A/N:  Sitting here on vacation, laughing in Ginny's face about my laptop…  Now, what happened in the last chapter?  *opens file, reads through*  Okay…Next chapter.  I guess it's an AU fic, now, but I may change it to Sixth-Year…shan't be too hard…but *whimpers about a certain person dying in case others haven't yet read OotP*  Nooo!

Chapter Six:  Back Home

            Harry woke to the familiar feeling of the Hogwarts four-poster beds.  There was something that felt not-right though.  He opened his eyes, "Ah!" he screamed in terror, as his eyes picked up the green hangings.  "This is great, I'm colour-blind," he thought, "Wait.  No, worse, I'm in the Slytherin Common Rooms.  Ew, I could be in Malfoy's bed!"  With a sudden surge of energy he jumped out of the bed.  He saw stars before the world went back to a familiar black.

            Severa was sitting in the Slytherin Common Room when she heard something from the dormitories.  She thought of Harry, and went to the office to fetch her father.  She went into his office, he wasn't there.  She looked for someone or something that she thought may know where he was.

            "Excuse me?" she heard a voice from behind.  Severa spun quickly and was face-to-face with a young woman.  She was tall with pale skin, wavy brown hair, and bright blue eyes.  "Do you know where Ravenclaw's Common Room is?"

            "Er, no."

            "Sorry, I'm Professor Feenland.  I'll be your Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher next year."

            "I actually don't go here.  I may next year though.  Severa Snape, my father is the Potions Master."

            "Oh, I met him in Diagon Alley a while ago."

            "Ah.  You haven't seen him, have you?  I need to speak with him."

            "No, not here, I'm sorry.  Do you know if anyone else is here?"

            "Just Harry," Severa answered.  Instantly she bit her lip.  Was she allowed to tell anyone where he was?  Oh, well, she'd probably find out eventually anyway.

            "Harry Potter?  Really?  I thought he lived with some Muggle family."

            "He, erm, does.  Usually.  He's staying with my father for some reason though."

            "Never can protect that boy too much, can you?" Professor Feenland laughed.

            "I guess not.  I wish I could help you, but I really have to find my father."  Severa turned around and went off in search of the kitchens.  After running into one dead end, she finally found the still-life and tickled the pear.  Instantly, she was greeted by a large majority of house-elves.  Luckily they were all short and she could see her father speaking with a rather odd-looking house-elf.  First off, he was in clothes, secondly, "bad sense of fashion" was a serious understatement.  He looked to be wearing ten pairs of socks, three shirts, two of which were T-Shirts, and on top was a bright lime-green muscle shirt, and trousers that somehow touched the floor, though you could see all ten pairs of socks at the same time.

            "Father?" she called out.  Her father looked at her with an expression of surprise.  "It's about Harry," she said quickly before he could interrogate her.

            "Yes?" he answered impatiently.

            "I heard something from the dormitories.  I think he woke up or something."

            "Did you check on him?"

            "Er, no."  "That would have been so much easier, what an dunderhead I am."

            "All right."  he turned to the house-elf and seemed to say just one more thing she couldn't quite catch.  The elf nodded happily, while saying grammatically incorrectly praises of her father and Harry Potter.  Must be the elf's job to watch over him.

            They walked back towards the dungeon.  "Excuse me?" they heard a familiar voice.  "Severus, do you know where Ravenclaw's Common Room is?"

            "Sort of, in a minute."

            "You'll sort of know in a minute?" she laughed.

            "In a minute I can help you," Severus barked over his shoulder as he was walking back towards the dungeons.

            "Raeder-git," he barked at the stone wall.  When they returned, he had decided to change the password for his own amusement.  They could hear Aeria Feenland's footsteps distantly behind them.  Severus went into the Fifth-Year dorms where Harry lay sprawled on the floor next to the bed he had been laid in.  Severus picked up Harry and heard him mutter something about, "Malfoy's bed," and a few choice swear words.  Severus was so tempted to take points from Gryffindor.

            "Who's Malfoy?" Severa asked.

            "Boy in my House.  Same year as Harry, the two of them detest each other greatly.  His father's a prat, and so is he, really.  I have to favour him though, because his father's a powerful Death Eater.

            "I see.  Maybe he was horrified at the thought of being in the same bed as Malfoy.  Maybe he'd prefer to be on one of the couches or his own House's beds."

            Severues opened his mouth to say, "That's absurd," but thought of sleeping in James Potter's or Sirius Black's and cringed, shutting his mouth.  "I'm not sure how to get into the Gryffindor dormitories, but I'll lay him on a couch." Severus answered.  After putting Harry down, he went back out and was face-to-face with a very confused Aeria Feenland.

            "Now, Ravenclaw was it?  I've never heard of a professor actually staying with the students."

            "Oh, no.  I just know how to get to my room from there."  Severa smiled, her own father was only a room away from the Slytherin dormitories, he might as well be with them.

            "Yes, I thought Fidelius Flitwick was Head of Ravenclaw House anyway."

            "Yes, he is."

            "Where are your daughters?"

            "Oh, Chori and Theay are with some relatives in London.  I didn't want to spoil their surprise of the first glimpse of Hogwarts."

            "Well, Chorea maybe, but for the Fifth-Years, it's nothing special."

            "Severus!" came a familiar aged voice full of life.  Albus Dumbledore.  "I see Severa is here, and that you've met Aeria Feenland, our newest Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher."

            "Yes, true.  Arabella told me about Harry, how is he?"

            "We can discuss that later," Severus answered.

            "Right.  Tea, tomorrow, then?"  Severus nodded, "How are you doing Severa, I haven't seen you in a while.  Must have missed you during the last summer holidays, you look so much older!"

            "I'm fine, thank you."

            "I got the owl, you're thinking about transferring to Hogwarts, I'm very proud.  Where have you gone previously?"

            "Durmstrang.  Rather ugly compared to Hogwarts.  I think I'd have a much better time here."

            "Yes, well, I'm sure you'll fit in.  Perhaps you and your father would like to join me for dinner in the Great Hall tomorrow night to discuss everything."

            "That would be wonderful, thank you Uncle Albus."  She smiled at the warmth in his blue eyes.  Since the day they met, the Headmaster has always insisted on being called 'Uncle Albus'.  "Headmaster seems just to formal for the summer!" he had said with a twinkling smile.

            "Aeria, are you getting settled all right?" Dumbledore had finally turned his attention to the young, new professor.

            "Yes, thank you."

            "Where are your girls?  I was looking forward to meeting them.  Have you talked to Thespia about her Sorting?"

            "Oh, there with relatives in London.  But, Thespia has decided that she'd rather be Sorted in private, rather than being singled out."

            "Good, we'll arrange a time later.  Maybe we can arrange for both Severa and Thespia to be Sorted at the same time, you two are going to be in the same year, correct?"

            Severus, being the only one who knew the answer was the only one to nod.  "Yes, they are."

            The next morning, Severus left about eleven to discuss Harry's situation with Dumbledore.  After explaining everything that had gone on, Albus was almost shocked, "Heavens.  I can't believe it.  Harry's always been a bit small and polite.  But, I never imagined…anything like that."

            "Shocking, I know.  I should have realised sooner, as well, knowing my past."

            "The two of you never got a chance to really get to know each other, though.  I'm sure you and he have grown closer over this."

            "Well, yes." Severus admitted a little reluctantly.       

            "Is he still in the Slytherin dormitories?" Albus asked.

            "Yes."

            "I'll see if I can get him back to Gryffindor Tower when Minerva gets back.  I think she's changed the password as she always does over the holidays."

            Severus left tea to see Harry.  He was laying awake on the couch.  "Don't worry, Malfoy hasn't slept in the bed you were in...yet." Severus greeted.

            Harry closed his eyes and groaned.  "You heard me?"

            "Yes.  How did you end up on the floor?"

            Harry groaned again, obviously not wanting to tell, "I was a bit disgusted at the thought of being in the same bed as Malfoy and tried to get out."

            "Didn't get too far, did you?"

            "Mmm," Harry groaned.

            "How are you?"

            "I'll be glad to be home when I'm out of these disgusting dungeons," Harry answered.  Did he just admit that Hogwarts is his home to Snape?!

            "Ha." Snape laughed shortly, "Mine—Professor McGonagall is working on that.  Once you're well enough."

            "How am I supposed to get better in such a cold, dreary place.  Honestly…Godfather…I can't believe you spend almost every second of your life down here."

            "Godfather…That had a nice ring to it.  But, of course, he had given that up long ago." Severus thought to himself.  "I find it rather comfy.  I don't see why you Gryffindors don't burn up in all that red.  But the Tower does explain why your heads are up in the air all the time."

            Harry was still feeling a bit awkward about calling Snape his Godfather.  Did he just see Snape smile…really smile?  School year hasn't started yet, he could probably come up with a good comeback, "Well, the coldness explains Slytherin's hearts."  Okay, maybe a bit harsh.

            "Thirty points…for insulting Slytherins, and another thirty for insulting me."

            "School year hasn't started yet, you can't deduct points."  Snape looked angry, but laughed with Harry.

A/N:  I could have sworn I finished this chapter, but my computer lost it and I had something different at the end…oh well, as long as it wasn't important.  Review, please, and tell me whether to bump it up to Sixth-Year and continue, or to continue as an AU, or if I should continue at all…

Ooops, first upload forgot the Reviewer thanx, I feel bad, I'm very sorry, here ya go—

Malfoy Angel—hope this is soon enough for you!

SweetSpy—Thankyou.  Yes, very good thing it's summer, but of course then he'd be with Madam Pomfrey, but anyway, I know, I'm a genius…just kidding.  Thankyou.

Jeanne—Yes, that's why I put it in the little…summary thingy…that's what you call it.  Sorry, temporarily mad as of now…Memory falling fast.  Anyway…thankyou very much.  I feel loved, your sacrificing your library time for my fic, and whatever you do, never read a humour fic in typing class…just…don't.  Almost got caught once, it wasn't pretty.

rofro05—thankyou!

Corgi—Thanks.  I planned on doing more than this, but I was a bit busy…erm…reading the fifth book and doing all this family stuff.