you raise me up || harry potter

chapter 51

»»————-　song:　————-««

the greatest

★ by sia ★

❝ running through the waves of love
but i, i got stamina
and oh yeah, i'm running
and i've just enough. ❞

♢ ♢ ♢

"Something eating you?" 

Snape knew Harry was a good liar when he wanted to be. But he couldn't hide the vaguely troubled look in his eyes, a perpetual glaze of worry that coated his expression, and it wasn't because he had almost been blown up in class, landing him another "detention." 

"No," Harry said, something clearly eating him.

Snape raised an eyebrow. "No? Try again."

"Am I that transparent?" Harry asked, tilting his head with exasperation. 

Snape quirked his lips. "No, I can just tell."

"By reading my mind?" Harry said in jest, thinking about Legilimency.

Snape fixed a stern look at Harry. "Don't even joke about that," he said firmly. "I would never invade your privacy in that manner."

Harry pressed his lips together to form a small smile. "I know," he said. "I trust you."

Snape chose to ignore that last sentence for the most part, unsure of how to return the sentiment. "Besides," he continued, "It's no secret that you're having friendship... troubles."

Harry groaned and placed his forehead on the desk in front of them with a thunk. "Don't remind me," he said in a pleading tone.

Snape sobered. "I wouldn't worry about Weasley and Granger. They're too loyal to you not to make up, if only for your sake. It's Draco that I'm worried about."

Harry sighed, not lifting his head. "You know about that too?"

"You don't eat together at the Great Hall, you leave through different doors, you come to class separately, you make a conscious effort to partner up with anyone but him, and Draco is moping," Snape reeled off. "Need I say more?"

"Draco's moping?"

"And just what do you call Draco glaring at your back every chance he gets? He's acting like a whipped dog."

Harry tried very hard to ignore the secondary implication of "whipped," certainly not the one Snape was referring to, and slumped in his chair. "Okay, so he's moping. It's not gonna make me change my mind."

Curiosity piqued, Snape leaned forward. "Change your mind about what?" he frowned. "Not just a regular argument, I take it?"

Harry blew out a heavy exhale, looking alarmingly more exhausted than just a few moments ago—he looked smaller, like a deflated balloon. "No," he admitted. "I... well, I basically told him we're never gonna be friends again."

Snape tried to feel shocked. But in his heart of hearts, he had suspected this day would come. Harry was, after all, a much different person than Snape—their hearts were worlds apart. Harry wasn't the type to cling to a person as though they were his lifeline. It was Snape whose heart was desperate, hungry, needy; clutching at Lily because without her, he was nothing. Nothing but an unwanted street rat in hand-me-downs. But that desperation drove inwards, lashed back out like a corrupted knife, and its target was the person he loved best.