Hidden Truth von YasaiNoVampaia ================================================================================ Getting In Touch ---------------- 6. Getting In Touch Snape strolled purposely to Dumbledore's office. His intimidating robes billowed around his lanky body, as he skidded to a halt, the "Toffifee" already on the tip of his tongue. But before Snape got his chance to utter the password, the stone gargoyle awakened and jumped aside. The uncanny encounter with the Dark Mark this very morning wasn't fully digested yet and left the Potions Master's response time a bit rusty. He didn't react on time to avoid the collision with one hurrying student, who he then identified as his least favourite Gryffindor. "Potter!" He snarled and smirked inwardly as the boy blanched and hastily retreated back into the small room with the staircase. Harry eyed the only door to his escape longingly. "P-Professor Snape" He stuttered, looking up at the towering figure of his potions professor. His luck, indeed, that he had to crash into the one person he'd tried to avoid. Not that he ever sought the man's presence, but at this time it was even more not wanted. Snape's scowl deepened - if that was even possible. 'Professor' it was? What was the boy up to? Or had he finally learnt some manners? 'Nah, impossible. After all, he's the Celebrity-Who-Lived-To ...' At this point, an evil glint crept into Snape's eyes, causing Harry's feeling of discomfort to quadruple. '... Be-Rescued-By-Me.' Great ammunition, indeed, but nothing to blow too hastily. "Why do you have to grace me with the misfortune of meeting you? First thing in the morning, no less?" Snape snarled. Harry frowned indignantly. "It's not as if I had planned this to-" "Then you should better watch where you're going!" The Potions Master interrupted the boy. "For the next time - which I believe you are going to try to avoid at all costs - you dare 'bumping' into me when your obviously not exactly bright mind is occupied elsewhere, I will to see to it that you are once and for all expelled from Hogwarts! Invading the personal space of one of your professors ... you should know better, Potter!" Harry growled inwardly at the look of pure smug on Snape's face. "Believe me, Professor" He sneered. "The thought of invading your 'personal space' never occurred to me ..." "Insolent brat! Out of my sight!" Harry complied happily and hurried away, but he still heard Snape's last comment which dampened his victory a bit. "And that would be 20 points from Gryffindor for your disrespect!" Seething, Snape made his way up the staircase. As if it wasn't enough to almost having a heart attack due to the damn Dark Mark. Potter on an empty stomach was difficult to digest. Pushing this thoughts aside, he lifted his right hand to knock on the headmaster's door, as it suddenly opened. "Oh, good morning, Severus!" Albus greeted cheerily, waving his Potions Master inside. "I was just going to see you." As if. If Snape were to ask now, Dumbledore wouldn't have an believable answer as to why he was about to visit him. Snape lowered his hand again and entered the office. "Why don't you take a seat while I'm pouring us some tea?" Snape plopped into the most uncomfortable chair available. He didn't plan on making this meeting long. After the usual exchange of lemon drop offering and declining, Dumbledore sat down behind his desk. "What leads you to me? Something pleasant I hope?" "I fear, no. This isn't a courtesy call." As if the sourly man ever paid courtesy calls. "But first off, what business did you have to discuss with Potter about me?" "Excuse me?" Albus wore his best innocent look. But this angered Severus only more. "You know exactly what I mean. You are not the only one with possibilities to know what is going on behind your back." Albus sighed. "We didn't really talk about you. Harry had ... some matters to discuss with me. You were part of, but nothing essential." "Is that so?" Snape's hands clenched into fists. "So why, pray tell, didn't you want me to know you were talking to Potter? You did it on purpose to mention my name first so I wouldn't know with whom you are speaking, didn't you?!" "I did no such thing" Dumbledore assured, the twinkle in his eyes belied his seriousness. "How should I have known that you are capable of telling when someone starts a conversation uttering your name?" "This sentence is prove enough" Snape growled through gritted teeth. How did they say again? While talking was silver, silence was golden. Then Albus had to be power or platinum in this case. Albus positively beamed. "How did you learn it? I've never heard of such an ability!" His excitement shone through clearly. "It's a gift" Severus said curtly. "From whom?" "That's none of your bloody business!" Snape snapped, but cooled down immediately. "I'm ... sorry. I'm a bit on edge at the moment, Albus." "So I have noticed. Tell me, why did you come in the first place?" "The Dark Mark ... it was back." If Albus was surprised, he concealed it very good. "Hm" He merely said, encouraging his friend to go on. "This morning, I was just ... taking a shower as all of a sudden the mark was back. It was as if it never had been removed ..." "Did you feel something? Did it burn?" "No, but ... I wasn't sure if it really happened. After all, it disappeared shortly after ..." "What happened after it appeared, Severus?" Albus prodded gently. He knew he mustn't push his Potions Master too much or he'd just leave. "It ... moved." Snape's gaze fixed itself on his cooling tea. "It moved?" Snape sighed, exasperated. "The snake of the mark! It slithered across my skin and hissed at me!" "Intriguing." "I wouldn't have used this term" Severus snorted. "I wouldn't be sure if it wasn't just my imagination, if I hadn't felt where it had snaked across." Albus' expression became even graver. Could it be that this was the greatest fear of Snape? Getting his mark of ownership back, unsure if the Dark Lord had returned also? Was it likely that this possible link between Severus and Harry worked in both directions? But maybe this incident was just a wanted side effect of the magic Voldemort had fired upon the two. If that was the case, Albus didn't have to tell his Potions Master about the possible link. He didn't want to break his word, and he wouldn't do it either. "I will think about it" He said finally. "If there are more such occurrences, don't hesitate to inform me." "Certainly" Severus said tersely, rising from his seat. "Headmaster." After this, he made his way to the door and left. -+-+-+- As it was still pretty early, there weren't many students in the Great Hall to have their breakfast yet. Harry, Ron and Hermione sat at the end of the Gryffindor table, where they could talk without anyone overhearing them. "So, what did happen in this vision and what did Dumbledore say?" Trust Hermione to get straight to the point. Harry sighed and started to explain to them what he had seen in the mirror and that he had received his memory back, deliberately leaving out the part about possibly sharing a link with Snape. Ron only listened with one ear, he couldn't bring himself to be again his former self. Having his sister be killed, he feared the wrath of his mother. Most of his thoughts were about his family, and he didn't even gave so much as a snort as Harry told them that Snape had hexed himself to race after the Pettigrew rat. Harry pulled his cloak tighter around himself. "Pretty cold, isn't it?" He could almost see his breath in the air. Ron merely grunted, affirming. Hermione stared across the room, trying to make sense of what Harry had told her. Why should he get his memory back, just like that? He couldn't get rid of the nagging feeling that he hadn't revealed everything to her. For the time being, though, she could live with it. A cool breeze swished past her, causing her hackles to stand on end. Rubbing her right arm with her left hand, she reached for the cup of tea in front of her. Thank Merlin it wasn't chilled pumpkin juice. But it wasn't the warm mug that touched her lips. Hermione cried out in shock as something ice-cold brushed her lips, sending her flying to the floor; her mug shattering to pieces, wetting her with the sage tea. Harry and Ron, despite his earlier lethargy, were on their feet immediately, helping their friend from the floor. "What was that, Mione?" The girl trembled slightly, refusing to sit down at her seat again. "I don't know ..." She murmured. "Why were you on the floor, then?" Harry asked, coaxing his friend to sit down again. Fortunately, their little mishap had went by unnoticed. "A gust of wind, I guess. There must be a opening in the room somewhere, I can feel a draught ..." Hermione rubbed her hands awkwardly and resumed her eating. "Uh, shall I?" Ron asked, pointing towards her slightly wet robes. "Oh." Hermione cast a quick drying spell and let the broken cup vanish from the floor. As she noticed that the boys still weren't eating, she tried to assure them that she was alright. "It was just a cold gust, okay? I overreacted. Now eat up. I'm planning to visit the library later on. I'd like to figure out how Voldemort managed to set up all those wards to trap us in here." This got a rise out of Harry and mostly of Ron, who groaned loudly. "No! We have no lessons, why should we go into the library?" "Because it is always good to learn something - especially something that isn't in the curriculum. And it will get our minds onto other things. Are you going to come?" - Chibi Snape: *@ Aku Maru* 60 points to Slytherin for being the first reviewer. As for the extra work you caused me, you get 40 points extra, that's a total of 100 points! *hahaha* Really, how could I not put the fact into the chapter that they didn't know why they forgot everything in the first place? It's still not so clear, but as clear as it gets - for now. The link is a bit more complicated, but very important. And I hope it's clearer now what this little voice is about. 'Aku Maru' He, I heard that! What are you daydreaming about me? Chibi Harry: *@ Kateri1* 30 points to Ravenclaw ^^ Thanks for finding the chapter fascinating. Chibi Snape: *@ MiruSedna* 20 points to Slytherin! I thought that you'd like the shower scene, but may I suggest that you refrain from drooling onto your keyboard? You may want to use it in the near future ... maybe there are more shower scenes lurking behind the horizon ... Draco coming back? Don't know *eg* And yes, seeing Harry happily skipping around already scared my for life. You're lucky to not have to endure it! *whisper* My psychiatrist found his life goal in the resurrection of my mental balance. Chibi Harry: *@ falling-alone* 15 points to Hufflepuff. *LOL* Yeah, Snape's never got a chance to wash his hair! It's sad, really, he would have needed it. Hosted by Animexx e.V. (http://www.animexx.de)