Chapter Twenty-Nine: An Unexpected Guest
"Do you think he managed to take a picture of his attacker?" Professor McGonagall whispered while she and Albus managed to pull Colin Creevey onto the bed but as soon as Dumbledore tried to check his camera exploded. "What should I tell the staff?" she whispered.
"The truth." Dumbledore began softly. "It is as we feared Minerva. Hogwarts is no longer safe. The Chamber of Secrets has been indeed opened again." He told her before they both left Harry to his thoughts.
Later on, Professor McGonagall went back to the Gryffindor common to tell them the new rules that they weren't allowed to leave their common rooms except for bathroom breaks and mealtimes and class, and they were always to be escorted by a teacher and no exceptions. She also said that unless the perpetrator behind the attacks was caught it would likely the school would be closed and for some strange unexplainable reason Harry noticed that there was a rather nervous expression on Ginny's face.
Before long, it was time for Harry, Ron, Ginny, and Hermione to go home for the Christmas holiday. Harry placed Hedwig inside her cage and Patches trotted along behind him as he walked back to the Hogwarts Express where his father was already waiting for him.
"Harry, before you get on the train we need to talk." He began.
"Whatever it is I didn't do it!" He cried while starting to sweat but his father just simply chuckled.
"No son, it has absolutely nothing to do with you. Do you remember last year when Mr. Weasley stayed with us last year for Christmas?" He inquired.
"You mean he's going to be staying with us for Christmas this year too!? Is Ginny coming this time!?" Harry questioned him eagerly.
"No. Neither of the Weasleys will be staying with us this year for Christmas." He began. "Thank God." He added muttering it underneath his breath while glancing up at the sky with his eyeballs."
"What?" Harry questioned him with uncertainty.
"Never mind, the point is that this year we will be having a brand-new guest with us this year." His father replied.
"Really? Who is it?" Harry wondered before he felt a hand on the back of his shoulder.
"Well Snape, say hullo to your new roomie." He heard the familiar voice of Draco Malfoy say and Harry turned his head to look back at him and saw that a huge grin now lighting up his face and then he quickly turned his head again.
"This has got to be a dream." Harry began. "Either that or I'm in Hell, but I believe in Jesus and I'm a good person and a good wizard so that can't be the case. It's a freaking nightmare!" He exclaimed as a genuine look of disappointment fell onto Draco's face and replaced his grin.
"Harry, I'm rather disappointed in you, that's not the Christmas spirit." His father told him as he got on the train and Patches trotted after him.
"It's alright Professor, I was sort of expecting that as I've never really been nice to him. I'll go find Hermione and see if she can talk to him for me." He said as he took his owl Rebel and then climbed aboard. However when he finally found her she was sharing a compartment with Harry and Ron as usual so he decided to go sit with his Slytherin friends that he usually sat with after heaving a bit of a sad sigh.
…..
Harry hugged his mother and his brothers and sisters as soon as they greeted him at Kings Cross Station. "So young man, the last time that I saw you we didn't have a chance to talk about the flying car incident." His mother pointed out.
"But Mum! Ron was the one driving not me!" Harry protested. "The only time I drive is in videogames, besides that I'm going to wait until I'm sixteen and I get my temps I promise!" He exclaimed as his father tried to forget that that would only be in a few short years.
"Harry that's not the point though. Just because Weasley goes off and does something stupid doesn't mean that you have to as well. You should have waited right where you were for us to come back." His father told him.
"So the biggest question now is what do you think should happen next?" His mother wondered.
"Learn from my mistake and try better next time?" Harry questioned.
"This time yes, but I'm only letting you off the hook because it's the holidays. Next time you try a stunt like this I don't care what day it is you'll be grounded in your room for a month. Even if it's a whole entire break. Understood?" His mother questioned him back while pointing a stern finger at him.
"Yes Mother." He replied.
"Good. Now get in the car with the rest of your siblings." She instructed before kissing him on the cheek. As Harry got in the car Severus turned to face his wife.
"I presume that you received my owl about Draco coming to stay with us then?" He asked her as she nodded in response.
"Yes I did, and it is wonderful that you'll be spending Christmas with us then Draco." She replied while smiling rather warmly and lovingly down at him.
"Thanks Mrs. Snape, but not everybody feels that way." Draco told her as he got in the car with the others.
"Oh no, was Harry giving him a hard time?" Lily wondered.
"Yes he was but don't worry dear, I'll give him a firm talking to once we get home." He reassured her before quickly pecking her on the lips and then getting in the driver's seat. Once they got back Severus was true to his word and warned Harry that if he uttered another single negative word about Draco the only thing that he would find underneath the Christmas tree would be coal and a bar of soap to wash his mouth out with.