Warning: Language,
Disclaimer: Don't own, blah blah blah.
Summary: Harry spends the summer with Professor Snape. They have some miner issues and Harry wonders about his parents, causing Snape to think of parents over all.

Godric's Hollow
Chapter 2: pictures


It was near dawn, when the sky is that weird color of gray, with yellow hues. You can't quite see the sun. Any second it will begin to make it's grand appearance. The wild animals, are already up, first to stir always, their morning rituals surround me. I stand in the owlery on the top floor. Owls swoop in and out. My own owl is in the distance. I can see her distinctively. She takes her time gliding threw the treetops toward me. Every once in a while dipping down in a swoop to the ground to grasp her prey.

I see other dark forms following suit. Only my own owl in her pure white form is beautiful in her movement, she graceful beyond all the others. Her abilities flawless. I come down from the tower where I've been for the last several hours. I walk across the lawn toward the main castle. I hear her following me she rarely lets my out of her slight, as of late. I don't enter the castle instead I sit on the steps to watch the sunrise, she lands on my knee. I stroke her softly as she rips the head off of her kill.

I feel his presence behind me long before he speaks. He's out of my line of vision. Will remain so until I turn to look directly at him. He's my shadow, he follows me just about everywhere. I think Dumbledore put him up to it. That's fine. He knows the castle as well as I do. The secret passages, the hidden rooms. The only rooms he doesn't enter is the ones I share with professor Snape. I don't even like entering those rooms.

****

"Come on Dobby it's time for breakfast". I follow him down to the kitchens. We're greeted with breakfast the elves overjoyed to have someone to serve, it being summer vacation and know one else is at home. Dobby sits opposite me and talks non-stop of the elves and friends. Of Winky who I rarely see. She was assigned to the hospital wing with Madam Pomfrey. She has seems to have found her calling there.

I unfold the Daily Prophet and scan the front page. It's the same day after day. News from the east of the battle with Voldemort, to the muggle deaths in London the Deatheaters have caused. I scan the Quidditch scores of the local teams. Look at the word of the day.

In the opposite bottom corner is a small headshot of my face. A small article stating that 'I'm missing seemed to have disappeared'. There's a quote from Dumbledore saying 'that if you know where I am to owl him'. It's all part of his plan to through people off. I laugh, I know it's probably not working. They have printed the same article since the day I left the Dursley's. The only thing that seems different this time is the article is longer by one line. I wouldn't even have noticed it except I read the post front to back everyday since I've arrived here. The last line is what bothers me, coming on Sunday 31 July A biography of The Boy Who Lived, Voldemort Downfall and the Potter Legacy.

Potter legacy? What Potter legacy? I smile. I have never asked questions of anyone of my parents. Perhaps aunt Petunia when I was younger. Since Voldemorts returned, I will say my curiosity has peaked. I have started letters to my Godfather, several times. With question about my father and mother but none of the questions seemed appropriate to ask by letter. I really had no one to speak with regarding my parent's except their old friends. Sirius was on the run. Remus Lupin had die just 2 days ago. And then there's one. Peter Pettigrew, Wormtail, traitor, betrayer, Deatheater, destroyer of lives, evil. I go on like this for some time. The names calling getting meaner and the language worse. I could hardly see myself having a civil conversation with him regarding my parents.

*****

Harry Potter lays his head down on the kitchen table. House elves around him scurry forward to clear the table. He feels Dobby pat his head as he drifts off to sleep. Vowing to think of this later, these thoughts always make him weary.

Harry still saw it in his head. Remus Lupin falling, that thud of when his body hit the ground, dead. Harry replays it in his mind over and over again. He questions himself often: What could I have done? I could have just left like he told me to then he would have apparated away. I could have pulled him onto the broom with me. I could have...

He didn't know what he could have. He felt quite like he had never felt before. Worse than when Cedric Diggory died. Still he didn't cry. Each day he promised himself he would think about it soon. That he would deal with the fact that people were dying from protecting him or just by association.

Harry wakes with a creak in his neck. Professor Snape is standing over him. "Is there a problem with your own bed Potter?"
Harry rubs the sleep from his eyes glancing at the house elves as they stand back looking fearful of Snape. "No, I was eating breakfast.... I was tired".
"Breakfast, really. It's now dinner time." Snape growled, yanking Harry to his feet. Dragging him down the corridor to the teacher's dorms. Once in there own flat Snape let go of Harry's wrist. Snape snatched a piece of paper off the table. "Did you do anything on the list, anything at all" Snape screamed waiving the paper in his face. Harry stood still the confusion crossed his face... list?

"You know why you didn't see the list? Because you haven't been here all night. Slept in Hagrids hut, then in the Owlery and then slept in the kitchens. Is there a problem Potter?"

"No, I just ...I can't sleep...I ...have..." Harry Fluttered his hands nervously.

"I want the contents on this list done today, you will be sorry if it is not." Snape slammed the paper on the table, knocking over a vile of potion. Snape pulled his wand, Harry stepped back half-expecting Snape to hex him. Instead he just cleaned up the mess.

Snape looked Harry with disdain, 'kids' how did he get stuck with this one. He wants Dumbledore to trust him with Harry, but this really is too much. He remembered Dumbledore's lecture prior to Harry's arrival, have patience, be understanding, show compassion. He had hardly understood what Dumbledore was trying to tell him. Kids need discipline, order, and structure. Show emotions or concern and they will play to that weakness, he had argued.

"Just get on with it Potter" he sent Harry upstairs to complete the list.
Harry glanced at it frowning.

1) Add ingredients (on table) to cauldron number 3 at noon, (Well he had missed that.)
2) Clean up his room
3) Finish homework, and some extra reading rounded out the list.

He stood in the doorway to his room. Thinking he could unpack, that would take care of task one. That would keep his mind off Remus and what an ass Snape was being. He changed into his pajamas.

*****

Harry sat on the floor of his bedroom, his trunk lay open before him. He had slowly begun unpacking. He first hung up his school robes and then sorted out his schoolbooks. He planed to finish all his summer homework in the next few days anyway, and then he would have the rest of the summer to do as he pleased. No list needed.

He went back to the trunk. He was quite amazed at all the wizard things he had accumulated in such a short time. There was the sneakoscope, a live chess set, broom-servicing kit, lot of joke items, wizard candy, a penknife set Sirius had given him. The invisibility cloak that was once his fathers. He felt the silky material, it really was unlike anything you ever felt before. Like silk woven into water, if that was possible. Harry smiled, he wondered where his father had gone in it, probably everywhere since he was one of the makers of the Marauders map. "That's what I should do " he whispered to himself. Harry sat there at the foot of his bed lazily thinking of all the places he could explore with the cloak. He looked over each item, smiling remembering who gave him the birthday and Christmas presents, and his trips with Ron to Hogsmeade.

At the bottom of the trunk lay a long forgotten book, the photo album Hagrid had given him his first year at Hogwart's. Harry nervously fingered the Hogwarts emblem on the cover. He felt a tinge of guilt he didn't look at the photo album often. It was hard to see his parents. To see how happy they had been. To see all the family and friends that surrounded them.

Yet Harry willed himself to open the album at a random place. His parent's face immediately smiled at him. His mother waved, beaming up at him. His father waved and hugged his mother tightly. There were pictures of their wedding, birthdays, holidays, picnics, and just them having a good time.

There were so many people in the pictures. Sirius was in some, some of the people he recognized from when he had looked in the Mirror of Erised. Some he had no idea, Harry carefully pulled a picture from the hinges that held it in place. He checked on the back to see if anyone had written the names of the people on it. They hadn't. He'll have to ask Sirius when he saw him next if he knew these people.

Harry placed the photo back, and continued to flip threw the album. He stopped when he saw a picture of his father, Sirius, Remus, and Peter. He tugged at the photo and held it close to his face. Their arms were all around each other's shoulders. His father with his hair all crazy and Sirius messing it up more. Remus smiled shyly and Peter trying to stand in the middle, but Sirius was all over the place bumping into everyone. They were smiling and being playful with each other. Once in a while they would stand still and wave at him. But then they went back to their game.

Harry watched with interest. Peter seemed to want expectance from his friends. Trying to stay in the middle, to be part of their game. The others seemed to ignore him except to push him aside. His father stood still taking whatever Sirius did to him. Remus smiled easily at the antic's of the two, standing his ground with ease. Only Peter had to struggle to keep up. To make himself known.

Harry shook his head, couldn't they see that he would be the one to turn on them. Didn't they have any clues, that it would Peter to betray them? Perhaps that was not something you would think possible from your friends. He knew that Ron and Herminone would never betray him.

Harry looked at his father, Sirius was now whispering in James ear, something that made him laugh. Tears swelled in Harry's eyes. "No" he whispered to himself "I won't". He pressed his eyes tightly shut. Then looked at Lupin, he was leaning casually against the border of the picture. Then a final look at Sirius, he was straightening his shirt.

It suddenly occurred to him. What would he due if Sirius died. He didn't think he would be able to live if Sirius wasn't there for him. Of course he had only known Sirius existed for the last two years, but still he had grown quite fond of him, in that short time. It really was the only remaining link to his father and mother. Except for Peter Pettigrew and Harry hardly felt he would be able to hold his temper the next time he came in contact with Peter. The Traitor. The tears disappeared, as he got slightly angry. He could just see the next time he met Peter, Oh, can you tell be a bit about mum and dad, yeah know before you betrayed them.

Harry thought not. He looked at the picture again was there anything that told him about what Peter was about to do. How he was about to betray his best friends. He didn't see anything. He took the picture and tucked it in his pocket. He needed his father by him now. He needs the comfort of his face, of his eyes.

Harry set the album back in the trunk and shut the lid. He crawled into the four poster bed and pulled the curtains around him. The curtains were green with silver tiebacks. They were very nice and comforting looking, even though they were the color of Slytherins, but that's the price you pay for staying with Professor Snape the Slytherin head of house. He looked one last time at the picture and fell asleep.

*****

Harry woke with a cry, sweat dripped from him. He was on the floor having fallen out of bed. He looked at the darken room, "My god, where am I", he whispered. The curtains were green. The windows were set high in the wall with moonlight pouring through them.
"Potter" Harry turn to see who whispered his name.
Snape stood in the door way in his black boxers, and socks. "Can't we get threw one night in peace" Snape rubbed the sleep from his eyes, he bent to help Harry to his feet.
"I'm fine..."
"Shut up Potter, I didn't ask how you were." Snape yanked him to his feet, Harry crawled into the bed as Snape began to hurl the covers and pillows back on the bed. He stood there trying to work out the knots Harry had kicked the sheets into, finally wiggling out a shoe. He held it up, "Going some place in the middle of the night?"
"No" Harry replied quickly "must have just fallen asleep with them on"
Snape tossed the shoe to Harry and left the room.

"Damn kid" he muttered. Falling out of bed, screams in the night. How had his Aunt and Uncle put up with this? It was going to be a trial putting up with Potter. The damn kid was wondering around all over the castle, falling asleep every where. The stupid kid was a mess. Unorganized, disoriented, and lost. Each day he had to hunt him down, all over the castle. Well starting how he would put a stop to that. Discipline is what Potter needed.

*****


Snape stood over Harry as he slept. The boy was clutching a shoe to his chest like a teddy bear. A picture clutched in his small hand. Snape bent over him to get a look at it, seeing it was a picture of James and friends. He frowned, where the hell had he gotten that. The Potter house had been completely destroyed, he supposed Black could have sent it to him. Harry was curled up in a ball in the fetal position. Snape frowned again. Then prodded Harry awake with his wand. They were off to the woods today. Full moon tonight would mean that most of the flowers were ripe and ready to be picked. They also had another mission today, Silkweed was growing like crazy and it all had to be destroyed.

****

Harry came down for breakfast, sitting opposite Professor Snape. Snape eyed him, poured him some tea and then poured in a shot of Whiskey. "A toast Potter, Happy 15th" he held up his cup as Harry picked up his cup, sniffed it and clinked his cup to Snapes. He sipped the tea and brew, not bad really, and finished it off.
"Did the paper come yet".
"No"
"There's suppose to be article about me in it today".

"Yes, the life of a celebrity, I understand, want to make sure your name is spelled right and all" Snape smirked.

"No, just want to make sure they don't mention you"

It was slightly before dawn when they set off for the woods. Harry watched the sky. It really was an eerie time of day, the morning. To many shadows, animals were moving around. Harry follows Snape deeper into the woods. He didn't use the path but walked straight in as if he knew where he was going. Which Harry supposed he did.

Snape final settled on a part of the forest that Harry had never been to before. It was a type of farm really all the plants lined up in neat rows waiting to be harvested. He assumed that this was something that Hagrid usually did or that Professor Sprout over looked. Snape assigned him to a row to pick berries with his dragon hide gloves on. He was to keep his eyes open for Silkweed if he was to find it he was to set fire to it. Snape wandered off to another field down the way and out of sight.

Professor Snape parked him self on a large rock. He had no intentions of picking berries or anything else that would be considered work. He instead pulled out the Daily Prophet and begun to read. True to their word they had indeed run an article on Potter, Voldemort and how he could be stopped. They also had run a picture of the Potter family and the house in Godric Hollow, from back in it's heyday. Snape frowned. After reading it he did what he promised Dumbledore and destroyed the paper. Potter was not to see it under any circumstance.

*********

Harry and Snape headed back to the castle late in the afternoon. Professor Flitwick stood in Snapes kitchen and was icing a birthday cake.
"When did you get back" Snape growled.
"Just this afternoon."
Snape sent Harry upstairs to freshen up. As soon as he was out of sight, he started in on Flitwick. "Look Filius just take him for a few days get him out of my hair".
"Severus he's been bounced around so much and it's just another month".
"Look, he's not that hard to take care of, it's just that he wakes up in the night screaming. He keeps disappearing all over the castle. I'm not good with this sort of thing".
"Severus, just use your head, we're teachers after all, you have to have some understanding of children, don't you?"
"No" Snape flinched at this, child indeed.
"You were a child once, don't you remember, give him a hug after he falls out of bed, tell him it will be ok and then go back to bed. Isn't that what your mum would have done?"
"No, she wouldn't have."
"I'm sorry, Severus. Where is he? By the way, the cakes ready"
"I'll get him,"

Snape yelled for Harry. Damn he hated birthdays. "Harry" he yelled again. Got no response and stomped upstairs. Harry sat in a crumpled heap on the floor, wrapping paper littered the floor.
"Potter, get a move on" Snape stood in the doorway snarling.
Harry didn't move he held his knees to his chest rocking, his face buried in them. "Potter?"
Snape came into the room, "Potter"? He asked again. Then he noticed the owls sitting on the desk, the open packages that had come from friends. The small presents, wrapping paper, ribbons, cards, a small cake, and a tin of fudge. The newspaper clippings on the floor, Harry rocked clutching one in his hands. Snape bent down next to the boy looking at the article, the photo, it was of the house pre destruction and post, the graves. A small noise escaped the boy, it wasn't a cry but something deep in him, a growl. A hatred ready to escape.

"Potter"? Snape reached for the clipping.
Harry suddenly sat up "Where's the paper from today, the whole thing." His eyes were wild with rage and fury.
"It didn't come today"
"I bet it did and you hid it from me"
"Why would I?"
"Because you or maybe Dumbledore didn't want me to see it. To see all the reasons Voldemorts after me. To see how big my family was? How Voldemort slowly wiped out each Potter? To see who I really am. I want to see this house, to see where my parents are buried." Harry was now screaming. He jumped up pacing the room, like a caged animal, wishing to escape, "I want to see it NOW" his fists clenched it tight knots. He looked around, the owls took flight, in the shouting.
Snape stood and as clam as he could muster "Sirius will take you he is your Godfather".
"And if I never see him again? Then who will take me? You will take me NOW"
"Then write Dumbledore and he will take you" Snape said getting equally mad.

Harry raced from the room, down the steps, where professor Flitwick stood "Harry" he calmly raised his hands, "Please this will be much easier when Dumbledore is here".
"Take me to my families house." He hovered over the small Professor. Harry was almost pleading but the angry was still in his voice.
"There's nothing there Potter" Snape said coming down the stairs "it was reduced to rubble. It's just a empty lot now."
"I want to see this empty lot then" Harry backed up, they didn't understand, their parents weren't killed like this. His eyes scanned the room. He needed away out of here.
Snape blocked the stairs and Flitwick stood in front of the door, he thought of knocking him over and grabbing his broom from his room and jumping out the window.

But he knew what he had to do, the fire was already burning and always was in a potion masters house. He grabbed the bottle off the shelf and threw the Floo Powder in "Godrics Hollow" and jumped.

"Son of a Bitch" Snape sprang across the room. Grabbed the Floo Powder "Get Dumbledore" he yelled at Flitwick and jumped himself.

To be continued.