Summer to Remember
"Fuck me." Harry murmured as he saw the Potions Master, Deputy, and Headmaster blatantly waiting for him.
"Maybe later," Fay replied, her eyes widened. She fought to remain in control of her breathing as the three teachers made their way towards them. Angelina, Alicia, and Katie looked on with excitement.
"Miss Johnson, Miss Spinnet, Miss Bell and Miss Dunbar why don't you run along and join everyone in the Great Hall where it's warmer." Suggested Professor Dumbledore, blue eyes twinkling like mad.
"What about me? Stuck in some glorious claustrophobic room with an old man, a belligerent asshole with a decade or so old grudge and my so-called Head of House?" Replied Harry. His temper already fraying. "What's this about anyway?"
"Your protection over the Summer. I trust it was enjoyable? I must request we have this conversation in my office." Dumbledore replied.
Harry snorted "Where I have 100% undivided attention of Greasy over there and the Deputy Headmistress along with your 'I'm so disappointed' tone? Since we can't come to an agreement how about a compromise?"
This tactic caught the three members of staff off guard, as did everyone else. "Fay, please head to the Welcoming Feast. This will not take long." Harry replied not taking his eyes off the three teachers.
"The compromise is Mister Potter?" Asked Professor McGonagall.
"It's just myself and Professor Dumbledore discussing this. You're welcome as well as Professor McGonagall but Snape…"
"Professor Snape, Harry," Dumbledore said eyes twinkling.
"Professor Snape is not welcome. He does not need to hear this nor do I want him to." Harry continued.
Dumbledore nodded "If I say I want Professor Snape?"
"Then I will either force us to speak about it here in the open or not at all."
"You, insolent brat so much like your father." Snarled the Potions Professor.
"So, says the one that cannot get over a grudge…Grow up. I'm not my father." Harry replied for once getting a tint of red on Snape's face.
"Really Harry? Was that necessary?" Questioned Dumbledore with a pleading undertone.
"Yes. This is what I put up with Professor McGonagall in Potions. Have done since the first year."
McGonagall nodded slowly "If I were to ask other Gryffindors?"
"They'd tell you that the Potions Master is being an utter bell-end to te Gryffindors because they're Gryffindors. No even handling between us and Slytherins…Then you'll understand why Gryffindors and Slytherins make up the largest amount of hospital wing visitations." Harry replied.
Dumbledore nodded "Very well let us take this to my office."
Snape opened his mouth as they headed off "You're more like your father than you could possibly know. You have nothing resembling your mother in the slightest, and I should know. You are your father's son Potter."
Harry spun around eyes blazing "I'll take that as a compliment…I'm not so sure, will have to let you know if I act like my mother or father more…As for knowing my mother better than my father? I'm living proof that you don't."
Snape's face flushed with rage "Fifty points from Gryffindor, three weeks of detention."
"For what?" Harry retorted.
"Disrespecting a teacher."
Harry took a deep breath. It wouldn't do to reveal everything or anything he had learned over the Summer "I contest."
"Agreed Mister Potter," McGonagall said before she undid the points.
"Minerva! He!" Protested Snape.
"Responded perfectly politely to an unprofessional teacher. The wording could have been better selected but he responded appropriately." The Transfiguration Mistress said sternly.
Soon enough Harry found himself in the Headmaster's Office. "Please have a seat, my Boy. Lemon Drop?"
Harry declined "Why am I here? Professor Dumbledore?"
Dumbledore looked at his student and secret martyr "You were taken from your home and relatives…Were you harmed? Who were they?"
Harry chuckled "Nope, I was given something that I never had at the Dursley's and that was freedom."
"Surely, you can't mean that! They're your relatives?" Protested the Headmaster.
Harry snorted "They did." The discussion went back and forth and got rather heated before Harry stood up and said "If you have anything you need to tell me of value, I am willing to listen."
"The same to you my boy. My office is always open." Dumbledore said and the pair headed down to the feast.
Harry made his way down and managed to get a seat next to Fay and his friends. "Not now…I'm hungry." With that, he tore into a mountain of roast beef, chicken, and various vegetables.
However, Hermione knew something was up with Harry. Quite frankly she wanted answers "Harry…What did you do this Summer?"
Harry's eyes flashed and the thunderstorm that had subsided quickly reappeared with a vengeance "Hermione, when you go home over the Summer, you go back to parents who love you and take you on incredible holidays whereas I'm stuck with people who prefer I've died. So think Hermione what do you think will happen if someone offered me the chance to be free?"
Hermione stared at Harry blankly, this was the first time since she knew him that she had felt ever so slightly afraid of him. The rest of the Feast passed in a rather comfortable silence, the food was good but no-where near as good as some of the food Harry and Fay had eaten whilst in America.
The rest of the evening passed without incident. Aside from an interesting ad hoc chess tournament in which Ron thrashed everyone from the first years to the seventh years. Harry thankfully had been one of the first fourth years to play Ron and had demonstrated a remarkable resistance before inevitably losing. Harry soon found himself on the sofa, head in Fay's lap and looking up at her or in the book he was half reading. Said book was the 'Best of Lovecraft', his favourite aside from 'Call of Cthulhu' was easily the 'Dunwich Horror' furthermore, as Harry glazed through it Lovecraft was a genius!
"Harry, I was looking through your trunk for the Map and what's up with these." Harry looked up and his narrowed as Ron held the Pennsylvanian Pine Devil blades and daggers.
"Put…those…back." Harry growled.
Ron backed up "Seriously mate…what are these things?"
"Spoils of war. I got some sets made one for me, Fay, Remus and Sirius." Harry replied.
Ron's face turned red "What about me? Your best mate?" He thundered attracting the attention of everyone in the Common Room.
"What about you being my best mate?" Harry replied carefully. He knew exactly what Ron was going on about. But right now he needed to check if Ron was a plant, sent by Dumbledore…So far the results were proving to be positive.
"I mean friends tell each other everything." Roared Ron. He dropped the blades and went for his wand.
Harry was quicker, he summoned the blades to him and effortlessly disarmed Ron. With a similar fluidity, he drew one of the blades and held it at the floor "I didn't want to do this here and now…but you forced my hand…Was me meeting you at Kings Cross staged?"
Ron may have been a little slow on the uptake but even here he couldn't fail to miss the insinuations "Why would anyone want to be friends with you? It was Dumbledore's idea."
Harry smirked twistedly at the redhead "What did he promise you? Let me guess, Prefect Badge, Head Boy and Quidditch Captain?"
Ron nodded meekly, Harry lowered his wand "Well done Weasley. How does it feel to have destroyed three years of hard work? Or rather the Headmaster's work…Now do me a favour, keep away from me for the rest of our time here and I'll consider not neutering you."
Ron glowered and eventually slinked off out the Common Room. It was quiet and throughout the entire conversation or argument. Harry hadn't raised his voice at all. "Shows over people."
With that everyone slowly turned back to what they were doing. Harry knew he wouldn't be able to prevent this from getting out around the school and especially back to the Headmaster. He smirked and Fay caught it.
Fay watched from the sofa in the Common Room. She felt Harry's power build up and being accustomed to it warmed her immensely. Power was addictive and Harry had it in spades.
The weekend passed exceptionally quickly. True to his word, Harry took Fay and the Chasers into the Chamber of secrets. Harry and Fay in front because they had the magical power and body armour. "You made of things down here." Katie commented.
"Actually, this was Lockhart, a spell-o-taped wand, an Obliviate, Ron and a Rock." Harry replied nonchalantly. With that the five of them headed further along the tunnel. Harry grunted as he slid through the now too small hole but it fitted him at the time.
Harry pulled Katie through when suddenly the rocks began lift, melt and then seamlessly flow back into their previous positions. Harry drew his Holly Wand and new Thunderbird Wand. His inner animagus acquiesced to his plea and sparks erupted from both wands although slightly more appeared from the Thunderbird Wand.
It was Professor Snape "Put those wands away now. Potter, where are we?"
"I'll answer yours if you answer me this Professor." Harry countered.
"Go on." Replied the sallow faced Potions Master.
"Disillusionment charm or some sort of potion to follow us?" Harry asked. He trusted his gut and he had feeling something was up.
"Fay concealment…Very…apt Mr. Potter. Perhaps you are not as much of a dunderhead as I thought you were." Came the scathing reply but it was very much reduced.
"Realising you're living amongst plants, one must blend in and maintain certain stereotypes…"
Snape nodded "Five points to Gryffindor." The five ladies eyes widened.
"Now Mr. Potter, Misses Spinnet, Bell, Johnson and Dunbar please explain to me what you're doing down here?"
"A plant opened his mouth and inserted foot. Fay had me at wand point quicker than I thought possible…Either that or because I nearly fried her over the summer…I'm a lightning aligned Wizard."
Snape's eyes widened. He himself was wind and fire. He knew the outcomes if a wizard found and harmonised with his element especially with one as destructive as lightning. "I see…What is down this corridor?"
"Chamber of Secrets and my Right of Conquest a Basilisk."
Snape's eyes narrowed and widened "I see…I suppose you, Weasley and Granger found it."
"No Professor…Hermione found out the Monster, a Basilisk and was then petrified. Ron and I went to inform the staff and somehow managed to get Lockhart…Thanks for teaching me Expelliarmus by the way. Anyway we ended up down here. Rockslide and I went on ahead. Now come if you don't believe me." Harry said as he headed down the Corridor.
"Potter…on…your…left…don't…move." Snape called and everyone stopped. Snape crept forwards towards the skin and his wand began to spout a rainbow of colours. Snape paled significantly.
"Stay…right here…I will be back…I am going to require proof that you killed it Potter." With that Snape headed up and out of the tunnel.
"He's gone to get the Headmaster…This is going to get extremely ugly." Harry mentioned, however he was wrong.
Snape, shifted seamlessly into his Raven Animagus form. He shifted back and using his family fae magic, he slipped back to his Quarters and picked up a muggle sports bag. Being a half-blood Snape wasn't fond of muggles but every now and then something caught his eye and this time it were muggle science departments, chefs and sports bags. A few spells here and there and Severus had a spectacular set of rendering apparatus. He grabbed them and his enchanted sports bag, threaded it over his shoulder and departed.
"Severus, where are you going?"
Severus looked and saw Dumbledore striding towards him, turn and fall into step next to him "Potter found Slytherin's chamber…I am about to strike a deal with him…One that is actually reasonable."
"One for Hogwarts?"
Severus turned "No…You know of my heritage and what entails Albus. Potter has not spoken an ill-truth. He doesn't trust me or you, me I understand. You…I shudder to think what he would do if he found out I swindled him for you…I do expect he will allow you to join us."
Albus grinned but his eyes dimmed "It seems a…little adjustment is in order. Let us be off."