'We never did! You decided to go all linguisty on me.'
'Well, someone had to.'
With a huff of breath, Harry muttered something about Hermione and word-police, but Severus ignored it. 'Okay. You can say 'arrogant' anymore, then.'
Severus added it to the list. 'Neither of us can. Also, no 'whatever,' 'freak,' or,' he shuddered, ''dunno.' Despicable word, that.'
'Oh, I dunno,' Harry said with a smirk of his own -- he would have done Slytherin proud, at least on the surface. 'I kinda like it.'
'And 'kinda,'' Severus intoned, scribbling madly. 'Perhaps, to be safe, we should just avoid all faux 'compound' words that end with 'a'.'
TBC . . .
XOXOXOXOXOXXOXO
A/N: It may seem as if Harry's forward momentum has stalled, and indeed, it has. His recovery is not linear, alas, and it's not certain if he will be ready for classes again in less than a month. But Snape'll do his best, never fear!
Thank you to everyone who's read and reviewed! If you have any questions, or comments or corrections, please let me know. Next chapter should be out by Tuesday or Wednesday.
*Chapter 21*: Chapter 21
Walk the Shadows -- Chapter 21
By jharad17
Disclaimer: None of this is mine. Honest. She's rich, I'm not.
A/N at end.
Aug. 10
Whatever, Snape! Ha, didn't think I'd do it, did you? But I'm fine, fine, fine, fine, fine, FINE, FINE, FINE!
Hopes he reads that. Telling me I can't use 'fine' or 'whatever,' or whatever his faux-caringness problem is today. It was his idea that it only took one vote to 'blacklist' a word. He should've thought that one out a bit more before using it to keep me from saying 'git' or 'bat,' 'cause now he can't say 'detention,' either. Ha! Although he was obviously getting carried away when he said I couldn't use 'no way,' or 'leave me alone,' so my next choice of words was 'the.' Choke on that, ye Greasy Git!
He didn't have to tear up the list though.
The 'Official List' he says, is the one posted on one of the kitchen cabinets. It's shorter than the one we worked on at first, but I got a few choice words in there, too. Still not supposed to use 'fine' though. What am I supposed to tell him, then? I can't describe the awful . . . ache inside, the way it's hard for me to think, sometimes, or catch my breath, because a memory hits me and I can't see beyond it . . . until I get it under the stone. Then, everything's, well, fine
I catch him watching me, sometimes, and it's weird, 'cause I know he's trying to Legilimize me, or maybe just trying to make me talk, but he doesn't say anything, and it makes me really uncomfortable, 'cause he's supposed to be the one who yells and insults me and instead he's the one who, right now, is telling me I'm worth something, and that nothing that happened, with the Dursleys at least, was my fault.
I know that's not true, no matter what I told him. I was bad, and I was punished. Dudley almost got killed a year ago because of me, and I blew up Aunt Marge, and ruined business deals for Uncle Vernon, and never did chores to Aunt Petunia's specifications Sure, they were more than your average kid had to do, but then, they took me in when they didn't have to. I was lucky to have a home, even if they didn't want me there.
Of course, when I look over what I just wrote, and think of Hedwig, who never, never deserved what he did to her, and I think about how they left me to starve to death or die of infection, I think maybe Snape is right and I rationalize what happened to me too much. 'Sure they hurt me, but they had a right to.' Blah. What if it was Ron's parents who hurt him like that? Would I feel the same? Or even someone like Colin Creevy, who's folks are Muggles? Would I think he deserved to be beaten and starved and locked away in a cupboard because he did accidental magic in front of them?
No. I wouldn't.
But I can't think about that anymore, 'cause if I do, I'll get all depressed and shit, because there isn't anything I can do about the fact that they hated me, and nothing I did was every going to make them love me.
There, I said it. Happy now, Snape?
Sighing, Harry closed the journal which had miraculously reappeared on the writing desk this morning. Well, not so miraculous, he supposed, since all Snape had to do was pick it up off the floor and put it back on the desk. But still. He was almost . . . glad of it, really. He was still pretty sure that Snape was not covertly reading what he wrote, but one couldn't be too careful. He'd gotten a bit carried away, to be honest, with this last entry. He hadn't meant to write all that personal stuff. But it was easier than talking to the professor. Mostly.
Snape looked up at him at last, and Harry was half way to his feet even before Snape said, 'Flying, I assume?'
'Yes, sir,' he said, with all the enthusiasm he could muster. 'Please.'
'Very well.' Snape marked the page in his book – he read as much as Hermione, honestly! – and rose to get their brooms.
For the next hour, Harry was at peace.
