Harry never knew the sun could feel so good.

After a breakfast of toast, sausages, pumpkin juice and tea, Ginny had somehow coaxed a blanket from a house elf. They made their way slowly across the grounds to the lakeside, and Ginny spread the blanket out on the ground.

Ron dropped down on the blanket and lay down with his hands behind his head, looking up at the clouds. Hermione sat down next to him while Ginny kicked off her shoes and wandered down to the lake, wading in the shallow water at the edge. Harry eased himself down next to Ron and stretched out his legs in front of him, soaking in the still gentle morning sun.

"We've missed you this summer, Harry," said Hermione, looking over at her friend and smiling. "I was worried about you." She didn't say why she was worried, but Harry understood.

"He owled us plenty of times, Hermione," said Ron. "But I know why you were worried—he wanted books!"

Hermione shook her head. "Ronald Weasley, you are now the only one who hasn't read Hogwarts, a History . . ."

"And if I had," he said in a mock sing-song voice, "I'd know that you can't apparate on the grounds of Hogwarts!"

Hermione rolled her eyes.

"If I could apparate right now I'd go to Hogsmeade for four butterbeers," said Ginny. She had joined them on the blanket and was wiping sand off of her bare feet.

Hermione smiled suddenly.

"Only one more month for me!" she said. "I'll be the first to be able to Apparate."

"You know," said Ron, sitting up and untying his trainers, "They brought Harry here by portkey instead of apparating."

Harry furrowed his brow as Hermione and Ginny stared at him.

"That's ridiculous, Ronald," countered Hermione. "You need a permit for a portkey. And Harry couldn't stand or move on his own. How would you portkey while holding onto someone who's incapacitated? Think about the landing!"

"No, he's right," said Harry quite softly. He couldn't believe he hadn't remembered. Somehow, in the pain and confusion and three days of sleep after the accident, he'd completely forgotten the fact that Snape had held him while they transported magically to Hogwarts' gates.

"I heard Dad and Bill telling Mom about it," said Ron with a nod to Harry.

"Telling Mom about what?" asked Ginny.

"Someone portkeyed with me back to Hogwarts, after the accident. They couldn't take me by floo because of my injuries and Dumbledore seemed afraid to let them apparate with me…."

"Portkeyed holding you?" said Hermione in an almost unnatural, high-pitched voice. "But Harry, that's practically impossible! And it's incredibly dangerous too. Hardly anyone even dares…only with babies under extreme emergencies!"

"Hermione…." said Ron warningly. "There was no other way. They had to get him back here. The Muggles wanted to call an ambulant."

"Ambulance," corrected Harry automatically.

"It must have been Dumbledore," said Hermione, going on despite Ron's warning. "He'd risk it for Harry."

"It wasn't Dumbledore," said Harry shortly. "It was Snape. And I didn't know it was so dangerous. I wasn't exactly thinking clearly."

"Snape?" exclaimed Ginny. "Snape risked his life for you?"

They were all staring at Ginny now.

"Sorry," she said, covering up her mouth. "I was just surprised, that's all."

Hermione stared open-mouthed at Harry. She shook her head disbelievingly.

"I can't figure it out either," said Harry. "I don't remember it all clearly, just that they told me to keep my head against him." He could still remember the feel of the smooth black fabric, how pressing his head into it had seemed to help the pain.

"That must have been hard," said Ginny.

Harry smiled over at her. "Not really."

"I was in the kitchen when Bill and Dad got home," said Ron helpfully. "None of us knew anything had happened until they popped in and Dad called up the stairs for Mum. He had that voice…"

"The 'don't alarm the children' voice," explained Ginny, rolling her eyes.

"We didn't even know Bill had been on guard duty," said Ron. "I mean, it made sense that they were watching out for Harry but who would have dreamed they had a guard on Hermione's house too?"

"What?" Hermione swiveled her head to stare at Ron. "My house? What are you talking about, Ronald?"

Ron leaned back out of Hermione's reach. "Hey, I thought you knew!"

Hermione deflated a bit. All illusions of safety were gone now. Harry looked dejected.

"I'm sorry, Hermione," he said. He sighed.

"You know, this is really more funny than it sounds," said Ginny with a laugh. "Think about it. Harry gets run over by his uncle. He gets saved by Snape! And in the meantime, Hermione is being stalked by Mundungus Fletcher!"

"Ick!" exclaimed Hermione.

"Anyway," continued Ron, speaking loudly through Ginny and Hermione's laughter, "When we heard Dad call Mum Ginny and I were there in an instant. When they saw us, Dad just sighed. 'Something's happened to Harry.' I said."

"We both just knew it," said Ginny. She glanced over at Harry and he saw a hint of worry in her eyes that he knew he wouldn't have seen before the Department of Mysteries.

"Dad told us what had happened and that you were going to be fine, mate," said Ron. "They sent Ginny and I upstairs but I snuck down and sat on the stairs. That's when I heard about Snape portkeying with you. Mum, Dad and Bill were practically awe-struck by it. I cornered Bill about it later—he asked me what I did with my hands when we portkeyed to the Quidditch World Cup last summer. I said How should I know? It's not like you have control of yourself when you portkey. He said "Exactly!" And I got it then—whatever you are holding might stay with you, but it might go flying too."

"There's a whole department at the Ministry devoted to Magical Transportation," contributed Hermione. "There are so many potential mishaps—like splinching, or flooing into a closed fire place. And certain wards can even block portkey travel, interrupting it before the destination when the witch or wizard may be hundreds of feet above the ground."

"Think about how we landed at the Quidditch World Cup," added Ginny. "Most of us sprawled all over the ground."

Harry nodded. It felt vaguely uncomfortable knowing his most-hated professor, the man who despised his father, who must have been happy that Sirius had died, had risked his own life to help save Harry's. He didn't like feeling beholden to him and wondered again why he had volunteered.

"Snape did it for Dumbledore. Maybe Dumbledore is too old, or maybe Snape didn't want him to get hurt," said Harry finally. There did seem to be a camaraderie between the two men that Harry had never understood. Saying that Snape did it all for Dumbledore seemed to make it better, put it all back in perspective again and take the focus off of Harry.

"Yeah, mate, whatever," said Ron with a grin. "I get it. I wouldn't want to owe my life to Snape either!"

"Ronald!" said Hermione. Ginny laughed and even Harry let out a chuckle.

"What was it like to portkey like that, Harry?" asked Hermione as Ron and Ginny waded in the lake water a few minutes later.

"I can't remember," he admitted. "That whole day was kind of blurry. I do remember Remus being there, though, and Bill. I heard Remus apparate in, right after Bill got to me. Guess Bill was on guard duty and Remus was back-up." He stopped talking a moment, once again thinking he was forgetting something important.

"Wait a minute," he said. "There were two!"

"Two? Two what?" asked Hermione.

"Two cracks! I was weeding the flowerbed by the curb. I scared a cat out of the mint. A gray cat. Then I heard a crack—it seemed to be right behind me in the yard—then my scar…." He paused and looked at Hermione. Her eyes were wide—with fear? Understanding?

"Someone apparated before you were hit? Before your scar hurt?"

Harry looked at his hands. This changed everything.

"Harry, it could have been one of your guards."

"No. There were two guards—Bill and Remus. Bill got to me right after the accident, then I heard another crack and Remus showed up. I heard that second crack after I recognized Bill. This was before my scar hurt—right before."

Hermione lowered her voice. "Harry, you have to tell Professor Dumbledore."

Harry sighed. She was right, of course. Everyone assumed that it was coincidence. He'd felt Voldemort's anger, was startled by the cat, fell into the street. But that first crack…. It didn't make sense.

Harry nodded and Hermione forced a small smile.

"Come on, take off your shoes," she said. "Let's see if you can catch tadpoles one-handed."

While they waded in the sandy silt of the lakeshore, movement near the edge of the Forbidden Forest caught Harry's eye. A thestral circled low above the trees. As he watched, it glided back down into the forest. An image came to his mind then—not of riding the thestrals into London—but of Severus Snape, pale and panting, leaning against the bony flank of a leather-winged thestral.