"So you see, class," Professor McGonagall continued, "this year we will focus on the transfiguration of the appearance of objects rather than a physical change of them. Our first task today will be an invisibility spell that will temporarily turn small objects invisible to the human eye. The objects will still be there, but we will be unable to see them. Does anyone know the name of this spell?"

Not surprising, Hermione's hand shot into the air, but Harry raised his hand a split second later.

McGonagall blinked, but nodded to Harry. "Yes, Mr. Potter?"

"Res reflectus," Harry replied.

Hermione looked at him, her mouth dropping open in surprise.

"Correct," a small smile appeared on McGonagall's face. "And can anyone tell me the meaning of the spell works?"

Harry raised his hand again, this time quicker than Hermione.

"Mr. Potter," McGonagall pointed at him.

"It mean ‘reflected things'," Harry replied. "Mainly Latin form, but the spell actually creates a mirror of whatever's on the other side from the viewer from all angles. So, you're really looking at the object, but it's showing you what's on the other side, so you can't see the object."

It wasn't exactly what the textbook would have said, and Harry was certain Hermione could have said it better. But a real smile flashed across McGonagall's face.

"Well done, Mr. Potter," she approved. "You have obviously been studying this summer. Can you tell me how long this spell lasts?"

"It depends on the strength of the wizard casting it," Harry replied, trying not to look at Hermione who was watching him with something between delight and envy. "And the size of the object. The average length of the spell is a few hours, but the longest record was in 1847 when Barty Grimgold made his whole castle disappear for twenty-eight whole days."

McGonagall stared for a moment before saying, "Fifteen points to Gryffindor for Mr. Potter's good memory. I expect the rest of you to do your reading as he has so you may be as quick in class."

She turned to walk to the front of the class to write the spell on the board, but Ron elbowed Harry. "What was that?"

"What was what?" Harry whispered with a very aloof look.

"Since when do you speak up in class?"

"Since I started studying this summer," Harry replied. "We have to study up for our N.E.W.T.s, you know."

"Merlin, there are two of them now," Ron whispered, looking back and forth at Harry and Hermione.

Hermione nodded finally. "Well done, Harry," she said softly. "I'm glad you finally saw the sense in studying. You will have to convince Ron now."

Ron looked positively ill, and Harry would have laughed, but McGonagall had turned back to the class to start their lesson.

Now that first week of school was underway, the classes had turned from welcome-backs and introductions to the serious business of learning. And Harry found himself not only keeping up, but able to answer all the questions posed. He let Hermione answer some of them, graciously leaning back to let her raise her hand, but clearly indicating that he too knew the answer.

"Harry James Potter!" Hermione exclaimed on the way to lunch, grabbing Harry's arm as they walked, "when did you get to be so good in class? You've never known so much before."

"I told you, I studied over the summer," Harry said, but he looked away quickly, hoping he wouldn't give himself away.

"How much?" Hermione demanded. "You must have read every textbook all the way through.

"Pretty much," Harry agreed, thinking of all those long afternoons studying in the library at Snapdragon Manor.

"I can't believe you made yourself study so hard," Hermione shook her head. "Usually you can't sit still for ten minutes straight. You can be worse than Ron."

"I'm right here," Ron grumbled as he trudged along beside them.

"I just did it," Harry shrugged. "And your study timer helped."

"Study timer?" Hermione lifted an eyebrow.

"Yeah, the one you gave me for my birthday. I used it to help me study."

"Oh," Hermione said slowly, "well, then I'm glad."

"Ha!" Ron laughed. "Look at her face. She's all jealous because you actually studied. After all her lecturing, she's miffed now because someone took her advice. Now you're competition!"

"Be quiet, Ron!" Hermione ordered. "I'm glad Harry is doing so well. It's a good example to everyone else who might be playing around, present company included."

"Don't start," Ron sighed. "Not in the first week."

"I am curious," Hermione tilted her head at Harry. "How did you get your books?"

"From Diagon Alley," Harry said, edging away from her a little.

"You went early in the summer?" Hermione questioned.

"No, at the end, like always."

"So you only had a few weeks to study your new books?" Hermione's eyes widened. "You learned all that in three weeks?"

Time to backpedal and lie. "No," Harry said hastily. "I had the books before I went to Diagon Alley. I mean, I still went later, but I had some of the books earlier."

"How did you get them?" Hermione wouldn't let anything go.

"I was given them," Harry answered, almost making his statement a question.

"Who gave them to you?"

"Uh - teachers," Harry replied. "I wanted to study, so I asked for the books to borrow from here for the summer."

"From all the teachers?" Hermione asked, watching Harry carefully.

"Yeah, sure."

"Funny, McGonagall didn't say anything about it in class, You think she would remember that you asked, and tell the rest of the class what you had done so we could do the same."

"She forgot?" Harry winced inwardly at how high his voice had gone, as it always did when he was nervous.

"You think she would forget?" Hermione asked, her eyes penetrating.

"Good grief," Ron spoke up, "what is this? An interrogation? Just 'cause Harry did something you weren't smart enough to do, Hermione -"

"Oh, be quiet!" Hermione snapped as she took her seat on the bench at the lunch table. "I was just wondering."

"I'm wondering about whether or not we're going to Hogsmead this year," Ron said as he sat down beside her. "After the scare at the Ministry this year, security has been tighter everywhere. Mum would barely let me out of the house, and she made Ginny come in before dark every evening. Everyone has gone crazy - Dad would stay out all night sometimes on raids."

"They might let us go, under careful watch," Hermione suggested as she began serving Harry and Ron shepherd's pie and cold salad. "But I expect the teachers will be watching us careful this year."

"Why are you looking at me?" Harry demanded.

"Please," Hermione said with a sarcastic look that she usually reserved for Ron, "you and your sneaking around at night are famous at this school."

"I can count on one hand the number of times I sneaked out at night," Harry declared. "Well, maybe two hands, but it wasn't as often as everyone thinks."

"Yeah, but when you did, something awful usually happened," Ron pointed out before snuffing a huge bite of food into his mouth.

"I'm cursed," Harry muttered as he started with his own food.

"Not cursed," Hermione told him. "Just coincidentally unlucky."

"Thanks, Hermione," Harry said dryly.

------

"Can't believe you bested Hermione," Ron grinned and bent down to pick up a small stone to skip across the lake. "Should have seen her face when you were rattling off answers. For all her talk about us studying, she likes being the only know-it-all."

Ron flung out his arm, and his stone skipped three times across water.

"I promise I wanted be that - uh, answer-ready," Harry said. Something told him that Ron wouldn't take too kindly to Harry criticizing Hermione though goodness know Ron did it plenty.

"When did you have time to study so much anyway?" Ron thew another rock. It skipped twice before sinking.

"Dunno," Harry looked away. "Around July, I guess."

Ron flung another rock. It sunk without skipping once. "Water's too rough," he grumbled.

Harry grabbed a flat rock and flung it out. It skipped across the glass-like water ten times.

Ron frowned and searched for another rock. "Who wants to study over the summer?"

"Who said anything about wanting to?" Harry muttered.

"I tried," Ron said, "but between Mum worrying and Fred and George visiting and Ginny moping, it was just too much," Ron threw another rock. It skipped once.

"You've got to keep the rock level with the water," Harry told him. "And fling your arm out flat, too, and snap your wrist at the last moment, like this."

Harry demonstrated, and his rock skipped on the surface so many times he lost count.

Ron muttered something unflattering under his breath. Harry shrugged and flopped down on the huge boulder to watch Ron search for the perfect stone.

"But really," Ron passed over three flat stones and examined a fourth one before tossing it aside, "what happened to you over the summer?"

"I don't - wh-what do you mean?" Harry stammered.

"You're different," Ron decided. "And not ‘time to face my destiny' different like last year. You're all - I dunno, cautious and paying attention in class and going to bed before Hermione makes you. What happened to you?"

"Nothing much," Harry said, though he knew he was looking especially guilty. Thank goodness Ron wasn't too bright.

Harry flinched. What an awful thing to think about his best friend. Ron, who risked his life to help him more times than Harry could count. Ron, who was always ready to offer quiet loyalty and support. Ron, who befriended him on the train that first day. Ron, who was his first friend after eleven years of having none.

Harry felt a wave of guilt over his thoughts followed by a rush of anger at himself for taking Ron for granted. Two years ago when Ron had left him during the start of the Triwizard Tournament, Harry had understood how much he needed Ron's friendship, and he had never been lonelier. And at the end of all things, Ron would be with him, no doubt - ready to defend him even to the final fight.

"I have something to tell you," Harry said in a rush.

"If you're about to say you charmed those rocks, I'm not speaking to you," Ron declared, tossing away another imperfect rock.

"No, this is important," Harry insisted. "And I need you to hear it now."

"All right," Ron straightened, his face very serious. "Are you in love with - Moaning Myrtle?"

And Ron broke into the biggest of grins.

Harry rolled his eyes. Blasted best friend. "Ron, this is serious."

"I know," Ron chortled. "Dead serious! Get it? Just think, the Boy-Who-Lived with the Girl-Who-Died!"

"I don't think that's funny," Harry protested. "And I mean it. Come on, I need you to listen."

"Right, sorry," Ron tried to keep a straight face though the corners of his mouth twitched slightly.

"Good," Harry took a deep, bracing breath. He wasn't sure if this was the right time to tell Ron, but then Harry knew he never told anyone anything at the right time. And Harry knew the longer he waited the angrier Ron would be at him for not telling him the moment they got on the train. Better to get it over with now at the beginning of the school year. And Hermione would guess soon enough, and if she figured it out before Ron did, Harry knew he would never hear the end of it.

"Do you remember my birthday dinner?" Harry questioned.

"Yeah," Ron nodded, "you got some nice gifts. And Mum was all impressed with the thank-you letter. She put it on the dining room table and lectured all of us about not sending our own letters when we get gifts."

"Sorry ‘bout that," Harry said hastily. "But do you remember where I had my party?"

A blank look came over Ron's face as if he were trying to remember something he had never known.

"I wasn't at my relatives' house," Harry said. "I went somewhere else this summer."

"Yeah?" Ron looked vaguely interested. "Anywhere good?"

Harry took another deep breath. "Right, I'm going to tell you this and I need you to just listen until I'm through."

Ron tried not to smile, but he nodded seriously.

Harry took another deep breath. "I wasn't at my relatives' house. Well, I was, but only for a few days. And then I went somewhere else. I-I-I went to Snape's house."

"Huh?" Ron looked confused.

"And I stayed there all summer," Harry didn't know where to look. "At first, it was hard, and I got into loads of trouble. And then it was easier. And then we kind of, you know, went along for a bit. And - and at the end of summer he adopted me," Harry blurted out.

Ron did an excellent impression of someone frozen, his face a picture of absolute shock. Harry thought he heard something rustle in the bushes. He whirled to look, but saw nothing. He looked back at Ron who was still frozen.

"You can say something now," Harry braced himself for a torrent of words.

"Bah-dep!" Ron finally squeaked. "Bah . . . duh, no, no, not going - what I . . . when did - world upside-down - and suddenly . . . bah-ha! No! Can't begin -"

"Ron, slow down," Harry cautioned, watching his friend's face turn redder and redder. "Breathe!"

Ron waved his hands wildly in the air, looking like he was choking. "You stayed with him? You let him adopt you? Why didn't you tell me? You could have written!"

"Snape wouldn't let me," Harry shrugged.

"Then Dumbledore! Surely he could have stopped Snape."

"Not likely. Come on, Ron - it wasn't that bad. Yeah, we had a few rough days -"

"I can imagine," Ron snorted. "He probably had you cleaning caldrons and scrubbing floors all summer."

"A few times," Harry admitted.

"You should have run away!"

"I did once," Harry confessed. "He wasn't too happy . . ."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Ron demanded.

"I wanted to," Harry tried his best not to look guilty. "But I have to keep it a secret."

Ron opened his mouth furiously and then closed it with a snap before dropping to sit on the boulder. "Tell me the whole story, starting from the beginning," he ordered.

Harry obliged, beginning with the first night when he had dropped into Snape's study. "I was there," he continued his explanation. "And I was - uh, upset, and Snape let me spent the night."

"Let you?" Ron was suspicious.

"Okay, made me. I wasn't in any shape to go back to the Dursleys after he finished - er, talking to me," Harry hoped his cheeks were not turning too red. No way he was ever telling Ron what Snape had done to him on that first night. Or any of the other times either. "So I stayed. But the fireplace that I came through was all messed up, and I ended up getting sick -"

"His house made you sick," Ron pointed out triumphantly.

Harry resisted the urge to roll his eyes, and he kept telling the story. He glossed over going to Malfoy Manor and didn't even mention Draco dropping by for two weeks, but still at the end of the story, Ron was outraged.

"All that happened?" he shouted. "And you wrote that stupid letter about how you were studying and enjoying the nice weather!"

"It was Snape's fault," Harry took the coward's way out. "I wanted to tell you everything, but he said no. I wasn't allowed out of the manor. Even at the party, you didn't remember you had seen him."

"Huh!" Ron snorted angrily, crossing his arms. "That git just keeps at it, doesn't he? Not enough that he might betray us all - now he's got you under his power, too."

"It's not that bad," Harry objected. "I was kind of messed up this summer, after what happened with Sirius. Snape was - you know, there, usually when I needed him."

Ron turned incredulous eyes on him. "You're saying that you don't think Snape's evil?"

"Not Voldemort evil," Harry assured him. "Taking petty pleasure in making my life miserable - maybe that kind of evil."

"Who knows here about it?" Ron asked next.

"Only the teachers," Harry assured him. "He said I can tell my best friends, but no one else. We still have roles to play. He's still a Death Eater spy, and I'm still, well, you know."

"Does Hermione know?" Ron asked, watching Harry closely.

"No, I told you first. I wanted to tell you earlier, but I just wanted to get through this week, and then see what was happening with everyone. You see how he is in class - no difference."

"I knew there was a difference!" Ron said with a victorious gleam in his eyes. "I said so, didn't I? I said Snape was different to you in class."

"Yeah, you said so," Harry admitted.

"Ha, and Hermione did not," Ron looked even more satisfied with himself. "Once again, brains do not mean you know everything."

"So now you know," Harry breathed with relief. Somehow, everything had turned out right. He had missed several potential friendship hazards, and since Ron was not stalking off mad, everything was fine. Snape would not approve of his method, but then Snape never liked anything Harry did that so narrowly missed disaster.

"You are you planning to tell next? Ron demanded.

"Hermione,:" Harry answered immediately. "And then . . . maybe Dean or Seamus."

"Neville?"

"Not unless I want him to keel over," Harry replied.

Ron laughed. "This changes everything, mate. You and Snape - kind of like Who-Know-Who and Dumbledore being friends. Never thought it possible."

"Are you okay?" Harry asked.

"Me? Oh, fine, fine, just a bit shaken up. Let's go rattle Hermione."

Ron started for the steps, and Harry went to follow. Ron stopped so suddenly and whirled around t hat Harry had to jerk to a stop to keep from hitting him.

"Was that where you were the other night when you disappeared?" Ron demanded.

"Yeah," Harry nodded. "I feel asleep in Snape's rooms, and he let me sleep there."

Ron shook his head. "I can't believe it. Snape - I would have sworn he was your enemy. Can't wait to see Hermione's face now."

They found Hermione in a corner of the library, reading a very thick textbook and making small, perfect notes in a copybook.

"Come with us," Ron whispered, leaning over the table. "We've got something brilliant to tell you."

"I can't," she replied, turning a page. "I have to finish now. I can't take this book out of the library."

"But you can't believe what we have to tell you," Ron hissed. "It's bloody fantastic!"

"Don't swear in the library," she shook her head, still staring at the page. "Whatever you have to say can wait fifteen minutes."

"But you won't believe it!"

Harry hung back a few feet, not wanting to intrude on Hermione's studying.

"Does it have to do with Harry?" Hermione asked calmly.

"Yeah," Ron nodded fervently.

"Does it have to do with this summer?"

"Yeah!"

"Does it have to with Snape adopting Harry?"

Harry blinked in surprise, and Ron's mouth fell open.

"You know?" Ron squeaked.

"Yes," Hermione said as she turned another page.

Ron reached over and slammed the book shut.

"Ron!" Hermione's head shot up. "I'll lose my place!"

"You tell us right now how you knew about Harry and Snape."

The librarian shushed them across the room, and Hermione gave Ron and Harry (who had done nothing) a glare before snatching up her back. "We'll go into the hall to talk," she decided.

They went out into the hallway. No students were about, understandable consider it was Friday afternoon, so they had reasonable privacy.

"Spill it!" Ron ordered once they reached the far corer of the hall.

"I know that Snape adopted Harry," Hermione replied, almost coldly. She had a frosty look about her that spoke more about her annoyance with Harry that her frustration at Ron.

"You said I was the first you told," Ron shot at Harry.

"You were," Harry insisted. "How did you find out, Hermione?"

"I put the pieces together," she replied, giving a rather snooty purse of her lips. "It was one thing for you to return from summer looking healthy and happy rather than pale and starved. And it was one thing for you to act all suspicious in Snape's class, shouting out things you never would have said before. And rather than getting you expelled, he just gave you detention which you did not seem to mind. All that I might understand as a part of your finally growing up and excuse your idiocy with yelling, but then you knew all the answers in our classes. I'm sorry, but that is something else entirely, something you would never accomplish on your own."

Harry joined Ron in crossing his arms and glaring at her.

"So I decided to find out exactly what you had done this summer. I had your letter and that thank-you card, also highly suspicious as you've never written one before, and I knew I saw you once this summer for your birthday dinner. I could not remember where the party was or who hosted it - I could only remember that I had a delightful time. Since when did you have birthday parties in the summer all formal and dressed up? And now at school you're wearing better clothes and your books were all together and you could not stop looking towards Professor Snape at mealtimes. The first night, you would not look away from the teachers' table. At first I thought you were hoping he wasn't here, but then I realized you were worried because he wasn't. So I put everything together, and I decided you stayed with him over the summer.

"Now, considering the two of you, I'm guessing it was a matter of kill each other or learn to get along. You survived, and so did he, so you must have figured out a way to get along. Typically, when people put that much effort into enduring each other, they learn to like each other and stay together. Snape has no family, and you don't either, really. Hence, you fit together. Am I right?"

Ron scowled, and Harry shook his head.

"Snape was right, you are a know-it-all," Harry commented.

"How long it'd take for you to figure that all out?" Ron demanded.

"About twenty minutes," Hermione said. "But then it took me forty minutes to calm myself down from wanting to tear you apart, Harry!"

"Me?" Harry protested.

"How could you not tell me - and Ron?" she put her hands on her hips.

"I don't know," Harry said. "This summer - living with Snape. I'm all confused now - about everything."

"Good, you should be confused," Hermione told him. "Normally, I would give you the silent treatment for a week for hiding something this big, and Ron for two days."

"What did I do?" Ron asked pitifully.

"You didn't tell me Harry was acting even more suspicious than I knew," she replied shortly. "Use your eyes and your head, Ron! But as I said, that's what you would get normally. But I am far too busy this week with homework to punish either of you."

"Punish us with silence?" Harry lifted his eyebrows skeptically.

"Shh!" Ron hissed to Harry. "Don't rile her up."

"We will discuss this later," Hermione pointed a finger at the space in between Ron and Harry, thus at both of them. "Right now I have studying to do. But prepare to have a very long conversation about this tonight."

"Lucky us," Harry muttered. Ron just shot him a disgruntled look, implying that all of it was his fault.

------

And talk about it they did. In a quiet corner of the Commons Room, for nearly three hours, Hermione drilled Harry with questions. With attention to tiny details that Ron would never have thought to ask, Hermione wanted to know everything. From what his room looked like at Snapdragon Manor to what he ate there to what rules Snape gave (because she insisted that Snape must have rules though Harry tried edge around it) and worst of all what Snape did when he broke those rules.

"What makes you think I broke them?" Harry asked her.

Hermione gave him a patient, but pointed look.

"I didn't break that many rules," Harry claimed.

She still waited.

"He just - you know, sent me to my room," Harry couldn't meet her eyes. "And had me do a few chores. What? It wasn't like he could ground me! I only went off the property three or four times the whole summer."

"Just checking," Hermione assured him. "I felt certain that he wouldn't abuse his power over you though he has been horrible to you in school. But as long as he didn't hurt you or hit you, it will all be all right. Now, let's go back to what happened when you went looking for your Cloak."

Twenty-three white lies and omissions later, Harry finally got to go to his room and fall into bed. Ron looked a little miffed that Harry had revealed more to Hermione's demanding questions than he had by the lake, and Ron was rather short as they got into their beds. However, Ron did not have the persistence of the punishing silence as Hermione did, and by morning Ron was back to his old self.

He did, however, keep asking Harry about what Snape might think about everything.

"Does Snape mind that you're wearing Gryffindor colors?" "Does Snape know you keep your trunk such a mess?" "Does your hair bother Snape?"

"Yes!" Harry shouted to the last question. "And I don't know about the others. But I'm going to see him this morning, and I'll ask him."

"You're going to see him?" Ron prodded.

"Yes, it's Saturday, and I want to see if I can get my allowance," Harry said before he could think. He hated bringing anything to do with money up in front of Ron.

"You get an allowance!"

"Yeah, but only because I'm saving up to get a new broom . . ." Harry trailed off reluctantly.

"You're getting a new broom!"

"Not now. I have to save up."

"But you have plenty of - you know."

"Well, Snape won't let me touch it," Harry told him. "I have to save it for a house or a family or something like that, for when I'm older. With new broom, I could train to play Quidditch professionally, but I don't think he'd agree with that."

That modified Ron's indignation a little, and Harry thought that Ron seemed a little too pleased that the Boy-Whose-Family-Left-Him-A-Fortune couldn't buy everything he wanted.

"Are we going to get Quidditch started up again soon?" Ron asked as they headed towards breakfast.

"I plan to ask McGonagall and Dumbledore first thing Monday," Harry nodded.

Hermione was planning to study for the day, but as soon as she heard that Harry was going to visit Snape, she insisted on tagging along. Ron wanted to go as well, so at ten-thirty-five, Harry found himself at Snape's door with two best friends in tow. He knocked politely, smiling at Hermione to show her he did have some manners.

Hearing a "Come in," Harry opened the door and led them all into Snape's study room.

Snape was sitting in an armchair, reading, and he looked up, a little annoyed. "Yes, Mr. Potter, may I help you?" he asked in a cold voice.

"It's okay, Snape," Harry assured him. "I told them everything."

"Yes, Mr. Potter, may I help you?" Snape ground out a little more forcefully.

"Yes, you can say hello to my friends," Harry gestured to Ron and Hermione as if Snape had not seen them.

"That is not how you address a teacher," Snape lectured.

"That is not how you address your adopted son either, remember?" Harry challenged.

Snape let out his breath. "Miss Granger, Mr. Weasley, I apologize for Harry's rudeness. I will have a word with him once we are alone, believe me. But I see that Harry has told you everything?"

Hermione nodded, her lips pressed together. Ron searched for words and ended up blabbing, "Bah-ha, Ha!"

Snape glanced at Harry as if to say "Really? I have to put up with this?" Harry returned the look, not backing down an inch.

"All right," Snape stood. "You're all shocked and flabbergasted beyond words."

"I'm not, sir," Hermione replied, her tone edged with ice.

"You, Miss Granger -" Snape started to sneer, and then caught Harry's eye and relented, "you will never be at a loss for something to say, I am quite sure."

"Nor you, sir," she returned.

Harry looked nervously back and forth between Snape and Hermione. Surprisingly, Ron was the one to break the silence.

"Well, we better be going. Right, Hermione?"

Hermione who seemed to be in a staring, silent battle with Snape did not look away until Ron grabbed her arm and pulled her out to the hall.

Snape marched forward and shut the door. He turned to look at Harry, looking like a dark, foreboding bat of a figure in his sweeping robes.

Harry took out his wand. "Obliviate?" he suggested, pointing his wand towards the door after his friends. When Snape said nothing, Harry pointed the tip of the want to his own head. "Killing curse?"

"Not the least bit amusing," Snape snapped. "Is there a reason you wanted to parade in here with an entourage and upset my Saturday?"

"No," Harry took a seat in his favorite chair and put his feet up on the opposite chair. "Oh, right, I want my allowance." Harry flung out a hand in Snape's direction. "I prefer a whole Galleon, but I will take Sickles if that's all you have."

"You're about to get a lot more than a Sickle," Snape growled. He marched over to the chair and grabbed Harry by the collar.

"I didn't do anything!"

"You're being a brat," Snape snarled. "I expected you to handle your friends better this. Tell them what happened with some sort of maturity and not go barging around like a madman."

"I told them yesterday," Harry countered.

"Yes, at the lake and in the library where anyone could hear!" Snape retorted.

"Maybe, but I made sure - wait," Harry turned towards Snape. "How do you know I told them at the lake and the library?"

"I -I," Snape stammered, and Harry got out of his seat. Snape never stammered, and Harry felt his heart rate flare right up.

"What did you do, Snape?"

"I asked Draco to watch you," Snape sighed.

"You did what?" Harry said, not sure he was hearing right.

"Draco has been having trouble with his own friends," Snape admitted. "He came to me on the second day of class, complaining about no one talking to him. So I told him he could watch you and make sure that you weren't telling the whole school about our new arrangement."

"He was spying on me?" Harry nearly shouted.

"Yes," Snape said frankly. "And I would feel bad for it, except that I feel better knowing someone else is keeping an eye on you so you can't get into too much trouble."

"Does Draco come back and report on me?" Harry growled. "What does he say? ‘Ten o'clock - Harry in class.' ‘Twelve-fifteen - Harry late for lunch.' ‘Four-seventeen - Harry running down to Hagrid's with friends!'"

"Harry, you don't understand -"

"Oh, I understand plenty," Harry snapped. "Look, why don't you just stay out of my way? I thought we could - you know, do this here at school. But apparently I'm too irresponsible and childish, and you're too much of a rotten git!"

Harry stomped out of the room. He wanted to slam the door behind him when he nearly fell over Draco who was crouched outside in the hallway.