"Harry, look at this."

They were at breakfast in the Great Hall on the second morning of classes. Harry was helping himself to the pancakes piled high on a silver platter when Hermione interrupted, leaning across Ron with her eyes sparkling and holding out a copy of the Daily Prophet.

He set down his plate and reached for the newspaper, holding it where Ron, in the middle, could see too. The top headline warned people of the approaching full moon and described safety precautions they could take to protect themselves against werewolves, Fenrir Greyback and his followers in particular. Apparently Greyback had kidnapped several children in the weeks prior to the full moon and fear of werewolves was running high.

Harry felt a sharp pang for Remus' sake, but then his eye caught another headline, smaller and tucked away in the right corner, and he knew that that was the one Hermione wanted him to notice and why she looked so happy.

Umbridge found guilty on abuse charges! Sentenced to 5 years in Azkaban!

"All right!" Ron exclaimed and he and Hermione slapped each other's palms in celebration.

Harry had to grin, too. "Well, she sure deserves it. And more."

"She would have gotten more if they'd known she hurt you too," Hermione pointed out in a low voice. Harry knew that though she understood and abided by his reasons for not wanting to be involved in the trial, she still felt angry for his sake that Umbridge wouldn't be officially punished for harming him.

Ron nodded in agreement. ‘Hey, the way everyone loves you now, Harry, she'd have gotten a life sentence for hurting you," he said in a low voice.

Harry shrugged. "Maybe, but it's all right. I didn't want to get involved and go to court. I might have had to take some binding vow or something, and who knows what it would lead to?"

Ron and Hermione knew he was referring to the discovery of the slavery spell and they just nodded silently. But then Ginny leaned over from across the table and wanted to know what they were looking at and while Ron was showing her the headline about Umbridge, some of the other Gryffindors called congratulations from down the table.

Students at the other House tables read their own copies of the Prophet and soon everyone knew the news of Umbridge's imprisonment. Umbridge had been almost universally despised in her brief reign at Hogwarts and students and staff alike were in high spirits as they filed out of the Hall a short time later.

Harry motioned to his friends to wait for him and he darted up to the staff table to catch Severus.

"Did you see the bit about Umbridge?" He asked his father.

Severus' eyes were bright and he looked pleased. "I did indeed. I only wish we could have punished her for harming you as well. Five years is not long enough, by far, in my opinion."

"Hermione said that too," Harry told him, feeling warm and happy at his father's protectiveness.

"Well, Miss Granger is clever. No one can deny that," Severus responded. He patted Harry's shoulder. "I will see you later this morning."

Harry nodded. "All right."

"Harry? You do feel well?" Severus questioned, his voice suddenly going soft and gentle. "There is no reason to worry over Potions now, you know."

If possible, the warm happy feeling inside him seemed to grow even more intense. Harry smiled at his father. "I know. I feel fine."

"Good." Severus patted his shoulder again and they parted, Severus returning to the dungeons to his classroom while Harry re-joined his friends and headed for Transfiguration.

Professor McGonagall welcomed them back with a lecture on the difficulties of sixth-year Transfiguration and the importance of working hard to pass their NEWTS.

"Right back to the grindstone, hmm?" Ron muttered to Harry.

Neville was not taking Transfiguration this year and as Dean and Seamus, Lavendar and Parvati had all paired up together, Harry had a desk to himself. But he was right across the aisle from Ron and Hermione and it was a simple matter to whisper and pass notes...to Ron, anyway, as Hermione usually paid strict attention in class.

"All the better to copy her notes," as Ron always said with a shrug.

But there was little chance to play around in Transfiguration. McGonagall was a strict taskmaster and promptly set them to work. The first half of class was spent reviewing spells from last year, but the students had to attempt the work with nonverbal magic first. It was a struggle, but after fifteen minutes, Hermione managed to perform a perfect vanishing spell on her turtle. After half an hour Harry had vanished one of his creature's legs while Ron thought his turtle's shell was becoming transparent.

"This was a lot easier when we could talk," he whispered to Harry.

Harry nodded. Around him he could hear some of the students murmuring "Evanesco" under their breath as they struggled with the spell. But he himself continued to work diligently in silence. Whispering the incantation would be quicker and easier for sure, but it wouldn't help him master nonverbal magic. And even though Voldemort was gone and Harry shouldn't be in danger as he had been in the past, he thought it would still be wise to become as strong and as skilled as possible.

After all, you never knew what might happen.

If he had been more advanced and experienced maybe he could have sensed Malfoy shooting that slavery curse at him. Maybe he could have protected himself from it. But then, as always, he had to remember that if not for the spell, he wouldn't have Severus. He would have never gone to Prince Hall or met Norie and Zan.

Harry closed his eyes for a second, feeling torn by conflicting emotions. He hated knowing that he was a slave. But he loved having a father and a real home for the first time since he had been a baby. In some ways, when he didn't think about being a slave, he was happier than he'd ever been before. He'd always dreamed of having his own family and now finally his dream had come true.

But then he would remember that he was a slave and unless Dumbledore and Severus found a way to free him, he would be for the rest of his life, or for the rest of Severus' life at least. And Harry couldn't bear to think of Severus dying. Losing his father would kill him too. As much as he wanted his freedom, he didn't want it at the cost of his father's life. He couldn't go on without Severus now.

Harry sighed. It was no wonder, he thought, that he tried not to think about his situation and kept it all pushed safely away in the back of his mind. If he let himself dwell on it he could go crazy.

"Harry? You all right?' Ron poked him in the arm.

Harry opened his eyes, realised that McGonagall was speaking and nodded to Ron.

McGonagall praised the students who had made some progress with nonverbal magic and encouraged the others, telling them not to lose heart but to keep working, that casting silently was a difficult skill that required mental discipline and effort, but that she was sure they could master it in time.

For the last half hour she had them begin to work on human transfiguration and they spent the rest of class attempting to change their eyebrows into different colours.

When Transfiguration was over and McGonagall had dismissed them, Harry, Ron, and Hermione trooped down to the dungeons, winding their way through the crowded , waving to familiar faces, and complaining good-naturedly about the essay McGonagall had assigned as homework.

"Well, at least Potions should be better now," Hermione remarked. She smiled at Harry. "I'm glad you don't have to be ill this year."

"Me, too," Harry agreed fervently.

Outside the Potions classroom, they joined the other Gryffindors and the Slytherins. Malfoy was at the front of the line, Harry noticed, and the blond boy scowled when he saw Harry, but before he could do anything more, Severus opened the door. Malfoy immediately seemed to forget about Harry and tried to say something to Severus...Harry couldn't hear exactly what...but Severus just gave him a fierce glare and motioned him inside without a word.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione settled themselves at a table with Neville, who needed Potions for his Herbology degree, and set out their cauldrons and Potions kits. Some of the first magic that students learned upon entering Hogwarts was a shrinking spell so that they could comfortably carry their cauldrons in their school bags. Now everyone enlarged the pots to normal size and then quickly put away their wands. Severus had always made it clear that he generally disliked anyone having a wand out during his class.

The Potions professor stalked up to the front of the room and surveyed the students with sharp eyes. His gaze slid over Harry, Ron, and Hermione, but he glowered at Neville and the other Gryffindors.

"I am quite surprised to find that some of you qualified for this class," Severus began coolly, staring directly at Neville who turned red under the scrutiny. "NEWT level Potions is a difficult and potentially dangerous course. I will not tolerate incompetence or carelessness. Be warned."

He was silent for a long uneasy moment before continuing. "We will begin the term by learning Golpalott's Laws on the diagnosis of poisons and the study of anti-dotes. Today you will brew a blend of aconite, dragon's bile, and fluxweed. On Thursday you will attempt to create the anti-dote for it. This poison stings if it comes into contact with skin. If it is inhaled or ingested, it can be fatal unless the proper anti-dote is administered within a few hours. It caused severe bleeding and abdominal cramps."

Severus paused, as if making sure they all understood what a thoroughly nasty potion they would be dealing with. "As a safety precaution you will take out your wands and cast a Bubble-Head charm on yourselves." He looked over at Neville. "And on anyone else who might be incapable of performing this simple spell for himself."

When everyone was safely ensconced inside inside the fishbowl-like Bubble-Head, Severus pointed his wand at the chalkboard and lines of directions appeared. "Begin."

As the students worked, he swept around the classroom, observing and commenting on their progress. To the absolute shock of everyone else in the room, Severus praised Harry, Ron, and Hermione on their work and even awarded them ten points.

But he was more harsh than ever with the other Gryffindors, especially poor Neville who was so intimidated that his potion turned out as black sludge rather than the thin pale blue liquid that everyone else managed. Neville was visibly upset and red as a beet by the time Severus had finished disparaging him over it.

But Neville wasn't the sole recipient of Severus' ire. The Potions professor also jeered at Draco Malfoy several times. Malfoy simply kept working on his brew, his face impassive, but Harry thought he saw anger or some emotion flicker in the other boy's grey eyes.

Severus was also snide to the rest of the Gryffindors too, as if he felt he had to make up for being nice to Harry, Ron, and Hermione. The ten points he had awarded them were completely cancelled out by the points he docked from the others, and Dean, Seamus, Lavendar, and Parvati were glaring at both Severus and at Harry by the time class was over.

"Gee, Harry, I thought you and Snape were so close now. Can't you get him to ease up on the rest of us?" Dean demanded as they headed upstairs to the Great Hall for lunch.

"I don't know. I'll try," Harry answered in a low voice. He turned to Neville who was walking beside him. "I'm sorry, Neville."

But Neville looked surprised. "For what? It's not your fault, Harry. You didn't do anything. Snape just hates me. He always has. I don't expect anything different from him."

But Harry did. Of course he knew, better than anyone, how disagreeable Severus could be. But over the past couple of months, he had come to see such a different side of his father that he was finding it hard to reconcile the two. And he couldn't help feeling a guilty shamed sorrow that his father had treated his Housemates so badly, especially Neville who had always been a good and loyal friend.

As he sat down at the table with his friends and plates of sandwiches and bowls of soup rose before them, Harry came to a decision. He would have to talk with Severus about the way he treated Gryffindor students. It wouldn't be easy or pleasant, but Harry felt that he had to do it.

In any case, he had to try.