1994
The whole way to the Great Hall was a silent affair. Harry wanted to talk to his father several times, but the Potions Master was grave and silent, and the younger Snape had to concentrate on keeping up with his father’s long strides. It was actually tiring trying to keep up with the professor. Although Harry knew his father was tall and had long legs, he had not thought his father had that long of legs. But he did his best and when Severus stopped before the doors to the Great Hall, Harry only had to take ten more steps before he was next to the man.
It appeared Severus noticed his son’s struggle to keep up, and he waited a moment for Harry before he pushed open the doors. It was still pretty early in the morning, but there were a few students and more teachers in the Hall. Following his father again, feeling uncomfortable in his Slytherin green, Harry walked almost down the complete length of the Slytherin table before Professor Snape stopped.
Pointing with his long fingered, white hand that stood out vividly from his black clothes, Severus motioned to a spot at the table. “Sit here, close to the end where I will be able to watch you,” his deep voice was quiet, yet sharp. More than once had Harry wondered how his father could speak in such a way, but then, he had learned from experience that questioning Snape was usually folly. The man never gave out his secrets.
Nodding, the new Slytherin sat down where his father had indicated and looked around for something to eat. Just then, he saw a flash of red and gold. Looking up, he saw Hermione and Ron coming towards him. Although he had never been gladder to see them in his life, he also was not sure he wanted them around at the moment. Not so soon after having a breakdown in from of his father. Merlin, he had cried all over the man! He was lucky Snape hadn’t given him a detention for that.
“Harry!” Hermione threw herself at the other boy, crushing him in a hug. “Harry, are you all right?”
“Easy, Hermione!” Harry tried to keep from falling over.
“You all right, mate?” Ron looked over his friend critically. “When they going to fix this mistake? Have they told you yet?” Ron’s nose scrunched up in disgust as he looked at the Slytherin badge on his friend’s clothes.
“You look pale!” Hermione went on.
“Guys, please!” Harry gave an uneasy chuckle. This all really did feel like a dream. “Sit down a minute, huh?”
The two Gryffindors did as they were told and stared at Harry, waiting for him to speak, their faces expectant. This year will kill me, Harry thought miserably.
“Well?” Ron stared at his best friend. “When is this all going to get cleared up? When are you coming back to the Tower?”
Taking a deep breath, Harry decided there was no use in delaying the truth; it was time to take the plunge. “I’m not coming back to the Tower, Ron.” Horror flickered over Ron and Hermione’s faces. “I’ve been sorted into Slytherin now, and that’s where I’ve got to stay.”
“What?!” Ron stood up so fast, he almost fell over. Hermione started to cry.
Looking around nervously, Harry saw the other students that were already there look over at him. He snuck a glance at the Head Table and found that Professors McGonagall and Dumbledore were watching them as well. But it was when Harry felt the pair of obsidian eyes burning into him that he knew he had to get things under control. Severus didn’t look as though he’d had a very good night, and if Harry didn’t get control over his friends, then Snape would.
“Sit down, for Merlin’s sake!” Harry hissed and leaned over to pull Ron back down.
“What do you mean you’re staying in Slytherin?” Ron demanded the moment his bottom touched the bench again. “That can’t be right! You’re a Gryffindor! You’re…you’re Harry Potter!”
Although he knew he should have expected that, Harry winced at the name. No, he was no longer Harry Potter, he wasn’t really even Harry anymore. He was Severin. Severin Harrison Tiberius Snape, son of Severus T. Snape. He was a Snape now, not a Potter. He was lucky though that Hermione thought his action was due to Ron’s harsh tone and from the bitterness of being placed in Slytherin rather than just the name itself.
“Ron, please?” Hermione looked over at the redhead with pleading eyes, willing the other boy to sit quiet for a moment and calm down.
“It’s not like I asked to be resorted,” Harry said quietly. “I…I don’t know how this all happened.”
“You’ve been a snake in lions clothing all this time, haven’t you?” Ron scowled.
“Ronald!” Hermione turned at hit the other Gryffindor in the arm. “He doesn’t know what he’s saying, Harry.”
Looking down at the table, Harry shook his head. “No, Hermione…he’s right, in a way.” The other two children looked horrified again. “I told you guys that the Sorting Hat wanted to put me in Slytherin first year…I guess it just really wanted to put me here.”
Ron was about to start shouting again, when a hand landed on his shoulder. The redhead threw it off angrily and turned around to face the person that dared to stop his tirade when he met a wall of black. Looking up slowly, the youngest Weasley boy found himself looking into the very angry face of Professor Snape. There was a vicious scowl on the Potions Master’s face as he glared down at the two Gryffindors.
“P-Professor Snape,” Ron tried to keep his voice from trembling too much.
As Harry predicted, Severus was not in the mood to be understanding, and without waiting another minute, the professor grabbed Ron by his collar and lifted him up out of his seat before placing him back down on the floor. “Come, Granger!” he barked as he drug off Ron. Hermione was deathly pale, but she jumped to obey the Potions Master and Harry watched in a worried fascination as his father drug off his two best friends. Although Harry did not want his friends hurt or want them to get detentions, he certainly could not deny the fact that he wished his father would give Ron a good scaring.
Looking back down at his still empty plate, Harry sighed and began filling it with breakfast. He wasn’t really hungry at the moment, but he knew he had to eat something. It was the first day of school and all, and after eating regularly for a month, the boy knew that he would get hungry later on and regret not eating. He felt a bit spoiled actually to finally be on a rather normal eating schedule.
It was when Harry was buttering his toast that Malfoy came in.
*******
Once out in an empty part of the hallway, Severus took the two obnoxious Gryffindors into a side out cove and could not help but be furious with them. “What did you think you were doing?” he barked.
“Sir, w-we were just-” Hermione tried to speak.
“Couldn’t stay out of trouble, could we?” Snape interrupted.
“Sir, we were just trying to talk to Harry. Honest!” Hermione pleaded.
“Your plea to honesty isn’t very convincing,” Snape sneered at the two children. “It looked like you were trying to harass one of my students from where I was sitting,” he glared pointedly at Weasley.
Although Ron was still hot, his temper was cooling quickly as the Potions Master continued to glare at him. For a moment, the young Weasley could have sworn that there were snakes crawling out from under Snape's robes like he was some sort of demon, a popular image among the students, as they looked at Snape as something of a mythical creature. The man was just scary; it was as plain and simple as that. By the time Ron actually looked up into the professor’s pale face, his temper was gone and Ron found himself scared.
“Harry’s our friend…sir,” Ron tried to speak up. “We…we just wanted-”
“Yelling and insulting him and his House is not something that I count as ‘talking’,” Severus spat. “Ten points will be taken from Gryffindor. Now, back into the Great Hall with you! Before I give you each a detention.”
Both children jumped and all but ran back into the Hall. Although he knew what he had done was a bit harsh, and would probably get an earful about it later from McGonagall, Severus knew he could not let anyone believe him weak this year. He simply could not afford to look nice or even somewhat approachable. He was going to be fairer this year with the students, he had vowed that, but when it came to Harry, Severus knew he had to be strict. No one could find out the truth of the matter, especially nosy little Gryffindors that wouldn’t be able to keep their mouths shut. He would have to talk to Harry about all that later.
Taking advantage of the opportunity of being alone, Severus sighed deeply. This year was not going to go smoothly at all. At least when he had been a spy he had had some sense of familiarity and order since Albus knew everything that was going on and he had had help in that matter. But this year Severus was sailing alone in uncharted waters. As if trying to figure out parenthood alone wasn’t hard enough, he had to worry about people coming to kill and/or harm him and his child, and sprinkled on top of that was the fact that no one could even know he had a son.
Sighing again, Severus turned back around just in time to see Draco walking into the Great Hall.
*******
Staring at Draco, Harry was fascinated to see that the blonde plopped himself right by Harry. There was a nasty scowl on the blonde’s face, one that Harry knew he had created on the other boy. But what confused Harry was the fact that the other Slytherin was even near him at all. Malfoy hated him! Wouldn’t he want to spend as much time away from Harry as possible? Especially now that they roomed together?
“Listen, Potter,” Draco wasted no time. “Snape said that we were responsible for each other’s actions, and that if you got yourself hurt, I would be the one getting blamed even if I didn’t have anything to do with how you got yourself hurt. Same goes for you if I get hurt.”
Harry watched the other boy distrustfully. What was Malfoy playing at? Did he have something up his sleeve? “What do you want, Malfoy?” Harry asked after a moment. He was too tired and stressed to play any guessing games, and he did not feel like playing “I know something you don’t know” with the blonde.
Scowling darker, Draco stared at the other boy for a moment before sighing. “Look, we can’t do anything to each other because Snape will have both our heads. You, despite the fact that you think you’re so great, need my protection from the other Slytherins in the House. They don’t like that you’re here, and quite frankly, I don’t like it either.”
“So then, what do you get out of this?” Harry growled, feeling the insults as they were intended. “You just want me on a leash?”
“What I get,” Draco hissed. “Is protection from you from the Gryffindors.”
Of all the things Malfoy could have said, that was actually not one of the things Harry had expected. He had known that the other Slytherins hated him, that none of them had wanted him in their House, but it had never occurred to Harry that Draco, his roommate, would need to be protected from Harry’s old House. Thinking on it, the young Snape knew that his old Gryffindor House mates probably saw all this as some sort of curse placed on him that was due to no fault of his own. And even if they were angry with Harry for being in Slytherin now, they would not let the Slytherins pick on Harry out of pride for someone that had been in their House. And if they knew Draco was his new roommate… well, they might not like that idea much.
“I…hadn’t thought about that,” Harry admitted before kicking himself. Slytherins were known for their cunning, their strategy... to admit not thinking through something like this was a sign of weakness. Malfoy was probably sneering at him.
And although Draco did think it was a stupid thing to admit, he realized now just how vulnerable Harry really was in his new House. Not one person in Slytherin was going to make the black haired boy’s life easy. None of them wanted to, really. A jolt of pity shot through Draco so fast that he didn’t have time to catch it, and he was left with the uncomfortable feeling of compassion…at least for a moment. He sure as hell did not like Harry, and he was not prepared to help the other boy more than was necessary. Besides, he was only helping out this much because Snape would not feel bad for punishing him if Potter decided to make himself an easy target. Bastard! The blonde looked up at the Head Table where Snape was walking around the table to sit to breakfast.
“Well, you better start thinking, Potter,” Malfoy growled, “or you’re bound to get both of us into a situation we don’t want.”
It was odd for Harry to listen to Malfoy talk as though he were conspiring with him instead of against him. It was actually odd to hear anything out of the blonde’s mouth that was not a direct insult or snide remark when it came to talking to Harry, but the new Slytherin found himself appreciating it. It was lucky Draco had not witnessed Ron’s outburst or he might not want to make this deal at all.
“Right,” Harry nodded. “Maybe…maybe we should…you know, keep within sight of each other when we can. You know, just to make sure our…respective, uh, groups don’t get any ideas?”
Frowning, Draco looked over the other boy over suspiciously. Potter had admitted not thinking of the possibilities of both of them needing protection, and Potter had trusted him in all of this… “All right. Sounds like a…decent plan,” he nodded.
“Truce then?” Harry held out his hand.
Looking into the green eyes of his enemy, Draco was struck with seeing something there that he had never seen before in Potter. There was a certain…something in his eyes, a look that portrayed confidence while still holding on to some sort of secret. It was a look that Draco had seen often enough in his godfather’s eyes, something that he understood better now. It was rather uncomfortable for the young Malfoy to see such a look about his rival, but he could not think of what Potter had to hide other than what the Headmaster told him to hide…perhaps he could get it out of Potter eventually?
“Very well,” Draco sighed. “A truce, I suppose.”
The two fourth years shook hands before Draco got up from his seat and went to a different section of the table to sit with his friends. Left alone, Harry sighed and began picking his plate and taking nibbles of food. Although he was not sure why, he found himself sorry that he had to be alone again. He had been looking forward to coming to school to be around people his own age. His father had surprisingly been good company over the month that they had lived in Wales together, but now here he was at Hogwarts, in a place packed with kids his own age, and none of them wanted anything to do with him! His friends were mad at him, the Gryffindors felt a bit betrayed by him, and the Slytherins wanted to kill him. None of the other Houses were likely to get too close to him either since none of them had really been his friends before.
Looking up at the Head Table, Harry found that his father was watching him, though Severus was trying not to show it. It was actually a pretty convincing act, one that the boy was sure the Headmaster and the other professors could not see, but because he was looking and because of his angle, Harry knew the Potions Master was watching. Always silently watching, just waiting for trouble so he could strike. It was creepy at times to think about how he was always watched, and yet it comforted Harry to realize that his father was always going to be there to watch out for him.
When everyone seemed to be in the Great Hall, and everyone was almost done eating, the Heads of Houses got up from their seats and began handing out the scheduling for the new term. As Snape stalked past him, Harry had to shiver. Seeing Severus in this setting again almost whipped away the month they had spent together as all Harry could see now was the dreaded Potions Master, the man that he had hated for three years running. The professor’s brusque manner and his slight sneer didn’t help Harry’s confidence in the man either, but he tried to convince himself that it was just Snape playing his part. It was all an act, and he had better start playing his part too.
Looking down at the parchment before him, Harry had to fight to keep from groaning. History of Magic, the very first thing on a Monday! What horror! Who was the brilliant person that came up with this, Harry really wanted to know.
Down towards the end of the table, there were several, rather loud, groans that escaped some of the other fourth year Slytherins. Mutters and curses were said, but the overall table was much calmer than the Gryffindor table. Actually, now that Harry was away from his normal group, he realized just how loud his former House really was. No wonder his father always sneered at Gryffindor decibels, it was true!
Looking over to where Ron and Hermione sat with Neville and Ginny, Harry sighed. He wished he could be with his friends again. But he could not. Maybe if he explained everything…but then Ron wasn’t all that good at keeping secrets unless someone watched him every moment he was awake. Between Harry and Hermione, they had been able to keep Ron from blurting out secrets in the past, but now that Harry wasn’t there to watch him in the dorms…it just wouldn’t work out. Dumbledore would smell something was up anyway, if Ron and Hermione just started acting normal right away again after this morning’s outburst. No, Harry’s secret was best left a secret between himself and his father.
When Dumbledore made some announcements that were commonly given at the Beginning of the Year Feast that Harry supposed were postponed the night before, the students all went on their ways to get ready for their first day of classes. As he was getting up, he noticed that Dumbledore was watching him, his blue eyes dancing with something that Harry had learned meant that he was thinking something, something the younger wizard was sure he wasn’t going to like very much.
Turning around, Harry bumped into something in front of him. As he started to fall backwards, he felt a strong, familiar grip around his arm. Looking up, he saw his father standing over him. The man was slicker than a weasel and more silent than an owl in flight. It was really surprising to Harry now that he had never thought of the man as a spy before. He really was perfect for it. But Harry could not help but curse himself for being caught by surprise. That was the second time that day!
“Watch yourself, Potter,” Severus’s voice cut through Harry’s musings like a whip cracking the air.
“Sorry, sir,” Harry mumbled, wincing at his father’s sharp tone.
“Hurry up, Potter! I don’t have all day.”
With that, the professor and the student walked down into the dungeons, Harry struggling to match the Potions Master’s long stride yet again. Now that the act was on, Harry noticed that Snape’s cloak billowed just a little bit more than it had this morning. In fact, this morning, the infamous black cloak had billowed in a graceful, almost soothing kind of motion, as though the wearer were more at ease. Now, however, Snape resumed the title of “dungeon bat,” his cloak flapping out like the erratic flight of a bat.
The two went into the common room where several students were waiting on friends or organizing their bags. When the majority of them saw Snape, they scowled, some flinched, but none of them looked particularly pleased to see their Head of House. In fact, several of the older students looked as though they were contemplating murder at that very moment, but Snape did not seem to pay much attention to them. But Harry knew that his father was always aware of everything going on around him, especially when it came to his own domain, and the Slytherin common room happened to be in his jurisdiction.
“Go get your things, Potter,” Severus growled. He noticed Mr. Malfoy was going down there as well, and if Draco was smart, he would watch out for Harry. He had seen the two boys this morning talking, and from what he could tell, they seemed to have come to some sort of agreement between them. Although Severus was not a master at it, he could read enough of Draco’s lips, and Harry’s as well, to know that they were coming to some sort of truce for the time being. That was good, that meant that Severus didn’t have to worry as much.
Harry ran down the stairs after Draco, and the two boys silently went about packing their bags. Draco looked angry, much like he was the night before, and Harry realized that the other Slytherin probably hadn’t forgiven the Potions Master quite yet, or he was probably mad about history being first thing. Whatever the case, as long as the other boy did not bother him, Harry was fine with it. He could tolerate Malfoy if he was angry and silent. It was when the other boy was condescending, arrogant, and a downright arse when Harry wanted to punch in the blonde’s face.
Done before Draco, Harry looked out the door to find that no one was there. Quickly, he ran up the stairs and back into the common room where he still saw Snape standing right where he was. The Potions Master looked completely different as he stood there now than from when he had been their earlier that morning. There was no concern on his face, no softness, no nothing that would suggest that this man felt anything at all. It was intimidating, but Harry kept repeating to himself that it was all an act, that his father really did care for him. If Severus didn’t care, then he wouldn’t have bothered to hide the fact that Harry was his son, right? He would not have cared what Dumbledore told him to do or what not to do with regards to Harry, right?
Bowing his head, mumbling another, “Yes, sir,” the two Snapes walked out of the dorm and back down the hall. The younger Slytherin, the first years particularly, seemed to make it a priority not to get in the way of their Head of House. For the first time, Harry actually saw that the Slytherins all feared the Potions Master as much as everyone else did; that even though the man had been their champion, they were still very much concerned with making him angry. It was funny, all the Gryffindors had thought that the Slytherins all worshiped Snape and Snape pampered them. It appeared that the wizard did not spoil his brood as much as everyone thought.
Almost to the history room, Snape stopped by an out cove and pulled Harry aside. “Will you be all right?” he asked. There was just the barest hint of worry in his deep voice.
A small smiled found its way onto Harry’s lips as he nodded. “Yeah. I think I’ll be okay. Malfoy said he’d keep the others off my back.”
“And what did he want in return?” his father’s obsidian eyes lit with suspicion and distrust. It seemed he knew all too well how the Malfoy mind worked.
“He just wanted me to keep the Gryffindors away from him when they found out we were roommates,” Harry shrugged, hoping that it looked like he wasn’t nervous or concerned.
Of course Severus saw right through that act, but he did not press the matter. “We must talk tonight. The Headmaster wishes to have a meeting with you after supper, and I would like to talk to you before then.”
Trying desperately not to groan, Harry nodded, his glasses slipping down his nose a bit. “Okay. What time?”
Pride shot through Severus like a lightning bolt at that moment. Harry was young, only fourteen years old, still a boy, but he was handling the resent changes far better than Severus had expected. There was no whining from the boy, not groaning, no complaining, no anything; Harry simple took what was dealt to him. It was a trait that the Potions Master knew came from his side of things, but Harry was able to take everything in better because he had Lily’s overall disposition. The poor child did not deserve the life he had had . No, Harry should have been allowed to have kept his parents and grow up normally. Had Albus not interfered then Lily would probably still be alive! And Severus would still be married to her, and they might even have had more children…
Reining in his temper before he exposed himself, Severus only nodded to his son, wishing he could just break those awful glasses his son wore and turn the child back into his son again. How wonderful the summer had been when Harry had been allowed to be his son! Although it had been uncomfortable and awkward at first, it really was the best summers Severus had had in over fourteen years.
“Very well,” Severus nodded again. “Meet me in my office at six o’clock. Dinner will be served at seven, and right after dinner, the Headmaster will wish to speak to you.”
“You’ll be there, won’t you?” the boy looked up at his father with wide, fearful eyes.
His heart breaking, Severus nodded. “Always. Now, go to class, and keep within Draco’s sights, just in case.”
Nodding, Harry watched as his father regained his mask of coldness as he stormed away, back down into the dungeons, his robe billowing in his wake. Sighing only once, Harry walked into the history classroom, glad that no one had seen him talking to his father. Even if someone had, they probably would have thought that the Potions Master was just making some kind of threat to him since Harry was new to the House and wasn’t use to the “Slytherin way” of doing things.
Sitting down near the front of the room, Harry readied himself for a long, awkward, fearfully boring class. Professor Binns floated in and began an odiously dull lecture over The Great Goblin Civil War.
*******
After a terribly long, and boring history class, Harry was supposed to have Care of Magical Creatures class outside with the Gryffindors, only to discover that the class for the day had been canceled. There had been a note with an excuse about something the Headmaster wanted done. Harry had felt a bit sick to learn this, as Dumbledore would not have a class canceled on the first day back to school unless there was something really dangerous or important going on. Did it have something to do with him? If so, why would Hagrid need to be involved?
But pushing that aside, Harry tried to meet up with Ron and Hermione anyway. He headed for the library after losing Draco in the crowd. He had tried to follow the other boy, just like they had somewhat agreed, but had given up on it after a while. In the library, Harry caught sight of the familiar bushy hair of his friend walking around a corner to a table. The new Slytherin jumped to follow.
“Hermione!” Harry whispered. “Hey, Hermione?”
The girl turned around and gasped in surprise when she saw the other boy. “Harry! You scared me,” she held a hand over her heart.
“Sorry,” Harry apologized quickly. There was an awkward silence. “Hey, you know class was canceled?” he tried to think of something to say.
“Um, yeah. I know. That’s why I’m here and not there,” she gave an uneasy smile.
“Right,” Harry felt particularly stupid. “So…can we go somewhere to talk?”
“Oh! Yeah, right,” Hermione nodded, leading the way to a work table. Once they were seated, the Gryffindor had no problems rushing in. “Harry, what’s going on? I mean really? Are you all right? You look terrible!”
“Thanks,” the Slytherin rolled his eyes playfully.
“I didn’t mean-”
“I was only kidding, Hermione, it’s all right,” Harry tried to calm his friend before they alerted Madam Pince of trouble. “I just got done with history, really.”
“Oh,” the girl nodded. “I can see that. It usually wears you down, doesn’t it?”
“Yeah.”
Another silence fell over them, but this one was less uncomfortable, but no less awkward. “Harry, are you all right with this? I mean…to be resorted? It’s never been done! Why would the Hat just resort you?”
Knowing that she was only concerned for his well being, Harry thought she deserved to get some kind of answer, even if he couldn’t tell her the whole truth. “It’s weird…I mean, one minute I think I’m who I always thought I was and then the next minute I’m told I’m someone else completely different…” his mind slipped back into the summer events, but Hermione thought he was talking about the changing from Gryffindor to Slytherin. She had no way of knowing that Harry was thinking of changing from a Potter to a Snape.
“I guess it was a shock,” Harry went on. “I still can’t believe it, but I’ll get use to it. I’m going to have to.” He looked down at his hands. “I guess I changed more over the summer than I had thought. I guess I just started to see things differently after I…I left the Dursleys…after Professor Snape came. Something must have just…snapped in me.”
“And that’s why you’ve been resorted? You think the Hat knew?”Hermione asked softly.
“It’s a possibility,” Harry shrugged.
“What’s going on here?” asked a voice from behind. Looking back, Harry and Hermione saw Ron standing there, his arms crossed angrily.
“Hey, Ron,” Harry tired to smile at his best friend. He had been encouraged by Hermione’s openness to make him bold enough to try and encounter Ron again.
“What are you doing hanging out with a lowly Gryffindor muggle-born?” the redhead growled.
“What?” Harry was actually completely shocked. “Ron, what are you-”
Next to him, Hermione’s face had gone completely red. “Lay off him Ron, he just-”
“Thought Slytherins didn’t like muggle-borns or Gryffindor,” the youngest Weasley boy ignored Hermione and Harry’s statements.
With his temper ignited, Harry thought that he was going to explode from anger. How dare Ron accuse him of hating Hermione just because she was a muggle-born or a Gryffindor! “Ron, I’m still the same person I was yesterday on the train,” Harry snapped. “Just because I’m in Slytherin now doesn’t mean that I’ve turned into Malfoy.”
“How do we know that? How do we know you’re not just playing with us?” Ron’s face was bright red with anger. “What happened to you, Harry? Something happen to you when you ran away? Did you hide in a snake hole?”
“That’s enough!” Harry stood up in anger. “Neither of you know what I went through this summer! Neither of you know how lonely I was or how much I missed you! I’d’ve thought you’d be happy to see me even in Slytherin green since you spent the last month thinking I was dead.”
And before either Ron or Hermione could say anything else, Harry stormed away, tears stinging in his eyes. And here he had been excited to come to school again! Now all he wished for was that he was back in Wales, in the little cottage in Llanfair with his father, hidden and happy, away from the rest of the world.
*******
After a long, lonely lunch, Harry had to drag himself up to the North Tower for Divinations class. He had not given much thought about the class with all that had been happening in his life, but now that he was in the Persian type style room, he found himself looking around a bit nervously. Although Harry was not particularly fond of Professor Trelawney for all her predictions of his death last year, the young Snape was not fixed on learning everything he could about seers considering his father was a seer, even if Severus didn’t even really know it.
“Welcome back to another school year, my young pupils,” Trelawney came into the room in her normal, half crazed way. She was burning incense and had tea leaves sitting on the desks. Same as last year, Harry though miserably, but he was determined to get some answers he could use this year.
“Please turn in your homework over there in the tray, if you could,” the spacey professor smiled at the children in her normally freaky way. Harry could already tell that she did not like the Slytherins as much as she did the Gryffindor, but he had to wonder why. Although it was a bit hard to admit, the Slytherin students were generally quieter than Gryffindor or Hufflepuff.
Once everyone was seated, Trelawney looked over at Harry with her big glasses magnifying her eyes to make her look like a bug. “Poor child,” she said sympathetically. “Students, you must honor your fellow student Harry Potter, for his life is going to be ending soon.”
There was a moment when Harry was actually thinking about pulling out his wand and hexing the insane witch until she stumbled backwards and fell out the window. But that was too violent and he still wanted some answers from the woman before she made her tragic, dramatic death one day. “I feel fine, professor,” the boy muttered, trying hard not to turn any redder than he already was.
“No, no, Harry, I saw it quite clearly,” Trelawney shook her head. “You managed to shake off the Grim for a year, but he’s still out there, still waiting for you. Now, does anyone have any questions over what they read about over the summer?”
Of course, no one raised their hands immediately. There were not too many Slytherins in Divinations to begin with. Probably because Snape went around dissuading any of his House members to join such a “worthless hobby”, but there were some Hufflepuffs in the class, more than Slytherins, at any rate. One Hufflepuff girl raised her hand and asked a question so basic that even Harry knew the answer to. After spending the last month with his father and being forced to study, Harry had found that he actually knew a lot more now than other students in his year. With his father’s tutoring, all of Harry’s homework was guaranteed at least an 'E'. Actually, now that Harry thought about it, Severus had helped him with his Divinations homework as well, and had helped fix mistakes other than just spelling and grammar. Did his father really know he was a seer? No, no of course he didn’t, he never mentioned anything after he’d had a prediction at Privet Drive. Had he remembered, Snape probably would have told Harry not to tell anyone.
“Anyone else?” Trelawney’s mystical voice floated across the room easily. Bravely, Harry raised his hand. He had to fight not to close his eyes, afraid of all the scorn he would receive from his fellow classmates. Or perhaps he was just afraid that Trelawney would not answer him. Anyway, the young Slytherin knew he had changed if he was afraid to ask a simple question. But then again, everything had gotten so complicated lately, and questions were no longer simple for him.
“Yes, Mr. Potter,” Trelawney sounded a bit surprised to see Harry’s hand in the air. She remembered him when he was in Gryffindor last year and she had thought that he really did not care much about her trade. Then again, he had had to watch his back, always looking for the Grim and all.
“Professor, I was doing a little…extra research this summer, and I was wondering if there were different types of seers. You know, different branches, or something? I, uh, didn’t have the right assets to look it up on my own,” he finished a bit lamely.
But Trelawney did not seem to notice. In fact, her bug eyes got even wider, if possible, and they sparkled with true delight and excitement. “Twenty points to Slytherin, for Mr. Potter’s excellent question!” the witch exclaimed delightedly before clapping her hands a few times. All the students were a bit shocked by Trelawney’s excitement. She never gave out that many points, especially not to the Slytherins!
“Now, let’s see if we cannot answer your question, Mr. Potter,” the witch seer took a seat and looked up at her students. “Yes, there are mainly three different types of seers, all of different degrees in power and accuracy.
“The first type of seer, perhaps the weakest kind, is called a Dreamer. As you might have guessed, a Dreamer has visions in their sleep, normally giving them a vague clue as to what lies in the future. Dreamer’s predictions are not so reliable, as their visions can be spoiled easily, or they did not see the whole future, but just a small snippet of it.
“The second kind of seer is called an Eye.” The students were all leaning forward just a bit. Despite most of them hating this class, they could not help but be interested. “An Eye is a Seer who is awake while predicting. They give prophecies and predictions fairly often. What they see is far more accurate than a Dreamer, but there are times when their predictions are wrong, as something within what they predict changes. Something so drastic, no one could have known about it…not even the seer themselves.
“And the last type of seer is a very mystical, legendary kind of seer. They have many names, but the most common of names is the Light.” Harry felt like he had swallowed a golf ball, but he did not know why. “A seer who is Light is the most powerful of all the seers. There are not many around, because their gift is so rare. A Light Seer’s predictions and prophecies always come true. No matter what happens within the world, no matter how many changes, twists, or turns, a Light Seer’s predictions are fulfilled…one way or another.”
“But what if an Eye Seer’s predictions start to all come true, and someone declares them a Light Seer when they’re not?” Harry asked, fascinated, itching to know more. “How can you tell the difference beside’s their predictions coming true?”
“Another excellent question, Mr. Potter,” Trelawney nodded. “The difference between an Eye and a Light is the simple fact that an Eye Seer is perfectly aware what is going on. They know and understand that they are having a vision, like the Dreamers know. But a Light Seer, theirs is a powerful and often time burdensome gift. Being a Light Seer, is truly a burden, always predicting the truth, in the past, being hunted down for such truths coming to fruition. It is an extreme responsibility to be a Light Seer. Anyone that is must have others looking out for them.”
“Why?” it was a Hufflepuff that spoke up from the back. His eyes were wide as plates.
“Because,” Trelawney smiled eerily. “Light Seers more often than not do not even know they are seers at all. Their predictions are so powerful, it literally drains their magical core for at least ten minutes or so, or however long the prophecy goes to. When they see, they, in a sense, are no longer a witch or wizard, but become powerless in the moment of their reciting.”
“So, being a Light Seer hurts you?” a Slytherin girl, one Harry did not know yet, squeaked.
“For a moment, perhaps, but the magical core builds itself back up after a little time,” Trelawney looked beyond pleased to have a class that was actually hang on her every word. “Think of it as you blow out a torch, but then light it quickly again. It’s in that little blink where they predict.”
“But are you saying that Light Seers don’t really know they are seers at all?” Harry asked, trying not to show his impatience. “You said the difference between the other two is that they understand they can see, does that mean Light Seers don’t?”
“Another ten points to Slytherin, Mr. Potter,” Trelawney smiled. “That is correct. Light Seers do not know that they really are seers at all!” The class sat stunned, all but Harry. “That is, until someone tells then that they had a vision. Predicting is so draining upon Light Seers that everything seems to turn off, even parts of the mind. When they predict, they may slump over, they may fall, but then right after, they predict, their voices contort, their eyes change, and when they are finish,” the class held their breaths, “they faint.”
“Faint?” Matthew Colins, a Hufflepuff on the quidditch team, did not seem happy with that answer.
“Yes, Mr. Colins, they faint,” Trelawney nodded. “You must remember that their magical core has been drained and so has their physical body. It takes several minutes for their magical core to rise and go back to normal while it may take hours for their physical body to regain its former strength.”
Sitting in a bit of a shock, Harry just stared at his teacher. So that was it then. Severus Snape was a Light Seer. There was no doubt about it, no one could dispute the facts. The Potions Master had too many things in common with the Light Seers to not be one. The only question was, why hadn’t anyone told him he was a seer yet? He was in his thirties, plenty of time for someone to catch him making a prediction. Surely Dumbledore knew about this? If he did, why hadn’t he told Severus?
Professor Trelawney seemed to know a lot about Light Seers…almost too much. Perhaps she knew? She said Light Seers were legendary, mystical, and that they were not very common at all. Perhaps she had caught Snape in one of his acts? Maybe that’s why she endured the Potions Master’s slams with very good grace, simply because she had the secret knowledge that Snape was a seer like her.
“Professor,” Harry raised his hand. “Do you…do you know any Light Seers?”
Turning her large eyes upon the boy, Trelawney’s face lost all of its former joy and took on a serious expression. “No.”
*******
That night, before dinner, Severus and Harry had a meeting, where Severus informed the boy that the Headmaster wanted to talk to him about his summer events. “Don’t worry,” the Potions Master had said, “I will be there as well.”
At dinner, sitting alone, Harry looked over the Slytherin Table to find Draco not too far away. The blonde had not taken Divinations, so Harry had not really seen the other boy since lunch. But in the Hall with everyone else, the young Snape hoped that he could just go to sleep and forget about his day. With the exception of the seer information he had gathered. He wondered if he should tell his father…
But right before the puddings were spread out, Dumbledore got up and smiled at all the students. “Now that we are all settled in,” he began, “I must tell you some wonderful news. This year, Hogwarts has been chosen to participate in a competition called the Triwizard Tournament.”
While most of the students were curious, Harry included, he could tell that the staff members were less than amused. In fact, several looked downright outraged, Snape included. Which meant that the Headmaster had probably not told anyone about this either. Snape would not be pleased at all.
“The Triwizard Tournament is a set of challenges to test young witches and wizards. Two other schools will be attending; Durmstrang, and Beauxbatons. One challenger from each school will be chosen to participate in the challenges.”
Harry heard lots of excited chatter, especially coming from the Gryffindor Table. Whatever this Triwizard Tournament was, Snape did not seem to like it at all. In fact there was a vein in the Potions Master’s neck that looked like it was about to explode if he didn’t start yelling to relieve the pressure. If his father was that furious over this, that meant that there had to be some sort of catch. Harry wasn’t sure he was going to like this tournament at all.
“Now, because of the Tournament, the quidditch season will have to be canceled,” Dumbledore looked sympathetic. The Hall erupted with protests and groans of complaint, but the Headmaster raised his hands again and everyone quieted. “But, in the Tournament there awaits fame, fortune, and eternal glory for the winner.” Everyone was silent again. “But, because of the dangers faced in this Tournament, only those seventeen or older may enter.”
More protests could be heard, but they quieted once Dumbledore explained all the dangers and frights the contestants would have to face. Frankly, Harry thought the whole thing sound a bit ridiculous. He had done enough running around, hiding, testing his skills this summer. He just wanted some peace and quiet. With the quidditch season canceled, perhaps he could have a school year where nothing bad happened to him?
When the desserts were on the tables, Dumbledore signaled to Harry. Sighing, not going to be able to enjoy dessert, the young wizard left the Hall without too many people noticing. Draco, of course, noticed, but when the blonde saw Dumbledore and Snape get up to leave too, he knew that the new Slytherin was probably going to talk to them. He wished the other boy would get a detention for something.
But Draco tried to ignore his resentment enough to enjoy his piece of cake.
*******
Once in the Headmaster’s office, Harry looked around the room in nervousness. Once the door was closed, however, Snape did not wait to attack. “The Triwizard Tournament?” he spat. “Merlin Albus, why the bloody hell did you agree to that this year! Why not just open up Hogwarts to every dark wizard in Britain while you’re at it?”
“Calm down, Severus, we’re not here to discuss the Tournament,” Dumbledore actually looked angry, and Harry wasn’t sure he liked the look on the old wizard’s face. “Now, Harry,” he turned blue eyes upon the boy. “Won’t you sit down?”
“We will be discussing this later,” Snape hissed at the old wizard before he went to stand by the bookcase.
“Harry,” Dumbledore ignored Snape all together. “Before I begin, I just want to ask how you are doing.”
“I’m fine, sir,” Harry lied smoothly.
“Fine?” Dumbledore seemed to sense the lie.
“Well, you know, as fine as I can be,” the boy shrugged. “You know…it was all a pretty big shock and all.”
“Yes, yes, that’s understandable,” the Headmaster nodded, smiling kindly at the former Gryffindor. “You’ve been through quite a lot this summer, I believe. But there is someone we still are waiting for.”
Harry perked up at this, curious to know what the old wizard meant while Snape snapped to attention, his body rigid and his wand close at hand. Just then, the fire flared to life and a man stepped out of the fireplace. Dusting himself off, the wizard looked up with cool hazel eyes before he smiled.
“Sirius!” Harry jumped up and ran into the man’s arms.
"Harry!” the wanted man exclaimed with the same amount of joy.
Dumbledore smiled warmly at the reunion of the two, his blue eyes twinkling merrily.
In the shadows, by the bookcase, Severus stood stone still, wanting nothing more than to simply fade away into the walls. He felt like he had been stabbed in the heart when he saw just how easily the boy had run to the other man, how he had so easily embraced his godfather. A surge of jealously shot through the Potions Master’s body as he watched his rival embracing his son.