Harry Potter and the Long Summer by Mirriam Q Webster
Summary: At the end of Harry's fifth year everything changed. And when Snape answers a call for help during the summer afterward, everything changes again.
Categories: Parental Snape > Guardian Snape Main Characters: .Snape and Harry (required), Dumbledore, Remus, Voldemort
Snape Flavour: None
Genres: Drama
Media Type: None
Tags: None
Takes Place: 6th summer
Warnings: None
Challenges: None
Series: Harry Potter and the Long Summer Series
Chapters: 15 Completed: Yes Word count: 50780 Read: 106346 Published: 06 Feb 2005 Updated: 25 Nov 2005
Chapter 11 by Mirriam Q Webster
Author's Notes:

A/N: Revised chapter

Harry stumbled into the dining room fully expecting that Snape would be ranting at him. The man was curiously silent, however. Harry sat down at the table, waiting.

Severus watched him a moment then said impatiently, “Well, Potter, why aren’t you eating?” Harry opened his mouth then shut it. “Gaping like a fish, Potter, how impressive. Do you remember the rules I gave you when you arrived here?” Harry nodded. “Then why did you not come down to dinner? Cinder tells me you skipped a meal already today.”

“I was busy; I forgot,” Harry said softly.

“And what was so absorbing that you were going to skip two meals?” Harry hesitated for a long moment. “Well, Potter?” Snape snapped, losing patience.

“I was trying to practice Occlumency,” Harry blurted.

Snape raised his eyebrows “How surprising.” Then he narrowed his eyes, “What do you mean ‘trying?’ Either you were or you weren’t. Which is it?”

“I was trying, Professor. You never told me how to do it so I have had to figure it out for myself.”

“Yes, because no one else has ever had to learn Occlumency so obviously there can’t be any books on the subject,” Snape replied snidely. Harry glared at his plate. “I would, however,” Snape continued after a moment “be willing to provide a book on the various techniques for you.”

Harry’s head snapped up and he stared at his professor for a moment. “Thank you, sir,” he said softly.

They ate quietly for several minutes before Severus spoke again. “Potter,” he paused for a moment, “I want to talk to you about what I saw today.”

Harry was looking murderous, “I don’t want to talk to you about it.”

“You would prefer, perhaps, to talk to the werewolf about it?” Snape sneered.

“I don’t want to talk to anyone about it.”

“Why?” Snape asked, narrowly avoiding some sarcastic remarks about glory seeking by creating mystery.

“Because I just don’t!” Harry exclaimed.

Severus frowned; Potter was being difficult, he’d have to go about this in a different way. After a few minutes he asked, “Why did it become necessary for you to stay here for the summer?”

Harry looked at him in puzzlement. “Didn’t Professor Dumbledore tell you?”

“No.”

“Oh.” Harry stared at his plate meditatively. “Didn’t you ask?”

“Yes, all the Headmaster said was that you couldn’t stay in Surrey anymore.”

“Oh,” Harry said again.

“Are you going to tell me?” Severus inquired acerbically.

“I suppose,” Harry replied pensively. “It wasn’t anything big; I just forgot to write a letter.”

“You forgot to write a letter?” Severus repeated skeptically.

“Mmhmm,” the boy nodded, “I was supposed to write one to the Order every three days, and I forgot one day.”

Snape stared at his student. He knew there was something Potter wasn’t telling him; he could feel it. “So, if I were to floo Headquarters right now and ask why you left your aunt’s home Lupin would say he felt that you had to come because you didn’t write a letter? That although you were perfectly fine he thought it best to give in to your demands that he bring you along back to Grimmauld Place?”

“Uh, yeah,” Harry said nodding vigorously.

“Potter, don’t try to lie to me; I’m a legilimens.”

“I know perfectly well that you’re a legilimens,” Harry snarled bitterly. “If you want to know so badly, why don’t you just look,” he sniped.

“I am not here to test your Occlumency skills, Potter, I want to know why Dumbledore felt you couldn’t stay with you relatives any longer!” Snape retorted heatedly.

“You want to know? Fine, I’ll tell you!” Harry’s voice rose, “Sure, I’ll tell you and you can make fun of me for it and tell Voldemort and everyone else about it and everyone can laugh at the boy who lived!” Harry was shouting now and had stood up from the table.

Severus was sitting back and had a curious gleam in his eye. After a moment, he spoke, “Sit down, Potter. I would like to know. I don’t promise not to say anything, especially if you’ve acted stupidly, which I rather suspect. I do promise, on the other hand, not to tell the Dark Lord your secrets, and if they are truly important, I will refrain from bringing them up in front of the general public, or in class if you are so lucky as to earn a high enough OWL.”

Harry just stared at him with narrowed eyes. He could hardly believe this was Snape, the teacher who had hated him for the last five years. The man before him was practically patient! Harry never would have believed Snape would be so close to nice or curious about him. Maybe it wasn’t Snape? Maybe Voldemort had somehow replaced him after the last meeting? Or even before then?

Severus growled in impatience, the boy was staring at him suspiciously. “If my word isn’t good enough for you, Potter,” he began dangerously, but Harry interrupted him.

“No, your word is good enough, Professor.” Harry felt he would recognize that growl and tone anywhere, it was pure Snape. Besides, if it wasn’t the real Snape Harry had no doubt that he would have been handed over to Voldemort long ago. “When I didn’t write the letter Remus, Tonks, Mad-Eye, and Mrs. Weasley came to check on me. They were...not pleased with my relatives. Actually it was Mrs. Weasley who brought me back to Grimmauld Place. And the next morning Professor Dumbledore came and said I’d be staying with you.”

Severus was more than a little frustrated. It had been a lot of work to get Potter to tell him anything and he still didn’t know any more than before. Anyone else though, might believe that they had learned something. Apparently Potter was cannier than he’d thought. Harry held his breath and prayed that Snape would let it drop. “What, precisely, displeased them?” Snape asked. There was no way he was giving up now; things were just starting to get interesting.

“Displeased who?” Harry asked pretending to be puzzled. If he acted dumb maybe he could irritate Snape into leaving him alone. Unfortunately for him, Severus saw through his trick.

“Don’t play dumb, Potter,” he snapped, “the Order. What made the Order angry?”

“My relatives went on vacation.”

It was a deceptively simple statement, designed to lull him into a false sense of security. He didn’t fall for it. “And they left you behind?”

“Yes,” Potter was studying the table cloth.

Severus watched the boy’s face carefully. “I see,” he said neutrally. “So the Order objected to you being left alone.”

“Yes,” Harry said in relief. Maybe there was no need to tell Snape the other reasons.

“Why were you writing letters to the Order? Didn’t like being left with your common muggle relatives?” Snape asked snidely. Perhaps he could count on indignation to help his investigation.

“Not particularly.”

The answer surprised Snape greatly and made him uneasy. “No?” he asked. “Not after they took you in and cared for you as a baby?”

“I am well aware of everything my relatives have done for me.”

“And you aren’t at all thankful?”

“My relatives did as little as they could and told me it was more than I deserved,” Harry whispered savagely.

“They mistreated you?” Severus inquired carefully, dreading the answer.

“Define ‘mistreat,’ Professor. Did they beat me? No. Did they neglect me? More or less. Did they make sure I knew that I should have died with my parents or at any of the half dozen points I’ve had the opportunity since then? Absolutely.”

Severus was watching the boy’s rant with a carefully blank face. It wouldn’t do to let the boy think he pitied him, and it was clear from his general behavior that Potter did not want to make this a big deal. “I see,” he said at last. “I may have misjudged you,” he offered. He hoped the Gryffindor could see that for what it was, because he certainly was not going to come any closer to saying ‘I’m sorry’ to an annoying 16 year-old brat.

Snape’s words shocked Harry back to himself. It was a major concession from Snape, he knew. “The last time the Order came to pick me up I was locked in my room. That’s why I write the Order. That’s why they threatened the Dursleys,” Harry said. He figured as long as Snape was suggesting a reconsideration of their relationship he might make an effort.

Severus blinked then nodded. “I can see how that might arouse Molly Weasley’s ire.” The two shared a look of understanding. After a moment Severus said, “finish your dinner, Potter.”

“You might call me Harry,” the younger said off-handedly as he picked up his fork. The older wizard looked at him a moment and nodded ever-so-slightly. Harry caught the movement out of the corner of his eye and smiled slightly.

The remainder of the meal passed quietly and the two wizards separated afterwards without having said another word.

Severus walked into his study and checked the clock. He decided he had time for a cup of tea before he contacted Albus again.

He allowed his mind to drift to dinner. Potter—Harry’s—revelation had been completely unexpected. Well, maybe not completely unexpected, he had seen the boy’s memories, but he hadn’t really been prepared. Nor had he considered that this might be a turning point in his relationship with the young man. His request to be called Harry was not unreasonable given the circumstances.

Severus glanced at the clock again; time to get out his mirror.

“Severus, twice in one day, what a pleasant surprise,” the wise man twinkled.

“I spoke with Harry,” Severus said without preliminary.

“Harry?” the old man questioned with a raised eyebrow.

“He requested that I call him Harry. How much do you know about his life in Surrey?”

“Not much,” Albus admitted with tired eyes and slightly pursed lips. “Minerva expressed concern about the Dursleys fifteen years ago, but Poppy says that aside from being rather delicate there haven’t been any unusual injuries. Remus has mentioned that he doesn’t think things are quite right there, but although Harry has asked to stay at Hogwarts for the summer he has never complained to an adult of the way his relatives treat him. And unfortunately the blood Harry shares with his aunt and cousin does keep him safe from Voldemort. Has Harry mentioned anything to you?”

“He indicated that they neglect him and hinted that they might verbally abuse him, but he said outright that they don’t ‘beat’ him.”

“Until he actually says something there isn’t much we can do,” Dumbledore sighed.

“I do not believe he will say anything.”

“That is a shame.”

They sat quietly a moment before Snape said,

“I did not realize that Harry was skilled at making covert conversation.” He laid a curious sort of emphasis on the word Harry, pronouncing it carefully as though it were Russian or Arabic instead of English.

“I imagine there is quite a lot you don’t know about him, Severus,” replied the Headmaster as the sparkle returned to his eyes.

“If I didn’t know better, Albus, I would have thought I was speaking with a Slytherin student.”

“I am told that the hat did offer to place Harry in Slytherin House.”

“He got to pick his house?”

“He chose Gryffindor over Slytherin, if that’s what you are asking.”

Another period of silence followed this statement but at last Severus said, “I have noticed some...disturbing similarities between Harry Potter and the Dark Lord. How do we know he will not deliver us from the current dark wizard only to take his place?”

“Do you truly think it likely that Harry would do that?”

“Yesterday I would have said no, but I believe we have established already that I know very little about him,” Snape retorted sharply.

“I do not believe we need fear that Harry will turn to Dark Magic,” Dumbledore reassured him mildly.

“If Bellatrix is to be believed, he already has.”

“And he has seen that that particular spell requires feelings which he does not harbor. Harry has asked me before about this, I told him then that it is our choices that determine who we are. I do not believe young Harry will be the next dark wizard. And in any event he has quite a bit of knowledge of exactly what Dark Magic does to its sufferers.”

“His nightmares,” Snape murmured.

“Many of them, yes. How is he progressing in Occlumency?”

“I discovered this evening that he had not the faintest idea of how to go about occluding his mind. I promised him I would lend him a book about various techniques.”

“That was very generous of you, Severus,” Albus smiled.

“We have agreed to try again, more or less.”

“Good, good,” the old wizard nodded.

“When do you anticipate coming to speak with Harry?”

“I may be by tomorrow evening, if that is acceptable?”

“Of course, Headmaster.”

“Until then, Severus.”

“Until then,” Severus affirmed.

Tuesday morning dawned bright and sunny and Harry found himself eager to go to breakfast and begin the day. He walked into the dining room confident that he would have the meal to himself since Snape usually skipped breakfast. To see his professor carefully eating a grapefruit, then, was not a particularly welcome sight. “Good morning,” he said sitting down.

“How did you sleep, Harry?” Severus asked solicitously.

When Harry looked up his eyes were wider than usual, “better than usual, thanks,” he replied.

“You normally dream of the Dark Lord?”

“No.” Snape gave him a questioning look. “I’ve been dreaming of Sirius and Cedric, and my parents,” he said with a haunted look.

“You know that you bear no responsibility for their deaths, do you not?”

“I know that, but I still feel guilty.”

“Perhaps you should talk to someone about those feelings.”

“Who would I talk to, you?” Harry asked incredulously.

“I doubt either of us are ready for that, or capable of discussing your godfather without hexing each other,” he replied with a twist of the lips. Harry smiled in response and turned back to his toast and fruit.

“I think you will find this book useful,” Snape said indicating a volume Harry hadn’t noticed sitting between them. The title page said “Defense of the Mind: A Study of Various Occlumency Techniques” “The style is more entertaining than the title,” Snape commented.

“That’s reassuring,” Harry said as he absently flipped through a few pages.

“Look through it and we can discuss tomorrow morning.” Harry nodded in acquiescence. “Also, Professor Dumbledore is coming to talk to you tonight.”

“Talk to me about what?” Harry asked in alarm.

“I believe he wants to discuss what happened yesterday,” Snape replied evasively.

“Oh, okay.” Harry wasn’t sure how he felt about that. He didn’t want to tell Dumbledore about his memories, but if he did maybe he wouldn’t have to go back to Little Whinging. Unlikely, he knew, but he could dream, right?

“It’s a nice day out,” Harry said.

“Yes,” Severus nodded.

“Are you busy today? Or could we go out again?” There was a trace of wistfulness in his voice.

“I suppose we could go out,” Snape said. Harry whooped and ran to get his broom. Severus shook his head and left the room at a more sedate pace to collect his own entertainment.

The End.


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