6. Playing House

One man's folly is another man's wife.
~ Helen Rowland

Snape's outrageous shouting was the reason Harry woke up at three o'clock in the morning. Harry raised his head and listened. Except for Snape, the camp and the forest were silent, only Malfoy Jr. was snoring quietly on the other bed, and it seemed to be raining outside.

"This is all your fault, Albus!" Snape was bellowing. "This is what your charity missions have led to!"

Dying from curiosity, Harry got up, trying not to make any noise, and cautiously looked out of the door.

In the middle of the clearing, a very wet and dishevelled Snape stood with Narcissa Malfoy in his arms. The woman seemed to be unconscious. Or, rather, Harry supposed her to be so, as he could not imagine any normal person to be asleep while Snape continued shouting at the Headmaster.

Dumbledore, however, had not any chance to answer, as at this point Lucius looked out of the second hut, also a bit dishevelled and somewhat sleepy. Then he frowned.

"Pray tell, Severus, what are you doing with my wife?"

"I could be mistaken, of course, but I think I am holding her," Snape answered acidly. "It is not that easy, by the way."

Snorting, Lucius came up to him and took Narcissa from the Potions Master.

"It's the eyes of the beholder and the arms of the holder, you know," he said. "You don't have a right to criticize until you get a wife of your own. Why have you decided to bring her here, may I ask? I missed her greatly, of course, but I don't think Cissy will be comfortable in our... humble abode, if you can call it that."

"As you and Draco both decided to disappear," Snape was dripping with sarcasm as much as his hair was dripping with rainwater, "the Dark Lord decided to give me your wife for keeping. He seems to think it will make you reappear much faster."

"Well, well. And why is she unconscious?"

"I gave her a sleeping potion. Well, I could not bring her here just like that, could I? She will wake in the morning. We'll have just enough time to decide what we are going to do with her."

"I won't let anybody do anything with my wife!" Looking offended, Lucius held her tighter to his chest. Giving his friend a derisive glare, he turned and carried Narcissa to their hut. Snape and Dumbledore just stood there looking after him in slight shock. A couple of minutes later, Lucius looked out again and added tartly, "By the way, Sev, you can start digging out the third hut."

ss SS ss

Just before the sunrise, Harry woke up again, cold and miserable under his blanket that had become damp from dew. Sighing, he got out of the hut. Everybody was still asleep, except for sullen Snape. The Potions Master was sitting beside the smoldering campfire, wrapped in his cloak, and tried to roast a piece of bread on the coals. It stopped raining; not far away Harry saw a freshly dug hole. It seemed that Snape had really started to make himself a new hut.

As Harry came up to the fire, Snape looked askance at him, but said nothing.

"Um... Do you want any help?" Harry asked cautiously, waving his hand at the hole. It was the first thing he said to Snape since Professor Dumbledore had brought him here from the Privet Drive.

Snape glared at him.

"Don't think, Potter, that you can bribe me into letting you in." Harry's confusion must have been obvious, as the Potions Master made a face and explained, "If you are forced to live with three Malfoys at once, having a place to oneself is a real luxury. So I am not going to share."

"You can keep your measly hut to yourself," Harry retorted, sitting down on the nearest log. He spent several minutes just looking at the glimmering coals, and then said half to himself, half to nobody, "I tucked away some good bacon yesterday..."

Unexpectedly, this time Snape gave him an approving look.

"Bring it here," he ordered, getting some more bread somewhere out of his robes, and a knife out of his high boot. "And please, do be quiet."

The rising sun chose this very moment to appear above the Forbidden Forest.