"Destroying the Immortal"
Ron gave Severus an odd and suspicious look as he came inside, following Harry up to his room. "You're mad, do you know that?" said Ron when he'd put his trunk down. "How did you reckon that?" asked Harry. Ron shrugged as he sat down on the bed, "I dunno...I mean I know he's your uncle and everything but..." "But he's still an evil git to you," said Harry, finishing for him. Ron sighed, "Yeah I guess so. I mean no! He's not evil necessarily, just..." "Really mean to you?" said Severus' voice from the doorway. Ron jumped, "Erm...yes; wait no! I...oh forget it. I can't explain it anyway," he said with a roll of his eyes. "No I know what you mean. I was very rude to you and the rest of the students; I had to be," he said. Harry shook his head, "Let's just forget about the whole thing. How about some Quidditch practice Ron? I don't want to stay inside all day, and we're both going to be needing the practice time." "Yeah, especially with me being the new Keeper," said Ron proudly. Harry smiled inwardly; he was very glad indeed that his best friend had made the team.
They practiced in a large field behind the house for a few hours, throwing golf balls back and forth or racing their broomsticks against each other. Ron had just bought a Nimbus Two Thousand and One two weeks ago with the money he'd saved up from working at his brothers' store, Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. Despite the good quality of the Nimbus line, however, it was still outstripped by Harry's new broom, Sub Zero. After his faithful Firebolt had been destroyed by Voldemort, he'd been left without a broomstick for a few months until his birthday. He'd been wondering what the long, thin package was before he'd opened it. "That's from the both of us," Sirius had said, glancing at Severus with a grin. Harry had been more than ecstatic; he'd been dreading the opening Quidditch game of the next year, thinking he would have to ride on one of the school's old Shooting Star broomsticks.
After another hour or two of practicing they were just about ready to go inside when Fred and George, Ron's older brothers, Apparated in the middle of the field. "Ron! Come on! We've got problems at the store and we're gonna need your help!" cried George, waving at him frantically. Ron and Harry both landed next to the twins, "What happened?" asked Ron. "A Dungbomb went off in the store room; it's set off all the other Dungbombs and it's starting on the Filibuster Fireworks," said Fred with a shake of his head. "All that good merchandise; wasted." Ron frowned, "How'd it get set off?" George rolled his eyes, "Lee Jordan was back there stocking things up and I guess he thought it'd be funny to set one off. He's covered in dung right now though, so I don't think his joke is so funny to him anymore. Trying to surprise Fred, he was. Now he's washing himself off in the bathroom. We don't have a lot of time though now come on, let's go!" Fred grabbed Ron by the wrist and with a "Back in a while Harry!" the three of them had Apparated to the Weasley store.
Harry shrugged and mounted his broomstick, feeling eager to get back to the house since he still had to buy his school supplies later on that afternoon. On his way up to his room, however, Severus stopped him in the hall, holding a large, battered trunk in his hands. "Come on, there's something I want to show you." He led Harry back outside and opened the trunk; Harry gasped. "Whoa, cool!" he exclaimed. Inside the trunk was a complete set of Quidditch balls; a red Quaffle, two tied down black Bludgers, two Beater bats, and a Golden Snitch. He pulled the Snitch out of its' slot and stared at it, amazed that Severus would keep a trunk full of Quidditch equipment in his house. "Where did this come from?" said Harry in wonder as he looked at the old trunk. "At one time it belonged to my father and it got passed down to James. I wasn't one much for playing Quidditch, although it's all right to watch though. So rightfully it's yours, I was just waiting for the right time to give it to you. And now, since you have your friend Ron here and you both have new broomsticks I thought now was as good a time as any to give it to you. Do you like it?"
"Like it?! Of course I like it! This is excellent! Ron and I can practice with real Quidditch balls now or we can have games in the backyard..." said Harry happily. But although he was thrilled to have a set of Quidditch balls, he was also sad. 'This belonged to my dad,' he thought as he picked up the Quaffle and hefted it in his hands. He put it back in its' slot and then looked up at Severus, "Thanks. I really like it. This is the only thing I've got that belonged to my dad besides his old Invisibility Cloak." Severus rolled his eyes, "That stupid thing...James got away with everything using it. That and the Marauder's Map too; and I believe you were using both in your fourth year in the middle of the night?"
Harry didn't say anything; only smiled. In his fourth year, Harry had sneaked out of bed in the middle of the night to solve his dragon's egg clue, wearing the Invisibility Cloak and using the Marauder's Map to check if anyone else was around the castle. He'd dropped the egg, however, after accidentally putting his foot through one of the trick steps on the staircase and the Map had gone fluttering away from him. Filch the caretaker had found the egg only feet away from Harry and then Snape had shown up. Harry had just barely gotten away without either of them catching him. "You knew I was there though, didn't you?" said Harry. He shrugged, "I always knew whenever you were around. Even though I couldn't see you I just knew you were the school champion out of bed. It's in your nature; James was the same way." "Well you know I had a really good reason for being out of bed," said Harry. "Oh really? Let's hear it when we get to Diagon Alley."
* * *
After traveling via Floo Powder to Diagon Alley Harry explained why it was all right for him to be out of bed in the middle of the night. Severus didn't think much of his explanation; "You could have just gone to the Prefects' Bathroom earlier on in the evening instead of at half past twelve." Severus had walked into Flourish and Blotts when Harry was just about to reply but then he heard a familiar voice sneer in his general direction. "Oh look, it's Potty! But where's his best friend Weasel?" said Draco Malfoy. Harry turned around, "Shut up Malfoy, or else I'll have my friend turn you into another amazing bouncing ferret!" Malfoy's eyes became slits of anger, "Be quiet Potter. And I doubt your friend, whoever he is, has enough skill to turn me into another ferret as it is anyway. Especially with the trash you hang around with." Severus came walking back out of Flourish and Blotts to ask Harry what he was doing when he saw Malfoy. "Hello Mr. Malfoy," he said sternly. "Professor Snape, Potter is making fun of me and he won't leave me alone!" Malfoy whined. Harry shrugged and said flatly, "I know. I'm out of control." Severus covered his mouth with his hand, trying not to snicker. He knew Malfoy was lying; the boy had been a constant liar since he'd arrived at Hogwarts. He was no good in his Potions class either; the only reason why he passed him each year had been because of who his father was. But now that Voldemort was dead, he needn't worry about any further nuisances from the Death Eaters.
"Well what am I going to do with you Potter?" said Severus in a mock angry tone and a roll of the eyes. "School hasn't started yet so I can't give you a detention...hmm...here's an idea. How about you solve your own problems for once instead of crying to a teacher. How does that sound?" Draco's jaw dropped, "What?" "You heard me, now bugger off. I'm busy buying Harry's school supplies," he said, pushing Harry in the general direction of Flourish and Blotts. They left Malfoy standing in the middle of Diagon Alley, an expression of bewilderment on his face. Harry howled with laughter when they were inside the shop. "I don't believe it! That was brilliant! He'll be confused for weeks!"
Severus grinned, "I know."
* * *
Harry and Severus returned home two hours later, laid down with all of his school supplies. Harry found Ron out practicing Quidditch on his broomstick in the backyard and Harry lugged the trunk of Quidditch balls outside. "Wow! That's really cool Harry! Where'd you get it from?" said Ron when he saw the trunk's contents. Ron was more than a little amazed that Severus of all people had given it to him. "I don't believe he gave that to you," he said. Then Harry told him about meeting Malfoy in Diagon Alley, and Ron whooped with laughter when he told about what had happened. "Malfoy is gonna be furious! He won't be able to pass any of his Potions classes now that Snape doesn't have to like Malfoy anymore!" Harry smiled, "Isn't life wonderful sometimes?"
* * *
Later that night Harry, Ron, and Severus walked down to the Three Broomsticks where they were supposed to meet Fred, George, Lee, Hermione, and Sirius for dinner. They sat down at the table to find that Fred, George, and Lee hadn't arrived yet; "Still scrubbing Dungbombs off the floor no doubt," said Ron with a shake of his head. "Why? What happened with Dungbombs?" said Hermione. Sirius laughed, "Bit of an accident in their store today." "I didn't know you knew about that Sirius!" said Ron. He shrugged, "Well, I was in there looking at some...erm...stuff when they went off in the back room. Kind of hard not to know what was going on what with Lee running out of the store covered in dung and shouting curse words." Harry snorted back a laugh, imagining Lee the Weasley twins' best friend caught up in a situation like that.
An hour later after everyone had finished eating they finally showed up, looking very tired indeed. The three slumped into their chairs and George said, "We're never stocking the Fireworks next to the Dungbombs again. Ever." Fred nodded, "Yeah, we couldn't find any of that Mrs. Skower's Magical Mess Remover stuff so we had to clean it up. By hand." Lee simply gave a remote "Hi," and then put his head down on the table; he was asleep a minute later. Then Fred noticed that Severus was also sitting at the table; he leapt backward out of his seat, knocking the chair over. "Hey! What're you doing here?!" he said, eyeing him suspiciously. George stood up next to Fred, glaring at Severus angrily, "Who invited you anyway?" Ron rolled his eyes, "Didn't I tell you both about this before the school year ended? He's Harry's uncle, I told you!" "Oh shut up Ron. We didn't think you were serious about it. We thought you were just joking. I mean honestly, Harry and...him," said George irritably. Severus leaned back in his chair and frowned at the two of them sternly, "Shut up." Hermione rolled her eyes, "All three of you are so rude!"
"Well all they ever did in my class was blow things up for their own personal pleasure so why should I be polite with them?!" said Severus. "I had to waste eleven of my evenings on them because they had to serve detention with me!" "Well maybe if you would stop giving us detentions you wouldn't have to worry about it now would you?" said George angrily. "You are a bit hasty on the detentions," said Ron with a shrug. "What? I am not! Shut up!" he snapped. "Hey! Don't yell at my best friend!" Harry said. The entire table erupted in a flurry of arguments, all except for Hermione and Sirius who were sitting back and watching the havoc. They let them carry on for a few minutes, attracting the attention of a few other tables there in the Three Broomsticks until Sirius had finally had enough. He slammed his empty Butterbeer tankard down on the table, "ENOUGH!" he shouted. They stopped and stared at him. He stretched his legs out and propped them up on the table, "I have just one thing to add to everything you've all been saying." They waited until he was certain he had everyone's attention, then he stuck his nose in the air, "I don't like any of you."
They all laughed, "You know I think we needed that bit of sanity?" said Ron. "More like insanity," said Harry. Sirius frowned at him, "Okay now I really don't like you."
* * *
Harry was very anxious to start his sixth year at Hogwarts, mostly because he had a feeling he'd be acing his Potions class this year because of all the helpful tips Severus had been giving him during the summer. He'd also been giving Harry some advice on Charms and the Dark Arts, which was excellent for Harry because lately he'd been having a hard time with some of his Charms homework. Hermione, however, did not approve, "It's not fair that a Hogwarts teacher is helping you with your homework Harry. You're not getting the full benefit of doing the work on your own." Harry had simply shrugged, "Well I am doing it on my own. It's just some of the hard stuff that I need help with. Besides, he won't help me during the school year, he's already told me that. Who cares if I get a little extra help during the summer?" Hermione had frowned, "I care," she muttered.
Soon enough Harry, Ron, and Severus had Apparated up to the school using a portkey that Severus had conjured. Harry and Ron were in the middle of eating some Chocolate Frogs when the rest of the students arrived after their trip on the Hogwarts Express. After the usual feast they went to bed, Hermione terrorizing them all the way to the common room about color-coding their schedules. "Oh would you give it a rest?!" Ron said, "I'm tired and I want to sleep! Not think about coloring my schedule! Besides, what would you know about it then? So far that I've seen all you do is outline Gilderoy Lockhart's lessons in little hearts!" Hermione burned a deep red, remembering their ex-Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher from their second year and did not bother them about color-coding again. "Remind me to remember that one for later if she starts that nonsense up again," said Ron sleepily from his bed. Harry didn't reply; he was already fast asleep.
* * *
The first Quidditch game of the year was Gryffindor versus Slytherin, and Harry was very much looking forward to it. As Ron and Harry got their gear on in the changing rooms Ron asked, "Do you think that Professor Snape will wear Slytherin or Gryffindor colors?" Harry hadn't thought about this before; "I-I really don't know actually. I hadn't thought about it until now. Maybe he'll wear Gryffindor colors." It was well known that Severus had always worn black to every Quidditch match but he always had the same green and silver Slytherin scarf around his neck. "Nah, he'd never wear Gryffindor colors; his house would kill him," said Ron with a shrug. Ron hefted his broomstick over one shoulder and he and Harry walked out to the large double doors, waiting for them to open so they could step into the stadium. "Hey Ron?" "Yeah?" "You think Malfoy will try to knock me off my broom again?" said Harry. Ron laughed lightly, "Probably; you know he couldn't win fairly. He'll probably get Crabbe or Goyle to do something again like he did last year; or maybe he'll just try to strangle you in the air. Doesn't matter; if I see him doing anything suspicious I'm gonna beat the Quaffle into his face, that stupid git."
The doors opened and the team flew into the stadium, Harry feeling very glad to be back on his broom again. Both teams formed a large circle around the trunk that held the Quidditch balls, and Madam Hooch said, "I want fair playing on both sides, do you understand?" She was especially eyeing Malfoy, who had just been made the Slytherin team Captain shortly after Harry was made Gryffindor Captain. He simply looked back at her innocently, "I always play fair." Her eyes became slits of fury and it seemed like she wanted to slap him for his remark but instead she blew her whistle and released the Quaffle. Harry flew up to the top of the stadium lazily, scanning for the Golden Snitch and staying out of the game until he found it. Malfoy was doing the same thing, only instead of looking for the Snitch he was eyeing Harry, clearly waiting for Harry to make the first dive. 'All right Malfoy, if that's how you want to play...' he thought with some satisfaction as he plummeted down toward the ground. Malfoy swooped after him and Harry heard Justin Finch-Fletchley shout out over the purple megaphone, "Gryffindor Seeker Potter has seen the Snitch!" The crowd cheered happily but Harry ignored them and kept diving straight down. 'Let's see how you handle a Wronski Feint,' he thought, glancing over at Malfoy who was now even with him.
Harry kept dropping and dropping, pointed directly down at the ground, and Malfoy was growing nervous. He kept glancing over at Harry, wondering where the Snitch was when he realized too late that there was no Snitch where Harry was heading. Harry swerved away abruptly, his Sub Zero broom more than capable of the swift movements and Malfoy hit the ground with a sickening thud. "Oh my God I don't believe it! Slytherin Seeker Malfoy looks more than just a little bruised down there!" said Justin's voice over the megaphone. Harry grinned silently to himself, 'Serves him right too.' In the meantime, however, Harry swooped back up to the top of the stadium, still looking for the Golden Snitch amidst boos from the Slytherins. He looked down and saw Severus, and he noticed that not only was he wearing his usual Slytherin scarf but also a Gryffindor tie. He smiled and continued to look for the Snitch, now very anxious to end the game. Gryffindor was up by thirty so he was sure to get a large amount of house points. Then he saw the glimmer of gold flashing by Ron's ear.
Harry speeded towards Ron and shouted, "LOOK OUT!" Ron barely ducked in time, swiveling over to hang upside down on his broom, Harry's robes grazing his fiery red hair as he caught the Snitch. "Harry Potter has caught the Snitch! The game is over! GRYFFINDOR WINS!" shouted Justin. The stadium erupted in a flurry of happiness and Harry jetted back down to the ground, holding up the Snitch for all to see. Ron landed next to him, "Some catch Harry!" "Yeah, no kidding!" said Dean Thomas, their new Beater, "I thought you were about to take Ron's head off!" "We're just lucky our Keeper thinks on his feet!" said Seamus Finnigan, the team's other new Beater. Harry shrugged and was just about ready to lead the team off the field when he heard the crowd gasp and felt something hit him in the back of the head like a freight train. He fell into darkness and saw no more.
* * *
"...Dirty, filthy, rotten playing," said a familiar voice. "He might be expelled for it you know," said another. "We can only hope. He's been playing dirty ever since he made the team; deserves to be kicked out for that little maneuver there." "Yeah, especially with that hit to the head like that. I mean he could have killed him!" "Probably trying to knowing Malfoy." Harry's vision cleared slowly, and he realized it wasn't blurry just because his head hurt but also because his glasses were missing. He saw them sitting on a nightstand next to him and he put them on. He was in the hospital wing, and several of his friends were sitting around the foot of his bed talking about what had happened at the Quidditch match. "Did Malfoy hit me?" he said slowly. "Oh good you're awake," said Ron with a sigh of relief. "Yeah, that moron hit you in the back of the head with a Bludger when none of us were looking. Supposedly Dumbledore is going to expel him because what he did could have killed you. Instead you got a concussion; at least that means you've got a thick skull!"
Hermione shook her head and sighed, "I can't believe he did it either. The Slytherin Beaters were helping him up from where he'd hit the ground and he was so furious that he snatched the Beater bat out of Morag McDougal's hand and pelted a Bludger at you. So dirty and disgusting..." "He's a Malfoy, what do you expect?" said Seamus with a frown. Harry was furious indeed, "If ever I get my hands on him I'll...I'll...I dunno what I'll do. Choke him and leave him in the Forbidden Forest for one of those giant spiders I guess. Hey wait a minute; where's my uncle?" Very slowly, they all began to laugh. "Well it's kind of funny Harry," said Ron, his face turning slightly pink with laughter. Hermione giggled, "Yeah, I couldn't believe it." "What? What happened?" said Harry. Dean grinned, "Get this; Malfoy has this all high and mighty look on his face after he hit you with that Bludger okay? Go ahead, envision it!" Harry shrugged, "He's got that look on his face all the time; why???" "Right then now imagine someone coming out of nowhere and strangling him from behind, then dragging him off the field while screaming at him that he's a worthless piece of dung. How does that sound to you?" Harry grinned, "Sounds fine but...oh no..." he said, beginning to laugh, "No way...he'd never..." "Well he did," said Seamus, "it was euphoria."
The door suddenly burst open and striding in came not only Severus but also Sirius. "Are you okay Harry?!" said Sirius, "I heard about what happened and I was really worried that that Bludger had..." "I'm fine! Just a concussion is all!" said Harry. Sirius let out a sigh of relief, "God I was so worried. When I was here we had a kid who got more than just a concussion from that..." "Ah yes, I remember him," said Severus, "he never came back to school." Harry shivered, now feeling very glad that all he'd received was a concussion. "Um, Professor Snape?" came Dean's voice from behind him. Severus turned back to face him, "What is it Mr. Thomas?" Dean shrugged, "Well the team and I just wanted to thank you for giving Malfoy that beating. It was something else!" "Yeah, do it again sometime," said Seamus with a bemused smile. Despite the seriousness of the situation Severus still smiled slightly, "Although you're encouraging the endangerment of a student, or rather ex-student, I'll still pretend like I didn't hear that..." "Wait a minute, did you say ex-student?!" said Hermione. "Yes, Mr. Malfoy has been expelled," said Severus firmly.
"Did you expel him?" said Ron. "Yes and no Mr. Weasley. I hold half the control over that happy power; Headmaster Dumbledore has to agree to the expulsion, and he did. He'll be out of here by dinnertime." Harry's jaw dropped; he hadn't really thought it would happen just like that.
* * *
It rained starting at around half past three that afternoon. Harry, Hermione, Ron, and most of the other sixth year Gryffindors were staring out the window, watching a black carriage pulling up to the school. They saw the figure of Draco Malfoy walking out to meet it, trunk in tow behind him. His father, Lucius Malfoy, stepped out of the carriage and let Draco get in, but then he turned back to the castle. Harry opened the window and they heard amidst the beating of the rain Lucius Malfoy's angry voice cry, "YOU'LL PAY FOR THIS ONE DUMBLEDORE YOU MUGGLE-LOVING FOOL! MARK MY WORDS!" Harry pulled out his wand, fully ready to curse Malfoy but a hand reached out and stopped him. He looked up to see Severus standing there, staring out the window. "Let him say whatever he wants. He's powerless without Voldemort," he said quietly. Harry pocketed his wand while the rest of the Gryffindors flinched at the sound of Voldemort's name, many of them eyeing Severus oddly. Malfoy stepped back inside the carriage and it pulled away from the school, Draco's face staring out the window at them. Harry was very much surprised, in fact, to see Draco give them a feeble wave before the carriage disappeared around the bend in the road. "I don't believe it," he said slowly. "He's gone. Forever."
* * *
The Great Hall was quieter than usual that night. The students had never seen anyone expelled before. Several Gryffindors were saying, "Good riddance," and things like that, but Harry was deep in thought. "Harry, you haven't touched your food," said Hermione, "what's wrong?" Harry put his fork down and didn't answer; Ron and Hermione exchanged glances but didn't bother him, and Harry was grateful for that. He looked up at the staff table and his eyes met Severus'. It had been wearing on Harry's mind since he'd seen Draco leave, but he wasn't sure if he dared ask. Severus, however, seemed to understand and he said something to Dumbledore. They both got up and walked the length of the room until they came to Harry, "Can we talk to you outside please?" said Dumbledore politely. Harry nodded and they left.
"What was that all about?" said Dean. "I dunno, but it was weird. Did you see the way Harry was staring at Snape? Just a really strange look..." said Parvati from down the table. Ron shook his head, "What's going on? Do you know anything about this Hermione?" She shook her head in return, "No, I have no idea at all."
* * *
They returned to the common room later that night to find Harry already there, staring into the fire. "Harry, what's wrong? You can tell us," said Hermione, sitting down across from him. He smiled, "Actually I can't, but you'll all find out soon enough." "Oh come on Harry what's happened eh?" said Ron, "We won't blab if that's what you're worried about." "No no, not blabbing..." he replied, "...just...well you'll all be a bit angry with me soon enough." Hermione rolled her eyes, "Harry, we get mad at you, but just because we're friends you know? Friends argue and it's no big deal. Whatever it is, you can tell us." Harry shrugged, "We'll see soon enough." Suddenly the portrait hole opened and Severus stepped through it and strode over to stand next to Harry. "Well?" "No not yet," said Harry. They both gazed intently at the fire, waiting. "You're both nutters as far as I'm concerned," said Ron, tossing up his hands with frustration. Then the fire began to glow green.
"What's going on? Is someone Apparating here? Is it Sirius?" said Hermione. A head came spinning into the fireplace, then an entire body, and before they realized it Draco Malfoy was climbing out of the hearth, luggage in tow. "Malfoy! You rat! What're you doing in here?!" shouted Ron angrily. "Get out Malfoy! You've been expelled!" hissed Hermione. Malfoy looked at Severus and Harry in silence, ignoring Ron and Hermione, "This is going to be hard." Harry stood up, "It's meant to be." Malfoy let out a heavy sigh, "Yeah...but thanks." Severus was still eyeing the boy with hatred, "Up the stairs. Go." Malfoy went up the stairs to the boys' dormitory and disappeared with his luggage. Ron jumped up to go after him but Harry stopped him, "Harry what is going on?!" Harry let out a deep sigh and squeezed his eyes shut, praying Ron and Hermione would still be his friends.
"I told Severus and Dumbledore that I wanted Malfoy back at Hogwarts, only in the Gryffindor house, living in our dorm." Ron went ballistic, "YOU WHAT?! HAVE YOU GONE MAD?!" Harry shook his head, "No Ron what I mean is..." "HE CAN'T BE IN OUR HOUSE!!" screeched Hermione. "HE'S A FILTHY RAT! HE ALMOST KILLED YOU!!!" "I know I know! Just listen! This is his punishment! Everyone in the school hates him now and his worst idea of punishment would be to get stuck with us in the Gryffindor house! He was proud to be a Slytherin and now he's stuck with us! I couldn't let him get expelled from Hogwarts and go to Durmstrang because he'll end up even worse! It might get him killed! You know they teach the Dark Arts at Durmstrang and that's all he needs is someone else besides his father to encourage him! He'll end up in Azkaban and he's too young for that! Look at what happened to Sirius! He didn't deserve it and it almost drove him insane when he was in there! I know Malfoy can still change if we push him hard enough in the right direction! It's just a matter of time before he..." Ron punched him and broke his glasses.
"HOW COULD YOU DO THIS WITHOUT ASKING EVERYONE ELSE FIRST?!" Ron howled as he shoved Harry to the floor. "HE'LL DRIVE US ALL CRAZY BY THE END OF THE YEAR!!! WHY DID YOU DO THIS TO US?!?" Severus raced over to Ron before he could do any more damage and pulled him off Harry, "Knock it off! Quit it!" he shouted. Ron shoved Severus away from him and bashed open the portrait hole, scaring the Fat Lady out of her wits. Harry got up and walked over to Hermione, who was staring at him with a murderous look. "Hermione," he said, but before he could finish his sentence she whispered, "He called me a Mudblood." Harry let out a flustered sigh, "Hermione I know but..." She slapped him hard across the face and stormed up to her dormitory without a second glance, slamming the door as hard as she could.
Severus, in the meantime, picked up the remains of Harry's glasses and said, "Reparo!" making them good as new, and handed them back to Harry. "You knew this was going to be hard," he said. "Yeah," said Harry, "but as to how hard...I had no idea."
* * *
Ron and Hermione stayed away from Harry at all costs. They sat at the opposite end of the lunch table, got the furthest seats from him in class, and refused to even look at him. The rest of the Gryffindors hated him too and referred to him as "Potter" or if it was Quidditch "the Seeker." The Slytherins, however, weren't quite sure as what to make of the whole situation. On the one hand, Harry had gotten Malfoy back into Hogwarts; on the other, Malfoy was now a Gryffindor. Malfoy was the only one who actually talked to Harry now, since his presence at the school was mostly based on Harry's request. Severus felt so bad for Harry that he tried to do whatever he could to patch up things between him, Ron, and Hermione. He paired up Harry and Ron at the same cauldron in Potions but Ron told him flat out at the beginning of the lesson, "You chop the ginger roots and I'll slice the caterpillars." They each did their specific job, made the potion, and Ron never said anything else to him. When Harry asked to borrow the knife Ron said, "Get it yourself," and turned his back on him. Harry wanted to punch that head of fiery red hair but restrained himself, knowing that that obviously wasn't going to help the situation at all.
Severus stopped him one day after class; "Stay after for a few minutes. I want to talk to you." Harry sat down in an empty seat; Hermione's during class, and Severus asked, "So how's it going?" Harry grimaced, "Very badly. They're hardly talking to me, and when they do it's pretty uncivilized behavior. I suppose I deserve it though..." Severus shook his head, "I tried to help but I guess..." "Don't worry about it. I'll fix it on my own, but I really appreciate it though," said Harry, "I just wish they would listen to reason." Absent-mindedly Harry began to carve "I'm sorry Hermione!!! -HP" on the desk with his chopping knife. "Hey! What're you doing to my desks?!" Severus said, noticing how Harry was digging into the wood. "Writing a message," said Harry, "maybe she'll get it this way." Severus read it and didn't bother him about it any further, "Maybe Harry. Maybe."
* * *
Harry started leaving messages for Ron and Hermione everywhere. After he got out of the shower he wrote "Sorry Ron!!! -HP" in the steamy mirror so Ron could see it when he got out of the shower the next time. He asked Parvati Patil to take a note up to Hermione despite her protests that she didn't want to do anything for someone like him. "Please Parvati, if you ever thought of me as a friend at any time you'll do this," he'd pleaded. She finally gave in and took it up to Hermione, the words, "Please forgive me!-HP" scrawled across it. He even went to the Hogwarts house elves and got them to arrange a plate of breadsticks to say, "I miss you! -HP" and made sure that it would arrive in front of Ron and Hermione. Harry watched that night at dinner and saw it Apparate in front of them; Hermione and Ron looked at each other and then looked down the table, saw Harry was staring back, and immediately returned to eating. They gave no sign of caring. Harry let out an exasperated sigh and put his head in his hands; all Severus could do as he watched was the same as Harry.
* * *
He took it upon himself to help one day in Potions. "Granger and Weasley stay behind after class to help clean the desks," Severus told them sternly. The bell rang and they stared at Severus apprehensively. "Both of you come up to my desk," he said, sitting down in his chair. They approached him slowly, eyeing him nastily. He leaned forward, "Look, this has gone far enough. Harry knows you're mad at him and he understands why. Don't you think you've punished him for long enough? Do you have any idea as to how much it kills him to see you two and know he can't be part of your friendship? He's been trying to tell you both how sorry he is and you're both just going to keep acting like you don't care. Well, if you want to let something that small interfere with your friendship, fine by me, but I just wanted to let you both know how much this is hurting him. You can go to class." Severus was sure that not so much as a word he'd said had gotten through to them, but he could always hope for Harry's sake.
* * *
Harry was beginning to spend more and more time down in the dungeons with Severus. He would help him practice spells, brew potions, anything to help get his mind off Ron and Hermione. One night, however, Severus was late, and Harry was casting some simple Summoning and Banishing Charms when he heard a set of footsteps sound from the stone stairway. "You're late Severus! I thought you'd..." But it wasn't Severus; it was Ron and Hermione. "Oh," said Harry, "hi." They stood staring at each other for a few seconds, then Hermione said, "Look, you're doing it all wrong. When you do a Banishing Charm you make this motion." She pulled out her wand and did it as easy as can be, and Ron said, "Yeah Harry, don't know how you missed that. Learned those in our fourth year." Harry felt as if a great weight had been lifted from his chest, "Right, I guess I just wasn't paying attention."
* * *
Severus was thinking about locking the three of them in a room for twenty-four hours to see if that would do any good when he heard laughing carrying up the stairway. 'Please tell me they've stopped fighting,' he thought as he ran down the stairs and came to a halt in front of the Potions room. "Yeah, but that wasn't nearly as funny as the time we freed Buckbeak and Sirius with the Time-Turner. The expression on his face was priceless!" said Harry. "I knew it had something to do with you!" said Severus. "Oh hi! Yeah, we let them loose," said Harry with a guilty shrug. The three were sitting on top of one of the tables, talking about funny events gone by. "You're face was so funny though Severus!" said Harry, contorting his face, 'THIS...HAS...SOMETHING...TO DO...WITH...POTTER!' Oh man, what a riot..." Severus frowned, "I always know when it has something to do with you. Or Hermione and Ron for that matter." Ron shrugged, "Hey, it's what we do." Inwardly, in the meantime, Severus let out a sigh of relief. 'Maybe Harry will finally be able to sleep.' Harry had told him days ago that he hadn't slept in so long because of how bad he was beginning to feel what with what had happened with him, Hermione, and Ron.
"How about you Severus? Any funny stories?" asked Harry. He thought for a moment, "No not really. Oh wait, there's this really good one that happened in my fifth year. James had blown up this toilet in the middle of the night, and..."
* * *
Harry, Ron, and Hermione went back to being the best of friends, much to the relief of both Sirius and Severus. Hermione and Ron started telling other Gryffindors about how what Harry had done wasn't so bad, even though they still personally thought it was a daft idea. After a while he was no longer "Potter" or "the Seeker," but back to being Harry again, and soon he was having civilized conversations with other people at the Gryffindor lunch table. Malfoy, however, was still very depressed indeed, often eyeing the Slytherin table with sadness. "Why don't you try making friends with some of the Gryffindors?" said Harry, "Might help." "Dunno..." he grumbled, "...don't like me very much..." and he slid away from the table, walking slowly out of the Great Hall. "Well his punishment is working out just fine then isn't it?" said Ron cheerily as he ate his treacle tart. "He deserves every bit of it," said Hermione. Harry shrugged, "Well it's working either way. Maybe he'll finally start realizing that there are other people besides Slytherins to hang out with." "Doubt it," said Seamus Finnigan, "his skull is far too thick for that."
* * *
They were allowed to visit Hogsmeade two weekends later, but Harry didn't feel like going immediately and told Ron and Hermione that he'd join them later using the Marauder's Map. "I still have two essays to do, and I've only got one of them halfway done. Besides, I'm feeling kind of...er, nervous," he told them in the common room. "Why? What happened Harry?" said Hermione, etched with concern. He shook his head, "Maybe I imagined it but...last night I had a horrible dream about Voldemort coming back again...my scar hurt so much it woke me up." Ron's face drained of color, "Y-You don't think he's...he's coming back, do you? He can't! I mean, Professor Snape said he was finally killed last year and that no matter what he couldn't come back!" "He never said 'No matter what' Ron. There might be ways though...if there were a faithful Death Eater out there who found out about a spell to bring back the dead or something they could have done it," said Harry. Ron's eyes flickered over to Malfoy, who was sitting alone in a corner. "He's too young Ron, you know that," said Harry with a frown, "he'd never be able to pull it off."
"I wasn't thinking of Draco, Harry," said Ron in a whisper, "I was thinking of his father."
* * *
Harry had just finished up his second essay in the library and was carrying his books up the stairs to the dormitory when he heard a shout. It sounded like Draco. He dropped his books and ran up the stairs but stopped just short of the doorway, hidden by the frame. "B-B-But father said you were dead!" said Draco hoarsely. "No boy," came a raspy voice, "he found a way to bring me back in my spirit form. Now it is only a matter of time before I can regain my body. But to do that, boy, you must help me." Draco didn't say anything for a minute and when his voice finally came it sounded remote and far-off, "What do I have to do?" he whispered. "Kill Harry Potter and bring his body to me. His blood is the most potent for the spell I'll need to perform to regain my body. I need the blood of an enemy, and although almost anyone would suffice, I want a strong enemy. Potter hates me, and I hate him for the pain and humiliation he has caused me." Harry felt his scar twinge and tried not to make a sound.
"I-I-I can't kill someone," said Draco softly. "Oh but you can, and you will," said the voice that Harry was now certain was Voldemort's. "It is only a matter of time before I return, and if you stand in my way then I shall make your life that much more painful for you." Harry wanted to run in there and curse Voldemort, but he somehow restrained himself; he had the feeling that this was something Draco had to do on his own. "Now," said Voldemort, "are you willing to help me?" 'Say no Draco. Please say no, don't give in to this,' thought Harry pleadingly. Draco waited for what seemed like an hour, "Yes Master. Of course I will."
* * *
Harry dashed down the stairs and grabbed his books, not sure if he should go to Severus and Dumbledore or fight it out with Malfoy or pretend like he hadn't heard a thing. He sat down in one of the large red armchairs, thinking, when Malfoy came down the stairs. Harry stiffened, "Hello Malfoy." "Harry we need to talk. Now." He looked paler than usual, and Harry said "Alright," and followed him out the portrait hole. They stopped in the trophy room and Harry fingered his wand nervously. Malfoy turned to face him and whipped out his wand, crying out an incantation as he did so and waving his arm in a large, sweeping gesture. A blue aura appeared around both of them and began to crystallize, and soon they were surrounding by a large, bright blue wall. "This is a Deafening Charm," said Malfoy, "no one can hear anything from outside until I break the spell." Harry walked backward into the wall of the charm, trying to put as much space between him and Malfoy as he could.
Malfoy stepped forward and put his hands on Harry's shoulders, "Listen to me carefully Harry; you have to get out of the castle and you have to do it soon. I mean like within the hour; go to Dumbledore, do whatever you have to do but get out of the castle and find a safe place to hide. Stay with Snape or Sirius. No wait, he knows about them; uhh, just find someone to stay with and lie low for a while, right?" Harry let out a sigh of relief, "I thought you were really going to kill me." "What? You heard that? Then you already know about...?" "Yeah, I heard it all. You said you would kill me, and I thought you meant it." Malfoy shook his head, "No...I...I didn't realize what a horrible maniac he was until I finally met him face to face just now. He's ugly, he's disgusting, he's barely alive...I don't understand how you can live like that. I can't even believe that my father brought him back; I didn't know he was that desperate for power. But that's not the point; look, you've done enough for me so far that I know you're not the bad person I thought you were. You've still got to get out of here though; once he figures out I'm not on his side I'm dead, but when he finds someone who will take the chance you'll still be in danger."
He raised his wand, about to break the charm when he said, "And listen Harry, run to Dumbledore as fast as you can. He could be anywhere in the castle for all we know, and when he sees you alive he'll know for certain that I lied. But I can hold him off for a while if I can make him think you're dead." He cast the reverse spell and the charm broke in shards, vanishing into nothing. "Run," he hissed, "go to Dumbledore and tell him what's happened while there's still time!"
Harry didn't feel much like just leaving Draco there to fight off Voldemort but he had no choice; they were both defenseless without Dumbledore or Severus. Harry ran as quickly as he could down the hall but then he noticed a spirit turning around the corner; it was a funny blue color, and Harry knew there were no blue spirits at Hogwarts. He ducked into the boys' bathroom and thought about how he could get to Dumbledore without getting caught by anyone. He raised his wand and said, "Accio Invisibility Cloak!" He waited, hoping that the spell would work as it had with his Firebolt in his fourth year during the Tri-Wizard Tournament. He opened the door a crack, then he heard something fall, rustling to his feet. He prodded his fingers and felt the soft, fluid-like cloth and pulled it through the door and quickly donned it. He ducked his head out the door and saw that there was no longer a spirit there and quickly ran down the hall.
He came to a skidding halt when he saw Severus, Dumbledore, and Sirius having a conversation in the middle of the hallway by the Charms room. "I don't know, but I haven't seen him all day and I haven't seen Malfoy either," said Severus, "something is wrong. Ron and Hermione haven't seen him either." Harry came up behind Severus and whispered, "Tell them to go up to Dumbledore's office." Severus almost jumped out of his skin, but followed along, "Headmaster I believe we should go to your office. Now." Dumbledore gave Severus an odd look but said nothing and led them past the stone gargoyle up to his circular office. Harry took of the Invisibility Cloak, "Ah, I see," said Dumbledore. Harry quickly explained everything about him, Voldemort, and Malfoy, and soon the four of them were running up to the Gryffindor common room. "Patronus! Patronus!" cried Harry at the Fat Lady as they came sprinting down the hall, "Don't see what the hurry is," she said as she swung open.
They bolted past the common room, scaring several Gryffindors out of their wits, and went up the stairs to the dormitory. They didn't even stop at the door as Severus simply blasted it out of his way. Malfoy was slumped against a bedpost, gasping for breath, staring at the floor. There across from Malfoy was a scattering of black ash; "He's gone for now," said Malfoy, clutching at his chest, still sucking down air. "How did you do that?" said Harry with amazement. "Memory Charm," said Malfoy. "What? That doesn't make any sense at all," he replied. "I know, but I have a guess," said Malfoy, his breathing beginning to slow. "Voldemort was living only in the idea of mind; he was living because he willed himself to live. He had to force himself to survive in that form every second and every minute of the day. I Obliviated his memory though; and for that short amount of time he forgot who he was and what he was doing. He ceased to live because he couldn't remember how." "How did you come up with the idea of using a Memory Charm?" said Severus.
"I-I didn't...it was just the first thing that popped into my head," he said, still staring at the ash on the floor. Dumbledore nodded, "All right. You are to be taken to the hospital wing then; Mr. Potter, would you take him?" Harry nodded, "Yeah...sure." They left and Severus turned to Dumbledore, "That doesn't change the fact that he can still come back." Sirius crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the doorway, "We have to get that book from Lucius Malfoy or he'll do it again and again until he kills one of them." Dumbledore said nothing and instead walked over to the fireplace, removing a small amount of powder from a sack inside his robes and throwing it into the flames. It glowed green and Dumbledore said, "Arthur, I need to speak to you face to face right now." Arthur Weasley began to spin out of the fireplace and dusted ash off his robes when he'd gotten completely out. "Everything all right Albus?" he asked.
They explained to him what had happened and Dumbledore ended it by saying, "You have to raid the Malfoy estate and find that book Arthur. If we don't find it..." Arthur nodded slowly, "I understand. We'll get him sir; mark my words we will."
* * *
The Malfoy estate was raided later on that night, accompanied by three Aurors, six Ministry wizards, and one Unspeakable. Dementors were seen waiting for Lucius Malfoy outside the gates, eager to begin draining his sanity. The report was in the Daily Prophet the next morning, and Ron, Harry, and Hermione were unsure as to whether or not Draco already knew about it. They didn't say anything and when Draco asked to see the Daily Prophet Ron shook his head. "I already know about it Ron, just hand me the paper so I can read what they wrote on it," said Malfoy sullenly. He scanned the paper quickly then handed it back, "The trial is tomorrow. I expect father will be sending me an owl sometime soon about it." Sure enough, the owls came swooping in and Malfoy's eagle owl dropped off a small piece of parchment. He read it and almost laughed, then crumpled it up and stuffed it in his robes. "Well?" said Harry. "He's trying to excuse himself as usual. I won't worry too much about it though; I never got along with him very well anyway," said Malfoy.
* * *
Lucius Malfoy was sentenced to a life term in Azkaban. They had to drag him out of the courtroom kicking and screaming, which made Severus want to spit with disgust. After the audience had exited, Severus found himself wondering what would happen next. He was frightened because he had thought Voldemort had died this last time when he'd destroyed his soul with the Avada Kedavra spell. But the idea that there were still ways to bring him back made him shiver; "This is a losing battle," he said as he looked up at the night sky. "I can't keep this up forever and neither can Dumbledore, Sirius, or any of them." He could only hope that he'd be able to protect Harry from Voldemort as he'd been doing secretly for so many years; it was that small glimmer of hope that carried him through so many sleepless nights.
* * *
Harry rode his Sub Zero easily, having come out at dusk to practice a little bit before he went inside. The sun was just about to go down when he was walking off the pitch, Draco and Ron with him having wanted a go on his broom. They were walking up the path to Hogwarts when they heard a sound in one of the bushes. Harry, Draco, and Ron lit their wands and saw a man standing there with mussed silver-blonde hair, clutching a wand. "Father?" said Draco slowly. He hit Draco with a spell, "Not anymore I'm not! I have no son you filthy traitor! But I am faithful to Voldemort," he said, turning to face Harry. "My Lord wants you dead, and dead you shall be." Ron tried to cast a spell on him to stop him from killing Harry but to no effect; Lucius blocked it and sent Ron careening into a tree, knocking him out. Draco let out a moan from the grass to Harry's right; from the looks of it one of his legs and a few ribs were broken.
"The Boy Who Lived," he sneered at Harry, "we shall see about that." A mad gleam was in his eyes as he raised his wand to kill Harry but then Harry heard "WINGARDIUM LEVIOSA!" and Lucius went flying, then plummeted down to the ground and hit it with a bone-cracking thud. Harry whipped about to see Severus running up to meet him, "How many times have I told you not to go out alone anymore?!" he shouted at him angrily. "You almost got yourself, Draco, and Ron killed!" Harry let out a sigh, "I know. I'm sorry." Severus shut his eyes and sighed, opening his eyes again. "Look it's best you get out of here Harry. The Dementors will be here any minute now and..." "What? What do you mean the Dementors will be here?!" "Lucius Malfoy's escape from Azkaban was reported everywhere; the Dementors were sent to the key places where we knew he would head to first. They're already in Hogsmeade and three of them are coming up here right now because we know he wants you dead. Now we have some actual proof though."
"They're going to kill him aren't they?" said Harry. "No, they won't kill him...trust me, he'd be much better off if he were dead." "The Dementor's Kiss?" said Harry softly. "Yes Harry. Now go, get out of here before they arrive," said Severus, shoving him toward the school. "No!" said Harry, "I want to be here when he's killed." Severus was surprised at the young man's courage and finally gave in, "All right. But only because he tried to kill you; I hope I'm not making a bad decision out of this." A few minutes later the Dementors arrived, and Harry felt himself growing cold and his vision blurring from their presence, but he concentrated hard on the happiest moment of his life and his vision began to clear. One of the Dementors put out its' two scabbed, slimy white hands and pulled Lucius Malfoy's limp body up to its' hooded face. Malfoy slowly began to awaken and saw the Dementors all around him. He screamed and screamed and Harry felt his blood turn to ice. The Dementor let its' hood fall back a little ways to expose its mouth; no, not a mouth...more like a gaping hole in its' face. Malfoy weakly tried to push at the Dementor, desperate to get away and still screaming for his life, when the Dementor began to suck.
It pried at Malfoy's mouth until it was completely open and began to suck at the air harder until a wispy gray cloud began to come out of Malfoy's mouth. Harry watched in horror as it sucked the soul right out of Malfoy and wanted to tear his eyes away, but felt unable to. Severus, however, covered his eyes for him, "Don't look." Harry heard the sucking sound grow greater and Malfoy's screams began to vanish until there was nothing, no sound at all, just...silence. Severus removed his hand and let Harry look; Malfoy was a limp figure in the Dementor's gross hands, and the Dementor tossed him down on the ground. He didn't move. "I thought the Kiss didn't kill," Harry whispered, feeling the chill of the Dementors taking him over again. "It didn't kill him; he's still alive. He'll come out of it after a while, but even when he does he's still as good as dead. He'll stop eating and stop caring; he'll have wasted away within two weeks from now," said Severus quietly. Harry concentrated on another happy thought again and the chill of the Dementors vanished once more, clearing his vision. The Dementors picked up Lucius Malfoy and walked away; they soon vanished into the cold, dark night sky, almost as if they had never come.
"Come on Harry; we need to get Draco and Ron up to the castle." Harry nodded slowly, "Yeah. Sure." Draco, as it turned out, had been awake through the entire Dementor's Kiss, watching his father mentally die. "I'm sorry you had to see that Draco," said Severus as he conjured up a splint for his leg. Draco looked away, wincing in pain as Severus put the splint on, "He was already dead before the Kiss was done."
As it turned out Ron needed some serious stitches after being thrown into that tree. Luckily he hadn't bled too much, and he was only a little dizzy when they woke him up. "What happened?" he said, "I feel terrible." "We'll explain it later Ron," said Severus absentmindedly as he created a stretcher for him. "All right; let's go." "Wait a minute," said Draco, limping over to the spot where his father had fallen. He bent and looked down at the ground as best as he could with his busted ribs and broken leg until he found what he'd been searching for. He came limping back a minute later; "What were you looking for?" said Harry. Draco held up a battered, old wand, "This." "Is that...?" said Severus slowly. "Yeah," said Draco, looking down at it, "my father's wand."
* * *
Hermione went ballistic when she heard about what had happened. "Oh my gosh! I don't believe it!" she said when Harry told her about Lucius Malfoy. Harry had just finished a large meeting in Dumbledore's office and as of right now he was feeling a little put out, and he slumped into one of the large armchairs in the common room exhaustedly. "Yeah, well, I'm just really tired right now Hermione," he said wearily. She nodded furiously, "Of course you are! You should go to bed or maybe go see Madam Pomfrey for a good sleeping potion!" He shook his head, "No, I'll be fine in my own bed. Good night Hermione," and he trudged up the stairs. Harry changed into his pajamas but didn't get into bed; he walked to the window and looked out at the thin white crescent of the Moon. He opened the windows, feeling the wind play breezily across his face and looked back at the dormitory. The black ashes of Voldemort's remains were still there; he'd forgotten about them. He swept them up into his hand and went back to lean on the windowsill. He squeezed them tightly in his hands, feeling hatred for Voldemort pulse through him. He threw the ashes out the window and the breeze blew them away. He dusted his hands off and shut the window, then climbed into bed, deep in thought. Harry closed his eyes and cleared his mind of everything that had happened today and thought only of the great experiences he'd had in his life so far. It was this little trick that helped him sleep during so many restless nights before and to come.
* * *
Harry, Hermione, Dumbledore, Sirius, and Severus were sitting up in the Astronomy Tower. Ron and Draco still weren't out of the hospital wing yet. "Are we fighting a losing battle?" said Harry quietly. "No!" said Dumbledore, then softer, "No Harry. There are ways for him to return, but there are ways for him to be destroyed." "But not permanently so far as we can tell as of yet," said Hermione. "No, not yet. But if there are books on how to bring back the dead then there are also books on how to destroy the immortal," said Sirius. "But where they are is another matter entirely," said Severus. "Well," said Harry, "at least we got the books on how to bring him back. I'm going to bed. Good night." Harry left and Hermione followed suit a few minutes later.
Severus, Dumbledore, and Sirius looked at the starry night sky then looked at each other. "If Lucius couldn't do it, then someone else will," said Sirius, voicing Severus' thoughts. "I know," said Dumbledore, "but at least we have the book and all the copies ever made of it." "So far as we know, you mean," said Sirius quietly. "Yes Mr. Black," said Dumbledore, "so far as we know."
* * *
The graveyard was silent except for the soft bubbling and frothing sounds emerging from the cauldron, hidden behind a large headstone. He finished the incantation and a wispy spirit began to form over the top of the cauldron like a cloud until it eventually formed a face. "You are no Death Eater," he hissed. "Yes I am, but I was too young to join you then. Now, however, I will be your greatest servant. If you wish, my Lord, you may host off my body." Voldemort let out a hissing laugh, "You will be rewarded far beyond your expectations." "I expect nothing in return for my services but for one thing," he said, bowing his head slightly. "And what is that?" said Voldemort. He smiled, "Immortality." "Ahhh, to continue on in my footsteps perhaps?" said Voldemort quizzically. "My Lord please," he said graciously, "I could never be capable of half the things you've done." "Oh but you will be, for we'll become closer than a father and son. You'll become my apprentice, and soon Voldemort will not be the only feared name in the world."
He spread his arms wide and Voldemort plummeted into his chest with a screeching sound and he let out a gasp as Voldemort entered his soul.
Ron gave Severus an odd and suspicious look as he came inside, following Harry up to his room. "You're mad, do you know that?" said Ron when he'd put his trunk down. "How did you reckon that?" asked Harry. Ron shrugged as he sat down on the bed, "I dunno...I mean I know he's your uncle and everything but..." "But he's still an evil git to you," said Harry, finishing for him. Ron sighed, "Yeah I guess so. I mean no! He's not evil necessarily, just..." "Really mean to you?" said Severus' voice from the doorway. Ron jumped, "Erm...yes; wait no! I...oh forget it. I can't explain it anyway," he said with a roll of his eyes. "No I know what you mean. I was very rude to you and the rest of the students; I had to be," he said. Harry shook his head, "Let's just forget about the whole thing. How about some Quidditch practice Ron? I don't want to stay inside all day, and we're both going to be needing the practice time." "Yeah, especially with me being the new Keeper," said Ron proudly. Harry smiled inwardly; he was very glad indeed that his best friend had made the team.
They practiced in a large field behind the house for a few hours, throwing golf balls back and forth or racing their broomsticks against each other. Ron had just bought a Nimbus Two Thousand and One two weeks ago with the money he'd saved up from working at his brothers' store, Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. Despite the good quality of the Nimbus line, however, it was still outstripped by Harry's new broom, Sub Zero. After his faithful Firebolt had been destroyed by Voldemort, he'd been left without a broomstick for a few months until his birthday. He'd been wondering what the long, thin package was before he'd opened it. "That's from the both of us," Sirius had said, glancing at Severus with a grin. Harry had been more than ecstatic; he'd been dreading the opening Quidditch game of the next year, thinking he would have to ride on one of the school's old Shooting Star broomsticks.
After another hour or two of practicing they were just about ready to go inside when Fred and George, Ron's older brothers, Apparated in the middle of the field. "Ron! Come on! We've got problems at the store and we're gonna need your help!" cried George, waving at him frantically. Ron and Harry both landed next to the twins, "What happened?" asked Ron. "A Dungbomb went off in the store room; it's set off all the other Dungbombs and it's starting on the Filibuster Fireworks," said Fred with a shake of his head. "All that good merchandise; wasted." Ron frowned, "How'd it get set off?" George rolled his eyes, "Lee Jordan was back there stocking things up and I guess he thought it'd be funny to set one off. He's covered in dung right now though, so I don't think his joke is so funny to him anymore. Trying to surprise Fred, he was. Now he's washing himself off in the bathroom. We don't have a lot of time though now come on, let's go!" Fred grabbed Ron by the wrist and with a "Back in a while Harry!" the three of them had Apparated to the Weasley store.
Harry shrugged and mounted his broomstick, feeling eager to get back to the house since he still had to buy his school supplies later on that afternoon. On his way up to his room, however, Severus stopped him in the hall, holding a large, battered trunk in his hands. "Come on, there's something I want to show you." He led Harry back outside and opened the trunk; Harry gasped. "Whoa, cool!" he exclaimed. Inside the trunk was a complete set of Quidditch balls; a red Quaffle, two tied down black Bludgers, two Beater bats, and a Golden Snitch. He pulled the Snitch out of its' slot and stared at it, amazed that Severus would keep a trunk full of Quidditch equipment in his house. "Where did this come from?" said Harry in wonder as he looked at the old trunk. "At one time it belonged to my father and it got passed down to James. I wasn't one much for playing Quidditch, although it's all right to watch though. So rightfully it's yours, I was just waiting for the right time to give it to you. And now, since you have your friend Ron here and you both have new broomsticks I thought now was as good a time as any to give it to you. Do you like it?"
"Like it?! Of course I like it! This is excellent! Ron and I can practice with real Quidditch balls now or we can have games in the backyard..." said Harry happily. But although he was thrilled to have a set of Quidditch balls, he was also sad. 'This belonged to my dad,' he thought as he picked up the Quaffle and hefted it in his hands. He put it back in its' slot and then looked up at Severus, "Thanks. I really like it. This is the only thing I've got that belonged to my dad besides his old Invisibility Cloak." Severus rolled his eyes, "That stupid thing...James got away with everything using it. That and the Marauder's Map too; and I believe you were using both in your fourth year in the middle of the night?"
Harry didn't say anything; only smiled. In his fourth year, Harry had sneaked out of bed in the middle of the night to solve his dragon's egg clue, wearing the Invisibility Cloak and using the Marauder's Map to check if anyone else was around the castle. He'd dropped the egg, however, after accidentally putting his foot through one of the trick steps on the staircase and the Map had gone fluttering away from him. Filch the caretaker had found the egg only feet away from Harry and then Snape had shown up. Harry had just barely gotten away without either of them catching him. "You knew I was there though, didn't you?" said Harry. He shrugged, "I always knew whenever you were around. Even though I couldn't see you I just knew you were the school champion out of bed. It's in your nature; James was the same way." "Well you know I had a really good reason for being out of bed," said Harry. "Oh really? Let's hear it when we get to Diagon Alley."
* * *
After traveling via Floo Powder to Diagon Alley Harry explained why it was all right for him to be out of bed in the middle of the night. Severus didn't think much of his explanation; "You could have just gone to the Prefects' Bathroom earlier on in the evening instead of at half past twelve." Severus had walked into Flourish and Blotts when Harry was just about to reply but then he heard a familiar voice sneer in his general direction. "Oh look, it's Potty! But where's his best friend Weasel?" said Draco Malfoy. Harry turned around, "Shut up Malfoy, or else I'll have my friend turn you into another amazing bouncing ferret!" Malfoy's eyes became slits of anger, "Be quiet Potter. And I doubt your friend, whoever he is, has enough skill to turn me into another ferret as it is anyway. Especially with the trash you hang around with." Severus came walking back out of Flourish and Blotts to ask Harry what he was doing when he saw Malfoy. "Hello Mr. Malfoy," he said sternly. "Professor Snape, Potter is making fun of me and he won't leave me alone!" Malfoy whined. Harry shrugged and said flatly, "I know. I'm out of control." Severus covered his mouth with his hand, trying not to snicker. He knew Malfoy was lying; the boy had been a constant liar since he'd arrived at Hogwarts. He was no good in his Potions class either; the only reason why he passed him each year had been because of who his father was. But now that Voldemort was dead, he needn't worry about any further nuisances from the Death Eaters.
"Well what am I going to do with you Potter?" said Severus in a mock angry tone and a roll of the eyes. "School hasn't started yet so I can't give you a detention...hmm...here's an idea. How about you solve your own problems for once instead of crying to a teacher. How does that sound?" Draco's jaw dropped, "What?" "You heard me, now bugger off. I'm busy buying Harry's school supplies," he said, pushing Harry in the general direction of Flourish and Blotts. They left Malfoy standing in the middle of Diagon Alley, an expression of bewilderment on his face. Harry howled with laughter when they were inside the shop. "I don't believe it! That was brilliant! He'll be confused for weeks!"
Severus grinned, "I know."
* * *
Harry and Severus returned home two hours later, laid down with all of his school supplies. Harry found Ron out practicing Quidditch on his broomstick in the backyard and Harry lugged the trunk of Quidditch balls outside. "Wow! That's really cool Harry! Where'd you get it from?" said Ron when he saw the trunk's contents. Ron was more than a little amazed that Severus of all people had given it to him. "I don't believe he gave that to you," he said. Then Harry told him about meeting Malfoy in Diagon Alley, and Ron whooped with laughter when he told about what had happened. "Malfoy is gonna be furious! He won't be able to pass any of his Potions classes now that Snape doesn't have to like Malfoy anymore!" Harry smiled, "Isn't life wonderful sometimes?"
* * *
Later that night Harry, Ron, and Severus walked down to the Three Broomsticks where they were supposed to meet Fred, George, Lee, Hermione, and Sirius for dinner. They sat down at the table to find that Fred, George, and Lee hadn't arrived yet; "Still scrubbing Dungbombs off the floor no doubt," said Ron with a shake of his head. "Why? What happened with Dungbombs?" said Hermione. Sirius laughed, "Bit of an accident in their store today." "I didn't know you knew about that Sirius!" said Ron. He shrugged, "Well, I was in there looking at some...erm...stuff when they went off in the back room. Kind of hard not to know what was going on what with Lee running out of the store covered in dung and shouting curse words." Harry snorted back a laugh, imagining Lee the Weasley twins' best friend caught up in a situation like that.
An hour later after everyone had finished eating they finally showed up, looking very tired indeed. The three slumped into their chairs and George said, "We're never stocking the Fireworks next to the Dungbombs again. Ever." Fred nodded, "Yeah, we couldn't find any of that Mrs. Skower's Magical Mess Remover stuff so we had to clean it up. By hand." Lee simply gave a remote "Hi," and then put his head down on the table; he was asleep a minute later. Then Fred noticed that Severus was also sitting at the table; he leapt backward out of his seat, knocking the chair over. "Hey! What're you doing here?!" he said, eyeing him suspiciously. George stood up next to Fred, glaring at Severus angrily, "Who invited you anyway?" Ron rolled his eyes, "Didn't I tell you both about this before the school year ended? He's Harry's uncle, I told you!" "Oh shut up Ron. We didn't think you were serious about it. We thought you were just joking. I mean honestly, Harry and...him," said George irritably. Severus leaned back in his chair and frowned at the two of them sternly, "Shut up." Hermione rolled her eyes, "All three of you are so rude!"
"Well all they ever did in my class was blow things up for their own personal pleasure so why should I be polite with them?!" said Severus. "I had to waste eleven of my evenings on them because they had to serve detention with me!" "Well maybe if you would stop giving us detentions you wouldn't have to worry about it now would you?" said George angrily. "You are a bit hasty on the detentions," said Ron with a shrug. "What? I am not! Shut up!" he snapped. "Hey! Don't yell at my best friend!" Harry said. The entire table erupted in a flurry of arguments, all except for Hermione and Sirius who were sitting back and watching the havoc. They let them carry on for a few minutes, attracting the attention of a few other tables there in the Three Broomsticks until Sirius had finally had enough. He slammed his empty Butterbeer tankard down on the table, "ENOUGH!" he shouted. They stopped and stared at him. He stretched his legs out and propped them up on the table, "I have just one thing to add to everything you've all been saying." They waited until he was certain he had everyone's attention, then he stuck his nose in the air, "I don't like any of you."
They all laughed, "You know I think we needed that bit of sanity?" said Ron. "More like insanity," said Harry. Sirius frowned at him, "Okay now I really don't like you."
* * *
Harry was very anxious to start his sixth year at Hogwarts, mostly because he had a feeling he'd be acing his Potions class this year because of all the helpful tips Severus had been giving him during the summer. He'd also been giving Harry some advice on Charms and the Dark Arts, which was excellent for Harry because lately he'd been having a hard time with some of his Charms homework. Hermione, however, did not approve, "It's not fair that a Hogwarts teacher is helping you with your homework Harry. You're not getting the full benefit of doing the work on your own." Harry had simply shrugged, "Well I am doing it on my own. It's just some of the hard stuff that I need help with. Besides, he won't help me during the school year, he's already told me that. Who cares if I get a little extra help during the summer?" Hermione had frowned, "I care," she muttered.
Soon enough Harry, Ron, and Severus had Apparated up to the school using a portkey that Severus had conjured. Harry and Ron were in the middle of eating some Chocolate Frogs when the rest of the students arrived after their trip on the Hogwarts Express. After the usual feast they went to bed, Hermione terrorizing them all the way to the common room about color-coding their schedules. "Oh would you give it a rest?!" Ron said, "I'm tired and I want to sleep! Not think about coloring my schedule! Besides, what would you know about it then? So far that I've seen all you do is outline Gilderoy Lockhart's lessons in little hearts!" Hermione burned a deep red, remembering their ex-Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher from their second year and did not bother them about color-coding again. "Remind me to remember that one for later if she starts that nonsense up again," said Ron sleepily from his bed. Harry didn't reply; he was already fast asleep.
* * *
The first Quidditch game of the year was Gryffindor versus Slytherin, and Harry was very much looking forward to it. As Ron and Harry got their gear on in the changing rooms Ron asked, "Do you think that Professor Snape will wear Slytherin or Gryffindor colors?" Harry hadn't thought about this before; "I-I really don't know actually. I hadn't thought about it until now. Maybe he'll wear Gryffindor colors." It was well known that Severus had always worn black to every Quidditch match but he always had the same green and silver Slytherin scarf around his neck. "Nah, he'd never wear Gryffindor colors; his house would kill him," said Ron with a shrug. Ron hefted his broomstick over one shoulder and he and Harry walked out to the large double doors, waiting for them to open so they could step into the stadium. "Hey Ron?" "Yeah?" "You think Malfoy will try to knock me off my broom again?" said Harry. Ron laughed lightly, "Probably; you know he couldn't win fairly. He'll probably get Crabbe or Goyle to do something again like he did last year; or maybe he'll just try to strangle you in the air. Doesn't matter; if I see him doing anything suspicious I'm gonna beat the Quaffle into his face, that stupid git."
The doors opened and the team flew into the stadium, Harry feeling very glad to be back on his broom again. Both teams formed a large circle around the trunk that held the Quidditch balls, and Madam Hooch said, "I want fair playing on both sides, do you understand?" She was especially eyeing Malfoy, who had just been made the Slytherin team Captain shortly after Harry was made Gryffindor Captain. He simply looked back at her innocently, "I always play fair." Her eyes became slits of fury and it seemed like she wanted to slap him for his remark but instead she blew her whistle and released the Quaffle. Harry flew up to the top of the stadium lazily, scanning for the Golden Snitch and staying out of the game until he found it. Malfoy was doing the same thing, only instead of looking for the Snitch he was eyeing Harry, clearly waiting for Harry to make the first dive. 'All right Malfoy, if that's how you want to play...' he thought with some satisfaction as he plummeted down toward the ground. Malfoy swooped after him and Harry heard Justin Finch-Fletchley shout out over the purple megaphone, "Gryffindor Seeker Potter has seen the Snitch!" The crowd cheered happily but Harry ignored them and kept diving straight down. 'Let's see how you handle a Wronski Feint,' he thought, glancing over at Malfoy who was now even with him.
Harry kept dropping and dropping, pointed directly down at the ground, and Malfoy was growing nervous. He kept glancing over at Harry, wondering where the Snitch was when he realized too late that there was no Snitch where Harry was heading. Harry swerved away abruptly, his Sub Zero broom more than capable of the swift movements and Malfoy hit the ground with a sickening thud. "Oh my God I don't believe it! Slytherin Seeker Malfoy looks more than just a little bruised down there!" said Justin's voice over the megaphone. Harry grinned silently to himself, 'Serves him right too.' In the meantime, however, Harry swooped back up to the top of the stadium, still looking for the Golden Snitch amidst boos from the Slytherins. He looked down and saw Severus, and he noticed that not only was he wearing his usual Slytherin scarf but also a Gryffindor tie. He smiled and continued to look for the Snitch, now very anxious to end the game. Gryffindor was up by thirty so he was sure to get a large amount of house points. Then he saw the glimmer of gold flashing by Ron's ear.
Harry speeded towards Ron and shouted, "LOOK OUT!" Ron barely ducked in time, swiveling over to hang upside down on his broom, Harry's robes grazing his fiery red hair as he caught the Snitch. "Harry Potter has caught the Snitch! The game is over! GRYFFINDOR WINS!" shouted Justin. The stadium erupted in a flurry of happiness and Harry jetted back down to the ground, holding up the Snitch for all to see. Ron landed next to him, "Some catch Harry!" "Yeah, no kidding!" said Dean Thomas, their new Beater, "I thought you were about to take Ron's head off!" "We're just lucky our Keeper thinks on his feet!" said Seamus Finnigan, the team's other new Beater. Harry shrugged and was just about ready to lead the team off the field when he heard the crowd gasp and felt something hit him in the back of the head like a freight train. He fell into darkness and saw no more.
* * *
"...Dirty, filthy, rotten playing," said a familiar voice. "He might be expelled for it you know," said another. "We can only hope. He's been playing dirty ever since he made the team; deserves to be kicked out for that little maneuver there." "Yeah, especially with that hit to the head like that. I mean he could have killed him!" "Probably trying to knowing Malfoy." Harry's vision cleared slowly, and he realized it wasn't blurry just because his head hurt but also because his glasses were missing. He saw them sitting on a nightstand next to him and he put them on. He was in the hospital wing, and several of his friends were sitting around the foot of his bed talking about what had happened at the Quidditch match. "Did Malfoy hit me?" he said slowly. "Oh good you're awake," said Ron with a sigh of relief. "Yeah, that moron hit you in the back of the head with a Bludger when none of us were looking. Supposedly Dumbledore is going to expel him because what he did could have killed you. Instead you got a concussion; at least that means you've got a thick skull!"
Hermione shook her head and sighed, "I can't believe he did it either. The Slytherin Beaters were helping him up from where he'd hit the ground and he was so furious that he snatched the Beater bat out of Morag McDougal's hand and pelted a Bludger at you. So dirty and disgusting..." "He's a Malfoy, what do you expect?" said Seamus with a frown. Harry was furious indeed, "If ever I get my hands on him I'll...I'll...I dunno what I'll do. Choke him and leave him in the Forbidden Forest for one of those giant spiders I guess. Hey wait a minute; where's my uncle?" Very slowly, they all began to laugh. "Well it's kind of funny Harry," said Ron, his face turning slightly pink with laughter. Hermione giggled, "Yeah, I couldn't believe it." "What? What happened?" said Harry. Dean grinned, "Get this; Malfoy has this all high and mighty look on his face after he hit you with that Bludger okay? Go ahead, envision it!" Harry shrugged, "He's got that look on his face all the time; why???" "Right then now imagine someone coming out of nowhere and strangling him from behind, then dragging him off the field while screaming at him that he's a worthless piece of dung. How does that sound to you?" Harry grinned, "Sounds fine but...oh no..." he said, beginning to laugh, "No way...he'd never..." "Well he did," said Seamus, "it was euphoria."
The door suddenly burst open and striding in came not only Severus but also Sirius. "Are you okay Harry?!" said Sirius, "I heard about what happened and I was really worried that that Bludger had..." "I'm fine! Just a concussion is all!" said Harry. Sirius let out a sigh of relief, "God I was so worried. When I was here we had a kid who got more than just a concussion from that..." "Ah yes, I remember him," said Severus, "he never came back to school." Harry shivered, now feeling very glad that all he'd received was a concussion. "Um, Professor Snape?" came Dean's voice from behind him. Severus turned back to face him, "What is it Mr. Thomas?" Dean shrugged, "Well the team and I just wanted to thank you for giving Malfoy that beating. It was something else!" "Yeah, do it again sometime," said Seamus with a bemused smile. Despite the seriousness of the situation Severus still smiled slightly, "Although you're encouraging the endangerment of a student, or rather ex-student, I'll still pretend like I didn't hear that..." "Wait a minute, did you say ex-student?!" said Hermione. "Yes, Mr. Malfoy has been expelled," said Severus firmly.
"Did you expel him?" said Ron. "Yes and no Mr. Weasley. I hold half the control over that happy power; Headmaster Dumbledore has to agree to the expulsion, and he did. He'll be out of here by dinnertime." Harry's jaw dropped; he hadn't really thought it would happen just like that.
* * *
It rained starting at around half past three that afternoon. Harry, Hermione, Ron, and most of the other sixth year Gryffindors were staring out the window, watching a black carriage pulling up to the school. They saw the figure of Draco Malfoy walking out to meet it, trunk in tow behind him. His father, Lucius Malfoy, stepped out of the carriage and let Draco get in, but then he turned back to the castle. Harry opened the window and they heard amidst the beating of the rain Lucius Malfoy's angry voice cry, "YOU'LL PAY FOR THIS ONE DUMBLEDORE YOU MUGGLE-LOVING FOOL! MARK MY WORDS!" Harry pulled out his wand, fully ready to curse Malfoy but a hand reached out and stopped him. He looked up to see Severus standing there, staring out the window. "Let him say whatever he wants. He's powerless without Voldemort," he said quietly. Harry pocketed his wand while the rest of the Gryffindors flinched at the sound of Voldemort's name, many of them eyeing Severus oddly. Malfoy stepped back inside the carriage and it pulled away from the school, Draco's face staring out the window at them. Harry was very much surprised, in fact, to see Draco give them a feeble wave before the carriage disappeared around the bend in the road. "I don't believe it," he said slowly. "He's gone. Forever."
* * *
The Great Hall was quieter than usual that night. The students had never seen anyone expelled before. Several Gryffindors were saying, "Good riddance," and things like that, but Harry was deep in thought. "Harry, you haven't touched your food," said Hermione, "what's wrong?" Harry put his fork down and didn't answer; Ron and Hermione exchanged glances but didn't bother him, and Harry was grateful for that. He looked up at the staff table and his eyes met Severus'. It had been wearing on Harry's mind since he'd seen Draco leave, but he wasn't sure if he dared ask. Severus, however, seemed to understand and he said something to Dumbledore. They both got up and walked the length of the room until they came to Harry, "Can we talk to you outside please?" said Dumbledore politely. Harry nodded and they left.
"What was that all about?" said Dean. "I dunno, but it was weird. Did you see the way Harry was staring at Snape? Just a really strange look..." said Parvati from down the table. Ron shook his head, "What's going on? Do you know anything about this Hermione?" She shook her head in return, "No, I have no idea at all."
* * *
They returned to the common room later that night to find Harry already there, staring into the fire. "Harry, what's wrong? You can tell us," said Hermione, sitting down across from him. He smiled, "Actually I can't, but you'll all find out soon enough." "Oh come on Harry what's happened eh?" said Ron, "We won't blab if that's what you're worried about." "No no, not blabbing..." he replied, "...just...well you'll all be a bit angry with me soon enough." Hermione rolled her eyes, "Harry, we get mad at you, but just because we're friends you know? Friends argue and it's no big deal. Whatever it is, you can tell us." Harry shrugged, "We'll see soon enough." Suddenly the portrait hole opened and Severus stepped through it and strode over to stand next to Harry. "Well?" "No not yet," said Harry. They both gazed intently at the fire, waiting. "You're both nutters as far as I'm concerned," said Ron, tossing up his hands with frustration. Then the fire began to glow green.
"What's going on? Is someone Apparating here? Is it Sirius?" said Hermione. A head came spinning into the fireplace, then an entire body, and before they realized it Draco Malfoy was climbing out of the hearth, luggage in tow. "Malfoy! You rat! What're you doing in here?!" shouted Ron angrily. "Get out Malfoy! You've been expelled!" hissed Hermione. Malfoy looked at Severus and Harry in silence, ignoring Ron and Hermione, "This is going to be hard." Harry stood up, "It's meant to be." Malfoy let out a heavy sigh, "Yeah...but thanks." Severus was still eyeing the boy with hatred, "Up the stairs. Go." Malfoy went up the stairs to the boys' dormitory and disappeared with his luggage. Ron jumped up to go after him but Harry stopped him, "Harry what is going on?!" Harry let out a deep sigh and squeezed his eyes shut, praying Ron and Hermione would still be his friends.
"I told Severus and Dumbledore that I wanted Malfoy back at Hogwarts, only in the Gryffindor house, living in our dorm." Ron went ballistic, "YOU WHAT?! HAVE YOU GONE MAD?!" Harry shook his head, "No Ron what I mean is..." "HE CAN'T BE IN OUR HOUSE!!" screeched Hermione. "HE'S A FILTHY RAT! HE ALMOST KILLED YOU!!!" "I know I know! Just listen! This is his punishment! Everyone in the school hates him now and his worst idea of punishment would be to get stuck with us in the Gryffindor house! He was proud to be a Slytherin and now he's stuck with us! I couldn't let him get expelled from Hogwarts and go to Durmstrang because he'll end up even worse! It might get him killed! You know they teach the Dark Arts at Durmstrang and that's all he needs is someone else besides his father to encourage him! He'll end up in Azkaban and he's too young for that! Look at what happened to Sirius! He didn't deserve it and it almost drove him insane when he was in there! I know Malfoy can still change if we push him hard enough in the right direction! It's just a matter of time before he..." Ron punched him and broke his glasses.
"HOW COULD YOU DO THIS WITHOUT ASKING EVERYONE ELSE FIRST?!" Ron howled as he shoved Harry to the floor. "HE'LL DRIVE US ALL CRAZY BY THE END OF THE YEAR!!! WHY DID YOU DO THIS TO US?!?" Severus raced over to Ron before he could do any more damage and pulled him off Harry, "Knock it off! Quit it!" he shouted. Ron shoved Severus away from him and bashed open the portrait hole, scaring the Fat Lady out of her wits. Harry got up and walked over to Hermione, who was staring at him with a murderous look. "Hermione," he said, but before he could finish his sentence she whispered, "He called me a Mudblood." Harry let out a flustered sigh, "Hermione I know but..." She slapped him hard across the face and stormed up to her dormitory without a second glance, slamming the door as hard as she could.
Severus, in the meantime, picked up the remains of Harry's glasses and said, "Reparo!" making them good as new, and handed them back to Harry. "You knew this was going to be hard," he said. "Yeah," said Harry, "but as to how hard...I had no idea."
* * *
Ron and Hermione stayed away from Harry at all costs. They sat at the opposite end of the lunch table, got the furthest seats from him in class, and refused to even look at him. The rest of the Gryffindors hated him too and referred to him as "Potter" or if it was Quidditch "the Seeker." The Slytherins, however, weren't quite sure as what to make of the whole situation. On the one hand, Harry had gotten Malfoy back into Hogwarts; on the other, Malfoy was now a Gryffindor. Malfoy was the only one who actually talked to Harry now, since his presence at the school was mostly based on Harry's request. Severus felt so bad for Harry that he tried to do whatever he could to patch up things between him, Ron, and Hermione. He paired up Harry and Ron at the same cauldron in Potions but Ron told him flat out at the beginning of the lesson, "You chop the ginger roots and I'll slice the caterpillars." They each did their specific job, made the potion, and Ron never said anything else to him. When Harry asked to borrow the knife Ron said, "Get it yourself," and turned his back on him. Harry wanted to punch that head of fiery red hair but restrained himself, knowing that that obviously wasn't going to help the situation at all.
Severus stopped him one day after class; "Stay after for a few minutes. I want to talk to you." Harry sat down in an empty seat; Hermione's during class, and Severus asked, "So how's it going?" Harry grimaced, "Very badly. They're hardly talking to me, and when they do it's pretty uncivilized behavior. I suppose I deserve it though..." Severus shook his head, "I tried to help but I guess..." "Don't worry about it. I'll fix it on my own, but I really appreciate it though," said Harry, "I just wish they would listen to reason." Absent-mindedly Harry began to carve "I'm sorry Hermione!!! -HP" on the desk with his chopping knife. "Hey! What're you doing to my desks?!" Severus said, noticing how Harry was digging into the wood. "Writing a message," said Harry, "maybe she'll get it this way." Severus read it and didn't bother him about it any further, "Maybe Harry. Maybe."
* * *
Harry started leaving messages for Ron and Hermione everywhere. After he got out of the shower he wrote "Sorry Ron!!! -HP" in the steamy mirror so Ron could see it when he got out of the shower the next time. He asked Parvati Patil to take a note up to Hermione despite her protests that she didn't want to do anything for someone like him. "Please Parvati, if you ever thought of me as a friend at any time you'll do this," he'd pleaded. She finally gave in and took it up to Hermione, the words, "Please forgive me!-HP" scrawled across it. He even went to the Hogwarts house elves and got them to arrange a plate of breadsticks to say, "I miss you! -HP" and made sure that it would arrive in front of Ron and Hermione. Harry watched that night at dinner and saw it Apparate in front of them; Hermione and Ron looked at each other and then looked down the table, saw Harry was staring back, and immediately returned to eating. They gave no sign of caring. Harry let out an exasperated sigh and put his head in his hands; all Severus could do as he watched was the same as Harry.
* * *
He took it upon himself to help one day in Potions. "Granger and Weasley stay behind after class to help clean the desks," Severus told them sternly. The bell rang and they stared at Severus apprehensively. "Both of you come up to my desk," he said, sitting down in his chair. They approached him slowly, eyeing him nastily. He leaned forward, "Look, this has gone far enough. Harry knows you're mad at him and he understands why. Don't you think you've punished him for long enough? Do you have any idea as to how much it kills him to see you two and know he can't be part of your friendship? He's been trying to tell you both how sorry he is and you're both just going to keep acting like you don't care. Well, if you want to let something that small interfere with your friendship, fine by me, but I just wanted to let you both know how much this is hurting him. You can go to class." Severus was sure that not so much as a word he'd said had gotten through to them, but he could always hope for Harry's sake.
* * *
Harry was beginning to spend more and more time down in the dungeons with Severus. He would help him practice spells, brew potions, anything to help get his mind off Ron and Hermione. One night, however, Severus was late, and Harry was casting some simple Summoning and Banishing Charms when he heard a set of footsteps sound from the stone stairway. "You're late Severus! I thought you'd..." But it wasn't Severus; it was Ron and Hermione. "Oh," said Harry, "hi." They stood staring at each other for a few seconds, then Hermione said, "Look, you're doing it all wrong. When you do a Banishing Charm you make this motion." She pulled out her wand and did it as easy as can be, and Ron said, "Yeah Harry, don't know how you missed that. Learned those in our fourth year." Harry felt as if a great weight had been lifted from his chest, "Right, I guess I just wasn't paying attention."
* * *
Severus was thinking about locking the three of them in a room for twenty-four hours to see if that would do any good when he heard laughing carrying up the stairway. 'Please tell me they've stopped fighting,' he thought as he ran down the stairs and came to a halt in front of the Potions room. "Yeah, but that wasn't nearly as funny as the time we freed Buckbeak and Sirius with the Time-Turner. The expression on his face was priceless!" said Harry. "I knew it had something to do with you!" said Severus. "Oh hi! Yeah, we let them loose," said Harry with a guilty shrug. The three were sitting on top of one of the tables, talking about funny events gone by. "You're face was so funny though Severus!" said Harry, contorting his face, 'THIS...HAS...SOMETHING...TO DO...WITH...POTTER!' Oh man, what a riot..." Severus frowned, "I always know when it has something to do with you. Or Hermione and Ron for that matter." Ron shrugged, "Hey, it's what we do." Inwardly, in the meantime, Severus let out a sigh of relief. 'Maybe Harry will finally be able to sleep.' Harry had told him days ago that he hadn't slept in so long because of how bad he was beginning to feel what with what had happened with him, Hermione, and Ron.
"How about you Severus? Any funny stories?" asked Harry. He thought for a moment, "No not really. Oh wait, there's this really good one that happened in my fifth year. James had blown up this toilet in the middle of the night, and..."
* * *
Harry, Ron, and Hermione went back to being the best of friends, much to the relief of both Sirius and Severus. Hermione and Ron started telling other Gryffindors about how what Harry had done wasn't so bad, even though they still personally thought it was a daft idea. After a while he was no longer "Potter" or "the Seeker," but back to being Harry again, and soon he was having civilized conversations with other people at the Gryffindor lunch table. Malfoy, however, was still very depressed indeed, often eyeing the Slytherin table with sadness. "Why don't you try making friends with some of the Gryffindors?" said Harry, "Might help." "Dunno..." he grumbled, "...don't like me very much..." and he slid away from the table, walking slowly out of the Great Hall. "Well his punishment is working out just fine then isn't it?" said Ron cheerily as he ate his treacle tart. "He deserves every bit of it," said Hermione. Harry shrugged, "Well it's working either way. Maybe he'll finally start realizing that there are other people besides Slytherins to hang out with." "Doubt it," said Seamus Finnigan, "his skull is far too thick for that."
* * *
They were allowed to visit Hogsmeade two weekends later, but Harry didn't feel like going immediately and told Ron and Hermione that he'd join them later using the Marauder's Map. "I still have two essays to do, and I've only got one of them halfway done. Besides, I'm feeling kind of...er, nervous," he told them in the common room. "Why? What happened Harry?" said Hermione, etched with concern. He shook his head, "Maybe I imagined it but...last night I had a horrible dream about Voldemort coming back again...my scar hurt so much it woke me up." Ron's face drained of color, "Y-You don't think he's...he's coming back, do you? He can't! I mean, Professor Snape said he was finally killed last year and that no matter what he couldn't come back!" "He never said 'No matter what' Ron. There might be ways though...if there were a faithful Death Eater out there who found out about a spell to bring back the dead or something they could have done it," said Harry. Ron's eyes flickered over to Malfoy, who was sitting alone in a corner. "He's too young Ron, you know that," said Harry with a frown, "he'd never be able to pull it off."
"I wasn't thinking of Draco, Harry," said Ron in a whisper, "I was thinking of his father."
* * *
Harry had just finished up his second essay in the library and was carrying his books up the stairs to the dormitory when he heard a shout. It sounded like Draco. He dropped his books and ran up the stairs but stopped just short of the doorway, hidden by the frame. "B-B-But father said you were dead!" said Draco hoarsely. "No boy," came a raspy voice, "he found a way to bring me back in my spirit form. Now it is only a matter of time before I can regain my body. But to do that, boy, you must help me." Draco didn't say anything for a minute and when his voice finally came it sounded remote and far-off, "What do I have to do?" he whispered. "Kill Harry Potter and bring his body to me. His blood is the most potent for the spell I'll need to perform to regain my body. I need the blood of an enemy, and although almost anyone would suffice, I want a strong enemy. Potter hates me, and I hate him for the pain and humiliation he has caused me." Harry felt his scar twinge and tried not to make a sound.
"I-I-I can't kill someone," said Draco softly. "Oh but you can, and you will," said the voice that Harry was now certain was Voldemort's. "It is only a matter of time before I return, and if you stand in my way then I shall make your life that much more painful for you." Harry wanted to run in there and curse Voldemort, but he somehow restrained himself; he had the feeling that this was something Draco had to do on his own. "Now," said Voldemort, "are you willing to help me?" 'Say no Draco. Please say no, don't give in to this,' thought Harry pleadingly. Draco waited for what seemed like an hour, "Yes Master. Of course I will."
* * *
Harry dashed down the stairs and grabbed his books, not sure if he should go to Severus and Dumbledore or fight it out with Malfoy or pretend like he hadn't heard a thing. He sat down in one of the large red armchairs, thinking, when Malfoy came down the stairs. Harry stiffened, "Hello Malfoy." "Harry we need to talk. Now." He looked paler than usual, and Harry said "Alright," and followed him out the portrait hole. They stopped in the trophy room and Harry fingered his wand nervously. Malfoy turned to face him and whipped out his wand, crying out an incantation as he did so and waving his arm in a large, sweeping gesture. A blue aura appeared around both of them and began to crystallize, and soon they were surrounding by a large, bright blue wall. "This is a Deafening Charm," said Malfoy, "no one can hear anything from outside until I break the spell." Harry walked backward into the wall of the charm, trying to put as much space between him and Malfoy as he could.
Malfoy stepped forward and put his hands on Harry's shoulders, "Listen to me carefully Harry; you have to get out of the castle and you have to do it soon. I mean like within the hour; go to Dumbledore, do whatever you have to do but get out of the castle and find a safe place to hide. Stay with Snape or Sirius. No wait, he knows about them; uhh, just find someone to stay with and lie low for a while, right?" Harry let out a sigh of relief, "I thought you were really going to kill me." "What? You heard that? Then you already know about...?" "Yeah, I heard it all. You said you would kill me, and I thought you meant it." Malfoy shook his head, "No...I...I didn't realize what a horrible maniac he was until I finally met him face to face just now. He's ugly, he's disgusting, he's barely alive...I don't understand how you can live like that. I can't even believe that my father brought him back; I didn't know he was that desperate for power. But that's not the point; look, you've done enough for me so far that I know you're not the bad person I thought you were. You've still got to get out of here though; once he figures out I'm not on his side I'm dead, but when he finds someone who will take the chance you'll still be in danger."
He raised his wand, about to break the charm when he said, "And listen Harry, run to Dumbledore as fast as you can. He could be anywhere in the castle for all we know, and when he sees you alive he'll know for certain that I lied. But I can hold him off for a while if I can make him think you're dead." He cast the reverse spell and the charm broke in shards, vanishing into nothing. "Run," he hissed, "go to Dumbledore and tell him what's happened while there's still time!"
Harry didn't feel much like just leaving Draco there to fight off Voldemort but he had no choice; they were both defenseless without Dumbledore or Severus. Harry ran as quickly as he could down the hall but then he noticed a spirit turning around the corner; it was a funny blue color, and Harry knew there were no blue spirits at Hogwarts. He ducked into the boys' bathroom and thought about how he could get to Dumbledore without getting caught by anyone. He raised his wand and said, "Accio Invisibility Cloak!" He waited, hoping that the spell would work as it had with his Firebolt in his fourth year during the Tri-Wizard Tournament. He opened the door a crack, then he heard something fall, rustling to his feet. He prodded his fingers and felt the soft, fluid-like cloth and pulled it through the door and quickly donned it. He ducked his head out the door and saw that there was no longer a spirit there and quickly ran down the hall.
He came to a skidding halt when he saw Severus, Dumbledore, and Sirius having a conversation in the middle of the hallway by the Charms room. "I don't know, but I haven't seen him all day and I haven't seen Malfoy either," said Severus, "something is wrong. Ron and Hermione haven't seen him either." Harry came up behind Severus and whispered, "Tell them to go up to Dumbledore's office." Severus almost jumped out of his skin, but followed along, "Headmaster I believe we should go to your office. Now." Dumbledore gave Severus an odd look but said nothing and led them past the stone gargoyle up to his circular office. Harry took of the Invisibility Cloak, "Ah, I see," said Dumbledore. Harry quickly explained everything about him, Voldemort, and Malfoy, and soon the four of them were running up to the Gryffindor common room. "Patronus! Patronus!" cried Harry at the Fat Lady as they came sprinting down the hall, "Don't see what the hurry is," she said as she swung open.
They bolted past the common room, scaring several Gryffindors out of their wits, and went up the stairs to the dormitory. They didn't even stop at the door as Severus simply blasted it out of his way. Malfoy was slumped against a bedpost, gasping for breath, staring at the floor. There across from Malfoy was a scattering of black ash; "He's gone for now," said Malfoy, clutching at his chest, still sucking down air. "How did you do that?" said Harry with amazement. "Memory Charm," said Malfoy. "What? That doesn't make any sense at all," he replied. "I know, but I have a guess," said Malfoy, his breathing beginning to slow. "Voldemort was living only in the idea of mind; he was living because he willed himself to live. He had to force himself to survive in that form every second and every minute of the day. I Obliviated his memory though; and for that short amount of time he forgot who he was and what he was doing. He ceased to live because he couldn't remember how." "How did you come up with the idea of using a Memory Charm?" said Severus.
"I-I didn't...it was just the first thing that popped into my head," he said, still staring at the ash on the floor. Dumbledore nodded, "All right. You are to be taken to the hospital wing then; Mr. Potter, would you take him?" Harry nodded, "Yeah...sure." They left and Severus turned to Dumbledore, "That doesn't change the fact that he can still come back." Sirius crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the doorway, "We have to get that book from Lucius Malfoy or he'll do it again and again until he kills one of them." Dumbledore said nothing and instead walked over to the fireplace, removing a small amount of powder from a sack inside his robes and throwing it into the flames. It glowed green and Dumbledore said, "Arthur, I need to speak to you face to face right now." Arthur Weasley began to spin out of the fireplace and dusted ash off his robes when he'd gotten completely out. "Everything all right Albus?" he asked.
They explained to him what had happened and Dumbledore ended it by saying, "You have to raid the Malfoy estate and find that book Arthur. If we don't find it..." Arthur nodded slowly, "I understand. We'll get him sir; mark my words we will."
* * *
The Malfoy estate was raided later on that night, accompanied by three Aurors, six Ministry wizards, and one Unspeakable. Dementors were seen waiting for Lucius Malfoy outside the gates, eager to begin draining his sanity. The report was in the Daily Prophet the next morning, and Ron, Harry, and Hermione were unsure as to whether or not Draco already knew about it. They didn't say anything and when Draco asked to see the Daily Prophet Ron shook his head. "I already know about it Ron, just hand me the paper so I can read what they wrote on it," said Malfoy sullenly. He scanned the paper quickly then handed it back, "The trial is tomorrow. I expect father will be sending me an owl sometime soon about it." Sure enough, the owls came swooping in and Malfoy's eagle owl dropped off a small piece of parchment. He read it and almost laughed, then crumpled it up and stuffed it in his robes. "Well?" said Harry. "He's trying to excuse himself as usual. I won't worry too much about it though; I never got along with him very well anyway," said Malfoy.
* * *
Lucius Malfoy was sentenced to a life term in Azkaban. They had to drag him out of the courtroom kicking and screaming, which made Severus want to spit with disgust. After the audience had exited, Severus found himself wondering what would happen next. He was frightened because he had thought Voldemort had died this last time when he'd destroyed his soul with the Avada Kedavra spell. But the idea that there were still ways to bring him back made him shiver; "This is a losing battle," he said as he looked up at the night sky. "I can't keep this up forever and neither can Dumbledore, Sirius, or any of them." He could only hope that he'd be able to protect Harry from Voldemort as he'd been doing secretly for so many years; it was that small glimmer of hope that carried him through so many sleepless nights.
* * *
Harry rode his Sub Zero easily, having come out at dusk to practice a little bit before he went inside. The sun was just about to go down when he was walking off the pitch, Draco and Ron with him having wanted a go on his broom. They were walking up the path to Hogwarts when they heard a sound in one of the bushes. Harry, Draco, and Ron lit their wands and saw a man standing there with mussed silver-blonde hair, clutching a wand. "Father?" said Draco slowly. He hit Draco with a spell, "Not anymore I'm not! I have no son you filthy traitor! But I am faithful to Voldemort," he said, turning to face Harry. "My Lord wants you dead, and dead you shall be." Ron tried to cast a spell on him to stop him from killing Harry but to no effect; Lucius blocked it and sent Ron careening into a tree, knocking him out. Draco let out a moan from the grass to Harry's right; from the looks of it one of his legs and a few ribs were broken.
"The Boy Who Lived," he sneered at Harry, "we shall see about that." A mad gleam was in his eyes as he raised his wand to kill Harry but then Harry heard "WINGARDIUM LEVIOSA!" and Lucius went flying, then plummeted down to the ground and hit it with a bone-cracking thud. Harry whipped about to see Severus running up to meet him, "How many times have I told you not to go out alone anymore?!" he shouted at him angrily. "You almost got yourself, Draco, and Ron killed!" Harry let out a sigh, "I know. I'm sorry." Severus shut his eyes and sighed, opening his eyes again. "Look it's best you get out of here Harry. The Dementors will be here any minute now and..." "What? What do you mean the Dementors will be here?!" "Lucius Malfoy's escape from Azkaban was reported everywhere; the Dementors were sent to the key places where we knew he would head to first. They're already in Hogsmeade and three of them are coming up here right now because we know he wants you dead. Now we have some actual proof though."
"They're going to kill him aren't they?" said Harry. "No, they won't kill him...trust me, he'd be much better off if he were dead." "The Dementor's Kiss?" said Harry softly. "Yes Harry. Now go, get out of here before they arrive," said Severus, shoving him toward the school. "No!" said Harry, "I want to be here when he's killed." Severus was surprised at the young man's courage and finally gave in, "All right. But only because he tried to kill you; I hope I'm not making a bad decision out of this." A few minutes later the Dementors arrived, and Harry felt himself growing cold and his vision blurring from their presence, but he concentrated hard on the happiest moment of his life and his vision began to clear. One of the Dementors put out its' two scabbed, slimy white hands and pulled Lucius Malfoy's limp body up to its' hooded face. Malfoy slowly began to awaken and saw the Dementors all around him. He screamed and screamed and Harry felt his blood turn to ice. The Dementor let its' hood fall back a little ways to expose its mouth; no, not a mouth...more like a gaping hole in its' face. Malfoy weakly tried to push at the Dementor, desperate to get away and still screaming for his life, when the Dementor began to suck.
It pried at Malfoy's mouth until it was completely open and began to suck at the air harder until a wispy gray cloud began to come out of Malfoy's mouth. Harry watched in horror as it sucked the soul right out of Malfoy and wanted to tear his eyes away, but felt unable to. Severus, however, covered his eyes for him, "Don't look." Harry heard the sucking sound grow greater and Malfoy's screams began to vanish until there was nothing, no sound at all, just...silence. Severus removed his hand and let Harry look; Malfoy was a limp figure in the Dementor's gross hands, and the Dementor tossed him down on the ground. He didn't move. "I thought the Kiss didn't kill," Harry whispered, feeling the chill of the Dementors taking him over again. "It didn't kill him; he's still alive. He'll come out of it after a while, but even when he does he's still as good as dead. He'll stop eating and stop caring; he'll have wasted away within two weeks from now," said Severus quietly. Harry concentrated on another happy thought again and the chill of the Dementors vanished once more, clearing his vision. The Dementors picked up Lucius Malfoy and walked away; they soon vanished into the cold, dark night sky, almost as if they had never come.
"Come on Harry; we need to get Draco and Ron up to the castle." Harry nodded slowly, "Yeah. Sure." Draco, as it turned out, had been awake through the entire Dementor's Kiss, watching his father mentally die. "I'm sorry you had to see that Draco," said Severus as he conjured up a splint for his leg. Draco looked away, wincing in pain as Severus put the splint on, "He was already dead before the Kiss was done."
As it turned out Ron needed some serious stitches after being thrown into that tree. Luckily he hadn't bled too much, and he was only a little dizzy when they woke him up. "What happened?" he said, "I feel terrible." "We'll explain it later Ron," said Severus absentmindedly as he created a stretcher for him. "All right; let's go." "Wait a minute," said Draco, limping over to the spot where his father had fallen. He bent and looked down at the ground as best as he could with his busted ribs and broken leg until he found what he'd been searching for. He came limping back a minute later; "What were you looking for?" said Harry. Draco held up a battered, old wand, "This." "Is that...?" said Severus slowly. "Yeah," said Draco, looking down at it, "my father's wand."
* * *
Hermione went ballistic when she heard about what had happened. "Oh my gosh! I don't believe it!" she said when Harry told her about Lucius Malfoy. Harry had just finished a large meeting in Dumbledore's office and as of right now he was feeling a little put out, and he slumped into one of the large armchairs in the common room exhaustedly. "Yeah, well, I'm just really tired right now Hermione," he said wearily. She nodded furiously, "Of course you are! You should go to bed or maybe go see Madam Pomfrey for a good sleeping potion!" He shook his head, "No, I'll be fine in my own bed. Good night Hermione," and he trudged up the stairs. Harry changed into his pajamas but didn't get into bed; he walked to the window and looked out at the thin white crescent of the Moon. He opened the windows, feeling the wind play breezily across his face and looked back at the dormitory. The black ashes of Voldemort's remains were still there; he'd forgotten about them. He swept them up into his hand and went back to lean on the windowsill. He squeezed them tightly in his hands, feeling hatred for Voldemort pulse through him. He threw the ashes out the window and the breeze blew them away. He dusted his hands off and shut the window, then climbed into bed, deep in thought. Harry closed his eyes and cleared his mind of everything that had happened today and thought only of the great experiences he'd had in his life so far. It was this little trick that helped him sleep during so many restless nights before and to come.
* * *
Harry, Hermione, Dumbledore, Sirius, and Severus were sitting up in the Astronomy Tower. Ron and Draco still weren't out of the hospital wing yet. "Are we fighting a losing battle?" said Harry quietly. "No!" said Dumbledore, then softer, "No Harry. There are ways for him to return, but there are ways for him to be destroyed." "But not permanently so far as we can tell as of yet," said Hermione. "No, not yet. But if there are books on how to bring back the dead then there are also books on how to destroy the immortal," said Sirius. "But where they are is another matter entirely," said Severus. "Well," said Harry, "at least we got the books on how to bring him back. I'm going to bed. Good night." Harry left and Hermione followed suit a few minutes later.
Severus, Dumbledore, and Sirius looked at the starry night sky then looked at each other. "If Lucius couldn't do it, then someone else will," said Sirius, voicing Severus' thoughts. "I know," said Dumbledore, "but at least we have the book and all the copies ever made of it." "So far as we know, you mean," said Sirius quietly. "Yes Mr. Black," said Dumbledore, "so far as we know."
* * *
The graveyard was silent except for the soft bubbling and frothing sounds emerging from the cauldron, hidden behind a large headstone. He finished the incantation and a wispy spirit began to form over the top of the cauldron like a cloud until it eventually formed a face. "You are no Death Eater," he hissed. "Yes I am, but I was too young to join you then. Now, however, I will be your greatest servant. If you wish, my Lord, you may host off my body." Voldemort let out a hissing laugh, "You will be rewarded far beyond your expectations." "I expect nothing in return for my services but for one thing," he said, bowing his head slightly. "And what is that?" said Voldemort. He smiled, "Immortality." "Ahhh, to continue on in my footsteps perhaps?" said Voldemort quizzically. "My Lord please," he said graciously, "I could never be capable of half the things you've done." "Oh but you will be, for we'll become closer than a father and son. You'll become my apprentice, and soon Voldemort will not be the only feared name in the world."
He spread his arms wide and Voldemort plummeted into his chest with a screeching sound and he let out a gasp as Voldemort entered his soul.