Antiquity's Corollary by gonnabefamous
Past Featured StorySummary: At Lily's request, Albus Dumbledore has kept a secret from Severus Snape for 17 years. When Dumbledore learns that this secret plays a vital role in the war, however, it is Snape who is left to deal with the consequences. As Harry's true parentage is revealed, both his and Snape's futures become uncertain. The two must learn to work together in order to survive. PreHBP.
Categories: Parental Snape > Biological Father Snape Main Characters: .Snape and Harry (required), Draco, Dumbledore, Ginny, Hermione, Ron
Snape Flavour: Canon Snape
Genres: Action/Adventure, Angst, Drama, Family
Media Type: None
Tags: None
Takes Place: 6th summer
Warnings: Alcohol Use, Torture, Violence
Challenges: None
Series: None
Chapters: 58 Completed: No Word count: 401010 Read: 379371 Published: 28 Jun 2005 Updated: 11 Oct 2015
Teacher, Teacher by gonnabefamous
Author's Notes:


Thanks so much to my betas, Lucie and Allison Carroll, who did this chapter.

Love you all platonically!

Chapter 41

Teacher, Teacher

xxx

There were days when Severus Snape truly hated his job. Once in awhile, when he stopped lecturing and had no reason to stalk around the room, peering critically into students' cauldrons, he had to sit back and ask himself why he bothered teaching at all.

If only the answer hadn't been so simple. It was Albus Dumbledore.

As much as he could privately admire the man for his power and feel a sense of gratitude towards him for helping him along the path of redemption, the one truly lamentable thing he could say the man had done to him was to force him to teach children who, despite all his efforts and all the benefits of education, simply would not be taught.

Severus did not think it was asking too much of students to give them a chapter of reading and, because he had no practical lesson to go along with it and did not feel the need to waste his time lecturing on such a simple topic, tell them to use their time in class to get the chapter read and get prepared for the test they would have on the topic the coming day. Really, reading was not a difficult task. It should not have inspired the small, blonde, first year Hufflepuff student in the front row to burst into tears halfway through class. Nor should it have provoked the furtive glances that Jacob Hurst and Melanie Crovitch were sending him between each note that they exchanged.

Nor should it have led to the subtraction of approximately 35 points from Gryffindor's House Point total. That, however, was one by-product which Severus did not mourn.

Yes, there were days when Severus Snape truly hated his job.

It was not with delight, therefore, that Severus greeted his sixth year class when they filed in at the bell that afternoon. If there was any happiness in Severus about the fact that he would now be attending to the N.E.W.T. level students, it was only because he knew that they could handle his ire with far more resilience than the mere first years could, and he would not have to work so hard to control his temper. This, for some reason, seemed a comforting fact.

Severus' face, half cloaked by shadow, had a foreboding quality about it as he sat behind his desk, leaning back in his chair and watching the class file in. His posture was contemplative; his eyes narrowed to slits, only revealing the glittering black of his irises.

Watchful of their Professor, the students silently moved to their seats. Some looked fearful of his intentions, while some (mainly his Slytherins) looked rather anticipatory of what would potentially be an entertaining class for them to watch. Still others stared at him with defiance: forced expressions of bravery, as if they were about to fight a battle of some sort.

Though, for some, Severus mused, Potions class was a battle.

"Class," Severus intoned from his seat in way of acknowledgement, pleased when the subdued tone of his voice caused several heads to snap to attention. He smirked; it was indeed a great skill to command a class with so little effort.

"I believe you have essays to turn in," Severus reminded them a moment later, scanning the room for the guilty faces of forgetful students who had neglected their work. He was neither appreciative nor disappointed when there was a flurry of movement as the students moved quickly to gather their homework assignments. "Set them on my desk," he directed in the same smooth, level voice.

In a disorganised but not altogether chaotic fashion, the essays were placed on the Potion Master's desk; Severus sat and watched appraisingly as each student approached him, deposited his or her work, and then hurried away again.

"I trust these are as abysmal as ever," Severus said dispassionately to the class, standing up and sifting through the mass of parchments, straightening them deftly. "I suppose I could compliment you on your consistency, but so rarely do you appreciate the things I say." He shuffled the papers one last time and placed them in a neat pile at the other edge of his desk, and as he finished, commanded, "Pull out your books and turn to page four hundred and thirty-two."

Severus came around to the front of his desk, his stance almost casual as he leaned against it, creating a marked unease in the students before him. His gaze passed over the class, including his son, who was, much to Severus' satisfaction, carefully controlling his expression and turning to the page which Severus had dictated.

Taking his focus off of Harry, he addressed the class. "I believe you will all be pleased to know," he started, provoking an instantaneous response of confused whispers and perplexed expressions, before he growled, "Quiet… I believe you will all be pleased to know that I have decided to forego the objective test on the material I asked you to read over the holidays."

While the other students murmured to each other, Severus took advantage of their distraction to glance again at his son. He was gratified by the suspicious look on the boy's face; it meant that he was finally thinking about motives rather than simply actions.

"You will, however, have an essay portion," Severus announced after the excitement had quieted down. At the horrified looks on their faces, Severus smirked and continued, "and that will take place today."

"But sir!" Malfoy instantly objected, his protestation amplified in sharp contrast with the dead silence that had fallen due to all of the dumbstruck mouths which hung open instead of chattering. "We've not had any notice!"

"You were told a week before the holiday started that these three chapters were to be read by the time that you returned," Severus replied coolly, mockingly amused expression giving way to the sternness which most often characterized his features. "I do believe that's all the notice you should require, as sixth year N.E.W.T. students. If you haven't learned by now to complete your assignments by the date specified, then I must ask you to re-evaluate your decision to pursue the higher level courses. I would be more than willing to transfer any one of you to Muggle Studies, if you feel that I am demanding too much of you. I'm sure there will be some room for you there. Interested, Mr. Malfoy?"

Malfoy's mouth opened to respond, but he, chastened and slightly embarrassed by the fact, seemed to choke on his words. Grudgingly, he surrendered whatever battle he'd thought he'd been about to fight with the Potions Master, and sat back in his chair, muttering a resentful, "No, sir."

A curt nod signified Severus' satisfaction, and he said nothing further to Malfoy. "You'll have ten minutes to review whatever you believe to be pertinent in the reading."

Severus circled his desk and settled once again into his chair. "You're already on the clock, by the way," he smoothly stated a moment later. "I suggest you stop gawking at me and take advantage of this opportunity."

Noting that Harry was among the few who were already skimming the pages and doing so with an expression that was, though mildly distressed, hinting at the boy's confidence in his abilities to do well, Severus was glad to realise that though he had given the boy any reminders, he'd completed the task assigned. He suspected the bushy haired girl sitting next to him had something to do with this, but he was nevertheless appeased.

No guilt arose within Severus as he passed the tests out ten minutes later. He met students' pleading eyes with a vindictive smile, viewing their displeasure as a sign that justice had been served to the miscreants who had so arrogantly ignored his instructions.

"You have the remainder of the period," Severus announced as he extended the last test to his son, giving the boy a meaningful look and receiving a befuddled one in return. It seemed he understood that the man was expressing approval, but at what he could not comprehend. Because he did not want to appear to be focusing any extra attention on Harry, he spent no more time standing in front of the boy and returned to his desk.

"Begin."

xxx

"I have to say, I'm a bit surprised at how many people didn't complete the reading," Hermione told Harry as they made their way up from the dungeons, destined for the Great Hall, where Ron had promised to meet them.

"I never would have done it if you hadn't told me to," Harry admitted in response, shrugging. "Honestly, it was a bit much to assign three chapters to be read over break, and especially to expect us to remember enough of it in order to complete an essay test to his level of satisfaction."

"But he did have a fair point, did he not, that we chose to take such a difficult class?"

"I'm not trying to complain," Harry responded with a touch of defensiveness. "And given his mood when we walked in, I wasn't expecting an easy period."

"He didn't seem especially tetchy," Hermione commented thoughtfully. "I mean, not more than usual… at least, he wasn't as insulting as we all know he can be."

"I don't know; like I said, I just had an idea as soon as we came through the door. It was the way he watched us, I think."

Hermione shrugged at this and waved to Ron as they approached the doors. He smiled when he saw them and quickened his pace to reach the entrance.

"How was Potions?" Ron questioned unnecessarily as he met them, both of whom wore harrowed expressions due to the mental exercise they'd received only a few moments before.

"It was Potions, Ron," Harry reminded him dryly.

"Had a rough time of it, then?"

"An impromptu test."

"An impromptu essay test," Hermione added.

"Oye," Ron breathed, eyes wide.

Harry laughed and nodded. "Nothing like Potions class to abruptly remind you that school is back in session."

"Oh, it wasn't all that bad," Hermione argued good-naturedly, shaking her head at the two of them.

"Just like the O.W.L.s, right Hermione?" Ron quipped, receiving a playful slap on the arm.

"Not quite like that, no," she responded.

"Do you think we have time to stop off at the Common Room before we go to our next class?" Harry asked indecisively, seemingly weighing the options in his head.

"She doesn't really care if we're late anyway."

"Ron!" Hermione exclaimed. "What sort of an attitude is that?"

"The sort that normal students without such anal-retentive tendencies have," he muttered, looking at Harry and rolling his eyes.

Hermione let out a frustrated groan and readjusted her bag on her shoulder. "Fine," she snapped. "You two go and get whatever you need, and I'll meet you in class."

"Hermione—" Harry started in pacifying tones, only to be interrupted.

"No, Harry, it's fine," Hermione huffed, rolling her eyes. "Really, I'll catch up with you later."

Before anyone could convince her to do otherwise, she took a quick left and headed in the opposite direction of the common room.

"Unpredictable, that one," Ron commented in a breath, shaking his head and continuing with Harry down the hallway. "Downright strange."

"Yeah, she's been a bit moody the past several days, actually," Harry agreed. Ron gave him an odd look, and Harry shrugged. "What?"

"Why, have you really spent the past couple days with her?"

"Well… I mean… no one was here yesterday, and you hadn't arrived yet… and the day before she arrived at my house early in the morning so it was a bit unavoidable—"

"I'm not asking you to make excuses. It's just a bit out of the ordinary. Normally, she would spend her time at the library, and you…"

"Yes?"

"Well, normally you spend quite a bit of time with Sn—your—erm—that father figure of yours."

Harry gave Ron a humorous look. "You could just call him the Professor, Ron."

"There's the word I was looking for!" Ron exclaimed, laughing at his own lack of verbosity.

"Well done, Ron," Harry quipped, clapping his hands together in mock applause.

"Yeah, yeah. But anyway… is something going on?"

"Did you forget the other night?"

"Oh."

"Yeah," Harry replied.

"Is he still angry at you?"

"Well…no. I mean, he wasn't really angry to begin with… just… annoyed? I guess that's it: annoyed."

"Ah," Ron responded, nodding. "My Mum gets like that, too. Don't worry, it'll pass. Maybe it will do you some good to go to Hogsmeade next weekend?"

For some reason, Harry was suddenly grateful that it was Ron at his side. The fact that he was comparing Harry's own mildly dysfunctional relationship with his father with the relatively normal relationship between Mrs. Weasley and him had a stabilizing effect, for some reason unknown.

"Actually, I don't think I'm going to go next weekend," said Harry. "I didn't spend all of yesterday avoiding him because I'm scared of what he'll say to me or anything… but he told me I should figure out a way to make it right, and that's what I'm going to do."

"Make it right?"

"Yeah. Ambiguous, isn't it?"

"I wouldn't know where to start," Ron admitted.

"I'm not sure I do either."

xxx

Severus had been glaring silently at Blaise Zabini for a full three minutes now, and still could not formulate the words to sum up his utter fury with the boy. Perhaps his anger would have abated somewhat if it were not for the boy's cheeky, nonchalant attitude; more annoying than Zabini's blatant disregard for the importance of this subject was his bold display of defiance towards Severus. It was bothersome to realise that all his years of openly showing his Slytherins favour, he had helped them to cultivate attitudes of complete indifference and superciliousness and abominable senses of work ethic.

Severus was not a man who ignored the art of logic. No, he had reasons for why he had—and continued to—indulge his Slytherins. Firstly was the fact that he had long been expected to treat the children of his former 'comrades' with far less harshness than he treated many of his other students with. Secondly, Severus had always thought that if there was one house that was looked down upon by a majority of the teachers, it was his own. Both from his personal experiences at Hogwarts and from the conversations he had been privy to in the staff room, he knew that Slytherins were generally viewed as untrustworthy, prideful, and disinclined to earn what they could easily cheat their way to getting. While true for some, it was perturbing to realize that this stereotype was instantly expected of any member of the house.

The problem now was that while Severus did not wish to adopt crueller policies on how to handle his Slytherin students, he knew that once the war was over, assuming he survived, he would need to find some middle ground between indulgence and severity.

"Mr. Zabini." Severus' voice was a deep rumble, the darkness of it congruent with the foreboding expression on his face. The boy's dark head snapped to attention; his obstinate expression of suppressed temerity remained, but he kept reverently silent, waiting for Severus to speak. "Explain this to me," he demanded curtly, holding up Zabini's blank test and giving each end a sharp tug, eliciting an audible snap.

To Severus' displeasure, Zabini shrugged noncommittally and drawled, "I didn't have time to complete the readings over the holiday, and you gave us only ten minutes to prepare. Why waste my time attempting a test I had no chance of scoring well on?"

"Waste your time?" Severus slowly repeated, lifting his eyebrows in disbelief that he'd just been witness to such an audacious utterance. He paused, leaning back in his chair in a way that would have seemed calm and contemplative, if not for the glint in his eye that a clairvoyant student would have recognized as a dangerous warning sign. "Is that what you think of my class?"

"Not the class, sir, the assignment," Zabini explained as if this amendment made his previous statement more acceptable.

"Ah," said Severus, this concise sound signalling the beginning of what would be the proverbial calm before the storm. He lifted his eyebrows and set the parchment on his desk, smoothing it down, before asking icily, "Do you consider me a frivolous person, Zabini?"

Narrowing his eyes, Zabini carefully responded, "No."

"Why, then, do you assume I would give frivolous assignments?"

Apparently seeing where this was going, Zabini quickly began to back-peddle. "I didn't say the assignment was frivolous, so to speak—"

"You called it a waste of your time, did you not?" Severus quickly snapped at him, voice raised significantly and shocking Zabini a bit.

"Well, what I meant was—"

"What you meant was that you consider yourself above the assignment that I gave! Are you an authority on Potions, Mr. Zabini?"

"I'm adept in the subject."

Severus glared, and rose quickly from his seat, waving Zabini's blank test around in front of his face. "Then why, pray tell, did you leave the test blank?"

"Fine, I'm not an authority on Potions, happy?"

"Don't get cheeky with me, Zabini," Severus growled, stepping around his desk and coming dangerously close to his student. "So, if you are not an authority on Potions, then how can you deem any assignment a waste of your time? How can you decipher between the essential and the inessential if you barely have a base knowledge of the subject? How can you make those judgment calls if you make such foolish mistakes as to blatantly disregard my instructions, knowing full well what my response would be when I learned of it?"

"I suppose I can't—"

"You suppose?" hissed the Potions Master.

Zabini's mouth snapped shut, and he glared at the man in front of him. He had no response to this, as Severus had expected.

"Say it, Zabini," Severus commanded, straightening and staring hard down his nose at the boy.

"My apologies, Professor," Zabini said through clenched teeth.

"You'll stay here until I'm satisfied with your response," Severus told him stonily, shaking his head. "There are times when any person must sacrifice his foolish pride; you will do well to learn that."

"I was taught that pride is one of the most important components of one's persona," Zabini said stiffly, lifting his chin.

"What a foolish teacher you had," Severus returned scathingly, returning to his seat. He sat down with an angry flourish of his robes, and levelled Zabini with a fixed stare of intimidation. "And here I thought you were a Slytherin."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Slytherins are supposed to be blessed with the gift of cunning; clearly, you have not learned such a skill yet. You must learn to recognize when you have lost your battle. You must learn when to submit to authority. These are the necessary skills of survival—ones you do not possess."

Zabini looked disconcerted by Severus' critical ascertainment, but finally seemed to recognize the value of remaining silent. His eyes narrowed stubbornly, but he said no more.

"At least something is finally working its way through your thick skull."

Zabini met his eyes then, his own narrowing even further. Severus could tell that he desired to challenge the man's authority in the spirit of pride, but that what little sense of strategy he possessed kept him from doing so.

"Much as I appreciate your lack of verbiage," said Severus as his previous indignation began to give way to satisfaction at Zabini's surrender of control, "I am still waiting for your response."

Zabini's form tensed, and his controlled fury was entirely evident in his expression. He lacked subtlety, Severus thought. However, his response demonstrated a certain amount of intelligence. "It won't happen again… sir."

Severus' lips curled into a victorious smirk, and he nodded almost as if to praise his student. "Very well," he said, gazing at Zabini with a knowing look. "Now, get out of my sight before you bring further trouble upon yourself."

Zabini looked annoyed by this rather snide dismissal, but rose from his seat and quickly excused himself nevertheless. Severus watched him exit through the door, and then exhaled in frustration, settling back into his chair again. His triumphant and amused expression faded into one of pensive thought, and he shook his head, unconscious of the action.

Children really were stupid, and the thought grew more and more depressing as he realised there were few exceptions to the rule.

xxx

Minerva McGonagall had a nasty habit of showing up whenever Severus least wanted to see her, and disappearing whenever he found himself desiring a word with her. This was the thought that ran through his mind as he stood at the door of her empty office, eyes narrowed in annoyance. Because he had run into two second years whom he knew to be the worst team of trouble-makers in their year, he (out of a desire only to ruin the students' fun, and out of no obligatory courtesy towards his colleague—or so he told himself) closed the office door that she had, much to his exasperation, carelessly left open.

Aside from the Gryffindor Common Room, which Severus had absolutely no desire to visit, there were few places that seemed as likely for McGonagall to have travelled to as Dumbledore's office. He had been told earlier in the day that Lupin would be arriving to begin his Auror duty and suspected that McGonagall had gone up to greet him.

Deciding that he had enough time to do so, Severus sighed resignedly and headed in the direction of Dumbledore's office. He didn't especially relish the idea of seeing Lupin again, no matter how tolerable the man had been during their last encounter, but he supposed it was necessary, since his schedule for the rest of the day would be too busy to track down the tartan-robed Witch.

With his long strides and quick pace, Severus reached Dumbledore's office in record time. He found himself hoping against hope that McGonagall would be here; it was a wish that he seldom had. Still, knowing what inane conversation he would be subjected to once in the presence of the Headmaster, he hoped that he would not have to endure it for nothing.

Dumbledore's door was open when Severus arrived, and he began to wonder why this seemed to be such a trend among the Professors today. He stood in the doorway and tapped on the smooth wood, announcing his presence to those within. Dumbledore leaned slightly to look past Lupin, who stood directly in front of him, and waved him in with a smile.

Severus was displeased when he did not spot McGonagall within, but he stepped further into the office nevertheless.

"Severus, what can I do for you?"

Deadpanned, Severus replied, "I've come to hand in my resignation."

"Was your last class really all that bad?" asked Albus with a chuckle, agitating Severus with his highly entertained expression.

"They've been awful all day, Albus, I can't understand why."

"It's rather simple," Dumbledore replied. "You know as well as I that they're just excited after their holiday—they always are."

"Yes, unfortunately," Severus agreed, nodding and coming to stand next to Lupin, whom he did not acknowledge except with a glance. "Though one would think that they'd be depressed by the thought of returning to school."

"Oh, I don't know about that," Lupin said genially, earning a glare from Severus for entering the conversation. "I was always happy to return to school after the holidays as well: to exchange stories, start fresh."

"Of course you were, Lupin, you had friends," said Severus snidely. His tone, however, was closer to that of disconsolation than pure spite. He realised his slip quickly, however, and neutralized his expression, adding, "Obnoxious ones, at that. But I did not come here to discuss your former cohorts. Albus, have you seen Minerva?"

"She's just left," Dumbledore told him, tastefully ignoring what Severus had said and hiding any sympathy he likely felt. "She should be returning any moment, however. She's fetching a collection of files from Filch. Would you care to wait for her, or shall I pass along a message for you?"

"I suppose I will wait," said Severus, thinking it would be better to endure this than to go searching through various corridors for McGonagall.

"If it suits you," Dumbledore said, grinning in a way that made Severus hope that McGonagall would return very soon. "Won't you take a seat?"

"I'll stand."

"Oh, don't be so dour," chided Dumbledore, conjuring a chair and gesturing for Severus to seat himself.

Exhaling agitatedly, Severus complied. "Why thank you, Headmaster, you're so accommodating," he muttered flatly, causing Lupin to snort and the Headmaster to give him an indulgent smile. Severus rolled his eyes.

Severus refused to be drawn into conversation with Lupin and Dumbledore while he waited for McGonagall to return. When she finally did, he instantly rose, causing her to stop in her tracks.

"Severus," she said warily, waving the box of files she'd been levitating to sit on Dumbledore's desk. "May I assume you were waiting for me?"

"Yes," Severus replied stiffly, stepping further away from his seat and towards her. "I merely wanted to ask you a favour."

"I'd like to say you may ask me anything, but considering whom I am speaking to, I suppose that would be unwise," said McGonagall dryly, moving her spectacles down her nose so that she could look over them at her peer.

Severus gave her a look which said clearly that he did not find her comments amusing in the slightest.

"Fine, fine, ask your favour," McGonagall said when she saw that Severus was not going to elaborate until she had asked him to.

"Your graciousness is astounding," Severus remarked. He then lowered his voice so that neither Dumbledore nor Lupin could hear what was being said, and continued, "I was wondering if you would help me to punish a student, ironically."

"You're asking for my assistance in such a task?" McGonagall asked in astonishment lifting her eyebrows. "I was under the impression that you had mastered that particular aspect of teaching."

"It's Zabini."

"Ah."

"Talkative today, aren't we?"

"It would serve you well to remember that you are asking a favour of me, Severus," McGonagall reminded him. "You should really be more polite."

"I was counting on your Gryffindor nobility," Severus informed her. "Polite or not, I need your help, and you and yours have an inherent hero complex."

"What a ghastly assumption to make," said McGonagall, though her lips were slowly beginning to curve upward.

Severus' expression was unapologetic. "Will you fulfill my request, then?"

"You've yet to make your request clear."

"Find a reason to give him detention within the next week, and perhaps take points," Severus suggested, folding his arms. "I would relish in doing so myself, but my position limits me from such action."

"Your position as Head of House?" asked McGonagall. "I suppose I am confused as to why, now that you are no longer spying, you cannot do this yourself."

"I must still favour my House, Professor, and I am surprised you do not understand the necessity."

"Clarify, then, Severus," she commanded.

"Very well," Severus agreed. Noticing the sudden quietness of Dumbledore and Lupin, he steered her further towards the door. "The children in my house at this time are facing very difficult decisions; they are receiving pressure from their parents and from their peers to join the Dark Lord's cause. There are some who, I believe, will come to me in time, seeking help… but only if they continue to believe that they may place their trust in me. They will never do so if they feel that whatever favour I have bestowed on them these past seven years has been pretence."

"And so you cannot even punish them?" McGonagall clarified, clearly appalled at the prospect. "How can you possibly control them, in such a case?"

"I cannot punish them for what they will surely see as a triviality," Severus informed her. "Trust me to understand the mind of a Slytherin, above all else. Zabini is looked up to with respect in his house, and he knows what power he holds because of that. From a strategic point of view, punishing him would be foolish on my part."

"And how will he learn by my punishing him?"

"I care little what lesson he takes away from it, Minerva," Severus admitted, annoyed at having to explain himself. "I merely wish to see him penalized for his misdeeds, however roundabout the method."

"This is completely unethical, Severus."

"Oh, who really gives a damn about ethics?" challenged Severus, crossing his arms and leaning against the frame of the door. "Even your beloved Headmaster uses manipulation to gain his ends."

McGonagall's eyes lit up with indignation, and she exclaimed in a hushed voice, "How dare you say such a thing?"

"It's not a matter of daring, Minerva. If it were, it is doubtful I would say it with the Headmaster merely twenty metres away, for as well known as my candour is, I am hardly a reckless soul. Dumbledore knows well my opinions of the actions he has taken, and he accepts them; therefore, you may do the same. Now, will you do me this morally questionable and possibly reprehensible favour, or will I have to consult a more cooperative member of the staff?"

After taking a long pause to consider it, McGonagall grudgingly replied, "I will."

"Please, Minerva, your zeal is overwhelming me," Severus said sardonically. "Purely your agreement is satisfactory—enthusiasm is unnecessary."

McGonagall's lips thinned, and Severus allowed himself a satisfactory smirk at her expense. When she finally relaxed her expression and shook her head in an oddly agreeable way, Severus gave her an appreciative nod and began to move from the room. He had not gone far, however, when Dumbledore's voice followed and beckoned him.

"Ah, Severus?"

Stopping just before the staircase, Severus' eyes lifted towards the ceiling, and he slowly turned around and long-sufferingly dragged himself back into Dumbledore's office.

"Yes?" he asked despairingly.

"If you are free to do so," Dumbledore began; he did not pause to wait for Severus' answer, "would you mind terribly fetching Harry for me?"

"Did you hire me only to send me on these insipid errands, Albus?"

Dumbledore folded his hands in front of him, and pondering his hands, inquired, "Will you believe any different if I object?"

"Doubtful."

"Then there is little point in doing so," Dumbledore concluded, unclasping his hands. "Yes, Severus, I hired you with the sole intent of sending you on meaningless quests that could easily be completed by any fifth year. Your excess qualifications matter very little to me. Now, go, and fulfill your purpose."

Because any attempts at argument would certainly have proved futile, Severus settled for a harsh glare and something akin to a growl before he left the room for the second time. It was not that he did not wish to see his son; the point of it was more that he was being sent to do so, undoubtedly so that Lupin could converse with the boy. He and Lupin were, for Harry's sake of course, on more agreeable terms, but if that man wanted to continue some sort of friendship with Harry, Severus saw no reason why he should need to foster it.

As predictable as Harry normally was, one thing Severus had not yet learned to predict was Harry's location in the castle. On the average day, the boy moved around at random, normally following his friends wherever they chose to go. If he knew anything about any of their inclinations, however, he could confidently guess that Miss Hermione Granger was in the library.

It was not surprising to find the girl tucked back in one of the farthest corners of the quiet room with her thick curls haphazardly wound up around a spare quill and books spread out across the table. A quick glance told Severus she was making use of the texts in order to complete her Ancient Runes assignment, as the professor having given a rather lengthy assignment that morning.

"Miss Granger," Severus intoned, lifting an eyebrow when Hermione gave a noticeable start and placed a hand over her chest.

"You frightened me," she gasped accusingly.

"I noticed," Severus stated dryly.

"Yes, well," said Hermione, closing the book nearest to her and stacking it atop a nearby pile of apparently unused books. "Might I ask why you're here?"

"You may," replied Severus. "I will even answer, since I am feeling generous today."

"I didn't gain that impression from Potions this morning," Hermione retorted, a smile playing around her lips.

"Hold your tongue," Severus warned her, though he wasn't truly offended by her comment.

"Of course, sir," Hermione agreed, muting her expression.

Severus gave her an approving nod and, unwilling to waste more time, asked, "Have you spoken with Harry in the past hour?"

"I saw him in the Great Hall earlier, but I think he mentioned something about heading up to the common room for the period," Hermione told him promptly, dutifully refraining from asking why.

Severus' eyes narrowed at this, a clear sign of his annoyance. He shook his head to himself and weighed his options. He could return to Dumbledore and simply tell the man that he did not know where Harry was, but he doubted this would turn out well. Short of causing a sudden flutter of panic in all three adults currently gathered on the second landing, the older man would soon find out Severus had lied, and Severus wasn't fond of lectures, no matter how many of them he gave throughout the day. His other option was to go to Gryffindor tower, which seemed equally unappealing.

"Sir?"

Ah, there was his answer. It was sitting right in front of him, literally.

"Miss Granger, would you be so good as to relay a message to Harry?"

"Of course," Hermione responded, though she sounded confused.

"The Headmaster needs to see him in his office—and you should tell him he's not being summoned for disciplinary purposes, since the thought will undoubtedly cross his mind."

"Yes, I'll go tell him right away," Hermione said hurriedly, gathering up her books and supplies.

"Helpful, just as your Head of House," Severus quipped, though he realised a moment later that only he understood why this was amusing as Hermione stared at him blankly.

"What?"

Severus shook his head and said, "It is of little consequence. Go quickly, before classes resume."

"Yes, sir," Hermione replied, lifting her bag over her shoulder and moving out from behind the table. "I'll go now."

Severus nodded to her and watched her disappear quickly from the library. Confident that she would complete the task she'd been assigned, he followed soon after, intent on finishing the rest of the period in the isolated solace of his office.

xxx

Harry wasn't sure how mature it was to hang upside down off of a couch with his best friend, having a conversation about what it would be like if furniture were kept on the ceiling instead of the floor, but in this moment, he hardly cared. Several feet away were two stacks of books—one Harry's, and one Ron's—and both had been placed there with the intent that they would assist in the completion of their homework assignments. The boys were content to busy themselves with anything that wasn't homework.

Little did Harry know that this was the scene that would meet Hermione as she entered the relatively quiet common room: that of two rather large feet propped up on the back of the couch, with no bodies in sight.

"What are you two doing?" came Hermione's weary question, causing Ron and Harry to exchange glances. Her expression and stance were easy to imagine; her hand was most likely rested on her forehead which was wrinkled in frustration, the other stationed at her hip. Harry sighed and righted himself, turning around and offering Hermione a weak smile.

"We're studying the effects of gravity on one's ability to do magic," Ron replied after having thought for a moment, remaining in his upside-down position.

"Don't lie to me," Hermione responded, coming around the couch and staring down at the two boys. "Your wands are both sitting over there, and whether right-side-up or upside-down, the force of gravity on your bodies is the same, it's just distributed differently."

"I didn't say the circumstances for experimentation were ideal, but at least it's an effort—"

"Ron!"

"Fine!"

Like Harry had, Ron swung his feet off the back of the couch and, with a grunt of discomfort, found his way back to a seated stance.

"Happy?" Ron asked.

Hermione nodded contentedly, and with a wave of her hand, said, "Budge up."

Harry instantly moved to the side of the couch she indicated, and she lowered herself down to sit between the two boys, resting her head against the back of the couch and sighing.

"So, what lured you from the library?" Harry questioned good-naturedly.

"I wouldn't call it a lure, exactly," Hermione answered. "Actually, I just came here to deliver a message, but now that I'm sitting down, I think I'd rather like to stay."

Harry waited a moment, and when Hermione did not elaborate, asked, "What was the message?"

"Oh!" Hermione exclaimed with an accompanying laugh at her mistake. "Sorry, I thought I'd said! Professor Dumbledore wants to see you in his office—I'm not sure why, but I was told you're in no trouble."

"Wait, who told you this?" asked Harry, rising from the couch.

"Professor Snape," Hermione told him. "He found me in the Library and asked me to come tell you."

"Curious he didn't do it himself," Ron commented, apparently oblivious to the faltering expression on Harry's face.

"Yes, it is a little odd," Hermione admitted, shrugging. Glancing at Harry, she added, "I'm sure he's just got a lot to do."

"Yeah, all those tests to grade," Harry agreed unconvincingly, frowning slightly as he gave his friends a little wave and promised to see them later.

While there was most likely some viability to Hermione's reasoning, the fact that Severus had felt it necessary to send information with a messenger made Harry wonder at just how angry the man still was with him. Was he so upset that he couldn't stand even to speak to Harry? Really, he hadn't behaved terribly to the boy, but it was possible that this owed to the fact that he was still attempting to make up for the altercation that had occurred several weeks ago.

Harry made his way down the corridor, turning these thoughts over in his mind with such concern that he barely noticed his surroundings. He allowed his feet to carry him where he needed to go while his mind wandered to other places.

A part of Harry's mind rebelled against the feelings of hurt in favour of a more volatile emotion. Anger was certainly present; how was Harry supposed to 'make it right' if Severus was avoiding him? His father's behaviour almost seemed equivalent to the tactics of a girl who wanted something from a boy—almost as if he was playing hard to get, only with a far different goal in mind.

Still, Harry reminded himself, he had been the one to do wrong in the first place. Severus' anger, if not poorly handled, was understandable. This fact, however, did not nullify Harry's feelings on the matter. Given this fact, he had a feeling that today would not be the day that he went down to fix things with his father. Truthfully, he didn't know when it would be.

Harry found the staircase to Dumbledore's office already open, and tread his way easily up the stairs to the office. He could hear voices floating through the open door, and stopped at the entrance to give a small knock on the oak, obliged to alert them to his presence in case he was intruding on anything.

"Harry!" Dumbledore exclaimed jovially, rising from his desk and motioning for Harry to enter the room. "I see Severus managed to locate you."

"Actually, Hermione did," Harry said, knowing he had failed to keep a touch of bitterness out of his tone when Dumbledore's bright expression allayed slightly. "So… why did you want me?"

"I thought you might like to see an old friend," Dumbledore explained. "Though it won't have been that long since you last met, I assumed you'd appreciate it nonetheless."

Harry frowned and, stepping forward, spotted Lupin sitting in a chair that had been previously obstructed from his view. "Professor!"

Lupin rolled his eyes at the title, but smiled and rose to greet Harry anyways. "How are you, Harry?"

"Great," Harry replied automatically. It was one of those questions one always found his or herself responding to without thought, whether the answer was true or not. "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to wish your father a happy birthday, naturally," joked Lupin.

"I didn't know it was coming up," Harry admitted.

"No?" asked Lupin, tilting his head. "No, Severus wouldn't be one to mention it—January 9th, if you wanted to know."

Harry's eyebrows lifted; this didn't give him much time—though, admittedly, it wasn't his main priority at the moment, especially considering his current feelings towards his father.

"But I'm only joking," Lupin continued. "I'm here to assist with the Auror duty," he explained, causing Harry's forehead to wrinkle in puzzlement.

"But… you're not an Auror."

"I'm not, no," Lupin admitted with a consenting nod.

"I've cleared it with the Ministry," said Dumbledore. "Lupin has done enough for the Order that I was able to justify his staying here. We have attempted to place as many Order members in the castle as possible, to avoid complications or conflicts of interest."

Harry nodded; that made sense to him. Given the changes the castle had undergone with the invasion of Dolores Umbridge the previous year, Harry could easily understand why Dumbledore would want to keep as much of the Ministry out of Hogwarts as possible.

"So you'll be here a while, then?" Harry asked, redirecting his attention to Lupin.

"Well, I'm not entirely sure how often you'll be seeing me, but yes," responded Lupin. "We have been ordered to disrupt the daily student life as little as possible; really, we're not even supposed to be seen."

"I would think they'd want you out in the open, to discourage any misbehaviour," Harry commented.

"On the contrary, Harry," Dumbledore said. "The trouble we are attempting to prevent will certainly be executed by someone who knows how to avoid being caught—as long as that someone knows when it is most likely that such a thing will happen. I will make the school aware of the presence of aurors, but they will not be seen. An element of mystery makes them much more formidable opponents, I think."

Harry thought that titling it an 'element of mystery' was a bit of a stretch, but he didn't say so. In essentials, Dumbledore seemed right… though that in itself was not a surprising fact.

"The Headmaster, your Head of House, and Severus will normally be aware of my whereabouts," Lupin told him as Harry mulled over Dumbledore's words. "If you'd ever like to see me, you can just ask one of them. You know I always welcome your company."

"Of course," Harry responded, giving him a small smile.

Lupin looked as though he was going to respond with a change of topic, but through Dumbledore's open door the bell signalling the end of lunch could be heard, and Harry lent him an apologetic look.

"I've really got to get to class," he told his ex-professor. "Sev—my fa—I've been told to get my grades up. I don't think missing my classes will help me much."

"Completely understandable," Lupin chuckled, rising from his seat. "It's always good to see you, Harry."

"You too," Harry said earnestly, warmed as Lupin gave him a light pat on the shoulder and nodded his goodbye. Harry returned the nod and gave Dumbledore a wave, and then made a quick exit from the office, wondering vaguely how much time he had to gather his transfiguration text and cursing himself for not having thought to bring it with him.

xxx

The advantage of having a seventh year class at the end of the day was that Severus could order them to the library to do independent research on the individual projects he would be expecting from them by the end of the year, thereby leaving himself some free time to grade essays and tend to his throbbing headache. For this he was immensely grateful.

The end of the double period was near, and Severus was reclining behind his desk, drumming his fingers thoughtlessly against the arm of his chair. His boredom had reached a peak, and he was looking forward to returning to his quarters at the end of the night. He watched the clock attentively, feeling very much like a school boy waiting for the end of his worst class.

Though the day's end did not come as quickly as Severus would have liked, it did eventually come. He remained in front of his desk for several minutes after the ringing of the bell; he was not especially keen on the idea of making his way through the crowded hallways at this very moment.

The audible chaos in the hallways died down after a short amount of time, prompting Severus to clear off his desk, storing the essays which he did not intend to view until a later date, and exit the classroom. Before he could return to his quarters he would need to visit the Slytherin common room, only for observational purposes and to subtly remind his students that he was keeping a close watch on all of them. They seemed to need that every once in a while.

Severus stepped out into the corridor and, exhaling his frustration that his day was not yet over, set off towards the common room. The closer he came to his destination, the quieter and more deserted the hallways became. In fact, he saw very few students, except for a group of Slytherin third years standing in a small huddle and quite obviously plotting something, however inane. Severus shot them a glare of annoyance as he stalked past, not because he was irritated by their gathering, but because their furtive glances and secretive stance made them anything but discreet—these elementary lapses in cunning were one of the most perturbing among the faults of Slytherins, at least to their Head of House.

The group of students disbanded soon after, most likely having realised that Severus would be heading back that way very soon and that remaining in a position with which he had seemed displeased would not be the wisest of decisions.

When Severus finally reached the common room several minutes later, he was pleased to find that there were many students within that would most likely spread the word of his appearance. One small first year, for example, had frozen mid-step when he'd entered, and was still gawking at him without realizing he was doing so. Several seventh years were seated on the couches, and had looked up to give him dutiful nods of greeting before going back to their quiet reading. A gaggle of girls sat in the corner nearest to the fireplace, glancing him and giggling about something toward which he held no curiosity. He cast a gaze of scrutiny about the room and stepped down onto the floor, silently circling the area and inspecting the activities of various children. Few were brave enough to speak to him, and those who did gave him only a reverent, "Sir," before returning to whatever had previously engaged them. This pleased him; he preferred to stay distant in moments such as these, knowing that his coldness added to the element of intimidation.

Satisfied that his appearance had been noted and that he had completed his task of making sure nothing was going wrong in the common room, Severus left soon after his arrival. He needed only to speak with Dumbledore about an impending change in the curriculum, and then he would be freed (assuming he was not asked to run any more purposeless errands) for the evening.

Ascending from the dungeons, Severus purposefully strode toward the stairs and, once he had reached the second landing, toward the Headmaster's office. He turned a corner and began down a hallway that was littered with students who were all presumably coming from the same class. He paid little attention to the stragglers until he noticed a speck of dark, messy hair among the crowd. His eyes narrowed and he searched out the face of the boy, confirming that it was (as suspected) Harry.

A curious thing happened then. Severus lifted his eyebrows and kept his eyes trained on Harry, waiting for the boy to look up and notice him. He did within mere seconds, but then immediately ducked his head and continued walking at a quickened pace. Severus frowned and stopped where he stood, turning and watching the boy hurry away from him. He lifted a hand to the back of his neck and rubbed it, feeling rather bewildered and disliking the feeling greatly.

Because he did not want to attract attention, Severus didn't call out to the boy, nor did he follow him. He realized that standing in the middle of the hallway was a behaviour few students would expect from him and, though he did not particularly want to, turned and continued on his way. His expression of discontentment shifted to one of contemplativeness as he quickly replayed the situation in his mind.

The first thought that crossed his mind was that perhaps he had unintentionally directed a glare in Harry's direction, and the boy had sensed his tetchy mood; he may have avoided Severus' gaze out of a desire for self-preservation. This did not seem likely, however, for as much credit as Severus had learned to lend to the boy's skills of intuition, it could not be said that the boy was so astutely perceptive.

No, Severus had an idea that Harry's avoidance had absolutely nothing to do with either of their moods. He could guess that this was a furtherance of the measures the boy had been taking to distance himself from Severus since the night Severus had apprehended him in the middle of breaking yet another rule. He seemed to believe that steering clear of Severus for a while was the best course of action. Admittedly, he may have been right.

It made little sense, however, why Harry would suddenly take this to such an extent—from mere aloofness to definite evasion. Severus narrowed his eyes as he walked, considering this thought, and all at once, he understood what had triggered Harry's response to his presence. The child had put two and two together and came to the conclusion that Severus had sent Hermione because he could not stand to do it himself.

Leave it to Harry to assume the worst… this was the only thought Severus could conjure at this realization: a realization which came with an accompaniment of both agitation and a strange feeling of sympathy.

Though he had not planned to do anything with his night, Severus gathered that it was necessary to find a remedy to this situation without delay. As he came to this conclusion, all hopes of a quiet night with a dose of much needed alcohol promptly flew out the window.

xxx

Harry was mildly surprised when he didn't see Severus at the staff table and, with a certain amount of melancholy, again amounted it to his father's disinclination to see him. Unwilling to spend the hour sulking over Severus behaviour, however, Harry shifted the situation to the back of his mind, directing his attention to alternative (though not necessarily more pleasant) thoughts.

Chasing his food around his plate unenthusiastically, Harry contemplated the mound of homework waiting for him in atop his crimson coverlet. Gone were the days when teachers allowed a sort of adjustment period after the holidays; now, as a sixth year N.E.W.T. student, Harry found himself faced with an incomprehensible amount of work to do in just the first week back. Apparently, the professors were not going to stop for anything, not even the current events. Inside Hogwarts' walls, life continued at a rapid pace.

"Harry," said Hermione gently, shaking him from his contemplation.

"Yeah?"

"What are you thinking about?" she asked with concern. "You seem worried."

"Oh," said Harry dumbly. "Just homework—you know, so much to do."

"Are you sure that's all?" inquired Hermione, eyes narrowing keenly.

"What else would there be?"

Hermione shrugged to that; her expression told Harry that she had nothing specific to suspect, but that she still didn't quite believe him.

"Where's Ron, anyways?" asked Harry casually, before Hermione could think of another line of questioning to pursue.

"I'm not sure; I haven't seen him," Hermione confessed, looking about as if she were expecting him to suddenly pop up at the mention of his name. "Not like him to miss a meal, though."

"No, it's not," Harry concurred, joining Hermione in her surveillance of the Great Hall.

"Well," said Hermione as she returned her gaze to Harry. "I don't want to leave you here alone, but I've got to go to the library—only for a moment," she added at his roll of the eyes. "Would you like to join me?"

"Always," Harry responded dryly, pushing his plate away from him. "Maybe we'll meet Ron along the way."

Hermione giggled and shook her head. "No, I think he tries to stay as far away from the library as possible, actually. The last place we'll find him is there."

Harry laughed and rose from the table. As he did, however, he noticed that Severus had made an appearance after all, even if a little late. It was a moment before Harry realised that he was staring, and another before he realised that Severus was staring back. It was too late to look away, he gathered as Severus locked eyes with him and gestured for him to come to the staff table.

Harry apprehensively looked at Hermione, who was watching the scene unfold. She gave him an encouraging nod and said, "Go. I'll wait for you."

Harry's expression dulled. In truth, he had wanted her to demand that he ignore Severus' beckoning, and he glared at her for not doing so. She responded with a look of confusion, and he shook his head dismissively to say,never mind.

"I'll be back in a moment," he assured her unnecessarily.

Harry's walk toward Severus was a long one, made to seem far worse due to Severus' consistent gaze of scrutiny upon him.

"Yes?" Harry asked as he approached, half expecting to be reprimanded for the uncontrollable snappishness of his tone.

Severus lifted an eyebrow in response, but said simply, "I need to see you tonight: 8 o' clock, preferably."

That was all?

"Alright," Harry replied, frowning. "Your quarters?"

"Preferably."

"Alright," Harry said again.

"Loquacious today, I see."

Harry had no idea what loquacious meant, so he simply nodded. This appeared to amuse Severus; for what reason, Harry didn't know, but neither did he ponder it for too long.

"You may go," Severus said a moment later, his tone making Harry feel rather silly for not having moved sooner.

"Alright," Harry said for the third time, promptly turning and heading towards Hermione. He kicked himself mentally for sounding so simple-minded throughout their conversation when he heard Severus' laugh floating after him.

"What was that about?" asked Hermione as Harry approached.

"He wants to see me at 8 tonight," Harry responded grumpily, causing Hermione to lift her eyebrows.

"What for?"

"Not a clue," Harry replied shortly, though in reality, he thought he had a fairly good idea.

xxx

Harry and Hermione did not find out where Ron had been until much later that evening, when he came storming into the common room ranting about being made to serve a detention with Filch merely for wandering the corridors during dinner, which the caretaker deemed 'suspicious activity'. Hermione had responded that if it was so unfair, Ron should see McGonagall about it. Ron had retorted that the old hag would have probably agreed, since she hated him enough to write his mother about the "D" he was currently receiving in Advanced Transfiguration. Naturally, a quarrel had begun, and Harry found himself grateful for a reason to leave when 8 o' clock struck.

What Harry did not find himself grateful for as he left the common room, however, was his destination. He would have much preferred to be on his way to a Quidditch practice, or perhaps even on his way to do homework in the library, but no; he was on his way to 'talk' to Severus about Merlin only knew what.

On his way down to the dungeons, Harry passed many gatherings of young students, all of whom were eagerly utilizing the last half hour or so of their curfew. His amusement at their playful antics served to distract him somewhat from any thoughts about what was to occur during his and Severus' meeting, but it was not to say that he'd forgotten about it completely. In fact, several times the thought crossed his mind that he might turn back and offer Severus an excuse the next morning as to why he hadn't come. As soon as those ideas came, however, they left.

Harry was unsure about why he was so anxious about this encounter. Though he knew he hadn't done anything wrong, he was having unavoidable misgivings—the sort which usually accompany the immediate response of 'I didn't do it!' whenever confronted by a displeased adult. That unavoidable feeling of foreboding was settling over him, despite all the logic that told him there was nothing rational for which Severus could reprimand him this time around.

Harry arrived at Severus' door within a small amount of time, prompting him to contemplate how small the castle seemed now in comparison with the impression he'd had of it at the age of eleven. Spending little time on this thought, he rapped lightly upon the door and waited, listening carefully for footsteps from within. No sound came, however, and he was beginning to wonder if Severus had heard him at a when, at last, the door swung open slowly. Severus stared down at him, and after a pause, drawled, "You're fifteen minutes late."

Harry frowned deeply, disliking this greeting… if, indeed, it could even count as such. "You said around, not at eight," he reminded him, though he knew it might have been wiser to agree and apologise.

Severus seemed to concede on this point, however, for he considered Harry for only a moment before stepping away from the door, allowing Harry to enter.

Despite the urge to turn and walk in the other direction, Harry moved past Severus, trying to ignore the feelings of unease the man's intent gaze stirred in him.

"You appear to be anxious about something," Severus remarked coolly, his tone giving Harry the idea that he already knew what was causing said anxiety. "May I inquire as to the source of your concern?"

Because Harry could not blatantly refuse to respond, but at the same time could not bring himself to confess his apprehension, he merely shrugged and moved towards the sitting area.

Severus nodded, his suspicions confirmed, and did not press the topic any further. He followed his son and sat down across from him, resting his chin atop his fist and watching the boy contemplatively. Harry shifted uncomfortably, all too aware of Severus' attentive eyes, which seemingly hadn't abandoned their surveillance of him since he'd arrived.

"Shall I offer you tea and ask you how your first day back was?" Severus finally asked, though there was a note of undiluted sarcasm in his voice. "Or shall I get straight to the point?"

Harry's eyes widened at the bluntness of this question, and he answered unsurely, "I think you'd better get to it." To him, it was obvious that the man didn't want to waste time on small talk, and as far as his feelings on the issue went, he didn't want to be kept in trepidation any longer.

One side of Severus' mouth quirked upward, and he nodded. "I had thought so. Harry, are you aware of why I sent Miss Granger to get you today, rather than coming to get you myself?"

"Because… you're still angry with me?"

"No."

Harry began to nod solemnly, and then stopped mid-bob. "Wait—no? Really?"

"No, I was playing a joke on you," said Severus mockingly.

Harry's brows lowered and then rose again, and he muttered, "You don't have to be so mean."

"It was not intended to be cruel," responded Severus as the other side of his lips quirked, and his lips curled into a teasing smirk.

"Well, it seemed cruel."

Severus wanted to remark that Harry was being extraordinarily sensitive tonight, but given that this fact was true, decided that this would not be the best approach. "Harry," he said more earnestly, sobering his expression to pacify the boy, "I only sent Miss Granger because I disliked the idea of making an appearance in the Gryffindor common room, of all places, and because I was unsure whether or not you would be there to begin with. I knew where to find her simply because she is a creature of habit, and I was interested in simplifying the task I'd been asked to complete."

"How very Slytherin of you," Harry commented, shaking his head. His tone did not show it, but he was relieved to hear this.

"I'll consider that a compliment, for your sake," Severus replied seriously.

Harry nodded and gave a quiet laugh, but still didn't quite meet Severus' eyes. He aimed his gaze off to the side, and Severus frowned.

"That's not all that's bothering you," he observed.

Harry shrugged. "I'm fine," he contended.

"You're not," Severus disagreed, shaking his head. "But that's not to say you must tell me… I simply had an inkling it might have something to do with me."

Yes, Severus was a perceptive man; Harry knew this. What he was unsure of was whether this was a desirable quality for one's father to have. The more time Harry spent around him, the more he began to doubt whether being understood so thoroughly was a good thing. He wasn't willing to call Severus invasive, because he always left it up to Harry whether or not to expound on the observations he made… but knowing that he could be so easily read made Harry feel a bit unsettled.

Trying to shake off the feelings of transparency that had forced themselves upon him, Harry moved from his seat, and said awkwardly, "So… if that's all, can I umm… can I go?"

"Of course," Severus answered, gesturing towards the door.

"Thanks," Harry said, though he was not entirely sure for what he was thanking the man. He made his way towards the exit, staring at the dark wood and aiming to open and walk through that door as soon as possible. His hand landed upon the knob, and he was almost through when Severus' voice halted him.

"If you're entirely sure that you do not wish to address whatever it is that has you so very troubled…"

"What is it that you want to know?" Harry asked without turning around.

"I'm merely curious whether or not my assessment is correct," Severus told him. "Are you upset because of something I have done?"

"It's not just you, per se…" Harry mumbled, shuffling as he turned to face the man and leaning against the frame of the door.

From where he still sat, Severus lifted his eyebrows expectantly, but did not prompt Harry to continue. Strangely, his silence was more evocative of explanation than anything he might have said.

"I guess all you need to know is that I am trying to fix things… it's just difficult, that's all… and I'm not exactly sure… not sure where I stand with you, I suppose."

Severus gave no response to this; he leaned back in his chair and took in Harry's words, but did not answer the unspoken question. Harry waited, hoping that the man would offer some underhandedly comforting thoughts on the matter, but the silence continued on.

"I'm not going to Hogsmeade this weekend."

Severus nodded, but still said nothing.

"What are your thoughts on that?" Harry prompted.

"Probably a good idea. The weather is supposed to be awful."

"That's not why I'm not going."

"No?" Severus replied with an expression of curiosity.

"I'm not going because I reckon I don't deserve to," Harry clarified.

A tingle of satisfaction found its way into Severus' chest with Harry's statement, but he kept his expression neutral. It was good to see that Harry was taking responsibility for his actions, even if only out of a desire to ease the tension between the two of them. In the long run, Severus believed this would be a valuable lesson for Harry—not a reason for him to resent authority, but rather to appreciate the value of following the rules by associating self-inflicted guilt with misbehaviour.

Severus rose from his chair and crossed the room to where Harry stood, asking, "And why do you reckon that?" His voice was a great deal more gentle than he'd intended it to sound, but he spent little time dwelling on this, and more time observing Harry's expression of discomfort at this question.

For Harry, this seemed a tough, humbling question to answer. Instead of doing so, he opted for another question. "Aren't I right?"

"This isn't necessarily a matter of what you are supposed to feel, Harry," Severus reminded him. "I require nothing of you, in this."

"You mean… you're really not going to punish me at all, then?"

"What would be the point?" inquired Severus.

Harry's brows knit above his nose; pushing off from the door frame, taking a step back, and crossing his arms, he looked at Severus suspiciously. "What do you mean?"

It was a moment before Severus responded, and when he did, it was with a silky voice and slow pace. "Why should I punish you," he asked, lifting his eyebrows as Harry took in his words with confusion, "when you are doing such a marvellous job of punishing yourself?"

The only reason Harry's frown did not deepen was that it was already so severe to begin with. Severus met his perplexed expression with a smirk of his own, and as Harry's face began to reflect his understanding of exactly what Severus had been attempting to achieve over the past week, Severus nodded to affirm every thought that he could practically see manifesting itself in Harry's head. As comprehension set in, the boy's mouth hung open dumbly, and Severus decided that, for now, their conversation would have to come to a close. After all, it was late, and it would never do to end the night with accusations of manipulation—accusations which, if Severus knew Harry, had a good chance of being thrown about.

Nodding his goodnight rather than saying it, Severus slowly closed the door, leaving Harry to stand out in the hallway, pondering over what he had just realized and, now, the fact that Severus had just dismissed him.

In the dark corridor, Harry's hand moved to scratch his scalp, and his frown returned. Unsatisfied with the abrupt conclusion to their conversation, he (in the true Gryffindor spirit of impulse) reached up and rapped on the door again, with more force than he had earlier that evening.

This time, it did not take Severus long to respond. The door opened again, and he stared down at his son with a reproving look.

"You miss me already?" he questioned with a snort, causing Harry to sigh.

"Can I just come in again?"

"Yes, yes, waste my entire night away," Severus breathed as he stepped aside, though his expression was one of good nature.

"Well, I have a great deal of things to speak to you about!"

"Such as?" Severus asked dubiously, closing the door behind Harry. "You didn't seem so keen on conversation when you first arrived."

"Well, a few things have come to mind," Harry responded. He didn't want to explain that, for some reason, it seemed something had been settled between the two of them. For whatever reason, knowing that his father had only been attempting to teach him a lesson, rather than holding a genuine grudge against him, was one of the most comforting thoughts he'd been graced with in a great while.

"Well, if you're really so eager to spend this much time with a surly old man…" said Severus, evoking a small laugh from Harry.

"Old?" repeated Harry, settling back into his spot on the couch, which was still warm. "Middle-aged, if anything."

Severus lifted his eyes to the ceiling and shook his head. "Insolent child," he remarked as he put on a pot of coffee, thinking of the long night ahead as he neglected the canisters of tea sitting several metres away. It was with fondness, however, that he considered the reason for his late night. His eyes flickered to the boy sitting on the couch, flipping through a book that had been previously lying on the coffee table, and he smiled despite himself. At least his son made pleasant company.

Really, when put in that perspective, the consumption of his time didn't seem so dreadful after all.

xxx end chapter 41 xxx

To be continued...


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