A/N: Sorry! Don't hate me! I've been a bit busy and blocked and bothered, but that's no excuse (ok, it's no good excuse). This chapter drags some, be warned, but I thought I'd give it to you anyway because it's been ages. You know the drill, every proper noun is Madam Rowling's, but Lupin is all mine!
Chapter Seventeen
Draco Malfoy was escorted into Hogwarts, much to his disgust, by Hagrid. Upon entering the Great Hall, he was nearly trampled by a crying Ginny Weasley, who pushed her way past him as she ran up to the Gryffindor common room. Seeing Ron and Hermione staring after, with equally dejected looks upon their faces, filled Draco with a kind of delight that only comes with witnessing human suffering. "What's the matter, Weasel?" he drawled. "Your parents finally break the news to her that they can't afford her?"
Ron looked ready to lunge at Draco, but Lupin, who had just finished explaining the situation to Ron, Hermione, Ginny and the twins, grabbed hold of his collar before he get into any trouble.
"Well, well, Werewolf, trolling around the school for extra money before going back to the woods?" Draco sneered, surprised that his ex-professor was back at Hogwarts.
"I had come back to tutor Harry," Lupin answered, the calm back in his voice now that he had an agenda to follow.
"What, did Potter prove to stupid to understand you?" SMACK! Draco's face was tinged scarlet by Hermione's powerful backhand.
"Granger!" yelled Snape, who had just entered the Great Hall. "Detention!"
"Now, Severus, I don't think…" began Lupin, still holding onto Ron's shirt.
"Excuse me, Lupin, but I believe I have more authority in this school than you," sneered Snape. Then he took notice of Draco, who had been smiling smugly since the Potions master had arrived. "Malfoy, I trust you had a pleasant holiday?"
"Yes, sir, I was just going to comment on Potter…" SMACK! Lupin had prematurely let go of Ron's shirt and Draco found himself with another palm print on his ivory face.
"Weasley! You can join Granger in detention as well. Now! In my office!" bellowed Snape as he turned to retreat into the dungeons. Hermione and Ron followed behind, leaving a snickering Draco and a repulsed Remus Lupin. The three went silently down into the dungeons, bumping into Peeves before entering Snape's office.
"Now, what to do with you?" began Snape, flashing them an eerie smile.
"Professor, I," stuttered Hermione, before being cut off by the most shocking sound she'd ever heard: a genuine laugh coming from Severus Snape.
"You can stop with the 'Professor' stuff, Hermione. Snape's moved into Trelawney's room until this is over," laughed Harry, amused though somewhat disturbed that he had done such a wonderfully convincing turn as Professor Snape.
"Harry?!" Ron and Hermione both exclaimed, hardly believing it. "Lord, Harry, you're even worse than the real Snape!" whispered Ron, reminding himself never to get on his best friend's bad side.
"Harry, I can't believe they agreed to let you do this," was what Hermione had to say. "You do realize that you'll have to actually stand before You-Know-Who, don't you?"
"Yes, I realized that, thanks very much Hermione," Harry sighed. "Hey, do you think it would be too suspicious if I took a shower? This greasy hair feels disgusting."
"Ugh," moaned Ron. "Snape in a shower. Now you'll know what he looks like naked."
All three shuddered at the thought. "Maybe I won't take a shower," said Harry. "Where's Ginny and the twins?"
"Well, since the Dursleys' things aren't going to be sent to the new house until all of the arrangements are made, the twins are hexing everything they can get hold of, though I don't know how they got hold of the Hufflepuff password," answered Hermione, a mischievous grin on her face.
"Hermione! I'm shocked," beamed Ron.
"And what about Ginny?" asked Harry, still not used to hearing Snape's voice coming out of his mouth.
"Well, she didn't take the news so well," stammered Ron, torn between accurately reporting to his best friend and sparing his sister from the embarrassment. Of course, being a Weasley through and through, Ginny lost. "Actually, she took off running when she heard what you were planning to do."
"You ought to go talk to her, Harry," advised Hermione.
"Maybe, once I'm done with Lupin."
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Lupin almost slammed his office door in Snape's face before he remembered that Harry was to meet him for lessons after he had taken the potion. "I'm sorry, Harry, but I don't know if I'll be able to act the same around you when you look like that," Remus admitted, still shaken by the sight of Snape smiling and laughing without a hint of malice.
"I know, I walked past a suit of armor and caught my reflection, nearly gave myself a heart attack," laughed Harry. "I also wanted to apologize for what I said earlier in the Great Hall."
"That was you!?" exclaimed Lupin. "Oh, well done, Harry, well done."
They continued with the lesson, Harry slowly learning how to pronounce the Welsh spells in the text Dumbledore had given them. Once he got the hang of the double letters, however, the magic he was able to produce was simply remarkable. By the end of the hour, Harry could turn invisible at will and, what's more, he could levitate. Granted, his balance was shaky. No charm could help him with that. But once he took Lupin's advice and imagined there was a broomstick beneath him, he was zooming up to the ceiling and banging his head, forgetting he was a foot taller now.
"Well," sighed Lupin, who always felt tired when the full moon was a few days away, "I'd say you've done an excellent job of things, Harry. After lunch we'll come back and work on defensive charms, since those are what you really need to master, in case the Blood Stone isn't fooled by the Polyjuice Potion."
"Or in case it is," reminded Harry. With that, Harry put on his Snape-ish sneer that was trademark when the Potions master was in the presence of Remus Lupin, and the two parted ways, Harry heading up to Trelawney's tower to speak to the real Snape about the guards he had put up around the castle, and Lupin to help Sirius with the inner perimeter security.
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Draco Malfoy was peeved and bored beyond belief. He had come to Hogwarts, despite plans to travel to Europe with Crabbe, to pull off some ill-thought plot of his father's to gain the favor of Lord Voldemort. And now Potter, the stupid prat, had died. And Draco was stuck in the castle with a mudblood, a werewolf, and a bunch of Weasleys. In a brief fire-chat with his father, he was told that leaving the castle now would look too suspicious.
"Go ahead with the plan as it is," instructed Lucius Malfoy, always quick to think of new and interesting ways to be evil. "That damned Arthur Weasley must be up to something if his children are staying at the school. Planning another raid against me, no doubt. Secure the loyalty of his daughter, I'm sure you have the Malfoy charm when it comes to that and I doubt that filthy, poor redhead has many suitors knocking down her door. And offer to assist Severus Snape in any way you can. May as well start making allies amongst the Death Eaters, and Snape is involved in some of the upper level operations that a young servant to Lord Voldemort, such as yourself, would not normally be trusted with."
Draco had no idea how to win the loyalties of Ginny Weasley. She'd see right through any attempts of his to be civil, if he could even get her alone, with those brute brothers of hers hanging around her for protection. Maybe he could say how sorry he was about Potter kicking the bucket? But how could he keep a straight face? Well, he was sorry that Potter had died; Draco didn't have the chance to kill him. So he could be honest, Draco thought, heading towards the Gryffindor common room.
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"Don't slouch like that, it's unnatural and not fit for my body." Snape and Harry-Snape were in Trelawney's room, which was decidedly different in the absence of heavy incense, large pillows, teacups, and phony death predictions. Instead, there was a makeshift potions lab, complete with a cauldron containing a simmering Wolfsbane Potion.
"How's this for unnatural?" asked Harry, plastering a huge smile on his Snape face. The real Snape looked like he was going to throw up.
"Too bad your new powers don't extend to your personality," sneered Snape. "Or your potion-making abilities. You are supposed to be slicing the monkshood, not shredding it."
Harry had been helping with Lupin's potion while Snape gave him detailed instructions about the protocol of Death Eater meetings, about the operations he was currently involved with, and potions in general. "Pity you aren't Granger, she's at least competent in this area. Should You-Know-Who test you on your knowledge, you'll be found out for sure."
"Why don't you just continue with the lesson or shut up," growled Harry. Practically being Snape gave him a false sense of confidence that he was very grateful for.
"My, getting uppity with these new powers?" asked Snape, eyes drawn into viscous slits as he looked up from the cauldron.
"You haven't seen uppity," whispered Harry, levitating himself up to the top shelf of the cabinet to retrieve an extra pair of dragon-hide gloves. Upon witnessing this demonstration, Snape returned to his purpose, explaining his current service to Voldemort.
"The last thing he asked me to do was to brew this," he said, pointing to a large vile of violet. "So don't forget to take it when you're called."
"Won't you be called too?" asked Harry, realizing that the Dark Mark was still on Snape's forearm, just as it was on his own.
"While you were with Lupin, the Headmaster and I discussed that. I might be taking some Polyjuice myself, depending on what Moody has to report tonight." The look on his face told Harry that, whoever Snape was thinking of turning into, they weren't very pleasant.
" What are you talking about?"
"Let's just say that the Dark Lord does not like loose ends. And he has no aversion to killing Muggles."
"You mean the Dursleys?"
"Moody is checking with his contacts to see if any orders have been made. If so, I'd be the likely candidate for going to protect them, seeing as that would be the least obvious place for me to hide, as unpleasant as that sounds." Both Harry and Snape were torn between wincing at the thought of being Vernon Dursley for even a minute, and blanching at the realization that they were having a civil conversation. The first choice won out.
"But won't Voldemort know that there's magic at the Dursley's house? Surely he has someone in the Ministry that would alert him to the fact."
"No, Moody is going to be the Secret Keeper for your family, and houses under that spell are unlisted in the Ministry's books. He won't find out. Now back to the matter at hand. I've written down the charms I used on the outer perimeter, so volunteer this information as soon as possible. You'll have to wait for his beginning diatribe about whoever fouled up whatever assignment, as people always do. Then there'll be the speech about Mudbloods and Muggles being worthless, how Voldemort's forces are growing, mentions of new recruits, and pay attention there. May as well take over my duties as spy while you can. Then he'll probably mention your death. Molly is sending out the propaganda as we speak. No doubt he'll take credit for it. He'll want to speak to me then, find out the true story. Once we've spoken to Granger after she's contacted that Skeeter wench, we'll have to decide what you're going to say. You'll need to be aware of the story Molly puts out, the story Skeeter puts out, and some details that no one put out. Molly isn't going to tell the Prophet that you drowned because, after the Second Task last year, no one would believe it. You, however, will tell him that Harry Potter drowned himself. After this you bring up the defenses. Also, I haven't been called since you supposedly went home, so he'll wonder why you were at Hogwarts during the last attack. Be as honest as you can when the truth doesn't matter. No use getting caught in a lie when you can easily admit to being invited here by Dumbledore. But you were not told about where the Dursleys have gone. Only that I saw you drown and you can even say that I tried to save you because I know he had plans for you alive, but it was to no avail. You might get punished for the failure, so be warned and apologize when it's over."
Was Harry imagining things or did Snape sound worried? Probably because he thinks I'll get caught and he'll be stuck in hiding forever.
Things continued this way until Harry was tired of memorizing ingredients to obscure potions and announced that he was going for lunch. Surprisingly, Snape didn't object. Maybe it's harder to be a complete git when looking at a mirror.
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Being Snape was perhaps most difficult at lunch, under the eye of Draco Malfoy. Sitting up at the staff table, Harry was unable to talk to Ron and Hermione, and being a slightly antisocial professor meant he couldn't strike up a lively conversation with Remus Lupin, or even Dumbledore. So Harry tried his best to alternate between staring at his plate and scowling at Lupin, who was slipping a plate underneath the table for a concealed Padfoot, breaking from his work on Hogwarts' security. Harry was about to give up and visit Hedwig in the owlery when the Great Hall was besieged by hundreds of messenger owls, all heading straight for Albus Dumbledore. Harry nearly burst out laughing when he noticed a fuming howler that had landed on Dumbledore's laugh.
"Oh my, it must have come out," mused Dumbledore, eyeing the howler with a small smile pulling at his lips.
"Better get it over with, Albus," Lupin advised.
"HOW COULD YOU LET HARRY POTTER DIE?" it screamed, and harry recognized the voice of Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic.
"MORE TO THE POINT, HOW COULD YOU LET EVERYONE KNOW THAT HE DIED? EXPECTED MORE DIPLOMACY FROM YOU, ALBUS. MY WIFE WAS LISTENING TO THAT WARBECK WOMAN ON WITCHING HOUR WHEN THE NEWS CAME, BURST APPENDIX? WHAT IS THAT? DON'T YOU HAVE A MEDIWITCH AT THAT SCHOOL OF YOURS? AND NOW THAT BLASTED SKEETER WOMAN HAS COME OUT WITH A STORY OF COVER UP, SAYING SOURCES AT HOGWARTS SAY YOU-KNOW-WHO WAS INVOLVED…UTTERLY RIDICULUS, NOW'VE YOU GO AND STARTED A WIDESPREAD PANIC, LANDED YOURSELF IN A BIT OF A SCANDAL I'D SAY, SCHOOL GOVERNORS ARE GOING TO BE UP IN ARMS ABOUT THIS…"
So this was it? Harry new they'd have to come up with some excuse, but a burst appendix? It did sound far-fetched. Harry was glad that Dumbledore had let it leak that Voldemort was involved. He'd hate to be remembered as The Boy Who Lived Only To Die From A Bad Tummy Ache. No one would ever by that appendix story, so everyone surely believes that Voldemort has returned, right? Harry hoped so. Once the panic subsided, the resistance would be able to get access to more resources, and backing from the ministry, if Fudge ever got past the denial stage, might help them win this war against the dark side.
While the Howler had been going off, Dumbledore had turned his attention to the other letters that had arrived, most of them asking Is it true? Is Harry dead? Is You-Know-Who back? What does he look like? Weeding through the envelopes, Dumbledore pulled out two and handed them to Harry. "Severus, I think you might be interested in these," he said lightly, before leaving the table to return to his office. The first letter was from Chow Chang, Cho's father, relating how distraught his daughter was at the news of Harry's passing and was inquiring over the funeral arrangements. Apparently Cho wished to say some words. Forgetting that he was wearing the Potions master's face, Harry couldn't help but smile at this, hoping that he'd be able to explain to Cho what had happened someday. Then, he looked towards the Gryffindor table and caught sight of Ginny Weasley staring at him, looking like she was about to burst into tears. Not wanting to think about the small jolt in his stomach, Harry moved onto the second message, which was from Mad Eye Moody. The word was out that a squad of Death Eaters had been dispatched to find the Dursleys. "I doubt that they'll be found, with the new house and Fidelius Charm, but we can't spare anyone to guard the muggles what with the new developments, so may as well take care of the situation yourself."
Harry didn't want to be the one to tell Snape that he had to go move in with the Dursleys, no matter how much he disliked the man. He was tempted to give Remus the job, but Harry needed to speak to Snape to decide what he should tell Voldemort about his death, so he excused himself from the table and made towards the doors, only to be met by a very smug Draco Malfoy, no doubt gloating over that howler.
"Malfoy," Harry nodded in greeting, moving ahead into the hall, only to have Malfoy tag along.
"Sir, is there anything you'd like me to do for you?" Draco asked him, quickening to keep up with Harry's paces.
"I don't think so, Malfoy," Harry answered calmly, using all of his strength to restrain from telling Draco to bugger off.
"My father thought I might be of some use to you, and our master," Draco persisted, lowering his voice. Harry stopped dead in his tracks. This was the chance to get Malfoy kicked out of Hogwarts for good, but how could he do anything when he was Snape, a supposed Death Eater?
"You want to keep quiet about such things, Draco," Harry whispered, smiling down at the eager ferret-faced boy. "But if you're set on getting involved, I'll meet you in the Potions lab in an hour. Right now I have business that does not concern a young Death Eater such as yourself." Harry hurried off down the hall, taking the long way to the north tower to make sure that Malfoy didn't follow. Knocking quickly, he climbed up into the Divination room, interrupting Snape, who was still supervising the brewing of Lupin's Wolfsbane.
"I've just been propositioned by Malfoy," Harry began, moving over to the texts on Snape's desk in a last minute attempt to memorize some more complex potions.
"Yes, the boy does have a certain infatuation with me," said a dead-pan Snape as he added some guano to the cauldron.
"That was a mental picture I did not need," choked out Harry, rubbing his eyes in hopes of forgetting that disturbing image. "I meant, he wants to help you with your master. He's going to meet me in the dungeons in an hour. What should I tell him?"
Snape consulted a sheet of parchment on his desk before giving Harry his answer. "There's a few poisons that You-Know-Who is short on, nothing too difficult for Malfoy. Take this list, it has the instructions on it. I'll speak to Dumbledore about what to do about Draco. He is a trusting man, he might want to change the boy's heart."
"Fat chance," Harry snorted. Malfoy didn't have a decent bone in his body as far as Harry was concerned. "Oh, here's a response from Moody," he said, handing the owl over to Snape. He had a weird urge to welcome him to the family. "So who are you going to be?"
"Come again?" Snape asked, still looking revolted by what he had read.
"Well, you are going to take the place of one of the Dursleys, right? Who?"
"I hadn't thought that far ahead. It'll be difficult to replace anyone without the others noticing. Don't your relatives ever have house guests?"
"Only business partners of my uncle's. And Aunt Marge, but you wouldn't want to be her."
"I don't want to be any of them," Snape sneered.
"Dudley might not be too bad. They treat him like the bloody Queen. You'd only have to get used to the weight, wheezing when you walk up the stairs."
"I'd rather not be a child. What about your uncle?"
"I don't know how desperate you are, but do you really want to sleep in the same bed as my aunt?" Harry heard Snape growl, which lightened his mood considerably. "Maybe you should be my Aunt Marge, your personalities are the closest I suppose, though you'll have to pretend to like Dudley. Still, she's known for hating me and voicing it quite often, so you'll be spiffing at that."
"I should think so," snarled Snape.
Ok, I'm ending it here because I really feel bad about taking so long with this, and I have to mull over a few things before moving on. Thanks for the reviews! Love you all! Ah, my people