Chapter 3

The day when Severus could continue to teach the dunderheads finally arrived. He was just so delighted.

After the Welcoming Feast Severus went to the Headmasters' office as he was asked to. He sat in the chair opposite of Albus's desk and refused the gross sweets the old man offered with a kind smile.

"I asked you to come here because I wanted to talk about a sirious matter, regarding Harry," said Albus.

'He can't talk about anything else with me just the two people, who're tormenting my life. At least Potter senior can't agonise me anymore', Severus thought.

"We must continue his training, and not only with duelling, but the Occlumency lessons, too. I know I told you it would be only the last three weeks of the summer, but Voldemort -" Severus hissed, but Dumbledore ignored him, "Is trying to get him, and you know that Harry is our only chance to defeat Voldemort -" Snape's hiss was ignored. Again. "So, you could use the Room of Requirements."

Severus gritted his teeth. There was no point in arguing with Albus; Snape could never win.

He mumbled something about Albus's annoying choices and then said out loud,

"All right. I will announce tommorrow after lessons. If that was all, Albus, I must greet my first years."

"Yes. Good night, Severus. And thank you."

"Good night."

He exited the office, his robes billowing, and strode off to the Slytherin Common Room. He introduced himself to the little snakes and they talked for and hour and a half before he sent them to sleep. Severus went to his lab to continue the previously frosted potions. Potion making always relaxed him, and now he needed to sedate his mind from the world.

-----

Harry woke that morning feeling well-rested. At breakfast he talked with Ron and Hermione more enthusiastically than the day before.

"Fo 'arry, wha' was tha' all 'bout last night?" Asked Ron, his mouth full of eggs, and toast and Hermione slapped him on the arm for talking while eating.

"I continue my training here without Moody or Snape. I was in the Room of Requirements exercising," he said.

"What is the Room of Requirements?" Asked Ron dumbly.

"Oh, come on, Ronald, don't you ever read? In Hogwarts: A history, it is written down that the Room of Requirements is a magical room somewhere in Hogwarts which can change its size, colour, and everything in the room for the user's desire," said Hermione, "Though, I wonder, Harry, how did you find it? Nobody used it for years, possibly decades."

"The house elves told me years ago."

Ron frowned, "So, if one really has to use the loo, it'll just become a bathroom?"

Hermione rolled her eyes, "Yes, basically. Ron, can't you please hurry? We have barely ten minutes till class starts," she said impatiently.

While they waited for Ron to finish up his breakfast, Hermione turned to Harry, "How is it that the elves told you where the Room of Requirements was?"

"You know how I always liked cooking, right? Well, one night in second year, an elf got so mad at me for using their space to cook, that he told me that I should rather do it in the Room of Requrements."

Hermione frowned, but, as Ron was finished, stood up and hurried to History of Magic with the two boys.

-----

After forty-five minutes of boring lectures, they went to the dungeons. Snape burst intho the classroom, his robes billowing after him.

"Silence! Today, you will brew the most powerful love -" he spat out the word 'love' like little children would say swearwords, "Potion, Amortenia."

He tapped the black chalk board with his wand, and the ingredients appeared in his spidery handwriting.

"You may start," when only a few students moved to gather the ingredients and the others were just lazying around, he snarled, "Now!"

The next two hours Snape watched silently as the students brew the potion, occasionally throwing snide remarks at the Griffindors' potions and praising his Slytherins. He had to stop Neville from blowing up the school once, who, after being harhsly rebuked for carlessness, paled and looked like crying, but Snape didn't care.

'Serves him right', thought Snape. Five mintus before the bell rang he told the students to pack the remaining ingredients and put the filled vials on his desk.

"Potter, you stay behind," he said when half the kids were out. At Ron and Hermione's alarmed expressions, he added, "I wish to speak with him alone. I believe he does not require your presence for a discussion with me. Get out Granger, Weasley," he sneered at them and waited until they were out. Then, he activated some privacy charms and turned to Potter.

"Your training will continue here. I will duel with you and teach you Occlumency. We will meet in the Room of Requirements on Monday and Thursday afternoons, at 7 pm sharp, and on Saturday mornings at 10 am. You may go now."

Harry was dumbfounded. Did the man say he had to continue the training with someone who hated his guts? Right, their relationship was getting better because they spent the last three weeks together, but they were still not buddies. Didn't he think that Harry could train alone? He sighed and exited the classroom.

-----

As it was Monday afternoon, Harry slowly made his way to the Room of Requrementsafternoon. Snape was already there, though there were still six minutes left till 7 pm.

"I thought about the circullum, and I decided to teach you Occlumency and Legilimency on Thursdays, duel on Mondays, and train you phisically on Saturdays. As it is Monday, we will duel. Both of us will use non-verbal spells. Take out your wand."

They bowed and raised their wands.

A red jet of light escaped Harry's wand as he said the Lacero curse's incantacion quietly. Snape cast a Protego and the jet of light faded.

"You are too predictable, Potter. "

Harry thought about it for a few seconds while casting shields against Snape's spells and curses, and when the professor stopped and opened his mouth to give him a lecture, Harry raised his wand and cast a Shield. He achieved what he wanted, because Snape stood there confusedly pondering about why would someone use a shield against nothing. Harry used his time till the Potions Master realized his little maneuver, and cast a Stinging hex on the professor's legs. Snape fell back and Harry used Expelliarmus to get his teachers wand. Then he walked over to the now sitting form of Snape and held out the ebony wand.

"Sir, you said I was predictable so I - "

"I know what I said, Potter. It was not bad," he added a little quieter and half-heartedly.

Harry grinned, "Why, thank you, sir."

They duelled till 9 pm as Harry had permission to go out after curfew, but only because of his training. Harry went to his Common Room and started to study.