Mr. Weasley made some noises about having been too harsh, but just when Harry got his hopes up he insisted that he hadn’t beaten Harry, just ‘disciplined’ him and that it was just for his best, and so on and so forth.
Harry nodded and pretended to go along with it all, but inside, he felt miserable. The only people who noticed were Ron, who tried to cheer him up by telling him that his dad rarely ever got angry, and mostly just with the twins, anyway, Percy, who thought he was ill and told him he ought to drink pepperup potion, and Ginny. Ginny was the most helpful, she didn’t try to cheer him up, but just told him he could cuddle with Candy the puffskein whenever he wanted.
After getting used to the weird, ball-shaped animal, it really helped to have something to hug.
Perhaps a cat would have been nice. He loved Hedwig and couldn’t imagine not having her, but even though she graciously let him pet her, he could tell she got impatient really fast.
Candy, on the other hand, made a content purring noise when he held her in his arms. She also sometimes tried to eat his bogeys, but now that he knew it was a normal thing puffskeins did, it didn’t freak him out so much anymore.
At last, the holidays ended. Harry was happier about that than he felt he ought to be. His bitter disappointment aside, the Weasleys did give him enough food and never locked him in cupboards.
After a hectical morning, the whole family went to King’s Cross station and through the barrier.
Harry and Ron were to go last.
And crashed right into the wall. Neither Ron nor Harry were hurt, but it took them a while to deal with the shock.
Hedwig was screeching and flapping her wings, so Harry figured she couldn’t be too badly hurt.
It wasn’t long before people started giving them annoyed and suspicious looks.
While they walked back to the car, figuring it was safer to wait there so they wouldn’t be noticed by muggles, Harry remembered what Snape had told him.
“If for some reason you cannot go to Diagon Alley, just send your owl. No need to write a letter. Just tell her to lead me to you.”
Harry opened the cage, then hesitated. What if Snape got angry because Harry hadn’t really ran away? But then, he’d know that. It was the last day of the holidays, after all, it would be stupid to run away now.
Worst that could happen was that Snape didn’t do anything. And he couldn’t get very angry about someone sending him an owl, could he?
Ron, on the other hand ... Harry glanced to Ron, who was trying to get his luggage trolley up the side of the pavement. He wouldn’t notice.
“Can you fly to Snape and lead him here?”, Harry whispered to Hedwig. “Only if he wants to, okay? If he looks annoyed, better try to get ...” Who else was there? “McGonagall, perhaps?”
Hedwig hooted in agreement and took off. She soared high into the sky and soon, she was only a white spot in the distance. “I sent Hedwig to get help”, Harry explained to Ron when he caught up with him.
They waited in the car. Just when Harry began to wonder how long it would take Hedwig to go to Hogwarts and back, and if it really had been a good idea, a very frantic looking Mr. Weasley arrived, followed by Mrs. Weasley, who was red in the face from running.
“There you are! Thank the gods!”
“It’s okay, dad”, Ron said hastily, clearly embarrassed by the fussing.
“Someone must have meddled with the barrier”, Mrs. Weasley said grimly after catching her breath. “We didn’t tell anyone – didn’t want to cause a panic, when most people were going to wait until their children left, anyway, and then we suddenly could get through.”
“How do we get to Hogwarts now?” Would they get into trouble for being late? Would he have to spend another night at the Burrow?
He had so looked forward to seeing Hermione again. Hermione! She’d be worried when she didn’t find Ron and him on the train.
“We will have to take the car”, Mr. Weasley said. Harry didn’t quite get why the man looked so cheerful about the prospect. It would be a long drive to Hogwarts.
Before anyone else could say anything, a dark figure strode towards them. “What appears to be the problem?” Snape drawled.
Snape had come! But where was Hedwig?
He heard a hoot and looked up. Hedwig was circling above them and likely had for some time. Now she darted downwards and sat on her cage.
“Professor Snape, good you are here! There was some meddling with the barrier at platform nine and three quarters.” Mrs Weasley explained the problem.
Snape nodded. “Suspicious indeed. I will inform the Headmaster. As for those two”, he nodded towards Ron and Harry. “How do you plan on getting them to Hogwarts?”
“We can take the car – ” Mr. Weasley began.
“Home, and then we can floo to Hogsmeade”, Mrs. Weasles finished the sentence.
“With Potter’s tendency to get lost, I think it will be much safer if I apparate him there.”
“Are you sure that is necessary? Apparition is so awfully uncomfortable.” Mrs. Weasley gave Harry a worried glance. “Harry seemed rather under the weather for the last week or so, I don’t think - ”
“It’s fine”, Harry said hastily.
“If you are sure, dear.”
**
Severus had not apparated to Hogwarts yet when a snowy owl pecked at his window.
Harry’s owl! How had the boy managed to get in trouble? He ought to be on the train right now!
He opened the window and stared at the owl. “Is Harry on the train right now?”
The owl screeched and flapped her wings.
“I take that to mean no. Is he at King’s Cross station?”
That caused a rather content sounding hoot from the owl.
Weird creatures, owls. Severus knew why he didn’t own one. Their intelligence weirded him out. What if they some day decided to conspire against the wizards who exploited them for free labour?
“Sit on my arm. I will apparate us there.”
Seconds later, he stood in a street near King’s Cross. He hadn’t used the official apparition spot, seeing as he didn’t have the time to place a reservation.
Which meant that he had to walk quite a bit, now.
The owl did not lead him to the train station, however. It was clearly headed elsewhere. Severus ran after it, only slowing his steps when he noticed it had started to fly in circles.
And there was the boy, surrounded by three Weasleys.
**
“Take your school trunk and your owl.” Snape instructed. “No, don’t just touch the cage, you have to grasp the owl.”
Hedwig pushed a feathery wing towards him, and Harry gently took it between two fingers.
“Yes, like that.” Snape grabbed Harry’s arm, and Harry suddenly felt like he was pushed through a very narrow tube.
When the strange sensation finally ended, he was nauseous. “Um, sir, I –”
Snape stepped out of the way, and just in time before Harry threw up.
“As Mrs. Weasley said, apparition is rather unpleasant. One gets used to it. How fares your owl?”
Hedwig was okay. “I’m sorry for wasting your time”, Harry mumbled. “I wasn’t sure Mrs. and Mr. Weasley would be able to get back to us, so ...”
Snape used his wand to put some kind of spell on Harry’s trunk and the cage with Hedwig in it so that they started to float after him. “Don’t be ridiculous, boy. I told you to send your owl. And it is a good thing you did, as the headmaster surely wouldn’t have time to listen to your story later on.”
Strange, the word ‘boy’ didn’t sound nearly as nasty in Snape’s mouth as it did in Vernon’s. “My story?” Harry almost had to jog to keep pace with Snape. They must be somewhere in the forbidden forest. The forest floor was littered with old leaves, and here and there, he could spot mushrooms in all sorts of shapes and colours.
Snape slowed down. “I agree with Mrs. Weasley, the fact that the barrier just happened to close when you wanted to get through is very suspicious. The headmaster needs to know.”
Harry was flabberghasted. He had thought it was a problem Ron and he had to deal with on their own, and now ... “It’s because the adults noticed too, isn’t it?”
“Explain.” Snape stopped walking altogether.
“Well, when we were worried someone might steal the philosopher’s stone, Professor McGonagall just told us not to worry. I mean, we were wrong about who wanted to steal the stone, but ...”
Snape frowned. “You talked to your head of house?”
“It’s not like we wanted to get killed by a three-headed dog. Sir.” Sure, it had been great to get house points for it, but if someone had asked him beforehand, Harry would have much preferred it if an adult had done something about it. “Professor McGonagall said the stone was protected very well, and ... I guess it was, he would’t ever have managed to get the stone without me, but we couldn’t know that!
“I see. And why, exactly, did you not trust your head of house to know what she was talking of?”
Harry thought back to when they’d talked to McGonagall. “She didn’t seem worried at all that Professor Dumbledore was away, and then she didn’t let us tell her everything we knew, and ... I don’t know. I was just sure she didn’t get it.”
“Most people in this school trust that Albus Dumbledore knows of everything that goes on, and rely on him to have the situation well in hand. Your head of house could likely not have provided a more detailed explanation of why she believed the stone to be well guarded than she did.”
“But that’s insa- I mean, that’s not very wise, is it? What if Professor Dumbledore forgot something? Everyone can make mistakes.”
“Certainly”, Snape agreed, and Harry almost stared at him open-mouthed. “However, most are content to believe he is watching over them as a father does over his underage children. And do not children usually consider their parents to be infallible?”
Harry decided to not remind Snape that his parents were dead. It seemed to be more a figure of speech, anyway. Dudley probably did think Uncle Vernon was right about most things.
“I am under no such illusions myself. You are quite right, everyone makes mistakes.” Was Snape smiling? “If you had come to me with your concerns about Quirrell, I could have reassured you in a more effective manner.”
Now that was going to be awkward. And just when they had been getting along so ... not-so-badly, at least. Perhaps it was better to not tell Snape all the reasons why they hadn’t asked him ... “Um. Well. We thought we ought to go to our head of house.”
“Ah. That is the normal course of action with school problems, yes. However ... with anything that concerns Professor Dumbledore’s secrets, you are better advised to ask me. I am usually in his confidence.”
Oh. Was that why Snape had come to talk to him about the pudding incident? “Why? Sir? I mean, Professor McGonagall is the deputy headmistress ...”
“The simple fact that I ... owe Professor Dumbledore a favour or two, and am therefore usually the one sent to do his bidding. Which is why I had to travel to your relatives’ home, in case you wondered.”
That made sense. Except ... “I’m one of Professor Dumbledore’s secrets?” Harry blurted out without thinking.
Now Snape would call him arrogant again.
“Your whereabouts used to be one of his secrets, yes. That is no longer the case, I fear. We will see.” Snape looked at him for a long time, and Harry realized there wasn’t nearly as much hate in his gaze as last year. “You are aware that I do not like you.”
“Yes?” What was he supposed to say to that? Was it even allowed for a teacher to admit that sort of thing? Not that Snape had hid it very well, before. He did hide it better, now. Or was there any hate to hide anymore? This made no sense at all!
“As Professor Dumbledore no doubt explained to you, this does not mean that I want you dead. Whenever you feel that your life – or health – or sanity – is at risk ... you can trust me.”
Harry blinked. This was ... good? But ... “My sanity?”
“I suppose several people have tried to tell you that getting hit by adults who are in charge of you is a sign of love, or care. That’s nonsense. Mrs. and Mr. Weasley do, probably, love their children, but they don’t beat them because of that, they beat them because they’re angry. Or desperate. It is very important not to get confused about that.”
Harry did feel better after hearing that, but why would Snape tell him? “Um. Why is it important, sir?”
“Because else you might arrive at a point where you think it is alright to hurt people you like. And then, you will soon find yourself without any friends at all.” Snape’s face was oddly devoid of expression. “And now, hurry. The headmaster still needs to hear your tale.”
Chapter 10