Respect

Chapter Four and Three Quarters: The Lost Chapter.

by Isa Akane B.

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Note: This takes place, as the title says, around chapter 4 of POA, when Harry is waiting in Diagon Alley for the new school year to begin. Quotes from chapter 14 of POA near the end.

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Many days left until the start of school and Harry was wondering if he would find something new and exciting to do. He was getting used to his life of freedom in Diagon Alley, but it was starting to feel like some boring routine, though that place was far from boring, as there was always something new to be seen. He had considered visiting Knockturn Alley for some adventure but he was sure someone would prevent him from doing so.

As he was wandering along the street after lunch, he stopped in front of the Potions shop. It wasn't a place Harry used to haunt, so he decided to take a look, certain that there would be something new and interesting there. He pushed the door open and wondered if somehow he hadn't managed to enter Knockturn Alley. It was dark inside and there was a rather strange smell in the air. He looked around himself and was surrounded by row of bottles and jars, some of them containing things he didn't even want to identify. He didn't remember that this place looked like this. But when he had been there before it was only to quickly buy things he needed, not to visit. He sped up along the rows as the place made him think of Snape's office. And speaking of Snape...

Harry bumped into a tall dark thing he hadn't seen in the dark shop. As said thing groaned loudly he realized it was a wizard, dressed in black and partly covered with substances he wasn't sure were totally harmless and that have previously been in the man's hands. Before Harry made him drop them. Snape stood bracing on the counter and holding his head with a rather messy hand. Harry was petrified. He couldn't think of something worse that could have happened. Snape was going to kill him. Harry opened his mouth and started to apologize when the man turned to him and frowned.

"What happened? Where and who am I?"

Harry gaped and blinked. This was unexpected.

"You... you mean you really don't remember, Sir?"

"No... Do I know you?"

"Err... Yes, Sir."

Harry brushed his hair from his brow to reveal his scar, thinking it was the best ID card he could present. Snape reached for it and brushed the small bolt with a finger.

"Poor boy, what a bad wound it must have been."

Harry felt like another bolt had stricken him. What was happening? And what was happening to his stomach, feeling like a horde of butterflies had invaded it as the man's finger was stroking his scar?

"It's... nothing, Sir. I don't remember it well, I was just a baby. It was a bad... accident."

Harry turned to the shopkeeper who was looking at the whole scene with a mix of fear and disbelief. Apparently the man knew Snape enough.

"What was it? What was he buying?"

"Various things, many of them absolutely harmless... unless you mix them, especially in these quantities."

"And dangerous enough to make someone lose his memory?"

"It was just bad luck, you know. If there hadn't been that bag of ginger powder..."

"But there certainly is an antidote!"

"Yes, certainly. But as I don't know exactly what quantity of each ingredient has been used, I can't tell what potion should be made. And... I'm just a novice, you know, just keeping the shop while the boss isn't there..."

The shopkeeper looked at Harry with a look the boy suspected meant "do you really want him back to normal?". Clearly, this guy had been studying at Hogwarts and remembered Snape very well. Snape who was currently trying to wipe his hair clean with a black handkerchief. Harry surprisingly felt pity for the man. He also remembered too well what had happened to Lockhart not long ago. They had already lost one teacher, he was certain that Dumbledore would not appreciate the loss of another one. Especially one he seemed to be fond of.

He felt he didn't have the choice. He had to help Snape. Of course he could just go away and let the man look for a way to get his memory back all by himself. That would mean getting Hogwarts rid of their main detentions provider. That would also mean Slytherin would have to find a new head of House, thus putting disorder in that House for a while. Which could have been a good revenge for Gryffindor, somehow. But Harry was responsible for this accident. Dumbledore would know it and he would be very disappointed if Harry just fled. And he didn't want to disappoint him.

Looking at Snape again didn't help. The man had lost that forbidding look of his and was just frowning, trying to understand what had happened and who he was. Vulnerable was a word Harry would have never thought compatible with Snape. Until now. He turned to the shopkeeper, who himself was looking rather uneasy.

"Here, take this for the mess. And not a word to anyone, understood?"

"I'm not suicidal! He would know it if I, or you, talked. Merlin knows what he could do then... Here, here's your bill."

Harry took a deep breath and turned to Snape, who was looking at him expectantly.

"Come, Sir. We'd better go back to the Leaky Cauldron and find a way to fix this mess."

They exited the shop and headed towards the inn. Harry decided to walk a bit faster and stay ahead as he noticed a few people looking at them with a very surprised look. He couldn't be seen walking side by side with that man. The way back to his room had never seemed so long to him, though he had been walking very fast, as Snape was catching up every time he sped up. They managed to reach the room without anyone noticing them and Harry was finally relieved. But as he looked at Snape looking around the room, he understood that the worst was to come.

"Am I supposed to know this place? Because I really don't recognize it."

"No, Sir, it's just a room I'm staying in for a few days. It's too bright to be your room!"

"What do you mean?"

"You live in a dungeon, remember?"

"A dungeon?"

Snape was thoughtful for a while then shook his head.

"No. I can't remember."

At least he had tried. The situation seemed better than Lockhart's loss of memory. Not a big surprise, as the man hadn't seemed very bright to begin with. Harry must admit that Snape had a superior mind, and he was really trying to help instead of smiling blankly at everything he saw. At least he still knew what magic was and seemed to remember he was a wizard.

Harry sighed and decided that the best thing to do for now was to try to tell him a few things that could help bring back some memories.

"Alright, first your name is Severus Snape and I'm Harry Potter. Do you remember something about these names?"

"Absolutely nothing."

"That won't be easy then. What about Hogwarts? Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry? Slytherin House? Does that sound familiar?"

"No. Listen, couldn't we just ask someone for help? Isn't there a Potions Master in that school you're talking about? We could ask him for some help."

"I don't think so. You're Hogwarts' Potions Master."

Snape looked shocked. Trying only to be nice as he would have done with any of his friends, Harry wrapped an arm around Snape's shoulders, then realized what he had just done and prepared himself for a slow and painful death. But instead of the fury that would normally have ensued, the man simply leaned back for comfort. Harry wondered if Snape had only lost his memory or if he hadn't also had his temper reversed.

"What can we do, now, Harry?"

His name spoken, and spoken so gently, by that voice felt disturbing. He realized that when he was not threatening or barking at students, Snape had a wonderful voice. Soothing. The sound of rustling feathers coming from the window disturbed his reverie. Hedwig was reaching her leg out, waiting for Harry to untie the message attached to it. It was just an invitation from Florean Fortescue to come and taste before everyone some new ice creams he'd just received. Nothing from Ron or Hermione. Then it hit him.

"Of course! How didn't I think about it before?! We're going to ask Hermione!"

"Who's that?"

"Hogwarts' best student. And one of my best friends. We're going to send her the list of the ingredients that were mixed. Even though we don't know the proportions involved, we know how much you were going to buy. She'll find all the combinations possible and all the effects and, most importantly, all the antidotes. I still have the bill, and there's everything written on it. She'll save us, I can assure you. Of course, I won't tell her it's for you. You wouldn't like it."

"I don't see why."

"Because you're not at all like you're now when you're normal. I mean... well, forget it. I'll go write Hermione. Do you want to read something?"

"Yes, please."

Indeed, Snape was really a nice person when he wasn't himself. Harry briefly thought it could mean he was a good man at heart. Maybe. Then remembering the past two years he pushed the idea aside. He sent Hedwig to buy the Daily Prophet for him and started writing to his friend, thinking twice before using any sentence or simple word that could give her a clue of who the victim of this accident was. He just explained that he had felt guilty and thought himself responsible of that person. From Gryffindor to Gryffindor, that wouldn't sound too suspicious. Hedwig was back with the newspaper long before he finished his task.

Snape stirred as he watched Hedwig finally flying away with Harry's letter then turned to the boy with a slightly bored expression.

"Couldn't we go for a walk? I don't like staying inside like that."

"Well, that's a change. You spend all your time in your dungeon, you know."

"Ah, yes. But maybe I could change my habits for a while."

"Right. But... I'm not sure walking with you side by side would be a good idea. People would find it odd. Why not having a walk on our own? I could have an ice cream while you go shopping. Or maybe you could go to Knockturn Alley."

"I use to go there? What a strange idea..."

"You know where it is? So you remember some things, then. Good!"

They walked outside the Leaky Cauldron, as discreet as possible, then went separate ways. As Harry sat at Florean Fortescue's in front of a very promising ice cream, he started to wonder if he hadn't been dreaming. Everything seemed so strange... Yet it was real and he still couldn't believe how Snape was different. If only the man could always be so nice. That would certainly improve his marks in Potions, and maybe those of a few of his housemates. Three ice creams and a little chat with Florean later, Harry had forgotten his current problem. Until a dark man passed right in front of him and nodded. Time to go back to his room. He thanked Florean again and walked in the direction of the other man, who seemed to have slowed his pace to let him catch up. As they entered the inn, Harry smiled as he pictured himself helping and hosting some dangerous criminal. Like that Sirius Black. He shuddered at the thought.

They sat in awkward silence. Harry didn't know what could be discussed in font of that version of Snape. Maybe the man didn't even want to talk. He set for something neutral.

"So, did you see anything interesting?"

"Yes. A broomstick. It looked amazing."

"I never would have thought you could be interested. I've seen it, too."

They discussed the advantages of the Firebolt, then it went on to Quidditch. As it was getting late, Harry's stomach started to growl and he grinned at the sound.

"Time to eat..."

"After all the ice creams you've been eating this afternoon how can you be hungry? All that sugar..."

"How do you know I've been eating so much of it?"

"I was just checking on you, just to see if you were alright. Do you know there's a dangerous criminal on the loose?"

"Yes. Thank you. I never thought you would be... protecting me like that."

"Somehow I have the strange feeling it wasn't the first time..."

Harry frowned then decided to send Hedwig with an order for a large dinner. Large enough for two without attracting suspicion. They ate and talked for a good part of the evening. Then Harry realized it would be bedtime soon and knew he didn't have the choice.

"Since you can't go back to Hogwarts, you should stay here tonight and share my room. There's a bed and a sofa, that will be enough for us two."

"Thank you. Do you mind if I take off some clothes? Those robes are so hot."

"They're not when you're living in a dungeon!"

Severus stripped as Harry was trying to ignore the fact that the situation was rather awkward.

"Oh... I'm sorry, it seems I'm not wearing much under these. Will the sight of my bare chest be uncomfortable for you?"

"Err... No, Sir. I guess not."

But Harry wasn't certain about that. Then he realized that under the robes he was used to see was a body he hadn't imagined like this. Not skinny, not really muscular. Just... perfect. Harry blushed and cursed himself for not understanding what was going on in his mind. Then as Severus was folding his clothes, he noticed a strange tattoo on the man's forearm. A skull. A snake. Strange. He never expected to see a tattoo on someone like him. The man was definitely full of surprises. He got closer and pointed at the tattoo, not daring to touch it but wanting to do so, just to see if it was a magical thing, if it would bite him.

"What's that?"

"I have no idea. But it doesn't look very nice. Ugly, actually. I wonder why I have something like this on me."

"Not that bad. It's a snake, is it Slytherin's snake?"

"Slytherin? You already mentioned that name..."

"Forget it. Let me try something."

Harry hissed at the tattoo and Snape frowned at the sound.

"What are you doing?"

"It's Parseltongue. Snake's tongue. I can talk to them."

"And you expected this one to reveal its secrets to you like this?"

Severus laughed. Nothing like the sarcastic sound sometimes echoing in his classroom. Something true. Something that Harry found refreshing and dangerously attractive. No, no, no, he couldn't find anything attractive in that man. Even though he seemed to be someone else, now. Severus was rubbing his forearm, as though he could remove the picture from it.

"You won't get that thing off that easily. I don't know if there is a way to do it with magic. Muggles can remove them without magic, after all. Maybe, if you want to get out of here, to go to Muggle London, we could try..."

"Muggles? Are you Muggle born?"

"I lived with Muggles until my first year at Hogwarts, that's all. Would that be a problem if I was one?"

"No. No need to be angry, I was just asking."

"Sorry."

"No, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked."

Severus wrapped an arm around the boy's shoulders and dragged him against him. Harry's heart was beating madly. What was happening? He had already noticed that he tended to be attracted by boys, but that was a man. And one he couldn't find attractive. Though...

"Tell me about Muggle life."

Harry talked for two hours, explaining things that were casual to him but that the other wizard found amazing or sometimes silly. A pleasant evening. Harry wished moments like this could last forever. But it was getting late and he couldn't suppress a yawn.

"Time to go to bed, boy!"

"You go to bed, I take the sofa."

"But it's your room..."

"I can't let you sleep on the sofa, Sir."

"Why, because I wouldn't like that if I were myself?"

"No, simply because... I don't want you to sleep there when you can be comfortable in bed."

What was that, now? Did he really mean what he had just said? Something was really wrong with him. And he shouldn't be staring like that as the man was stripping to black silk boxers. Black silk boxers? Harry felt his cheeks burning again. Then something more disturbing was happening in his own underwear. He couldn't... Okay, the night was hot, he was alone in a room with a man who turned out to be really nice, rather sexy, and was standing almost naked right beside him. But was that enough to get hard? Harry sighed. It seemed to be enough reason. The problem now was that he had to wait for his hormones to calm down before he could strip. Or maybe he could try to think of something unpleasant. The problem was that Snape was his usual unpleasant thing to think of. Maybe these things floating in jars that Snape seemed to like to have around him in his classroom and office... Yes, slimy creatures, in greenish liquid... He stopped before getting sick. But it had worked. Relieved, he quickly stripped and climbed on the sofa then dragged a spare sheet on top of him.

The sofa quickly turned out to be really uncomfortable. He wouldn't be able to sleep, that was for sure. He heard the sound of the sheets being thrown off. Snape couldn't sleep, too, then. Something warm touched his shoulder, something that shouldn't be touching him, something strangely soothing. Something that was igniting that fire in his groin. Not again! Snape's hand on his shoulder, that was all. Why did it had to turn him on like that?

"You won't sleep if you stay here. Come, there's room enough for two in that bed."

The fingers squeezed gently. The hand left him and he felt lost, wanting to follow it, wanting to grab it and place it back on his shoulder, where it belonged. Now he was the one who wasn't himself. An arm slid under his side. Another one beneath his knees. With a mix of distress and delight, he understood what was happening: Snape was lifting him from the sofa and carrying him to the bed. He couldn't move. He couldn't protest. He was terrified that the man could realize he was aroused. But he was thrown unceremoniously on the bed and the man didn't seem to have noticed anything.

He felt the bed shifting as Snape climbed in, then the sheet was thrown on him. What now? He didn't dare moving. It was true that the bed was big enough for two but not large enough to completely avoid contact. That was going to be a very long night.

Harry woke with the feeling of being chained in a warm and damp place. He opened his eyes and noticed it was still dark. He had been able to fall asleep, after all, but not for a long time. As he tried to move he understood where the feeling he had when he woke came from. He was tangled in the sheets and had been sweating a lot. The air was still hot, and no breeze to cool it. Still half asleep, he managed to get the sheets from around his legs, but something was still holding him captive. He got fully awake as he recalled the previous day and realized that Snape's arm was around him. He didn't dare moving anymore, not wanting to wake the man. Who knows what he could do if he had suddenly regained his memory and found themselves in that awkward situation!

But he wasn't going to regain his memory. It was dark and Harry knew that in the middle of the night simple things tend to become frightening. Snape wasn't going to wake. He wasn't going to kill him. Maybe he could try moving, then. Harry's back was aching and he really needed to move. Slowly he turned on his back, Snape's arm now resting on his belly. He turned his head and stared at what he could see of the man's face in the shadows. He looked serene, unaware of the incident of the previous day. Harry wondered if a lot of people had ever seen that man asleep.

His back was still hurting. Maybe if he could sleep on his belly... Cautiously he began rolling to his side, taking care not to jolt the arm still resting on him. He was facing Snape, now, his face only a few inches from the man's. His heart was beating a bit too fast, then it stopped abruptly as something changed in the man's expression. Snape's face was still in the shadows but Harry saw clearly that something was shining: the man's eyes were open. A few seconds passed in disturbing silence, both wizards looking at each other. Then the arm around Harry's side tightened its grip. Harry licked his lips. That was a mistake. Or maybe it wasn't. Surely it wasn't. It seemed Snape knew exactly what the boy wanted from him. He closed the distance between them and their lips met. Firm but gentle, not hesitating a bit. Harry's eyes closed. Something warm and wet pressed against his lips. He opened them and let the man's tongue invade him. He was dreaming, it couldn't be otherwise. Or maybe Snape had killed him and he was in Heaven. Fingers were sliding through his hair, holding his head. Severus was devouring his mouth. Harry moaned. His left hand was exploring the man's back, amazed to feel muscles beneath the skin, muscles he wouldn't have thought to find on this man he had always imagined to be skinny. Stronger than he thought, as he had already noticed when he had carried him to bed a few hours before. He tried to get closer, the connection of their mouths wasn't enough anymore. But Snape broke the kiss and managed to maintain the distance between their bodies.

"This I can't give you. You're still a child, I can't allow it. I shouldn't even be kissing you."

"But-"

"But you wanted it, I know, I felt it. And I wanted it too. I wouldn't have done that if I hadn't felt that lack in you."

"Lack? Lack of what?"

"Care. Affection. Tenderness. Love. I can't remember anything about you but I know, I feel, you lack all this. And somehow... I feel I lack it too. Am I wrong? You, who know me better than myself right now, am I wrong?"

"No. Well, from what I know, that is."

"We should go back to sleep, now."

Gentle kisses, now. No more passion. The arm was still holding him, comforting. Snape rolled on his back, dragging Harry with him, allowing him to rest his head on his chest. He was held, protected, comforted. He let the sound of the man's heart lull him back into a peaceful sleep.

Nothing was said in the morning about the events of the night, and Harry wondered if Snape wouldn't be blaming him soon for all this. But nothing was said during the rest of the day, too. It felt like the previous night had only been an illusion. Maybe he'd been dreaming, after all. Maybe nothing had happened.

After a rather uneventful day, Harry's doubts disappeared on that second evening as an arm circled his waist and he was dragged towards the bed. He looked up at Severus and saw that the man was smiling at him. He cursed his hormones as he went instantly hard just at the sight of that smile. It didn't went unnoticed as he was currently held against the other man, but the only comment he got was a chuckle. Harry blushed but didn't try to escape him.

"I guess you won't take care of my little problem..."

"No Harry, I told you I can't do that. But if you want some privacy for a while."

"Thank you, that won't be necessary."

Harry considered staying in the room and 'taking care of his little problem' while the man was watching but shook that fantasy away and decided to use the 'slimy creature trick'. Not as effective as the previous night, but it was certainly due to the fact that the man was so close to him, this time. They went to bed and Harry was delightfully kissed from head to waist, which made him groan with frustration. He was willing to go further, what was holding the man back? It wasn't as if he was going to rape him, after all. That night he fell asleep in the blissful comfort of Snape's arms. He dreamt about him, about them, about what the night could have been if the man had agreed to make love to him. He was shoving inside Snape's mouth as he woke. Reality was slightly different. Actually, the movement was real, but he was only humping the man's thigh, which felt slightly disappointing but still pleasant.

He heard him muttering "Damn hormones..." and tried stopping, though his body thought otherwise. But Severus was sneering and Harry felt his lips on his neck then a warm breath against his ear.

"Alright, finish this quickly so we can both go back to sleep."

That voice almost made him come, but he didn't want it to be over yet. He slowed his pace a bit, even though he knew that Severus would notice it. But the man didn't comment. He was just holding him, kissing his neck and shoulder. But the forced slow motion quickly became faster. Harry was grasping the man's back, his breath was getting shorter. Severus heard his name whispered rather loudly as he felt something wet and warm against his thigh. Good. He could get some sleep, now. He grabbed his wand and cleaned the fresh mess between them, ignoring the fact that all this had turned him on to the point of aching hardness, something he could handle with his very own unpleasant thoughts. Harry sighed contentedly against his chest, falling asleep less than a minute later. The night was quiet again, but Severus was a bit disturbed by the boy's behaviour. And by his own. He was the boy's teacher, after all. If the Headmaster found out... But what did Harry say about that man again? Maybe he wouldn't be in trouble...

Two days later, Hedwig came back with Hermione's reply. After a bit more than half a page of parchment of lecturing Harry, his friend finally gave him the recipe for the antidote (wondering, by the way, why he couldn't try to read some books to find this by himself, for a change). Finally, she informed him that the person who would take that antidote wouldn't remember anything about what had happened. The best thing to do, Harry thought, was to bring Snape to a neutral place before giving him the potion. No questions would be asked, then. He rushed to the Potions shop to buy the required ingredients and a small cauldron and returned quickly to his room at the Leaky Cauldron. Snape and Hedwig, who was perched on the man's shoulder while he was stroking her feathers, watched with interest as Harry got everything on the table. But the older wizard shook his head as he unsuccessfully tried to remember what potions could be made with all these ingredients.

"I'm sorry, Harry, I can't even help you."

"You wouldn't have. I mean... usually."

It took him a lot more time than he had expected to finish making the potion. Maybe if he had been paying more attention to Snape's classes it wouldn't have been so difficult. But maybe if Snape had been as nice as he was now, trying to help him instead of mocking him, things would have been different. After all, Snape was the one who had started that little war between them two years before.

"Here, I hope it will work. Though... you know, I'm not sure I want you to take it. You're such a nice man like that. I'm not sure at all I want you to turn back to your usual self. I... I really like you, you know."

Severus smiled. Harry handed him the glass but as the man was about to take it the boy put it back on the table and pressed himself against him.

"One more night, please."

"Harry..."

"Please! It will be over after you take that potion. You'll be as before. You'll hate me as before."

"I won't hate you! Why should I?"

"I don't know, I've never known exactly why. It has something to do with my father, and with me being famous, and other things, some I don't even know."

"Nonsense!"

"Oh, it makes sense, it usually does. Please, just this last night, and then you'll be free to make me feel miserable again."

Severus sighed. He couldn't believe he would be treating that boy so badly after becoming himself again. But what if it was true? He couldn't deny him this. Something told him that he had felt miserable too in his childhood, though he couldn't remember how. And he felt the need to protect this child from the same fate. He gave in. One last night. They kissed and cuddled then fell asleep.

The bed felt strangely large when Harry woke. Large and still. He opened his eyes and looked around but Severus was nowhere in sight. No sound from the bathroom. He turned and saw a piece of parchment folded on his bedside table. He didn't dare reading it but he knew he had to do it. Severus had taken the time to write it for him, he had to read it.

*Dear Harry,
I knew you would have tried again to make me stay "one more night" but this can't go on forever. And I just couldn't see your face as I went away. You would have been sad wouldn't you? I'm a bit sad, too, knowing I'm going to be mean with you without being able to change this. It feels so strange... It seems we have been everything to each other during these four days. And from what you told me, we're going to be rather lonely after this, too. You have your friends, but sometimes they're nothing to you, right? You feel lonelier with them than without them. And I simply have no friends. It would be wonderful to be able to be friends at Hogwarts, too.
What I need now is to gather the courage to drink that potion. It would be so easy to stay as I am now, and to learn everything again, to get a new life. But we both know it's impossible. So I'm leaving you to my usual self, hoping that I won't be too harsh this year. I'll forget these four days, you won't. But trust me, you should. Don't live with false hopes.
See you at Hogwarts, then.
Severus*

He wouldn't cry, no, he wouldn't. Why would he? That would be childish, anyway. Well, he was still a child, after all. But why was he feeling so bad? So lonely? So empty? He had found someone who was a lot like him. It was true, they were not so different, after all. He had found someone who understood him, his feelings, his needs. Why did everything he had had to be taken away from him? He looked at the parchment again. He couldn't keep it, he couldn't keep something like this with him, not with all his friends and classmates risking to find it. Severus would get mad if someone found out. No. Not 'Severus': he had to refer to him as 'Snape', now. But he didn't want to destroy that note. He would go to his vault at Gringott's in the morning and keep it safe in his vault, there. Who knows, maybe some day things would change, Snape would change, and they would be able to read it and talk about it without getting one of them (Harry, of course) killed from anger. He would put this note in the vault, and forget it for some time. Now he had to think about Snape as the bastard he knew before. All was left to him was his friends who would soon be back with him.

A few months later, just as he was getting back from his invisible-cloaked wander in Hogsmeade, Harry found himself in Snape's office for what promised to be a rough time (and maybe a detention or two). He briefly thought back to the pleasant times he had had with the man just before school started. Now it seemed so far away, so strange, that he could almost think he had been dreaming. That man was so different from the one he had learned to like. But he also knew that it was a good thing that he was the only one remembering it. Maybe Snape would have tried to kill him if he had been able to remember these few days with him. Right now he was simply trying to make him feel miserable and guilty. Or perhaps simply attempting to render him deaf by yelling at him from such a close distance.

"Malfoy is not having hallucinations," snarled Snape, and he bent down, a hand on each arm of Harry's chair, so that their faces were a foot apart. "If your head was in Hogsmeade, so was the rest of you."

"I've been up in Gryffindor Tower," said Harry. "Like you told --"

"Can anyone confirm that?"

Harry didn't say anything. Snape's thin mouth curled into a horrible smile.

And then Harry saw that something had changed in the other wizard's eyes. And that his smile wasn't only for the satisfaction of having caught Harry just after his latest prank. With horror he understood: Snape's memory of the previous Summer's events hadn't been lost as it should have. He was aware of everything that had happened, from the moment Harry had bumped into him in the Potions store to that final instant when he had placed the letter on his bedside table. Hate burned in those dark eyes for having been forced by that infuriating boy to show his true self, the part of him he carefully hid deep inside for his own protection.

Now was time for payback...

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