Dysfunctional

43 - Like Godfather, Like Godson

Friday, April 25

Harry waited in the bathroom, frozen out of fear until Snape returned ten minutes later. He closed the door behind him and shooed away a wailing Myrtle, who dived into a toilet, leaving a ringing silence behind her.

"I didn't mean for it to happen," said Harry at once. "Malfoy used the Cruciatus on me."

"Don't lie to me!" hissed Snape through gritted teeth, taking a step towards Harry.

"I'm telling you the truth!" said Harry forcefully. "You can check his wand," he added, searching desperately for some support to his claim.

But Snape ignored this. "Be as it may, Potter. You decided to use Dark Magic to retaliate instead of going to a teacher for aid."

"He used an Unforgivable Curse on me," said Harry again. He could not believe Malfoy would get away from this scot-free.

"And yet-" said Snape, looking at Harry with disdain, "-you were not the one on the floor bleeding to death. If I had not been passing by the corridor, you would have likely murdered a student."

Harry felt horrible at the cold realization. "I didn't know what that spell did."

"Apparently I underestimated you, Potter," he said quietly. "Who would have thought you knew such Dark Magic? Was it that mutt, Black, that has been teaching you-"

"Don't you blame this on Sirius!" shouted Harry, his anger returning.

"I wouldn't put it past him," said Snape simply before enunciating each word, "Who-taught-you-that-spell?"

"I - read about it somewhere."

"Where?"

"It was - a library book," Harry invented wildly. "I can't remember what it was call-"

"Liar," said Snape. Harry's throat went dry. He knew what Snape was going to do and he had never been able to prevent it...

The bathroom seemed to shimmer before his eyes; he struggled to block out all thought, but try as he might, the Half-Blood Prince's copy of Advanced Potion-Making swam hazily to the forefront of his mind.

And then he was staring at Snape's black eyes again, hoping against hope that he had not seen what he feared, but -

"Bring me your schoolbag," said Snape softly, "and all of your schoolbooks. All of them. Bring them to me here. Now!"

There was no point arguing. Harry left the bathroom immediately. Once in the corridor, he broke into a run toward Gryffindor Tower. People gaped at him, drenched in water and blood, but he answered none of the questions fired at him as he ran past.

Harry could not let Snape find out about the Prince's Potions' book.. He could not.

oOo

With a momentary whim of an idea, Harry hid the Half-Blood Prince's copy inside the Room of Requirement and used Ron's copy of Advanced Potion-Making instead to somehow fool Snape. He was wrong, however. Snape needed only to look into his eyes to deduce the truth, and the fact that Harry had lied didn't sit well with him. So he frog-marched Harry to Professor McGonagall's empty office.