Chapter 24

Harry cast a sidelong glance at Sirius and wondered when his godfather would finally muster up his courage to tell him whatever he was having on his mind. In the meantime they had already walked round the half lake, without one of them having spoken a word. Seeing a bench Harry broke the silence and asked if they couldn't sit down for a while. The short walk had exhausted him. Still he hadn't recovered from his magical overexertion, although he was feeling much better now than yesterday where he hadn't been able to stand up from his bed.

"Of course, Harry. Forgive my thoughtlessness."

Sirius gazed at him worriedly.

"Shall we go back to the castle? You're looking pale."

"No, it's alright," Harry replied and sat down on the little bench.

"Why did you want to speak with me now?" he asked finally since Sirius still did not seem to make any move to reveal to him the reason why he had requested this walk.

He heard how Sirius took a deep breath and hoped that his godfather wouldn't ask him something that he didn't want to answer.

"Harry, there are a few things which I wanted to discuss with you. But it's difficult for me since I hardly know where to begin. Why did you flee, Harry? Did Voldemort hurt you in some way? And what happened in the last months? Why didn't you attend any Death Eater meetings anymore?"

Harry riveted his eyes on the, in the sun light, glistering water of the lake and thought about it. For a moment he was surprised that Sirius knew that he hadn't been at any Death Eater meeting anymore. Then he remembered Snape. The spy must have kept the Order of the Phoenix informed. But to explain to Sirius the exact reason for his escape meant to tell him everything what had happened in the years since the Dark Lord had murdered his parents and taken him along. This he however didn't want. For that he still didn't know his godfather good enough. The thought to trust Sirius to the same extent as his friends caused him to feel uneasy.

"I don't want to talk about it. Perhaps sometime later," he mumbled.

Sirius sighed silently. It pained him deeply that Harry obviously didn't trust him. He took care however not to press Harry. He hadn't forgotten yet how much fear he had felt as he had believed to have lost Harry with his question to meet in Diagon Alley. The most important thing was that Harry was in Hogwarts and in time Harry would hopefully learn to trust him and tell him one day how his childhood had been like.

Sirius looked at Harry and said with unsteady voice,

"Harry, I am so incredibly sorry that I didn't become the secret keeper of your parents and so I'm to blame for their death. I wish I would have made another decision. Then you would have grown up with your parents and…"

Sirius broke off and tried to read in the emerald eyes but he couldn't.

"Could I undo my decision I would do it immediately, Harry, please believe me. I don't know if you can ever forgive me…"

Harry saw the pain in the eyes of his godfather and nodded. If he wasn't able to hate Voldemort for murdering his parents and Peter for betraying his parents, how should he then hate Sirius? The thought of Peter caused him to ask however,

"If you would meet Peter, what would you do?"

Sirius stared at him surprised.

"What I would do…I would kill him. He has betrayed your parents, he has betrayed us all," he replied calmly and Harry saw that he was serious. All of a sudden Harry remembered what Caro had once said as he had quarrelled with Draco because of his parents: 'That the members of the Order tortured and killed as well and that his parents had certainly killed, too.'

But if it was so, then what was the difference between Dumbledore's Order of the Phoenix and the Death Eaters of his adoptive father? Sirius didn't know anything of Peter and how it looked like he wouldn't tell him anything about Peter's existence; at least for the time being. Sirius' voice interrupted his thoughts.

„Albus said by the way that it would be the best if we would pass you off as my nephew. Since you are considered to be dead it would raise too much questions if you would suddenly appear out of nowhere. Furthermore we can thus prevent that Voldemort will discover that you are here. So you'll say that you are Harry Black and that your parents were murdered not long ago."

"What about Caro and Draco?"

"Well, Caro we can pass off as my niece. She could share a room with Hermione; at least as long as school will start again. Hermione is my adoptive daughter. You'll get to know her soon. As far as Draco is concerned, we have thought that he could pose as one of Alison's relatives. Alison teaches Potions. But apart from that she has blond hair and if we would pass Draco off as my relative it would surely attract attention. And your presence shall attract attention as little as possible. In two weeks you will then divided into your houses and will go to school, like everyone else."

For one moment Harry wondered if he would ever be able to use his real name. So he would have a false identity in Hogwarts, too. How ironical. Harry's thoughts wandered on to his adoptive father. In the meantime their disappearance had been surely noticed. Certainly his adoptive father had been angry. Would he suspect that they had fled to Hogwarts?

"Come; let's go back to the castle. It's time that you get to know everyone. Furthermore we have to tell your friends that they are under no circumstances to introduce themselves with their real names if someone asks them," Sirius said and stood up.

Harry followed and dwelled on his thoughts. He foresaw difficulties. Draco wouldn't be very pleased to hear that it was expected from him to pose as the relative of the teacher of Potions, if he would agree to this at all. As for Caro he didn't believe that she would ever say that her parents had been murdered by – as Sirius had said it – Death Eaters if it was just the other way round in reality and her father had been murdered by the Order of Phoenix.

On top of that they had to keep Peter hidden. Soon they would have lessons but Harry knew that his friends and he had much more knowledge than the Hogwarts students and that it would be rather unlikely that he didn't know the material of the second class already. All of a sudden he realized as well that his godfather and the other adults would surely not allow it if he would take some of his books and learn charms which belonged to Dark Magic.

Painfully he longed back to Godric's Hollow. But the one week had been probably all what he would ever get of freedom, Harry thought gloomily and felt how anger rose in him. Here in Hogwarts he would be able to decide just as little as in his adoptive father's castle. Sirius hadn't even asked him if he agreed to posing as Sirius' nephew. How he hated this helplessness. With a shudder he thought back how he had fainted as he had broken the curses on their windows. Why had this happen? What was the use of it if he was able to perform magic without a wand if he lost his consciousness shortly afterwards? At this time he would have been able neither to defend himself nor to catch what happened around him. He had been completely helpless.

Though he had been able to trust Caro and Draco but what if something had happen? What if Caro hadn't succeeded in freeing Nell out of Voldemort's possession? In the end Caro and Draco would have escaped without Nell since the little house-elf didn't mean nearly the same to them as to him and he would have been totally powerless against it. But how could he prevent that he overexerted himself magically? In Diagon Alley it had happen to him although he had used his wand, but then the after-effects had certainly not been as bad as now. He remembered the power he had felt.

If he would manage to use only a little part, then he would be perhaps able to avoid sinking into unconsciousness. His adoptive father would have been able to help him but probably he would have presented him full of anticipation a plan shortly afterwards how they could together conquer the world. Voldemort only wanted to use me, he had said so himself, Harry thought and suddenly realized that this thought incredibly hurt. But what was that supposed to mean? He had wanted to flee after all, so why he racked his brains now over Voldemort's feelings towards him?

Harry shook fiercely his head as he slowly realized that he had run away because he hadn't had the power to oppose his adoptive father. Only his fear of what Voldemort would do had brought him to destroy the curses on his windows. His adoptive father would have surely not let himself be locked up for one and a half year. Harry riveted his eyes on the enormous castle and decided to wait first. Somehow I have to try under all circumstances to solve my problem with my magic and this as soon as possible he vowed, while walking with Sirius across the grounds.

A little later they had reached the room where Caro and Darco were waiting. After Sirius had told Caro and Draco what Albus Dumbledore thought for the best, Harry saw how anger crept into the faces of his friends. The subtle change had been unnoticed by Sirius however and while he interpreted their silence as agreement and cheerfully asked them to pack up their things, Harry stared at Caro and Draco, nodded slightly and formed the word later with his lips. Soon afterwards Sirius led them along a broad corridor. He halted in front of a door, opened it and let them enter. It was a big, bright room and Harry's eyes fell on the young woman who had rose out of a chair by their entrance and who came towards them now. She had deep blue eyes which looked at him full of warmth, as she gave him her hand.

"Hallo, Harry. I'm Charlotte Black."

She studied him and as she added,

"So we see each other again," a memory rose in him.

He had once again underestimated Harry, the Dark Lord thought, while pacing restlessly back and forth in his study. As he had discovered that it wasn't possible anymore to call Harry's beloved house-elf to him, he had been speechless for a moment. Still it was an unexplainable mystery how Harry had managed this. After all he had seen to it himself that Harry and his friends didn't get hold of books in which curses were written which belonged to the darkest magic.

The charm Harry must had used to free his house-elf from his power und those curses he had used on Harry's chambers didn't belong to those but they hadn't been in one of the books which Harry and his friends had got. So how had Harry managed to break the curses on his windows and to free his house-elf? His gaze slid down to his foot. That this rat had bitten him hadn't been an accident and actually there was only one plausible explanation for it.

He hadn't attached much importance to Peter's disappearance then. Now he would regret his negligence. But never the thought would have occurred to him to suspect Peter with Harry. Which other secrets the boy had hidden from him? What was bothering however above all things was the question where Harry and his friends had gone to? To Godric's Hollow the children definitely hadn't returned, neither had they sought refuge in the estates of the Malfoys and Lestranges. That they had the intention to live in the street seemed unlikely to him.

There still was Pettigrew's estate left, but he doubted that the children had gone there of all places. As he had gone to Godric's Hollow, it certainly hadn't escaped his notice that someone had recently broken through the wards Harry and his friends had set up around the house then. Could it be that Harry had got in touch with the friends of his parents? That would at least explain how Harry had heard of the curses. Was it possible that he had sought refuge in Hogwarts? As he took this possibility into consideration, he felt how white-hot fury shot through him. Strangely enough he felt a burning pain as well.

Hermione watched how Harry and Carolina were studying the library speculatively. In the meantime Draco gave the impression of being bored. As Hermione had heard yesterday that Sirius' niece and nephew would stay with them in the future she had been speechless in the true sense of the word. She hadn't known that Sirius had still family. But it was rather strange that Sirius had never mentioned it before that he had a brother. Hermione shrugged her shoulders.

Perhaps Sirius had had a row with his family and never spoken of them because of it. Although she burned with curiosity, she resisted to ask her questions. First Sirius and Charlotte had requested it from her as they had asked her if she couldn't show the three newcomers the castle with her friends and second she suspected that the reason for the sudden appearance of Harry, Carolina and Draco could be a Death Eater attack. All three of them had been rather taciturn so far but it was understandable should her presumption be correct. She remembered exactly after all how it had been as her whole world had collapsed over night.

For a short moment she was again the little girl who crouched behind a big wall-clock while being nearly beside herself out of fear. The pain as her fingernails dug into her palms brought her back to her senses. She lifted her head and her gaze met with light grey eyes which were staring at her strangely intense. Hermione turned curtly around.

„Do we want to go on now?" she asked. Her voice sounded shrill. Promptly Ginny cast a quick glance at her.

Hermione had the feeling to suffocate. She needed air so that she decided there and then to show Carolina, Harry and Draco the Quidditch field. For the remaining parts of the castle there was left enough time tomorrow.

Alison stared at the book in her hand and swallowed. She had certainly read the pages already about a dozen of times without remembering even one single word. Her heart constricted with fear. Still Severus hadn't returned. If it would get late, he had sent her a notice per owl each time. It was of course only a slight comfort but nevertheless it was better than nothing. But today no owl had tapped against the window and had brought her a letter. Alison put the book aside, stood up and went quietly over to the room of her daughter. She breathed Lizzie a kiss on her forehead and tuckedher daughter in. What should become of them if Severus wouldn't return?

Going back into her bedroom she began to wander across the carpet. As she looked down, she laughed out loud. In the light of the magical candles she could see the tracks her wanderings had left. Each time the Dark Lord had called Severus to him, she had paced back and forth anxiously. What was taking him so long? It was already past midnight. Alison stared over to the window and focussed on it. Sudden anger at Dumbledore rose in her. He had wanted to know nothing of all the fears. Severus himself had doubted if he would be able to lie convincingly should he be asked after the children.

Since their disappearance must be the reason for Severus not returning home yet and him not sending her a message above all. 'Please, let him come back!' she prayed urgently. The endless waiting was nerve-racking but she knew that it was useless to wanting to try something else. She wouldn't be able to sleep anyway. Finally she squatted down in one of the armchairs. Put her arms around her knees and riveted her eyes on the window.

As Harry opened his eyes the next day, he needed a moment to realize what had woken him. It had been the sound of scratching claws. He turned around and blinked in the direction of the wooden box which was standing on one of the shelves. His thoughts began to concentrate again on the problem what on earth they should do with Peter; in the hands of Sirius and the Order of Phoenix he definitely shouldn't fall. He needed a place where he could hide not only Peter but his books, which contained Dark Magic, as well; a place where he could train curses with his friends undisturbed and where no one could find them. All of a sudden he set upright. Of course that was the perfect solution. He only had to remember…

In that moment however the door opened and he was jolted out of his pondering. Nell padded into the room and stared at him with frightened eyes which swam in tears. Harry's eyes fell on the pink pullover and he understood.

"You're free, Nell. Why are you crying then?"

"Young master isn't angry?" she whispered.

Harry threw his blanket aside, kneeled down on the floor and hugged the little house-elf close to himself.

"Oh, Nell. Why should I be angry? It's great that you are free. If I would have been able to, I would have given you your freedom long ago. Nell, stop crying."

Hearing soft steps, he lifted his head and gazed into the dark eyes of Caro. He knew that Caro had done this for him.

Cautiously he let go of Nell, stood up and went towards her.

"Thank you, Caro. That I'll never forget."

Caro smiled and wanted to say something but a briskly loud voice prevented her from doing so.

"Is this a real snake, Hermione?"

Immediately afterwards a startled cry rang out and Harry who abruptly realized that Diamond wasn't curled around his arm as usual, ran out of the room. Hermione was staring with a pale face at the floor. One arm she had laid around Jamie who was regarding Diamond with much curiosity. In her hand Hermione held her wand which she pointed at the little snake.

"No! Hermione, take your wand away. Diamond isn't dangerous."

Though his snake was deadly poisonous, Harry knew that Diamond would never bite someone, unless he would order her to do so.

"Hermione, what…"

Sirius and Charlotte had appeared at the door. Harry didn't pay any attention to it as he held his arm towards Diamond.

"Come. You won't roam around in the castle anymore from now on. It's too dangerous. Do you hear me?" he hissed while Diamond disappeared under his sleeve and curled herself around his arm.

"Of course I hear you. I'm not deaf after all," the soft answer came.

Looking up he saw how Sirius, Charlotte and Hermione stared at him aghast and horrified. Only Jamie still looked at him with a curious expression, mixed with admiration, in his eyes.

"That was so wicked! Will you teach me to speak like that?" the little boy shouted.

During breakfast Harry found himself compelled to explain to a disappointed four year old why it was impossible for him to learn Parseltongue. So far Sirius had been silent and Harry wondered what on earth his godfather was thinking at this moment. That he had spoken Parsel he had regretted already as he had seen the faces of Sirius, Charlotte and Hermione. But never before had Harry have to hide this gift and the conversations with Diamond were so perfectly natural for a long time that he even didn't notice anymore if he spoke Parsel-tongue. Here, in Hogwarts however he had better to keep his gift a secret.

"Jamie, it's enough. Eat your breakfast. Harry, a snake as a pet isn't allowed in Hogwarts, so…"

"I won't give her away, Sirius," Harry, who suspected at what Sirius was getting, interrupted his godfather coolly.

"Uncle Sirius, Harry."

Interesting, Harry thought, as he saw how Sirius' gaze nervously flickered over to Hermione. So Hermione didn't know the truth.

"It absolutely doesn't matter to me if it's allowed or not. I won't give Diamond away, Uncle Sirius," Harry repeated steadily.

"Is your snake poisonous?" Charlotte interfered unexpectedly.

"No," Harry lied and looked straight into Charlotte's face.

"Can you promise me that you won't let you snake wander freely around?" she continued to ask.

"Yes," Harry answered.

"Then you can keep it. But please be careful, Harry. If it's discovered that you are a Parseltongue, there could arise difficulties. Many would fear you."

Sirius wanted to say something but Charlotte's gaze made him stop and Harry asked himself why Charlotte had helped him while taking thoughtfully a sip from his, still, hot tea.

Charlotte reached as well for her cup and suddenly dropped it again with a loud rattling sound.

"Alison!" she shouted and Harry turned around. The Potions teacher stood in the door. She must have come in so silently that no one of them had heard her. Her face was white and she had dark shadows under her eyes.

"What happened?" Charlotte asked who had stood up.

"He didn't come back," Alison whispered and the next moment she cried in Charlotte's arms.

A dark expression had entered Sirius' face while Hermione looked just totally stunned as Harry noticed. Jamie however looked startled.

"Does Albus know already?"

Alison straightened and shook her head. For one moment Harry had the impression to see hate in her eyes.

„Then we should tell him. Hermione, will you watch after Jamie? Come, Alison, perhaps he was only held up."

"Held up? It has never taken so long and if, then he would send me a notice. Something has happen, I know it," Alison sobbed, but let herself be led out by Sirius.

Charlotte calmed down Jamie, kisses the little one on the forehead and after giving Hermione some instructions, she also left the room.

A little while later Harry and Caro, in the company of Hermione, set off to go to Draco. Jamie, who had promised his mother solemnly not to say anything of the snake or Harry's talent to speak in a strange hissing language to anyone, jumped merrily behind them. Harry was rather sceptical if you could rely on Jamie, but somehow it didn't matter to him momentarily. He was still angry that Sirius had considered taking Diamond away from him. The memory of his shocked face as he had spoken Parsel infuriated him no less.

„We have to fetch Meggie and Ian. It's only a small detour," Hermione said and led them along a broad corridor.

Harry sifted through his memory. The names seemed vaguely familiar to him.

"Remus' children?" he asked.

Hermione cast a surprised look at him.

"Yes. Have you forgotten that we shall bring the children to Ginny's mother?"

„Don't you know Remus and Emily?"

Harry tried to find quickly a plausible answer, but Caro beat him to it.

„We never meet them. Our family was unfortunately forced to remain in hiding."

Caro's voice had sounded so off-putting and cold that it was not very likely that Hermione would continue to ask, Harry thought and he was right. For the remaining way Hermione was silent. In the meantime Harry was busy with remembering the route they went along.

Remus greeted them warmly and gave Harry a bright smile. Involuntarily Harry asked himself if Remus also was filled with feelings of revenge towards Peter und had as well the intention to kill him as soon as he would meet him. After fetching Meggie and Ian they set off to the dungeons which were impressive but didn't compare with those in the castle of the Dark Lord. In Alison's chambers they found Draco who was reading a story to a little black-curled thing with a rather grumpy expression on his face. Relieved he looked up at them while Lizzie looked a bit disappointed.

The little children were delivered to Molly Weasley, a slightly plump woman, and Ginny, her brother and Neville who Harry had met already yesterday joined them promptly. Really great, Harry thought, until an opportunity would arise to be alone with his friends it would certainly still take a while.

Ron suggested to play Quidditch. Since they were already seven of them and it wouldn't be any problem in his opinion to organize another team, it would be the obvious thing to do. Ron's two brothers, who introduced themselves as Fred and George and were as like two peas, got indeed hold of five other players. Harry who for the first time played really Quidditch realized what a gigantic difference that was. He would have never expected that it could be so much fun. The positions were exchanged and Harry found out that he hadn't the slightest talent as a keeper.

While Sirius was gazing after his wife and Alison he tried to push aside the memory which suggested itself to him for quite a long time. He didn't succeed however. The Order meeting, as expected, hadn't been able to reach a decision what to do in view of Severus' not returning to the castle. Albus had been deeply worried but had said that there was not the slightest possibility for the Order to help Severus. Though he had given the other spies of the Order the instruction to try to find out what had happen to Severus but since only Severus had belonged to the Inner Circle of the Dark Lord, the chance was rather slim that they would find out anything. Severus' fate didn't really bother him but he worried about Alison and Lizzie who Sirius had grew very fond of long ago. After some searching Sirius found Harry, his friends, Hermione and the Weasley children on the Quidditch field.

Sirius watched them and riveted his eyes finally on Harry who was obviously looking out for the Snitch high up in the air. As he had heard this morning how Harry had spoken with his snake he hadn't wanted to believe it and still he wasn't convinced that it had been right to allow Harry to keep the snake. There was so much he didn't know from Harry and Sirius didn't want to acknowledge it but Harry was like a stranger for him and suddenly he wondered if Harry would ever trust him and he would ever find out what had happened in the Dark Lord's castle.

In the moment he had seen Harry's house-elf which he hadn't noticed yesterday for whatever reasons – probably it had charmed itself invisible, after all good house-elves ought not to be seen – he had wondered if it hadn't been this house-elf for which Harry had needed the curse. It was very likely and Sirius smiled involuntarily.

Just this showed that Harry wasn't a dark wizard and obviously Voldemort hadn't had much influence on Harry, Sirius thought with grim satisfaction. Sirius watched them still for a while and winked Harry after some effortless attempts finally down. In brief words Sirius told Harry about Severus Snape and taking a deep breath he shortly afterwards asked the question which had caused him to look for Harry.

Harry who had listened to Sirius with rigid face the previous minutes stared at Sirius. That he had never written. But in the same moment he realized that he had done it. Torn between suppressed rage and the thought of Snape, he knew that he wouldn't tell Sirius where the secret passage way was.

He would not betray his adoptive father. Furthermore, to escape was one thing but to tell Sirius where the passage way was, a entirely different. His friends would never forgive him if he would hand over their parents to the Order of the Phoenix. Then it sent a shiver down his spine as he suddenly realized that Snape had very probably told his adoptive father where they were. Blankly he looked at his godfather,

"Why did Snape go back?"

Sirius sighed heavily.

"Albus has hoped that Severus would manage to manoeuvre himself out of difficulties which would eventually crop up. In the past he managed it so often already. Furthermore he is our only spy who is a member belonging to Voldemort's closest circle. You don't know how difficult it is actually to smuggle spies among the Death Eaters so that…"

"…so that Dumbledore thought that Snape would manage it this time as well," Harry finished Sirius' explanation while he could only shake his head over such a stupidity. Be that as it may, it was very likely that Snape was already dead. Harry didn't doubt that his adoptive father had brought Severus to reveal him all information. Harry suspected that his adoptive father was currently busy to develop a plan how he would get him back to Arreton Castle. It was strange however; it occurred to Harry, that not even a single letter had reached him or his friends so far. Draco's parents and Bella had surely found out the whereabouts of their children. Before he could think further about this, Sirius said.

„Please, Harry, tell me how you managed to go Diagon Alley without being seen by anyone."

Harry looked unmoved at his godfather.

"There is no secret passage way. You have misunderstood my letter. And I was seen. You've forgotten who I am. Or do you think that a Death Eater would have ever got in my way?

Harry saw how Sirius flinched.

"Can I go back now?" he asked shortly afterwards and without waiting for a reply turned around.

While Harry was hurrying back to the Quidditch field, he said to himself that it had been the right thing to do. Snape was dead and no one would be able to help him anymore. But if it was so why was he then so angry? Harry had hardly joined his friends and the other Quidditch players, as he forgot Snape and Sirius and only thought of the game. As they exhausted set off to the castle towards evening, they discussed eagerly the different strategies. The cleft between the newcomers and the Hogwarts children seemed to have vanished for the time being.

A few hours later Harry, Caro and Draco who had charmed themselves invisible sneaked out to the lake which was shimmering like a mirror in the moonlight and here they were finally undisturbed.

"What did your godfather actually want from you?" Draco wanted to know while he sat down on the shore. Harry told them and as he had expected it they were furious. Caro shook her head so fiercely that her black curls were flying.

"I absolutely don't like it here. On top of that I've to say that my name is Carolina Black! Why did you want us to be silent yesterday, Harry? I would have loved to give Black a piece of my mind."

"If everyone knew who we were, we wouldn't be welcomed here, Caro." Harry replied.

"Furthermore I thought that it would take then a bit longer until my adoptive father would find out where we are.

But that was been taken care of now."

"It's strange, isn't it? We haven't got a single letter so far," Draco said and looked at Harry and Caro.

Harry nodded thoughtfully. Finally Caro said what they all were thinking.

"They're intercepted."

„What will we do against it?" Draco asked who had knitted his brow.

After a while of silence, Harry said,

"The only thing what would be possible would be to intercept the owls."

Draco snorted.

"Just great."

As they went back to the castle they hadn't found a solution how they could enable that they got their letters but they had agreed that they would leave Hogwarts again, as soon as someone of they would have an idea where else they could stay.

The next days passed quickly and Harry, Caro and Draco spent them solely with playing Quidditch.They let themselves shown the castle by Hermione and her friends and Harry did not only get to know his godfather and Charlotte better but also Remus and Emily, as well his godmother Minerva McGonagall.

With Albus Dumbledore he had had a meeting, too. But Harry had instantly felt solid dislike towards the friendly acting old wizard. Not only was he intercepting their letters but he had also sent Snape back and this was something Harry couldn't forgive. The main reason for this was that the Potions teacher Alison Lennox had come to him and had thanked him for not handing Snape over to Voldemort then. He had felt that the young woman loved Snape and suspected that Snape was also the father of little Lizzie. With tears in her ocean-blue eyes she had asked weather he believed if Severus was still alive.

As he had silently shaken his head, she had nodded bravely. But what had touched Harry was that Alison didn't blame him. It was after all their escape which was indirectly to blame that Severus hadn't returned. While he could have kept the passage way a secret from his godfather it had been much more difficult in the presence of Alison. Over and over again he said to himself that Severus was not alive anymore.

Furthermore he had saved Snape's life already one time and if Snape was so stupid to go back – he could have refused after all – then it wasn't his problem, was it? A little persistent voice he couldn't however silence. What if Snape was still alive and was waiting for help in some cell? But that was rather unlikely, Harry said to himself. He had also realized how utterly important it was that no one discovered the secret passage way. Should the Order found it out they would be able to sneak unhindered into the castle. So Harry kept silent but he couldn't forget this matter.

Apart from this Dumbledore tried indeed to question him how Voldemort had treated him and why he had suddenly appeared in Hogwarts. While Sirius seemed to have accepted his wish not to tell anything about his past, Dumbledore was not so impressed of this and had told him all sorts of things about a duty he had towards his parents who had fought against Voldemort. His parents were as well a point he couldn't forgive Dumbledore.

Sirius had told him that it had been well-known that a spy had be up to no good in the ranks of the Order and so Harry asked himself why Dumbledore hadn't question all members with Veritaserum. Would he have been the leader and such rumours had been passed to him, he would have acted in such a way. His adoptive father would have done the same as well, Harry was sure of it. That Snape had managed to deceive the Dark Lord was thoroughly remarkable. But who knows, perhaps his adoptive father knew of his loyalty to Dumbledore. Absent-minded Harry stroked his phoenix. Why his life couldn't be easy for once? Why everything had to be always so complicated?

On the day of the Sorting feast Harry wondered in which house he would come. As it was finally time to sort the new students in their houses, Harry looked expectantly over to the Speaking Hat. Although, if you thought about it he asked himself for what the different houses were actually good for. Soon his name would be called out. Caro had been sorted already into Slytherin but since she was one year older than him the headmaster had decided that Caro would go into the third class. Over that Harry, Caro and Draco had been angry, too but Dumbledore had got his way however. Then his godmother finally called his name. It was still unused for him to run around the place as Harry Black. Harry stood up and a little later he put the hat on his head and a squeaky voice rang out,

"So, Harry Potter, finally you have found the way to Hogwarts. But as I see it you have still not decide. You should however decide soon on which side you are. Fate has often the ability to strike before you're ready. The day will come, young Potter, where you have to decide. Well, in which house should I put you?"

‚Slytherin' Harry thought.

„Hmm, you're brave and loyal to those you love….interesting, I don't see any hate. You don't want revenge but nevertheless….Yes, I think, I know in which house you belong." The hat continued to whisper.

„Slytherin!" he screamed loudly and while Harry went slowly to Caro, he wished that the prophecy of the hat hadn't sounded so convincingly promising disaster.