In the back of the mush that was Harry's brain, he sensed that he should be feeling fear. After all, the image of his father standing in the doorway, with his arms folded, his lips pinched and a dangerous glint in his obsidian eyes should have been an indication of how much trouble he was in. But the fog that shrouded Harry's mind made him incapable of discerning any tangible emotion, whether it be fear, or regret.

The images were all swirling around him now. Somewhere in the distance, he was cognizant of McGonagall ordering her errant Gryffindors to bed--that she would deal with them in the morning, and ordering students from the other Houses to return to their dorms, and that she would be informing their Head of Houses of their unacceptable behaviour tomorrow. At the moment, however, Harry was trying very hard to figure out why there were two-no-three--Snapes, all looking tall, dark, menacing, and looking as if they'd like nothing more than to use him as Potions' ingredients.

McCleggan, who was holding a bottle of Firewhiskey, and who, (and the only explanation must have been that he was delirious), went up to Snape and offered him one, tripped over his own clumsy feet, grasped the front of his shirt and vomited on Snape's shiny black boots.

Through his alcoholic haze, the inebriated boy must have realised the foolishness of his actions, because his face suddenly drained of all colour. He pulled himself up on wobbly knees to stare at the extremely pissed-off Potions master.

"You have just earned yourself a month's worth of detention Mcleggan," Snape said through gritted teeth. He waved his wand furiously and vanished the mess from his boots.

Before McCleggan could protest, or rather think about protesting, Snape pinned his dark eyes on his son.

"And you," he said in a low dangerous voice as he leant forward, "are coming with me."

Harry blinked his eyes as the towering images of Snape grew closer, and fisted the collar of his robes, drawing an unsteady Harry to his feet.

Those remaining Gryffindors, who hadn't had the sense to scurry on to bed at their Head of House's bequest, stopped all activity and stared in sympathy at Harry.

Yes, the Headmistress was stern, but they'd take dealing with her temper any day, over Snape's. They were thanking their lucky stars that Snape was not their father.

Severus turned to Minerva. "I will return tomorrow to collect Mr. Potter's belongings."

Minerva nodded. "Of course Severus."

Severus' lips tightened as Harry teetered on his feet. "Say goodbye to your friends Mr. Potter. You won't be seeing them for quite some time."

Harry desperately wished that the images of Snape weren't superimposed on top of each other. One was bad enough.

Severus looked down at his son's pasty complexion, and decided that that was enough chit chat for one night, as he was not inclined to subject his boots to another round of regurgitation.

If it had not been past curfew, and all of the students were now, for the most part, safely tucked away in their beds, they would have seen a tall, dark-haired figure stalking down the halls towards the Slytherin Dungeons, dragging a staggering, drunk-out-of-his-tree Harry Potter.

Severus barked out the password, whipped his wand out of his robes pocket, and the heavy wooden door flung back violently, causing the doorknob to chip off pieces of the stone wall. The door slammed close just as violently when Severus slashed his wand furiously through the air.

He dragged Harry to the sofa, and sat him down forcefully. "Stay there," he growled.

Harry may have been a little short on his faculties, but he knew better than to disobey the order. He sincerely hoped that his father had gone to retrieve some sort of potion to stop his stomach from spinning like the agitator on a Muggle washing machine.

Severus returned several minutes later, carrying a phial of blue potion. He uncorked the phial, grabbed Harry's chin firmly with one hand and with the other, pressed the glass-tipped phial to Harry's lips hard enough to make them tingle. He gagged as the liquid slid down his raw throat. Sitting in a room bathed in smoke, the heavy smell of alcohol, and the pungent fumes of marijuana had had Harry's eyes burning, and watering and his throat feeling like sandpaper.

Harry breathed a sigh of relief as the potion cleared his vision and settled his topsy-turvy stomach. That relief was short-lived however, when he looked up to a pair of cold, black eyes that sent an icy shiver down his spine.

He swallowed the enormous lump in his throat.

"Go to bed."

Harry stared up at him in confusion. Severus wasn't going to yell at him? Harry wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. Although he was still feeling as though he'd had a tonne of bricks dropped on his head, Harry suddenly realised that the deadly calm tone the man had used, spelt anger more so than if the man had gone off on him straight away, ranting and raving. Severus was much more dangerous when he was quiet.

Harry stood up on limbs that quivered, and looked up at his father's pinched expression. Harry gulped. Oh Merlin, the man looked even taller when Harry had to crank his neck back to look up at him, and he was much too close for comfort. All it would take is for Snape to snake his hand out and grab Harry by his scrawny neck.

"Severus-" Harry's voice trembled. "I--I'm sorry.

Severus pointed towards Harry's room, not softening his icy glare in the least. "Go."

Harry took one last glance at Severus' cold expression and hung his head in shame. The walk to his bedroom seemed to take forever and he knew that the empty, cold feeling that gripped his heart, would only intensify once the last of the effects of the alcohol had warn off, and the morning arrived; the magnitude of what he'd done would hit him with the dawning light of day.

---------

Severus stood for several minutes in the same spot, staring at Harry's departing form. When he heard the soft click of Harry's bedroom door closing, his body snapped out of its numbness and he bonelessly sat down on the couch and stared unseeingly as the flames in the fireplace sputtered and died, leaving only embers that glowed, and smouldered; the logs reduced to charred pieces of wood and ash.

Severus ran his fingers through his smooth hair which was coated in a fine film of grease once more, after spending an evening in the labs brewing potions. What had begun as a relaxing evening lost in the fine art of Potion-making, had ended in him feeling hollow and defeated. Where had he gone wrong? He really thought he had gotten through to Harry, but he had failed his son once more.

Maybe if he'd been a part of Harry's life from the beginning, the boy would have learnt to trust him. Maybe he could have imparted some sense of respect for the rules, for his own body and his health. Maybe it was just too late. After all, the boy was a young adult now. Severus realised that he'd not been around during Harry's formative years; there was no basis for trust here. Harry didn't respect his opinion, because he himself had not respected Harry. He knew that Harry cared for him, but how can you erase years of taunting and verbal abuse? Severus knew he had shirked his responsibilities and he couldn't blame Harry for his lack of trust in adults; his lack of trust in Severus. The question was how to make it up to Harry, and save the young man from a bleak future if he continued on the path he was following.

Severus knew that there was a way to get through to Harry, but it was harsh, and it would require revisiting a part of his life that had long been buried and forgotten; a part of his life that he had no desire to remember. It was the only way though, Severus agonised. As hard as it would be to do, both for himself and Harry, Severus knew that it was the only way to get through to his son.

----------

Harry threw an arm over his eyes to block out the harsh sunlight that filled the room. Harry's head throbbed and the pain sliced through right to the sockets of his eyes. He grabbed the pillow from underneath his head and pressed it to his aching head.

As he knew would happen, the events of the last evening washed over him with sickening reality. He'd broken Severus' trust yet again, and he wasn't sure if there was a way to get it back this time. He remembered how Severus had stared at him with dead eyes last night as he had tried to apologise.

Harry slowly removed the pillow from his face, one corner at a time, one eye at a time, and forced his weary body upwards. He clutched at his head in a futile attempt to stop the pounding. He didn't dare ask Severus for a headache potion. The man would probably enjoy seeing him suffer as punishment. Harry groaned. He was going to have to pull some of that famous Gryffindor bravery from the pits of his soul to face Severus. He wished right now that he could just go back to bed and stay there forever, but that would be the coward's way out.

Harry flung one leg out of bed at a time. He sat on the edge of the bed and clenched his eyes shut for a moment to stop the room from spinning. When he reopened them, his heart sunk when he saw his trunk that he'd moved up to Gryffindor Tower only yesterday, back in his room. The meaning was clear.

Harry took a deep breath. He knew that he deserved whatever punishment that Severus would throw at him, and that he would sit quietly and accept any scathing lecture that Severus would deliver without interruption. He had messed up big time, and he would have to face the music like a man.

Once Harry 's head stopped spinning like a merry-go-round, he stumbled his way to the loo. He looked down in disgust at his sweat-bathed pyjamas. Actually, he didn't remember putting on pyjamas last night. Harry's heart leapt slightly when he realised that Severus must have come in when he was out like a light, in his alcohol-induced slumber, and spelt some pyjamas on him. His father couldn't hate him too much, if he had bothered trying to make him more comfortable. Speaking of clothes, Harry had noticed that his clothes from last night were slung over the back of his desk chair, and reeked of smoke and alcohol. Harry had wrinkled his nose at the smell. What the hell had he been thinking last night?

The hot water felt good as Harry let it fall on his upturned face. His eyes were closed and he allowed the warmth to wash away some of the tension from his body. Unfortunately, the water couldn't get rid of the churning that felt like a thousand worms writhing in the pit of his stomach.

Harry dried himself off quickly, and dressed in some clean clothes. He stared at himself in the mirror, and once again studied his new appearance. It had only been a couple of days, and it would probably take a few months, if ever, for him to totally come to terms with his new look, but at least it didn't feel as if a jolt of electricity had shot through his body every time he caught his reflection in a mirror.

Harry took a deep breath and steeled himself for the confrontation with his father. He clutched the door handle so fiercely that his hand ached. He took a deep breath, and yanked opened the door quickly, before he could change his mind. It would have been so easy to stay safely in his room and avoid facing his father's wrath. He looked longingly at his bed, and wished fervently that he could just go back and hide under the covers, and never come back out, but Harry knew what he had to do.

-----

Severus was seated at the kitchen table, drinking cold coffee, perusing the Daily Prophet; the printed words kept blurring into each other. He pinched the bridge of his nose to stave off the dull ache that was beginning to blossom at the base of his skull. He was not sleeping much these days, and he would be forced to take a potion to rectify the problem if it persisted; it would be dangerous to continue brewing and using such volatile ingredients, while less than alert. Above the top of his paper, he could see Harry enter the room, eyes lowered and head hung, looking at his feet, as he dragged himself into the room.

Harry stood uncertainly before the table.

Severus lowered the paper, and studied Harry, as he shifted from foot to foot, nervously.

"Sit."

Harry nodded and sat down silently. He really didn't know what to say, and thought that he should let his father take the lead.

Severus looked at the plate of eggs and toast, "I've kept your breakfast warm."

Harry's eyes widened in surprise. "Thanks," he whispered.

Harry forced himself to eat a few forkfuls of food, but it tasted like sawdust. He'd really rather just get on with the harsh lecture that he knew that Severus was surely going to deliver. Harry felt like he was eating his last meal. After choking down a few more mouthfuls, Harry finally gave up. He placed his utensils on the plate of half-eaten food, and looked at his father expectantly.

Severus stared at Harry silently for a moment and Harry shifted uncomfortably under the hard glare.

Severus dabbed his lips with his napkin and placed it carefully on the table. He rose slowly. "Come into the parlour," he said stiffly. "I believe that you have some explaining to do."

Harry felt cold dread wash over him. Explain? How the hell could he possibly explain what he didn't understand himself.

Severus motioned for Harry to take a seat on the couch, but remained standing. It was going to be one of those talks, was it? More like Severus would talk and Harry would listen.

Harry felt a pang of guilt. The man had dark circles under his eyes and his face looked strained.

Severus looked at his young son, and if the situation hadn't been so serious, he would have smiled. The boy looked at him, wide-eyed with fear and uncertainty. Like a small child who knew that he had done something wrong, and was overwhelmed with guilt and trepidation at what fate awaited him. Sometimes it was difficult to believe that this vulnerable, frail-looking boy was actually seventeen and on the thresh of manhood. Part of him wanted to shake some sense into the boy, and the other part of him wanted to protect him and shield him from all the pain that life could throw at him.

Why did he ever think that he could actually ever be a parent? He didn't have a clue. Maybe he was just too old for this, and Harry had been taking care of himself for a long time without Severus' help, and had done just fine, hadn't he? He had talked himself into believing that Harry, despite his age, needed his guidance, but now, he wasn't so certain.

Severus forced his resolve. "Care to explain your behaviour last night?"

"I'm sorry--I don't know--I mean- I don't know what I was thinking," Harry said, examining his fingernails and trying to avoid eye contact with his father.

"It's obvious that you weren't thinking," Severus said coldly. "It's obvious that as usual, you acted recklessly, without thinking of the consequences."

Harry looked up at that and bit his lip to keep from retorting that that wasn't true. But he knew it was, didn't he? He'd known that it was a mistake having alcohol at the party. He could have stood up to Ron and Seamus and stopped it, but he didn't. He was just as guilty as they were.

"I'm sorry," he said feebly.

"Your apologies mean nothing."

Harry's stomach dropped into his feet. The man looked so unyielding, so cold...so disapproving.

"I must admit Harry, that I'm extremely disappointed in you."

Nothing that Severus could have said to Harry would have made him feel as badly as that one little word. Severus was disappointed in him. That stung.

Severus continued on with his lecture, ignoring how Harry's face fell at his words. He was determined, however, not to be soft. Authority figures being too soft on Harry is what created Harry's disregard for the rules in the first place. Severus knew that he was just as much to blame for Harry's lack of consistency in growing up without proper guidance.

"You do understand that this is not just a domestic situation, and that I can't just deal with it privately. You have not only gone against my wishes, you have broken some serious school rules as well."

Harry nodded silently.

"Alcohol and Drugs on school premises are strictly forbidden." He gave Harry a hard look. "You could be expelled for this."

Harry's stomach clenched.

"As I'm sure you realise, your celebrity status-" Severus said in a voice that reminded Harry of times past, "-will most likely prevent you from such a fate, however-" He put up a finger, "as this is a serious offence, you will not get off with only a slap on the wrist this time.”

"There is a reason why even students who are of age are subject to the same guidelines as those who are under-age Harry. While off Hogwarts property, you are of course permitted to consume alcoholic beverages within reason." He looked at Harry pointedly at this. "Of age Hogwarts students are still expected to act with a certain amount of dignity and decorum, as any ill behaviour on their part reflects poorly on Hogwarts' reputation. The same rules would apply, were you to engage in a public brawl, outside of Hogwarts' grounds. Not only would you be breaking the law, but you would be smearing the good name of an distinguished Wizarding institution. There are very specific guidelines for students comportment, off and on Hogwarts' property."

Harry sighed inwardly. He knew that he deserved whatever admonishment he would receive, but he felt as though he were two inches high. How could his judgement have been so impaired yesterday?

"You must have realised, Harry, that having an unsupervised party, with drugs and alcohol present could have posed a potential problem?"

"I swear, I had no idea that there would be drugs there," Harry said fiercely.

Severus narrowed his eyes at Harry. "But you did know that there would be alcohol."

Harry remained silent.

"I asked you a question." Severus raised his voice, making Harry flinch.

"Yes sir," he said quietly.

He could see how Severus' eyes widened at this. Obviously the man was hoping that Harry hadn't known in advance that there was going to be alcohol, perhaps making him a little less culpable than the others, but Harry had already disappointed the man; he wasn't going to exacerbate the problem by lying to his face.

"Had you given any thought to the fact that there would be underage students present," Severus asked coldly. "Or did you not care?"

Harry shook his head. "No, I swear Severus. It was only supposed to be seventh years. I'm not sure really how these other students found out about it." He said, perplexed.

"Well, whether you realised or not the potential for disaster, you acted very irresponsibly. Many of the younger students look up to you as a role model. They emulate your behaviour. Have you thought of that, Harry?"

Harry's face heat up in shame. He hadn't given a thought as to how his actions might have affected the younger students who looked up to him.

"About the drugs--"

"I swear that I didn't have anything to do with them."

"Yet, you partook of them, nevertheless."

Harry's eyes widened in surprise. How did Severus know that?

Severus gave Harry a knowing look. "I grew up as a Muggle Harry. I lived in a Muggle neighbourhood. I'm not naive to the signs, of what Muggles call, being stoned."

"I only had a couple of puffs, I swear," Harry said quickly.

"I see." Severus nodded.

Severus sat down on the coffee table, and leant in slightly towards Harry.

"Possession and consumption of Muggle drugs are illegal in both the Muggle and the Wizarding worlds. Apart from the legal ramifications of possessing such a substance, there are health risks and moral issues."

"I know."

"You know, yet you proceeded despite that."

Harry grew warmer.

"I think that lecturing you is futile Harry. I think that something more drastic is called for."

Harry felt his skin prickle with fear. What the hell did the man plan on doing to him?

"There is a couple of hours till lunch is served in the Great Hall. I have some brewing to do."

Harry blinked in confusion.

"You may go to your room till then, and begin your essay on why your behaviour last night, put yourself and others at risk. I will give you more specific guidelines later, but you should have enough time to start the outline."

Harry nodded, and rose wearily from his seat.

"And Harry-" Harry turned around. "We will discuss the rest of your punishment later."

Harry's shoulders sagged. He should have known that he wouldn't get off that easy.

Harry nodded. "Yes sir."

----------

Harry chewed on the end of his quill and looked at the almost empty parchment before him. It's not like he didn't know what he had done was wrong. It's not as if he didn't understand how foolish he'd been in thinking that he could have controlled this party when alcohol and drugs were part of the mix. He just was not very eloquent with words. That was Hermione's forte.

Harry sighed. How long did Severus say that this had to be? Well he hadn’t really. But he was sure that the man would specify at least several feet.

Harry tugged at his hair, and again was amazed at the new, silky texture.

He had to put a lot of thought into this. He had to show Severus that he understood his mistakes, and was willing to admit to them. As much as Harry wanted to put his guilt on someone else's shoulders, he knew that it was time to grow up. Severus was right. There was no excuse for his behaviour. He had known that he was going against Severus' wishes, and he'd known that he was breaking a serious school rule. He'd known the possible consequences and that he could have been expelled for his lapse in judgement. He had gone ahead and broken the rules, knowing that his fame would save him from serious consequences. He was guilty of what Severus had accused him of for the past six years.

He would do a good job on this essay, and prove to Severus that he understood his actions and vowed to prove to Severus that he could be trusted again.

By the time that a quiet knock on the door interrupted his concentration, Harry had filled three quarters of a parchment, and he was quite pleased with the content. He hoped that Severus would realise that he had put a lot of thought into this.

"Harry."

Severus opened the door and slipped quietly inside.

Harry looked up and noticed with some relief that the hard look that Severus had worn before, had softened slightly.

Severus held out his hand towards the parchment. "May I see?"

Harry nodded, and handed the parchment to his father hesitantly. He wasn't so sure any longer that it was up to Severus' standards.

Severus gave no indication from his blank expression what he thought of Harry's essay so far, as his eyes scanned the parchment.

He placed the parchment back down on the desk before Harry. "You seemed to have given this a lot of thought."

Harry's eyes widened in surprise. It was not often that Severus handed out praise, and when he did, you had to read between the lines to know that that was what he was doing. He was not an overly verbose man, nor did he lavish praise at the drop of a hat. Criticism, well...that was another matter.

"Uh, thanks. I-" Harry twisted the fabric of his shirt nervously. "-I just wanted you to know that I understand that what I did was wrong, and that I'm sorry that I've disappointed you."

Severus went to sit on Harry's bed. He looked at him intently for several minutes, making Harry squirm with the scrutiny.

"Despite my past treatment of you, and despite my cruel and selfish intent to humiliate and crush your spirit-" He took a deep breath. It wasn't easy to say all this to his son. It wasn't easy to show any weakness to Harry, but he wanted him to know that he wished he could change the past, and he was sorry that he hadn't realised it sooner.

"Because I saw only James Potter in you, and then afterwards because it was all too easy to continue fooling myself that you were really Potter's double-" He said with a pained expression on his face. "You have to believe that I take no pleasure now in having to reprimand you or doling out punishment. That may not have been true in the past, and for that I apologise Harry," he said with regret in his eyes, "but you're my son, and I know that you're still young, and I don't have any experience in being a father. I didn't have the best example."

"I think that you're doing a good job Severus," Harry denied.

Severus smirked. "You may not think so after I tell you what your punishment is."

Harry sighed. Why did he get the feeling that he wasn't going to like this one bit?

Severus stood up. "Come, let's go eat."

"What? Aren't you going to tell me what my punishment is?"

Severus' lips quirked. "Anxious, are we?"

Harry smiled at him. "No, not exactly. But, better to get it over with."

"Very well, if you insist," Severus said, sitting down again on Harry's bed.

Harry's stomach tightened in anxiety again.

"I will not give you a minimum length for your essay, but I expect it to be finished by the start of Christmas holidays. I will leave it in your hands, how long you feel it needs to be. But I expect you to not only list, as I've said before, how you feel your actions have put yourself and others at risk, what other serious ramifications could have resulted from your poor judgement and how you feel you might affect your younger peers in a more positive way. Also, you must include how alcohol and drug abuse can affect your life in a negative way. You may use whatever resources you wish."

Harry nodded. "Alright."

Severus turned his attention to Harry's trunk. "You will return to Gryffindor Tower after the holidays. Until then, you will reside in my quarters."

"What about Christmas?" Harry asked worriedly.

"We will celebrate Christmas as planned at Spinners' End."

Harry sighed in relief. He was really looking forward to this Christmas, and he didn't want anything to spoil it.

"Until then, however, you are not permitted to visit the Tower, nor see your friends. You will return each evening after detention to our quarters."

Harry's head snapped up. "Detention? But, you're already punishing me," he said resentfully. "It's not fair that I'm being punished twice."

"Your friends have received detention with Minerva for two weeks. Since they are being punished for breaking school rules, of which you have participated in as well, you will suffer the same consequences as they are. "

"Yeah, but-"

"And-" Severus gave Harry a stern glare to stop him from interrupting again, "since I'm quite certain that your friend's parents have also been informed of their children's actions, that your friends will not get off lightly either."

I guess he has a point, Harry thought. He could only imagine what Mrs. Weasley's reaction would be, when she was informed that her youngest son partook of drugs and alcohol at a wild party in Gryffindor Tower. Hmm....Harry started to think that he was glad that he didn't have to face Mrs. Weasley's wrath. It was a toss up as to who was stricter--Snape or Mrs. Weasley. She may not be tall, but Mrs. Weasley's temper was a force to be reckoned with; she was a furious ball of red-haired fire when she got a bee in her bonnet. He was beginning to feel sorry for Ron!

"Yeah, I guess not," Harry agreed reluctantly.

Suddenly, the grumble of Harry's stomach lightened the serious mood.

"Come," Severus said with a smile as he gently urged Harry up out of the chair by his shoulders. "Wouldn't want anyone to think that I was starving you."

Harry smiled back. "Yeah, I'm starving." Yeah, digging down deep and facing your inner demons took a lot out of you.

-------------

Severus looked back inquiringly as Harry hesitated before the doorway to the Great Hall.

He raised an eyebrow. "Is something the matter Harry?"

Harry's face went red. "Well, it's just you know-, uh-“ he stammered, everyone is already staring and whispering because of my appearance, and now they're probably all wondering if-" he looked up at Severus. "Uh-never mind," he said embarrassedly.

Severus smirked. "They're probably wondering if I've used you for Potions ingredients, is that it?"

"Uh-yeah, something like that." Harry looked at him sheepishly.

Severus put an arm around his shoulder. "Yes, Eye of Harry is quite a rare Potion ingredient."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Very funny, Severus."

As expected, all eyes turned to Severus and Harry when they walked into the Great Hall, but Harry gained surprising strength from Severus' arm around his shoulders. It was rather odd actually, because Harry was sure that their relationship would take a step backwards since Severus seemed to be so angry with him. He had been consumed with anxiety that Severus would be so disappointed in him that it would break the fragile thread that was their relationship. Strangely enough, it seemed to have had the opposite effect.

Severus walked with Harry to the Gryffindor Table, and looked at him seriously. "Wait for me here after lunch terminates. I wish for you to accompany me somewhere. There is something I wish for you to see."

Harry looked at him questioningly.

"After dinner," Severus said firmly.

Harry nodded, and bit his lip as he watched his father walk towards the staff table in a flurry of black robes.

He turned around and saw that everyone at the Gryffindor table was staring at him. Ron, Seamus and McCleggan, among others, looked a little green around the edges. He quickly took a seat, his face flaming, and noticed that Hermone and Ginny were sitting at the opposite end of the table. When he tried to catch Ginny's eye, she looked at him coldly, and began speaking with Hermione again.

Ron's mouth was set in an angry scowl.

"I guess they're still angry with us, aren't they?" Harry asked sadly, as he reached for a bread roll. He hoped that lunch would be served soon, when his stomach rumbled loudly again.

"I think that we're the ones that should be mad, if you ask me," Ron said, his freckled face flushing with anger.

Harry's brow crinkled in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Well, do you think it's a coincidence that Snape and McGonagall just happened to show up?" he asked indignantly

Harry's mouth hung open. Oh.

He glanced over at Ginny and Hermione, disappointment washing over him. He wasn't sure though, whether the pang of disappointment was aimed at Ginny and Hermione, or himself.

Before Harry could examine his feelings on the matter, however, a sudden flurry of owls flocked through the Great Hall, each carrying bright red envelopes. As Harry ducked Ron's owl, Errol crashed into a tureen of soup, flapping his wings and spraying soup everywhere; a red envelope fell from its beak, before he flew off in erratic movement back out of the Great Hall.

Ron's jaw dropped in horror, as he realised too late what the red envelope contained. Suddenly there was a loud bang, and a whisp of smoke, before the flaps of the envelope morphed into a large pair of ruby red lips.

Harry jumped when the lips began to screech loudly in Mrs. Weasley's familar voice.

"Ronald Weasly! How dare you bring shame on this family by carousing around like a drunken Wizard! Just imagine my embarrassment when I get an Owl from Headmistress McGonagall saying my son had a wild party in the dorms and smuggled in alcohol and Muggle Drugs!" If it was possible, her voice rose even higher.

Ron put his hands over his face.

"And just wait Mister, till you come home for the holidays! You can say goodbye to your freedom young man! I have a list of chores to keep you busy, and-"

Ron sunk further into his seat as the voice shrilled on and on, promising dire consequences and a list of chores for Ron to complete, long enough to last him for the duration of the Christmas hols.

Harry's head was actually throbbing from the numerous howlers, spouting screeching messages of admonishment to their embarrassed recipients. He looked up and happened to catch Severus smirking at him.

Hermione showed no sympathy for Ron, and pursed her lips in disapproval at him.

Once the howler had stopped shrieking, it burst into flames and vanished into thin hair and Ron looked up at Harry, his freckles blending into his face.

"How about we get out of here?" he asked while trying to ignore the jeers and taunts floating over from the Slytherin table.

Now it was Harry's turn for his face to heat up in embarrassment. "Uh, I can't Ron."

"Why not? We can just sneak out and hide up in the Tower for awhile."

"Uh, well, I'm kind of," Aw damn. He didn't want to say it. "I'm grounded." There he said it. How embarrassing.

"Oh right. Of course. I mean, Snape looked real shirty last night. He must have really laid into you."

Harry nodded. "Yeah, he wasn't pleased," Harry admitted quietly. At least Snape had reamed him in private. Harry thanked Merlin that Snape was not inclined to public displays. And he had thought that his friends had got off easy! He was beginning to think that he was the lucky one. That was until he remembered the serious look on Severus' face, when he said that he was bringing Harry somewhere, and had something to show him later.

Thankfully, as the meal progressed, the attention died down and Ron and Harry ate their meal in silence.

"So, how long you grounded for?" Ron finally asked.

Harry made a face. "Until Christmas. And I've got to serve whatever detention McGonagall assigns as well."

"Yeah well, at least you get to serve your sentence before the Christmas hols mate," Ron said unsympathetically. "You heard my mum. She's gonna make my life a living hell," he groaned as he stabbed at a potato.

"Yeah, tough break," Harry agreed.

At the end of the meal, he watched as Ron went off with Seamus, looking dejected. He felt a wave of sympathy for his friend.

Harry stood by the empty table, nervously picking at his fingernails, watching the throngs of students exit the Great Hall in droves, and looked up at the staff table, at Severus speaking with McGonagall.

Harry felt his stomach clench as he saw Severus nod to her, turn around and come his way, robes flowing behind him.

Severus came to stand in front of Harry, and looked down at his son with concern in his eyes. If Harry but knew it, Severus' stomach roiled with anxiety also. He was about to relive a part of his life that had been dead and buried long ago--and he had no desire to summon those ghosts from the past...to the present.