Disclaimer: I still don't own HP or any character thereof! =/

Chapter 91

Severus stalked around the room watching as everyone worked on the first stage of the Draught of All-Glory. He planned on telling Potter the truth today. In fact, he didn't plan on letting anything short of a summons stop him from telling Harry the truth. Albus even had a plan to distract Dolores so that she couldn't interrupt.

He saw that Potter simply looked exhausted. He hadn't even turned in his homework, which earned him another lecture at the beginning of class. Hopefully he would be able to handle the news.

Severus noticed that he was using his left hand again to stir the potion. Harry had been doing that since the middle of September.

It was time to find out why. "Potter, use your right hand. You are not left-handed."

"I don't mind using my left hand," he replied listlessly.

Severus sneered. "While I'm sure it's cramped from the permanent detention you seemed to have acquired from Professor Umbridge, it's not going to excuse you from doing your work correctly."

The Slytherin's had looked up during his berating and laughed.

About five minutes later, Severus looked in Potter's cauldron.

"Everyone grab your things and leave! Now! Hurry!"

Everyone quickly grabbed their things and fled the classroom.

"Potter, go to my office and wait on me."

As Snape was sealing off the classroom, he heard Granger ask, "Harry, do you have a glamour on your hands or arms?"

"Er ... why?" he hedged.

"This potion can't be made with any type of glamour on your hands or arms. If you have one on that means you almost poisoned us."

Harry's eyes widened in horror.

"Potter! I thought I said to wait in my office!"

He saw the boy startle slightly then head to his office.

"Ms. Granger, please go inform Professor Umbridge that I will be needing Potter in detention this evening."

"Yes, Professor Snape."

When Severus walked in his office, he saw Potter looking through his potions manual. "You should have done that last night."

Harry merely sighed. "I know, sir. There just aren't enough hours in the day. I'm not passing any classes."

After warding the door, Severus sat down across from Harry. "If I thought any of you knew how to cast glamours correctly, I'd have said something at the beginning of class. The fault lies with me as well."

Harry turned red.

"Remove the glamour. I want to see what you're hiding."

"Er ... I'd rather not sir."

"Remove it Potter, or I will."

Harry frowned down at his hand and after quickly drawing his wand, he removed the glamour.

Severus suddenly grabbed Harry's hand. "Did Umbridge do this to you?" he demanded.

Harry hissed as Snape ran his fingers lightly over the freshly re-opened the scar of 'I must not tell lies'. As Harry nodded, he saw a dangerous glint enter into his professor's eyes. It made Harry physically pull away.

"Did she use a blood quill?" he demanded.

Harry tentatively nodded again.

"I'll kill her." Snape made to leave the room.

"Professor, don't! I'm not worth getting into trouble over."

He paused at the door and looked back at his son. "You are, Harry. Why did you tell no one about this? Blood quill's are illegal. The Headmaster has been looking for one illegal act to get Umbridge out of here."

Harry stayed silent and looked at his shoes.

"Answer me. Why didn't you tell anyone?"

"Because I deserve to be punished okay! I deserve the pain that writing with the blood quill causes!" he screamed.

Severus' eyes widened in surprise. "Who told you that? What makes you think that?"

"Everyone that get's near me dies. My parents died because of me! Cedric died because of me! I'm like poison to everyone around me!"

"Potter, you are not poison to everyone around you. Did Umbridge tell you these lies?"

"They're not lies!" A random jar behind Harry exploded as he yelled, but neither noticed.

"But they are lies. I may not agree with your godfather on many things, but even he would tell you that they are lies. Is this the only reason you didn't tell anyone?"

Harry shook his head slightly. "She's sleeping with the Minister. She told me that she could have anyone fired she wanted to. I knew that whoever I told would most likely get fired and I couldn't let that happen because of me either."

Severus sighed out of frustration. "Harry, I know that you have no faith in adults because you believe we have no faith in you but I want to dispel you of that notion. I have a lot of faith in you and I am very proud of the man you are becoming. But you need to give up the Gryffindor side of you that wants to protect everyone because all you are doing is sacrificing yourself. It's not healthy. I know you have a Slytherin side in you. Use some of that self preservation that I know you must possess."

Harry was looking at Snape in shock. "You ... you ..." He shook his head and tried again. "You're proud of me?"

"I am very proud of you. Listen to me. If anyone ever feels off to you, or something bothers you, you may come and tell me. I will not push it aside. It will have to be done in private, though. Remember that."

And in that moment, when he was looking in Snape's eyes, searching for the truth in the statements that he had just said, he felt what ever type of bond that had previously formed between them strengthen. In that moment, Harry received a wave of comfort that he imagined is what a father would send to his son when he was hurting. In that moment, he felt closer to Snape than he did everyone else in his life.

Startled by that mini-revelation, he sat back some and gave a slight nod.

"Now you stay here. I need to go have a chat with Umbridge," snarled Snape as he stood up from where he was kneeling next to Harry.

However, when Snape opened the door, he came face to face with the Headmaster.

"My Severus, what's the rush? Oh, hello Harry!"

Harry pulled his hand up into his sleeve.

"I'm busy Headmaster, though Potter has something to tell you."

"Professor Dumbledore, Professor Snape is going to kill Umbridge. You might not want to let him go."

"Now Severus. Hold on a moment." The Headmaster walked fully in the room, shut the door, and erected some kind of barrier.

"Show him."

Harry sighed and uncovered his hand. The Headmaster swiftly knelt down next to Harry to look. "She used a blood quill in my school?"

"I'm going to kill her for it too. Those scars will never leave his hand."

"Harry, go on up to dinner. During dinner, I want you to tell Professor McGonagall that you recently learned blood quills were illegal and show her your hand."

"I don't understand."

"Professor Snape cannot be the one to tell me this. I'm going to assume your detention for almost poisoning your classmates will still stand, so make sure you come back to detention after dinner."

"Uh ... okay sir." News certainly does travel fast.

Once in the Great Hall, Harry sat down to eat. He ignored all the questions everyone kept plying him with. Evidently Neville thought Snape had turned him into some kind of potion ingredient.

"Do you know what he's going to make you do during your detention?" squeaked out Neville.

Harry shrugged, and despite the fact that he was tired, he realized that this was the opening he needed.

"Personally, I'd prefer Snape's detention over Umbridge and her Blood Quill."

About half of the table turned towards him in shock when he said that. "She's using a Blood Quill?"

Harry nodded, with what he hoped was a confused frown on his face.

"Those are illegal!" hissed Hermione.

"They are?"

"Yes," said Neville. "Harry, you need to tell someone. Those are illegal for a reason."

"I've not seen any scars on your hand," said Ron as he glanced at Harry's hands.

"Which is why he almost poisoned us in class today, Ron. He has a glamour on it. Harry. You need to go tell Professor McGonagall. If you don't, then I will."

Harry sighed and got up from the table to head up to where the professor's were sitting.

"Professor McGonagall."

"Yes, Mr. Potter?"

"Hermione told me blood quills are illegal. Is that true?"

Every professor turned towards Harry.

"Yes, Mr. Potter. They are indeed illegal."

Harry then pulled up his sleeve and removed the glamour from his hand. "Someone needs to tell Professor Umbridge then."

"Albus," she said alarmed, as she grabbed his hand - which caused Harry to hiss in pain.

The Headmaster looked at Harry's hand. "Go up to my office. The password is licorice wands."

"Potter has detention with me," sneered Snape.

"He'll just have to be late then."

Harry headed up to Dumbledore's office. While waiting, he called for Dobby.

"Yes, Harry Potter?"

"Dobby, can you bring me my trunk?"

"Dobby is trying to pack your trunk last year but I is not being able to touch it." His ears drooped.

"I got a new trunk for my birthday. I was allowed to key one house elf to it so I chose you."

"Oh! Harry Potter sir! Such an honor!" After Harry hugged the now crying elf, he vanished to get Harry's trunk.

Dobby reappeared the same time the Headmaster plus all four Heads of House, Madam Pomphrey and Umbridge had entered in the room.

"Thank you Dobby." Harry opened his trunk and pulled out well over 300 single foot pieces of parchment. They all had 'I must not tell lies' written on them in his blood.

Everyone cried in immediate outrage.

"I told you to clean your mess up. That included destroying these!"

Harry shrugged. "For all I knew, you'd have found some way to get those back and there was no way I was going to let you have access to any of my blood."

"You foolish boy!" Umbridge made to slap Harry. However, she found herself looking down six wands.

"You're done Dolores. I'm handing you over to an Auror."

"I won't be put in prison."

"Scrimgeour can't save you. This is an overtly harmful act against a student."

"He signed off on it," she said smugly.

Sprout and Flitwick gasped.

"I doubt he'll admit to it, especially when the public learns on whom you've used the blood quill."

A knock at the door interrupted whatever Umbridge was going to say next. A man that he had vaguely remembered being in the Order entered the room. "Harry, go with Auror Shacklebolt and Madam Pomphrey to fill out some forms. After she releases you, you may head to the kitchens to get something else to eat if you're still hungry before your detention with Professor Snape."

Harry nodded and headed off to a side room to fill out some forms.

Later that evening, Harry entered the classroom for his detention. He felt slightly awkward after his conversation with Snape earlier.

"If you wish, you may begin catching up on your homework."

Harry's eyes widened.

"Unless of course you really want to clean cauldrons'."

Harry blinked and headed toward one of the table's. When he sat down, he realized he didn't have any of his stuff. He didn't normally carry his book bag to detention. He automatically stood back up and headed to the dirty cauldrons in the corner of the room.

"Here, Potter. You may use these."

Harry looked up and saw concern in Snape's eyes as he handed over a spare book and some parchment. "Thank you, sir."

"How far behind in your classes are you?"

Harry sighed. "It's like I said earlier. I think I'm failing everything. I don't think I could tell you the first thing I've learned this year." He subconsciously rubbed his glamoured hand. It still stung.

Snape went over to the potion's cupboard and pulled out a bottle. "Here. Tonight, before you go to sleep, put your hand in this. It won't remove the scar, but it will help with the pain."

"Is that Essence of Murtlap?"

Snape nodded, clearly surprised.

"I've been using that every night for nearly a month. I still have enough left over in my dorm to last for a couple of day's."

Before Snape could turn around, Harry clearly saw approval in his eyes.

After detention was over, he headed back to Gryffindor Tower. There, he grabbed his Charm's book and notes and started from the beginning of the year, trying to catch up. Perhaps an hour had passed when the Fat Lady's portrait opened.

"Potter?"

Harry looked up and saw McGonagall beckoning him to come in the hallway.

In the hallway, Harry saw Sirius. "They told you," he said flatly.

"They did. Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because it was over and done with. I didn't want you to get upset and do something rash that would get you arrested again."

"Oh, Harry." Sirius pulled Harry into a hug. "It's my job to get upset over you."

Harry returned Sirius' hug.

"You should be pleased with who your new defense teacher is going to be though."

"Who?"

"Remus."

"Really?"

Sirius nodded.

"Awesome. We might actually learn something now."

Sirius snickered. Remus had been at Grimmauld Place when Albus had arrived and basically told the man that he was going to teach. He then left before Remus could protest. "Do you need anything before I head home?"

"Just more hours in the day to get caught up on all of my homework. I'm failing everything."

Sirius frowned. "You should have time now. I love you kidd-o."

"I love you too, Sirius."

Harry then returned to his friends in the Gryffindor common room.

Sirius stared at the portrait of the Fat Lady as his godson went back inside the tower. He still seemed disaffected, which was not a good thing. Harry was clearly using homework as a distraction.

'Maybe I can do something about that later,' he mused to himself.

However, he had something else to take care of first. Turning from the portrait, he swallowed all of his pride and headed down to the dungeons to talk to Snape. Umbridge had to pay for what she had done to Harry, and Snape had the means to help him exact his revenge.

Death would be too good for her. No. If he had his way, she would suffer for the rest of her life. It was just a matter of convincing Snape to help and then managing to keep it from Harry. He knew that Harry would be upset with him for doing anything to her. Maybe Snape could help with that too.

He had been about to knock on the man's door to his quarter's when it jerked open. "Get in here. I don't have all day."

Shocked, Sirius walked in the room. After the door was shut and before he could say anything, Snape spoke again.

"I need your assistance for dealing with Umbridge. Are you interested?"

Sirius grinned, nodded, and walked further into the man's quarters.

A/N: Look! It's a bonding moment! *nods* And Umbridge is now gone. And would you look at that? Sirius and Snape are in a room together not killing each other. *gins* It's progress! We're getting closer and closer to the big reveal. I can tell you all that it's before chapter 100. As for Remus coming back to teach, if you all remember in my version of the third book, Snape never revealed him as being a werewolf.

Up next, Halloween and Quidditch. I should have it posted on Friday.

*set's out a nice big steak dinner to lure review's* =)

I hope everyone has a safe and happy Memorial Weekend.