Against His Nature

CHAPTER 29

“Not again.” Harry groaned as he opened the letter that had been dropped in front of him at the breakfast table. It was less than a week before the Christmas Holidays and Harry had expected to have a nice quiet holiday alone in the castle.

“What?” Hermione inquired as she glanced over Harry’s shoulder and read the short two-paragraph letter. “Occlumency again?” Hermione whispered in curiosity as Harry dragged his diary out of his bag and noted down the days that Snape had requested his presence for the lessons. “I thought you failed miserably?” Hermione muttered as she watched Harry folded the letter up and put it neatly with the others he’d received. There was a letter from Remus asking Harry to spend Christmas day with him, yet another letter from the Ministry informing Harry of his requirements regarding the new laws and finally Snape’s letter bringing more bad news for the Christmas Holidays.

“I did, I think he’s torturing me. It’s bad enough I let him feed on my neck without invading my private thoughts yet again.” Harry finished his toast and stood up from the table. Charms practical exam was first thing this morning, and Harry didn’t want to be late, so having scoffed down breakfast was now on his way to the class, with far too much else on his mind rather than the coming exam.

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Harry sat down on the edge of the dueling platform in the empty great hall. Christmas Holidays had started on Friday and the entire castle was empty except for the few professors and students who’d stayed behind. Harry was used to spending Christmas alone and the quiet allowed him time to think, and he had been doing a lot of thinking lately especially about Octavia. The Vampire had been on Harry’s mind since the kiss in Snape’s rooms. The boy had done a lot of analyzing of what had happened in relation to Hermione’s theory but not a lot had made sense as yet. Harry had seen a lot of the Vampire, having spent most evenings in Snape’s chambers allowing the man to feed. Octavia was always there when he was, always charming and polite, and much more sociable than Snape. Harry was beginning to find he quiet enjoyed the elder Vampire’s company.

“Are you so eager to start you lessons Mar Potter, that you’re here deliberately early?” Harry jumped out of his private thoughts as he heard Snape sweep into the great hall, the man warding and locking the large doors behind him so that no one would interrupt them.

“No, just nowhere else to be.” Harry sighed as he stood up and watched Snape discard his outer teaching robe and roll up the sleeves of his crisp white shirt. Snape was still formally attired despite the holidays, and Harry felt rather under dressed in his jeans and baggy t-shirt. Even in only his shirt, waistcoat and black trousers Snape still looked immaculate.

“Good to see you’re employing your time constructively Potter.” Snape muttered sarcastically as he climbed the stairs onto the dueling platform and gestured for Potter to do the same. Harry climbed the steps and untucked his wand from within the waistband of his jeans. From previous attempts at Occlumency Harry knew the wand would be little help against Snape’s attack but pretended to be ready all the same. “Seeing as though your last attempt at this ended so abysmally, I’ve taken advice from Octavia and we’ll approach this a little differently.” Harry raised an eyebrow in mild surprise, having half expected to be flat on his back within the first twenty seconds. “Octavia believes that by showing you how to construct the barriers in your own mind to begin with, it will help you in defending against the attacks.” Harry nodded quietly as Snape raised his wand and pointed it at Harry. “Don’t try and repel me, I need complete access to try and find a suitable barrier you can use in your mind. Follow me through my progress so you know yourself what you are going to be looking for in future.” Harry nodded and having lowered his wand prepared himself for the inevitable…

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“I’m satisfied with your progress Potter, had I known you needed someone to hold your hand through this processes I might have obliged you sooner and saved all our previous failures in this subject.” Harry lay on his back staring at the ceiling and panting heavily. The boy was covered in sweat from head to toe, he was sore and he was mentally exhausted. Snape on the other hand was still immaculately dressed, not a bead of sweat anywhere to be seen, the man hadn’t even stretched himself. The two hours had been grueling and Harry had spent most of the time flat on his back, reliving some of his most horrible memories but surprisingly enough he was now actually making progress. Snape had spent half an hour in Harry’s mind showing the boy how to erect barriers against the mental attacks, and it had worked. Harry knew what he was trying to do now; albeit he wasn’t very good at it he now knew how to defend himself. “Water?” Snape had sat himself down on the bench that ran along side the raised platform and was pouring both himself and Harry a large glass of water from the pitcher the house elves had delivered for them. Harry nodded and crawled to the edge of the platform where Snape handed him the glass.

“This isn’t easy.” Harry whispered as he swallowed the entire glass of water and politely asked for another.

“Nothing in life is easy Potter, you need dedication and practice to become good at something.” Harry sipped from his new glass of water as he stared at Snape who was casually reclined on the bench, thankful for the momentary rest. There was silence that hung in the air, awkwardness on Harry’s behalf in that he didn’t know what to say having allowed Snape to see most of his private thoughts all evening. In the end though Harry couldn’t stand it any longer and was determined to ask the questions he’d been dying to ask Snape since Octavia had put them in his mind.

“Does Octavia have a mate?” Snape glanced up from his drink to stare blankly at the boy for a moment. When Snape assured himself the question was genuine and not some joke he carefully answered it.

“Yes, he has several but I fail to see where that is any of your business.” Snape snapped feeling a familiar swell of jealousy rise in his chest at the thought of Harry being interested in Octavia’s life and not his.

“Oh, I was under the impression he was looking for a mate like you were.” Harry whispered a little deflated that Octavia was already taken. Snape watched Harry’s reaction closely, his jealousy rising with each twitch of the boy’s eyes. The glamour’s Snape religiously kept erected to cover his eye colour fell away as jealousy turned to anger in Snape’s mind. Octavia was sabotaging his chances with the boy; he’d seen the images in Harry’s mind to prove it. The boy liked Octavia.

“Just because he pays you attention and kisses you Potter doesn’t mean he wants another mate. Octavia’s a selfish flirt and wouldn’t think twice about bedding you and dumping you a moment later.” Harry stared at Snape in shock, hardly believing how quickly Snape’s mood had changed, his eyes the familiar sky blue colour Harry was growing accustomed to.

“Merlin, don’t get all shitty. I just asked if he was looking for a mate that’s all.” Harry defended himself as Snape stood up abruptly from the bench and strode back over to the end of dueling platform, obviously ready to begin the lesson again. Harry quickly scrambled to his feet clutching at his wand defensively.

“Enough occlumency, I think you need practice in dueling.” Harry squeaked as he ducked a curse that was thrown at his head with some force.

“No way, not with you in this mood you’ll kill me!” Harry squealed as another curse came flying past him scorching the sleeve of his t-shirt. Snape wasn’t listening however and instead was focusing all his anger into every-one of his curses that Harry was trying to block, dodge and weave his way around with little success. Snape was fuming, the Vampire part of him was screaming that his property was being taken from him and Harry was unfortunately bearing the brunt. Snape was in a completely different world as curses tumbled from his mouth with ease. As Snape’s anger increased so did the curses, and Harry found himself no longer able to protect himself against the unknown curses being hurled at him. Snape was shouting now, screaming each curse with vehemence as Harry tried to duck out of the way. The boy was helpless and turned to run but a curse struck him in the back and brought him to his knees in agony.

He screamed.

The scream shattered the clouds in the charmed sky above them and seemed to break through Snape’s anger. Without realizing it ‘Crutiatus’ curse was sitting on the tip of Snape’s tongue as the angry fog surrounding his mind cleared and he was left staring at Harry’s writhing body at the other end of the platform.

“Fuck.” Snape swore loudly and ran down the platform having ended the unforgivable on the boy. Falling to his knees beside Harry, Snape carefully rolled the boy over and cupped his face in his hands. “Harry? Harry! Can you hear me?” Snape stroked the boy’s face gently for a moment watching as the green eyes swam into focus and the boy’s shakes subsided a little. Snape saw fear deep within the boy’s eyes and silently cursed himself over and over again for letting his temper get the better of him. For the first time since he’d stopped taking the inhibiting potion, Snape wished that he hadn’t. Everything would have just been find if he’d accepted his fate and just taken to bed any of the offers he’d been made when the law had come into affect. His temper had been one of the things he’d begun taking the potion for in the first place, he was volatile as a Vampire, possessive and angry, and despite his own thoughts he knew he couldn’t control himself. Snape knew as soon as he’d found out Harry was his mate that he should have abandoned the idea. Potter the-boy-who-lived wouldn’t want him, wouldn’t be allowed to want him, he shouldn’t have tortured himself by thinking it possible. And now he’d endangered him with his reckless jealousy, he was a liability without the potion. “I’m so sorry.” Snape whispered as he lifted the boy’s limp form into his arms and carried him out of the great hall towards the infirmary. No doubt the alarms had been set off by the use of an unforgivable inside the school, and Snape knew as soon as Dumbledore found out what had happened Snape would be as good as dead.

TBC>>>>>>>>>>>