Later that night, when the Potion Master wrote another letter to Audrey Shafiq, he couldn't prevent his hand from shaking slightly.

He didn't even care about the look of slight pity that had crossed Dr Green's face when Severus had asked him whether it would be possible to destroy the Horcrux by using electro-convulsive therapy. Of course, as the man himself had pointed out, Dr Green wasn't a wizard and had no knowledge whatsoever about Horcruxes, but his reasoning that it would be very unlikely that something as simple as electricity would be able to destroy a magical being that couldn't be harmed even by most magical devices had been quite logical, Severus had to admit.

He had known that he had grasped for straws, but this didn't help the feeling of dread that had settled in his stomach when he had realized that there didn't seem to be any other option.

He had to take the risk. He had to accept the risk to kill Harry. And he didn't know whether he could do this.

Briefly, he had thought to ask Dumbledore. After all, the man didn't seem to have any inhibitions about killing Harry, so surely he wouldn't mind doing so when there was the chance that the boy might actually survive.

However, he had dismissed the idea almost as soon as it had occurred to him. He didn't trust the headmaster. Who knew what he might try if he presented him witch such an opportunity? Sure, the man had told him that he wouldn't have considered killing Harry if there was any other way, but still, Dumbledore hadn't even looked for any other options that would allow Harry to stay alive.

Severus sighed. He would need to wait for a reply both from Audrey and Flamel (whom he would write during the next few days to be sure that the man had already retrieved the stone when he got the letter) anyway, there wasn't really much use to worry about who would cast the curse at Harry just now. It might not even work, after all. He simply knew too little both about Horcruxes and the Elixir of Life.

The most difficult task, though, would be the conversation he would need to have with Harry once he knew whether or not the killing curse combined with the Elixir was an option. While he had explained to the boy about the headmaster not necessarily having his best interest at heart, he hadn't yet told him about the man actually planning his death. Severus wasn't sure how Harry would react to those news, and he feared that he might see it as another betrayal if the Potion Master revealed that he, too, considered casting a deathly curse at him.

Harry was excited. Ron would come to visit him in just a few minutes! When the Professor had returned from classes this afternoon, he had told Harry that Ron had asked him whether Harry was back at Hogwarts yet and if he could see him (well, Professor Snape had used slightly different words, but Harry supposed that "the annoying and impatient read-headed brat" meant that it had been Ron who had asked for him, and surely "demanding entrance to our quarters to make sure you haven't been used as potion ingredients" could only mean that Ron wanted to visit Harry, couldn't it?).

But despite his excitement, he couldn't help but feel a bit apprehensive, too. What if the Professor had misunderstood Ron? What if his friend was mad at him for almost killing him, what if Ron would taunt him and tell the whole school about what he freak Harry was? It didn't matter that much as long as he had to stay in Professor Snape's quarters, sure, but the man had told him that Harry could join his classmates again when they had conquered the demon. And if Ron let the others in on Harry's secret the whole school would probably laugh at him or, even worse, hating him for being not only a freak but dangerous, too.

Harry was pulled out of his musings by a loud knock on the door. Feeling rather insecure about the whole seeing-Ron-again thing, Harry retreated to the door of his room while the Potion Master went to answer the door, shooting a questioning glance at the half-hidden form of Harry.

"Mr Weasley," Severus stated when had opened the door and caught sight of an obviously nervous Ron, "come in!"

Ron made a few tentative steps into the living-room of his most feared Professor. "Harry!" he exclaimed, clearly relieved ,when he finally caught sight of his friend.

"Hi Ron..." Harry answered a lot more subdued.

"Mate, how are you? Do you really have been in St Mungo's? The Professor told me that the headmaster didn't want you to stay at Hogwarts! Uh, don't tell my mum I have visited you, do you? Professor?" Ron turned back to the man who had just closed the door. "She, well, she kind of forbade me to see Harry again, but since he's my friend... I don't think mum really understands that it wasn't Harry that hurt both me and him."

"Don't worry, Mr Weasley, I certainly won't speak to your mother. I trust that you understand that you have to keep quiet about your visit hear as well?"

"Of course, you've already told me, I won't tell anybody!" Ron assured the Professor, vigorously nodding his head to emphasize his statement.

"Good. Now, perhaps the two of you want to retreat to Harry's room? Just leave the door open, and if there are any problems, you are to call me immediately." Severus admonished the boys. Harry - and the Horcrux - had been fairly calm since he had taken the boy from St Mungo's, but he wasn't prepared to take any chances.

Ron pulled a slightly reluctant Harry into his room but stopped dead when his eyes fell on the extraordinary bed. "Wow!" He exclaimed, "this is really cool! It's almost like a tent, but far more cosy! Is it because you don't like beds?"

"Yes," Harry answered, much more quietly, "Madame Pomfrey and Ophi - he's the Professor's house elf - have made it. I really like it..." he trailed off.

"It's so cool! So," and Ron turned much more serious, "what happened? The Professor told me a bit about the demon and you being at St Mungo's because of Dumbledore, it's true, then?"

"I have been in hospital, yeah," Harry replied, "I don't know much else, though. I have to stay in the Professor's quarters for now, but he said it's not forever. I don't really know about Dumbledore. Perhaps he just wants to make sure the Horcrux - it's the name of the demon, Professor Snape has found out - doesn't hurt anyone else. I'm really sorry..." Harry didn't dare to look Ron into the eyes, too afraid of what he might see there. He only looked up when he felt a hand patting his shoulder.

"It's all right, it wasn't your fault," Ron said, smiling at his friend. "And the demon hurt you far worse than me. Madame Pomfrey had me patched up within seconds! Only my mum, well, she got kind of upset. Her brothers, they were killed during the war by followers of you-know-who, and she still gets really funny every time she thinks that someone is a dark wizard. I tried to explain to her about the demon, but she wouldn't listen..." Ron said awkwardly.

After a few seconds of silence, he continued. "Well, but it doesn't matter. After all, you are my friend and I don't care what my mum thinks about you. Fred'n George - my brothers, the twins - they have asked about you and me, of course, and I told them a bit about what mum had said about you - nothing about the demon, of course!" he hurried to explain, "anyway, they know how mum is when it comes to you-know-who, and they told me that I shouldn't stop being your friend only because of mum, too.

"They really like Quidditch, they are the Gryffindor beaters, you know, and mum actually tried to forbid them to play because the captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team is somehow related to some guys that thought that you-Know-Who was right. It's kind of stupid, I think." Ron finished somewhat lamely. He hoped that his words would reassure Harry, but he had to admit that he didn't have much experience when it came to consoling or reassuring people, so he didn't know whether he had done it right.

However, Harry smiled at him, albeit shyly, so he supposed he hadn't completely botched it up.

"You are really nice," Harry said quietly. Ignoring the other boy's blush, he continued, "I just - well, I don't want your mum to worry about you only because of me."

"Rubbish!" Ron stated firmly, "she'll calm down again. And it isn't as if she has to be friends with you. No, and Fred'n George said they think you are all right, too, and they know much more about friends and stuff than mum."

Both Harry and Ron were silent for several minutes, Harry because he didn't know how to express his gratitude and Ron because he was embarrassed about his mother's attitude. Until a few weeks ago, he hadn't doubted that his mum was right about all Slytherins being evil and all the other stuff, even so he had witnessed many arguments between Molly and some of his brothers (mainly Charley and the twins). But after he had become friends with Harry and noticed that the other boy didn't mind the head of the snakes, and even more so after having stayed in a room with Snape himself and actually survived the experience, Ron had started to reconsider his mother's claims.

"So, ehm," Harry finally asked, "how have classes been since I... have left?"

And Ron launched into a tale that involved biting plants, how much more difficult it was to change a needle into a matchstick rather than the other way round and that the headmaster had announced that due to unforeseeable circumstances Professor Quirrell had had to leave Hogwarts and Dumbledore himself would take over DADA-classes for the foreseeable future.

Two days later, Severus was once again seated in Audrey Shafiq's living-room, feeling rather nervous. Not because of the creepy house or the presence of what was probably the most gifted Legilimens alive, no, but this was the first time he had left Hogwarts for more than an hour or so since Harry had moved into his quarters. What if Albus took advantage of the Potion Master's absence? What if the old coot somehow managed to dismantle the wards, overpowered Minerva (who had agreed on keeping an eye on the hopefully sleeping Harry while Severus was away) and carried out his plan? What if the old man would kill Harry?

"So what is it that you have found out?" Audrey barked.

The Potion Master barely managed to suppress a flinch. He had to concentrate! "I think I have found a way that would allow me to cast an Avada Kedavra at Harry without killing the boy." He said quietly but firmly.

"You have?" Audrey actually looked impressed.

"Yes. It was a rather lucky coincidence, really. Dumbledore offered Nicolas Flamel to hide the Philosopher's Stone in the school as it seemed that someone was after it. Apparently, he planned to catch the thief red-handed. However, due to certain events the stone had to be removed from the school and I got the opportunity to speak with Flamel." Severus hesitated, not sure how to phrase his theory.

"If Harry drank the Elixir of Life before I would cast the killing curse at him - would he survive?"

Audrey regarded him with an unreadable expression, and although Severus was severely tempted, he refrained from peeking into the witch's mind. She was sure to notice such an attempt and it wouldn't do to anger her - he might need her help, after all.

"It's quite likely that the boy would survive, yes." Audrey finally stated.

"And the Horcrux - would it be destroyed despite his body being unable to die?" Severus pressed.

"I think so."

Severus sighed in frustration. He needed better answers. "The boy isn't a guinea pig! I won't just dose him with the Elixir and then cast a fatal curse at him without knowing what will happen."

"Have you spoken to Flamel yet?"

"No, though I have owled him. I hope he will answer within the next few days."

"You might want to ask him whether he knows more about the effects of the Elixir of Life before trying anything," Audrey carefully said and Severus grumbled. As if he hadn't planned to do so anyway! He stopped when the witch continued, though. "But no matter what the old man tells you, I think it's the only option you have without resorting to murder."

"Murder?" Severus spluttered.

"Yes. Certainly you have thought about the possibility of the boy creating a Horcrux himself? But in order to do so, he would need to murder another human being, of course. Then you could kill him, and thereby destroying the Horcrux that resides in his mind. A few rituals would create a new body, and since his Horcrux would bind his soul to the world of the living, he would live once again."

Severus could just stare at Audrey, feeling sick. He had never thought about this, and in retrospect, he was glad he hadn't. The prospect of the child having to murder someone and then resorting to (probably dark) rituals to create a new body... no, certainly death was the better alternative. He couldn't imagine that Harry would ever be able to lead a normal, happy life after going through such an ordeal. No, after all what he had learned about Harry so far, the boy would probably kill himself before becoming guilty of murder.

"I... I haven't thought of this..." Severus managed to get out, almost stumbling over the words.

"No?" Audrey asked, genuinely surprised, "well, of course, your solution has its merits, too. Provided that it works, of course."

"Don't you have a theory about whether it would work or not?" the Potion Master asked almost desperately.

"It's likely that it works. But I can't be sure. I have never had the opportunity to experiment with a Philosopher's Stone, so my knowledge is rather limited. You know how the killing curse works, I suppose?"

"Yes..." Severus answered, not sure what would come next.

"Then you understand that I can't predict how a killing curse cast at a body that contains not only one but two different souls and additionally has ingested the Elixir of Life would affect said body. Even if the boy doesn't die there are several possible outcomes. If you are lucky, the Horcrux is destroyed and the child's soul is left intact. But it is also possible that a part of Harry's soul is damaged, too, or that the Horcrux merges with his own soul."

When she saw the Potion Master's crestfallen face, Audrey decided to rephrase her statement. "Since Avada Kedavra is one of the few means to eradicate a Horcrux, it's unlikely that it will survive the exposure to this very curse. It's certainly worth a try. Currently, the boy's life doesn't seem to be rather enjoyable either, and since his magic will become stronger during the next several years, the Horcrux will get more strength, too, and I don't think he would survive this."

Severus contemplated the witch's statement. "Is there anything I can do to increase the chance that it will work?" he finally asked, "except speaking to Flamel, of course."

"You might want to to explore the boy's mind more thoroughly. The more you know about the Horcrux and how exactly it is connect to the boy the better. You should also think about ways to drive the Horcrux into the front of the boy's mind and keep it there, at least for a while. I don't know whether the Elixir might create some sort of hiding-place for the creature, where it would be safe from the curse. Otherwise, I can't think of anything important. Perhaps you should owl me again, though, before actually going through with your plan..."

"Yes," Severus answered. He had done so anyway, but it was good to know that the moody witch wouldn't mind being bothered for a third time. "Well, then, I think I should leave now, I don't know whether McGonagall will be able to handle Harry for much longer. Thank you for allowing me to come." After he had inclined his head, he turned around and headed for the door.

The witch smirked at him."You might want me to accompany you. Tinkerbell has been rather grumpy ever since you mistook her for an elephant."

To the Potion Master's great relief, Albus hadn't used his absence to break into his quarters. He briefly told Minerva about his visit (without revealing Audrey's name, as he was rather certain that the witch would have his head if even more people learnt about her existence) and that they would need to wait for a reply from Flamel before they would know for sure whether their - or rather Severus' - plan would work.

The Potion Master had divulged his theory to his colleague earlier, and Minerva had been thrilled to learn that there might be a way to help Harry. She was rather anxious about someone - Severus - having to cast an Unforgiveable, though, and had even volunteered to cast the curse herself. After all, casting an Unforgiveable was punished by life in Azkaban, and if someone found out she didn't want the young wizard having to bear those consequences only because he had helped Harry.

Not only was the man not even half her age, but he was also much better equipped to protect Harry both from Dumbledore and you-know-who. Predictably, though, Severus had refused that anyone beside himself would cast the curse, and the Transfiguration-Professor had resigned herself to help the man wherever she could and to make sure that nobody would find out about their plans.

When the annoying witch finally had the decency to retreat to her own quarters rather than fuss over him, Severus made sure that Harry was sleeping and the wards were in place before he went to bed himself.

He had just closed his eyes (or so it seemed to him) when the piercing ringing of the wards he had placed on Harry's room woke him up.

The Potion Master was on his feet in less than two seconds and not even stopped to put a dressing gown over his sleeping pants but only grabbed his wand. The door that connected his own room with Harry's banged against the wall when he flung it open in his haste to get to Harry.

"Harry!" He almost screamed when he hurried to the boy's tent, half-afraid of what he would find. He heard a faint mumbling and was barely able to make out the boy who had crept into the farthest corner of the cave. He lit his wand to have a better look at the child. To his mingled relief and horror, Harry seemed to be still asleep, albeit having a rather violent nightmare.

Severus briefly wondered why the alarm had gone off in such a fashion if there was no immediate danger. A nightmare was unpleasant, yes, but hardly a threat to the child's life. Of course, he didn't know whether it was just an ordinary nightmare or something... more.

"Harry, wake up! It's just a dream. Harry!" The Potion Master tried to wake up the boy. When he didn't react to Severus calling his name, the man knelt down and reached into the tent, intending to shake Harry awake.

However, just when his hand touched the child's arm, Harry jerked up violently, screaming.

"NO NO NO NO NO NOOOOOOOOO!"

"Harry, child, it's all right, it's me, Professor Snape!"

Harry jerked up. He didn't know what was happening, but he saw the blurry form of a person pointing a wand at him. They were going to torture him again! He had to get away!

He started to scream, but the figure just wouldn't retreat. Somehow, Harry registered that the person next to his bed didn't wear white clothes as they usually did and that he could move much more easily than all the other times he had fought against the spells the nurses or doctors or healers were casting at him. However, he was too terrified to pay much attention to anything else besides the wand and the person holding it. Any second now, the pain would start, Harry knew it.

"NOO, I DON'T WANT IT, LEAVE ME 'LONE NO NO NOOO!"

"HARRY!" Severus tried to drown Harry's screaming, but to no avail. Becoming desperate, he shook the boy's shoulder rather violently. He didn't want to hurt the child but it would hardly do any good to leave Harry trapped in his nightmare for even longer either.

However, Harry only started to fight even more fiercely. Only when Severus pulled him forcibly out of his corner and into his arms, pressing him against his own body both to provide comfort and to prevent Harry's arms and legs from injuring some rather delicate parts of Severus's own body, the fighting and screaming started to cease.

Harry felt strong arms grabbing him and although he knew that he didn't stand a chance against one or even several adults he continued to fight. He knew what would come, they would hold him down or even spell him so that he couldn't move and then they would rip his mind apart once again.

He screamed and kicked and tried to get free and he couldn't have stopped even if he had wanted to. The pain would be excruciating, yes, but even worse was the feeling of utter helplessness. He couldn't do anything to stop them. He had no control over what they did to him, he was completely at their mercy and he would never be able to escape.

The knowledge that he had no say whatsoever about his very own life made him fight with all his might, because even if he only managed to delay the inevitable, every second he was able to fight meant that he was not yet out of control completely. No matter how feeble his attempts to fight for control were, no matter whether he only got the tiniest bit of power for the briefest amount of time - anything was better than the complete and utter helplessness that he knew he would never be able to escape.

But something was different. He couldn't move, yes, but it didn't feel like the spell they had placed on him days or weeks or months ago. No, it felt much more like the restraints the nurses on Dr Green's ward had used. But then... was he back in a normal hospital?

Then, however, Harry became aware of a rhythmic pounding next to his head. What was this? Could it...?! No, this was impossible. But then, something was clearly holding him, something much bigger than ordinary restraints, something warm!

"Harry? Can you tell me what has just happened?"

Someone was speaking. Someone had said his name. Harry tried to shift to get a better look at his surroundings, but all what he could make out were the folds of black cloth directly in front of his face. The beating noise next to his ear continued, and now he even started to feel a rhythmic rising and falling of the surface his head was pressed against.

"Harry? Do you know where you are? Just speak to me, child, or if you can't, just lift your head a bit so that I can see your face. If you promise me not to start to fight again, I will let go of you, all right?"

Harry tried to nod his head and was glad when it suddenly became much more easier to move.

He looked up, and although it was rather dark, he recognized the face he was looking at. "Professor Snape!" he gasped and started to cry with relief.

"Shhh, it's all right, child. Did you have a nightmare?"

Harry couldn't speak, he was sobbing into the man's robes, so he tried to nod. But then he started to shake his head - it hadn't been a dream, had it? He was still in hospital and the Professor had just rescued him from the white people but soon he would be gone again and then everything would start again, because the Professor couldn't possibly stay with him all the time.

"Shhh, Harry, I'm here, I won't leave you, I promise." Severus tried to calm the boy down, still don't really knowing what had happened. Talking to Harry in a soothing voice had already helped several times when the boy was nearly hysteric, though, and the Potion Master decided it was worth a try.

Harry tried to listen to the voice of his Professor. It was so nice to have the man hugging him and comforting him and feeling his heartbeat - because that was what the beating noise was, wasn't it? Even so he would soon be gone again, just now he was there and just now nobody would hurt Harry or make him feel helpless, just now everything was OK.

"W-wha... what' sis' t?" Harry tried to ask when he had calmed down somewhat. He was still crying, but between his sobs he managed to get out a few words.

"I don't know, Harry." Severus said with a weak chuckle, "I had hoped you could tell me." When the boy just looked at him in bewilderment, he hazard a guess. "I thought that you might have had a nightmare."

"I - I don't know..." Harry hiccupped.

"What is the last thing you remember, then?" Severus asked.

"The white people... the healers, they were coming and pointing their wands at me and then they grabbed me but then you were there... have they allowed you to visit, Sir? Oh please, Professor, can you tell them not to use this spell any more? It just hurt too much, please, I don't want it, I don't want it!" And Harry broke down crying once again.

"Oh Harry, you aren't at St Mungo's any longer!" Severus answered, not knowing whether he should be glad that apparently it hadn't been the Horcrux that had caused Harry such a distress or worried that the things the child had been forced to endure at the hospital were worse enough to provoke such violent nightmares.

"You are at Hogwarts, Harry, you are save. You are in your room, in my - our quarters. Do you remember? Professor McGonagall and I have taken you away from hospital several days ago and you won't ever go back there. I will take care of you, Harry, and even if you ever need a hospital again, you will go to the ward where Dr Green works. It was just a nightmare, child, just a stupid nightmare!"

"It wasn't - it wasn't real?" Harry, who had stopped crying some time during the Potion Masters speech, pressed, not daring to get his hopes up in case he had misunderstood the Professor. "I'm not at St Mungo's any more? And I don't have to go back?"

"No, child, you are in your room in our quarters and you will never enter that hospital again. Look-" and the Potion Master took his wand that he had dropped when he had soothed Harry. He waved it through the rooms and immediately the small orbs that floated under the ceiling started to glow.

Harry looked around the suddenly brightly lit room and when he saw that he was indeed in the Professor's guest room, in the tent Madame Pomfrey and Ophi had built only for him, his sobs started anew. This time, however, he cried out of relief, not fear and despair.

Severus frowned. He was reasonably sure that Harry believed him about no longer being at St Mungo's, he had felt the boy's body relax, after all. But then what had caused this new bout of tears? Surely Harry was glad not to be at this awful place any longer? And now the boy even threw his arms around the Potion Master's body, holding on him tightly enough to cause bruises!

"Harry, I promise you want have to go back to that place, ever!" Was the boy still afraid that Severus would send him back to St Mungo's?

"I - I kno'ow" Harry sobbed. He didn't remember ever feeling this relieved and, more importantly, safe! Hugging and being re-hugged by an adult in such a fashion, knowing that the man would keep him safe and would listen to him and not just deciding what was best for Harry but that he would ask him what Harry thought about it, knowing that the Professor cared about how Harry felt and not just about the stupid dem- eh, Horcrux - Harry didn't think he had ever been this happy before.

Well, then. This hadn't gone quite as planned, Severus thought, when instead of releasing him from his stranglehold, Harry grabbed him even more tightly. Sighing, he settled for just waiting until the boy had calmed down enough to allow him to put him back to bed. Surely it couldn't be too long, it was in the middle of the night, after all, and Harry was bound to need more sleep than the average eleven year-old boy, with all the medicine he took.

But it was only about half an hour later that Severus - who had absent-mindedly stroked Harry's back - noticed the firm grip around his midst loosen and the child's breathing becoming more and more regularly.

Carefully, he disentangled himself from Harry's grip and was about to lie the child back into his bed when Harry's eyes flung open once again.

"Not goin' 'way!" The boy demanded, still half asleep but very aware of what the Professor tried to do. "Stay'in'!"

"But Harry, you need to sleep now, it's in the middle of the night!" Severus tried to reason with the boy.

"Yes," Harry slurred, "but you stayin'!" And with that, he cuddled up to the Professor, clearly planning to fall asleep once again.

The Potion Master considered his option. He could dose Harry with a Dreamless Sleep Potion, but he was reluctant to do so. The boy already got all this muggle-medicine and he never knew when the Horcrux would attack again and whether the child would require another Potion to deal with the creature's effects. Giving him yet another potion, one that might not even be necessary if the boy managed to go back to sleep on his own (even if it was with Severus by his side) didn't really sit well with the Potion Master. And it was not as if anybody would see what he was about to do either...

Five minutes later, Ophi popped into Master Harry Potter Sir's room and covered his sleeping Master Potion Master Sir, who was lying amongst several pillows and cuddly toys with his ward nestled up to him, with a thick blanket.

After a long, hot shower and a potion against back aches Severus could finally move again without wincing in pain with every step he took. If he ever slept in Harry's tent again he would have to spell all this bears and lions and horses (and the snake he had added when no one was looking) into some sort of decent mattress!

He couldn't bring himself to be cross with the boy, though, not after the radiating smile Harry had shot at him when he had woken up.

When the two men had breakfast in the small kitchen of their quarters (since the headmaster was well aware of Severus having custody of the boy-who-lived anyway, the latter didn't found it necessary to keep up appearance and turn up for the meals in the Great Hall), a soft but demanding knock that the the Potion Master immediately recognized as Hedwig's indicated the arrival of a letter - or the owl's desire to see her master, Severus thought wrily when he motioned Harry to follow him into the living-room. Although he had long since spelled the cutlery unbreakable, he wouldn't leave the child in the kitchen unobserved. Who knew what plans to torture its host the Horcrux had come up with during all those days under close supervision!

Hedwig, it turned out, had indeed come to deliver a letter to the Master of her Master, although it was clear that she appreciated Harry's pats and cooing (and some strips of his bacon), too.

The letter, as Severus quickly discovered, was from no other than Nicolas Flamel. He quickly scanned it and gave a sigh of relief when he read about the other man's plan to visit him this very evening and his confirmation that he wouldn't tell Albus about Severus having contacted him.

"So, Harry, I have to go to classes soon. Professor McGonagall will look after you during the morning and if you are amenable to it, she will start teaching you a few basic things about magic and the wizarding world."

Harry looked up eagerly. He was going to learn magic? But hadn't the Professor said that he couldn't do magic until the Horcrux was gone? When he asked the Potion Master this very question, the man looked at him apologetically.

"I'm sorry, Harry, I think you have misunderstood me. Professor McGonagall won't teach you any spells, but I thought that you might want to learn more about the wizarding world in general, you know, like history and traditional customs or magical creatures or even how magic works. There is a great deal you can learn about different types of magic - transfiguration, charms, but even things like curse-breaking, warding or healing magic - without having to cast a single spell. I know it must be rather frustrating, but I'm sure that later, you will benefit a great deal from everything Professor McGonagall can teach you, when you can start to learn how to cast spells, too."

"I can learn about magical creatures? And curse-breaking?" Harry asked, obviously awed, "but I thought Professor McGonagall only teaches transfiguration."

"Normally, yes, but she knows enough about those other subjects to teach you the basics of anything you are interested in. I don't know how long it will be until you can join your classmates and take regular classes, but until then, you should decide on a few subjects you are interested in and that you can learn without actually using magic. And if Professor McGonagall doesn't know enough about something you want to learn, I'm sure Poppy - Madame Pomfrey - or I will be able to teach you, or we will find books so that we can learn it together, all right?"

"'right." Harry answered. Even so it would be really, really cool if he was finally allowed to do magic, learning other stuff about magic was better than learning nothing at all, he supposed. He didn't really care about history, but after what he had experienced at the magical hospital, he was really curious whether he had just had luck or if the normal world really was so much more... well, 'normal' than the magical one. And learning about magical creatures and even curses surely was just as cool as learning how to make a feather fly, wasn't it?

Harry had already gone to bed when Snape left the castle and approached the the gates where just now a soft 'pop' could be heard. After the two men had exchanged greetings, the wizard who had just popped into existence cast a disillusion-spell over himself and followed the younger man through the grounds towards the entrance doors of the looming castle.

Neither of the two figures spoke until they had reached the Potion Master's quarters.

Poppy, who had kept an eye on Harry while Severus had picked up his visitor nodded at the two men and left via floo.

"Have a seat," Severus said, pointing at the sofa in front of his fireplace, "would you like something to drink?"

"Coffee would be lovely," Nicolas Flamel answered.

"Ophi?" Severus called.

"Ophi bring coffee for two and biscuits, Ophi sure Master and Master's guest like biscuits." The small elf stated, and a few seconds later two cups of coffee and a plate of biscuits appeared on the table.

Severus briefly considered how to start this conversation. He wasn't sure how the ancient wizard would react to his request. Then he decided just to be blunt, though. The man certainly had learnt how to read people and to tell whether someone was truthful or not during his impressive lifespan.

"Mr Flamel, I would like to thank you for coming to Hogwarts. I have a rather delicate question to ask, but first, I need to have your word that nothing I will tell or ask you will ever leave these quarters."

Flamel looked at the young wizard curiously but didn't hesitate to comply with the man's wishes. "I, Nicolas Flamel, swear on my magic not to reveal anything I will learn tonight while being in these rooms."