Harry was lying on the grass near the lake, enjoying the sun and reluctantly discussing finals with Hermione and a distinctly uninterested Ron, when Hedwig brought him a small parchment. She allowed him to untie it from her leg and took a gentle scratch from Harry before flying off towards the Forbidden Forest.
"Who is it from?" Hermione asked, interrupting her own diatribe about a trick question from the History of Magic OWL.
Harry pushed himself into a sitting position and unrolled the parchment. He scanned the script quickly, as it didn't contain many words, then looked at his waiting friends. "It's from the Headmaster," he said. "I'm meant to go to his office."
"Why?" Ron asked. "For once, we aren't actually breaking any rules, now that Umbitch is gone."
"Ronald," Hermione said disapprovingly.
"Well, he did say he'd talk to me later," Harry said. "I suppose it's later, now."
"Do you want us to come with you?" Hermione asked, and Ron pushed himself up onto his elbows.
"No, that's alright," Harry said. "I'll fill you in." He tucked his feet under him and stood up
"Suit yourself, mate," Ron said cheerfully, and he dropped back flat into the grass. Harry gave them both a little wave and started the climb up the hill.
It didn't take him very long to make his way to the headmaster's office. The halls were nearly empty, since most of the other students were also outside, enjoying the fresh air and sunshine. He was grateful for it, since the gossip Malfoy had set into motion had made him the subject of more than a few pitying glances and jeering comments. Honestly, he wasn't sure which was worse.
He spoke the password to the guardian gargoyle, who allowed him passage up the stairs. He lifted his hand to knock on the headmaster's door.
"Harry, my boy, do come in," Dumbledore intoned before his fist had a chance to land.
Harry pushed open the door and stopped dead. The headmaster sat behind his desk, and in front of him were two familiar figures, each settled in a squashy purple armchair, separated by an empty one between them. One was his Potions' professor, in his usual black robes, looking rather put-upon. The other was a shaggy, Grim-like dog, who let out a loud bark. Harry grinned widely at that, though he was surprised to see a nauseatingly pink collar clasped around his neck.
"Si-Snuffles!" he said, and the dog bounded over the back of the chair, leaping towards him and jumping up to rest his paws on Harry's shoulders. Harry grinned at the dog, who shifted into the skinny form of his godfather and wrapped his arms around him.
"Harry!" Sirius cried, practically into his ear. "Are you ok?" He pushed Harry to arms'-length and studied him up and down with observant eyes.
"I'm fine," Harry replied, a little confused. "Why wouldn't I be?" He glanced over Sirius' shoulder, where the headmaster and Snape were watching. Dumbledore had a small, contented smile on his face, while Snape, who had twisted slightly in his chair to observe, looked as though he had swallowed a lemon. He looked back to his godfather, who was still anxiously looking him up and down as though he expected pieces of him to have gone missing. "What are you doing here? And...uh...why on earth are you wearing a pink collar?" Between the pajamas and the collar, Sirius looked a bit deranged.
Sirius made a face and unhooked said collar, dropping it to the floor. "That was Snape's contribution," he said. "And I'm here at the headmaster's request." Sirius hugged him again, which Harry allowed, still feeling confused. "We need to talk about what's going on at the Dursleys, Pup."
Harry jerked back in shock, not having expected those words or the thrill of horror they sent through him. His flinch pulled him from his godfather's grip. He looked up at Sirius in time to see the man's eyes go dark with dangerous emotions, and his belly swooped unpleasantly. Was Sirius angry with him? That was stupid, right? Sirius never really got angry with him. But before he'd realized it, he inched backwards a step, his eyes darting towards Snape of all people, as though the man would rescue him. From Sirius, from whom he certainly didn't need rescuing. How ridiculous was that? "I-I don't…" he stammered automatically, looking for one of the many excuses he'd made for his home life over the years.
"Harry," Sirius breathed, his voice catching a bit. Harry glanced back towards his godfather, who looked horrified and contrite, and in a flash he realized what this probably looked like through Sirius' eyes, him flinching away like that. Good going, Harry.
"I'm fine, Sirius," he said, straightening up. "The Dursleys are the Dursleys. I'm not exactly chuffed with them, but they don't like me either. Nothing new there." He hoped he sounded nonchalant, casual, as though the Dursleys were some minor irritation that he was forced to acknowledge.
Sirius put his hand on Harry's shoulder. "Stop it," he said, and his voice was serious enough that Harry risked a glance to his godfather's face. "I mean it. I know how they treated you." His expression was grim. "Don't pretend it's nothing."
Harry's stomach swooped again. Sirius knew? How could he know? He looked towards Dumbledore and Snape. Who had told him? Snape had told Dumbledore, he'd put that together during their little chat earlier. Had Dumbledore told him? Dumbledore hadn't given the impression that he'd found Harry's situation overly dire. Then again, Harry had been clinging to his own denial like a shield. He hadn't had the energy to focus on the headmaster's words during that conversation, being much too busy trying to project an image of being unaffected. So perhaps he'd missed something.
"Well it's not nothing, but it's not much, either," Harry denied. He needed it to be nothing. He didn't want it to be much. Harry James Potter was a lot of things, but he wasn't some victim. "Obviously I'm fine-"
"Shut up, Mr. Potter!" Snape snapped at him, cutting him off. He stood, robes swishing around him theatrically. Sirius yanked him towards his chest protectively.
"Don't tell him to shut up, Snivellous! You shut up before I shove my wand so far up your arse-" Sirius brandished his wand threateningly at the approaching Potion's Master.
Snape completely ignored the display, still stalking towards Harry. "This situation is decidedly less than fine, and making this into a pathetic display of protection towards the family that treated you-"
"-geraniums will sprout from the festering abyss of your throat and you'll be able to wash that greasy hair with your own-" and Sirius raised his wand.
"-like a house elf, denying you the most basic of childhood needs in lieu of actions that clearly crossed the line into criminal- " Snape continued his rant.
Harry felt a surge of anger and anxiety on top of the chaos as both men shouted, the cacophony hurting his head and couldn't everybody just stop? He grabbed for Sirius' wrist and before he'd even made the conscious choice he heard his own voice scream out, "STOP!"
The sudden silence was eerie after the chaos. Harry took a breath, and all he could hear was his own somewhat labored breathing. Both Sirius and Snape stood, perhaps a meter and a half between them, completely still.
"I am fine!" Harry said vehemently, staring first at Sirius who seemed to be attempting to bore a hole through Snape with his eyes. "You know I hate the Dursleys, and you know they're awful. That's old news. But you know what else is awful? You told me that you guys were terrible to Snape because you were dumb 15 year olds, and that was bad enough. But you keep calling him that…terrible name." Harry took a breath. "And there's no excuse now. You're not some stupid kid anymore. You're just being an ass, and a bully."
Sirius continued to glare at Snape, obviously not listening to Harry's words, if his lack of reaction meant anything. Harry turned to Snape
"And Professor, you shouldn't have told him those things. I…" Harry trailed off, but the anger in his chest was rising, overtaking his common sense. "You told me not to tell anyone what I saw in that Pensieve, and I didn't. I know I wasn't meant to be nosing about in there and I kept my mouth shut. I wouldn't have told anyone even if you hadn't gone stark raving mad about it! But you just told Sirius and Professor Dumbledore everything you saw? Without so much as a warning? I would think you of all people would understand that a person ought to be able to keep a few thoughts to himself!"
Snape did not take his eyes off of Sirius either, his wand at the ready. Both men appeared poised to strike out at any moment, and clearly, neither was listening to Harry.
"Ugh! Why do I even try?" Harry was beyond exasperated at the moment. "At least stop staring at each other like that! It's just creepy!"
From behind his desk, Professor Dumbledore gently cleared his throat. "Harry, my boy?"
"Yes sir?" Harry said, turning towards the aged wizard. There was a definite twinkle in the Headmaster's blue eyes, and he lifted his wand slightly.
"I believe you may have, erm, frozen them both with a bit of accidental magic," Dumbledore said, and there was a hint of amusement in his voice. "If I may?"
Harry spun around, horrified. "What?" he gasped. No wonder they'd gone so still. "Bugger me…"
Sirius and Snape both lurched forward a bit, and the urge to hide hit Harry like a freight train. Sirius shook himself like he was still in canine form, then hunched forward. "Harry, I didn't...I'm...I didn't know it bothered you that much," he said, his voice quiet. His hand touched down lightly on Harry's shoulder. "I…"
"Mr. Potter, I assure you that while I did inform the Headmaster and your mutt that you were being mistreated by your loving family, I shared neither the specific memories nor any sordid details," Snape interrupted. Harry turned his head towards Snape, legitimately surprised. Snape's dark eyes met his, and the man gave a subtle nod. Harry blinked. Huh, he thought, feeling dumbfounded. Maybe Snape did understand, at least a little.
"I'm not a bully," Sirius said. "I...I might be an ass though." Harry looked back at his godfather at that. "I, uh...old habits die hard, kid." The tall man looked slightly lost. "I just…" Sirius sighed. "I mean, I look at you and you're the spitting image of James, and I can't help but expect you to think like he did. But…"
Harry felt his breath catch in his throat at those words, and a hard lump in his chest made it hard to breathe suddenly. What if Sirius didn't like him? Didn't want to be his godfather, if he wasn't like James? What if he'd only cared about Harry because he thought he was just like his father?
"The boy is not his father reincarnate, Black," Snape said, his voice low. "He has made that...clear. Despite my doubts."
Sirius swallowed and nodded. Harry still couldn't breathe. Was Sirius disappointed? He tried to steel himself up, to get ready for the crushing blow he felt coming.
"You actually remind me a lot of your mother, pup," Sirius said quietly, and then he was pulling Harry back into his arms and Harry couldn't breathe again but this time it was because Sirius was squeezing him so hard. "Lily never let me talk like that about old Snape either."
Sirius released him then, and Harry glanced over his shoulder towards Snape again. The man's face was carefully, studiously blank. Occluding, Harry thought, although he wasn't sure why.
"Can you just be civil?" Harry asked, looking at Sirius. The man sighed. He glanced back to Snape, who was still stone faced. "It's not like you have to hang out together and be best mates. Just…"
"I'm afraid I must interrupt here, Harry," Dumbledore said. "For while I agree that Professor Snape and Sirius will not, and need not, be 'best mates' they will be working together in relatively close proximity this summer. I'm certain some civility and common courtesy will go a long way in making it a smoother process. Don't you agree, my boys?" This last sentence was clearly directed towards the two men.
Harry couldn't help incredulously staring at the headmaster. "Excuse me, sir, but um...why on earth would you have them work together? That would be a bit like asking me and Malfoy to work together. Can't imagine that going well."
To Harry's surprise, it was Snape who answered him. "Because, Mr. Potter, the headmaster has come up with a plan for your summer. It will keep you in your home, where unique protection exists that shields you from the Dark Lord, yet will not allow the Dursleys to treat you like a misbegotten house elf as they are wont to do. And it will allow you to add skills to your magical education that you will not learn at Hogwarts. And most unfortunately, it requires the assistance of both your godfather and myself."
Harry blinked a few times, trying to comprehend. But no, no matter how he looked at it, Snape's words didn't really make sense. "Huh?" he managed to spit out.
"I'm coming home with you, pup," Sirius said quietly. "As your new pet. The Dursleys won't know that I'm anything but what I seem. I'll get you started learning the Animagus transformation. And Snape-"
"The Dark Lord believes that I have been elected by Headmaster Dumbledore to continue the hopeless attempts to teach you Occlumency," Snape interrupted smoothly. "He was less than pleased by this, but he is aware that I must remain in the headmaster's good graces in order to continue to be in his employ, and thus able to spy on the Order. So the headmaster made it very clear that my continued tutelage of the Boy Who Lived was a prerequisite for continued employment at Hogwarts."
Harry took a deep breath. "That sounds rather dangerous, sir," he noted.
"The gamble paid off," Snape said. "The Dark Lord will allow my presence at your home over the summer in order for our lessons to continue."
"Um, I thought I had it mostly figured out though," Harry said cautiously.
Snape looked down his considerable nose at Harry. "You understand the basics," he acknowledged, "but there are further techniques that could be expounded upon. And there are several other skills that the headmaster thought it prudent for you to learn as well. The Dark Lord will not be informed of these." Snape delicately cleared his throat. "It also provides a cover with the Ministry of Magic for any magic being done on the premises, as I will have to register as your tutor for the summer. They will assume any magical activity occurring in the home is coming from me, and thus when you or your new pet do any magic, you will not receive an owl threatening you with expulsion or the snapping of your wand."
Something occurred to Harry just then. "He's going to expect you to take me, isn't he? Haul me off to his dark lair or whatever?"
"That's not going to happen, Harry," Sirius cut in. "Albus thought of that."
"Severus and I are going to visit your home tomorrow in order to prepare your relatives for the new situation that is coming this summer," Professor Dumbledore said, and a hint of frost coated his tone. "There is a ward on the property already that no one can remove you from the property without your consent, save the Dursleys themselves. I plan to modify this ward so that unless you willingly leave the property, without coercion either magical or mundane, you and your attempted kidnapper will end up right here, in my office. The magic your mother infused into her protection of you is intention-based and specifically guards against magical people with malicious intentions. Intent-based magics is a fascinating field, and very unpredictable during the casting, but one the magic has settled, it is one of the very strongest and most resilient kinds. This is the reason, being that their intentions are malicious, that neither Tom nor his followers have ever been able to find where you live. It also, I would guess, kept a certain reporter away." Dumbledore smiled a little at that. "As long as you do not leave Number 4 Privet Drive, you will remain safe."
Harry held back a sigh. So he would be forced to remain locked away at Privet Drive all summer? At least he'd have Sirius for company. "Okay, sir," he said, feeling resigned.
"I believe you will enjoy this summer more than you believe, Harry," Dumbledore said gently.
Harry nodded, unsure of what to say. Dumbledore widened his gaze to include the two men who were watching the exchange.
"The two of you will need to cooperate. I am not asking you to be friends, but I am informing you that you will be civil to one another and avoid causing each other unnecessary aggravation. I am well aware that my last attempt to make you shake hands and drop the grudges was unsuccessful. I will not ask you to shake hands once more, but I will require you to work together. You are both grown men, capable of setting aside this pettiness, and you will do so. Harry's safety is riding on it. Do you understand?" Dumbledore's tone was direct and no nonsense and felt compelling deep in Harry's bones. He held his breath, waiting for one or the other of these two volatile men to explode.
Sirius took a deep, shaky breath and a long look at Harry. Harry could see emotions flashing in his grey eyes. He swallowed, then took a step forward. "I...I'm sorry, Snape." He slowly extended his hand.
Harry felt his eyes widen. He stared for a moment at that hand, waiting in the air between them. His eyes darted up to Snape's face.
The man's face was completely blank once again. Harry held his breath. Snape wasn't going to accept. He hated Sirius. This summer was going to be a disaster.
Then, just as Sirius' hand twitched slightly, as though he was considering dropping it, Snape released a rush of air from his nose and quickly reached out and clasped his hand. Unlike the last handshake between the two, neither man appeared to be trying to break the other's hand. They dropped hands, and Snape gave a short nod of acceptance. His dark eyes flitted sideways and caught Harry's for a short moment before looking to the headmaster.
Dumbledore nodded, looking satisfied.
"Now, sit, my boys. We need to hash out some of the details of this summer."
