Author: Walter O'Dim

Title: Sunstroke

Category: Romance/Humour
Rating: K+
Summary: An upsurge of solar activity leads to most unexpected consequences...Hagrid/Snape/Harry (alternative OotP).

Chapter Five

An Unfortunate Visit

Ron and Hermione were sitting in the Gryffindor common room doing homework. When the portrait hole opened and Harry climbed inside, they looked at him with some apprehension (as did everyone else, because he'd had quite a fit earlier that day). Harry approached them and said, avoiding their eyes, "Listen, I'm sorry to have freaked out at you like that. I really shouldn't have. It's just -"

"It's all right, Harry," said Hermione (Ron nodded). "We know how you must be feeling."

"Know?! What d'you -" Harry started, his temper rising; then he took a deep breath, rubbed his forehead and exhaled in an exhausted sort of way. "Sorry," he said, "here I go again. Another day like this, and I might just go mad." He flopped into a chair with a weak smile. Ron and Hermione looked compassionately at him.

"No one's blaming you, Harry," said Hermione. "Everyone knows it wasn't your fault, the way Snape treated you -"

"Don't mention that cocksucker," snapped Harry. He had never hated Snape more than he did now. What was he playing at, treating students like that? And McGonagall ("that old bitch", Harry thought bitterly) certainly didn't help. Instead of offering Harry words of consolation and taking some action against Snape, as she should have done, she had shouted at Harry and taken another 50 points from him! She wouldn't even listen when he tried to describe Snape's behaviour. "A grown-up conspiracy, that's what it is," Harry thought grimly. "A fucking grown-up conspiracy."

"Tell you what," said Ron, trying to distract Harry from those miserable thoughts, "let's go visit Hagrid. We can ask him how his mission went and everything."

"Yeah, that's a good idea," said Harry, his spirits rising slightly. "Let's go".

When they approached Hagrid's hut, they saw Hagrid's silhouette dancing in the window, and heard him humming a tune. "Looks like he's in a good mood," said Hermione.

"Hope it's not because there's a dragon hatching or something," muttered Ron.

But Ron's fears were unfounded. Dragons were the last thing on Hagrid's mind as pranced in front of the mirror in his horrible brown suit, imagining how he would enter Snape's office and say, "Good evenin', Professor Snape! Sorry if I disturbed ya, but would yeh happen to have some Sober-Up Potion? On'y I seem to have run out of it." And Snape would smile and say, "Of course I have Sober-Up Potion, Hagrid. Let me get it for you." And while Snape retrieved the potion, Hagrid would say, looking at Snape's desk piled with reams of parchment, "I see yeh've got a lot of homework to grade, Professor." "Yes," Snape would sigh. "I'm snowed under with it, to tell you the truth." "Tell yeh what," Hagrid would suggest, "let's have us a walk in the grounds! The night is jus' beau'iful!" "You know, that's a good idea!" Snape would say, his eyes lighting up. "A little walk is just what I need". They would leave Snape's office and head for the grounds together. They would walk under the moon, talking about things, and then Hagrid would take Snape's hand…

There was a knock on the door. Hagrid jumped, making the hut tremble.

"Who's there?" he called. For a split second, insane hope flared up inside him ("Maybe it's Him!"), but it was quenched as Harry's voice answered, "It's us, Hagrid."

"Oh," said Hagrid. "Shit," he muttered under his breath. He took a step toward the front door, but halted. If they saw him in the suit, it would lead to uncomfortable questions, and Hagrid had never been good at answering uncomfortable questions. He had to change, quickly. "Uh…jus' a sec!" he called as he fumbled feverishly with the buttons of his jacket.

"What on earth is he doing there?" said Harry in bewilderment, as sounds of evidence being hidden in a hurry (I trust that you know what I'm talking about) came from the hut.

"Probably hiding a dragon egg," Ron said darkly.

Finally, the door opened, revealing a rather dishevelled-looking Hagrid. Harry noticed that he had bits of comb in his hair, and Hermione saw that his fly was unbuttoned (what she glimpsed there nearly caused her to faint).

"Um…bad time, Hagrid?" Harry asked.

"Oh, no, not at all," said Hagrid, although he was looking half-embarassed, half-annoyed. "Come on in."

They entered the hut (Hermione desperately trying not to let her eyes wander anywhere near Hagrid's fly) and took seats at the table as Hagrid busied himself with the kettle.

"So, how'd yer firs' day go?" he asked.

"Not bad," said Harry, "if you don't count the fact that I lost Gryffindor one hundred and seventy points."

"You're kiddin'!" said Hagrid, taken aback.

"I wish I was," said Harry and then exploded. "It's all that git, Snape! I swear I'll kill him someday!"

A crazy urge to strangle Harry on the spot for such words washed over Hagrid. Fighting it down with an enormous effort, he said gruffly, "Tha's no way to talk about a teacher, Harry. He must've had a reason -"

"Reason!" shrieked Harry. "As if he ever needs one! You weren't there! He grabbed me by the hair, Hagrid! And he said foul things about my father! All because I didn't get the damn potion right, as did half the class! He fucking threatened me!" Harry banged his fist on the table. "I'm telling you, Dumbledore is a fool to trust him, and I don't care what everyone says, the bastard is still on Voldemort's side -"

"Tha's enough!" Hagrid said angrily, the plate of rock cakes shaking in his hands. "What d'yeh think yer doin', callin' Dumbledore stupid? He has his reasons ter trust Professor Snape, even if he don' share it with us, an' I'm sure that lesson wasn' as bad as yer saying -"

"WHAT?" Harry leapt to his feet, pointing a shaking finger at Hagrid. "So you're on his side, too, eh? I knew it, it's a conspiracy! Y'know what, you guys are no better than Voldemort's lot, only with them it's blood, and with you it's age!"

"AAARGH!" roared Hagrid and threw the plate he was holding at Harry. Harry ducked it, and then the three friends ran for it, Hagrid shouting after them, "Don' never come back here! An' if I ever hear yeh insult Professor Snape again, I swear I'll beat yeh inter a pulp!!!"

Hagrid was seething long after Harry, Ron and Hermione had fled. He was pacing the cabin, muttering under his breath, "Damn kids…How dare he insult Snapey…" His plans for the evening were ruined; he couldn't go to Snape in his present huffed state. All his preparations had gone down the drain (he'd taken a bath, for crying out loud, something he hadn't done probably since the Chamber of Secrets was first opened). Well, there was nothing that could be done now. He'd have to do it the next day. "And tomorrow," Hagrid thought as he finally lay down on his bed, "nothin' will prevent me. Tomorrow, with luck, I won' be sleepin' alone".

And on that optimistic note, Hagrid fell asleep.