The Life He Deserved

Chapter 17

Snape gave him a calm gesture to sit down on the empty chair. Warily, he walked over and complied, sitting down, and facing him. He had a bad feeling about this. Onyx eyes peered into his, the intense piercing stare seemed as if they were ripping through his mind.

'Oh,' Harry realized, "he's attempting legilimency." He quite literally was trying to rip through his mind, but thanks to Death, he had natural occlumency. But because of this, he couldn't feel legilimency at all. While most would feel a tingle or probing as one enters the mind, nothing could get through his head in the first place. Those dark orbs blinked in a momentary surprise, before his face fell impassive and he leaned backwards into the chair, seemingly relaxed. However, Harry noted the slightest tension in his shoulders.

"Tell me Potter. Where were you this afternoon?" Snape asked in a casual tone. Harry blinked in surprise. So that's what it was about.

"I was in the library for some books. I had to bring my trunk to store them," he automatically responded, not giving away anything in his expression. Snape gave him a hard glare, not believing his coverup.

"Don't. Lie. To Me." Snape sneered, eyes boring into him as he straightened up.

'That sounds familiar,' Harry mused, honestly finding this kind of funny.

"The library wouldn't require that peculiar transportation you utilized." Oh shit, Harry didn't realize he was there. Snape continued on, ignoring his slight falter. "You seem to be quite adept in your magical control, doing whatever you did wandlessly. While magically powerful is rare but possible, a boy your age should not have that type of control, prodigy or not. Furthermore, there should've been no way you could gain lordship even being the last descendant at your age. Despite being the Boy Who Lived, goblins have no such bias." N.A. Someone commented on that, so I'll have Harry explain it :) "Even with that mutt and wolf raising you, you hold a mannerism of a pureblood adult, I'm sure the two wouldn't have raised you so. Not to mention, you seem to be an accomplished occlumence; something unheard of by a first year. Explain." Snape pressed out in a hard voice. Snape now leant forward; his hands intertwined on his desk as he bore his eyes into Harry, a suspicious look overtaking his features.

Harry was stumped; how could he avoid this? He knew he was pushing it with his magical abilities, but everyone just assumed he was the Boy Who Lived and thus did quite impossible feats. Harry knew he had to tread carefully, Snape was not an enemy you want, and he could ruin his plans. But he could be a great ally. On the other hand, he wouldn't put it past him to tell Dumbledore and foil everything.

"Professor, if I tell you, I want an unbreakable vow," he started carefully. At Snape's sour expression he hastily stated with his arms up, "Nothing big, just that you won't tell anyone anything I tell you." Snape seemed to be contemplating, his hands under his chin. Just because he couldn't tell anyone didn't mean he couldn't' do something if need be. He gave a stern nod.

"Very well, and how should I word it?" Snape enquired, knowing wording held a huge difference in promise.

"That you will not reveal anything I say in any way to anyone who doesn't already know." Snape nodded again and straightened up.

"I, Severus Tobias Snape, do vow that I shall not reveal anything in any way Harry James Potter-Black-Peverell says to anyone who doesn't already know what is being told." Harry watched as all the magic snapped into place, its glowing tendrils wrapping around his magical core. Harry gave him a grateful expression and took a breath.

"I'll start by answering your questions. The transportation was called shadowing. It is like apparation however it covers your tracks in all senses until you choose otherwise. The magical control well, let's just say I'm not a child at all." Snape stared at him disbelievingly and suspiciously, clearly thinking he's lying.