Harry stirred before his father but kept still. He had hoped to get his friends out and the rooms tidied before his father arrived…

“Ready to start the day.” Harry closed his eyes and stop breathing. “I know you are awake, child.” Snape gave him a playful slap.

“Just five more minutes…”

“I will ask for breakfast. Take a shower.”

“Yes, dad.”

Breakfast was a quiet business both ate their food slowly, looking at their plates. Harry finished and used his fork to move the egg yolk around the plate.

“Have you finished?”

“Yes, dad.”

“The Headmaster asked to see you at 9.”

“He wants to see me? Is it because of what happened last night?”

“I suppose.”

“Was he angry?”

“I think that he won’t encourage that kind of sneaky behavior.”

“Is Professor McGonagall angry also?”

“I am sure that Professor McGonagall will have something to say, she is at the Infirmary for the moment.”

“The Infirmary…?” Had his Head of House a heart attack when she realized that they were missing? Harry looked at Severus. “Is she very sick?”

“She broke her leg.”

“I’m sorry.”

“You should start to realize that your actions affect a lot of people, not just you and your friends. If you’re finished, wash your teeth and hands, I do not want to keep the Headmaster waiting.”

Harry had never been summoned to the Headmaster’s office before. He felt his legs trembling as he walked beside his father. He realized, when they arrived, that he was holding his hand. Snape’s pale hands were warm in contrast with Harry’s that were ice cold.

Harry did not notice when his father told the password to the gargoyle, in any other occasion he would have enjoyed the stairs, but not now. They heard Dumbledore’s voice calling them in.

“Severus, Mr. Potter… come in, come in. Take a seat.”

Snape chose a chair, but Harry stood in front of Severus. He felt relieved to feel his hands holding his shoulders.

Dumbledore was seated by his desk. A warm teacup by his side and a plate of chocolate biscuits.

“Mr. Potter... It is not an everyday event that a whole dormitory is able to sneak out of their common room; it’s stranger that four are able to do it. And if my memory does not deceive me… it was unheard of for two houses sleeping in one of the staff’s quarters. So tell me how you did it?”

“Professor… we…” Harry mumbled.

Severus inclined and whispered in his ear. “Talk louder child, it’s all right.”

“Yes, Sir.” He breathed deeply. “Professor we… I’m not sure how it happened, we got the idea of a sleep over party and… we…”

“Do you want a biscuit, Harry?”

“No thank you, Sir.” Harry thought that it was difficult enough to talk without having cookie crumbs choking him.

“Take your time, Mr. Potter. I am just curious.”

Harry explained how he had used his cloak to smuggle his companions out of their dorm and that the girls had gone out alone.

“…we used my father’s door to the Slytherin common room for Draco and the rest to come in.”

“Do you understand that it was not correct to do it?”

“Yes, Sir.” Harry hoped that he wouldn’t be expelled.

“Did you have fun?”

“Pardon me, Sir?”

“Did you have fun at your slumber party?”

“Yes, Sir. We played charades and we had ice-cream and caramel popcorn… and we told scary stories… we slept in sleeping bags.”

“You caused quite an up-roar child. All the teachers stayed up until very late last night.”

“I am sorry.”

“I know you are. It would be good if you were to write apology letters to all the teachers.”

“Yes, Headmaster.”

“Good, we do want you to have fun, Harry, but we need to know that you are save. And it is distressing to find empty beds where children should be asleep.” The white bearded wizard’s eyes twinkled at that moment. “Would you do it again?” Harry did not notice that Severus almost choked. He turned and looked at his father. Snape was as impassive as ever.

“I would like to do it again, Sir, it was fun. I know that we shouldn’t sneak out of the dorms and I did… I mean if Professor Snape approves…”

“So if your father approves, you would like to do it again, wouldn’t you?”

“Yes, Sir.”

“I need you to do something for me, Harry.”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Since a very long time ago I’ve felt that the houses must be able to put their differences aside and enjoy time together, I would like that to happen all the time, but I would settle for at least one night and I think that you had a very good idea… I would like you to plan a slumber party for the 4 houses Harry, just first years this time. If it works, as I hope it would, we may implement it for the rest of the years, maybe twice a year. One condition would be that you would ‘forget’ that you are in different houses and enjoy as children that are friends.”

“Albus… my rooms wouldn’t take 35 children…”

“Do not worry about that, Severus, we can take one of the empty class rooms and make it look like a house… plan it for next week, Harry, the night before the feast. It will be a good idea if you ask your class mates to tell you their favorite food...”

“Yes, Sir. Sir… may I ask for help…”

“Yes, of course, Harry. You may ask for help from your classmates. Who would you want?”

“Hermione and Ron and… Draco.”

“That is acceptable, you may also want to include someone else from Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff.”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Keep me posted, young Harry.”

“Yes, Sir.”

“That’s all, you may leave now.”

Harry felt that his legs were numb when his father pushed him out of the office. Dumbledore was a very strange man. Harry was dreading a lecture when he walked in, now he had to plan a party…”

“Let’s go back to our rooms, Harry you have letters to write and I have Slytherins to talk to.”

Snape left Harry writing in the kitchen table and went to the Slytherin common room.

He went to the first year dorm. And talked to them. He had to keep in mind Dumbledore words. He should not encourage the sneaking out, but he had to approve the fraternization with other houses. He always felt that his students were alone against the other three houses.

He told them that the punishment would be a day-long detention. He would give them the details later. He returned to his rooms and assumed that Harry was finished, because the boy was drawing. He placed a box over the table and sat beside Harry then he said.

“Harry, please go to your room and bring me your cloak.”

“My cloak, dad? But…” Snape only looked at him. “Yes, dad.” Harry walked back very slowly, clutching the cloak in one hand. “Here is it… Please can you give me another chance?”

“I allowed you keep it after the explosives incident, Harry.”

“But, dad… I promise I will not use it again… I…”

“You may use it son, but you will have to ask me for it. I will keep it for you.” Snape opened the wooden box and placed the cloak inside. “It will stay here, meanwhile.”

“What if it’s an emergency…?”

“Your cloak stays with me.”

“Yes, S… father.”

“Now I want you to stand in that corner and think of all the rules you broke yesterday and what would you think would be an appropriate punishment.”

“Beside loosing my cloak?”

“That is not punishment Harry, only a precaution. You are not loosing it, I am removing the temptation. I know it belonged to your father, but I am sure that your parents wouldn’t have let you have it at so young an age.”

“I will be 12 soon…”

“I know.”

“But…” Snape just move his hand to indicate to Harry to turn and face the wall.

“How long should I stay here?”

“At least until you lose that attitude.”

“Dad!”

“Keep quiet now.”

Ten minutes later Severus touched his back and told him to come out of the corner.

“What have you thought about the rules, son?”

“I thought that… we were out of bed after curfew and… I brought them here without you knowing and we had a party.”

“Can you tell me why that is not appropriate?”

“For our safety, we should always be where we are supposed to be, if we are not, we worry a lot of people, Professor McGonagall told us that.”

“And a week of early bedtime did not cure you of that.”

“I do not want to have another week like that… We were safe. We did not even have indigestion!”

“Not for lack of trying. Did you hear me when I told you before I left, that you couldn’t bring any one here?”

“Yes, Dad, but… it was fine, we did not light a fire, we only moved the furniture and the girls slept in my room and…”

“Harry… it was a good party, I do not complain about it, but you know what I said...”

“You said not to…”

“And you understood it, son.”

“I thought that you wouldn’t find out…”

“How would you feel if I hadn’t find out? Do you think that you could have kept it secret? Harry, we must be able to trust each other.”

“I know… I trust you.”

“Then why did you have to sneak in here?”

“Because you had already said no… I am sorry. I…”

“I know this is the first time that you have a place where you can invite your friends and I am proud of you, you handled the party quite well…”

“Are you going to let me have another party like that?”

“We can plan something for your birthday…”

“Really?”

“By then you will have finished washing my collection of dirty cauldrons.”

“Dad!”

“You know what you did wrong and why, now tell me what should be an appropriate punishment?”

“I don’t know… do you want me to wash cauldrons?”

“That was not my question son. I want you to tell me what You consider appropriate… What would make you think twice or thrice before disobeying…”

“I can’t, you tell me…”

“You wont get out of this so easily. Why don’t you stand for another five minutes in the corner and think about that?”

“Yes, dad.”

Severus heard a chime and looking inside his office saw a rolled parchment floating over his desk. It was Albus’ preferred way of communicating with his staff. The note said that he had found the perfect room for the slumber party, but it needed some cleaning and general work, like painting. He was going to make the Gryffindors start with the cleaning and asked Severus to send his Slytherins and Harry also to get the room ready. He reminded Severus that he had to brew an antidote for Quirrell.

Severus had told his students to expect a detention. Cleaning a room would be appropriate.

Severus went back and saw that Harry was no longer in the corner. ‘Was the boy in the bathroom?’

“Harry?”

“In here.” Snape followed the faint voice to the living room. Harry was bare from the waist down to his socks, bending over the arm of the sofa, his pants were bundled at his ankles and Severus saw that he had placed a belt on the sofa, near his face.

“What are you doing, son?”

“I’m sorry, I disobeyed you, I… think that you should spank me with the belt. I’m sorry I disappointed you… I’m… I’m ready…”

“Harry Potter! Stand up and arrange your clothing, this moment!” Seeing that the child stood up, but was doing it slowly Snape knelt in front of him and helped. Then he held him from the shoulders and looked him in the eye. “Never… never think that, I am never going to use a belt on you, do you understand?”

“Yes, dad, but… you… you spanked me with your hand the night of the dragon and… I sneaked again and you wanted me to think thrice and… so…” Snape embraced the teary child.

“Do you remember why I spanked you then?”

“Because it was dangerous…”

“Unlike the night of the dragon, you were not in any danger last night. You were just reckless. Son, I’m sorry that I asked you to choose your punishment. I should’ve known that you would be too harsh on yourself…” Snape sat on the sofa and sat Harry on his lap. He buried his face on his father shoulder and cried.

“You are not going to spank me, are you?”

Severus kissed his sweaty brow, “No, son, you will have two detentions, one for disobeying me and a special one for sneaking out. I do not want to see that belt ever again, nor hear you talk about being spanked with it. Do you hear me?”

“Yes, dad.”

Severus held Harry for a while. He thought that soon the boy was going to be too big or feel too old to cuddle like this.

“I have to go to the infirmary, do you want to come with me?”

“You said that Professor McGonagall is there.”

“You may take her your apology letter…”

“She is going to be very cross with me…”

“You should think about those things before misbehaving…”

“I forget…”

Snape and Harry entered the infirmary. McGonagall was no longer there, Madam Pomfrey said that she was back at her quarters. Snape followed Poppy to her office and they both start discussing what they were going to do for Quirrell.

Harry followed the conversation at first, then he heard something… someone was asking for help… Was anyone else in the Infirmary? Harry walked out of the office and followed the voice… It sounded hurt and frightened and… simple… like that of a small animal. Harry started looking around… maybe an elf was hurt… He got closer to the corner, a bed was surrounded by curtains, the voice came from there…

Harry opened the curtains and saw the frozen figure of his DADA teacher. Professor Quirrell had the grimace of someone in pain. Snape had told Harry that he had had an accident with potions.

“Professor, do you need something? Can you hear me?”

“Harry?” Snape left the office when he heard Harry talking.

“Harry… What are you doing there, son?”

“He is asking for help.” Snape looked at Poppy. That could not be… Was the man recuperating from the potion on his own?

Poppy and Severus went to stand beside Harry.

“He says that he is trapped inside...” Harry saw the look of confusion on his father’s face and the medi-witch.

“Can’t you hear him?”

“No, Harry. What do you hear?”

Harry closed his eyes, he was listening.

“He says that he is trapped inside, that he can’t move and he needs air…” Harry leaned into the frozen man… and went to the other side of the bed.

Both adults heard Harry making a sound but did not understand what was said…

“He is not Quirrell, he is… inside him?.” Harry hissed again. “Do you think that a snake could be under his turban?”

“Why a snake, Harry?”

“It sounds like the snake I talked to in the Zoo…”

“You can talk to snakes!” Madam Pomfrey looked surprised. Harry turned to his father.

“Is that bad?” Snape knelt in front of him He was shocked, but the boy needed him to be composed.

“No, son. It’s not, it’s not common but not unheard of... Tell me what you hear.”

Poppy moved her wand around Quirrell.

“There is no snake around here, Harry.”

“It’s still talking… it says that he is inside him. He says that… that Quirrell was going to help him… that he needed a place to be while…” Harry hissed again… “He says that he is not really a snake… that he has no body… he needed the stone for that, but Quirrell is of no use anymore and… wants me to…” Harry leaned into Snape. “My head hurts. It’s saying that he need’s to go out… and needs my help.”

The implications terrified Severus.

“Harry stop it. Stop listening to him… Harry look at me!” Snape looked inside Harry’s eyes and used all his strength as a Legimens to get inside the boy’s head. He found no resistance. The boy trusted him completely. He heard the hissing and saw images that he hoped Harry couldn’t understand… He tried to build a wall between the voice and Harry, but it crumbled. He was not going to lose the child. He looked around and saw the connection forming in Harry’s mind, it was a thread that was getting stronger, and he had to cut it. This was dark magic.

“Harry, Listen to me.”

“Dad. Where are you?”

“I’m here, son. Just listen Harry. I have no time to explain. I need you to trust me, you have to help me, we have to stop this. It’s your mind Harry, you have all the power here. Harry, I need something to cut the connection.”

Snape saw a pair of pliers appear, the boy was great! He took the pliers and used them to cut the line.

The line was too strong. Then he felt that someone was beside him. Two more pairs of hands were helping him. At first he thought that it was Harry. He only saw the eyes, but it was some one else, the original owner of the green emerald eyes. Lilly and… Potter was there too. James. They were talking, but Severus couldn’t understand the words. The three of them used the pliers and the line broke.

The hissing stopped. Severus felt himself falling. He knew he was holding Harry, he tried to fall on his back to protect the child. He was no longer inside Harry’s head. His head was pounding. He started by breathing. His arms were around Harry… Poppy was beside them. She did not touch them. Severus looked at the bed and saw a pile of ashes over it. And a dark shadow floating away.

Harry was between his arms, it was his last thought before the darkness surrounded him.