Disclaimer: If I were J.K. Rowling, do you really think I'd be posting my work on a fanfiction site? I think not.
Note: Sorry for the long wait, I had to do a lab for science and the dratted thing took all my time. I'm done now, though! -smiles-
Chapter 6 – Oh, the Irony
Harry awoke somewhat disconcerted, at first wondering what it was, exactly, that was pressed up against him, giving off warmth and the scent of apples and cinnamon. He opened his eyes and glanced downwards slightly, sliding his glasses on. Immediately a grin spread over his face. Silver was nestled against him, one hand laying on his chest and the other on his shoulder, and a kind of half-smile on her face. Not surprising to him in the least, one of his arms was draped over her waist, and the other immersed in her hair. Harry made a slight move with his right leg, only to realize that somehow during the night their legs had become intertwined. He felt a slight blush rising to his face as he gently disentangled himself from her, causing her to stir, coincidentally putting her leg right back where it had been. He nudged her leg away with his own, but left it so that they were still in contact...after all, he didn't want to put a complete end to it.
She stirred once more, and he watched as her eyes flickered open, landing on his chest. He saw momentary confusion, followed by a smile. She turned her head up to look at him, and reached up to touch his cheek. Harry found himself wondering what it would be like to wake up every morning in the same manner. He reached down and brushed her hair out of her face, staring at her with a kind of fascination.
"Is this how it's gonna be?" he wondered aloud.
"How what's gonna be?" she replied quietly.
Mentally smacking himself, Harry searched in vain for an answer. What was he supposed to say to that? The word marriage would no doubt scare her half to death, but he couldn't think of anything else.
"It," he finally answered.
She smiled amusedly up at him. "It, hmm?" she asked.
Without waiting for an answer, she snuggled closer to him, and he willingly pulled her to him, thankful that she didn't find anything suspicious about his explanation. Harry suddenly heard what could only be the clatter of dishes downstairs, and froze. Pulling away from Silver slightly, he rolled over to glance at the bed next to him. No Ron. He rolled back to Silver, who looked at him curiously.
"Ron's already awake," he said cautiously.
She smiled. "I bet he'll be just delighted to tease us when we get downstairs."
"Yeah," Harry said, "He's probably gone and told everyone that..."
He trailed off as he realized whom, exactly, the term 'everyone' included. Everyone. Snape. He was going to die. He glanced down at Silver to see that she looked deep in thought about something. She met his gaze, and smiled, scooting up in order to plant a kiss on his lips.
"I should go," she murmured quietly, "Or else we'll both be in trouble. See you downstairs, hon."
A kiss later, she was gone, leaving Harry feeling cold and a bit lonely, but also relieved. Hopefully she would be able to talk Snape out of whatever murder he was planning for him. Seeing no reason to stay in bed now that Silver was gone, he stretched and got up, rummaging around in his enlarged trunk for a shirt that wasn't too wrinkled from being stuffed in. When he finally dressed, he headed downstairs, fully expecting to be hexed by Snape when he walked through the kitchen door. To his relief, Snape wasn't present when he entered. To his dismay, the only people that were present were Lupin, Moody, Kingsley, Ron, and Mr. Weasley, all whom stopped talking and started smirking once he walked through the door.
"Good night's sleep, Harry?" Lupin inquired innocently.
"Very, why do you ask?" Harry answered dryly, sitting down across from him and next to Ron.
"Cause you're gonna wish you were back in that bed when Snape gets down here!" Ron sang out cheerfully.
The others burst into laughter, which Harry found to be twisted.
"Silver's talking to him," he mumbled.
"And what's she gonna tell him that'll make him not want to kill you for sleeping with her?" Ron countered.
Harry felt his face go several shades of red. "Don't say it like that," he said, "All we did is sleep, sheesh!"
"Well that's boring," Lupin commented.
"Are you sure you're an appropriate guardian for the boy?" came Snape's voice from the doorway.
Everyone glanced up to see Snape looking at Lupin with a half amused, half disapproving look, seeming oddly subdued for what had taken place during the night...which was, as Harry reminded himself, nothing but sleep.
"Erm..." Lupin said uncertainly, blushing slightly at Snape's accusing glare.
Snape glared at him as he took a seat at the table, and then turned his gaze to Harry with particular menace. Harry decided that he didn't look so subdued after all. He realized that Lupin was giving him a pointed look, and couldn't figure out why for a moment. Then he remembered...he was going to have to 'talk' to Snape. But certainly not now, so why was Lupin looking at him like that? Then, it occurred to him. Maybe it would help if he was nice to Snape before actually 'talking' to him. There had to be some way that Silver had softened him up.
"Good morning," Harry said in what he hoped was a friendly manner.
Snape's eyes flickered towards Harry, looking suspicious. "Morning," he muttered, sounding highly annoyed.
Harry looked towards Lupin, and received an encouraging glance. He turned back to Snape, who hadn't missed a bit of the exchange and now looked about ready to strangle both of them for keeping something from him.
"Did you get a good night's sleep?" Harry asked politely.
"No," Snape growled, putting his face threateningly closer to Harry's, "You see, I might've, if I hadn't woken up in the middle of the night to find Silver gone."
"Oh," Harry said, shifting uncomfortably in his seat.
Looking satisfied, Snape straightened once more, obviously believing that he had gotten Harry out of his hair. He wasn't quite so lucky, seeing as Harry was a very determined individual.
"Going anywhere today?" he inquired innocently.
"Why do you want to know?" Snape demanded suspiciously.
"Just wondering if you had any plans," Harry answered.
Raising his eyebrow at Harry and giving both him and Lupin a dirty look, he replied, "Yes, as a matter of fact, I am."
With that, he picked up the Daily Prophet from the table and began to act very interested in it. Harry glanced to see Mr. Weasley and Lupin sniggering, and the others sending him awed and confused glances. Ron, in particular, looked startled at Harry's apparent death wish. Glaring at Lupin and Mr. Weasley, Harry continued in vain to strike up something resembling anything other than hatred between himself and Snape.
"Where?" he asked, pretending to be very interested.
Snape looked about to hit him over the head with the paper. Slowly, he met Harry's gaze, mouth set in a firm line.
"Potter, I don't know what-"he began, but he was cut short as Silver skipped through the door, enfolding him in a hug.
"Morning," she sang out cheerfully before straightening and observing the occupants of the table.
"Uh-oh, did I interrupt a 'guy meeting'?" she asked curiously, "And why are you all looking at Harry like that?"
"Potter's taken it upon himself to learn my schedule for the day," Snape supplied, looking at Harry accusingly.
Silver gave Harry a questioning glance before answering Snape in a confident tone. "I'm sure he's not," she said, patting Snape on the shoulder comfortingly.
Snape gave a snort that clearly stated he didn't agree, and Silver smiled, patting him once more. "Don't get too worked up now, old man, wouldn't want a heart attack, now would we?" she asked teasingly, earning herself a glare that somehow didn't look very threatening at all.
"You're a very impertinent child," Snape informed her, narrowing his eyes at her.
"I take after my guardian," she replied with an innocent smile.
Snape gave a snort of amusement and returned to reading the paper. Looking satisfied, Silver walked into the kitchen, peering into the cupboards curiously.
"What did you all have for breakfast?" she asked.
"Molly made us waffles," Lupin replied happily.
"Hmm, I can't make those," Silver mused, pulling a pan out of a cupboard, "How do you feel about eggs, Harry?"
For a moment, Harry was surprised at the question. "Uh, I like eggs," he managed finally.
"Perfect," Silver replied, "Because that's all I know how to make."
Snape made a sort of amused noise from behind his paper, causing Silver to give the back of his head a patronizing look. Lupin chuckled, and everyone looked amused.
"So, Silver, good night's sleep?" Ron inquired, much in the same tone Lupin had used with Harry.
"Oh yes," Silver agreed immediately as she nursed to the eggs, "Very."
Harry couldn't help but grin at the emphasis she had put in the word 'very'. Snape looked as if he might tolerate it, until he caught sight of Harry's smirk over his paper.
"Too bad it won't be happening again," he said, smirking right back at Harry.
"Don't sound so satisfied," Silver told him, placing a plate full of eggs and toast in front of him.
"I'll try," Snape lied, setting down the paper in favor of the food that had been presented to him.
In a few seconds, Harry's came, along with a smile from Silver. He compared his and Snape's plates carefully, trying to figure out if either of them had gotten more food than the other. He looked up to find that Snape was also studying his plate. Their eyes locked, but Silver interrupted before either of them could say anything.
"Don't worry, I gave you both exactly the same amount," she told them, her voice slightly teasing.
Both of them looking slightly embarrassed, they began to eat their breakfast in silence, ignoring the snickers that were being sent in their direction.
"So," Silver said suddenly, looking at Harry with a slightly guilty look, "Since I'm going to be gone the whole day..."
"You're what?" Harry interrupted, very displeased with the information.
"Going to be gone," Silver repeated slowly, "We're moving."
It took Harry a moment to figure out that she was talking about herself and Snape, and then he was even more put out. Frowning, he set down his toast. Snape peered at him interestedly for a moment before returning to his breakfast.
"So you're not going to be here the rest of the summer?" Harry demanded.
"We'll be here every day," Silver defended quickly, "Or almost, at least...we just won't be spending the night here anymore."
Harry hardly heard her due to the fact that Snape was looking rather smug, and he very much wanted to hex him. Finally he turned to Silver, just in time to hear her last comment. He gave her a look that clearly asked why she hadn't given him that particular information before, and she merely blinked at him for a moment before abandoning her own breakfast and standing up.
"Come talk with me in the living room, Harry," she said, sounding a bit like a mother about to get her child in trouble.
Harry glumly followed her instructions, following her to the living room, where she sat down on a couch and patted the seat beside her pointedly. He sat down next to her, and she took his hands in hers.
"Harry, you can't be upset," she began calmly.
"Why not?" he grumbled.
She gave a sigh that held a bit of exasperation in it. "Because, Harry, we can't stay here all summer, and I have to help him with the move," she said patronizingly.
"Why can't you stay here?" Harry replied stubbornly.
"Because, he needs room for his potion making," she explained, rubbing his hand with her thumb, "And it's going to be much too crowded here, anyhow. You know that he's-"
"Antisocial?" Harry suggested.
She gave him a slightly disapproving look. "Shy," she corrected pointedly, causing Harry to snort with amusement.
"He's not shy, he's a git," Harry said bluntly.
"Harry!" Silver exclaimed, trying to mask her exasperation with obvious difficulty, "Please, stop being so childish about this. The point is..."
"I'm not being childish!" Harry countered, his voice raising a notch.
"Yes, you are," she replied, maddeningly calm.
"You want to be away from me!" Harry accused stubbornly.
She looked nothing short of horrified. "Of course I don't, Harry!" she exclaimed, "I would never want to be away from you, but some things just have to be."
"No they don't," he insisted, "You could ask him to stay here for the summer, and he would say yes. You know he would."
"I know, hon," she said softly, "But he needs me."
"No he doesn't!" Harry exclaimed, taking one of his hands out of her grasp in order to bang it on the couch with frustration.
"Harry, stop it," she said, "He does, too, and you need to stop acting like this. I'll see you nearly every day, anyway, and..."
Harry took his other hand out of her grasp, unashamedly pouting. He didn't want her to have to leave, and nothing she could say would convince him otherwise. And besides, what did she need to be with that grump for? That grump with a smirk on his ugly face when Silver had announced that they were moving. The stupid git whom he had to ask permission to marry Silver. Something is definitely wrong with my life, Harry decided, coming back to reality in time to hear Silver's last words.
"...you, but you have to understand that he needs me, too."
"Oh," Harry said angrily, "So you'd rather be with him than me, because I don't need you? Is that what you think?"
"I never said you didn't need me, Harry," Silver replied, sounding a bit tense, "It's just that I'll be with you the whole school year, and..."
"You'll be with him the whole school year!" Harry interrupted loudly, "I bet you'll spend all day in the stupid dungeons, because he needs you!"
For a moment, Silver looked taken aback. "Harry, you don't know-" she began, but again, Harry interrupted.
"Yes, I do know!" he yelled, feeling unduly provoked.
Something akin to accusation lit in Silver's eyes, and her own voice rose to something close to a yell as she responded. "No, you don't! You don't even know what I was going to say!" she exclaimed.
"So what?" Harry bellowed, jumping up from the couch and not really knowing why he was yelling at her when he should be kissing her goodbye, "It probably was some load of mush that had to do with that greasy git!"
Silver looked almost as if she had been slapped, and she rose, too. "Stop it!" she yelled back, "That wasn't what I was going to say! You need to stop being so arrogant and start realizing that you don't know everything, and not everything revolves around you!"
Harry's eyes first widened, and then narrowed. In his mind, a scene of a red-haired girl yelling at a boy with raven black hair and hazel eyes played itself out.
"Arrogant?" he whispered, so angry he couldn't even yell, "I'm arrogant?"
Silver looked at him with a mixture of curiosity and apprehension, taking a slow step backwards. Harry was seeing red, fused by the memory of his mother yelling that same name at his father, at the same time declaring her hatred for him.
"I suppose you hate me, too?" he asked, his voice rising to a normal tone and going steadily upwards from there, "I suppose you wouldn't date me if your life depended on it? I suppose-"
"Stop supposing, because I didn't say that," Silver said.
Harry flatly ignored her. "Well I have news for you!" he yelled, eyes blazing, "You're clingy!"
If anything, this seemed to ignite Silver's temper. "Clingy, am I?" she yelled, nearly jumping off of the ground in her fury, "Fine, Harry, fine!"
She began to leave the room, and Harry half-realized what was happening. "Where are you going?" he demanded.
"To go cling to someone else!" she retorted, pushing past him and out the door.
"Fine," he growled after her, nearly shaking with anger.
"And just for the record, Potter," she called from upstairs, "You're not only arrogant, but stubborn!"
The next sound Harry heard was the slamming of a door. "And you're not only clingy, but annoying," he muttered angrily, stalking upstairs himself and slamming the door so hard he was surprised it didn't break off.
As he threw himself onto his bed, muttering to himself, he suddenly stopped, remembering that, ironically, he had been supposed to talk to Ron about love sometime that day. Groaning, he pressed his head into his pillow, trying desperately to sort out in his mind what had just happened.