Win The War: Consanguinity by Luna Carmesi
Summary: Petunia finally has an excuse to get rid of Harry, who finds himself in another abusive home. But then there is Severus living nearby, who - at first reluctantly - will try to help the boy. Will they find common ground?
Categories: Big Brother Snape, Healer Snape, Snape Equal Status to Harry > Comrades Snape and Harry Main Characters: .Snape and Harry (required), Original Character, Other, Sirius, Theodore Nott, Tobias Snape
Snape Flavour: Canon Snape, Snape Comforts, Snape is Kind, Snape is Mean, Overly-protective Snape
Genres: Action/Adventure, Angst, Drama, Family, General, Hurt/Comfort, Mystery
Media Type: None
Tags: Abuse Recovery, Adoption, Injured!Harry, Snape-meets-Dursleys
Takes Place: 5th summer
Warnings: Abusive Dursleys, Alcohol Use, Bullying, Emotional Abuse, Neglect, Physical Abuse, Physical Punishment Non-Spanking, Physical Punishment Spanking, Violence
Prompts: Tobias' care
Challenges: Tobias' care
Series: Win the War
Chapters: 23 Completed: Yes Word count: 132061 Read: 111943 Published: 09 Sep 2012 Updated: 13 Jun 2023
Chapter 16: 12 Grimmauld Place by Luna Carmesi
Author's Notes:
I would like to thank Chantale and Vivid Murk for beta-reading this chapter, and also Jasmin Kain - my Polish beta.

 

Harry followed the Weasley teens and Hermione into a gloomy room furnished with a desk, a wardrobe and two single beds. Hermione quickly pulled him over to sit on one of them. He put his breakfast plate on the nightstand.

"Oh, Harry, how are you? Have you been furious with us? I bet you have. I know our letters were useless. And we couldn't write more often. We couldn't tell you anything. Dumbledore made us swear we wouldn't, oh, we've got so much to tell you, and you've got to tell us about your Ministry hearing! I've looked it all up! They couldn't expel you. They just couldn't; there's a provision in the Decree for the Restriction of Underage Sorcery for the use of magic in life-threatening situations. But it's still outrageous that they treated you the same way they do criminals. And your uncle! How do you feel about it? Why didn't you tell us anything?" Hermione spat the words out at the speed of a machine gun. "And what about moving out from..."

"Hermione! Slow down a little. Let him answer at least one question!" Ron interrupted the girl, sitting down on the bed across from his two best friends. The twins and Ginny sat next to their brother, looking expectantly at Harry.

"Oh, sorry."

"No, go ahead, Hermione. Don't bother with Harry's answers," said Fred. The girl threw him a dirty look, then focused on her best friend.

Harry wasn't sure if he was allowed to tell them that Tobias was his father. In June, Dumbledore wrote to him in a letter that he had taken certain measures to prevent the names of his biological parents from being revealed. However, it was one of the significant changes in Harry's life, right next to the one when he turned out to be a wizard. He felt that the Headmaster had no right to forbid him to share the information with those closest to him.

Even though he felt a slight fear of being rejected when he told them who his biological father was, and therefore his brother, he decided not to hide it. If they were his true friends—and he knew they were—sooner or later, they would accept the truth. As for security reasons, he would ask them for the Sine Nuntis Oath just in case. Not because he didn't trust them, Merlin forbid. It's just that no one will force them to reveal it this way.

So he told them the whole story, apart from some details, of course, such as the Dursleys' joy when they got rid of him and the fact that he had been staying at the Potions Master's house for several days. He didn't even mention Theo at all because he couldn't take such a huge responsibility.

"But how can you play a game with only one ball for twenty-two players? You've gone crazy like Seamus." Harry grinned broadly at his best friend, and Hermione slapped the redhead on the head. "What?" He turned to the girl. "What was I supposed to say? That I'm glad, Harry is finally free from the Dursleys? Or that I am horrified that he really is Snape's little brother? No, no, no... I can't deal with that."

" That's exactly what you should say. And it's not about you. It's about Harry." She turned to the boy again.

"Wait, have you already known about that?" Harry looked at Ron, slightly surprised.

"Extendable Ears. Thanks to them, we know at least a little what's going on. But why didn't you tell us?" George asked.

"Well, at first, I was not entirely sure myself if it was true. And then... Well… I guess I preferred to tell you in person."

"And now you've got that oversized bat breathing down your neck even more, focused on you." Ron looked at him sympathetically. "I'm sure he's about to begin really tormenting you."

"Harry, don't listen to him. It won't be that bad. Maybe he'll even treat you a little better." He could always count on Hermione to try and cheer him up. Even though she said it in a slightly doubtful tone of voice, the truth was that he had already been proven that she was partly right. Harry smiled at the girl.

"We saw Snape arguing with the Order because he wanted to take you to the Ministry himself. He insisted, even though him taking Polyjuice Potion was riskier than if Dad had gone there with you," George interjected.

"Really?" That got Harry's attention.

"He said he'd better keep you in check. Dad looked at him with pity and made a face like, 'Hello, you're talking to the father of seven children, including the notorious Weasley twins'." George grinned, mimicking his father's voice.

"And then our mom interrupted as usual and threw us out of the kitchen," Ron continued. "She didn't even let me finish my dinner."

"Third serving of dinner," Hermione corrected, shaking her head.

"Well, I'm a growing boy! Anyway, eating is the only pleasure we have in here." He shot the girl an annoyed look. "And it ended up with Snape going with you, right?"

"Yeah."

"Merlin, I feel really sorry for you." Ron patted him on the back.

"No, it wasn't that bad," Harry shrugged. He was grateful for such friends and their support, and his anger at them for not writing to him was gone.

"I'm more interested in your tattoo, Harry," Ginny smiled.

Harry blushed.

"Well, it's nothing special."

"I think it was very stupid of you," Hermione interjected, crossing her arms over her chest. "You are unaware of the conse."

"Er... I am well aware of them, believe me, Hermione," he muttered, remembering the infection he had chosen to omit in his story as well. And that it was Snape who saved him.

"Come on, don't keep us waiting."

"Yeah, come on, man. Maybe I will get a tattoo, too?" Ron paused for a moment. "I've always wanted one since Bill came home with the Eye of Horus on his shoulder."

The twins started chanting Harry's name again, and soon Ron and Ginny joined them. Only Hermione pursed her lips, displeased.

"Come on, buddy!" Fred shouted.

"Don't be shy!" George added.

As Harry slowly began to take off his shirt, the Weasleys chanted 'strip' repeatedly, and a blush bloomed on Ginny's cheeks.

"Cool," said Ron, delighted. "Maybe somehow, I’ll be able to save money for a tattoo this year. Do you think I will find a tattoo salon in Diagon Alley?"

"No, but there is one in Knockturn Alley."

"Ronald, you won't be wandering around the Knockturn Alley!"

"aww, you hear that Ronnie? Mommy mione's forbidden it," Fred snorted.

This time it was Hermione's cheeks that turned crimson.

"Walking around the Knockturn Alley is extremely unwise in the current situation, and don’t call me Mione" she said, slightly offended.

"Therefore, Ronnie, you will have to run around..."

At that moment, they heard a knock, and the door opened.

"What the hell is going on in here? What is this bawling about?" The Potions Master appeared in the doorway. "Potter, what are you doing? Where's your t-shirt?" Harry picked it up from the bed and quickly pulled it on. "You forgot your bag.” Saying that Snape pulled a small box out of his pocket, waved his wand, and after a second, Harry's bag appeared in his hand. The teenager approached the man. There was silence in the room. Hermione and all the Weasleys were staring at the wizards without a single word.

"Thanks," Harry looked at the man.

"Tomorrow night at eight o'clock, I'll come to take you back. You are to be ready because I'm not going to wait for you, understood?" Snape's tone made no room for any discussion.

"Okay."

"And behave yourself." When Harry nodded again, Snape added: "Just in caseyou will find a fireplace connected to the Floo Network in the living room. Do you remember my address?" He paused again, waiting for the boy to nod. "Say it loud and clear and add Snape's Corner." Harry nodded again, and Severus turned to everyone. "Molly wants you to come downstairs. She needs free labour again." He smirked, turned and left the room.

"What happened to him?! It didn't look at all like he was trying to bite your head off."

"Ron is right, he wasn't as nasty as always. What is he up to?"

Harry shrugged.

"The thing is, I really have no idea," he said thoughtfully.

"But the bat is right about one thing. And I don't believe I agree with Snape on anything." Ron groaned, looking martyred. "We've been working in this house like slaves for two weeks, without a day off. Forcing us to work during the summer holidays should be punishable by law."

 

Sunday, August 13th, 1994

For the remainder of the previous day, they'd been cleaning bedrooms just in case any members of the Order of the Phoenix were to move temporarily to Grimmauld Place. Harry was used to working; the Dursleys had already taken care of that. But the rest of the teens had never worked physically before. The work wasn't hard but after just fifteen minutes,  Ron started whining and complaining. They didn’t even have someone threatening them with consequences if they did something wrong or too slowly. And it was exactly like that because they were moving as slow as molasses in January. Harry had the impression that the adults just wanted to keep them busy so that they wouldn't wander around the house and complain about boredom.

That day, right after lunch, they were also forced to clean. As soon as they entered one of the rooms, Ron threw himself on the bed. Cloud dust burst from it, and the teen let out a painful exclamation.

"I can't stand this any longer! It’s our holiday! I bet even old Snape doesn't use you like some kind of cleaning slave!”

"Ron, you slept until noon; I doubt slaves have that much freedom," Harry said, taking the decorations off the shelves to wash the furniture.

"But I was planning to eat, go flying, and then lie on the blanket by our pond and do nothing at all! Or no, not in that order, fly on a broom first, eat later... Or not... eat first ..."

"You could eat while flying," Harry said helpfully.

"Yep." Ron smiled, then darkened again. "But yeah, I wasn't planning to work from dawn to dusk in this musty hole. It's child abuse, and we should call the Ministry’s Office for the Rights of the Child!"

"Aren't you exaggerating a little?"

"Am I exaggerating? It's bullying, taking advantage of us... and... I swear I would have called on them if it weren't for You-Know-Who..."

It occurred to Harry that it was a good thing Ron hadn't lived with the Dursleys because he wouldn't have lasted a few days there, but Harry hadn't expressed his opinion out loud.

"Really, Ronald, there are more important things than your holidays. Get up. We need to dust the mattress and change the sheets," Hermione said irritably.

At that moment, the twins entered the room and immediately closed the door behind them.

"Dumbledore is here."

"Are they having a meeting?" Ron asked, and, rising a little, he leaned on his elbows.

"No, we don't think so, because there are only Lupin, Sirius and him in the kitchen."

"I need to talk with him." Harry tossed a cloth he was wiping dust with onto the ground, wiped his hands on his pants and ran out of the room. The rest of them looked knowingly at each other.

 

HPHPHPHPHP

 

As soon as the teenager reached the bottom floor, he heard raised voices. He walked closer to the kitchen door and listened.

"If I want my godson to visit me in my own house, I have every right to invite him!"

"Sirius, we've already talked about this. You know it's not safe for him to be here." The twins didn't lie. Dumbledore was indeed at Headquarters. And what was even more interesting, it was Harry that he was talking to Sirius about.

"Bullshit! He's here now, and everything's fine. Nothing happened. So I don't understand why he can't visit more often. You have no problem with the rest of the kids living here!"

'Thanks, Sirius,' thought Harry when he heard his godfather standing up for him.

"Give him at least a little break from the war. He's still just a teenager." This time it was Remus who spoke.

"A teenager with Voldemort hunting him down and no one has even bothered to give him a proper defence lesson. No offence, Remus, but your classes in defence against Red Riding Hoods and Trolls won't help him to fight wizards."

"He's underage, and he shouldn't engage in the wars of adult's." Remus' voice was weary as if it wasn't the first time he had used that argument. "When he graduates from Hogwarts, we can think about him joining the Order. For now, let him stay with old Snape and enjoy the holidays. At least he's safe there."

At this point, Harry decided to go inside.

"I need to speak with you, Professor," said Harry to Dumbledore.

"I'm sorry, Harry, another time, I truly have to go, now." Harry noticed the Headmaster avoiding his eyes.

"But it's really important! You left the courtroom so fast that I didn't even have a chance to talk with you!"

"Harry, Professor Dumbledore has a lot on his mind right now. He doesn't have time to deal with your teenage problems," Remus scolded him while the Headmaster turned and headed towards the fireplace.

"Look at me!" Harry shouted. He didn't know why, but suddenly he felt a rage that was disproportionate to the situation seizing him. Yes, he was irritated by the man's behaviour, but not enough to start yelling at the Headmaster.

"Harry!" Remus reprimanded him. Sirius just smiled, clearly amused, and crossed his arms over his chest.

Dumbledore glanced at him quickly, but his eyes almost immediately fell to the wall.

"I want to join the Order," Harry said, ignoring Lupin.

“I'm sorry, it’s impossible. You are too young. We'll talk about it when you graduate."

"Somehow, Voldemort," nobody flinched at the name, "doesn't care how old I am. I want to be able to fight him. Since he's attacking me anyway, I want at least a minimal chance of escaping him!"

"Then focus on studying defence classes, Harry."

"I wonder how, since everyone you have employed so far, professor, wanted to kill me or destroy my memories!"

"I'm dreadfully sorry, Harry, but we can talk about you joining the Order when you turn seventeen." The older man looked tired and much older than the year before, but he still didn't meet Harry's eyes, which irritated the boy even more.

"I probably won't live long enough to see it because Voldemort or your choice of defence professors will get me before that," he said harshly.

"You are safe living with your father and at school. Enjoy your holidays while you can, dear boy."

"You're safe at school..." Harry laughed bitterly. "So you put a Philosopher's Stone in a third-floor room in a school full of kids as part of an innocent Hunt the Thimble game? And Voldemort popped in as the guest of honour? How could I ever think that he posed any threat to me and everyone else."

"Harry! I know, that…" Dumbledore began.

"Oh no. Let me finish," Harry growled, raising his hand. His whole posture radiated with confidence he rarely showed. "I suppose you didn't have to do anything with the basilisk and the diary. But what about my fourth year? How could you not have figured out that your friend was not who he says he is? My card jumped into the goblet of fire by itself?”

"Harry, behave yourself! After all, it's your Headmaster! Sirius, say something!"

"It's Harry's fight, and he's been doing great so far." The man grinned, clearly enjoying himself, glad that his godson had finally stood up to the old man.

"In your first and second year, Harry, it was rather your curiosity mixed with youthful ambition that led to these events. You know very well that even if I knew, I wouldn't be able to stop you."

"What about the anti-magic barrier in the area where I live? I have no chance of defending myself against a Muggle attack."

"But what could possibly happen there, Harry?  Besides, you only left the area for a moment and you almost immediately ended up suspended as a student, waiting for the Ministry trial." Harry clenched his fists, hearing the sadness and disappointment in Dumbledore's voice. "It truly pains me, my boy, that you think that way, but we'll talk about the Order when you're seventeen. Now I have to go. I'm already late." The Headmaster nodded at Harry and the other two wizards, scooped up a pinch of floo powder in his hand, and disappeared into the fireplace.

The teenager sat down in the chair, folded his arms across his chest, and made a vague sound of frustration.

"I'm slowly starting to really hate him."

"Harry! After this performance, we should send you to your room like a child to rethink your behaviour. You can't speak to the Headmaster like a bratty, demanding child."

"Well, with all due respect, professor, you have no right to tell me how to behave. You’re my former teacher and nothing else." Harry grimaced at his own words, but he decided they were true enough after a reconsideration.

"I didn't expect this from you, Harry."

"How can you expect anything from me if you don't even know me very much? You taught me for a year, and that's it. After the third year, I didn't even get a letter from you. Nothing. So where did you get the idea that you are closer to me than, for example, Trelawney, who taught me for the whole two years?" Harry smiled bitterly.

"I was a friend of your parents. I care about you." Remus sighed. "Your parents would be very disappointed in your behaviour."

"As for my parents, James and Lily, well, I didn't get to know them. And after their deaths, you didn't want to have anything to do with me, you didn't check if I was fine, so I don't know who they would be more disappointed with."

 Harry knew he was exaggerating. He was angry with Dumbledore and took it out on Remus, but he didn't care.

"Harry, don't say that. I cared about you, but Dumbledore..."

"Pathetic. Dumbledore is not the king of the world and has no right to dictate whether someone can contact someone or not! You made that decision! Maybe if you just once checked to see if I was okay, maybe..." Maybe if the man visited him and noticed what was going on, he would have taken him away from the Dursleys, and his hell on earth would have ended sooner. "Maybe everything would be different!"

"The Headmaster is our leader, and has never given me cause not to trust him. We have a chance to win against Voldemort as long as we stay united. The Headmaster has too much on his mind right now anyway, so please,  at least, don't bother him with your childish pretensions. And that's also the reason why you are still too young to be in the Order. It's because you cannot understand that you are not the centre of the world." Remus raised his voice. Harry also felt more and more agitated.

"Exactly, I'm not in the Order, so I shouldn’t really care what is decided within an organization that I don't even have access to. I'm here privately, visiting my godfather who invited me. And yes, I partly blame Dumbledore, but you didn't do anything to help me either!"

"You should be grateful we let you come here at all. But you know what? I give up. Sirius, you're his godfather. Set him straight.” Remus turned to the man, completely ignoring what Harry had just said. "Seeing as I, as he puts it, am like a stranger to him," he finished in a slightly mocking voice.

"Well, I'm on Harry's side. He is right. And it's time for him finally to say it out loud." Sirius shrugged.

"Really? Your godson has no respect for anyone. How can you let him speak like that to an elderly person who is not only the Headmaster of his school but also the leader of the light side."

"He referred to him as a 'professor' and those other titles, so I think you're exaggerating, Remus."

"You know what Molly would do if her children spoke to the elders like that?"

"I'm not Molly. I'm wholeheartedly for Harry saying everything out loud. If he feels hurt, he should speak up, not bottle everything up, and pretend he's okay. And I don't care who that person is, the Headmaster of the school, an old family friend or his uncle."

"But not this way. Tell him that; maybe he will listen to you."

"Hey, "he" is here!" Harry interrupted.

"Harry, your arguments are excellent, but you can't shout like that because some people who can't beat your arguments won't be able to look past your tone of voice and young age."

"Sure, Sirius, thanks for the advice," Harry smiled. Sirius, once again, proved to him that he could count on him.

"You're as stubborn as this bratty teen."

At this moment, Molly came into the kitchen with the groceries.

"What is going on here? I heard raised voices." As she spoke, she set shopping bags on the table and began to unpack them. Nobody offered to help her.

"Nothing, Molly, just a loud exchange of opinions," Remus said as he sat down in the chair.

"I'm going to help the rest with the cleaning," said Harry.

Sirius nodded.

"Go. And don't worry."

Harry started upstairs. He didn't know how this conversation had escalated into such a row. Yes, he had said some nasty things to Remus, and he had never really thought of a man that way before. He had no idea where the sudden anger at him came from. He knew that Remus was probably commenting on his behaviour in front of Mrs Weasley in the kitchen right now. Harry sighed. He didn't want the woman to think badly of him.

 

HPHPHPHPHP

 

After a few hours of cleaning—during which they had to listen to Ron's complaints, even though the boy was hardly doing anything—Molly called them down to dinner.

Mr and Mrs Weasley were in the kitchen, with Lupin who was glaring at Harry, clearly still resentful.

'Great!' Harry's appetite disappeared completely.

Where's Sirius? He asked, angrily stuffing pasta on his fork.

"Probably sitting and pouting in the attic," Remus scowled.

'And who's acting like a child here?' thought Harry, and he definitely didn't mean Sirius.

"I'm going to say goodbye since I don't know the next time I'll have a chance to see my godfather," the teen said, standing up. He made no attempt to suppress his scathing tone of voice.

Ron and Hermione exchanged glances.

"Eat first, love," said Mrs Weasley.

"I'll eat with him," said Harry, placing Sirius's portion on his plate.

"If you are going upstairs, take him these potions," said Remus.

Harry nodded, put the vials in his pocket, picked up two plates, and headed upstairs.

The teen opened the door with his elbow. Sirius was leaning against the wall and stroking Buckbeak's head, which the animal had placed in his lap.

"Hi."

"Harry" The man tried to smile, but without much success. He looked very glum. The joyful man from the morning had completely disappeared, leaving a despondent man, tired of life. "What are you doing here? Why aren't you downstairs with everyone else?"

"Don't know." Harry gave him a slight shrug. "I wanted to hang out with you a little."

Sirius laughed bitterly.

"This is my home, and it's got to the point where we're both in the attic hiding from the others."

Harry walked over, sat down next to him, leaning against the wall, and placed the plates on the floor.

"I brought you dinner."

"Thanks, kiddo."

"Lupin told me to give you these." Harry pulled two vials out of his pocket. "What do you need them for?"

"They are for the after effects from the Dementors. They make me feel better."

"Oh, that's good." The man nodded. "And, how do you feel, because we didn't even have time to talk alone," the teen asked.

Sirius shrugged.

"Don't know. How am I supposed to feel? I'm trapped here, and I'm quite useless. All I could do was to share my house with the Order. But, because of that, it doesn't feel like my house anymore. It has gotten to the point that I can't even invite my godson for a few days."

"And what about Porthcurno?"

"I'll take you there, again, I promise. Now it's just hard for me to get out of here. You know, the worst part is that everyone keeps telling me that if I get caught, the whole Order will suffer."

"I'm so sorry, Sirius. Really. But… soon, we'll catch Pettigrew. And you will be free."

"I don't know," Sirius looked at Harry. "The rat will always find a way to get away."

"Not a chance. I swear I'll do anything. We'll find him."

Sirius unscrewed the vials and drank the potions.

"Harry, I don't want you to risk your life. Look, I know this will sound sappy, but the thing that I care about the most in the world is you. I don't give a shit about Dumbledore. I listen to him. I do what the Order wants me to because I know that we only have a chance to defeat Voldemort because of them. And I'm frustrated that I can't help and that I can't spend more time with you. But really, the only thing I want is for you to be happy. If you're fine with old Snape, then it's fine; I'll play nice and sit at Grimmauld Place. But if anything happens, Harry, just say the word, and I'll take you to Porthcurno, and I don't care what they all have to say about it."

Harry looked at Sirius and felt so sorry for the man who had spent his best years in prison, but he also felt warmth in his heart. Sirius was the first person who cared for him entirely selflessly.

At that moment, a smile slowly appeared on the man's face, and his eyes became a little hazy.

"I swear, Sirius, I'll do anything to get you free," Harry promised, and he silently swore it would happen, even if it would be the last thing he would do in his life. It wasn't fair; this man spent twelve years being mentally tortured for a crime he did not commit. And he still worried more about Harry than himself. "If I have to, I will catch the rat myself and bring him to trial."

"Really?" Sirius asked with a blissful smile on his face, and Harry nodded confidently.

"I promise you everything will be fine." He had no idea how to do it, he had no plan, but he had to do it. Pettigrew was almost as responsible for destroying their lives as Voldemort. It was he who led Voldemort to the Potters; it was he, who made Harry stuck with the Dursleys for years, and caused Sirius to end up in Azkaban. And finally, it was he who resurrected Voldemort.

"So, how are you? How is your life away from the Dursleys?"

"Fine. Much better." Hearing that, Sirius' face lit up. It was the ultimate proof that his godfather truly cared about his happiness. But it also meant that if he wanted Sirius to have at least one less worry, and Harry noticed that the man was rather not in the best mental condition, he should be careful with his words. Harry returned the smile. "I ... play football, enjoy a break from school and meet with my new friends." He decided to skip the situations in which the Potions Master participated.

"I'm glad you are happy there. It is the most important thing for me," Sirius repeated. "And remember, there's always Porthcurno."

Harry grimaced as he remembered the incident where he had really wanted Sirius to take him away from Tobias. The consequences of that, however, could be dire. Besides, he couldn't worry his godfather any further.

"Things are really good there." Harry looked at the wall. "Really."

"I'm happy. What about your father? Does he treat you well? I hope he's nothing like Snivellus." Harry grimaced at the nickname.

"Tobias is, er... fine. He doesn't even get angry too often. Sometimes, if I do or say something stupid, but all in all, I don't really do anything stupid, so uhm... He doesn't even raise his voice at me."

"How is he?" The man asked in a lazy, lethargic voice.

"He's… he works a lot. He's nice to me when I'm sick, and… he likes to spend time with me."

"What do you do together? Tell me a little. Has he taken you anywhere? Once I'm free, I'll take you wherever you want."

"He... we renovated my room. Sometimes er... we order a pizza and play Monopoly, which is a Muggle game.” Harry said, remembering the time he played it and sighed. Tobias was not with him at the time. He shook his head and continued: "He taught me to play cards. And he often takes me to billiards and football games." Sirius hugged Harry, closing his eyes. The boy put his head on his shoulder and continued: "He... when he had his day off, he ... took me to the lake for the whole day. Until the evening. And he taught me to swim."

"I thought you could swim. You did great on the second assignment," the man murmured.

"I know, but it was probably the Gillyweed working more than my skills. Tobias showed me how to swim, like on the water."

"It's nice."

"Yes," nodded Harry.

"Go on. What else?" Sirius asked.

"Er... later... because we took fishing rods with us, we were fishing. It was warm. And we talked. And I managed to catch a huge fish. A big… tuna."

"Do tuna live in lakes? Isn’t it a saltwater fish?" asked Sirius. His head rested against the wall, and his eyelids were still closed.

"Yeah. They were in this lake. Tobias said this is the first time he has seen such a large tuna, and it's great for the first time. And then we gutted it and made a bonfire."

"Seems like you had a really good time. Lake, bonfire, beach and beer."

Harry shook his head.

"No, there wasn't any alcohol. We just drank Coke... and orange juice”.

"In general, I think beer is a very crude drink, but mmm...  The cold one, during holidays, on the beach, is pure pleasure."

"No, I told you already, there wasn't any. Tobias… he doesn't drink much at all."

"Mm," said Sirius. "What happened next?"

"Later, er... we played volleyball, a muggle game. And I bounced the ball crookedly, so I needed to go into the water to get it. And Tobias didn't even yell at me for not being able to bounce the ball, and when I got it, he gave me a towel to warm me up and said he didn't want me to get sick. And then the mosquitoes started biting, and we went back home."

"Your father sounds like a really nice guy, and I'm glad he cares about you. Even if his last name is Snape."

Harry hesitated. His eyes drifted down to his nails.

"Yes, it's really good, Sirius. I'm much better off with him than with the Dursleys."

Suddenly the door opened, and the Potions Master stepped in. He folded his arms over his chest, and Harry jumped to his feet.

"Potter, you were supposed to wait for me downstairs at eight," he said. There was something else in his voice besides irritation, but Harry had no idea what it might be. "Say goodbye to your mongrel, and let's go."

Sirius got up and hugged him once more.

"Thanks, kiddo, you're the best."

"Take care, Sirius, bye."

"Come on, Potter, because father… will be worried." Snape accentuated the last words.

Harry nodded.

They went to the room he shared with Ron to get his things, then went downstairs to the kitchen, where he said goodbye to everyone. Remus nodded to him and looked the other way, and Mrs Weasley hugged him. She said they would see each other on September 1st at the platform. They had already agreed that he won't visit Sirius again, at least until Christmas. Dumbledore decided to keep him away from any information. Well, if the Order didn't want his collaboration, he would take care of things himself. He would not humbly wait for Voldemort to come for him and kill him. Sirius was right. He should finally stand up for himself. Because it was his life that was in the greatest danger, and no one should take away his right to defence.

 

HPHPHPHPHP

 

Snape apparated them into a dark alley, right on the forest's edge.

"Thanks," Harry said. "Er, for taking me to the hearing and Sirius' house."

"You're welcome. Let's go, Potter. I'll walk you home."

"You don't have to," Harry replied immediately.

"I know I don't have to, but I'll do it anyway."

"But ... you won't come in, will you?"

"No, Potter, I won't." Harry breathed a sigh of relief. He hadn't seen Tobias since their argument, and he was concerned that the man was still angry with him for Snape, in the disguise of Mr Weasley, persuading him to let Harry go to Grimmauld Place. The teen didn't really need Tobias to see him in the company of the Potions Master. He was sure it would make him mad, and he had no strength left for another row. "By the way, I heard you gave a nice show in front of the headmaster and Lupin." Harry looked at him sideways and unconsciously moved away from the man so that he could not reach him. Severus sighed. "Potter, I'm not going to hit you."

"I know."

"Really?"

Harry shrugged.

"Aren't you mad at me about this?"

"Potter, if you were behaving like that to me, you would certainly join Theo, and you could write sentences synchronously at the same table."

"It's holidays, and there's nothing you can do to me," he said in a slightly defiant tone, without even knowing why. He didn't want to argue with the man now. He looked at Snape, waiting for his reaction.

"I could inform Father about your behaviour, which I will not do. But you know, the school year is approaching fast. You wouldn't want to start it with a series of detentions?" Harry shook his head. "Anyway," the man continued. "I still think you should try to contain your tantrums. Tell me, what have you achieved with this defiant behaviour?"

"Don't know. I said what was really bothering me." Harry gave him a slight shrug.

"Yes, and were they willing to listen to what you had to say when you screamed like that or did they concentrate on the shouting itself, completely ignoring what you had to say?"

Harry clenched his fists.

"But I'm so furious with Dumbledore."

"Why? Trouble in Paradise?"

"What paradise? I'm starting to think that ..."

"What?"

"I don't know. It feels like he knows he'll need me, but not yet, so he is ignoring me for now."

"You're talking nonsense, Potter. Dumbledore cares about you, and he always has favoured you," Snape replied, but his voice was uncertain.

"It seems more and more that he wasn't doing it at all for my own good and really cares only for my scar." Harry looked at the man. It felt strange talking with Snape, let alone complaining to him about the Headmaster. "And I know you don't believe me, but I don't want it. I'd be much happier if the scar didn't exist."

"I believe you, Potter."

There was a moment of silence as they both lost themselves in their thoughts.

After a moment, Snape stopped Harry with his hand. They were a few yards from Tobias' house.

"Potter, remember, if you need anything, get into any trouble, or just feel like it, you can come to see me."

"Thanks," Harry said, putting his hands in his pockets. He felt a little uncomfortable, even though it wasn't the first time Snape had offered him this.

"Go now. Go home."

Harry nodded. Little did he know that the Potions Master waited a few more minutes in the shadows, just in case there were raised voices coming from the building.

The End.
End Notes:
Comments? Thoughts? Wishes?
Which side are you on? Dumbledore & Lupin or Harry & Sirius?


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