Potions and Snitches
Snape and Harry Gen Fanfiction Archive

A Letter of Request

Day 1 Continued

 

Harry's heart still hammered with the revelation at what he was to be doing, and he barely heard Snape explain how they were going to go about apprenticing Harry. All he knew was that this plan defied every survival instinct he had learned. If they were to go through with this, he would be walking into the building that housed the enemy. He fought not to show how much this scared him, for he knew that this was the only feasible way for them to get an in-depth look at the inside of the Potioneer's Society, and thus figure out where a tunnel could surface within it. Harry was also finally beginning to see that their lives rested on the success of their mission to destroy McTavish's potion. He knew very well that his parents probably never would have met if they had not been magical, and gone to Hogwarts. Harry could only assume that magical blood played at least some part in Snape coming to be in the world as well. For these reasons, Harry tried to be brave, but the fact was that he was terrified of being magically bound to some man whom he had never met in his entire life. Evelyn too seemed to be worried about this last issue.

"But those contracts are legally binding," Evelyn said to Snape as he pulled out a piece of parchment and immediately began a letter to the Potioneer's Society with the request for an apprenticeship.

"For a few years, yes," Snape replied, loading the quill. "But, if the person who was apprenticed should, say, disappear off the face of the planet for the next three hundred years or so, then it can do nothing. When Harry and I return to the present, the contract will be long broken, and have no way of harming him."

"I suppose so," Evelyn said rather worriedly.

"Which reminds me," Snape muttered thoughtfully, seeming to return to the conversation without having heard Evelyn's words. "How is it that we will return? On our last journey we returned to our time a while after we helped rescue your friends, which the invention brought us there to do. Should this mission succeed, will we simply have to wait until the magic reverses and sends us back?"

"No. Not this time. I thought that seemed a little bit unreliable, and dangerous, given Harry getting poisoned the last time," Evelyn said, almost apologetically. "So, Ellery helped me alter the powder recipe he used. See, at first he had simply mixed together the powder that would take you there, and the powder to take you back. The magic, which was within the dust, was absorbed into your magical core at contact, and lay dormant until you had fulfilled your mission, as Ellery had charmed it to do so. We changed it a bit so that you two could choose to go back when you wish."

Evelyn waved her wand, and there was a tinkle. A small glass phial with a cork in it whizzed over to where Evelyn, Harry and Snape were sitting.

A shimmering blue dust lay within the phial, and Evelyn handed it gingerly to Snape.

"Here, you should keep it. It's got a charm to make it unbreakable, but best keep it in a safe place, because the powder becomes active as soon as the seal is broken. The powder can be used up until the magic has pulled it through time. After that you are out of luck."

Snape looked at it for a moment, the tiny tube lying in his palm. Then he waved his wand and a thick leather cord appeared in the air, twisting and coiling. He waved his wand again, and it fastened itself tightly around the little glass phial. He slipped the cord over his neck and tucked the little phial safely beneath his robes.

"We must be very careful with it then," he muttered, eyes dropping to the parchment as he continued to write out the letter.

***

 

Day 2

 

The next morning Harry was woken very early by a rather rough poke from Snape.

"Up Potter," he said, giving Harry a few jabs in the side. "Up, up, up."

"Unggg," Harry said.

"None of that. We have a tunnel to dig. I've been up an hour already."

"It's six in the morning!" Harry said, looking at the tiny clock on the mantle.

"And your point is?" Snape inquired scathingly, dangling Harry's trainers above him by the laces.

"Oof," Harry grunted as Snape dropped the shoes onto him.

"Lace up, eat a piece of bread, and keep an eye on what is going on outside while we pry up the floorboards. This part might get a little loud, and we do not want any nosy neighbours."

"We're tunnelling from here?"

"Too many eyes out on the streets, and after I woke up I went for a walk to see if there were any abandoned buildings closer than the house. There aren't any, so this is the only place we know for sure we can dig undetected, with the help of a little magic. Besides, wizards dig faster than Muggles, Mr Potter."

"If wizards dig so fast, then why have we got to get up at six in the morning?" Harry muttered under his breath as he put his shoes on. He was careful not to let Snape hear.

Doing exactly what Snape had said, Harry took a piece of bread, ate it hastily, and joined the speculation going on in the corner of the room. Snape and Evelyn appeared to be surveying the floor, choosing the best place to build a trapdoor.

"Potter, stand by the shutters and watch through the crack to make sure that nobody sees or hears; silencing charms are not one hundred percent foolproof."

Harry nodded, wandering over to the window. The street looked fairly quiet outside, so he dared to take a glance behind him every so often. Snape and Evelyn both drew their wands, and looked down at the floor.

"Go ahead Severus," Evelyn said.

He waved his wand, and there was a scraping, grinding noise. Harry glanced over his shoulder occasionally to watch as Snape guided his wand above the wood floor. As the wand moved, sawdust sprayed up from the long line that was forming along the wood. It travelled forward, cutting through a few of the boards. Snape raised his wand slightly, and the sound stopped, and then he repositioned it. Harry looked out into the street until the sound stopped once more. Once he determined that they had not been overheard, Harry glanced back again at the scene in the cottage. Evelyn was helping Snape lift up the lengths of board that had been put into place directly on the packed earth foundation. Snape took each of the lengths of board, and then two other boards that had once been a shelf. With a swish of his wand, he attached the two smaller boards onto the square of wood which was to become the hatch. To test it, Snape settled it back into place. He lifted it back out by the small knothole that had been hollowed out in one of the boards. From a distance, the trapdoor was not overly visible. A few well-placed charms on Evelyn's part, and you couldn't even see the trapdoor to lift it, unless you knew it was there.

"That will do Potter," Snape said. "We do not require you to be watching the street any longer. Make sure to pull the curtain over the crack in the shutter."

"Yes sir," Harry said.

A few minutes later, Harry was sent to take notes on the defences employed to protect the Potioneer's Society. Snape had already read the chapter (and probably memorized it, Harry thought wryly) but he wished for a hard copy of what they were to be facing, and he thought it a good idea for Harry to know as much about the building as possible, should the reply to their letter lead to an apprenticeship.

Once Harry had set to work, Evelyn began to teach Snape some of the charms she had learned to do when gardening. Harry had trouble paying attention to what he was doing as bits of earth flew from the trapdoor. Snape was altering the incantation Evelyn had taught him, tweaking the wand movement and the words slightly in order to make it more productive. It took them a very long time to get a good charm that moved enough dirt to ensure they would be able to tunnel fast enough. All through this time, Harry read about the Potioneer's Society, and it was a very good thing that he did, for they received a very speedy reply to their letter. The response was in their hands by eight-thirty that night, much to their surprise. No sooner had the owl swooped in through the window than did Snape tear open the letter. Harry and Evelyn stood by anxiously, waiting for the verdict. After a few moments, Snape lifted his eyes from the parchment, looking grim. He sat down heavily in a chair by the fire. The letter almost slipped from his grasp.

"It doesn't matter, we'll find another way -" Evelyn reassured Snape, taking his response as an indicator that the letter had denied their request.

Snape shook his head slowly.

"This might just work," he said, his voice low, Harry hanging onto his every word as he wondered what the letter had said. Snape saw Evelyn giving him a questioning look, and he elaborated. "There is an opening for an apprentice. It looks promising. And they're interested."

"But there's something else, isn't there?" Evelyn said, hands on her hips. "You don't look entirely pleased."

"I did not expect for them to have an opening so soon," Snape said honestly. "But it says that they have not had many applicants as of late, and so they have a backlog of requests from a few of the members for apprentices, which means that we can get Harry in almost immediately, but not before they meet with him and his parents. Soon."

"Parents?" Harry asked, feeling like a stone was in his belly, completely forgetting to notice that Snape had thawed enough to call him by his first name momentarily. If he had paid any attention to this, he might have thought that Snape was worried for him. "But they're dead."

"They do not know that," Snape said, looking rather impatient. "A few well-placed charms should disguise Evelyn and I well enough, if done with care."

Harry did not like the sound of all of this.

"This is not my cup of tea either Potter," Snape said in response to his frown, his tone becoming heavier as he continued, "but it's either this, or McTavish distributes that potion to the most powerful names in the magical world ... and people like us won't stand a chance."

"Being apprenticed will be dangerous, Harry," Evelyn said, taking a step forward, "and if you aren't careful things can go wrong very quickly. But you will have access to information that Severus and I cannot possibly get. You will know the layout of the building, and with a bit of careful wandering and getting ‘lost', you can hopefully find out where McTavish's potion is. Remember, this is your choice. We will not force you into this."

Harry expected Snape to contradict her about the last part, but he did not, and sat looking intently at Harry.

"I will," he said after a moment of hesitation. He had known what he would say long before this, however, for he had been awake for much of the night thinking.

Worried and uncertain looks were passed around, making Harry hope that this was the right decision, and that this would lead them to victory, because he was starting to see that everything depended on this. A potion that could take someone's magic away - take his magic away- at the whim of someone who was only considered better than him because of blood ties and money was something he wanted destroyed as soon as possible. The very thought of what it could do terrified him, and if the most prestigious members of society now had a hold of something like that, Harry could only imagine the ways it would change the future. If the rich and powerful could simply sterilize people of their magic, just to intimidate them, they would have unspeakable power. He almost shivered when he thought of what families like the Malfoys would do if they had a potion like the one McTavish had made. That was why he knew he had to do this, even if it meant risking it all, because if they failed, everything he held dear was at stake: his friends, his home at Hogwarts, and even his own magic should the potion alter his family somewhere along the line. Harry understood that time was a tricky thing, and while he could not fully understand all of the repercussions of what should happen if they did not succeed, he knew that the wizarding world would be forever changed, and not for the better.

"Then we had best decide how we're going to present ourselves at this meeting," Evelyn said, breaking the silence.

Snape pulled a piece of parchment toward him, and scribbled their reply.

"Shall we see if we can do the meeting tomorrow? I can make up some reason for Harry's apprenticeship being urgent."

"Well we haven't much time to waste, do we?"

"Then it is settled. We lost the farm and have to find a place for our boy to go because we cannot afford to keep him," Snape said. "That sounds urgent enough, I should say."

"Do try to make them feel sorry for Harry," Evelyn said. "A little bit of pity goes a long way when you're trying to get into someone's good graces."

"I don't want pity," Harry said automatically.

"You shall be pitied, and like it Potter," Snape said sternly. "And play up the starving bit as much as you can when we get to the Potioneer's Society. Although I daresay you're skinny enough for the part already." He paused for a moment before continuing in a slightly offhand way, "It's a wonder too; I imagine Molly tried to stuff you to the gills over Christmas, and no doubt she's been sending baking since."

Harry laughed, surprised by the comment despite its truth. Snape smirked as he signed the letter with flourish.

***

 

Day 3

 

A flurry of shuffling brought an air of anxiety into the small home as the three prepared for their meeting with the head of apprenticeship at the Potioneer's Society, which was taking place only the morning after they got the letter that said he was being considered. It seemed as though luck was on their side. Although, Harry couldn't help but wonder why there had been such a lack of applicants that he was able to get in immediately. While he pretended to be relieved that he was able to get in so quickly, inside he was terrified. What if there was a very good reason why nobody had requested an apprenticeship lately? Knowing that there was no time for questions such as this, Harry sat back and watched Evelyn and Snape's attempts to disguise each other.

Evelyn was sitting at the table across from Snape and was carefully waving her wand to change his looks. Luckily, she did not have to change them drastically, as nobody knew who he was, and would therefore not be looking for him. First, Evelyn gave Snape an old fashioned looking moustache, which Harry thought looked extremely strange, considering his Professor was always clean shaven. It didn't look half bad, either, despite the oddness of it. She lightened his eyes, and gave his hair a bit of a wave to it so that it looked a little bit more like Harry's, though longer. This was the only change she needed to make to his hair, which Harry found amusing. His professor's hairstyle blended in surprisingly well on the streets of medieval London. In no time at all, Snape was different enough that Harry had to study him for a moment to see his Professor, for Evelyn had even made his prominent nose became much less pointed and sharp. She also added a little bit of colour to his skin, to make him look like he had been working outside, as they were planning on saying that they were farmers.

Evelyn's turn was next, and Harry sat, spellbound as he watched Snape manipulate his wand, changing Evelyn's features. It was quite impressive. He turned her hair a jet black, like Harry's, which was quite a change from the auburn it normally was. She was much less pale than Snape, so he did not darken her skin. He did however give her more freckles. He made her jaw more square, and grew her hair a bit longer, and made it curl in tight ringlets. Harry had to admit he was impressed. Snape however, seemed dissatisfied as he stood back from her. After a few moments of consideration, he hesitantly lifted his wand and changed her brown eyes to an emerald green.

"I still worry that McTavish will recognize you," Snape said. "It is entirely possible that we may run into him while we're in the Potioneer's Society."

"Perhaps," said Evelyn, frowning. "But we haven't time to find any other way to disguise me, and I need to get a glimpse of the inside of that building too. Every second that we are in there will help us to break in. We might as well do it this way, and by some off chance that we see McTavish at all, I'll just pretend to be distraught that my son is going to be leaving home, and I'll cover my face and cry."

"There is that," said Snape thoughtfully. "Besides, should we end up seeing him, it will probably be in passing."

"Now that that's settled, let us hurry," Evelyn said. "It's almost noon. Harry, do you have your things? They did say that if you were accepted, you would begin today."

Harry nodded and picked up the little sack he had with him. It held is school robe (the Gryffindor patch had been magicked of by Snape), and an outfit only slightly different from the plain peasant clothes he wore now. He missed his robes, and hoped that he could wear them if he ended up being apprenticed at the Potioneer's Society. Snape had said that he probably would have to anyway, which was why he had advised Harry to take them. That was one thing Harry noticed had not changed a whole lot over so many years; work robes, such as his school ones, didn't look much different from what he had seen the last time he had encountered wizards from this time period. The only different thing about his robes was the fabric, which was much less rough. Snape had done a simple charm on it to make it look more from the time period. To Harry's amusement, Snape seemed a little bit envious that Harry could at least wear robes, for Snape had to blend into Muggle London. This of course meant that he was still stuck wearing the simple styles of a peasant.

"Alright, Potter," Snape said to him. "Tell me what you have to do."

"The most important thing is to find out where McTavish's lab is located," Harry recited blandly, having spent ages having his objectives drilled into his head by Snape, "as well as go down into the lowest level of the building to find the best place for a tunnel to surface. When I get a chance, take out the parchment and write to you two, as well as draw maps. Don't go wandering unless I am told to, and do not do anything foolish, especially if it means I might get caught."

"Good. You've got your parchment?" Snape inquired.

Harry nodded.

"I want to test them, just one last time," Evelyn said suddenly, pulling a small roll of parchment from her pocket.

Harry pulled out an identical piece of parchment from his bag, and he unrolled it on the table silently. Snape handed him a quill, and he scribbled down a few words. He tapped his wand on his parchment, and Evelyn held up her own. After a few moments the words appeared on her parchment, disappearing from Harry's.

They all let out a breath of relief. A small weight lifted off Harry's shoulders at the knowledge that one piece of the plan was definitely functioning properly, but this did little to relieve the ever growing tension deep inside him. It was clear that he was not the only one in a state of inner turmoil, for by the way Snape's jaw was clenched and Evelyn's eyes had widened, Harry knew they too felt as he did.

"Time to go," Snape announced firmly, but it was a moment before they all moved from their spots and went toward the door.

 

It was not too long of a walk to the Potioneer's Society, which Harry thought was good considering the fact they had to tunnel the distance. Evelyn had picked the location of her house well. There was a very stark contrast however, from the area Evelyn's home was and where they were walking to. As they grew nearer to the Potioneer's Society the buildings and houses got larger, and more extravagant. It was quite different from the poor side of London. Harry's eyes were wide as they walked from street to street. Nobody seemed to notice this, however, which Harry found rather liberating. Nobody was watching him. For once he could blend in, even though he did not have a disguise like Evelyn and Snape. They had not thought it necessary, and magical alterations would not last on him for a prolonged period of time without renewal. But here, it did not matter. Nobody had heard of the Boy Who Lived, and not a soul cared about lightning bolt scars or a dark wizard named Voldemort. Harry felt a strange sort of freedom to the whole thing. He found the weight on his shoulders lift just a little bit as one burden was lifted from them. However, new burdens were falling fast upon him.

"It should be right around the corner," Snape said, talking of the Potioneer's Society. "It's invisible to Muggles, but to us it should have a carved granite front."

Harry felt quite suddenly as though his stomach was filled with rocks. What if he didn't get in, and they had to waste countless hours in making a new plan? What if he was accepted? What if he had to stay there, in the Potioneer's Society, all alone and with no Evelyn or Snape there to protect him? He knew little of defensive spells. In fact, all Defence Against the Dark arts had been about all year was theory.

"Are you alright, Harry?" Snape asked a little distractedly as he looked for the building. He had noticed the greenish tinge to Harry's skin.

Harry looked at him in surprise, registering the fact that Snape had called him Harry. He had done so on occasion the last time they had come to the past, and that had only been when something was wrong. This use of his first name scared Harry a little bit, for the renewed use of his first name made Harry see that Snape must have been a little bit nervous too for what was to come. Yet, he also felt that being called by his first name was a rather nice change from Snape spitting ‘Potter' at him every time he wanted to address him.

"I'm a little worried, I guess," Harry muttered in response.

"If you don't want to do this, just say the word," Snape said, his intense gaze pinned on Harry. "We can come up with another way to get in there."

Harry was surprised by the sincerity in Snape's tone. Harry looked to Snape, and then to Evelyn. He could see that both of them had lines of worry on their faces. He shook his head.

"I'll do it," he said with conviction. "I just ... I can't really stop myself from worrying that something is going to go wrong."

"Keep your wits about you, and you should be alright," Snape advised. "Besides, you are a Gryffindor. Gryffindors thrive under pressure. Trust your instincts."

Swallowing, Harry nodded his head, walking between Snape and Evelyn. They rounded a corner, and Harry felt his heart hammering up against his chest. A cold, granite faced building stared them down at the end of the street, encased in a tall iron fence. Muggles passed right by it, not even giving it a second glance. Wrought iron letters twisted out the words The Potioneer's Society on the arch over the gates. The gargoyles perched on the very top of the building seemed to be staring Harry down as they neared the gate. Strangely enough, the building had a steeple, although no bell hung in it. It appeared to have been an old cathedral that had had extensive expansions, for the stones that made up the main part of the building were far more worn than other parts. Harry shifted his eyes to survey what he could see of the grounds, which were quite large. He wondered what on earth they had disguised them as so Muggles would not notice the huge building. He didn't have the strength to ask Snape, however, for they were in front of the gates, and nobody on the streets seemed to notice them standing there. Harry wondered if they were already concealed somehow by magic.

Snape pulled the rope on a heavy bell, hung from a hook at the black gates. The bell clap clashed into the metal and the sound reverberated through the air, but nobody on the street turned to look. Nobody else had heard it. After a moment or so, a man appeared on the property, wearing old fashioned looking robes that seemed quite formal. He had come out of the double doors at the front of the building, and he strode down the path toward them, and stopped at the gate, peering at them from behind the bars.

"What is it that you are here for?" he asked Snape when he reached them.

"We have an appointment with Richard White, regarding an apprenticeship," Snape replied, holding up the letter with the signature. The man reached through the iron bars to take the letter, and he studied it for a few moments. He seemed to deem it fit, and he handed it back.

"Very well, come with me," the man said curtly, standing back so the gates could swing open silently on well-oiled hinges.

Harry stepped through them, following Snape. Evelyn stayed close by his side. She put a hand on his shoulder. Harry appreciated this greatly, but found no words to say so. Harry heard the gate shut behind then, and he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. He resisted the urge to turn his head to stare back at the gate. Evelyn's grip on his shoulder tightened. They had gone up the granite steps, and the dark wood doors were before them now. They swung open silently, and the man led them into the dimly lit entrance hall, with sparkling wood floors. The shape of the hall confirmed Harry's suspicions that the building had once been a cathedral, for the size and shape was quite right. At the end of the hall there was a raised space where an altar might once have been, but it was now filled with tables with groups of people huddled around them, shuffling and stacking papers. This was by no means all that was going on in the room. Glancing around, Harry stared in wonder at the bustling scene before him. In some ways the building reminded him of Gringotts as well, without the goblins. Long counters and desks had been scattered along the outer edges of the hall, and wizards were walking brusquely from desk to desk, from room to room, carrying stacks of rolled parchment, racks of potions in phials, piles of books, well used cauldrons, and cages with strange animals. A great chandelier, its candles warped and twisted, threw light on the scene below. The rest of the light came from an enormous round window set high up in the wall above the shining doors that they had come through. The window was made of ornately cut stained glass, which was arranged in the shape of some sort of crest, but Harry was more interested in what the people were doing around him to pay much attention to what image the glass formed. He could have watched the people going back and forth for hours in that vast room, but within moments they were led into a small office off to their right. A carved wooden sign on the door said Office of Apprenticeship upon it.

They were led into it and seated before an old fashioned desk, which was piled with letters. The man who had led them there departed soon, and another man, much older, was sitting in a chair behind the desk.

"Surname?" said the man rather absentmindedly as he shuffled through a drawer.

"Prince," Snape said.

"Ah, here you are," the man said, pulling a slip of paper out immediately. "I am Richard White, as you surely know by now, considering it was I who replied to your letter."

"Jeremiah Prince," Snape said, holding out a hand, which Richard White shook. "This is my wife, Serena, and my son Harold."

"Yes, yes, good to meet you," said Richard with the air of someone who had been introduced to far too many people over the years, and therefore was not all that interested. "Now, when I sent you the letter, I believe I said that Benedict Abbey was looking for an apprentice. Correct?"

"Yes," Snape said.

"I have mixed news, unfortunately. The good news is that we have a spot for your son, and he may start immediately as the person requesting an assistant needs help as soon as possible. The bad news is that Benedict was assigned an apprentice earlier this morning, on account that the young boy's mentor has passed away rather suddenly. Because of this, your son will be assigned to someone else."

"We are open to other options," said Snape. "We will take anyone, so long as Harold has a chance at a good future. We will miss him on the farm, but at least he will get a chance to be something more."

"Well, he's a very lucky boy then," said Richard. "He is very lucky indeed. Gregory Peakes is an excellent mentor, so I am sure your boy will learn a great deal from him. In addition to that, perhaps he will be lucky enough to learn the occasional thing from James McTavish, whose lab is right across from Gregory's. His work is quite revolutionary."

Snape cleared his throat.

"James McTavish?" he said.

"Yes, quite brilliant, I assure you," said Richard cheerfully. "Is something wrong?"

"Not at all, I am familiar with the name," said Snape, the moment of panic on his face gone. "News of his work has reached quite distances."

"Is that so?" was the reply. "I was not aware that someone of your business would be familiar with his work."

Evelyn flashed Snape a warning glance.

"Now, in order to apprentice your son, you must sign here," said Gregory. "You can write, I trust?"

Snape said yes, and as he took up the quill he looked at Evelyn, and then Harry, and both gave him an affirmative nod. He lowered the quill into the ink, set it on the parchment and signed the name Jeremiah Prince upon the paper.

"Wonderful," said Richard. "Would you like to meet Gregory? I can arrange for him to come down."

"That won't be necessary," said Snape quickly. "I have no doubt that Harold will learn a great deal from him."

"Alright then. In that case, I'll give you three a few minutes to say goodbye, and then I will take Harold up to get started immediately."

Snape nodded, and Richard gestured to the little room. The three of them went into it and closed the door. Snape waved his wand so that they could not be overheard, and then for a moment they all stood there, each of them displaying signs of nervousness. Evelyn was biting her lip, Snape was tapping his foot with his arms crossed tightly, and Harry was playing with the cuff of his sleeve. He had not been expecting to get a chance to say goodbye.

"You remember what you have to do?" asked Snape after clearing his throat.

"Yes sir," Harry muttered.

"If you run into McTavish, do whatever you can to avoid aggravating him," Evelyn warned. "He's a lot like his brother, so I would suggest you do as much agreeing with him as possible."

"Okay."

Evelyn seemed to be fighting some sort of impulse, and Harry was quite shocked when she pulled him into a hug. He froze slightly.

"Be careful, for goodness sakes," she said, releasing him quickly. "I had no idea you would end up right across from that bastard."

"Potter," Snape said curtly, "while you must be careful, this may be your chance to learn more than we could possibly have hoped about McTavish. Take the opportunities that will give you something we can work with, but do not take foolish, unnecessary risks. Remember, he is a fully qualified wizard, and you are not yet done your first year of magical training."

"Yes sir," replied Harry.

"Good," Snape said, adding a few more thoughts in a low hiss. "This had better work out well, because Albus might kill me otherwise. I wish you luck."

Just then the door opened. As Richard poked his nose around the corner, everyone immediately sought to play up the anxious and grieving family role. Evelyn started to cry quite realistically into her handkerchief, and Harry refrained from jumping as Snape shocked the hell out of him by giving him a fatherly hug. He tried not to let this show on his face.

"Goodbye, Harold," Snape said gruffly.

Richard looked as though the cockles of his heart had just grown warmer.

"Write often!" sobbed Evelyn. "I love you!"

"Love you too Mum," Harry muttered back, attempting to act natural.

"Well, we best be off now," said Richard. "Tight schedule. Come along then, Mr. Prince. "

Then Harry was led out of the room, and he glanced back briefly at Evelyn and Snape. Though Richard was no longer watching, they had not dropped the worried and distraught pretence. As he was led through the busy hall, Harry wondered wildly for a moment just how much of what had happened was acting.

He didn't spend much time thinking of this, however, for he was now focusing on how to get the information he needed in order for all of them to make it out of this alive.

Chapter End Notes:
Well, I'm confident that was fairly interesting ... I had to rewrite this one a whole bunch of times. Now, on another note, seeing as Harry is going incognito, and Snape has to dig, there will be a little less interaction between them. I know a lot of people will probably miss that, but in order for the plot to actually work, the story has to be this way. Right now it is a little more about the action and adventure than relationship building, although there is some of that coming up in the later chapters, especially toward the end. Capiche? ;)

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