Title: Harry Potter and the Summer's Secret

Author: Japhu

Pairing: HPSS

Rating: R

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter and his world and don't make any money with it.

Summary: For one week in summer Harry disappears without trace. When he comes back he claims to have no memory. But something happened and it changed him. It remains to be seen if for the better or the worse. (will be HPSS)

Category: action/adventure/angst

Feedback: highly appreciated

Chapter 9 - King's Cross

Tired as Harry was he watched both men attentively. One animatedly babbled on and on about his home country, eating habits and fondness for colors - as if that was not obvious. He did not seem to have the need to breath, but all the while he threw furtive glances around his obstacle of rigid darkness and stared at Harry. The other one displayed a look of spite and utmost contempt, sneering once and again, but otherwise tried to ignore man and talk likewise. There seemed to be a silent war going on and Harry was very curious to know, who would come out on top.

What was it that got them off on each other? Well, Harry could understand Snape's abhorrence, he really could. One look at that grinning fool and everyone was either completely convinced of his stupidity and simplicity or would not trust a word that man gave off. He was a curiosity like one of Hagrid's favorites. One word at the wrong time or in a dubious manner, and all that subdued magic would cleave itself a way with vehemence. Harry found himself hoping for Snape. At least with the git he knew were he was heading for. Harry listened attentively when Snape called in a new round.

"Shouldn't you be off… guarding the station until the students' arrival?" Snape stressed every single word, interrupting the constant flow of words. It was quite interesting how they eyed each other up without acknowledging the other's presence at all. Had Harry not been on alert by the strange wizard's magical aura, he probably would have found it worth a laugh; but too often Harry found himself not under one scrutinizing glare but two. He had to admit that he felt much more at ease with the one the Potions Master sent his way. The new DADA teacher did not seem to worry either way when he answered brightly.

"Oh yes, but that Auror of yours sent me away." The colorful robed wizard looked unappreciatively at Snape. " He said I should use the time for a quick look around. Moddy or Muddy or something like that his name was, though, if I'm not mistaken, he didn't like me calling him that." Apparently blind to any motives the Auror might have, he just shook his head regretfully. "He appeared quite confident to handle the situation without my help."

What an idiot! In the last moment Harry bit the insides of his cheeks to keep from saying it aloud, though, he could not suppress a roll of his eyes while he tuned down the ludicrous babble. However, it had not gone past Harry that the peacock's eyes were as cool and calm as in the beginning, sizing both of them up.

The Potions Master looked as if questioning his own sanity for not chasing away that walking brainless manikin with a flick of his wand. To Harry it was obvious that they could not stand each other. Snape's disgust at the other man's company appeared only to be growing with time passing. Harry was so lost in his thought that he went further down the street after both men had stopped abruptly. Blinking Harry found himself impatiently called back.

"Potter, take hold of my robe." Snape grudgingly demanded when Harry looked at him, unsure of what he had done wrong now.

"Why should I do that?" Harry was appalled.

"Because I intend to take you with me when I apparate." Snape's explanation was simple, but the tone of voice made it sound like the biggest insult. "If you prefer to apparate with… Professor Bradarowicz, though…!" No further words were needed. Before Snape had finished his pressed out words Harry gripped the Potions Master's robe tightly. He carefully stayed as far away as he possibly could while still touching the stiff cloth.

With a scowl Snape pulled the boy closer to him. It would not do to lose the boy under way. Certain that the gibbering fool would follow on his own, Snape apparated on the spot without further ado, hoping that the idiot of wizard would splinch himself.

When the sensation of being ripped apart and set together again left Harry with a painful twist in his stomach, he staggered away thoroughly pissed at his teacher and looked up to give him a piece of his mind. But Harry swallowed what he had wanted to say, as he was watched through dark gleaming eyes, which held a satisfied twist around the corners. The git looked pleased with himself as if he had wanted to do just that for ever. Bastard.

Heaving a sigh Harry looked around. Suddenly Harry was glad not to have eaten anything. King's Cross station, he had noted with surprise that they had appeared directly in front of the train, was still mostly quiet. Harry did not see anyone of his year, but it still was a good two hours until the train would leave. Most of them would not come until ten minutes early, and Harry wanted to be safe and sound in his compartment when the bustling and rustling began.

"Where's the peacock?" he asked only halfway interested, ignoring Snape's mask like scowl, until he felt himself getting fidgety.

"Well, I can't recall his name." Harry bit out while imagining a rubber duck swaying lazily on a pool to keep his emotions down. It was not the most heroic thing to imagine but it worked quite well.

The Potions Master sneered. "I believe, he gave you permission to call him Nik." Harry and Snape alike grimaced in utmost disgust at that familiarity. Who would have thought that there would be a time when they had actually something in common? Would wonders never cease? Harry just wanted to suggest that they should go on without 'Nik' when he heard a cry as shrill as the robes that emerged moments later.

"My boy!" The wizard seemed out of breath and awfully excited. "I thought I had lost you when I came out at the other side." He made a move as if to pat Harry on the head, but the boy ducked away, gritting his teeth until they hurt. Think of Tom, Harry. The boy called himself to endure the presence. Think of failures and consequences, both things you can't afford anymore.

"Severus, are you all right?" Harry jerked his head around when the wizard's attention turned to the sourly looking Potions Master. By no means did he want to miss Snape's reaction to the peacock's emotion dripping question.

"No," Snape pressed out. "I'm not all right, Bradarowicz." He spit the name like some kind of disease. "But call me 'Severus' only once more and I'll be happier than I ever was. Do you know why?" He stalked over to the man, who had at least enough sense to look slightly uncomfortable when he shook his head negating. "We will have a new position free on staff to occupy, because you will be dead."

Harry grinned. Snape seemed to get a real kick out of this when he told 'Nicky' in detail what he was going to do to him, before he had to bite the dust. Slowly but surely even the dumbest wizard had to discern that he had dug his own grave, for the fool grin lost itself in an otherwise nice looking face and the hard look in his lightened eyes became more pronounced. Whenever the new Defense teacher took a few steps backwards cautiously, Snape took a long stride forward. It was a game and Harry loved it. He would not have interrupted when they had decided to draw their tightly gripped wands or to get into the old way of Muggle fighting, because it meant that their attention was not on him and that was worth any blood flowing - for it would not be his own but from the two persons he hated most.

People kept as much space as possible between themselves and the short of physically fighting men. Harry stood in between, watching, listening to all the insults streaming off Snape like water. The man did not even need to think. He just threw forward everything that came to mind. Well, Harry tilted his head, Snape must have gotten something out of his teaching job at Hogwarts. Harry memorized as much as he could to bequest Malfoy with some of the most creative insults at the first opportunity.

Harry could not have said how long it went on, back and forth. Though, the new teacher's defense was often not more than a stupid looking opening of his mouth. It appeared like a stranded goldfish in the fangs of a cat. It was great. Of course, Harry would normally not relish in other people's misery, at least, not when Snape was the one responsible, but this was simply hilarious; and that coot's 'my boy' sounded to Harry like fingernails on a blackboard. He could not stand it… or that man.

It was a boy with very short, spiked hair, shimmering in orange and pink vertical stripes, who stopped the verbal assault between the opponents. Harry grimaced. The sight that boy provided was hurting everyone's eyes, unless one was blind already. It was the most ludicrous attire Harry had had the misfortune to have seen until now… safe one person. He really did not want to further that thought. The boy's robes were checkered in lilac and an ugly brown with really big, large petalled flowers in lemon green and yellow. The cutting was strange, too. Harry had not seen robes like that anywhere. The baby blue boots lurking under it had pink and orange stars and moons imprinted on them. At least, Harry thought, they went with his hair.

The boy ran tempestuously up to them, positioning himself between the only person who was not a pain for the eyes and… Harry sighed. The relation was there. He just hoped that boy was not as crazy as the Defense teaching peacock and his robes seemed to indicate. The boy looked as if someone had poured out some buckets with paint all over him. Harry squeezed his eyes shut, hesitant to open them again.

Only when loud cooing noises came through to his ears Harry's curiosity won over. He looked wondering to see his future teacher behaving like some sitting hen, alternating pinching the colorful boy into the cheeks and hugging him. Whether braveness, inherited stupidity or just a sense of holding your family members alive; the boy had managed what other people had avoided out of self protection and Harry wouldn't have done when his life was at stake.

Snape's imposing features seemed more frozen then before. He did not react at all when both tried to talk to him; he just stuck up his nose and feigned that they were not there. Sadly that made them turn to the only other person available. Harry took a step backwards and cursed himself. Why could he not have gotten in already? The train was standing there since their arrival. Harry bristled and held out when the wizard led the boy to him, heaved a sigh and thought that time went by eventually. He would not need to abide their craziness for much longer.

"That's Junas. My son." The grinning fool introduced the boy with a wide grin.

"I thought so." Harry mumbled and pulled a face. Could fate not show indulgence once? The boy just had to be related to that 'Nicky' guy. It would be a name to hate, Harry decided. Should he have children at any time that name was out of the run for sure and all eternity. Though, one should not hold a child responsible for its father's faults. Then Harry smiled his bright Gryffindor-smile. He greeted the boy with polite reserve and an appended "Hello.", which did not give them much to work out Harry's current mood.

The man thrust the boy forward, who looked not much younger than Harry right next to him. He grinned shyly at Harry, giving instinctively a wide berth to the Potions Master's dark and sneering posture. Clever boy, hopefully more so than his father. However, Harry hesitated to believe anything that boy said. A few moments before there had not been any shyness or insecurity or anything similar to that when stepping between two grown wizards. Was he the next one into the charade? As father and son were together it went without a doubt. Harry sighed. His glass called endurance was filled to the brink. Sometime soon he would explode to the unlucky guy, who tipped him off one time too often. Harry furrowed his brow when a hand ruffled his hair. He pulled back abruptly, so that said hand patted the air for a moment before dropping disappointedly.

"And this, Junas, son," and all Harry thought missing was the drum roll, "is Harry Potter." The boy stared just the same way his father had done when he had heard Harry's name for the first time. His look at least was not that creepy, maybe due to the missing twinkle in the brown eyes, specked with yellow and green dots.

"He is in his sixth year at Hogwarts." Bradarowicz looked at his son with a look of reproach, and the boy's eyes widened surprised.

"You are a sixth year?" He doubtfully turned toward him. "I thought you'd be in fifth year, like I."

"Well," Harry glowered, for enough was enough, "I was a fifth year, last year. So I'm very sorry to disappoint you." His voice dripped sarcasm. "Junas, was it?" The boy was as fishy as his father. It did not bode well for Harry. For the feeling to being encircled grew exponentially. Now, Harry assumed, he had a watcher among the students, too. It remained just the question, for whom they were watching. Harry just hoped that the boy would not get sorted into Gryffindor, but as he knew his luck it could not be anything else.

"Now, my boy, it's not nice to say such things." Obviously the peacock had something like family sense in that pea brain of his. Harry clenched his fists behind his back. He did not like the undeviating flow of 'my boy'. He was no one's 'my boy' and certainly not that fool's one. That coot had his own 'boy' he could rightfully call that. Harry balled his fists. Sometime very soon he would tell that man what exactly he thought of his cuddling and coddling… and my-boying.

"Me?" Harry stayed polite for now. "I just expressed my regret that we can't possibly be in the same class, Professor Bradabisi." Harry had opted to say a respectful 'sir', but that guy simple did not deserve anyone's respect. Now he ignored the wounded look sent his way. Narrowed eyes watched Harry intently and just when the wizard opened his mouth to further an argument Harry would be hard pressed to simply swallow, Snape decided to make himself useful and intervened.

"Enough of that already, Bradarowicz." He send a look of disgust to the gaudy boy and went on: "Get your clown of a son onto the train and take your post at the entrance to the station. That is, if you can find it before the train starts to Hogwarts." For a moment the blue eyed man seemed indecisive, but Snape's dark look seemed to turn him into the right direction, for he took his son by the shoulders and nodded, a new grin placating on his face.

"You are of course right, Seve- dear colleague." He turned around to Harry while his robes simmered and rustled nervewreakingly, and Harry was busy staring at Snape's pale features. The sneer that had lain itself over the expressionless face was worth remembering. If that idiot of Defense teacher had not had the gall to turn his back to the Potions Master, he would have realized that 'dear colleague' was not much better than to call the imposing man by his given name. Never Harry had seen so much loathing directed at anyone, not even at himself. He did not know what was going around in that greasy head, but maybe Harry would have a bit of luck this year and the more vicious insults would shift to the fifth year Potions class and the head table. It would safe a lot of time on Harry's side when the attention did not concentrate on him for once. Without comment Harry endured the 'my boy' a last time and watched father and son headed toward the Hogwarts' Express, bending their heads together and gesticulating animatedly to emphasize one point or another.

"He's a peacock with a twist." Harry said out of the blue and found himself under a scrutinizing glare again. To his surprise, though, Snape did not say anything to his uncalled comment about a fellow professor. When Snape was grounding him in class again, Harry would be there to remind him that he had somehow managed to say something without getting back twice as much as Snape usually gave out. By then the Potions Master had hopefully forgotten the scheduled talk had they arrived at Hogwarts. Harry surely did not look forward to it.

Potions Master and student stayed silent until the glaring robes completely disappeared from sight. Both of them were left slightly dazed with the realization that they were completely mutual in their understanding that they could not stand the other's presence at all, but that they hated the mere existence of that family of peacocks even more. It was a first time that they saw eye to eye. Harry would have thought about this astounding fact a little bit longer had he not seen a mop of dazzling red hair next to a girl, who had her arms full of books and was just unloading most of them onto her run down looking friend.

Harry took just one step into their direction before he stopped suddenly as if hit by a wall, because for the first time he could actually see the magic his friends possessed and it was astonishing, for he would never have thought of them this way before.