Chapter 53 - 53- Snape’s ultimatum and Luna’s first class

Harry's POV

When Harry raised his head from the book next time, he noticed that except the golden group who were capturing the pixies, he is the student in class. He dropped the reversed silencing charm and was about to drop the notice me not charm but in the last second heard Marcus say "I can't believe we are stuck capturing those pixies, I wish some other student was here so we could have run with the other students and he was stuck with this same chore!" So instead he left the class and went down the hallway before dropping the charm.

As it was a double lesson he went straight to lunch but just s as he was about to get into the grand hall he heard professor Snape calls him from behind.

"Mr. Peverell, I need to have a word with you alone."

"Sure, Professor, do you want to go into an empty classroom down the hall, or do we need to go to your office?"

"An empty classroom would do."

"After that, Harry let Snape dea lead him to Snape's chosen classroom in absolute silence. It was only after getting into said classroom and closing the door that Snape started talking.

"Well, mr. Peverell, as you recall, last year I worked with you on your Occlumency as a way to help you become better in your potions making and make sure no one is looking inside your mind." it was at this point that Harry knew Snape was about to 'ask' for a favor, as there was no need to start a conversation with the mention of his help and all the things it did for him. "And even though your Occlumency leaves much to be desired, which I meant to help you with this year, I'm afraid our lessons can't continue as I was given a new task - to give Marcus Potter extra lessons in potions this year which will take much of my time, I'm truly sorry."

'And here is the threat and the way out of it. Now if I was naive I might have thought he was just here to inform me of it and probably would have jumped on a way to continue the lessons.' Harry thought

'Hell, even if I wasn't naive, but didn't have any Occlumency of my own I would have walked into the trap willingly.

But as I wasn't naive and even though this method of Occlumency (like the one from the book but not like the one I created) need someone to attack my mind to perfect it, I hate being pushed into traps like that, and would prefer not perfecting this method as quick as I could have with Snape's teachings, as I already know all the steps for the creation of this type of Occlumency and have an artifact that can read your mind to help me find weakness points of entry (mirror of Erised), which meant that while Snape's help was welcomed it wasn't necessary.'

Harry then signed and said "I understand sir, I would continue on my own to better my self as much as possible sir. If something changes this year or if next year you have some free time, I would really appreciate it if you could continue our lessons." Saying that, Harry turned defeatedly and went for the door.

Severus's POV

"Wait a minute mr. Peverell."

Severus didn't know how it came to this situation.

The plan was simple, make the boy have the idea of him teaching his ex-brother, make himself look a little bit uncomfortable with the idea but go along with it and make the boy feel even more in debt then he was already feeling, as he remembered from last year's Occlumency teaching, and if he can make the boy hate the brat who lived and his family for the different treatment the twins keep getting, all the better. So how did it came to the boy misunderstanding the situation?

"I might have an idea as to how we might be able to continue our lessons."

"Really?"

"Yes. You are an excellent student in the art of potions, the best in your year, how about you would take over teaching mr. Potter and I will have the time to continue our studies?"

Severus felt that with the need to prove your self every child must have and the way he praise the boy there is no way the boy would refuse but not a second later he was proved wrong.

"I'm sorry professor, but as I wish to keep my grades in the height they were last year and maybe do even better, and as I'm also studying muggle subjects, I really can't waste time teaching Marcus not that I would have wanted to teach him."

Even though Severus was surprised to hear the boy was learning muggle subjects in addition to the magical. It didn't take him long to figure out the boy was playing him, as practical studies in everything except charms is only done in class so he didn't have a way to get better at it out side of class, and after having every Saturday a conversation about the properties of ingredients that in the end left even him with new ideas for his potions, potions that weren't something a fifth year could understand, not to mention a firstie. He knew the boy was good enough to finish the theoretical newt in potions.

And that Filius mentioned the same to him about charms, even if it was only at the end of the year and not in the middle.

So Severus was pretty sure the boy didn't have much need for studying for the year in any class, not even muggle.

But as he didn't know what the boy's reason for refusing and losing the chance to continue working on his Occlumency, he could only watch the boy leaves the room while trying to understand the boy who was slowly growing into a big mystery.

(AN: while snape's Occlumency art is special as it lets him create new memories and feelings while hiding the memories he doesn't want people to see and make sure no one even knows he has real skill in the art. The Occlumency Harry learned from the book can help him make people see specific memories he has and he managed to mix a little bit of snape's skill after Snape explained to him about it so while he can't create new memories he can shift a little bit the emotions people see when they look into the memories he led them to see but not by much, just strengthening or weakening the emotions as he didn't truly unite the skills. So when Snape saw the memory of him agreeing to teach Harry, instead of seeing gratitude, he saw the feelings of in-debtness, and when he saw the feelings of Harry's toward the potter family, instead of hate he saw indifference.)

Harry's POV

If Harry knew what Snape was thinking he would have been somewhat surprised before starting to laugh, as he was being truthful with the professor and while he didn't know the professors were observing and talking about him, Snape's thought's about him not needing time to study was as far away from reality as possible, as with him learning transfigurations wandlessly and of third years, his master degree studies, his Blacksmithing every Saturday and Sunday and the fact he now has a friend, which as much as he loved having, will take time away from his studies. Not to mention the fact Greengrass for sure would approach him with the subject of her research group again. With all of those, plus the time spent on magical control and Occlumency, he really didn't have time to teach Marcus even if he wanted - which he didn't.

As he arrived again in front the door to the grand hall, he was once again interrupted from entering with someone asking him from behind to talk privately, but as he was hungry and wanted to talk with Luna about her first class, he told Greengrass "not now" and walked inside.

Luna's POV

Luna's first class was transfigurations and it was disappointing yet exciting.

Flashback

After having such an interesting conversation with her new friend, Harry, (she still couldn't believe she has a friend!!!) about his theories in the differences between charms and transfigurations and about their mutual idea based of it about the differences in magical abilities in wand waving and ancestors calling (the way to practice magic in Africa which one of her father's interviewees told her about) she was expecting to be wowed by the professor. Something she really shouldn't have, but if she was a professor she would have used the chance of teaching young excitable and still eager minds to make them truly have a passion about the subject, something Harry made her have. Something that while seeing a cat turning to a person, while exciting, just didn't have the passion in as much as Harry and her's conversation. It felt like while she loved the subject, it just became a routine for her. Hell, even her magic looked like it was bored.

After that and the warnings, the professor showed them how to make the transfigurations of a match to a pin and then just gave them the assignment and they started to work.

At the first five minutes she menaged to turn her match to a pin as she followed the exact way the painting in the book showed her how to do it and as she saw the way the professor's magic moved when she did the magic, earning the Slytherin house 10 points. (Not that she cared about the points after professor Snape explanation about the idiocy of the method)

After that she started doing it again and again, every time change the output of her magic and seeing how it changed the results, and while there wasn't much differences as long as she didn't explode the match with her magic or didn't put enough, she could see by the way the magic behaved that her friend's theory was correct. So while the lesson was a bust, her time in it not so much.

End flashback

Just as Luna finished eating lunch while wondering where is Harry she saw him come into the hall and come sit next to her.

'Even if all the lessons are boring at least I have a friend.'