Rules and consequences.
Later Bella wondered if the house had a magic all of its own woven into the very fabric of the brick or maybe it was just the comfort of sleeping in their own bed and the familiarity of their own room but that morning everything seemed eerily and wonderfully normal.
The kids had stumbled downstairs and gravitated to the TV, where, after a few minutes of good natured bickering and channel surfing they settled on something and sprawled across the sofa's occasionally murmuring to each other, Midnight camped out on Hermiones lap, purring happily.
Meanwhile with a contented smile Bella carried a steaming mug of coffee up to her bedroom, placing it out of reach of her sleeping husband and stood, watching from the doorway as the smell drifted into his consciousness. Satisfied when he groaned and started to stir she headed back downstairs to create a welcome home breakfast rivalling the Hogwarts house elves feasts.
None of yesterdays awkwardness seemed to have followed them into the new day as they all took their own seats around the kitchen table. Snape predictably offered no more than a curt "Morning" when he joined them before burying himself behind the newspaper only sullenly emerging when Bella pointedly reminded them of the 'no reading at the table' rule.
Once a large portion of the scrambled eggs, bacon and mushrooms, cheese muffins and banana pancakes had been demolished Harry spotted the collection of containers on the kitchen work surface.
"Can I come with you to see Mrs Walker?"
"Can I get a lift to the library please?" Added Hermione, suddenly looking forward to visiting the muggle world again.
Bella gave Snape a quick glance and then started to clear away the leftovers.
"Sorry not today kids, I've got to sign the paperwork for the new office and collect the keys straight after dropping the food off. We'll do it another day." She offered instead. "Anyway I believe your Uncle wants to talk to you this morning."
Harry and Hermione swapped worried looks.
"Uh oh." Muttered Harry involuntarily under his breath, suddenly thinking of all the things they'd done during the year.
"Indeed!" Snape acknowledged, his voice low and silky, as he rose from the table. "Harry help your Aunt take the boxes out to her car and then once you have both cleared the table I expect you in my office in half an hour." And with that he swept out of the kitchen, another coffee in his grasp.
"This can't be good." Said Hermione as she loaded the dishwasher, echoing Harrys own thoughts.
Bella came in behind them and dropped kisses on each of their heads. "Just tell him the truth, get it over and done with and don't worry." She advised with a reassuring smile. "I'll see you later."
"Easy for her to say." Grumbled Harry as he wiped down the table. "What do you think he knows?" He asked thinking of trolls, dragons, invisibility cloaks, illegal duels, forbidden corridors and forests.
"Might be better to ask what he doesn't know." Added Hermione gloomily. She glanced at the clock. "Come on we better go."
Somehow the idea of facing Voldemort again seemed preferable as they silently walked down the stairs.
Snape knew they were apprehensive as soon as he heard the timid knock. It was just before the thirty minute deadline he'd given them and for a moment he considered making them suffer until the allotted time but then a voice in his head, suspiciously like Bella's reminded him that this wasn't Hogwarts.
Using his wand to open the door he commanded. "Enter." And then "Sit." Pointing to the two chairs he had already placed the other side of his desk.
He had to admit they looked miserable as they both kept glancing nervously between him and their knees, no doubt wondering what he knew. Last night he'd thought a lot about what Bella had said and made a list of things he knew but wouldn't if he didn't work there, like the duel with Malfoy, and the transgressions that as a guardian he would have been informed about, for example the dragon. It had shrunk his list but the most important ones still remained. But now that the time had come he realised that he'd spent so long preparing for what he had to deal with and no time on how to deal with it. This blurred the lines even further, he had disciplined them as his charges and handed out punishments as their professor but this was different, he was their Guardian dealing with school issues and there was no precedent set for that. All he did really know was that he couldn't be Snape here, no matter how much easier it would be.
He cleared his throat to get their attention and then began. "You. Are. Children." He announced in a cold, deliberate voice. "We send you to school to learn, nothing more. And yet you saw fit to be reckless, impulsive and involve yourselves in things that DO NOT concern students."
He paused for dramatic effect and to let his words sink in. Harry frowned and Hermione looked like she did when he sprang a particularly hard question in class. So before they could interrupt he quickly continued.
"You decided it was appropriate to take on a mountain troll instead of trusting the staff and returning to your common room, thus endangering your own and Weasleys life."
Harry couldn't stop himself. "It was going to hurt Hermione what were we supposed to do!" He paused when Hermione kicked his leg and gave him a warning look, realising what he'd just said he tried to distract his Godfather. "You said years ago we needed to look out for each other." He mumbled defensively.
Snape smirked inwardly, he'd never believed Hermione's story about going after the troll herself but in the aftermath of her running away he hadn't pursued it.
"Be that as it may ..." He just managed to resist the urge to call him 'Mr Potter'. "If Hermione had not played truant she would not have been in the bathroom and needed rescuing."
He pinned the young girl in question with his best glare while she squirmed in her seat, it hadn't taken much to confirm the facts last night and Harrys rash attempt at explaining had saved a lengthy interrogation of their version of events.
"And if you and Weasley had used your brains and advised a teacher or a prefect of your sisters predicament instead of rushing blindly and irresponsibly into a situation that could have gotten all three of you killed we would not be having this conversation."
He let the possibly fatal outcome hang in the silence for what felt like an eternity to Harry and Hermione before continuing.
"Which brings me neatly to your next foolish and dangerous decision." He felt his eyebrows disappearing into his hair line. "A DRAGON! Whatever possessed you to get involved ... They are illegal, vicious and violent. Mr Weasley is very lucky he did not loose his hand to the poison and what would have happened if you had dropped the crate on the way to the astronomy tower? Once again your juvenile choices and refusal to report information to adults for them to deal with has risked your own and other peoples safety."
He could see Hermione was seriously considering his words but Harry was getting agitated. As he had no intention of getting into a debate about Hagrid he swept swiftly onto the last item on his list.
"I then fell under the impression that either Bella's letter to you or more probably the ostracism of your House due to your collective loss of points had finally curtailed your behaviour."
Snape banged the flat of his hand on the desk making his errant charges jump. Unable to contain his pent up frustration at them, he stalked behind them and began to pace sorely missing the swish of his teaching robes. When he felt more in control of his thoughts he placed a hand on the back of each of their chairs and bent down between them.
"So imagine my astonishment when Professor McGonagall appeared at my door in the middle of the night to inform me that Longbottom had been stunned and three first years were missing."
His voice was cold, low and dangerous. And from his vantage point he could see them both swallowing in trepidation. Standing up and clasping his hands behind his back he strode towards his desk and glared down at them from on high.
"So once again you have meddled in something that is of no consequence to mere children and jeopardised your own lives in the process. I believe we discussed the repercussions and punishments over such willful disregard to the rules and your own safety some years ago."
He watched the swallowing turn to gulps as they both whispered, "Yes Sir." In unison.
"Conveniently there are two unoccupied corners of this room. You are to avail yourself of one each and use the time to think about your actions while I determine how your three punishments are to be delivered."
In truth he had no intention of disciplining them in one sitting so to speak, his plan had always been to deal with one transgression a day but there was no need to inform them of this straight away. He wanted them to really think about the rashness and dangerous nature of their 'adventures' as he had no intention of being in the same position at the start of every summer. Not that anything of this evil nature would be allowed to enter the school again, of course.
He watched, eyes narrowed, as they reluctantly pushed their chairs back and stood but as Hermione turned to go Harry reached out his arm and stopped her.
"Wait." He said softly then turning to his Godfather. "We can explain ...Sir."
Snape let out a long warning hiss. "Potter." But the boy stood his ground.
"Its Harry not Potter, please don't be 'Him' here." His voice was hoarse with emotion.
Damn those green eyes. Sitting back down in his own chair Snape sighed audibly and then made a previously unheard of decision. The boys request had been polite and respectful, so unlike the argumentative child he knew at Hogwarts, and he couldn't help but respond to this.
"Sit." He commanded kneading the bridge of his nose in an attempt to dispel the dull pain starting to form. "Explain then." He demanded bluntly.
Harry licked his lips nervously and then tried his best to justify what they'd done. He made a quick decision not to get mention the troll because now he thought about they had been pretty stupid, they should have just got Percy. So instead he focused on what his Godfather kept complaining about.
Taking a deep breath he started talking. "You keep saying we should tell adults about stuff but Hagrid is an adult and we were just trying to help him." Harry assumed his Godfather knew everything anyway. "He just got mixed up in the stuff with the stone and ended up with Norbert. You know how he is with animals but Norbert was going to hurt him and then Draco Malfoy found out, we know his dad's something to do with the school and we didn't want him to get sacked. Hagrid knew what we were doing, so an adult did know."
Harry couldn't bring himself to look at his Godfather, instead he played with the bottom of his t-shirt, tugging at a loose thread.
The dull ache had progressed to a throbbing now. He tried to make his tone neutral to hide his own personal thoughts about Hagrid, remembering the Headmasters words outside the gamekeepers hut. But he needed to warn them of Hagrids unpredictability, although without destroying their faith in the man because when all was said and done, realistically, wouldn't he need the same thing when they eventually found out the truth about his own past.
"Hagrid has a big heart and I know you, like a lot of other students before you, both found some comfort with him at the beginning of the school year when things became so ... confusing. But he does not have the same perception of danger as everyone else, especially when it comes to creatures. In this he is quite simple, he believes they are all friendly and can be tamed, that anything shown love will make a good pet. And as you saw with the dragon..." Snape refused to call it Norbert. "...its very nature is the exact opposite. Hagrid is a loyal and fierce friend but please be cautious around him too. As you have rightly pointed out, he is an adult and as such is responsible for his own actions. I know he came to see you in the hospital Harry, imagine how much worse he would have felt if any of you had been killed because of his choices."
He let them digest what he'd said and discreetly swallowed a pain relieving potion to try and release the tension in his head.
"Is that all you wish to ... explain?" He finally prompted. He saw Harry give Hermione a quick glance and her eyes widen in return.
"No Sir." Said Harry desperately trying to work out how to say enough without mentioning the possession theory. "About the stone. We found out what Fluffy was guarding..." Harry petered off nervously at the incredulous look he was receiving from the other side of the desk. "Ok we sort of worked it out from things ..." Here he struggled again as he didn't want to get Hagrid into trouble. "...some people said and we tried to find the Headmaster to tell him, we really did, but McGon..., I mean Professor McGonagall told us he'd left and that's when we knew yo.. ehrrr he was going to try that night. Then we tried to tell Professor McGonagall what we knew but she ignored us." Harry raised his eyes to look his Godfather head on. "So we did try but no one listened ... And we were right." The last part came out in a rush and he flopped back in his chair, arms folded defensively, waiting to find out their fate.
Snape leaned forward and rested his elbows on the desk, his fingers steepled in front of his lips and his eyes slowly sliding between the two children. "I see."
The truth was they hadn't told him anything he didn't already know. What he needed them to understand was that these situations were no place for children.
"It. Was. A. Trap." He watched the shock register on their faces. "Professor McGonagall ignored what you said because she knew, as did most of the rest of the staff. It may surprise you to know but there isn't much that goes on in the school that we teachers do not know!" He glared pointedly at them.
"A ... Trap?" Hermione asked weakly.
"Yes." Snape snapped out impatiently. "The only person supposed to go down there was Quirrell, we suspected who he was working for, we just needed to know if he would go alone." He felt confined behind the desk and started to stride around the room again. "No one else was supposed to know, no one was supposed to get hurt. That was until you three decided to play hero. And no matter what the Headmaster said at the end of term, hero's you are not! A little like Hagrid sometimes his view of things is slightly skewed."
He stopped pacing and folded his arms creating an intimidating silhouette. "Which once again brings me back to the reason for your appearance before me today. Your complete inability to stay out of things which should not and do not concern you along with your total lack of regard for your own well-being. You have an owl do you not?"
Harry looked confused. "Yes Sir."
"So why in the name of Merlin did you not think to send me a message?" He spoke slowly as if they were simple.
Harry and Hermione swapped a worried look, this was getting way too close to what they had really thought.
"You said we shouldn't really contact you." Improvised Hermione, her voice a little shaky.
"And Hedwig does stand out from the other owls, everyone knows she's mine." Added Harry trying to sound as believable as possible.
"So you didn't think to send her to Bella so she could tell me since you had so much time to sit around between searching for the Headmaster and the start of your midnight wanderings?"
Harry and Hermione both conceded silent defeat, he wasn't going to let it go.
"We thought it was you after the stone." Whispered Hermione.
For a moment Snape wasn't sure he had heard her right but the worried looks they were both shooting at him made him realise they were deadly serious. He sat back down in shock.
"Why? What would I possibly want to live forever for!"
Neither child knew how to answer that. "I saw your leg where Fluffy bit you after Halloween." Harry confessed. "We thought you'd tried to get past him then."
"We thought you were possessed and someone was making you do it." She couldn't hold it in any longer, it all came out in a hurried, garbled mouthful and once Hermione started she couldn't stop. She told him all about Harry going to fetch Magic and overhearing Bella and Dumbledore talking about him being taken over like before, how they'd seen him jinx Harrys broom (she still had enough self preservation not to mention setting fire to his robes though) and how someone had overheard him threatening Quirrell.
Snape had no idea what to say or do.
He remembered what Dumbledore had told him about his Mark reacting to the Dark Lords presence and how it had affected his behaviour, so in a way they were right. They were right about everything apart from the person responsible. He wasn't sure if they were more brave or more stupid to do what they'd done now, knowing that they thought it was him they were after.
Somehow he found himself explaining to them. "We believed the troll to be a diversion so the Headmaster sent me to the trapdoor to protect it which is when the animal bit me. I was performing the counter jinx at the Quidditch match to keep you on your broom."
"I know now, Professor Dumbledore told me you were saving me when I was in the infirmary." Reassured Harry quickly.
Snape gave a nod of acceptance. "And I was trying to convince Quirrell to confess, not threatening him."
And without another word he rose from his chair and swept from the room. He needed space to breathe, time to think.
Harry and Hermione looked at each other completely confused but neither dared say a word, their Uncle could be volatile at the best of times and this was most definitely not that. Harry raised his hands in a questioning gesture which Hermione answered with a shrug of her shoulders but waiting patiently proved hard when they knew what was at stake.
Finally Snape swept back in, his face impassive as he looked at them. But instead of resuming his pacing or seating himself behind the desk he perched on the edge of it, ankles and arms crossed.
"Having considered everything, I find myself in the unique position of changing my mind."
He couldn't miss the small smiles the two miscreants flashed each other.
"Do not get your hopes up." He cautioned. "Since neither of you have mentioned what happened with the troll I can only assume you have no defense to offer and the punishment stands, which we will come to in a moment." He promised dashing their hopes of a complete reprieve.
"However, while I do not agree with your reasoning in the other two situations I do accept that you did either act with an adults knowledge or try to inform an adult of the situation." He could foresee their sigh of relief and wanted to make his position perfectly clear. "That being said you still broke a number of school rules and naively rushed into perilous situations and there must be consequences. You are grounded for the next two weeks, I believe your Aunts new office will need painting and my garden will require attending to."
"Yes Sir." They both parroted knowing they were lucky to get off so lightly.
Snape was about to send them to their rooms so he could visit them individually but then thought better of it. They were so keen to get into trouble together they could suffer the repercussions together too, besides he imagined Hermione may feel some comfort in her brothers presence after the fear she'd shown him yesterday.
With a heavy heart at the memory he placed his chair in the centre of the room and looked pointedly at them.
"Hermione, to me. Harry return to your corner."
As always the discipline was swift, firm and forgiving.
