When Snape dismissed him, Harry didn't even spare a glance for Dumbledore. Perhaps he should have, but he'd seen that expression on Snape's face before. He had no interest in witnessing what looked like a major Snape tantrum. No doubt, if he stayed, he'd soon be on the receiving end of it.

As it was, Harry couldn't believe his luck. He paused, at the bottom of the stairs, to lean against the wall, marveling that his hide was still intact. Snuffles seemed to feel the same way. The dog was so excited, he ran in little circles beside Harry, chasing his tale, threatening to tangle himself up in the lead (although it seemed to be charmed against that). It was almost as if Snuffles felt he'd just dodged a bullet as well. Harry grinned at his own slightly hysterical imaginings.

Harry knew the dog was just picking up on what Harry was feeling. Marge used to say that dogs understood and generally shared their owner's emotions. He supposed she must be right; her dogs all disliked him, as much as she did. Come to think of it, it was likely that it was more so, in wizards. Wizard's pets were much more in tune with their owners than Muggle's pets were. Hermione's cat seemed to understand every word they said and Hedwig was smart enough to always know where to deliver Harry's letters.

Snape was just getting more confusing. When Snape had grabbed Harry, he'd given him a shake, true, but not like Uncle Vernon. When Vernon shook Harry, it made his teeth rattle and left bruises, more often than not. This was more like Snape was reassuring himself that Harry was real.

Unbidden, the telling-off Mrs. Weasley gave Fred, George and Ron the night they'd come to rescue Harry from from the Dursley's came back to him. She had had that exact tone of voice. Harry snorted, choking back a laugh, at the absurdity of comparing Mrs. Weasley to Snape.

To be honest, Harry had assumed Snape would just kill the Snuffles out of hand. He'd assumed the man had raised his wand to do just that. In front of the headmaster, Snape acted as though Snuffles attacking him wasn't any big deal, letting Harry go so far as to keep the dog.

Harry wouldn't have even asked Dumbledore if he could keep the him, let alone Snape. The great shaggy thing was like a young pony. Much bigger than most of the other student's pets and bound to be correspondingly more of a problem. The largest pets people usually kept were cats or owls.

Harry wondered if he could trust the dog to find his own way out of the castle the way the owls and cats seemed to, or if he should take him on walks himself. Best do it himself, especially if that was the only way he was going to be allowed out of the common room for the next week. Food always seemed to find its way up to the dormitory for people's cats, so Harry guessed it would for Snuffles as well.

Harry hoped the Weasleys wouldn't mind if he brought the dog with him for the summer, if he went to stay there. If not, perhaps he could ask Hagrid to look after him.

"You're going to be a headache, you know." Harry told the dog, fondly. He patted him on the head, "Come on, then. Let's get upstairs."

The dog walked docilely enough beside Harry, as they made their way back to Gryffindor Tower. Fortunately, Mrs. Norris was nowhere to be seen.

What Snape had said about this Black person was worrying. Harry remembered someone on the television talking about someone by the name of Black escaping from a high security prison this summer, Uncle Vernon and Aunt Marge had talked about it at length. But it wouldn't be a wizard on the Muggle news, would it?

Snape, McGonagall and even Dumbledore seemed rattled by the idea. That wasn't good. But, somehow, Harry couldn't find it in him to get worked up about it. It was just one more thing.

"It's not like I haven't had the last two years to get used to the idea that a crazed killer wants me dead." Harry muttered to Snuffles, "Black can't be worse than Voldemort." If Black was so dangerous, Harry had to agree with Snape, it was better that he know.

The dog nosed his head into Harry's hand, comfortingly.

"If you go after Black the way you went after Snape, maybe I shouldn't worry." Harry said, "I wonder if somebody trained you to do that?" The way the dog had pinned Snape's wand hand would be the best way for the animal to take down a wizard.

The common room was empty and quiet when Harry got back. Two lamps glowing on tables and the fire were the only light. Harry unclipped the lead from the dog's collar and tucked it into the pocket of his robe.

The dog eagerly sniffed around the room, exploring, "If you make a mess in here," warned Harry, "My housemates will kill us both."

On one of the study tables lit by a lamp was a tray. A folded note, and a small plate with a sandwich was on top of it. Harry picked up the note, while looking to see what was in the sandwich. He wondered if, maybe, Hermione had left it for him. Ron might have thought of it, but he would have gotten hungry and eaten it halfway through.

Mr. Potter,

I will not have you missing meals and making yourself ill.

Do not share your sandwich with the dog. His dinner is under the table.

Professor Snape

Harry just shook his head, feeling like he wanted to laugh again. A dish of food did, indeed, sit under the table for the Snuffles.

"Come on, boy." Harry called softly, "Looks like we have dinner ready." He pulled a chair up, "Do you know I used to get into trouble at the Dursleys for eating too much?" he said to the dog, who was tucking into his bowl of kibble, "It's true." Harry said, as if the dog had made a sound of incredulity, "They always said I was too expensive to feed. Now I've got Snape going mad, if I so much as miss dinner. How strange is that?"

He wondered now if Ron and Hermione even realized he was gone. They'd noticed he'd not been around in the afternoon and asked him a few times where he was disappearing to, but hadn't pressed him too hard. He regretted the distance that had been growing between them, but he didn't know what to do about it. It wasn't that he was still angry with them, it was just that it felt like he was a million miles away from them; it was so much effort to reach out.

Just one more thing.

It was very late, but Harry had slept for hours and really wasn't that tired. When he finished his sandwich, he sat down in one of the good chairs by the fire and Snuffles made himself at home between Harry's chair and the fire, curling up with a sigh.

Broodingly, Harry stared into the fire, still surprised at how lightly he'd gotten off. Twenty points and a week without Quidditch for breaking curfew and missing a meal might seem a lot to the other students. The usual penalty for missing curfew was detention-Quidditch bans were generally saved for the most serious of infractions- and no one had ever cared about anyone missing meals before. However, Snape meant what he said about this meal business, Harry supposed and Harry had heard how distressed the teachers had been about him going missing. Given all of that, it could have been a lot worse.

Harry knew that Oliver would have a fit when he heard of this Quidditch ban of course, but there was no game scheduled for the week, so Harry would only be missing practice.

As far as Harry was concerned, Oliver could have his fit; Harry was grateful that it was merely a week. Knowing Snape, Harry had been having visions of a ban for the whole term or the whole year. Hell, the next five years.

It occurred to Harry then: what were Snape and McGonagall going to tell people about why he couldn't play? Snape wasn't likely to say that he was Harry's guardian and had meted out the punishment for the offense of Harry missing meals. Were they going to just make something up? Snape would certainly enjoy just hinting darkly at catching Harry in the midst of some shameful, vaguely humiliating, illicit act.

Lovely.

Harry heard the portrait hole open and shut. He turned around expecting, this time of night, to see Fred and George. Maybe Lee Jordan. Instead it was Ginny.

She was breathing hard and her cheeks were pink. She was in a blue dressing gown and slippers, with her hair in a ponytail, "Oh," she said, "I thought everyone was in bed." She fumbled with tucking her wand into the pocket of her dressing gown

"Where've you been?" he asked.

"Er, hungry." she said quickly, "Went down to the kitchens." Her eyes narrowed and she crossed her arms over her chest, "Anyway, where've you been?" she asked irritably, " Everyone was looking for you. And then, McGonagall told us a while ago, that they found you, and sent everyone to bed."

"Fell asleep and missed curfew." Harry mumbled, embarrassed, "Sorry. I didn't mean to upset everyone." It wasn't enough that the teachers had all been looking for him, apparently everyone in his house had been, as well.

Ginny nodded, her face relaxing, "It's all right. It really wasn't everyone. Hermione just got all worried when you weren't back, she went and told McGonagall. Ron and I told her that you were fine, but you know how she is."

Harry nodded, not sure whether to be pleased or annoyed by this. It was nice that she worried, but it sounded like Hermione's worrying had gotten him in trouble again.

On the other hand, it hadn't been that much trouble, and now he got to keep Snuffles in the dorms.

Ginny stood there, fidgeting a bit. He thought she was going to ask about what Snape had said or maybe say something about Snuffles, but the dog was half under Harry's chair, in the shadows. Perhaps, Ginny hadn't noticed him,. "Harry...?" she said after a long uneasy silence, "I have something for you. Would you wait there?"

"If you like." said Harry, wondering what it could be. Ginny hadn't said two words to him in days. But then, she'd always been a bit shy around him.

She pattered up the stairs and came back down again very quickly, "I wanted you to have this. Fred and George gave it to me, when they first came to Hogwarts. I was really upset they were leaving, they thought it would cheer me up." She held out her hand. Harry put out his own and she laid a snitch there, "It's a good one. They always used to use it, when they played at home." she smiled, a little sadly, "They never let me play with them. Said I was too little."

Harry wasn't sure what to say, "Ginny, thanks, but why..?"

"I never got to thank you, for what you did last year." Ginny smiled up at him, looking happier than she had since the year began. And yet, for just a second, something about her face looked strange, as if something were terribly wrong. Harry decided he must be over tired. When he looked again, she looked fine. She went on quietly, "I want you to know, it was very brave, what you did. And I'm really glad you got rid of Riddle. Whatever happens, I want you to know that."

Harry nodded, completely non-plussed, "Are you all right, Ginny?" he asked.

"Of course I am." she said lightly, "I just...I didn't like to talk about this in front of anyone else. That's all." She closed his hand over the snitch, patted the back of his fingers before withdrawing her hand "You don't need to worry about me" she said reassuringly

"Okay" said Harry, although her words had the opposite effect on him. He resolved to mention it to Ron in the morning, at least.

"Good night, Harry." she said. She gave him that same vaguely wrong, enigmatic smile and walked back up the stairs to her dormitory.