*****
Disclaimer: JKRowling wrote the Harry Potter books, Dr Seuss wrote the Lorax, which I quote from (rather obscurely) in this chapter.
A/N – Lets make this really clear: no slash. I just don't write it, sorry to all you slash fans.
And by the way, I might have put in a Harry romance, but this is getting longer than I intended already. There will be enough chapters to wrap up the loose ends (5-10, lol), but then I want to move on to characters I like better. (Not to knock the Boy Who Lived, but he may be my least favorite character in the series.)
Once again, I put this together without showing sadilou, so none of the mistakes can be pinned on her. (Although everything else in the world is definitely her fault)
Yawn, I was up till midnight putting this together, so be grateful and review. And stop laughing at me, Gusha!
*****
Harry and Zinnia met Severus in his sitting room at midmorning. Harry was still not on the best of terms with Ron and Hermione.
When he had gotten back to the common room the two of them had been arguing in a corner. Harry had given the food to a clutch of studying first years, much to their twittering delight. Then he had swept on up to bed. He had simply ignored his friends who did not even seem to notice him.
Severus was reading in his favorite armchair when Harry pushed the painting open and entered.
"Do I look alright?" Harry asked from the doorway. He was dressed casually in blue robes.
"Yes, you look fine." Severus marked his place with a narrow ribbon and placed the book neatly on the table.
"Obscure Eighteenth Century Enchantments?" Harry read off the cover.
"Minerva and I are researching something." Severus said with a grimace. "Are you ready to go?"
"Yes." Harry grinned.
"I didn't tell Rose that we're coming." Severus said with a rather malicious smile. "I thought we would just stop in and surprise her." He rubbed his hands together. "Very well, let's go."
Severus stood and led the way out of his rooms. Harry watched with interest as Severus pushed the painting closed and sent the red ball off into the painting.
"How do you do that anyway?" Harry asked.
Severus arched his brow. "`With great skillful skill and great speedy speed.'"
"What?" Harry said, wondering if that was a quote, and whether he should be able to place it.
"Never mind." Severus said. "Come along, this way."
Severus led them around the castle. Up two little used stair cases, down one, to a musty alcove in an unused area of the school.
He pulled out his wand and spoke. Harry jumped a bit, because the hissing sound was very clearly "Please do not bite me." A door appeared in the back of the alcove.
Severus looked over at him sheepishly. "It used to be an obscure phrase in Russian, but I thought this might be less reproducible."
"Right." Harry agreed.
"Who bites?" Zinnia asked sleepily. "Don't bite Smelly Father."
"Shh." Harry murmured. "No one is biting Severus."
Severus opened the door and held it for Harry to enter the passage.
Harry looked around with interest. There was a small room with an old easy chair and a great many candle holders. The candles lit themselves as he entered. Harry suddenly realized that the room was really a rather large landing at the top of a flight of narrow stairs.
"What's the matter, Harry?" Severus asked smirking. "Did you think that the Marauders had a monopoly on secret passages?"
"Um, well…" Harry began.
"The Chamber of Secrets isn't on that map of theirs, is it?" Severus' eyebrows arched. He led the way down the stairs.
"I never looked for it there, actually." Harry replied.
"Oh? Not even in the middle of all the fuss in your second year?" Severus smirked, his point made.
"The map was not in my possession at that time." Harry said. "But I suppose that the ones who did have it would have looked for the Chamber." He conceded.
Snape nodded.
"How did you know that this wasn't on the map" Harry asked.
"Because I was very careful that no one knew I was excavating it." Severus grinned his most awful grin. "Didn't expect that, did you? Parts of it, the staircase and the landing were already there, but filled tightly with sand and rubble. It was hard work and then the passage stopped. So I extended it."
Severus motioned to the little cart on tracks at the bottom of the stairs.
"Climb on in. You wouldn't want to walk. It is about three times the distance to Hogsmeade."
Harry was forcibly reminded of the twisting Gringotts vaults as the cart lurched into motion at the touch of Severus' wand.
In just a few moments the cart stopped. Harry got out, a bit unsteadily.
They were in what looked like a sort of cave. The walls were a rough in places, smooth in others and in a few places about the room, decorated with odd swirling relief patterns.
The cave was furnished like a sitting room. There were chairs, tables and a couch, all arranged around a fireplace.
Bookshelves dominated one wall. Harry wandered in that direction while Severus crossed to the fireplace.
What Harry found was not quite what he had expected. There were two whole bookcases full of wizarding children's books. There was even a shelf of what looked like comic books.
"Why Benjamin Busby Abhorred Cats." Harry muttered his finger an inch away from the spine of that book.
There was an entire shelf devoted to "The Hair Raising Adventures of Archibald Eisner, Auror Extraordinaire." Volumes one thru thirty six.
Severus finished setting the fire and stepped back to light it with his wand.
"If you are quite finished?" He said mildly to Harry.
"Sorry." Harry said, quickly joining Severus in front of the roaring blaze.
"I am going to explain this to you; I only want to have to say it once so listen carefully. When this fire is lit it is the third grate on a Floo circuit that only ever contains three fires. The first is Alde Craig, our ancestral home." He flinched slightly but continued. "The second is at Rose Briar Cottage, where we are going shortly. If you ever see another grate in the line let me know at once, understand?"
Harry nodded. "At once." He confirmed.
"When this fire is out, as it always is unless it is in use, then this grate does not appear in the circuit and it cannot be accessed. This is very important, as it could jeopardize Hogwarts security. Never light the fire unless you plan to use it. Never leave the fire lit unless you plan to use it. Is that all clear."
"Yes, sir."
"Good." Severus relaxed a bit. "Then you may use the room if you wish. Do not add it to your map, and try not to tell Granger and Weasely, for once in your life." Severus paused then modified his directive. "You can tell them, just do not show them where it is."
"I promise." Harry agreed quickly.
"If you are interested, you may read from the shelves down here." Severus wrinkled his nose. "Although I do not expect you to understand the books on the top three shelves on the right hand side. Now, before we go, I will show you the security measures."
Severus strode over to the cart once more, Harry followed him. He traced his hands along the raised patterning on the wall.
"Della had a lot of fun with this. The designs are shaped by magic, but the mechanism is not magical at all." Severus pointed to a part of the design. "You turn this knob three times to the right."
He followed his own instruction. As the knob turned, a wall lowered into place. It completely and seamlessly blocked off the passageway to Hogwarts.
The room was now a surreal box with no windows or doors.
"One more thing." Severus walked to the wall across from the books. "This passage only opens if the way up to Hogwarts is closed."
He took a hold of another piece of decorative stonework and pulled. A small doorway opened in the wall.
"There is a small stairway up to the moors. Thornhollow Cottage is at the top of the hill." Severus pushed the knob back in and the door closed. "Once again, we leave it closed unless we are actually using it."
"You now know the secrets of Thornhollow." Severus concluded. "It is the property that passes to you from Della."
Severus crossed back to the fireplace and uncapped the jar on the mantle. "After you, Harry. Say Rose Briar Cottage."
Harry took a pinch of the Floo Powder and threw it into the fire. "Rose Briar Cottage."
The Floo circuit was different than the Network Harry had used before. The Network was a dizzying array of grates. The circuit was a long green tunnel of flame.
Harry saw the grate ahead and had his softest ever exit from a fireplace. He was able to step calmly out of the fire without even stumbling. Harry decided that he would most likely have a far easier time of it in the future. He now knew what was supposed to happen, without interference from all of the other grates.
"Hullo, who are you?" Asked a voice from across the room.
*****
A/N - Another Evil Cliffhanger. Gusha likes those. The other half to two thirds of this scene should be ready very soon. There is quite a bit more to fit into the visit to Aunt Rose (including the visit, hehehe.)
I thought I would give ya'll one last chance to guess/find Rose's full name. No one has it yet, although several are close.
Disclaimer: JKRowling wrote the Harry Potter books, Dr Seuss wrote the Lorax, which I quote from (rather obscurely) in this chapter.
A/N – Lets make this really clear: no slash. I just don't write it, sorry to all you slash fans.
And by the way, I might have put in a Harry romance, but this is getting longer than I intended already. There will be enough chapters to wrap up the loose ends (5-10, lol), but then I want to move on to characters I like better. (Not to knock the Boy Who Lived, but he may be my least favorite character in the series.)
Once again, I put this together without showing sadilou, so none of the mistakes can be pinned on her. (Although everything else in the world is definitely her fault)
Yawn, I was up till midnight putting this together, so be grateful and review. And stop laughing at me, Gusha!
*****
Harry and Zinnia met Severus in his sitting room at midmorning. Harry was still not on the best of terms with Ron and Hermione.
When he had gotten back to the common room the two of them had been arguing in a corner. Harry had given the food to a clutch of studying first years, much to their twittering delight. Then he had swept on up to bed. He had simply ignored his friends who did not even seem to notice him.
Severus was reading in his favorite armchair when Harry pushed the painting open and entered.
"Do I look alright?" Harry asked from the doorway. He was dressed casually in blue robes.
"Yes, you look fine." Severus marked his place with a narrow ribbon and placed the book neatly on the table.
"Obscure Eighteenth Century Enchantments?" Harry read off the cover.
"Minerva and I are researching something." Severus said with a grimace. "Are you ready to go?"
"Yes." Harry grinned.
"I didn't tell Rose that we're coming." Severus said with a rather malicious smile. "I thought we would just stop in and surprise her." He rubbed his hands together. "Very well, let's go."
Severus stood and led the way out of his rooms. Harry watched with interest as Severus pushed the painting closed and sent the red ball off into the painting.
"How do you do that anyway?" Harry asked.
Severus arched his brow. "`With great skillful skill and great speedy speed.'"
"What?" Harry said, wondering if that was a quote, and whether he should be able to place it.
"Never mind." Severus said. "Come along, this way."
Severus led them around the castle. Up two little used stair cases, down one, to a musty alcove in an unused area of the school.
He pulled out his wand and spoke. Harry jumped a bit, because the hissing sound was very clearly "Please do not bite me." A door appeared in the back of the alcove.
Severus looked over at him sheepishly. "It used to be an obscure phrase in Russian, but I thought this might be less reproducible."
"Right." Harry agreed.
"Who bites?" Zinnia asked sleepily. "Don't bite Smelly Father."
"Shh." Harry murmured. "No one is biting Severus."
Severus opened the door and held it for Harry to enter the passage.
Harry looked around with interest. There was a small room with an old easy chair and a great many candle holders. The candles lit themselves as he entered. Harry suddenly realized that the room was really a rather large landing at the top of a flight of narrow stairs.
"What's the matter, Harry?" Severus asked smirking. "Did you think that the Marauders had a monopoly on secret passages?"
"Um, well…" Harry began.
"The Chamber of Secrets isn't on that map of theirs, is it?" Severus' eyebrows arched. He led the way down the stairs.
"I never looked for it there, actually." Harry replied.
"Oh? Not even in the middle of all the fuss in your second year?" Severus smirked, his point made.
"The map was not in my possession at that time." Harry said. "But I suppose that the ones who did have it would have looked for the Chamber." He conceded.
Snape nodded.
"How did you know that this wasn't on the map" Harry asked.
"Because I was very careful that no one knew I was excavating it." Severus grinned his most awful grin. "Didn't expect that, did you? Parts of it, the staircase and the landing were already there, but filled tightly with sand and rubble. It was hard work and then the passage stopped. So I extended it."
Severus motioned to the little cart on tracks at the bottom of the stairs.
"Climb on in. You wouldn't want to walk. It is about three times the distance to Hogsmeade."
Harry was forcibly reminded of the twisting Gringotts vaults as the cart lurched into motion at the touch of Severus' wand.
In just a few moments the cart stopped. Harry got out, a bit unsteadily.
They were in what looked like a sort of cave. The walls were a rough in places, smooth in others and in a few places about the room, decorated with odd swirling relief patterns.
The cave was furnished like a sitting room. There were chairs, tables and a couch, all arranged around a fireplace.
Bookshelves dominated one wall. Harry wandered in that direction while Severus crossed to the fireplace.
What Harry found was not quite what he had expected. There were two whole bookcases full of wizarding children's books. There was even a shelf of what looked like comic books.
"Why Benjamin Busby Abhorred Cats." Harry muttered his finger an inch away from the spine of that book.
There was an entire shelf devoted to "The Hair Raising Adventures of Archibald Eisner, Auror Extraordinaire." Volumes one thru thirty six.
Severus finished setting the fire and stepped back to light it with his wand.
"If you are quite finished?" He said mildly to Harry.
"Sorry." Harry said, quickly joining Severus in front of the roaring blaze.
"I am going to explain this to you; I only want to have to say it once so listen carefully. When this fire is lit it is the third grate on a Floo circuit that only ever contains three fires. The first is Alde Craig, our ancestral home." He flinched slightly but continued. "The second is at Rose Briar Cottage, where we are going shortly. If you ever see another grate in the line let me know at once, understand?"
Harry nodded. "At once." He confirmed.
"When this fire is out, as it always is unless it is in use, then this grate does not appear in the circuit and it cannot be accessed. This is very important, as it could jeopardize Hogwarts security. Never light the fire unless you plan to use it. Never leave the fire lit unless you plan to use it. Is that all clear."
"Yes, sir."
"Good." Severus relaxed a bit. "Then you may use the room if you wish. Do not add it to your map, and try not to tell Granger and Weasely, for once in your life." Severus paused then modified his directive. "You can tell them, just do not show them where it is."
"I promise." Harry agreed quickly.
"If you are interested, you may read from the shelves down here." Severus wrinkled his nose. "Although I do not expect you to understand the books on the top three shelves on the right hand side. Now, before we go, I will show you the security measures."
Severus strode over to the cart once more, Harry followed him. He traced his hands along the raised patterning on the wall.
"Della had a lot of fun with this. The designs are shaped by magic, but the mechanism is not magical at all." Severus pointed to a part of the design. "You turn this knob three times to the right."
He followed his own instruction. As the knob turned, a wall lowered into place. It completely and seamlessly blocked off the passageway to Hogwarts.
The room was now a surreal box with no windows or doors.
"One more thing." Severus walked to the wall across from the books. "This passage only opens if the way up to Hogwarts is closed."
He took a hold of another piece of decorative stonework and pulled. A small doorway opened in the wall.
"There is a small stairway up to the moors. Thornhollow Cottage is at the top of the hill." Severus pushed the knob back in and the door closed. "Once again, we leave it closed unless we are actually using it."
"You now know the secrets of Thornhollow." Severus concluded. "It is the property that passes to you from Della."
Severus crossed back to the fireplace and uncapped the jar on the mantle. "After you, Harry. Say Rose Briar Cottage."
Harry took a pinch of the Floo Powder and threw it into the fire. "Rose Briar Cottage."
The Floo circuit was different than the Network Harry had used before. The Network was a dizzying array of grates. The circuit was a long green tunnel of flame.
Harry saw the grate ahead and had his softest ever exit from a fireplace. He was able to step calmly out of the fire without even stumbling. Harry decided that he would most likely have a far easier time of it in the future. He now knew what was supposed to happen, without interference from all of the other grates.
"Hullo, who are you?" Asked a voice from across the room.
*****
A/N - Another Evil Cliffhanger. Gusha likes those. The other half to two thirds of this scene should be ready very soon. There is quite a bit more to fit into the visit to Aunt Rose (including the visit, hehehe.)
I thought I would give ya'll one last chance to guess/find Rose's full name. No one has it yet, although several are close.