AN: Are there any older teenaged or early twenties ish Britons reading this? I've got some questions to ask... Applying to colleges right now and the main deciding factors I've got before they send me the financial aid offers are the foreign exchange programs... I really (really really) want to spend a year in Great Britain and I'm not sure what any of the towns besides London is like... Haven't found a program in Edinburgh, but I've been there too... Mind you, this isn't because of Harry Potter fanishness. I visited Britain in Nov. of 1999, a point in my life when I had never heard of nor touched a Harry Potter novel, and I loved it then (tho it was a tinch cold.) ANYWAY... if you are feeling nice, and live in GB, please email me... And I still am not J.K. Rowling.

Ch 13: Belldani and Harry are not a couple

"You know that is seriously weird, Harry," Ron muttered to him when Moody's lecture on constant vigilance, punctuated by tales from his experiences, was finally over.

"Is she your girlfriend?" Lavender asked nervously, and Harry found himself encircled by his fellow Gryffindors.

"No," he replied crossly, "She's a friend! Honestly! Do you know what I went through with her this past summer?" Immediately he realized that was the wrong way to say that. Everyone was coming closer.

"Did Snape know?" Seamus asked, adding, "Is she pretty?"

"He knows that we were friends," Harry said crossly, "Nothing more. I was there… there when he died, and she broke down crying, even threw a vase at the wall. She is pretty," he admitted, "But she's Snape's wife, really! She hasn't even been to the manor he left her yet."

Neville joined them as they headed down the stairs to lunch.

"Who's Snape's wife?" he asked fearfully, looking over his shoulder, as if a female vampire bat was about to attack.

"Harry's girlfriend," Ron replied nonchalantly, and Hermione slapped his arm.

"You ought to stop saying that, it isn't true!" she snapped, and Harry felt grateful.

"I told you she's just a friend," Harry said pointedly, "I would do the same for Hermione."

"Hermione has the sense to not marry Snape!" Ron yelped, "That girl- you know she was a 7th year last year right? They must've-" Lavender interrupted with a shriek, and she clung to Seamus.

"That's vile!" she said shocked, and ran off to presumably tell all of this to Parvati, who was already sitting at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall. Hermione explained to Harry what he had missed last year- Parvati and Dean had been dating, until he broke up with her for Ginny. Now Parvati refused to be anywhere near Dean unless it was absolutely necessary, which meant the only time she avoided him was class.

"How exactly did you manage to be friends with err- Mrs. Snape?" Hermione asked, Ron not being glued to her side for once. He had sat himself next to Dean, who was between he and Ginny. Harry was near the table to avoid the looks Lavender and Parvati was sending him.

"She was as friendly as Snape at first," he explained, "But every once in a while, she'd acted normal and call me Harry instead of Potter, you know? And then one day she asked to borrow my cloak for the night…" Hermione nodded, having already been told the story of Belldani's rescue of Snape from the Cirasada mansion.

"After that… I guess she and Snape were having a row or something, but she started talking to me like I was a person, just telling me everything… Then Dumbledore was there and Snape told me to be sure to defeat Voldemort. He told her to not spend her life mourning him. After… Dumbledore said she had to stay with me at the Muggles for a few more days, until the funeral. In case the Death Eaters figured out that she was the one to get him out of there, they'd be looking more for her. It was like she was the same age as me… I didn't want to leave her alone then, we both just talked about well, Sirius and Snape."

"Dumbledore is really wise," Hermione said thoughtfully, "He probably thought you would connect- she gave up her family, didn't she? Snape was the only person that she had… Like how Sirius was for you… sort of."

"Not quite," Harry agreed, "I didn't marry Sirius."

"You know that's not what I meant," Hermione rolled her eyes.

"She sent me a letter, right before term started… Thanking me for being a friend when she needed one."

"That's sweet," Hermione said. "I know you wouldn't do anything with her, Harry. You get too flustered around girls anyway." She waved, lunch was over and Hermione had N.E.W.T. level potions after lunch. Harry had study period and then Care of Magical Creatures. He decided to go early and talk with Hagrid.

Belldani threw the crumpled parchment against the wall and it tumbled into the growing pile. Taking a fresh piece of parchment, she stared out the window, trying to focus. She had already made five attempts at writing back to Percy, but she could not figure out what to say.

Percy,

Thank you for the offer of letting me stay with you and your family. I actually haven't decided what I am going to do yet, as to a more permanent living situation. Severus left me his family's estate near Wales, which I am visiting tomorrow afternoon with Harry. He's a nice kid, quite level-headed once you get to know him, despite what the papers said.

I would enjoy writing back and forth with you, to be honest. Besides Aberforth, Albus Dumbledore's brother, there isn't a soul for miles. Over the next mountain is Hogsmeade, but it would be a rather long walk. I've spent over a month alone with my thoughts and something inside says to try talking to other people now.

Would you like me to tell you about myself? We were never properly introduced, I suppose, as the first time you saw my face it was floating by itself in your flat. You only saw the rest of me when I was trying to get the both of us away from Voldemort. My name is Belldani Athena (Cirasada) Snape and my birthday is June 21st, which I've never understood because it's the longest day of the year and the start of summer and I prefer nights and winter. My parents you may have heard of, Marcus and Magdalena Cirasada.

I had an older brother named Judas, but he died when I was two from a Muggle diease. After that, my parents became Death Eaters in their hatred of all things Muggle and I was forgotten. My only friend was Squeaky, the house elf, and I was a Slytherin, although I probably belonged more to Ravenclaw, because of my bookworm tendency. I spent most of my time in my family's library, none of my parents' friends would find me there I suppose, and that's how it was at school too.

None of the people in my house really associated with me because I had no interest in what they did - Dark Arts, killing Muggles and Muggle-born, and torturing Harry Potter.

Severus was the first person to show any sort of emotion for me, which made his death harder - he stopped me from throwing myself from the Astronomy Tower, and then… Well, I hadn't graduated yet, but we started a relationship and suddenly my life seemed worth living. You must know the whole mess with Tom and the engagement, and then after Albus stationed me to watch you, we eloped, I guess. After I took you back to Albus, I stayed with Harry… Then there was the funeral and now I'm here to relax after so much stress. Will you tell me about yourself? Sorry for opening up so, but it just seems right.

Belldani

Harry awoke the next morning and went down to a breakfast of kippers and eggs. He went back to the common room where Ron and Ginny were sitting nervously with Sloper and Kirke, the two replacement Beaters after the Umbridge fiasco from the year before.

"Nice to have you back," Ron said low to Harry, then turned to the group, "Alright team, I'm Captain, as you know, from events beside my control…"

"The oldest student on the team at the end of last term," Ginny quipped, "Though maybe Harry can get it, now that he's back after all of the High Inquisitor proclamations were tossed out." Ron looked disappointed, but nodded. "We have Ron as Keeper, Harry as Seeker, me as Chaser and you two as Beaters… So that leaves two Chasers open."

"When should we have tryouts, Captain?" Harry asked, mock-saluting Ron, who scowled back.

"I think next Wednesday should work, I'll post a sign… say, 6 o' clock, after dinner?" The others nodded in agreement. "I'd like to get a replacement for each position lined up, as a reserve team… Really, something always seems to go wrong each year, we ought to have started it sooner."

"Oliver didn't allow people to get taken off active duty, and Angelina had enough to worry about to get a second team together." Harry reminded and glanced at the clock. It was quarter to 10.

"Worried about your date?" Ron said lamely, having given up teasing Harry.

"I just don't want to be late; I'm meeting Moody at the front doors at 11 and we're going from there to the main gates to meet Belldani." Harry explained.

"Who's Belldani?" Kirke asked, "Why do you need Professor Moody to go with you?" Harry wanted to smack himself, he didn't like having to explain so much.

"Belldani Snape. Professor Snape's wife," he said, ignoring the horrified looks on the faces of the two younger students. "She's a friend of mine and I'm going with her to the house that Snape left her. Professor Moody is coming with us because I guess Snape hadn't been there since the Triwizard thing and no one has any of idea what its like or what shape its in." Harry turned to Ron. "I'm a bit nervous, actually, if Dumbledore thinks that Mad-Eye needs to go with us…" Ron nodded, understanding what Harry was getting at.

"It'll be alright, mate," Ron tried to sound light-hearted, "After all that you've done, one stupid house can't kill you."

"It's not the house that could kill him, its what's inside!" Ginny said exasperatedly. "Harry, just be careful… You don't know what sort of stuff Snape's got there, and neither does his widow. If anything bad happens, I'll kill you." She ran up the stairs to the girls' dormitories. Sloper and Kirke slouched off, realizing the meeting was over.

"I think Hermione's in the library, want to see if she knows anything that could help?" Ron suggested. Harry agreed, knowing that Ron probably just wanted to see his girlfriend. He didn't really mind the fact that his two best friends were dating, he got the owl from Ron right after term ended. Obviously they had spent the summer in the first stage all couples go through; everything is wonderful and they're the only person you can see. Now they were comfortable, or maybe it was being at school and having different things to do.

Hermione didn't have any suggestions for Harry, as it turned out, but she reminded him of all the hexes, jinxs, and counter-spells they did know. Too soon Ron was telling him it was 5 to 11, and Harry found himself rushing to the main doors.