Part 4- Shattered Understanding
Two days later, Severus Snape stalked through the hallway, a particularly nasty expression upon his face. Not only had he tripped and fallen down a pair of stairs that felt like moving while he was standing on them, but he had spilled coffee all over his dungeon floor. It had been the worst mess to clean up, and Severus had given it a good glare before leaving the clean floor behind on his way out. He carried his books, nursing a sore leg. The students passing him were giving him sideway glances, wondering what had put him into a nastier mood than usual. Many were looking at their schedules to make sure they didn’t have him. He kicked his door open, storming into the presumably empty classroom. He slammed a pile of multicolored, leather-bound books upon a long black table, the wood rattling with the force of the weight being thrown upon it. The tall form leaned against the black wood, catching his breath as he bowed his head, muttering something vulgar to himself.
Running on no caffeine, barely any sleep, and a biscuit he had nabbed from the faculty room last night, Severus Snape was in an extremely bad mood. Sleepness nights had plagued him ever since he had been abandoned in that café, and every single person in the school had noticed his blacker mood. Only two more days until the break…he reassured himself, the idea of vacation forming an oasis of relaxation within his mind. A long sigh escaped his lips, and he bent over, resting his forehead against the books.
“Bad mood, Professor?” A youthful, rested voice came from behind him, and just the notion that someone else was actually feeling better than bloody snot rubbed salt onto an already stinging wound irked him to high heaven. He didn’t even think of whom might be speaking to him, and he whirled around, with a growl. Then black eyes blinked, startled, as he realized who was sitting in the high stool he usually sat upon. Booted feet were propped up on his clean desk, and he opened his mouth as if to say something. He shut it derisively, still resentful from the words that had passed the young man’s lips. “…you look upset.” Harry Potter blinked at him through his glasses, and Snape wondered cynically if the thickness of his glasses showed the density of his skull.
“Hmm…I wonder why,” Snape’s voice was sarcastic, and he swept from where he was previously standing to in front of his desk. His robes swept by his boots briefly with a soft swiff. He glared at his former student. “How did you get into this school unnoticed?” He sharply spat the words out at him, bitterness edging his voice much like poisoned salt on a margarita. Severus scowled, the expression unduly making him look like a spoiled radish.
“Dumbledore let me come in for a while. I came to talk to you, don’t you know that?” Harry leaned forward, letting his feet fall to the rungs of the stool noisily. “I know I was stupid the night before, and-“
“You think that nice words like those are going to make me feel better?” Snape questioned, tightly. He leaned himself against another table, sitting upon it and glaring at him. Harry flinched under the gaze, knowing he deserved it. “Of course, the perfect Potter always wanting to be the heroic little man he is-“
“Okay, look at it this way. I didn’t mean what I said that night.” Harry’s voice was exasperated as he interrupted his teacher. Professor Snape had always dug in the fact that he was famous, and while Harry hated it, he could see where his former teacher’s resentment came from. “You know I didn’t-“
“Then, actually, what did you mean?” Snape retorted. Harry’s green eyes lowered, and he looked away unsurely. He apparently didn’t want to irk Severus any further, since he was in a ghastly mood. He studied his teacher for a moment, thinking. “Well, are you going to tell me, or are you going to sit there watching me as if I’m some sort of animal on display?”
“Well…I don’t think that everyone hates you, you’re just in a nasty mood all the time. I just got angry because I didn’t know what to think when you said those things about my parents.” Harry looked uncomfortable, tapping his fingers against the desk. A light flush lit up his features in embarrassment, and Snape’s dark eyes fell upon his ruddy cheeks. He noticed Harry’s eyes had chosen a spot of paint upon the desk, centralizing upon it instead of looking at him. Severus let his student speak, feeling no need to supply words. “I know it was hurtful for me to say that you should have died with them…it didn’t make sense, either…and I don’t know what to say about it. I wasn’t thinking logically, I guess.” Harry paused and looked up at him. The Potions teacher hadn’t moved, nor had his expression changed. It unnerved him a bit, and he skittered over his thoughts, swallowing hard. Severus Snape had a tendency to make people nervous just with his dark gaze. He was a mysterious person, more or less, and no one really knew all that much about him except for Albus Dumbledore. An unsettling persona made him unique in his own way, and it kept one on their toes. Harry bit his lip momentarily and kept on speaking, a bit of nervousness drifting into his words. “And I think you’re lovable.” He gulped a little, flushing darkly. “It’s just that you’re in such a bad mood all the time-no one likes a grouch.” The slight twitch that could have been a smile on Severus Snape’s lips disappeared. “Umm…” Harry slid his glasses back up with his index finger, since he was looking down at the table for a long time and they had shifted downwards. “…I guess what I really want to say is that I’m sorry. I don’t know if you’ll accept it or not, but that’s all I can do.” There was a heavy silence that progressed heavily for a few moments.
“Prove it, then,” Snape said, abruptly, and Harry jumped. He looked up immediately, questioning his former teacher silently as to how. “You’re smart enough, Harry, to figure out how.” The black haired man crossed his arms and stared at him in challenge.
Harry’s lips curved in a light smile. “All right. I suppose we could go out for lunch one day, try sorting things out…maybe see if we could resolve some of the things we have against each other…get you out of this castle. You never go out.” Severus seemed to resist the thought for a moment, and then he shrugged indifferently. “I’ll try to be more understanding. Okay?” Harry’s head tilted a bit, and he adjusted his glasses. Severus gave him a flat, irritated look, which spoke volumes about his thoughts on how invasive Harry was. “I’ll take that as a yes. You would only be telling me no if you complained.”
Severus crossed his arms, and raised a slender eyebrow. “I have a class,” he said, darkly, an obvious hint telling Harry to depart from his room.
Harry smiled, a flash of white showing briefly. “I’ll send you a note by owl post next week, okay? I gotta take care of a few things. See you then, Professor.” He then hopped off his stool and strode out of the classroom, leaving Severus alone in the silence. Snape waited a few moments, and he walked swiftly over to the window, looking down through one of the fogged panes. He blew against it, rubbing at it with fingers that flinched away from the cold. He saw Harry walk out, so he could Apparate outside of the school grounds. He rested his forehead against the frozen glass, his eyes falling onto Harry’s hair. A rare, soft smile appeared on his lips, and he pressed his fingertips against the glass.
“…thank you.” He whispered to himself, since he wouldn’t have said it to Harry’s face, and he turned to meet his first year Potions class.
(AN: Thanks everyone for the reviews! I’m really sorry if this piece isn’t as good as the rest-I’ve been trying to get all of my Christmas shopping and decorating done. ^_^)