An owl flew through the open window and skidded to a stop on the kitchen table. Harry reached over to untie the bundle of letters from its foot. He gave it a pat on the head.

“Thanks, Carmax,” Harry said. He eagerly sorted though the mail that it had brought. Harry scanned over the names of the senders, then his face settled into a frown.

“What is it?” Snape asked, studying Harry’s face. He nursed a mug of black coffee, as usual.

“I still haven’t heard from Draco,” Harry said. “There are only three weeks until school starts up again.”

“Have you sent him anything?” Severus asked calmly.

“Of course,” Harry replied. “Sometimes Carmax brings it back, sometimes he doesn’t.”

Severus set down his mug. “I suggest checking with your other friends to see if they have heard from him. I am afraid to consider what his father’s reaction to the house change might have been.”

“You think that maybe his father cut him off? That’s something the Dursley’s would do. They threatened bars on the windows a few times,” Harry admitted.

“Perhaps,” Severus said. “I would not put it past Lucius. If no one has heard anything, it may be time for more... extreme measures.”

Harry grinned. “I knew you’d understand.”

“For the record, I shall not be involved with any hair-brained schemes you might come up with.”

“But off the record?” Harry prompted.

“Naturally,” Severus replied easily.

Harry flashed him another smile then trotted off to pen some letters to his friends.

Dear Ron,

Have you heard from Draco? I keep writing but I don’t get any response. Have you tried? I’m getting kinda worried. Let me know if you hear anything.

Harry

Harry copied the same letter onto another sheet of parchment and addressed one each to Hermione and Ron. Then, he went back down to the kitchen.

Summer was quickly drawing to a close, a thought which for the first time, saddened Harry. Every other year, he had looked forward to returning to school, if only to get away from such close contact with the Dursley’s. Though Dudley tormented him at school, it was easier to avooid him and blend into the background. Despite being excited to return to Hogwarts, this summer had actually been enjoyable. 

Harry spent the majority of his summer figuring out what wizarding children did with their free time when housework did not occupy every spare moment. He was also learning what it was like to spend time with a father figure. Though their time together was limited by Severus’s extra organizational duties due to his position as Head of House, Harry greatly enjoyed the time they spent together. Whether they were brewing or simply playing chess, it was something unlike his previous experiences and he looked forward to the time, however little it may be. 

When left to his own devices, Harry either read, or, growing bored quickly with his textbooks, enjoyed the summertime weather outside on his broom. He had to be careful not to let any muggles glimpse him, but that was all part of the fun for Harry. Severus did not allow him to go far from the house alone and Harry had yet to coax him out to fly with him farther away. He was fairly certain that there was a spare broom in the shed but he didn’t push it. For now. 

Though Harry was content and happy with his first real summer apart from his month at the Burrow, he did have one desire that he had not yet mentioned to Severus.

“Can we do something fun before summer is over?” Harry asked brightly, one day.

Severus lowered his paper and looked at Harry. “What did you have in mind?”

“Um,” Harry pretended to think for a moment. “how about the zoo?”

“The zoo?” Severus said slowly.

“Yeah, I went there with the Dursleys the summer before Hogwarts but there was an...incident and we had to leave,” Harry said. “But it was really fun.”

“An incident?”

“Er, I kind of set a snake on my cousin...” Harry said sheepishly.

Severus raised an eyebrow. “And how is it that you were not in Slytherin?”

“How is it that you adopted a Gryffindor?” Harry shot back.

“No need to become insulting,” Severus replied, raising his paper once more.

Harry waited a beat. “So?”

“So?”

“The zoo?”
“Ah,” Severus said, as if remembering. “Fine. Say, next week?”

“Sure!” Harry agreed excitedly. “Thanks Sev!”

Severus shot Harry a dark look. 

“Sorry,” Harry apologized. “I kinda like ‘Sev’ though...”

The look got darker.

“Okay, okay,” Harry relented, grabbing a pastry and pouring himself pumpkin juice.

“I cannot imagine why you would want to gaze at unremarkable animals lounging around in cages,” Severus stated.

“They’re not cages, they’re habitats,” Harry corrected. “That makes it sound a little better.”

“Regardless, my point still stands,” Severus replied, undisturbed.

Harry shrugged. “I thought we could recreate a fun memory of mine simply without the Dursleys.”

“As long as you do not set a snake on me,” Severus stipulated casually.

“Deal,” Harry said with a grin.

---{}-{}-{}---

It was not until the next morning that Carmax returned with the replies form Ron and Hermione. Both had said that they had not heard anything. Hermione suggested that perhaps he was on holiday in another country, but Ron’s letter said that his father had seen Mr. Malfoy in the Ministry the week before. Harry scowled.

“Hey, Severus?” Harry asked, walking into the sitting room where Snape sat at the writing desk.

“Yes?” 

“Neither Ron nor Hermione have seen Draco. What should we do?” 

Severus paused in his writing and leaned back in the chair.

“Why don’t you invite your friends over?” he suggested.

“Uh, alright,” Harry said, unsure of what that would solve. “Hermione won’t be able to come, though. Her house isn’t connected to the Floo network.”

Severus nodded and returned to his work.

Harry penned out the request to Ron and sent it through the Floo for speed. After a few minutes, a redhead stepped out of the Floo. It was not, however the one that Harry had expected. Severus looked up as well, his emotionless face flickering briefly in surprise.

“Er, hi Fred, what are you doing here?” Harry asked, trying not to sound unwelcoming.

“My baby brother refused to come the the great menacing Professor Snape’s house by himself, let alone first. My brother should be coming through in a moment,” he said casually. “Hey there, Professor.”

Severus nodded.

The Floo flared again and once more Harry was surprised. By “my brother”, Harry had assumed that he meant Ron. Instead, George was the one who stepped out.

Severus raised an eyebrow. “Is this a Weasley family gathering?”

George turned toward Severus dramatically. “Why hello, Professor Snape! Is this your lovely home I find myself in?”

Severus rewarded him with a glare. With one last flare, the Floo deposited Ron. He looked embarrassed.
“And we present the main attraction, Ronald Weasley,” The twins said in unison, gesturing grandly to their younger brother. Ron reddened further.

Fred said, “Can you dismiss your body guards now? I don’t think the Professor is about to eat you.”

Ron nodded weakly and they stepped towards the Floo. 

“Wait,” Severus commanded. The twins turned, shock obvious on their faces. “We may have need of your devious minds if mine alone is insufficient.”

They glanced at each other and shrugged. They took a seat beside Ron on the couch.

Everyone seemed to look to Severus to lead the impromptu “meeting”.

“It seems that we might possibly have a situation on our hands. Draco Malfoy, whom you are all familiar with, has not been heard from since the close of last year. I am unsure of his current situation, though last I heard, his father was extremely unhappy with him.”

They simply looked at him.

“And you need us...why?” George asked.

“I believe that, based on my knowledge and past experiences with Lucius Malfoy, it can safely be assumed that Draco is being held against his will,” Severus said. “If you care to assist, I would implement a rescue, shall we say.”

“Operation: Save the Slythendor,” George said with relish.

“Have you tried a scrying spell?” Fred suggested. 

“Of course,” Severus snapped. “All it tells me is that he is at the Malfoy manor. Their wards prevent anything more detailed. They have anti-apparation barriers and motion spells lining the grounds.”

“What about the air?” George said mischievously.

Severus frowned. “I do not believe so. Brooms, were you thinking?” 

The twins shared another look. “Er, not quite...”

Ron began to grin.

---{}-{}-{}---

“I cannot believe I agreed to this,” Severus said darkly from behind the wheel of Mr. Weasley’s Ford Anglia. 

“You should’ve let Ron and the twins come. After all, its their car,” Harry pointed out.

“It is their father’s illegal car. That is the only reason I am okay with ‘borrowing’ it,” Severus said. “I assume you do not want them to get in trouble?”

“Well, no,” Harry admitted. 

“I will be able to return it without Mr. or Mrs. Weasley’s knowledge. They will not,” Severus said. “Now, can we get this over with?”

“Let’s go,” Harry said gamely.

Severus put a silencing charm on the entire car before firing it up. He pushed a button on the dash and the car ascended into the air over the Burrow. He steered it away and out into the night. He flew high into the clouds so that there would not be accidental sightings by Muggles. It took a good twenty minutes to reach the Malfoy manor. As it came into sight, Harry considered that it looked reminiscent of a smaller Hogwarts. 

“The barriers are coming up. I hope this works,” Severus said as he pressed the invisibility button. Harry leaned his head out the window and looked back at the door on which his weight rested. There was nothing there that he could see.

“It worked,” Harry said. 

Severus circled lower around the manor. 

“To the best of my memory, Draco’s room is on the left side,” Severus said, steering that way.

“There!” Harry said. He could see through thick bars on the window that there was a small blonde boy sitting cross-legged on the bed. Severus pulled up next to the window and Harry poked his head out.

“Draco!” he hissed. The boy whipped around, eyes searching in the night.

“Harry?” he said in shock. “How- why is your head just floating there?”
Harry leaned over to push the invisibility button on the dash. The car flickered back into view.

“Is that-” 

“A flying car?” Harry interrupted. “Yes. Are you okay, Draco? Why the bars on the windows?”

Draco hesitated. In the darkness, he looked especially thin and pale. “I told my dad about the house change. He didn’t take it well. My mom has been sneaking me food though.”

Harry glanced wordlessly at Severus who nodded once.

“Do you have your things packed? You can come with us. We’ll break you out,” Harry offered.

“Us? Who- oh, hello, Professor,” Draco said. “I’ll get my things.”

Within a few moments, he had packed his trunk and was levitating it to the window. 

“Uh, what about the bars?” Draco asked. 

Harry tossed him a set of chains that they had found in the Weasleys’ shed. “Hook those around the bars.”

Draco did so and Harry managed to open his door and hook the other end to something on the underside of the car. He hoped that it was strong and unimportant.

“Go,” he told Severus.

Severus pulled out and the metal screeched, pulling the nails out of the stone. Once the connection had been severed, it came unhooked from the chain and fell with a resounding crash to the ground. 

“We best hurry,” Severus advised calmly.

Harry nodded as he returned the car to the window. Severus popped open the trunk.

Draco levitated his trunk into the back as a yell resounded from inside. Harry opened his door for Draco to climb in.

“DRACO!” a voice screamed from within the house.

Draco scrambled onto his headboard and had one leg out the window when Lucius Malfoy burst in.

“Get back in here this instant,” he growled.

“Come on,” Harry urged.

Draco swung his other leg out the window as Harry grabbed his hand. He was just about to pull Draco inside when Lucius grabbed hold of his shirt. Harry pulled anyway, as hard as he could. He was surprised at how light he was. Draco’s shirt ripped and he fell face first into the car. Harry pulled the door closed and Severus hit the gas.

“You okay?” Harry asked Draco.

“Yeah,” he replied. “Thanks, Harry, Professor.”

They flew away into the night. 

“You may stay at our house until the end of summer,” Severus offered.

Draco nodded in acceptance. The car ride was strangely silent as they returned the car to the Burrow. They landed softly on the grass and Harry and Draco exited so that Severus could return it as they found it. While they waited, a voice called softly from behind them. Harry and Draco turned and looked up to see Ron hanging out of the window smiling an waving.

“Glad you’re okay!” he called.

“Thanks!” Draco replied earnestly.

Severus returned and side-along apparated them one at a time to Spinner’s end. When they arrived, Midgy brought out three hot chocolates. Once gone, Harry stood.

“Come on, I’ll show you where you can sleep.”

Draco followed Harry up to the guest room next to his.

“Goodnight,” Harry said tiredly. “If you need anything just ask.”

“Thank you, Harry,” Draco replied. “Goodnight.”

Harry retreated to his room and collapsed on his bed, exhausted but satisfied. He hoped that, should he ever be in a situation like that, his friends would come and save him. Not that such a thing would ever happen now, but at one time, it was not inconceivable. Harry pulled up the covers and closed his eyes, glad that it had all worked out as it did.

---{}-{}-{}---

The very next morning, at breakfast, a knock sounded on the front door. Severus laid down his coffee and paper and strode to the door. Harry and Draco exchanged looks.

Opening the door, he instantly adopted a stiff posture. Severus raised his chin and looked the visitor up and down, expression utterly neutral.

“Lucius,” he said dryly.

“Severus.”

“May I help you?” he asked, betraying no emotion.

“Where is my son?” Lucius demanded, then took a breath and composed himself. “Can I come in?” 

“No.”

Lucius’s eyes narrowed. “Why? Because Draco is in there? I know Harry Potter,” he spat the name with disgust, “came in a flying car last night to steal him away. What do you have to say to that?”

“I have no knowledge of such a thing, nor do I know where your son is. As far as I know, Harry was in his room all night,” Severus lied.

“I say he wasn’t-” Lucius began on a rampage.

Severus held up a hand, “Shall we simply resolve the matter?” He turned halfway. “Harry! Come here,” Severus demanded, partially to make it seem as if Harry was to be punished if he was involved (for appearance’s sake) and partially so that Harry would want this to be private. It was essential that Draco stay behind in the kitchen. Knowing Harry, it was very possible that he had been eavesdropping which would actually help in this situation.

A startled-looking Harry entered the corridor. “Yes?”

Lucius pushed the door open further. “Where is Draco?” he demanded.

“I don’t know sir,” Harry replied in a passable lie for it was understandable that he would be rather startled by the situation. “No one has heard from him all summer.”

Lucius growled. Harry looked at Severus. Through unspoken contact, Severus instructed him to, as soon as possible, slip Draco the Invisibility cloak.

“I know you had a hand in this!” Lucius fumed. “I saw you! Don’t lie to me, boy.” He charged at Harry, whipping out his wand.

Instinctively, Severus threw up an arm, preventing him from touching the child. His eyes flashed dangerously.

“Harry, leave us for a moment please,” Severus said as a cue to get the cloak.

Harry understood and headed up to his room. Severus turned back to Lucius.

“I recall that I did not invite you into my house,” Severus said darkly. “Nevertheless, given the situation, I will allow you to search my house if it will make you go away. You may not, however, harm my son.”

A step on the stairs squeaked seemingly by itself. Lucius, in his fury, took no notice.

Lucius glared. “Your son? You have no son. You will never have a son. You are nothing but a fool to think otherwise. I have absolutely no reason to obey traitor scum like you.”

Severus stepped closer to Lucius. “I may have betrayed the Dark Lord, but I have chosen the winning side.”

Lucius’s eyes narrowed. “Get out of my way.”

“Lucius, I thought the Malfoys were known for their manners,” Severus said sarcastically. “That didn’t sound like a nice way to invite yourself into someone else’s house.”

“Get out of my way or I will hex you,” Lucius threatened. “Is that better?”

Severus merely shrugged and stepped out of his way. He hoped that had given Harry enough time to return to the kitchen and cover Draco. Lucius stormed into the hall, cane clacking against the floorboards. He peered into the kitchen. Severus stepped up and saw nobody but Harry sitting at the table.

“How-” Lucius’s eyes narrowed at Harry. “You went upstairs.”

“I came back down, you mustn't have seen me,” Harry said innocently. 

Lucius growled again and proceeded to the next room. Finding it empty, he moved on to the library. He searched the house methodically, moving from room to room. When he had searched every room but one, he stood before a black door, jiggling the knob in vain.

“Open this,” he commanded.

“No,” Severus said defiantly. “I do not take orders from pureblood scum like you,” he said, twisting Lucius’s own words from earlier.

“He’s in here, isn’t he?” Lucius said in a fury. 

“That is my potions laboratory,” Severus said calmly. “No one other than myself and my son has, or shall, step foot in there. I most certainly would not let a talentless boy like yours into that room, even to hide from someone like you.”

“Talentless?” Lucius asked. “I beg your pardon. No son of mine is talentless. Draco is a pureblood. He is of a superior line.”

Severus raised a brow dramatically and looked Lucius over slowly.

“I suppose ‘superior’ can take on alternate meanings in context. I was unaware that ‘superior’ now constitutes snobbish, banal and ludicrous where appearance is considered.” He nodded towards the black lacquer cane with an ostentatious silver snake head adorning its end. That the oversized snake broach that fastened Malfoy’s cloak was  also ridiculous was implied.

“How dare you insult me, filthy traitor! I stayed true to the Dark Lord and you adopted the boy who destroyed him. You will pay for your dishonorable abdication,” Lucius said, eyes filled with hate. “And I don’t know what kind of trick you’re pulling here, but I know that Draco is in this house,” he said.

“How do you know that?”
Lucius glared. “I saw Potter last night. I know. Fear not; I shall be back and I will find him.”

With those parting words, he stormed out of the house, door slamming behind him.

“I was not afraid,” he muttered. 

Severus gave an uncharacteristic sigh and returned to Harry.

“Well done,” he said. “But it will not be safe for Draco here any longer.”

“Why not?” Harry asked in alarm. “We can just hide him with the cloak again.”

Severus shook his head. “There is a spell that can locate blood relatives within a certain vicinity. Lucius knows this. It is dark magic and requires several illegal ingredients. I suppose he has gone to collect them.”

“Oh,” Harry said sadly. “What, then?”

“He is only friends with you, Ms. Granger and Mr. Weasley correct?”

Harry nodded.

“The Weasleys would be too easily compromised due to Lucius’s extensive connections at the ministry,” he mused aloud. “Do you suppose he could stay with the Grangers? Lucius would never deign to check a muggle family for his pureblood son. Will you owl?”

“Sure,” Harry said, returning to the kitchen. 

---{}-{}-{}---

“He’s gone, Draco,” Harry said to the apparently empty kitchen.

Draco appeared out of nowhere and bundled up the cloak. Harry quickly summed up what Severus had told him.

“So would you mind staying with Hermione if they agree?” Harry asked.

“No,” Draco replied. “Anything to not go back there.”

Harry nodded, feeling much the same way about the Dursleys. He penned out a quick letter to Hermione explaining the situation. Addressing the envelope, he handed it to Carmax. “Fly fast and wait for a reply,” Harry told him before launching him out the window.

The atmosphere in the room was tense. Harry tried to lighten the mood.

“Want to play some chess?” he asked Draco.

“I guess,” Draco said unenthusiastically.

They headed off to Harry’s room. After a few games, which Harry won easily due to his more or less “intense” training with Ron, Carmax came pecking at the window.

Harry unfolded the letter and read it aloud. “Dear Harry, I am very happy that Draco is okay and out of that awful situation. I talked with my parents and they said they would be happy to have one of my school friends stay for a while. It will not be a problem. Can we meet you at King’s Cross in an hour? Signed, Hermione.” 

Harry smiled at Draco. “You’re going to live with dentists!”

“What?” he asked.

“Er, they clean teeth.”

Draco gave him a quizzical look.

“Never mind,” Harry breathed. He and Draco went downstairs.

“Severus?” Harry asked. “They’d like to meet at King’s Cross in an hour.”

“That will be fine,” he said. “Though we will need to get back quickly. I do not know what kind of connections Mr. Malfoy has for illegal supplies. Personally, it would take me a few hours to procure such things; his contacts may be more expeditious.”

Harry raised an eyebrow. 

Severus merely shrugged and went back to his work. When the time came, Severus repeated the side-along apparation process to King’s Cross. Harry stood looking around until Snape and Draco appeared beside them. 

“They should be here soon,” Harry said as they took a seat on a bench underneath which they pushed Draco’s trunk. “I’ve never met Hermione’s parents.”

“Harry! Draco!” a feminine voice from behind them called. “Oh, and Professor Snape.”

“Hermione!” Harry and Draco responded at the same time. They stood to give her a hug. Hermione pulled back and gave Draco a long look.

“I’m so glad that you’re okay,” she said. Hermione gestured to the reserved looking couple behind her. “These are my parents. Mom, dad, this is Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter.”

They smiled graciously and shook hands.

“I’m Severus Snape, Harry’s guardian and Potions Master at Hogwarts,” Severus introduced when Hermione faltered.

After another round of handshakes, Harry decided that they seemed very nice.

“We’d be glad to have Draco,” Mrs. Granger said. “It’s a shame about your family emergency. I hope it goes alright,” she said to Severus, who didn’t react. “It’s horribly cold in Finland; do dress warm.”

“We will, thank you for being considerate,” Severus said, ignoring Hermione’s blush. He pulled out the trunk and handed it to Mr. Granger.

“We must be going then,” Hermione said, “maybe we can meet up in Diagon Alley when I buy my books?”

Harry looked to Severus who nodded. “Sure,” he said. “Just let me know when.”

She promised that she would so, with goodbyes all around, they departed. Harry and Severus made it home just in time. It was barely five minutes before a sharp rap on the door brought Severus to attention. 

He looked at Harry. “Follow my lead.”

Harry nodded and stayed in the sitting room while Severus went to the door.

“I’m back,” he heard Lucius say.

“Obviously,” Snape replied. Harry grinned lightly imagining his guardian’s accompanying sneer.

“May I come in?” Lucius’s voice struggled for relative politeness.

“I would prefer you didn’t, but I do not believe I have a choice,” Severus told him. 

The slam of the door told Harry that Lucius had stepped inside. 

“If Draco is truly not here, you will not object to my preforming a Blood Bound spell?” Lucius’s voice sounded, growing nearer.

“I suppose not. Though I am loathe to allow Harry to witness Dark Magic.”

“A good learning experience,” he replied harshly. 

Severus was silent. Lucius stopped in front of the sitting room. “This room will do.”

“Harry, leave please,” Severus said. It was not a request.

Lucius’s lip curled. “Touching, Severus. Stay, Harry.”

Harry experienced a moment of conflict. He dearly wanted to see what this spell entailed but it would mean disobeying a direct order from Severus. In the end, he decided that his loyalty to Severus was more important. Harry left.

---{}-{}-{}---

“How sweet, Severus,” Lucius said adopting a tone such as one he would use with a child. “He really does love you.”

“Severus Snape: one,  Lucius Malfoy: zero,” Severus sneered with a glare. “Now can we get on with this?”

Lucius took out a small bundle. Unrolling it, he revealed a piece of chalk and several small containers of crushed powders. Severus instantly recognized them as highly illegal and equally as desirable for a potion maker such as him. He felt a stab of envy of Lucius’s connections. Malfoy used his wand to fling the carpet away and expose the hardwood floor. 

Ever desiring to avoid menial tasks, Lucius snapped his fingers. “Dobby.”

A small house elf in soiled rags appeared beside Lucius looking nervous. 

“Yes, master?” 

“Take that piece of chalk and draw a pentagram. It must be perfect. No line should be over one meter long,” he snapped.

“Yes, master,” Dobby said, taking up the chalk. 

It took him several minutes to finish but the resulting Pentagram was indeed perfect. 

“Leave,” Malfoy ordered. Dobby disappeared instantly.

Lucius put the powders into bowls hewn from ash and set one at each tip of the pentagram. Severus stood calmly watching the process. The last item that he drew from the bundle was a silver dagger.

“Globin revelio,” He began to incant. He mumbled a long string of words then started over. As he did so, he drew the dagger over his palm. When the blood began to flow, he clenched his fist and held it over the very center of the pentagram. When a single drop of blood fell onto the hardwood floor, Lucius jerked his hand back so that it would remain a solitary drop. Severus reflected that he must either really care about his son or really want to be able to punish Severus or Harry for their parts.

A white light flared from the center of pentagram outwards. When it reached the chalk, it flew up into a column that lit the room. With something akin to an explosion of light, it flew to pieces and passed through the walls without heed to their physical nature. A large crash was heard from upstairs. The light returned, flared blue once, then dissolved, indicating that it had located one blood relative. Lucius grinned viciously. 

“Are you familiar with this spell, Severus?” Lucius asked with an air of superiority. “It immobilizes the subject. And you said that Draco wasn’t here.”

Severus could do naught but stare. Possibilities whirred in his mind. As far as he knew, only Harry was upstairs. Oh, Merlin- that could not be. Despite his mental discipline, his heart picked up speed. He forced his voice to remain steady as he said, “Shall we go see?”

Lucius swept from the room, a shaken Severus striding in his wake.

---{}-{}-{}---

Harry walked dejectedly up the stairs, disappointed that he had not been allowed to witness whatever was going on. He allayed his angry thoughts with the fact that Severus had seemed to send him away for his best interests. That was a lie that all adults told children, but no one had ever told Harry that so he was at least slightly touched.

He trudged into his room and opened the latest book of interest. It described the best ways to fight dark creatures. Most of it simply washed over Harry for he did not understand, but some he found interesting. The author was a fair artist as well and his renderings of the creatures were sometimes amusing. Harry assumed that they would not be so in real life. 

A small pop made Harry glance up. A house elf stood at the foot of his bed. Its clothes were ragged, which was unusual for Harry to see.

“Midgy?” he asked. “What happened to your towel?”

“H-harry Potter?” it stammered, eyes huge. After a second glance and hearing its voice, Harry decided that this wasn’t Midgy.

“You aren’t Midgy.” Harry frowned.

“I is Dobby, sir.”

“I’m Harry Potter, but you know that,” Harry said. “You want me to get you a fresh tea towel like Midgy wears? Yours is looking a little old.”

His eyes grew even wider. “Harry Potter offers Dobby a new cloth? Dobby has heard of your greatness, sir, but not of your goodness.”

“Er,” Harry began. Before he could finish whatever it was that he was going to say, Dobby had run across the room to the bed. He squeaked and slammed his head against the lower rail that held the mattress.

“What are you doing?” Harry asked, alarmed but not wanting to raise his voice very loud lest they hear him downstairs. He pulled Dobby away.

“Dobby almost spoke ill of his masters sir,” the small creature said, shaking. “Dobby is not to do that. He must punish himself.”

“Don’t punish yourself, Dobby. That’s an order from me,” Harry said in the hopes that his influence would work over the elf.

Dobby gave a sad smile. “You is so kind. That is why Harry Potter must not go back to Hogwarts,” he said in a voice that made it seem imperative. He ran to the bedside stand and pulled out a drawer to slam his head on. 

“What?” Harry asked, while roughly prying Dobby’s fingers away from the drawer. Harry gave up and let him keep it for he had stopped hitting himself with it. “Of course I’m going back to Hogwarts. Its like my second home. And Severus works there.”

“But bad things will happen!” Dobby yelled. “Dobby doesn’t want bad things to hurt Harry Potter!”

“Well, thanks, Dobby, but I have to go back,” Harry said, confused but touched. “I can handle myself.”

Dobby shook his small head then froze with a flash of white light. The drawer tumbled from his immobile fingers to the floor with a crash.

“Dobby?” Harry asked. “Dobby!”

Harry heard footsteps on the stairs. He panicked and backed up a few steps, afraid he would be blamed for what had happened. Harry’s door flew open to reveal Lucius’s triumphant face. He glanced around the room and his eyes fell on the statue-like figure of Dobby. His face fell. Severus edged his way into the room. Upon seeing Harry, free and mobile, albeit almost frozen in fear, Severus’s face showed intense relief. Harry’s fears abated somewhat though his sense of confusion mounted.

With a wave of Lucius’s wand, Dobby was free. “What are you doing up here?” he snapped furiously.

“When master told Dobby to leave, he thought master meant to leave the room. Dobby was invited in by Harry Potter,” the elf said tremulously.

Harry nodded in confirmation.

Lucius’s eyes narrowed. “Then why the drawer? Were you punishing yourself?”

Dobby nodded weakly.

Harry stepped in. “I offered to get him a tea towel to wear like Midgy does, sir. His rags were pretty dirty. Then he just started hitting himself with the drawer. I tried to stop him then he froze.”

Before Lucius could respond, Severus said, “I did not realize that a house elf was considered blood.”

“Neither did I,” Lucius admitted. “The binding spell must make him essentially part of the family,” he said with disgust.

Dobby was shaking. 

“Come with me, Dobby,” Lucius said. Turning to Severus he added, “It appears that Draco is not here. I do not believe that you had no part in this. Should I prove that you did, you will deeply regret it.”

Severus made a mental note to teach Draco Occlumency just in case. Lucius did not have the skill for Legilimency, however, he was fairly certain of that. Severus inclined his head. “I would expect no less from a former Death Eater.”

“Former, Severus?” Lucius growled. “What, has your mark up and disappeared? I am still a Death Eater, Severus, as are you. When the Dark Lord returns to power, you will rue the day you were born,” he said with relish. Lucius turned his blonde head to Harry. “Your fate will be worse.”

Lucius prodded Dobby out of the room with the butt of his cane. Neither Harry nor Snape moved until the door slammed from downstairs.

Harry let out a deep breath. “Oh my.”

“Don’t believe him, Harry,” Severus said gently.

“I don’t really, but I know that he will try to punish us,” Harry looked up. “Try, not succeed.”

Severus’s lip curled slightly. “Indeed. Now what was the elf really doing up here?”

“You didn’t believe my lie?”

“I know you better than Malfoy,” Severus replied.

Harry recounted Dobby’s warning. Severus did not appear especially troubled.

“There has been trouble at Hogwarts in the past. I do feel better that I will be near to you, and I believe that I can keep you protected,” Severus said.

“But what if it doesn’t only affect me?” Harry asked. “Dobby talked like it would happen either way, he just wanted me to be safe.”

Severus said, “I think that between the two of us, we can protect at least those you care about the most. Though I suppose we will have to wait to see what the threat is. If there is one.”

Harry nodded. “Thanks for everything you’ve done to help Draco, Severus. You haven’t really made your situation any better by doing that.”

Severus rolled his eyes. “I am far beyond the point of caring.”

Harry smiled. Then asked, “Why did you look so relieved when you walked in?”
Severus’s face was inscrutable. “When we heard a crash and the spell revealed a blood relative upstairs, I thought you were alone up here. So naturally, I thought there had been some mistake years  ago and that you were...”

Harry gave an exaggerated shudder. “Thank merlin that’s not the case. I don’t look like a Malfoy, so I?”

“Most definitely not. Let us go get something to eat,” Severus suggested. 

“Agreed,” Harry said, acutely aware of his growing hunger.

Together, they left the room and went downstairs.

Harry sat licking a large strawberry and peanut butter ice cream at the zoo with Severus.

“You sure you don’t want some?” Harry offered. He tilted his cone enticingly though the effect was ruined by a large glob falling onto the grease stained picnic table. “Oops.”

“I am quite sure that I do not want any,” Severus said with mild disdain. “Who mixes peanut butter and strawberry?”
“I don’t know, but it’s good!”

“Why is it that the first thing you do when we come to the zoo is get ice cream? We could’ve gone to Diagon Alley for that,” Severus pointed out.

“Yes but like you said, this is the first thing. Then we can go see the animals without me having to think about whether or not strawberry and peanut butter taste good together,” Harry explained.

“I’m not sure I follow your logic, but carry on before it melts even more,” he advised.

The hot summer sun was wreaking havoc upon the ice cream stand’s customers. Nearly all children, drooping ice cream cones and spilled globs were everywhere. More than one kid had burst out in tears after their treat had gone by the wayside. Harry finished his cone and wiped off the table and his face with a napkin. Separate napkins, Snape had made sure. From the corner of his eye, Harry saw Severus slip out his wand and aim a quick Scourgify at the table. Its filth was mildly diminished.

They wandered through the zoo, stopping before lions, tigers, seals and giraffes. Harry thought that he could watch a llama chew all day.

“Wouldn’t you prefer a wizarding zoo?” Severus asked.

Harry’s eyes widened. “They have those?” 

Severus frowned. “I am not sure, to be honest. I imagine they do.” His lips curved slightly. “I never exactly looked into it.”

As they were talking, they had reached the reptile house: Harry’s favorite. They entered the crowd who strolled into the tunnel that housed snakes, lizards and their relatives. Immediately, Harry headed over to the Boa Constrictor. 

“Hello,” he hissed quietly. The snake’s eyes snapped open. “Are you new here?”

Yesss, it replied, I would rather be in Brazil. It wass much more... fun.

“Ssorry,” Harry replied, “I already set one loossse. They would get suspiciousss if I did it again.”

The snake gave a jerk of its head and closed his eyes. Harry turned around and found Severus watching the exchange intently. 

“You best not tell people you can talk to snakes,” he advised. “It is not a common skill.”

“Okay,” Harry agreed easily, moving to the komodo dragon.

By the time that Harry had gazed at every animal in the zoo, it was nearing evening. Severus returned Harry to Spinner’s End and both collapsed on the couch thoroughly exhausted.

“Thanks, Severus. I had a great time,” Harry said, sipping a cool glass of pumpkin juice.

“I never realized that a tarantula could survive two years without food,” Severus said dryly.

Harry gave him a questioning look.

“I overheard one of the workers say that after it jumped on someone a few years back, no one had the courage to feed it,” Severus explained with a shrug.

Harry burst into laughter. Severus shot him a look. “Go to bed,” he snapped but seemed amused.

Harry bid his guardian goodnight and climbed the stairs to his room, reflecting that this trip to the zoo just might top his first.

---{}-{}-{}---

“Are you ready, Harry?” Severus asked.

“Almost,” he said, dashing up the stairs to grab his money bag. He returned with it balled in his fist. “I’ll need to stop at Gringott’s.”

“Whatever for?” Severus inquired.

Harry’s expression was hesitant, as if he was unsure whether or not he was being tested. “To get gold to buy stuff?”

“Harry, I am your guardian now. I will provide for you,” Severus admonished.

“But I have money. Let me help,” Harry insisted. He had difficulty asking for things and would prefer to use his own money.

Severus shook his head. “You may have need of it later. Do not waste it now.”

Harry opened his mouth to protest once more but a stern look from Severus cut him off.

“It’s alright, Harry,” he assured him. “That’s what parents do.”

Harry gazed at him suspiciously. His words had gotten right to the core of Harry’s misgivings and scattered them. Harry felt an ache in his chest as he nodded and allowed himself to be led over to the fireplace. They made quick work of the Floo and before long were standing in Diagon Alley. Harry and Severus waited outside Ollivander’s, the designated meeting spot for Ron, Hermione and Draco. Hermione and Draco were, of course, on time. The Weasleys, however, were a little late. Once greetings were exchanged, the Weasleys headed off to Gringott’s, leaving Ron behind with his friends.

“What should we do while we wait?” Hermione asked.

“Ice cream?” Harry suggested eagerly. 

All in agreement, they headed over to Fortescue’s where the children took a table and Hermione’s parents sat with Snape. Harry gave a small smile; that would be an awkward conversation.Their treats purchased, the four friends fell to chatting.

“Good to see you alive, Draco,” Ron said.

“Thanks,” he replied.

Ron scowled, “I thought Slytherins were known for their cunning? How come you didn’t make up something to tell your father?”

Draco hesitated. “I did, sort of. I told him that I was just doing this to get close to Harry but he didn’t believe me. He said that if that were the case, the other Slytherins would be behind me. He also said that changing houses was taking it way too far. His family is Slytherin.”

“Oh,” Ron replied. “Sorry about that, mate.”

“Yeah, well it’s better now,” he said in a falsely optimistic tone.

“Hey, Draco, you trying out for the Gryffindor Quidditch team this year?” Harry asked to change he subject.

“Of course!” he said happily. “Though I’ll have to try to get my mom to send me my broom...”

“Just don’t try out for Seeker,” Harry advised.

Draco grinned, “Afraid of a little competition, Potter?”

“Course not,” Harry said with a matching grin. 

---{}-{}-{}---

“So I hear that you are dentists,” Severus said into the awkward silence. The Grangers nodded. “What exactly does a dentist do?”

“Clean teeth,” Mrs. Granger said.

“And that is a well-paying job?” Severus asked, brow knitted.

“Very,” Mr. Granger affirmed.

Severus raised an eyebrow. “Perhaps you should employ your daughter during the summer. A simple spell would speed things up.”

They looked mildly alarmed at the idea of their twelve year old daughter shooting spells at their patients. Severus decided to drop the subject. Doing so, however, left the ball in their court. 

“So, um, Professor Snape,” Mr. Granger began uncomfortably. “You are Harry’s guardian?”

“Yes.”

“For how long?” he inquired.

“About four months,” Severus replied. 

“Oh,” he paused. “From what Hermione tells us, Harry is rather famous. Why did he pick you?”

Severus appreciated his bluntness. “I am still uncertain on that point myself. You may ask him, if you wish.”

“No, no,” he said quickly.

They sat in silence until the children had finished their treats and the Weasleys had returned.

---{}-{}-{}---

“Alright, where shall we start?” Mrs. Weasley asked. “Books, I suppose? You all need them.”

Harry didn’t mention that he had gotten his as soon as the lists came in order to read them early. With the exception of Percy, the Weasleys didn’t do unnecessary work, especially ahead of time. Harry suspected that Hermione had gotten hers as well, but Draco still had to go. They shuffled off as one large group and weaseled their way into Flourish and Blotts. 

“Why is it so crowded in here?” Harry all but yelled through the sea of people.

“Why, Gilderoy Lockhart is signing copies of his new book!” Mrs. Weasley cried with delight. The twins rolled their eyes. 

Mrs. Weasley grabbed Harry’s hand, “Come on, we’ll get you to the front so that you can see him.”

Ron elbowed Harry, “That’s just an excuse to get her to the front.”

Harry glanced helplessly at Severus who moved to follow them through the path Mrs. Weasley parted in the crowd. Harry was half pulled, half dragged to the very front of the small stage. A smiling man with golden hair and flamboyant robes stood on the stage cradling a book with a similar picture of himself. 

“Magical Me,” he announced, “the autobiography of myself, Gilderoy Lockhart. For those of you that have read my other books, you know that there is quite a lot to tell.” Cameras snapped as he smiled. “For instance, I am a five time winner of Witch Weekly’s most charming smile award.”

Women sighed in the crowd. 

“Now, who’s first for the book signing?” Lockhart searched the front row. “Is that- it can’t be Harry Potter?”

Harry tried to shrink backwards into the crowd.

“Why, come on up!” he encouraged Harry. Harry glanced up at Severus who gave him a commiserating look. Mrs. Weasley pushed Harry forward eagerly. Reluctantly, Harry climbed up onto the stage. “Come here, let’s get a picture. Together, we can make the front page!”

A bright light flashed. Harry looked to Severus for rescue. He stepped forward, for once uncertain of what to do.

“Harry, we must be going,” Severus said loudly in a dark voice. Much of the conversation around him stopped as heads turned his way.

“Of course,” Harry said brightly. “Sorry, Mr. Lockhart.”

“Oh, it is no matter,” he said, looking slightly mystified. “But I insist on sending you with a full collection of my books.”

Harry smiled tightly. “Er, thanks.”

Harry didn’t mention that he had read them all and found them to be almost complete rubbish. Lockhart snapped his fingers and someone rushed over with a stack of books. He shoved them into Harry’s hands as another camera snapped. Harry hurried off the stage before more attention was directed his way. 

“Here you go, I already have my books,” he told Mrs. Weasley, giving her his stack. That was one less set she would have to buy.

Harry hurried off with Severus trying to ignore the looks that shot his way. When at last they broke free from the crowd, Harry looked around for his friends. Leaving Draco with Mrs. Weasley, they slipped outside and waited in the open air. 

“Oh my,” Harry groaned.

“You best get used to it,” Severus advised. “He is the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor,” he said with disgust.

“What?” Harry asked in disbelief. “Not you?”

“Unfortunately not,” he said in a monotone. The other Weasleys looked slightly relieved at the fact that Snape would not be the new Defense professor.

Harry opened his mouth to say something when a voice called from behind him. “Hey Potter! Come to rustle up some more attention?”

Harry whipped around to find Nott sneering behind him. For dramatic effect, Severus turned slowly, and watched Nott’s eyes widen and grow guarded.

“And you aren’t trying to get attention right now?” Harry shot back. Nott scowled and glanced at Snape. He turned quickly and disappeared into the shop next door. “You have a good effect on Slytherins,” Harry commented to Snape.

“Good?”

“Good for me,” he clarified.

Before long, Mrs. Weasley returned carrying a bag that had been charmed weightless and filled to the brim with books. 

“Arthur, dear, why don’t you take Ginny to get her robes, wand, cauldron and.. whatever else. We’re off to the Apothecary for some potion supplies,” Mrs. Weasley announced. 

The walk was not long and soon enough, they were crammed into the tiny store looking at potion ingredients. Severus peered into a few bottles but did not pick anything up.

“Do I need any potion supplies?” Harry asked. 

Severus gave him a look. “Of course not. I have more than enough of what you’ll need. I, however, do need to pick up a few things. Stay with Mrs. Weasley please.”

“Where are you going?”

“Knockturn Alley,” he said with a small smirk. “And no, you may not come.”

“Bring us back something interesting,” the twins piped up. 

“Certainly,” he said sarcastically and swept out.

There was not much left to do after the Apothecary except pick up a few writing supplies for Hermione. When at last they all met up and exchanged goodbyes, Harry was happy to be heading home. It was quite enough excitement for one day, he thought. Severus picked up his bags and rummaged through one of them. Tossing a small package to one of the twins, he said, “As per your request, here is something interesting.”

“What is it?” Fred asked warily.

“Termite Treacle,” Severus replied with a smirk. They grinned and pocketed it in front of Mrs. Weasley’s disapproving glare. 

“Let’s go,” she said, hurrying them away before Severus got any other ideas.

Harry smiled and waved goodbye to his friends, promising that it wouldn’t be long before they would once again be together at Hogwarts.

---{}-{}-{}---

The Floo flared and deposited Harry on the cold hearthstone within the dungeons of Hogwarts. He pulled his trunk to the side and waited for Severus to arrive. Before long, they were warming before the elf-lit hearth fire in Snape’s quarters.

“You truly do not mind staying here a few days and not arriving with your friends?” Severus asked.

“No, it’s fine,” Harry replied earnestly. “I’ll have the castle all to myself.”

Severus raised a brow, “Do not make me hire a babysitter.”

Harry put on an offended face. “You wouldn’t.”

Snape looked challenging. Harry acquiesced and dropped his gaze.

“Shall I show you your room?” he offered.

“I have a room here?” Harry asked in surprise. “When would I need it? Well, other than now...”

“For times like these,” he agreed, “and perhaps Christmas break or some such holiday. That is, if we choose not to go back to Spinner’s End.”
“Why do you call it that?” Harry asked simply out of curiosity.

“Spinner’s End?” Severus confirmed.

“Yeah, why don’t you call it home?”
Severus paused for a moment. “I simply never considered it home. It was just a place to go for times when I had no other.”

“That should change,” Harry said affirmatively. Severus looked skeptical as he rose to lead Harry down the hall. “Besides, how’d you get a room added on here? There wasn’t one when I came last year.”

“The castle knows how many people may need a space and it accommodates,” Severus explained simply. “Did you not notice the extra bed for Mr. Malfoy during your last night here?”

Harry’s face twisted in thought. “Guess I didn’t.”

“Apparently.”

Next to Severus’s bedroom, there was another door that had been lacking the last time Harry had seen this corridor. He pushed it open and found it bedecked in Gryffindor colors. Severus seemed mildly repulsed.

“I see that it takes your... decorating preferences into account as well,” he said dryly. “How thoughtful.”

Harry grinned. “I like it. But I’ll still stay in the dorms, right?”

“You will technically have your choice, I assume. I do not believe that this matter has ever come up before.”

Harry thought about it. “I’m going to stay in the dorms, if that’s okay.”

Severus inclined his head. “Perfectly fine.”

“But I do like having the option,” Harry mused.

Severus stepped towards the door. “There is a meeting I must get to. You may wander but do try to avoid trouble.”

“Trouble finds me,” Harry grumbled lightly.

“It does seem to,” Severus agreed. “The new password is ‘draconis trauben’. Dinner will be in the Great Hall at six.”

“Alright!” Harry said easily, grinning at the thought of what he could do with a few hours and his invisibility cloak.

Severus scowled.

---{}-{}-{}---

Harry flicked his wand at Mrs. Norris. She whipped around at the tickle on her tail and meowed angrily. Harry tried to suppress a laugh.

“What is it, Mrs. Norris?” Argus Filch asked, peering around suspiciously. Under his cloak, Harry made sure to take slow, steady breaths.

After another moment, the groundskeeper turned and shooed his cat down the hallway. He glanced back once over his shoulder, then was gone. Harry pulled off his cloak and trotted happily outside. He soaked in the warm summer’s day as he trotted down the hill towards Hagrid’s. This time, as he neared the Forbidden Forest, Harry did not feel the same dread and trepidation that he had associated with it the year before. Between Quirrell and the fight with Snape, this part of the landscape held some bad memories for Harry which he promptly pushed away in favor of viewing it in a bright summer’s light. He turned from this contemplation and headed for the small wooden hut that sat amidst the field of green.

“Hey Hagrid!” Harry called when he was a little ways away. 

A large form grew even larger as Hagrid unbent himself from spreading manure on his pumpkin patch. He wiped his hands on his vast stomach. “Harry! How are ya?”

“Pretty good,” Harry informed him. “ What’ve you got there?”

Hagrid lifted a large colorful bag of manure for Harry to see. It depicted a dragon standing above a pile of dung. “Dragon manure,” he said proudly.

“Er, that’s great.”

“Com’ on inside, I’ll make some tea,” Hagrid offered, striding to the door. Harry rushed to catch up with him.

“Uh, why don’t you wash up. I’ll make the tea,” Harry offered. He didn’t particularly fancy the taste of dragon dung in his afternoon beverage.

“Thank ya, Harry. Yer a good boy.”

Harry got the distinct impression that he knew how Hagrid’s pets were addressed. Nevertheless, he heaved the huge kettle over to the table and used a quick warming charm, glad that he was now officially allowed to use magic since he was at school.

“So how’s life treatin’ ya, Harry?” Hagrid asked, sitting with a thump. “ ‘fesser Snape bein’ nice to you?”

Harry grinned. “More or less. Any new pets, Hagrid?” 

“New?” Hagrid asked with a throaty chuckle. “Not exactly.”

Harry deemed it best not to ask. He sipped his tea.

“Rock cake?” Hagrid offered.
“Er, no thanks,” Harry refused. He was rather fond of his teeth. He lifted his cup for another drink and gave a sharp yell. A spider the size of his thumb had been crawling surreptitiously up his arm. He shook it off quickly and it righted itself on the table. Harry raised his saucer to smash it. 

“Harry!” Hagrid said, horrified. “Don’ smash tha poor thing.” He gathered it gently in his hand and set it on the window sill. “‘ere ya go.”

“Hagrid it was just a spider,” Harry said defensively. 

“It’s still got a life, don’ it?” Hagrid replied. 

Harry fell silent, not wishing to offend Hagrid any more. “Hey thanks for helping Severus with that photo album last year,” he said to change the subject. “I love it.”

Hagrid’s face broke into a good natured smile. “Of course, Harry! Glad ya liked it. Knew ya would.”

Idle chatter filled the next few minutes until Harry decided that he best head up to the castle for dinner.

“See you, Hagrid,” Harry called.

“Don’ go gettin’ into trouble,” Hagrid replied with an attempt at sternness that failed miserably.

“I’ll try,” Harry promised. 

---{}-{}-{}---

“Well, Harry, how was your summer?” Professor McGonagall asked from beside Severus at the dinner table.

“Pretty good, ma’m. How was yours?” 

She smiled lightly making Severus note that she was much more relaxed when the hall was not filled with students. “Rather nice, thank you for asking.” In a lower voice, she said to Severus, “So polite. How long until you break him of that?”

Severus turned slightly and raised a brow. “Are you implying that I am rude?”

McGonagall’s mouth twitched. “Certainly not rude, but perhaps brusque?”

Severus’s flat stare suggested that he considered them one in the same. “I eagerly await the return of my Slytherins. They do so love wreaking havoc upon your house.”

“Hey!” Harry spoke up indignantly. “It goes both ways.”

Severus turned to his adopted son. “Is that something to be proud of?”

Harry seemed to reconsider. To cover his lapse, he spooned a large portion of potatoes into his mouth. Severus returned to his meal.

“I’ll bet Harry will be glad to get away,” McGonagall commented slyly.

“Are you implying that my parenting is unsatisfactory?”

She opened her mouth to respond when Dumbledore spoke up from McGonagall’s left side. “There are an awful amount of implications flying around that end of the table, I notice.”

Severus favored him with a dark look. “Indeed there are,” he agreed. “And I considered coming back earlier?” he added, half to himself.

“Harry looks to be interested, at least,” Dumbledore commented. 

Harry flushed and turned back to his food. Severus studied him intently for a moment. 

“Well that makes one of us,” McGonagall quipped. “At least the students liven things up.”

“Do you want me to encourage them to be extra lively this year?” Harry asked rhetorically in a whisper that only reached Snape’s ears. His lip twitched ever so slightly.

“If you are encouraging Gryffindors, then by all means go ahead.”

“What are we encouraging them to do?” McGonagall asked, thinking she missed something.

“Become ever more studious,” Severus replied in an inscrutable tone. Her eyes narrowed as she stabbed a carrot.

Harry grinned at seeing his Head of House out of context and annoyed all the same. He returned to his elf-made food with a vigor despite his quick filling stomach.

---{}-{}-{}---

“The students arrive today,” Severus announced two days later. He had decided against forcing Harry to the Great Hall for breakfast in favor of requesting a plate of pastries form the house elves. “I do hope you shall endeavor to be a good role model to the new First Years?”

“Of course,” Harry replied. “When have I ever done anything foolish or rash that they might imitate?”

Severus rolled his eyes.

Harry took a pastry from the plate. “I’m sort of glad, really. Now that I know every corner of the castle like the back of my hand, it’ll be fun having my friends to share the knowledge with.” 

Severus guessed that this was intended to push his limits. “I shall simply advise you against deliberately seeking out trouble as is your prerogative.”

Harry grinned. “Naturally. Who doesn’t like a good spot of trouble?”

Severus simply glared. The boy was exceptionally cheeky today.

“Do you have anything to brew today?” Harry asked.

“Bored of wandering with your invisibility cloak already?” Severus asked.

Harry shrugged. “Maybe a little. Wait, how’d you know?”

“I caught Filch grumbling about ‘those blasted invisible pixies’ tormenting Mrs. Norris. I simply assumed that it was not a pixie, exactly.”

Harry couldn’t hold back his grin which simply confirmed his guilt.

Severus shook his head lightly admonishing. “As it happens, I need to mix up a batch of burn cream for the hospital wing. It would be rather helpful to have an extra person to hold the tins as I ladle the hot cream...”

“Sure,” Harry said eagerly.

Severus looked at him. “What makes you think that I was speaking of you? I thought perhaps, say, Hagrid, would make an excellent assistant.”

Harry gave him such a complex look of confusion, shock and amusement that Severus actually cracked a smile, albeit a very small one. This prompted a reciprocating grin from Harry as he jumped up to follow Severus to his lab. Harry was very patient during the process, adding to Severus’s reasoning that, should he apply himself this year, he could be an excellent potions student. Harry stirred the potion as Severus briskly chopped up the dandelion petals that would be the next addition to the bubbling substance. He set the knife down with a clang that seemed to jerk Harry from a thought.

“Anything of interest?” Severus asked, placing the petals in the cauldron individually.

“Huh?” Harry responded intelligently.

“In your thoughts. You were rather lost in them but a moment ago,” Severus clarified.

“I was thinking about my first potions class and wondering whether that speech about ‘bottle fame, brew glory, put a stopper in death’ and such was prepared,” Harry answered honestly.

“You remember that word for word?” Severus said mildly impressed. “I meant to make an impression but...”

Harry nodded. “I was taking notes.”

“So when I accused you of not paying attention... ah,” Severus said, clarity dawning. “I apologize.”

Harry shrugged. “It’s alright. Hang on, you remember that day too?”

Severus smirked. “Of course. It was my first contact with the illustrious Boy Who Lived.”

Harry scowled. “Well?”

“Well what?” 

“What did you think?” Harry asked, seeming to be genuinely curious.

“I thought that you were an arrogant, unremarkable boy who was above paying attention in my class,” Severus said bluntly. “I now realize that, for perhaps the first time in my life,” he inserted arrogantly, “I was completely wrong.”

Harry smiled softly. “And if I were to say that I thought you were a mean old dungeon bat who took his underlying anger out on Gryffindors, you would say?”

“That you are grounded,” he replied without hesitation. 

“Good thing I didn’t say that then,” Harry remarked. 

“Oh, you think that doesn’t count?” Severus asked with mocking surprise. Harry’s eyes narrowed for a moment. When he realized that Snape wasn’t being serious, he relaxed and turned his attention back to the potion.

“So was the speech prepared?” Harry asked.

“Perhaps,” Severus admitted. “Was it effective or should I revise it?”

“Very effective,” Harry told him. “Do that glare too when you look around, it worked like a charm.”

Severus studied Harry for a moment, then shook his head. “You continue to surprise me.”

“Thanks,” he replied dryly. “This is thickening, we should pour it now.”

“Yes, Potions Master,” Severus said snidely.

Harry rolled his eyes and readied the tins. He held his hand around the bottom of the nearest one. Severus dipped a metal ladle into the boiling hot potion.

“You ought to remove your hand and hold the jar with a charm,” Severus advised. “This will burn.”

Harry looked up at Severus, “I trust you.”

Severus raised an eyebrow, unsure if even he trusted himself.

“Besides,” Harry continued, “think of the irony if I were to get burned by burn cream.”

Severus shook his head and carefully poured the liquid into each container. They were sealed against contaminants with a quick spell and stacked to be transported to the hospital wing.

---{}-{}-{}---

“Thank you for coming, Severus. This will take but a moment,” Albus said pacing in front of his window. “I am sure you recall the locket you placed in my possession at the end of term?”

Severus nodded.

“Have you any idea of its nature?” Dumbledore asked.

“I do not,” he admitted. “Nothing that I have tried has revealed anything except that it is cursed which is more or less obvious.”

Albus nodded. “As I thought. I simply wished to know if you had any ideas. I have but theories and I would wish them to be untrue. In whatever case, it is of no immediate effect to anyone so I will take my time in doing the proper research.”

“May I ask what it is you think?” Severus asked.

Dumbledore smiled gently. “I will inform you when I am more certain. Thank you, Severus. You may go.”

Severus swept out with a disturbed furrow to his brow.

Harry wandered the empty corridors savoring his last hours of peace before the school filled with the clamor of students. He idly chose a pathway that he was now familiar with due to his excessive wandering over the past few days. His shoes clacked lightly on the cold stone floor. 

To kill... Harry jumped, and glanced around frantically. He could swear he just heard a voice. Want to hurt...

Harry whipped around frantically, finding himself staring at a large pair of eyes in the shadows. He screamed.

“Harry Potter must be quiet!” the creature said urgently, stepping into the light.

“Dobby?” Harry asked in surprise and relief, assuming it had been Dobby that he heard, warning him once more. 

“Harry Potter should not have come to Hogwarts! People want to hurt him!” the elf squeaked.

“Dobby, relax,” Harry said, stepping forward. Dobby stepped forward as well and grabbed onto Harry’s shirt in a begging position.

“For Harry Potter’s own good,” he said and pulled Harry away with a pop.

Harry and Dobby landed in Spinner’s End and Dobby let go of Harry to punish himself by way of the doorframe.

“Dobby!” Harry said angrily. “What’d you do that for? I can’t stay here, school starts today!”

“Harry Potter is safe,” Dobby said as if that resolved everything.

“Harry Potter has to go back to Hogwarts!” Harry snapped. “Midgy!”

No house elf appeared at his call. “Dobby sent Midgy away. Dobby said that master needed her.”

Harry was close to throttling the creature. “Dobby,” he said threateningly, “bring her, or me, back this instant.”

Dobby shook his oversized head. “Dobby is sorry, Harry Potter.”

He snapped his fingers and disappeared. Harry growled and stepped over to the Floo. Throwing down some Floo powder, he said “Hogwarts, Professor Snape’s chambers.”

The flame flashed green then reverted to orange. Harry tried again with the same result. He figured that Dobby must have disabled the Floo as well. He sat down with a huff, trying to figure out what he could do. His owl and broom were both at Hogwarts so he ruled that out. He did not know how to Apparate, nor did he know any messaging spells. He glanced at the clock and realized that even if he had transportation, the Hogwarts Express had already left. With no other options, Harry headed to the library in the hopes of finding a spell with which he could send a message to Severus. He stood before the tall shelves, cursing Dobby and wondering where to start. 

---{}-{}-{}---

“Master needed Midgy?” the wide-eyed house elf squeaked moments after appearing in Severus’s office.

Severus’s brow furrowed. “I did not call you. Why are you here?” 

“Dobby told Midgy that master needed her,” she explained. “Master need Midgy?”

“No,” he snapped, “Can you bring Dobby?”

She nodded and disappeared. Severus leaned back and thought over the implications of Midgy being drawn out of the house. He wondered where Harry was, for in less than two hours the students would be arriving. Before long, Midgy returned dragging Dobby.

He cowered as Severus stood. “Why are you interfering with my house elf?”

“Dobby not interfere, sir. Dobby try to help.”

“How is this helping?” he growled. “What were you doing in my house? I thought I put barriers up.”

“Not barriers for house elves, sir. Dobby try to protect Harry Potter,” he forced out, then ran for a fireplace poker to hit on his head. Severus strode over and jerked it away. “Harry Potter not safe at Hogwarts.”

“Take me there,” Severus ordered Midgy. “And you, Dobby, stop interfering or I shall tell your master.”

Dobby’s eyes grew wide and he nodded fervently.

Midgy grabbed Severus’s hand and Apparated them home as only a house elf could from Hogwarts. Severus glanced around the room, finding no one. 

“Harry?” he called. Footsteps sounded in the hall as Harry approached at a run.

“Severus!” he said happily. “I was looking up ways of sending a message. Dobby trapped me here. Hi, Midgy.”

Midgy squeaked with chagrin and disappeared. 

“I have spoken with Dobby,” Severus said, “I put him back in line.”

“Thanks,” Harry said. “Do you really think it is that unsafe for me at Hogwarts?”

“I think you best be on your guard,” Severus advised. “And I think we best get going if we are to be ready for the feast.”

“Okay,” Harry said, hoping that the Floo was working once more. “Will you teach me a messaging spell?”

“Of course,” Severus agreed, gesturing to the Floo. “You first.”

Harry threw down the powder and this time, the green flames stayed. In moments, they were back at Hogwarts.

“Well that was fun,” Harry said sarcastically, sitting in one of Snape’s office chairs.

“Harry, what did I tell you about going off with strange elves?” Severus admonished causing Harry to laugh.

“But really, what could be so dangerous here?” Harry asked.

Severus’s face darkened. “There are many dangerous things that even Hogwarts cannot guard against.”

Harry could feel the air adopt a strange chill. “That’s encouraging.”

Severus gazed at Harry with intensity. “Be on your guard,” he repeated.

Harry nodded solemnly. 

“Now go get ready. The train will be arriving soon.”

---{}-{}-{}---

Harry caught up with the second years as they entered the castle. He searched through the sea of children for his friends. 

“Harry!” a familiar voice called from his left.

“Ron!” Harry replied with a smile, pushing his way over to them. They exchanged greetings and happily took a seat in the Great Hall. 

“So what was it like having the castle all to yourself, Harry?” Draco asked excitedly. 

Harry grinned. “I’ve got tons of stuff to show you guys. But there was one drawback...” Harry launched into the story of the events that occured earlier that day.

Draco’s face darkened unexpectedly. He seemed deep in thought and ignored the questions that Hermione fired at Harry. 

“Besides,” she pointed out. “Dobby doesn’t live at Hogwarts, how would he know?”

Hermione turned to Draco as it was his elf, hoping that he would offer an explanation.

“I don’t know,” he said. “I’d feel awful if my family was responsible for hurting you, Harry.”

Harry shook it off, “It’s probably nothing. I’m not too worried.”

Thankfully, talk turned to the train ride until it was interrupted by the Sorting. Gryffindor gained a few new students including Ron’s sister, Ginny, for whom there was much applause. A cheery first year was sorted into Gryffindor and took a seat a few people down from Harry. This did not stop him from leaning forward to stare at Harry, however.

“You’re Harry Potter, aren’t you?” he asked eagerly, though it was obvious that he knew the answer. “I’m Collin Creevey, can we get a picture?”

Harry noted the camera that sat beside him on the bench.

“Er, maybe after dinner?” he suggested awkwardly, flitting between being flattered and annoyed. He snorted lightly, imaging Severus’s reaction to such a request.

“Sure, Harry! Whatever you want!” 

Harry noted that he was extremely eager to please. Harry shared an incredulous look with Ron. They laughed together.

Dumbledore strolled leisurely over to the podium. “Well, another year here at Hogwarts, I hope it shall be rather more peaceful than last year,” he said with an almost stern glance over at Harry an his friends. Harry was skeptical. “Let us welcome our new students and new Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor, Gilderoy Lockhart,” polite clapping filled the hall as Lockhart smiled charmingly. “I do not believe there is anything else of importance. Tuck in!”

People clapped again unnecessarily and food appeared on the tables. The hall was relatively quiet for a moment as the students became occupied with eating.

“How come Snape didn’t get the Defense position?” Draco asked Harry.

Seamus spoke up from a few seats down, “‘Cause Defense Against the Dark Arts is too close to Dark Arts,” he looked at Draco appraisingly. “You’d know about that.”

Dean nudged Seamus, “Be nice, you’re acting like a Slytherin yourself.”

“At least I was actually sorted into Gryffindor. Maybe he should’ve gone to Hufflepuff if he wanted acceptance,” he said derisively.

Draco looked down and Dean shot another look at Seamus. He turned away. Harry wanted to say something to comfort his friend, but he was unsure of what he could say. After all, when he changed houses, he wasn’t re-sorted by the hat... 

“Hey Draco,” Harry began, “I bet I can get you the Sorting Hat and we can see if you really ought to be in Gryffindor.”

Draco brightened slightly, “That would probably help.”

Harry nodded, “At the end, when people start leaving. I have my cloak with me.”

Draco nodded and conversation around them resumed. After everyone was uncomfortably full, the food was cleared and the students rose to leave. Harry gestured that Draco should follow him. When they were sufficiently lost in the crowd, he pulled out his cloak and threw it over both of them. Carefully, they maneuvered through the people to the front where the hat on the stool behind the teachers. Approaching it, Draco lifted the edge of the cloak and snatched the hat. None of the teachers noticed. He stuffed it on his head. 

“Unhappy with your house, were you?” Harry could hear it huff. “If I didn’t do a good enough job the first time, why are you back?”

“They were unhappy with me,” Draco muttered. “Can you re-sort me?”

It sounded as irritated as a hat could. “I suppose. Hmm...”

It was silent for a few seconds. “Gryffindor is what you want, is it? Well... yes I suppose, it seems unlikely now, but soon...yes. Gryffindor!”

Harry winced at its shout and glanced around to see if anyone had heard. The commotion in the hall was enough to cover it. 

“Thanks,” Draco said, satisfied, as he put the hat back onto the stool. They slipped back into the fray and Harry removed the cloak. No one noticed. Harry grinned at the success.

“Come on, let’s get back to our common room,” he said, leading the way.

---{}-{}-{}---

Late that night, Harry retired to the dorm after taking far too many pictures at the insistence of Collin Creevey. His friends had long since went to bed, tired from their journey and sleepy from the large amounts of food. Harry pushed open the door quietly, afraid of waking his roommates. He walked over to his bed where it was situated between Ron’s and Draco’s. Harry pulled off his shoes and went to set them beside his bed when he realized that light was coming from Draco’s bed. It shone gently from between the curtains. Harry bit his lip. He did not want to intrude on his friend’s privacy but he worried that his acceptance into Gryffindor was not going as smoothly as he had hoped. After a long moment of indecision, Harry decided that he would simply peek in to see if he was alright. Without rising off of his bed, Harry positioned himself so that he could see through the gap between the curtains. Draco was hunched over a small book, scribbling furiously. After a moment of writing, he would stop and stare at the book before continuing. His wand was held tightly in his left hand, giving off a soft blue light.

Harry watched for a moment, then decided that he seemed disturbed but not unnaturally so. In fact, he thought it was good that Draco was writing as an outlet for his troubles. Harry shrugged to himself and slipped into bed, drawing the curtains silently around him. After several minutes, the scratching of Draco’s quill stopped and the covers rustled as he settled in. Harry fell asleep, satisfied that all was well at Hogwarts and hoping dearly that it would stay that way.

---{}-{}-{}---

“Why, hello everyone!” the blonde professor in dress robes called as if he was surprised to see his class of second years. “I do hope you all have copies of the required reading this year?”

A couple people grumbled at his ridiculously cheery expression; most likely those who had read his books. 

Lockhart took their mutterings as a “yes”. “Well then, you will already know who I am, who would care to introduce me?”

A small girl in the front row raised her hand eagerly. Ron gave a snort from behind Harry.

“You’re Gilderoy Lockhart,” she stated, “Order of Merlin, third class-”

“Order of moron, third class,” Ron whispered mockingly to Harry who tried to hold back a laugh.

“-member of the Dark Force Defense League-”

“More like the Dork Face Development League.”

“And five time winner of Witch Weekly’s most charming smile award,” she finished.

“Or five time winner of the most Stunningly Stupid award,” Ron muttered.

This time, Harry could not hold it in. He burst out laughing, drawing attention to both himself ad Ron who had joined him. Lockhart favored them with an interested stare. Harry sure felt honored.

“Ah, Mr. Harry Potter,” he said grandly as if they were close friends. “So nice to see you again. Don’t laugh, dear boy, this will be you one day. That is, if you can handle the fame such as I have.” He smiled. Harry gagged.

“I’d rather die,” Harry said under his breath.

“What was that?” Lockhart asked.

“I said, ‘You’re an interesting guy’,” Harry said loudly. Lockhart gave a bow of his head and turned with a sweep of his unnecessarily long robes. While he still had his fellow students’ attention, he rolled his eyes dramatically. The girls looked annoyed but a few of the guys gave a snicker.

“Yes well, I hope that your career will flourish as mine did, and is continuing to do!” Lockhart said arrogantly.

“I thought that when someone started teaching, it meant that their career is over,” Harry said out of the side of his mouth. Ron snorted. 

“Now, let’s start with a quiz.”

Seamus raised his hand lazily into the air. “Excuse me, but how can we have a quiz if you haven’t taught us anything?”

“Ah, a very good question, Mr. Flannegan, was it?” Lockhart said with a dismissive wave that said it didn’t matter either way. “You see, this is a quiz on what I consider to be essential common knowledge about yours truly.”

A subdued groan rippled around the room. Parchment came flying from a stack on the front table and a sheet landed gently on each desk. Harry looked down at the first question. 

What is Gilderoy Lockhart’s preferred brand of shampoo? (be sure to include the scent infusion)

Harry glanced over at Hermione who was scribbling rapidly with her quill. He shot Draco a commiserating look and randomly filled in nonsensical answers. When at last he guessed periwinkle as his favorite color, Harry set down his quill and sent his paper flying back to the front of the room. When they were all collected, Lockhart leafed through them.
“My, my, you children will have to do better than this. My favorite tea time snack is Bleeding Bonbons? I think not,” he said, honestly disturbed. “Well, here’s someone who got it right: Ms. Granger. Yes, Saccharine Shortbreads is correct.”

Hermione blushed. 

“Well, that was fun, wasn’t it?” Lockhart looked around as if expecting an answer. The class stared back with dull eyes. “You are all lively today. Shall we move on to the lesson? Open Voyages With Vampires to the preface, please. Who can tell me the name of the person who requested my presence?”

With a deep sigh, Harry flopped open the cover of his book, preparing for a long, boring class.

---{}-{}-{}---

“He is almost completely incompetent,” Harry complained the next day. He had ventured down to the dungeons for a chat with his guardian. “If You-Know-Who comes again, how is knowing that Lockhart washes his hair with Silver Sisters Silky Soft Shampoo going to help me?” Harry demanded during his rant. “Mind you, it is infused with lavender and pine oils.”

Severus looked mildly amused. “What say you to continuing our mini defense lessons like last year? That way you will at least have some sort of instruction in the matter.”

Harry nodded in relief, “That’d be good.”

“And I would like to add that knowing that fool’s shampoo preferences may actually be useful. For example, pine oil is in the second class of oils and there is a particularly nice spell for igniting substances of that nature...” Severus said suggestively, albeit not seriously.

Harry grinned. “Best not try that; people will think that you just want his job.”

“I do want his job. Why Dumbledore won’t let me have it is beyond me,” he scowled.

“I heard that a dueling club is starting?” Harry asked curiously based off rumors.

“Indeed. I shall be moderating,” he said with a wicked sneer. “Care to join?”

“Absolutely!” Harry said eagerly. “Can you give me a few pointers?”

“No,” Severus stated simply. “That would give you an unfair advantage.”

Harry scoffed. “Like I don’t already have one.”

“Do not get cocky,” Severus warned. “You will remind me of your father. And do keep in mind that this is open to all students.”

Harry nodded. “When does it start?”

“Not for a while yet,” he responded. “Best start having tryouts for your second,” he sneered. “I am certain that Mr. Creevey will physically fight to win the position.”

Harry glared at him, not wanting to admit that he didn’t know what a second meant.

---{}-{}-{}---

The first week of school simply drug on. Compared to the freedom of summer, school seemed stifling. During the last period on Friday, Harry sat, fidgeting, in Transfiguration, itching to leave.

“Mr. Potter, are you quite alright?” Professor McGonagall snapped.

“Yes, ma’m,” Harry replied, resisting yet another glance at the clock.

She made a noncommittal noise and shifted her attention elsewhere. When at last they were dismissed, Harry was intensely relieved. He recalled how eager he was to return to Hogwarts, but he failed to realize that the classes became significantly more demanding. They were easily handled, for him at least, but required paying attention. Harry could do without that aspect. 

Harry strolled down the hall with his friends. “Let’s do something fun.”

“Like what?” Draco asked. 

“I don’t know.”

Ron snorted, “Great suggestion.”

“What do normal wizards do for fun?” Harry asked.

“And witches,” Hermione pointed out.

“Exploding Snap?” Ron suggested. “I can see if Fred or George has a pack.”

“Alright,” Harry agreed, secretly disappointed. There had to be something other than card games to liven the place up or Hogwarts was going to be very dull this year.

They pushed their way into the common room amidst the veritable throng of people around the message board. 

“What is it?” Hermione stretched to see. Harry was reminded of the flying lesson announcement around this time the year before.

Ron, the tallest, stretched to see over everyone. “Dueling club!”
Harry’s eyes lit up, “Severus said that it wouldn’t be for a while yet.”

They pushed closer. “Next week,” Draco commented. “Headed by Lockhart and Snape.”

Ron’s expression spoke of distaste. “This’ll be great,” he said sarcastically.

Harry grinned, imagining the two pitted against each other. “Oh, it will be,” came Harry’s serious reply.

---{}-{}-{}---

For the following night and much of the next day, the dueling club was the topic of conversation for much of the Hogwarts student body. Whispers rang through the halls about rumored duels between students and challenges yet to be made. By the end of the week, Harry was said to have been in three duels, incapacitating Pansy Parkinson (really down with the flu), drawing to Susan Bones and flat out winning against Theodore Nott. None of these had actually happened of course, but duelling was technically against school rules, unsupervised at least, so any attempt to deny it was seen as covering for rule breaking. 

After uttering the words, “I didn’t duel anyone” for what seemed  like the thousandth time, Harry let out a large sigh. A group of first years turned away disappointed.

“Say, Harry,” Ron spoke up. “If you were to duel someone, who would be your second?”

“My what?”

“In a duel,” Hermione began, slipping into lecture mode, “if the primary dueler dies or becomes otherwise incapacitated, their second will take their place. It is usually a trusted ally who will loyally face down the opponent.”

“Um.” Harry looked at the three friends surrounding him. Ron grew up with many older brothers; two of which were Fred and George: training in itself. Hermione could master many spells on almost her first try and had read more than everyone else combined. Draco, on the other hand, had been exposed to dark magic since a young age, meaning he was most likely very familiar with offensive spells. Harry honestly could not choose. “Ginny,” he blurted as hers was the first name that came to mind.

“Ginny?” Ron asked incredulously. “Not one of us?”

“I honestly couldn’t pick one of you,” Harry said truthfully. “And Ginny had the benefit of being essentially trained by Fred and George.”

“So have I,” Ron grumbled.

“It is rather logical, except for the fact that she is only a first year. I mean, she has had her wand for what, two weeks?” Hermione pointed out.

Ron felt compelled to add, “No, she found my grandfather’s old wand in our attic and has been practicing with that since she was eight. I think the twins took it upon themselves to teach her their favorite spells,” he said grudgingly.

“Anyway, this is purely hypothetical, right?” Draco broke in. “Harry isn’t actually duelling anyone, is he?”

They turned to Harry questioningly. “No, of course not! I mean, no one has challenged me anyway...”

“We all know Harry can’t bear to back down from a challenge,” Hermione said.

Draco and Ron nodded knowingly.

---{}-{}-{}---

“You what?” Severus drawled.

“Um, yeah,” Harry responded. “He asked in front of the whole breakfast table, how was I supposed to say no?” 

“Harry,” Severus said, exasperated. “The first duelling lesson is in two days. You couldn’t wait to accept a challenge until you at least know the basics?”

Harry looked sheepish. 

“When is it planned for?”

“Tomorrow at midnight in the Astronomy tower. Goyle is Nott’s second,” Harry said, thinking he wished it were the other way around.
“Who is yours?” Severus asked.

“Ginny Weasley.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Odd choice. You do not think one of your... older friends better equipped?”

“I didn’t want to show favoritism,” Harry admitted.

Severus shook his head. “You will risk your safety to avoid offending your friends? I am sure they clamor over your attention; the slightest bit of favoritism would throw them into turmoil...”

Harry rolled his eyes. 

“Did Ms. Weasley agree?”

“She stammered something,” Harry said with a furrowed brow. “I think it was a yes.”

Severus sighed. “Very well. I suppose I ought to teach you the basics. Come, I will show you the formal procedure. Do be aware, however, that Slytherins are known to cheat.”

“Oh, I’m well aware of that,” Harry muttered under his breath. Severus shot him a dark look and explained the counting and turning.

“Expelliarmus will be your best choice, seeing as if you harm him, you will be in far more trouble than you already will be,” Severus said. 

“I’m a little rusty, I think,” Harry said after sending a few spells across the room. 

“I agree. Where Expelliarmus will not work, a petrifying spell or the like will suffice,” Severus said. “Now let me teach you a basic block. Hopefully, Nott will not know which spells penetrate which blocks. Goyle certainly will not.”

Severus positioned his wand directly in front of him. “The incantation is protego.”

A bluish field of energy sprung up in a dome before Severus upon command, and Harry hesitantly fired a Stupefy at it. It was absorbed.

“Nice, can I try?” Harry asked.

---{}-{}-{}---

By the time Harry returned to the common room, he was tired but satisfied that he was well prepared. He slumped into the chair near the fire and scanned the room. He spotted Ginny on another couch across the room and went over to her.

“Hey Ginny,” he said casually. She nearly jumped off the couch.

“H-h-hi.” she stammered then blushed. 

“Professor Snape taught me a shield charm in preparation for the duel. Just in case, do you want me to teach you it?” Harry asked patiently.

By this time, she had mostly recovered herself. “Yeah, thanks. That was one spell the twins didn’t want me to know.”

Harry smiled and showed her the movement and the incantation. Stepping off into the corner of the emptying room, she managed to produce a weak shield after three or four tries. 

“I’ll keep practicing,” she promised.

“Good,” Harry said. “I wouldn’t want you to get hurt on my account.”

She blushed fiercely and seemed to lose the ability to talk. Harry awkwardly walked away, mystified by the strange actions of the opposite gender.

---{}-{}-{}---

Harry pulled the invisibility cloak off Ginny and himself and they had only a moment to wait before Nott and Goyle stepped into the Astronomy tower.

“Potter,” he sneered. “Hope you said goodbye to your daddy or should I tell him for you? After you are incapacitated, that is.”

Harry growled. “At least I know the tip of my wand from the handle, unlike your friend here.”

Nott ignored the jibe and turned to Ginny. “A first year? Nice one, Potter. I knew getting that scar gave you brain damage.”

“Can we just get this over with?” Harry snapped.

“Want to get back to your beauty sleep?” Nott said as he took up position. 

They began to count. Nott turned a moment early and fired a curse at Harry. Harry was prepared for this sort of trickery and raised a block to absorb the bolt of light. Without hesitation, he shot a leg-locking hex back at his opponent. Nott dodged and the spell hit off the wall, catching Goyle in the back. His legs snapped together and he fell to the ground with a short yell. With the slash of his wand, Nott shouted a spell.

“Alarte ascendare!”

Unprepared for an unknown spell, Harry raised the only block he knew. The result was both Harry and his block flying into the air, Harry no more than a jumble of limbs. He could feel the pressure change as he accelerated towards the floor and fumbled for his wand. He could not point it fast enough and braced for the crash. In a moment reminiscent of his first Quidditch game, Harry was caught by his ankle inches above the floor, then lowered less than gently. Once he got his bearings, he glanced over at Ginny who bore a surprised expression. Harry rubbed his elbow and looked around in the darkness. Nott had frozen, seemingly of his own accord rather than by work of a spell. 

A dark figure stepped out of the opaque shadows. 

“Five points from all of you for being out of bed,” Snape said in a tired and irritable voice as he waved the hex off of Goyle’s legs. “And five additional points for unsupervised duelling.”

Harry hesitated a moment, “But sir? Technically, you were here so doesn’t that make this a supervised duel?”

Severus fixed Harry with an icy glare. “Fine. But if any of you are still here after ten seconds it shall be thirty points from your house.”

They rushed to leave at this proclamation.

“Harry, stay.”

“But will you take thirty points?”

Severus sounded exasperated. “Of course not, you are staying on my command.”

They were alone but a moment later. “The counter for that is extedartis. You may go.”

“That’s all?” Harry asked. “You don’t have anything to say about the duel?”

Severus inclined his head. “What would you like me to say? It was very inexpert duelling on both sides. Tell me, if you had succeeded in hitting Mr. Nott with that leg-locking hex, how would that have stopped him from firing something else at you?” Severus shook his head. “I hope that you will give your moves more forethought at tomorrow’s meeting.”

“I will.”

Severus seemed distracted. “More like today’s meeting now.”

“Sorry,” Harry said, genuinely ashamed that his guardian had woken up in the middle of the night to watch him fail miserably.

Severus shook his head. “I am glad that you did not think to conceal the details from me. You could have been seriously injured in Ms. Weasley did not react quickly enough with the cushioning charm she had prepared.”

“How do you know she prepared one?” Harry asked.

Severus gave him a look.

“Oh,” Harry said.

“Go to bed.”

“G’night Severus.”

“Goodnight Harry.”

Harry strode to the door and turned. “Any chance I can get those points back if I go back to bed?”

Severus’s glare implied that the answer was a no.

---{}-{}-{}---

“So how did it go?” Draco asked eagerly as Harry rubbed his tired eyes. Draco and Ron had tossed back the curtains on Harry’s bed, waking him up, in hopes of details.

“It could’ve been better,” Harry admitted.

“Who won?” Ron asked.

“Er, no one exactly,” Harry hedged. At their confused expressions, Harry explained Snape’s intervention.

Ron made a disappointed noise, “I told you that he wouldn’t let you have any fun.”

“In your world, does falling on your head constitute fun?” Harry asked rhetorically, then turned mock thoughtful. “Though it would explain a lot...”

Ron punched him lightly on the arm. “Hey!”

“I feel horrible about losing those points though,” Harry said, turning serious. “It’s my fault for agreeing.”

“Nah, don’t worry about it, Harry,” Ron said. “Fred and George have lost more points than they can count and we still won the cup last year.”

“Yeah, just make it up in Quidditch!” Draco suggested. “Speaking of which, when are tryouts?”

Harry thought for a moment. “Today, I think?” he paused. “Oh Merlin, Quidditch tryouts are today!”

Draco looked nervous. Ron clapped him on the back. “Best get a good breakfast. I like to.”

Draco gave Ron a quizzical look. “Are you trying out too?” 

“No,” he stated simply. “I just like to eat a good breakfast.”

Following Ron’s inexpert advice, they dressed and headed down to the Great Hall. Murmurs spread through the hall upon their entrance and Harry could guess the reason. One glance at Nott flailing his arms before a group of chuckling Slytherins confirmed that everyone had heard of the duel. Harry tried to force down a blush as he took his customary seat at the table.

“Hey Ginny,” he greeted, leaning forward. “Thanks for your help last night.”

“I didn’t do anything,” she said with a fierce blush. 

“You would have.”

Harry left her looking mildly confused and turned to explain the recent events to Hermione. Afterwards, he merely sat sipping his pumpkin juice. 

“Harry, you really should eat something.”

“But everyone is staring at me,” he protested.

Hermione sighed and pushed over a plate of toast. “Its breakfast, nobody will care if you eat. You can’t go through life wearing an invisibility cloak.”

“Fine,” Harry acquiesced. “Hang on, my invisibility cloak... I didn’t bring it back last night! I left it in the tower.”

Harry stood up to go fetch it. 

“Harry, it can wait until after you eat,” Hermione said. “I don’t want you to pass out on your broom.”

Harry rolled his eyes and took a piece of toast with him. He climbed quickly up to the Astronomy tower. When he arrived, he shoved the remaining food into his mouth so as to free his hands for groping on the floor for the invisible cloak. After several minutes of searching everywhere he had been, Harry came to the conclusion that the cloak was not the there. Dearly hoping that Ginny had scooped it up, he returned to the Great Hall.

Keeping his voice low, he asked her, “Ginny, did you bring the cloak back last night?”

Eyes wide, she shook her head. An uncomfortable feeling clenched his stomach as he sat to contemplate his next move. Severus. Rising, he strode confidently up to the head table and politely requested a word. 

After erecting a silencing charm, Severus asked, “What is it?”

“Do you know where my Invisibility cloak is?” 

Severus raised an eyebrow. “You mean to tell me that you misplaced your prized possession, the only token of your father and an expensive, if not priceless garment of considerable use?”

Harry winced, for Snape hit a sensitive point. “Um, yes?”

“Then you shall not get it back until you have learned some responsibility.”

Harry relaxed, “So you have it then?”

“I did not say that,” Severus stated cryptically and dissolved the silencing charm. He returned to his seat at the table, leaving Harry to ponder where the cloak was.

---{}-{}-{}---

“Okay, uh, fly three laps around the pitch,” Wood ordered. Harry and Draco shot off, racing around the pitch. After the third lap, Harry skidded to a stop, Draco right behind him. Angelina rolled her eyes. Next, Wood made them dodge bludgers hit by a grinning Fred and George. If this was satisfactory, the students were allowed to try out for a specific position. 

Harry hoped that he got priority due to his inclusion the year before. Even if he didn’t, however, Harry realized that, as a Seeker, he had hardly any competition. One boy was cut off after chasing the snitch around for fifteen minutes and another had thick glasses yet still mistook a dropped glove on the pitch for the snitch. After hurtling down at it and realizing his mistake, he was so embarrassed that he simply left. Those trying out for Chaser were decent but, in Harry’s opinion did not match up to Katie, Angelina or Alicia. The Beaters were good but could not hope to be as in sync as the twins were. Oliver was obviously Keeper as he was the Captain. Assuming that Harry was given Seeker once more, Harry wondered if Draco would get a spot. He had tried out for all of the positions and was fairly good at each of them, though not outstanding in only one. 

At last, Wood wrapped up the tryouts only a few hours before dinner time.

“Good job guys,” he said. “We’ll post the team in the common room in a week or two.”

---{}-{}-{}---

By the time they made it down to the first Duelling club meeting, Harry was thoroughly exhausted. Famished, he had eaten too much at dinner and was sleepy as a result. When the four of them walked into the room, they found it already filled with people. Harry pushed his way towards the duelling stage and ended up standing beside a Hufflepuff boy. He leaned over to Harry.

“I think half of this room is just here to see Lockhart duel Snape,” he commented.

“Who do they want to win?” Harry asked.

The boy grinned mischievously. “It’s mixed. Either way, its bound to be interesting.”

Harry nodded earnestly. A few minutes later, Severus and Lockhart stepped onto opposite ends of the long, narrow stage. 

“Welcome all!” Lockhart said with a smile. “I am very glad that you have decided to join me for some duelling lessons, not that I can blame you for wanting to learn from the best.” He waited, as if this were a joke anticipating laughter. “Anyway, Professor Snape has graciously agreed to be my assistant, so do be kind to him.”

Severus’s glare could have frozen tea. A couple people giggled quietly. In truth, it was an amusing picture: a tall, dark, glaring wizard facing a smiling blonde idiot in periwinkle robes. Harry chuckled to himself.

Oblivious to the students’ true thoughts, Lockhart went on. “Well, Professor, shall we give them a demonstration?”

Severus nodded curtly and assumed his position at the center of the platform. Counting steps, they advanced away from each other, then turned simultaneously. 

“Rictumsempra!” Lockhart shouted.

Severus lazily waved a block and returned with, “Expelliarmus.”

Lockhart’s gilded wand flew to Snape’s hand.

“Well,” Lockhart said. “I allowed him to do that as a demonstration. May I have my wand back?” 

After handing his wand back, Severus resumed glaring. 

Lockhart clapped his hands together. “Why don’t we get some students up here?” he looked around. “Harry Potter, would you do us the honor?”

Harry rolled his eyes and reluctantly climbed up onto the stage. 

“May I suggest someone from my own house?” Severus asked silkily, not waiting for a reply. “Nott.”

Nott climbed up and stood proud and arrogant. They repeated the formalities much as they had the night before. In the crowd, Ginny craned to see. They turned and Harry raised his wand.

“Expelliar-” Harry was forced to cut off his spell in favor of blocking the Bombarda spell flying at him.

“No damaging spells!” Lockhart cried in vain.

Harry slashed through his block with a Petrificus Totalus, following Severus’s advice from the night before. This was dodged and a blue jet of light shot in an arc in the air from Nott’s wand. It materialized into a large black and green snake.

Harry froze as it slithered towards the crowd, hissing. At the edge of the platform, Seamus paled and froze. The snake’s tongue tasted his fear.

“Back off,” Harry ordered. The snake’s head snapped towards him. “Back off,” Harry repeated.

Severus shook off the shock and incinerated the snake. He shot a look at Harry. To anyone else, it would seem as if he were angry, but Harry saw the concern and worry underneath the facade. Harry’s brows furrowed. Seamus looked up at Harry with horrified eyes.

“You creep. You should be in Slytherin. Stay away from me,” he said before turning and storming out.

Harry glanced around frantically. The crowd was silent and they all looked scared. Harry didn’t understand why; he was only trying to help Seamus.

Lockhart laughed nervously. “Why don’t we call it a night? Same time next week?”

No one answered.

---{}-{}-{}---

“What’s a Parselmouth?” Harry asked Snape worriedly a mere hour after the disaster that was the first duelling club meeting. Severus had begun explaining how the others did not hear his voice as coherent language.
“One who can speak to snakes.”

“But I didn’t even know I was speaking a different language!” Harry protested, angry at the apparent injustice.

Severus raised an eyebrow. “Interesting. I was unaware that it was a subconscious lapse.”

Harry rolled his eyes. “That’s not the point. Now the whole school thinks I am a freak.”

“And what did they think before?” Severus said snarkily.

Harry glared. 

Severus leaned forward, hands clasped on his desk. “Harry, this is nothing new. I noticed it on our first trip to Diagon Alley. I did not think to mention it for I believed you were aware of this change in language.”

Harry shook his head. “Why did Seamus say that I should be in Slytherin?”

“Salazar Slytherin was one of the most prominent parselmouths. The Dark Lord is also one.”

“Great,” Harry said sarcastically. “Sign me up for the junior Death Eaters; I’m a dark wizard prodigy.”

Severus gave him a flat stare. “It means no such thing. It was inevitable that the other students would find fault with your character, seeing as you are invariably tied to the Dark Lord. Though it may not seem so, it is best that there were so many witnesses; fewer wild rumors will spring up.”

Harry allowed his head to flop back as he stared at the ceiling and groaned. “Why can’t I just be normal?”

Severus gave him a long look. “Do you truly wish to be?”

Harry raised his head. “Are you saying you could make me normal?”

“By no means. It was a simple question,” Severus explained.

“Oh,” Harry shrugged, a tad disappointed. “Well, no, I guess not.”

Severus stood. “It is getting late, you should get to bed.”
Harry quailed at the thought of sharing a room with Seamus tonight. “Can I stay in your chambers tonight?”

Severus looked down at him, head cocked. “I suppose. Though it may look weak or guilty on your part.”

“I don’t care anymore,” Harry muttered. 

They entered the spacious rooms and Harry was acutely glad that it was stocked with extra clothes for him. Going up to retrieve his belongings would be more embarrassing than simply returning for the night. A knot of tension formed in Harry’s stomach that, try as he might, he could not ease into comfort. Harry watched the flames dance in the fireplace as he thought of the condemnation he would face at the hands of his classmates. 

---{}-{}-{}---

Harry woke refreshed and steeled himself to face his comrades in the Great Hall for breakfast. He dressed carefully and walked out to meet Severus in the rooms.

“Severus, do you have my invisibility cloak?” Harry asked timidly.

He looked at him. “I do,” he admitted. “But you cannot hide under it. You have to face everyone else eventually.”

“I know, but just for a little bit? I won’t use it often,” Harry said. 

Severus considered him. “Alright, but do take care of it.”

“I will,” he promised, relieved that he would have some means of escape. Severus retrieved it and Harry took it gratefully. Then they left for breakfast.

 They traversed the halls until they came to an intersection where one way led to the common room and the other to the Great Hall. Harry bid Snape goodbye as he headed up to the common room to find his friends. He did not relish the idea of walking into the Great Hall and not having a sheltering cluster of friends to sit with. Harry turned down a corridor that was a shorter passage to the Gryffindor common room; he had stumbled upon it during the last few days of summer. The hall was dark and lit only be torches. Harry wished he could see sunlight shining through windows, but this hall had none. Even if it were graced with glass portals, they would show only the dreary sky as a storm loomed over Hogwarts. 

Harry shook off a chill. He paused as he thought that he heard something further down the hall. Carefully, he advanced to the corner.

Bite... Rip.... Let me tear...

Harry bit down a shout and lit his wand with a lumos to further break up the lingering shadows. Finding nothing, or no one, in the immediate vicinity, Harry turned to advance to the common room. He tried his best not to break into a sprint, but it was difficult. At last he reached the common room after walking at a brisk pace for the remainder of the distance.  He pushed open the portrait hole and was bombarded with noise.

“Harry!” Ron shouted.

“Where’ve you been, mate?” George asked.

“Harry, we were worried,” Hermione complained.

“I wasn’t,” Seamus said darkly from the corner. 

Harry ignored the others and walked over to him. “Seamus, I’m sorry. I told him not to attack you. I didn’t even realize I was speaking a different language until Snape told me.”

Seamus rolled his eyes. “I guess Professor Snape told you that you’d make a great Dark Wizard, right? Being able to talk to snakes and all.”

“Seamus, please,” Harry implored. “I am not a Dark wizard.”
Seamus looked skeptical and did not comment. He brushed past Harry and went downstairs. His friends converged upon him.

“It’s okay, we believe you, Harry,” Ron assured him.

“Though everyone was worried about you last night,” Hermione added. “Draco said that you weren’t in the dorms.”

“Oh, is that where you went last night?” Ron asked. “You were gone when I woke up in the middle of the night, were you looking for Harry?”

Draco looked mildly alarmed, but recovered himself well. “Yeah, I couldn’t sleep so I thought I’d take a look around. Where did you go?” Draco asked Harry, partly to deflect the attention from himself.

“I stayed down in Snape’s chambers,” Harry explained. “I have a room down there.”

“Oh,” Hermione said, looking relieved. For whatever reason, the look of thoughtfulness on her face made Harry remember the voices he heard on the way up to the common room. He pulled his friends out of the center of the room and asked Hermione to raise a silencing charm. She did so and Harry recapped what he had heard.

Hermione gave him a worried look. “You best not tell anyone about that, Harry. Hearing voices is never good, even in the magical world.”

“But if I don’t tell anybody, it might... you know, rip or tear,” Harry shivered.

“Maybe you should tell Snape,” Ron suggested.

Harry’s eyes grew wide at this advice coming from his most condemning friend. “I’m proud of you, Ron. I just might do that.”

They went down to breakfast and Harry did his best to ignore the stares and whispers coming his way. Draco gave him a sympathetic look.

“It gets better,” he said.

“How would you know?” Harry snapped, his mood having turned foul after some first years had practically run the other way when they recognized him.

Draco looked uncomfortable. “Well it did when I was in Slytherin anyway. And that’s just what I’ve been told.”

Harry scoffed. “Told by who? Who else could possibly have the problem of talking to snakes and being suspected a Dark wizard? Voldemort?”
Draco winced. “Just forget it, okay?” he snapped. “I was trying to help but apparently the Boy Who Lived can’t imagine that anyone might sympathize with him.”

Harry paused and blinked at his friend. “I’m sorry, Draco. I’m just not used to the suspicion, that’s all.”

“ S’okay,” Draco said with a weak smile, pushing his food around with his fork. “I’m sorry too.”

The rest of the meal passed in relative silence; neither party venturing into any difficult topics. Hermione and Ron were busy chatting with Neville and Lavender and Harry was glad to be left to  his thoughts for a while.

Eventually, they headed down to the Herbology greenhouse where mandrakes waited to be repotted. The clay vessels were lined up, one for each student, with a pair of earmuffs beside each. When given the go ahead, Harry gladly donned his earmuffs, thankful that they drowned out the whispering that still managed to surround him like a cloud of noxious odor. Harry put a little too much venom into the uprooting of his mandrake and sprayed dirt all over himself. He could see the odd plant-creature crying and the other students snickering at the spectacle. Harry sighed and plunged it into the new pot, quickly shoveling dirt on top. He closed his eyes to block out the looks from other students and decided that it was going to be a long day. 

---{}-{}-{}---

As it turned out, the whispers and covert looks were not limited to that day alone. Rather, they followed Harry for much of the next week, and slowly began to die down in the middle of the second. Nott, for one, kept reviving the parselmouth idea until it simply grew tedious. Whenever the conversation at the Slytherin table seemed lacking, he deemed it a safe bet to ridicule Harry and earn a few quick, albeit annoyed laughs and a fleeting sense of satisfaction. Harry began to withdraw from the company of his classmates and, eventually, of his friends as well. Much of his free time was spent wandering the castle, or sitting under his invisibility cloak, observing. 

“Are you alright, Harry?” Severus asked one night as Harry had lapsed into his silent mode.

“Yes,” he said simply. “People aren’t staring as much anymore.”

“But you seem so aloof,” Severus protested. He had not been able to give Harry any suggestions about the voices and thus had been feeling lacking.

Harry shrugged. “I just tend to want to be alone. It feels safer. I was always on my own at the Dursleys’.”

Severus stared at him with a new level of understanding. “Does this situation remind you of your time with them?”

Harry looked up. “I didn’t make the connection, but that is exactly it. Dudley used to spread rumors about me all the time.”
“You should try to mingle again,” Severus told him. “It will be good for you.”

Harry twisted his lips. “Maybe. Starting tomorrow.”

Severus sat back, seeming as if that was more than he had hoped for. 

“Bye Sev’rus.”

“Goodbye, Harry,” he responded.

Instead of returning to the common room, Harry wandered the halls. It was relatively late; Harry had skipped dinner but it should be letting out soon. He savored the emptiness of the halls, turning down a dimly lit corridor. Harry froze. Dark red liquid ran down the cracks in the stone walls as Harry’s brain processed what is spelled out.

THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS HAS BEEN OPENED. ENEMIES OF THE HEIR, BEWARE.

Harry stood motionless, blinking through his shock. Footsteps sounded behind him and Harry spun in alarm.

Draco peered at him curiously, appearing disoriented.

“Harry-” he began, then caught sight of the message behind him. “Oh Merlin.”

“Draco I didn’t-” Harry began.

Draco had gone pale. “I was...” Draco stopped. He raised his hand and pointed. Harry turned and found a petrified Mrs. Norris, still and silent. 

“Draco, I swear,” Harry began again. 

Draco shook his head. He opened his mouth to say something when a scream sounded from behind them both. Hermione stood gaping, behind her, footsteps echoed off the walls.

“Harry! Draco! Oh my! What happened?” She asked, but didn’t wait for an answer. “You didn’t come to dinner Harry, and I guessed Draco came to look for you, so I came to look for him and now-”

“Hermione,” Harry said tersely. “I didn’t do this, please back me up.”

The footsteps got closer. She gave him a searching look and a brief nod. Around the corner streamed Snape, Filch, Dumbledore, McGonagall and trailing students. 

“Did someone scre-” McGonagall started, then stopped abruptly to stare in shock at the wall, much like the others.

“Mrs. Norris!” Filch cried, running to his petrified cat. His feet splashed in the water that was inexplicably covering the floor. “She’s dead! Who killed her?” he growled venomously.

Dumbledore stepped forward to examine the animal. “She is not dead Argus. She is simply petrified. She can be cured, I am sure. Take her to Madam Pomfrey.”

Filch gingerly lifted his cat and stepped past the trio. “You’ll pay for this,” he spat.

Snape snapped his fingers. “Go to your common rooms,” he ordered to the observers. “Not you,” he said, indicating the trio. “You shall stay.”

Harry gulped.

---{}-{}-{}---

Draco stood in shock, still staring at the wall. The moment he had seen the writing, he knew that he was involved. Just moments before, he had found himself in the girls’ bathroom washing blood off of his hands, ankle deep in water. An annoying ghost was prattling in his ear as Draco had tried to figure out how he got there. And whose blood that was. Now Harry would get blamed, and as abhorrent as he found the idea of simply letting it happen, Draco’s Slytherin instincts fluttered in triumph at the easy way out. Draco did not consider the Potions Master. His dark gaze bored into the side of Draco’s skull as he stood nervously awaiting the inevitable questions.

“What is the meaning of this, Harry?” Dumbledore asked, his voice wavering from the usual gentle and grandfatherly tone.

“I don’t know, sir. I swear,” Harry said honestly. “I was coming back from Professor Snape’s office and I found this. Then Draco came, then Hermione, then you.”

Dumbledore turned calmly to Snape. “When did he leave your office?”

Severus lied smoothly, “About ten minutes ago.” 

“And you, Draco?” Dumbledore asked, as if this were a trial. “Why were you here instead of at dinner?”

Draco honestly did not know. Instead of saying this, however, he went with Hermione’s supposition, “I was looking for Harry. He didn’t come to dinner.”

Dumbledore nodded. “And you were looking for Draco, I assume?” 

Hermione nodded.

Dumbledore turned back to Harry. “You maintain your innocence.”

Harry nodded. “Yes, sir.”

“I believe you,” Dumbledore said. “Go to your common room now, we have matters to discuss.”

“Yes, sir,” they agreed and left the hall.

---{}-{}-{}---

“Albus, what does this mean?” Minerva asked. 

“It means that Hogwarts, or someone within it, has been compromised,” Albus said gravely. “We must find out who before history repeats itself.”

Lockhart bounded in, shattering the tense moment. “Did I miss anything?” He looked at the wall. “A little early for Halloween decorations, isn’t it?”

Severus was astounded at his idiocy. “No, you imbecile. This is a real message, written in blood. Chicken blood, it may be, but the petrified cat that accompanied it indicated that this is no Halloween prank.” His exasperation was evident.

“Thank Merlin it isn’t a student.”  Minerva asked, relieved, “How do you know it is chicken blood?”

Severus gave her a flat stare. “Do not ask.”

“Severus, can you revive Mrs. Norris?” Dumbledore asked. 

“I will need mandrake root,” Severus said. “Mature.”

“Check with Ponoma on when they will be ready,” Albus ordered. Severus nodded. “Lockhart, clean this up, if you would.”

Lockhart looked temporarily mystified, but managed the right spells. Seeing the message erased was indeed a relief. Severus could not help but wonder who put it there. He dearly hoped it was not Harry. He had left the office at least a half an hour before he was found but Severus had lied because he preferred to get the truth himself. Besides, he did not want to add to the suspicions. Severus set off to find the Herbology teacher and wondered if a cat would be the only thing he would have to cure.

---{}-{}-{}---

Harry reluctantly walked down to the Potions Master’s office when he was summoned later that night. He was glad to get out of the common room that was buzzing with gossip, though he did not relish a conversation with his guardian at the moment. Harry was in need of gentle words rather than the abrupt and to the point conversations that Severus was inclined to partake in. 

The door to the office was open and Harry entered without knocking. Severus was hunched over a thin book. He looked up and gestured for Harry to sit. With a flick of his wand the door swung closed. 

“Harry,” Severus began. “Are you alright?”

Harry’s brows knitted together. He had not been expecting that; he was ready for an accusation. “Yeah, I guess so.”

Severus nodded. “Will you tell me what happened?”

Harry nodded. “I left here and wandered around the halls because I didn’t want to go to dinner. I stumbled upon that, and you know the rest. Why did you lie about when I left?”

Severus leaned back. “Am I correct in assuming you do not want undue suspicion?”

Harry nodded. “But how do you know I didn’t do it?”

Severus’s brows furrowed. “Well I think it would be fairly obvious. Is there a chunk of time that you do not remember? Did you find blood on your hands with no indication of how it got there? Do you have an ineradicable hatred for Mrs. Norris?”
“No,” Harry replied in reference to all of the questions. 

“Then I truly do not believe you did this.”

Harry’s chest unclenched and breathing became easier at this assertion. “Then who did?”

Severus gazed at Harry. “That is what we must worry about. Assuming that house elf is right, whoever is behind this will be after you.”

Harry did not feel as concerned as he rightfully should have. Perhaps it was because of his guardian’s secure presence or the sanctuary that he considered Hogwarts. Either way, he felt that he could get through this. If others supported him.

“This really doesn’t look good for me, does it?”

“Unfortunately it does not,” Snape confirmed. Severus unfolded his hands and let them lay flat across the desk. “As abhorrent as this idea may seem at the moment, I suggest you never be alone.”

Harry opened his mouth to protest, but Severus cut him off.

“It is not that I think you incapable of defending yourself, but it would be good for you to have an alibi,” Severus explained.

“An alibi?” Harry parroted.

“Yes. If you have someone to vouch for you during the next attack, perhaps people will begin to take your side,” Severus told him.

“So you think there will be another attack?” Harry asked.

“Unfortunately, I think that it will not stop at just one more. Therefore, we must take necessary precautions.”

“What is the Chamber of Secrets?” Harry finally asked. 

Severus sighed. “It is a legend, or myth, if you will, of a secret chamber harboring some sort of monster. It is said that Salazar Slytherin created it and put the monster inside to purge the school of muggle-borns at his will.”

Harry’s eyes widened, thinking of Hermione. “Why haven’t they killed the monster?”
“For no other reason than they cannot find it. After the last attack many  years ago, the castle was thoroughly searched and nothing found.”

“This has happened before?” Harry said, both hope and horror dawning on him. “How did they stop it?”

“I do not know,” Severus answered honestly. “I assume they caught the culprit.”

Harry chewed his lip. That information didn’t help.

“If I find out from the other teachers, I will tell you, Harry.”

Harry nodded.

“On a lighter note, have you made the Quidditch team?” Severus said in an obvious attempt to change the subject.

“We won’t know for another couple of days,” Harry replied, glad to bury the previous discussion. “I hope they get training right away; now that Nott’s father bought all of the Slytherins new brooms, we will have to make sure we beat them.”
Severus smirked. “The Nimbus 2001 is the best I hear. I do hope that does not give Gryffindor the disadvantage...”

Harry scowled. “At least the Gryffindors got in because of their talent.”

Severus’s eyebrow twitched. “So you say. The match will be exciting to say the least.”

Harry agreed.

---{}-{}-{}---

“Is it alright if I owl Flourish and Blotts?” Harry asked Severus after a few minutes of meaningless conversation.

“Of course,” Severus agreed. “What is it you need?”
“I wanted to get a book for Hermione. Her birthday is only a few days away,” Harry replied.

“Cutting it a little close?” Severus asked with mock disappointment. He unexpectedly made a connection that prompted him to ask, “Harry, was your birthday not in July?”

“Yeah?” Harry responded, seeming confused at the random question.

Severus was mildly troubled. “Why did you not mention it? I would have allowed you to invite a few friends over.”
Harry shrugged indifferently. “It didn’t seem important,” Harry frowned. “It is kinda ironic because I always really looked forward to my birthdays. This year though, I was just happy with the way things were. I didn’t need to celebrate.”
Severus studied the twelve year old in front of him. “And you do not feel lacking in that you did not receive any gifts?”
Harry laughed. “Of course not! I never got any at the Dursleys’ which means, er, I never got any.”

Severus shook his head. “You have led a hard life, Harry. But you seem reluctant to let go. One day, I hope, you will.”

Harry looked caught off guard by those profound words. He sat silent for a moment, before coming back to himself and bidding Severus goodnight. The door shut quietly behind him.

Severus put his head in his hands. He remembered how Lily never forgot a birthday. She would show up with a gift, sometimes surprising the recipient if they themselves forgot it was their birthday. He lifted his head and gazed at a small crystalline bottle adorned with tiny blue gems. It was his first gift from Lily; a decorative perfume bottle of her grandmother’s. She had removed the spritzer and found an appropriate sized cork, thus turning it into a functioning potion bottle. Now, however, it did not hold a potion. Inside were several lily petals, charmed to remain fresh forever. It had been Severus’s way of asserting that Lily lived on and would continue to do so for as long as he did. As long as Harry did. And he had forgotten Lily’s only son’s birthday. After filling it out so many times on the adoption forms, how could he forget? He was a substandard guardian. Severus stood straight and decided that he ought to try and remedy that.

---{}-{}-{}---

Somehow, Harry found that the rumors did not get worse after the most recent incident, but rather stayed the same. This went a long way towards coping with the suspicion and Harry felt lighter during the next few days. He did as he was advised and kept at least one friend, or witness, on hand. At last it was Saturday and the Quidditch  postings were up in the common room. Harry and Ron hurried back from dinner for a look.

No one surrounded the message board as they approached, which seemed to detract from the amount of excitement and trepidation that seemed appropriate to Harry. He quickly scanned the names and found his own next to the position of Seeker. He shot Ron a grin. Next, he read over the others on his team more carefully, Katie, Alicia and Angelina were still Chasers and the Twins remained as Beaters. Wood, of course, held his position as captain and Keeper. The last name on the list caused a rush of excitement to run through Harry. Draco was named as the reserve, though it did not say for what position. 

Harry glanced around the room, looking for Draco to congratulate him. When he found him, he approached and gave him a friendly pat on the back.

“Congrats, Draco,” Harry said.

“Same to you, Harry!” he replied excitedly.

“What position are you reserve for?” Harry asked curiously.

Draco gave a sly grin. “All of them. Wood said that I was good at them all so I could fill in for anyone.”

“That’s great Draco!” Harry said earnestly. “Though you better not go all Slytherin on us and try to knock someone off.”

Draco scoffed. “Yeah, okay. First practice is tomorrow, right?”

“Yep.”

“Great, see you later, Harry.”

“Where are you going?” Harry asked.

Draco responded, “Hermione is going to help me with my Charms paper in the library.”

Harry shrugged. “Okay, see you.” He turned to Ron. “How about some chess?”

---{}-{}-{}---

Ron and Hermione agreed to accompany Harry and Draco down to the Quidditch pitch to watch their practice. In terms of the weather, it was a pleasant day; the sun was shining and a gentle breeze ruffled Draco’s robes as he walked. In terms of the people, it was not quite as pleasant. The four were walking along in a comfortable silence when a cruel voice carried towards them.

“Hey! Mudblood!”

Draco whipped around. The others turned as well, but were slower in doing so. It was obvious that they did not know what the name meant. Draco did. He stepped in front of Hermione protectively.

“Don’t call her that,” he said in a low voice.

Nott stepped up to meet him. “What’cha gonna do about it, Malfoy? I’m sure your father would love to hear how you were standing up for Potter’s mudbloo-”

Draco punched him in the mouth and blood sprayed onto the grass. 

“I’m sure he would,” Draco snapped.

Ron looked him up and down appraisingly.

“Nice arm, Draco,” he said.

“Thanks,” Draco muttered. “Let’s go.” 

They left Nott clutching the side of his mouth and glaring daggers at them. Crabbe and Goyle were standing dumbfounded as usual. 

“The chamber has been opened! You mudbloods will be next!” Nott called derisively.

The Gryffindors ignored him. After they were out of earshot, Hermione spoke up.

“What is a mudblood?” she asked.

Draco sighed. “It is a foul name for someone born to muggle parents. Some families who come from a line of wizards think they’re better than everyone else.” Draco hesitated and hung his head. “I used to.”

Hermione touched his arm lightly. “It’s okay, you don’t now. Thank you for standing up for me. That was very brave.”

Draco merely nodded and walked in a brooding silence until they reached the pitch.

---{}-{}-{}---

Harry lapped the pitch in the first Quidditch practice of the season. It felt so good to be on his precious broom once again, peeling his eyes for the snitch. They had split into mini teams and were having a scrimmage. Harry’s team was composed of Fred, Angelina and Alicia as Keeper. The other team had Wood, George and Katie with Draco as Seeker. Harry wanted to win. Badly. Harry saw Draco swoop low as if he had seen the snitch. Harry dove to follow. On his way to Draco’s position, Harry was caught off guard by a Bludger that whizzed past his ear. He had not even seen it coming and glanced over at Fred, wondering why he hadn’t stopped it. As he was watching, he saw Fred’s shocked face as he hit the Bludger directly at Harry. Harry used the sloth-grip roll maneuver to avoid it, then straightened. 

“Fred!” Harry shouted. “Watch it!”

“Sorry, Harry! My bat is moving on its own! I can’t stop it!” He cried frantically. “Watch out!” 

Another Bludger came from George and Harry was forced to dive to avoid getting hit. Thoughts of the snitch forgotten, the game became centered around avoiding the dangerous balls that repeatedly came hurtling his way. Harry pulled up before he hit the ground and the Bludger smashed into the grass, tearing up the soil. It bounced back into action and Harry sped away only to be forced to avoid another honing in from his right. Harry spiraled on his broom and avoided it, only to be hit in the ribs with the one that had rebounded off the ground. His grip on the broom loosened as Harry fell. The world went black.

---{}-{}-{}---

Bright lights and muttering greeted Harry as he cracked open tired eyes. 

“He’s awake!” Someone announced in a poorly concealed whisper. 

Harry tried to sit up and gasped at the pain in his side. He slumped back down. Glasses were placed into his hand and faces became clear.

“Heya, Harry,” Fred said from his left side. “Sorry about that, mate. There was nothing I could do.”

“Yeah, really sorry, Harry,” George seconded from beside his brother.

“It’s alright,” Harry said, though the stabbing pain in his side disagreed. Hermione, Ron and Draco sat on the other side of the bed, peering at him with concern.

“How long have I been here?” Harry asked.

“‘bout four hours,” Ron supplied. “The whole team was here but they left for dinner a little while ago.” 

Harry looked at his friends. “Well how come you aren’t at dinner? I’m fine.”

“No you’re not Harry,” Hermione admonished. “When you’re settled, then we will eat.”

Harry gave her a weak smile. “Thanks. So what’d I miss?”
The twins shared a glanced. “Snape throwing a fit,” George said.

“Really?” Harry asked, sorry that he missed it.

Draco nodded. “After you, er, blacked out, we didn’t know who to call, so we got Snape. He was furious because Quidditch practices are supposed to be supervised and this one wasn’t. And the bats were cursed, that made him pretty angry too, of course.”

“Why wasn’t it supervised?” Harry asked. In truth, he did not even notice the lapse.

“Lockhart was supposed to watch but he never showed up,” Fred said with disgust. “Thanks to him, Snape wants Gryffindor penalized.”

“You have to talk him out of that, Harry!” George said urgently.

“I will, don’t worry,” Harry promised. “What happened to the bats?”

Draco rolled his eyes. “Lockhart has them. Curse-breaking expert and all.”

“Right,” Harry said sarcastically. “You didn’t curse them, did you Draco?” Harry asked jokingly. “Trying to take my spot?”

Draco’s face turned serious. “I wouldn’t do that, Harry.”

“I know, Draco,” Harry said, a little uncomfortable. “I was just joking. But really guys, you can go. I’ll be fine.”

Ron shrugged. “Alright. I’m all for some dinner. Someone needs to tells Snape he is awake.”

No one volunteered. Harry guessed that the recent episode didn’t help Snape’s image. 

“I nominate Draco,” Fred said.

Draco rolled his eyes. “Okay, fine.”

“See you, Harry.”

“Bye, Harry!”

“Feel better!” 

The chorus of goodbyes echoed off the walls of the hospital wing as they exited. Harry closed his eyes, wondering when Snape would come. He hoped that he would have an explanation for this.

Severus never came.

---{}-{}-{}---

It was late, sometime in the middle of the night, when Harry awoke. The pain in his ribs had considerably lessened, so Harry assumed that was not what had awoken him. His heart pounded in the darkness as he listened intently, dearly hoping that he would not hear another vicious voice of unknown origin. Instead, he heard footsteps. Light flooded into the room as the door opened. Harry squinted, partially so that his eyes could adjust to the light but also so he would appear, from a distance, to be sleeping. He saw a small figure being hovered into the wing by a man he assumed to be Dumbledore. Another figure bearing the resemblance of McGonagall shut the door and the light was extinguished.

“What are we going to do, Albus?” she asked quietly. “When can Severus have the potion ready?”

Harry could hear the frown in Dumbledore’s voice. “I do not know. I sent him a message but he did not arrive at the scene where we found young Collin.  I am sure there was a good reason; Severus does not generally disappoint.”

Harry frowned in the darkness. 

“Come, Minerva. We do not want to disturb Harry,” Dumbledore said quietly. “We can talk outside.”

Harry clamped his eyes shut in case they glanced his way. He heard footsteps then the squeak of the door and all was quiet. 

---{}-{}-{}---

Harry had no more visitors that night and was released early morning with a warning to take it easy. His ribs felt significantly better but his emotions were churning. Rather than go up to the common room, Harry headed down to the potions master’s office. He tried the doorknob and it was unlocked. He headed in.

“Have you never learned to knock?” Severus snapped from across the room. 

Harry was rather surprised. He had thought, or perhaps hoped, that Severus would have been worried about him. Apparently not.

“Sorry,” Harry said simply and without sincerity. “Where were you last night?” he asked, not distinguishing between visiting him in the hospital wing and being at the scene of the attack.

Severus hesitated with narrowed eyes. “I was otherwise detained. I trust other people helped you?”

“Yes,” Harry said. “It was just that they said that they had been told to fetch you. I expected you to come.”

“I apologize,” Severus said, looking pained. “Is there anything else you need?”

“No,” Harry said, puzzled. “I’ll just go now, I guess.”

Severus nodded and sat down at his desk. Harry gave him a long look then departed. He considered various explanations for his behavior before deciding that something very disturbing must have happened the night before. He hoped that he would be back to normal soon.

Harry slowly walked up to the common room with many things weighing on his mind. He arrived and was welcomed by his friends and the Quidditch team. He suffered through the greetings and well-wishes but really just wanted to be alone. He had almost and hour until his first class and was planning on spending it in the dorm. As he turned to ascend the stairs, Hermione caught his arm.

“Here, Harry, this came for you,” she said, pressing in his hand a small package.

“Thanks,” he said before turning away and seeking the solitude of his own company. He could feel her gaze on his back until he followed the curving steps out of view. 

When at last he was alone, Harry rook a look at the brown parcel. There was a cream colored note attached to the bottom.

Harry,

I am very regretful that I did not remember your birthday, a fact which I will freely admit. Do accept this gift, however late, and my apologies.

Severus

Harry gave a faint smile and considered that this gesture made up for his strange behavior earlier that day. He opened the accompanying box and withdrew another note and a silver bracelet in the shape of a coiled snake.

When given the command of “hold” in parseltongue, the snake will become animate and wrap around the wrist of the person you attach it to serving the dual purpose of inhibiting his magic and binding him. I have instilled it with a disillusionment charm that can be activated so that you are not the subject of additional suspicion.

Harry smiled and slipped it on his wrist. It coiled tighter to fit his skinny arm. Harry gazed into its emerald eyes and thought about how Severus’s gifts were always useful. He was sure this would come in handy, much like the warning disc he was given the year before. Harry left the bracelet visible as he laid back onto the bed to think.

---{}-{}-{}---

McGonagall knocked on Severus’s office door and heard a gruff “Enter”. She did so and stood in front of the desk rather than sit. Severus was rooting through a cabinet pressed against the left wall. 

“Severus?” McGonagall asked. “What are you looking for?”

“It is none of your concern,” he snapped, straightening.
“Okay,” Minerva agreed. “Are you alright? You never came last night.”

“I was otherwise detained,” he said testily. “Why does everybody keep asking me that?”

“Because we are worried,” Minerva said. “You’re showing too much emotion,” she joked. “It’s making people nervous.”

Severus scowled at her. “Why are you here?”
“To check on you,” she replied.

“I do not need checking on,” Severus said.

“Obviously,” Minerva said with a huff. “Forgive me for trying to be nice to the aloof and independent Severus Snape.”

Severus sat. “Are you finished?”

“I suppose,” she shrugged. Still reluctant to go, she asked. “How is Harry doing?”

“He seems okay,” he replied. “I am not worried.”

“You aren’t worried that someone cursed the Beater’s bats to kill Harry?” She asked with mild disbelief.

“I am sure the boy who foiled the Dark Lord can handle a few errant bats,” he said dryly. “Now if you will excuse me, I have a class to teach and I seem to have misplaced my notes.”

“They aren’t where you always keep them?” she asked. 

Severus looked up. “Apparently not.”

“Okay,” she said. “Good luck.”

Minerva left and closed the door behind her, leaving a small crack. She tapped her heels on the floor a few times to give the illusion of disappearing footsteps then peered through the crack. Severus was pulling drawers open left and right, looking frantically for something. He disappeared through the back door and into his workshop. Minerva left.

---{}-{}-{}---

That evening, Harry ventured back down to Snape’s office to thank him for the gift that he had received that morning. He found him in the workshop area in the back of his office with a bubbling cauldron beside him. Severus himself was looking into a stone basin swirling with a wispy opalescent substance. He seemed quite involved in whatever it was he was doing.

Harry knocked on the doorframe and Severus looked up.

“Hi.”

“Harry,” Severus said with a nod.
“I just wanted to thank you for your gift. I’m sure it will come in handy,” Harry said.

Severus inclined his head with one eyebrow raised. “Of course.”

If it had been anyone else, Harry might have attempted Legilimency, but he knew that it was hopeless with Severus. Therefore, he resorted to a more direct approach.

“Severus, what’s wrong? Did something happen last night?” Harry asked.

Severus looked tired. “Yes, but nothing that concerns you. In a few days, everything will return to normal.” Severus glanced at the stone basin, then caught himself and returned his gaze to Harry. “Come, let us talk in my chambers.”

Severus gestured for Harry to lead the way and he did so. He muttered the password and found Snape staring intently at him. His brow furrowed and they stepped into the adjoining room. Harry sat on the couch.

“How are you faring?” Severus asked.

“Pretty good,” Harry answered honestly. “The Quidditch accident actually made people stop suspecting me. I guess they figured I wouldn’t stoop to self-inflicted harm.”

Severus nodded. “I suppose they have heard about the attack? Does anyone know who is responsible?”

Harry considered briefly the rumors he heard. “The Slytherins suspect me and the Gryffindors suspect Nott. I was hoping you would know.”

Severus shook his head. 

“Oh,” Harry said as an uncomfortable silence fell. “Um, I better go, essay to write and all.”

Severus nodded and Harry exited, unsure of what to do now.

---{}-{}-{}---

“It was odd, that’s all,” Harry told Hermione in reference to his and Severus’s conversation earlier. “Something happened but he won’t tell me what.”

Hermione frowned, “I don’t mean to downplay this, Harry, but I think we should focus on the larger problem here. Maybe they’re both connected and if we can figure out one, we can figure out the other.”

Harry shrugged. “Maybe. What do you have in mind?”

She leaned forward and lowered her voice. “We all think it is Nott right? Walking around like he owns the place and making comments about mudbloods?”

“Yeah,” Harry agreed, scowling.

“Well we can’t say anything unless we prove it,” she said with heavy implications.

“Um, yeah?” Harry was lost. “How are we going to do that?”

She pulled over a book with a complex diagram and a potion recipe. “If two of you boys were to become Crabbe and Goyle, do you think you could get him to admit to it or at least give you his suspicions?”

Clarity dawned on Harry. “Of course. Draco is a Slytherin, that’ll be perfect. Cunning and all,” he explained. “Ron and I can flip a sickle.”

She nodded. “Alright. Here’s the catch: it will take a month.”

“Hermione! A month?” Harry exclaimed. “You know how many people can be attacked by then?”

“Do you think I don’t know, Harry?” she snapped. “I’m the mudblood.”

Harry hung his head. “Sorry,” he huffed. 

“It’s okay,” she said a tad stiffly. “You’re in for the plan though? Do you realize how many school rules this will break?”

“How many?” Harry asked.

Hermione rolled her eyes. “More than I care to count.”

Harry grinned. “Im in.”

“Great,” she said. “I’ll talk to Draco when he comes to work on his Charms paper.”

Harry nodded, then hesitated. “Hang on, wasn’t he supposed to do that a few days ago? He told me he was going to meet you on the day the Quidditch team was posted.”

Her brow furrowed. “He was supposed to, but he never showed up.”

Harry shrugged, but she seemed determined to find out why. “Ask him,” Harry advised. “I have to go, see you.”

“Bye Harry,” she said. “Oh, wait, one more thing. Can you get these ingredients from Snape?”
She handed Harry a list. “Sure.”

“Um, they may or may not be restricted,” she hedged. 

Harry gave her a look. “Thanks,” he said sarcastically.

“No problem!” She shot him a grin. 

---{}-{}-{}---

“Absolutely,” Draco agreed immediately after Hermione told him of their plan.

“Good,” she said. “We may need your Slytherin expertise.”

Draco nodded, “Where will we brew it?” 

Hermione answered, “I was thinking the girl’s bathroom on the first floor. It’s haunted so no one goes in there.”

“I know,” Draco said without thinking.

Hermione’s eyebrows shot up teasingly. As a distraction, Draco slid over his essay. “Will you proofread this?”

“Sure,” she agreed. “Why didn’t you come on Saturday like you were supposed to?”

Draco’s expression became guarded. “I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?” Hermione asked, confused. 

“That was a while ago, I forget,” he said. 

In truth, his first answer was more honest.

---{}-{}-{}---

The next day, Harry worked up the nerve to attempt to steal from his guardian, if it came to that. He found him in his office, as usual. Harry originally hoped that Severus would see the logic behind this plan and would simply let him have the ingredients. If this failed and he was forced to steal, there would be no doubt as to who was responsible. Harry would have to approach this cautiously.

“Hey Severus?” Harry asked.

“You really must learn to knock,” he admonished. “What do you need?”

“Just a few potions ingredients,” Harry answered vaguely.

Severus nodded. “You may get them from the classroom. I trust you can unlock the cabinet?”

“Yes,” Harry responded, surprised at the lack of questions.

Severus nodded. Harry took this as a dismissal and left. The cupboard in the classroom unlocked with an easy Alohomora and Harry got what he needed. He debated about stopping back in to say goodbye to Severus but decided against pushing his luck. He knew that if he saw the ingredients, Severus would know exactly what they were up to. Perhaps with the way things were, that would not be a good thing.

---{}-{}-{}---

For the next few weeks, it seemed as if everything had returned to normal. That is, with the exception of the petrified remaining uncured. Though Harry had been annoyed at the incessant chattering of the first year, he found Collin’s absence unnerving. Sometimes it would seem too quiet and Harry would remember the cause of that silence and waves of trepidation would wash over him once more. Both he and Snape were sure that the attacks were not over and Harry could find no way to prevent it. Their Polyjuice potion was coming along rather nicely and Hermione said that it would be done at the end of the week. The one thing that didn’t seem completely normal was Snape. He had, in almost all respects, recovered from whatever had happened the night of the attack with the only difference being how he treated his students. Harry was treated more or less the same as usual but he began to show favoritism for some Slytherins that he had previously disliked, to the best of Harry’s knowledge. Others, he took to criticizing. 

“Malfoy,” Severus said, advancing on Harry’s table. “Does that look like a quarter inch? Five points for your abominable slicing.”

Draco stared in shock and confusion. Ever since he and Harry had become friends, Snape had treated Draco rather nicely, for him. He certainly never took points away for something as simple as that. 

“Keep staring and it will be another five.”

Draco looked away.

“What’s up with him?” Ron muttered to Harry when Snape had walked away.

Harry scowled. “I don’t know. He is still nice to me anyway.”

“And them too,” Draco said darkly as Snape finished awarding ten points to Slytherin for Crabbe’s and Goyle’s “good” attempts at potion making. He had walked past Hermione’s perfect potion and not said a word. It irked Harry.

“Hey, how about ten points for Gryffindor?” Harry said loudly. “Hermione’s potion is perfect.”

Severus spun. “Ten points from Gryffindor. You may be legally bound to me but you shall not be treated differently in this class, Mr. Potter.”

Harry glared. “Legally bound? You make it sound so endearing.”

“Detention, my office, seven o’clock,” Snape glared at Harry, then unexpectedly at Draco before turning sharply and walking away.

Harry exhaled sharply. Hermione put a hand on her arm.

“Drop it, Harry. He is obviously in a mood today, he still loves you,” she said, albeit skeptically.

“He isn’t capable of love,” Harry said bluntly.

Hermione frowned. “Did you do something, Draco?” she asked to deflect attention from that awkward comment. “He seemed pretty mad at you.”

Draco shook his head, seeming equally as mystified. Hermione shrugged and returned to her potion.

---{}-{}-{}---

The rest of the day passed slowly for Harry because he was dreading detention. It had been a long time since he had one and he was still angry at Snape. He was going to get answers tonight. When the time came, he headed down to Snape’s office.

Harry knocked.

“Come in.”

He pushed open the door and stepped stiffly inside. “Professor.”

“Mr. Potter,” Severus replied without looking up. “Eels need gutted in the potions lab.”

Harry nodded but Severus did not see. “Sev.”

Severus’s head whipped up. Harry tried to resist laughing; he had known that would get a reaction.

“Do you want me to make it a week of detentions?” he said coldly.

“I want you to tell me what is going on and why you are acting so weird,” Harry replied smartly.

“Tough,” he said stubbornly.

Harry opened his mouth for a retort when he heard a low whispering voice that was all too familiar. It sent chills down his spine. “I hear it again,” he said shakily.

“Hear what?” Severus said with mild alarm. 

“The voices,” Harry replied.

“You had better not be pretending,” Severus snapped.

Harry glared at him. “Why in Merlin’s name would I pretend about this? Come on! It could attack somebody,” Harry said urgently. He ran from the room.

“Potter!” Severus called angrily.

Harry kept running. He pressed his hand to the wall and listened for the voice.

Let me tear...

Harry advanced along the wall, trotting through the corridors. Suddenly, the voice stopped and Harry did as well. He looked at his feet. A long line of spiders stretched from the storage room on one side of the hall to the wall next to him. They climbed quickly up the vertical stone and slipped out a gap in the window. Harry watched as Severus came running up behind him, winded.

“Did you hear anything?” Harry asked to certify he wasn’t going insane.

“Nothing,” Severus panted. “You should not have run off like that.”

“Sorry.”

“Go do your detention before I catch my breath,” he said with what seemed like an underlying threat. 

Harry could not tell if he was joking. After the Dursleys, Severus knew not to threaten him physically for the memories it dredged up. Rather than stay and determine the seriousness of his words, Harry made his way back to the potions room. He took a deep breath and began methodically dissembling the eels. Harry thought over everything that was on his mind: the voices, Severus, the Polyjuice potion, Quidditch... All of them, except Quidditch, boiled down to the attacks. Harry could not determine how, but he figured that Severus’s strange behavior was due in some way to the strange occurrences around Hogwarts. Harry knew that they must be stopped, but in order to do that, he had to know what he was dealing with. He decided that first thing in the morning, he would talk with Hermione and see if she would do some research. With that plan in mind, Harry finished his eels and cleaned up. He trudged up to the common room, only just realizing that he had not gotten any answers.

---{}-{}-{}---

“It’s ready,” Hermione whispered at breakfast one morning. “You should get the hairs and we will meet tonight at 7.”

“Okay,” Draco agreed. “Who is coming with me?”

“I am,” Ron spoke up while Harry scowled. He was still unhappy that he had lost the game of chance to Ron. Though a good and loyal friend, Harry was unsure of his tact.

Draco nodded. 

“Fred! George!” Hermione hailed in the Great Hall.

“At your service,” they said in unison, clicking their heels together and standing straight.

Hermione explained the situation quickly and in hushed tones. She did not give specifics as to why these measures were necessary. They did not take much convincing.

“We have something that can help but it is highly experimental,” Fred warned.

“No idea what the side effects are,” George added.

“Though if it is concerning Slytherins, why do we care?” Fred shot George a wicked grin.

“We’re in,” they said together. “For a price.”

Hermione scowled as they voiced their stipulation but agreed nevertheless. “Just drop the candies in front of Crabbe and Goyle and they’ll definitely go for it.”

They nodded and went off. Harry hoped that this all went as planned.

---{}-{}-{}---

After Defense Against the Dark Arts that morning, Harry and Ron waited for Crabbe and Goyle to pass.

“Why can’t Draco get his own hair?” Harry grumbled. 

“Because if they catch him it will be ten times worse than if they catch us,” Ron said.

“Oh, there they are,” Harry said and tried to look nonchalant. He aimed his wand. “Wingardium Leviosa.”

Ron had done the same and soon two single strands of hair were floating towards their respective outstretched hands. Crabbe and Goyle scratched their heads and looked as oblivious as usual.

Ron pinched the tiny strand between his fingers and dropped it into a glass vial. 

“Ugh,” he said. “Why couldn’t we have waited until they were knocked out?”

“Hermione thought that was cutting it too close,” Harry said, pocketing his vial. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”

---{}-{}-{}---

They met at the appointed time in the girls bathroom on the first floor. The four huddled around the cauldron as Moaning Myrtle hovered behind them. 

“After you do this, you’ll never come visit me again, will you?” she pouted. 

Harry and Draco shared a look. That was a “no”. 

“Promise you’ll come visit, Harry?”

“Er, I’ll try,” Harry said hesitantly. She giggled and Draco made a gagging motion.

Hermione ladled the potion into two cups and handed one each to Draco and Ron. They shook the hairs into the potion.

“Ew,” a voice said from the doorway.

“Nasty,” another agreed. 

Harry spun. He found himself facing two redheads.

“What are you guys doing here?” Harry said with narrowed eyes.

“Picking up our payment,” George said with a grin.

Hermione held out a bottle of Polyjuice. “Here, take it and go.”

“Can’t we stay and watch?” Fred asked pleadingly.

Hermione gave him a narrow glare. “The deal was for one bottle that is not to be used for physical harm, not for the accompanying show.”

“Fine,” he grumbled, pulling his brother out of the bathroom.

Hermione gave the two boys with cups impatient looks. “Well? Those candies won’t keep them knocked out forever. Have at it.”

Harry grinned. Though he regretted not being able to go himself, he did not envy them this part. In unison, they downed their glasses with their faces expressing the ultimate distaste. Ron doubled over, clutching his stomach. He rushed into a nearby stall. Draco remained upright through sheer force of will but soon followed Ron’s lead and found a stall of his own. 

When at last they emerged, they were spitting images of the Slytherins that Harry hated so much. Draco drew his wand and Harry almost drew his simply out of reflex. He resisted and watched as Draco tapped his then Ron’s throat, changing their voices.

“How do we sound?” Ron said, his voice echoing with a lower register than usual.

“Creepy,” Hermione said bluntly. “Now go, you’re wasting time. You’ve only got an hour.”

They hurried towards the door.

“Good luck,” Harry called, wishing he were going along. Instead, he was stuck listening to Myrtle whine and helping Hermione clean up. He scowled.

---{}-{}-{}---

Draco hurried down the corridors with Ron, often forgetting he was now Crabbe. When they past first years who shied before them, Draco realized how threatening he looked as a more or less “popular” Slytherin. This was what he had wanted when he came to Hogwarts. To be respected and feared. Now, it was the complete opposite. Disgusted with himself, he turned his mind to the task at hand and led Ron down to the Slytherin common room. The only problem was they did not have the password.

“What now?” Ron asked.

“I don’t know.”

“I thought you were the Slytherin in this group,” Ron hissed.

“There you are!” Nott cut their hushed conversation short. “Forget the password again?”

They nodded contritely as Nott stepped up from behind them. He muttered something and they were admitted. It was nothing new to Draco but Ron’s eyes were wide with fear and awe.

Nott plopped down on the couch. “Any news? Did they cure that irritating Gryffindor yet?”

Draco shook his head.

“Good,” Nott said, inspecting his nails.

“Who do you think will be next?” Draco asked. He hoped that they could get some advance warning if it was Nott behind the attacks. 

“Some mudblood I expect,” he said airily. “I hope its Granger.”

Ron’s face reddened but Draco stabbed him in the ribs to keep him quiet. This had to be done carefully.

“Me too,” Draco said. “We could bribe the person behind it, if we knew who that was.”

Nott gave him a long look and Draco tried not to fidget. “We could. Too bad we don’t know. But we’ve been through this. No one here could be the heir of Slytherin,” he looked around the room with a disgusted look on his face. “And it definitely isn’t Potter.”

“Why not?” Ron blurted.

Nott rolled his eyes. “How could an idiot Gryffindor like him be the heir of one of the greatest wizards in history? He isn’t worthy.”

Draco nodded in agreement. “I wish it were you.”

“As always, Crabbe, I appreciate the sentiment but what do you want?”

“What?” Draco asked with genuine confusion. 

“Usually you suck up when you want something. What is it?”

Draco’s vision blurred slightly and he felt a tug at his hairline. He saw a dash of red in his friend’s hair and realized their time was up. For dramatic reasons, he gripped his stomach. “Just some digestive potion, I think. Ate some bad candies.”

Ron moaned, “Me too. Come on, Crabbe.”

They staggered out of the room frantically hoping Nott did not notice the shift in appearance. That would leave the real Crabbe and Goyle some explaining to do. Outside the common room, they safely morphed into their normal selves in much too large robes. Draco hiked his up and hurried through the corridors, wanting to get out of sight and change. He rounded a corner quickly, Ron in tow, and stopped dead. 

“N-nick?” he asked. The ghost was hanging, silent and still, with his head hanging by a bit of sinew and muscle at an unnatural angle. There was no response. Ron whimpered and grabbed his arm. Draco looked to where he was pointing, at Seamus still on the ground. Draco pulled up his robes and ran to him. He was cold and stiff and he could not feel a pulse.
“What have you done?” came a quiet voice from the end of the corridor. 

Draco gulped. “We didn’t do it, Professor, I swear!”

Ron nodded fervently.

Snape’s eyes narrowed. “Ten points each. Stay here while I summon Dumbledore. You have some explaining to do.”

Draco nodded nervously.

“And why are your clothes so blasted big?”

They declined to answer.

---{}-{}-{}---

As the leaves fell and the air chilled, the rift between Severus and Harry grew wider and neither party showed any inclination to repair it. At first, it was merely an uncomfortable relationship but when Severus did not back Harry up after the second attack, Harry became legitimately angry at the man. Ron and Draco were lucky in that they had gotten off by telling Dumbledore the truth: they had simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time. Harry however had no verifiable excuse and no alibi. Rather than stay to help Hermione clean up the cauldron in the girls’ bathroom, he had begged off, citing an essay to write. Instead, he had headed towards the dungeons so as to meet Draco and Ron on their way back. Therefore, just moments after the attack was discovered, Harry was found in the immediate vicinity. Dumbledore did not seem to think that he was truly behind it and his excuse of going to visit Snape had turned many of the teachers’ sympathies towards him. Nevertheless, he got nothing but suspicious glares from Snape. 

Harry had not talked to him since that night about a month ago. It was very close to Christmas now and Harry felt lacking. He recalled the fight with Snape that had happened around this time the previous year and hoped that this was not a recurring pattern. Though they had mended fences the year before, Harry was not sure that he could do it again. Lost in his thoughts, Harry was unaware that he had fallen into a brooding silence.

“Harry, snap out of it, mate,” Ron said with a nudge. 

Harry came to awareness and realized they were in the middle of a Transfiguration class.

“You’ve been doing that more and more often, are you alright?” Hermione piped up from his left. 

“Yeah, I’m fine,” he said. His eyes wandered over Seamus’s empty chair and his chest tightened. The most recent attack had taken its toll on everyone, especially the Gryffindors. Everyone handled it differently, however: Hermione had delved even farther into her studies while Ron simply mitigated his jokes. Harry noticed that Draco had simply seemed on edge as of late, and Harry found it odd that he had stopped writing in his journal. Personally, Harry had simply withdrawn and become more distant, even with his closest friends. He dearly hoped that this would be resolved soon. 

---{}-{}-{}---

Later that night, Harry sat with his friends in the common room. They were chatting aimlessly about the upcoming holidays.

“So what are you doing for Christmas?” Hermione asked Ron.

“Going home I think. Anyone want to come?” 

No one volunteered. Ron shrugged. “How about you?”
Hermione replied, “I think we are going on a ski trip. Draco?”

Harry realized they were going around the circle and tried to make up a plausible story as to why he was staying at Hogwarts. In truth, it was because he was still angry at Severus and did not want to ask him if they could go to Spinner’s End for what would be his first real Christmas at home.

“Staying here,” Draco stated. “I don’t think my dad would be too happy to see me back at home.”

Hermione nodded in sympathy, then turned to Harry. “And you?”

“Uh, I think I’m staying here,” he said.

“Snape doesn’t want to leave, huh?” Ron asked.

“No,” Harry replied, thinking he had dodged a bullet, in muggle terms. He should have realized that his quick witted friend would see right through him.

“You haven’t even talked to him, have you?” Hermione asked, or rather, demanded.

“Um, no,” Harry said, for he could not lie to her face. 

She rolled her eyes. “Harry, you have to reconcile with him. I thought you would fight harder for your new family.”

“I thought he would too,” Harry muttered darkly. “We’ll see.”

---{}-{}-{}---

Harry considered following Hermione’s advice but simply could not bring himself to do it. After about his fourth try, Harry had made it all the way down to the first floor but simply could not take those extra steps to the dungeon. He sighed and paused outside the girls’ bathroom door. 

“You idiot, Crabbe!” a familiar growl echoed from around the corner. Harry panicked, he did not want to be caught by him in this state. He glanced around and seeing no other choice, he slipped into Myrtle’s bathroom. He pressed his ear to the door and listened for their footsteps. It seemed as if Crabbe had been responsible for a spillage of some kind. Harry would be stuck here a while, for with their inferior magic skills, whatever it was would take some time to remedy.

“Hi, Harry,” Myrtle said in her high pitched voice, causing Harry to jump.

“Uh, hi Myrtle.”

Her smile morphed into a frown. “Did you come to visit me or just to pick up that stupid book?”

“What book?” Harry asked with a furrowed brow.

“A man dropped a book in here and said not to let anyone take it but his son. Are you his son?”

“Yes,” Harry said without asking who it was. He didn’t want her to try and stop him from getting the book, whatever it was. “Where is it?”

“Over there,” she said, pointing.

Harry’s feet splashed in a puddle of water. “Why is there water everywhere?”

“I don’t know,” she said indignantly then started to sniffle. “But it reminds me of the night I...died!” She wailed and shot towards the ceiling.

“Did you drown?” Harry asked, mainly to get her to stop. 

“No,” she huffed. “Everybody knows why I died. There was water everywhere from... from my tears!” she started crying. Or well, as close as a ghost could get seeing as she couldn’t produce tears.

Harry had picked up the book at this point. He turned it over and found it to be unremarkable. Slowly, it dawned on him that this looked an awful lot like Draco’s little book. Perhaps that was why he had stopped writing; he no longer had the book in which to write. 

“Oh, sure. Find your stupid little book and ignore poor, moaning, moping Myrtle,” she whined.

“Sorry,” Harry said, suddenly wanting to get out of there. “Bye.” Harry called, flitting out the door. He could hear her wails as he opened the book to read.

The book was blank. It was only marred by the words T.M. Riddle. Harry frowned. He could have sworn that this was the book that he had seen Draco writing in. It was late and he looked down the corridor. It was silent. To eager to find a more secure place,  Harry kneeled on the floor and laid the book open beside him. He opened his pack and was rummaging for his wand when the sleeve of his robes caught on something. He pulled it out quickly and with it came a bottle of ink, the steel edge of which had snagged his robes. The ink well fell to the floor and silky black droplets sprayed everywhere. Harry sighed and searched harder for his wand. While his hands were preoccupied, Harry noticed that there were droplets all around the book but none on its clear, blank pages. He frowned and at last grasped the familiar wooden handle. Before cleaning up the mess, he dipped one finger in a pool of ink and dabbed it on the page. It was absorbed so that not a trace of the black liquid remained. 

Harry had just wiped off his finger when he heard footsteps from down the hall. In one fluid motion, he flipped the book closed and swept it into his bag. Just as he latched it closed, Draco rounded the corner. His expression upon finding Harry kneeling immediately outside the girls’ bathroom was one of alarm.

“Harry?” he asked.

“Hey Draco,” Harry said casually. “Just dropped an inkwell.”

With a wave of his wand, the mess had been cleaned up. “What are you doing down this way?” Harry asked. “It’s almost curfew.”

“Oh, you know, just taking a walk,” Draco hedged. 

Harry saw his cue and rose. “I don’t suppose you want company?”

Draco shook his head. “Not tonight.”

“Okay, see you later.”

Draco merely nodded and stood still until Harry was out of sight.

---{}-{}-{}---

Harry walked back up to the common room while reflecting on how odd that confrontation was. If Draco had been going to pick up the book, then did that mean his father was here? Why was he here? Harry had thought that they wanted nothing to do with each other. Somehow, Harry knew that it all stemmed from the book. He had to figure out what was going on with that strange little book. As soon as he was through the portrait hole, Harry hurried up to his dorm room where he drew the curtains even though he was alone. He ran a few revealing spells on the pages but to no avail. The book resting on his pillow, Harry retrieved a new ink well and a quill. He took a deep breath and wrote.

Hello?

The ink was absorbed and nothing happened. Perhaps this was some kind of frustrating joke book. Just as he was about to close it, words faded into view.

Hello. With whom do I have the pleasure of speaking, or in this case, writing?

Harry breathed in sharply. It seemed to be intelligent. Of all the things he had seen since he was enlightened by magic, he had never seen an inanimate object think. He decided to be careful.

That is not important. Who are you?

My name is equally as unimportant. I, myself, am not, it replied.

On a whim, Harry asked, What do you know about the Chamber of Secrets?

Everything and nothing. 

Well which is it? Harry scribbled impatiently. Can you tell me?

My knowledge depends on who is asking.

Fine. I am Harry Potter.

Ah. I cannot tell you, it wrote. There was a lengthy pause during which Harry felt disappointed. 

But I can show you.

Okay, Harry wrote as his surroundings disappeared.

---{}-{}-{}---

What Harry saw made no sense. He simply saw flashes, like photographs, of the past. He saw spiders scurrying towards the forest in one scene, then a younger Dumbledore in the next. In one confusing flash, a very large boy with a strikingly familiar voice was cooing to a giant spider. Then he saw a plaque with the name Tom Marvolo Riddle on it. He saw a group of students dressed in black huddled over a coffin covered with a Ravenclaw banner. Then, in a disorienting spin, Harry was back. He closed the book shakily.

Harry was sure that the boy with the spider was Hagrid, but what was going on with the spiders? He had seen them himself, crawling up the wall after hearing the voices. Harry assumed that Hagrid had been trying to keep his pet spider from running away with the rest. Was that it? What would cause a  spider to run? Harry shivered, he would hate to meet that thing.

Harry pulled back the curtains around his bed, relieved to see sunlight after that unnerving experience. With nothing left to do, he went to tell Ron and Hermione. Ever the loyal friend, however, Harry said nothing about Draco Malfoy. Perhaps if he had, things would have turned out differently.

---{}-{}-{}---

Harry knocked on Severus’s door. It was Christmas Eve and he had decided that he could not put this off any longer. Harry’s anger had since worn down and he was left feeling lacking as he faced another holiday without a family. Therefore, Harry decided it was time to make amends with his guardian.

Harry’s knock went unanswered. He tried the door and it was locked. Faced with the dilemma of either unlocking it himself or coming back later, Harry decided on the former. Despite the disastrous consequences of the last time Harry had let himself in to Snape’s office uninvited, he considered the fact that he was simply in his chambers for it was rather late. 

Harry unlocked the door and pushed it open to find an empty office. 

“Severus?” he called. There wasn’t an answer so Harry opened the back door to the workshop. A cauldron filled with a murky brown substance sat on the table but it was otherwise empty. Harry exited and closed the door. He said the password and reopened it to Severus’s chambers. 

“Severus?” he called once more and walked into the main room. Snape was startled and he dropped the glass he was clutching, spilling the same murky brown stuff all over the floor. He cursed and banished the mess.

“What?” he snapped. “What gives you the right to just barge in here?”
Harry defiantly plopped down on the couch. “I am your son, aren’t I?”

“You haven’t been acting like it,” he replied smartly.

“You haven’t been deserving it,” Harry said cooly.

They sat in a stony silence for a moment. At last, Harry could take it no longer. He stood.

“Severus, what’s wrong?” Harry said almost pleadingly. “Are you sick? Is that why you were drinking that disgusting brown stuff?”

Severus stared him down but did not reply. Harry tossed up his hands in frustration.

“Severus, if you tell me what is wrong, I can help you!” Harry said.

“How could you, a twelve year old boy, possibly help me?” Severus asked dryly.

“I defeated Vol- the Dark Lord,” Harry said arrogantly.

“You were a baby! And now you are but a child!” he almost shouted. “Curb the arrogance, Potter! And while you are at it, keep your nose out of other people’s business.”

Harry stared incredulously. “What happened to you? It’s like you are back to the old you. The one I hated. Maybe this was a mistake,” Harry muttered, referring to coming down here on Christmas Eve. To his dismay, Snape nodded slowly.

“I think it was.”

“What?” Harry asked, confused. 

“Adopting you,” he said. His robes billowed as Severus turned and strode down the hall to his room. 

Harry sat in a stunned silence. What in Merlin’s name had happened to cause a comment like that? Harry had tried his best to be a good son and Snape had seemed to change after Harry had gotten to know him better. Did he really mean that? Was Harry such a failure that Snape truly regretted his decision?

Harry gritted his teeth. Maybe he regretted it too. Snape was an awful choice for a guardian- what had he been thinking? Living with a Death Eater, what could he expect but mood swings?

Harry sat stubbornly on the couch. Draco was his only friend here for the holidays and he assumed that he would not mind if Harry did not come back that night. He was literally prepared to wait until Christmas for Severus to come back and rescind his comment. The fire crackled and Harry remembered that he had come partly to get advice about the diary. There was no way he would tell Snape about what he had seen now. The thought made him sad.

---{}-{}-{}---

When Harry awoke, the dawn was just arriving. Sunlight shone through the enchanted windows and filled the cold chambers with a soft morning light. It was Christmas, but Harry’s joy was tainted by trepidation. He could slip out now, before Severus arrived and avoid a confrontation but he was a Gryffindor, after all. Harry waited.

“Anyone there?” a voice called from the direction of Severus’s room. 

“I’m here,” Harry replied. He strode to the hallway just as the bathroom door closed. When it opened, a disheveled Snape was revealed. 

“Why are you still here?” he snapped.

“I wanted to make up with you. It’s Christmas,” Harry said with a shrug.

“Very well,” Severus replied. 

Harry’s face broke into a grin. “Really? That is a wonderful Christmas present.”

Severus nodded distractedly and Harry was glad that he didn’t seem to care about gifts, for Harry hadn’t gotten him one.

Harry opened his mouth to say something more, but after looking at the expression on Severus’s face, he thought better of it. “See you at the feast.”

Severus nodded once more.

With a final glance back, he left the room and almost ran back to the common room. With any luck, there would be presents for him to open.

---{}-{}-{}---

Draco and Harry’s day was spent much like Harry’s  last Christmas with Ron. They lounged around, snacking and entertaining themselves with their newly acquired possessions. Draco spent a solid hour polishing and trimming his broom before offering Harry the use of his new servicing kit. Harry gladly accepted and sat in front of the fire, handling his broom with gentle care. While he clipped stray twigs, he and Draco chatted. 

“Why don’t we play a little Quidditch tomorrow? We can recruit a couple of the Ravenclaws for two on two,” Harry proposed.

“Okay,” Draco agreed. “My team will win.”

Harry raised an eyebrow. “I thought we would be on the same team but if you want to play it like that... my team will crush you.” He grinned wickedly.

Draco scoffed. “All you can do is Seek. I play any position,” he said haughtily.

“Hey, which one of us is on the actual team?” Harry shot back, enjoying this game of casual banter.

Draco scowled. “We’ll see who is better tomorrow.”

“You’re on.”

---{}-{}-{}---

By the time the feast rolled around, Harry and Draco had stuffed themselves so full of chocolates and other treats, courtesy of Mrs. Weasley, that they were not very hungry. That did not, however, stop them from eating until they were about ready to burst. Harry had taken the seat that was generally avoided: the one across from Professor Snape. The two didn’t talk much other than the customary “Merry Christmas” and a few trivial sentiments. The silence was okay for Harry, though, for at least it wasn’t bickering and snide comments like the night before. Despite the patch-up that morning, Harry and Severus’s relationship wasn’t entirely back to normal. Harry did understand that it would take work.

Draco rolled his eyes as Lockhart recounted a fantastical story of how he single-handedly brought down a Manticore with only his wand in hand. McGonagall looked positively skeptical and Harry had to resist laughing. Dumbledore had no problem, however. He gave a hearty chuckle and clapped Lockhart on the back. It seemed like a happy eternity until the last of the desserts were cleared from everybody’s plates and Harry rose to leave.

“Bye, Severus,” Harry said, earning a few soft looks from the teachers.

“Be careful, Harry,” he said sternly. 

Harry nodded and went off with Draco, ready to collapse into bed and let his dreams whisk him away.

---{}-{}-{}---

“Come on, Harry!” Draco shouted, rousing Harry. “The Ravenclaws are meeting us at the pitch in fifteen minutes.”

“Fifteen minutes?” Harry asked blearily. “Okay.”

He dressed in some warm clothes for it was snowing lightly outside and grabbed his gloves and broom. Glad that he was still full from the feast the day before, Harry headed out to the pitch with Draco. 

“Who’d you get to play?” Harry asked, for he had left that part up to Draco. 

“Toby Lennox is going to be on my team and Yeanna Hart will be on yours.”

“Yeanna Hart?” Harry asked. “I’m not sure I know her. Is she good?”

“Not as good as Toby,” Draco responded with a sly grin.

Harry elbowed him lightly. “Draco! I thought you were going to be fair about this.”

Draco pointed to himself. “Slytherin, remember?”

Harry rolled his eyes as they stepped onto the pitch. The wind was biting and Harry used a warming charm on almost all of his articles of clothing. 

“Hi, Harry,” a female voice said from behind him. 

“Hi. You’re Yeanna, right?” Harry asked.

She blushed. Oh no, not one of those, he thought. How would he play with her when she was so distracted by his fame? Harry brought his eyes to meet her gaze and realized she was not blushing at him, but rather at Draco. Oh. Harry shifted awkwardly. 

“So, uh, what position do you normally play?” Harry asked. 

“Chaser,” she replied confidently. 

“Great,” Harry said. “I can Keep.”

She nodded and they assumed their positions across from the other pair. Harry had begged the Quidditch materials off of Mrs. Hooch but without her there was no whistle. 

“Uh, okay, go!” Draco said and released the balls. He hopped onto his broom and rose to Harry’s height. Rather than stay to make a comment, Harry sped off towards the goal posts since there was no Snitch to look for in this pickup game.

Yeanna was actually fairly good with the Quaffle and due to her small frame, could dodge most of Toby’s attempted blocks. Draco was Harry’s counterpart but he did not have the experience of playing against the unforgiving Weasley twins. Therefore, he let two goals in before he managed to stop one. For his part, Harry only let in one the entire game. The unofficially kept score was 90 to 10 and Harry felt that despite what Draco had said, Yeanna was the better player. 

“Great job up there, Yeanna!” Harry congratulated when at last their feet touched solid ground. “Are you on the Quidditch team? I didn’t see you last month when we played Ravenclaw.”

“No,” she said breathily. “Its more of a side interest. Maybe next year.”

“Definitely.”

She held out her hand. “Nice playing with you, Harry.”

“Same to you,” he said as he accepted the handshake. 

Harry turned towards Draco and Toby.

“You wouldn’t be able to make a goal if the post was the size of the pitch, Lennox. Too bad you aren’t on the Quidditch team. We would have crushed you even worse than we did,” Draco was saying to the Ravenclaw boy. 

“Yeah, well, if I don’t like the way our team is doing, maybe I should just change houses,” he said snidely. “Come on, Yeanna.”

Harry grabbed Draco by the arm and spun him around. “What was that about?” he demanded. “Toby wasn’t that bad, it isn’t his fault.”

Draco glared at Harry. “You don’t understand anything.”

Harry scowled. “Guess not. Explain it to me then.”

Draco scrutinized Harry for a long minute. Then, his shoulders slumped and he looked away.

“Quidditch was the one thing I could control. Now I can’t even do that,” he said, anger from the outburst gone.

Harry frowned. He got the feeling he was talking about the diary, but until he knew more, Harry did not want to say anything. 

“If you need help, just tell me, okay?” Harry offered.

Draco nodded and they headed back up to the castle. Harry went to the dorm and stripped off his wet clothes. As he was putting his gloves away, Harry realized the diary, hidden in his photo album, was gone. 

---{}-{}-{}---

Harry lay in bed thinking over the series of images the diary had shown him. For whatever reason, he felt that the spiders were the key. Something about the spiders. 

“Harry!” Draco called from the bottom of the stairs up to the dorm. “Everyone’s back!”

Harry jumped up and raced down the stone stairs. Hermione greeted him with a hug and he clapped Ron on the back with a grin. They exchanged thanks for the gifts they had received from one another then Harry helped Ron carry his things up to the dorm.

“How was your holiday, mate?” Ron asked, face still flushed from the cold outside.

“Not bad,” Harry said honestly. “Severus and I are talking again.”

Ron looked a little surprised. “Really? I thought you would never patch that up. Not that I was happy about that or anything...” he added, ashamed.

Harry shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. Everything isn’t back to normal yet anyway.”

Harry dropped the heavy trunk onto Ron’s four poster bed then they made their way back downstairs. Hermione was curled up in front of the fire, her hair almost reminiscent of the Weasley’s in the red glow of the flames. Harry sat down on the couch behind her. 

“Where’d Draco go?” Harry asked. 

Hermione shrugged. “He didn’t say.”

Harry frowned but decided to take advantage of his absence. “I think we should go ask Hagrid about the spiders.”

Ron paled. “Spiders?”

“There won’t be any there, you idiot.” Hermione rolled her eyes. “And, Harry, I agree. How about after dinner tomorrow?”

Harry nodded. 

“I’ll tell Draco,” she volunteered. 

Harry lowered his voice. “Um, I feel like maybe we should do this alone. Well, as in the three of us...”

“Why? Don’t you trust him?” Ron blurted, the master of tact.

Harry hesitated. “I’m not sure. I think things are out of his control at the moment and it would be best to keep this a secret. Okay?”

Hermione scrutinized his face. “Alright. Does that mean we should keep an eye on him?”

“Probably,” Harry responded. “But remember, it isn’t his fault.”

Ron looked skeptical.

“Really,” Harry emphasized. Finally, Ron nodded.  “Good. We will meet tomorrow and slip out under my invisibility cloak if he is around.”

Agreed, they watched the fire dance in silence.

---{}-{}-{}---

“Hey there!” Hagrid said in his customary booming voice as he opened the door to his tiny hut. “I thought you fergot ‘bout me.”

Harry smiled at the huge man. “How could we do that? Merry Christmas, Hagrid!”

He returned the smile and stepped aside for them to come in. They shuffled inside the warm hut and shook the snow off of their cloaks. Fang raised his head and sniffed the air but soon returned to his slumber. 

“Tea?” Hagrid asked. 

“Sure,” Ron said, speaking for everyone.

They chatted aimlessly about the holidays and gifts before Harry voiced his question. 

“Hagrid, what kind of animal would spiders run from?” he asked, acting as if it were out of simple curiosity.

“They won’ tell me,” he said seriously. “I’m guessing some kind of terrible monster. Aragog was a pretty brave little guy but...” he trailed of and shook his head. Harry knew better than to ask who Aragog was. 

“So you don’t really know?” Harry asked, disappointed. 

Hagrid gave a great sigh. “All I know was tha’ it wasn’t Aragog.”

“What wasn’t?” Harry asked. 

“Why, the Chamber o’ Secrets of course.”

Hermione had leaned forward on her stool. “What do you know about the Chamber of Secrets?”

Hagrid shook his head. “I’m not talking ‘bout this with you guys. You’ll get yerselves into trouble. The last time som’one died. I don’ want you to follow.”

“But-” Harry started to protest. 

Hagrid raised a giant hand. “No, Harry. Trust me.”

And that ended the discussion on spiders.

---{}-{}-{}---

Hermione, Ron and Harry trudged back up to the castle through the ankle deep snow. 

“So...we learned nothing?” Ron asked as he kicked a snow bank.

“We learned that it definitely has something to do with the spiders,” Hermione said. “I’ll head to the library. Anyone want to come?”

Harry and Ron looked at one another as they stepped over the threshold to the castle. 

Hermione rolled her eyes. “Fine. See you later.”

  Relieved that they didn’t have to spend the remainder of the night flipping through dusty books, Harry and Ron headed back up to the common room. Despite the late hour, they were surprised to find it almost empty. Harry pulled out his textbooks after realizing that if classes started the next day, he better do his homework. He struggled through his Charms homework and repeatedly glanced at the portrait hole, waiting for Hermione to come back and tell of what she found. She, like Severus weeks before, never came.

---{}-{}-{}---

Apparently, Harry had fallen asleep in front of the fire, textbooks strewn around him, for that was where he woke up. The situation was made even more unconventional due to Professor McGonagall looming above him.

“Mr. Potter,” she said quietly but in a controlled voice. “I think it would be best if you wake Mr. Weasley and Mr. Malfoy and come with me.”

“What happened?” he asked, alarmed. He imagined that he was quite a sight with his hair stuck flat to the side of his face.

She hesitated. “I best show you.”

Harry nodded tentatively and gathered his friends. Ron was still groggy but Draco was fully aware and to say he was concerned would be an understatement. They followed their Head of House in a tense silence to the Hospital Wing. Once inside, they were presented with a huddled groups of adults and a soft light by a cot. It illuminated Hermione’s frozen face. Draco gasped and Ron was mute. Harry had no outward reaction though his thoughts were swimming. He looked over at Draco whose face was so pale it seemed unhealthy. A hand touched his shoulder. Harry looked up into Severus’s face where he found nothing but analytical curiosity. 

“Harry,” Dumbledore said from across the bed, “Ron, Draco. Do you know what Hermione was doing in the halls so late?”

They were silent. “Researching, sir,” Harry spoke up. “She must have been coming back from the library.”

“She had this in her hand,” Dumbledore said, holding up a small mirror. “Does it mean anything to you?”

The three shook their heads. Harry wondered where she would have gotten a mirror. 

Dumbledore nodded as if he had expected no answers from them.

“Will she be okay?” Draco asked in a trembling voice. 

Dumbledore smiled a little sadly. “She will. Professor Sprout says that the mandrakes are almost ready and the moment they are, Severus here will brew a cure.”

Since it was expected of him, Severus nodded. Draco still looked borderline catatonic. Harry took one last look at Hermione then put his arm on Draco’s shoulder.

“Come on, let’s go back to the dorm. She isn’t going anywhere,” he said sadly though he had tried to be encouraging. 

The professors watched as Harry steered Draco towards the door, followed be a silent Ron. They said nothing as the students left. Before long, they had arrived at the dorm and all three climbed silently into bed. Harry was filled with guilt. If only he or Ron had gone with her to the library, somehow things might have turned out differently. Harry was not cocky enough to believe that he could have saved her, but he might have gotten a glimpse of whatever it was and survived to tell everyone else. He frowned in the darkness. It took a very long while for Harry to fall asleep.

---{}-{}-{}---

It took a while for things to get back to normal, though “normal” in itself was a relative term at best. Harry forgot what normal was, if he had ever experienced it in the first place. The common room seemed less inviting without Hermione curled up by the fire and there was much less incentive to study. Conversations seemed lacking without the intelligent commentary and paying attention in class became noticeably more difficult. The third attack on the Gryffindors had left the entire house’s spirit crushed. Students became nervous and sullen and tension with the Slytherins grew. Their smug attitude pushed many Gryffindors to the edge. That very morning, Dean had taken a swing at Pansy Parkinson for mocking Seamus. Unfortunately, Snape saw and took twenty points from Gryffindor for brawling.

“But she instigated it!” Dean cried, voice rich with injustice.

Snape gave him a dull stare. “Quite frankly, I do not care.”

Dean fumed. He turned, glared at Harry and stormed off. Harry threw his hands in the air. “How was that my fault?”

Ron shrugged and they let it go. Harry slid into his seat in Defense Against the Dark Arts a few minutes later and moodily got out his books. He honestly did not feel like putting up with Lockhart today. It had been two weeks since Hermione’s attack and Harry was still working hard to figure out what the spiders meant. Lacking Hermione’s researching skills, it was taking him an eternity. Harry had not even known where to start. He had taken to carrying two or three books around with him to peruse in his spare time. As tedious as he found the task, it would be a better use of his time than listening to this fool.

Lockhart began what you could call the “lecture” portion of his class which was primarily a speech praising his good qualities. Harry was in no mood to cooperate with the narcissism. He raised his hand.

“Ah, a question, Mr. Potter?” Lockhart said with a smile. “Anything to help a rising star. Go ahead.”

“What do you think is behind the attacks?” Harry asked with borderline rudeness.

He looked stumped for a moment, as if the thought had never before crossed his mind. “Some sort of Dark Magic, I should think.”

“And you are the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, correct?” Harry asked smartly. “Why aren’t you doing anything about it?”

He looked offended. “I am doing something! By teaching you, I am preparing you in case you come in contact with whatever it is.”

Harry was honestly getting angry now. It felt good to channel his anger into this argument. “You taught Hermione, didn’t you? Didn’t you say she was your best student?She was attacked in case you didn’t notice.”

Lockhart was stunned by the outburst. He recovered himself and tugged his robes straight. “Obviously she caved under pressure. I could have taught her to handle her nerves, it is a shame.”

Harry stood. “She was fine under pressure last year when we went to save the Philosopher’s stone from VOLDEMORT.”

There was silence in the room. 

“Harry, I am afraid I will have to give you detention,” Lockhart said, smile gone.

Harry sat back down. As the attention turned back to the front of the room, Harry leaned over to Ron to rant about the use of “Voldemort”. “What are we not allowed to address things by their names anymore? ‘Ron, will you hand me my you-know-what?’ ‘Draco, meet me you-know-where.’” He rolled his eyes and fumed. Ron looked a little scared and didn’t say anything.

For the rest of the class, Harry blatantly ignored Lockhart. Instead, he used the time to finish searching the latest book on spiders for any hints of information. As usual, there were none.

---{}-{}-{}---

The next day, Harry, Ron and Draco went once more to visit Hermione. Despite repeated assertions that she couldn’t hear them, they insisted on coming. Gathered around her beside, the trio talked about the brighter side of life, just in case she could hear them. Harry picked up the mirror. Just as he did so, McGonagall burst into the room. Madam Pomfrey shuffled over with an anxious and inquisitive look on her face.

McGonagall nodded sadly. “They’ve taken Hagrid.” 

“What?” Harry shouted. “Why?”

“They needed someone to blame for the attacks,” she explained slowly, as if unsure whether or not she should be telling them this. “He was blamed the last time, and the ministry wanted to seem like they were doing something about it.”

“That’s absurd!” Ron said indignantly. “Hagrid would never do that.”

“I know,” she said. “You best go now. Try to keep this quiet; it will be better for him.”

They nodded and went to leave. 

“Wait,” McGonagall said, walking towards them. “I must escort you. It is the new policy.”

Harry groaned. She led them back to the common room where there was nothing to do but read and wait for the day to expire.

---{}-{}-{}---

Later in the week, Harry went once again to see Professor Snape. With all of the recent distractions, he had forgotten to ask Severus about what he had seen during the brief time he had the diary. Harry found Severus at his desk grading papers. Though the door was open, he knocked on the doorframe.

“Can I come in?” Harry asked.

Severus nodded curtly. Harry approached gingerly.

“Well? What is it you need?” Severus asked after a moment, laying aside his papers.

“To talk,” Harry said. He waited for Severus’s reaction. There was none; Severus’s face remained stonily unresponsive.

“Um, well, I got my hands on this diary that had a...mind of its own,” Harry said. Again, Severus did not respond. “I asked it about the Chamber of Secrets.”

“Naturally,” Severus said when Harry paused. “Go on.”

“Well it showed me some stuff. Like spiders running from something, a plaque that had the name “Tom Marvolo Riddle” on it and a coffin with a Ravenclaw banner. Do you know what any of that means?”

Severus sat completely still. “Where is the diary now?”

“Gone,” Harry said. “I don’t know where.”

“How did you get it?” Severus asked. 

Harry hesitated in telling the truth. Severus definitely knew something but he seemed reluctant to share. “I found it. But do you know what it means?”

“No,” Severus said simply. “I will think about it.”

Harry could see no benefit from pushing him so he left the words hang in the air. 

“Do you not have Quidditch practice to get to?” Severus asked after a moment.

“Er, yeah,” Harry responded, wondering how he knew that. Severus always knew everything. Harry stood and made it to the door before he paused.

“Harry,” Severus had said. Harry turned around.

“Yeah?”

“Do not do anything foolish without at least telling me first,” Severus said. 

Harry weighed that in his mind. If he did decide to do something that Severus considered foolish, he would inevitably be stopped or incapacitated if he alerted his guardian first. Nevertheless, he did not want to outright refuse because the concern was touching and it did make sense to tell someone what was going on in case he got hurt...

“What if I use the alarm you gave me last year?” Harry said as a compromise. That would give him at least enough time to get away before Severus could come after him but it would let him know that Harry was up to something. 

Severus’s eyes narrowed ever so slightly as they searched Harry’s face. “Very well.”

Harry nodded and left. He did not see the look of befuddlement upon Severus’s face after he had gone nor the thorough search of the office that followed.

---{}-{}-{}---

Quidditch practice was uneventful and many of the Gryffindors’ hearts were not in the game. Wood was frustrated.

“Come on, guys!” he said, exasperated. “Just because we won two matches doesn’t mean we can just slack off from here on out. Slytherin is up in just a few weeks.”

“Let’s just hope our whole team is there to see it,” Fred muttered darkly. He and George were some of the most disturbed by the attacks, perhaps because it was their prerogative to wander the castle after hours. Now, no one would dream of such a thing.

“Optimism, people!” Wood emphasized. “We could still win the house cup.”

Angelina scoffed. “Yeah, if Snape stops taking points from Gryffindor and giving them to Slytherin. He took twenty points from me for dropping a ginger root in Potions, did I tell you that?” 

Outraged mutters caused Wood to roll his eyes. Alicia turned to Harry. “Can’t you talk to him? He is being pretty unfair.”

Harry shrugged. “I could try,” he said, refraining from voicing doubt as to how much difference it would make.

She touched his arm lightly. “Thanks, Harry. We really want the cup again this year.”

“Hey! Hey!” Wood shouted. “Attention up here. Let’s run through this new set of drills, shall we?”

With a collective groan, the team grabbed their brooms and headed to the center of the pitch to try out whatever new form of torture Wood had devised for them while McGonagall supervised.  It was only then that Harry realized Draco was missing.

---{}-{}-{}---

They had only been practicing for about twenty minutes when a silvery form shot towards McGonagall then dissolved before her. She waved at Wood and he signaled the team to land. They formed a half circle around her. 

“Gather your things, this practice is over,” she said sternly.

“Why?” Wood asked.

“Hogwarts is no longer safe. All students are confined to quarters until further notice,” she said and refused to elaborate. They gathered their things and followed her up to the hall. Harry felt around in his Quidditch bag. His hands closed around a familiar silky smooth garment. He pulled it to the top of the bag and waited for a good opportunity. Once inside the castle, students were everywhere, climbing the stairs to the common room. Harry could easily be lost in the confusion. He removed the invisibility cloak and his wand and nudged Fred.

“Will you take this up to the common room for me?” he asked.

Fred gave Harry an approving look. “Sure, mate. Make all the trouble you like but do avoid getting injured. Mum would be so angry...”

“Thanks,” he said simply before disappearing. 

Harry wove his way through the crowds looking for his red haired friend. At last, he spotted him and made his way over. Harry stuck one hand out from under his cloak and grabbed Ron’s arm. Ron jumped and turned. Seeing the hand, he put two and two together and whispered, “Harry?”

Harry pulled the cloak over Ron. “Do you know what’s going on?” he asked, ignoring pleasantries.

Ron shook his head. “All I heard was another attack but different somehow.”

“How?” Harry asked rhetorically. He spotted several teachers herding students away from the corridor that held Myrtle’s bathroom. “Come on.”

Moving as one, they made their way over to the haphazard line of teachers. Holding their breaths, Harry and Ron slipped between Flitwick and Sinistra into the corridor. Harry was about to barge into the knot of teachers halfway down the hall when Ron stopped him.

“Harry, wait,” he whispered. “I was coming back from visiting Hermione when you found me. I found this in her hand.”

Ron pressed a piece of paper into Harry’s hand. Lighting his wand with a lumos, Harry read it.

“A basilisk,” he said thoughtfully. “spiders flee before it...the pipes... hang on. Mrytle! She was a Ravenclaw, wasn’t she?”

Ron shrugged. 

“I think she was,” Harry said, half to himself. “Hermione mentioned it one time. This all fits! She was the one who died last time, the one in the coffin I saw. The entrance to the chamber must be in her bathroom!”

“Keep your voice down,” Ron hissed. 

“Come on,” Harry whispered and he drug Ron over to the group of teachers to see what they were talking about.

On the wall, a new message glimmered in fresh blood.

HIS SKELETON WILL LIE IN THE CHAMBER FOREVER.

“Oh Merlin,” Ron breathed.

“Draco,” Harry said. “We have to go save him.”

Ron hesitated. 

“Ron,” Harry said. “He would do the same for you.”

“Would he?” Ron asked a tad skeptical. “Fine, let’s go. But shouldn’t we get one of the professors this time? Like Lockhart?”

“What would he do? I’ll tell Snape,” Harry promised. “Let’s go.”

They waited until  no one was looking and slipped into the girl’s bathroom. Harry dug the little button out of his pocket and activated it.

“Myrtle?” Harry called.

A wispy figure dried her ghostly tears and came floating over. “What do you want?”

“To know how you died,” Harry responded. “What do you remember?”

“The eyes. Bright yellow eyes. Huge,” she sniffed. “Then that was it. Poof.”

Harry nodded. That fit the information he had on the basilisk. “Where did it come from?”

Her quivering hand pointed to one of the sinks. Harry and Ron examined it.

“Here, Harry,” Ron said. “It’s a snake.”

“So now what?”

“I don’t know. Ask it nicely to open up, please?” Ron said sarcastically.

“Open,” Harry said. The sink slid back then folded in on itself and disappeared revealing a cement tunnel at what seemed to be a vertical drop. “Hey, it worked.” Harry said, a lighthearted attempt to mask his fear.

“So, er, who should go first?” Ron asked. They looked at each other. Myrtle floated up behind them.

“I think Harry should go first,” she said. “That way, maybe he will die and he can share my toilet.”

Harry looked concerned at the hopeful tone in her voice. Ron shrugged. “Well, you heard the girl, go ahead.”

Harry took a deep breath, reminded himself that he was a Gryffindor and jumped.

---{}-{}-{}---

The ride was long but not unpleasant. Though he felt like throwing up by the time he was spit out onto a pile of sticks, Harry was otherwise unharmed. 

“It’s okay!” he called up the glorified slide.

He heard Ron’s scream and he assumed he was on his way. Harry lit the tip of his wand and looked around. He gagged. He was not standing on a pile of sticks, but rather, a pile of bones. He extinguished the light. Harry stood motionless, flinching at every drop of water from the roof above him, until Ron arrived. His ejection was much less graceful than Harry’s and he was forced to pick bones off of his robes. Harry did not tell him they were human remains.

“This is really creepy,” Ron said, referring to the pitch black darkness around them. Ron lit his wand. He let out a short, girlish shriek. “These are bones! They’re human!”

Harry nodded grimly. He lit his own wand once more and explored the area that they were in. The walls were stone; damp and covered in moss and mildew. The air was musty and the bones crunched beneath his feet. They stood in a large circular room with one hallway leading off of it, not counting the tunnel through which they came.

“That looks like the only way out,” Harry said. “He must have taken Draco through there.”

“He?” Ron asked.

“The snake,” Harry replied. 

“Oh, right.” Ron gulped.

“Come on,” Harry said. “We don’t even know if he is still alive. We have to hurry.”

Ron’s pale face was made even more evident by the dim light. “Um, maybe I should just stay here.”

“Are you a Gryffindor or no-” Harry was cut off by a body landing on the pile of bones at the bottom of the slide. 

The dark figure leaped up agilely, wand raised. “Don’t move,” Severus said. “Drop your wands.”

Harry stepped forward and Severus’s wand whipped to lock on him. 

“Severus, it’s me. Harry,” he said.

Snape’s generally blank visage was marred by a horrible approximation of a smile. “I know. Drop your wand.”

Harry did not do so, nor did he drop Severus’s gaze. His mind was fiercely occluded. Severus pointed his wand at Ron who whimpered.

“Drop. It.”

Ron’s wand had long since clattered to the ground amidst the skeletal remains. Harry looked at his shaking friend and, against every instinct, let the wand fall from his fingers.

---{}-{}-{}---

Severus cautiously stepped forward and bent to pick up Harry’s wand. His eyes did not leave Harry’s the entire time. When Snape edged to the side to pick up Ron’s, Harry moved quick as a flash.

“Hold,” he shouted in parseltongue as he slid off his formerly invisible birthday present. Before Severus could react, Harry flung the bracelet at Severus’s wand hand that was still pointed in his direction. He hoped that it would meet its mark. 

In midair, the snake became animate and caught onto the handle of Severus’s wand. He made a move to shake it off, but it held firm. Severus readied a spell but before he could cast it, the snake had wrapped around his hand. The bracelet pulled right hand towards his left and twined them together. Snape still had hold of his and Harry’s wands and he attempted to fire a double spell. All that came out was a wisp of harmless smoke. 

Harry stepped forward and took the wand from a seething Snape. He attempted to lunge at him but the snake was growing longer and thicker and the heavy metal weighed him down. Harry shot a silencing spell at his guardian. He did not want to hear his voice at the moment. He stepped up so that they were so close, their noses almost touched.

“Who are you?” Harry said with narrowed eyes. “I should have said no the moment you told me you were a death eater.”

Harry turned away. “Ron, stay here and watch him, will you? I’ll get Draco.”

“By yourself?” Ron asked. Though he sounded worried, he did not show any inclination of wanting to go along. “Be careful. I don’t want you to end up like Myrtle.”

Harry gave a humorless smile. He took a deep breath and started down the corridor. He walked slowly for a few minutes before he saw torches burning up ahead. His footsteps picked up as he approached a circular metal door adorned with freakishly real looking snakes. He pressed his hand against the door, hoping it would open. As expected, it did not. Figuring that it wouldn’t hurt to try the same thing that got them down here, Harry spoke in parseltongue.

“Open,” he said. The snakes shifted and slithered away from the edges. The door swing eerily inward. Harry stepped inside and it slammed behind him ominously. He gulped. The floor was wet and Harry found himself on a long boardwalk style platform. Huge snake statues rose from the sides, almost looking respectful, as if intended to honor however walked down this stretch of brick. As Harry started walking, he the damp fog cleared enough that he could see a giant head of a bearded man carved out of the stone at the end of his path. Before it was a large platform of stone on which lay something that Harry had to squint to see.

“Draco?” he called as he broke into a jog. When he reached his friend and skidded to a stop, he checked his pulse. It was so faint that Harry had almost missed it. The blonde boy was unconscious and despite Harry’s shakes, would remain so. The diary lay beside him.

“You’re too late,” a voice said from behind Harry.

“Who are you?” Harry asked, wand raised.

“Tom Riddle,” he responded.

“Help me save him!” Harry pleaded, even though he knew that at least part of this problem stemmed from Tom’s diary.

Tom laughed a truly frightening laugh. “Why would I do that?” he said while fingering Draco’s wand. “Saving him would mean sacrificing myself just as I am about to be reborn. Expelliarmus.”

Caught off guard, Harry’s wand flew from his hand. Tom grinned. “So easy. How did you ever escape me?”

“Escape you?” Harry asked, confused. “What?”

“And as a baby nonetheless,” he said, half to himself. He waved Draco’s wand and fiery letters appeared in the air.

TOM MARVOLO RIDDLE

Harry watched as, with another wave, they rearranged themselves.

I AM LORD VOLDEMORT

“Do you see now?” he asked casually. “You cannot save Draco because he has given himself to me. Inadvertently, perhaps, but he poured his soul into that book. A Slytherin in Gryffindor, hated by his dad, not good enough for his friends, only a reserve on the Quidditch team... With every secret, I grew stronger. I wanted his soul to bring me back. And Lord Voldemort always gets what he wants,” he said menacingly. “And I want you dead.”

Tom spun and faced the statue of the breaded man’s face. “Speak to me, greatest of Hogwarts four!”

There was a rumble within the stone and Tom turned back to Harry.

“I am the greatest wizard who ever lived. You are nothing. Prepare to die a death more honorable than you deserve.”

Finally, Harry gathered the voice to speak. “You aren’t the greatest wizard who ever lived, Dumbledore is!” He defiantly spat at Tom’s feet.

The creepy grin morphed into one of unconcealed anger. 

“Kill him,” he said in parseltongue.

Harry didn’t know who he was talking to. That was, until he looked up and found an outrageously large snake crawling out of Salazar Slytherin’s mouth. Harry assumed that was a basilisk. He closed his eyes. With a bird-like screech, something soft landed on Harry’s head. He felt around and pulled it off, still not wanting to risk opening his eyes. It felt like worn leather. Before Harry could puzzle out what it was, an injured hiss came from the basilisk.

“Stupid bird!” Tom cried, furious. “You’ve blinded her!”

Harry’s eyes shot open. He saw the snake careen wildly with pain and Fawkes fly to the ceiling where he could not be seen or harmed by Tom. Harry looked down at his hands and saw the Sorting Hat. He was confused.

The basilisk got over its pain quickly enough and stopped, waiting for something to move.

“Down here” Riddle said, then moved away from Harry.

Harry scrambled up as the snake shot his way. He ran towards the base of the statue, trying to draw the basilisk away from Draco’s prone and lifeless body. He huddled in one of the folds of Slytherin’s beard as the snake came closer. Eventually, hearing nothing, it began to slither away. Harry let out a silent breath and examines the hat that was still in his hand. Nothing was inside it. He put it on, hoping for some advice. The only thing that came was something very hard falling on Harry’s head. He took off the hat and a sword clattered to the floor. 

The basilisk froze. Panicking, Harry dropped the hat, grabbed the hilt of the sword and exited his hole. He actually stepped on the basilisk’s thick midsection to boost him high enough to reach the statue, being so large, it did not even notice. He tried to stab it but the sword simply glanced off of its hard scales. The snake could hear him now and it reared its head up towards Harry. He climbed faster. By the time he made it to the relatively flat spot at the top, the basilisk had pinpointed his position.

Its head shot out astonishingly quick and sunk its fangs into Harry’s ankle. He screamed in pain. The adrenaline coursing through his body allowed him to ignore it as he twisted around and shifted the sword in his hand. He winced as it pulled on his leg. With one final burst of energy, Harry reached out with all his might and stabbed the snake through the eye socket. It tossed its head, breaking off its tooth in Harry’s leg. After wavering in the air a moment, it fell to the floor and did not move again. 

Tom roared in anger as Harry carefully slid down the statue, his strength waning. His vision went fuzzy as he crawled over to where Draco and the diary lay. He pulled the fang out of his leg and gripped it tightly to fight the pain.

“You may have killed her,” Tom said, “but not before she killed you. Basilisk venom is poisonous, Harry. You’ll be dead in minutes.”

Harry shook his head though he knew it was true.

“Yes, back with your dear mommy and daddy, isn’t that what you want? A family?” 

“I... have a... family,” Harry said through gritted teeth. Moved by some unknown instinct, he dug the fang into the book laying beside him. Tom’s screams chilled him to the bone as they echoed throughout the chamber. He pushed harder. Light seemed to shatter him from within as he lunged toward Harry. With one final push and one final burst, he was shattered and gone. Harry looked down and found ink soaking the stone and his hands.

Draco gave a shuddering gasp. “Harry?” 

Harry smiled weakly. “Ron... will take... you out.”

“Harry!” he said, concerned. He rushed to his side and found the bloody and infected wound.
Harry’s eyes drifted closed as once more, he heard a shriek of a bird. Hot acid seemed to fall on Harry’s leg and he assumed that it was the final stages of the venom killing him. They kept coming and Harry’s eyes grew less tired. His breathing became more regular and he opened his eyes again. Fawkes was crying into his wound. Actually, the wound was gone, fresh skin in its place. Harry smiled. 

“Thanks, Fawkes,” he said.

Draco helped him up. “Thanks for saving me, Harry,” he said sheepishly. “I was an idiot. I don’t deserve to be your friend.”

“Shut up, Draco, you’re welcome. Now can we please get out of this place?” Harry asked. He gathered the Sorting Hat, sword and both of their wands. He gave Draco his back. On a whim, he also brought the diary and the basilisk fang.

Harry led Draco out of the cavern and the circular metal door opened easily for them with a parseltongue command. Harry and Draco stepped into the room where they left Ron, wholly unprepared for what they saw.

---{}-{}-{}---

“YOU!” Draco screamed, raising his wand. “What are you doing here?”

“What are you doing here?” Harry asked, equally as enraged. He looked to Ron.

Ron looked really freaked out. “He just morphed into him about five minutes ago. Like we did after the polyjuice.”

Harry’s heart dropped. “How long have you been Severus?”

Lucius Malfoy gave a wicked grin. “Since the first human attack,” he laughed. “You and Severus are so touching, you know.”

Harry shot a wicked curse his way, intended to miss by only inches. “Where is he?” Harry demanded. 

“Don’t you see?” he asked, insanely playful. “He was attacked. Unless something was reflected, he is dead.”

“No,” Harry said in disbelief. “No, he can’t be dead.”

Draco stepped forward and punched his father in the face.

“Is that any way to treat your dear old father?” Lucius asked, wincing. 

Draco shot a hex at him that left him immobile. “Let’s see how he likes it.”

Harry joined, shrinking Lucius down and slipping him into his pocket. His hands shook and Harry moved in a daze. He tried to believe that Lucius was lying but a  nagging thought in a dark corner of his mind wondered if he was telling the truth. What would Harry do in that case? He forced himself to breathe and keep moving. He had to get out of here, then he could worry about Severus. Fawkes flew above him, indicating with his tail that they should grab on. The three did so and he flew them up toward the open air where their next task would be to find Harry’s guardian.

---{}-{}-{}---

Harry and Ron were searching Snape’s office when Draco returned with Dumbledore. He took in the sight of the three of them and shook his head in both an impressed and admiring way.

“Where is Lucius?” Dumbledore asked.
Harry fished him out of his pocket and Dumbledore returned him to normal size but did not allow him to move.

“We were trying to find something that would make him tell us where Severus is,” Harry explained. He had chosen to believe that Severus was not dead. Even saying that to Dumbledore would cost Harry more than he could bear. Therefore, he kept up the pretense that Severus was simply... incapacitated.

Dumbledore nodded. “Accio veritaserum.”

A cabinet rattled then opened and a small clear bottle flew to the professor’s hand. He released Draco’s spell on Lucius and forced him to drink.

“Is Severus Snape alive?”

“Yes.”

Harry let out a shuddering breath, feeling as if his chest had shed a hundred pounds of weight.

“Where is Severus Snape?” he asked after it had taken effect.

“In the boy’s room of his chambers,” he responded in a monotone.

Dumbledore nodded to the boys. “Go get him and take him to the hospital wing. I have a few more questions for our friend here.”

Harry nodded eagerly and went, at last, to retrieve his real guardian.

---{}-{}-{}---

Severus blinked as light flooded his eyes. He pushed himself up on an elbow and before his eyes could adjust, he got an armful of crying boy.

“Severus!” Harry said gleefully. “You’re okay!”

“It seems I am,” he responded, confused as to how he had gotten in the hospital wing.

Harry still hadn’t let go. “I thought you hated me, I’m so sorry. I should have known better.” 

Harry released his guardian and sat back, wiping the tears of worry and joy from his eyes. Severus studied Harry’s face.

“Care to catch me up? How did I get here?” Severus asked.

“It’s a long story,” Harry said, rubbing his neck sheepishly. 

Severus sat up properly and folded his hands on his lap. “I have nothing but time.”

“Well, first of all, it’s February.”

Severus raised an eyebrow. “Interesting. And why is it that you hate me? Or you thought I hated you?”

“Uh, well...” Harry started from the very beginning, from the first attack. He told Severus everything; how angry he was at him, the long period during which they did not speak, the fake Severus saying that he regretted adopting Harry, the bracelet, and at last he ended with the fight and the revelation that it was Lucius.

Severus was silent for a few moments. 

“Well, I cannot say that I did not expect retaliation from him. He had said as much after we stole Draco,” Severus said. “In reality, it is rather impressive that he managed to get into the castle on the same night that I was petrified.”

Harry smiled fondly. “You would consider the logistics of it before the fact that someone just lived your life for you for the past six months.”

Severus smirked. “You did not like the mean version of me?”

“No,” Harry said, “you- or him- or whoever- is going to make us lose the house cup!”

“Not if Dumbledore has anything to say about it,” Severus grumbled. “I am glad that your birthday present came in handy. Now I will have to get you a late Christmas present.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Harry said.

Severus raised an eyebrow. 

Harry shrugged, “I didn’t get you one either. You were being pretty mean.”

Severus almost chuckled. Then he caught himself. “I am proud of you, Harry. I used to be dismayed that I adopted a Gryffindor rather than a Slytherin but no Slytherin could have done what you did in the Chamber. You saved Draco, banished the Dark Lord yet again, killed a Basilisk and managed to stop Malfoy from screwing it up,” he said. In a quiet voice he added, “You saved me as well. I could not ask for a better son.”

“I love you, Severus,” Harry said, voice equally quiet. “I was afraid that I would never get the real you back.”

“I...love you too, Harry,” Severus said with some difficulty at laying his emotions out in such a blatant fashion. “And do not worry, I will always be here.”

Harry smiled and hugged his guardian once more. Severus wished for the millionth time that what he had seen in the Mirror of Erised could come true. But since that was impossible, he decided that this was everything he could hope for. He returned Harry’s hug and allowed himself to smile.

---{}-{}-{}---

Harry did not have an exceptionally long time to catch up with his guardian for they were soon interrupted. 

“Hello, Harry,” Dumbledore said as he entered the hospital wing. “Severus.” He smiled.

“Headmaster,” Severus said. 

Dumbledore turned to Harry. “Harry, dear boy, I am very proud and grateful for what you have done, but for the present will you allow Severus and I to speak privately?”

Harry nodded agreeably and hopped up. “Bye, Severus.”

“Goodbye, Harry.”

With a fleeting smile, Harry left the room. With the intention of finding Draco, he headed to the common room. On his way, he met Ron on the stairs. 

“Hey, Harry, have you seen Draco?” he asked.

“No, I was just going to look for him. Have you?” 

“Not since we dropped Snape off in the hospital wing,” Ron said.

“That was over a day ago,” Harry pointed out.

“I know.”

“Where should we check?” Harry asked. “Maybe the Owlery?”

Ron shrugged. “Okay.”

They headed up to the Owlery and were unrewarded for their long walk. Harry let out a sigh of disappointment.

“Why so sad, three-time hero of the wizarding world?” a slightly mocking voice called from behind them.

Harry groaned. “Not really the time, Fred. We lost Draco.”

“Lost him you say?” George said as he strapped a letter to a nearby owl.

Ron nodded. “He’s been gone for a whole day.”

Fred and George looked at each other. “Give us a moment,” they said in unison and stepped outside onto the spiral staircase and out of view.

Harry looked at Ron questioningly. He merely shrugged. They returned grinning.

“We get the feeling you’re going to want to check the dungeons,” Fred said with a wry grin.

Ron rolled his eyes. “The dungeons are huge. Where?”

They gave a set of abbreviated directions. “Then there will be a little cupboard at the end of the hall. It’s called the ‘dungeon cupboard’. Not very creative, is it?” George said.

“How do you know all this?” Harry asked suspiciously. 

Fred winked. “We’re the Weasley twins.  We know everything.”

Harry shrugged at Ron and they began the climb back down from the Owlery. They followed the twins’ instructions which were surprisingly accurate. Before long, they came to a corridor that looked vaguely familiar to Harry. A door stood alone at its end and they approached. Harry knocked.

“Draco?”

A sniffle came from inside. Harry turned the knob. The door swung open and the pair stepped hesitantly inside.

“Draco, are you okay?”

The thin boy was huddled in the corner of the bare room, seemingly oblivious to the fact that the stone floor was hard and cold. He looked up with tired eyes.

“What do you want?” he asked hoarsely.

“We’re worried about you, mate,” Ron said. “You’ve been gone a whole day.”

Harry laid a hand on his friend’s arm. Draco looked down at it and it seemed to cause him fresh pain. He turned his face away.

“Ron? Would you give us a few moments alone?” Harry asked.

“Sure,” he said, closing the door behind him as he left.

Harry waved a brief silencing charm.

“Draco, talk to me.”

He looked up at Harry. “This is all my fault.”
“How is this your fault?” Harry asked. “You were bested by Voldemort, so what? Many greater wizards, like my parents, fell to him too. At least you survived.”

Draco shook his head. “I was suspicious, Harry! I should have gone to Dumbledore. I should have told you that I knew.”

“Knew what?” Harry said, brow furrowed.

Draco drew in a shuddering breath. “I knew about my dad and Snape. He said if I told you he would...he would...” Draco stopped.

Harry slid onto the floor beside Draco. “So that’s what Myrtle meant on the day I found the diary.”

Draco nodded. “He took it from me. Wanted to talk to him. I was scared of what it would make me do. Then he sent me a message and said he would leave it in the bathroom. I never meant for you to get sucked into this.”

“Draco, I get sucked into everything. It’s who I am,” Harry said. He smiled wanly. “Harry Potter. The boy who can’t catch a break.”

“I’d understand if you never wanted to see me again.”

Harry looked his friend in the eye. “Don’t say that. I don’t blame you for any of this. And even if I did, I would forgive you.”

“Why in Merlin’s name would you do that?” he muttered darkly.

“Because it’s who I am. This just goes on my list of things to hold against Voldemort,” Harry said easily.

“But you could’ve been killed trying to save me,” Draco protested, driven by guilt. “I’m not worth that. I’m not worth anything.”

Harry sighed. “Draco, shut up and listen to yourself-”

“How do you propose I do both at the same time?” he interjected, a hint of his of self coming back. 

Harry grinned. “That’s better. Now if you keep moping around like this, you will be worthless. Get yourself together. No one was hurt. I’m fine, Severus is fine, Hermione will be fine as soon as Severus brews some more potion and Voldemort is gone. What are you upset about?”

“The mess I caused,” he said. “But thanks, Harry.”
Harry smiled. Suddenly, he realized where he had seen this room before. “This was the room that Hagrid kept his spider in.”

Draco nodded. “The diary showed me too. I wish it hadn’t.”

Harry shook his head at Draco’s regretful tone. He got up and told Ron to come back in. By the end of a nice little chat during which Draco was repeatedly assured that they would still be his friends, color had returned to his pale cheeks. 

“I don’t know about you guys, but I’m starved,” Ron said. “Want to go catch some dinner?”

“Sure,” Harry agreed.

Draco nodded eagerly. Harry suspected that he hadn’t eaten in days. They headed off towards the Great Hall and did not look back.

---{}-{}-{}---

“Thank you for allowing me to come, Severus. I am sure you are anxious to figure out all that you have missed,” Dumbledore said kindly.

Severus nodded curtly. They sat in the hospital wing and since Severus felt fine, he was allowed to go as soon as this conversation was finished. He was anxious to see both Harry and Draco and hoped that this would not take too long.

“First of all, I would ask you, when you feel up to it, to brew a cure for the rest of the petrified.”

Severus raised an eyebrow. “How did you cure me if you could not brew one yourself?”
“Madam Pomfrey made it but it took many attempts. It was widely agreed that the first successful potion should go to you so that you could make the rest,” Dumbledore explained.

Severus inclined his head. “I will brew it as soon as we are finished here.”

Dumbledore nodded. “I just wanted to fill you in on what I learned from interrogating Lucius.” The old professor waited for a reaction from Severus.

“Do go on,” he said impatiently.

“Well, it seems that he had planned your petrification beforehand. Voldemort entrusted the diary into Lucius’s hands before his demise. Lucius decided that it was time to unleash the horror upon Hogwarts and when he became dissatisfied with his son, gave the diary to him. Draco was not intended to get hurt, however. Tom Riddle took a few... liberties. Lucius had worked out the fact that you would be one of the first victims. They had even decided upon the day. In truth, it was merely a lucky happenstance that you saw its reflection. They had planned on killing you. 

“Lucius had a large stock of Polyjuice brewed by the time you were attacked and he assumed your identity. He reviewed the memories in your pensieve for clues on how to act and figured out how to teach. He purposefully angered Harry so that, with distance between them, he would not slip and make Harry suspicious. I suspect that it was not difficult to be mean to Harry. At some point, he got the diary back from Draco to check in with his master and plan more attacks, all of which were designed to kill. All in all, everyone has been absurdly lucky.”

“I do not believe in luck,” Severus stated. “How come a great wizard like yourself did not catch onto this?”

Dumbledore pursed his lips. “I was suspicious, however I thought that the discord between you and Harry was the cause of your peculiarity. Lucius also kept his distance from me. I am not sure whether it was so that I did not catch on, or simply because he did not like me.” The professor chuckled.

“Did you learn anything else?”

“Nothing except that he had followed Harry into the chamber in the hope that by delivering him, broken and subdued, to his master, he would earn his favor,” Dumbledore said in that annoyingly calm voice of his.

Severus did not take the news quite so calmly. He growled, “Broken and subdued? He was going to hurt Harry, wasn’t he?”

“That was the plan.”

“Not my son,” he hissed threateningly. “Where is Lucius?” Severus asked. “I’d like to have a chat with him.”

“He is already in Azkaban,” Dumbledore said. “He will not be going anywhere.”

Severus gave a huff. “And what of Draco?”

Dumbledore responded, “He will remain here for the school term, it is not looked upon as a fault on his part. In the summer, he will return home to his anxious mother.”

Severus could think of nothing else to add to the conversation.

“Go, Severus,” Dumbledore told him. “We would like to have our students back as soon as possible.”

Severus nodded, pushed the sheet back and stood.

“Oh, Severus? Do tell Harry that I wish to speak with him.”

“I will,” he promised.

Severus left. He had brewing to do.

---{}-{}-{}---

“You wanted to see me, Professor?” Harry asked as he stepped into Dumbledore’s office.

“Ah, yes, Harry. Have a seat,” he said, gesturing towards the chair in front of his desk. Harry obliged.

“Severus told me what happened down in the chamber, do you have anything to add?” Dumbledore asked kindly.

“Nothing except for the fact that I would be dead without Fawkes,” Harry replied. “Did you send him?”

Dumbledore shook his head. “Fawkes was called by your extreme loyalty to me. For that, I thank you.”

Harry smiled, embarrassed. “Was that really Voldemort?”

The old professor sighed. “In a way. Voldemort... preserved his sixteen year old self in this diary,” he said as he held up the punctured book, “so that he would be able to come back at a later date and reopen the chamber. It seems that he entrusted it to Lucius Malfoy who gave it to Draco.”

“So I didn’t really kill him?”

“No, but you destroyed the device through which he was carrying out his evil acts. That is a feat worthy of commendation,” Dumbledore said with a twinkle in his eye.

Harry flushed and looked down. His eyes landed on a sword that sat at the edge of Dumbledore’s desk. “What’s this?”

“That is the sword with which you killed the basilisk,” the Headmaster replied. “Only a true Gryffindor could have pulled that from the hat.”

Harry ran his fingers over the engraved “Godric Gryffindor”. He removed his hand and looked up. “Sir, what happened to Mr. Malfoy?”

“He is in Azkaban. Why do you ask?”

Harry considered lying but settled for the truth. “He almost ruined my life. I don’t want him to get the chance to do that to anyone else. Also, Draco is anxious to see his mother.”

Dumbledore smiled. “You can tell him that I will arrange that. And Lucius Malfoy will not be going anywhere soon.”

Harry felt reassured. An idea popped into his head and Harry longed for this conversation to be over so that he could speak to Draco. He answered the Headmaster’s questions about how he was doing then excused himself. Dumbledore didn’t seem to mind. 

When at last he found Draco in the great Hall, he sat down beside him.

“Hey, Draco,” Harry said.

“Hi, Harry,” he responded a little unenthusiastic.

“Are you feeling guilty again?” Harry asked bluntly.

“Maybe.”

Harry turned in his seat to face Draco. “Draco, can I ask a favor of you?”

“Sure, Harry. Anything,” he responded.

“Will you promise to stop feeling guilty if you do this?” Harry asked while tossing a scoop of mashed potatoes on his plate.

Draco looked at him. “Yeah, I guess.”

“Will you pass the gravy?” Harry asked absentmindedly.

Draco’s eyes narrowed and he hesitated. “Um, was that the favor?”

“What? Oh, no,” Harry replied, realizing what he had said. He laughed.

Draco passed the gravy. “So what’s the favor?”

“If this isn’t something that you can do, I understand,” Harry warned. “I would like you to free your house elf.”

“What?” Draco asked, surprised. “Dobby?”

“Yes. He tried to protect me and I appreciate that. He was really miserable last I saw him,” Harry explained. “And if you get a new one, promise to treat him nicely?”

Draco nodded with a smile. “Of course. I’ll talk to my mother; I’m sure she will agree.”

“Oh!” Harry said, remembering. “Dumbledore told me that he would arrange a meeting for the two of you soon.”

“Great, thanks,” Draco replied, lightening up.

Harry smiled. “Glad to help.”

---{}-{}-{}---

As the door closed behind Harry, Dumbledore studied the diary that lay on his desk. On a whim, he opened the locked drawer of his desk and sifted through its contents. He pulled out a tarnished brass chain that held the decorative locket. He remembered what Severus had said about this being like no dark object he had ever seen. 

I wonder... Dumbledore thought.

---{}-{}-{}---

The guard closed the door and took up his position beside it. 

“Leave,” Severus ordered. “I can handle myself, even amongst vermin.”

He bowed his head and left the two of them alone. Severus saw him watching through the barred glass window in the heavy iron door.

“A little cocky, don’t you think? For someone who spent the last six months lying in bed,” Lucius sneered.

“It is better than spending the rest of my life on one of those prison beds,” Severus shot back. “Tell me, have you made friends with any of the dementors yet? You have so much in common with them.” Severus slowly began to circle Lucius who was chained to a steel table. “Sucking happiness from people’s lives, causing pain and fear, and enjoying it.” Severus uttered these last words in Lucius’s ear. His voice was quiet, making it that much more effective.

“You hurt my son. For that, I shall never forgive you,” Severus stated. 

“Potter is weak. As weak as his fathers, real and adopted combined.”

“You deserve worse than Azkaban,” Severus said, ignoring the jibe. “I wish your punishment were up to me. I would show you weak.”

Lucius still looked cocky. “You can’t protect Potter forever. The Dark Lord will destroy him. He will crush him like the insignificant child that he is. And I will make sure you watch.”

Severus shook his head as if admonishing a child. “He will do no such thing. Harry has beaten him three times now. I will make sure you are there to watch your master fall.”

Lucius rolled his eyes. “Let’s hope he is always there to save the day.”

“Do not worry. He will be.”

Severus spun on his heel and left the room. The guard escorted him back a different way than they had come. The dementors had been ordered away for the duration of the visit. Sunken eyes followed the pair and sent shivers up Severus’s spine. He stared straight ahead to avoid the accusing and longing glares.

“Traitor!” A voice called wildly. “You’ll pay!”
Severus slowly turned his head to the all too familiar voice. “Hello, Bella. How is prison life treating you?”

She growled in the unsettling animalistic way of hers. “Adopting Potter? Wittle Baby Potter? Does he call you ‘daddy’?”

Severus sneered. “My son will defeat the Dark Lord once and for all. I do hope to see you there when he does.”

Severus turned back to the guard with a nod as she leapt at the bars. Her hand swiped at Severus’s robes. 

“Traitor! He will murder you all! Potter too!” She screamed as they walked down the hallway. “He’ll kill you!”

“Let him try,” Severus muttered.

---{}-{}-{}---

“Harry!” Hermione cried, enveloping Harry in a hug.

“Hermione! You’re back!” he said happily.

She pulled back and smiled. “I am. Ron told me what happened in the chamber. I’m so glad you and Draco are okay!” She caught sight of the aforementioned boy. “Draco!”

As Hermione left to greet Draco, Harry was approached by Seamus.

“Hey, Harry,” he said a little awkwardly. “I’m sorry that I thought it was you. I should have known better.”

“It’s okay,” Harry said honestly. “I’m just glad you’re back.”

Seamus smiled and then moved on to greet his other friends. Harry went to join Draco, Ron and Hermione but was delayed by a familiar voice.

“Harry! Hey, Harry!” Colin said excitedly. “I heard about you and the giant snake - that is so cool!”

“Welcome back, Colin,” Harry said with a slightly forced smile.

“Will you take me down to the chamber? I could get some awesome pictures!” 

“NO,” Harry said adamantly. “Now, excuse me, Colin, I have to go talk to Hermione...”

“Sure, Harry! See you later!” he said enthusiastically.

Harry sighed deeply and pushed through the crowd to his friends. He sat down beside Hermione.

“What do you mean Dumbledore cancelled classes for a week?” she was exclaiming.

Harry laughed. “It’s good to have you back, Hermione.”

---{}-{}-{}---

Draco was coming back from the library when he was stopped by an older Hufflepuff.

“You’re Draco Malfoy, right?” she asked.

“Yeah,” he responded hesitantly.

She nodded. “Dumbledore is looking for you. The password is Candy Floss.”

“Oh, okay, thanks.” 

She gave him a fleeting smile and walked away. Draco was nervous. Was he finally going to get punished for being so hopelessly stupid and allowing all this to happen?

Draco took his time walking to the headmaster’s office. He drew in a deep breath before uttering the password. The ride to the top seemed to take less than a second and then he was faced with two heavy doors. He knocked.

“Come on in.” 

Draco pushed open the heavy doors and stepped inside. He took in the spacious office for the first time. The paintings on the walls stared at him curiously. They were unnerving. Dumbledore stood behind a large desk.

“Welcome, Draco,” he said. “You have a visitor.”

The Floo flared and a tall woman with long hair and dark robes stepped out.

“Mother,” Draco breathed.

Dumbledore smiled. “I’ll leave you two alone.” He graciously stepped out of the office and closed the doors behind him.

“Draco,” she said and rushed towards her son. She gave him a long hug then looked him up and down. “Are you truly alright?”

“Yes,” he assured her. He stepped back. “Mother, how could you have let him do this?”

Narcissa sighed. “I wish I had a choice, Draco, honestly. I didn’t know his plans until right before he assumed Severus’s identity. I threatened to tell someone and he threatened you.”

Draco nodded. “When I found out, I threatened the same thing. He said he would hurt you.” She gave him a soft look. Draco continued, “How did no one notice he was missing?”
Narcissa replied, “We passed it off as an extreme illness to the general public. To the other... Dark Lord sympathizers, we told the truth,” she glanced at the paintings. “They found it amusing.”

“So I can come home this summer?” Draco asked hopefully, changing the subject.

“Of course,” she said. 

They stood in silence for a moment. 

“Did Harry Potter truly save your life?” she asked quietly.

“Yes. He saved my life and refuses to let me feel guilty,” Draco said, almost annoyed. “Speaking of which, can you free Dobby?”

“Free Dobby? Why?” she asked, confused.

“It is the one thing that Harry asked of me. You can get another, if you want, but you have to treat him nicely.”

Narcissa nodded. “Anything for the boy who saved my son.”

Draco blushed.

“Is Severus here right now?” Narcissa asked. 

“I think so,” Draco replied.

“Would you take me to him?”

Draco nodded and led the way out of the office. He navigated the dungeons easily and they arrived at Severus’s office in only a few minutes. Narcissa knocked. There were a few seconds of silence before an annoyed voice called.

“Enter.”

---{}-{}-{}---

Harry sat in front of Severus in his office. They had simply been catching up and talking of things of little importance. Quidditch, Lockhart, classes and other trivial matters. In the lulls of the conversation, however, Harry fell to brooding.

“What are you thinking, Harry?” Severus asked after the fourth time this had happened and Harry missed something that Severus had said. 

Harry was reluctant to answer. “I was just thinking about how I should have known.”

“Should have known what?” Severus asked.

“That it wasn’t you. How did I miss that? Your whole attitude changed literally overnight and I didn’t notice? I’m a horrible excuse for a son.”

“Harry, you are no such thing. It is completely understandable that you did not notice. He obviously tried very hard to imitate me and on top of that, you were preoccupied to say the least,” he said. “This was but one of the strange things happening at the time. It is not your fault in any way, shape or form.”

Harry was still silent.
“I could not ask for a better son,” Severus insisted.

“You’re just saying that,” Harry accused.

“I would never lie to you.”

Harry opened his mouth to respond when there was a knock on the door. Severus rolled his eyes, irritated.

“Enter.”

The door opened and in stepped Draco and a woman whom Harry assumed was his mother.

Severus inclined his head. “Narcissa. What an... interesting surprise.”

“Severus,” she greeted equally. Her gaze fell on Harry. “You must be the famous Harry Potter.”

Harry nodded, still assessing whether she was more like her son or husband.

She turned to Severus first. “Severus, I want to apologize. I knew of Lucius’s plan not long beforehand but he threatened my family. I assume that you can understand why I could not risk telling.”

Surprisingly, Snape nodded. “I do not look upon this as a fault of anyone but Lucius’s.”

“Thank you,” she said, turning to Harry. “Harry Potter. You saved my son’s life. We will forever be in your debt.”

“Er, it wasn’t a problem,” Harry said.

“I also feel the need to apologize to you. You may be the one most affected by my husband’s escapades yet you did not take it out on Draco,” she said, almost curiously. “You are a rare person.”

Harry blushed. “Um, thanks.”

She smiled slightly. “Come, Draco. I must be going soon.”

Harry and Draco shared a look before the pair left the office. 

“Well that was unexpected,” Harry commented.

“Do you still feel like you are a waste of space?” Severus asked snidely.

“I never said that!” Harry said indignantly. “But, no.”

Harry grinned and Severus’s typically hard look softened. 

“Good.”

Harry, Hermione, Draco and Ron shared a potions table when at last classes resumed. Though the break had been nice, it felt good to return to the routine of school. The students chatted idly until Snape swept into the room with his usual dramatic flair. This was expected; what was less so was when Snape turned around, hands clasped in front of him and asked, “Miss me?”

Harry couldn’t help but burst out laughing. Severus raised an eyebrow at him while the whole class stared incredulously. Ever so slightly, he shook his head in resignation then waved his wand at the board.

“Where my, for lack of a better word, substitute was unfamiliar with the finer points of potion making, I am. Therefore, you ought to expect real grading from now on.”

A collective groan spread across the classroom. Snape looked like he was enjoying himself. “Well, what are you waiting for? Get started.”

Everyone scrambled to gather the needed ingredients for fear of losing house points for dawdling. Once everyone was situated, Hermione raised her hand.

“Yes, Ms. Granger?” Snape asked.

“Sir, what  about all of the house points the impostor took and rewarded?” she asked. “Most of those were done unfairly.”

The Slytherins protested this last comment loudly. Snape silenced them with a glare.

“All of his changes will be revoked,” he said simply. “In fact, I believe they already have been.”

“Thank you, Professor,” Hermione said politely. He nodded and moved to look over someone’s shoulder.

Hermione leaned over to Harry. “You’re right, I think he is nicer than the other one.”

Severus straightened and spun around. It seemed that his hearing was as good as ever.

“Ten points from Gryffindor, Ms. Granger, for insulting a teacher,” he said.

Where she would normally have been horrified, Hermione simply tried to stifle a smile with a nod. Severus gave her a long look then moved away. She looked sideways at Harry and they broke into silent laughter.

---{}-{}-{}---

“Hey there, Hagrid!” Harry greeted as he and Draco ran into the large man in the corridor after class. 

“Hi, Harry. Do you have a minute?” he asked, a little awkwardly.

“Sure,” he said. “Go on ahead, I’ll catch up,” he told Draco who complied.

“I just wanted ter thank you, Harry,” Hagrid said with feeling.

“Er, for what?” Harry asked. 

“For clearin’ my name,” he said quietly.

Harry looked confused.

“I was expelled in third year ‘cause they thought I opened the Chamber o’ Secrets. Only Dumbledore thought I didn’,” Hagrid explained. “He let me stay.”

“Oh,” Harry said, feeling uncomfortable. “Well, you’re welcome, I guess. I suppose it’s too late to come back to learn?”

Hagrid laughed, easing the tension. “Can yer see me sittin’ in a desk with all you li’l ones?”

Harry flushed. ”Well no, but are you at least allowed a wand now?”

Hagrid looked thoughtful. “Huh, I dun know. Maybe.”

Harry patted Hagrid on the arm. “You should check on that. I could teach you some advanced spells in a few years, if you want. I have to go to class now.”

“Go on, don’ want you ter be late,” he said. “And thanks again, Harry.”

“Sure thing, Hagrid,” Harry said with a smile as he made his way down the corridor. “Bye!”

Harry had to rush to get to Transfiguration on time. Despite his efforts, he walked in almost five minutes late. He nervously slipped inside quietly. Unfortunately, his seat was almost at the front of the class. There was no way McGonagall wouldn’t notice him. He tiptoed down the aisle and almost made it when she finished writing on the chalkboard and turned around. They briefly made eye contact but then, much to Harry’s surprise, she proceeded to pretend as if he were not there. Her eyes scanned the room, flitting right over Harry, who stood in the aisle way. Amazed at his luck, he slid into his seat next to Hermione. Even she didn’t give him a disappointed look for being late. He grinned. He was beginning to like this hero status.

---{}-{}-{}---

The next weeks passed smoothly as things settled back into their normal routine. Quidditch practice took up much of Harry’s free time as the team prepared for their final match. Wood was training them hard which, under normal circumstances, would have caused Harry stress. Instead, he found the physical exertion a good place to channel the emotions, good and bad, that had resulted from his most recent escapade. Harry could tell the Draco felt much the same way and, together, they looked forward to practice. On one saturday in mid march, Harry and Draco walked up from the pitch, exhausted. 

“So what do you think our chances of winning are?” Harry asked Draco.

“Well, it’s Slytherin,” Draco said. 

“Yes...?” Harry asked, wondering if there was more to that statement.

“Anything can happen,” he said with a shrug.

“Is Nott a good Seeker?” Harry asked. “Or did he just buy his way onto the team with those brooms?”

“He’s pretty tall for a Seeker but he is a good flyer. You’ll have your work cut out for you,” Draco said. 

Harry groaned. “We have to beat them. Then we’ll have a chance at the cup, right?”

“Maybe the Quiddtich Cup, but not the House Cup.”

“Good enough,” Harry said contentedly. They had reached the portrait hole and gave the password. Harry stepped into the common room looking forward to cleaning up and turning in.

“Um, Harry?” a tentative voice said from behind Harry as he headed to the dorm. 

He turned around to find Ginny. “Yeah?”

“Uh, Hagrid asked if you would come see him tomorrow after the game,” she said timidly.

“Alright, thanks Ginny,” he replied.

She flushed slightly. “Good luck tomorrow.”

Harry grinned. “Thanks.”

At a loss for what else to say, she stammered, “Bye.” 

Harry simply nodded and climbed the stairs to his dorm feeling both excited and nervous for the day to follow.

---{}-{}-{}---

The next morning, Harry sat at breakfast with his friends and some of his team. They were chatting about the match. Harry nibbled on some toast and listened to the conversation around him.

“Hey, where’s Fred?” Ron asked George who, for once, sat alone. Harry saw Draco perk up out of the corner of his eye. If Fred were sick, Draco would get to play.

George replied with a mischievous grin and a nod of his chin at the Slytherin table. Harry tried to discreetly turn and look. He saw Nott hovering chummily behind Flint and another Slytherin Quidditch player. He had a hand on each of their shoulders and was talking rapidly. They looked ready to throttle him. Harry turned back to George.

“I don’t understand,” Harry said.

George lowered his voice. “Remember that vial of polyjuice you guys gave us? Well we decided to use it to sow discord before the match.”

“So Nott is...” Harry said, eyes narrowed.

“Fred, yes. And the real Nott is going to wake up in a half hour or so.”

Ron reached across the table to give George a high five.

“What made you think of that?” Harry asked. “You could have just potioned him to miss the game.”

George looked approvingly at Harry. “Ah, but you see, my young friend, that is illegal and easily discovered. This will make the team hostile towards Nott and they won’t function as well without anyone but Nott getting suspicious.”

“Technically,” Hermione chimed in, “this is illegal too. But of all the situations I played out in my head before giving you the potion, I have to admit, this was one of the better choices. I guess I can’t complain.”

“No you can’t,” George said. He looked over at the Slytherin table. He leaned over to Draco. “We’re going to let you get even with the Nott, okay?”

Draco nodded warily. 

“When ‘Nott’ comes over here, bugging you, stand up to him. Say whatever you want then whisper something in his ear. Got it?” 

Draco nodded again. 

“Good. Here he comes,” George straightened back up.

Harry and his friends pretended not to notice “Nott” coming up behind them. He walked up behind Draco and shoved him in the back of the head.

“Have another Basilisk on hand?” he asked snidely. “It’d take one to get Gryffindor to win.”

“If I had another, I assure you, you would be the first to know,” Draco shot back. 

Fred grinned. “Was that a threat?”

Draco whispered something into his ear. As he pulled back, George surreptitiously aimed his wand at “Nott” and whispered something. The front of his robe acquired a growing wet spot and he flushed red. 

“No,” Draco said. “But that was.”

The whole of the Gryffindor table stifled a laugh and Harry could see most of the others doing so as well. If anything, the Slytherins seemed even more angry with him for ruining their collective image. Harry couldn’t stop grinning as Draco sat down and “Nott” ran for the bathroom. They joked about the situation for several long minutes, spirits high. Before long, they were joined by a familiar red head. 

“Sorry, guys,” Fred apologized. “Overslept. What’d I miss?”

They looked at him then burst into laughter. Fred joined in.

“Thanks, Fred. That was the highlight of my week,” Draco said earnestly.

“Not a problem. If a Slytherin ever needs shaming, I’m your man,” he replied. “Now about that Quidditch game...”

---{}-{}-{}---

Harry’s estimation of the Weasley twins’ intelligence grew as their plan worked flawlessly. The Slytherin team was disjointed and Nott was ignored for the most part. He looked so confused that Harry almost felt bad. The Slytherins still wanted to win, badly. Their one problem was Nott. He was so concerned about why everyone was mad at him that catching the Snitch before him was easy work for Harry. In fact, the plan worked so well that Gryffindor managed to win by a margin that gave them the Quidditch Cup. Though they had lost (embarassingly) to Hufflepuff, Gryffindor crushed Ravenclaw and with this win, they had just pulled ahead of Slytherin. 

“Great job, guys!” Wood said excitedly as they landed. “You’re the best team anyone could ask for.”

Congratulations flowed around for a good while after the game ended. As usual, the twins excused themselves early to get food for the inevitable party. Eventually, the rest of the team followed, all but Harry.

“I’ll be up in a bit,” he told Draco. “Hagrid wanted to see me.”

“Alright, but don’t be too long,” he advised. “Everyone will be wanting to see you.”

There wasn’t a hint of jealousy in his voice. Harry smiled. “Sure.”

Harry headed off towards Hagrid’s cabin, not far from the pitch. He knocked on the door when he arrived and it opened quickly.

“Hey there, Harry!” he said happily. “Come on in.”

Harry stepped inside and sat on one of the large stools at Hagrid’s table.

“Congratulations on the cup!” Hagrid said with a large smile.

“Thanks,” Harry replied. “Ginny said that you wanted to see me.”

“I did,” he said. “I wanted ta tell you that I’m ‘lowed a wand now!”

Harry smiled. “Really? Hagrid, that’s great!”
“I know. I wanted ter see if you would come with me to get it.”

“Now?” Harry asked, a little surprised. 

Hagrid nodded. “I’m a little nervous goin’ down there. Ollivander really creeped me ou’ when I was younger.”

“Uh, sure,” Harry agreed reluctantly. “But I’ll have to be back before dark. Snape’s rules and all.” That was a plausible lie and it would be dark in about two hours. Since the party usually lasted well past curfew, Harry figured that he would be back in time for most of it.

“‘Course, I understand. We’ll go to Hogsmede and take the Floo from ther’.”

“Hogsmede?” Harry asked. “How far away is that?”

“It’s a li’l ways on foot, but it’ll be faster if we take the bike,” Hagrid said. “Come on.”

Harry followed Hagrid around the back of his house where he pulled aside a tarp to reveal a large motorcycle. 

“Wow. That’s really cool, Hagrid. Where’d you get a motorcycle?” 

“Oh, uh, Sirius Black gave it to me before... never mind,” he said. “Hop on.”

Excited, Harry climbed on behind Hagrid and held on to his coat. Hagrid started the bike with a roar and Harry thought that he probably should’ve asked Snape before agreeing to this. The problem was that Snape probably would’ve said no. 

“Ready?” Hagrid asked.

“Yeah!” 

“Ok,” he said and the bike lurched forward.

They had only gone a few feet when Hagrid pulled some sort of wheelie. Harry clung tighter and was ready to tell him to stop when he realized that they were no longer touching the ground. The bike leveled out and soared through the air, much like a broom. From this vantage point, Harry could see the vast expanse of Forbidden Forest and the small village in the distance. They were in Hogsmede within minutes and Harry swung his leg off the bike. 

“Wow,” he said again.

“I hope you weren’ cold. I thought yer Quidditch stuff would keep you warm,” Hagrid said.

“That was great!” Harry said, not disturbed by the cold at all. 

Hagrid smiled. “In here,” he said, gesturing towards the Hogs Head.

They went inside a dingy and shady looking bar where Hagrid waved familiarly at the owner and stepped to the fireplace. He produced a package of Floo powder from his pocket and offered it to Harry. 

“To Diagon Alley,” he said.

Harry nodded and took a handful. He Flooed successfully to Diagon Alley where he waited for Hagrid. He came along within a few seconds and then they were off to Ollivanders. 

“Here we go,” Harry said, walking up to the entrance. He opened the door and stepped inside, Hagrid following close behind. 

“Ah, Mr. Potter,” Ollivander said in greeting. “Back again so soon? Hope you didn’t break your wand.”

Harry smiled uncertainly, unsure of whether or not he was creepy or friendly. “No, my friend here needs a wand.”

Ollivander looked at Hagrid. “A moment.”

He disappeared.

“See, not so bad,” Harry said encouragingly. Hagrid nodded. Harry still found it almost amusing that a man as large and formidable as Hagrid would be intimidated by the old wandmaker.

He returned quickly with a few boxes in his hand.

“English oak, weren’t you?” Ollivander said briskly. “16 inches?”

Hagrid nodded. 

“Here, try this. It’s English oak, 15 3/4 inches, firm.” Ollivander handed Hagrid a dark wand.

He gave it a wave and exploded a glass bottle on Ollivander’s desk. Harry took it upon himself to repair it.

“Interesting,” Ollivander said as he took back the wand. “It seems you have changed since you were younger. Here, cedar, 16 1/2 inches and slightly pliable.”

He handed Hagrid a thick, sturdy wand. Hagrid gave it a tentative wave and it glowed softly from the end. “I’ll take it,” he said, handing over the coins.

Harry smiled. “Great, let’s go. Thank you, Mr. Ollivander.”

He merely nodded and watched the pair step out. They walked back the way they had come as Hagrid examined his new wand.

“Like it?” Harry asked. 

“It’s beautiful,” he said emotionally. “They snapp’d my old one in half when I was expelled.”

“That must have been hard to watch,” Harry said. He almost considered his wand a friend. To see it broken would be horrible.

Hagrid nodded sadly. “Thanks fer comin’ with me, Harry. I appreciate it.”

“No problem, Hagrid.”

“We best get you back befor’ Dumbledore yells at me,” he said. “He told me I couldn’t take you fer too long.”

“Or before Snape yells at you,” Harry said with a grin.

“That’d probably be worse, huh?”

“Yep.”

---{}-{}-{}---

Luckily, with the help of the flying motorbike, they were back at Hogwarts before dark. Harry excused himself quickly, said goodbye to Hagrid and hurried up to the party. When he stepped in, cheers sounded as people raised their butterbeers to him. Harry grinned. He went to get himself one, then joined in the party, talking and having a good time. He had a great night and went to sleep smiling.

---{}-{}-{}---

Chapter 20

“You left the grounds with Hagrid on Sirius Black’s flying motorcycle and went to Diagon Alley?” Severus clarified. “What ridiculous nonsense is this?”

“It’s not nonsense, that’s what happened last night after the Quidditch game,” Harry insisted.

“I am afraid to believe you,” Severus confessed. “If I do, that means you left the grounds with out my permission or, at the very least, knowledge.”

Harry hung his head. “Sorry.”

“What was it you got in Diagon Alley?” Severus asked.

“We got Hagrid a wand.”

“A wand?” Severus raised a brow. “Merlin help us all.”

Harry gave him a look. “Hagrid is not that bad! He is really nice.”

“You know full well that I do not trust him after that...accident with Fluffy last year. He is irresponsible,” Severus insisted.

“Then maybe you could teach him to use it responsibly,” Harry stated. Judging from the look on Severus’s face, he was not amused. He did drop the subject, however.

“Regardless, I do suppose congratulations are in order,” he said a bit grudgingly.

Harry grinned. “Yep. We crushed Slytherin.”

“No foul play involved?” Severus asked suspiciously.

Harry occluded his mind. “Foul play is Slytherin’s department.”

Severus tilted his head. “Then how did the Weasley twins get put in Gryffindor?”

Harry shrugged and changed the subject. “How come you assigned that huge Potions essay? Nobody has time for that.”

“Why not? Too busy studying for the end-of-year exams?” he asked a touch sarcastically.

“Already? They’re almost two months away!” Harry exclaimed.

  “Exactly,” he said. “You best get started now.”

Harry groaned. “I’ll be fine.”

“Cocky as ever,” Severus muttered.

---{}-{}-{}---

Later on, Harry wished that he had begun studying when Severus had mentioned it. The next two months flew by, leaving Harry and his friends cramming for their exams. Studying became night and day, filling the gaps that Quidditch had left behind. Harry yearned for a distraction and soon enough, one came his way.

“What do you mean Lockhart’s been sacked?” Ron asked incredulously as everyone gathered around Seamus, who apparently had the news.

“Yup,” he said cheerily. “I guess the other teachers got suspicious when he didn’t try to rescue Draco and they looked into him. Got him to admit that he didn’t do anything in those books; stole it all and wiped their memories, he did.” 

The girls looked downright horrified. “How do you know?” one asked.

“That doesn’t sound like the brave, charming Lockhart we know,” Lavender spoke up.

“I heard McGonagall and Flitwick talking. And are you mental, Lavender? The guy is an idiot,” Seamus said.

Approval spread through the gathered guys at Seamus’s comment. Harry certainly agreed.

“Are they going to expose him?” Harry asked. 

Seamus shrugged. “Hope so.”

As it turned out, they did. The next morning, the Great Hall was abuzz over the shocking article in the Daily Prophet.

Lockhart: Fancy or Fraud?

By Rita Skeeter

New information has come out about the Hogwarts Professor and five time winner of Witch Weekly’s Most Charming Smile Award, Gilderoy Lockhart. The hearthrob’s colleagues claim that his publications are based off deeds performed by others rather than by Lockhart himself. They claim that he admitted to wiping the memories of the heroes and passing off the feats as his own. Is there any truth to these claims or are the other Hogwarts Professors just jealous of his fame and fortune? I talked to Potions Master Severus Snape, one who is not unfamiliar with fame being that he adopted none other than Harry Potter. It is common knowledge that he desires Lockhart’s position as Defense Against the Dark Arts professor and has this to say about the aforementioned wizard: “He is a blithering idiot. A cornish pixie could outwit that one. In fact, I believe one already has. The only thing he can do right are memory charms, apparently.” Though we have yet to acquire concrete evidence supporting these allegations, rumor has it that Lockhart has been fired from Hogwarts. We here at the Daily Prophet would like to hear your opinion: is Lockhart a charmer or a charlatan?

“Charlatan,” Ron said definitively.

Hermione rolled her eyes. “Do you even know what that means?”

“Sure...” he said unconvincingly. His eyes perused the paragraph. “Fraud?”

Hermione looked at him. “Lucky guess.”

Ron grinned. 

“Did Snape really say that?” Dean asked Harry.

Harry shrugged. “Probably. I could see it. But I can’t see him talking to a reporter.”

Harry glanced up at the Head Table. Snape sat reading, newspaper in hand. The expression on his face was one of loathing though Harry didn’t know if it was directed at Lockhart or Skeeter. Lockhart’s seat was empty. 

“Come on, Harry,” Hermione urged. “There is more studying to do. You really need to get on that Transfiguration.”

Harry moaned. “Can’t we take one day off?” 

“No,” she insisted. “You’ll take one day then you won’t want to go back. Get up.”

“Sometimes, Hermione...” Harry began tiredly as he stood.

“You’ll thank me later.”

Harry grunted and followed her to the library, wishing it were next week so he could just take the tests and be done.

---{}-{}-{}---

Harry got his wish and almost immediately regretted it. The tests were a horror. After being distracted by so many other things that year, Harry had gaps in his knowledge that stretched for pages on his exams. He vaguely remembered Hermione saying something about the International Warlock Convention but for the life of him could not remember what year it had taken place. He made up a date like he had been doing on each of the previous written exams. The only one he felt truly good about was Potions. Herbology wasn’t bad either but the current History of Magic wasn’t going very well.

Transfiguration was, as expected, horrible; it was Harry’s worst subject. When at last the exam was over, Harry was relieved that he only had one left: Defense Against the Dark Arts. He figured this would be tough seeing as Lockhart never taught them anything useful. If they asked his favorite color or how many times he had won the most charming smile award, though, Harry would ace it. He walked with the other second year Gryffindors to the testing room which sported a cream colored sign on the door.

“What’s it say?” someone from the back of the group yelled.

“It says that since there was no one to make the test, the exam has been cancelled,” Neville said, scanning the paper.

“Yes!” Ron said obnoxiously, pumping his fist in the air.

Hermione looked crestfallen and for once, Harry sympathized. “I studied so hard for this!” she said. “All for nothing.”

“I know,” Harry said. “It sucks, but I’d still rather not take it.”

Happy now, they headed out for the customary after exams walk of the grounds. It was a cloudy day and it looked as if rain threatened. Nevertheless, everyone was in high spirits. 

“I can’t believe our second year is over already,” Hermione said sadly.

“Why not? You missed half of it,” Draco said teasingly.

She gave him a look.
“I know what you mean,” Harry said. “It went so fast.”

“I wonder if there will be a year where something crazy doesn’t happen. Are giant snakes and such normal for Hogwarts?” Ron asked rhetorically.

“They’re beginning to be,” Hermione said. 

“I wonder what next year will be...” Draco said almost wistfully.

Everyone turned to look at him.

“What?” he said defensively. “It could be something cool like...a centaur replacing Lockhart!”

“Chances are it won’t be that simple,” Ron said pessimistically. 

“Oh, lighten up, guys. Whatever it is, we can handle it,” Harry said confidently. “Now we probably ought to go start packing so we can enjoy our last day tomorrow.”

“Alright,” Hermione said sadly. As they made their way back up to the castle, it started to rain.

---{}-{}-{}---

Harry slid into his seat at the Gryffindor table for what he realized would be the next to last time until next year. The thought made him twinge with sadness despite his excitement for summer and returning to Spinner’s End. Returning home. The feast was filled with excited energy as almost everyone looked forward to the close of the school year. 

“I’m going to miss this cooking,” Ron commented as he scooped a plateful of corn casserole.

“You can always come visit,” Harry offered. “Midgy is a great cook.”

“Really? Come visit the Snape household? That wouldn’t be awkward...” he said skeptically. 

“It wouldn’t be,” Harry insisted. “You all could come,” he said, extending the invitation to Hermione and Draco.

“Snape won’t mind?” Hermione asked.

“Of course not.”

“I find that hard to believe,” Ron muttered.

Harry gave him a look. “What, are you guys just going to avoid me all summer? It’ll be fine. Let me worry about it.”

Ron shrugged. “Okay, send me an owl.”

The others nodded in agreement.

“Alright, I will,” Harry promised, glad for something to look forward to over the summer.

As the meal wrapped up, Dumbledore approached the podium for his customary remarks.

“Well, it has been another interesting year,” he said with a gleam in his eye. “I am glad that we avoided closing because of the attacks; that would have ben sad indeed. The fact that we did not was due largely to two Gryffindors of whom I am extremely proud. Both Harry Potter and Ron Weasley will be receiving awards for special services to the school for both ridding us of the basilisk, exposing the fraud posing as one of our beloved professors and showing unparalleled bravery in the face of the unknown. In addition to the award, I believe we can summon up a hearty round of applause to go with it.” 

The hoots and applause made Harry and Ron blush.

Dumbledore smiled and continued, “Now one for Slytherin is in order for it is to them that this year’s house cup belongs.”

Another, rather more halfhearted, bout of clapping ensued.

“That is all I have to say,” Dumbledore stated, “enjoy your holiday.” He turned to leave, then remembered something. “Oh, will Hermione Granger, Colin Creevey and Seamus Finnigan please see me after the feast? Thank you.”

Hermione looked surprised. As everyone rose to leave, she excused herself and headed over to talk to Dumbledore. Harry and Ron looked at each other, shrugged, then proceeded with the rest to the common room.

---{}-{}-{}---

Hermione came in not long afterwards looking confused.

“What did he want?” Draco asked. 

“He said that since we missed so much school we were excused from the end of year exams,” she said.

“A little late,” Ron commented.

“Lucky,” Harry said.

“What’d you say?” Draco asked.

“I said I would rather keep my scores,” Hermione admitted.

“What?!” they asked in unison.

Hermione looked amused. “What? I worked hard for those. I really didn’t miss anything I couldn’t teach myself.”

Ron rolled his eyes. “You need a lesson from Fred and George on how to get the best scores while doing the least work.”

Harry looked at him.

Ron shrugged. “They gave me some pointers last summer. How do you think I passed History of Magic?”

Harry grinned. “I might have to invite them over this summer too,” he said. “But that conversation will be kept secret from Snape.”

“Agreed,” two voices chorused from behind the group. 

Harry rolled his eyes. “I’m going to bed. See you all in the morning.”

“Bye, Harry.”

---{}-{}-{}---

“Bye, guys,” Harry said sadly. “I’ll miss you all.”

Hermione actually had tears in her eyes as they stood in front of the train. “Oh, Harry!” she said, hugging him tight. “Don’t forget to write.”

“How could I forget?” he asked with a sad smile.

She gave him a soft look and stepped back. Ron clapped him on the arm.

“I’ll miss chasing snakes with you, mate,” he said with a twinge of sarcasm.

“Hopefully those days are behind us,” Harry replied. Ron smiled.

“Thank you, Harry,” Draco said. “For everything. I couldn’t ask for a better friend.”

“It wasn’t a problem, Draco. Really,” Harry looked at the three of them. “And I certainly couldn’t ask for better friends either.”

“Are you sure you can’t come with us?” Ron asked.

“Yeah, I told Snape I would just wait for him to be ready and leave from here. It’s easier,” Harry said.

“Well, be safe, Harry,” Hermione said as the whistle sounded.

“Keep in touch!” Ron insisted.

“See you,” Draco added.

With a wave, Harry watched his friends board the Hogwarts Express, bound for their homes. When it had pulled away, Harry walked back up to the castle alone.

---{}-{}-{}---

Harry lugged his trunk out of the fireplace and slumped on the couch. It was good to be home.

“Are you not going to take that to your room?” Severus asked, handing him Carmax.

Harry groaned. “Alright,” he said, accepting the cage and picking up the trunk. He took the two to his room but did not unpack. That could wait...perhaps all summer? He came trotting back downstairs just as Midgy came in.

“Would master like some lemonade?” she asked in her squeaky voice.

“Sure,” Harry replied. 

She bowed and disappeared. Harry sat down on the couch once more to wait for Severus to return from picking up the rest of his luggage from Hogwarts. With a pop, a house elf appeared, and Harry thought that it was Midgy.

“Harry Potter!” 

“Dobby?” he asked. “What are you doing here?”
“Dobby is free now!” he said. “All thanks to the great Harry Potter!”

“Oh, Dobby, it was really nothing,” Harry insisted. He could only imagine what Snape would say of all this praising. He would find it very amusing. Therefore, Harry needed Dobby to stop before he got back.

“Harry Potter is an amazing wizard!” Dobby squeaked. “The best wizard!”
The Floo flared. Harry winced.

“What is going on here?” Severus asked, taking in the scene with a furrowed brow.

“Harry Potter is the greatest, kindest, most-” Dobby began.

“Dobby!” Harry snapped. 

It was too late. To the unpracticed eye, Severus may have simply been interested. Harry, however, could tell that he was amused. 

“What did Harry do to deserve this?” Severus asked, lip twitching.

“He freed Dobby! Masters gave Dobby clothes because Harry Potter asked them to!” Dobby said, eyes wide as always. 

“Is that so?” Severus asked, looking at Harry. “I hope he does not start going around freeing all the house elves. I am rather partial to mine.”

Harry rolled his eyes.

“Midgy doesn’t want freed!” she squeaked from the doorway, two lemonades in her hand. “Midgy likes it here.”

“I am glad,” Severus said.

“You’re glad?” Harry asked. “You have emotion?”

Severus shot him a glare.

“Thanks, Midgy,” Harry said, accepting the lemonade. “And you’re welcome, Dobby. You can go now, but stop by and visit anytime.”

“Thank you, Harry Potter!” 

He disappeared with a pop.

“He can ‘visit anytime’?” Severus asked. “I see that you have taken it upon yourself to invite people over.”

“Oh, uh yeah, about that...” Harry hedged.

Severus raised a brow.

“I kind of invited Hermione, Ron and Draco,” Harry admitted. “Is that okay?”

“As long as they send notice and do not just pop in like your friend Dobby, I am fine with it,” Severus said.

Harry smiled. “Okay, great. Now can we eat lunch?”

“Certainly.”

They went into the kitchen where Midgy had prepared sandwiches and cookies.

“How do you think you did on your final exams?” Severus asked Harry, making conversation.

“Er, I did well on Potions and Defense Against the Dark Arts,” Harry said as if those were the only ones that mattered.

“Naturally,” Severus said.

“Why didn’t someone else give the Defense test?” Harry asked to prevent questions about the other exams.

“None of the other professors wanted to make a test without being familiar with the content,” Severus said. “I volunteered.”

“Why didn’t they let you?” Harry asked.

“Dumbledore thought it would be nice for the students to have a break,” Severus said darkly. “And I don’t think he wanted me to get my hopes up.”

“What?”

“For the job next year. They need a new professor now and, naturally, I put my name in the hat,” Severus said.

“I hope you get it,” Harry said earnestly. “That would be fun.”

“For you. For everyone else, it would be a nightmare,” he said, lip curling a bit.

Harry laughed. “I hope next year is normal.”

Severus gave him a serious look. “I truly hope so as well. You are put in danger fat too often at Hogwarts of all places. It is supposed to be safest for you but it does not seem that way.”

“Severus,” Harry began, then hesitated. “Should I have been put in Slytherin?”

“What in Merlin’s name would make you think that?” Severus asked.

“Well, the Sorting Hat did consider it,” Harry admitted. “And I can speak Parseltongue...”
Severus pushed aside his plate. “Harry, you are an exceptionally brave young man. I know what you did. Draco knew almost exactly what was going on yet he did not act on it, he didn’t say anything. You did.”

“Don’t insul-” Harry began.

Severus raised a hand. “I’m not. However, his lack of action is an example of the Slytherin way of thinking. Self preservation. I am guilty of the same thing. Draco may be in Gryffindor now but he still thinks like a Slytherin.”

“Gryffindor’s sword...” Harry thought aloud.

“What?”

“I pulled Gryffindor’s sword from the hat,” Harry explained. “I must be in the right house.”

“I am sure of it,” Severus said.

Harry felt a little better. “But what about the parseltongue?”

Severus sighed. “Dumbledore has a theory but I am reluctant to tell you.”

“Why?” Harry asked.

“It is frightening. Especially for one as young as you and one who has lived a life as hard as you have. It would be chilling even for me,” Severus admitted.

“Tell me,” Harry said.

“Are you sure?” 

“Yes. I need to know,” Harry insisted.

“Dumbledore believes that when Voldemort,” he gritted the name through his teeth, “tried to kill you, he transferred some of his powers to you. That is why you can speak Parseltongue.”

“I will never be able to escape him, will I?” Harry asked quietly.

“I’m afraid not,” Severus said.

“And now I don’t know what’s me and what’s him,” Harry said.

“Harry, listen to me,” he said. “He may have given you a power or two, but you are still you. You may not be able to escape the influence of... Voldemort, but we are all here with you, to support you. I am here. Dumbledore is here. Your friends are here. Okay?”

“Okay,” Harry smiled a little sadly. “Okay.”

“Now finish your sandwich,” he said, leaning back. “Greatest wizard ever,” he added snidely, alluding to Dobby’s praise. Harry glared. 

---{}-{}-{}---

Narcissa scanned the crowd for her son.

“Draco!” she called, spotting the familiar blond head amidst a sea of students.

“Mother!” he replied, looking a little surprised.

She gave him a soft smile. Ever since her husband was sent away to Azkaban, Narcissa found it much easier to express her emotions. Before, she had kept them hidden, feeling much like Severus in that respect. Giving too much of her thoughts away would leave her exposed and vulnerable. In many ways she sympathized with Severus and was sad to have been involved in causing him so much pain. Harry was a different story. Lucius had cultured her to hate the boy though it seemed almost illogical. Now in light of recent events, she was being forced to change her views, which was tough, but necessary. Nevertheless, as Draco chatted about school, every time Harry Potter’s name came up, Narcissa was forced to quell the venomous reaction that Lucius had instilled in her. It would come in time, she supposed.

For now, however, Narcissa simply hugged her son, glad that they were finally together and free from her husband’s negative influence.

Later that night, Draco asked, “How long will he be in Azkaban?”

“The minimum is four years,” she said, “But it could be as many as ten.”

Draco nodded. “So four years to rebuild before he comes back and tears everything apart.”

“Draco, don’t talk about-” she began to scold him out of habit. “Never mind. Go ahead; he deserves it.”

Draco smiled. “He does. Did you let Dobby go?”

“Yes,” she said. “He was very happy. I’m pretty sure he will worship Harry Potter forever.”

“By the end, I’m sure he won’t be the only one,” Draco stated.

“By the end of what?”

“The end of Voldemort,” Draco said.

“Please don’t say his name,” Narcissa said.

Draco looked at his mother. “Why not? He can’t hurt me.”

“Yes he can,” Narcissa insisted. “If there is one thing I’ve learned being married to your father, it is to not underestimate the Dark Lord. I’m not sure how, but I’m certain he will come back. And then, he most certainly can hurt you.”

“I’m best friends with Harry Potter,” Draco said confidently. “He can’t hurt me.”

 ---{}-{}-{}---

Harry spent the remainder of the day unpacking and re-familiarizing himself with his summer home. He pulled out a few books that he could reread and set them on his bedside table. He walked downstairs to say goodnight to Severus before turning in.

“I’m going to bed,” he stated tiredly. “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, Harry,” Severus said, looking up from a stack of letters. “It has been a long day. Perhaps I should follow your example and go to bed myself.”

“I’m proud of you, Severus,” Harry said out of the blue.

“Why?” Severus asked, surprised by the comment.

“You said ‘Voldemort’ today,” Harry said with a grin, “You’re making progress.”

“Am I?”

“Yeah, you are,” he said. “I think we all are. One day we will live without fear of him. I know it. Goodnight.”

On that philosophical note, Harry went to bed, ending the chapter of his second year but beginning another, hopefully better one. 

---{}-{}-{}---