Better Be Slytherin!

Glad to hear Snape's back-to-business voice, even though it meant he now had to answer questions, Harry said, 'Yes, sir.' He clasped his hands together tightly on top of the desk as if he were bracing himself. 'I'm ready.'

'You know, Potter,' Snape said, sounding almost irritated, 'I'm not going to hurt you with my questions.'

'Beg your pardon, sir,' Harry replied, clenching his hands tighter, 'but you don't know that.' He glanced up at the professor's face and met his dark, fathomless eyes head on.

They stared at each other for several long moments before Snape gave a miniscule nod. 'My apologies, Harry. You are correct. How about, I will do my best not to hurt you.' He paused. 'And you will tell me if I have failed. Agreed?'

'All right,' Harry agreed, though he didn't know if he could do that, in truth. 'I'll try, sir.'

'Thank you. That's all I can ask.' He smirked. 'Except for two other things.' Harry gazed at him expectantly, until Snape finally said, 'First question: Why don't you want to go home for winter hols?'

Harry had not said that he didn't, but he figured Snape was drawing on what Harry had asked before, about his Mum. But it wasn't fair; Snape was skipping a much easier question to answer. Harry considered making him ask that question first -- about whether he wanted to go to the Dursleys for the break or not -- but decided not to, less interested in having an argument than in just finishing this and going back to the dorms.

'There's no reason for me to,' he answered after a moment.

'Explain.' Harry narrowed his eyes and opened his mouth to ask if that was the second question, when the Professor cut him off. 'I am not satisfied with that answer, as I do not find it complete. So explain why there is no reason for you to return home for the holidays.'

Scowling now, Harry mumbled, 'Okay. Fine.' Hitching up one shoulder, he said, 'I'm not allowed to be part of their holidays, except cooking for them and cleaning up afterwards, so I'd rather stay here than be their servant.'

'What about on Solstice itself . . . or, I suppose as Muggles they celebrate Christmas.'

'Yeah, they do.' Harry shrugged, knowing next to nothing about Solstice. 'But yeah, on Christmas, sometimes they let me out of my cu . . . er, my room, so I can finish cooking dinner for them. Sometimes they don't, though, so I get to spend all day in there, alone, listening to them having fun and all. I'd rather be at Hogwarts, where I'm pretty sure I'll at least get dinner.'

'That would be a good assumption.' Snape smiled a little as he said it, and somehow, the touch of humor made Harry feel a bit more comfortable to be talking to him. 'What about presents? And yes, this is still part of question one.'

'Presents?' Harry frowned. 'What about them?'

'Won't you miss out on getting gifts from your family?'

Harry actually laughed, terribly amused by Snape's inadvertent joke. 'No,' he said, still chuckling a minute later. 'They never give me anything. First present I ever got was on my birthday this year. Hagrid gave me a cake when he brought my Hogwarts letter, and then he gave me Hedwig when we got my school supplies in Diagon Alley.' He chanced a look at Snape's face. The man did not show surprise or pity or any of that, and Harry was glad.

'Oh, wait!' Harry added a moment later, continuing to hold the man's gaze. 'I did get a present for Christmas once.' The day he started primary school, he had been promised a gift if he was very, very good until Christmas. He went for months not questioning any orders, and never talking back, hardly talking at all, in fact. He worked for hours every night after school doing chores to make up for the fact that he wasn't home during the day, and that was only after he did Dudley's homework. He was allowed to do his own homework after he finished the chores. During those four months, he never dared to ask for food or challenge any mean thing Dudley said about him or his dead parents, and he never complained when Dudley and his gang chased him or beat him up. He had been so good, and so looking forward to getting his present he'd been practically frantic with anticipation on Christmas morning.

Shaking his head, Harry shook off those old memories. His voice was quiet and lacking any emotion when he said, 'I got a clothes hanger.'

He never trusted anything they promised him, after that.

TBC . . .

A/N: Happy New Year, y'all! Thank you to everyone who reads and reviews! Donations are accepted here for the Hug-a-Harry fund. Just drop off your hugs for that most huggable (and needing of hugs) wizard-boy, Harry, and they will be delivered directly to his door as soon as possible. Be the first on your (ISP) block to give!

*Chapter 34*: Chapter 34

Better Be Slytherin! – Chapter 34

By jharad17

Disclaimer: Waaaah! None of this is mine!

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Previously:

Shaking his head, Harry shook off those old memories. His voice was quiet and lacking any emotion when he said, 'I got a clothes hanger.'

He never trusted anything they promised him, after that.