Chapter 12

Harry had returned to the school in a typical manner, and had gotten settled and prepared to attend the welcome feast. He stood in the mirror of one of the bathrooms trying his best to prepare himself. He hadn't seen Dumbledore, not since he had learned the truth, and he wasn't sure he was ready to. Yet, this was his fight, this was what he had to face to do his part.

"Come on Harry, Snape has faced three times as much as this, you can do this." He mumbled to himself, trying to force the lump down his throat.

"He may have been through three times as much, but I would be willing to bet you money he is doing something very similar at this moment." Draco's voice broke the silence of the almost empty bathroom.

"You think so?" Harry asked, curious as to why Draco would say such a thing, surely Snape wouldn't have to prepare.

"My dad has to. Besides, I've seen him hesitate whenever he has to talk to Dumbledore alone, there is always a pause in his first step. It's almost unnoticeable to the untrained eye, but once you have seen him walk around a place like the summer home, you can pick it out."

"Do you?"

"I've never had to. Snape doesn't let Dumbledore meet with any Slytherin alone. Besides, I've never experienced anything from Dumbledore firsthand. I just hate him for what he has done to the people I love." Draco answered.

"I haven't either, and I still can't pull myself together."

"Bull. You totally have experienced it. He made you fight a crazy possessed dude in first year, a Basilisk in second year, dementors in third year, and he made you fight in that death tournament last year. He has been molding you into the hero he wants you to be since the day you came into his care. Why do you think he left you in that awful house?"

"I'm not sure I can do this." Harry confessed. He had been preparing for this all summer, he had studied and trained for hours to be ready to come back to school. To make a difference in the war. But he was chickening out at the first moment.

"Sure you can. You just have to keep focused on why you are doing it, not on what it is. That's what Snape told me to do in my first year."

"Why do you fight?" Harry asked. They had spent the whole summer hanging out, and neither of them had ever talked about why they were there.

"Since the day I was born it was known that I would most likely be sorted into Slytherin. Every tutor I ever had was training me for that. How to behave in class, how to get good grades, keep your mouth shut, don't misbehave, stay focused. My father would tell me to watch my back, to always keep an eye out on the Gryffindors, he told me that I needed to make sure they knew not to mess with me. I was trained to walk a thin line, knowing that if I messed up it would cost me everything, potentially even my life. I fight so that I won't have to tell my kids that."

"I never thought of that."

"Most people don't, then again it's not hidden. Gryffindors boo when new Slytherins are sorted, they are just eleven and some of them didn't even know they were wizards until McGonagall showed up at their door and the first thing they receive from Hogwarts is bullying."

"I was almost sorted into Slytherin." Harry mumbled in reply.

"Thank whoever you want, but you better thank someone that you weren't, you probably would have been killed for it Mr. Chosen One." Draco answered.

"Yeah. We should probably get going, we don't want to be late." Harry replied.

"You go ahead. We don't need to walk in together." Draco stated, earning a nod from Harry before he left the room. Draco stood for a moment looking in the mirror that Harry had just left, he never would have imagined having that conversation with Harry Potter, but he found he was glad that he could. That Harry knew.

Severus watched from the head table as the children entered the great hall. He saw Harry trickle later than the other Gryffindors. He then watched as Draco did the same. Both the boys looked stressed, and even from the distance of the head table Severus could tell that Harry's every muscle was tensed. If Severus was honest, he would have to admit that his were as well.

"Severus, good to see you again, how was your summer?" Flitwick asked, coming to stand next to Severus' seat.

"Flitwick, good to see you as well. It was uneventful. How was yours?"

"Oh, it was normal as always. Are you ready for the school year?"

"Not nearly. I will be by class time tomorrow though." Severus answered truthfully. He had spent the rest of his afternoon talking to Remus, and had almost been late to the feast. The brothers had talked about many things, but mostly about Severus' childhood and all he had faced. They had talked about Lily, and they had talked about Harry. They both were concerned that they would not be able to protect him, so much hung in the balance, and so much could prevent them from successfully protecting him. Just like things had prevented their parents from protecting them. They had talked about their childhood and their time at school, about Sirius and James and how they had bullied Severus. They had talked about Voldemort and Haven, and all they had fought through. They had opened their hearts to one another and had finally relented in becoming brothers.

"Severus, I need to speak with you after dinner, if you can spare a moment." Albus' voice broke through Severus' thoughts and conversation with Filtwick.

"Of course, headmaster." His words came out perfectly controlled, his acting returning to the unbreakable mask that he had perfected as a child. Yet, his mind was filled with fear, all the things that had come up over the summer, that he had talked to Remus about just that day was plaguing his mind. He had to protect the children that filled this room.

"Breathe, Severus." Flitwick whispered, his voice only able to be heard by Severus.

"I am." Came Severus' forced reply. Severus then forced himself to straighten his back and scan the crowd of children in front of him. They were why he was here, they were why he fought. He would never let Albus Dumbledore hurt another of them again. He then looked to the Slytherins, the ones directly under his care, the prefects knew to be very careful, and they seemed to be watching over the new first years well, as they made their way along the table introducing themselves to each new first year, and checking in on all the others. They had been chosen well, and had served as the prefects of Slytherin for two years now. He watched as the first years at each table settled in and as the feast started. He continuously checked on Harry, trying his best to make it look like he did not care about the boy, but truly he was terrified that Harry had to come back to school. That Harry had to now face the very battle Severus himself had been facing since he was eleven. All Severus knew was that he was going to keep a close eye on Harry each and every day. He wasn't about to let Dumbledore hurt Harry like he had hurt Lily.

For the rest of the dinner, Severus' eyes scanned the crowds of children and his mind wandered over each and every threat that these children were facing.

Harry had sat in the feast surrounded by the friends he had sat with since first year, they talked and joked. They caught up on each other's summer, Harry lying through his teeth about how his summer had gone. Then they sat quietly as Dumbledore introduced the new ministry administered dark arts professor. Harry's stomach began to turn as he met her eyes, something was off about her, and in a moment he had decided that he needed to keep his distance. His first dark arts class had proven that, and his first detention with her had proven it further. His hand burned as he walked through the castle towards the dungeons, he had his cloak wrapped around him knowing that he was out after curfew. He stopped at the door to Snape's office, and glanced around him before knocking. He could hear shuffling on the other side of it before it opened, Snape looking into the hall. For a moment he thought that no one was there and went to shut the door before it clicked, it was after curfew.

"Come in, Harry." Snape whispered, moving out of the way of the boy who he assumed entered after a moment and shut the door. He was proven correct as once the door shut Harry removed his cloak.

"Sorry I didn't give any warning, I didn't know I was coming." Harry greeted.

"Not a problem. What happened?" Snape asked, curious as to why the boy was already visiting so early in the school year.

"I'm not sure what it's called, but it hurts like shit." Harry held out his hand to show the potions master,

"Language, Harry. Where did you get this?" Snape carefully grabbed Harry's hand looking over the injury. He knew exactly what it was, he had been the recipient of it many times in his Hogwarts experience.

"Umbridge gave me detention, and she made me use it to write, well, to write that."

"What on earth did you lie about?"

"Nothing. I just said that I hadn't lied, that Voldemort really was alive again." Harry answered.

"Come with me." Snape replied moving through the door to the potions lab on the other side of the hall.

"What even was it?" Harry asked once they were in the other room.

"A blood quill, they have been outlawed for years, I thought they had disappeared, but apparently not. Sit." Snape explained, before motioning to a seat next to the professor desk at the front of the room. He then moved to the shelves pulling down multiple bottles of ingredients and beginning to brew something.

"How does Umbridge have one?"

"I'm not sure, I assume she got one from Fudge at the ministry."

"I don't think I'm the only one she will use it on. Something is off with her."

"Of course something is off with her. She is the embodiment of the negative personality the ministry paints Voldemort to be. She is a blood purist, and she refuses to believe that anything could remove her from power. She believes she knows everything and cares nothing for other human beings. I tried to convince the headmaster of this, but as always he insisted I was wrong." Snape replied, his eyes never leaving the potion he was brewing.

"So, we have no hope of getting rid of her?"

"I do not believe so, although I do not plan to give up so easily. The Slytherins have been warned to steer clear and keep their heads down in her class. They will not cause problems, I suggest you do the same, even if it means denying what happened last year. It is more important that you are safe than that she believes you."

"I hate being called a liar." Harry mumbled, earning a glance from Snape.

"As do I, but you walk a very thin line now. You cannot afford to endanger yourself anymore than you already are. It is better for them to think you a liar, than for the truth to get out."

"Just like it's better for every other house to hate you as a teacher?" Harry asked, he had wanted to bring up the topic all summer, but he had always chickened out.

"I allow the children in this school to believe what they wish about me, because it matters more that I am able to protect them than what they think of me. Their hatred of me has kept them from many dangerous things, and my point taking has kept them in line during a very dangerous class that has, in the past, almost taken lives." Snape answered, he was pouring the potion into bottles, his focus on making sure that nothing went wrong. Harry had spent the summer learning from Snape about potions and all that went into being a potions master. He had begun to enjoy watching the professor brew them. It was calming to Harry, to watch someone do something that seemed like second nature to them, with such precision and calm that it astounded Harry. He had never done something with as much skill.

"I don't think they think about that. About the danger of potions, I mean. They just think you are being strict."

"I am aware. I would rather them think me strict and survive without incident, than think me kind and burn their own skin off. Give me your hand." Snape replied, grabbing Harry's hand once he raised it. Harry watched while the man rubbed the still warm potion into his skin, the pain from the injury immediately began to fade, the strain that had been around Harry's eyes fading with it.

"That really helped." Harry stated, surprise in his voice.

"It's almost like I brewed it to do so." Snape smirked,

"That's not… Ugh… Thanks."

"You are very welcome. You will need to apply the next dose in the morning, just rub it into the area as I did. It will help remove the scar. If you have any more pain at all from it, come and see me, as it will most likely mean a hidden infection. As for Umbridge I will handle it, just keep your head down and try not to receive another detention." Snape replied, he then turned and wrote on a sheet of paper,

"I will." Harry confirmed, standing from his seat and moving towards the door.

"Harry." Snape called, holding out the paper towards him,

"Yes, professor?"

"Here is a pass for the fact that you are out after curfew, if you run into anyone that will keep you out of trouble. Also, I know what you and your friends are thinking."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked, confused as to what the professor was referencing.

"I am aware of the poor level of education you are receiving in Defense class. You are not to do anything to solve this, no clubs, no classes, no hidden agendas. If your friends decide to do it without you please inform me. You know now that they will need none of those skills, please do not endanger your life or theirs for the sake of an education they will not need."

"I won't sir. I promise."

When Harry had left his office, Severus found himself just staring at the wall. He knew the feeling well, the feeling of weight in his chest. His breath was laboring against an invisible force that was holding it back. He tried his best to breathe through it, he had known this was coming for days. The school year had started rough, and now it seemed that it would be a hard semester as well. He already had Dumbledore to worry about protecting Harry, Draco, and all the children from, and now Umbridge. His heart was racing, and his mind continuously tried to pull him back to the memories that threatened to arise. The image of a crying girl, with torn clothes and tangles in her bright red hair. Her face was cut and bruised and tears ran down her cheeks. Severus was beginning to be able to hear her cries for help, her cries of pain. He knew that he needed to get to his father before he couldn't fight it anymore, he stood from his desk trying his best to force the memory from his mind, as he moved to the fireplace and threw the floo powder into it,

"Spinner's end." His voice was rough as it barely managed to spit the words out clearly. He stumbled into the green flames, and as he appeared on the other side he fell to the floor his head spinning in pain as he tried to stop the panic that was catching his breath. He pushed himself from the floor, he knew that the only way to make the trip was apparition, yet he knew he would never make it, his legs were barely holding him up anymore, and the memory that had been forcing itself to the front of his mind, seemed to be half of his vision. He realized he had failed to make it as his legs gave out and he fell to the floor, the only sound he could hear was lily crying out his name as blood fell from her face,

"Lily.. I'm coming… Lily." His voice barely sounded like his own as no one was around to hear it, but the memories and the echoey hall that Severus found himself in.