Last time:

Harry looked surprised, briefly. Then he returned to his calm state. That was merely to hide his disappointment. He had actually been enjoying his time with the Professor, despite the fact that he wasn't allowed to forget his homework. To be asked if he would like to leave was a blow. Not knowing what to say, he stalled for a bit. He needed more time to think about this.

Severus waited for the child to reply, surprised that he hadn't jumped at the chance to get away from the 'bat of the dungeons'. His observant eyes noticed that Harry seemed to be torn about something. Why, though, did the boy hesitate? He would have thought it was a very easy answer, not one deserving of so much thought. Perhaps he had read the situation wrong.

Finally having decided on a course of action, Harry prayed that it was one that wouldn't make Snape mad. Speaking up, he said in a quiet voice "Alright..but I would ask a favor, if I may?" When the Professor motioned him to go on, he did so saying "If the trial goes well, I would, if I may, return here for the rest of the summer. If that's alright with you?" Harry watched the Potions Master carefully, trying not to look too hopeful.

It took all of Severus' self control to prevent his jaw from dropping in shock. He was stunned that the boy would wish to return here after the trial. One would have thought that Potter would have wished to stay with his dogfather and his friends. Apparently the child had somehow gotten attached to Severus in a weird way. Though that put him in an awkward position, he couldn't help but be slightly pleased that Harry had decided to trust him.

When it took a few minutes for Snape to answer, Harry was afraid that he had overstepped the bounds of politeness. When the Professor did speak, Harry was pleasantly surprised at his words. "Very well, Mr. Potter. However, it is with one condition that I say yes, and that is that we work on your potion making skills. I won't have it said that you learned nothing this summer."

Harry nodded vigorously, eager to agree just so he could spend more time in this safe haven. It was then with a light heart that he went up to his room to back some stuff for a stay of a few days. The Professor had said that he would send over the rest if the trial went poorly. Harry didn't wish to think about that, knowing that his life might as well be over if they took his wand from him.

Severus waited for the child to be done packing, shaking his head in wonder. He thought to himself The world must be shaking on it's axis. Will I one day find that the Poles have shifted position, and England is south of the equator instead of to the north? Though that was foolish thinking, he couldn't help but wonder it. And it might just be possible for that to happen, with magic.

Harry was soon back in the study, having only taken about five minutes to pack his things. He had remembered to pack his nicest clothes for the trial. Besides his Runner's jacket, it was the smartest thing he had to wear. And he wasn't about to wear the jacket that marked him as an outlaw to a trial to see if he would remain a wizard. That would be just plain stupid.

Severus watched as the child walked in, a bag of anonymous items slung over his shoulder. He sighed mentally, and handed the boy a slip of paper saying "Read this." He knew what it would say. The other children had been given the same parchment so that they could enter Headquarters by Floo. There were other means to go to Grimmauld Place, but all were risky and took up far too much time. Flooing was the fastest way to get there.

Harry blinked when he finished reading, and stated "Ready sir." Following his Professor to the fireplace, he took the handful of Floo Powder required to activate the Floo. He then watched as Snape said "Number 12, Grimmauld Place, Phoenix Fire!" After the Potions Master had disappeared, Harry followed his example. He realized the last bit must be a password of some sort. He wondered what would happen if one did not speak the password while Flooing. It was keeping to these thoughts that kept Harry from realizing that the trip was nearly over, and it helped him to land far more gracefully then he was used to.

Severus smirked at the boy's distracted gaze, knowing that he was soon about to be brought back to reality rather sharply. As if on cue, Black entered the kitchen to see who had used the Floo. He glared at the other black-haired man, who returned with his own steely gaze. Then Black's eyes looked past the Potions Master, to see the child who still looked very distracted.

"Harry!" cried Sirius as he ran over to his godson. Catching him up in a hug, he murmured "Missed you, kiddo." Because his arms were around the boy's shoulders, he noticed how Harry stiffened briefly before relaxing into a hug. As he pulled away, he smiled when Harry returned the words he had said, besides the kiddo part of course. Harry's green eyes were dancing with delight at seeing Sirius again, and neither noticed when Severus turned his back, acting as if with disgust.

The little reunion was cut short as Albus seemed to appear out of nowhere, though he obviously had walked through the door. He said quietly "I think that Harry should join the other children upstairs. The Order needs to hold the meeting very soon, as it is imperative we get to all the subjects to be brought up today." He nodded briefly at Harry as he took a seat at the kitchen table.

Harry gave Sirius a brief hug, then was shooed off to the stairs with the words "The others should be in the third bedroom on the right, Harry" Walking steadily upstairs, he moved as quiet as the creaking floors allowed. When he finally reached the door, his heart went pit-a-pat with nervousness. He wondered if his friends were irate at him for his last letters.

Finally deciding that he couldn't hesitate anymore, he entered the bedroom. He had barely gotten in there when he was tackled by a hug. As he recognized Hermoine's bushy hair, he calmed down almost immediately. She was speaking a mile a minute, saying how glad she was to see him and how worried they had been. He smiled quietly, saying "It's good to see you too, Hermoine. Hey Ron, how's things?" The red head nodded in his direction, a smile on his freckled face.

"Harry, we have some news for you." began Hermoine. Before she could finish, however, the door opened behind the raven-haired teen. Turning around, Harry was stunned to see who was standing in the doorway. Looking at him in equal shock, was his number one enemy in Hogwarts, Draco Malfoy. As his world turned red, he barely noticed that Ron had leaped off the bed he'd been sitting on to grab him from behind. All he could think about was lunging at Malfoy with all his strength, as his anger that had built up over the summer came pouring out in truck loads.