“Hello there, my dear boys!” Dumbledore smiled brightly as he stepped out of the Floo, dusting himself off. “And how are we this fine afternoon?”

Harry was found that he was a little perturbed by the Headmaster’s interruption of the first ever kind interaction between himself and Snape in the history of ever, but he was also a bit relieved that the old man had come back. When Dumbledore had left that morning, Harry had noticed Severus’s alarm and fear. It seemed to be a good thing for the little boy to know that Albus hadn’t abandoned him.

“Hello, Professor.” Harry smiled at the old wizard. “We’re fine.”

“Excellent, excellent!” The headmaster walked towards the two boys, a smile still plastered on his old face. “And how are you, Severus? Feeling any better?”

While Severus had appeared to trust the old man that morning, Harry noticed that the boy was a little hesitant with the professor now that he was back. Severus was in an extremely sensitive state. The little bloke was still learning whom he could and could not trust. Perhaps Severus felt a bit unsure of the headmaster because he had left him that morning with an older boy he didn’t even know? Seemed likely. Harry was sure he’d be wary if he were Severus.

Instead of speaking, however, the small boy nodded once to the old wizard, not giving Dumbledore the honor of hearing his voice.

“Excellent!” Dumbledore exclaimed, not noticing his former employee’s fears. “Been having fun, have we?” The headmaster looked at the parchment that was lying on the table.

Knowing that Severus was probably not going to speak, Harry decided to step in. “Yeah. Severus was practicing the alphabet. See?” Harry held up the parchment. “Look at how well he’s done!”

Dumbledore took up the parchment, and his smile somehow grew even more brilliant. “My, my! How wonderful, Severus!” the old wizard praised. “This is magnificent! And you did it all by yourself?”

Harry snapped his eyes over to the little boy, and once again caught the child’s reaction. Same as he’d done with Harry, Severus looked offended at the thought that he did not know the alphabet. The spark that seemed to be present in the older Snape was back in the black eyes, and Harry had to wonder if the professors had been wrong, and Professor Snape was still very much in there. There were times when Harry was certain that his Potions master was still there, still waiting to growl and snap at anyone who questioned him.

But again, the intense look of insult melted away, the compliment that was given finally seemed to reach Severus’s mind, and the little boy blushed ever so slightly and gave a shy nod. It seemed that Dumbledore had completely missed the affronted look Severus had given altogether, as he beamed on, seeing only the pleased expression the little boy wore.

“My word, I daresay that you will be an excellent student here once you come to Hogwarts, my dear boy,” Dumbledore went on with his praise.

“Uh, sir?” Harry said quietly, seeing Severus becoming a bit uncomfortable with the attention. “Where have you been?”

The headmaster looked over to Harry, his blue eyes twinkling brightly, looking very much like the twins when they thought of a particularly clever prank. “In my office. Just taking care of some business matters.” The old man smiled. “But now that you bring it up, there was something I wished to discuss with you, Harry. Would you mind coming with me for just a moment?”

Turning to look back at Severus, Harry found the small child sitting up, staring intently at the headmaster with bright obsidian eyes. The look in the small child’s eyes reminded Harry very much of the look his former Potions teacher had whenever Dumbledore seemed prone to sharing some rather interesting information. Again, Harry found himself wondering if the old Snape were not still in there, still observant, still influencing a large part of young Severus’s mind. But when Severus did notice that he was being watched as well, the little boy’s courage seemed to falter and he looked away, back down at his hands.

“Uh, yeah. Sure. I can talk.” Harry nodded towards the headmaster. “But, um, what about Severus? I don’t think that he’d like to be left alone.”

“Oh!” Dumbledore looked over to the little boy again, as though he had completely forgotten the child he had been doting only a few moments before. “We won’t be leaving,” the old wizard told his former employee gently. “I just need to speak with Harry over there,” he said, pointing to a spot several beds away from the one Severus was sitting on. “We’ll be right back.”

Looking over to where the headmaster was pointing, Severus was not sure that he liked the idea of Harry going away from him again. True, he had not known Harry for very long, but there was just something about the other boy that Severus liked. Something within him told Severus that Harry was not like the other older children that he had run into, and Harry was certainly not like any, adults either! There was something…special about Harry. Severus could see that every time he looked into the emerald eyes.

After a long moment, Severus looked up at the headmaster and gave a small nod.

Dumbledore gave an even brighter smile and patted the bed, where he thought Severus’s foot might be. “There’s a good lad. We’ll be finished talking in just a moment.”

Harry frowned in concern, wondering what Severus thought of all this, but went along with the headmaster when Dumbledore began to walk a short distance away. There was something in the black eyes that made Harry suspicious when he watched the little boy. Severus seemed to be smarter than he was letting on. But then again, he had been a thirty-five-year-old man not too long ago.

“Professor?” Harry whispered. “Is…is Professor Snape still there, d’you think?”

Albus frowned in confusion. “Of course, Harry. That really is Professor Snape there.”

“I know that.” Harry shook his head, trying to gather his thoughts. “But what I meant was…is Snape’s…adult self still here?”

“You mean in the boy?” Dumbledore carefully peeked over to look at Severus, who had turned his attention back to his writing, but was no doubt trying to catch part of the conversation between Harry and Albus. “I told you, Harry, Severus has reverted back into the child that he had been. He does not remember us.”

“I know that.” Harry nodded. “But…but there are times when he seems…a lot like Snape. Old Snape, I mean.”

“Professor Snape,” the headmaster corrected gently, before he frowned again. “Has Severus demonstrated signs of adult self? Has he remembered something?”

Slowly, Harry shook his head. “No. No memories or anything like that. I just meant that he seems…old for his age, I guess. He doesn’t act much like I thought a little kid should.”

“He has had a troubling past, my boy. Have you kept that in mind? With such a past he would not act much like a normal child might or ought.” There was concern and sorrow in the usually bright blue eyes.

“I know that. But there’s still…something in the way that he acts at times. Like he’s an adult, not a scared little kid.” Harry wanted the headmaster to understand, but at the moment, he could not think of the words to say to make Dumbledore comprehend what he was saying. “There are times when Severus acts very shy and scared, like what you’d think a little kid his age would,” Harry said, deciding to start over. “But then there are times when he acts very...well, a lot like he would when he was a professor.”

Dumbledore turned his head over to stare at young boy that was sitting in his bed practicing his letters and trying very hard to pretend that he didn’t notice the headmaster watching him. “I suppose it is possible that he could still project a few of his adult-like manners.” Dumbledore stroked his beard in thought. “Though I cannot be sure. What’s happened to Severus seems to be more complex than anything I’ve ever encountered before. It does not seem like a normal age-reversal potion, as Severus would still have his adult memories if it were. And we could guess when such a potion would wear out. But whatever Severus has gotten into this time is much different. It’s almost as though he has gone completely back in time…” The old wizard trailed off.

Shifting uncomfortably, Harry could not help but look towards the little boy as well. “Could it be possible that something like that happened?” Harry asked quietly. “That Professor Snape made a potion that could take him back in time? You said that he created all kinds of different potions.”

Still stroking his beard, Dumbledore turned back to Harry. “That is a very creative thought.” The headmaster smiled, but it was a forced smile, one letting Harry know just how worried Dumbledore actually was. “But I do not think that is very likely. You said you saw Professor Snape’s hand get injured, or rather that you saw it after it was injured, yes?”

“Yeah.” Harry began to grow uncomfortable, but a little excited about the mystery of what had happened to Snape.

“So, Severus still retained that injury, and he does not recall how he’s gotten it.”

“He told you that?” the younger Gryffindor asked in surprise. “Madam Pomfrey said that Severus hasn’t spoken to anyone until this morning, to me.”

Again, Dumbledore smiled sadly. “He didn’t have to, my dear boy; I could see his confusion. Of all his injures, even his broken bones and his other bruises and cuts, he stared a great deal at that hand the night before. Although he might have been good at hiding his thoughts as an adult, he’s rather transparent now, and I could tell that he did not remember that injury, which lead me to believe that this is still the same Severus that we have always known…but one that does not remember being an adult!”

“This is giving me a headache,” Harry muttered.

Dumbledore began to chuckle lightly as he placed a comforting hand on the younger wizard’s shoulder. “Indeed it is, my boy. I’ve stayed up almost all night pondering this little puzzle of ours, and I have yet to get any further than figuring out who is alive and who is not.

“But this is not what I wished to speak with you about. What I wanted to tell you is that I have come up with a plan on how to hide Severus, and have also come up with a story on how to hide Severus’s disappearance in Potions.”

After figuring out which “Snape” Dumbledore was talking about, Harry frowned. “What are you going to tell everyone once Snape doesn’t show up for Potions?”

“Professor Snape, Harry. And I’ve come up with a story for that, as I said.” Blue eyes began shining with excitement. “I will make an announcement later at lunch today that Professor Snape has been called away on a very exciting opportunity to study potion ingredients in Eastern Europe. I will not go into specifics. But the excuse for such a sudden departure is that at first it was thought that there would not be a spot for him to go, but since someone from the party dropped out, there was an opening allowing him to attend, and he just found out last evening.”

“That’s…a good idea.” Harry tired to find a loophole in the story, but he could not think of any except one. “But he wouldn’t leave. I mean, he’s a Death Eater. Won’t Voldemort and the other Death Eaters think his leaving is a little suspicious?”

“Too true,” the headmaster agreed. “But one Death Eater already came here to confront Severus on his betrayal, and you said that his Dark Mark began to bleed, so what’s to say that the Voldemort didn’t know of Severus’s betrayal? Isn’t it possible that all the Death Eaters figured it out?

“No, this is a good plan, I think. Only a handful of students know that Professor Snape is a former Death Eater, and none of them would ever tell. If the other Death Eaters knew of Severus’s treachery, then it would logical to assume that he would try to hide or run away.”

“I guess I didn’t really think of that,” Harry admitted. “But how are you going to explain this Severus here? People are going to notice a little kid wandering around eventually.”

“Ah, but that is where I need some of your help, my boy.” Dumbledore’s eyes began sparkling like mad. “I believe that I shall masquerade Severus around as my grandson.”

“Grandson? But you’re not married, sir!” Harry’s eyes widened in shock. “Or are you?”

The old wizard began laughing again, only this time, his laughter rang out throughout the hospital wing, catching little Severus’s attention. “No, Harry, I am not married.” Dumbledore lowered his voice again. “Nor have I ever been. But what’s to say that I never sowed a few wild seeds in my past?”

“Sir?” Harry was flabbergasted. “Wouldn’t that ruin your reputation, sir?”

Again, the headmaster chuckled. “I doubt it. What man hasn’t done something foolish in his past? And I am rather getting on in years now, and I have done quite a bit in my time. I doubt if the public knew or thought that I had had an illegitimate child, and then a grandchild, that it would matter too much. I’m too old for such a thing to be considered too scandalous.”

“Are you sure?” Harry looked at the headmaster doubtfully. “I mean, it will be a shock to find out that you have a grandson and all.”

“Yes, but he would be my grandson, meaning that any woman I might have gotten pregnant would have been in the past…a rather long time ago, I’m thinking. And the story will go that I received word that I was left custody of the boy after his parents died. My anonymous lover told our son that I was his father, but neither one ever came forth, so when my son and his wife died—both from a Death Eater raid—I was left custody of the boy. I had tests done, and it showed that the boy was my close relative,” Dumbledore explained.

While the headmaster was giving his fake family history, Harry could not help but stare at the old wizard in a stupor for several minutes. Dumbledore really seemed to be getting into his new role. “You’ve really got this all figured out, haven’t you?”

“Yes, yes.” The old man smiled happily. “I’m lining up witnesses, should anyone want more evidence.”

“But why do you need me?” Harry was starting to get nervous with where this was all leading.

“Well, I obviously need you to go around confirming my claims,” Dumbledore said very matter-of-factly. “If you must, you may say that when you were going to see Professor Snape last evening, you happened upon Severus and me talking about his departure and you saw the boy, whom I had brought with me.”

Something told Harry that he would come to regret all of this, and there was a part of him that wished that he had never gone down to see Snape last night, and that he knew absolutely nothing about this mess. But then, if he didn’t know, and he learned of Snape leaving and then saw a small boy that was said to be the headmaster’s grandson, he’d be suspicious and want to figure everything out anyway. Yet, Harry had the feeling that he would come to regret helping the headmaster out in this at same point.

Sighing in defeat, Harry knew he could not refuse Dumbledore, especially now that he had gotten to know Severus a bit better. If for nothing else, Harry wanted to help the little boy as much as he could. After all, he and Severus actually shared a similar past, as odd as it sounded, and if he could help his former professor out when he was a kid, Harry was more than willing to do it.

“I’ll do it.” Harry nodded. “But why did you not let me go to class today? People will ask.”

“Just tell them the truth in that regard.” The headmaster smiled. He knew that he could get Harry to help him. “Tell them that I wanted you to watch over him today since I had quite a bit of business to take care of with Professor Snape leaving.”

“Right. But what are you going to call him? You can’t say that your grandson is Severus!” The very idea of it just made Harry squirm.

Here, Albus looked thoughtful and he was silent for a few moments. “I believe I shall call him Archimedes Zadok Octavius Dumbledore.”

The oddness of the names caught Harry off guard for a moment, before he was able to blink again, at which point he just stared at the headmaster for a long moment. “Archimedes Zadok Octavius Dumbledore?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Why what?” Albus asked in confusion.

“Why those names?” Harry grimaced at the thought of really being named “Archimedes”.

As though reading the boy’s thoughts, Dumbledore chuckled. “Well, I suppose no one would ever think of Professor Snape as an Archimedes—”

“That’s for sure!” Harry mumbled under his breath.

“—and I suppose that I’ve just always had a liking for these three names. I believe I might have used these names had I really had a son.” 

“Well…I guess there are worse names out there,” Harry muttered. “But what about the way he looks? People are bound to notice the similarities between your grandson Archimedes and Professor Snape.”

“Ah, but that is where only a few minor spells can help us out.” Dumbledore took out his wand, as though to demonstrate. “Since Severus is so young now, he has not taken on many of his…adult features yet.”

That’s for sure! Harry thought. He’s actually not all that terrible to look at now.

“So,” the headmaster went on, “I believe that in order to make him look more like a Dumbledore, all I need to do is change his nose and his eyes. After all, no one knows what my past lover might have looked like, or my son and his wife, so Severus’s other features would be safe. It would be a very good disguise without going overboard, don’t you think?”

It did sound like a good idea. Since Severus still had some baby fat— if he had any fat on him at all!—and his rounder face, no one would think to look for Professor Snape’s harsh features in the grandson of Albus Dumbledore! Certainly not if the headmaster gave little Severus bright blue eyes! “But what are you going to tell Severus?” Harry asked after a moment. “You can’t just tell him that you’re his grandpa now and then change his name and his looks.”

“That is a very good point.” Dumbledore’s smile faded slightly. It seemed that he had gotten so into his planning that he’d forgotten to take the actual people involved into account.

“You should tell him the truth,” Harry spoke up after a moment’s pause. “He has a right to know what’s happened to him, and what’s going on.”

“But he’s just a little one.” The headmaster looked over to Severus with a pitying expression on his face.

Harry nodded once. “Yeah, he is. But I still think he’s got the old Professor Snape in there somewhere. I think if you talk to him about this he’ll understand.”

Looking very tired, Dumbledore sighed. “Yes, I suppose you are right. Funny how I should be scolded by  you.” He smiled kindly.

Smiling back, Harry turned to glance back at Severus, who was still writing out his letters. “I should probably go back to him.”

“Yes. But do not tell him anything of this. I will explain everything to him tonight at dinner. I think you should go to dinner with your friends tonight.” Dumbledore began walking back over to Severus’s bed with Harry. “I am sure they are anxious to see you, especially after you did not return last night.”

Harry could just see Hermione panicking, and Ron planning to do something rash, believing that Snape had murdered him or something of the sort. He had been so angry with Snape last night, it could have been possible that he and Snape had another row and the two of them had had some difficulties leading to detentions or Snape flying off the handle again.

“Yeah. Thanks, Professor.” Harry smiled before stopping at Severus’s bedside where the smaller boy looked up at the older two wizards. “What time will you be back?”

“Oh, around six o’clock or so,” the headmaster said. “I need to go to lunch now and make my announcements. I’ll have lunch brought up to you both soon. Severus?” he turned back to his former Potions master, his voice gentler. “I’ll be back later to collect you, all right? Will you be fine with Harry for a few more hours?”

Shyly, the little Snape gave two small nods before very quietly answering, “Yes.”

Grinning as though he had just been awarded all the gold in England, Dumbledore looked about ready to burst with happiness from the little boy’s answer. “Very good, then, my dear boy!” he exclaimed. “I shall be back soon. Have fun, you two!” he called before he walked back over to the Floo and disappeared.

Turning back after watching the headmaster go, Harry found Severus watching him. “What did you two talk about?” the little boy asked.

Everything that Dumbledore had told him began swirling in Harry’s mind, and he started to get nervous, thinking about everything that he could and could not say now. Could he keep all this from everyone, even Ron and Hermione? Would this be a secret with only Dumbledore, Madam Pomfrey, and Professors Flitwick and McGonagall? It seemed like a lot to shoulder with everything else Harry had to think about lately.

“Nothing,” he said instead. “Professor Dumbledore wants to tell you later tonight.”

Frowning, Severus felt the old flares of doubt and suspicion rise again, but he fought to keep them down. After all, Harry had been very kind to him so far, and Albus had been very nice the night before. Severus wanted to trust them, he wanted to so very badly. So, with a small nod, Severus decided that he would keep working on his letters and wait for the night to come.

~*~

That night, Harry walked from the hospital wing and down towards the Great Hall. He felt a bit nervous, though he knew he shouldn’t be. The thought of seeing everyone after he had skipped classes all day even though he hadn’t been sick or injured really sat wrong with Harry. What would his teachers say? What would everyone one else think? But it was under Dumbledore’s orders! he thought.

Walking into the Great Hall, listening to all the noisy chatter, Harry didn’t have to look hard for his friends, because he had barely set foot into the room before Hermione and Ron were on him like flies to a carcass. “Harry!” they boy exclaimed.

“Where have you been?” Hermione demanded.

“Mate, I thought Snape killed you!” Ron spoke over Hermione.

“You missed all our classes today!”

“I mean, you didn’t even come back to the room last night!”

“We had a quiz in Charms today, and you missed it!”

“And then the twins said they swore they saw you going to the hospital wing last night!”

The constant bombardment of scolding and inquires left Harry’s mind reeling, and he started to get a headache. “Whoa! Half a moment!” Harry cried. “Can’t I even sit down first?” 

Neither Hermione nor Ron were in a particularly patient mood, and before Harry could have said “magic,” the two grabbed him and dragged him to the table before making him sit. “Now then.” Hermione sat down next to her friend, trying to look calm and proper. “Where were you last night? I thought you said you were going to talk to Professor Snape.”

“I was!” Harry insisted, still feeling a bit suffocated under Hermione’s suspicious glare. “But while I was going there, I heard Dumbledore—”

“Did you hear about what happened with Dumbledore?!” Ron interjected. “He got up in front of everyone at lunch today and told everyone that he had a grandson that would be staying here with him for a while at Hogwarts!”

“And, more importantly,” Hermione cut in, scowling at Ron, “Professor Dumbledore also said that Professor Snape left last night to go on a Potions masters’ seminar in Eastern Europe to study rare potions ingredients.”

Again, Harry was trying to shift his way through all the information his friends were telling him that he already knew. He was getting a bit angry that no one would let him say more than six words put together. “Can I just tell you what I know?” the green-eyed Gryffindor huffed.

Ron looked a bit confused, as though he did not understand why his friend was getting angry, while Hermione continued to scowl. By this time, the trio had attracted the attention of Neville, the Weasley twins, and a few other Gryffindors as well. Realizing that he had an audience now, Harry worked to keep himself calm and tell his story, just like he and Dumbledore had talked about.

“You see,” Harry began, “I did go down to see Snape last night, just like I’d said, and when I went down there, I heard Snape talking to someone. I didn’t know who it was for a minute, but I soon realized that it had been Dumbledore. I snuck up quietly to the door—which had been cracked open for some reason— and peeked inside. Snape was telling Dumbledore about leaving for Eastern Europe—to Transylvania, I think—and about what a great opportunity it would be for him to go and about how he had just found out and all that.

“But, while those two were talking, I saw a little kid with Dumbledore. I think the kid realized I was staring, and he looked over at me. Of course, Snape noticed and opened the door—which nearly hit my face!—and Dumbledore invited me in while Snape threatened to deduct points for ‘eavesdropping on a private conversation’ or something like that. But Dumbledore didn’t mind and he introduced me to his grandson, and when Snape left to go pack or something, the headmaster asked me if I’d like to stay and play with his grandson, and, then asked if I’d like to watch him today. So I did.”

While some of the Gryffindors looked pleased with the story, and turned to each other to gossip and chatter away happily, Hermione did not look all that convinced. In fact, her eyes held accusing thoughts in them, but she remained quiet, knowing it would not be wise to point the finger at Harry while everyone else was still around. Ron, on the other hand, did not seem to mind the tale quite as much, but still did not look satisfied.

“What does the kid look like, Harry?” Ron asked.

“And what’s his name?” Hermione added.

Harry was thankful that he and Dumbledore had gone through everything when the headmaster had come back that night. “Well…” Harry trailed off. “The kid’s got the worst name in the world, I can tell you that much.”

“What’s that?” Ron frowned. The twins had started listening again, too.

“Archimedes,” Harry said. At everyone’s sour expressions, Harry went on. “Archimedes Zadok Octavius Dumbledore.”

“That is bad,” Ron muttered.

Actually, Harry wondered how Severus was taking to the news that he had to change his name to this long, crazy name. He wished he could have stayed behind with the little boy while Dumbledore told him the news that he was not really a little kid, but a thirty-five-year-old Potions professor. Would Severus take the news well, or were things going terribly even at this moment? Harry hoped not. He wished he could have said goodnight to Severus, but the little boy had fallen asleep shortly after Dumbledore had left and had still been sleeping when the headmaster returned.

“Yeah. But he’s got black hair and blue eyes, and…um…well…he’s really little, and shy.” Harry tried to describe Severus as best as he could with Dumbledore’s changes included, but he had never been very good at describing people’s appearances all that well. He was much better at describing people’s character and attitudes.

“Archimedes, eh?” George winced.

“That’s bloody terrible.” Fred shared his twin’s expression.

“How old is he?” Hermione pressed.

“Six,” Harry answered automatically. “But he’s really small for his age. He looks four to me…though I don’t really know how fast kids grow.”

It seemed that everyone’s curiosity had been slaked for the time being, and the small crowd went to their meals hungrily, their minds full of news and their tongues burning to spread gossip. Able to breathe once more, Harry went about filling his plate quietly. He was glad to be out from under the spotlight, but he was not all that comfortable. He did not like having to lie to his friends and housemates. It was one thing to keep something from them, but completely different when he thought it through and helped fabricate a story to tell. It just did not sit well with Harry.

But it’s for Severus’s own good, Harry tried to justify. After all, if everyone knew that little Archimedes Dumbledore was really Severus Snape, what would the Death Eaters do to him? More importantly, what would the students do to the man who had punished them unfairly and berated them? No, Harry had to deceive everyone so that Severus had a chance to get through all this. Harry just hoped that the Potions master would turn back to his old self again soon.

~*~

“All right, Harry. Tell me what really happened.” Hermione demanded once they were back in Gryffindor Tower, alone in the corner of the common room.

Sighing, Harry decided that sometimes it was not always a good thing having a friend that was a genius. They were so much harder to fool. “All right, this is how it really goes; I went down to see Snape, like I said, only they weren’t taking about Snape leaving to go study potions ingredients, Snape was talking about leaving because the Death Eaters found out that he was a spy.”

“Merlin!” Hermione gasped, covering her mouth quickly. “He’s running because he’s been threatened, hasn’t he? And Dumbledore made up the story to throw off the Death Eaters’ children here, right?”

“So where is he really going to?” Ron asked. Even though he did not like Snape—at all!—Ron still understood the Potions master’s worth and realized that Snape did know a lot of Order business and plans.

“I don’t really know where he went,” Harry said, shaking his head. He did feel terrible about lying to his friends. “Dumbledore really did have his grandson with him when I went down, and when Archimedes looked over at me, Snape did catch on and really laid in to me about spying. So while Dumbledore was helping Snape get ready to leave, I watched out for Dumbledore’s grandson.”

The trio sat in silence for several minutes while Hermione and Ron soaked in the new information and Harry tried not to give anything away by looking guilty.

“That makes much more sense,” Hermione muttered. “I knew there had to be a rather good reason for Professor Snape to just leave all of a sudden. But is there any connection with Dumbledore suddenly getting a grandson?”

“That’s just coincidence I think.” Harry prayed that he hadn’t said it too fast. “I think the appearance of an unknown grandkid really threw Dumbledore off. He seemed close to panic last night with everything going on.” And that was the truth. Harry could not remember a time when Dumbledore had looked so scared and worried as he had the night before.

“When do you think Snape will come back?” Ron asked.

“He might never come back,” Hermione pointed out. “If he has Death Eaters on his trail, I believe there’s a very good chance he might…might be killed.” Her voice fell.

Hermione’s words hit Harry hard. No one really knew just how devoted Snape was. The man was a triple agent, constantly risking his life to bring the headmaster news of the Death Eaters and the Dark Lord’s plans. It was because of Snape that the Order got most of the information it did, and it was because of him that some Muggle and Muggle-born lives were saved.

Harry could only picture Snape standing in the doorway last evening, blocking the Death Eater’s way to finding the Boy Who Lived. Snape had not liked Harry, but he had stood his ground, doing his very best to make sure that his least favorite student had a chance to get away and get help. Despite his hatred for James Potter, Snape had always helped Harry. Sure, he had made life hell while Harry was in his class, but at the same time, and in the long run, Snape had only been looking out for him. Snape had made a promise, an oath, to protect Harry, and that was only thing that mattered now to Harry; that Snape cared.

“But he’s always been good at hiding, hasn’t he?” Ron pointed out, startling Harry from his thoughts. “I think he could get away.”

“But he still has the Dark Mark.” Hermione shook her head sadly. “Although I don’t know exactly how that works, I believe that it would be easier for Voldemort”—Ron flinched at the name—“to track him down. If Professor Snape gets out of the U.K.—which he would be very lucky indeed—I don’t think he’d make it too far into Central Europe before he’s found.”

The three teenagers fell into a heavy silence. Although none of them had been very fond of Professor Snape, they all had discovered that the man had given up quite a bit to play spy for Dumbledore, and even though they may have talked about wanting to kill the greasy git, the reality of him actually having a chance at being killed did not sit well with any of them. None of them very seriously wished death on anyone, except perhaps the Dark Lord.

The tension was realized, however, when the twins set off one of their fireworks in the common room and all the students had to duck for cover. As the other students grumbled and complained about the animated Weasley twins, Harry’s thoughts turned back to the little boy he had left sleeping in the hospital bed. He hoped Severus took Dumbledore’s news well, and he hoped that the little Slytherin wouldn’t be too angry with him in the morning.