Sight

Chapter 9

The next week came and went in a blur. She was When Hermione returned to the Gryffindor common room, the last thing she expected to see was Harry staring into space, wearing the same expression he had had on their first Hogsmeade weekend and he had been stuck in the castle.

"Harry? Are you alright? What happened?"

"I just had my last Occlumency lesson."

She took a seat beside him, letting the plush cushions of the sofa support her. "Oh. Um, whywas it your last?"

Harry let himself go and leaned back on the velvet cushions lining the back of the enormous armchair he was in. "I put my head in Snape's pensieve." He mumbled.

"Oh, Harry. How much did you see?"

"Not much. But... my dad was in it. And my mum. I- I think Snape was right about my dad all along." He looked like someone had killed Hedwig. "They were awful to him- they hanged him upside down and force-fed him soap. Then my mum tried to defend him, and asked my dad what he had ever done to them- Sirius and Remus were with my dad as well, and Wormtail- and my dad said it was more a matter of him existing. That's worse than Malfoy's done to me- and Snape was on his own against four people. Anyway, my mum tried to help him, but then he called her a- a mudblood, and she stormed off. The last thing I saw was my dad threatening to take off Snape's pants. Then Snape came in and threw me out of his office. I'm not going to tell anyone, but you already know- right?"

"Yes, I know... Harry, maybe you should talk to Sirius."

"I want to- I know you're going think I'm off my rocker, but I actually want to talk to Snapeabout it. Maybe this is why he's hated me all those years. "

"Actually, I think that's a good idea, Harry. Hating you for something your father did isn't right, but you haven't exactly done much to show him you're not the same- I know, but Professor Snape has just seen you -well, us- break rules every year and him having to jump in to save us. And I'm sure it doesn't help that everyone says you're practically a carbon copy of your dad."

Harry nodded. "thanks, Hermione. I guess I'll go see him now-"

Hermione grabbed his arm and pulled him back down to the armchair he was getting up from. "Not now! You have to give him some time to cool off first. If you go in there now, he'll- he'll probably- throw a book at you or something!"

Harry narrowed his eyes. "Why do I get the feeling you've been on the receiving end of that before?"

She blinked at him.

"Come on, Hermione, you've been moping for a week now. You were seeing Snape every evening, and then boom! The visits stop, and no one can get a word out of you. What happened?"

"I- I don't really want to talk about it at the moment."

"It's okay, I can understand that. But whenever you want to, I'm here for you. Okay?"

Hermione got up and hugged him.

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"Professor?"

"I thought I had made it perfectly clear, Mr. Potter, that your lessons have come to an end."

It had been a week since Harry's incident with Snape's memories, and he hadn't seen the man outside of class since. He had thought about talking to Sirius with the two-way mirror, but something held him back. He felt he should try to make amends before potentially asking his godfather to do the same.

"I'm not here for an Occlumency lesson, sir."

"Then what is it? If it's about your current Potions grades, they are abysmal, as usual, and no less than you deserve."

Harry fought against the urge to grit his teeth. Snape wasn't going to make this easy for him. Then again, he hadn't been expecting him to, and this time he acknowledged that the man did have some reason. He shut the door behind him and sat opposite Snape, who had been grading essays.

"I wanted to apologise, sir. For looking into your memories. It was none of my business, and I'm truly sorry. And I'm sorry for all of the times I was, er, disrespectful. And- and I'm sorry about my dad and Sirius. I didn't know; I-"

"You didn't know? Your godfather neglected to tell you? Or perhaps Miss Granger? How very amusing it must have been for you, Potter, to laugh about it with your friends: the greasy git of the dungeons, disrobed. Yes, I know what you call me. Say what you may, you are exactlylike your father: arrogant, disrespectful, and selfish. Did Granger tell you about your mother and myself as well? Did your little friend tell you how she pretended to help me, only to laugh at my injury with you behind my back? Or perhaps you were the one that put her up to it- how very fitting, the son of James Potter scheming to humiliate me. Well, it won't work, Potter, I shall not allow it. Nothing to say for yourself? Why, you're always so talkative in class."

"Her-hermione never told me anything, sir. She said she'd seen your past, but she wouldn't tell us anything about it, just that you were a good man and that was all we needed to know. She's- she's been helping you? How? I thought she had detention..."

"None of your business, though I find it hard to believe she hasn't already filled you in on the details."

"Sir, you mentioned my mother... Did- did you know her?"

Snape's gaze was impenetrable. Harry looked into his eyes, but there was no trace of emotion he could pick up on- "Yes. I knew her."

"Oh. I- it's just, everyone tells me about my father, but I don't know much about her... anyway, I won't take up more of your time. I'm sorry about what my dad did. It was nasty of him, and uncalled for. I know I can't completely relate, but I know what it's like to be publicly humiliated, and, well... I'm sorry." He got up to leave. "Goodbye, professor."

It took Snape the time it took Harry to get to the door to process his words. "Potter!"

"Yes, sir?"

"Your father would never apologise." The you're not your father hung unspoken between them.

"It takes two to make a child, sir."

He turned to go, and then turned again to face Snape, one foot out the door. "I'm also sorry I never took Occlumency seriously enough. I did Hermione's meditation exercises, but I should have been more cooperative in class."

Snape's lip curled. "Perhaps you should come back, next Wednesday, and we'll see if you're as hardworking as you claim."

"Thank you."

"And Potter?"

"Yes?"

"Tell Miss Granger she has detention tomorrow night."

"Yes, sir."