Chapter 12-Friend or Foe?

Harry couldn't sleep good that night, because he kept thinking of his conversation with Professor McGonagall, and then he had an odd dream. In this dream, Voldemort was facing Snape and Draco Malfoy. Bellatrix Lestrange was right beside Voldemort. But Harry was Voldemort this time. He heard himself in Voldemort's voice, "Severus, I'm disappointed in you. You have failed me. It's a pity my Deatheaters found you and Malfoy before the Aurors could."

Snape said, "You will not touch Potter! I promised Dumbledore that I would watch after him even if I have to risk my life." Voldemort's red pupils flashed, and he said angrily, "So you have been working for Dumbledore all this time! I knew it, because you can't fool Lord Voldemort. But if you were working for that meddling old fool, then why did you kill him?"

Snape said, "It was part of Dumbledore's plan in order to protect Malfoy and his mother."

Voldemort turned to look at Malfoy and said, "I see……How would you like this if I did this to young Mr. Malfoy? CRUCIO!" Malfoy bounced all over the floor screaming in pain, and Snape said, "That's Enough!"

Voldemort said, "CRUCIO! Bella, make sure they don't get away again." Harry could feel Voldemort looking at him, who was grinning evilly.

Harry woke up, panting. He saw Seamus, Dean, and Neville standing around his bed, looking worried.

Seamus said, "You woke us all up. We heard you muttering in your sleep about Voldemort…Did you have an dream again?" Harry nodded, and Neville said, "I think we should report this to McGonagall."

Dean said, "This late? McGonagall would give us detention in an instant if she caught us out of bed."

Harry said, "What about Hagrid? He's the Head of Gryffindor, isn't he?"

Neville nodded, then ran out of the room. He returned with Hagrid, whose head was barely touching the ceiling. Apparently McGonagall had enchanted the common room so that Hagrid would be able to enter without a problem.

Hagrid said, "What's the problem?"

Harry explained about the dream, and Hagrid's eyes darkened, and he said, "We better take you to the headmistress. Get dressed."

Harry got dressed, and followed Hagrid out of the common room, and up to McGonagall's office.

Hagrid knocked on the door, and after a moment, McGonagall's voice said tiredly, "Come in."

Harry followed Hagrid in the office. McGonagall was sitting at the desk, looking tired. She had on a tartan dressing gown, and apparently they had woken up her from her sleep.

McGonagall said, "So, it's you, Hagrid, and Potter, again. What can I do for you both?"

Hagrid said, "Harry here has had a bad dream again, about You Know Who." McGonagall sighed and said, "Potter, come here and sit over there. Rubeus, thank you for bringing him. I'll bring him back to Gryffindor Tower when I'm finished with him." Hagrid nodded, then left the office.

McGonagall turned to look at Harry, and she said, "Explain what you saw in your dream."

Harry explained the dream, and McGonagall's beady eyes darkened. She said, "So you saw Snape and Malfoy being Crucio'ed by Voldemort?"

Harry nodded, and said, "I think we made a mistake in judging Snape." Harry was half disappointed that Snape wasn't on Voldemort's side, but relieved that he was still on the Order's side.

McGonagall nodded and said, "Look like I made a mistake in sending Aurors after Snape and Malfoy. Snape may be on the good side, but that doesn't explain why Snape murdered Dumbledore." She turned and walked to Dumbledore's portrait, where Dumbledore was snoring.

McGonagall said softly, "Albus, we need to ask you something."

Dumbledore struggled to keep his eyes closed, but after McGonagall called his name two times, he finally budged his eyes open. Dumbledore said sardonically, "What is it that is so important that you had to disturb my peaceful rest?"

McGonagall looked concerned and said, "We need to ask you something, Albus."

Dumbledore looked from McGonagall to Harry, then back at McGonagall. He said, "What did you want to ask me, Minerva?"

McGonagall replied tersely, "Why don't you ask Potter first what he dreamed about tonight?"

Dumbledore turned to Harry, his blue eyes twinkling when he spoke, "Yes, Harry, what did you dream?"

Harry explained about the dream, and after he finished, Dumbledore was saying, "I see….Well, I guess it's time you two learned the truth about Severus. Minerva, you may want to get a chair, because this is going to be a long story." McGonagall conjured a chair, and she sat right beside Harry, both looking at Dumbledore.

Dumbledore said, "Severus was helpful to me once a long time ago. Harry, you may not like to hear this, but he tipped me off about the Potters' murders."

McGonagall's eyes widened, and Harry's mouth was open.

Harry said, "So, are you saying that you trust Snape because of that night when he came to you about my parents?"

Dumbledore sighed and said, "That's not the only reason, Harry."

McGonagall asked, "What are the other reasons?"

Dumbledore said gently, "Minerva, you may not know who Eileen Prince was. But I'm sure Harry does," He looked at Harry when he said this. " because he had Professor Snape's Potions book all of last year."

McGonagall turned to Harry, looking livid. "What were you doing with Professor Snape's Potions Book? Was that how you have been cheating in NEWT classes?"

Dumbledore interrupted, "No, Harry didn't cheat in NEWT classes, and Harry didn't even know it was Severus's Potions book until after I was killed. Anyway, Eileen Prince was Severus's mother. As you know, Severus took a nickname, and called himself…."

Harry finished for Dumbledore, "The Half-Blood Prince." McGonagall looked surprised to find out that Snape was a half-blood.

Dumbledore said, "That's correct, Harry. As you know, He was a Half-blood, and when he was following Voldemort, his mother came to me one day, and begged me to watch over Severus, because she knew how Voldemort hated half-bloods."

McGonagall said, "If I may interrupt, why did Eileen Prince allow her son to be a follower of Voldemort?"

Dumbledore said, "That's a good question. Eileen didn't allow her son to follow Voldemort. She believed in the good side, and even was in the Order undercover. But Severus became enraged when the girl he loved got married to someone else. The girl didn't love Severus back. She loved the man she married."

Harry said, "Who was that lady?"

Dumbledore smiled and said, "That lady was your mother, Harry. She loved James, but didn't love Severus back, which hurted Severus deeply."

Harry looked surprised to find out that Snape was in love with his mother, but relieved that his mother didn't love Snape back.

McGonagall looked pitiful at Harry, then turned back to Dumbledore and said, "Is that why Severus tried to save Lily and James, just because he loved Lily?"

Dumbledore said, "No, that's not the only reason why Severus saved Lily and James. He thought of Harry as his son that he never had with Lily."

Harry was shocked, and said, "SNAPE! Haha. No, if he thought of me as a son, then why treat me like filth?"

Dumbledore said truthfully, "Because you reminded him of James. He hated to see an resemblance to the person he didn't like, and took out all his anger on you, Harry."

Professor McGonagall seemed to be listening intently, and she looked interested in this conversation.

Harry said, "If you think that will make me forgive Snape, forget it. I have suffered through his mistreatment here at Hogwarts for six years, and now you're telling me that Snape thought of me as a son?"

Dumbledore said, "I know it's hard to understand, Harry, but not everyone is as evil as you think they are."

McGonagall asked, "If you're saying that Severus is a good person, then how come he murdered you, Albus?"

Dumbledore looked at McGonagall and said, "Good question, Minerva. It was part of a plan between Severus and I. We did it in order to protect Draco Malfoy and his mother."

McGonagall said, "What do you mean?" Dumbledore didn't say anything, then he turned to Harry and said, "It's way past your bedtime. Professor McGonagall will catch you up tomorrow on what I told her. Ok?" Harry nodded, and McGonagall said, "I would go back with you to Gryffindor Tower, but I'm busy right now. What I will do is summon Dobby to take you back to Gryffindor Tower."

McGonagall summoned Dobby, who was delighted in taking Harry back to the common room. On the way back, Dobby was blabbering to Harry about Winky and Kreacher, and how horrible they were treating the other elves.

The next morning, Harry woke up and went to the Great Hall, where he met Hermione. Harry and Hermione had agreed after their last class, they would go to the hospital wing and visit Ron and Mrs. Weasley. McGonagall had approved that decision. Professor Flitwick came around, passing schedules around.

Harry looked at the schedule, and groaned. He showed Hermione the schedule. Hermione said, "Looks like we have Double Potions today, then Transfiguration, then Charms, then done for the day." Harry nodded, but was interrupted by Flitwick's voice. "Miss Granger, can you give this to Mr. Weasley when you visit him today?" Professor Flitwick handed out Ron's schedule, and Hermione smiled and said, "Of course, Professor." Flitwick nodded, then walked away handing out schedules to other students.

In Potions, Professor Slughorn came in, looking the same as when Harry saw him last year.

Slughorn boomed, "My name is Professor Horace Slughorn. You may have had me last year. Some of you may not have had me last year. I didn't plan on staying an extra year, but due to Dumbledore's death, I felt I owed Professor McGonagall a debt by staying on Dumbledore's behalf. "

Potions went well, then came Transfiguration with Andromeda. Harry was nervous, because this was his first Transfiguration lesson without McGonagall teaching, and he wondered how Andromeda would do.

Andromeda said wispily, "My name is Professor Andromeda Tonks. Instead of calling me Professor Tonks, I would rather you call me Professor Andromeda, or just plain Andromeda."

Transfiguration went well, too, and next came Charms. Many students were surprised to find Flitwick's old classroom had changed, and accidentally went into in Andromeda's office asking for Professor Flitwick, when Andromeda correctly showed them the way.

In Flitwick's class, Professor Flitwick squeaked, "So nice to see you this year, though it's a sad year with Professor Dumbledore gone. Who knows some Charms?" Hermione, of course, raised her hand.

After Charms finished, Hermione and Harry rushed to the hospital wing. McGonagall had just came out of the door, when Hermione and Harry ran into her.

McGonagall barked, "Watch where you are going! Where are you going in a hurry, by the way?"

Hermione said, "You told us we could come see Ron and Mrs. Weasley after our classes were finished."

McGonagall's eyes filled with tears and said, "Of course, I did, Miss Granger. I'll let Madam Pomfrey know you're here." She stormed back into the infirmary, then came back out a moment later.

McGonagall said, "Madam Pomfrey said it's alright for you two to come in now." McGonagall stormed off, back to her office.

Harry and Hermione entered the infirmary wing. Ron was laying in one bed, with his eyes closed, and Mrs. Weasley was laying in the bed beside him.

Harry and Hermione leaned closer to Ron, and Ron's eyes fluttered open. He smiled, "Harry! Hermione! You came to see me, after all. I was wondering when you two were coming to see me. I was getting tired of Madam Pomfrey's complaining to me."

Madam Pomfrey, who was tending to a patient in the corner, turned and said, "I heard that, Mr. Weasley. Just remember next time, I may not give you your medicine!" Harry and Hermione laughed, but apparently Madam Pomfrey didn't find it funny, so they stopped laughing.

They heard a weak voice from the bed beside Ron's, "Har-ry, Hermi-one, is that you?" They saw Mrs. Weasley's eyes open, and she looked weakly at them. She smiled when she saw them.