A Lesson in Fear

"Professor?" Harry Potter addressed Severus Snape during his third detention of the week.

"What do you want Potter?" Snape asked, extremely irritated.

Harry looked up from the mess of potion ingredients meant for him to organize, debating whether or not he should ask the question that had been on his mind since his fifth year. "What made you do it?"

"Do what?" sighed Snape exasperatedly. He was not in the mood to talk with Harry Potter; but then again, he never had been throughout his seven years of knowing the boy.

"Why did you spy for Dumbledore, switch sides?"

Severus Snape stopped grading papers and stared long and hard into Harry's emerald eyes. Apparently finding nothing unusual in them, he answered, "Why should you care?"

"Because. I'm the one who has to face him last. I'll be the reason he dies, or he'll kill me."

Instead of saying something about how arrogant Harry was, Snape responded with, "Why do you feel that you need to face him? Because a prophecy said you had to?"

"What other choice do I have?"

"You could finish yourself off, you could allow someone else to do it, you could run... the list goes on Potter."

"But then who would defeat him?"

"No one."

"And where would that get us?"

"Who knows."

"That's why I have to stay. It's the right thing to do."

"Gryffindor morals, no doubt."

"Most likely," Harry said, smiling. "But you didn't answer my question."

"Which one?"
"The first one"

"Because it was the right thing to do."

"Gryffindor morals? What happened to the Slytherin?"
"And all the other selfish reasons a proper Slytherin would take into consideration," Snape continued."

"Like being controlled?"

"Yes," answered Severus, surprised the seventh year had gotten that. "And others."

"Like..." Harry prodded.

"Your parents, your godfather, and countless others dies at his hands, at my hands. Let me know how you feel after you defeat the Dark Lord and tell me killing is fun, even if it's your supposed enemy."

"Sirius didn't die at Voldemort's hands," Harry mumbled, hoping Snape didn't hear.

"Whose hands did he die at then?" But he obviously did.

"Mine."

"Goddamn your arrogance Potter!" Snape exploded. "It's been two years since that incident in the Ministry, and you still haven't gotten that it wasn't your fault."

"My arrogance? At least I didn't blame you!"

"I did as much as you did to kill him- nothing. It was his choice to go, even if I was the one to tell him to stay."

"Exactly! And did you really think he would?"

"I knew he was a good enough wizard to handle it! It's not like I purposely sent him to his death! Besides, it wasn't even Bellatrix that killed him. It was the veil," he finished quietly.

Harry didn't say anything for awhile, he just stared at Snape.

"Potter, he died indirectly at Voldemort's hands."

"You just called him Voldemort," Harry stated, Sirius forgotten for now.

Severus replayed what he had said in his head.

"I did," he said softly, shocked.

"Fear of a name..." Harry recited.

"Only promotes fear of the thing itself," Snape finished the slightly edited version of what seemed to be Dumbledore's favorite phrase.

Neither Slytherin nor Gryffindor spoke until Snape said, "I think your detention is over for today. But I expect you here, same time, tomorrow."

"Yes Professor," said Harry as he walked out of the dungeon.