CHAPTER 15
(A/N: In celebration of over one HUDRED reviews, I present a very, very long chapter! Thank you dearest readers!)
Harry woke up early the next morning, and began his daily routine. Remus still wasn't up after Harry finished his shower, so he went downstairs to make breakfast for everyone.
Half an hour later, Harry set the platters of eggs, bacon, sausage and toast on the table, along with two jugs of milk and orange juice and tableware.
Godric was the first to arrive, having smelt the food and dragged Rowena along with him to the dining room. Helga and Remus arrived shortly after, and Salazar was last.
"What a surprise, the bacon isn't burnt to ash," Slytherin said dryly. Harry blushed.
"Well, it's better than yer toast," Helga retorted, "Ya always manage t' make the bread explode." The others laughed while Salazar glared at her, muttering darkly in Parsletongue.
Harry nudged him, "That wasn't very nice," he said cheerfully. Slytherin's face colored, but Harry grinned, "Don't worry, I won't tell, just reminding you that I can hear every word you say."
"What happened to the days where students respected their teachers?" Salazar asked sarcastically as he looked towards the ceiling.
Remus and Godric choked on their food with laughter.
"Careful," Harry said, patting Lupin on the back.
Moony nodded, and took a drink from his goblet, "Thank you Tallon," he said.
Harry smiled, "No problem Moony," The six chatted for another half an hour while they ate, then began to clean up the remains of their meal.
"Ready to go?" Harry asked Remus once the table was cleared.
"Go where?"
"Diagon Alley; new robes; remember?"
Lupin sighed, "Harry, I'm perfectly fine with the-"
"The Marauders take care of their own," Harry said firmly. Ah, the magic words, he thought smugly as Remus sighed in defeat.
"Alright, let's go." With a grin, Harry put a hand on his new guardian's shoulder, then teleported them both to Diagon Alley.
Harry looked around with his x-ray vision; satisfied that no one was spying on them, Harry led Remus to Gringotts.
"It is good to see you again Mr. Harry," Griphook said as they approached.
Harry smiled, "It's nice to see you too Griphook."
The goblin nodded, "Do you wish to go to your connected vault?"
"Yes please, and this is Remus Lupin," Harry answered.
Griphook inclined his head in greeting, "Are you aware f your position, Mr. Lupin?"
"I am," he replied. So Griphook led them to the carts, and plummeted down to the depths of Gringotts.
"Brace yourself," Harry murmured to his guardian once they'd opened the doors. Thanks to Harry's warning, Remus' jaw only slackened a little, showing his surprise. The effect hadn't let Harry go just yet, but he no longer gaped at the contents.
The only spent a few minutes filling Remus' bag, then rocketed back up to the surface at super-speed. "Thanks again Griphook," Harry said with a smile.
"My pleasure, Mr. Harry," the goblin replied, looking at Lupin's green-tinged face with a wicked gleam of amusement in his eyes.
Harry then led Remus outside while the werewolf regained his composure from the wild ride. "Madam Malkin's first," Harry ordered, earning a chuckle from his guardian.
"Yes Captain Tallon," he replied dryly. Harry put a quick glamour charm on his scar, and followed Remus inside. While Lupin was getting fitted for an entire wardrobe, Harry went up to the counter and asked for some black work robes that would fit him—he gave the name Mark Shan so the employee could look up his measurements.
Thirty minutes later, Harry exited with five more robes, a dragon hide vest and boots; and Remus with eleven robes—three dress robes and the rest for daily wear. "Anywhere special you want to go?" Harry asked one they'd shrunken their purchases.
Remus shook his head, "You?"
Harry's eyes strayed to Blurnof's Eyestore. "Actually, I want to introduce you to someone." He answered.
"Alright," Remus said, and followed Harry down the street as Harry told him a bit about his relationship with Alex.
The bell on the door sounded, and Alex looked up from her account book on the counter. "Hello Harry," she greeted him with a smile, "I wasn't expecting you."
Harry smiled back, "I was in the neighborhood, and I wanted to introduce you to Remus Lupin, my guardian."
Remus shook her hand, "It's nice to meet you," he said.
"Same to you Mr. Lupin, I'm Alex." She replied.
"Alex was at Hogwarts, but left right before you came," Harry explained.
She grinned, "And I'm sorry I did; from what Harry said, you're a wonderful teacher."
Remus blushed slightly, "Thank you." To Harry he muttered, "How much did you tell her?"
Harry smiled weakly, "Enough." He answered uncertainly. Alex laughed, and the three talked for another twenty minutes about various things.
"Hey, what do you say to lunch in a couple of hours?" Harry suggested.
"If Mr. Lupin doesn't mind me tagging along," Alex answered.
Remus chuckled, "Not at all."
She smiled, "Then I'd love to." So Harry mad arrangements to pick her up in two and a half hours, and he and Remus left the store.
"She seems like a nice girl," Moony commented.
"She is," Harry replied. They spent their remaining time catching up with each other as they talked in a park in Muggle London, careful to make sure no one would hear them by placing a Jumble-charm on the area around them—this would make them sound like they were speaking a language the listener didn't know. Remus filled Harry in on Order business, while Harry in turn gave a full description of everything he'd done during the summer. Lupin wasn't sure about the whole four-founders thing, but he promised to ask the portrait-escaping mages once they returned to The Hideaway. The last thing Harry did was show Remus The Hideaway map, which now showed all four founders and Hedwig. "I think I believe you," Remus stated, looking at the names, "You did this quite well too."
"Well, you're the one who wrote me what to do," Harry reminded him, then explained about the letter he'd found—written by Remus.
"Ah, I'd forgotten about that," Remus said as Harry wiped the map blank. "Sirius was bored, and asked me to do the explaining; I was 'the non-stupid one,' according to him." There was a silence following the mention of Sirius, until Harry remembered the question he'd come up with yesterday.
"Remus, last night—at dinner—I made you laugh," Harry began, "And when you did, everyone seemed so, well, surprised. Why?"
Lupin slouched, closing his eyes. "Harry, it was a full moon, but that's not the entire reason I looked the way I did," he sighed. "No doubt you also wondered how I was able to come with you, the night of transformation." Harry nodded, but kept silent, allowing Remus to continue. "You see, the truth is—I haven't been doing too well lately, dealing with Sirius' death I mean. Over the summer, I've locked myself in my room—brooding. No one was able to reach me, I cut myself off from everyone. It was—the worst thing I could have done." He shuddered, "without human contact, I—lost control of my transformations."
Harry barely kept in a gasp, "Were you safe?" he whispered.
Sadly, Moony shook his head. "No. Without the Wolfsbane potion- I didn't like Snape much at the time- I became a full werewolf, just like I did in your third year."
"When did it stop?" Harry asked quietly.
"Minerva came in as a cat, and talked to me. I must have been making a lot of racket, because the entire Order was outside my door. When Minerva spoke to me, the wolf faded, and I returned to normal. Since then, I've spoken with her once a week, and no one else; until you came."
Harry was stunned, "No body told you I was missing, did they?"
Again, Remus shook his head, an ashamed look on his suddenly tired face. "I'm sorry Harry, I should have asked about you."
"It's not your fault," Harry said firmly, "I ran off, I didn't want to be found. I should have remembered I'm not the only one Sirius cared about—I was selfish." They sat in silence until Remus said that they should probably go back to Diagon Alley, "It's never good to keep a lady waiting," Lupin said with determined cheerfulness. Harry smiled, ended the charm, and teleported them back to Blurnof's Eyestore.
Lunch was taken at the Leaky Cauldron, where the three asked questions about their summers, education, and hobbies.
"So which house were you in?" Harry asked Alex.
She smiled shyly, "Um… not Gryffindor."
Lupin raised an eyebrow, "Ravenclaw?" She shook her head.
"Hufflepuff?" Harry asked.
"No."
"Slytherin?" they asked at the same time.
She bit her lip, holding in laughter brought from their amazed reactions. "Yes, and there's no need to shout."
A sudden thought occurred to Harry, "Er—what did you think of Malfoy?" he asked.
Alex rolled her eyes, "The most annoying, snobby, rude, and self-absorbed wizard I've ever met." Harry and Remus burst out laughing.
"I'm glad we can agree on something!" Harry told her, she joined in on the laughter.
After returning to The Hideaway some time later, Remus asked Harry what he was going to do for the last two weeks of summer. "I don't know really," Harry answered thoughtfully, "I guess I should visit the Order, just so Mrs. Weasley doesn't throw a fit again."
Remus chuckled, "Very true."
"Yeah, other than that, just training really." Remus accepted this, and they returned to their game of muggle chess, which Harry had bought before returning.
They waited until the next day, then teleported to Grimmauld Place under Harry's invisibility cloak. Instead of knocking, they let themselves in.
Ginny and Ron were playing Wizard's Chess, Hermione was taking to McGonagall about schoolwork, and Snape was reading a book next to the fireplace—no one noticed their arrival.
"Move your bishop to the left," Harry suggested, standing behind Ginny. The youngest Weasley jumped, knocking the board further towards Ron.
Harry laughed, "Don't hurt yourself," he joked as the others stared at him and Remus.
Ginny stood up and punched him in the arm, since she was unable to reach his shoulder. "Nice to see you too," he mumbled, though he'd barely felt it.
"Wow, twice in one week; that's a bloody record!" Ron said sarcastically.
Harry grinned, "I know, amazing isn't it?"
Ron grinned back, "Good t' see you again mate."
Remus went over and spoke with McGonagall, while Hermione came over to greet Harry. "Honestly Harry, you have to stop visiting so often," she said with mock-sternness.
Harry smiled, "Will do. So, what have you been up to lately?"
Ron groaned, "Homework—Hermione's been ruthless."
"It's not my fault you left your homework to the last minute!" she objected.
He rolled his eyes, "At least we didn't have much ruddy po-" Harry elbowed him gently, casually moving his head in Snape's direction, "Much ruddy Defense homework," Ron finished, ears slightly red.
Ginny nodded in agreement, "For you maybe," she muttered quiet enough so only they could hear.
"And for that, I pity you," Ron said sorrowfully.
"Speaking of defense, any idea who the new professor'll be?" Harry asked.
"Not a clue," Hermione answered.
Ron pretended to be shocked, placing a hand on his chest, "Hermione! Did you just say you don't know something!" While Hermione smacked Ron playfully on the head, Harry caught what sounded suspiciously like a chuckle come from none other than Snape.
Harry pulled Ginny aside as the other two Gryffindors exchanged mock insults. "And how long have they been like this?" he asked her quietly.
She grinned, "About three weeks, neither of 'em has admitted anything yet." They watched the two bicker until Snape got up with an annoyed sigh—grumbling about the noise. On his way out, the book fell out of his pocket, so Harry picked it up and offered it to him, "Here you go Professor," Harry said.
Snape nodded his thanks, then took it and left—the room was dead silent.
Harry found every person in the room staring at him and the empty space where Snape had been. "What?" he demanded.
Ginny looked at him strangely. "You and Snape—in the same room without fighting was okay… you and Snape being civil, that's just not normal!" The entire room—including Remus and McGonagall—burst into laughter.
Harry blushed furiously, "Thanks for the support! I'm actually trying not to get kicked out of class before it starts!" he drawled irritably, this only made them laugh harder.
Throwing his hands up in defeat, Harry left the room.
Mrs. Weasley was delighted to find him visiting for the day, and immediately began to pester him with question she hadn't been able to before. Things like 'have you been eating right? Looking out for yourself?' or 'Taking good care of yourself and staying out of trouble?' , made Harry want to sigh, but he answered each question with a polite: "Yes Mrs. Weasley." He spent the evening talking with Fred and George about Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes, Charlie about dragons, Bill on ancient curses, and his friends about the upcoming school year.
As the Order sat down to eat, a pale Mr. Weasley walked into the room. "Arthur?" Mrs. Weasley rushed over, looking at Moody and Tonks, who were following behind him. "Is something wrong?"
Tonks beamed, and Moody grinned as Mr. Weasley shook his head. "Not really—well, yes but… no."
"What is he talking about?" Molly asked Tonks.
"There's good news and bad news." The lime green haired witch answered.
"What's the bad news?" Bill asked.
"The dementors have left Azkaban, and all the Death Eaters have escaped," Moody growled.
"And the good news?" Charlie asked weakly. The two aurors looked at Weasley Sr.
"Fudge has been fired," he announced, "And they've already elected two new ministers,"
Snape was the first to ask, "Who?"
Arthur Weasley gulped, "Amelia Bones, and…me."
The entire Order burst into an excited uproar, the Weasley family being the loudest. Ginny and the twins were bouncing around, Ron's jaw dropped, and Bill, Charlie, and Molly all hugged Mr. Weasley, one of the new Ministers of Magic.
Harry couldn't of been happier for them, and joined in the hearty applause that followed. In fact, everyone was too busy congratulating Arthur to notice Snape leave, clutching his forearm, all save Harry of course.
After everyone had calmed down and started to eat once more, the Order attacked Arthur with questions about the escaped Death Eaters, and how he'd gotten one of the two jobs, and why there were two. From what Harry gathered, the entire Ministry voted Fudge out of office once the Death Eaters escaped Azkaban, about five hours ago. Arthur and Amelia had been elected soon after Fudge was booted, by a unanimous vote among the employees; it had been a tie. It wasn't completely official, since the Wizengmot still had to verify Arthur's and Amelia's new change in position.
As the adults talked business, the teenagers were forced to leave. "One more year," Bill told them with a grin as he shut the dining room doors. The twins disappeared into their bedroom, leaving the younger Gryffindors alone.
"Harry, is there something you've been doing besides bookwork?" Ginny asked.
"Why?" he replied.
"Well we, erm- happened to overhear-"
"You eavesdropped," Harry corrected her boredly.
Hermione blushed, but Ginny continued, unfazed. "Right, well, we 'found out' that Snape tried to bring you back here, but you disappeared. We also- well I, also heard Professor Lupin call you 'Tallon', any special reason?"
"Let's go somewhere else," he murmured, and led his friends up to the room he and Ron had stayed in last summer; luckily no one else was using it besides Ron this summer. They sat down on one of the beds while Harry stood, thinking of how much to explain. Not the founders, he decided, they'd get confused. They can meet them later. "Alright, the disappearing thing." He began, "I inherited an unplottable house from Sirius, it's also got the Fideleus Charm on it and I'm the secret keeper. I don't know how to apperate," yet, he added mentally, "But whenever I think of Sirius, I'm transported to my new home. If I think of the place I want to go, I'm transported there. But it only works if I'm going to or from my Hideaway."
"Sounds like apperation to me," Ron said.
"Well, there's anti-apperation and dissaperation wards for a hundred yards, so I don't think it is," Harry replied, "As for the name Tallon, I got it from this." He pulled out his second map and whispered, "The Marauders take care of their own,"
" 'In honor and loving memory of Moony, Padfoot and Prongs, Tallon presents: The Hideaway." Hermione read out loud.
"So you've got a nickname?" Ron asked.
Harry nodded, "And I finally figured out why it's Tallon."
"Why's that?" Ginny piped up.
"Once in a blue moon," Harry whispered, closing the map. He then made sure no one was in the halls with his x-ray vision. Satisfied, he turned to his friends. "You can't tell anybody, okay?" They nodded, so Harry turned into his panther form.
Hermione gasped. "Harry!"
He turned back to normal, "yes?"
"You're an animagus!"
"Obviously," He and Ron chorused, then grinned at each other.
Ginny looked confused, "but still, a panther has claws, not talons. So why are you called Tallon?"
Harry sighed, he'd hoped he wouldn't have to reveal more than one form. "That's because I have more than one form, see?" he then turned into a phoenix.
Ron applauded, "Brilliant mate!"
"Any more?" Ginny quipped. Harry rolled his eyes, then transformed into a cobra. After earning some funny looks, Harry returned to human shape, "Don't screech at the next one," he warned. They nodded, and he became a werewolf.
"Oh no!" Hermione whispered, "You've been bitten?"
Harry melted back, laughing. "Of course not Hermione! I told you, it's just another one of my forms!" Ron joined in with his laughter, having looked at Ginny's horrified face before Harry'd explained.
After she threatened them with her infamous bat-bogey hex, the boys calmed down. "How'd you do it/" Ron asked.
Harry shrugged, "It took me a week, thanks to a professional who knew how to evade the long way. Only down side is that you don't get to pick your forms. Want to learn?" His friends immediately agreed. Harry put a charm on the door to alert him of anyone approaching, then instructed them as Godric had done for him.
Ron had called three silvery beings to him in under ten minutes. Hermione and Ginny both had two, and by then Ron had already identified his mortal creature of light. "Looks like a dog, German Shepard maybe?" he said, eyes closed.
Twenty minutes later, Hermione had her first, an owl, and so did Ginny, a dolphin. "You've got a real knack for this Ron," Harry complimented him as Ron discovered his magical being, a thestral. "It took me three days to find my four, and to identify two of them."
"Thanks mate," Ron said, the tips of his ears red. "Is a thestral light or dark, Herms?"
The witch thought about it, "I'd say it's in between really. It's classified as a dark creature, but that doesn't make them dark. You should ask Professor Lupin about it." She answered, then turned to Harry, "Does he know of your being an animagus?"
Harry nodded, "Yeah, I showed him during my first visit."
Ginny sighed. "I can't get the second one to come here," she grumbled.
Harry clapped her on the shoulder, "Don't fret about it; like I said, it normally takes a week doing it this way." The alarm charm went off, notifying Harry that someone was on the stairs. Quickly, the four began to talk about ideas for the Gryffindor Quidditch team, Hermione saying that they should start writing down a schedule.
Someone knocked on the door, and Ron said, "C'mon in."
Remus entered, though only a step or two inside, "Harry, I was wondering—do you mind if I spend the night here? I'm somewhat behind on Order business, and I'm trying to catch up."
Harry noticed that there was a tinge of uneasiness in Moony's voice, so he smiled and said, "Sure. In fact, I'll stay too- to make it a record of three days in a week."
Remus grinned, "Thank you Harry, I'll see you tomorrow."
"See ya tomorrow Remus," Harry answered. With a grateful smile, Remus left, closing the door behind him.
They didn't practice more animagus stuff, instead they continued with Quidditch. An hour or two later, Ginny was yawning, and Ron started to look tired, Hermione had already gone to bed. "Sorry mate, but I'm bushed," Ron said tiredly.
Harry chuckled, "Don't worry about it, I'll go to bed in a little while too."
"It was nice seeing' you again so, so-sooon," Ginny yawned.
Harry laughed, "Likewise Ginny," While Ron went to bed, Harry went downstairs, teleported home, explained the situation to the founders and Hedwig, and teleported back to Grimmauld Place with a potions manual, his Arthrimacy text and the Quidditch book he'd bought. The adults were still locked in the dining room, and Harry didn't even try to eavesdrop as he read chapter twenty in the Arthrimacy book, he would find out what they talked about eventually.
As he got halfway through, Snape returned—his face contorted with pain, and his neck was bleeding badly. Harry dropped his book, "Professor?"
Snape stumbled, and Harry steadied him. "Headmaster," Snape croaked. Harry helped the potions master into a chair, then ran over to the dining room, and pounded on the door. No one seemed to hear him, so Harry growled his frustration after trying the door knob which was locked, then turned into a werewolf, and knocked the door down. He was fully human once it fell and all the Order members were staring at him, "Professor Snape says he need the Headmaster," Harry answered hurriedly in response to their confused looks.
Dumbledore immediately swept past Harry, a concerned expression on his face. "Severus?" he said, kneeling beside the younger wizard.
"Dark Lord—is searching f-for Potter," Snape said in a raspy voice, "He found out- about Potter's disappearance—orders us to search, since last month. Not pleased that we can't—find him. But somehow, he knows Potter-- evaded—the Order, and—willingly is with the Order now." Snape gave a harsh snort, "Not happy about that—either."
"Are you alright?" Dumbledore asked.
Snape nodded, "Just a few cuts."
The moment Dumbledore had entered, Harry rushed up the stairs and teleported to The Hideaway. Running downstairs, Harry grabbed some wootgrass, a pain relieving potion, and a bottle of phoenix tears Hedwig had willingly shed. He then teleported back to Grimmauld Place just after Snape gave his report.
Dumbledore looked around, "Does anyone know where Poppy is?"
"Vacation in America," McGonagall answered.
Snape tapped the Headmaster's arm, "Magic won't do any good. Dark Lord makes us drink, Saldumora Potion after punishment."
"What's that?" Bill asked.
"A potion that causes any magic or potions used on the drinker to change into pain spells and poisons. No magic will help."
"What about plants?" Harry asked, holding up the wootgrass,
Snape raised an eyebrow, "What good is wootgrass Potter?" he sneered.
Harry shrugged, "None Sir. But crushed wootgrass with phoenix tears stops bleeding, even really bad injuries."
"Where'd you learn that Harry?"
"After Hedwig became a phoenix, I wanted to make sure I could stop the bleeding if something like that ever happened again." Harry replied; turning back to Snape he said, "Want to try?"
When Dumbledore patted his shoulder, Snape rolled his eyes and muttered, "Fine."
Harry crushed the grass in a small bowl, then stood on his knees next to Snape and gently put it over the wound; after that, he dribbled on some of the phoenix tears. Harry re-corked the bottle, and waited as the wootgrass began to weave in and out of itself, forming a dam bandage. Snape barely twitched at the feel of it moving around on his neck, but some of the Order members turned slightly green or grimaced, watching uneasily.
Finally, the grass stopped moving, and the blood stopped coming. "Looks like it worked," Charlie said. Snape nodded, if reluctantly. Harry, knowing it would only embarrass Snape if he said thank you to Harry, Harry went upstairs and teleported back home so he could put the potion and phoenix tears back. By now Harry was getting sleepy, so he teleported straight to Ron's room at Grimmauld Place and fell into one of the beds, fast asleep.
For the first time that summer, Harry had a dream:
He watched as his Death Eaters apperated to his side. Their masks glinted with the moon's light, their robes billowed gently in the wind. One by one they came up and kissed the hem of his robes. Finally, all fifty-three Death Eaters were present. "Welcome, my snakes. The time to act draws closer with each passing night." He began, rising from his throne. In response, every Death Eater kneeled. "But first, we must awaken our allies. The dementors have returned, and many more shall follow. We must send a group to the giants by the next full moon" he ordered, "And a group to the werewolves gathered in the Shadow Valley. The next group will seek out the vampires scattered throughout Britain, and the rest, shall continue the search for the boy. Understood?"
"Yes my Lord," The Death Eaters replied in unison.
"Now go! Complete these tasks, and you shall be given your just reward. But fail, and you will be punished."
"Yes my Lord," they replied again. They dissaperated, but only after he shouted, "Crucio!" and they all writhed in pain from the curse. Once they left, he laughed—and his laughter was carried high on the Northern winds, and past the stars…
Harry was shaken awake as he screamed silently, pain coursing through his scar. "Wake up Potter!"
Harry dazedly opened his eyes, and stopped screaming—it was Moody. The Auror sighed, and removed the silencing spell on Harry. "Sorry Sir," Harry whispered.
Moody nodded, "It's alright Lad, I'm just glad I saw you before you started screaming."
Harry smiled weakly, "I'm sure Ron'll be happy too."
Moody chuckled, "What kind of dream was it?"
"I'm not sure—it could be real, but it might not be."
Moody thought for a few moments, "Well, it won't hurt to know." At this, Harry repeated what he saw, word for word; Moody wasn't happy. "Any names?"
Harry shook his head, "No names, but I did see the sky." Grabbing a piece of parchment, a quill, and ink from Ron's beside table, Harry sketched out the stars and constellations, in the exact places he'd seen them.
"Lad, no offense, but what will we do with a map of stars?" Moody asked.
Harry looked at him, "Haven't you ever used stars to find your location?" Moody shook his head. Harry kept his laughter in, and voice down, so as not to wake Ron. "Well, from each place on the Earth, the stars look different—they appear in different places. The southern hemisphere has different constellations than the ones we're used to. Since I could see Orion, I know that the dream I had was in the northern hemisphere." He pointed at the constellations, "If you get a professional astrologist to look at this, they might be able to tell you where it was seen from, judging on the angles of the constellations."
A spark lit in Moody's normal eye, "And then we might be able to tell where these buggers are meeting." He growled. Harry nodded, and handed the map over. "Thanks Potter, be careful; and I'll pass the message on to Dumbledore. Have you had any other dreams?"
"Nope, this is the only one for the entire summer so far." Harry answered. Moody then exited with a nod, and left Harry alone. Since he couldn't sleep, Harry went down stairs to read the books he'd brought with him earlier. He sat down in an armchair next to the fireplace, and conjured a light globe to read by. Someone had neatly stacked his three books on the end table, and Harry reached for the top one, then opened it.
Startled, Harry realized that this one wasn't his—it was a photo album. Closing it, he looked at the front. The cover was dark green leather, with a black spine and black, metal clasps. In the center was stamped two snakes entwining around a crossed wand and thorny rose. Must be the family crest, he thought, and opened it again. The first picture showed a grim-looking family of four, all with straight, black hair. A tall sturdy man with a large nose had an arm around the shoulders of a woman. She had a plush mouth, and a softer expression than her husband. A young boy with his hair cut an inch or so above his shoulders, sat on a stool in front of the woman; he shared the same nose as the older man. With a jolt, Harry realized he was looking at a ten-year old Severus Snape. To his surprised, there wasn't any trace of a sneer or malice in the young Snape's eyes.
On another stool in front of Snape's father sat a girl who looked about the same age as Snape, and also shared the same black hair and eyes. Her nose was smaller- like their mother's, and, unlike the rest, she wasn't pale, but suntanned even in the black and white photograph; and she had a mischievous, friendly smile in her eyes. Huh? Harry wondered, and turned to the next page, curious.
The two kids raced around on brooms, waving at the photographer as they zoomed by; the girl was gleefully pushing Snape into a pond on the next page, Snape then pulled her in with a soundless laugh. The following ages were of Snape and the girl playing Quidditch; a Christmas celebration with Snape, the girl and their mother; Snape's birthday. After that came pictures of Snape and the girl opening Hogwarts letters; them standing next to the Hogwarts express, and a picture of the two standing with their friends on the steps of Hogwarts. Harry recognized Lucius Malfoy, Bellatrix Lestrange, and Rockwood standing on one side with Snape, along with several other Slytherins. They all looked about twelve or so. On the other half, Harry saw people that shocked him. The girl was in Slytherin Quidditch robes, but she stood next to a Ravenclaw, a Hufflepuff, and three Gryffindors that Harry knew: Sirius, Remus and Harry's mother, Lily. No way in hell! Harry thought as they smiled up at him from the picture. Even though Snape stood next to the girl, it was clear that he was friends with only her and the Slytherins—which made sense. He doesn't even look angry! Harry thought with amazement, Not even that close to two of the Marauders!
Shaking his head, he turned to the next page. It was a picture of the two in a potions class, the girl was running away with her arms over her head in a mock look of fear as Snape carefully added something to his cauldron. Harry fought his laughter down, smiling as he looked through the next pages.
The two got older as Harry went on. Then, halfway through, the pictures stopped. He turned quickly back to the last picture. The girl was sitting outside on the grass, then got up and stretched with a yawn. Snape crept up behind her, then jumped on her back. With a laugh, she dropped and somersaulted, flinging Snape off. She then wrapped her arm around his neck, and started to mess up his hair, still laughing as Snape tried fruitlessly to escape. When she did release him, she put her arm around Snape's shoulders, and they both laughed. Snape's happy! Harry realized, "Who is this girl?" he asked himself, as the picture began to replay.
"Selena."
Harry twisted sharply in the chair to find Severus Snape standing right behind him.
Coming Up:
Snape's Reaction
A trip to Durmstrang
Then:
The New DADA Prof.
Suspicious character
Review Response:
In response to someone who submitted anonymous to ch. 14:
The squid detail was interesting, but one I could live without. Please, stick to comments on the story. Thank you.
