Severus stalked back and forth in Dumbledore's office, his black robes
swirling behind him. Dumbledore leaned back in his chair and watched him
calmly. For the past half-hour Severus had paced like this, throwing out
wilder and wilder schemes for rescuing his daughter from the Dursleys - and
Potter.
"Severus." Dumbledore began.
"What?" Severus snarled, then caught himself. He was, after all, talking to the headmaster. "Sorry," he muttered ungraciously. "I'm just."
"Worried," Dumbledore finished for him. "I know. In fact, I have the perfect suggestion."
"And that is."
"Leave her there."
Dumbfounded, Severus stared at Dumbledore.
"I mean it," added the headmaster. "I have the feeling that she will find her own way here. Even," and here Dumbledore's eyes twinkled, "with Harry around."
Severus clenched his potion-stained hands fury, then suddenly stalked out, slamming the door behind him. Dumbledore shook his silvery head in wry amusement.
"He'll learn," he murmured to the red-gold phoenix beside him. Fawkes gave a reassuring chirp in reply, and Dumbledore smiled.
As for Erin, she was having the time of her life. Not with the Dursleys, of course. With Harry.
As the summer progressed, Erin quickly learned her place in the Dursley homestead. By praising Mrs. Dursley's overly clean kitchen and listening to Mr. Dursley's boring jokes, she had managed to stay on their good side. Sometimes, her influence was enough to keep Harry from being punished too harshly, for which Harry was profoundly grateful.
Dudley was a different matter. Erin was always polite to him in public, but in reality, she never stopped plotting with Harry against him.
Like right now.
"If we could hook a string through the ceiling fan." Harry suggested. They were lying on Harry's bed, studying a crude map of the downstairs floor.
"I don't know. I don't think the fan's strong enough to support a bucket of water," said Erin, tapping her pencil against her teeth.
"Well, if the fan broke, he would still get wet," said Harry hopefully. Erin grinned.
"Nah," she said, getting up to stretch. "We'd get in hideous trouble if we broke something.hey!" Erin cried, startled, as her foot twisted on a loose plank. With a thud, she fell to the floor.
Harry was at her side immediately. "Are you all right?" he asked anxiously. "Yeah, think so." Erin moved her foot gingerly. As she did so, the loose plank moved a few more inches. "Huh? What's this?"
"It's nothing! Really!" cried Harry, panicked. But it was too late. Erin was already rooting through his secret hiding place.
"What is this stuff? Magic books? A wand? A broom? Trying to be a warlock, Harry?"
"Wizard," corrected Harry automatically. An idea came to him. "Er, I just use the stuff to play with sometimes. You know, when I was little. I hid it 'cause I didn't want Dudley to make fun." Harry's voice trailed off as Erin looked up, her dark hazel eyes deadly serious.
"This doesn't look like playing to me," she said quietly. Looking back down, she opened one book and began to read it. "Powdered root of asphodel.infusion of wormwood.a potion, right?" Harry nodded miserably. Erin looked up again.
"I think, Harry," she said, and her voice was suddenly high and cold, "that you had better tell me what this is." Her dark eyes blazed with a power Harry had never seen in her before.
Harry hesitated for just one second. He could Obliviate her memory - but Erin was his friend. He knelt beside her, took a deep breath, and explained. First about the wizarding world in general, but then, as Erin kept pressing, about Hogwarts, about himself.and about Voldemort.
When he was done, Erin was quiet for a few moments. "So, this guy, Voldemort, is going to take over the world, basically?" Harry nodded. Erin studied his wand, twirling it absently in her fingers. "Do you think I can do magic?" she asked suddenly.
"Probably not," said Harry, "If you weren't already selected for a school."
Erin frowned. "Well, I can try, can't I?" she demanded.
Harry grinned. "All right," he said, "you can try. Except, no doing actual magic right now, during the summer. We'd get in trouble with the ministry."
"All right," said Erin, and placed the Potions book in Harry's hands. "Tutor me."
"Severus." Dumbledore began.
"What?" Severus snarled, then caught himself. He was, after all, talking to the headmaster. "Sorry," he muttered ungraciously. "I'm just."
"Worried," Dumbledore finished for him. "I know. In fact, I have the perfect suggestion."
"And that is."
"Leave her there."
Dumbfounded, Severus stared at Dumbledore.
"I mean it," added the headmaster. "I have the feeling that she will find her own way here. Even," and here Dumbledore's eyes twinkled, "with Harry around."
Severus clenched his potion-stained hands fury, then suddenly stalked out, slamming the door behind him. Dumbledore shook his silvery head in wry amusement.
"He'll learn," he murmured to the red-gold phoenix beside him. Fawkes gave a reassuring chirp in reply, and Dumbledore smiled.
As for Erin, she was having the time of her life. Not with the Dursleys, of course. With Harry.
As the summer progressed, Erin quickly learned her place in the Dursley homestead. By praising Mrs. Dursley's overly clean kitchen and listening to Mr. Dursley's boring jokes, she had managed to stay on their good side. Sometimes, her influence was enough to keep Harry from being punished too harshly, for which Harry was profoundly grateful.
Dudley was a different matter. Erin was always polite to him in public, but in reality, she never stopped plotting with Harry against him.
Like right now.
"If we could hook a string through the ceiling fan." Harry suggested. They were lying on Harry's bed, studying a crude map of the downstairs floor.
"I don't know. I don't think the fan's strong enough to support a bucket of water," said Erin, tapping her pencil against her teeth.
"Well, if the fan broke, he would still get wet," said Harry hopefully. Erin grinned.
"Nah," she said, getting up to stretch. "We'd get in hideous trouble if we broke something.hey!" Erin cried, startled, as her foot twisted on a loose plank. With a thud, she fell to the floor.
Harry was at her side immediately. "Are you all right?" he asked anxiously. "Yeah, think so." Erin moved her foot gingerly. As she did so, the loose plank moved a few more inches. "Huh? What's this?"
"It's nothing! Really!" cried Harry, panicked. But it was too late. Erin was already rooting through his secret hiding place.
"What is this stuff? Magic books? A wand? A broom? Trying to be a warlock, Harry?"
"Wizard," corrected Harry automatically. An idea came to him. "Er, I just use the stuff to play with sometimes. You know, when I was little. I hid it 'cause I didn't want Dudley to make fun." Harry's voice trailed off as Erin looked up, her dark hazel eyes deadly serious.
"This doesn't look like playing to me," she said quietly. Looking back down, she opened one book and began to read it. "Powdered root of asphodel.infusion of wormwood.a potion, right?" Harry nodded miserably. Erin looked up again.
"I think, Harry," she said, and her voice was suddenly high and cold, "that you had better tell me what this is." Her dark eyes blazed with a power Harry had never seen in her before.
Harry hesitated for just one second. He could Obliviate her memory - but Erin was his friend. He knelt beside her, took a deep breath, and explained. First about the wizarding world in general, but then, as Erin kept pressing, about Hogwarts, about himself.and about Voldemort.
When he was done, Erin was quiet for a few moments. "So, this guy, Voldemort, is going to take over the world, basically?" Harry nodded. Erin studied his wand, twirling it absently in her fingers. "Do you think I can do magic?" she asked suddenly.
"Probably not," said Harry, "If you weren't already selected for a school."
Erin frowned. "Well, I can try, can't I?" she demanded.
Harry grinned. "All right," he said, "you can try. Except, no doing actual magic right now, during the summer. We'd get in trouble with the ministry."
"All right," said Erin, and placed the Potions book in Harry's hands. "Tutor me."