Another Kind Of Magic

AN: *munching on heart shaped cookies* Reviews keep the author happy and regular updates keep the reader happy. You've convinced me in keeping the updates on twice a day if possible :o)

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Severus handed Minerva a cup of tea. "Thank you for coming down, Minerva. I'm not in the mood today to have all the former Headmasters prick their ears while they pretend to be asleep." Severus shuddered. Some of them even went to the length of letting drool run down their chins to appear convincing.

"Is there anything in particular you want to talk about then, Severus?" The witch wanted to know while stirring her tea.

Severus, now with his own mug in his hands, seated himself in his chair in front of the fire. "I wanted to be on the safe side. Just in case I let something slip." Without noticing he smiled into his cup.

The Headmistress tilted her head. "Now you have me curious, Severus."

The dark haired wizard laughed. "Isn't curious something that would be more appropriate for the ones we're teaching here?"

"You have changed, Severus," Minerva said. "The excruciating harsh professor is gone at last. I even hear rumours about you laughing during DADA practice."

Severus nearly dropped his cup. "Merlin's beard! I did? Those are bad news. I have a reputation to watch out for." His thoughts went back to earlier that day. When had he been laughing?

"Why do I have the feeling that you are not as shocked as you pretend to be?"

Gazing thoughtfully at Minerva, Severus pondered that question but before he could come up with an answer, the elderly witch put her cup on the small table. "Since you are not really forthcoming-"

Severus snorted good-natured.

Minerva arched an eyebrow. "I even believe that you are doing this deliberately, my friend. And don't act the innocent, Severus Snape!"

The Potion Master smirked. Over the last year Severus had learned to relax around Minerva and they had made a ritual out of having tea together instead of bantering in the draughty corridors of the castle. It hadn't been easy at first but slowly he had believed that she really didn't hold a grudge against him like so many others. She had been one of the very few people where he allowed himself to lower his guard a little.
"Seriously, Severus," Minerva interrupted his thoughts. "May I ask if there is someone in your life that has finally been able to melt some of this ice around you? If you will excuse my rather pathetic phrasing."

Severus snorted once more. "Only because it's you." Then he took a deep breath. "You are right. There is someone in my life." Seriously he gazed at Minerva. "Truth to be told, I've never been so glad that you saved my life."

The witch looked at him for quite some time before she spoke again. "I think it's time that you need to know that it wasn't me who really saved you."

Severus startled. "You didn't… but who did?"

"If it hadn't been for Harry, you would have been dead long before we had a chance to get to you."

Severus shook his head. This couldn't be true. There was no way that Harry would have done this, was there? And even if he'd done it, he certainly would have told him, wouldn't he? He shook his head again and pinched the bridge of his nose. "It can't be! Not Harry," Severus said flatly.

"You still hate him that much, Severus? Don't you think it's time to-"

"He would have told me!" Severus interrupted the Headmistress heatedly. Especially now after they had been talking so openly. One (at this point not very rational functioning) part of Severus jumped from 'not telling' to 'secrets' and from there to 'lies'.

"He didn't want you to know," Minerva tried to explain, not knowing that she would only make it worse.

In one fluid motion Severus was out of his chair and paced the room. Why hadn't Harry said anything? Didn't he know how important honesty was to Severus? How could he, Severus, trust Harry if he didn't tell him something like this?

"Severus?"

Once more Severus rubbed the bridge of his nose. This didn't feel good. What was he supposed to do?

"Severus Snape!"

This time Minerva's voice did pierce Severus' thoughts and he looked at her. He had forgotten that she was still there.

"Why does it disturb you so badly? Harry is far from being what you believe him to be. And he is not his father!"

"Why didn't anyone tell me? Why didn't Harry tell me?" Severus asked hauntingly.

"Severus, sit back down, will you? I don't like the way you are looming over me."

Severus sighed deeply, moved to his chair and dropped into it. His thoughts were starting to slow down but he still couldn't believe it.

"Would you rather have died instead of being saved by Harry? Is that it?" Minerva looked enquiringly at Severus.

He frowned at the witch. "Nonsense. Maybe back then this would have been the case but not now. No, it's not the fact that Harry was the person saving me."

"You are not making any-" Minerva stopped in mid-sentence and narrowed her brows. "Severus, you are calling Harry by his given name and you are more bothered about the fact that he hasn't told you?"

Severus realised that he hadn't yet gotten as far as telling Minerva about Harry and himself spending time talking together. But she had made the connection herself as her next words proved.

"Is Harry that implied person in your life?"

Severus took another deep breath and nodded. "He is."

To Severus' utter bewilderment Minerva started to laugh. He glared at her and was just about to say something as the witch hold up her hand.

"I am sorry, Severus, I really am. I know that you are somehow confused but… this is quite… amusing." Minerva coughed obviously not really successfully trying to regain her composure.

"That's what you think," Severus snarled at her. "I disagree." Well, truth to be told, somewhere deep inside he did think that it was truly comical that out of all people it was Harry Potter who had somehow breached the armour around him. But consciously Severus wasn't quite in the right state of mind to admit it.

It was Minerva's turn to take a deep breath. "Severus, I don't know why it is bothering you so much that Harry hasn't told you about the episode-"

"Oh, me nearly dying is an episode now?" He interrupted the Headmistress gruffly.

The elderly witch arched her eyebrows. "Will you just hush up and listen to me?" She said in her best Professor McGonagall voice.

Severus gave her another glare. Did he really need to sit here in his own rooms and get reprimanded like an ill-mannered schoolboy?

"Harry asked me to not let you know about him saving you. He feared you would think it was something else that he would be bragging about to his friends."

Severus felt like a bucket with cold water had been poured over his head. It had a rather clarifying effect on his mind. Clearly the young man had known Severus better then he gave him credit for. At least regarding to the unalluring aspects of Severus' twisted mind back then. And it explained why Harry hadn't told him at that time. But it still didn't elucidate why he hadn't spoken about it recently. Did he not trust him? Once again Minerva disrupted Severus' train of thoughts.

"What is bothering you, Severus?"

He sighed before he said that he'd been jumping to wrong conclusions. "But right now I am asking myself if Harry doesn't trust me." Severus thought about how much he could say to the Headmistress without revealing too much. "We have been talking – and talking only for your reassurance – a lot about how important honesty and communication are to me."

Minerva nodded. "And you felt in some way deceived by him not telling you?"

"As I said, I've been wrong." Severus hated to be wrong and he definitely hated to be forced to repeat said fact. "I don't blame him that he didn't mention it last year. But he could have told me now."

"Maybe he's afraid that he would lose you if you know?"

"That's why I'm asking myself if he trusts me."

Minerva smiled softly. "Being afraid and not trusting someone is not quite the same thing, Severus."

"If he would trust me he would have talked to me regardless of his fear," Severus argued.

Arching an eyebrow at Severus, Minerva wanted to know how well Harry would have taken Severus' fit of pique if he would have came out with the truth.

Taking the point Severus muttered something about Harry having survived far worse moments of his anger. He didn't tell her that the last outburst hadn't been that long ago though. He decided that he would have to talk with Harry about everything as another thought came into his mind. He looked at the Headmistress.

"It just dawned to me that you have not once asked me about the hole thing." He must have forgotten the fact because he had been asked so many times by so many people – not that they had wanted to believe him. "Why not?"

Minerva gave him a small smile. "First of all there was a very determined Harry Potter, who by all means was not on friendly terms with you. He said that you needed to be rescued and that you had always been loyal to Dumbledore. He had no reason to play a false game about this. And then of course there was Dumbledore himself who confirmed what Harry had said. Last but not least Harry told me that if Dumbledore's and his word would still not be enough, he had evidence he would use but only in an emergency."


Severus knew what evidence Harry had referred to: his thoughts.

"And I believed that you would tell me the whole story if and when you would want to."

For a moment Severus gazed into the fire. "Did you bring some time with you?"

"If you have another cup of that delicious tea for me," Minerva said with a smile.

"Certainly." Severus got up and went to get the teapot.

"For sixteen years Dumbledore was the only one who knew the whole story behind everything. Harry knows since last year. But that is not the beginning and not where I shall start."

tbc