Potions and Snitches
Snape and Harry Gen Fanfiction Archive

Author's Chapter Notes:
I would like the thank VAspera for beta-reading the chapter:)

And Jasmin Kain – my Polish beta.



Oh, and I am sorry that there is not Severus in the chapter, however, the chapter is necessary for the story. And thanks for reviews!
Chapter 7: Porthcurno

Sunday, July 9th 1995

"How are your friends? I've noticed you started hangin' out with local hooligans," said Tobias during Sunday lunch. When Harry woke up around noon and went downstairs to the kitchen, the food had been already prepared and waiting for him on the kitchen table.

"They’re all right."

"Uhm. It's good you have friends. Severus was a kind of recluse... Either he was playin' alone, or he was chasin' that wench."

"What wench?"

"Snooty, redhead smart-arse from the neighbourhood."

Harry snorted in amusement. It wasn't easy to imagine a love-struck Potions Master who was bossed around by some girl.

After another moment of awkward silence, Tobias, once again, started the conversation: "Have you started your holiday assignments yet? I won't have you leave it for the last moment."

Harry looked at Tobias. There was still so much time to write the essays. It was just the beginning of summer. And yet, he didn't think arguing about it was the best idea. A few days earlier, he had almost started to write them, but as he went downstairs for the books, he decided it would be better to clean the basement a little. He also wanted to open Eileen's trunk, but it was to no avail. He couldn't cast Alohomora because first—he was still a minor, and second—Dumbledore put an anti-magical barrier in the area. He managed, however, to unhook the metal cap with the image of a snake. Harry looked at the bottom of it. There was another engraved serpent surrounding a sword against the background of the flames. It didn't take a genius to figure out that Eileen was a Slytherin.

Beneath the cap was a kite-shaped recess with a keyhole. Harry decided that he absolutely had to find the key to open the trunk. He hoped it was somewhere in the house. And if not, maybe he could somehow get a crowbar. The teenager was sure that there were a lot of answers to his questions in the trunk. Perhaps, he could find some evidence to shed light on the fucked-up situation he was in.

"Harry! Are you listenin' to me?" Tobias snapped his fingers in front of the boy's face.

"Yes, 'm sorry. Sure, I've already started".

"Good boy." Tobias' mouth twitched into a smile. "What about the letter from the school with your marks? Hasn't it come yet?

"I do not know. The book lists usually arrive at the end of July." Harry shrugged, and Tobias didn't pursue the subject any further. After eating, Harry collected the plates and washed them up. Then he went into the hall and put on his shoes. "I'm going out!" He informed the man, grabbing the doorknob.

"What time are you going to be back?"

"I don’t know. In the evening."

"Don't forget to take your keys, 'coz probably I'll be out."

"Okay," Harry nodded, said goodbye and left.

 

HPHPHPHPHP

"Well, what a pleasant surprise! Isn't that our new team star?" Harry groaned inwardly, hearing the voice. It belonged to one of the few people he didn't want to meet. He winced as the tall boy stepped forward, prominently towering above him. "I'm having a party on Saturday."

"You don't think I want to be there, do you?" Harry replied, trying to mock him.

A grimace appeared on the larger teenager's face.

"You don't think I want to invite you, do you?" He retorted. "I need somebody to serve drinks." Dredd eyed Harry up and down. "My mother taught me to help underprivileged people. That's why I'm offering you a job". Dredd smiled maliciously.

Of course, those kinds of comments weren't pleasant, but Harry had heard so many of them in his life that they didn't hurt him much anymore.

"Fuck off," he replied, looking straight in the other teen's eyes.

"What, you are no longer so mouthy without your pals?" He said with a sardonic tone and took a step closer towards Harry. Dredd stood so close now that Harry could smell the minty scent of chewing gum from his mouth. The boy was much taller and more robust, and his looks often creeped Harry out. Still, compared to Voldemort or Snape, he was like a snarling puppy who wanted to bite but didn't have any teeth yet. Harry couldn't stop himself and laughed in his face.

He narrowed his eyes and grabbed Harry by his collar, lifting him up so that only his toes touched the ground.

"You little..."

Harry didn't find out what the other boy wanted to say because suddenly a huge black dog jumped on Dredd, knocking him over.

"Padfoot!" Harry exclaimed, surprised and delighted at the same time, staggering and trying to get his balance as Dredd released him.

The dog stood on top of the teenager, snarling at him.

Harry got up quickly and, with all his strength, tried to pull the animal away.

"It's okay, you can leave him. Come here."

Padfoot finally obeyed, stepping off the boy with one last, menacing bark and pulled Harry towards the woods by the river, where he turned into a human.

"Sirius, I'm so glad to see you! How did you find me here?"

"Snape showed his ugly face at mine and told me where you live now."

Sirius hugged the boy tightly. After a moment, he pulled him away at arm's length and studied him.

"I had to make sure you were okay." With one hand, he gently stroked Harry's cheek, where the bruise was still visible. Surprised, the boy flinched at a sudden touch. "What happened?"

Harry sighed.

"I was fighting. Er ... I play soccer, it's a Muggle sport. You know how matches are, sometimes emotions, um… they reach high, and there are arguments ".

"Should I go and talk to someone? "

The boy looked at him in panic.

"No, no, of course not! Anyway, it's fine already. You better tell me how you get here. And why didn't you answer my letter?"

"I didn't get anything from you. When did you send it?" Sirius looked irritated.

"About a week ago."

"Are you sure you gave it to Hedwig?"

Harry winced as Sirius' hands tightened on his shoulders.
 

"Hey, maybe I'm not the brightest one, but in these four years, I've learned how to send letters," he grunted.

"Of course. Forgive me, It's just... Not here anyway. Do you have your wand with you?"

"Er ... No."

"Look, Harry, I would really feel better if you always carry it with you. Okay?" When the boy nodded, he added, "I'd like to show you something. Can you disappear for a few hours?"

"Sure," Harry smiled. Even though he was going to meet with his new friends, he was happy to accept his godfather's invitation. Besides that, the boy was curious about what was going on in the Wizarding World, from which he was utterly cut off. He could meet with the guys any other day.

"Let's go and get your wand first," decided Sirius and then turned back into a dog.

 

HPHPHPHPHP

 

"Have you ever apparated?" asked Sirius. They were back in the woods, where Dumbledore's protective magic was no longer working. When Harry shook his head, Sirius came to him, wrapping his arms around the boy. "It will ease the unpleasant feeling. Hold tight and close your eyes. Ready?"

Harry nodded and suddenly felt like something was trying to squeeze him through a small tube. It lasted a fraction of a second, literally. And when he felt Sirius' shoulders drop, he opened his eyes to see a beautiful beach with an enormous two-story mansion on it.

"Everything's all right?" Sirius asked with concern.

"Yeah. Where are we?"

"In Porthcurno, one of the Blacks' summer residences."

"One of ...?"

Sirius laughed.

"Yes, I also have a house in the South of France and one in the Caribbean where I spent last summer. The Blacks are, or perhaps were, one of the oldest noble families in Great Britain. With lordship titles and those other crap. Besides, my family has always had a head for business. And I took you here," he looked at Harry searchingly, "because I have a huge request for you. I would like to put a Fidelius Charm on this house, and I want you to become the Secret Keeper."

"Why me? What about Dumbledore? Or Lupin?"

Sirius looked a little perplexed as he answered that question. "I want this place to be just ours so that my godson has a place where he can go in case of danger. Or if he needed some privacy." He smirked and winked at Harry, then got serious again and added: "I gave my family house for the use of the Order, so there are a lot of people there all the time... Although it's probably the only useful thing, I did." Harry noticed there was bitterness in Sirius' voice. "Come on, I'll show you around."

As they wandered around the house, the man showed him a huge living room, dining room, ballroom, duel room, and many other rooms. He also allowed him to choose one of the bedrooms that would belong only to him.

And although Harry was delighted with the house, he was more interested in answering the questions he wanted to ask. However, not wanting to be rude, he followed Sirius and plastered a smile on his face.

"If something happened to me, all of this will be yours."

"Don't even dare to say that. We'll catch Pettigrew, and you'll be finally free," said Harry, but there was a hint of uncertainty in his voice.

The man laughed bitterly.

"We live in dangerous times, Harry..." he broke off, and after a moment, he added: "I've managed to cheat death more than once, I'm great at it." Sirius puffed up a little. "But just in case, I'd like you to be prepared. I want you to have it. I want you to always have a safe place to hide. The property is really well protected by ancient spells."

Harry felt a little embarrassed.

"Sirius, you really don't have to..."

"Come on, we can't let the Malfoys get all this."

"Hmm? Why them?"

"Narcissa—Draco's mother", Harry winced theatrically at the sound of that name "she's one of my closest cousins, and the Minister is in Lucius's pocket." As long as I live, it won't be theirs, but if I didn't have an heir, everything would go to young Malfoy when I died. We cannot let it happen. Come on, let's get something to eat. And we'll talk later."

"Lord Black is back!" As they went into the kitchen, they were greeted by two elderly house-elves. It was their merit that the abandoned house was so well-kept.

"Lord Black", Harry mouthed and raised an eyebrow questioningly at Sirius.

"Yeah." The man sighed. "What do you know about the Wizarding House of Lords?"

"They are the people sitting in parliament that have no say in anything?" asked Harry uncertainly.

The older wizard laughed, ruffling the teen's hair. "No, these are people who, unlike their Muggle counterpart, did not hand the legislative power over to the House of Commons. They compose most of the Wizengamot and have too much to say." Sirius rubbed his temples. "It's a pity the headmaster won't get rid of this useless ghost and hire someone competent to explain everything to muggle raised students. Pinky," The man turned to one of the House Elves," get us something to eat and bring it upstairs."

"Yes, Pinky is already making the best dish for Lord Black and his guest."

"This is Harry. From now on, you are to listen to him like he is Black."

Harry smiled and waved his hand in the direction of the magical beings.

"Yes, Lord Black, Pinky, and Rutka listen to Lord Harry as if Lord Harry is belonging to the Black family."

Then, Sirius led Harry to the terrace with a beautiful view of the Atlantic Ocean. They sat opposite each other on comfortable armchairs at a white, round table. The setting was so different from the poor grey Spinner's End that it was hard to believe that it belonged to the same world.

Harry lowered his head and began to play with his hands. He sighed, not knowing how to start the topic of the adoption or whether he should do it at all. Tobias confirmed the words of Dumbledore and Uncle Vernon. According to them, the adoption was real. And yes, Harry tried hard to get Tobias' approval, but some part of him still didn't believe in the whole consanguinity. He had no idea if Sirius knew about anything. What if his godfather finds out only now and will start to hate him as much as Snape does? Harry didn't want to lose his godfather. On the other hand, if the man confirmed it, Harry knew there really wouldn't be turning back.

"Are you all right?" Sirius began, settling comfortably in the armchair. "Tell me, does old Snape treat you well?"

The question surprised Harry, who looked up at his godfather. "You know?"

"Yes." Sirius noticed the boy straightening up in his chair.

"And... and you don't mind?" Harry asked uncertainly.

"Of course not, kid." Sirius smiled at him. "It really doesn't matter to me who your parents are."

Harry relaxed.

"Then why didn't you tell me about it?"

"Lily made us swear; I'm sorry, but I wasn't able to tell you anything."

"Do you know why she did it?"

"No. I'm sure she had her reasons."

"So are you sure I'm a brother of..." He swallowed. "Snape's brother?"

"Yeah." The man, seeing the frown on Harry's face, added: "I'm sorry. Really. But don't worry. It truly doesn't matter. Having a relationship with that bloody asshole doesn't change anything. You owe him nothing. You don't even have to like him." He smiled reassuringly. "So, better tell me how old Snape treats you."

"Good... Even very good."

"Really? 'Cause you know, I can always visit him and scare him like the Dursleys."

Harry grinned as he remembered his aunt and uncle's horror at the information that the wanted criminal turned out to be his godfather.

"Yeah, really. Tobias treats me far better than the Dursleys ever did. It's just…"

"Hmmm?"

"No, nothing. Forget it. It's stupid."

"It doesn't matter how stupid it is. Tell me, please."

Harry looked at his hands and started talking: "But don't laugh... Because... Well, the point is... that I still feel like a Potter, and... I don't know… I thought I would feel a stronger sense of belonging." Harry shrugged his shoulders and added: "It's awkward somehow. Because I always wanted to meet my parents. And now I do. But I thought it would be different. Like at Ron's or something" Harry hesitated for a moment. "And I don't know what to talk to him about, and it all feels so… fake. And it still feels like Lily and James are my parents. Besides, I don't know anything about Eileen; a month ago, I didn't know she existed at all. It's kind of strange. I just thought it would be different." At the end of his chaotic speech, he looked up to see that Sirius was watching him carefully.

"Hey, I guess it's normal that you feel this way," the man smiled. "Lily and James will always be your parents. They cast the adoption spell. Knowing about it doesn't really change anything. You're still the same Harry Potter. For me, for your friends and teachers." Hearing that, Harry smiled slightly. "As for your biological father—take it easy. Give it some time. You need to get to know each other better and maybe you'll then establish a nice relationship. Ugh… oh dear Merlin. I started to speak so sensibly. I need a drink. I hope the house-elves hurry up a little."

Harry laughed, feeling that all his tension was gone.

"Tell me what exactly is this Order of the Phoenixr03;r03;..."

"It's a secret organisation founded by Dumbledore."

"Well ... I know that but who are the members?"

"Essentially those who fought against You-Know-Who in the first war. We are still trying to recruit new ones. Those who would like to fight and are trustworthy."

"And who are they exactly?"

"Even I, being a member, don't know everybody."

"And what about Voldemort? What is he up to? Where is he? What are we doing to stop him? What is the Ministry doing?"

"Hey, slow down a little. One question at a time." Sirius smiled.

"What is Voldemort doing?" Harry repeated. "I watch Muggle news sometimes, but it says nothing about any mysterious murders."

"Because nothing has happened yet," said Sirius. "At least we don't know anything about it. And we know quite a lot."

"Has he stopped killing? It doesn't sound like him", Harry wondered.

"He doesn't want to draw attention at the moment," replied Sirius. "He's still too weak, and that would be too dangerous for him. His plan to return didn't go quite his way. It didn't work out the way he wanted."

"Why not?"

"Because you messed up his plans, Harry." Sirius smiled proudly. "He was sure you wouldn't survive the events at the cemetery. He was sure that only Death Eaters would know about his return. "And you have survived yet again, and you told Dumbledore about everything. And it was only thanks to you the headmaster was able to convene the Order."

"I was lucky." Sirius raised an eyebrow doubtfully, at which Harry just shrugged.

 "So what is this Order actually doing?"

"We are doing everything we can to prevent Voldemort from implementing his plans."

"But how do you know his plans?"

"Dumbledore is guessing. And when he guesses, it usually turns out he's right." Sirius' tone implied that he didn't quite agree with that.

"Meaning?" The boy kept digging.

"First of all, he wants to rebuild his army," replied Sirius at last. "He used to have quite a sizable one. There were many witches and wizards under his command, whom he forced through threats or deluded with spells. There were also his faithful Death Eaters and all kinds of dark creatures. You have heard him talk about giants, and it's not just them he wants in his ranks. He certainly won't try to take control of the Ministry of Magic with a handful of Death Eaters."

Suddenly, sliced r03;r03;baguettes, two portions of stew, wine and two glasses appeared on the table. Harry raised an eyebrow at Sirius when the man poured him wine.

"House Elves are used to prepare French dishes. My mother has always been crazy about the cuisine. Boeuf Bourguignon and Château Pétrus Grand Vin Pomerol. A wonderful mix."

Harry tried the stew, which was really delicious.

"So, you're trying to prevent him from gaining new allies, right?" asked Harry nibbling a baguette. When Sirius nodded, the boy asked: "How?"

"We're trying to convince people that You-Know-Who is back. And it turned out that it is not simple at all."

"Why? They might... I don't know... Write about it in the Prophet."

Sirius looked at him sympathetically.

"You don't read the Prophet, do you?"

"No. I'm not getting any owls."

Sirius put down his cutlery and sighed. Harry noticed the man's behaviour, and seeing that something was wrong, he immediately lost interest in his food."

"Fudge is afraid of Dumbledore," Sirius began slowly.

"Well, even Voldemort is afraid of him." Harry shrugged his shoulders.

"Yes, but not in that way. Fudge is afraid that Dumbledore is after the Minister of Magic position."

"But I don't think the headmaster wants ..."

"Of course not, but Fudge wants to discredit him, and unfortunately, you as well."

"Are they writing crap articles about me again?"

"I would say that they only mention you. That all you want is to get some attention." He looked at Harry even with more compassion. "I'm so sorry, Harry. The Ministry hopes that ordinary wizards will consider you as a stupid teenager who tells everyone all sorts of funny stories about himself because he loves his fame."

"But I didn't ask ... I didn't want ... Voldemort killed my parents!" Harry burst out. "I became famous because he murdered my family and he couldn't kill me! Who would want to be famous for such a reason? Wouldn't it occur to them that I'd rather never..."

"I know, Harry," Sirius interrupted. "The point is, if our community believed in Voldemort's return, it would mean that the Ministry would have to face problems it has not had to deal with for nearly fourteen years," he said bitterly. "Fudge is just afraid he might not be able to deal with it. It is much more convenient for him to believe that Dumbledore invented it to deprive him of power. That's why it is challenging to convince people of Voldemort's return, especially since they themselves prefer not to believe it. Moreover, the Ministry is putting a lot of pressure on the Daily Prophet to keep quiet about what the Ministry calls "harmful rumours" that come from Dumbledore. That's why most wizards have no idea what's really going on. This makes them easy targets for Death Eaters when they use the Imperius spell.

"But the Order tells people what's going on, right? Are you informing them that Voldemort has really returned?"

Sirius smiled crookedly.

"Just think about it, Harry. Since everyone considers me a mass murderer whose head has been awarded a prize of ten thousand galleons, I can't just walk the streets and hand out leaflets. Others would lose their jobs if they began to convince people out loud, and we need spies in the Ministry because Voldemort no doubt already has his own there. And still, despite everything, we managed to convince a few people."

"But if none of you is spreading information about Voldemort's return..." Harry began.

"And who said none of us does that?" Sirius asked. "Why do you think Dumbledore has problems with the Ministry?"

"What do you mean?"

"The Prophet wrote that the headmaster had lost Supreme Mugwump's position of the International Confederation of Wizards because he is getting old and losing control. But we know what the truth is. Wizards from our Ministry voted against him after he had announced the return of Voldemort. They stripped him of the rank of Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards and Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot and are already saying that he must be stripped of the Order of Merlin as well".

"But if Voldemort tries to recruit more Death Eaters, it'll soon spread that he's back, right?" asked Harry hopefully.

"Voldemort draws people in by deception and treachery. He charms them, blackmails them, and he is a master of stealth. Besides, recruiting supporters is not his only objection at the moment. He also has other plans that he wants to implement quietly, and that is what he is focusing on at present."

"Again, what do you mean? What other plans?" asked Harry.

"He wants to steal something he didn't get the last time", And when Harry still looked like somebody who didn't know what was going on, Sirius added: "Kind of a weapon."

"What weapon? Anything worse than the Unforgivables?"

"Unfortunately, I am not able to tell you that."

"Don't you know?" He asked doubtfully.

"I'm under oath. If you didn't notice, I haven't given you any names of the Order members. I'm just literally not able to. Which is good. These are basic precautions that apply for every member of the Order."

Harry nodded.

"I want to become a member of the Order."

"Sorry, it's not possible. The admission is only for trained, adult wizards." Sirius smiled sadly at him.

The answer didn't go well with Harry.

"But I can fight him. I want to fight him!

"It's Dumbledore's decision," Sirius replied calmly.

"Yeah? I wonder if any of these trained, adult wizards had fought him as many times as I have! I wonder how many of them are still alive to tell about it! I saw him possess Quirrell, and I got rid of the basilisk. I was the one who destroyed Ginny's journal. And it was me who saw him reborn!" Harry didn't even notice when he got up.

"Harry, calm down! I know you would like to join in and fight. And in my opinion, it's safer for you to have more information rather than less. But that's Dumbledore's decision. And he's even more stubborn than you."

Harry snorted contemptuously and folded his arms over his chest.

"I'm slowly getting enough of the fact  that Dumbledore tells ms and everyone else what to do.. Who made him the king of the world? He is not my father! He cannot tell me what to do!"

"Hey! Take it easy!" Sirius raised his hands in a reassuring gesture. "I know you don't like the way it all looks. I would be lying if I said that I do not, at least partially, feel the same. But it is what it is." He sighed deeply. "We cannot afford to be even more divided. Not when so few of us believe in his return." Said Sirius, then looked at Harry's barely touched meal. "Don't you like it?"

"Somehow, it lost my appetite," Harry replied, irritated.

"Then come with me, let's take a break from gloomy topics. Let's cast Fidelius now, and then we can maybe arrange a little sparring? I will show you some spells that extremely irritate Slytherins. Of course, when you cast them at the Snakes." Sirius smirked.

"Sure." Harry agreed. Eager to do magic and learn new spells, he even tried to smile back. "But what about... you know. I'm not seventeen yet, and I can't use magic outside of school. I've already gotten one warning. I can't be kicked out of Hogwarts.

"You're kidding, right?" Sirius looked at him, surprised. "Of course, they won't throw you out. Only Muggle-borns can't cast spells at home. There is so much magic in wizarding mansions that there is no chance the Ministry will discover who is using it. They are not able to control it."

"And the Weasleys? Mrs Weasley..."

"Well, Molly is kind of a basket case. I assure you, the noble houses would not allow the Ministry to interfere with the use of magic by their descendants."

"Then you better not mention all of this to Hermione. She won't be delighted to learn that pureblood wizards have the opportunity to learn spells on holidays, while she is not."

"Ah, Hermione, I know what you mean. I've met her. Anyway, please, don't mention to anybody that I took you here, or even that we saw each other. I promised Remus that I won't leave Grimmauld Place. Ever since I escaped Azkaban, his wolf instinct is paranoid when it comes to me."

"Then why…"

"I had to make sure you were fine. Besides, I didn't escape from one prison just to end up in another one," the man laughed.

They went to a vast, gloomy library. As soon as they entered inside, Harry felt goosebumps. He was sure there were books of nasty magic that could get anyone Azkaban's life sentence.

Sirius seemed to know what he was looking for. Without hesitating even for a moment, he walked over to the third row of shelves. The man took out a thin volume of Hide—Advanced Security. He wanted to make sure that he remembered the spell perfectly.

Harry's part was minor. Every time Sirius was going to finish his rather long chant that started with the word Fidelis, he was going to cast Corium. Then they headed outside again. They were to cast their spells while walking around the property with the correct wand movements. The whole process would be much simpler were it not because the spell was to cover such a vast area. As it turned out, the property also had a large Quidditch pitch, a part of a forest, an orchard, a garden, stables with a paddock (which, of course, had no animals, because they had died long ago), and even a piece of beach with a cave below the cliff where the house stood.

After walking around the grounds, they finally gained the place where they started, and Harry uttered his spell one last time. Then he saw the magic pouring out from inside of him, enveloping the property like a soap bubble, then coming back and penetrating his chest.

He had to admit it looked pretty impressive.

HPHPHPHPHP

For the rest of the day, Harry had a really great time. And it was thanks to Sirius, who acted like a child, which cheered Harry up. Maybe he didn't forget about the problems, but he pushed them away for a while. The spells Sirius had decided to teach him were… totally useless. But at least funny. Turning hair into feathers, enchanting clothes to sparkle with dozens of different colours, or casting a spell on the laces to make them dance and sing to the rhythm of disco music.

Late evening, Sirius apparated him back to the Spinner's End.

"Thanks for today. I'm really glad you came to see me", Harry said, looking at him gratefully.

"Oh, Harry," Sirius put his hands on his shoulders and looked into his eyes. "It's a long time since I had so much fun as today. In a week, or two at the most, I'll take you to Porthcurno again."

"Really? Promise?" He hesitated for a moment. "And it's not too dangerous? You know, with the Ministry and all..."

"We cast Fidelius, and you are the Secret Keeper, not to mention those old defensive spells cast by successive generations of Blacks. At the moment, it's probably the safest place in the world for us. Really, nothing will go wrong. I promise you, Harry, I'll be back in two weeks. I will not leave you alone." He hugged the boy as he said it. "Just please take care of yourself".

"You too". Said Harry, then the older wizard stepped away from him and disappeared.

 

Monday, July 10th 1995

"My aunt is gonna visit next week" Oasis' voice snapped Harry out of his thoughts. They walked through the park, kicking a football in front of them. They were supposed to meet Pele and Roo at the playground and go to a friendly match with the other district team.

"Hmm?"

"You know, from London."

"Yhm. Cool?" said Harry in a questioning voice, not knowing what really the other teen mean by that.

Oasis laughed out loud.

"I mean, you know she and your old man are a thing," he smirked.

"What thing?" Harry felt more and more confused.

"Where the hell did you come from? She and your old man fuck like rabbits, so she'll probably be staying at yours." Oasis shook his head in disbelief that someone could be so oblivious.

Harry made a face in disgust at the thought of Tobias in bed with some woman. He definitely didn't want to know the details. He remembered that Oasis had mentioned something about it the first time Harry met him, but he let it go then.

He looked to his right, toward the sandbox, and noticed Dredd, surrounded by his buddies. When he looked closer, he saw that they started a contention with some guy. Dredd grabbed the book from the guy's hand, and when the guy tried to take it back, one of Dredd's friends held him down.

"Natty dresser is about to burst into tears?" Harry heard the mocking voice of a boy he really started to dislike.

"That jerk got his hands on some swell. And it is our patch. Fuck, won't he ever get that he shouldn't show up here? Let's tell him to fuck off to his lame neighbourhood!" Oasis got indignant, but Harry didn't hear him anymore. He ran towards the starting brawl.

"Leave him alone!" Harry said sharply.

"What's it..." Dredd broke off as he looked at Harry. "Oy, Dolly! Nice to see you." He smiled insincerely. "You came here to save your friend?"

"Leave him alone! Really, three against one? It's even below your level." Harry hissed, narrowing his eyes. The boy must have seen something in them because involuntarily, he took a step back.

Harry, on the other hand, looked at the figure behind Dredd and blinked. He couldn't believe his eyes. In front of him, dressed in a shirt buttoned up to the neck, tucked into neatly ironed trousers and made of a material that even Malfoy would not be ashamed of, stood Theodore Nott.

"Nott," he whispered in complete surprise. He was so shocked that he didn't notice the fist of one of Dredd's friends moving towards him. It was only thanks to Oasis' quick reflex, the fist didn't smash Harry's nose.

At the same time, Roo and Pele also appeared.

"Come on, let's go," said Dredd to his friends, tossing the book to the ground and walking away.

"Really, Shortie?" Oasis asked and then began to speak in a squeaky childish voice: "Oh, there is this Dredd who hates me, and he's bigger and stronger and would gladly squash me like a bug. I'll sprint to see if he can smash my nose. I just have to hurry so my buddies won't help me by accident. There will be so much fun." When he finished, everyone snorted except for Harry, who just rolled his eyes." But seriously, why didn't you wait for me? For the guys? You know, these blokes would crush you."

"Oh, shut up," snapped Harry, unable to find a good comeback. He looked again at the Slytherin, who was bending down to get his book, never taking his eyes off Harry.

"What are you doing here, Nott?" Harry drawled.

"I might ask you the same," he replied, looking just as surprised as Griffon.

After staring at each other for a few seconds, Harry relented, shrugged and replied: "I live here."

"Shortie, this ironed bloke is your chuck?"

Harry noticed that the Slytherin gripped the book tighter and took a step back. Indeed, Harry with his friends could look quite scary. There were several of them, headed by the muscular, tattooed and over six feet tall Oasis. Harry thought he didn't mind Nott's fear. The only thing that interested him now was the reason for the boy's presence in the Muggle neighbourhood. It was pretty suspicious. Besides, Malfoy and his gorillas had tried to intimidate him more than once. This situation could be considered as a bit of retaliation.

The Little Hangleton events made Harry try to be more attentive and suspicious, though perhaps the others hadn't noticed it yet. Nott was one of the Death Eaters who appeared at Voldemort's summons. There was a good chance he might have been the father of the boy who stood right in front of him. The presence of the boy in a Muggle neighbourhood made him uneasy. He knew there was the anti-magic area that Dumbledore had set up here. However, it only included the park and the Spinner's End. The Slytherin couldn't use magic here, so he had no way to attack him now, and Harry could feel relatively safe. But, as soon as the teen informs his father of Harry's whereabouts, next time, many Death Eaters could be waiting for him at the edge of the park.

"He goes to my school."

"Okay, then listen up, mate. If Dredd has any problem with you again, you can come to me. He can torment people at his neighbourhood", said Oasis, completely oblivious to the tension between the two wizards.

"You still haven't said what you're doing here".

"None of your business, Potter," replied Nott. Harry narrowed his eyes. He felt like anger overwhelmed him. Of course, it was his business. After all, now it was not only his life that was at stake but also those Muggle boys, who had no idea about the wizarding world at all. From what he had heard in the First War stories, the Death Eaters wouldn't have hesitated for a second before killing a Muggle.

He took a step towards Nott, who shuddered slightly and backed away.

"What the fuck" said Oasis. "Shortie's just risked his delicate face for you. A little gratitude would be sensible."

"Nobody asked him for it. Potter is known for his recklessness." He looked again at Harry, who was clenching his fists. "But if you're so interested in it, I'll tell you. Snape offered me tutoring. I live with him."

"Guys, we have a game to play," Pele reminded them." Come on."

"Don't come here, again," Harry snarled, turning on his heel. He knew the Potions Master indulged the Slytherins, but why the hell was he inviting them over on holidays? Couldn't Harry really have even a little peace of mind? Someone up there must have really hated him. Not only could he run into Snape at any moment, but now a bunch of mean Slytherins were about to wander around.

"Shortie, seriously, are you often that crazy? You know Dredd's got a problem with you, and he'd gladly pummel you."

"Well, I couldn't let him do anything to a random kid."

"He's not an idiot. He would probably hassle him for a moment and leave. He wouldn't do anything terrible to a random kid; at most, he would poke a little. On the other hand, he wouldn't mind smashing your nose. Do you want a nose like your old man?" Harry grimaced. Fortunately, there was always magic to prevent this from happening. He shrugged.

"I don't know, mate, how to tell you this because I'm afraid you'll be in such a shock that you won't pull yourself together before the match, but you won't stand a chance against him in a fistfight. He is at least twice your size. If you wanna brawl, it's cool, tell us, we'll destroy them, but only as a group."

"Okay, I got it. We have a match to win. Let's focus on that," Harry grunted, still unhappy, thinking about Nott's presence on Spinner's End.


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