~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Sev's POV ~~~~~~~~~~~
Severus woke early the next morning despite his late night (or early morning, because it had been dawn by the time they arrived. He dressed in his usual black robes and ate the breakfast that the house elves had left for him by his bed. This was his usual routine, and he saw no reason to break from it merely because of his unexpected guest. As he left, he glanced at Potter. The boy was sleeping peacefully for once, and showed no signs of waking any time soon. Satisfied, Severus continued up to the headmaster's office.
"So you brought Harry back, Severus," the old teacher said. It wasn't a question. "You flew, I suppose."
"Of course, it's the only way. He's still underage."
"I am perfectly aware of that, thank you. Were you seen?"
"Yes," he admitted sourly. "By a boy, Mark Evans if Potter is to be believed. He broke the Disillusionment Charm I had on Potter."
"No worry there. Young Mark is coming to Hogwarts next term. I'd like you to go and see his father today, if you aren't too tired. The child might be in danger if Death Eaters come looking for Harry. See if you can persuade Mr. Evans to let you bring him here for the summer. I assure you he is an understanding man, very well informed. I'll have a Gryffindor dormitory opened for them."
"Good. I don't want Potter staying in my chambers for the whole of August."
"But I'm afraid Severus, that I'm going to have to request that you are the one to supervise Harry. I know that you don't get on, but I fear that I am away from the castle too much to make it tangible if I took on the responsibility myself. . ."
Severys wasn't fooled for even one moment by this 'overrun old man' attitude. It was an act, he was sure of that. The day that Dumbledore couldn't handle five things at one with more attention and skill directed at each one than most wizards managed on one, would be the day that he died.
"Why not Lupin?" he asked desperately. "Or Arthur Weasley? They actually like Potter."
"That is precisely why I requested that you do it. Remus, much as I respect him, is, I fear, very close to permanently losing his sanity. He and Sirius were very close, and he feels devastated now. The Weasleys, all of them, would give Harry all of the sympathy and understanding that they could. They love him like an extra son."
"Then send him to them!" Severus exclaimed, exasperated by this seeming stupidity.
"Harry does not need any sympathy, nor does he want it. He got enough of that at school last summer to last him for the rest of his life. He needs to be treated as though he isn't a Muggle bomb set to explode at any moment, just as an ordinary boy. Having Mark Evans here might help that, and so would having you being your usual kind and considerate self."
"All right, all right," he agreed, knowing that it was a lost cause. "I'll do it."
"Thank you Severus," Dumbledore said, beaming all over his face. "Why don't you go and find Harry. I'm sure the house elves will have left his breakfast in your rooms. Send him up to me when he's eaten, the password to the office is Liquorice Allsorts."
~~~~~~~~ Harry's POV ~~~~~~~~~
Harry woke feeling totally refreshed. He thought he'd heard something, but it must have been his imagination, or possibly Snape leaving. He could tell immediately that he was back at Hogwarts - the atmosphere was unmistakable, even during the holidays and down in the dungeons. That reminded him. Shouldn't he be taking the once in a lifetime opportunity to look around the rest of Professor Snape's private rooms? He'd never even heard of anyone else being brought in there before.
The lounge, where he was now, was as austere as he'd always imagined it to be. The walls were bare stone, there was an empty fireplace in one wall, the couch he was sleeping on, an armchair and a bookcase. That was it. There was no clutter, no personal belongings at all, except for a great number of photographs hanging on the wall above the fireplace.
Harry got up and went to look at them. The largest one, hanging in the center, was of two teenagers. They were standing together, grinning at the camera with their arms around each other's shoulders. The boy, Harry knew, was Snape himself, although he looked almost handsome with his hair washed and glossy and his face scrubbed clean. The absence of a sneer also helped. The girl he was hugging was slightly shorter. Her black hair hung loosely down to her shoulders and her black eyes were sparkling above rosy cheeks. She seemed to be the common theme in all the pictures.
"Potter! What are you doing?"
Harry swung around guiltily. Of all the moments for Snape to walk in. . .
"Sir, I was just looking, honest I was. Uh, sir, if you don't mind me asking, who is she?" Even hating Snape as he did, he could see that he'd given the Potion's Master a shock. He was even paler than he usually was, and breathing heavily.
"That was my sister, Cassandra," he said at last, rather reluctantly. "She's dead, even though she wasn't a bloody mindedly noble Gryffindor like you parents."
"I'm sorry," Harry said, surprised to find out that he really meant it and sympathized greatly. "Is that Sirius she's with in that one?"
He was pointing at a small picture, hanging high up on the wall. Snape sighed, resigned to answering even if he wasn't sure that he liked the answers.
"Yes, that's Black. They were engaged for a year. They would have been married the week after the Dark Lord had her killed."
"Sirius?!?! Engaged!!!"
"Yes. Cass was Evans's best friend. She was in Ravenclaw, not Slytherin of course."
"Mum's friend?" Harry asked, just for confirmation. He knew about his dad's friends, but he'd never heard anything about who his mum had liked.
Professor Snape nodded, then said curtly,
"Your breakfast is on the table. I have to go now, the headmaster has requested that I speak to Mr. Evans, if you remember. As soon as you're presentable, Professor Dumbledore wants to see you in his office. The password is Liquorice Allsorts."
"Yes, Professor," Harry said, already searching the wall for more pictures of Sirius and Lily.
After the teacher had left, walking towards the edge of the Hogwarts anti- Appartion wards, Harry realized just how rare it was for Snape to make such open remarks. Harry was glad he had though. He had a certain amount of insatiable curiosity about his parents, and always wanted to know more about them even though he knew he'd never meet them. Still, if Snape had had a sister in Ravenclaw, maybe things wouldn't be so bad this summer. They couldn't be worse than at the Dursleys, of course, and all the Hogwarts' food was out of comparison. He'd be able to play Quidditch when he wanted, study, sleep in, eat as much as he wanted; yes, life was definitely looking up.
Severus woke early the next morning despite his late night (or early morning, because it had been dawn by the time they arrived. He dressed in his usual black robes and ate the breakfast that the house elves had left for him by his bed. This was his usual routine, and he saw no reason to break from it merely because of his unexpected guest. As he left, he glanced at Potter. The boy was sleeping peacefully for once, and showed no signs of waking any time soon. Satisfied, Severus continued up to the headmaster's office.
"So you brought Harry back, Severus," the old teacher said. It wasn't a question. "You flew, I suppose."
"Of course, it's the only way. He's still underage."
"I am perfectly aware of that, thank you. Were you seen?"
"Yes," he admitted sourly. "By a boy, Mark Evans if Potter is to be believed. He broke the Disillusionment Charm I had on Potter."
"No worry there. Young Mark is coming to Hogwarts next term. I'd like you to go and see his father today, if you aren't too tired. The child might be in danger if Death Eaters come looking for Harry. See if you can persuade Mr. Evans to let you bring him here for the summer. I assure you he is an understanding man, very well informed. I'll have a Gryffindor dormitory opened for them."
"Good. I don't want Potter staying in my chambers for the whole of August."
"But I'm afraid Severus, that I'm going to have to request that you are the one to supervise Harry. I know that you don't get on, but I fear that I am away from the castle too much to make it tangible if I took on the responsibility myself. . ."
Severys wasn't fooled for even one moment by this 'overrun old man' attitude. It was an act, he was sure of that. The day that Dumbledore couldn't handle five things at one with more attention and skill directed at each one than most wizards managed on one, would be the day that he died.
"Why not Lupin?" he asked desperately. "Or Arthur Weasley? They actually like Potter."
"That is precisely why I requested that you do it. Remus, much as I respect him, is, I fear, very close to permanently losing his sanity. He and Sirius were very close, and he feels devastated now. The Weasleys, all of them, would give Harry all of the sympathy and understanding that they could. They love him like an extra son."
"Then send him to them!" Severus exclaimed, exasperated by this seeming stupidity.
"Harry does not need any sympathy, nor does he want it. He got enough of that at school last summer to last him for the rest of his life. He needs to be treated as though he isn't a Muggle bomb set to explode at any moment, just as an ordinary boy. Having Mark Evans here might help that, and so would having you being your usual kind and considerate self."
"All right, all right," he agreed, knowing that it was a lost cause. "I'll do it."
"Thank you Severus," Dumbledore said, beaming all over his face. "Why don't you go and find Harry. I'm sure the house elves will have left his breakfast in your rooms. Send him up to me when he's eaten, the password to the office is Liquorice Allsorts."
~~~~~~~~ Harry's POV ~~~~~~~~~
Harry woke feeling totally refreshed. He thought he'd heard something, but it must have been his imagination, or possibly Snape leaving. He could tell immediately that he was back at Hogwarts - the atmosphere was unmistakable, even during the holidays and down in the dungeons. That reminded him. Shouldn't he be taking the once in a lifetime opportunity to look around the rest of Professor Snape's private rooms? He'd never even heard of anyone else being brought in there before.
The lounge, where he was now, was as austere as he'd always imagined it to be. The walls were bare stone, there was an empty fireplace in one wall, the couch he was sleeping on, an armchair and a bookcase. That was it. There was no clutter, no personal belongings at all, except for a great number of photographs hanging on the wall above the fireplace.
Harry got up and went to look at them. The largest one, hanging in the center, was of two teenagers. They were standing together, grinning at the camera with their arms around each other's shoulders. The boy, Harry knew, was Snape himself, although he looked almost handsome with his hair washed and glossy and his face scrubbed clean. The absence of a sneer also helped. The girl he was hugging was slightly shorter. Her black hair hung loosely down to her shoulders and her black eyes were sparkling above rosy cheeks. She seemed to be the common theme in all the pictures.
"Potter! What are you doing?"
Harry swung around guiltily. Of all the moments for Snape to walk in. . .
"Sir, I was just looking, honest I was. Uh, sir, if you don't mind me asking, who is she?" Even hating Snape as he did, he could see that he'd given the Potion's Master a shock. He was even paler than he usually was, and breathing heavily.
"That was my sister, Cassandra," he said at last, rather reluctantly. "She's dead, even though she wasn't a bloody mindedly noble Gryffindor like you parents."
"I'm sorry," Harry said, surprised to find out that he really meant it and sympathized greatly. "Is that Sirius she's with in that one?"
He was pointing at a small picture, hanging high up on the wall. Snape sighed, resigned to answering even if he wasn't sure that he liked the answers.
"Yes, that's Black. They were engaged for a year. They would have been married the week after the Dark Lord had her killed."
"Sirius?!?! Engaged!!!"
"Yes. Cass was Evans's best friend. She was in Ravenclaw, not Slytherin of course."
"Mum's friend?" Harry asked, just for confirmation. He knew about his dad's friends, but he'd never heard anything about who his mum had liked.
Professor Snape nodded, then said curtly,
"Your breakfast is on the table. I have to go now, the headmaster has requested that I speak to Mr. Evans, if you remember. As soon as you're presentable, Professor Dumbledore wants to see you in his office. The password is Liquorice Allsorts."
"Yes, Professor," Harry said, already searching the wall for more pictures of Sirius and Lily.
After the teacher had left, walking towards the edge of the Hogwarts anti- Appartion wards, Harry realized just how rare it was for Snape to make such open remarks. Harry was glad he had though. He had a certain amount of insatiable curiosity about his parents, and always wanted to know more about them even though he knew he'd never meet them. Still, if Snape had had a sister in Ravenclaw, maybe things wouldn't be so bad this summer. They couldn't be worse than at the Dursleys, of course, and all the Hogwarts' food was out of comparison. He'd be able to play Quidditch when he wanted, study, sleep in, eat as much as he wanted; yes, life was definitely looking up.