A/N: Italics is from previous chapter
Most Evil Plan
Chapter 21
Truth, Lies and Deception
With a sigh Harry realized that the best time to share this information with his professor would be now, before they entered the castle and were surrounded by other students and professors.
"You're not, by the way," Harry said softly to Snape as the castle came into view.
This time is was Severus who stopped walking to look at the boy next to him. Up until this point, conversing with Potter wasn't quite the trial he imagined it would be. Yet he truly had no idea what the boy meant by his remark. The only thing Snape could think of that Potter believed him to be that he was not true was his father.
With a raised eyebrow, he silently asked the boy what he meant, making sure to mask any signs that would tell Potter the truth.
"I was thinking about our conversation from earlier," Harry quietly admitted, not looking at Snape. "You know, the one we had during the walk down? Anyway, I decided that you should know that you aren't my most hated professor."
"Indeed?" Severus questioned doubtfully. "Is this a recent discovery, because of my new status in your life?"
Harry remained silent, just shaking his head from side to side.
"Then who is?" Snape asked. "Giving your recent attitude I would venture a guess that it's Professor Dumbledore."
"No," at the mention of the headmaster, all of Harry's feelings of bewilderment and abandonment returned. "I'm not pleased with him, but I don't hate him. Of course, I don't understand any of his actions," Harry continued in confusion, "Like why…" His voice trailed off as he realized that he might accidentally say more than he wanted to.
"Your most hated professor?" Snape prodded, wondering who replaced him in that role.
"Gee, it's so hard to decide. There have been so many fine educators here at Hogwarts these last few years," Harry muttered sarcastically. "Trelawney who likes to predict my death and grades my homework on a scale of how miserable I predict my 'future' to be. Or perhaps it's one of the Defense professors: Quirrel who was possessed by Voldemort and tried to kill me a couple of times in my first year; Lockhart who faked his adventures, tried to obliterate me and Ron and abandon Ginny to Voldemort in the Chamber; or perhaps it's Crouch wh-"
"Not including the werewolf in this list of candidates?" Severus drawled when Harry didn't mention the Defense professor of his third year. "As I recall, he tried to attack you and your friends."
"That was an accident," Harry insisted. "What the other professors did were not.
"As I was saying, Crouch who lead me to a portkey that took me to Voldemort, causing him to be reborn, and then tried to kill me after I escaped his master.
"No," Harry firmly decided, "I would have to say that my most hated professor is Umbridge."
Snape raised an eyebrow in surprise. "She's your most hated professor because she banned you from Quidditch? Good to know you have your priorities straight," Severus drawled sarcastically.
"Unfairly banned me," Harry corrected dramatically, as only a teen could, "and it was for life."
"And yet you are on the Gryffindor team this year."
"I'm what?" Harry asked in shock.
"Listed as Gryffindor's seeker," Severus elaborated. "Why else didn't they hold tryouts for a new seeker?"
Harry shrugged, still not sure if he should believe what Snape was telling him, "I didn't really pay attention; I just figured that they were keeping Ginny in that position.
"But the ban was unfair," Harry repeated.
"Of course it was," Snape patronized. "So does this mean that I am once again your most hated professor?"
Harry snorted, "Even if Umbridge was knocked out of the top spot, you wouldn't make the top five."
"There are more reasons why Umbridge is number one?" Severus skeptically asked.
"Let's just say that some of her other methods of punishment and discipline have a longer lasting effect," Harry drawled as he remembered the scars on his hand from the blood quill.
Snape pondered the boy's words before continuing, "It couldn't be anything she said since you don't listen to a word your professors say."
"Gee, I'm so glad that you are giving us a chance to get to know one another and leave our assumptions behind."
"Yes, well," Snape said, not willing to apologize for stating what he considered to be fact. "Why don't you just tell me what she did to earn that coveted position?"
"Well for a start, she was the only professor who tied to kill me before school even started."
"Potter," Severus sighed in exasperation, "you wouldn't have died if you were found guilty of underage magic and expelled from Hogwarts."
"No," Harry agreed, "but my soul would've if those dementors were successful."
"Well, of course…wait, are you stating that she sent them after you?"
"Actually, I implied it, but basically, yeah. She told me that night."
"Not very wise of her," Severus murmured, wondering if Harry might have misunderstood what Umbridge had said.
"Oh, she probably didn't expect me to remember once she finished using the Cruciatus curse on me. She-"
"Potter, stop," Snape commanded. "She used an Unforgivable on you?"
"No."
Should have known the brat was lying, Severus silently fumed, "But-"
"She threatened and attempted, but Hermione stopped her."
"Miss Granger was present?" Snape asked, wondering why she would make such an attempt in front of a witness.
"Yes, she was there, so was Ron, Ginny, Luna, and Neville."
"Ah, your fan club," Snape remarked. "Now I see why she attempted such things in front of these witnesses. It would have been your word against hers, with only your friends as witnesses."
"You sound more upset that she did it in front of witnesses, than the fact that she attempted such a thing," Harry dryly remarked. "But to answer your question, yes, my friends were there, as were a number of her Inquisitional Squad, including Malfoy, but I'm sure she wouldn't have had a problem obliviating all of us."
"Most likely not," Snape agreed, once more beginning the walk back to the castle. "Why wasn't this mentioned before?"
Harry shrugged, "Who would I tell? More importantly, who would believe me and do something about it?"
"The Headmaster? Your Head of House, perhaps?"
Harry snorted remember how much they had helped him last year, "Neither were in the castle that night."
"And after that night?" Severus inquired.
Again, Harry shrugged, "Didn't seem important after everything else that had happened. Umbridge was gone and there were more important things to think about."
"I see," Severus said, realizing that Harry wasn't going to expand more on that subject. "So for those reasons, she is your most hated professor? Doesn't seem any worse than what some of your other professors have attempted?"
"Attempted, yeah," Harry agreed, "but there's also what she succeeded in," he continued as he rubbed a hand over the scars on his other hand.
"Potter, she didn't succeed in anything," Severus stated. "You survived the Dementor attack and the trial; your Quidditch ban was lifted, as I previously mentioned; and your friends prevented her from using an Unforgivable curse."
Harry remained silent, wondering if he should mention the blood quill detentions to Snape. He glanced at Snape before sighing, no, as he mentioned before, after that night, nothing else seemed to matter. "Yeah," he finally responded, as they stepped foot into the castle's entrance hall, "you're right, it wasn't that bad. Thanks for dinner, I'll see you later."
"Potter, stop," Snape commanded as the boy tried to hurry away to Gryffindor tower. "This conversation is not finished."
"But I need to get back to the dorm before curfew," Harry explained.
"You have plenty of time before curfew," Snape snapped, "Now, follow me," he continued as he began walking towards the dungeons, a reluctant Harry following him.
"Harry! You're back!" Hermione exclaimed, running to give him a hug. Over her shoulder, Harry saw Ron snicker and roll his eyes. "I was so worried," she continued before releasing Harry and stepping back.
"Why?" Harry asked bewildered. "You knew I was at Hogsmeade with Snape."
"For dinner," Hermione agreed, "but you left hours ago. I was beginning to wonder if Ron was right about it being a trap."
"Hermione, when has Ron ever been right?" Harry asked, causing Ron to take offense.
"Hey! I've been right before."
Harry snickered, "Not about Snape. Anyway, there wasn't a Death Eater in sight, nor Voldemort."
"So what took so long?" Hermione questioned.
"More importantly, what did you do in Hogsmeade?" Ron added.
Harry shrugged, "We just ate, talked, stopped by the apothecary,"
"Huh!" Ron exclaimed with a laugh. "He dragged you in there and kept you there for hours, didn't he?"
"It wasn't that bad," Harry answered, "kind of interesting actually."
"Definitely there too long, the fumes probably got to you," Ron muttered before asking, "What was so interesting about sliced bat wings and such?"
"Nothing really, but as he shopped and inspected the various ingredients, he kept talking to himself about their properties, how they should be prepared and why, what type of potions they should be used in because of how they were prepared," Harry shrugged. "Things like that."
"Nutter," Ron muttered with a shake of his head. "The git talks to himself. Absolutely bonkers."
"Really?" Hermione cried excitedly, ignoring Ron. "I never thought about that before. I suppose it would impact the potion. Do you remember anything that he said?"
"Uh, no, not specifically," Harry said apologetically. "I just kept looking around to see who he was talking to," he continued, causing Hermione to frown in disappointment and Ron to laugh.
"Oh, well, if you do, you will tell me, right?" She asked rhetorically, continuing back to the original topic. "So that's what took you so long?"
"We stopped by a few other shops, as well," Harry admitted.
"Honeydukes?" Ron asked hopefully, smiling when Harry handed him some chocolate frogs.
Hermione frowned, "Even if you stepped inside every shop, you should've been back earlier."
Well, on the way back, I decided to tell him that he wasn't my most hated professor," Harry admitted sheepishly.
"What? He's not?" Ron asked incredulously.
"He's not even in the top five," Harry snorted.
"Why not?" Ron questioned. "Is it because he's your father?"
"No," Harry snapped, it's because he's never tried to kill me, unlike most of our Defense professors. Nor does he take such delight in predicting my death like Trelawney."
"Oh," Ron flustered, "I guess that makes sense…but he is number six, right?"
Harry just shook his head in amusement, not bothering to answer. "I told him Umbridge was which naturally led to a discussion on why.
"Hey!" Harry shouted suddenly, turning to face Ron, "Was my Quidditch ban lifted?"
"Of course," Ron muttered, chomping on a chocolate frog, "otherwise we wouldn't still have you as seeker."
Harry grunted, "Well, nobody told me it was lifted. I wasn't expecting to play Quidditch this year."
"What? Why not? How can we replace you now? The first game is in two weeks!"
"Ron, I'll play. I just meant that I hadn't planned on it because of the ban. Didn't you notice that I hadn't attended any of the practices?"
"Well, yeah," Ron admitted, "But with everything that happened last year, we just figured you were still grieving or meeting with the Headmaster. If it makes you feel better, I was ordered by Katie to get you to practice tomorrow, even if I had to drag you kicking and screaming."
Hermione sighed and shook her head, "Umbridge?" she reminded Harry.
"Oh, yeah, well, anyway, we stopped just inside the gates and talked about her for awhile."
"Umbridge?" Ron asked skeptically, "That's less interesting than potions ingredients."
"Maybe to you," Harry snapped. "But she didn't try to take out your soul, or use an Unforgivable on you, or an illegal item."
"You told him all that?" Hermione asked, torn between being surprised and being pleased that Harry talked with his father.
"Yeah, kind of," Harry admitted causing his friends to exchange looks. "What?"
"I'm just surprised," Hermione quietly admitted, "If we weren't there, I doubt that you would have told us."
Again, Harry shrugged, "I didn't plan on it: it just came out when he asked some questions."
"Should've made something up," Ron muttered.
"Ron! Don't encourage Harry to lie to his father."
"It's Snape!" Ron argued.
"His professor and his father," Hermione reminded him.
"Then he should've told the git that it was none of his business!"
"Ro-"
"I did," Harry quietly admitted, turning Hermione's attention to him.
"Harry!"
"Don't worry," he smirked, "I didn't call him a git. We talked about everything but the blood quill before we reached the entrance hall. At that point, I tried to return to the tower, but he ordered me to follow him, stating that the conversation wasn't finished.
"Apparently when I agreed with him about Umbridge and then tried to leave he became suspicious and decided that I was trying to hide something. He ordered me to sit down and tell him. I refused. We remained in his office for about half an hour, with him just glaring at me and me staring back refusing to talk. I finally told him that I wasn't ready to talk yet. He reluctantly accepted my answer and dismissed me."
"That's it?" Hermione said disappointingly.
"Well, no," Harry admitted.
"I knew it," Ron glumly announced, "How many detentions do you have and how many points did we lose?"
"None," Harry smirked, "this is personal, not school-related."
"But Umbridge was a professor," Hermione argued, "how could this not be school-related?"
"Hermione," Ron cried, "are you trying to lose us the House Cup?"
"You said it yourself, she was a professor," Harry reminded her. "If our conversation took place last year it would be school-related, but since it's a new term, it's a personal one."
Hermione grunted in disagreement, but abandoned the argument. "So what else did he say?"
"Just that I had to promise to talk with someone about it when I was ready,"
"Ha!" Ron gloated, "That's what we're for."
"And that it had to be an adult that has completed seven years at Hogwarts."
Ron frowned, "Well, Hermione's considered an adult in the Wizarding World, but hasn't completed seven years yet. Bugger," he frowned, "you can't even talk to Fred or George about it since they didn't complete seven years."
"I know, I think that was the point," Harry agreed.
"Well, I think it's great," Hermione chimed in. "It seems like Professor Snape is really trying to be a father to you. You should trust him and talk with him about this…or anything else that might be bothering you."
Harry met her gaze, "To a point I do trust him. After all, he's saved my life enough times," he quietly admitted. "But this is something different. I just can't, not yet."
"Why not?" she asked in concern.
"Hermione, I can't just forget about the last five years and how he has treated me."
"Harry, he didn't know," she reminded him.
Ron snorted, "He seemed to know everything else about Harry," he remarked, thinking about how Snape always seemed to pop up whenever they planned something, "so why not that he was Harry's father? After all, he would've been there for that."
Harry shuddered at the reminder before smirking, "He doesn't know everything, after all, he doesn't know about Umbridge."
Ron grinned back at Harry.
"Neither did the Headmaster," Hermione retorted. "And he knows even more about Harry, as well as the on goings of the castle, than does Professor Snape."
"Dumbledore!" Harry quietly hissed before jumping up and heading to the door. "I've got go, I'll tell you the rest later!"
"But, Harry, it's after curfew," Hermione called to him, not receiving an answer.
"Out after curfew, Mr. Potter?" Snape smirked when he caught sight of his student roaming the hall. "Now, as a parent, I cannot do anything about this since it is your first offense, or at least the first time you've been caught, however, as a profess-"
"Sir," Harry interrupted, "I'm glad you're here, there's something I've got to know."
"How many points you lost your house for this transgression?" Snape supplied. "Or perhaps you need to know when your detention is?"
"I don't care about that," Harry dismissed angrily, "do whatever you like, but I need to talk to you."
"Tomorrow, Potter," Snape responded. "Anything you need to discuss can wait until tomorrow."
"Not this," Harry argued.
"Is it a matter of life or death?"
"Um, no, not really, I guess."
Snape looked shrewdly at the boy, "Did you have a vision?"
"No."
"Then what is it that has you out at this time of night?"
"I'm on my way to see the Headmaster."
"Is he expecting you?"
"If I'm right, he should be," Harry muttered harshly.
"What was that, Potter?" Snape asked the boy, not sure he heard correctly. "Is he expecting you?"
"No, not really, but he'll see me."
"You are arrogant, aren't you?" Snape commented. "Just like your fat-" Snape stopped realizing that he could no longer make that comparison.
"That's what I need to see the Headmaster about," Harry remarked. "I think I just figured out the truth."
Severus stared at the boy across from him, did he really know the truth and if so, how did he figure it out?
"Follow me, Potter," Snape instructed for the second time that evening.
"But this isn't the way to the Headmaster's Office."
"Brilliant observation skills," Snape replied dryly, "and that is because we are not going to the Headmaster's Office."
"But I need to see him."
"After we discuss what you think you have 'discovered', then I will decide if it warrants talking to the Headmaster."
"It does," Harry confirmed. "He's the only one that can answer."
Snape just raised an eyebrow as he gestured for Harry to precede him into his office.
"Why do we always go to your office?" Harry asked. "Don't you have rooms in the castle?"
"Yes, I do, and no, you are not allowed to enter them, no student is," Snape clarified.
"Not even if we're related?"
"In this case, yes," Severus answered. "Now sit down and tell me what you have discovered."
"Well, I returned to the common room and was telling Hermione and Ron why I was gone so long,"
"That is a surprise," Severus commented sarcastically.
Harry just glared at him for both the comment and the interruption before continuing, "We were talking about whether or not you knew the truth before we brewed that potion in class on Halloween."
"And your conclusion?" Severus asked, knowing that this answer could effect how he would interact with the boy.
"Hermione stands by the fact that you were just as shocked as everyone else in the room. Ron thinks that you knew all along since you seem to know everything else that involves me."
"That's his reasoning?" Snape questioned. "Wait, I withdraw that question. Naturally Weasley has an overly simplistic theory."
Again, Harry glared at his father before continuing, "Anyway, Hermione then mentioned that the Headmaster knew even more about me and about what happens in the castle than you do."
"He is the Headmaster," Snape drolled. "It is to be expected that the professors and the portraits tell him what is going on."
"I get that," Harry said, "but he knows so much about me and my life before Hogwarts."
"He was trying to ensure your safety."
"Yeah, yeah," Harry said dismissively, not wanting to get into a discussion about how 'safe' the Dursley's had been. "But the point is what if he knew the truth before Halloween?"
"Prepost-"
Harry stood up and began to pace as he talked more about his theory. "Think about it. He didn't seem all that surprised by the rumors or the news; he just stood up and merrily announced it to the whole hall. Since it concerned one of his students and a member of his staff, I would've thought that he would've tested the results himself, especially since it was me.
"And for years he's been trying to make us get along. He's always trusted you, but never shared why. Maybe he knew this secret and was going to use it to ensure your trust if he ever did doubt you."
"Potte-"
"And why was he continually bringing up the subject of families to me since school started? He knew I didn't consider the Dursley's family and considered myself as being on my own. He knew something was going to happen.
"As Headmaster, he would've been aware of what you were going to teach, right?"
"Potter,"
"Right?" Harry interrupted, insisting on an answer.
"Yes, of course," Severus reluctantly responded, "But-"
"But nothing! I'm telling you, he knew. And he kept it from both of us."
END CHAPTER 21
How do you think Snape will react to Harry's theory/words? Is there any truth to it?
3/22/07