A Turn for the Better

Chapter 6 ~ Divide and Conquer

Harry looked up at the clock and let out a low curse that made Draco look up at him. They were both studying for the upcoming exams in Harry's room. Harry was sitting on his bed and Draco was sitting in a chair next to it.

"Damn, it's time to go," Harry said, frowning and slamming his book closed.

Draco closed his own book. Harry still hadn't told him what happened to make Snape assign him a week's detention working with that big, dumb bastard Hagrid, who was the Hogwarts groundskeeper. It was hard work, Harry having to follow the smelly half-giant around the grounds, using his magic to trim hedges, plant bushes, clean Thestral stables and so forth. Harry didn't even understand why Hagrid was at Hogwarts. He didn't do any magic at all. Maybe it was because he was a freak and Dumbledore felt sorry for him, the old bleeding heart.

"Harry, can't you tell me what happened? I mean, Snape favors you . . . we all know that. For him to give you an entire week's detention with that big oaf, you must have done something that really displeased him. Come on, tell me," Draco said to him, his gray eyes filled to the brim with curiosity.

"Draco, if I tell you, it'll be a million times worse if it gets out. I could go to Azkaban," Harry replied, his green eyes narrowing as he adjusted his glasses.

Now Draco just had to know. This was the most Harry had said about his situation.

"I wouldn't tell anyone, Harry. We're mates," he hissed at his friend. "Come on, tell me!"

Harry shook his head slowly.

"I don't think you'd be able to resist saying something to one person," Harry said doubtfully, thinking Draco would love to put Hermione on the spot.

Draco frowned for a moment, then brightened.

"I'll take an Oath of Silence never to reveal what you tell me to anyone," he said earnestly. "I've got to know Harry or I'm going to explode."

Harry sighed. Draco had promised to take an oath for the entire week, but still he didn't tell him. But the situation was weighing heavily on his mind, and he'd like to get it off his chest.

"All right, Draco . . . take the oath and I'll tell you."

Draco quickly took an Oath of Silence, magic swirling about them. The moment it ceased, Draco looked at Harry, his eyes full of expectancy.

"Spill it," he said.

Harry told Draco how he had been in his room and Hermione suddenly appeared, dressed only in her bra and knickers, carrying just her wand.

"Granger came to you almost naked?" Draco asked, his eyes wide. Then, "well, what did she look like? Body-wise?"

Harry shook his head.

"She looked good, Draco. She's hiding a lot under those robes. I just wanted to jump on her the moment I saw her. I'm sure she came here to shag me, but . . . got cold feet. I wasn't about to let her go . . . I mean, she came here, didn't she? Once we got started she would have gotten what she wanted," Harry said to him.

"What do you mean, cold feet?" Draco asked him.

"She pretended not to know what she was doing here. But how could she come here if she didn't intend to? I'm telling you, Draco . . . she came to be with me . . . I know it. Yeah, she said she hated me, but those knickers said differently. So, I petrified her and put her in my bed," Harry said.

"Damn, then what happened? Did you do it? Did you shag her?" Draco asked, sitting on the edge of his seat now.

Harry shook his head.

"No, Snape walked in and took her," Harry said with a sigh, "then he told me attempted rape is just as bad as rape and if I mentioned a word of what happened, he'd report me to the authorities."

Draco's brow furrowed.

"I wonder how he knew to come just at that moment? Did he knock?" he asked Harry.

"No, he just walked right in, almost as if . . . as if he expected me to have a witch in my room," Harry replied.

"That's really strange. How did Granger act?" the blonde inquired.

"She played it off and acted as if she didn't know how she got here. You know Snape fell for it. He treats her as if she's a Slytherin, I swear," Harry hissed.

"Yeah, but all the teachers treat her like that," Draco replied, his eyes darkening, "brilliant bloody Granger. I wish you could have buggered her, the little bitch."

"Me too. It would have been a hard one, believe me. But . . . I didn't. Now I have to work with fucking Hagrid, and he smells like a troll. He wears that smelly coat day and night I bet. And his hair, it's full of axle grease and his beard looks like brambles. It's horrible just to be around him. I don't even think he can read," Harry said witheringly as he pulled on his robes.

"I heard he was kicked out of Hogwarts for something . . . his wand taken away. But my father didn't give me all the details. He said Dumbledore should have never let him back here, but you know Dumbledore. A Gryffindor," Draco said with distaste. "He welcomes Mudbloods, so a filthy half-giant's no problem. If not for my father sitting on the Board of Governors, he would have ruined the school by now. Probably brought in Muggles."

Harry didn't say anything about the Mudblood comment, even though his mother was Muggle-born. He was so emotionally distant from his parents that Draco's usage of the term didn't bother him. Obviously, his friend thought him a proper wizard, despite his tainted parentage. That's all that really mattered.

The final break that caused a chasm between him and his parents was something professor Snape showed him shortly after he won the Tri-Wizard Championship. His parents dressed him down in front of his siblings, telling him that he didn't deserve to win, that his methods were deplorable, and they were ashamed of him. He argued that "anything went" during the competition, and his father told him that was no reason to act like a bloody git. He also took him to task about his constant harassment of Gryffindors, his friendship with Draco Malfoy and not protecting his younger brothers and sisters, who were all in Gryffindor house.

Young Remus and Peter had been locked in the Entrance Hall closet by Draco, Goyle and Crabbe after they took their wands and put a Silencing spell on it so no one would hear them calling to be let out. Harry had simply laughed about it when he found out. They weren't hurt after all.

Then his mum got on him about how he'd thrown over Ron.

"Ron was your best friend, Harry. Your very best friend, and you threw him over for Draco Malfoy just because he's better off," she said to him, looking very disappointed.

Harry tried to explain they were bound to drift apart because they were in different houses and the rivalries between them. He couldn't pal around with a Gryffindor. It would make things hard for him in his own house.

"It should make no difference, Harry. You should be ashamed of yourself. He's your friend. A friend is a friend always," she lectured.

Lily and James had been furious, because Draco was Harry's best friend. He and Ron had drifted apart almost immediately once he met Draco after the Sorting, who told him: "You'll find out some wizarding families are much better than others, Potter. You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there."

He offered Harry his hand, and after a moment, Harry took it, shaking it firmly. They'd been friends ever since, Draco using his influence to slide Ron out of the way by suggesting activities Ron couldn't be part of, most of which took place in Slytherin House. Once Harry became seeker, it was practically over. Oh, he and his parents still went to the Burrow, but Harry always seemed as if he didn't want to be there, unless Ginny was around, and then he was always trying to sneak off with her for a little slap and tickle. He still played around with Ginny, although he hadn't shagged her yet.

He really didn't know why. She'd let him, he was sure . . . but . . . for some reason snogging the fiery-headed little witch was as far as he'd go. He didn't understand it, but then again, he didn't think about it much.

After his parents' chastisement, Harry returned to the school sullen, disturbed, and not acting himself, really affected by what they said to him, feeling for the first time, he'd really let them down.

Snape picked up on it as if he had radar and took Harry aside and asked him what was wrong.

Harry told him about what his father and mother had said, especially about acting out house rivalries and betraying friends, Snape listened quietly, then let out a little snort.

"They said all that did they?" Snape purred at him.

Harry nodded sullenly.

Snape stood up.

"Come with me into my private quarters. There's something I believe I should show you," the dark wizard said, rising from behind his desk, walking to a corner of his office and pulling on a torch. The wall rose.

He looked back at Harry.

"Come along, Mr. Potter, there's knowledge afoot," he said softly, walking through.

Harry followed and found himself in a large room filled with books. There was also a large writing desk with quills and parchments in one corner, a liquor cabinet, a green sofa, two armchairs, a small table and a fireplace. Over the mantle hung the Slytherin standard, a silver snake against a green field.

"Have a seat, Mr. Potter," Snape said, gesturing to one of the chairs.

Harry sat down, wondering what this was all about and watching as Snape walked over to a shelf of books and pulled it aside. It was a false front. He drew out a large bowl, closed the shelf back and glided over to the armchair next to Harry's and sat down, pulling out his wand.

Harry watched as Snape removed memories, placing them into the Pensieve. He handed it to Harry.

"I'm not going to say anything about the content of that Pensieve to influence you, Mr. Potter. Suffice it to say, parents' memories can be 'selective.' Before you deluge yourself with self-recriminations and rethink who you are, I'd like you to view this," he said softly, the firelight catching his dark eyes.

Harry frowned at Snape slightly, then stared down at the bowl in his lap.

Snape waited more than an hour for Harry to view his memories. They were memories about him and Lily as children and growing up in Hogwarts up to the point she abandoned him, and about his father and his "uncles" Remus and Peter and his godfather Sirius.

When Harry exited the Pensieve, he looked up at professor Snape with a mixture of horror and loathing. The Potions master knew that look wasn't for him.

"The hypocrites," Harry hissed, "both of them. All this time they've talked about noble values and how to treat people, treasure friends . . . and they were both horrible to you, professor. I thought I knew my parents. My dad was a bully and a coward. And my mum, what kind of friend was she to throw you over when it was clear you were angry about being attacked? Friends call each other names all the time when they're mad."

Snape didn't say anything. He just watched as Harry seethed, working himself into a deep, searing anger at his parents. After all this time they spent giving him a hard time, he finds out they had been no better . . . actually worse than he was. And professor Snape never once said anything bad about either of them his whole time at Hogwarts, although his mother and father constantly warned him not to get too close to the wizard. It was probably guilt, or worse, they were afraid the professor would tell him what gits they really were.

Harry looked at Snape. But he hadn't told him . . . he showed him and only because he was so down about how he'd failed them. Harry frowned. He hadn't failed them. In fact, he acted a damn sight better than they had at his age. He gave Gryffindors a hard time, but he had never targeted anyone specific repeatedly. Maybe once in a while he and Draco would team up, but there was always more than one victim.

When he came home for the summer and his parents started in on him as they usually did, although his marks were good and Slytherin won the House Cup, they found a very different son. One full of resentment and accusations . . . all of which were the truth.

"Dad, you and the 'Marauders' constantly ganged up on professor Snape when you were in school. He'd be doing nothing to bother you and you'd just attack him for no reason, embarrassing him in front of everyone! And you, mum . . . you were supposed to be his friend. I thought you didn't turn your back on friends? At least that's what you told me. Both of you are FULL of it! It's 'do like I say, don't do as I do,' isn't it? Well, it doesn't work that way. I'm honest about the way I am. That's more than I can say about the two of you! From now on, save your lectures on how I'm supposed to behave, because you two have no idea how it's really done. I can't believe you!"

And he stormed into his room and refused to come out for much of the time. He spent most of the summer there, corresponding with Draco and reading. He ate his meals with the family, but was sullen and wouldn't interact with any of them, not even his sister Petunia, who wasn't yet at Hogwarts and who loved him dearly.

She'd try and climb into his lap, but Harry would set her down gently and say, "Not now, Petunia."

She couldn't understand why "Hawwy" wouldn't play with her.

It was because Harry had issues. Big ones. And neither his mother nor father knew how to fix them. He was right after all. Of course, James was furious at Snape.

"That greasy dungeon bat told him all of that," the seeker seethed, pacing back and forth in their living room as Lily watched him. "He had no right to reveal that history. Harry took it all out of context, now he thinks we're hypocrites and liars. How is he going to respect anything we have to say?"

Lily didn't say anything. As awful as it was, it was all true. All of it. And they ignored what they had been like as children growing up at Hogwarts. How cruel and unthinking they could be. They acted like it hadn't mattered. They were all young then, still maturing . . . children were cruel at that age. Lily had no idea that when she turned her back on Severus Snape, that it would come back to haunt her.

They just wanted Harry to grow into a proper wizard. Be kind, honorable, courageous and fair-minded. Something they weren't a lot of the time when they were young. Given, Lily and James Potter were no worse coming up than a lot of children, but they made the mistake of acting like they had no faults, as if they had never acted wrongly toward anyone. What was worse, the blow-up happened in front of Harry's younger siblings, and the look of astonishment and disbelief in their eyes were almost as hurtful as Harry's words.

Well, Harry was pretty much a lost cause at this time. Hopefully he'd calm down enough so they could talk candidly with him in the future. In the meantime, they had a lot of damage control to do with their other children, those who weren't under the influence of Severus Snape.

As Lily sat there listening to James rave about Severus, she couldn't help feeling that they had truly brought this on themselves. They never made any attempt to apologize for their treatment of him when they became adults. They just . . . dismissed him like a non-entity. He didn't matter. He was out of their lives.

But life has a way of coming full circle, and Severus Snape was no fool. He didn't resort to ill-treatment of Harry Potter . . . oh no. He knew that would only cause resentment and defiance for the short term of the boy's tenure at Hogwarts. He was going for the long-term and the permanent.

Harry Potter was a product of careful, calculating treatment, thoroughly Slytherinized, the path of his life firmly sealed by the duplicity of his own parents' holier-than-thou attitude.

Snape always knew that attitude would be the rock cake that broke the Thestral's back. He waited patiently for them to pour it on, feeling that Harry winning the Tri-Wizard Championship in the prescribed Slytherin manner would be the perfect catalyst to get James and Lily on their soapboxes.

He had been right, but that was no surprise to the wizard at all. He always knew he was smarter than the two of them combined.

Gryffindors were always so fucking predictable.

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A/N: Whoo hoo! So now we see it. Just how sinister and brilliant and successful Snape's plans for Harry were.