Harry entered the Griffindor Tower common room and Hermione was in the same comfy chair that she usually claimed on the weekends. Neville and Ron were near her and were copying things out of a book.

“Hi, Harry.” Hermione said and the other two looked up.

“Hi, Harry!” Neville said.

“Hey.” Ron said.

“Hi, everyone.” Harry responded. “I can't talk right now. I have to report to Professor Snape's office.”

“You better tell me what it's about when you come back.” Hermione said, a little sternly.

Harry chuckled and nodded, then he brought his trunk up to his room. After reapplying the cream to his face to cover the lightning bolt scar, he wrote out a quick letter to Griphook about the fine and to send it off as soon as business started the next morning. He opened the window and Hedwig flew over.

“Thank you for keeping watch on me.” Harry said to her and gave her a very gentle hug. “I missed you a lot the last two weeks.”

Missed you. Hedwig thought with a hoot. Only ate squirrel and mice.

Harry chuckled again. “I'll be sure to have a plate of sausage and bacon for you in the morning.” He said and handed her an owl treat.

Grateful. Hedwig thought and ate the mouse shaped treat. Delicious.

“I have a letter for Griphook at the bank.” Harry said and handed it to her. “Thank you.”

Bertha. Hedwig thought.

Harry nodded. “I'll have a letter for her later tonight, once I get a chance to sit down and write all about my trip.” He said. “I'll leave my window open and when you come back, I'll take you down to the common room and you can hear all about it when I tell my other friends.”

Happy. Hedwig thought and then hopped out the window. She swooped down to the ground to build up speed and soared into the air. FUN!

“It really is.” Harry said and left the window open. He cast a privacy curtain and a warming charm on it, to stop the cooler air from filling the room. He left the dorm room and jogged down the stairs, waved at the others as he passed them, and left the common room still at a jog.

He took a different shortcut this time, one that used a different part of the castle's secret stairways, and ended up in the first basement level. A short staircase put him in the dungeon and he entered the potions classroom. He walked right to the back of the room and knocked on Professor Snape's office door.

“Enter.”

Harry opened the door and stepped in, closed the door, and walked over to the professor's desk. He hadn't been inside the office before and he was a bit surprised that it was quite a small room.

Snape saw his eyes dart around the room and hid his smile. “I share space with my private stores.” He said and pointed to the side.

Harry turned and looked to see a door was open and inside were shelves and shelves that were full of all different kinds of ingredients. Some glowed, some moved of their own accord, and others looked deadly.

“Sit.” Snape ordered and Harry sat down in the single chair. “Mister Potter, is there anything you would like to say to me?”

“No.” Harry said, not rising to the bait about the incident with the Slytherins.

“No?” Snape let the smile appear on his face this time. “I told you once that I was... aware of some of the things that the headmaster has been doing in the school.”

Harry did his best to not think about it and his anger over it let Snape get a very vivid picture.

“You need to remain calm for Occlumency to work effectively.” Snape said. “Anger, fear, excitement, all of it can allow an accomplished Legilimens to peer into your recent thoughts without even trying.”

Harry took a deep breath and let it out. He closed his eyes and concentrated on Amelia and her words. After a few moments, his anger subsided and he opened his eyes.

Snape nodded. “You recovered well... except that no one will ever give you that time to recover in the real world.”

Harry nodded back. “I'll keep working on it.”

Snape sat there and debated on telling him what he saw, then decided that it was much easier to ignore that Harry was a Griffindor when he was wearing normal clothes. His decision made, he spoke.

“Unfortunately for your desire to keep it a secret, I saw what you discovered at the Ministry.”

“Did you get it all?” Harry asked.

“No.” Snape said. “I also did not get it all the first time.”

Harry blinked his eyes in surprise. “The first time?”

“Since you already know about the prophecy, I have chosen to admit my part in it.” Snape said and Harry sat up straight. “Do not overreact to my words before you hear them all.”

Harry took another breath and sat back in the chair.

“I was there that night that Dumbledore heard the prophecy, spying on him.” Snape said and Harry's eyes widened. “Yes, I was a spy.”

“For the Dark Lord.” Harry said and Snape nodded.

“You know the old saying. In for a shilling, in for a pound.” Snape said and Harry nodded this time. “Before he became who he became, I was among those he recruited.” He said. “I was young, ostracized from others, and was eager to believe pleasant lies.”

Harry's eyes widened and Snape smiled.

“Yes, you are familiar with that.” Snape said. “I, on the other hand, did not have people to watch out for me. I fell into the wrong crowd and became even more despised when things turned darker than even I had suspected it would.” He looked at the boy across the desk and sighed. “I am not looking for sympathy, nor do I deserve it.”

“Why?” Harry asked.

“I overheard the prophecy and was discovered by a third party. I fled from capture and returned to the Dark Lord.”

“You told him.” Harry said, his voice deep and his eyes shone with anger. A curio cabinet at the side of the room that had a glass window, shattered.

“I did.” Snape said. “I told him exactly what I had heard.”

“Why?” Harry asked and did is best to imagine Amelia's hands on his face and her lips on his forehead.

“He was the Dark Lord. It took me years to learn and be strong enough to keep my private thoughts hidden from him.”

“What happened after that?” Harry asked and Amelia's kiss didn't seem to be working. He thought of Susan and their New Year's kiss and that didn't calm him, either. It wasn't until he thought of Hermione and sitting with her in the comfy chair that his emotions finally smoothed out.

“He was angry, of course. Incensed, actually. He started to hunt for those that fit the prophecy.”

“My parents.” Harry said.

“Among others.” Snape said, which gained Harry's attention. “There were several others that had defied him on a couple of occasions... but... only two that had defied him three times.”

Harry stayed silent this time and waited.

“The Potters and the Longbottoms.”

Harry's calm mind didn't react like he thought it would. He thought he was going to jump up and shout, say how unfair it was, and then he remembered the state Neville's parents were in. They had both lost their parents and he couldn't be angry that he was chosen over Neville.

“He chose me.” Harry said, without inflection.

“Yes, for a specific reason.” Snape said and Harry stared at him. “Dumbledore hid your parents.”

“Wh-what?” Harry asked, surprised. “I thought...”

Snape smiled as he got Harry's clear thoughts. “He still did nothing to stop what happened. You see, he made them irresistible as a target.”

“He didn't hide the Longbottoms?” Harry asked, surprised.

“No, it wasn't necessary.”

“But... but...” Harry's mind reeled over this information.

“Calm yourself, Mister Potter.” Snape said and Harry did as asked. “It still took the Dark Lord a year to track your parents down, which was what Dumbledore wanted. While the Dark Lord was busy looking for your parents, he wasn't attacking wizards and muggles or trying to take over all of Britain.”

Harry thought about that. “They... were a... distraction?”

“Decoys, yes.” Snape said. “Dumbledore eventually put your family under a Fidelus Charm. It is a specific defense against someone finding the whereabouts of those under the charm.”

“But... if that worked...” Harry started to say.

“They chose the wrong person to trust.” Snape said. “For the last ten years, I had thought that person to be your godfather.”

“Sirius?” Harry asked, surprised.

“It turns out that he was innocent and Peter Pettegrew was the one who betrayed your parents.”

“The RAT?!?” Harry yelled.

“Calm, Mister Potter.” Snape reminded him.

Harry brought to his mind that time he had fallen asleep in Hermione's arms and his churning emotions nearly disappeared completely.

“I did my best to intervene and to stop The Dark Lord...” Snape started to say.

“Why?” Harry interrupted.

“I think you are too young to understand my reasons.” Snape said. “Needless to say, I failed. I fled from the Dark Lord and went to Dumbledore to warn him and begged for him to intervene.”

Harry's mind locked onto that fact. “He really did know.”

Snape nodded. “Since he was the one that cast the Fidelus Charm to protect them, he also knew where they were.”

Harry sat there and digested it all. Everything that Snape had said, his own involvement, and setting things into motion. He also thought about Amelia's words about believing too much in a prophecy and making it come true.

“He still did nothing.” Harry said.

“To my shame and regret.” Snape said. “I had abandoned the most powerful Dark Lord and betrayed him, only to be coerced into going back to him as a spy for Dumbledore.” He said and fell silent for a short time. “It did eventually keep me out of prison after the Dark Lord was vanquished.”

Harry sat there and stared at the floor. He kept thinking about it all and then realized something. “Why are you telling me all of this?”

“Do not mistake my honesty with altruism, Mister Potter.” Snape said with a bit of a sneer. “Even being honest can be used to manipulate people.”

“Like Dumbledore did to you.” Harry said and Snape reluctantly nodded. “Then why?”

“Simple greed.” Snape said. “I want to hear the rest of the prophecy.”

Harry hesitated. “What do I get out of it?”

“A week of detention.” Snape said and couldn't stop a smile from appearing on his face. “You must keep up appearances, such as they are.”

“The Slytherins.” Harry said. “If I don't have anything bad happen to me after this...”

Snape nodded.

So, Harry told him, word for word, what the prophecy said.

Snape stared at him and Harry didn't block the memory of seeing the glowing orb recite the prophecy. “Is it still in the Hall of Prophecies?”

“Nope.” Harry said and smiled as he let Snape see him smash the thing on the stone floor.

Snape raised his eyebrows for a moment, then let another smile appear on his face. “You may go, Mister Potter. Report to Filch in the evenings after supper for detention.”

“I always go early to detention, Professor.” Harry said and left the office with a smile on his own face. Now he could find out what Mister Filch and Missus Norris thought of their Christmas presents.