Early Sunday afternoon the Gryffindor common room was filled with small, quiet groups of students sitting with their books spread before them as they caught up on schoolwork. Most people glanced up as the house quidditch team left, but Hermione’s look lingered as Ron, Ginny, and the others walked out. When the portrait had shut behind them she turned to Harry who was sitting beside her. “Feel up to doing a bit of revision for Potions?” she asked.

He glanced around them and said, “Ordinarily I would, but I feel like going for a bit of a walk just now.”

Hermione looked sympathetically at him, “You know, Harry, moping isn’t going to make you feel any better about not playing.”

“I’m not moping!” he protested before continuing in a quieter tone, “I’m going to meet someone.”

“Who?” Hermione questioned, with curiosity evident in her entire bearing as she matched his soft tone.

“Snape.”

Her eyes widened, “Is he continuing your occlumency lessons?” she asked in an excited whisper.

Harry just nodded. He felt a little guilty for misleading his friend, he still hadn’t told anyone what he had done over the summer, though Hermione and the Weasleys knew something was up, but he told himself he’d make it up to her. “So I reckon I’ll just head out for a walk,” he said in a normal voice.

“Well, if you insist,” Hermione said in a stiff voice which was immediately followed by a wink.

With a nod Harry walked up to his dormitory and a few minutes later walked back down the stairs and out the portrait hole. A little way down the hall he slipped into a forgotten alcove. He glanced carefully about to make certain that no one could see him and then headed off to the dungeons and Snape’s office.

Draco waited a few minutes longer before he cautiously approached the alcove Potter had entered. There was no one there. He carefully examined the little space and decided that Potter had indeed managed to slip away from him and there was nothing left but to wait for him to come back. So far as Malfoy could see, either Potter had somehow found a secret passage here, or he had slipped into his invisibility cloak. Either way he was certain he wouldn’t be seeing St. Potter for some time.

With a sigh that was quickly replaced by a smirk Draco headed down to the front doors and from there out to the pitch. If he couldn’t spy on Potter he could at least spy on the Gryffindor quidditch team, and who knew, perhaps he would find scarhead there.

It was with a sense of anticipation, rather than the usual trepidation, that Harry found himself knocking on Snape’s office door. To his surprise, Snape opened the door himself rather than saying ‘Enter’ as he usually did. He looked around the hall just before his office door and then muttered, “Ridiculous student pranks,” to the empty corridor just a little too loudly to be under his breath before returning to his office. Harry smirked as he watched this act but noticed that his professor very deliberately opened the door wide enough for him to slip in unnoticed.

After a few unobtrusive gestures with his wand Severus said, “You can take that thing off now.”

The cloak hood was slipped off Harry’s head and his grinning face came into view. “I wasn’t sure how I was going to get in here without drawing attention to myself; I’m glad you opened the door. Wouldn’t it be just my luck if some Slytherin came wandering along in time to see your office door opening on its own.”

“Would you mind taking that the rest of the way off, it is somewhat disconcerting to see only your floating head,” Snape said gruffly.

“Sorry,” Harry said sheepishly. Severus nodded and gestured for him to take a seat.

Harry complied and asked, “Are we really going to practice occlumency?” he asked.

“I thought it might be a good idea. You have gotten quite good but that doesn’t mean that there isn’t still room for improvement.” Harry’s face drooped just a little as he remembered the last occlumency session he had had in this office. “That does not, however, mean that we can’t talk for a bit first, if you wish,” Snape said, feeling tentative but careful not to let it show.

“Well, I did want to ask you a question. I never got a proper answer last time,” Harry said as he perked up a bit.

“What?” Severus asked.

“How did I get into your class? McGonagall said that Dumbledore told you to do it. I really don’t want you to think I asked him to or anything, I mean, I know you said that you only let people with O’s on the OWL in to your class and I didn’t get an O, and I didn’t, I mean I don’t-“ Harry’s increasingly rapid speech was halted by Snape holding up his hand.

“You seem to be suffering under a misapprehension, Mr. Potter.” Harry stared at him. “Do I seem like the sort of person who would be bullied into anything?” Severus continued with a tilt of his head.

“Well, no,” Harry answered him. “But I didn’t get an O, and I don’t want you to think--”

Snape interrupted him, “If I was not forced to accept you in my class then it follows logically, does it not, that I wanted you there?”

“Er, yes?” Harry was beginning to feel very bewildered.

“Then what is the problem? Do you no longer wish to study potions?”

“Yes,” Harry said hesitantly, “But,” he trailed off. He shook his head and tried to collect himself. “Look, you said last year that only people with O’s got into you NEWT class. I didn’t get an O, but I’m still in your class, and I don’t know why! I didn’t ask anyone to bend the rules for me! It just happened!”

“Ah,” Snape said and leaned back a bit in his chair. “I see.” He regarded Harry closely for a minute before leaning forward. “Admission to advanced classes is left entirely up to the professor’s discretion. A few students, I admit, I allowed to continue for political reasons and not because they necessarily qualify,” his lip curled a bit. “Other students I allowed to continue because of their expressed interest in the course. This doesn’t mean I would necessarily let Longbottom in if he asked, but if I feel that the student is capable of the work then it is my prerogative to choose to allow him or her to attend the class. Do you, or do you not, wish to continue your potions education?”

“I do,” Harry said.

“Very well, then. See that you continue to make an effort or I shall be forced to reconsider my decision.”

“But why did you make this decision in the first place? Did Dumbledore ask you to?”

Snape was quiet for a long moment and Harry began to fear the worst. He had just looked down when his professor opened his mouth. “He did not, although he did not seem surprised by my decision.”

“Then who?” Harry asked confusedly as his head shot up.

Severus smirked and in a very sly tone of voice asked, “Would it shock you very much to know that it was entirely my doing?”

Harry’s mouth dropped open. “Your? But-but, how?”

Severus felt a pang, “Really, Harry, you must work on composing complete sentences, otherwise you will find that you can only converse with divinations experts, and there aren’t many of those in this world, Sybil Trelawney’s efforts aside.”

“But why did you do it?” Harry asked, sounding chastened.

“I overheard you and Miss Granger talking at Flourish and Blott’s. Your friend is a very talented young witch, but sixth year potions need constant, competent supervision. It is not merely a game for amateurs.”

“Hermione’s not an amateur!” Harry protested.

“But neither is she a potions mistress, not yet anyway.”

Harry subsided at that. “Thank you,” he said.

Severus nodded. “Was there anything else?” he queried, “or shall we move on to occlumency now?”

“That would be fine,” Harry agreed and quickly cleared his mind. It was a little difficult, particularly since he wanted to think about what he had just found out, but promising himself to do so later Harry put his thoughts aside and drew up his mental defenses. It was sometime later that he put back on his father’s cloak and slipped back up to Gryffindor Tower, where Ron and Hermione were waiting for him.