Chapter 3

The next morning Severus rose before the sun and got himself ready for the day. He hadn't gotten much sleep as he tossed and turned his mind refusing to stop. He was at the hospital wing as the sun broke over the distant mountains, Harry was sitting up in his bed looking out the windows on the far wall. Pomfrey was in her office with the door shut, so Severus walked calmly towards the boy. His face was tear stained, his body still shaking slightly, Severus hadn't asked his father what had happened, but he knew that the shaking was most likely from fear and emotion rather than pain.

"I always liked the sunrise. A promise of new beginnings." Severus broke the silence, allowing his thoughts of the moment to be spoken rather than hidden.

"Sir?" Harry asked, he was shocked to see his potions professor by his bed, even more shocked to hear him say something like that.

"Especially after nights like the one you experienced. A new beginning is important. One cannot allow the night to last forever, not when it won't change anything."

"You mean because Cedric can't come back." Harry spoke hesitantly, worried that the man before him would snap back and treat him with disinterest as he had for so long.

"Precisely."

"But, I should have been able to save him."

"Nonsense. I highly doubt that Dumbledore himself would have been able to save the boy."

"What do you mean?"

"Have you ever really experienced dark magic? Studied it? Read anything on it?" Severus asked the boy in front of him.

"No."

"I thought not. Dark magic is uncontrollable. The spell used to raise the Dark Lord was some of the darkest magic in existence. Not even the Dark Lord could control it once the spell was cast. The darkness would surround the area, eat at those present, corrupt their minds until it faded. I would estimate that this specific spell would do so for at least three hours if not more."

"What does that mean?"

"It means that anyone present when the spell was cast, would be fighting imperius level mind control, it would be eating at them, making them want to kill, harm, and destroy. Some might could fight it, for example someone who could survive a death curse… but others, would fall to its power until it faded, they would have no conscience, no heart, just a want for blood and pain. It is the price of dark magic. Mr. Diggory had a very small chance of surviving the situation, whether because the others present would be affected in that way, or because he would have been. The chance of survival would have been almost nonexistent for the boy, with the fault falling to none but the spell caster himself." Severus explained. Dark magic was confusing, and many in the wizarding world refused to study it enough to realize that the very act of casting a dark spell would corrupt the witch or wizard who cast it, with no reference to who it was or how much power they held. Not even his father could escape the price of dark magic.

"You're telling me it wasn't my fault." Harry stated, a confused look on his face as he realized that the potions master who had never shown any form of care for him for so long had taken the time to come and tell him, with reason, that it hadn't been his fault. Other professors had told him the same, but none of them had a reason, they had just all insisted that it wasn't his fault without any question of what happened, or any reason as to how it couldn't have been. But, Snape had come with the same statement, but he had told Harry exactly why it wasn't his fault.

"The fault of what happened in that graveyard lies only with the one who cast the spell."

"Do you know who cast it?" Harry asked, he was curious as to how much Snape had been told.

"Yes. Yet, I was not told by the headmaster."

"Then how do you know?"

"When I was your age I made the decision that my family was more important than any side in a war. The corrupt leadership of this world had taken too much from my family. So, I became a spy." Severus explained, raising his sleeve to show Harry the Dark Mark he bore. He knew that Harry would assume that he was a spy for Dumbledore, so it would bear no issue to show the mark, as long as he never said exactly who he spied on and who he spied for.

"So, you were there. You answered his call."

"I was not present at the graveyard, no. I was however at the meeting following the incident, and all was explained then." Severus answered. The boy didn't have to know that he had been told everything by Lucius as he walked out of the manor the previous night because he had missed the formal meeting, he had been to a meeting, and he had the information, so there was no need to give details.

"Why is he doing it? Why does he even want the power? Why does he want me dead?" Harry asked, his eyes pleading for an explanation. Clearly the old man had not told the boy anything.

"He is doing it because he sees a different version of the wizarding world and he wants it to be that way, not the way it is. He doesn't want the power, he simply wants the power taken from those who currently possess it, he already has plenty of power himself. He doesn't want you dead."

"Then why is he trying to kill me? Why did he try to kill me when I was a baby?"

"Once again, may I remind you that dark magic corrupts. The day he came after you and your family he had used quite a bit of it. He had made a final move to set in action his plan, and he slipped up. He didn't want to kill you or your parents. He was there for an entirely different reason and your father attacked him, leaving him no other choice but to fight. That coupled with the corruption of the magic and everything went south very quickly. As for currently he does not wish to kill you, only to open your eyes to his side of the story."

"You sound like you are protecting him."

"I do not stand with all he does, but I do see why one would wish to change the ways things are in this world, I believe you would as well if you would open your eyes long enough to look past your blinding loyalty. The wizarding world is full of corruption and prejudice, anyone with eyes can see that." Severus explained. He knew it was far too early to tell the boy where his loyalty lies, but he wasn't about to lie to the boy. Besides, he never had fully agreed with his father, he thought it was stupid to make the death eaters wear those ugly masks.

"I don't understand…"

"Harry, I do not wish to make you lose what you have by realizing what it actually is, you have already lost enough and been through enough. I also do not wish to pretend as if I do not have a difficult time separating you from your father and treating you as such. Yet, I do wish to open your eyes to the world you have decided you must save. You hear all the time that death eaters and the Dark Lord are against muggles and muggleborns, correct?"

"Yes sir."

"Let me ask you this, when was the last time your friends looked at a Slytherin and decided to see who they were before judging them and writing them off as evil? When was the last time your friends gave a pureblood born of a former evil family a chance to be different than their families? Are you yourself like the family you grew up with? When have you ever looked past their labels and seen who they truly were before judging them? And why precisely, do you think so many Slytherins end up being exactly who you label them as, when you never give them the chance to be anything different?" With that Severus turned to leave, he made it to the door before pausing and turning once more, "Do not allow the lies and opinions of others label who you are or what you are to do. You did your best, nobody could have stopped what happened. You brought him home, that is more than most would succeed at. Give yourself the chance to be who you are rather than who they want you to be, and give others that same chance. I believe if you answer those questions I asked, and if you begin to look past the labels you will see what I have told you. My door is always open." With that he swept out of the room and headed to the Great Hall leaving Harry to ponder what he had said. Harry was in shock at the fact that his potions professor had just had that conversation with him. He had never seen the man like that, never seen the man be kind to him, let alone go clearly out of his way to help him. Harry had needed someone to give him a reason as to why it wasn't his fault that Cedric died, that way he could fight the lies in his head with more than just a statement that he didn't fully believe. The questions he had asked were what was confusing Harry the most. He had never thought about whether his friends were prejudiced. He had never thought about the way that Ron had always immediately hated every Slytherin he saw, he never thought about the way every Griffindor seemed to immediately hate Snape before they had even had a class with him, before he had even taken any points. He did take points quite a bit though, then again, he only ever took points from the other students when they made big mistakes, Harry was the only one he treated differently, and even then he just ignored him. Sure, he was a little bit stricter, but maybe that was just his personality, he was no more strict than McGonagall, but students just seemed to never respect him. So, it made sense that he had to take more points. Then there was the fact that he had just admitted to treating Harry badly, he had said he had trouble separating him from his father, which almost confused Harry more, why on earth would Snape hate his father to such an extent. He would have to ask someone about that, but he would need to figure out who would be best to ask. It had to be someone that wouldn't be biased, so no Gryffindors or Slytherins. It had to be someone who would have been at the school when Snape and Harry's father were students, so no newer professors. Which left the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff heads of house. Harry didn't know what Sprout would know, and he knew she had always spoken highly of his father. Harry didn't know Professor Flitwick well, but he had seen him talk to Snape before. He would ask him the moment he could get out of this stupid hospital wing.

Flitwick was in his office, he had barely had any time to sit and think since the night of the end of the tournament. He had been comforting students, contacting parents, grading homework, and trying his best to keep an eye on Severus who looked like he hadn't slept or eaten properly in days. He had just gotten back to his office after calming one of his students, who had just happened to be Cedric's girlfriend. He still had a stack of papers to grade before he could turn in, and he was hoping to stop by and check on Severus tonight. He was snapped out of his thoughts as someone knocked on the door,

"Come in." He called out, curious as to who it would be.

"Professor Flitwick?"

"Harry. Come in my boy, what brings you here tonight?" Flitwick was sure he had just been let free from the care of the medi-witch hours ago, and had not expected to see him personally again until after the break.

"I was wondering if I could ask you something."

"Of course, I am always happy to help in any way I can."

"Well, Sir, you see, Professor Snape visited me the other day."

"He did? That was nice of him."

"Yes sir. He explained to me that it wasn't my fault Cedric died… That dark magic…"

"That Dark magic corrupts the mind? Do not fear speaking openly with me about him, I know the knowledge he possesses." Flitwick encouraged.

"Right. Well, sir, you see he then asked me some questions for me to think about and encouraged me not to let people's opinions dictate who I became."

"That is very good advice, I am glad he took the time to share it, although I do not know how that is a question." Flitwick prompted.

"Yes sir. Sorry sir. He told me that he struggled with separating me from my father, I think it might have been his way of apologizing, only I don't know why he would hate my father so much. I know that most of you professors probably know why, but I didn't want a biased answer, so I was wondering if you could tell me what my father did to him that would make Snape hate him so much?" Harry blurted out, he was speaking fast as he wrung his hands together in his lap. He had never talked to the charms professor alone before, and he didn't know if he was overstepping his bounds by coming to him.

"I will happily give you that information, but let me get one thing straight before I do. Severus Snape does not and did not hate your father."

"But, then why would he treat me the way he did, why would he say it the way he did, clearly…"

"Clearly he had something against him. Yes." Flitwick interrupted Harry, taking a breath and straightening himself in his chair before continuing. "But, in all the years I have known Severus, which is quite a while since his mother was a Ravenclaw, he has never hated easily. He, and his entire family, hold a very heavy opinion of that word. They believe, as do I, that the word Hate should not be thrown around, and should not be bestowed upon things that do not deserve it, just as Love should not. He only hates one person, and it is not my place to tell you who that person is, or why he thinks them worthy of hate. It is, however, very much within my capability to make sure you understand that the one person Severus hates has never been, and will never be, your father." Flitwick clarified. He remembered very well the conversation he had with Severus' mother when she was a student, the way she viewed hate. He also remembered when Severus had told him that he hated Dumbledore, and the way it pained the boy to accept that he did in fact hate someone. Yet, with what Flitwick knew of Dumbledore's actions to both Severus and his parents, specifically his mother, he couldn't blame the boy at the time, because he hated him too.

"So what does he have against him?"

"When they were students here, your father was friends with Sirius Black and Remus Lupin. They bullied Severus, they played tricks on him, made him trip in the halls, stole his books, tore his homework, used spells to flip him upside down and humiliate him in front of the other students. Severus was quiet, he didn't talk to many people, he only had one friend, your mother. James had a crush on her and didn't like that she would spend time with Severus, so he responded by bullying him. Sirius joined in without second thought, he didn't like Slytherins. Remus was more reluctant, but they were his only friends, so he played along. As you know, Remus is a werewolf. One day James and Sirius took it too far, and on a full moon tricked Severus into going into the shrieking shack; he almost died that night. Neither James nor Sirius was punished beyond a few points lost to Gryffindor, Severus was given detention for being out after curfew." Flitwick explained, his eyes sad. He remembered the night well, it was the night he had discovered who Severus' parents were. That night, Severus had looked more like his father than ever before, for someone who knew who his mother was it was almost impossible to miss the resemblance.

"You mean my dad tried to kill him…"

"Yes, although it was said to be Sirius' idea, James went along with it." Flitwick answered, he wasn't going to lie to the boy. If Severus was trying to get the boy to see the truth of the wizarding world, he would help in any way he could, which meant he would not hold back the truth.

"Nobody ever told me.."

"No. I dare say they wouldn't have. It was covered up on account of hiding Remus' true identity. Only those who taught during the time knew it occurred."

"But they all talk so highly of my father…"

"He was a Gryffindor, was he not?"

"You say that like it explains everything about it." Harry replied, disbelief on his face.

"In this world, my boy, I'm afraid it does. There are very very few people who would dirty the name of a Gryffindor on account of a Slytherin. Or even on account of a Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff. In this world, if you are a Gryffindor, you are everything good and right in the world no matter how you treat other people. Even I, in my past, have fallen to the lie of protecting them above others."

"What do you mean?"

"I had a student, a long time ago, who was hurt by a very popular and loved Gryffindor in a way that nobody should ever be hurt, and instead of fighting for my student, I covered it up. I regret that decision everyday. Evil is evil, no matter what their name is or what house they are sorted into." Flitwick answered.

"I think that's what Snape was talking about. He told me to look closer at the way my friends treat others, at their prejudice, at my own. He must have meant that."

"I am sure in some ways he did."

"You think he meant something else?"

"I think he meant quite a few things. I know for a fact he wishes peoples eyes would open to the prejudice against all things non Gryffindor. Yet, I also know that he was warning you. The world views you as the boy who lived, as the hero. If you let them label you and judge you, and you accept those labels and judgements, you will lose who you are. We are all different from one another, and therefore Slytherins who have generations of dark magic in their DNA can be heroes and people who fight for good. And Gryffindors who have generations of heroes in their DNA can be evil and cruel. We all make our own choices, and until the prejudice goes away, nobody will be seen for who they are, and people will be killed on account of others' sins."

"Can I ask you something that might offend you?" Harry asked, hesitating, but wanting to know what the professor thought.

"Of course. You may ask me any question you would like, I strive to let all students know the truth of the answers they seek."

"Do you think what Voldemort is fighting for is right?" Harry almost whispered the question, but he asked it anyway. He wanted to know the answer. Snape had made it sound like he agreed with what Voldemort was fighting for, just not how he was fighting. If Flitwick agreed with Snape about the prejudice of the wizarding world, would he agree with Voldemort wanting it to change. And if they both thought it needed to change, did Harry?

"That is a hard question. I confess I have not given it much thought, but I will answer as truthfully as possible. I do not believe that anything is worth war, too many lives are lost that way. It is not worth it. But, I do fully believe that things need to change, I have seen far too much hurt and frankly far too much death because of the way things are now. I do not agree with how he is going about it, and I never will, hence why I do not bear his mark, but I do agree with him that things need to change desperately." Flitwick answered truthfully.

"So why do you teach and side with the current system?"

"I do not side with the current system, I work in the current system so that the students under me may find protection from the current system, and so that I can answer questions from students like the ones you are asking now. If the only teachers in this school are prejudiced teachers, how are any of the students in this school going to see the truth?" Flitwick asked Harry. He could almost see the wheels turning in the boy's head as he began to figure out the truth.

"Thank you professor." Harry said, as he stood to leave.

"You're welcome Harry, and know that my door is always open if you have any more questions." Harry only nodded in response before leaving the office. He was beginning to think that he had been living a lie. I do not wish to make you lose what you have. That's what Snape had said before he asked the questions, before he unveiled the lie of Hogwarts. Harry was beginning to understand why he had said that. He was beginning to understand that Snape understood more than he thought he did. Snape had even mentioned that Harry wasn't like the family he lived with. He hadn't said Harry wasn't like "his" family, he had said "the" family. Did Snape know? He must know, which means he was saying that if Harry had come from that without being like them, than the other students could come from their homes without being like the people who raised them. Which meant that all the Slytherin students that Ron had told him were children of death eaters, and who were descendants of those involved with dark magic could easily be totally different than their families, just like he was. That opened another question though, because if Voldemort really was fighting for something good, were death eaters even bad in the first place? Harry thought he remembered hearing that the name "death eater" hadn't come from the group themselves but an outside source. So, what did that mean about what they actually stood for. Who did Snape hate? And who was the student of Professor Flitwick's that had been hurt? Who was the Gryffindor who hurt them? And what did they do? There were so many questions. Harry walked the halls thinking, he knew it was probably approaching curfew but he wasn't ready to go back to the common room. He was beginning to understand that his friends in Gryffindor were just as prejudiced and hateful as everybody else. Which made Harry wonder, what on earth was he supposed to do now?"