the castle in Hogwarts, he realized there was nothing to be afraid of.

He entered another room, at the very end of the corridor. It looked very similar to the room he had just been in, except this time, there was a huge drapery hung on the walls. Closing the door softly behind him, Harry took a step forward, eyeing it.

It was the Black family tree.

His hand went out to touch the rough material, tracing the lines. Mr. and Mrs. Black were woven into the fabric, and their photos scowled at him as he let his finger pass over their faces. Under them were three straight lines. One read Regulus Black, showing the crooked smile and angry blue eyes. The other two lines halted abruptly, and instead of a photo, in their place was a gaping hole, where the photos had been burned away. Harry could make out a partially burned word as ius Blac, and he guessed that for some reason or another, Sirius' picture had been obliviated.

But he could not, for the world of him, understand why his mother's picture would be blasted away as well. In her stead, there was no name written at all, her hole much bigger than that of her brother's.

He traced the line from her to another hole in the curtain, and froze. Under the hole, he could read it clearly, almost as if it were shouting at him. Severus Snape. Feeling faint, he continued to trace the tree, his heart hammering in his chest.

Selius Snape.

Feeling like someone burned him, Harry retracted his hand. There was no photo of Selius either, just the name, scrawled in the fabric under the small hole.

His picture had been obliviated too.

Forcing his eyes away from it, he stared at the rest of the tree and with a shock, realized that he was related to Draco Malfoy as well.

A second cousin.

Mind spinning even more, Harry backed away, wondering if he'd get sick to his stomach. As if to spite him, the photographs of everyone on the tree laughed at him; mocking him.

He turned his heel and exited.

Just as he did, he heard a loud crack emanate from downstairs and he had his wand out and ready, almost instantly. Cautiously, he closed the door behind him with a soft click. All was still…or so he thought.

Then he heard arguing from downstairs.

What they were saying, he could not decipher, but he could tell from the tones of voices that they were not too pleased with each other. It meant only one thing: Snape had come to collect him as promised.

Chagrined, he moved toward the stairs, trying to overhear what they were saying. From the way that they positively yelled at each other, Harry could tell that they had never been on good terms with each other at all.

Snape's voice was just as vicious as it had been back at the pub in London. "I'll not have him hang around here; Dumbledore's orders or not," he fumed.

"I'm his god damn guardian as well," Sirius seethed back, slamming a door open. From the top of the stairs, Harry could not see which room it was he had done so to. "The spell should cover the family ties, and if you don't remember, Snivellus, I am part of the family."

Snape's answer was low and angry, and there was a scuffling sound before a thud. "I dare you to say that again."

"Stop!" Harry shouted, running down the steps.

Both men looked up. Snape had Sirius' smaller and more lithe body pinned up against the wall, one hand fisted in the collar of the latter's clothing. Both were breathing heavily, impatience clearly written on both of their faces. "Stop," Harry said again, eyes darting back and forth between the two.

"Harry, don't be intimidated by him..." Sirius started to say, but Harry cut him off with, "I'll leave. Professor, let him go. Just…let him go."

Looking shocked now, Severus loosed his hold on the collar, leaving Sirius to squirm free and gaze at Harry in confusion.

"Get your things," Snape ordered.

Without hesitating, Harry did as he was told, and Sirius, after casting a dark look back at the Potions Master, hurried after him. "Harry! You want to leave with him?"

Harry went straight to his room. "No. But I don't need you getting into a fight on my account. I can take care of myself. Besides, I brought this upon myself. I shouldn't be causing you any trouble – if anything, I'll let Snape handle that."

Sirius paced as Harry got out his trunk once more. His stay had only been for one night. "You don't have to listen to him, you know."

Harry threw in his robes and his books. "I know that," he answered quietly, snapping the lid of the trunk closed gently. "It's a choice."

"It's because of what he said earlier, wasn't it?" Sirius asked, suddenly, causing Harry to pause on his way to pick up Abcde's lantern. "It's because he said - "

" – I know what he said," Harry interrupted, in that same quiet voice. "I think I owe him this much."

Sirius scowled. "You don't owe him anything."

Bringing the lantern back to his trunk and settling it neatly on top, Harry smiled vaguely but did not answer.

Sirius tried once more to dissuade him, but Harry did not reply, dragging his trunk down the stairs and stopping at the base, where Snape stood waiting. The teen turned, making Sirius nearly collide into him. "I really appreciate you letting me stay here," Harry said, sincerely. "I'll visit you again sometime, if you don't mind."

The elder man blinked. "You're welcome at any time. And if he does anything to you, let me know," he said, his voice hardening as his eyes narrowed toward Snape in warning.

Nodding, Harry took a deep breath, before stepping up to the Professor, who took hold of his arm rather forcefully and in a blink of an eye, and another loud crack, vanished, taking the boy with him.

0-0-0-0-0

The world was on fire.

No, it was just his bones.

That's what it felt like, as they disappeared. The feeling of such intensity on every part of his body was very uncomfortable, and just when Harry did not think he could take the tightness any more, he found himself stumbling, unceremoniously to the floor, gasping and coughing.

Snape stood behind him calmly, on his own two feet, his dark eyes glittering.

Scrambling to compose himself, Harry brought himself to his knees, taking in deep breaths and trying to calm his nerves. "What the hell just happened?" he demanded, pushing himself to his feet unsteadily. His hand went out to grasp the wall for support, blindly.

"We Apparated," said Snape, nonchalantly. "We could not use the Floo network, as it is being watched currently. And taking the train here would take hours." He raised his wand and suddenly, lights filled the room they had appeared in.

Harry rubbed at his arms. "You could have told me in advance," he grumbled. If that was what it felt like to Apparate, he wasn't so sure he wanted to try it again any time soon.

Snape said nothing, rather, stared at him critically. "Why?" He finally asked, his voice harboring pure bewilderment.

Harry knew exactly what he was referring to, but he chose to ignore the question. Instead, he asked one of his own. "Is this your house?" He didn't wait for an answer, moving forward, looking around.

It was huge, from what he could see standing in the foyer. There was a grand staircase that swirled upwards. On the main level to his left, was a sitting room, and a little more to the right was a ball room.

On the wall, mounted, was a plaque, reading, "Severus Elliot Snape, Service to the School, Hogwarts Castle, 1976." That pretty much answered Harry's question. This was Snape's house.

There was a statue of a head of a man whose brass eyes stared straight ahead, his face passive. Harry rested his hand on its shoulder. "This is pretty big to live in by yourself," he remarked. He refused to look at his guardian, preferring to gaze at the chandelier overhead. A very long silence stretched, and he could feel the Professor's eyes on him, the gaze almost burning.

"We made a deal. It was fair for me to come after you since you did not tell me where you were going. Did you forget that?"

"I'm sorry," said Harry, quietly, when he realized that Snape would not leave him alone. "I didn't mean to scare anyone earlier today. I just…for a moment I just wanted to be a free wizard, like any other…"

Snape huffed, "Well, you're just lucky I was the one who got hold of you and not one of - "

"-Don't say anything," said Harry tightly, cutting him off in mid-sentence. "I already said I was sorry." He rubbed his forehead, tiredly. "I didn't expect to see you in London, that's for sure."

"It was the safest place for a meeting – we had Aurors around us at every entrance point," said Snape. "No one would expect the Wizards to hang out in a Muggle infested area. We managed it quite well." His eyes narrowed. "When there were reports saying that you were walking around unattended, I went to find you myself."

Harry ducked his head in embarrassment. "I was just looking for some clothing." He gestured to the ones he had on. "These came from my overgrown cousin."

Snape eyed him in distaste. "Yes, you do look rather…shabby." He straightened then, his domineering attitude back. "I will not allow it," he said. "You are not part of the Muggle world. You are a wizard and you are going to dress like a respectable one. I will not have you walk around looking like….like that," he finished, sounding sour as he gestured toward him.

Harry held up his arms. "Sure, but I don't have anything else to wear."

Now Snape looked surprised. "I would have thought Lily and James left you a fortune."

The teen shrugged. "I guess so. I've never gone to check. It's always been sent to me by Dumbledore."

At last, Snape began to move, leading him down the foyer and up the stairs. "Now you pass as my direct inheritor," he said.

Harry made a sound of indifference, but in reality, he was very uncomfortable with the thought. "That means you have access to the vaults, and should you need anything, they will all be taken care of," Snape continued. "Vira! Ines!"

At the sound of the shout, two house elves appeared, dressed down in dark clothing, each wearing a dark circlet over the plastery skin of their foreheads. Both were females, from what Harry could tell. They bowed low and Severus waved their attention to the boy standing just a little behind him. "Harry, these are the servants, Vira and Ines. This is your new Master," said Snape, addressing the elves, who stared back at him with their orb-like eyes. "You will obey him as you would me."

They bowed again, this time turning their eyes toward the newcomer with curiosity. Harry smiled awkwardly – he had never had servants before. "Um…hi," he said, rather stupidly. To Snape he hissed, "You have two?"

Snape rolled his eyes. "I used to have three, but I sent one away for being insufferable. Unfortunately I can't do the same with you," he breathed. "Vira and Ines are quite capable of doing anything you ask of them. In the meantime, Ines, I expect you to take Harry to his room and attend to him. Vira, dinner should be on the table promptly at seven. I shall have you cook up a certain meal for him."

A bit miffed, Harry climbed the stairs behind Snape. "I'm not the one who's insufferable."

His bedroom was roughly the size of the dormitory one he lived in at Hogwarts, except it was much roomier, as there were no additional four poster beds. There was a single king-sized one pushed up against the wall and a huge wardrobe right next to it. Three bay windows were present, the thick green curtains hanging closed, tightly over all of them. There was even an attached washroom and a small fireplace, which Ines instantly took to heating.

"I trust everything is acceptable?" Snape asked, when Harry had put away his things and come back down the stairs.

Harry nodded. "I didn't know you were rich."

Snape smirked. "Hardly, if at all. Dinner then," he said, shortly, moving toward the dining hall, briskly. The food was already on the table, waiting to be eaten. Despite his fatigue, Harry felt his stomach growl, and sat down at the huge table, feeling very small indeed.

The meal progressed quietly at first, as Harry did not feel like arguing, nor did he feel the necessity of small talk. Snape didn't seem to care, as he read the Daily Prophet while he ate. But something bothered the teenager. Putting down his fork after finishing his meal, he broke the silence. "Why do you hate him so much?"

Snape put the paper down, frowning. "I beg your pardon?"

"Sirius. Why do you hate him so much?" Despite the short time Harry had spent at the House of Black, he had grown attached to his Uncle and his carefree ways. He couldn't help but wonder if that was how James had been.

At the mention of Sirius, Snape's brow furrowed. "He's your brother-in-law isn't he?" Harry pressed. "What did he ever do to you?"

Smoothly, the Professor closed The Prophet and glared. "Why are you asking me this?"

"Why were our pictures burned from the Black Family Tree?" Harry demanded, instead.

"What?"

"Our pictures. They were burned off of the tapestry."

Snape leaned back. "Sirius must hate me just as much," he stated.

Harry shook his head. "His picture was burned off too. Someone else did it. I want to know why."

When Snape never answered, Harry glared at him. "What was her name?"

"Who?"

"You know who."

"It doesn't matter, Potter." Snape said, though he was clearly upset. "If you're done - "

"I'm not done," Harry said, impatiently. "Is there any other family member I am not aware of?"

Severus sighed. "No."

Again, a silence fell as Harry fought to contain his temper. He hated being left in the darkness, and that was what people were doing to him for the longest time. He was tired of it. Reminding himself of what Dumbledore had told him, he reigned in his anger and stood. Vira had appeared to take away the dishes and he nearly collided into her on his way to the door. She squeaked in dismay and scurried out of the way.

"Serenity," Snape suddenly said, causing Harry's head to snap in his direction. "Her name was Serenity Black." He closed his eyes. "The Black family approved of the marriage, but Sirius did not – he was upset that I married his sister." He trailed off. "We were enemies at school so naturally, he did not want her to have anything to do with me."

Harry faltered at the door, as Snape got to his feet. "Black was always a meddling fool."

"Did she love you?" Harry asked. He waited, then, not wanting to let this go. Searching…

The expression on Snape's face was unreadable, but his tone was soft and sad. "Yes." He shook himself out of his reverie and stepped around him, pushing the door open. "It's time for bed – I expect you up bright and early to finish those assignments you were given," he ordered.

Harry did not bother to argue. "Yes, sir."

With that, Snape left, leaving Harry alone to his thoughts.

To Be Continued….

AN: Ah, how I've missed Severitus' challenge! I had fun writing it once more. Snape just gets better with time. Anyway, I once again crave your forgiveness as well as indulgence for my lack of activity the past few years. Will the updates come faster? Hopefully! Well, more regularly than yearly intervals, anyway. Please review for me! It would be so awesome!

See you all in the next update! Here's a preview:

"P-Professor?"

In answer, Snape flung the door closed, droplets from his hair spraying when he did so. He turned and stumbled again, almost like a drunk man. As he pushed past the boy, he tripped over his feet again and alarmed, Harry immediately lunged to catch him.

But Snape waved his hands away with a growl. "I'm fine." He inched forward, the water in his shoes squishing and leaving muddy footsteps behind.

And then, he did fall, slamming first into the wall on his way to the floor. Crying out, Harry knelt next to him. "Sir? Sir?"

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