Chapter Four:
Good Graces
A/N: Thanks for reading and reviewing!
Between the votes and the PMs of votes I got the answer to my question in the last chapter. Thanks for all the help :)
Savoren.
Severus and Remus guarded the teenagers as they stood in ankle deep water. They had been shooting curses into the high grass for the last ten minutes but now the area was deathly silent - all except for Severus' pounding heart.
Harry seethed. Once again his father had gotten in the way of his revenge. Doesn't he understand that I won't be happy until I end her life?
Suddenly Severus gripped the back of Harry's neck and quietly re-entered the high grass. He kept his wand raised high, as if he anticipated another attack any second.
Just as they started through the tall grass the two shadows flew off into the air, disappearing into the night.
Why didn't they keep fighting? Severus tightened his grip on his son and led him, Remus and Hermione out of the grass and back to where the Burrow is burning to the ground.
Hermione barely took in her surroundings - noting that Headmaster Dumbledore had arrived - before her mother took hold of her ear in a death grip. She closed her eyes and winced as she anticipated her adopted mother's stinging hand against her backside. When this didn't happen she opened her eyes and turned to look at her mother's face. She cringed at the look and felt her stomach drop to her feet. She immediately wished her mother would just smack her instead of looking at her like that.
She glanced over at Harry and noticed that he too had his ear clutched in a death grip.
Harry tried to get his ear free as he snapped angrily, "You should have let me kill her."
Severus ignored what he said and pulled his son along behind him as he went to Albus. He continued to ignore Harry's whimpers and quiet plea to let his ear go.
Albus nodded to Severus and stared at the blushing boy with twinkling eyes, "I am glad Remus and you had that situation under control - that could have ended horribly." Here he gave Harry a stern look before turning back to the crying Molly Weasley. "Dearest Molly, there is no need for tears."
Molly hugged Arthur tight as she stared at her burning home, "No need for tears? Albus this is our home!"
"And we can build you a new one," Albus explained softly. He gently touched her shoulder and offered her a comforting smile. "You are family and we will take care of you."
If Harry's ear didn't feel as if it were going to fall off at any second he would be excited and hoping that they would be moving to Hogwarts too.
Molly's tears got harder and she hid her face in Arthur's neck. "This is our home! This is all we have and now it's gone!"
Albus nodded in understanding, "We can build you a new home, dear. You and your family will be safer at Hogwarts." He glanced over at the youngest Weasley - her face was emotionless and her eyes seemed elsewhere. "You do not have to decide now, Molly, but please come back and stay at the castle until you decide what you want to do."
Molly felt broken, all she could do was nod her head into Arthur's neck.
Minerva walked over and took Ginny's hand in hers, apparating back to the Hogwarts line and then walking toward the castle.
Once Minerva apparated back to the castle, the rest slowly followed.
When Harry and Severus appartated outside the Hogwart's line, instead of following the Weasleys, Remus, Draco and Nymph to the castle, Severus and Poppy pulled their children back home.
"Look, I'm sorry, okay?! I need to go with Ron! I need to make sure he's okay!" Harry pleaded as he tried to get his father to leave go of his red ear.
As a response, Severus pinched the ear harder and continued to march back to the house in silence. He stopped to break off a thin branch. He flicked the switch in the air once before giving a small nod of his head. His eyes briefly locked with Poppy's before he continued forward, almost back to the house.
Harry let out a small sigh, Running after Bellatrix wasn't the smartest idea I've ever had. . . He's going to kill me when we get home. He knowingly flinched as he realized he had put his life in danger not once but twice in less than twenty-four hours.
"Pansy, my beautiful flower. Your plan is due - what is it?" Voldemort asked as he cupped her cheek in his pale hand.
"I have been writing Draco, my Lord. I have convinced him that I like him and I have succeeded in getting him to date me. He is a child of the ever growing "Hogwarts Family" - Dumbledore is the grandfather of this family. Dating Draco will give me a step into this circle and will get me closer to Dumbledore," Pansy explained softly. She allowed her Lord to continue to caress her cheek even though she could feel Bellatrix's deadly glare on the back of her head.
Bellatrix couldn't keep her mouth shut, "Oh yeah? Well, my Lord, I have destroyed the blood-traitor clan, Weasleys house!"
Voldemort flashed her a piercing glare, "Why should I be proud of that, Bellatrix?! Did you succeed in killing any of them?" At her silence and drop of her eyes, he snapped, "You did nothing! In all actuality you have done damage to us! The blood-traitors will only move to Hogwarts where they will be protected by the wards! What good will that do us, Bellatrix?" At her silence, he snapped, "Nothing! You have failed me!" His eyes softened when he looked back at Pansy, "But she, my beautiful flower - she has succeeded where no one else has in quite some time. She has used her cunning skills to place herself in their circle. She is who I am proud of."
Seething, Bellatrix respectively bowed her head and backed away - throwing one last deadly glare at Pansy.
When Harry woke from his nap everything came flooding back to him, especially the sting in his backside.
He closed his eyes and let out a soft groan. He pulled the pillow back over his head and wished he could just fall back to sleep.
When he and his father returned to the house he had gotten the spanking of a lifetime and an even worse lecture. The lecture was enough to break him down into sobs - his father just kept returning to the fact that Harry had knowingly and willingly placed himself in danger. What broke Harry the most was when Severus reminded him that this wasn't the first time he has put his life in danger. Severus had said, "How many close encounters to death do you need to get before you learn how much you would destroy your mother and I if anything happened to you? You are not invincible!"
The lecture had definitely hurt. Honestly he couldn't even tell if he was forgiven or not. All he knew right now was that he was too ashamed and embarrassed to go downstairs to face his parents.
I can be really stupid sometimes.
Just when he was about to fall back into a restless sleep, Harry heard an owl peck on his window. He gingerly rolled on to his back and sat up, ignoring the flaming sensation that flared across his backside. He slowly and tenderly made his way to the window and opened it up.
Seeing a note folded and tied to Poppy's owl, he quickly untied it and read the note:
Harry,
How are you?
I got into quite the heap of trouble and am grounded for two weeks (which is almost half the time we have left until school starts back up!). Part of me wants to say that this is unfair but I know we put our lives in danger - I just wish she hadn't grounded me for so long since she already took away my ability to sit!
~Herm.
Harry sighed softly, honestly he doesn't even know if he's grounded or not. After he got his bum blistered with the switch he cuddled with his father and then the next thing he remembers is waking up in bed.
He stared at his desk chair for a few moments before deciding to just stand as he wrote his reply to Hermione. Standing is definitely a better choice than sitting on his sore backside.
He grabbed a spare piece of parchment and immediately started scribbling his note:
Hey Herm,
I have been better but I have been worse. I hope she wasn't too hard on you - I feel like I'm not going to sit for another day or so.
I don't know if I am grounded or not; I just woke up from a nap.
Have you gotten any information on animagus transformations? Also, have you heard anything about where Ron's family is going to live? Have they decided to live here yet? I really hope they do! The Forbidden Forest is quickly becoming a small town and I think it's brilliant!
Love, Harry.
Just as the owl landed on Hermione's window ledge, Harry heard a soft knock on his bedroom door. In panic, Harry quickly pulled the window back down before moving to open the door.
Seeing Harry's flushed face, Severus gave a small frown and entered the bedroom. "Why do you have a guilty look on your face, Harry James?" He glanced around the room and when he didn't see anything out of the ordinary he looked back at his son with a raised eyebrow.
Harry quickly shook his head, "Guilty look?" He asked in a rushed voice. He gave another shake of his head, "I didn't do anything."
Severus' frown deepened as he snatched out to squeeze Harry's ear between his forefinger and thumb, "Do. Not. Lie. To. Me!" He snapped through clenched teeth.
Harry dropped his eyes in shame and waited until his father let go of his ear. "I. . ." He glanced up at his unamused father and wondered if he would get in more trouble. "I sent a letter to Hermione."
Severus let out a tired sigh, "Why would you lie about that?" Today has been a long day and it feels like it is only getting longer!
Harry worried on his lip for a few seconds before saying in a quiet voice, "Because I didn't know if I was allowed. Usually you or mum have to read my letters first and. . . And I don't know if I'm still in trouble?" He finally locked eyes with his father's and waited for his answer.
Severus pinched the bridge of his nose and took a seat on Harry's bed. He patted the spot beside him and waited for Harry to come sit down. Once Harry was seated, Severus turned to look at him and asked in a tired voice, "Harry, have you seen us going through your mail for the past month?" At Harry's small, unsure shake of his head, Severus continued, "Charles, your mother and I believe that you can be trusted with your mail again since you haven't had any urges or attempts to smoke. You haven't had any, correct?"
Harry quickly shook his head, "None."
With a small smile on his face, Severus nodded. "That makes me proud, Harry."
Hearing that, Harry looked up at him and smiled. "Thanks, dad." Harry let out a small breath before asking, "Am I in trouble still?"
Severus let out a deep sigh, "Hermione is grounded for two weeks. Your mother and I feel that it would be unfair if you were not grounded as well. Now, I know two weeks seem torturous since you will only have two weeks of freedom before classes start back up and so we are going to put a twist to your grounding - Aunt Poppy will be doing this with Hermione as well."
Harry watched with curious eyes as his father pulled out a piece of parchment. He took the parchment when it was handed to him and quickly started reading it:
CONGRATULATIONS, you got grounded!
Harry stopped reading to flash his father an unamused look. He continued when his father motioned for him to keep reading.
To get un-grounded you must earn 2,000 points (or wait out the two weeks).
Prepare potion ingredients = 50 points
Scrub cauldrons = 100 points
Clean kitchen = 100 points
Clean living room = 100 points
Help Madam Pince clean and re-organize library = 400 points
Assist in brewing Infirmary potions = 200 points
Clean your bedroom = 50 points
Assist Filch in polishing trophies and dusting portraits = 500 points
Help Professor Sprout tend and prepare greenhouses for oncoming school year = 250 points
De-gnome gardens at each house = 100 points
Help Filch clean out the lost and found = 150
Harry couldn't help but cringe at the idea of some of these, "So I have to do all of this or take the two weeks of being grounded?"
Severus nodded, "Correct."
Harry wrinkled his nose in disgust, "Even helping Filch?"
Severus gave him a stern look, "Respect your elders, Harry." Once Harry looked apologetic, Severus continued, "How you handle your grounding is completely your choice. You can either do all of this and get off early or you can stick out the two weeks of not being allowed out of the house or seeing your friends."
Harry sighed, "When you put it that way I would feel stupid if I didn't use the point system."
Severus smirked and stood from the bed, "It is your choice, Harry. If you choose to do the point system you can start whenever you want." With that, Severus left the room to go find Arthur.
Harry nibbled on his lip softly as he looked around his bedroom. The room wasn't that messy - 50 points would be easily earned by just picking up a couple things off the floor, dusting and vacuuming.
With his mind made up, Harry jumped off the bed to start cleaning his bedroom.
It only took Harry thirty minutes to get his room clean. If he was being honest with himself he couldn't help but find this whole point system to be a little fun and exciting. Sure it is supposed to be a punishment but he is looking at it as a challenge: let's see how fast I can get to 2,000 points.
When he entered the kitchen he noticed a potion bottle full of blue liquid on the kitchen counter. Underneath the potion bottle was a note with his father's hand writing:
Use this for the kitchen - can be used on all surfaces. DO NOT GET IN YOUR EYES!
Harry smirked, Of course I won't get it in my eyes! Who does he think I am?
As he scrubbed the counters he mentally tallied up the points he has already earned (well, as soon as the kitchen is clean) - 150 points. Harry scrunched his nose as he subtracted 150 from 2,000. He let out a sigh as he realized he still had quite the while to go.
Harry paused in his scrubbing so he could pull out the parchment and look at it. Part of him wished he had a muggle highlighter so he could cross off the ones he already accomplished.
"Dad!" Harry yelled and waited to hear a response. When he heard none, he put down the scrubby and potion bottle in order to go search for something to cross off his list.
In a can on the bookshelf Harry found muggle crayons. He pulled out a bright blue one and then returned to the kitchen where he put a line through his first accomplishment: Clean Bedroom = 50 points.
He left the list and blue crayon on the table then returned to scrubbing the kitchen until it sparkled. I wonder if I can use magic for this? Harry quickly shook his head to get rid of the idea. If his father left a cleaning potion and a couple scrubbies then it is obvious that he is supposed to clean everything the muggle way.
I bet Hermione chose the point system too! Harry's eyes flashed with excitement as he thought about racing her to 2,000. Harry smiled and immediately started scrubbing faster.
Severus handed Molly a freshly brewed calming potion, "How are you holding up, Molly?"
Molly took the potion with a grateful smile and nod of her head. "We will be okay."
Arthur gently massaged Molly's shoulders and looked over to where his children sat in a circle playing exploding snap. "We are thinking about moving to the forest with everyone else."
Severus nodded, "You will be taken care of here. Your protection will be much better than it was at the Burrow."
Hearing the name of her destroyed home caused Molly's tears to fall harder again.
Arthur quickly wrapped his arms around Molly and held her tight, "It's alright, love."
Molly nodded in agreement, "It's just hard right now." She looked over to where Ginny sat, looking dazed off into the distance while her brothers were playing a card game. "Do you have veritaserum, Severus?"
Severus immediately frowned, "No. Umbridge used the last of my supplies last year. Why?" He looked to where Molly was looking and let out a soft sigh, "I understand that you want the truth, Molly. I really, honestly do. However, if you use the truth serum on your daughter how do you think that will make her feel? Would she ever forgive you?" At Molly's silence, Severus continued, "You need to support her and comfort her. The truth will come out when she is feeling secure."
Molly let out a held in dry sob. "She has a cut lip, Severus! Why won't she tell us the truth that we already know?!"
Arthur immediately tried to quiet his wife before their daughter overheard them, "No, love. Severus is right. We need to remain patient with her. She will tell us eventually."
"After he hurts her again?" Molly snapped.
"He can't hurt her if we don't let her see him," Arthur said softly. "I think we should take Albus' offer and move here. Not only will it protect us from the Death Eaters but it will also give us an eye into the school year - we could even make her sleep at home instead of in the dorms like Harry." He glanced at Severus before asking, "Will he be staying at home again next year or sleeping in a dorm? What about Draco and Hermione?"
Severus gave a small nod of his head, "All of our children will be living at home. In the morning they will walk with us to the Great Hall for breakfast."
Albus, who had entered the Infirmary and overheard the adults' conversation, walked over with a huge grin on his face. "Everyone will refer and know us as the Hogwarts Family," His eyes sparkled with the thought. I lost and messed up the relationship with my family but now I have another chance.
Molly smiled at him, "Alright, Albus. We will move here and become a part of your-" Her smile widened as she saw the delight all over his face - "family. We would be honored."
The Weasley boys overheard this and jumped to their feet - their cards flying all over the place as they hooted and wooted in excitement.
"I can't wait to tell Harry!" Ron exclaimed.
Severus smiled softly until he heard the youngest Weasley boy. "Harry has some points to earn before he can hang out, Ron." He looked to Draco, "I am sure Draco will keep you company though?"
Draco smirked and ruffled Ron's red hair, "Yeah, Weasley, we'll have loads of fun."
Ron smirked back and pretended to hit him. He looked back at Severus and said, "Tell him to earn those points quickly, please?"
Severus smirked and nodded in head, "I will relay the message, Ronald."
Albus clapped his hands merrily, "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go build another house!"
Everyone could tell how happy Albus was - he seemed like he just won a lifetime supply of Lemon Drops!
When Aunt Poppy's owl flew into the living room and landed on the coffee table, Harry stopped his dusting and moved to untie the letter from the owl's talon.
Harry,
I picked up books from the library (before everything happened today) on the animagus transformation. From what I have read so far we will need to brew a potion for the initial and first transformation. After the first time we won't have to drink the potion again we just have to practice. I'm not really sure how that works yet - it said about meditating.
Mom went to help create their house about an hour ago. So, yes, they have decided to live here! :)
So, I was told that you are grounded too and we both have to get to 2,000 points. I guess the adults worked together on the point system because we both have the same things on our parchments. Saying that, for the big stuff I say we go together - especially when we have to help Filch!
~Herm.
Harry quickly jotted a reply saying to get him when she is ready to go do the big stuff. He also said that they should get Filch out of the way early.
Once he sent his response off with the owl, Harry hurried to finish cleaning the living room. He wanted it to be super clean for when his parents get home.
After an hour the living room was clean and Harry's stomach was rumbling. He looked out the window to see if he could see his parents - it looked as if they were all still building the house.
Making a decision, Harry went to the sparkling kitchen and began preparing supper. He wanted to have supper made and on the table by the time his parents returned home.
Sometimes it doesn't hurt to suck-up to your parents - especially after upsetting them as much as he had. Harry recognizes that he needs to make it up to his parents - get back in their good graces as some would say.
A/N: Thanks for reading and please leave a review!
Savoren.