Disclaimer: I still own nothing... More's the pity...

Chapter 2

It was early indeed when Albus Dumbledore came to pick Harry up. And he was not alone. With him were Remus Lupin, Severus Snape, and a huge grim black dog. They were dressed in ordinary muggle clothes, which surprised Harry greatly, especially seeing his most hated Potions Master, who happened to look nicely handsome.

Oh dear Merlin, Harry thought, I'm thinking Snape is handsome. What's happening to me? And then he smirked. Ron would rush me to St. Mungo's right now to see if I was mentally ill if he knew what I was thinking right now. What am I thinking?

Harry's aunt Petunia was now at the door, no doubt wondering who was at it so early in the morning, though it was only around eight. When she saw who it was her mouth fell open and she backed slowly away from the door, her hand covering her mouth.

"Who is it, Pet," Vernon Dursley's voice came from the kitchen.

"It's them," she called back, her voice shaky with fear.

Vernon Dursley waddled up into the main sitting area and took in the appearances of the three men and the black dog before shouting, "What are you doing in my house? Get out now."

"Silence," Dumbledore said forcefully, looking to Remus and nodding. Remus nodded back and moved past the Dursleys and up the stairs before anything else could be said or done about it. "Now will you please, take a seat while I explain some things to you."

The frightened Dursleys had no choice but to sit though the old man was kindly enough. It was the man beside him that frightened them. The look of absolute anger and hatred in those black eyes were enough to scare anyone. And the dog was not helping. Every time they even flinched it barked and bared its teeth at them.

"That's enough, Black," Snape snapped angrily. The dog whirled around at him and snapped its huge jaws not even making the man flinch. Snape stared coolly at him and said, "Why don't you find a cat to chase, Black?"

"I resent that, Severus," Minerva McGonagall said as she stepped through the still open door and closed it firmly behind her. "That is enough, Black. It was risky enough to bring you even as you are. Do not spoil it by getting caught and us along with you." She looked around for the first time and when her eyes swept over the Dursleys she couldn't help but feel some anger at them. "Where is Potter and Lupin," she asked.

"Lupin is getting Potter," Snape said curtly, his eyes still on Sirius.

"Why don't you run along and help, Severus, Snuffles," Dumbledore said, smiling at the two. "Minerva and I have some pressing business to attend to with the Dursleys. Make sure they get everything. It is likely he will not return."

Snape looked like he wanted to argue but was silenced with a look from both McGonagall and Dumbledore. Sirius was already bounding up the steps with enthusiastic leaps. Snape followed almost mournfully, dreading the time he would have to spend in a room with the wolf, the mutt, and the boy who was the bane of his existence.

Dumbledore was the first to sit, McGonagall right beside him. "AS you know, Mrs. Dursley, Harry was to stay here until he was of age and he wouldn't need too anymore. There have been some changes and hopefully that will be one of the changes. We both know that neither you or Harry want to be anywhere near each other, for very different reasons of course, and I have ignored his pleadings for too long. As you know, Lord Voldemort, the man who killed your sister, has been brought back and one of Harry's friends died by his hands just a few weeks ago when it could have been him."

"No, we didn't know," Petunia said hotly, anger flaring at the kind of guests in her house. "The boy tells us nothing."

"And by the way you treat him, no wonder," McGonagall said in the same tone, losing her patience and letting her tongue talk without thinking. "Potter has always been a considerate young man and has gone out of his way to do many things for people who do not deserve them. Did you know that he could have had you put away in our prisons for neglect and abuse of a minor, much less the savior of the wizarding world."

The Dursleys both flinched at the word 'wizarding' and looked around as if someone could hear it through the walls and down the streets. "Don't use that word," Vernon Dursley thundered. "I will not tolerate any use of abnormal words in my house. Not from Potter and not from you freaks!"

Minerva McGonagall stood and towered over the cowering Dursleys. Her eyes had gotten smaller and her mouth had all but disappeared into the thinnest line you could imagine. When she spoke it was in anger and hatred mixed together so well that it froze and burnt you. "I can see that I was right all along," she whispered fiercely. "I was right about what I said about you muggles the day we brought Harry here. You couldn't be trusted, that you were the worst sort imaginable. He would have been better growing up with Voldemort himself!"

"Minerva, please," Dumbledore said, rising also and placing a placating hand on her arm. "We must be on and we both know you did not mean your last comment. Harry would not be the light of hope we know now if he had been sent to Voldemort as a child. Quite the opposite. We would have no hope at all, even Voldemort would have been out of hope because Harry would have far surpassed him."

McGonagall nodded and looked very flustered for a moment. "I'll go see to Potter and the others. Hopefully they haven't killed one another yet," she said briskly as she turned and marched out without a backward glance, hoping to never have to see the Dursleys again.

Meanwhile Harry was sitting on his bed and watching Sirius and Snape have a go at it. He hadn't even got past the hello's before Snape had started snapping at Sirius. Remus had barely even gotten the silence wards up before Snape's booming voice filled the very little space of Harry's room.

"WHAT WERE YOU THINKING, BLACK," Snape was shouting. "YOU COULD HAVE BEEN TOSSED OUT OR FOUND OUT!"

"DON'T YOU DARE YELL AT ME, SNIVELLUS! I WILL MAKE YOUR LIFE A LIVING HELL," Sirius shouted. "OR DO YOU FORGET THAT YOU ARE STAYING IN MY HOME?"

Remus leaned over and whispered, "Who's your money on? A galleon on Sirius."

"Snape," Harry snickered.

Remus looked surprised but said, "Never underestimate Sirius in a fight against Snape."

"YOU KNOW YOU AREN'T EVEN SUPPOSED TO BE OUT OF GRIMMAULD PLACE UNTIL SEPTEMBER!"

Harry frowned. "What's going to happen in September?"

Remus frowned also. "You weren't supposed to hear that, Harry. Just forget it. Nothing bad or anything."

"PROFESSOR SNAPE, MR. BLACK," McGonagall screeched as she entered the room and slammed the door behind her. "YOU WILL STOP THIS SHOUTING AND BEHAVE LIKE ADULTS THIS INSTANT." She turned on Remus and Harry with a glare and shouted, "COULD YOU NOT HAVE STOPPED THEM?"

"Stop shouting, Professor McGonagall," Harry said, wincing at the loud voice was highly feminine unlike the manly shouting he had been hearing before. "I don't know about you, professor, but I still can't do magic yet and I, for one, do not ever want to get into a fight with one of them."

"Oh, come on, Harry," Sirius grinned, the flushed angry look still not completely gone from his face. "I'm not that bad. And you will be spending the rest of the summer with me." Then he made a sour face. "But then again, so will Snape here."

"Don't worry, Potter," Snape said coldly, a sneer on his face as he turned to look at Harry. "You won't be seeing me much. The only reason I am staying there is to make sure Black doesn't do anything foolish like leaving the house on your whim. Lupin doesn't do anything to control him so he's useless."

Harry felt his anger explode as he heard Snape. "Don't ever call him useless, Snape," he hissed. "I wonder what you do, to consider yourself so useful? The only job you have is gathering as much information for the Order as possible and thinking up as many lies about me as possible. Not that hard. And what about your buddy Lucius Malfoy? I heard he got his lord quite well. Après Temps."

"What do you know about that spell, Potter," McGonagall asked in a small voice.

Harry shrugged. "Nothing. It sounds vaguely French however. Do any of you know French?" Everyone shook their heads. "Pity," he said shrugging. "A damned sucky way of having your sixteenth announced."

"Not all are as lucky as you, Potter," Snape spat, rubbing his arm where Harry knew the Dark Mark was burned into the flesh.

"Come, it is time to leave," Dumbledore said, appearing in the doorway, his eyes on Harry, guarded and suspicious. Harry adverted his eyes and helped with his things so he could leave quickly.

NOTE: Okay, so I lied. I didn't really want six reviews... Well, yeah I did, but I didn't get them. I'm not really that fickle...But I would like some reviews to at least let me know that people are reading this. I really do like to know what my readers are thinking when they read my stories so if you will...Please review...Even if it's Flames...Though God knows why I would be getting those...

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