Chapter Six: Attack
all notes and disclaimers still apply.

Hogwarts was the same as ever. It felt good to notice that, Harry mused to himself as he rode in the horse-less carriages up to the castle. The train had been enjoyable enough, though he and Ron sorely felt Hermione's absence. Some things, Harry knew, were for the better. If Dumbledore wanted to protect Remus, and the cubs, then so be it. He saw Remus sitting with Severus at the High Table, which was surprising.

He had, thus far, rebuffed all comments about his new looks as best he could. "Yes, Seamus, I know I look I look like Snape." It had confused the boy, but he hadn't asked any more questions. Ron had even stood up for him, which meant a lot to Harry. Ron wouldn't question his loyalty just because he was a Snape. He was a true blue all-weather friend. Harry was very grateful. When Ron told Colin to shut up and leave him alone, he smiled. "Thanks, Ron." Ron had given him a smile, and answered. "No problem." All was well there, at least.

The Slytherins had given him an odd look, but he ignored it, thankful that Draco wasn't there to torment him about it. It was hard enough to get used to without Draco. The first years students came rushing in, followed by the four exchange students, dressed in school robes. Each was different from the next. The first was a girl, with bright blue hair pulled up into a pigtail. Her eyes were large and dark her only jewelry a thick black collar. Her tie was shredded. Strange, but pretty. The next was a pretty girl, long chestnut brown hair, a tidy uniform, very short. Harry wondered if she had a bit of dwarf in her. A Japanese boy stood next to her, he really was very good looking, having blonde highlights in his long-ish wavy black hair. The last was a blonde haired boy, with floppy hair, and big blue eyes.

McGonagall's voice rang through the hall. "When I call your name, you will come forward and I will place the Sorting Hat on your head. After you have been sorted you will join your house table." She started the list. It wasn't until M that the first of the exchanges walked forward.

"MacDonald, Joanna."

The tiny girl made her way to the front, and sat down, smiling at McGonagall. She sat under the hat for three minutes at least, when finally it shouted, "RAVENCLAW!" The Ravenclaws cheered, and "Mackenzie, Anya" headed for the stool. The next exchange was "Satoshi, Aki." Aki. He sat there, too, for several minutes. Then the Hat made Harry a very happy hormonal teenager. "GRYFFINDOR!" Harry made room for Aki next to him. "Sit, join us." Aki smiled and sat down. "Nice to meet you."

"Absolutely. How was your trip here?"

"All right. Uhm, strange, but nice. Jo met that Hagrid guy- scared to death. But, he seemed nice enough."

"Hagrid is a good friend. What's with the blue hair?"

"Why not, right? Rhys is a rebel, but she grows on you. Like moss."

Ron snickered, and looked up to see Wick, Ian being called to the stood. Ian was sorted into Hufflepuff! Much to the joy of the house. Harry smiled. Then, it was Blue's turn. "Wolverton. Rhysati."

The girl made her way up, and smiled at the stern face of Professor McGonagall and let the hat drop onto her head. It sat there for a long time. Longer than the rest. But, apparently the Hat was satisfied when it called out, to Harry's personal surprise, "GRYFFINDOR!"

Shortly thereafter everyone was seated, and students were chatting away, when Dumbledore stood. "Welcome, and Welcome Back to Hogwarts. As you all have noticed we have four new exchange students this year, from the Salem Institute in Massachusetts. In exchange for these four students, we have exchanged four of our own. Hermione Granger, Draco Malfoy, Justin Finch-Fletchley, and Lisa Turpin have gone abroad to represent Hogwarts, there. Please, give them a warm welcome. A few of the usual start of term announcements, as always the Forbidden Forest is forbidden. As well, we have another Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, however this year, we will be welcoming back a teacher that had left us, but was so dear to many of us, Remus Lupin."

There were loud bouts of applause from the sixth and seventh years, and fear and outrage from the Slytherins, and a few of the younger years that had heard of him.

"What's with that?" Aki asked, leaning over.

"Remus is a werewolf. He's perfectly harmless, Snape makes Wolfsbane for him every moon without fail. He taught defense three years ago, but was prevented from taking the last dose one month, and could have attacked a student. Best Defense Teacher we've had though. The whole lot of have been morons and fakes."

Ron nodded. "And we *need* good teachers in times like these. Hogwarts is sure to be a target. Especially since Harry is here."

Aki shrugged.

"You will be quiet. There is no danger having Professor Lupin back. If you have a problem see your head of house. Also, all visits to Hogsmeade, in light of recent events, despite the calm this summer, are still suspended until further notice. All of that being said, let the feast, begin."

*

It wasn't until Potions the next day that Harry realized that things really had changed. Snape barged into the classroom the same way he did every year. "Welcome to sixth year Potions. As always there is to be no wand waving in this classroom. As the usual partnerships established over the last five years have been interrupted for the remainder of the year, they need to be re-arranged. Neville, please work with Miss Wolverton. I assume, Harry it would be acceptable to work with Satoshi-san?" Harry couldn't believe it. That was a question! Was he all right with working with Aki?! Yes! Of course! Harry smiled, and nodded.

"Very well. Now we must get down to business. This term-" Harry watched as his father's speech stumbled for just a moment, and then continued. Was that about? Had anyone else noticed? He looked around. No- no one else appeared to. Maybe it was nothing. Harry listened intently to the instructions for today's experiment. Class continued for another hour, when Harry felt horrible pain in his scar. He staggered back, hoping to find his stool, but never quite did, and fell back, smacking his head on the corner of Parkinson and Crabbe's work table.

*

Ron couldn't quite describe the horror that had followed Harry's collapse in the classroom. It'd been a chain of events that had only lasted seconds. Harry had given a short bark, hands coming up to touch his forehead, when he staggered, hit his head, and jarred the potion brewing on the worktable, which toppled over and spilled, next to Harry, and thankfully not on top of him, but the burns on his right hand were rather extensive.

It was the fierceness in Snape's voice that had jolted all the students. Snape had been at Harry's side in only seconds, and scooped the unconscious boy up into his arms. "Parkinson, Crabbe, clean this mess up. Miss Wolverton, please help the students finish the assignment. Please leave all your work on my desk in labeled glass vials." He swept from the room, Harry cradled against his chest. Ron was shocked. He'd never seen such a display in Snape.

"Did you see that? Babying Potter! I can't believe it. I thought he was-- " Pansy's voice trailed off, but Ron understood. She thought Snape was a Death Eater.

Rhysati had done a remarkable job with all the students, correcting, and helping. Clearly her extensive work with hair dye, had affected her potions grade. Or something. After class ended, Aki, and Ron headed for the hospital wing.

Ron was shocked. Snape was sitting next to Harry, brushing his bangs out of his face, talking quietly. "You'll be fine. Inevitably, you always are. I don't fancy telling Rehmy about this though. Merlin help me then. I don't suppose you want to wake up for me, save me the trouble right? No, no of course not."

**

Harry knew it was a dream. Dreams had a strange quality to them, even when they seemed so real. This, this was frightening though.

He saw Death Eaters swarming over Snape Manor. They were all dressed in thick black robes, looking menacing, breaking things, and causing general mayhem. Harry watched as one walked amongst them, not pent on destruction, but surveying. "Others," he hissed. "Others have been living here. Find an elf."

Shortly thereafter Wishy was brought before them. A Death Eater was holding the poor elf by the ear. She was crying, and screaming. "Me know nothings, sirs! Nothings!"

"How many live here, Elf?"

"Threes! Master, Mate, and Beta! Know Nothings! Wishy is a new elf, Sirs! Is new!" Harry knew this. Wishy had said she was his elf. As such, Harry was sure she was given absolute instructions to never ever say his name to anyone. She probably didn't even know it. Just, Beta. Whatever that meant.

"Your lack of worthfulness is rather disturbing, Elf. Do you serve your owners well?"

"Yes, Sirs! Yes of course! I is making the beds, and laundering sheets, perfect qualities! No starch! Just as Beta asked! Just as! I swears, sirs, Wishy is good elf. Work hard."

"What do they look like?"

"Who sirs?"

"Master?"

"Master is tall! Dark hair! Big nose! Loud, Sirs." She was shaking in fear.

"Mate?"

"Smaller! Graying! Sick."

"Beta?"

"Never met!! I just knows he is here. Master brings all my instructions!"

"It seems our loyal compatriot is hiding something from us, my faithful. Yes, Snape is hiding something. A handsome mate. A male."

Heads nodded around the living room. Harry shook his head for the state it was in, battered, and some of the tapestries were ripped, one beyond repair. Then, He turned to the elf that was still dangling by her ear.

"Goyle, put the little thing down. Stand still, Elf." Wishy stood there, terrified, looking in inch from bawling, when a wand was drawn, and the pain spiked in Harrys' body to intolerable levels, and the curse was caste, and Harry watched in horror as his little elf, died in a flash of green light.

"Come. We have work to do. Search the house for clues as to who this Mate is. Or the other. I must know what he is up to."

*

Harry woke in a fog to see Snape, Ron, and Remus sitting at his bedside. "Water."

A minute later he was lifted a bit, and he was given a few sips of water. "Slowly," a lowe velvety voice said in his ear. Snape.

"Wishy."

Snape frowned. "What?"

"Dead."

Snape stared. "What? You wish you were dead?"

Harry shook his head. "No."

"Rest. Don't worry right now. I don't want you overexerting yourself. You hit your head pretty hard."

"Huh?"

"You hit your head."

"No. Scar-"

Ron stared. "Your scar hurt! Of course! Of course! I understand!" Harry smiled. Ron would take care of it. He sunk back into sleep.

*

Snape stared. "All right, Mister Weasley, what's this about?"

"It's his scar. It bothers him- a lot, actually. Whenever Voldemort does something. It hurts him. Sometimes its really really really bad. I know sometimes he doesn't sleep at all."

"Doesn't anyone know about this?"

Ron squirmed. "Dumbledore knows. And, Sirius."

Snape scowled. "Well, that's not much help. Did you know, Rehm?"

"I think he might have mentioned it once."

"So what'd he mean?"

"Wishy. Dead. Someone is dead. Wishy? Who's that, though?"

Snape's eyes suddenly widened gigantically. "The elf! Harry's elf! At the house!" He looked utterly panicked for a moment, when Remus came up beside him. "I packed the pensieve."

Snape looked mildly relieved at that. "Still. In the manor. I'll have to write to her mother. And- I should go. Assure the others, take care of the body. I- I guess, I'll go tell the Headmaster."

Remus walked over and pulled Snape into a tight embrace. "It'll be all right. Bring some protection with you. Anyone."

"It takes too much time for someone to get here."

"For me, Sev. For them."

Sev looked over at Remus, who wasn't showing yet, and would soon, though not much. "All right. I'll send for that damned mutt." He left the ward, after giving Harry a quick glance over. He looked too pale, but not too badly harmed. He sighed, and left the ward.

Ron sat with Harry for a while, and after classes ended, was joined by Aki. "Is he all right?"

"He'll be okay in a few hours. Madam Pomfrey said he'd wake up around five. She probably gave him a potion to keep him out. I'm not sure. They attacked the manor. Tortured his elf."

"What?"

"Harry and Voldemort have a unique, and horrible link through his scar. Whenever Voldemort is particularly angry it hurts. And, not just a little—a lot. He passed out today, and then hit his head, not the other way around. And, he had nightmares. He sees what happens. Lucky for us, bad for Voldemort, but really, its bad all around. They went to the manor and tortured his elf."

"I thought Harry lived with muggle relatives."

"He used to. Now, he lives with Professor Snape, at his manor."

Aki frowned. "Why?"

Harry, who had just been rousing, listening in on their conversation spoke up. "'S my dad."

"What?!" Aki was confused.

"He's my real dad. It's a long story. But, that's why. And they went to the manor. I think they know."

Ron gasped. "About you?!"

"No. About him."

"Shit."

Harry nodded.

Notes: in the last chapter's reviews, there was a question, asking how Hermione's transfer to SI was good for *Harry*. I think it would be far too suspicious if Draco was sent away, but no one else. To send one of the Holy Trio would reinforce the idea of sending the top of the form. Also, with Voldemort wreaking havoc, its safer for her in America, one less thing for Harry to worry about.
Thanks, everyone, for leaving a review!
-ric