A bright beam of sunshine slanting across his eyes woke Harry up the next morning. Blinking blearily in confusion, it took him a few minutes to realize that he had been so exhausted the night before he'd forgotten to close the curtains around his bed. ~That's what I get for not paying attention~ he grumbled to himself as he padded barefoot across the cold stone floor to the window. Looking out, Harry realized why the sun had seemed so bright to him, it had snowed during the night, and the hills surrounding Hogwarts were cloaked in pristine whiteness. In the distance he could see smoke rising lazily from the chimney of Hagrid's cabin. He heaved a deep sigh of contentment as he watched the quiet scene before him, then turned and walked over to Ron's bed, quietly drawing back the curtains around his bed. He watched his friend sleeping peacefully for a moment while he decided on his next move.
"Wake up! It's snowed!" Harry shouted as he jumped up and down on Ron's bed.
"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" Ron screamed as he fell off the bed with a loud thump! "Harry, I'm going to kill you!"
Harry smiled down at his friend's indignant face, hearing the rest of the boys stirring in their beds. "Last one out in the quadrangle gets a face full of snow!" he shouted as he jumped off Ron's bed and ran to his chest to get some warm clothes for the day.
Ron watched him blearily for a moment, clearly trying to wake up, and then hopped up and began to get dressed himself. Both boys reached the portrait hole at the same time, and with some pushing and shoving managed to get out into the hall. By the time the rest of the boys from their class showed up, Ron and Harry were in the midst of a furious snowball fight! By the time they staggered into the Great Hall for breakfast, all of them were covered in bits and blobs of snow.
Hermione and Ginny, watching from the Gryffindor table as the boys straggled in, were struck by how happy Harry looked, with his arm slung companionably about Ron's shoulders and a merry grin on his face.
"What have you been up to this early in the morning?" Hermione asked curiously, brushing at the snow clinging to Ron's red hair.
"Harry went mental on us and woke us up at the crack of dawn to go play in the snow." Ron said, absentmindedly bending down so Hermione could reach the top of his head.
"It was not the crack of dawn, Ron, and admit it, you had fun!" Harry grinned at Ginny as he sat down.
"Pass the eggs please" Ron said, looking at the dishes on the table. "No sane person would be up at that hour mate."
As Harry opened his mouth to deliver a withering comment, Professor Dumbledore rose from his seat at the head table. Professor McGonagall tapped her glass with her knife to attract everyone's attention.
"I have an announcement to make. As you all know, last year a Yule ball was held in honor of the Triwizard contest. There was such a positive response that we have decided to repeat the event this year. The ball will take place on the Saturday evening preceding Christmas, so that those planning to be home for Christmas may attend." Dumbledore sat back down, leaving a stunned silence behind him.
Harry and Ron looked at each other in horror, remembering the difficulties they had last year getting dates.
"Look on the bright side mate, at least you've got good robes this year!" Harry said, trying to encourage Ron.
"Why do they do this to us?" Ron moaned, leaning his forehead on his hand.
"You know the solution to your problem, don't you Ron?" Hermione asked with an odd light in her eye. "Just ask someone soon so that you don't get 'stuck with a troll.'"
Ron winced, remembering the scene that had played out in the Gryffindor common room last year.
Harry, also thinking about the trouble they'd had last year after they put off asking for a date for too long, looked contemplatively across the table at Hermione and Ginny. Maybe it would be better to ask a girl who was a friend, and those two certainly had proven themselves to be good friends the last few months. He leaned across the table quickly before he could have a chance to lose his nerve.
"Ginny, wouldyougototheballwithme?" Harry could feel his cheeks flushing as he blurted out his question.
Ginny looked at him in surprise, a spoonful of cereal hung in mid-air, half way to her mouth. "I'm sorry, what?"
"I said, will you go to the ball with me?" Harry enunciated clearly, feeling his face heat even more. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Ron staring at him in disbelief.
Ginny's face was flushed a delicate pink as she answered "Yes," and belatedly brought the dripping spoon to her mouth.
Harry leaned back in relief. One less thing to worry about, he thought, and then jumped as Ron's elbow hit his side.
"Oy there, why did you do that?" Ron seemed astonished at this turn of events.
"Hermione's right. Sort of. Not about going with a troll, but better to get it over with. Now I don't have to worry about who to ask." Harry leaned back with a relieved look on his face.
Ron turned over what Harry had said in his mind, and then, seeming to reach a decision, leaned across the table toward Hermione. "Hermione, will you go to the ball with me?"
"So you don't have to go with a troll?" Hermione asked, her eyebrow raised quizzically.
"No, because you're a friend, and I don't want to have this hanging over my head." Ron said.
"Oh, well, in that case, yes, I'll go with you." Hermione said. "Ah, mail!"
Flocks of owls were streaming into the hall, packages, parcels and letters held in their claws and beaks. Harry was surprised to find two owls battling for his attention. He quickly untied the letters they carried from their legs, and settled back to read.
"What have you got, Harry?" Ron asked as he leaned over Harry's shoulder.
"Letter from McGonagall, she wants us to come up to her office around 8:00 tonight, we're going to try Hermione's charm idea on some animals to see if it works!" Harry exclaimed with an excited look. He glanced quickly at the head table, and saw that Professor McGonagall was smiling at him.
"She must have looked it over and decided it could work!" Hermione said, bouncing slightly in her seat.
"So, what's the other one then?" Ron asked, looking at the other letter, which had Harry's name written in bright purple ink. "Where have I seen that color before?" he mused.
Ginny turned from Hermione to regard her brother across the table. "What color where?"
"On Harry's letter. That color ink, I know I've seen it somewhere before."
"Let me see!" Hermione grabbed the letter from Harry and examined it closely. "You're right Ron, it looks just like that purple stuff that Fred and George were playing with last night."
"No, I mean I've seen that ink before. It's an unusual color, and I remember noticing it before. Now where.." Ron's voice petered out as he considered the puzzle.
"If you don't mind," Harry said as he snatched the envelope out of Hermione's hand, "I'd like to read my mail!"
Harry turned the envelope over and looked at the wax seal on it. It too was purple, a purple so dark it was almost black, and showed a stylized "S" surrounded by a small, furry, creature. He carefully loosened the seal, trying not to break it in the process.
"Ah hah!" Ron exclaimed loudly, sitting up straight in his chair. "I've got it!"
"Got what?" Sean leaned toward Ron to ask.
"Oh, er, nothing, just a problem I was working on for Herbology." Ron said, his ears turning slightly pink at the tips. Sean shrugged his shoulders and turned back to his conversation with Neville.
"Harry, remember that package you got at my Mum and Dad's house? The one with the clothes in it? Did you ever figure out who sent it to you?" Ron had lowered his voice so that the rest of the table couldn't listen in.
"No, actually, I forgot about it," Harry said.
"Wasn't the ink on the note that came with them about this color?"
Ginny and Hermione leaned forward to look at the note more closely. "I think he's right Harry," Ginny said.
"It was pretty bright, now that I think about it," Hermione mused.
"Well, the only way to tell who it's from is to open it," Harry shrugged philosophically as he pulled the note from the envelope.
"So, what's it say?" Ginny asked impatiently, as they watched Harry read it.
"I'll read it to you. 'Harry, I need to talk to you. Meet me this evening in Professor Dumbledore's office at 8:00pm. The password is Mars Bars. Severus Snape.'"
"You don't think." Ron stumbled to a stop, unable to put his thoughts into words.
"Well, it makes sense, doesn't it? Once he found out Harry was his son, he had to make sure that he had what he needed." Hermione looked well satisfied at the thought of a mystery solved.
"Harry, how are you going to be with Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape at the same time?" Ginny asked, her brow slightly furled as she considered the times mentioned on the two letters.
Harry put his head on his hands and groaned. "I'll just have to talk to McGonagall and see if we can change the time. She's more likely to be understanding than Snape is." With that, Harry got up from the Gryffindor table, and walked up to the head table at the front of the room. Ginny, Ron and Hermione watched as he held a quiet conversation with her, and then headed back to them.
"She wants the three of you to go to her office while I go see Professor Snape." Harry said, clearly unhappy that he was going to miss seeing the charms worked in person.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
By the time dinner rolled around that day, all four students felt as though they must have lived through at least a week. Time had crawled past, and anticipation had done nothing to increase their attentiveness to their studies. Ron had even managed to earn a scolding from Professor Sprout for feeding his plant the wrong plant food, thus making it hum the vilest Don Ho Hawaiian music for the rest of the period. They hastily ate dinner and retired to the Gryffindor Tower, trying to do assignments while they waited for time to pass. Finally, Harry stood up and stretched.
"Time for me to go if I'm going to make it to Dumbledore's office on time." He walked toward the portrait hole as the others closed their books and stood up.
"We'll walk with you," Ron said as he helped Hermione pack her books into her book bag.
They walked quickly through the deserted hallways; obviously most of the students were busily at work on assignments. All too quickly they reached the door to McGonagall's office. Harry watched rather forlornly as his friends entered and closed the door quietly behind themselves. He forced himself to continue on, reaching the gargoyle guards to the Headmaster's office just as the clock struck eight.
"Mars Bars." The gargoyles moved smoothly out of his way, and Harry walked through the revealed doorway and over to the moving stairs. Reaching the top, he stepped into the waiting room. The door to the Headmaster's office was open, so Harry walked over to it and rapped his knuckles on the doorframe.
"Come in, Harry," Dumbledore said as he moved into the light from a hidden alcove on the right.
"I got a note," Harry started to say, not sure if he was supposed to be here after all.
"Quite right, Harry, Professor Snape is just finishing a report for me, he'll be right here. Why don't you sit down over there?" Dumbledore concluded, pointing toward an area away from his desk, which had a couch and some chairs. Harry picked a comfortable looking chair and sat down, sinking deeply into the squashy cushions.
Professor Snape entered from the opposite side of the room at that moment, a large parchment in his hands.
"I believe everything is in there, Headmaster," he said, handing the parchment to Dumbledore.
"Thank you Severus." Albus tucked the parchment into a leather bag that was waiting open on his desk. He picked the bag up and turned saying "I'll just leave the two of you to your discussion then." He left the room, closing the door softly behind him.
Severus settled himself in a chair across from Harry, watching as the boy fidgeted in his seat.
"What's the matter Harry," he asked, surprising himself. This wasn't how he'd meant to start this conversation.
Harry looked up at Snape, wondering if he really should ask his question, and realized that if he didn't he'd just continue to wonder. Might as well ask and risk getting his head cut off.
"Did you send me a package at the Weasley's this summer?"
Snape froze momentarily, surprised at the question. How had he figured that out?
"Why do you ask?" Severus questioned, trying to buy time to figure out an answer.
"The colour ink you used in the note I got from you is the same as the note that came with the clothing. And I wondered if you had sent it." "Ah, well, yes, I did send it. I didn't expect you to figure it out though." Severus made a mental note to watch his step even more carefully around Harry, he was too observant!
"Thank you sir," Harry mumbled, feeling embarrassed.
"You are quite welcome," Severus said, feeling a bit embarrassed himself at being found out. "I need to talk to you about your refusal to promise not to look for me."
Harry looked up quickly, staring into his father's face. "I won't do it sir, I won't make a promise I can't keep."
"I'm not asking you to Harry. The headmaster wants me to tell you more about why I asked you not to look for me, so that hopefully you'll understand." Snape paused, considering how best to go on. Deciding there was really no other way than brutal directness, he looked Harry straight in the eye. "I know you know I was a Death Eater."
Harry slid back in his seat, slightly shocked at the direct reference to Snape's previous activities.
"I joined willingly, if that's what you're wondering. But I didn't do it because I wanted to be like Lucius Malfoy, or Voldemort." Snape stood up and began to pace around Dumbledore's office, unable to sit still as he continued talking. "We were taking such a horrible beating! Somehow Voldemort always knew when and where we were most vulnerable, and he'd choose to hit us then. So many of our people, good people, were being lost, killed, and we had no way to stop it from happening. When Dumbledore came to me and asked if I'd be willing to become a spy, willing to become a part of them, I said yes. You're mother knew exactly what I was doing, and she supported it 100 percent. I understood when I read her letter why she hadn't come back to me when I returned after being gone for so long. It wasn't safe for her or for you." Snape paused by Dumbledore's desk, seemingly lost in thought.
"Sir, I don't understand why you're telling me this." Harry said softly, looking at Snape intently.
"Harry, when Voldemort rose the first time, Dumbledore created a group called "the Order of the Phoenix". It consisted of the best and brightest people he could find, people who were willing to fight Voldemort instead of ignore him. Now that Voldemort is back, he is reforming that group." Snape paused for a moment. "I am continuing my role as a spy. The reason I disappear at times is to report to Voldemort when he calls. I have to be able to do that without anyone else suspecting where I've gone." Snape sagged wearily into a chair close to the unlit fire. "As I told you before, the mannequin you saw in the infirmary gives me an excuse to be away from my teaching duties for short periods of time. It is crucial that no one suspect that it is not me in that bed during those times."
Harry listened quietly as his father continued his explanation, noticing how exhausted Snape looked. For a man who could cow whole classrooms full of noisy students with a single look, he appeared almost frail in the half- light of the room. His mind sifted through the information Snape had given him.
"Sir, if I promise not to try to see you in the infirmary, will you tell me when you are leaving?"
Snape's head jerked up and he stared in weary surprise at Harry.
"Are you trying to strike a bargain with me?" Snape asked in astonishment.
"Yes sir." Harry met Snape's eyes squarely.
Snape considered Harry, wondering why the boy would be so insistent on knowing where he was. Try as he might, he could see no logical reason to deny Harry's request.
"Fine, I will make sure that you are informed, either by myself or the Headmaster. You do know that you can come to Professor Dumbledore and ask him any questions you may have?"
"Yes sir. Uhm, what sorts of things do Death Eaters do at their meetings?" Harry asked, morbidly curious about whether his experience in the graveyard last year was a normal occurrence.
"Harry, I will not now, or ever tell you about those activities. You have no reason to know of them." Snape said softly, a haunted look to his eyes. Harry looked at those dark, fathomless eyes, seeing a weariness and sorrow he had never noticed before.
"I suspect your friends are wondering if I've done away with you by now," Snape commented, looking at the clock over Fawkes' perch. Harry was surprised to see that it was nearly 9:30. "You'll be happy to know that Professor Dumbledore believes that Ms Granger, Mr. Weasley, and Miss Weasley are trustworthy enough to be told about our discussion. Just make sure they are the ONLY ones who know about it." Harry struggled out of his squashy chair, saying, "Yes sir." He paused as he reached the door to the office, turned around, and took another look at his father, slumped wearily in his chair, chin cradled on his hand. "Goodnight sir." As he left he faintly heard "Goodnight Harry."
Harry considered all that he had heard as he descended the stairs and let himself out of the door, past the gargoyles, and into the hallway. He meandered absently down hallways and corridors until he reached the door to Professor McGonagall's office, and stood there, his hand on the knob, for several seconds before realizing that the room beyond was dark. Letting his hand fall, he slowly turned and made his way to the Gryffindor tower.
"You look a bit peaked Dear, what have you been doing?" the Pink Lady asked as Harry stopped in front of her.
"Just a conference with a professor," Harry said, focusing on the portrait. "Hufflepuff smufflepuff."
"Right you are Dear!" and the portrait opened, revealing the common room beyond.
Harry heard Hermione's voice, raised in excitement, coming from a corner of the room as he climbed through the hole. Taking in her excited expression as he crossed over to them, he knew that the experiment had been successful.
"It worked!" Hermione said, jumping up and throwing her arms around Harry as soon as he came near her. "We tried it on three different owls, and it worked on all three of them! We only left them changed for half an hour, but we should be ready for a longer trial in a day or two!" Hermione was practically hopping up and down in her excitement. Ron had a grin from ear to ear as he balanced his chair on two legs, and Ginny's face was flushed pink with excitement, brown eyes snapping.
"That's great, Hermione, really wonderful!" Harry said, happy that progress had finally been made, but sad that he had missed seeing it first hand.
"How did your meeting go, Harry?" Ginny asked softly, trying to deflect some of the attention they were getting from other occupants of the room.
"Not the way I expected it too." Harry leaned in closer and dropped his voice, explaining what Snape had told him.
"I was right!" Hermione exclaimed triumphantly. "He is a spy"
"Shhhhh" Harry, Ron and Ginny shushed Hermione looking around to be sure they weren't being overheard. Satisfied, they returned to their conversation. "We need to find a more out of the way place to meet," Ginny suggested, lips pursed in thought.
"Harry, you've still got the Marauder's Map, it should show you an abandoned classroom or something."
"Good idea, I'll start looking tomorrow."
"Uhm, Harry," Hermione began hesitantly looking intently at Harry.
"Yeah Hermione?" Harry felt rather like a lab experiment under her scrutiny.
"I've meant to say something, but keep forgetting. You know that Christmas is less than a month off, right?"
"Yeah." Harry had no idea where Hermione was going with this line of thought.
"Have you thought at all about what you're getting Snape for Christmas?" Harry froze in his seat, totally shocked. "You should get him something, he is your father after all."