TBC . . .
A/N: A hearty thank you to everyone who reads and reviews! I'm not terribly pleased with this chapter -- it feels a bit to fillerish to me -- but the next two or three will cover the holiday break, with the start of Occlumency training, holiday gifts, and a trip or three to a magic mirror . . . so, lots of fun stuff coming up!
My apologies on the continuation of slow posting times, for Better Be Slytherin as well as my other stories. Unfortunately, I've been doing fairly poorly, health-wise, and even when I've had the time, which I've not had as much of lately, I've not had much energy for writing. I hope things improve soon, for me and my writing, and I thank you all for your well wishes; they're much appreciated.
My first poll is closed and the results are in: Over half of those who responded wanted me to keep writing on all my stories, cycling through them as I've been doing, rather than concentrating on any particular one and neglecting the others till that one was finished. So it has been written, so it shall be done! We'll just keep on keeping on. Hugs and hot cocoa for all y'all!
Update: I have a new Yahoo group dedicated to readers of all my stories, where you can ask questions about plot, characters, what-have-you, get updates of new chapters, or chat with other readers. Please join, via the link on my profile page! We're waiting for you.
*Chapter 40*: Chapter 40
Better Be Slytherin! – Chapter 40
By jharad17
Disclaimer: None of this is mine! Eh, I'll get over it.
Previously on Better Be Slytherin:
For a long time, Harry lay awake thinking about the book, thinking about the upcoming holiday break, and thinking about the people he needed to protect himself from if he didn't want to end up as dead as a unicorn. Thus, it was no surprise that he found Professor Snape at his bedside in the deep of night, telling him he had suffered another nightmare, even if it was one he could not recall.
Once Severus had calmed Potter down from his fright from his nightmare, he sat with the boy for a while, watching him go back to sleep. He knew the boy wasn't getting enough rest, because of nightmares and the fear of attack hanging constantly over his head. Quietly, he told Potter that their upcoming training might help him fend off nightmares better, as it had once done for Severus himself. He was pleased to see the information calmed Potter a bit more, even eliciting a wan smile from the boy.
In the morning, of course, it was back to business as usual, with scowls in the classroom and criticisms of potions, lest anyone think he played favorites, especially to the Brat Who Lived to Ensnare His Conscience.
A few days later, Severus was glad to see the end of the term, glad to see the backs of most of the dunderheads who graced Hogwarts' halls, at least for a couple of weeks, and glad he only had three Slytherins to worry about until the new term began: Potter and a pair of sisters, from third and fifth year, whose parents were visiting family out of the country and could not afford to take the girls along. It would be a quiet Christmas, he hoped.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Christmas fell only two days after the children left for their homes on the Hogwarts Express. The last thing Severus expected on Christmas morning, at barely half-past the crack of dawn, was Harry Potter in his doorway. The boy held up a book so he could see the title, one, of course, he knew already, having wrapped the gift only the day before.
Oddly, the lower half of Potter's body was missing.
"Happy Christmas, sir! You gave me a present!" Potter told him unnecessarily, brandishing Keating's The Occluded Mind like a shield and grinning like a maniac.
"So I did," Severus replied. "Where are your legs?"
"I got loads of presents!" the Brat told him, which didn't have anything to do with his question, as far as he could tell. Perhaps the strain had finally gotten to the child, and his mind had snapped.
"Was one of the gifts new legs, perchance?"
Potter giggled, a sound Severus had never heard him make before. Indeed, he looked positively radiant, aglow with happiness and holiday cheer, and Severus was glad he had decided, this once, to abandon his credo to never bestow gifts upon any of his Snakes, lest they think him soft. "No, sir, but one of them was an Invisibility Cloak, see?" He pulled off the cloak completely then held it up again, so Severus could take in the whole effect, which he did, even going so far as to recall the last instance he had "seen" Potter the Elder using the infernal device during a prank. The memory was not a good one. "And guess what?" Harry continued. "The note said it used to be . . . er . . ."
"Your father's," Severus completed, as the horror of that statement dawned completely. Though why he should have thought Albus was smarter than to do such a monumentally stupid thing as to give this cloak to this child at this time was beyond him. There were so many ways this situation could end badly that tallying the possibilities was enough to give him a headache. Albus should have known better, honestly.
"Yeah." The boy tugged the offending garment fully away from his appendages and balled it up as his cheeks reddened. Severus watched his eyes, though, and Potter did not seem angry at his professor's tone, but . . . embarrassed? "How'd you know, sir? I mean, I don't even know who sent it; the note just said the cloak was my Dad's and that I should use it well."
Severus sneered. "You put on an article of magical clothing without any idea of who sent it?"
"No, sir!" the boy retorted. He looked hurt suddenly, as if Severus should know he was not as foolhardy as he appeared. "I mean, er . . . I did, yes, but I went through the spells like me'n Teddy did on the Frogs first. And it wasn't cursed. I checked."
With one eyebrows lifted, Severus said coolly, "You do, of course, realize that curses for apparel are substantially different than those for comestibles."
"I . . . what?"
Shaking his head, Severus chuckled softly and took pity on the boy at last, ushering him into his rooms and out of the cold corridor. It was not the first time Harry had come to his rooms, as the seating here was more comfortable for staring at photos than the hard chairs in his office, and Harry immediately settled on the worn, brown sofa in front of the fire where he usually sat, before looking up at him with confusion. After ordering the boy some cocoa and waiting till a House Elf delivered it, Severus repeated, "Comestibles. That which is consumed. By eating," he elucidated at the boy's continued blank look. "Food."
"Oh!" Potter smiled shyly and sipped at his cocoa, making a soft sound of appreciation. "Yes, sir, I know. But I still have one of the main books we used out from the library, and lots of the spells are transfig . . . tranform . . . well, trans-something-or-other by just changing or adding a word or two. Teddy and me were--"
"Ted--" Severus interrupted, then cleared his throat. "Theodore and I."
At the correction, Potter blinked owlishly at him then smirked. "Yes, sir. Teddy and I were going over some of those ones before he left. They're dead useful."
A smile tugged at his lips, but he took a sip of tea instead. "I daresay. Of whose other largesse were you the recipient this morning?" He smirked again at the boy's confusion, pleased to continue adding to his abysmal vocabulary, and added, "Who else gave you gifts?"