Chapter 53 : Masks and Mysteries

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"I can't tell you how your parents' minds work Harry." Severus said, his tone somber as he regarded the moisture in Harry's eyes. "But for what it's worth, I think that Ron doesn't really stay while Adrian is training; he probably drops by afterwards to play Quidittch with your brother." And that was quite possibly the truth, Severus thought; there was no way neither the Potters nor Dumbledore would allow someone other than his instructors to watch Adrian train. The risk was far too great. Harry nodded once; Severus had told him the same thing last night but that bitter taste his brother's revelation had left on his mouth still lingered. "And we could talk about this all night but it's getting late and I should suggest we go to sleep before Minnie catches us here." Severus added seriously and Harry gulped down the remaining chocolate in his mug.

"That wouldn't be so pleasant." The boy stated, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips as Severus nodded emphatically. That house elf had a heart of gold but could frighten a troll sometimes. Harry climbed into his bed and practically passed out after reading only a couple of lines from his copy of Shakespeare's The Merchant Of Venice, one of the works of literature -in this case a play- that Severus had deemed imperative for him to read; the potions master was adamant he should read something more than the Tales of Beedle The Bard. Not that he complained; it was nice to read something different and just for the sake of reading from times to times, even if he couldn't get all the hidden meanings in the pages. Severus however reassured him that understanding would come with time and so Harry had just decided to enjoy the stories for the moment.

His eyes closed as he drifted to sleep, book still held tight in his hands; that night Harry dreamt of a day were the whole world knew what he was capable of. He dreamed of the day he could be finally seen as his brother's equal by the people he knew and not just be the afterthought. All memories of the dream were gone come next morning; all that was left was the image of a proud smile on Severus's face and -strangely enough- of a black and silver horse running in the distance.

Sunday was spent peacefully between studying, horse riding and a bit of Quidditch practice and Harry's spirits lifted little by little. Soon Monday had dawned, finding Harry back at the training room in the dungeons, practicing transformations and Severus at Hogwarts, practicing his patience. It wasn't that he disliked teaching, he thought as he approached a Ravenclaw second year student who had done Merlin knows what with her potion. The girl in question shrunk in fear and simply nodded at his instructions. He uttered a few words to the third of the Weasley boys in Hogwarts to date, Percy, who barely breathed until the black clad man moved away. No, he didn't dislike teaching; he was rather fond of it.

And he imagined he would love his job if only he could teach without this mask he was hidden behind. When he had started teaching in Hogwarts it had been a natural reaction to hide behind his mask, not wanting to be exposed to the world again. But now? Well, he felt as if he could give it a try. But, he reminded himself with a smirk -since he never smiled at Hogwarts- Harry's security came first and in order for the present status quo to remain unchanged, images had to be kept. Besides, Severus thought and his smirk widened behind the essay he was supposedly reading, when the time did come for him and Harry to take off their masks… he just couldn't wait for their reactions. He made a mental note to have Harry take pictures when the day came.

He spent the remaining of his lessons in quiet, simply giving instructions and trying to act every bit the prejudiced man he was supposed to be; Albus had appointed him as the Head of Slytherin House this year and he was making everything he could to discomfort the man; he should have been more attentive to Harry when he had the chance!

To add to his discomfort he had even kept applying for the Defense Against the Dark Arts position, fully known that Voldemort had placed a curse on it some years back. Albus of course denied and Severus was pressing more and more, knowing the Headmaster wouldn't give in. This year especially, after Quintus's decision to take two years off come next term so that he could practice his profession beyond theory, Severus had enjoyed pressuring the man to appoint him a spot he no longer desired.

His research for the Wolfsbane had reignited his passion for potions and he wouldn't change his job for the world. He idly wondered what would happen if Albus ever did give him the position. He did his best to hold back his laughter; the old coot would flip for sure. During lunch break -as he couldn't afford looking anywhere near the Headmaster in fear of laughing- he focused instead on the journey he had planned as a surprise for Harry this summer; they had been all over Europe during the fall and winter, taking a few weekends off, after Harry's alchemy lessons, and had visited France -Severus had even started teaching Harry the language a bit- Gibraltar, Spain, Italy and the general area of Scandinavia. So for the summer, the potions master had something special planned.

It wasn't that he needed any ingredients this time, no; he could order most of the stuff he wanted -with the exception of that darned mystery herb!- but he had always wanted to visit the country himself. He poked at his food faking discomfort while wondering how Harry would react when he told him they were going to India. He smirked; that would be something else worth capturing in film for sure!

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