A/N: Unwelcome guests invite themselves for breakfast, and the Order meets. Severus Snape has to answer some very important questions.
Disclaimer: Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans--John Lennon
Chapter 51
Saturday dawned dim and muggy, with a light drizzle falling outside of the windows of Number 12, Grimmauld Place.
Harry Potter came awake slowly. The first thing he noticed was that he was curled against the firm, warm, terribly comfortable body of his boyfriend, Cedric Diggory. The next thing he noticed was that said firm, warm, terribly comfortable boyfriend was snoring softly, and that he was drooling on Harry's shoulder.
It is a measure of the immense love that Harry Potter has for his boyfriend that he didn't immediately jump back from the cool, damp, icky feeling of fresh slobber on his body.
Instead, Harry slid back gently, wiping his shoulder with a handful of duvet and smiling at the peaceful yet humiliatingly funny sight of Cedric Diggory--Triwizard Champion and Hufflepuff poster boy--now drooling on the pillow.
Unable to resist the temptation, Harry held up one arm and whispered 'Accio camera'. His magic, focused by the liondragon heartstring in his kingwood bracelet, reached to his desk and pulled his digital camera--itself a product of an alternative future in which his boyfriend had perished during the Third Task at the wand of Peter Pettigrew--to his waiting hand. Carefully, Harry adjusted the camera's view, waited patiently until a particularly full bead of spittle was just sliding from Cedric's mouth, then took a picture. Then, satisfied that his mischief had been managed enough for one morning, he levitated the camera back to its original position, Accio'd a rag from the bathroom to cover the damp pillow, and leaned back to doze for another few minutes.
Life is good, he thought, as he drifted back to sleep.
***
Harry's 'another few minutes' actually turned into almost two hours, once the post-awakening cuddle time was factored in. However, since there was no one in the house to disturb the boys until they were ready to leave their room, it really didn't matter.
Or so they thought.
Shortly after eight o'clock, the boys were interrupted--in the midst of a particularly fine cuddle/snog session, no less--by a vigorous pounding on the door to Harry's room.
"Harry! Wake up, Harry!" Molly Weasley's voice carried faintly through the multiple charms which the boys typically put on their door each night.
"Oh, sweet Merlin," Cedric moaned. "For us to even hear her at all means that she's got to be using Sonorus," he explained softly, rubbing his nose against Harry's.
"Oh, that'll go over well around here," Harry grinned. "I wouldn't be surprised if the next thing we hear is Sirius' Avada Kedavra taking her out."
"A galleon says Mad-Eye beats him to it," Cedric whispered back, reluctantly pulling back from Harry's embrace. "I suppose that I'd better be in 'my' room when she pounds on the door, then," he said.
"You did remember to lock and ward your door last night, didn't you?" Harry asked, causing Cedric to blanch, then explode from the bed in a flurry of sheets, blankets and tangled limbs.
"Guess not," Harry smiled, as his boyfriend scampered to the secret panel between the two rooms. "Well, let me give him some cover, at least," he said to himself. "Winky!"
Immediately there was a pop. "Winky is here...."
Harry cut her off before she could continue. "Winky, keep Molly out of Cedric's room until he's properly in his bed!" he barked, which was immediately followed by Winky raising her hand and snapping her fingers.
"Done, Master Harry Potter sir...now bossy Weasley woman is not disturbing Master Ceddy for at least two more minutes."
Harry smiled gratefully at his little elf. "Thanks, Winky...you just saved us an ugly scene with Molly."
Winky bowed her head in acknowledgment, then sniffed. "Winky is not letting nasty, bossy Weasley woman be disturbing her masters morning time," she said. "Morning time is a good time to be practicing at making wizardlings," she added helpfully.
Harry laughed out loud at the faithful elf. "Winky, you are a gem!"
Again Winky sniffed, but she was grinning when she did. "Winky is good elf, as she is always telling Master Harry Potter sir." With that, she popped away, leaving Harry to fall back on the bed laughing.
***
For some reason, the door to Cedric's room wasn't warded like the door to Harry's room, but Molly still found that it was stuck tight. She was just about to give up knocking, when suddenly the knob gave way under her hand, almost causing her to fall flat on her face as she stumbled into the room.
She found Cedric sitting up in bed, rubbing his eyes sleepily.
"What in Merlin's name is going on?" he asked.
"Breakfast in 10 minutes," Molly announced, shutting the door behind her as she left.
Cedric just sat there, grinning. While he didn't know exactly what had happened, he had his suspicions.
Woe be unto the witch who tried to harass Harry Potter on his home ground!
***
Things weren't any more calm by the time that Cedric made his way downstairs.
Harry had beaten him into the shower--for obvious reasons, sharing the shower would not have played well--so it was rather late when he made his way to the kitchen.
From the hallway, he could hear the sounds of arguing, Molly's strident voice easily carrying up the stairwell. He also thought he recognized Hermione's braying, as well; this almost caused him to turn around and return to his room. However, knowing that Harry would almost certainly need him, he squared his shoulders and strolled in as casually as he could manage.
"Morning, all!" he called, then stopped at the sight that greeted him.
Sirius sat in his customary place at the head of the table, with Harry on his right and Remus on his left. Since these were their 'usual' places, Cedric didn't think anything about it...until he noticed that his seat beside Harry was already occupied by Ron Weasley, who was directing a nonstop monologue at an obviously not listening Harry while continuing to shovel food into his mouth at a prodigious rate. Across from him, Hermione Granger was trying to get a berating word in edgewise at Harry while simultaneously scolding Dobby for binding himself to Harry and leaving Hogwarts. Further down in the room, Winky was standing with her hands on her hips while Molly Weasley was clanging and banging around the stove, obviously cooking breakfast--and just as obviously irritating Winky in 'her' kitchen.
Cedric also noticed that Mad-Eye Moody hadn't come down yet, which was probably a relief, considering the sour looks on the faces of Harry, Sirius and Remus. What a cock-up, Cedric thought to himself. Our last chance for a quiet weekend together before school starts, and now it's been blown to muggle hell!
Squaring his shoulders, Cedric rounded the table and stood behind Ron, who didn't seem to notice his presence.
"Oi, Weasley, you're in my seat," Cedric said, perhaps a bit more sternly than he had intended.
Ron merely turned his head, glanced at Cedric and mumbled "plenty of seats, mate, first comers". In doing so, he managed to spray bits of egg and toast on Cedric's pants and shoes.
Without thinking, Cedric reached out and grabbed the red head by the collar, lifting him bodily out of the chair. Pulling the younger boy around to face him, he growled "first comers be damned, you oaf! Get away from my betrothed, and out of my chair!" Letting go, he sat quickly as Ron staggered backwards. From behind him, Cedric heard a very satisfactory 'thump', which he assumed was Ron's backside hitting the floor.
"Morning, all," Cedric repeated cheerily into the silence that followed.
"Cedric Diggory!" Molly screeched, almost drowning out Hermione's gasp of "Cedric!" and Ron's choking sounds (he had obviously inhaled some of the huge wad of food in his mouth and was having trouble breathing).
While Molly bustled around the table to see to her youngest son, she and Hermione both launched into diatribes at Cedric, which he proceeded to completely ignore. Instead, he turned to his left and smiled at his boyfriend, who was looking at him strangely.
"Good morning, Harry. Pass the tea, please," Cedric asked pleasantly.
"Morning, Cedric," Sirius said from the head of the table. "Remus has the milk and sugar by him, I think."
"Here you go, Cedric," Remus smiled at the young Hufflepuff.
"Thank you, Remus," Cedric said, taking the tray from the werewolf. Then, turning he took a steaming cup from Harry, who had been kind enough to pour for him. "Thanks, love," he said, the proceeded to fix himself an extra-sweet morning cup. Something told him that he'd be needing it, before this morning was up.
It hadn't escaped his attention that his 'family'--the regulars at Number 12--hadn't reacted to his treatment of the interlopers in their midst. In fact, they were going out of their way to ignore them.
Cedric sighed to himself. It was going to be a long day. Then, he nudged Harry and smiled when his boyfriend looked at him.
"So...how about those Cannons?" he asked, getting a smile out of Harry.
From across the table and the floor behind him, the cacophony continued unabated. Oh well....
***
Eventually the Weasleys and Hermione took the hint and shut up, just in time for Mad-Eye to come striding into the room.
"Good morning, all!" the old auror boomed from the door, in better spirits than Cedric ever remembered seeing him of a morning. "Harry, lad, how about some of those excellent blueberry pancakes of yours, with sausages, eh? Or should I ask your lovely little house elf to whip up my breakfast?"
Molly Weasley bustled around and was saying something about how she was making eggs and toast when Winky piped up over her.
"Winky is being glad to make pancakes and sausages for Maddy-Eye, but nasty Weasley woman be getting in Winky's way! You is making her stop, Maddy-Eye!"
"Well, I have never in my life seen such a disrespectful elf! Why, in my day..." Molly began, only to have Moody cut her off.
"Shut it, Molly, and sit down! Get out of the elf's way and let her get to work," Mad-Eye barked with a tone like a drill sergeant.
"Wha...well, I never!" Molly retorted, but sat down at the far end of the table from Sirius nonetheless. Smiling at Mad-Eye Moody, who winked back at her, Winky immediately began gathering the ingredients for pancakes.
"Morning, Mad-Eye," Cedric said, and the rest of the family muttered their usual greetings. Without having to be asked, Remus slid over the Prophet, which he had just finished, taking up the first section of the Daily Telegraph.
"Cedric, you had no cause to treat Ron like that," Hermione just couldn't take the hint. "And Professor Moody, I'm ashamed of you, too, forcing that poor house elf to cook a special breakfast for you, when Mrs. Weasley has already made a simply wonderful...."
"Not your Professor," Moody grumped. "Just Moody, or Mad-Eye."
"Oh, for the love of Merlin, girl, shut it, will you?" Sirius snapped. "Some of us are trying to wake up down here, even at this Circe-forsaken hour."
Hermione, having been ignored by basically everybody and then rebuked by the Lord of the House folded her arms across her chest and sulked. Glancing to his right, he saw that Ron was sitting by his mother at the other end of the long table, also sulking. Well, at least they've shut up, he thought gratefully.
"Oh, Sirius, stop complaining," Remus spoke from over the paper. "It won't kill you to get up before noon just this one day," he said with a straight face, then raised the paper once more to hide his smile.
That was all that Molly needed to set her off again. "Sirius! You mean to tell me that you lie abed until noon? What kind of slothful example are you setting for young Harry here?"
"Actually, it's not that bad, Mrs. Weasley," Harry said earnestly. "Since we're usually up 'til the wee hours or even dawn, we only sleep five or six hours a day."
"Well, I suppose," Molly reluctantly agreed. "But still, you're going to be going back to school in just a few days, and it will take you weeks and weeks to get back on a regular schedule."
"I suppose you're right," Harry said, then grinned impishly. "But just think about how much easier that will be compared to spending all afternoon, evening and night drinking and carousing and debauching..." he said, smiling brightly.
"Don't forget the fornicating on every available surface," Remus' voice came from behind his paper.
Out of the corner of his eye, Cedric watched Molly, Ron and Hermione go through a series of facial expressions and colors that were, individually and collectively, most impressive. These wound up being murderous (Hermione), disgusted (Ron) and significantly unamused (Molly) as they figured out that Harry was taking the piss with them.
"I don't find even thinking about such things funny," Molly sniffed, tossing her head.
"Oh, lighten up, Molly," Moody snickered. "Besides, if they were doing all that, it wouldn't be any of your business now, would it?"
Molly just sniffed again, but was smart enough to realize that she wasn't going to get anywhere with yet another argument on this topic. So, she changed the subject.
"Well, I just thought that I'd come over today to help you lot get ready for the Order meeting tonight," she whinged. "It's just you men in this great big house, and...."
"And Winky, Dobby and Kreacher is not needing you in the way, Weasley woman," Winky snapped. Then, the little elf said sweetly, "here is your breakfast, Maddy-Eye. Winky is being putting extra blueberries in your pancakes, just like you be liking."
"Thank you, Winky," Moody said courteously. "I'm sure they're excellent, as they always are."
Hermione and both Weasleys gasped as they watched the old auror--famous for never, ever eating any food he hadn't prepared himself, for fear of being poisoned--pour a healthy dollop of syrup on his pancakes and set to with a vengeance.
"Professor Moody...you're eating pancakes?" Ron gasped. His mouth was obviously watering at the sight and smell of the tall stack of fluffy pancakes on Moody's plate.
Moody swallowed heavily before he spoke. "Are you completely deaf as well as dim, boy? NOT Professor. And yeah, I'm eating...what of it?"
"Aren't you afraid of being poisoned?" Ron pressed. "That's what you...er, I mean, the other you...used to tell us."
"Well, I'm bloody well not him, now am I?" Mad-Eye snapped. "And no, I'm not afraid of Harry...or little Winky here...slipping me something nasty. This isn't Hogwarts, boy! There, you better watch your back, or else! Constant Vigilance!" he finished in a roar that Harry and Cedric both joined in on.
Harry just couldn't let it go. "Aww, Mad-Eye...you're not afraid of me? I'm hurt," he pouted, lower lip on full quiver.
Mad-Eye even blink. "Shut it, you," he growled. "I've still forgotten more hexes than you'll ever know."
"I know, Moody, I know...senility is such a horrible condition," Harry sighed theatrically, making Sirius choke on his tea.
"Enough!" Sirius said, when he could breath again. "I'm trying to drink my morning tea here."
"Sirius, I've got two words for that," Harry said. Then, along with Remus and Cedric: "purgative draught".
While the Lord Black growled and sputtered, Ron Weasley looked at a laughing Harry Potter and his friends.
Mental, he thought, not realizing just how completely he had been shut out of the fun. Completely, totally mental.
***
Molly's excuse for bringing Ron and Hermione--that they could accompany Harry to Diagon Alley to finish getting his school supplies--fell flat when Harry calmly informed her that he was all ready to go, and that he really didn't need to go to the Alley before September first. Also, he and Cedric already had plans, so she should feel free to take Ron and Hermione and do what they needed to do. When Molly complained that she thought that Harry ought to want to spend the day with his friends, since he'd not seen them but the one time all summer long, Harry had answered just as calmly, "actually, in five days I'll be in class with them six hours a day, at the same boarding school. Won't that be enough?"
Needless to say, this attitude was not well received. Fortunately for the health of Molly, Ron and Hermione, Mad-Eye announced that he was taking Harry and Cedric for an impromptu training session right then.
"So, that's how it's going to be, then," Ron griped. "You'll be spending all of your time with your boyfriend," he spat the word, "while your friends get left out in the cold."
Harry refused to rise to the bait. "If that's how you choose to look at it, then that's your choice," he said calmly. "However, since you're not the one with a duel to the death with Voldemort on your dance card, you don't need every bit of training you can get like some of us do."
Ron blushed bright red, but there really wasn't anything that he could say to that.
Molly tried once more, asking Harry what he was going to be doing after his 'little session' with Alastor Moody.
"Probably reading Dark tomes, brushing up on the Dark Arts," Harry answered, deadpan.
Molly's eyes had gotten wide as saucers before she frowned mightily. "Well, if you didn't want me to know, why didn't you just say so, instead of making up that rubbish?" she kvetched.
Harry didn't say anything, just shrugged and sat there with a neutral expression on his face.
Hermione, watching this with eyes narrowed to silts, had only tossed of an "honestly, Harry" and left the room.
"She's learning," Cedric said softly, once she was gone.
"Took her long enough," Harry answered, just as softly. "I'm just afraid of what she's going to be like once we're back in Gryffindor tower."
"Just remember, love...she's not the boss of you," Cedric whispered, leaning in to nibble an ear and repeating a muggle phrase they had heard on their vacation. "That's my job," he went on, which earned him a nudge and a "prat!" from Harry.
"Uh huh," Cedric readily agreed, breathing into the ear he had just nibbled. "Your prat."
"Uh huh." Harry agreed, turning his head to bare more of his neck for nibbling.
It was several minutes later when they finally went to Moody's training session.
***
The Order meeting that night was predictably boring and useless.
There were the usual reports of Death Eater activity (sporadic, with only a handful of muggle and wizard causalities that were being covered up as 'accidents'), continuing denial of the Dark Lord's return by Fudge, and reports of increased activity in selected areas of the Ministry despite Fudge's statements.
"Kingsley, do we know who's behind these increases?" Dumbledore asked the tall black auror from his seat at the head of the table.
"No one person," Shacklebolt replied. "There seem to be several different factions getting money from different sources, all of which are funding increases in the ability of the Ministry to resist He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named."
"Several factions? All working towards the same goal? That doesn't seem very likely," Tonks said.
"I agree, Nymphadora," Dumbledore said, enjoying the ways her eyes flashed when he used her given name. Oh, she hates that, he thought. At the same time, she was absolutely correct--one mystery source he could understand, perhaps two at the most, given the seriousness of the situation--but more than that bespoke a deeper plan. A plan which obviously didn't include Albus Dumbledore, Leader of the Light.
Obviously, that situation could not be allowed to endure.
"Kingsley, Arthur, all of you with Ministry contacts, see what you can find out, and report anything significant to me immediately. If we have secret allies, then perhaps we can establish a basis for working more closely with them in the future," the Headmaster said. And bring them under my control as well, he left unsaid.
Turning to Potter's boyfriend, he made his eyes twinkle just a bit more. "Cedric, your father has his finger on the pulse of the Ministry. Has he mentioned anything about this to you?"
Cedric kept his face impassive as he felt the Headmaster's Legilimency brush his shields lightly. "No, sir. The only thing he's mentioned lately is about the various factions trying to oust you as Chief Warlock." Pausing to watch the old man squirm a bit at this, Cedric went on, "oh, and there was something else about the DADA position at Hogwarts and how you hadn't been able to fill the position even at this late date, but that's all."
Cedric sat there impassively as Dumbledore's eyes flashed at him. Then, just as quickly as it had come, the Headmaster's expression calmed itself once more. "Alas," he said sadly, "that particular bit of information is correct. I have not, as of yet, finalized the Defense position for the coming year. I do have great hopes, however, that something will work itself out," he finished, eyes twinkling away.
"What about unseating you out as Chief Warlock? Surely they can't do that, Albus," Hestia Jones asked.
"Alas, Hestia, 'they' can do a great number of things, including replace me with another Chief Warlock. In fact, there have been several letters in the Prophet to the effect that I'm too old to serve in multiple capacities, and should concentrate just on being the Hogwarts Headmaster." Dumbledore said sadly. He concentrated on maintaining his kindly but competent look as murmurs of shock and denial raced around the room. After a sufficient interval, he raised his hand for silence and continued. "In fact, there may indeed be some truth in that. With Voldemort's return, I find my time being stretched thin. Thus, when the ICW selected another Supreme Mugwump, I chose to passively accept their decision," rather than kill each and every one of them, wretched scum that they are, he thought. "In fact, I have also given serious thought to voluntarily stepping down as Chief Warlock, to have more time to coordinate the struggle against Voldemort as well as train the next generation of witches and wizards as best I can." There, he thought, that set the proper tone. Now, I can at least count on Arthur and Molly Weasley to spread the 'proper' rumors when I 'voluntarily' step down on Monday.
For a moment, Dumbledore's thoughts drifted to the confusion that his planned abdication of the Chief Warlock's position would thrust on the Wizengamot. Every faction was currently lining up to struggle against him and him alone, and the most aggressive were planning to make their initial moves during the first week of September. Thinking (correctly) that the first week of the Hogwarts term was always his busiest, their reasoning was sound. However, he had been playing these games long before most of his rivals were born, which they tended to forget. By resigning on October 29th, the factions would be immediately thrown into a free-for-all that would leave all of the weak and wounded. Whoever finally took the seat would, of necessity, be a compromise candidate, beholden to several different groups and unable to take any significant action at all. In other words, Albus Dumbledore could still pull the strings of the Wizengamot from behind the scenes, while leaving some patsy to 'take the fall', as the expression went, when the upcoming war got ugly. And, once Harry Potter had fulfilled his destiny and destroyed Tom Riddle in an orgy of mutual annihilation, he, Albus Dumbledore would once again assume his rightful place in the wizarding world!
With a start, Dumbledore realized that he had been woolgathering. "But enough of that," he said firmly, once again taking control of the meeting. "Severus, do you have anything to add?" he asked his lackey.
"No," Snape said flatly, then nothing more. Frowning slightly, Albus went on. "Well, at least there is no bad news from that front. Now, Sturgis, you we going to look into prices for several new invisibility cloaks...?"
And for the next hour and a half, the meeting went on...and on...and on....
***
As Severus Snape was about to leave, he felt a hand on his shoulder. Turning, he saw Mad-Eye Moody standing there.
"Hold for a bit, Snape," the scarred old auror rasped. "I need a word with you," he went on, then turned to say goodbye to Emmeline Vance.
His curiosity piqued, Severus Snape pushed down his irritation at being ordered to linger and faded back into the shadows of the pantry at Number 12, Grimmauld Place.
At last, Remus came into the kitchen, followed by Sirius and joined Mad-Eye, the Potter brat and his lover, Diggory.
"All right, everyone's gone. Mad-Eye?" the werewolf spoke quietly.
Raising his wand, Moody cast a number of detection spells, followed by a series of warding and silencing spells. Despite himself, Snape was impressed at the thoroughness the group displayed in protecting whatever it was that they wanted to discuss with him.
To Snape's surprise, they weren't through just yet.
"Winky! Dobby! Kreacher!" Harry Potter called out, and immediately three house elves appeared.
"We is here to be serving the great Harry Potter sir," one of the elves squeaked, while the others nodded.
Potter smiled down at the trio of misshapen creatures and spoke to them, almost as if they were human.
"Could all three of you check for any monitoring or listening spells that have been cast on the house since this morning, please?" Nodding furiously, each elf's face took on a look of intense concentration for several seconds before their eyes cleared.
"Winky has found one in the library!" the lone female elf squeaked.
"Dobby found that one, too!" one of the males agreed.
"Bah! Kreacher found that one, and another one on the umbrella stand in the entryway," the eldest of the three said. "Does Master Harry Potter sir want Kreacher to be finding out what nasty wizards has been casting nosey charms in the house?"
"No, Kreacher, I've got a pretty good idea who cast them," Harry smiled. "Could you three remove the charms, or do one of us need to help you?"
"Winky and Dobby elf will be removing the charms, and Kreacher elf will being making checks to see that Winky and Dobby elf got rid of all the noseys," the female said, while the two males nodded.
"Fine...now, do your stuff!" Potter laughed at the little wretches, who all bowed and scurried off.
"Well, that should take care of that," Sirius Black grinned. "Now, Snape, stop sulking in my pantry and get your greasy arse out here!" he called out.
"I see no need to remain on the premises merely to suffer the assaults of your alleged wit, Black. If you have nothing of substance to speak with me about, then I will be on my way." The Slytherin emerged from the pantry, his robe giving a trademark billow as he did so.
"Shut it, Black. Have a seat, Snape. We need to talk with you in private, away from a certain barmy old coot," Moody ground out. As the potions master seated himself, the old auror went on. "Let's start by clearing the air. You're an ex-Death Eater, and a spy for Dumbledore. There's no love lost between you and anyone else in this room, and probably never will be. Still, I'm reliably informed," and Snape noticed his eyes glance at Potter and Diggory ever so briefly, "that you really are on the side of the Light. Now, my only question is...how would you like 50 or 60 drams of basilisk venom?"
Snape's head jerked at the obvious non-sequitor. "I...beg pardon, what did you say?" he asked, immediately hating himself for showing uncertainty.
Moody snickered. "I said...could you use 50 or 60 drams of basilisk venom?"
Severus quickly recovered. "No, you asked if I would like 50 or 60 drams...and of course, the answer is yes. And yes, I could certainly use 50 or 60 drams, but since I'd rather not pay the going rate for it, I don't see myself having even a single dram anytime in the near future, much less that ridiculous amount.
"Oh, really," Moody said rhetorically. "Tell him, lad," he said, nodding towards Harry Potter.
"There's a thousand-year old basilisk carcass in the Chamber of Secrets at Hogwarts...unless Dumbledore's managed to get it out, somehow," Potter said, his emerald eyes flashing. Odd how Snape had never managed to notice just how green they were, just like Lily's....
Then what Potter was saying sunk in. "Sweet Morgana! You mean to tell me that the carcass of the monster you killed two years ago is still down there?" Snape burst out. Controlling himself with effort, he sat back in the chair--when had he stood up? "A beast that size...it should have at least four or five hundred drams in the venom sac," he said, eyeing the boy speculatively.
"We know, but I was bitten, and some was in the fang that broke off in my arm," Potter replied calmly. "And, we have uses for some ourselves, but we figured that a portion of the venom--and the other parts of the carcass, and a shed skin or two--might interest you."
Snape sat for a moment, his face a frozen mask. He'd heard that there was a basilisk in the Chamber, but to have this boy talk about having been bitten so casually...there was a story here that bore hearing, just not right now. A basilisk carcass! Even two years dead, a creature the age Potter had mentioned would be worth a king's ransom as potion components. Why, what he could do with only a tiny fraction of what he could harvest from it! Since the only place in the world that allowed basilisk breeding was Indochina (and even there, it was highly controlled and regulated), the components they produced were almost impossible to obtain for any price.
Severus Snape looked around the room to see five men (and when had Potter grown so?) regarding him calmly (or, in Black's case, with barely disguised but totally mutual loathing).
"So...what do you want from me?" he asked carefully.
"Not a lot, actually," Harry Potter answered. "First, treat me like I'm a human being in my own right, and not my father reborn. I'm not, you know," he shrugged. "Second, you and Sirius can't kill each other until after Voldemort is finally destroyed."
"What about after that?" Sirius asked, barely beating Snape to the question.
Potter just smiled at the mutt. "After that, we'll sell tickets, and Moody will get the firewhiskey concession." Despite himself, Snape felt the corner of his mouth twitch at the cheek of the boy.
"Third, help me to destroy the Dark Lord once and for all," Potter went on. "In return for the last, I, Harry James Potter, Lord and Head of the Most Noble and Ancient House of Potter, do swear to do all within my power to preserve the life of Severus Snape during the conflict which is to come." Snape felt an immensely powerful wave of magic swirl through the room at Potter's oath, which only partially subsided when the little git added "after that, both you and Sirius are on your own...I'll be in the stands eating chocolate frogs and candy floss."
Snape thought carefully about what Potter had just done, and offered him. He had read about Potter's summer exploits in the Prophet, and was just beginning to see that there was a rift between the Boy-Who-Lived and the Hogwarts Headmaster. If nothing else, the elaborate security precautions that had been put in place spoke volumes to anyone willing to listen...and Slytherins are very good at listening to such messages.
"Can you remove the Dark Mark?" he asked. Before committing himself, he needed more information.
Potter shrugged, then glanced at Diggory, who also shrugged. "We don't know," the Gryffindor said honestly. "That's one of a number of things that we don't know, but it's on our list of things to research." The boy sighed, and Diggory reached out to rub the back of his neck. Well, that confirmed certain things, Snape thought.
"If you could, it would help greatly in...convincing certain people to reconsider their alliances," Snape said carefully, his mind racing. He had seen Sirius Black at tea in Malfoy Manor in Narcissa's mind while she was working with him on Occulomency...was that instigated on Potter's behalf? And the letter he had seen in young Draco's mind...his godson believed that it had been written by an older version of himself, which Snape had dismissed at the time as flatly impossible. But Potter was speaking again....
"We know, but there's only so much we can do at once, and only a few people we trust. So few have decent Occulomency skills, and there are too many people who go around using Legilimency on all and sundry...wouldn't you agree, Professor?"
Snape felt the color drain from his face. They knew! They must know, about the Dark Lord and the Headmaster, both. But how...?
His eyes narrowing, Snape looked into Harry Potter's eyes and muttered 'Legilimens'. As his mind raced forward, he was aware of moderately powerful mental barriers, then....
"You've got the brains, I've got the looks; let's make lots of money."
Snape jerked back in his chair as Harry Potter laughed gaily. "Enjoy The Pet Shop Boys, Professor? I can do 'God Save the Queen', or any of a selection of military marches, if you'd like."
"That won't be necessary," Snape growled. Then, slowly taking out his wand, he raised it. "I, Severus Snape...."
He was interrupted by Cedric Diggory. "Just a moment, Professor. Before you go swearing a magical oath, you need to know that we'll also ask you for a secrecy oath as well. Might as well put that in, while you're at it," he shrugged.
"Efficient," Snape nodded his approval. Raising his wand once more, he began again. "I, Severus Snape, do swear on my life and my magic to perform such services as I am able for one Harry Potter and his associates to aid in the final destruction of the Dark Lord, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. I further swear not to reveal any secrets which are entrusted to me by Harry Potter or his associates without their express leave to do so. I also swear not to act counter to the interests of Harry Potter or his associates as I understand them while the Dark Lord yet exists." As his magic swirled and his wand glowed softly, Snape felt the oath wash over his body.
"There...will that do?" he asked.
Harry Potter smiled a brilliant smile at the older man. "Yes, Professor, I think that it will. Now...Dobby!" he called.
An elf immediately popped in. "Yes, Master Harry Potter sir?"
"Dobby, in my room is a package with Professor Snape's name on it...could you bring it to me, please?" In a handful of seconds, the elf had popped out and back again, holding a green bag with silver trim.
"This is for you," Harry said, passing the bag to the older man.
Intrigued, Snape opened the bag to find...a wooden box about half the length of a wand, and a bottle labeled in some type of pictograms and English. Reading the label, he found himself grinning. "Master Yang's Hair Protectant?" he asked, one eyebrow going up in surprise.
Diggory nodded while Potter just smiled at him. "We found this in a shop in Japan...it's supposed to be their best hair protectant, but it's not nearly as greasy as that stuff that you use. Plus, it smells a lot nicer, too," he gave a little shrug.
Snape couldn't help himself. Opening the bottle, he sniffed carefully. The sweet scent of lilacs filled his nose, totally unlike the faint rancid fat odor of the brand he used. Nodding, he put the bottle down and picked up the box. Opening it, he found a shiny metallic device that looked like....
"It's an enchanted fountain pen," Harry said. "We found these in Paris, and they're so much better than quills. It has a steel nib that never needs sharpening, and it's charmed to be ever-full, and this one writes in three different colors--just tell it what color you want--so you can use it for grading assignments, and...."
"Thank you, Mr. Potter, Mr. Diggory," Snape broke in. "I can see that this could be quite useful."
"And if you like the hair goop, we have the address of the shop that sells it. We asked for the recipe, but they said it's an ancient family secret and wouldn't give it to us, sorry," the Gryffindor said in one long breath.
"Well, I might try to decipher their recipe myself," Snape found himself wanting to smile at the enthusiasm the boy displayed, but crushed the impulse out of long habit. "But that is unimportant at the moment."
Nonplussed, Potter nodded, as did other heads around the table. "You're right, of course. Now, we've got one very big problem that you may be able to help us with, but it's absolutely critical that Tom or any of the Death Munchers not find out about it."
"I...see, I think," Snape answered carefully.
Harry Potter took a deep breath, then asked carefully. "What do you know about horcruxes?"
A/N: Thanks to the Pet Shop Boys (who have a new album out, woo hoo!) for the lyrics from "Opportunities". Big smiles for everybody who reviewed...hmmm, maybe I should pout more often? This chapter was supposed to be up yesterday, but the weather and the computer didn't cooperate. Look for another update soon....
Next Chapter: A lazy Sunday morning for our main characters...still more Harry/Cedric cuddling (will those two ever get enough?)...fun in Little Hangleton...and beware of falling rocks! Ugly socks, too....
