A minute later, Harry walked in and cleared his throat awkwardly to announce his presence once he entered the kitchen.

Snape looked around at him, his face framed between curtains of greasy black hair. "Sit down, Potter."

"You know," said Sirius loudly, leaning back on his rear chair legs and speaking to the ceiling, "I think I'd prefer it if you didn't give orders here, Snape. It's my house, you see."

Jenna wanted to groan, but it only came out as a quiet meow while she sat outside the kitchen, watching them warily through the open crack of the door, with great amount of worry.

An ugly flush suffused Snape's pallid face. Harry sat down in a chair beside Sirius, facing Snape across the table.

"I was supposed to see you alone, Potter," said Snape, the familiar sneer curling his mouth, "but Black —"

"I'm his godfather," said Sirius, louder than ever.

"I am here on Dumbledore's orders," said Snape, whose voice, by contrast, was becoming more and more quietly waspish, "but by all means stay, Black, I know you like to feel... involved."

"What's that supposed to mean?" said Sirius, letting his chair fall back onto all four legs with a loud bang.

"Merely that I am sure you must feel — ah — frustrated by the fact that you can do nothing useful," Snape laid a delicate stress on the word, "for the Order."

It was Sirius's turn to flush. Snape's lip curled in triumph as he turned to Harry.

"The headmaster has sent me to tell you, Potter, that it is his wish for you to study Occlumency this term."

Jenna's yellow eyes widened. She turned to glance at Sirius, who looked back at her meaningfully, as though saying that he had been just as surprised as her, if not more.

"Study what?" said Harry blankly.
Snape's sneer became more pronounced.

"Occlumency, Potter. The magical defense of the mind against external penetration. You will receive private lessons once a week, but you will not tell anybody what you are doing, least of all Dolores Umbridge. You understand?"

"Yes," said Harry. "Who's going to be teaching me?"

Snape raised an eyebrow. "I am," he said.

Harry looked quickly around at Sirius for support. Crookshanks's yellow ryes had widened more than ever before, the horror visible in them.

Dumbledore had been the one to teach Occlumency to Jenna, and she couldn't possibly understand why he had chosen Snape to teach Harry, even though he knows plainly that Snape hates him.

"Why can't Dumbledore teach Harry?" asked Sirius aggressively, thinking the same as Jenna. "Why you?"

"I suppose because it is a headmaster's privilege to delegate less enjoyable tasks," said Snape silkily. He got to his feet. "I will expect you at six o'clock on Monday evening, Potter. My office."

He turned to leave, his black traveling cloak billowing behind him. "Wait a moment," said Sirius, sitting up straighter in his chair. Snape turned back to face them, sneering.

"I am in rather a hurry, Black... unlike you, I do not have unlimited leisure time..."

"I'll get to the point, then," said Sirius, standing up. "If I hear you're using these Occlumency lessons to give Harry a hard time, you'll have me to answer to."

"How touching," Snape sneered. "But surely you have noticed that Potter is very like his father?"

"Yes, I have," said Sirius proudly.

"Well then, you'll know he's so arrogant that criticism simply bounces off him," Snape said sleekly.

Sirius pushed his chair roughly aside and strode around the table toward Snape, pulling out his wand as he went; Snape whipped out his own. They were squaring up to each other, Sirius looking livid, Snape calculating, his eyes darting from Sirius's wand tip to his face.

"Sirius!" said Harry loudly, but Sirius appeared not to hear him.

"I've warned you, Snivellus," said Sirius, his face barely a foot from Snape's, "I don't care if Dumbledore thinks you've reformed, I know better —"

"Oh, but why don't you tell him so?" whispered Snape. "Or are you afraid he might not take the advice of a man who has been hiding inside his mother's house for six months very seriously?"

"Tell me, how is Lucius Malfoy these days? I expect he's delighted his lapdog's working at Hogwarts, isn't he?"

"Speaking of dogs," said Snape softly, "did you know that Lucius Malfoy recognized you last time you risked a little jaunt outside? Clever idea, Black, getting yourself seen on a safe station platform... gave you a cast-iron excuse not to leave your hidey-hole in future, didn't it?"

Sirius raised his wand. Crookshanks got up to her paws as she glanced at them through the open crack of the door, her heart pounding as she watched the two men.

"NO!" Harry yelled, vaulting over the table and trying to get in between them, "Sirius, don't —"

"Are you calling me a coward?" Sirius roared, trying to push Harry out of the way, but Harry would not budge.

"Why, yes, I suppose I am," said Snape.

"Harry — get — out — of — it!" snarled Sirius, pushing him out of the way with his free hand.

Sirius pointed his wand at Snape and so did he, ready to curse one another. And by the utter looks of hatred in their eyes, Jenna got the feeling that they could've killed each other on the spot and not think twice about it.

Sirius opened his mouth and Snape raised his wand even higher. Jenna knew that if she didn't interfere soon, Sirius would've become hurt due to Snape's skill with Dark Magic.

So having had enough, Jenna decided to take the matter in her own hands. And so she leaped forward, transforming back to human form behind the kitchen door and drawing out her wand.