Someone had Obliviated him.
Not very well, obviously, or he would not have retrieved the memories so easily . . . well, easily once he had had the proper trigger. Otherwise, he might never have recalled that portion of their conversation.
It had to have been Potter.
That stupid, unbelievably idiotic, snot-nosed little boy!
"What is wrong, Severus Snape? What have you discovered?" The Bloody Baron was still very close to him, still very angry looking, but his tone of voice was less threatening.
"That arrogant little shit Obliviated me!"
"Impossible. He does not have the capability, as yet."
"Spare me," Severus snarled as he headed for the door. He was going to tear that boy a new one. No one fiddled with his mind! "He did it; no one else knew about our conversation."
As he flung open the door to his office, the Bloody Baron zoomed in front of him, attempting to halt his progress in his march toward throttling the boy. "It must have been accidental magic. He cannot know what he has done. He would have--"
"He would have what?" Severus interrupted, even as he ignored the Baron and walked right through him. The cold went down to his bones, but he did not stop. His rage kept him warm. "He would have confided in you? Not if he wanted no one to know!"
"And why is that, Severus Snape?" The Baron flew in front of Severus again. "The boy is filled with shame about his family and the way they treated him, and he believes he is not worthy of anyone's care. He has learned, time and again, that those he confides in will turn their backs on him, that he is the one who suffers when anyone in his life attempts to 'help' him."
Severus walked through the ghost again, though his rage was not as hot as it had been, and he shivered upon resuming his march. "He stole my memories!"
"He protected himself!" the ghost snarled back at him. "Or, at least, I believe that is what he was trying to do."
"You know him so well, do you? Are you sure he has not tried the same with you?" Even as he said it, he knew it was stupid.
The Baron was floating backwards now, but still in front of Severus, so they could continually glare at each other. "Severus Snape, how could a boy, even with accidental magic, Obliviate a ghost?"
"If it could ever be done, Harry Bloody Potter is the one who would do it!"
"That is true," the Baron admitted. "I have seen him do things already I would have never imagined possible for a boy his age. But he did not do this intentionally, Severus Snape, I am sure of it. It will not go well for you if you condemn him without hearing his side."
Severus had reached the portrait to the Slytherins' common room, and he spat the password without replying.
Heads turned to see who stormed into the common room, and just as quickly turned away upon seeing his expression; none of his Snakes was suicidal enough to stare at their Head of House when he was in a rage.
He took two strides toward a table of Firsties, all with their faces buried in books hastily lifted from the table. "Where is Potter?" he growled.
Though most of them kept their heads down, one or two even shaking in mere proximity to him, Zabini lowered his book far enough to eye him cautiously. "Boy's lav," he said clearly after a moment, and pointed.
Bulstrode's face reddened, but she did not call out the boy for giving Potter's location up. Instead, she dared to meet Severus' eyes. "Why do you want to know, sir? He hasn't done--"
Before she could even finish her sentence, Severus swirled away from her in a billow of robes. Potter had done something. Something unforgivable. And he would be punished. But when he slammed open the door of the boy's lavatory, all thoughts of that kind flew from his head at the sight that greeted him.
Gaius Avery, grandson of one of the Dark Lord's oldest supporters, had Harry Potter pushed up against the tile wall, his hands gripping Harry's hips hard enough to leave bruises, and was grinding against him, or had been until Severus made his entrance.
Harry had his trousers on, but no shirt, and the expression on his face had never been more blank as he stared at the doorway Snape had come through. His glasses were gone, and the boy's green eyes were unfocused and held no life in them at all. Severus spotted something long and thin under the nearby sinks and realized it was Harry's wand. He'd apparently tried to defend himself, but been disarmed.
Before Severus could get to the wretched filth, to tear him away from Harry, the Fifth Year had the audacity to smirk at him as he stepped back, shoving Harry into the wall.
Harry clung to the wall as if it were a lifeline and closed his eyes.
Hands in tight fists, and choking on his own horror at the situation, Severus forced himself not go to Harry and check to make sure he was all right. For one thing, it was perfectly obvious that he was not . . . though he still had his trousers on, despite the compromising position, so there was that hope, at least. For another, with the Dark Lord very close nearby, he had to be careful not to give his true allegiances away, especially with this Avery boy, despicable as he was. But keeping his instincts to protect Harry in check, right now, very nearly broke him.
"What in the name of Salazar Slytherin is going on here?" Severus asked, his tone as cold and dangerous as it had ever been. He drew himself up to glare down at the damnable boy.
"Just a bit of fun, sir," Avery said with a cool smile. "Isn't that right, Harry."
Harry flinched at the way Avery slurred his name, and did not answer. He did not need to.
"You, Mr. Avery, are a Fifth Year, and have already reached your majority, have you not?"
"So?"
"So, Mr. Potter is very much still underage, and thus any fun of this kind is illegal for you to participate in, with him."
Avery's mouth grew pinched, and his carefully crafted smile vanished. "I only turned sixteen a couple weeks ago, sir. Besides, Harry's up for it, aren'cha?" Again, Avery slurred his way across Harry's name, and again, the younger boy flinched from the sound.
"It doesn't matter if he is, Mr. Avery," Severus told him coldly, though his stomach churned nauseatingly. "Potter is underage and you are not. The Headmaster will need to hear of this, and you will be lucky if you are not expelled."
"Expelled?!" Rage turned Avery's face ugly in an instant. "You can't do that."
"I won't," Severus said, glowering back at the insolent boy as he lost any patience he had left, Dark Lord's supporters be damned. "It is the Headmaster's job to decide, as I said. Now get out! Go to your dormitory until you are sent for."
"Of course, sir," the older boy said facetiously. And then, as a parting shot, he traced his hand across Harry's back and murmured, "See you later, Harry."
Severus grabbed Avery by the arm and flung him across the room hard enough that he hit the wall beside the door with a meaty thud. "GET OUT!" he bellowed. "And never touch Potter again!"
Avery's eyes were wide for a moment, till they narrowed to slits, filled with cunning to match his smile. "As you say. Sir." He escaped the lavatory before Severus could get to him again. Damn!
Immediately, Severus turned back to Harry. As the door to the lavatory closed, the boy had crumpled to the floor, where he was hugging himself, knees to his chest, in the smallest ball he could make. Severus was at his side an instant later, crouched down at his level, yet he dared not touch him, not wanting the boy to panic.
"Harry?" he said instead.
"Go'way," Harry said in a voice nearly at the breaking point. He did not look up. "Leave me alone."
"I can't do that," Severus told him. "I told you before. When I am in a position to aid you, I cannot leave you alone."