The Master Plan

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Chapter 18: Into the Lion's Den, or Finding a Way to Cuddle Up With the Nearest Appendage

Harry managed to contain himself all the way back to the dungeons before throwing a dozen questions at Snape. "All right, what's going on? What's it all about, then? What's this snake and Trelawney's balls have to do with anything? What's he up to now?"

Snape gave Harry a cantankerous look before pouring himself a glass of something out of a crystal decanter and dropping into a chair, looking weary. "She was going to do Ophiomancy, then," he remarked. "I knew it. Albus did his best to deny it, but I knew better. There had to be a connection."

"WHAT CONNECTION?" Harry finally hollered crossly. "Tell me what's going on! What in blazes is Ophiomancy, then?"

Snape gave him a piqued expression, before turning his attention back to his glass. "How to tell the future by the movements and behaviour of snakes," he replied. "How they eat, coil up, that sort of stupid thing. Just like that vapid featherbrain, too."

"Ophiomancy? Really?" Harry remarked, silently agreeing that featherbrain was probably the most appropriate description ever spoken of Professor Trelawney. "Do people really try to tell the future by looking at snakes...Severus?" he slipped in, relishing the feel of the name on his lips.

Snape gave him a mordant glance. "Always have," he said shortly, taking another long swig out of his glass. "Many famous soothsayers and prophets have done it..."

"Yeah? Like who?" Harry couldn't help questioning. He sat on the floor by Severus's feet and stroked his snake comfortingly.

"Oh, you should know things like that by now. Christ, sixth year already, what are they teaching you?" He drained his glass and quickly got another. "Chalchas, for one. Very famous Ophiomancer."

"Huh," Harry muttered, unimpressed. "I never heard of him." When the professor took his chair again, Harry inattentively scooted over and leaned against the man's legs.

The professor, nose to nose with his second glass of Irish whiskey, didn't seem to notice. "Very famous Greek soothsayer," he repeated indistinctly as he drew a mouthful of spirits. "Foretold the siege of Troy. And all. And there was Shalmaneser, big on Nachash--telling the future by looking at snakes, big on it, he was. Got the rest of them a bad name, forcing the Israelites that way..." He drained his second glass, and nudged Harry out of the way so he could retrieve a third. Harry didn't mind. Maybe Snape would relax a bit, once he had a few drinks under his belt. God knew he needed it. He'd never met a man more permanently wound up. When the man returned to his chair and flopped back down, Harry promptly leaned back against him again, petting the small serpent with great contentment.

He gazed around Severus's chambers, fascinated. The room they were in was very cluttered, lined with shelves, stuffed with books and bottles and bizarre-looking devices, and other creepy potions making paraphernalia. It looked, Harry decided, like it fit Severus's personality quite well. It was every bit as complex and varied and gloomy and forbidding as he was. Harry found he entirely liked the place. It even smelled of the Potions Master. "Mmmm," He leaned back and closed his eyes, trying to impress the moment on his memory. "So there's a connection between the snakes, which Voldemort did something to, and which Trelawney had intended to use for Divination, and me. So what's the connection? Well, yes, I can talk to snakes, but what was he trying to do, and why did he decide to do it then? And what caused Trelawney's crystal to explode?"

Severus gave an annoyed grunt. "Do you always ask questions in such succession that the respondent has no time between them in which to answer?" He sighed. "I can't give you all the answers. I am not even in possession of all the answers, not at this point, at least. I suspect Albus has an idea, but he, as usual, is holding all cards close and smiling all the while. Which I feel is wholly inappropriate, given the circumstances. All I have at the moment are...theories. Given your, how shall we say it, rather excessive and tasteless display of magical power, the last time I attempted to view your memories, I imagine that must have...set off bells, as it were. Since the Dark Lord has this bond with you, he must have felt the eruption of magic, the raw power you drew on when you destroyed McGonagall's classroom. I am not certain why this inspired him to act, or what he hoped to achieve from it. I somewhat doubt that I would tell you even if I did know. For your own safety, among other things." He took another swallow, eyes closed.

"But what about the snakes? I know we're both parselmouths, but how did he control that one snake? I mean...I don't know...I thought he'd have to be nearby or something. Or did he plant the snake? No, that doesn't make sense either, unless he somehow knew that Trelawney had taken it into her unstable head to give a lesson on Oph...what was it again?"

"Ophiomancy. Do you know, it's really quite amusing the way you ask questions and then answer them yourself. The way you prattle on, you actually don't need anyone else in the room, but for an audience." Harry gave him a disgruntled look, and realized the man was getting tipsy. How many glasses had he had? At least three, and he was drinking them uncommonly fast. Harry shrugged mentally. How could he know how much was too much for Severus Snape? He wouldn't have the courage to tell him to stop, anyway. Not unless the man was falling down, all-out, off his face drunk. "At any rate...when he sensed you using that power, he tried to...get at you. For some reason, it was urgent that he do so without delay. I don't think he knew about the snakes, not immediately. But it would have given him a path. A connection to you. Until he realized it, he simply...looked for a way in, a way to see what was going on in the castle. Most divinatory tools would have been useless to him; he would not have touched any of Trelawney's toys--tarot cards, tealeaves, all that rot. But crystal balls and scrying mirrors can be used for more than divination; they are ideal with communicating with or seeing someone at a distance. The Dark Lord sensed or knew of the fact that these things were kept in Hogwarts. I always told Albus safety precautions were needed, but would he listen? Where was I? Yes, the balls. He was trying to channel his way in, to force his power through to the castle, and get at you. The balls and mirrors in Trelawney's room would have been worthless to him, as they were nowhere near you--the epicenter of the magical upsurge. Still, he forced more power into them, attempting to...well. Likely the less said about that the better. But he found he was in a room with a number of snakes, and, being a parselmouth, quickly took advantage of that minor fact.

"Being...himself, he decided that the largest snake was the likeliest to be able to help him, and he overtook its mind. Then, of course, he sent it to spy on you. At this point, it's all vague conjecture; I have no idea what order anything really happened in. But throwing all that energy into the snake, and the mirrors, and the crystal balls...I assume that the conduit was strained, could only hold so much. Or perhaps his concentration could not be kept on all three tasks at once; at any rate, it was suddenly amplified, and became too much for all three outlets to handle. In response, the crystal shattered, and this caused the mayhem in Trelawney's room. At some point, she stepped on the snake. Which was fortunate for us, else it might have made it to you, and we still do not know his intentions once that was achieved. Disaster averted. Hmph," he added sardonically, sipping at his glass in a much more leisurely fashion than he had previously done.

"I see," said Harry slowly, having difficulty taking it all in. Why would Voldemort send a snake at him just because he'd blown up a classroom? What could the snake do in any case? And did Severus have feelings for Harry, or was what happened in the closet just a one shot deal, never to be repeated? Could he get the man to do it again? Why had Severus let him kiss him? Since he returned the kiss, could he possibly be as attracted to Harry as Harry was to him? And if Harry nuzzled his head against the man's knee a little, how would he react? This, Harry decided, was an experiment worth trying, and summarily put it to the test.

Severus's robes were soft, much softer than they looked, and Harry inhaled the warm, masculine scent of the man from them. One hand he wrapped around the Potions Master's calf, massaging it gently. He heard the man give a faint groan, and grinned impishly into the black fabric. After a few moments, Severus gave what seemed to be a reluctant sigh. "Stop that, Potter," he commanded. "You haven't been listening to a word I've said tonight, have you? Protect yourself from the Dark Lord, indeed. What a laughable excuse to get a chance at wiping your snot all over my leg. Stop it. Get up, come on. It's far past time for you to feed that beast of yours and get off to bed. Go on, get up; I have things to do."

Harry reluctantly dragged himself to his feet, already feeling the loss of the man's warmth against his side. "What about my snake?" he demanded. "He's hungry, we need to feed him something and find a place for him to sleep!"

Severus gave him an irked look. "These are my private chambers, Harry, not a bestiary, and certainly not the Ritz. We do not host scaly little freaks here."

"He's not a freak," Harry replied hotly. "Don't call him that! No one deserves to be called that," he trailed off unhappily.

The man seemed nonplussed by the hostile response, and rummaged around in his mind. "I suppose I have...extra bat spleens and whatnot about. It could probably devour those, and be sated." He sighed, rubbing his temples. "I'm sure if I hunted about a bit, I could find a box or a jar or something to keep him in, for the moment."

"I'll have to leave him here," Harry said regretfully. "If I took him back to the dormitory, it would be 'parseltongue' this, and 'Slytherin' that. I wish I could keep him with me," he frowned, looking down into the little pointed face.

This provoked another round of eye rolling by the teacher. "Dear God, Potter, it's a perfectly healthy, independent thamnophis, not your new pet kitten. Let's just find a place to put it, get it fed, and get you out of here. We can deal with finding it a new home tomorrow."

They found a large jar, and deposited the small reptile in his temporary home. Snape managed to locate some stewed slugs, which it ate quite happily, and they left it getting used to its enclosure. Finally, Harry could find no further excuses to stay, and let the professor show him out the door. "Goodnight, sir," he said, striving for his charming best.

"Goodnight," Snape muttered, sounding as prickly as ever. "Keep wary on your way back to your rooms," he added. Before he could turn to go back inside, he found himself with a student attached to him, its arms around his neck. Harry was embracing him. Severus stood rigid for a breath or two, both arms slightly raised. Finally he collected himself enough to lay one hand on the youth's unkempt hair. "All right, all right, enough of that, now," he announced, giving Harry's head a few quick, soft strokes. "Go on, then, go away and find something more constructive to do than affix yourself to your teacher like some sort of misdirected barnacle..."

Harry stepped back and gave him a mischievous grin. "I'll stop by tomorrow morning," he declared, causing Snape to blink at him dubiously. "I have to check and see that my snake's still okay," he explained as he headed down the hall. He laughed at the wry shake of the head the man gave before retreating back inside his chambers. He hummed all the way back to the tower, thinking, 'Kissing in closets and cute little serpents, calling him Severus and then hearing Harry, a snarky old teacher who makes my heart sing! These are a few of my favorite things...'