::: Harry had just descended the last marble step into the entrance hall when Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle emerged from a door on the right that Harry knew led down to the Slytherin common room. Harry stopped dead; so did Malfoy and the others. For a few moments, the only sounds were the shouts, laughter, and splashes drifting into the hall from the grounds through the open doors.

Malfoy glance around. Harry knew he was checking for signs of teachers. Then he looked back at Harry and said in a low voice, “You’re dead, Potter.”

Harry raised his eyebrows. “Funny,” he said, “You’d think I’d have stopped walking around...”

Malfoy looked angrier than Harry had ever seen him. He felt a kind of detached satisfaction at the sight of his pale, pointed face contorted with rage.

“You’re going to pay,” said Malfoy in a voice barely louder than a whisper. “I’m going to make you pay for what you’ve done to my father...”

“Well, I’m terrified now,” said Harry sarcastically. “I s’pose Lord Voldemort’s just a warm-up act compared to you three—what’s the matter?” he said, for Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle had all looked stricken at the sound of the name. “He’s you dad’s mate, isn’t he? Not scared of him, are you?”

“You think you’re such a big man, Potter,” said Malfoy, advancing now, Crabbe and Goyle flanking him. “You wait. I’ll have you. You can’t land my father in prison—”

“I thought I just had,” said Harry.

“The dementors have left Azkaban,” said Malfoy quietly. “Dad and the others’ll be out in no time...”

“Yeah, I expect they will,” said Harry. “Still, at least everyone knows what scumbags they are now—”

Malfoy’s hand flew toward his wand, but Harry was too quick for him. He had drawn his own wand before Malfoy’s fingers had even entered the pocket of his robes.

“Potter!”

The voice rang across the entrance hall; Snape had emerged from the staircase leading down to his office... (Page 851, chapter. 38):::

Snape had been watching silently from the entrance of the staircase since he spotted Harry descending the marble staircase. He was curious to how Potter would act, now that he had lost his godfather, he was curious to whom he would blame.

Malfoy appeared, and threatened Harry. At first Snape was pleased to see that they weren’t attacking each other, he wasn’t in the mood to great up a hexing duel, especially one between Malfoy and Potter.

Then, Malfoy made to draw, but Harry was too quick and his wand was up in seconds. Snape instantly revealed his position, though he was curious to how Potter had gotten so quick. When he caught the boys’ attention, he instantly spotted a flash of hatred in Lily’s green eyes.

‘So,’ Snape thought, ‘he’s going to blame me. No surprise there.’ He would’ve loved to give Harry detention, but McGonagall saved Potter’s skin. Snape watched as Harry stormed out of the entrance hall, McGonagall obviously didn’t care for she was already working her way up after Crabbe and Goyle, and Malfoy had stormed back down to the common room.

But Snape couldn’t help but watch Potter with his eyes. He couldn’t tell how Sirius’s death was truly effecting him, granted it was a good thing he wasn’t blaming himself, but was blaming Snape doing any good? Just adding to their boiling cauldron of hatred, loathing, for each other.

Snape decided to follow Harry, and watched as the boy walked to Hagrid’s cabin. He was then tempted to go inside and work on a potion, the students always gave him weird looks when he was outside, like they were expecting him to burst into flame or something.

After a while, Snape realized that Harry wasn’t coming out any time soon, and did go back inside, much to the relief of several students he had been standing by.

A few days passed, and Snape kept an eye on Harry. The boy was obviously grieving, and was completely avoiding his friends, or at least anything concerning Sirius. Malfoy kept away from Harry, a wise thing for Snape was sure Harry wouldn’t mind cursing someone at the moment. Though probably not in the way James Potter had done in his fifth year.

Then, it was the end of the year feast. Snape didn’t want to go, seeing as Gryffindor was once again the House Cup winner (a/n: I’m just assuming that.) He watched with his usual sneer as the children flittered into the great hall, talking, shouting, joking, and enjoying one last day at Hogwarts, one last feast.

The House Elves always outdid themselves for the feasts, Snape hated it. He glared at any student who dared glance in his direction, even Slytherins, and the glare darkened when Dumbledore stood up to talk.

The hall fell quiet, as usual, and Dumbledore began his speech. He congratulated the House Cup winners, causing enormous applause and cheers from the godforsaken table. Snape sneered at them with barely half a glance. At least the Weasley twins were gone, who knew what would’ve happened. Several Professors must’ve been thinking along the same lines because they wore relieved looks.

Then Dumbledore spoke of this year’s adventure created by the Golden Trio. More likely fiasco. He named them all, congratulated them, and then spoke of Voldemort. While he talked, Snape glanced at the Gryffindor table and looked for the Golden Trio, probably all smirking and proud of themselves.

He found them, but they weren’t smirking or proud, they weren’t even a trio. It was a duo of Granger and Weasley, their ringleader was missing. Snape frowned to himself, surly Potter wouldn’t want to miss the end of the year feast. But judging by the boy’s friends’ faces, he wasn’t planning on showing up anytime soon.

Dumbledore finished, and with a clap of his hands the feast appeared. The children instantly began to talk, loudly and heartily, though a few were quite pale. Snape frowned at his food, and then stood up, quietly and slyly so no one would notice, and left the Great Hall.

He wasn’t sure where he was going, but he found himself trekking the path to Gryffindor Tower. He wanted to find out why the Golden Boy wasn’t at the feast, he had never skipped it before.

Then he heard voices, it only took him a few seconds to realize that it was Harry’s and Sir Nick’s. Of course, the boy would want to know why Sirius wasn’t a ghost, or if he would become one. The boy had a lot to learn, Snape thought.

He listened in as Harry desperately pleaded with Sir Nick about ghosts, then moved to the shadows as Sir Nick left and Harry emerged. The boy was racked with sorrow, he didn’t know what to do with himself. He had never lost anyone before, and for that matter, he had never had someone like Sirius before.

Snape followed quietly and watched as the boy met Luna Lovegood. A girl, Snape found, completely out there and hardly worth teaching, though she wasn’t bad in potions, just a bit dazed. They spoke of death again, and the veil. Snape had no experience with this veil, but knew that was how Black died.

Vaguely, he found he was annoyed that people stole Luna’s things, he’d make sure to mention it to her Head of House. Then, he followed Harry again. He half-expected the boy to go with Luna to the end of the year feast, but he didn’t.

He walked outside and toward the lake. Snape trailed softly and quietly, silently watching Harry with curious eyes. Something in his stomach was churning but he didn’t know why, or for that matter what it was. Was it pity? No, no it wasn’t that. Then what was it.

He watched as Harry stood on the edge of the lake, letting the wind whip his face. He looked so numb, so loss to the world. He vaguely wondered if the boy had cried at all for the loss of Sirius. But of course he has, he wasn’t a Slytherin, they don’t cry because it’s seen as a weakness, they were wrong though. Yet, he seemed so numb.

The feeling in Snape’s stomach increased, and he found he had to tear his eyes off of Harry to get rid of it. The silent watcher turned around and slipped back into the castle. He passed Granger and Weasley as he entered the Great Hall, they were talking in low whispers about Harry.

“He said he’d catch up,” Ron whispered desperately.

“Ron, you shouldn’t’ve left him, did you really think he’d come? He knew Dumbledore would bring up You-Know-Who and then speak of the Department of Mysteries. Honestly,” Hermione whispered with an exasperated sigh. “Now, we’ll never find him!”

“Let’s try with Hedwig, the Astronomy Tower, hell even the dungeons, who knows where he’d go right now!” Ron moaned, looking around as Harry would suddenly appear. Hermione nodded, and together they made to go to the Owlery, and by time they got there, who knew where Harry would’ve wondered off too.

“Mrs. Granger!” Snape called out, sharply. The girl spun around, with Ron, who gaped like a fish. “Come here,” he ordered and the girl nodded.

“Go on, Ron, I’ll catch up.” She whispered before trooping over. Ron looked hesitant but turned and went off himself. Soon Hermione and Snape were the only ones in the Entrance Hall.

“Yes, sir?” Hermione asked.

“He’s out by the lake,” Snape informed and Hermione’s eyes went wide. At first there was confusion and then she understood. She nodded mutely and muttered something of ‘thank-you, Professor’ and then walked off, straight toward the doors. At least she knew trying to find Ron first would give Harry time to slip.

Whipping around, Snape stalked off to his office. Somewhere inside of him, he realized that Harry might not be whom he had assumed to be, all these years. It was an odd feeling, realizing you were so wrong about someone you knew you were so right about.

The next day, he spied Potter, holding his trunk, standing in the entrance of the school, waiting for Hermione and Ron, who were apparently having difficulty working their way over. Snape watched him closely and saw he was still just as numb.

The feeling ebbed away at him again, but he couldn’t place it. He watched silently as the trio met up, Harry not his usual self, Hermione and Ron both picking up his mood, and silently they made their way to the carriages. His eyes stayed pried onto Harry.

Suddenly, he understood what the feeling was. He understood what Potter was feeling, what Potter was doing. He understood.

He stomached cringed at the thought, it was a horrible thing being numb like that.

Turning around, he made his way back to his office and sat there staring. Somehow he just couldn’t see Harry Potter, James Potter’s son, doing something like that. It just wasn’t possible, going so numb to the world with loss, it was like becoming a moody zombie. Moods between anger and depression.

Snape was so caught up in his thoughts he didn’t even hear the office door creek open and the Headmaster walk in.

“Severus, my dear boy, are you alright?” Dumbledore asked, surprised that the man, usually so alert, hadn’t noticed him yet. Snape jerked slightly and nodded. Dumbledore sat down and studied the man before him. “He hasn’t found out yet, Voldemort I mean.”

“No, no, I’m as safe as I can be as a spy at the moment.” It wasn’t the complete truth, Voldemort was suspecting him a bit but Snape was passing all the tests.

“Good, good, when it gets too dangerous I want you out of there, okay?” Snape nodded numbly, his mind still on Potter.

“Is Potter still being watched this summer?” He asked suddenly and Dumbledore nodded, the infuriating twinkle dieing slightly in his eyes. Snape had heard about Potter and the office, and somehow, now that he knew, it didn’t surprise him.

“I fear for him, isolated so during this moment of life,” Dumbledore muttered to himself.

“Can I watch him a few times?” Snape suddenly asked, startling Dumbledore, which was something that didn’t happen often. Snape just wanted to watch Potter and see what he did. The boy couldn’t cut himself off to the world, not since he was so dearly needed. He couldn’t stay numb forever. Snape wanted to see, maybe he could help Potter.

Help Potter! Now that was something he never thought he do willingly.

“Yes, you can, we need more watchers anyway.” Dumbledore had an odd twinkle in his eyes. Snape scowled at it, but the Headmaster was already up and leaving. “I’ll contact you when you are to watch him.”

With that he was gone. Snape scowled after him. He couldn’t rightly figure out what he had just done. Had he really just agree to watch Potter, no not agree, volunteer. He shook his head. He was just doing it for Lily, she wouldn’t want her son slipping into depression. Yes, just for Lily.

However, slowly, without realizing it, he had become Harry’s ‘silent watcher.’ He would watch Harry through his last two years at Hogwarts, his hardships, his triumphs, his losses and his defeat of the Dark Lord. His life.

He was Harry’s Silent Watcher.