After Snape finished speaking, he stared at the young man in front of him. Harry was regarding him with a strange look. It wasn't as if he didn't believe Snape, but it was more he was starting to understand certain things about Snape's personality. Truthfully, Harry's look of understanding unsettled Snape more than anything did. However, he ignored his unsettled feeling.

"So your dad…you know…hurt you because you were a wizard?" Harry asked quietly.

"Yes."

"Did Dumbledore know?"

"I am sure he had his suspicions at the time, but nothing definitive in order to act. I was rather good at hiding the signs from others. A trait I see we have in common again." A series of memories flashed in Snape's mind. Some of the memories were of his school years, while others were of Harry's. He closed his eyes and embraced the short trip down memory lane. He remembered casting a glamour charm before the Welcoming Feast his third year in order to hide the dark purple bruises his father had left as a farewell 'present'. He then saw the image of Harry wearing a long sleeve shirt in the middle of a hot muggy July day so that he carefully hid the fingerprint bruises from the prying neighbors.

"What happened to him, your dad, I mean?" Harry's voice asked filtering through his memories.

Snape felt a lump rise up in the back of his throat. It wasn't out of love or any of that nonsense. Instead, it was his logical side warning him not to divulge the true nature of his father's death. After all, only two people knew the truth. However, he had already shared so much with the boy, and it wasn't as if the boy didn't already know he, Severus Snape, was a murderer. So drawing in a breath to brace for Harry's reaction, he faced the young man and spoke.

"In attempt to prove my loyalty to the Dark Lord after being accepted into his ranks, I brought my father in front of the Dark Lord and tortured him until he took his final breath." Snape stared at the young man to see some sort of reaction from the boy. There was none, though. "That is why I know that revenge is not as wonderful as others may spout to you. It changed nothing, Harry."

The wave of memories of that night slammed into Snape like a freight train. He couldn't push the memories back in time for their onslaught. He watched helplessly as his memory played out. A younger version of himself around the age of sixteen angrily threw a hook-nosed man roughly into the mud at the feet of the Dark Lord. He heard his younger self proudly announce that he had a Muggle worthy of never-ending torture. Then the sinister chuckling followed by the Dark Lord's lies and praises at Snape's excellent job of capturing such a fine specimen. The terrified Muggle begged and pleaded for his life as he stared up at Snape's younger self. However, his sixteen-year-old cold self paid no attention before casting his first ever Unforgivable. The horrific screams chilled the air as the Muggle writhed in the mud and curled himself into a tight ball in efforts to escape the pain. The haunting screams lasted for what seemed a lifetime before the Muggle finally stilled. The young Severus Snape then knelt in front of the badly shaking Muggle and easily yanked him up to his feet. 'You don't deserve this,' the younger version sneered towards the Muggle before casting the ultimate Unforgivable, the Killing Curse.

"But he couldn't hurt you anymore," Harry quietly replied as he broke through Snape's thoughts.

"He could not hurt me before then. I left following my third-year. My father and I had not seen each other since that time. However, as soon as I received my Mark, I knew precisely who deserved to die. I apologize for my following words, but you must understand. I still remember his screams as he withered in agony from the Cruciatus. I remember him begging for his life as I had done so many times before him. Never before then had I felt so powerful in comparison to him, a mere Muggle."

"I understand, Snape," Harry whispered. His face was white as a ghost. "But like you said, I'm not going to join Voldemort's ranks. I'm better than that."

"Yes, you are," replied Snape. "Perhaps we should continue our lesson."

"Do you mind if I ask you one last question?"

"I do not."

"Um…well…are you…um…"

"Spit it out, Potter. We don't have all day."

"Are you and Sinistra dating?"