Unofficial Portkey Archive

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. I'm just borrowing it for a bit of nonsense.

No More Mysteries

by: MayorHaggar

Chapter 16: Detention and Discussion

Harry watched impatiently as the sixth year Gryffindors and Slytherins left the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom. Malfoy was one of the first to leave, and he glared at Harry as he walked past. Harry itched to leap out of his seat and wrap his hands around the ferret's neck until he choked his scheme out of him, but he was able to resist the temptation.

Before long, only Harry, Hermione, Ron and Professor Lupin himself remained in the classroom. Lupin and Ron were standing on the opposite side of the room, ostensibly chatting, but Harry suspected they were actually giving he and Hermione a bit of privacy to say goodbye. Harry and Hermione rose together, and he helped her gather her things.

"Well, I suppose I'd better be off to Potions," Hermione said reluctantly. "Tell me how it goes."

"I will," Harry promised with a nod, and he leaned in and gave her a kiss on the lips. She smiled tenderly at him before turning to wave at Ron and Lupin, and then she was gone. After she was out of sight, Lupin and Ron left their little corner and approached Harry.

"How about the three of us have a seat?" Lupin offered, and when Harry and Ron nodded their assent, he pulled his chair out from behind his desk and sat down, motioning that the two boys should sit opposite him.

"So," Lupin began once everyone was settled, "are you prepared for the big quidditch match tomorrow?"

Ron winced beside him, and Harry knew Lupin had struck a sore spot. "I'm not allowed to play. I've got detention with Snape," Ron said glumly, and Lupin nodded in sympathy.

"I had wondered about that," the Defence professor said. "I spoke with the headmaster in your defence, given the extenuating circumstances that led to the incident with Draco, but I know Professor Snape was adamant that you should serve one of your detentions tomorrow, quidditch or no quidditch."

"Big shocker there," Harry said sarcastically, and Lupin smiled at him.

"I suppose it doesn't come as a surprise to see Professor Snape come down hard on you," Lupin admitted. "But you must use this as a learning experience, Ron. No matter what is done or said, you must try and stay in control of your emotions. It is often difficult, and I will admit to not always managing it myself, but you have to do your best to try. Acting out of anger or rage will lead to mistakes, far more often than not."

"I know," Ron said, and Lupin smiled at the sincerity in his voice and on his face. "I'll try."

"That is all anyone can ask for," Lupin said. "And, look on the bright side: your punishment will be over and done with in plenty of time for you to play in the second match of the season."

"Right," Harry said, "but in the meantime the team has to put up with that git Cormac."

"Ah, yes, Mister McLaggen. He is rather...brash," Remus said diplomatically. Harry chuckled, and even Ron forgot his own misery long enough to crack a small smile.

"That's an understatement," Harry said, shaking his head. Cormac had done pretty well during try-outs. Truthfully, he was probably Ron's equal as a keeper, and so he was made a reserve. But now that he was actually practising with the team regularly in Ron's absence, Harry was growing to dislike the cocky 7^th year more with every passing day.

"I'm sure the team will do just fine, Harry," Remus assured him, and Harry merely shrugged. They were probably more talented than the Ravenclaw squad, but losing Ron hurt. He had high hopes for the game, but wasn't about to underestimate their opponents.

"That aside, you asked to meet with me after class to discuss a problem you were having with the Marauder's Map?" Remus asked, moving on to the reason they'd approached him and asked for this chat.

"That's right," Harry said. "We were looking at the map the other day while we were in the Room of Requirement, and we noticed that it didn't show either us or the room itself."

"No, it wouldn't," Lupin said. "The room itself is unplottable."

"So there's no way we can use the map to track whether or not someone is in the room?" Ron asked, and Lupin shook his head in response. Harry sighed, both at the answer and at Ron asking a question Harry would have preferred to avoid, or at the very least word differently.

"No, that is not possible," Remus stated, and then looked at Harry intently. "Can I assume this has something to do with Draco Malfoy?" Ron looked as if he was going to respond, but Harry cut him off with a sharp elbow to the ribs.

"What if it does?" Harry asked, attempting to adopt a neutral expression. He liked Remus, and felt he was trustworthy overall, but he knew full well that the werewolf was a Dumbledore man through and through. That had shone through earlier in the term when he and Hermione had explained the reasons behind their lack of faith in the headmaster. Lupin had been sympathetic to their issues, but there was no doubt that he still trusted Dumbledore implicitly. Given his current feelings towards Dumbledore, specifically his handling of the Malfoy situation, Harry was reluctant to tell Lupin anything he didn't already know.

"Headmaster Dumbledore explained the situation to me," Remus explained, surprising Harry. "He only did so after your conversation with him, though. He hoped that I would be able to convince you to step back and allow him to deal with Draco in his own way."

"You can't," Harry said simply. "Dumbledore isn't dealing with Draco; that's the problem. There's not much I can do at the moment, not as long as Dumbledore refuses to help. But I have to do something."

"I understand," Lupin sighed. "And frankly, I wasn't going to try and talk you out of it anyway. I owe Dumbledore more than I could ever say, but that doesn't mean I share his optimism about Draco. I'm not convinced that he has it in him to be a killer, but he could still be a threat to the safety of the school."

"Will you help us, then?" Ron asked hopefully, but Harry knew from the resigned look on Lupin's face that their professor would be of no help to them with this problem.

"I don't think there's much I can do," Lupin said with a frown. "I suppose I could contact Tonks about having the aurors investigate the situation, but I doubt they would be able to do much without solid proof. They certainly wouldn't have the legal right to administer veritaserum unless Draco or his mother allowed it, but we both know that isn't going to happen."

"And I'm guessing you wouldn't help us get our hands on some veritaserum of our own, legal or not?" Harry asked. It was a long shot, but it couldn't hurt to ask.

"Absolutely not," Lupin replied. "If it came down to a choice between Draco's rights and the safety of his fellow students, my choice would be easy. But I do not think the situation is that dire just yet. Even if I had easy access to veritaserum, which I do not, I am not ready to break both the law and Professor Dumbledore's trust. Not unless you can prove to me that lives are at stake."

"I figured as much," Harry said with a shrug. "You're Dumbledore's man, after all. You've looked to him for guidance and leadership for too long to be able to see that he makes mistakes just like the rest of us."

"I know he has made mistakes, Harry, particularly where you were concerned," Lupin admitted. "But the headmaster is a great man who tries to do the right thing. I may not always agree with his decisions, but I know that he has our best interests at heart. I hope you know that too."

"I do," Harry said. "But I'm not going to put my faith in him blindly. He's making a mistake with Draco, I know he is, and you are making a mistake in following his lead. But if none of you are going to stop Draco, we will."

--NMM--

"Those parchments won't sort themselves, Weasley. I suggest you work harder if you wish to be released any time soon."

Ron grumbled to himself as Snape strode past him, but he wasn't fool enough to let the head of Slytherin hear him. He stared down at the massive pile of unsorted parchments spread out around him and redoubled his efforts. Some were formulae for potions that had long ago become obsolete, some were student essays that had accumulated over several decades, and some had nothing at all on them. Ron had been given the unenviable task of sorting each one into its proper category so they could be catalogued. He doubted Snape would ever have any use for a single one of these parchments. In fact, he was convinced that Snape picked this task for that very reason, so all of Ron's effort during this detention would be utterly meaningless.

"The skies appear very clear today," Snape said, his back to Ron as he stood facing the window. "It's not windy, either. Optimum quidditch weather, I would say."

Ron scowled, but did not look up. Snape had been making little comments like that since the detention had begun. He knew how much it was killing Ron to be cooped up inside sorting parchments while the Gryffindor quidditch team played its first match of the season, and was rubbing his face in it at every opportunity. Ron knew that responding to his former professor's goading in any way would only land him in more trouble, so he did his best to ignore him and focus on the incredibly dull task he'd been assigned.

"It's a pity your temper landed you in here," Snape went on. "I'm sure the Gryffindor team is considerably disadvantaged without their captain."

Ron bristled at that remark, and his guilt over letting the team down threatened to overwhelm him. He gripped Benedict Bell's 1971 essay on flobberworm mucus so tightly that the parchment threatened to tear, but he managed to calm himself before Snape turned around. Snape stepped away from the window to examine Ron's progress, and though he did not look up, Ron thought he saw a hint of disappointment on the potion master's face.

"It is evident that you will not be finishing any time soon, so I must step out and attend to more important business," Snape brusquely informed him. "Do not take this as an opportunity to avoid your responsibility, because I will expect you to have made significant progress by the time I return. Also, if you attempt to sneak out of my classroom for even a moment while I am gone, I will know. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, sir," Ron replied, still not looking up from the parchments. He continued sorting them for a few moments, well aware that Snape was standing by the door and watching him. Even after he heard the door open and then close behind Snape, he kept working for a few minutes just in case. Once he was quite convinced that Snape was indeed gone, Ron tapped the parchment sitting on top of the blank pile and whispered, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

One of the few benefits of this particular detention was that it gave Ron easy access to the Marauder's Map, and he had used said map to periodically check up on Draco Malfoy when he was sure Snape's attention was elsewhere. The fact that Draco was not in the stands watching quidditch with virtually every other student in the school was cause for alarm, but other than that, Ron had not seen anything suspicious. He'd been in the Slytherin dorms for a bit, and since then he'd been in the library.

Ron's eyes immediately went to the library, expecting to find Malfoy in the same location he'd last been in, but there was no one there except for the librarian herself. He then looked in and around the general area of the Slytherin dungeons, but Draco was not there either. Ron, now worried that Draco was taking advantage of the nearly deserted castle to carry out this mission of his, began searching for his dot in earnest. When he at last located Malfoy on the map, Ron froze.

He was right in front of the Fat Lady's portrait. He was trying to get into Gryffindor Tower.

Ron did not doubt Snape when he said that he would know if he tried to leave the room, and he knew that being caught doing so would result in more punishment being piled on top of what he was already facing. But the other five members of the 'Ministry Six' were all outside, either watching or playing in the match. It was up to him to stop Draco before he could break into the tower, even if it meant he wound up in detention every Saturday until he graduated from Hogwarts.

He hadn't brought anything with him aside from his wand and the map itself, so Ron was up and out of Snape's classroom in a flash. With virtually every student and much of the staff out of the castle for the quidditch match, the corridors were largely deserted. This made things much easier for Ron, who found his progress unimpeded as he ran as fast as he could. He had no time to look at the map and check whether or not Snape was in pursuit, so he could only hope that if he was, he would be able to catch Draco before the greasy-haired git could catch him.

Ron's luck held out, and he made it to the portrait in record time. What he saw upon arriving, however, caused him to draw up short. Where he was expecting to see Draco Malfoy, he instead saw Neville Longbottom. Neville appeared to be trying to convince the Fat Lady to let him in despite his having forgotten the password. This had actually been a fairly common sight in their first few years, but Neville had gotten much better at keeping the passwords straight since then.

That wasn't the most confusing part, of course. The real question was, why had Neville come back in the middle of the match? And, more to the point, where had Malfoy gone?

"Nev? Why aren't you at the match? Did you forget something?" Ron asked cautiously. His confusion only increased when Neville spun around and stared at him. Neville was wide-eyed and pale, and looked nothing like the brave Gryffindor he'd grown into over the past couple of years. Ron waited for Neville to answer, but when several seconds passed without a peep from the Longbottom heir, Ron spoke once again.

"So...Nev, have you seen Malfoy lurking around here?" Ron asked. Neville grew even paler after that question, and to Ron's utter bafflement, he stepped away from the portrait and took off on a dead run down the corridor. As he watched Neville flee, comprehension dawned on Ron.

That's not Neville; it's Malfoy. He's using polyjuice.

Without a second thought, Ron was off to give chase. He ignored the confused mutterings of an apparently tipsy Fat Lady and took several long strides in the same direction Malfoy had run, only to be abruptly stopped by a hard yank on the collar of his school robes. He squirmed to try and free himself, but his unknown assailant had a firm grip. Ron was forcibly spun around, and found himself face to face with an irate Snape.

"I told you I would know," Snape snarled, and he glared at Ron with such anger that the redhead felt a chill run down his spine.

--NMM--

"I think that is enough for today, Harry," Dumbledore said, sounding rather winded after spending the better part of the evening tutoring Harry. "You're making great progress."

Harry nodded and wiped some sweat off of his face as he put his wand away. "Thank you, sir," he said, sincerely. His feelings about Dumbledore, particularly his decisions and his methodology, weren't very positive. But the headmaster had been true to his word about teaching Harry things that would hopefully be of use when Harry inevitably found himself in battle against Voldemort and/or his followers.

Their meetings had been infrequent as a result of the myriad responsibilities each of them had to deal with, but Harry found every one very beneficial. Dumbledore didn't teach Harry all that many spells, though there was the occasional obscure curse or defensive charm that Dumbledore would introduce if he thought they could be of use. The main focus of their one on one meetings was how to best utilize the spells in Harry's arsenal in a variety of different scenarios. Dumbledore had pretty much seen it all, and Harry knew that the battle-tested experience he was sharing was going to be invaluable.

All that said, he was still frustrated with Dumbledore's refusal to act against Draco.

"I'm guessing you haven't changed your mind about Malfoy," Harry said. Two days had passed since Gryffindor's victory over Ravenclaw, but due to Dumbledore's obligations both inside and outside of Hogwarts, this would be Harry's first opportunity to talk to him about what had happened inside the castle while he was busy hunting the snitch He accepted the goblet of water that Dumbledore offered him, and took a healthy swig while waiting for an answer.

"No, I have not," Dumbledore said after a pause. Harry sighed, but he couldn't claim to be surprised. Ron had explained both how the Marauder's Map worked and what he had seen on said map, but Dumbledore had yet to do anything with the information.

"Do you not trust the map?" Harry asked. "Because it's never failed me before, and polyjuice doesn't fool it, either."

"I do not doubt the accuracy of the map," Dumbledore assured him after taking a sip from his own goblet. "Nor do I think your friend Mister Weasley was being deceitful. As your Head of House herself was able to assure me that Mister Longbottom was in the stands and did not depart until after the match was over, I readily accept that Mister Malfoy disguised himself as your friend Neville and was attempting to gain access to Gryffindor Tower."

"So why hasn't Draco been punished, then?" Harry demanded. "This proves that he's up to something!"

"It proves that he was trying to gain unauthorized access to Gryffindor Tower. It is against school rules to do so, and Draco could receive several detentions as a result. But I trust that you do not want this map of yours to become common knowledge, correct?" Dumbledore asked, and Harry shook his head in the negative.

"Without the map, we would have no reason to single out Draco as the individual trying to pass themselves off as Neville Longbottom," Dumbledore explained. Harry thought it over for a moment and reluctantly nodded.

"If all he'd get is a few detentions, it's not worth letting anyone I don't trust know about the map," Harry admitted. "But I don't see why you won't do anything more than that. Doesn't the fact that he was trying to break into Gryffindor Tower prove that Draco is actively trying to carry out this mission of his? That he's made his choice, and you're putting everyone in danger for nothing?"

"That is one interpretation," Dumbledore said, causing Harry to roll his eyes. "However, attempting to enter the dormitories of a House other than one's own is not cause for the rather extreme measures you would like to see me take. I have heard rumours that your friends Fred and George Weasley found themselves in a similar predicament on occasion. Even you yourself sometimes wind up in places you really shouldn't, you must admit."

"I do," Harry agreed, "but you never had to worry about me, Fred or George trying to kill anyone."

"You don't know that Draco is trying to do so, either," Dumbledore said. Harry shook his head as if to argue the point, but Dumbledore continued on. "We don't know what Draco's task is. It may not involve violence at all. In fact, Draco's attempt to break into Gryffindor Tower while everyone else was outside would suggest that it doesn't."

"Or maybe he was trying to slip some kind of poison or lethal potion to someone in Gryffindor," Harry retorted, using the theory Hermione had come up with. Dumbledore reluctantly nodded in admission that that was a possibility, but said no more on the subject. It went without saying that if that truly was what Malfoy had been attempting, Harry himself had in all likelihood been the target.

"I thought you were keeping a very close eye on Draco," Harry said, repeating the phrase Dumbledore himself had used when he'd first admitted that Harry's suspicions about Malfoy were correct. "So why was Ron the first one to show up?"

"Alas, an oversight," Dumbledore sighed. "We had assumed that Draco, an avid fan of the sport, would attend the quidditch match like the majority of the school, and thus our observation of his movement was not as keen as it should have been. It was a most unfortunate error on my part."

"Not the first time someone's managed to sneak around right under your nose," Harry said sarcastically, thinking of Quirrellmort, escaped convict Sirius, and Barty Crouch Jr. posing as Alastor Moody for months on end. Dumbledore nodded at Harry, looking just as sad and defeated as he had the last time they'd argued about his handling of Malfoy.

"You are unfortunately correct," Dumbledore said quietly. "I am not perfect, Harry. I make mistakes like everyone else, as you yourself have learned all too well. I wish that I had the means to go back and correct some of my more egregious errors, but I do not. All that I can do is continue to trust in my judgement, and hope that I am doing the right thing. I know that you disagree with me about Draco Malfoy, but to do what you ask of me would be immoral, in my view. I hope you can at least respect my thoughts on this matter, even if you don't agree with them."

"I understand why you feel the way that you do," Harry replied evenly. "But we've already been over this. If you aren't convinced yet, I see no point in having the same argument again."

"Very well, Harry," Dumbledore said, both sounding and looking relieved that their biggest point of contention would be shelved for the time being. "Is there anything else you would like to discuss before we part for the evening?"

"There is, actually," Harry said. "I've been wondering, if I beat Voldemort..."

"When you beat him," Dumbledore interrupted, and Harry saw that his eyes had regained their customary twinkle. "I have the utmost faith in you, Harry, and do not doubt that you will be victorious in the end."

"OK, when I beat him, then," Harry corrected himself. He didn't have the same unwavering confidence about his prospects as Dumbledore, Hermione and Ron, among others. He knew better than to voice those doubts, though, as it would only lead to an argument. "When I beat him, how do we know he'll be gone for good this time?"

"I assume you ask because Voldemort's soul lived on after his body was destroyed that night in Godric's Hollow?" Dumbledore asked, and Harry nodded at him.

"Yeah. I mean, if he can come back from that, is there anything he can't come back from? Is he even mortal? He said something in the graveyard about coming closer to immortality than any other wizard," Harry stated.

"There is no such thing as immortality," Dumbledore answered. "Despite what Tom may say or think, my dear friend Nicolas Flamel likely came closest. Yet even he was not immortal. Not truly. And neither is Lord Voldemort, I assure you."

"How did he survive, then?" Harry pressed. It was reassuring to hear him dismiss Harry's fears, but even if Dumbledore were right, what difference would it make if Voldemort had some trick up his sleeve that would prevent Harry (or anyone else) from finishing him off?

Dumbledore didn't respond right away, which did nothing to ease Harry's uncertainty. He seemed to be debating the best way to frame his response, while Harry waited impatiently for the answer.

"What happened on the night of October 31^st, 1981 was unusual in so many ways," Dumbledore finally began. "You wouldn't be able to recreate those circumstances if you tried." He went silent again, obviously considering his words, and Harry decided not to rush him. It was a shorter pause this time before Dumbledore spoke. "Do you know what saved you that night, Harry?" he asked.

"My mother's love," Harry answered automatically. "She sacrificed herself so I could live."

"Exactly correct," Dumbledore nodded. "But tell me, Harry: do you believe that your parents were the only ones who willingly gave their lives in an effort to protect their children from Voldemort or his Death Eaters?"

"I guess not," Harry replied after considering the question momentarily. "I've never really thought about it much, but I guess most parents would probably do anything for their kids. I know Mr. and Mrs. Weasley would. Hermione's parents too. Heck, even my Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia would probably sacrifice themselves to save Dudley."

"I'm sure they would, if they truly love their son," Dumbledore agreed. "Your parents made that ultimate sacrifice for you, but they were not unique in that regard. What made that incident different from all of the others was that Lord Voldemort gave your mother an option that none of his other victims had been given. He gave her the chance to save herself."

"What?" Harry exclaimed, stunned. He'd definitely never heard that part of the story before. "Why?"

"It was in honour of a promise he'd made to one of his followers," Dumbledore answered. "That follower pleaded with him to spare your mother, and since his objective was to kill you and thus prevail over the potential child of prophecy, Lord Voldemort agreed. After he killed your father, Voldemort gave your mother the chance to leave Godric's Hollow unharmed. Her life would have been spared if she'd stepped aside and allowed him to kill you. She refused, obviously, and he was forced to kill her to get to you. This act, dying to protect you even when she was given the chance to save herself, invoked an ancient magic that served to protect you from Voldemort. That is what caused his killing curse to fail."

"OK, so that explains why I survived," Harry said. "But what about him? Why didn't his killing curse destroy him completely, body and soul together?"

"That is a more difficult question to answer, Harry," Dumbledore said. "No one can answer it with absolute certainty, not even Voldemort himself. Perhaps it was an odd side effect of the ancient magic your mother's sacrifice invoked. It is also possible that the simple act of a killing curse rebounding-something which has never happened otherwise, before or since-warped the curse in some way. Regardless of the precise reason, though, I feel quite confident in saying that it is not a scenario that will repeat itself. Lord Voldemort is an exceedingly powerful wizard, but he is just as mortal as you are."

"I guess that's good enough for me," Harry said grudgingly. While he didn't agree with Dumbledore's methods, he knew the man was just as committed to stopping Voldemort as he was, and saw no reason for him to lie about something like this.

"Very good, Harry," Dumbledore said with a broad smile on his face. "I am glad I could ease your concern about this subject. "Now, is there anything else?"

"One more thing," Harry said. "I was wondering about that follower you mentioned, the one who pleaded for my mother's life."

"Alas, that is not my story to tell, Harry," Dumbledore answered, looking pained. Harry's eyes narrowed in suspicion, but Dumbledore merely shook his head. "I swore not to speak of it. You are the first I've told even that much, and even that was something of a betrayal of trust. I am sorry, but I can say no more."

That answer did not exactly appease Harry, but he knew that was as much as he was getting out of his secretive headmaster. As they bade each other a good evening, Harry mulled over what he'd learned. Dumbledore had cleared up one mystery for him, but in the process, he'd replaced it with a new one.

--NMM--

"What did you summon me for this time, Dumbledore?" Snape asked curtly as he seated himself in the Headmaster's Office. "I've had a long day attempting to teach potions to unappreciative brats, so I would like to get this over with as soon as possible."

"I will keep that in mind, Severus," Dumbledore said, his eyes doing that damnable twinkling that never failed to grate on Snape's last nerve. "I called for you because I wished to discuss a rather important conversation I had with Mister Potter earlier this evening."

"And what makes you think I am interested in hearing about what that boy had to say?" Snape scoffed. "I know you believe that he can do no wrong, but I see him for what he truly is."

"Come now, Severus," Dumbledore scolded. "I know that young Harry impressed you with his performance in Advanced Defence."

Snape scowled at Dumbledore, but made no other response to his comment. It was true, but Snape wasn't about to give Dumbledore the satisfaction of admitting it. Besides, looking capable against fellow Hogwarts students was a far cry from defeating actual Death Eaters, or even the Dark Lord himself. Dumbledore sighed and shook his head, but Snape refused to budge.

"I see you are just as stubborn as ever, my friend," Dumbledore said. "If you were ever to set your old grudges aside and judge Harry purely on his own merits, I think you would see just how capable he is. The two of you actually have more in common than you imagine."

"I beg to differ," Snape spat angrily. How dare the old fool compare him to the son of James bloody Potter!

"It is true, Severus," Dumbledore insisted. "Both of you feel that I am making a mistake in my handling of Draco Malfoy. In fact, Harry and Miss Granger have urged me to make use of veritaserum or legilimency on Draco, just as you continue to."

"That's because it is the clear solution, as I have said all along. If even Potter can see that, perhaps you should admit you were wrong and take action before it is too late."

Snape's words had little effect, though he hadn't truly expected them to. Once Dumbledore got an idea in his head, it was nigh impossible for Snape to change his mind or force him to reconsider.

"I am not ready to resort to those measures," Dumbledore insisted, just as Snape had expected him to. "If I change my mind, you will be the first to know. Until then, I wish for you to monitor Mister Malfoy as usual, and periodically attempt to gain his trust."

"It won't work, but I've said that several times and you've ignored me without fail, so I won't waste my breath," Snape said. "Did you call me in here for something of greater importance than trying to convince me to coddle Potter? If not, I will take my leave."

"Draco was not the only topic we discussed," Dumbledore said quickly before Snape could stand up. "Harry was also worried about Voldemort potentially being immortal."

"How droll. Did he also tell you he was afraid the Dark Lord is actually The Warlock from The Warlock's Hairy Heart?"

"He had legitimate reason to be concerned, Severus, given the history between he and Voldemort," Dumbledore said as he gave Snape a disapproving frown. "As such, I shared with him my belief as to how Voldemort's soul survived that night, and what separated his mother's sacrifice from all others."

"You didn't," Snape hissed, outraged. If looks could kill, Hogwarts would be looking for a new headmaster in the morning. "You swore to me you would never tell anyone!"

"I told him that Voldemort attempted to spare Lily at the behest of one of his followers. But he does not know it was you, nor does he know why you wished for Lily to be spared," Dumbledore clarified, but Snape shook his head angrily.

"How hard do you think it will be for Potter to figure out that it was me?" Snape said heatedly. "I'm the only former Death Eater that you trust. Even a dolt like Potter won't take very long to reach the obvious conclusion."

"No, I suppose not," Dumbledore admitted wearily. "Perhaps I revealed more than I should have, but he deserved to know the truth, Severus. I have hidden far too much from him in the past, and it has had catastrophic repercussions. I am not about to let him go off into battle against Voldemort uncertain of his chances. Not if I can help it."

"Justify it to yourself however you want, Dumbledore. You have betrayed me. I have lied, spied and risked my life for you, but you have broken your word to me despite all of it."

"I suppose I have, but I do not regret it," Dumbledore said frankly. "That boy is our best hope, Severus. Our only hope. When the time comes, he must face Voldemort with a head clear of doubts or uncertainty. If helping him do so changes things between us irrevocably, that is a price I am willing to pay."

"Of course you are. Anything in the name of the 'greater good', right Albus?" Snape taunted, knowing that the reminder of Grindelwald would wound Dumbledore. And indeed it did, as the older wizard flinched as if he'd been slapped across the face. Snape knew he was being petty, but given what Dumbledore had done to him, he relished the chance to lash out at him.

"I do not blame you for being angry with me, Severus," Dumbledore finally said after a long moment of tense silence. "That's something else you and Harry have in common, you know."

"We're hardly alone in that," Snape said dryly, and Dumbledore smiled at him.

"That is likely," Dumbledore responded, chuckling. "It is not, however, the only other thing you and Harry have in common." Snape scowled, but Dumbledore held up his hand before he could reply. "Please, Severus, hear me out. Whatever the differences between the two of you, you share one very vital goal: you both want to see Lord Voldemort destroyed, for good. The two of you wish for that with a fervour that surpasses even mine. If only you both could see that, this needless hostility could cease, and you could join me in helping Harry prepare to meet his destiny."

"That will never happen," Snape said firmly. "I have done my part to keep the boy alive for Lily's sake. Not yours, not his, but Lily's. But that boy is every bit his father's son. Aside from that, he has never shown me the slightest respect. Even if I attempted to pass my expertise on to him, he would have no interest in listening to what I had to say."

"If you gave him a chance, I think you would be pleasantly surprised," Dumbledore insisted. "Of course, there is one other thing linking you and Harry together. It is the strongest bond of them all." Snape stared at Dumbledore blankly, confused. "Love, Severus," Dumbledore continued. "Your mutual love for Lily Evans-Potter."

"You go too far," Snape said, his voice dangerously low. But Dumbledore either didn't get the hint of warning, or chose to ignore it.

"If you would only tell Harry the truth, the two of you would surely find common..."

"ENOUGH!" Snape exploded, shooting up out of his chair and staring, wild-eyed, at Dumbledore. "We will never speak of this again."

Without another word, Snape stomped out of Dumbledore's office and back to his quarters, fuming. The gall of that man, asking him to reach out to the son of James Potter! Perhaps the boy really did have the potential to defeat the Dark Lord, even if Snape had his doubts. But one thing was for sure: there would never be anything but dislike between the two of them.

Not for the first time, Snape found himself second-guessing his choices, his priorities, and his loyalties. He had a feeling it wouldn't be the last.

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