Chapter 20
Disclaimer: I don't own. Please don't sue.
Author's Notes: Well, that wasn't too long, was it? This chapter signals the end of Fifth Year, read on... most of this chapter is a very random conversation between Harry, Ron and Hermione.
***
"What do you mean you can't change back into you?"
"Ron, this is me. The real me that was supposed to be."
"But wasn't. This isn't you. YOU looked like your dad."
"I do look like my dad."
"Your OTHER dad…"
"Ron."
"Yeah, yeah. Sorry mate, but this is going to take getting used to. And going to classes with Snape Junior really doesn't seem that appealing."
"Snape Junior? Jeez, thanks Ron."
Harry was about to throw a fake punch at Ron, but his arm couldn't move.
"Hermione. Let go of my arm."
"Don't punch Ron."
"I wasn't going to."
"Stop acting like kids, you two."
"You shut up, Ron."
"Make me."
Now it was Hermione's turn to throw a punch. Ron, thinking Hermione was Hermione, and since Hermione never punched anyone, didn't move. Unfortunately for him, the girl's fist contacted with his shoulder.
"Oww. God Hermione. Was that necessary?"
"Absolutely. Now, you two. You've got to get up to date. Your exams are in two weeks. Harry's been too busy with this 'looking like Snape' thing, and Ron, you've just been plain lazy. I've got notes for both of you, but I'm not, I repeat NOT spending any extra time helping you. And right now, we got to figure out what Harry should do."
Ron shrugged. "Well, it's pretty obvious isn't it?"
"What?"
"Let the world know you're Snape's son. Duh."
"And have Voldermort another reason to kill me? No thanks."
"Mate, he's already trying to kill you. Another reason really isn't going to change that."
"Thanks, that's going to help me sleep tonight, Ron."
"Pleasure."
Hermione sighed. "You know, Harry. Ron's right. That's probably the most reasonable option. Hiding the fact that you're Snape's son isn't really going to make any difference to anything. Besides, it'd worse when the rumors spread. I mean, you look like Snape, and Snape's letter already said you couldn't change that."
"Okay. Okay." Harry nodded slowly. Then: "Wonder what Malfoy's going to say."
"HA. Serves him right."
"Well, you know Malfoy's not real – "
"Don't you dare say he's really "not that bad." He is."
"What about that day in the room about Animagi."
"He was drunk that day."
Hermione almost punched him again. "Oh shut up, Ron."
"Hey. What did happen to our transformations?"
"We've been too busy to worry about that. We're STILL too busy to worry about that. Exams. Remember?"
"Course. What with you being my personal reminder every two minutes. What – OW – Hermione, stop doing that."
"Hey, why don't we try our Animagi again now? We've got – " Harry checked the time. " – Almost an hour and a half."
"And miss out on an hour and half of class? DEFINETLY not. Hermione'll have a heart attack."
Hermione glared. "I'm still here Ron. And that idea would be FINE."
"Seriously? Okay. Harry, you first."
Harry shrugged. "Why not."
Kneeling on the crimson red carpet, he focused on the snake. The Treskiyn. Well, at least, Harry tried to focus on the Treskiyn. But other thoughts seem to flood his mind even as he willed his mind to keep them out. Thoughts about Snape. About what other people would think when they realized he was Snape's son. When they realized he was the son of a Death Eater. Even if he was a spy. The famous Harry Potter, son of Death Eater Severus Snape. How good would that look on the Daily Prophet?
"Harry. Harry. Are you stuck?" Hermione sounded alarmed.
Harry shook his head and turned back to reality, and realized neither Ron or Hermione had moved, let alone changed. "What?"
"You've been like that for the past six minutes, Harry."
"Like what?" Harry asked, before realizing he wasn't even a tenth Treskiyn. In fact, all that had changed on him at all, was that his robe sleeves were now the familiar green/yellow scales of the Treskiyn.
"Do the transformations slow if you don't work on them?" Ron wondered aloud.
"Apparently not." A distorted voice said behind him. A part-fox Hermione knelt with paws as she looked at him. "This only took me a couple of seconds, but I don't think I've gotten anywhere since last time."
"Do you think because Harry's changed – "
"I just can't focus. That's probably why." Harry interjected.
There was a short silence, in which Hermione changed back. "Well, since Harry can't concentrate, let's do the transformations some other time. You can start your study now."
Ron began the change to spider.
*
The days, the weeks that continued seemed to pass with amazing speed, Harry felt. Apart from the first few days in which the convincing of his housemates that he was, really, the Harry Potter that once existed, was slow and tedious, Harry didn't remember much. The exams had gone by, and Harry hadn't cared much at all. Perhaps it was the overbearing attitude of Hermione's that caused them to rebel, or perhaps it was just the fact that there really was no point.
For Harry, school work had fallen to the bottom list of his priorities ever since fourth year. Exams and tests and homework didn't matter for one who's job, and future, was to save the world, so to speak. Harry tried not to think about it a lot of the time, he knew that the time would come when something important would happen, and he would just have to face it. And like Dumbledore said, even if he didn't want to, he'd have to.
Sometimes he wished Snape was still at Hogwarts. And he wished Sirius would come bounding into Hogwarts as the big, black dog that he was. But he knew this wouldn't happen, and the only people Harry felt he was close enough to were Ron and Hermione. Not even Dumbledore could he confide in. So most things, he found, he told only his best friends. And he also found it helped. The three of them would talk, listen, and laugh about it. Friends were there to lighten the mood, and that's exactly what Ron and Hermione did.
And so, sixth year approached, but Harry found every day became heavier with the next. And after the Daily Prophet's 'Harry Snape, Friend or Foe?," string of news, then came the tidings of Voldermort's coming. His rise almost two years ago, it said, ready to attack at any point in time. And all hopes were placed on him, Harry Snape, despite the Prophet's words of advice.
So even when the word wasn't Harry Potter, Savior of the Wizarding World, it was still the Harry Snape, Boy Who Lived.
***
Next chapter: Sixth year begins. From here, I'm moving very, VERY, quickly through the months, mainly because sixth year is only a stepping stone into Seventh Year. Expect about three to four chapters on the whole sixth year.
Thanks for reading.. please review.
