But actually, the isolated island seemed to be under a permanent cold fog, and there was no way to contact his friends. He�d had to leave his owl behind at Hogwarts, where Hagrid was taking care of her � his Dad had said that the journey would be too hard for the animal for something as simple as post � and there were no active floos� Even if he were old enough and knew how, he couldn�t even have apparated as there were several layers of anti-apparition wards in effect. In fact, the only way on or off of the island was by portkey, with the only safe transport point being heavily guarded until the end of the conference.
In fact, because of his age, Harry was expected to be accompanied by his father or one of the other Hogwarts professors at all times, which meant that he couldn�t wander, or find things to amuse himself � he couldn�t even just sleep in while his father attended lectures! Mostly he just tagged along with Severus, mostly ignoring the speaker to work on his own holiday work (which had to be not only done, but done to his father�s satisfaction if he was to be allowed to finish the holidays with Ron and his family).
For the most part anyway. A couple of lectures he got to attend with his father were quite interesting: Ones that discussed new curses that Severus promised to wallop Harry to within an inch of his life if he ever tried� ones that discussed potions that Harry knew his father was just dieing to try the instant they got home� and Severus� talk about his advances in improving his own invention: veritaserum.
That had been cool, though Harry knew that Ron wouldn�t have been interested.
It had been on Harry�s birthday. They�d gotten up early, and in spite of Harry�s protestations that his father didn�t need to do anything � so he could focus on his talk that morning � Severus had arranged for a breakfast gathering of himself, Albus, Minerva and Filius, who would all also be joining them for a special supper that evening, so that Harry could at least begin and end his birthday with familiar faces � even if he couldn�t be with friends his own age.
He�d been very excited for his father as the crowd began to gather for his discussion later that morning. He�d gotten a seat reserved for him right at the front, with the rest of the Hogwarts contingent � all of whom had come directly to the lecture theatre from Harry�s birthday breakfast. As the professors mingled a little Harry settled into his seat, hardly able to contain his excitement. He knew how much this meant to his father to have his hard work recognized, and he couldn�t be happier for him. He knew how much the man put into his research, he knew how much joy he received from finding new ways to brew potions, or discovering new potions altogether. He�d discovered veritaserum before Harry had been with him, but Harry had witnessed first-hand how much effort Severus had put into making it a more useful tool�
�Good heavens�� The voice beside him distracted Harry. �You�re Harry Potter, aren�t you?�
�Yes.� Harry was used to being asked this whenever he went out in public. Though he hadn�t been bothered much at this conference until now�
�What are you doing at such a boring old talk like this?� the large, bald man demanded, obviously thinking he was being amusing.
�It�s my Dad�s talk,� Harry replied, a little icily.
�Oh, right, sorry.� He didn�t sound sorry to Harry, but he would have been willing to just let it go if he hadn�t kept talking. �Still don�t know what possessed the ministry to allow someone like that,� he motioned to Severus who was chatting with the discussion facilitator near the podium. �To adopt any child, much less you� Albus! How are you old man?� he ended jovially as Dumbledore, came to stand beside Harry, who was now fuming.
�I�m well, Donovan.� His voice was arctic, and he made no attempt to return the greeting.
Harry looked up at him, trying to convey his desire to be saved from having to sit next to this man, or hear any more of his thoughts. Taking the hint, but deciding to take matters into his own hands first, Dumbledore rested his hand on Harry�s shoulder and spoke again to the portly wizard.
�Can�t wait to hear about Severus� new advances with his veritaserum. What he�s shared with me about his work at Hogwarts sounds very promising. If only more of us were as gifted in potions as he is � there would be far fewer accidents in which children were accidentally adversely affected by potions gone awry�� The man blushed furiously at this, and Dumbledore took the opportunity to quietly lead Harry several seats away from him.
�Thank-you, sir.� Harry said appreciatively. He was very curious about what kind of potions mishap the man had been embarrassed about when Dumbledore had made his comment, but decided that he wouldn�t ask just now.
�What did he say to you Harry? You looked ready to start hexing him.�
Slumping heavily into his chair with a huff, Harry, growled once before answering. �He said,� Harry quoted angrily. �That he didn�t know what possessed the ministry to allow someone like Dad to adopt anyone, much less me�. Stupid old�� Harry muttered several descriptors under his breath before looking back up at the headmaster. �Why do people think it�s ok to say things like that about him?� he asked, a slight quaver in his voice. �At all? Much less to me?�
�Arrogant, stupid old�� Dumbledore muttered several much more colourful descriptors under his breath, shooting a glare in the man�s direction before turning a kind gaze back to Harry. �I�m sorry, Harry. That was a horrible thing for him to say. He hasn�t been a student of mine in nearly forty years, but if I could, I�d have him under the cane for a remark like that�� He smirked, throwing an arm around Harry�s shoulders. Harry couldn�t help himself � the image of Dumbledore taking a cane to the fat old (to Harry�s way of thinking anyway) man, elicited a soft chuckle. �Good man,� Dumbledore patted Harry�s back a few times when he saw Harry�s mood lighten. �Don�t let people like that get to you Harry.�
As Harry smiled, catching his father�s eye and waving briefly, Dumbledore got up and spoke briefly with Minerva. She scowled at the man who had spoken to Harry before coming over to take the seat that Dumbledore had vacated. By the time the facilitator called the group to attention, Filius Flitwick had seated himself on Harry�s other side, and Dumbledore sat himself next to Minerva, directly next to a now distinctly uncomfortable looking Donovan.
The discussion was a complete success, with Severus letting his joy in his work show through during the question and answer session after his initial speech, and Harry was pleased to join the others in applause at the end of the presentation.
�You were brilliant Dad!� Harry was still beaming as the five of them sat down to eat lunch that afternoon. �Even that jerk-face was impressed by the end!�
�Donovan Logan,� Dumbledore explained to Severus� quizzical look. �Stupid ass said something ignorant to Harry��
�What did he say?� Severus demanded in a low growl.
�Nothing intelligent,� Dumbledore began, but seeing from the look on his face that Severus did not intend to let it go, he explained: �He made a stupid crack about you adopting Harry. I spotted Harry about to remove his head from his shoulders, and stepped in.�
�Uncle Albus was brilliant, Dad,� Harry chuckled again. �He told him that if more people were as good at potions as you there�d be less accidents� Did he have a really bad potions accident Uncle Albus?� Harry asked. �Because he sure looked embarrassed when you mentioned adverse reactions��
�He once overdosed on a Virtus Engorgio potion�� Everyone at the table choked at this, Severus laughing outright.
Only Harry looked confused. �I don�t know that potion? What�s it do?�
Dumbledore smiled mischievously at Harry�s question, Filius looked determinedly at his plate, and Minerva blushed scarlet. Severus cleared his throat and, though he looked distinctly uncomfortable, finally managed to answer. �It is an illicit potion that you will not worry about� nor make� it � uh, can lead to a very embarrassing situation for young men who attempt it� argh�� he groaned, shooting a glare at Albus for bringing it up when Harry looked at him, still confused.
�It � er �� He leaned in, whispering so that no one else could hear. �It causes a certain part of the male anatomy to get larger. It is only ever attempted by young men with less brains than self-confidence, because the possible side-effects are said to be quite uncomfortable.� Harry could feel his face burning as he finally understood, and would have loved to crawl under a rock if their server hadn�t chosen that moment to arrive with their meals.
�What talk are we going to see this afternoon?� Harry asked his father in an attempt to change the subject.
�This afternoon is the general assembly,� Minerva answered for him. �Everyone is expected to attend, but between you and me, Harry, it is incredibly boring, so I recommend bringing either a book to read or some parchment to doodle on.�
She�d been right. It had been the most boring part of the convention yet � that is right up until one of the wizards up at the front had announced that today was Harry Potter�s birthday and that they were lucky to have Harry in the audience today, and would he come forward so that they all could extend their best wishes? Harry had sat, frozen in horror in his seat until Dumbledore had risen and motioned for their entire group: himself, Minerva, Filius, Severus and Harry to all step forward.
Still, even leaning against his father for support, and with the other Hogwarts professors standing with him, he dearly wished that the ground would open up and swallow him whole as the room of fifty-odd witches and wizards chorused �For he�s a jolly good fellow�.
He very shyly thanked the chairman when he wished him many happy returns and handed him a gift from the whole ICW of a book entitled �Famous witches and wizards of the twentieth century� bookmarked at the page that held his own entry. Returning to his seat as soon as politely possible, Harry was certain that his face was redder than Ron�s hair.
But worst of all, was on his way back to his seat, he noticed a Daily Prophet photographer putting his camera away. Terrific he thought. That�s all I need is for this to make it into the paper�
His birthday dinner that evening with his father and the Hogwarts teachers was far more satisfactory. As were the gifts � It was an all Quidditch theme: Books, gloves, pads and even a very nice broomstick-care kit from his father � Remus had given him his gift before he�d left his flat (about a tonne and a half of chocolates and sweets).
�I have to wonder at the propriety though�� Filius said as they all sat sipping their after dinner tea. �I mean � the heads of Ravenclaw and Slytherin giving Gryffindor�s star seeker Quidditch supplies. How do you think that would sit with our alums Severus?� He�d said it with a completely straight face, but the twinkle in his eyes gave him away a moment before his face broke into a grin.
The professors, and even Harry himself were still laughing about the irony of it all when Severus finally sent Harry off to bed as the hour neared midnight.
�Good-night all, �night Dad � you were brilliant today.� Harry said over a yawn after thanking them all for his gifts.
As he slowly drifted off, to the muffled murmuring of the adults voices in the other room, and the sight of his birthday gifts on the nightstand, Harry�s last thought was that even though his birthday had turned out much differently than he�d been hoping only a few weeks ago, it was still a great day. He was twelve years old � and though they still had a week and a half left at the convention, as soon as he got home, he�d have a week and a half � partly at home, partly at Hogwarts before he went to stay at Rons to spend almost entirely up on his broom, flying�
�See you�� he called, bolting up the stairs.
�Freeze!� Severus stopped him mid leap. �Luggage � upstairs,� he instructed. �Everything unpacked, your bed made up, and the holiday work you�ve finished put out for me to read. Then, and only then, you may go flying.�
�Aww, Dad��Harry whined, stomping heavily back down the stairs to grab his luggage. �It�s been ages!�
�And it�ll be a few minutes longer.� Severus gave him a light, good-natured swat on the behind to start him back up the stairs. �The sooner you get that lot put away, the sooner you can get up in the air.�
�Yes!� Harry cheered, running, luggage in tow, into the house. Severus could hear him cheering as he bounded noisily to his room: I�m going flying!!
�Hey, Dad?� Harry peered into his father�s room about a half an hour later.
�All done already?�
�Yeah, most of my clothes were dirty anyway. Can I Floo Ron?�
�I thought you wanted to go flying.� Severus smiled as he put away the last of his own luggage.
�I do, but I want to let him know we�re home.� Because of the security, they hadn�t been allowed to say exactly when they�d be returning from the conference, so all Harry�s friends knew was that he�d be unreachable until �around mid-August�.
�Alright,� Severus relented. �My office Floo � I�ll be down in a minute to open it.�
�Thanks, Dad,� Harry called as he ran out of the room.
When Severus entered his office a few minutes later, he spotted Harry right away � he was sitting cross-legged on the floor in front of the fireplace, his broom hovering in front of him as he clipped a few stray twigs from the end with a tool from the broomstick servicing kit his father had given him for his birthday.
�This works a lot better than the ordinary scissors I was using,� Harry smiled, showing Severus the specialty clippers from his kit. �See? Smooth, clean edges!�
�Great,� Severus smiled. Pointing his wand at the fireplace he first lit a small fire and then spoke the charm that reopened their Floo connection after their time away.
As Harry instantly threw in the Floo-call powder and announced his request to the flames �Burrow � This is Harry Potter for Ron Weasley�, Severus seated himself at his desk and began to read through three weeks of accumulated post. He was so wrapped up in the many parchments littering his desk that Harry had to shout to get his attention. �Dad!�
�Sorry?� Severus looked up finally from a letter from a parent asking if there was any way that he could insure that their son would be sorted into Slytherin. �What�?�
�Da-ad,� Harry laughed. �Earth to Dad� I said Ron and his family are going to Diagon Alley today for their school things � can we go today too? It would get it out of the way before you have to start thinking about going back to school� and I could see everyone��
�I don�t know Harry�� Severus began wearily, but Harry quickly offered a temptation too good to resist.
�Didn�t you need to get some special ingredients for some of those new potions from the convention�?�
Which is how he found himself, with Harry in tow, barrelling through the tunnels under Gringotts a half an hour before they were to meet the Weasleys. It was only the prospect of being able to procure the obscure ingredients he needed that allowed him to stomach the idea of spending time with the Weasley twins during the holiday. Speaking of which� Severus groaned audibly as he spotted a sea of red-heads emerging from another tunnel when they re-entered the marble expanse of the bank lobby.
�Ron! Fred! George!� Harry called, smirking at his father�s reaction to the twins. Harry�s voice also caught the attention of Hermione (whom they�d also arranged to meet), who was with her parents at the end of the counter, exchanging Muggle money.
As they all went their separate ways outside the bank, Severus politely declined Mr. Weasley�s invitation to come back to the Leakey Cauldron with him and the Grangers while Molly took Ginny to get her things and all the boys went off to get their things. �Thank-you,� he said seriously. �However, I require some rather obscure potions ingredients that are only available in one shop � it�s a bit of a walk� Harry?� He turned to Harry who was trying to slip away with Ron and the twins without his father noticing.
�Come on, Dad,� he practically whined. �Can I go with them? I�ll be with Ron and the twins��
�Do you have your wand with you?� he demanded, nodding once when Harry showed him. �Alright, I want you to promise to be with at least one other person at all times. In a pinch, even Ronald here could be counted on to go for help.�
�Promise, Dad,� Harry smiled, starting off with the three youngest Weasley boys. �See you��
�Be at Flourish and Blotts within an hour!� he called after the boys retreating backs. The only indication that he�d been heard came in the form of a quick wave.
***************
�Break it up there chaps!� The scene that Severus met with when he entered the bookstore an hour later was bedlam. Hagrid was pulling Lucius Malfoy, and Arthur Weasley apart, while Harry and the other children, including Draco Malfoy looked to be trying to blend in with the crowd.
Lucius said something typically rude to Arthur before dragging Draco out of the store, shooting a brief glare in Severus� direction on his way past.
�Really, Arthur,� Molly was admonishing her husband. �Brawling��
�Alright Harry?� Severus asked, moving over to his son and tuning the others out.
�Yeah,� Harry replied, looking annoyed. �It wasn�t my fault, Dad.�
Severus just looked at him confused for a moment � of course it wasn�t his fault that Arthur and Lucius were fighting � that went way back�
�But he just grabbed me and pulled me up there, and before I knew it they took a picture� I gave Ginny the books he gave me though��
�What?� Severus demanded, thoroughly confused. �What are you talking about Harry?�
�Lockhart � now I know why we had to get all of his books. He�s teaching Defense this year.� Harry said, sounding annoyed. �He spotted me, dragged me up there� gave me a set of his books��
�Picture?� Severus asked, starting to catch up. �Who took a picture?�
�The Prophet.� Harry scowled.
�Don�t worry, Harry,� Severus forced a smile for Harry�s sake. Harry did know that one of his father�s standing rules was no contact with reporters, but Severus knew that in this case, it was certain that Lockhart would not have given Harry any chance of escape. �It�s not your fault. I should have been here sooner.�
Harry gave a sigh of relief, smiling at the parcels Severus was carrying. �Did you get all the stuff for your new potions?�
�Yes, and a restock of your potions kit for school. So, your books?�
�Yeah, then we�re done.�
After the excitement of the fight between Mr. Weasley and Mr. Malfoy in the bookstore, no one was in much of a mood to stop at the Leakey Cauldron � the Dentists Granger were looking completely horrified as they ushered Hermione toward the door out into Muggle London, and Mrs. Weasley was scowling openly at her husband as she pushed her group toward the Floo to go home. So with a promise to see them all one week before the start of classes, Harry watched them all leave before gathering his own packages to head home himself.
Stepping out of the hearth himself, a moment later, Severus nearly tripped over Harry�s discarded parcels. �Harry�� he groaned in exasperation. Harry stopped, halfway out the door, his broom in hand. �I�m quite sure you didn�t mean to just leave this lot here in the middle of the floor��
With a heavy sigh, and rolling his eyes at his father�s smirk, Harry set his broom aside again and began gathering up his parcels to take them to his room. �I�m never going to get to fly at this rate�� He did though � for a couple of hours before Severus called him back in for dinner. Thoroughly exhausted from a very long day, as well as the tiring effect of flying so long after having been away from it for a while, Harry stumbled to the table, dragging his broom (which Severus took and leaned in the corner while they ate). In spite of his most valiant efforts though, Harry was nodding off in his chair by halfway through the pudding.
�Harry, you�re exhausted, why don�t you head to bed?�
�Hnnnn�� Harry mumbled, his eyes trying to flick open, but only managing to make it halfway. �Five more minutes�?� he asked, seemingly just on principle.
�Come on, Harry.� Severus smiled at Harry�s feeble attempts to stay awake, and got up to help him stand up. �You�ve been up since five o�clock this morning, and you didn�t get to bed very early last night. It�s been a full day, it�s almost nine o�clock, and you�re obviously dead tired.�
�Yeah�I can do it!� he insisted when Severus helped him to his feet, but when he instantly stumbled into the side of the table, Severus merely smiled, and bent to pick him up.
�That�s what I thought,� Severus smiled when Harry offered no resistance, instead, falling almost instantly to sleep. �You can fly more tomorrow,� he said quietly to Harry�s sleepy comment about wanting to go back out flying after supper. After carrying him upstairs to his room, Severus got the effectively unconscious boy changed into his pyjamas and into bed. He couldn�t figure out how to brush Harry�s teeth without him choking on the toothpaste, and any tooth cleaning spell, would likely startle him awake, so Severus decided to let that go this one time � he�d get him to brush really well in the morning.
�Good-night, Son,� he whispered, bending to steal a kiss on Harry�s forehead before he left.
�Don�t worry,� he heard Harry muttering in his sleep as he closed the door. �We don�t even have Transfiguration today��
�Obviously you can � you just did�� Severus smirked as he looked up from the letter he�d been reading � a response from Albus regarding an irate letter Severus had sent him about Lockhart using Harry to get more press.
�May I ask you something�?� Harry rolled his eyes at the playful correction. �Something after this question�� he added quickly before Severus could tease further.
�Certainly�� Severus� playful smile faded a bit seeing Harry looking serious � and slightly uncomfortable. �What is it?�
�I was wondering� about � well, about Lockhart � er� Professor Lockhart I mean��
Severus tried to give him as open a look as possible so he�d feel comfortable asking whatever he had to ask about Lockhart. He very carefully kept the scowl off of his face � a scowl that would have been aimed at Lockhart, and not at Harry� Sensing Harry�s continued discomfort though, he stood and moved from behind his desk, beckoning Harry to join him on the sofa in front of the fireplace.
�Is this about what happened in Flourish and Blotts?�
�No� not really�� Harry sighed, slumping into his seat. �It�s stupid��
�I highly doubt that,� Severus encouraged, and then a possible reason for Harry�s concern occurred to him. �Is it about Quirrell? Did that elf say something about Lockhart�?�
Harry had been very surprised when he woke up the morning after they returned from the conference to find a rather shabby looking elf hovering over him. The creature had clamped a hand over Harry�s mouth before he could cry out� Harry had panicked, thinking he was back in an old recurring nightmare that he hadn�t had in a long time� but the figure was not like the person in his nightmare� and when Harry�d calmed down, all the elf wanted was to warn Harry not to return to Hogwarts that year� Of course it was impossible, but the elf had told him that he had to find a way or terrible things would happen. Harry had gone straight to his father the moment the elf left and Severus had told him as calmly as he could (though Harry knew that he was furious that anyone had breached their security) that it must just be a prank, and not to worry about it, before he called Albus and the two men recast, and strengthened all of the wards around the house.
�No�� Harry said slowly. �But how do we know that Lockhart�s not�� Harry looked up at his father. �I mean, last term you suspected about Quirrell, but you didn�t know for sure � and Uncle Albus��
�Harry,� Severus cut him off gently, and meeting his eyes. �I have no suspicions that Lockhart is secretly working for Voldemort if that helps at all. I do have strong suspicions that he�s an arrogant, self-important ignorant a-- er� ahem,� he cleared his throat and smiled encouragingly at Harry. �I would appreciate it if you really would keep my feelings about your Defence against the Dark Arts professor just between us this time�� Harry blushed at this and started to look away, but Severus caught his chin and held his gaze. �The man has a great many faults, and though it takes a certain amount of stupidity to follow Voldemort, I honestly believe that Lockhart is actually too stupid, alright?�
�You�re sure?� Harry asked, though he sounded less nervous. �What if�?�
�If,� Severus cut him off and giving him a very serious look. �If you suspect anything of anyone, at any time�?� The questioning tone was left unanswered for only a moment, but that was long enough for Severus: �You � will � come � directly � to � me.� He emphasized each word with a light tap on Harry�s noggin with an outstretched finger.
�Oh, definitely � most definitely,� Harry assured him quickly, holding his hands up in surrender. �Straight to you � no question. I don�t want a repeat of last term!�
�Good,� Severus smiled. �You�ll be happy to know that I contacted Albus after that fiasco at the bookstore, and it will be made very clear to Lockhart why he will not try to pull another stunt like that again��
�Oh, no!� Harry groaned. �Dad! Now he�ll hate me even before the first class��
�No he won�t � don�t worry. For one, very little fazes that - - man - -,� Severus cleared his throat again, swallowing the word he�d wanted to use to describe the new professor. �And anyway, Albus will put it in such a way that Lockhart will be flattered into thinking he�s doing a favour�� Severus stood, holding out his hand to pull Harry to his feet. �Now, I was going to work on that cheering potion for a while. You�re welcome to help, unless you�d rather head out flying again�?�
�No,� Harry said with a slight grimace. �I�ll help you if I can� I think I overdid the flying the last few days since we�ve been home � my bum is killing me��
The two spent an amiable day in Severus� lab brewing cheerfulness potions. Harry would cut and prepare ingredients � sometimes adding them to the cauldron � sometimes stirring the concoction � or even taking notes for Severus as he observed the effects of various new ingredients. They stopped only for lunch, when the conversation turned to Harry�s favourite topic: Quidditch.
�I shouldn�t be telling you this,� Severus sighed when Harry�d brought up Gryffindor and Slytherin�s chances in the new term. �But Slytherin will be having a new seeker. I�ve no idea if he�ll be any good, but�� he sighed, pushing the rest of his lunch aside, having lost his appetite. �Unfortunately, it�s one of those political things and I have to let him on the team� No,� he shook his head when Harry asked him who it was. �It wouldn�t be fair to ask you to keep the secret, but it also wouldn�t be fair to the rest of the Slytherin team if you knew before they did.� Though he was very curious, Harry grudgingly agreed not to press him further on it.
The only other time they stopped their work that afternoon was when Harry accidentally leaned a bit too close to a cauldron full of a particularly strong cheering potion. Merely inhaling the fumes was enough to send him into fits of laughter for nearly an hour. When his father laughed at his predicament, Harry deliberately wafted the fumes in his direction as well. For some time, they were both incapacitated with wave after wave of giggles� by the time it finally wore off, they were both clutching their sides trying to work out laughter induced stitches.
Once he�d fully regained his senses, Harry looked warily at his father� potions, even cheering potions were nothing to play around with, and had something like this happened in one of his classes, Harry knew that his father would have deducted many points, and assigned at least one detention to the student responsible. But here at home, Harry was greatly relieved to find his father could allow himself to see the humour in the situation.
�Har har har�� He ruffled Harry�s hair. �That was sneaky� very interesting effects though don�t you think? A large batch of this and a fan, and the next curriculum meeting at school might actually be tolerable�� He handed Harry a quill and some parchment. �Here, write down your observations on how the fumes affected you.� He took some parchment for himself and started writing. �Oh, but Harry?� Severus said casually, not looking up from his writing. �Of course, you know that if you try anything like that in class��
�I�d be disembowelling frogs and cleaning cauldrons by hand until the wee hours?�
�At the very least�� Severus said, still not looking up, though he didn�t bother to hide his smile.
*************************
When Harry stepped out of the fireplace in the Weasley kitchen to see Mr. and Mrs. Weasley clearing away the last of the family�s breakfast dishes, he stumbled forward slightly, his arms full and his father�s admonition to be good still ringing in his ears.
Smiling brightly at his warm welcome, he presented his gifts of a bouquet of flowers and a box of Witch Wonderful�s Best Chocolate to Mrs. Weasley,and an odd shaped parcel to Mr. Weasley. �Ron said you work in the Muggle artefacts office,� he said, nervous that he wouldn�t like the object he�d bought for him at the amusement park Remus had taken him to before the conference.
�It�s actually a key chain � you put your keys on it � some Muggles have loads of keys, and some have only one or two keys, but they hold them with a bunch of these key chains. See �� He pointed to a button on the odd shaped object. �You push that little button and it lights up and plays a tune for a minute��
Mr. Weasley tried the button and nearly dropped the key chain in surprise as the many sided bangle started flashing sparkly lights and beeping an obnoxious tune. �Wow!� he muttered, turning the thing over and over in his hands. �But, how does it�?�
�Oh, it�s not charmed, or anything�� Harry assured him quickly. �I swear! It�s got a tiny little thingy in it called a battery��
�Battery?� Mr. Weasley�s head shot up at this. �Oh, I know all about Batteries,� he said knowledgeably. I have a collection� I had no idea that they came small enough to fin in something like�� He frowned when the flashing lights and beeping stopped. �Oh, has the battery run out? Should I get another�?�
�No,� Harry smiled, reaching over to push the button again. �It just automatically stops after a bit so it doesn�t run out too quick��
�Thank-you Harry,� Mr. and Mrs. Weasley both beamed at him. �You didn�t have to bring anything at all, but thank-you very much.�
Harry blushed, shrugging self-consciously before responding. �Thanks for inviting me to stay��
The week went by in a blur for Harry. He�d never stayed anywhere like the Burrow before � in fact, he�d never stayed over night in a house with other kids before at all�
It was a blast!
He, Ron and the twins played many games of Quidditch, went swimming in a nearby pond, and played chess and exploding snap to all hours � Percy generally avoided the younger kids (which was fine by Harry), and Harry got to meet the youngest Weasley � Ginny.
He wasn�t too sure about her� Ron kept saying that she wasn�t usually like this, but she was awfully clumsy and shy around him � hardly saying a word. Still, he decided to give her the benefit of the doubt � she may be quiet, but at least she never told on them when he, Ron, Fred and George were goofing off, so he figured she couldn�t be all bad. And a major plus, was when she yelled at Fred and George for pinning a copy of the cover picture from the Daily Prophet of Harry at the convention up on the back door. He�d ended up laughing with everyone when Fred and George had crawled on their knees, jokingly pleading for Harry and Ginny�s forgiveness.
The biggest excitement of the week came when Fred and George were caught coming home in the wee hours of the morning, having taken their father�s car. Harry was very glad that he and Ron hadn�t been involved, but as the two older boys were sneaking out to meet some friends from their class, the two twelve-year-olds wouldn�t have been welcome among a group of fourteen-year-olds.
Harry, Ron, Ginny, and (though he pretended he wasn�t) Percy, all crouched on the stairs listening to the argument that unfolded � first, Mrs. Weasley yelled at Fred and George for taking the car � then, when she found out that Mr. Weasley had charmed the car to fly and the twins had flown several towns away for the party, she completely lost her temper. In the end, the twins had to degnome the garden, and were banned from flying for the rest of the holiday (which thankfully was only a few more days) and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley locked themselves in the den � throwing up a privacy sound barrier for half an hour to discuss the situation.
�We�re very sorry you had to hear us yelling at Fred and George this morning, Harry dear,� Mrs. Weasley said at dinner that night.
�That�s alright, Mrs. Weasley,� Harry smiled to put her at ease. �Honestly, I�ve really enjoyed being here. The conference was interesting and all, but there were no other kids, and the weather was horrible. And at home, Dad�ll fly with me sometimes � but, you know� he�s no spring chicken, so he tires out way before me� What?� He broke off talking to Mrs. Weasley when he noticed that four of the five youngest Weasley children were staring at him with looks of shock on their faces.
�Snape?! Flying on a broom?!� George finally said, a look of awe on his face.
�I just can�t picture it�� Ron added, grinning slightly.
�Actually,� Harry said to stop them saying anything about his Dad that might make him angry. �He played on his house team when he was at Hogwarts � he played Seeker. Actually he was the captain of his house team��
�Wow�� Fred, George and Ron all gaped in unflattering shock.
�Yes,� Mrs. Weasley cut in, dropping Harry a wink. �Of course, it was after our time, but I�ve always followed the Quidditch at Hogwarts, and from all accounts, your Professor Snape�� she glared briefly at her sons. �Was quite a good player and captain. Now, time for bed. Is everyone packed and ready for school tomorrow?� There were many groans and �Yes, Mum�s� as the Weasley children and Harry cleared their dinner dishes and started to make their way upstairs.
�Mrs. Weasley?� Harry approached her quietly before heading upstairs. �In case I forget tomorrow, I just wanted to thank you and Mr. Weasley again for having me to stay. I�ve had a really great time, and your home is really wonderful.�
�Oh, Harry dear,� Mrs. Weasley replied mistily, pulling Harry into a motherly embrace. �Thank-you. You�re most welcome to come again anytime. You�ve been a wonderful guest.�
The next morning was chaos like Harry�d only ever seen when the students at Hogwarts were getting ready for the train home on the last day of school. Harry tried his best to stay out of the way as people ran up and down the stairs, shouted questions about where various books and articles of clothing were and tried to scarf down a little of Mrs. Weasley�s delicious breakfast cooking in between. As they loaded the car, Mr. Weasley quietly showed Harry the �enhancements� he�d made on the boot so that it could fit everything.
�But let�s just keep that between you and I eh, Harry? Mrs. Weasley wouldn�t approve�� He winked conspiratorially. Harry chuckled along with him, but decided that it would be rude to point out the fact that Mr. Weasley was in charge of the office at the ministry meant to stop people from making these kinds of �enhancements� to Muggle objects.
Even after the car was finally loaded and everyone inside (Harry was pretty sure that the inside of the car had been �enhanced� as well), they had to turn back three times for various forgotten articles before they finally made it on to the motorway. Even though they were running quite late by the time they finally made the final stop back at the Burrow, Mrs. Weasley flatly refused to allow Mr. Weasley to fly them to the train station.
�But Molly, dear,� he said. �This button here is an invisibility booster � no one would see us� we�re running quite late��
�No, Arthur.�
When they finally did make it to the station (the Muggle way � no flying), they had barely five minutes for all of them to get onto the platform. They all ran through the station, pushing their trolleys, hoping they would all be able to make it through the barrier in time without attracting the attention of any Muggles. Percy ran through first, followed by Fred and George. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley each took a side and ushered Ginny through, telling Harry and Ron to follow quickly.
�We�d better both go through at the same time,� said Harry, looking at the time. They only had a minute left. �On three. One, two, three!� They both broke into a run, heading straight for the barrier between the Muggle platforms 9 and 10, both expecting to sail right through when� BAM!!
Both trolleys hit the barrier and bounced back, spilling both of their luggage all over the ground including Harry�s snowy owl Ruby who started screeching as her cage clattered to the floor and started to roll. Harry quickly grabbed her and apologized to the guard who started their way �Sorry � lost control of the trolley�� The guard, and several onlookers gave them dark looks before finally leaving them be. �Why won�t it let us in?� he whispered to Ron, pressing his hand against the inexplicably solid barrier.
�I don�t know�� Ron muttered back leaning his trolley right against the brick and pushing with all his might. �But� oh, no!! Harry, look at the time! We�ve missed the train! What are we going to do?�
�Calm down, Ron�� Harry whispered urgently � Ron�s voice had begun to rise. �I�m sure your parents��
�What if it�s permanently broken?� Ron cut him off. �What if they can�t get back through to us?�
�I think,� Harry said quickly, turning his trolley and beckoning Ron to follow. �That we�d better wait by the car��
�The car!!� Ron cried, catching up. �That�s it, Harry. The car. If we hurry, we can follow the train!�
�I don�t know, Ron.� Harry said, slowing down. �Your parents��
�Can apparate, Harry,� Ron said, dragging Harry along. �Trust me, this is the only way. And if we hurry, no one even needs to know that we missed the train at all. I think my Dad installed an auto-return button, so that if the car ever got lost, you could just send it home� or something like that anyway��
Though, Harry still wasn�t sure this was the best idea, the prospect of no one finding out that they�d missed the train, or couldn�t get through the barrier was appealing. Also, if he was being honest with himself, the idea of flying in a car was very exciting� so, with a growing sense of excitement, he got in the passenger side of the Weasley�s charmed Ford Anglia and watched as Ron (who knew how the flying and invisibility boosters worked) drove them over the top of the train station in search of the Hogwarts Express�
1)The next chapter won�t be as quick as this one was � this bit was written ages ago when I first came up with this idea. I only had to tweak it a bit to account for slight changes the story has had since I first wrote it�
2) Alright� this is for those who were a bit nervous about Harry getting spanked in an earlier chapter. Please be warned, a similar punishment is in store for Harry in this chapter. As you can tell from the title of the chapter, this is the tale of the Whomping Willow incident from Chamber of Secrets. It was a pretty seriously stupid thing to do� we�ve established that although Severus is a loving, caring, and involved parent, he can be quite stern when it comes to Harry making stupid mistakes that he very much knows better than to do. This situation is no different. As to the method of punishment � I have no idea if this method is common in Britain or America � but in Canada, where I grew up, I had a friend who was dodging this particular punishment from his Mummy well into his twenties�
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�All we�ve got to worry about now are aeroplanes,� said Ron.
They looked at each other and started to laugh� �And helicopters,� Harry added between guffaws.
�And Post Owls��
It was the most amazing way to travel, thought Harry as they sailed through the clouds, dipping below the cloudcover to check their course with the train every so often (the invisibility booster had failed after the first few minutes so they decided to �hide� above the clouds as much as possible). They sat back relaxing and enjoying the trip, snacking on the toffee they found in the glove compartment and cracking jokes� but after they�d been in the air for an hour or two, the fun started to wear off. It was hot, and sticky, and eating all that toffee left them feeling uncomfortably thirsty.
Worse, as the silence lengthened Harry began to think more and more on just how wise it had been to take Mr. and Mrs. Weasley�s car and fly it to Hogwarts�
�Fred and George are going to die when they see us arrive in this!� Ron said cheerfully, interrupting Harry�s musings. �Where do you think we should land? Right on the front lawn? Or would that be too obvious?�
�No way!� Harry groaned. �I think we should just try and land near Hogsmede station, hope no one spots us doing it, and try and catch up with everyone getting off the train and take the carriages to the school with everyone else!�
�But,� Ron said, aghast. �Were�s the fun in that?!�
�The fun is in not getting murdered by my Dad�� Harry stopped when the car gave a loud clunking sound. �What was that?�
�Uh-oh�� Ron muttered, looking wildly around at all the gauges. �Uhh�� The car began sputtering angrily, losing altitude. �This isn�t good��
�Wait! Over there � it�s the castle. Hurry, get us down,� Harry called, pointing to their left.
Ron jerked the wheel, but the car was no longer responding, and Ron said several words that Harry was quite sure he wouldn�t have said if Mrs. Weasley had been within earshot for fear of a soapy mouth charm or two. Pulling out his wand, Ron began frantically banging it on the dash, shouting random commands to the car: �STOP!�, �UP�, �SLOW DOWN!�, �LEFT�, �UP UP UP!!!� But to no avail. The car seemed to have a given up, and giving one last sputter, the engine finally died. �Oh, no, oh, no�� Ron muttered, shaking the steering wheel violently. Pulling with all his might, and shouting command after command at the car � they barely cleared the lake next to the castle, still descending rapidly. For a brief moment, Ron relaxed, thinking they were out of danger, until Harry started yelling.
�No! Turn! Turn! We�re going to hit the Whomping Wil�� he didn�t finish before they did, indeed hit a massive tree on a part of the grounds that Ron had never been to before.
The car stopped abruptly, but they were both intact and Ron started to smile, until he noticed: �My wand!� he cried. �My wand! Oh, no! What am I�� but again, his cries were cut off by Harry yelling DUCK an instant before a large � it could only be a limb of the tree � came bursting through the window.
�Reverse! Reverse!� Harry was screaming, banging on the dash himself now. �Ron! Reverse! This tree hits back!!�
�But�� Ron started to remind Harry that the engine had died, when it abruptly roared back to life. �REVERSE!!� both boys shouted at once, and the car shot backwards, out of the reach of the still flailing tree.
�Whew, that was close�� Ron�s relief was again short-lived when the doors flew open and he and Harry found themselves flung unceremoniously, along with their luggage and familiars, from the car. Before Ron could even get back on his feet, the doors slammed shut, and the car drove away, its horn blasting rudely as it sped toward the forbidden forest. �My Dad�s car�� he said in a shocked whisper as he watched it disappear. �He�s going to kill me��
�Come on,� Harry sighed, nursing a split-lip. �We may as well see if we can�t still make it up to the Great Hall before the feast�� he said, though secretly, he doubted it. Even if, by some freak chance, no one had seen them crash, the damage to the tree was sure to be noticed� not to mention his split-lip, and the rather spectacular bruise already starting to form under Ron�s right eye�
�Where�s Snape?� Ron said, peering through the crack between the doors to the Great Hall once they�d dragged their belongings into the entrance hall. �Sorry Harry,� he added to Harry�s scowl. �You do know that you�re about the only person in the school who likes that overgrown��
�Ron!� Harry glared at him. �He is my Dad!�
�Ergh,� Ron scowled. �That is just so weird��
�Look!� Harry changed the subject quickly. He loved Ron like a brother. He was his best friend, but he hated getting into arguments with him about their potions master � his Dad. �The first years are coming in.� Ron, true to form didn�t take the hint and accept the change of subject though.
�I wonder where he�s got to? Maybe he got sacked!�
�Ron!� Harry started to scold him only to be overpowered by an all too familiar voice behind him.
�Or maybe, he�s been waiting to find out why you two didn�t arrive on the train with everyone else.�
�Dad�� Harry�s explanation was cut off by a deadly glare.
�Come with me � both of you.� Harry hung his head guiltily as he and Ron tried to keep up. �Sit,� he ordered in a deadly voice once they�d reached his office.
�Dad�� Harry began again, but his father cut him off.
�Where is the car?� Ron looked like he was about to pass out at this question.
�Th- the c-car?� Harry stuttered.
�You were spotted!� Both boys jumped at the anger in his voice as he thrust a copy of the Daily Prophet, special edition, in their faces.
�Dad, the barrier � at the station, it wouldn�t let us in, so we had to��
�The barrier wouldn�t let you in?!� he demanded incredulously.
�Dad, I swear! It wouldn�t let us in! And we had to get here � um, and I didn�t want you to worry, so we��
�Not worry?! Why would I worry when I heard you weren�t on the train? Why would I worry when you weren�t among the students at the feast?� A vein was throbbing on his forehead, an indicator to Harry at least, of how angry he was. Ron just sat there, jaw hanging open in horror. �I can�t deal with this,� Severus growled suddenly. �Your head of house will have to deal with the school aspect of this idiocy. Stay here. Do not step one inch out of this office until we return. Is that understood?�
�Yes, sir,� Harry muttered, looking down. �Ron, close your mouth,� he added to his friend when he hadn�t moved, still sitting slack-jawed several minutes later.
�Harry,� he groaned. �We are so dead! We�re expelled for sure��
�Ron, calm down!� Harry said leaning back. �I don�t think we�ll get expelled. Detention until we graduate perhaps,� he sighed. �And my Dad is going to murder me� but other than that�� He stopped talking, for at that moment, his father had returned with his head of house, and the headmaster in tow.
�Tell me why you have done this thing?� Dumbledore demanded gravely. Harry wanted to die right there, but he steeled himself to reply and explain about the barrier not letting them in.
�Was your owl not with you?!� Minerva demanded. Harry blanched � he hadn�t thought of sending Ruby.
�I didn�t think��
�Well, that much is certain,� Severus snapped.
�I�m sorry!� Harry said desperately.
After a moment of awkward silence, Ron seemed to find his voice. �Are we expelled?�
Harry looked nervously up at his father for his reaction to the question, but it was Dumbledore who answered.
�Not today boys,� he said, giving them a very hard look over his glasses. �But I must impress on you the seriousness of your actions. Get into trouble again, and you will be expelled. Is that quite clear?� Both boys nodded stupidly. �Mr. Weasley, I will be writing a letter to your parents as well. Harry, that obviously won�t be necessary in your case, but a formal reprimand will be put into your record. Now,� he said, rising. �I leave you in the capable hands of your head of house. Severus, let�s head back up to the feast. There�s a lemon tart I had my eyes on.�
�Harry, I want a word with you before you go to your dormitory this evening.� Severus said with a dark look before Dumbledore managed to drag him out of his office.
�Yes, sir,� Harry called to his retreating back, knowing he was in for it.
�Now, boys, about your punishments�� Professor McGonagall began, but Harry, on an inspiration cut her off.
�Auntie Minnie, when we took the car, school hadn�t started yet�� he gulped. �So Gryffindor shouldn�t really lose points � should it?� For a brief moment Harry was sure that she was trying to suppress a smile before she affected a very serious glare.
�However, school is now in session, Mr. Potter,� she said pointedly, and Harry realized that he�d accidentally addressed her by his childhood name for her � something quite forbidden as a student.
�I�m sorry!� he gasped.
�Five points from Gryffindor for the cheeky address of a teacher. But you�re right.� She was definitely trying to suppress a slight smile now. �No points will be taken for your actions earlier today. However, you will each serve a detention.�
�Yes, professor,� they both chimed.
�You will eat in here and then Mr. Weasley, make your way directly to your dormitory, and Harry, to your father�s rooms. Directly, understood?�
�But professor,� Ron asked as she conjured a plate of sandwiches. �I wanted to see my sister getting sorted.�
�The sorting is over,� she said heading for the door. �And your sister is in Gryffindor. Good evening boys.�
�Whew,� Ron sighed loudly when she�d gone. �I thought we were gonners there mate,� he said as he grabbed a sandwich and dug in.
Harry, though, was not feeling relieved. �He�s going to kill me,� he muttered miserably, thumping his head down on the desk. �Dead, Ron,� he groaned. �I�m dead. You are sitting here next to a dead boy.�
�Oh, cheer up Harry,� Ron said thickly through a mouthful of sandwich. �My Mum is going to murder me too when she gets that letter, but you don�t see me worrying.�
�That�s because your Mum isn�t here!� Harry cried. He knew that Mrs. Weasley could be just as frightening as his Dad, but the fact remained that she would have had time to calm down before Ron had to meet her face to face again, while he, Harry, would not have that luxury. �Listen, I�m not hungry, I�m going to head to my room.�
�Do you think he�s going to be really angry? I mean, he�s not going to murder you, is he?�
�No, Ron,� Harry said sarcastically. �He�s going to be really pleased � probably buy me a new broom.� He snorted, rolling his eyes. �We stole a car, Ron. An illegally charmed car� we flew it across Britain!�� Harry sighed, running his hands roughly through his hair. �Yeah, murder sounds about what I should expect� Listen,� he turned to Ron. �I�m going to stay the night up there � I�m not going to be in any mood to hear people asking what happened after he�s done screaming at me alright?�
�You sure Harry?� Ron asked, concerned.
�Yeah,� he looked distractedly around the room. �Everyone will be badmouthing him� He�s really not so bad you know. It�s mostly just an act for the students.�
�I know, Harry,� Ron said kindly. He knew how much it bothered his friend that everyone hated Snape. Mind you, the man really was a total bastard to most of the Gryffindors� But Ron had to remind himself that to his friend Harry, he was something else � his Dad. Not his �real� Dad, everyone knew that James Potter and his wife Lily had been murdered. But to Harry, the nasty potions teacher was Dad � had been since the boy-who-lived had been two.
�I guess I may as well head up to Gryffindor tower,� Ron said, grabbing several sandwiches. �Everyone�ll be heading up there soon and I won�t know the password if I don�t arrive with them. See you in the morning mate.�
�Yeah,� Harry replied. �Will you tell them that I�m staying in my old room tonight? And tell them that it�s not because he�s making me � in fact, he may make me go up to the dormitory. There might be a rule about me sleeping there when school is in� I�m not sure��
�Don�t worry, Harry,� Ron patted him on the back as they headed out of the office and Harry closed the door. �I�ll tell everyone.�
Half an hour later, Harry was in his childhood room in the Hogwarts teacher�s wing, sifting through a pile of parchments on his desk for the homework he�d left behind when he�d gone to the Burrow. He was so wrapped up in trying to find his homework, that he hadn�t noticed that his father had returned to their apartments and was leaning on the doorframe to his room until he spoke.
�I already sent them up to your dorm room along with everything else.�
�Dad!� he cried, jumping about three feet. �You gave me heart failure � I didn�t hear you come in.�
�Did you eat?� Severus asked simply, coming into the room to sit in the squashy armchair next to the bed.
�No,� Harry replied quietly, wondering why he was beating about the bush and hadn�t started yelling at him yet. �Auntie Minnie conjured us some sandwiches in your office, but I wasn�t hungry��
�Ah,� he put his elbows on the arm of the chair, templing his fingers under his chin. �A case of guilty stomach is it?�
�Dad, I�m really sorry��
�Hmm, yes.� He gave him a hard look. �What is sorry?�
�Not as good as not doing something I know I shouldn�t in the first place.� Harry knew the answer to that question very well. His father lectured him on that every time he got into trouble. �But Dad, we didn�t mean��
�Who charmed the car to fly?�
�Um, Ron�s Dad�� he confessed. �But he didn�t know we would take it and he certainly never told us we could��
�Clearly,� Severus interrupted him icily. �He could lose his job over this you know? He�ll almost certainly be fined. How well do you think the Weasley�s can afford that?�
�Not very well, sir,� Harry looked down to the floor, feeling extremely guilty. �Do you think I should...�
�You will not insult them by trying to buy this off for them,� he cut him off with a harsh voice. �He knew the risks when he charmed the car. Now you have to live with the guilt of costing them more than they will likely be able to comfortably afford.�
�Dad, I��
�Why don�t you ever think, boy?!� he barked so suddenly that Harry jumped, taking a step back. �I suppose you thought it�d be terribly clever to arrive in such grand fashion? That everyone would cheer over the hilarious prank?�
�No, sir,� Harry pleaded, forgetting for a moment that he and Ron had indeed imagined what it would be like to arrive and have everyone be amazed. �Dad, I told you, the barrier��
�Do I look amused?!� Severus yelled further, ending any further excuses from Harry. �Well I�m not! The barrier, indeed. Why wouldn�t it let you through? There�s no reason for it not to! But even if it did malfunction and block you and Ron,� he added, standing up and towering over Harry to stop his son�s protest. �That�s still no reason to pull such an unbelievably foolish stunt!!�
�Dad, I�� But Severus had lost his temper, and without consciously deciding to do it he�d summoned a slipper into his hand and Harry found himself quite suddenly spun around by this father�s grip to receive several smart whacks on the behind.
Harry fought himself to not cry as his father walloped him with the slipper. It had been some time since Severus had last spanked him � the last time being the infamous dragon smuggling incident during his last school year�
�I know you�re sorry!� Severus yelled, when he�d finished, throwing the slipper aside. �I know you didn�t think��
Harry turned back around, biting his lip, his hands straying to cover his stinging bottom and his eyes moist with unshed tears to face his father.
�But you have to stop being sorry after you do foolish things and start THINKING BEFORE you do these things! You�re getting closer to making the kinds of mistakes that can�t be fixed Harry.� He fixed him with his most serious look. �This was big, Harry. Do you even realize how big this would have been if you�d been caught by the ministry illegally flying a stolen, illegally charmed car across Britain?!�
�I�m sorry Daddy, I�m sorry,� Harry muttered, a few tears falling down his cheeks, until Severus quite suddenly pulled him into a tight hug.
�What am I to do with you?� Severus sighed, running a hand through his son�s hair. �You had me so worried, Harry! When you weren�t on the train� I didn�t know what to think��
The two talked for some time after that � about what an abysmally foolish thing Harry�d done, about the consequences, how worried Severus had been, and finally about more happy things such as Quidditch and Harry�s week at the Weasley�s. Finally, when Harry started yawning repeatedly, Severus quickly healed the split-lip Harry�d gotten from the tree and chivvied him off to bed.
�Harry,� Severus called as his son headed to his room. �I love you.�
�Love you too, Dad,� Harry smiled. �Good night.�
*****
�Where is he?� Minerva demanded, several hours later when Severus opened the apartment door and let her in.
�He�s asleep,� he replied groggily. �And so was I Minerva! It�s the middle of the night.�
�Why isn�t he in his dormitory?� she demanded, advancing on him. �What did you do to him that he can�t come back to his dormitory? You can�t��
�The fact that you will insist on always assuming the worst of me, is quite annoying, Minerva,� he snapped. �He told me that he told his friend Ron to let everyone know that he would be spending the night in his old room � because he didn�t want to return to his dorm tonight. We were talking rather late anyway, and I thought it best not to send him wandering through the halls, especially as he didn�t know the password to get into his common room anyway.�
�Dad?� Both professors spun to look at the groggy, dishevelled form emerge from Harry�s room, clad only in his underpants. �Wha�s goin� on? I heard voices�?� His eyes suddenly widened with shock when they focused enough to notice Minerva there. With a muffled scream of embarrassment, he bolted back into his room.
�As you can see,� Severus smirked, grinning slightly at Harry�s obvious embarrassment. �He�s perfectly fine � in fact, there�s not much more of him you could possibly see.�
�Auntie � er, I mean Professor McGonagall?� Harry re-emerged a moment later with a bathrobe on. �What are you doing here? Is something wrong?�
�She came to check up on why you didn�t go to your dorm,� Severus answered in a closed voice.
�Didn�t Ron�?�
�He did,� she answered awkwardly. �It�s just��
�She wanted to make sure I hadn�t disembowelled you for potions ingredients.�
�Oh,� Harry said uncomfortably, looking from his father to his head of house. �No, professor, no disembowelling� I � just didn�t want to get into any arguments, so I decided to stay here tonight. I�m sorry, I thought it�d be ok as long as I warned people not to be looking for me� do I have to go up to the dorm?�
�No,� she sighed. �I suppose not � but what do you mean you didn�t want to get into any arguments?�
Harry hugged his arms around himself, looking awkwardly from his father to his head of house before replying. �You�ll just get angry�� But with a pointed look from her he gave in. �He caught us,� he nodded to his father. �He brought you and Professor Dumbledore down on us��
�Ah,� she said, suppressing a grin. �I see��
�It has to be rather uncomfortable for him to have to defend their �greasy git� of a potions teacher�� Severus said, and Minerva was definitely grinning now. �Stuck between going along with his housemates � and telling the truth�� He reached over and mussed Harry�s already rumpled hair. �That they got themselves into trouble�� Harry�s crimson blush was clearly visible, even in the low light of their apartment.
�So can I go back to bed Auntie Minnie? Or do I have to�� he flinched, realizing what he�d called her again. �Sorry� professor��
�It�s alright, Harry,� she smiled reassuringly. �As it�s here in your apartments, and I�ve woken you in the middle of the night, I can hardly expect you to be too formal. Goodnight gentlemen,� she smiled again. �See you at breakfast.�