(10)Grimmauld Has Fallen!

"Harry?" Mrs. Weasley called upstairs. "Harry come down, now! It's time for breakfast; thanks to Severus!" she glared at him as Snape stepped off the bottom stair.

"Sorry!" Snape muttered, trying not to look Mrs. Weasley in the eyes! She could be a formidable woman at times!

"How'd the Occlumency lesson go?!" Mrs. Weasley snapped as she headed for the kitchen without waiting for an answer!

Harry, however, didn't appear at breakfast. He stayed in his room, retelling himself what happened. Maybe the snake had mispronounced something & that had caused a misunderstanding. Harry sank further into despair. An animal couldn't make a mistake in its instinctive language! Harry didn't want to admit it but he knew that his precious gift was lost. He could no longer talk to snakes! Harry heard someone knock on the door & tried putting on a straight face. He didn't want to tell anyone yet about this. Harry didn't have to hide after all as it was Snape who entered.

"Saved your breakfast!" Snape muttered.

Harry put the plate aside. "I'm not really hungry right now!"

Snape sighed. "Call it a blessing in disguise, losing your Parsle-tongue?" Harry could only stare. "You know its bad to be able to talk to snakes!"

"Bad?!" Harry sat up straight in bed. "How could talking to snakes be bad?! Who saved a python from its tiny cage in a zoo? Who stopped Draco's Serpensorcia spell from attacking everyone during Lockhart's duelling lesson? Who stopped the Basilisk? How can saving others be bad?!" Harry was almost yelling now. "It's like I'm losing everyone & everything! First my parents, then my Godfather, then Merida, then my Uncle, even if I didn't like him; he was still family, & now my Parsle!! What will I lose next?!" Harry dived into his pillow & burst into tears.

Snape stared for a moment. This wasn't going quite the way he expected! He sat on the bed beside Harry. "Mr. Potter?" he started. No answer. "Harry?" For once, Snape used his first name! "Please don't cry about it! We've all lost someone & it will continue until the Dark Lord is destroyed!"

"I don't quite expect YOU to understand!" Harry stopped crying for a moment to glare at Snape. "You who is incapable of love! You never had anyone or anything to lose!" Harry stared at the floor.

A long moment in silence passed. "That hurt, Potter! Really it did!" Snape finally managed to say. "For your information, I've lost just about everything to the Dark Lord way before you first arrived at Hogwarts & I'm not the only one!" Snape was getting defensive. "The Weasleys were good friends with Sirius & your parents. So was Remus for that matter! Like I said, you're not the only one!" Snape got up & headed for the door. "So, Miss Hepburn is a friend of yours?"

"Girlfriend, if you will!" Harry half-snapped!

Snape looked surprised at that. "Don't give up yet! After all, Merida Hepburn is only missing! She may return!" With that, Snape left Harry alone.

"That nephew of yours!" Snape snapped to Aunt Petunia as he entered the kitchen.

"You don't like him either?" Petunia asked, surprised. "I thought all you magic folk stuck together!"

"HA!" Snape scoffed. "Then you muggles have very odd ideas about the wizarding world!" he actually laughed a bit. "No, we don't stay together! There are good wizards like those here in Grimmauld. Then there are those of the Dark Force who tried to kill you! Then there are young, irresponsible teenage wizards like that accursed nephew of yours!"

"Glad I'm not the only one who thinks that way about Harry!" Petunia smiled. "I knew how he'd turn out to be when my sister got that letter & then she met that James Potter boy & then me & Vernon got stuck with Harry after his parents were murdered by...what is that name? Vo--Vold--something like that!"

"We do not speak the Dark Lord's name, so I will only say it once!" Snape said. "It is...." Snape lowered his voice to a whisper. "....Voldomort!" he sighed, not believing he had to say that. "I remember Lily!" Snape changed the subject. "But I don't know if she considered me a friend or not. She never really spoke to me & yet she always tried to keep James & his gang away from me!"

"She was a hot-headed little girl!" Petunia snapped. "Everyone was so proud when she got that letter! I was the only one who saw right through her!"

"So that's why you don't like Potter!" Snape said. "Jealousy!"

"What?" Petunia stared at him!

"She got the letter, you didn't!" Snape explained.

"Why I never-----!" Petunia started.

"Think of it!" Snape interrupted. "When Lily got that letter, she became popular & you were just a sister! I wouldn't' be surprised if you had magic in you, maybe not enough to get you into a school but still, you should be able to do the simple spells!" Snape pulled out his wand & handed it to her. "Just wave it once!"

Petunia gave him a dark look but decided to try it. Mrs.Weasley's glass teapot burst into shards!

"Thought so!" Snape half-smiled. "No true muggle would be able to get any reaction at all out of my wand! But you tried to command mine & it got mad. Wands choose their own wizard or witch so you must get your own! Now give it back to me so I can fix that pot before Molly sees!"

"Why did you do that?" Petunia asked, after Snape repaired the teapot. "Show me I had magic?"

"Not to scare you or anything but the Order needs every good Sorceror available in this war against the Dark Lord! You're one of us now," Snape headed out the kitchen. "Not to mention, you, yourself have been recently affected by him!" he reminded her on his way out.

Harry didn't come down until the evening. He was sitting outside on the back steps, worrying about his Parsle when he suddenly heard a voice. Harry looked around.

"Down here in the grassssss!"

Harry jumped! A prolonged "S"? Could it be? He stared into the grass as a long garter snake lifted his head. "You can underssssstand me?" Harry asked.

"Yessss, of courssse!" said the snake.

"Oh, & I can undersssstand you! Ssssso what happened?" Harry picked up the snake & explained everything about not understanding the Cobra. "Do different typessss of ssssnakes have a different dialect?" Harry asked when he was finished.

The snake shook his head. "No! All sssserpentssss ssssspeak the ssssame Parsssle! I do not know what that creature wassss but it wassss no sssssnake! You have not losssst your gift! You sssspeak my language well!" Harry released the snake into the grass. "If you meet that creature again, be careful!" the snake warned, as it slithered away. "It may be evil!"

"I will!" Harry promised as he jumped up & headed in to supper, Now, he was hungry!

Harry felt his whole bed shaking! He had just gone to sleep after supper & now he was being shaken awake!

"Quick Harry!" Lupin ordered. "Get up! We're under attack! Severus is holding him off! Let's go!" Lupin led Harry downstairs.

Harry glanced at his watch. "1:30 in the morning!" Harry sighed to himself. "Who is it?"

"Shhhh!" Lupin ordered. "We don't know! Come on! This way!" He led Harry out the back. Harry could hear Snape & someone else duelling in the living room. Lupin led Harry outside where Ron & Hermione were waiting. "Use this to get next to Hogwarts!" Lupin turned Harry's watch into a Portkey. "The others are already there!" Lupin headed back inside to help Snape.

"I wonder who it could be?" Ron asked.

"I don't know!" said Harry. "We must have an impostor among us! Let's go!"

"Expelliaramus!" Lupin waved his wand towards the intruder. "Come on, Severus! Let's get out of here!" Snape Acciod the intruder's wand & ran outside beside Lupin. "Did you find out who it is?" Lupin asked.

"No!" said Snape. "But I know he isn't happy now that we have his wand! Here he comes! Let's aparate----NOW!!"

Lupin appeared beside Harry, the Weasleys & everyone else who were already on the road down to Hogwarts. "Where's Sever---UHHH--s?" Tonks asked just as Buckbeak yanked her sideways! She had taken the time to get him out!

"He's right beside.......me!" Lupin turned to the place where Snape was supposed to be standing. He wasn't there! "I don't know! He was right beside me! He has to be here!" Lupin looked around. "Where's Mystique?"

"I couldn't find her!" said Tonks. "She must have escaped again unless she's the one who atta---!"

"No!" said Lupin. "It was a man! Mystique is a girl!"

"Well she can change her sha--!" Tonks began. Lupin growled. The full moon was tomorrow night! He was close to his time. Tonks turned her hair so fast into a rainbow of colors, it made Lupin dizzy! "It's not full yet---REMUS!"

"I'll go back to find hi--!" Lupin said.

"No you won't!" Tonks declared. "Albus won't appreciate having one of his Order members going back into unknown hostility! I'm worried about Severus to but let's see what Albus wants to do first, OK?"

Lupin snarled but said nothing. He knew Tonks was right! He followed the others down to the castle & Dumbledore's office, wondering whatever could have happened to Snape.