Disclaimer: I don't own HArrry POtter, If I dod, why would I be writing fanfiction? I be working feverishly on Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince.
A/N: I'm sorry it took so long. I waas working on the next chapter and I completly forgot to update. I think that the next chapter is done, and I just might divide it up into two parts. OR not.
To my reviewers: Thanks for reviewing.
Lady Lily3: Glad you liked the ending. I hope that the ending of this one is satisfactory.
Sparkling silver angel: He won't. Originally he did, but I had a brillant beyond brillant idea. Harry still finds out though, it's in the next chapter.
Now go and read! please.
Harry was woken up by someone cooking in the kitchen. He looked around and saw seven sleeping forms around him. If everybody was asleep except him, then who was cooking in the kitchen? He got up silently and made his way around the sleeping forms towards the kitchen. He eased open the door and poked his head around it. To his surprise there were two house elves making a mix between breakfast and lunch. They both looked familiar. One of the elves turned around. It was Dobby!
"Master Harry!" Dobby exclaimed as he ran to give Harry a hug. "Dobby and Winky have been sent to make food for your sleeping friends and you!"
Harry was relieved, the thought of making food for eight people was a nightmare. He had no idea how Mrs. Weasley managed it. Then something clicked, Dobby was a Hogwarts elf. "Dobby, who sent you?"
"Masters Dumbledore and Snape. They came with us too." Dobby replied.
Harry tensed up. What if they were here to take him to the school for the rest of the summer? He liked it here. The woods were warded, and he was making friends with Draco. "Where are they?" he asked.
"They went out to gather some plants."
"Thank you Dobby, would you like some help with the food?"
Dobby looked appalled at the idea of Harry helping with the cooking. "No, Dobby and Winky can manage the food just fine." Dobby began to push Harry out of the small kitchen. "You just go and wake your friends. The food will be ready in half and hour."
Harry smiled. Hermione was going to insist on helping the elves make food. He began waking everybody up. When everyone was displaying some sign of wakefulness he began talking.
"Morning. Apparently Professors Snape and Dumbledore have come to pay a visit. I don't know if they expected to find so many of us here, but there are two House-elves making breakfast for us. Before you go and help them Hermione, I already offered. They, or at least Dobby said no. The other elf is Winky. Since there are eight of us and one bathroom, we are going to have to take turns. Does anyone object to going in the reverse order that we arrived here?"
"I believe that's fine, Harry." Fred said.
"Why don't we make another bathroom?" George asked.
"Then we'd all have seven minutes or so." Fred finished.
"That would be great." Harry said. "So the first the in the bathrooms would be Neville and Ron. After them is Ginny and Hermione. Draco and one of the twins. Then me and whichever twin didn't go. Is that right?
"I suppose so." was the general comment.
"The second bathroom is done. You will have to supply your own toothbrush though." George said.
Neville and Ron went to take their showers. The rest filled the half hour with idle chatter. A few minutes after Harry and Fred emerged from the bathrooms with slightly damp hair and fresh clothing on, Dobby and Winky came out bearing four trays. They gave the trays to four people and then they went back in and came out with another four trays. Everyone had a tray with pancakes, pumpkin juice, eggs, bacon, and a bowl of cereal on it. Winky went back to the kitchen and came out with another tray. This tray had a large pitcher of pumpkin juice on it, some syrup, a pile of toast and a thermos with some coffee in it.
"Thank you for breakfast Dobby and Winky." Harry hadn't noticed that Dobby had gone outside.
Dobby came back in. "Professors will be joining you in a moment." Then he went back into the kitchen. There was an audible gulp after Dobby's statement.
"I wonder if I'm going to get dragged back to Hogwarts." Harry said, voicing his fear.
"I'm probably going to be forced to go back home." Draco said. "I really don't want to go there."
"An awful thought just occurred to me." Harry said. "What if they force me to go back to the Dursley's?"
"That would be awful," Ron said around a mouthful of egg. He swallowed and continued. "I'm sure that Dumbledore would let you stay with us."
"I think that I am safe in the woods. They are heavily warded."
"They are?"
"Yeah. It's a ward that only lets on people who have good reasons for being here." Harry said.
Ron thought for a moment. "So if I was He-who-must-not-be-named, and I was going to come in the woods to murder you, the wards wouldn't let me in?'
"I think so. I don't know how strong the wards are, so he might be able to break through them." Harry said, thinking that maybe he wasn't that safe after all.
"Harry, maybe you could give the wards the characteristic that that shield that you came up with had." Hermione told him.
"You have a good point there." Harry said. "We'll have to find out if that will mess up the current wards before we do that."
"Do what?" yet another dry voice from a doorway (A/N: I have got to find another way to introduce people. The leaning on the doorway and making a comment thing is getting sort of redundant.) They all turned towards the doorway. There was Professor Snape and Dumbledore standing in the doorway.
"Hello Professor Snape, Headmaster Dumbledore. What brings you two here?" Harry asked from his seat on a cushion with his half finished breakfast on his lap.
"The fact that your relatives abandoned you in the woods."
Harry thought for a moment. "Why weren't you here earlier? Surely you found out a while ago."
"I had other things to attend to. Today is the earliest that I could come and see how you were faring."
"Good point. May I ask, when did you arrive?" Harry asked, curious to know.
"We arrived at the grocers at eight-thirty—"
"Oh no! I was supposed to go to work!" Harry said.
"It's okay, my boy, when you didn't show up at work, we, Professor Snape, Kevin, and myself, came to your tent. When we saw that you were sleeping, it wasn't hard to deduce that you had had your friends over and had most likely stayed up late. Kevin gave you the day off."
"That was nice of him." Harry muttered.
"Yes. We then returned to Hogwarts, and got the two house elves, since I assumed that none of you really want to cook breakfast for eight people. We then returned here. After that, the elves, seeing the state that the kitchen was in, began cleaning and informed us that they would have breakfast in an hour and a half. Which brings us to now." Professor Dumbledore finished speaking and sat down on a cushion next to Neville.
Winky came out of the kitchen again with two more trays. She gave one to Professor Snape and one to Dumbledore. "Your breakfast, since you have now missed the late breakfast at Hogwarts." Dumbledore smiled his thanks.
"Severus, why don't you sit down? These cushions are quite comfortable."
"They appear to resemble the ones in Sibyll's classroom." Severus said.
Harry and Hermione looked at each other. Hermione asked Harry. "You didn't get these that same way you got the movies, did you?"
Harry shook his head. "I just made them happen."
Hermione appeared reassured. "Okay then."
Severus had followed this conversation. "Potter? How did you get the aforementioned movies?"
Harry looked startled. "I borrowed them."
"Who from?" Severus asked, not satisfied with the answer.
"Dursleys." Harry said amidst a false coughing fit.
"Do they know that you have them?" Severus asked harry.
"Have you ever met the Dursleys?" Harry asked as an answer.
Severus sighed. He could see that the boy got his temper from him. The fact that the boy was related to him also helped explain the 'O' he got on his potions exam.
"Harry," Dumbledore was asking the boy something. "When is your birthday?"
Harry grinned. I'll be sixteen in five days, sir."
"Interesting. That would be this Saturday?"
"Correct." Harry answered.
"Maybe we could have a small party at Hogwarts, since your current accommodations, seem a bit crowded for a decent sized party."
"Are you sure that would be okay?" Harry asked, never having had a birthday party before.
"Yes, I'm sure that that would be okay. Seeing as it is the summer holidays, you may call me Dumbledore."
"Thank you." Harry said, knowing that that was a privilege. "Does that go for the rest of us?" He asked.
Dumbledore smiled and patted Neville on the head. "Of course it does. I'm sure the Severus wouldn't mind if you all called him Snape."
Severus looked up at this comment. He had been studying the cushion, trying to figure out which spell Harry had used to make the cushions. He sighed, as he hadn't been able to deduce which spell. "Snape is fine, as long as you only call me that during the summer holidays. Harry, would you mind telling me what spell you used to get the cushions. I can't figure it out."
Harry had been startled by the fact the Snape had addressed him by his first name, instead of his surname. "Er. Well, a few weeks ago I found out that I could do wandless magic.—"
Harry was interrupted by Dumbledore. "How did this come about?"
"I was doing the dishes, and I dropped a plate. Instinct kicked in and I used 'Wingardium Leviosa' on it so it wouldn't get broken. Even though my wand was up in my room, it worked." Harry finished.
"Why was your wand in your room Harry?" Neville asked.
Snape and Dumbledore, watched to see how Harry would answer. "The muggles I lived with were afraid of magic, so I wasn't allowed to have anything that had to do with magic."
"Then how did you get you summer homework finished?" Hermione asked.
"I had to do it at night when they were sleeping. To get to my books, I had to break into the cupboard that they had locked them in." Harry finished.
"They locked your things in a cupboard." Hermione said her mouth agape at how the Dursley's had treated Harry's things.
"At least they had quit locking me in there, Hermione." Harry muttered.
"What! They locked you in there?" Fred and George asked in unison.
Dumbledore turned to the twins. "Did you know about this?"
"No—" Fred started.
"But we had—" George continued.
"Gotten Harry's things out of there in his second year." Fred finished.
"I wondered why there was a mattress on the floor." George said.
Harry was going to say that the mattress had only appeared when he turned seven, when Dudley had gotten a new bed.
Dumbledore then turned to Harry. "Why didn't you ever tell us?"
"It never occurred to me to tell you." Harry said. "It wasn't as worse when they found out that I was going to go to Hogwarts."
"That's pleasing to know." Snape said. "Did they ever yell at you?"
"All the time" Harry said with a sinking feeling in his throat.
"Did that continue after you were accepted into Hogwarts?"
"Yes."
Snape laughed dryly. "So any mental damage continued. Only the physical abuse stopped."
"For a while." Harry said quietly.
"What was that that you just said?" Snape asked.
"Nothing." Harry said quickly.
Ron who was sitting beside Harry said, "He said 'for a while', Professor." Ron wasn't yet comfortable with calling Professor Snape, Snape. He decided to stick with 'sir'.
"Harry come here." Dumbledore said. He put a fingertip on Harry's forehead and examined the boy magically. First he looked at the boy's current injuries, then he commanded Harry's brain to reveal any other injuries that had happened in the past. After a few minutes of this, Dumbledore had heard enough. He had only heard the injuries up to age seven, but that was more then enough. Between his cousin and his Uncle, the boy had been beaten over a hundred times.
"Sir?" Harry asked timidly.
"I told you to call me Dumbledore."
Harry tried again. "Dumbledore?"
"That's much better. Did anything occur to you that if you told someone how you were raised, they could have been made to stop."
Harry looked ashamed. "No, si—Dumbledore."
"From now on you are not allowed to go back to the Dursley's house." Dumbledore commanded.
Harry looked greatly relieved. "Where will I go?" he asked, slightly worried that he would be made to stay at Hogwarts.
"I suppose we could build you a home here. Then you could stay here for the rest of the summer. The wards on the woods would have to be strengthened though.
Hermione broke in. "Harry figured something out. It's part of a shield he came up with. It takes any power that is thrown at it and uses that to strengthen the shield. So if He-who-must-not-be-named tried to break through using magic, any magic he used would be part of the shield."
"Is that so, Harry." Dumbledore asked.
"Yes. Me and Draco were dueling and I made a shield, and then I tweaked it a few times using wandless magic." Harry thought for a moment and put up the shield. "It seems stronger than it was last time I used it. I believe it keeps the power that it absorbed and is still using it. Hermione, throw a variety of curses at me, but wait until anyone who wants to see how powerful it is does that first."
Hermione got her wand out. "Finished?" She asked Dumbledore and Snape. They nodded. She threw a number of curses at Harry, each using more and more power, until finally, she got to the most powerful curse she knew that was legal.
"Why don't you see how powerful the shield is now." Harry said lazily.
"Wow. Miss Granger, I am impressed at how much power you have used in those curses. And you are still able to stand. Many a witch or wizard would be unconscious having used that much magic." Dumbledore stated calmly.
"DA meetings helped." Hermione said matter-of-factly.
"Yeah. They really did. I am much better with magic." Neville said eagerly.
"So that is what shall be held accountable for your vast improvement Mr. Longbottom." Dumbledore said. "I was looking over exams and noticed that all of you have improved your grades vastly, with the exception of Miss Granger and Mr. Malfoy, who were already at the top. Were all of you DA members?"
"I believe so. We only formed it because of Voldemort's return, and us deciding that we would like to be able to live through an attack by Voldemort." Hermione said.
"I am sorry for agreeing to name it Dumbledore's Army." Harry said quietly.
"It is okay. The ministry would have tried to arrest me for another reason anyway. May I ask why you named it Dumbledore's Army?" Harry and Hermione laughed.
Ginny broke in. "It was my idea. Dumbledore's Army 'cause it was the ministry's worst fear. Cho wanted Defense Association."
"It makes sense now." Dumbledore said. "About building a house. I know a spell that takes ten people. Since there are ten of us here, why don't we begin. Although it is safer with twelve people."
Hermione looked up at Dumbledore. "Would the spell be in the first chapter of Magical Decorating for Dummies?" She asked.
"Yes."
"I believe we were going to do that, but we hadn't gotten through the planning stage yet." Hermione said, looking to Harry for confirmation.
"She's got it right." Harry said.
"Might I ask, who was going to be the ninth and tenth person?" Snape asked.
"Draco asked the Grocer and his wife to help. They agreed." Hermione said.
"Severus, why don't you go and get the grocer. I will go and see if a few more people could come and help. You all can go and help Harry plan what he wants in a house." The coffee table was replaced with a large low round table with the cushions placed around it. "I can do wandless magic too, perhaps, Harry, I could help you learn a few things about it when the school year begins." Dumbledore turned and left.
"I wonder who he's going to get." Draco asked.
"Me too." agreed Ron, who seemed to be on speaking terms with Draco.
"Well, lets start planning." Harry said. "Draco, you are still welcome to live with me. So we will need at least three bedrooms."
"Three?" Hermione questioned. "One for me, one for Draco, and one for guests. Add two more. One for various Weasley's and one for Hermione, if she ever comes and visits."
"Various Wealseys?" Ginny asked.
"Well, Fred and George collect plants here, so they might like a place to stay, Ron is one of my best friends, and you might come to stay. You might stay in Hermione's room, though. It would probably be better suited to a girl."
"I think that this is going to be a two story house." Hermione said. "I'm going to go and see how much the spell can handle."
"I'm pretty sure it could handle what we're planning. After all, the same spell was used for Hogwarts. It only had more people doing the spell." Harry said.
"Where'd you find that out?" Hermione asked him.
"Kevin told me." Harry said.
"I think that it needs a big room that can have quite a few people in it. Maybe something like this room." Ginny said sensibly.
"Yeah. That's a good idea Ginny. Would you write that down Hermione?"
Hermione made a non-committal noise as she was writing.
"Hey Harry! Why not a room with a television in it? I think that would be cool." Ron said remembering watching movies until three in the morning the prior night.
"Yeah! Hermione please write that down!" Harry begged Hermione.
"Okay. But is there anything that Draco wants?"
"Yeah. I wouldn't mind a potions lab in the basement." Draco said quietly. At the confused gazes, he said "I take after my godfather, okay!"
"That's just fine." Hermione said. "Who is your godfather?"
"Professor Snape. He's actually okay during the summer. Apparently the noise from the students give him constant headaches." Draco said.
"Okay, so a potions lab in the basement." Hermione stated. "There should be a sitting room, kitchen, a pantry, a small room off the kitchen for a house-elf, I'm thinking two bathrooms, one upstairs, and one downstairs, a storage room, and the room that's going to be my idea, is an enchanted room, like the room of requirement. Any other ideas?" Hermione asked, furiously writing down all that she had said.
Fred and George conferred for a moment. "A large combined study and library, and a formal front room."
Harry looked at Fred and George. "Why?"
"The library and study for doing homework. And the formal front room for doing business." Fred said.
"It all makes sense now." Harry said. "So Hermione, what do we have?"
"There is, on the list, five bedrooms, one for Harry, one for Draco, a guest room, one for me, and one for various Weasleys. A big room, I've called the a rec room, and Ron before you ask, it is a muggle term for a room that you can just sort of hang out in. Then a TV room, a basement potions lab, sitting room, pantry, kitchen, room for a house-elf if we get one, two bathrooms, a storage room, I've put basement next to that, a room similar to the room of requirement, a study slash library, a formal front room, and a front hall. That would be the entire list. Does anyone have any objections?" Hermione asked. "There are nineteen rooms on the list. We can add five more. I think that Draco and Harry should each have a private bathroom, since they will be living here."
"I think that that is fine Hermione." Draco said.
"I agree." Harry commented. "Now we need to start planning the layout of the rooms. I think that I will make a neat copy of the list. Here is a copy for you guys to make your rooms." As she said that Hermione tapped the list with her wand and it duplicated itself. The rest of the group began planning how it was going to go and Hermione set to copying the list by hand.
"Hermione?" Harry asked.
"Yeah?" She replied.
"We forgot the dining room." Harry said, obviously trying not to laugh. Hermione sighed.
"I'll write that down."
"The spell will figure out where the rooms will go, but we need to figure out which floor the rooms will be on." Draco said.
"Have you done that yet?" Hermione asked. As an answer, Neville held out yet another list.
"I had the best handwriting." He offered as an explanation.
"Okay then. Since we're done, and the others aren't back yet, why don't we watch a movie?" Harry suggested.
"But what movie?" Ron asked.
Fred and George grinned. "How about the Rocky Horror Show?" Fred said.
"I've heard good things about that movie." George replied.
Hermione burst out laughing. "I think that we should watch it. It would be funny how Ron reacts."
"Why else would we suggest it, Fair Lady Hermione?" Fred commented, bowing in Hermione's direction. They settled down on the cushions and Dobby made them some snacks and they began to watch the movie. Towards the end of it Snape and Dumbledore had come back with a few people. He saw the list on the table and read it over as he went back outside.
"They've made a list." He told the others.
"What are they doing now?" Mrs. Weasley asked.
"They are watching a movie. It is nearly over." Dumbledore replied.
"How do you know that?" Severus asked.
"Simple. I've seen it before." He replied.
"Okay then. Why don't we get down to business?" Tonks asked.
"That sounds like an idea." Severus said. "I will go and wait until the movie is over and tell them that we have arrived." (A/N: 'We' is Dumbledore, Moody, Snape, Mrs. Weasley, Kevin, Cat, Tonks, McGonagall, and Pomfrey (if something goes wrong). Just thought that I'd tell you who is there.) Severus went into the tent and sat down on an unoccupied cushion. Having seen the movie before he thought about lecturing them on proper movies to watch. He decided not to. As it would be more fun to scare them when it ended. So he sat silently and waited for the end to come. Just as the end credits began to roll, his son said something.
"Professor Snape, whether or not you decide to sneak up on us, let it be known that seven of the eight may not know that you are here and another seven of the eight participated in a Defense Group last year and they tend to curse first and check second. Just an idea." Harry left his mind.
Instead of startling them, he decided to clear his throat. "Now that I've got you attention, Dumbledore and I have returned with quite a few people. Also, Dumbledore will need to talk to Harry and Draco privately. The others can go and learn about the spell." They filed out of the tent in front of him. As his son passed him, he winked at him. Severus in turn, glared. The others went towards the main group, while Harry and Draco went towards Dumbledore. Severus followed Draco and Harry.
"Albus. Are you sure about this?" Severus asked Albus.
"Yes I am sure. The boy can be trusted and we can make the other swear a blood oath."
"I think making them both swear a blood oath would be a good idea."
"Yes. I shall do so. Okay. Draco I am sure that you have heard from you father that there is a secret order fighting against Voldemort? Correct?"
"Yes." Draco nodded and spoke.
"We have decided that since we are going to be warding your home extensively, because of Harry's sake, we could put recuperating members of the order at you home. During the School year and during the summer. You will both be informed of a person's presence in your home at all times and all of the bedroom doors will have special locks put on them if you have some recuperating in your home. Do you both agree?"
"Yes, I agree." Harry said.
"And, I too, agree." Draco stated solemnly.
'You may not tell anyone. Only those in the order will know. Is it okay that your home can be used as a temporary safe house?"
"That is fine." Harry said.
"I agree with Harry." Draco commented.
"Okay. The blood oath. It is a simple thing. On this sheet of parchment all you have to do is sign you name in blood and swear to withhold the terms written above." Harry and Draco both read the terms. Harry held his finger over the parchment and went through the motions of signing his name. He concentrated and a few drops of blood came out of his finger tip and signed his name. Draco did the same, except he used his wand.
"That's a useful spell, Potter." Severus said.
"Where'd you learn it?"
"I read it in an old book." Harry said. "Draco recommended the book, so I suspect he got it from the same source."
"You do realize that that is a very difficult spell to master?" Dumbledore asked Harry.
"Yes. It took me a few days." Harry said non committingly.
"Come, now. Let's join the others and begin to build you a home." Dumbledore said.
"Why don't you two go ahead, I have something I need to discuss with the headmaster." Severus said, motioned for Harry and Draco to continue. "Albus, you do realize that I was planning to tell Harry the truth today?"
"Yes and the six other teens complicated your plans. Well tonight your son will sleep in his own bed in his own house. What would you think of giving him Dobby as a gift?"
"You're deliberately changing the subject. The elf does want paying." Severus reminded Dumbledore.
"Why not Winky?" The old wizard asked.
"Winky is fine. I suppose if I had a choice, I'd go with Dobby. I shall pay his wage. How much does he get?" Severus asked, as if the very words hurt his tongue.
Dumbledore smiled a knowing smile. "Only a galleon a month and a day off." Severus' expression brightened.
"That's not so much. I can easily afford that."
"We shall have a chat in my office tonight about the elf? Or no. tomorrow afternoon. Do you plan to stay here for the night?" Dumbledore asked.
"Yes and I plan to tell him and I need an excuse. Do you have any ideas?"
"I shall tell you if I can find any."
"Shall we join the group, then?" Severus asked.
"Most certainly."
Harry was arguing about how he should be allowed to participate in the spell. McGonagall pointed out a at a yell that he was allowed to participate, he was just going to be telling the spell how he wanted the house. When she saw Severus approaching, she turned her gaze on him and said, "I swear, Severus he's worse than you! I wouldn't know what I'd do if you had a child."
Both Dumbledore and Severus smiled at this, knowing that she was going to get a son from him in the form of Harry Potter.
She was continuing, "Dumbledore, could you explain to him that he is going to be part of the spell, he just won't be doing a sort of part he wants."
"I'm sure Harry could participate in the spelling process, if he really want's a house that's prefect for Draco." Dumbledore said calmly.
"I've seen his room. I'll sit and tell the spell what I want!" Harry said quickly.
"I agree. Out tastes clash and I certainly don't want the home decorated in Gryffindor colors. I'll sit and tell it what I want also." Draco said.
"It will be interesting how the house turns out." Ginny said to Hermione.
"Indeed." Dumbledore commented, having heard Ginny's comment to Hermione.
"Professors, I don't have all day. I will have to get back to work sometime." Tonks said.
"You can wait." Moody slowly, dragging every word out. "Or I just may let it slip that you now prefer to be call Nym—" Moody's voice was cut of by Tonks shutting it for him magically.
"Please, let's quit acting like five year olds and get this house built. Harry and Draco, you two go over there and start thinking of what you want in a house." Professor McGonagall said pointing over to a large boulder. Harry and Draco complied and bean to think of what they wanted in a house.
About an hour and a half later. "It's over. Will someone go and wake Harry and Draco up out of their trances?"
Hermione and Ginny volunteered. "Harry, Draco wake up."
They didn't wake up. Ginny thoughy for a moment. "Why don't we shake them?"
"Wait. I believe there's a stream over there. Why don't we..." Hermione's voice trailed off dangerously.
"You're evil. Levitate them?"
"Of course." Hermione replied. When they got to the stream, both Harry and Draco were showing signs of waking up. "I don't want to be mean, so lower them in slowly." They did so.
Sadly, when Harry woke up the spell wore off and he plunged in. Draco was soon to follow. As they waded out of the pond, they saw Hermione and Ginny running back towards the house.
"Oh no they don't." Harry said and somehow got them to come back. He then held Ginny in place and told Ginny to stay put, he used a twist of magic in it. Harry grabbed Hermione's wrists, and Draco grabbed her ankles. Together they threw her in.
"Hey Draco, do you think that Ginny could make a bigger splash?"
"I don't know Harry, I guess we need to find out." Draco replied. This time Harry got the ankles.
"On three?" Harry asked. In response Draco began counting. On three they let Ginny go and she made a slightly smaller splash. Harry and Draco then made a run for the house, hoping that they would get there before the girls could catch them. They made it back just before the girls could catch them.
Severus raised an eyebrow. "You four look a bit wet." He commented, trying hard not to laugh.
"Yes Professor." Hermione answered for the group. We decided to wake the boys by throwing them in the pond. They woke and decided to throw us in." Hermione finished.
"Sounds fair." Severus surprised them by not lecturing them on the dangers of throwing people in who can't swim. "Now why don't we take a tour of Harry and Draco's new home. Of course you can't do that wet." Severus cast a drying charm over the four teens.
By the time they got through all the rooms it was plain whose room was whose. Harry's room was a little on the big side and it had a model of a quidditch pitch on a desk with fourteen tiny players. One team was dressed in scarlet robes and the other in green. The room for the Weasley's had an autographed photo of the Chudley Cannons, a few books on mixing potions and the such, and another model quidditch pitch. The room designated for Hermione had a window seat with comfortable cushions and quite a few books. The guest room was the smallest, it only had a bed, wardrobe and a nightstand.
Noticing the time, Dumbledore said it was time to leave. "Molly, you may decide what to do with your children and Hermione. I will have Severus stay here to monitor the wards. Neville, would you like to go and see how your uncle is faring? I heard that he is out of critical care, and is able to see visitors."
Neville looked up. "Would you really?"
"Of course I would. I'll have you know that the windowboxes are all your contribution. I believe the mass of interesting titles in the library are Miss Grangers. Harry, there are only a few people who can apparate into you home and the surrounding woods. Members of the Order are part of them. All Hogwarts teachers are allowed to also. Good Day." With that last comment, Dumbledore disapparated with Neville.
"Well then. Mrs. Weasley, are you going to have your charges stay or go?" Harry asked.
"I don't mind either way. You are welcome to stay also."
"I believe that I will go home. The others can stay or go. I'll have Ron, Ginny and Hermione home by nine. Fred and George probably have a schedule to attend to, so I have no idea what they will be up to. I have to go shopping. Arthur might be by later."
"Thank you Mrs. Weasley. I might go and watch a movie downstairs. Who is with me?"
All of the others were with him except for Fred and George, who had to go and tend to shop. They had told Lee that they would be in by three and that was in a hour. Severus stayed for a word with Molly and then followed the rest downstairs. The movie they had chosen was Quigley Down Under (A/N: it's a very good movie. You should go and find it and watch it. The only remaining seat was beside Potter. Well, the boy was his son, so he supposed that he should get used to sitting by him.
The main character Quigley, he supposed, was beating up some guy with his rifle. (A/N: at least I think that's how it goes. I think he's doing that 'cause the one guy tried to cut on front of some old people. It's been a while since I've seen that movie.) Harry was obviously very tired, because he fell asleep partway through the movie. What Harry didn't realize, was that he fell asleep and began leaning on Severus. When Severus realized that Harry was sleeping, his only thought which surprised him, was I hope he doesn't drool. Hermione noticed that Marsden resembled Snape. (A/N: I'm pretty sure that Marsden is played by Alan Rickman.)
That's strange. She looked hard at the man on the screen, who had just gotten thrown out of his own house, and then turned towards Snape to compare. To her surprise there was an uncanny resemblance. She then realized that Harry had fallen asleep and he was leaning on Snape. More to the point Snape was letting Harry leaning on him and sleep.
"Ron." Hermione whispered to him. "Look at Harry."
Ron turned back and started in shock. "I've never seen him with that sort of expression on his face."
"It looks almost like..." Hermione trailed off, not sure what to call the expression on Severus' face.
Ron could tell what the expression on his face was. It just, it was Professor Snape! Was he capable of love?
"Hermione, it looks like parental love."
Hermione turned back again. "You're right. It does look like that." The movie regained their attentions, so they saved the discussion for later. Severus was oblivious to Ron and Hermione's whispered discussion. He was trying to figure out how to tell Harry of his parentage. He very well couldn't just say, Hey Harry, guess what? I'm your father. Cool beans! (that's a tribute to one of my friends. She knows who she is!) No, that wouldn't work. He could always try a semi-direct approach. Maybe Dumbledore could tell Harry for him. But he had told Dumbledore that he would do it himself. Maybe he could just calmly and rationally explain things in the order that they had happened. He had Lily's letter too. That would help. What about his friends? Should he tell him when they were here, so Harry would have them for comfort? Or should he wait until they had left? They had to be home by nine. So maybe he would wait until after they left. Yes, that would be the best way. Snape found himself dropping off too. He wondered if that was a good idea. How would Harry feel waking up leaning on me? Probably horrified. It would be even worse if I was asleep too. It wouldn't hurt if he only slept for a few minutes. As long as he woke before Harry did. Severus thought as he dropped off to sleep. The next time Hermione looked back at Harry and Snape, she nearly laughed. Now Snape was asleep. She nudged Ron and jerked her head back towards Harry and Severus. In his sleep, Severus had put his arm around Harry's shoulders. She thought that they almost looked like father and son. (A/N: If only she knew what was going to happen!)
Ron looked at her horrified. "I need a camera." He whispered to her.
"I think that Ginny has a camera." Hermione told Ron.
"Okay, I'll ask her." He told Hermione, then he turned to Ginny.
"Do you have a camera?"
"Yes, why?" Ginny whispered back to Ron.
"Look at Harry and Snape." Ron told her. Ginny looked back and smiled evilly.
"Kodak moment!" She informed Ron. Ron looked puzzled for a moment, but let it go as he saw that Ginny had taken her camera out. Ginny took about five different pictures and stopped. "I'm going to go back to the burrow to develop these after the movie is over. I think that I will take a few photos of the house first though."
"That sounds good. I think I'm going to go back to the burrow too." Hermione agreed with Ginny. They both turned to Ron expectantly.
"Fine! I'll go back too. Happy?" He said, with a touch of exasperation in his voice.
"We're happy." Ginny and Hermione said in unison. When the movie was over, they wandered around the house for a bit, Ginny taking photos and then they went back to the burrow. Hermione left a short note to explain their absence.
A/N: Wow. My longest chapter yet. I hope the bit with Harry falling asleep on Severus sounded okay, I had a hard time writing that. Please review. I love knowing what you guys think.