Alrighty!!! Chap two, still belongs to Rainbow stripes. So enjoy, and she gets credit.
Disclaimer: All the things you recognize from Harry Potter belong to JK Rowling, not me. I'm not Blonde (side bangs do NOT count) no British accent, and…if I had owned hary potter, harry and Cedric would of hit it off pretty hard…so
The next morning, Harry awoke first in his dormitory, and used this time to grab the first shower. He'd never needed much sleep, so he wasn't that tired after his late night conversation. He grabbed a fluffy red towel off the rack and slung it around his hips, retreating back to the dorm room where Neville was starting to rise. "Mornin' Harry." The boy yawned groggily, passing Harry on his way to the shower. By the time Harry was dressed in his uniform, Ron, Seamus and Dean had all gotten up, the former two starting to dress and the latter just getting out of the shower. Once Ron was fully dressed, the two boys went down to the common room and met Hermione waiting for them, a letter in her hands.
"Hi boys. Harry, Mark asked me to give this to you." She said, handing him the letter. Harry read it, grin widening.
Harry
Found two guys and a girl to help with the mission, you'd like them. Steven Harding, Danny Bishop and Jessica Phillips, Steve's a 'Puff, Danny's a Snake and Jess is a 'Claw. Good mix, testing our limits this morning, I've told them the golden rules, they learn quick. Meeting in the RoR tomorrow after dinner, you're invited.
Mark
P.S. Today's not the best day for pumpkin juice.
Harry snorted as they walked down to breakfast. "Guys, you might want to skip your morning pumpkin juice and go with some other drink for today." He whispered, pointing discreetly at the crumpled note in his hand. They nodded in understanding and reached the oak double doors, sitting at the Gryffindor table. Harry gave a discreet wink to Severus, who nodded slightly in return, and looked at the Headmaster, who had a beaming smile on his face as he looked at the exchange. Harry stuck his tongue out and made a little horn gesture with his fingers, causing the headmaster to start sputtering and Severus to smirk discreetly.
"Err, mate, who you sticking your tongue out at?" Ron asked. Harry turned and grinned sheepishly.
"No one, don't worry. So, what subjects have we got today?" He asked, changing the subject as they were handed their timetables. Hermione looked them over and hummed.
"Well, we've got Transfiguration, then double Potions. After lunch, you two have Divination while I've got Arithmancy, then double DADA. Not too bad." She said. Ron scoffed.
"Not too bad? Hermione, we've got double Potions, Trelawney and double Snape all in one day!" He protested.
"Ron, we dunno what this Slughorn guy is like, and now that Snape has the Defence job, he might be a bit less grumpy. Besides, we can sleep through Trelawney."
Harry reasoned. In truth, Severus had told him that in DADA, everyone needed it so he wouldn't be too harsh on the Gryffindors, but he still had a cover to maintain. Ron carried on grumbling for a while, but stopped when Hermione threatened to let him do all his homework without her help for the rest of the year. About halfway through breakfast, all the people who had drunk pumpkin juice that morning, which was a good portion of the school, were all coloured a bright blue, wearing white hats, baggy white shorts or skirts and, for the girls, white vest jackets. Harry took one look around and cracked up laughing as a few of the muggle-born and half-blood students started a chorus of the Smurf theme song. Dumbledore sat at his table with a red hat, dressed as papa smurf.
"Next time you're feeling blue just let a smile begin, Happy things will come to you so Smurf yourself a grin" Harry joined in, Hermione laughing next to him and Ron just looking confused, but laughing at the sight of a blue Malfoy. The headmaster managed to quiet the students and stood up.
"Well, I would like to say well done on a well executed prank, although I don't know who is behind it, as it doesn't harm anyone nor impair lessons, I do not feel the need to take points. I'm confident it will wear off soon, so you have nothing to worry about. Now, off to lessons." He said jovially. Harry was immensely glad his father preferred coffee in the mornings, because a Smurf Snape would not be a pleasant thing for anyone. Harry and his friends left the great hall to get their books with the rest of the school and he managed to find Mark amongst the crowd.
"Excellent work, little bro, how long will it last?" He whispered. Mark grinned.
"Only a couple of hours, not too long. Everyone will be back to normal before lunch. I'll pass your congratulations on to the others. See ya big bro!" He called, darting off down the corridor. Harry grinned and ran to catch up with his friends as they came into the Transfiguration classroom, taking their usual seats near the middle. McGonagall walked in and immediately started on a lecture about the NEWTs, which Harry only just listened to. They then spent the rest of the lesson taking notes as she discussed the pros and cons of conjured items.
-
After the lesson, they packed up their things and apprehensively walked to potions. None of them knew what Slughorn was like, though a couple of people said their parents were taught by him. They entered the classroom and saw the desks grouped around 3 cauldrons filled with potions that Harry recognised as Amortenia, Veritaserum and Felix Felicis, the luck potion. The robust teacher stood at the front of the class, smiling broadly at them. "Ah, here you are. Well, take a seat, take a seat. Today, we're just going to go through the basics of some difficult to brew potions. Who can tell me what this is?" He asked, pointing to the cauldron filled with what looked to be liquid gold. Hermione's hand went up, among others, including Harry's. "Yes, Miss..."
"Granger. That's Felix Felicis, or liquid luck. Drinking the potion will make you lucky for hours, depending on the dose size." She reeled off. Slughorn nodded happily.
"Yes, very good. And the other one?" He said, pointing to the Amortenia. "Yes, Mr. Mafoy?"
"That is Amortenia, the strongest love potion in the world. It is illegal to give someone, and smells different to each person. When you smell it, it will be the scents of the things you love the most." He drawled in a bored tone. Again, Slughorn nodded, his stomach wobbling. Harry identified the Polyjuice potion, then Slughorn told them to start brewing a headache draught for the Hospital wing. The class went through with only Neville botching up the potion. The Slytherins were surprised when Harry's potion was perfect, but Slughorn just beamed at him, muttering about his mother's talent. Harry smirked inwardly, thinking more of his father's talent, but didn't say anything. Once the lesson was over, they all headed to lunch, in happier spirits than usual, considering they had just left potions.
Lunch went by without incident, now that the Smurf-people had been returned to normal, and the two boys bid goodbye to Hermione as they split up to head to their respective classes. Divination was the same as usual, Harry's death was predicted again, and they started palmistry, which lead Harry to wonder why he was still taking the subject. Finally, the class Harry was looking forward to, they had Defence. They came to the classroom and nervously walked in the door, only to find it dark and empty. Harry immediately whipped out his wand, and a few of the DA members followed, while the Slytherins only sneered.
Harry let his senses go, and immediately felt the tingle of a disillusionment charm in the corner. He smirked, and waited for whatever his dad had in store. He felt something by his head and ducked as a stunner washed over his head, downing Pansy Parkinson behind him. The disillusioned form moved around the wall and another stunner hit Dean Thomas. He heard a couple of muttered Protego charms and grinned, jumping as a body bind rushed right at his feet. "This is going to be fun." He muttered absently as Draco Malfoy fell to a stunner. He looked around, spotting the outline of the invisible figure behind the desk and returned fire with a silent binder, which Severus dodged. This drew attention to the area and Harry and Blaise Zabini, the only ones left standing, were.
Severus eventually downed Blaise with a well placed body bind and released his charm, coming into view. Harry gave him a grin and launched into a barrage of spells, which were returned with vigour. After a few minutes of rapid duelling, Severus disarmed Harry and caught his wand, checking that everyone was stunned or unconscious, gave him a small smile. "Nice work, Aidan. You knew I was there all along, didn't you?" He said bemusedly. Harry smirked back.
"Of course. It was much more fun this way, though. Oh, we had potions earlier. Apparently I have my mother's talent." He said, rolling his eyes. Severus snorted.
"I'm pretty sure it's mine. Lily was rather good, but your style is more similar to me, when you're not being sabotaged of course. Care to help me enervate this lot?" He asked, gesturing to the fallen students. Harry shrugged.
"Someone has to. Enervate."He said, waking Ron. Together the duo woke the class, who just got up and went to the newly replaced desks, the Slytherins scowling. By the time everyone was back to their seats, Severus was his usual scowling self.
"I'm disappointed. I understand that you haven't had the most competent teachers in this subject, but you should at least have learned to be alert over the years. I stunned all but 2 of you before Mr Potter saw which direction I was in. I also noticed that only one Slytherin student drew their wand, compared to the six Gryffindors. In this classroom, I do not particularly care for houses. I will take points for disrespect and give them for correct work. But I will not tolerate house prejudice in my classroom. No matter what side you decide to take in this war, you will need to be able to defend yourself from attack. Now, for homework, I want a list of every spell you know that can be used effectively in a duel, due next week. Class Dismissed." He said curtly. The students scrambled out, determined not to get on the bad side of their teacher. Harry threw one last grin at Severus on his way out and walked back with his friends to dinner.
"So, what are lessons with Snape like?" Ginny asked as they sat down.
"They're actually pretty good. He's not judging us on houses for once. We got attacked as soon as we entered, but it was a good lesson." Hermione said, making Harry grin and Ginny's eyes widen.
"What? Snape's actually being fair? Wait a sec, didn't we say once that the day Snape is fair is the day he wears colour and starts being nice to Harry?" She said. They all flicked their eyes up to the staff table, but Snape was still wearing his usual black teaching robe.
"Harry, has he been nice to you?" Ron asked. Harry hid a smirk, but shrugged.
"He's been nicer than before, but I think that's actually because I'm good at the subject and he can't find something to take points for. Plus, I can't get sabotaged by the snakes as easily." He lied. Ginny pouted,
"Aww, maybe it'll happen soon anyway. I'm going to see Dean, bye guys." She called, skipping down to the other end of the table. Ron looked after her, confused.
"Why is she going to see Dean?" He asked dumbly.
"She's going out with him of course." Hermione said simply. Ron went red and started stuttering angrily.
"She what? I'll kill him!" He cried. Harry and Hermione grabbed his arms to hold him down.
"Ron, mate, she's 15, she can date whoever she likes. I mean, you can still kill him if he hurts her, we all will, but Ginny will hex you to death if you start trying to meddle in her relationships."Harry told him, struggling to keep his friend in his seat. Ron stilled, but was still fuming, watching his sister and her boyfriend with hawk eyes.
"So, Harry, you made Quidditch captain. When are you going to have chaser tryouts?" Hermione asked, changing the subject.
"I dunno, I'll have to ask McGonagall when the pitch is free." Just as he said this, a small piece of parchment appeared on his empty plate. He picked it up and read.
Mr. Potter
Please come to my office as soon as you finish your meal, I need to speak with you and Professor Snape. I was given a pack of blood pops for my birthday, but they aren't really to my tastes.
Professor Dumbledore.
"What's that about the blood pops?" Ron asked.
"Password to his office." Harry replied absently. That meant Severus had told Dumbledore that his glamour dropped, and he probably wanted to talk to them about it. "Well, I'd better go then. I'll be back soon, I think. Bye." He said, gathering up his things and leaving the large hall. Harry walked through the near empty corridors and reached the stone gargoyle that guarded the Headmaster's office. "Blood Pops." The gargoyle slid to the side and Harry stood on the moving staircase, tapping his foot impatiently.
"Come in." Came the headmaster's voice as soon as he reached the top, and Harry opened the door to find Dumbledore behind his desk, petting Fawkes, and his dad in a puffy armchair.
"Ah, good evening my boy. Lemon drop?" He asked. Harry snorted.
"I'm actually surprised you still eat those things, but I'll pass thanks." He said with a small grin, dropping into a chair identical to Severus'.
"Well, I assume you know why you're here. Severus told me your glamour dropped over the summer. Could you please remove your own for me, so I can see what you truly look like?" He asked. Harry nodded and waved his wand over himself, growing into his true self. Dumbledore's eyes widened at the father and son in front of him. "Oh my, Severus, he looks just like you did, yet you still have your mother's eyes and nose. You've grown into a fine young man, Aidan, I'm just sorry I didn't tell you sooner." He said softly. Aidan bowed his head.
"Thank you, headmaster. I do understand your reasons for not telling me, can't say I like them, but I do understand. So, I'm guessing you didn't bring me and dad here just for a chat?" He asked. Dumbledore's eyes twinkled at Severus' expression when Aidan said the word 'dad'.
"No, I was actually wondering if you would resume lessons with Severus. This time, not just Occlumency, but we will be training and preparing you for the final confrontation. Voldemort is getting more and more active, and eventually he will come after the school. I do not want you to go out there without the knowledge, for I know that we will not be able to stop you. Also, Severus has expressed an interest in looking through some of your notes, once you've translated them of course. May I ask if you've done any summer experiments this year?" He asked with an amused smile.
"not really, I was trying to figure out a way to cast the glamour without getting a warning from the ministry. In the end I just stood on a lay line crossover, there's too much ambient magic there for the charm to be detected, and it's much easier to manipulate magic to your needs." He said.
"Hmm, I thought that was how you did it. The castle is built on a lay line crossover. So, the lessons. What do you say, my boy?" He asked. Aidan nodded rapidly.
"I'd love to, I mean, it gives me an excuse for going down to see dad, and it would be good to learn things with a teacher, I can only go so far on my own." He said with a smile at Severus.
"Very good. I think every Tuesday and Friday night, after dinner. Does that sound okay to you?" Aidan nodded. "Good, now I don't think we can go with the Remedial Potions excuse, as we have Horace. Hmm... I suppose we could say that Aidan did something and is getting detentions, but what would you have done?" He thought aloud.
"Well, the Smurf thing wasn't me, I know that, so it couldn't be that." Aidan said.
"You know who did that?" Severus asked. Aidan tapped his nose secretively.
"That would be telling, father dear, but I will just warn you that you're in for a reign of chaos worse than the Weasley twins and the Marauders combined." He said with a cheeky grin. Severus groaned and put his head in his hands.
"Merlin, Albus, can I resign yet?" He moaned. Albus chuckled.
"I'm sorry, my boy, but I need you on the staff. "
"Don't worry, the new group is one from each house, so there will be one of your snakes in to defend you. You could say that you have to give me detentions for running the DA, technically it was against the rules." Aidan supplied. Albus thought for a moment, as Severus was still groaning about the unfairness of life.
"That could work. Yes, I think we'll use that idea." Albus decided.
"Good. Now, if you don't mind, Albus, I would like a private chat with my son." He said with a sharp look at Aidan, who knew the discussion of his second glamour was coming. Albus nodded and left the office, closing the door behind him. "Now, Aidan, I want to see what's under the second glamour. No excuses, remove it, now." He said sternly. Aidan sighed.
"If I must." He said dejectedly, waving his wand over himself once more. Severus gasped as his son's skin covered with bruises and scars. "Remus tried to heal the ones he could, but they take time. I've usually got a glamour on for the first couple of weeks of school until the healing potions can take effect. I haven't been able to brew very effective ones because I have to use what I've got left from school until I can get to Diagon Alley." He said quickly.
"Take off your shirt and trousers." Severus ordered. Aidan did so and revealed a torso and legs littered with fading bruises, welts, burns and scars. "The Dursleys did this to you?" He growled. Aidan nodded. "I'll kill them! I'll kill them for harming my son." He whispered dangerously.
"Dad, no. You don't need to, honestly, once they've healed, I'll be fine. Please, don't let them know it gets to me. I've had worse in my dreams, anyway." He said, mumbling the last part. Unfortunately, Severus heard him.
"What do you mean, your dreams?" He asked curiously. Aidan sat down, wincing, and Severus almost hit himself. "Jinx." He called. A house elf with wide blue eyes appeared next to him. "Jinx, I need you to get me healing potions. Bruise salves, burn healers, anti-scarring cream, clotting solution and welt remover. All the most effective versions I have." He listed.
"Yes Master Snape, Sir." Jinx said, popping away and coming back a few seconds later, arms laden with bottles and jars, which she spread out on the Headmaster's desk. Severus transfigured his chair into a raised bed and motioned for Aidan to lay on it.
"On your stomach, first. Now, what happens in these dreams?" He asked, scooping a pale blue goo out of a jar and rubbing his son's back with it.
"Well, you know after Occlumency, I get visions of Voldemort. The Death Eater meetings, the raids, torturing. I can feel every curse that monster casts, I get about 3 crucio's and a killing curse on a good night, much more than that on a bad one. That's why the Dursleys punishments don't hurt much. I've been trying to clear my mind, but nothing works. Dreamless sleep will stop them for a night, but if I take too much it gets addictive." He said, occasionally wincing as Severus hit a sore spot with one of the potions. Severus frowned.
"At least 3 crucio curses a night? You should be insane by now!" He said incredulously, placing a protection charm to hold the healing salves on his back and rolling him over gingerly. Luckily, there were less injuries on the front. "Well, I don't know how I can help with the visions, if Occlumency won't work, because I can't have you dosed up on sleeping potions every night. I'll talk to Albus about it, see if he knows anything that will help, and from now on, I want you to come to me or Albus after every vision. Even if you don't get cursed, you can't bottle everything up, son." He said softly, brushing a strand of hair out of Aidan's face. Aidan sighed wearily.
"I know, it's just, I'm not used to talking about my feelings or anything. I don't like talking about my feelings. But I will try. You do realise you'll probably have me in your rooms most nights, right?" He joked.
"I'm sure I'll manage. Why haven't your roommates said anything?" Severus asked.
"Silencing charms. I don't want to wake them every night, I'm used to not sleeping much, they're not." He admitted. Severus cast another protection charm and Aidan put the glamour over the injuries. "Hmm, dad? Do you think we'll ever be able to tell anyone? About us, I mean?" He asked quietly, sitting up on the bed. Severus put an arm around his son, holding him close.
"I don't know, my serpent, but I hope so. Now, off to bed with you, I want you to get some sleep, so little cannot be good for you." He said, pressing a soft kiss to Aidan's hair. Aidan grinned.
"you worry too much. It's nice, though I can see why other kids complain about it." He mused aloud. Severus eyed him apprehensively.
"Yes, well, you'd better get used to it. Now go." He said fondly, shooing him out of the office. Aidan grinned and waved, sprinting up to Gryffindor tower before curfew ended. He said the password and the Fat lady's portrait opened.
"Harry, where were you? We've only got about 5 minutes before curfew, and you've got a transfiguration essay to do!" Hermione's voice rang out. He grinned to himself, some things never changed.
"Coming, Hermione!" He called, dragging his bag out and getting his books, setting up a space next to Ron, ready for a night of studying.