And on to the story! And remember: Peace, love, and be a Marauder! I mean, why wouldn't you be?
Disclaimer: I own NOTHING!!! And that includes Harry Potter. (This really gets old fast)
Chapter 6- Living Arrangements
Harry remained at Snape's side until the healers returned. When they did he slipped out the door and headed toward the library. So lost in thought was he that he did not hear someone come up behind him.
"Going to do some reading Harry?" Dumbledore's voice asked from behind. Harry jumped in surprise.
"Oh! Yes, Professor; I was just going to look this up." He raised the cane slightly. The elder wizard nodded approvingly.
"That's good, keep busy," The Headmaster commented.
"Sir, who's going to run the hospital wing now?" Harry asked as they continued to walk.
"Seri and Kit have agreed to. They admitted they enjoy working with children." The Gryffindor smiled brightly.
"That's good, at least they won't hurt Severus." Dumbledore smiled at him mischievously, a mad (in a good way) twinkle in his eyes.
"Still calling him 'Severus'?" he asked innocently. Harry shrugged.
"Not to his face." Dumbledore chuckled. This could prove interesting.
"Sir, where am I to stay now?" Harry asked the question that was plaguing his mind, yet afraid of the answer. Dumbledore stroked his beard thoughtfully, obviously stalling.
"You can't stay in the dormitories, they're locked. I suppose with Severus would be best, just to have someone keep an eye on you," he answered finally. Harry paled slightly.
"Uh sir? I know the Professor and I are being civil to one another at the moment, but do you think it will last?" The two halted outside the library.
"I think it will, and you might be surprised what grows from it," Dumbledore answered cryptically.
"If you say so, sir," The dark-haired teenager said doubtfully. Dumbledore chuckled again.
"Trust me on this one Harry." He ruffled the boy's hair affectionately and began to walk away.
"Happy hunting," he tossed over his shoulder before rounding the corner and disappearing.
After only a few hours of digging through the vast collection of tomes Harry found it. Smoothing out the wrinkled page he read:
The Staff of the Golden Phoenix is but one of many staffs created by Merlin himself. The staff is composed of a dark, unidentifiable wood that can never be broken or burned in any way. The markings on the wood are symbols of some unknown language that was never determined since the staff disappeared abruptly after it's creators 'death'. The metal work at the top and bottom of the staff is done intricately in silver, the bottom for protection and the top being a large phoenix head. The eyes of the phoenix head are set with two large stones: dark as rubies yet harder than diamonds.
The staff can only be wielded by a wizard or witch with an animagi form of a golden phoenix. No one in recorded history has had that form. If a wizard or witch did, however, the staff would be bound to them for life. If the wizard or witch already possessed a wand then he or she may place the wand inside the staff for protection. It also gives the wielder more control over it. One of the staff's main powers is healing, the wielder being a natural born healer.
Another unique ability of this object is that it can grow and shrink. The staff's normal size is that of a cane but it can grow to the size of walking staff or shrink to the size of a wand.
It has two brothers: The Staff of the Silver Phoenix and The Staff of the White Phoenix.
Harry decided to stop there. He'd just bring the books and finish them later. There was enough to think about already.
For three days Snape slept and ate, recovering his strength quickly under the skillful hands of the healers. Harry stayed by his side; he moved the teacher's desk beside the bed to do his homework which, surprisingly, he completed in the first two days. The third day he spent engrossed in a healing text the twins lent him. He found it fascinating, quite simply, that a healer could pinpoint what ailed a person with just a touch. If you had this gift, the book said, you could become a full magical healer. But this gift didn't manifest itself, usually, until after age twenty-five.
'Oh well,' Harry thought, glancing up to check on Snape, a habit he'd aquired, 'it still looks like an interesting field of study.'
After the third day, both student and teacher were released.
"About bloody time," Snape muttered under his breath as the two were walking out the door.
"I heard that! Some thanks that is. I'll get you back, oh mighty Potions Master, just you wait!" Seri cackled. Snape looked momentarily worried then the look passed, only to be replaced by the cool expression that resided there normally. Harry couldn't help but be nervous as Snape lead him through the darkest recesses of the Hogwarts castle. They passed the Slytherin dormitories and Harry figured they had to be close but Snape didn't slacken his pace. Finally, three halls away from the Slytherin dormitories, the Potions Master stopped before a full-length portrait of a man about his age. He had black hair and eyes that seemed to pierce through you; his cloak was held in place by a dragon broach. When Snape cleared his throat the portrait sprang to life, smiling brightly as he spotted the teacher and student.
"Well, hullo there, Severus! It's good to see you again," the portrait said warmly.
"And you, Merlin, but could you allow Potter and me through? I'm rather tired." Merlin looked sympathetic.
"Password first, I'm afraid," he sounded apologetic.
"Marauder, now open up will you," Snape snapped irritably rubbing his temples. Harry started at the password. Marauder? Maybe he could ask later.
"As you wish, Professor Snape," the portrait said stiffly, swinging open and allowing them to enter.
"Only trying to do my job," Harry heard the portrait mutter behind them. The intense darkness prevented him from seeing the hand in front of his face.
"Professor?" he called cautiously, not wanting to anger the man.
"Just a moment, Potter," came the reply some ways away. Suddenly a large fire roared to life, lighting the room. Harry could see Snape in the flame's shadow; the man raised his wand and the candles flickered to life. His surroundings were washed in a soft, orange glow. The first thing he noticed was the room was enormous. The richly carved mahogany furniture was upholstered in green and accented the room perfectly. The fireplace by which Snape stood was a motley gray stone and quite large itself. The color scheme of the room was, predictably, silver, green, and black. The one window in the room was directly opposite from him, its light obscured by heavy green curtains draped over it. The walls were lined with bookshelves, some books appeared new while others were so old that their titles had faded from time. Even the mantle was crowded with books and above those hung two fencing foils.
"The house-elves turned one of my store rooms into your bedroom," Snape's voice snapped the student out of his examination. "It should be just through there." He pointed to one of the four doors leading to the adjoining rooms. "Your clothes and trunk should already be unpacked, I believe they were delivered this morning by the Ministry." Harry nodded and headed in the direction Snape had pointed too.
"Oh, and, Potter," The Gryffindor turned, "Dinner is at seven-thirty sharp," the Potions Master reminded. Harry nodded and went into his room. He paused just inside the door and looked around with fascination. It wasn't bad, in fact, it was quite nice. The room was a spacious place with a mahogany desk for homework, a wardrobe, a four-poster bed done in Gryffindor colors, and he discovered (upon investigating it) a door leading to his own bathroom. Harry stood in the middle of the room for a moment, drinking in the notion that this was his, at least for the rest of the summer. Seeing his school books lying on the desk, he snagged his potions text and lay on the bed, becoming engrossed in it. He needed something to take his mind off the strange nagging feeling of hurt. For some reason it hurt that Snape started calling him 'Potter' again.
'I must be crazy. If Ron were here he'd probably wack me one and say I needed my head examined, but still.....' He sighed in defeat and dived back into the book. At about seven-twenty-five a house-elf popped in to remind him about dinner. Harry sighed again and sat his book aside. Dinner with Snape, this was going to be interesting. In fact, it was Harry's firm belief that this was going to be the strangest summer of his life. Of course he had no idea how right he was.
Two days and Harry's curiosity finally got the better of him. He had to know what was behind that door!!! There were four doors leading out of the living room: one was his bedroom and the another was Snape's, and the third had proved to be another bathroom. The fourth had kept its secret, until now. Harry waited until Snape took a walk with Dumbledore before making his move. Testing the knob, he found, much to his surprise, that it was unlocked. Cautiously he opened it and peeked inside. A store room, with bottles of ingredients and ready-made potions filling the shelves that lined every wall. He stepped in, closed the door behind him and waved on the lights. With the extra illumination he now saw that everything was covered in a thick layer of dust and spider webs clung to the bottles. Harry frowned at this. It was uncharacteristic of the professor to let this to happen to his things, he was normally neat and orderly. A sudden thought struck him; this place needed cleaning, he needed something to do, it was perfect! He'd just straighten the place up, while Snape was gone of course. Upon another look Harry thought he might better do an inventory too. By the condition of the place it hadn't been done in some time. Making up his mind, he went back into the living room. A brief search of the shelves yielded what he was looking for: The Potion Brewer's Bible, Every Ingredient Under the Sun and a Few That Aren't. The book was incredibly thick, as thick as the one Flitwick stood onto to teach, he estimated Enchanting the book to float behind him, he pulled on some work clothes, got out some dust rags, grabbed a quill and parchment and went to work.
Dumbledore and Snape strolled lazily around the edge of the lake, reveling in companionable silence. The day was perfect; sun shining brightly, a slight cool breeze, and not a cloud in the sky. Snape watched with simple fascination as a butterfly flew by them on its way to a place known to it.
'Maybe it doesn't even know where it's going, like me at times,' he thought. Dumbledore watched his friend's expression carefully, trying to determine what he was thinking.
"You seem preoccupied, Severus, is something wrong?" he kept his tone as light as possible, only allowing a small note of worry to enter to all the other to know he wanted a truthful answer. Snape's answer wasn't immediate but continued he to gaze at the open space in front of them.
"Nothing really, I just feel..." he trailed off, not sure of how to express what he was feeling.
"What do you feel, child?"
"As though...as though something's missing but I don't know what." A frustrated sigh. Dumbledore laid a hand gently on the other's shoulder.
"Do not try so hard, Severus, it will come to you. Just give it time." The hand fell away and they once again walked in silence. After a time Dumbledore took up the conversation.
"So, how goes the situation with you and Harry?" he inquired curiously, sincerely wondering if his little plan was working.
"Fine. He stays out of my way and I stay of his," Snape answered truthfully. It was true, Harry spent most of his time in his room studying and if he came out, Snape hardly saw him for he preferred staying in his room as well. Dumbledore frowned.
"Severus, why do you not try to get to know the boy, he is a very likable person," This wasn't good, he was trying to help these two become close and they ignored one another. Stubborn as mules, the both of them.
"What's the point, Albus, he hates me. Why in Merlin's name would he want to know the cranky old Potions Master who constantly ridicules and tries to get him expelled?" Now Snape wasn't telling the whole truth. Harry had tried to talk with him every time they ate together, which wasn't often, or happened to be in the same room. Dumbledore sighed and stopped, causing Snape to stop as well.
"Severus, Harry does not hate you, at least not any more I think. He did not hate you when he first came to Hogwarts, the animosity developed because of how you treated him. I placed him in your care for a reason, take the hint," Dumbledore saw the confusion swirling in Snape's eyes. He did care for the boy, he just hadn't realized it yet.
"Child, that boy wants to be loved and he wants to give love. Have you not ever noticed just how fiercely he protects his friends? They mean everything to him, as do Remus and Sirius I suspect. But Harry can not always depend on them, he does not want to bring them into danger. Their safety is foremost in his mind. Be his friend Severus, you might be surprised what grows from it." Snape was even more confused now. He realized what Albus was saying and saw his point but wasn't sure he could be someone's friend. He'd been a bastard too long. He voiced this thought. Dumbledore laughed lightly and pulled the younger wizard into a hug.
"Oh, Severus, you are my friend are you not?" he whispered into Snape's ear. The Potions Master nodded, laying his head against his Headmaster's shoulder.
"I figured you had a reason for putting us together, you always seemed to have one," his voice was muffled slightly by the robe. Dumbledore laughed again and hugged him tighter. They stayed like that for a while till Snape finally stepped back and they continued their walk.
"There's one thing I want to know, Albus: why could Harry talk to me in his dream? He told me his theory but I want your opinion too," Snape said as he picked up a stone and skipped it across the lake's surface.
"He probably knows more than I on that subject. I did not witness the dream, you and Harry did. You two obviously have some bond, though how and why I do not know yet," Dumbledore offered.
"And here I thought the esteemed Headmaster of Hogwarts knew everything," Snape smiled mischievously. Dumbledore looked highly affronted.
"I am sorry if I could not help you, Professor Snape," he said stiffly. Snape snickered and finally Dumbledore too chuckled.
"I am not a seer, Severus, just an old man with a great many years of experience under his belt."
"A wise old man with a great many years experience under his belt," Snape amended with a smile.
"Why, thank you, Severus. What do you say to one more time around the lake and then back to the castle for the meeting of the Order of the Phoenix?" he suggested. Snape nodded and they once again walked in silence.
A/N: I think that's the end, of this chapter at least. Hope you all enjoyed it.