Better Be Slytherin!

give you an extra day or two before sending the New Chappie Police 'round to your house . . .' An extra special double latte thanks to you. Heh.

*Chapter 43*: Chapter 43

Better Be Slytherin! – Chapter 43

By jharad17

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Previously on Better Be Slytherin:

Satisfied with what he had learned, Severus exited Potter's mind. The boy was almost prostrate on the floor, gasping for breath, and glaring up at Severus at the same time. When Severus arched an eyebrow, however, Potter swallowed hard and blanked his face, but, to his credit, he did not look away.

Crossing his arms over his chest, with his best I am very disappointed look, Severus sighed. 'Explain.'

'I can't,' Harry said. He struggled to his feet, not wanting to have to crane his neck to see his professor. It was bad enough he had to look up at him at all, when he was looming like that, and looking so bloody disappointed. Harry felt sick.

'Excuse me?'

'I . . . I don't know why that happened.'

Snape glowered some more.

Suddenly annoyed, since the whole mess was the bloody Bloody Baron's doing anyway, Harry scowled right back. 'Honest! I don't know why I could suddenly do that spell. The Bloody Baron said it was because of us sharing my body for a little bit, like fantastic memory or something.'

'Phantasmal Memory?'

'Yeah. Er, I mean, yes, sir. That's what he said.' Harry rubbed his forehead; his scar ached from Snape messing about in his head. He looked up at the professor. 'How come I couldn't get you out that time, like I could the first time you looked at my memories?'

Snape sneered, looking oh so cool and collected, when Harry was covered in sweat. 'Because I was ready for you to try and push me out. Last time I Legilimized you, I underestimated your abilities. I did not make the same mistake twice.'

'You mean, like I did,' Harry said, figuring he should have known the professor would be better able to hold on inside his mind this time. Yet he hadn't worked harder to push him out till Snape had started watching the hidden memory of the troll fight.

'Indeed.' Snape gestured at the chair in front of his desk, and Harry sank into it gratefully. 'Why did you not tell me about the Phantasmal Memory effect, when you fought that troll? One might think you didn't want me to know.'

Harry flushed. He had lied to Snape after the fight; he knew it, and knew he had no excuse. But he'd been weirded out by the whole scene, to be honest, and had not wanted the professor to ask more questions about him being possessed by the Bloody Baron, when he didn't really remember it very well. Not to mention, he'd like to put that whole possession incident behind him: the cold sensation, the headaches, and the odd recollection of spells his body knew, but his memory didn't.

'Look at me, Potter.'

With a guilty flinch, Harry met the man's gaze. He hated being called 'Potter,' and he knew the professor only did it when he was being extra strict outside of class. But that name -- and the tone which accompanied it -- reminded him too much of the way the Dursleys had treated him. Yet he knew he owed Snape the truth. 'I didn't want you to know,' he said in a low voice.

'That much is obvious.'

Coloring a bit more, Harry nodded. 'My body remembers doing those spells, when we fought, when the Baron and I fought Pro--' He cut himself off. 'Whoever-it-was we fought my first week here.'

'You were going to say Professor Quirrell.'

Harry shrugged, looked away.

'Why didn't you?'

'Because it doesn't matter, does it? It's not like anyone's doing anything to keep him from trying again, or to keep Him out of my dreams or--'

Snape stepped toward him, his eyebrows drawn down low. 'The Dark Lord is still invading your dreams?'

Harry nodded, still refusing to look at Snape.

Snape blew out a breath, sounding annoyed. 'Why did you not tell me?'

'What does it matter?'

'It matters, Potter, because if I know, then I can help you keep him out. And it matters because if you do not keep him out, he will know everything that is in your mind.' He paused dramatically. 'Everything.'

And, of course, Harry's mind went immediately to the whatever-it-was that was being guarded by a three headed cerberus, that he knew Voldemort wanted to get his hands on. Harry bit his lip and stared at his hands. 'He already knows about what Fluffy's guarding, doesn't he?'

'I imagine so.' Snape loomed closer, and Harry did his best not to flinch back, and thought he might have been successful, until Snape crossed his arms over his chest and swayed back on his feet. 'But if he knows you know