Chapter 15
"Great," Harry muttered.
He felt terrible. Harry was beginning to wonder how many nights of nightmares he could get through. As it was, he was starting to wonder too about the nightmares. He still couldn't remember them in the morning, which was a blessing. He just woke up with a feeling of dread. Whatever it was, it was terrible. Harry remembered the dreams he'd had in fourth year. He should tell Snape about them. There might be more to them than just nightmares.
Somehow, Harry rolled out of bed, and half walked, half-staggered to the shower. He was glad that he had his own right next to his room. The Dursleys had never given him unfettered access to the loo before, to shower as much or as long as he wished, with hot water no less. It felt like an unimaginable luxury. Even at Hogwarts, there were always a lot of other guys around.
After he was dressed in running clothes and shoes, Harry met Snape in front of the house mostly on time. He could tell by the look he got that 'mostly' was a relative here. Fortunately, Snape did not comment and instead started jogging. Unfortunately, he jogged faster than before. That and the fact that Harry hadn't slept well for a few nights resulted in him dragging most of the way.
When they got to the same place they had stopped before, Harry was relieved until Snape drew his wand. He had his own wand out instantly, by reflex, but he did not have a good feeling about this. He was already completely knackered. Snape couldn't possibly want him to do what he thought he wanted him to do.
"Now, we will spar," Snape said with a raised eyebrow. "Though I should think that would be obvious."
Darn.
Needless to say, Snape wiped the floor with Harry. Literally, because Harry fell down four times before Snape relented and said they could jog back. At least he showed some mercy and conjured a Muggle-style water bottle for Harry first. After drinking thirstily, Harry trudged off after Snape, barely keeping up.
By the time they got home, Harry was practically falling down again. He walked as slowly up the stairs as he could, took a slow shower, got dressed slowly, and walked slowly back down. Snape had a breakfast of oatmeal with fruit and honey waiting and, of course, the milk. Harry glared at it, drank it in three gulps, and ate the oatmeal without a word.
"Why can't you put the vitamins in something else?" Harry grumbled.
"I could, if you would ask nicely instead of making such an issue of the milk," Snape said.
"Oh," Harry said. "Can I please have something else for lunch?"
"You may," Snape said. "What would you like?"
"Pumpkin juice?" Harry asked hopefully.
"That is fine," Snape said.
Harry wanted to sigh in relief. "Thanks, Sir," he said.
"You will always get what you want more readily by being polite and respectful," Snape assured him. "You would do well to remember that."
Harry nodded and put a spoonful of oatmeal in his mouth to make answering unnecessary, or at least impossible. Apparently, that satisfied Snape because after staring at Harry pointedly for a moment longer, he gave him a single stern nod and went back to eating his own meal, much to Harry's relief. He didn't want to have any more showdowns about the milk or anything else.
When it was clear that Harry was done, Snape tapped the table twice, and the contents of the meal disappeared. Harry watched with interest. He really needed to learn how to do that!
"We will have a Defense lesson this morning," Snape said, "and then another Potions lesson this afternoon. If you do well with both, you may fly afterward."
"Really?" Harry asked.
Snape just raised an eyebrow.
"I mean, yes, Sir, I will!" Harry corrected.
"Very well, let's go," Snape said.
Harry followed him up to the top floor again, to the same room they had sparred in the first time. Unlike then, there was a dummy set up against the far wall. Snape painted a line on the floor with his wand.
"Stand behind the line, and aim spells at the dummy. The goal is to keep the dummy from advancing, and ultimately, to stop it," Snape told him. "You may use any spell you know."
"Why the dummy?" Harry asked. "Why not you?"
"For two reasons," Snape said. "The dummy records your movements. Also, you might be more willing to send spells at the dummy than at me."
"Oh," Harry said. "Sure."
He supposed that was true. Although he knew that Snape could deflect any spells, intellectually, it was hard in some ways to throw spells at him still. He kept remembering in third year when he had used Expeillarmus to disastrous effect.
"I won't get in trouble for any spell I use?" Harry asked.
"No," Snape said. "The rules are that you are not allowed to use spells unsupervised or without permission. I have just given you permission to use any spell you know. You are also supervised."
"What about Unforgiveables?" Harry asked.
"I doubt you could, and this is not likely the time to try," Snape said dryly. "We will get to that."
"Wait, what?" Harry asked, staring back and Snape in a combination of horror and surprise. "We will?"
"This is not a game, Harry," Snape told him firmly. "The other side will not hesitate to use Unforgiveables. While I disagree with Crouch's methods and his timing, he was right in the respect that you did need to learn how to push off an Imperius, and doing so likely saved your life. That is not a spell you probably need to learn. Do you need to learn Avada Kedavra? Most certainly. It is not a pleasant spell, though, and is to be used only in the circumstances when it is kill or be killed. Unfortunately, the odds of you being in those circumstances or very good."
Harry stared at Snape and then looked down, trying not to shake. He had seen that spell used too many times already, and too recently, to think about learning it now. He swallowed hard.
"Not today, though, Harry," Snape said, snapping him out of it. "I am not training you to be a soldier. I am training you to stay alive. So, begin."
With that, the dummy began moving toward him, and Harry had no choice but to start defending himself. He tried sending disarming it, body-binding it, and even the jelly-legs jink. Finally, he got frustrated.
"Flipendo!" Harry yelled.
The dummy flipped back and hit the wall with a resounding crack. It jerked for a few minutes and then went still. Harry looked expectantly at Snape and then shrugged.
"Expelliarmus," he said, and the dummy's wand flew into his hand.
"Nicely done, Harry," Snape said. "It took you longer than it should, but it wasn't bad for your first time."
"It took …." Harry glared. "It knocked him out!"
"It was on the lowest setting," Snape said mildly, waving his hand, so the dummy was standing again. With another wave, the wand flew out of Harry's hand and back to the dummy's. "Try it again."
"But … I did it!" Harry said, realizing he was close to pouting.
"And now, you will do it again," Snape said. "After you have done thirty push-ups. If the push-ups do not begin in ten seconds, it will be fifty."
Harry did not need to be told twice, or rather, he did not need to be told three times. He dropped to the floor and started the push-ups. Even though he was tired from jogging, sparring, and fighting the dummy, he wasn't about to argue himself into more push-ups.
As soon as Harry had finished his punishment push-ups, he dragged himself back to the dummy and gave it his best. This time, it took him less time to take the dummy out. Instead of praise, all he got for his efforts was a quick nod.
"Again," Snape said.
With a sigh, Harry went after the dummy again. Snape made him face off against the thing two more times until he could take it out in under a minute. Then he was finally given a smile.
"Better, Harry," Snape said. "Go clean up and get changed. Then we will have lunch, and then Potions."
Harry dropped to the floor and fell flat on his back in exhaustion and perhaps an overly dramatic response to the idea of an afternoon of Potions. He was ready to remain there, skipping lunch and perhaps feigning a few illnesses for which the symptoms were not specific when he heard Snape's voice down the hall.
"Remind me what you need to do to earn a broom ride?"
So, Harry scraped himself off the floor.
Lunch was quiet, mainly because Harry was too tired to make conversation. Fortunately, it was a hearty soup that was delicious. One thing about all the morning's exercise was that it made Harry famished. He ate all the soup and three rolls. Of course, there were no complaints about the pumpkin juice either.
"Do I get to make a Potion today?" Harry asked.
"Indeed," Snape said. "Follow the directions, and you will do fine."
Harry nodded and followed Snape down the stairs in the Lab. As usual, he felt a little sick upon entering. He was hoping at the least that he wouldn't fall asleep.
Snape led Harry to the same table as before, where a cauldron was waiting. There was a parchment next to it. At the top was written 'cure for boils.' Harry's heart sank. This was a really, really first-year Potion. Still, instead of complaining, he just went to the supply cupboard. He began collecting snake fangs, horned slugs, porcupine quills, Pungous onions, pickled Shrake spines, and, unfortunately, flobberworm mucous again. These he set on his workstation. Then he went over to where Snape had the other supplies, took a mortar and pestle, and brought it back. When he had everything, he began preparing the Potion.
Despite this being a first-year Potion from the beginning of the year, Harry took his time and made sure to follow Snape's directions to the letter. He also decided to take advantage of Snape's presence by making sure he was doing things right, so he asked questions.
"Are the snake fangs crushed into fine enough powder?" Harry asked.
"Try a little more," Snape said. "Hold the pestle like this. May I?"
And so it was that Snape showed Harry, gently and carefully, the proper way to grind ingredients. It turned out to be much more enjoyable that way than when the man had yelled at him and called him an idiot for doing it wrong in class.
Harry felt so confident, in fact, by how well that went that he asked for help again when it came to the Pungeous Onions. He didn't even feel that Snape would refuse him or bite his head off for asking the question. He was rather beginning to think that this was Snape's point all along.
"Sir," Harry said. "The book said there is a difference between slicing, dicing, and cubing. I think I understand cubing well enough, but I never quite know the size to make the cubes. I don't know the difference between slicing and dicing and how dicing is different from cubing, though."
He could have sworn there was a gleam in his eye when he asked that question as if it was a Potion Master's Christmas. Snape then spent the better part of half an hour carefully explaining it to Harry with different ingredients, culminating in Harry perfectly slicing the Pungous Onions 'finely' as the instructions indicated.
"Wow," Harry said after he'd finally finished. "It looks just like it should!"
"It does indeed," Snape agreed. "And I think you have earned your reward. Have you learned something today, Harry?"
"Yep," Harry said cheekily, "I learned loads. Most importantly, you're a good teacher when you want to be."
"Watch it," Snape said in what Harry was learning was his teasing voice, "that broom ride can be taken away just as easily."
"No way, Sir," Harry said. "I did everything you asked."
Harry made a point to carefully clean up his workstation and not give Snape a real reason to make good on his threat, though. He was proud of himself and, fortunately, did not feel the least bit tired anymore. Success was making him feel energized.
"Can you use it?" he asked, looking into the cauldron.
"As it happens, I can," Snape said. "It will go to the hospital wing."
"Wow," Harry said. "So, if anyone has a Potions accident or gets in the way of a jinx or prank, they might use my boil cure."
"Indeed," Snape said. "Merlin forbid. You may fly your broom now. Remember the rules."
"Yes, Sir, of course," Harry said. "And thanks!"
Without looking back, Harry went up the stairs as quickly as he could without getting scolded for running. He went to the closet to get his broom. He was outside like a shot, although he did remember to set the watch timer for an hour. The last thing he wanted was to get his broom taken away. At this point, Harry couldn't think of a worse punishment. Snape could wallop him as many times as he wanted, but Harry needed his broom!
An hour later, Harry came in bedraggled but much happier. Snape was in his study and nodded to Harry as he went by grinning. Putting the broom away was hard but knowing he could ride it tomorrow or soon if he didn't annoy Snape too much made it easier.
Harry wandered into Snape's study and sat down across from him, waiting for the man to finish reading the letter that had his attention. Harry wasn't sure what it was about but was only mildly curious. He figured that badgering Snape wouldn't get him anywhere.
"Did you enjoy your ride?" Snape asked mildly when he put away the letter.
"Oh, yeah," Harry said. "It was brilliant. The grounds here are amazing. Can we extend the wards?"
"You flew that far?" Snape asked.
"No, Sir," Harry said quickly. "I just thought, you know …."
"Hmmm," Snape hummed, looking at Harry sternly. "You were back in an hour, so you couldn't have gone too far. And you didn't go outside the wards. Perhaps I was a little too generous with your time limit."
"Ah, no, Snape!" Harry complained. "You're not!"
"We'll see," Snape said. "You do not want to find out what happens if you come back late."
"I know, Sir, you told me," Harry grumbled. "You'll take my broom."
"At the very least," Snape murmured. "The time constraint is there for your safety, Harry, not to minimize your fun."
"Okay, I'm sorry," Harry said. "I am careful. No tricks, honest!"
"There better not be," Snape said. He paused. "I have something to discuss with you."
"I haven't! I swear!" Harry insisted.
"This is not about that," Snape said. "I have to go away for a few days. It is business that is … unavoidable. I need you to stay with your godfather."
"Go away?" Harry asked. "Wait, this is about Him, isn't it? You're going to him? Is that what the letter was?"
"If I had been called, Harry, I would leave instantly. You know how that works," Snape said quietly.
Harry looked at the floor. He didn't like how cagey Snape was being. This was spy business; he knew it. Even if Snape wouldn't admit it.
"Show it to me," he demanded.
"No," Snape said. "First of all, do not use that done with me, ever. Second of all, no."
"Why not?" Harry asked. "It's not like I have never seen one before."
"First of all, it's one thing to see one. It's another thing to ask that of me. The answer is no, Harry. Also, the fact that you are demanding proof of what I am telling you is very troubling to me," Snape said, his voice low and deadly.
"I'm sorry," Harry said. "I got carried away. I didn't mean it like that."
"Perhaps you didn't," Snape said, more quietly, but no less harshly, "but trust is not an easy thing to earn back once it is broken."
Harry nodded. "I really am sorry. For the record, though, I have seen it. Yours, I mean."
Snape grimaced. "I wish you hadn't, but that is not the point. The issue here is not whether I am being called or whether I will tell you if I am. I am stopping the spying Harry, but how and when is the biggest of secrets. Do you understand that?"
Harry nodded, "Yes, Sir."
"At this point, my custody of you is also the big secret. You know that. I am assuming that you want me to remain alive. You need to obey me, Harry," Snape said firmly.
"Yes, Sir," Harry sighed. "Okay, I'll go pack. How long will I be there?"
"At this point, I do not know. Pack for an extended stay."
"Okay," Harry said dejectedly, getting up.
"Harry," Snape said suddenly, calling him over with a gesture.
"Yes, Sir?" Harry walked over so that he was standing right in front of Snape.
"I want you to know that if I'm not back by your birthday, it was not my choice to miss it," Snape said quietly, looking deeply into Harry's eyes. "I will be there if I can."
"Thanks, Sir," Harry said, trying not to show that his voice was choked, and he felt the beginning of tears hot in his eyes. "I know."
Snape gave him a quick hug, which Harry returned wholeheartedly. He hated the idea of Snape going off into danger, especially when it involved Voldemort. As usual, he wasn't to know anything about it. It irked him, but he decided to pick his battles for now.
Harry pulled away and, with a grim smile to his guardian, walked up the stairs to his room. He was surprised to find two house elves and a brand-new trunk waiting there. This trunk was larger and nicer than his other one and, of course, had Harry's new initials.
Trying not to take his frustration out on Mimsy and Flinny, Harry nonetheless stood in the doorway and crossed his arms. As expected, Snape was right behind him. Harry turned when he came into the room.
"Are they packing up my entire room?" Harry asked, not amused. "First of all, I can do it myself. Second of all, why? Aren't I coming back?"
"Harry," Snape said in what Harry thought sounded like a tired voice. "I do not know how long I will be gone. It seems prudent to be prepared. The elves are being helpful because, well, that is what elves do. Please let them do their jobs. You are welcome to pack whatever you like yourself, but they can do it much faster and time, as you know, is of the essence here."
Harry just nodded. He wasn't trying to be difficult, and the last thing he wanted was to argue with Snape when he didn't know when, or if, he would see him again. He went to get his hidden and prized possessions and pack those himself in his school trunk. Seeing Harry was complying, Snape gave him a small smile, nodded, and left the room.
Since the elves had packed his clothes, it took Harry no time at all to get his mirror, Hogwarts key, and a few other odds and ends. He was sure the elves could have done it, but he preferred to do it himself, so he knew where things were. It was with some sadness that he packed them away in his school trunk. He was going to miss this room, the first room of his very own he'd ever had. He hoped he could come back to it before school started.
Leaving the trunks to the elves, Harry went downstairs and sat in the parlor. He made sure he had his shoes on and was ready to go, even though he usually liked to kick them off and curl up on the couch when he sat in here. It wasn't long before Snape joined him.
"Are you ready?" he asked.
"Yes, Sir," Harry replied miserably.
Snape nodded, and they walked outside.
This time, when Harry arrived at Grimmauld Place, he was reminded for some reason of the first time he had Apparated here with Snape. It was hard to believe it had been only about a week since then when it seemed like a lifetime. Thinking about that reminded Harry of his upcoming procedure.
"What about my second procedure?" Harry asked, suddenly feeling panicked.
"It will keep," Snape said. "It is not time-sensitive, at any rate. I do not want you to do it without me there."
Harry felt relieved, and the affection he felt for Snape grew even more. He reached out and hugged his guardian again, not caring who saw. The fact that Snape understood and didn't want Harry to have the second procedure without him meant more to him than Harry could say.
"Thanks," Harry whispered, "Dad."
He rarely called Snape that. It was usually a name he used only experimentally. He had never had a 'Dad' because his father was dead, and his uncle had neither adopted him nor cared to treat him like a son. He'd always only been someone's unwanted burden. To have been adopted, even this late in his childhood, meant too much to him to just throw a name around lightly. Snape showed him the meaning of the word in gestures, small and large, and Harry valued it highly.
"I have to go, Harry," Snape said quietly. "Please behave for Black and the Weasleys, talk to Lupin, and get your homework done." He paused, squeezing Harry tightly. "And do not waste time worrying about me. I will be fine."
"Yes, Sir," Harry said.
Snape pulled away, squeezed Harry's shoulder one last time, and disappeared through the door. He wished that he could follow Snape's orders and not worry, but that just wasn't possible. He knew he was going to worry until Snape walked through the door again.
"Harry?"
Harry turned around to see Sirius step out of the shadowy hallway as if he didn't want to look like he was prying. He quickly walked up the Harry and enveloped him in an awkward hug. Sirius and Snape might have never gotten along, but Sirius was making an effort for Harry's sake; they both were. He could see how much the man meant to his godson.
"It'll be okay, Pup," Sirius said in quiet, soothing tones. "One thing I know about old Snape, he's hard to best. The man can take care of himself, and then some."
It was a joke, but Harry couldn't help but sniffle a little. He nodded into his godfather's chest, hugging him tightly back, even though it felt a little traitorous after his guardian had just left. Harry didn't care. Right now, he would take his comfort where he could get it.
"Hey," Sirius said, tilting Harry's chin up with a finger. "None of that! What did I just say? Your new dad'll be fine. He would never go through all the trouble of whipping you into shape just to go off and leave you."
Sirius stepped back and clapped Harry on the back. "What'ya say we make some thick hot cocoa and a lot of disgusting junk that Molly will crow at us for eating, and then stuff ourselves silly?"
Although Harry really wasn't hungry, he just nodded and followed Sirius down to the kitchen. Sirius hadn't been exaggerating. The twins, Ron, Ginny, and Hermione, were making a feast of junk food. There was butterbeer, hot chocolate, pumpkin juice, fried chicken, six kinds of cookies, fish, and chips, crisps in more flavors than Harry had ever seen, including flavors he imagined only wizards would think of, and a tower of puddings.
"Wow," Harry couldn't help saying, watching Ron drizzle his plate with chocolate syrup.
"Harry!" Hermione and Ginny said, at the same time more or less.
As the girls jumped up, Ron waved to Harry and threw a chicken leg at him. Fred and George disappeared and appeared behind him, Mrs. Weasley, who had followed Harry down the stairs, began yelling at them for Apparating in the house, and the room descended into further chaos.
Harry had to admit that as far as distractions went, it was a pretty good one. Ginny made him a plate that was too disgusting to eat, and he picked at it while listening to the twins describe their latest inventions. After a while, the pain was a little less raw. Just knowing his friends were trying this hard made him feel better.
After the 'dinner,' Harry went up to his room with Ron and Hermione. He was glad at least to have a room to himself. His two trunks were there. Harry wondered idly if Snape had arranged for his house elves to bring them.
"Wow, Harry!" Ron said. "You've got a new trunk."
"Oh, yeah," Harry said, suddenly uneasy. Ron would notice that. "It has my regular clothes. Snape said he'd have my uniforms made and sent to Hogwarts."
"Wicked," Ron said, inspecting the trunk. "This is really expensive! It uses wizard space? Hey, these are your new initials!"
"Yeah," Harry confirmed. "My travel bag has them too."
"That's nice of him, Harry," Hermione said. "It was thoughtful of him to send your uniforms to Hogwarts, so you won't have to go shopping for them."
"Right," Harry grimaced. He hated clothes shopping.
"Well, let's see then," Ron said. "Open it. Let's see what new stuff you've got."
"It's mostly just clothes and books, Ron," Harry said, tapping his pattern on the trunk, so the lid popped open. "I still don't have a lot of stuff. Snape'd probably buy me something if I asked for it, but I haven't asked for anything." He stopped, wondering if that sounded snooty, especially to the materially conscious Ron. "He did buy me a painting, though."
"A painting?" Hermione asked. "Oooh, Harry, of what? Where did you get it?"
"We got it in a shop in Hogsmeade … a gallery, I mean. Snape's mad for art. He's got loads of it. All kinds—paintings, pottery, sculptures, ceramics, some of it's really weird," Harry paused. "He said he wanted me to personalize my room with more than Quidditch posters and Gryffindor pennants, so he took me to a former student of his. The painting's a dragon. The horntail."
"Wow," Ron said. "This guy got up close enough to the horntail to paint it?"
"I guess so," Harry shrugged. "It's pretty realistic. It's in my room at Hogwarts. I'll show you once term starts."
"That's great, Harry," Hermione said. "I think Snape is so right. Everyone should have an art collection. And if you start when the artist is young, someday the work will be more valuable."
Harry was trying to listen to her, but he was also paying attention to Ron's face. Ron was looking at Harry's trunk with a dark expression that Harry recognized. He had seen this coming a mile away.
"You have your own room at Hogwarts?" Ron said, interrupting Hermione's raving about the importance of starting one's art collection early. "Your own room? Where?"
"Of course, he does," Hermione said, frowning at Ron. "It's in Professor Snape's quarters."
"What do you mean, of course, he does?" Ron snapped, turning on Hermione. "He sleeps in the dorm with us. What does he need his own room for?"
That remark made Harry hope that this was less about jealousy and more about not wanting to lose Harry as a dormmate. He sent Hermione a pleading look and tried to placate Ron by distracting him and answering his question at the same time. He reached into the trunk and pulled out the Honeyduke's bag, which, granted, was not as welcome as sight after their meal of junk.
"I won't be sleeping in it all the time, Ron," Harry said, looking in the bag for something to give to Ron. "It's mostly just for if I'm sick or need a quiet place to study, or if I get in trouble. Snape said, if I'm grounded, I have to sleep there. Chocolate frog?"
He handed the candy to Ron hopefully. Ron was just staring at him. Harry wasn't sure what he had said or done wrong. He put the candy back in the bag and folded his arms, glaring back at Ron.
"What do you mean, 'a quiet place to study'?" Ron demanded. "Isn't that what the library is for? Or again, your dorm. Are you too good for us now, or something?"
"What?" Harry was genuinely annoyed now. "No! I never said that. You are blowing this way up, Ron. It's just a room. My dad's a teacher, so he has a room for me, nothing more."
"Your dad," Ron said slowly. "That's rich. You hated his guts until what, a week ago? Now all of a sudden, you can't stand to be away from him, and you're calling him 'Dad,' and you're sleeping in your own room in his quarters. In the dungeons. Face it, Harry, you're NOT a Gryffindor anymore. I know why your DAD hasn't given you your uniforms yet. Because you're a Slytherin now!"
Ron headed for the door. Before he could go out of it, Harry was after him.
"You prat!" Harry yelled, throwing down the bag of candy. "You're just jealous because I have my own room. So what? I've never had a room before. I've never had a dad before. Now I have one, and he just left on some secret mission that I can't even know about. He could die, Ron. What do you care? I don't even know why I tried to make friends with you again. You're nothing but a sniveling prat, and I do not need to be friends with a tosser like you!"
Harry pushed Ron the rest of the way out the door and slammed it behind him. Hermione was still in the room. Harry leaned back against the door, breathing heavily as he tried to get control of his anger. Finally, he looked up to see how she'd reacted to their tiff.
Unsurprisingly, Hermione's eyes were glistening with tears. What surprised Harry was that she walked over to him, put her arms around him, and then walked him to the bed. When they sat down, she kept her arm slung across his shoulder in a gesture of friendship.
Abruptly, the door flew open, and Fred came rushing in, followed by George. On their heels was Ginny, dragging an Extendible Ear. Crookshanks had the other end in his mouth.
"Give that back," she hissed.
"Oh, Crookshanks! Bad boy," Hermione scolded, jumping down and crawling over to her ginger-haired cat. "Let go of that."
As Hermione tried to wrestle the Extendible Ear out of Crookshanks's smushed in face, Ginny turned to Harry. "There's an Order meeting going on downstairs—a big one! I've never seen so many people.
"An Order meeting," Harry said. "Is Snape here?"
"I don't know," Ginny said. "There are loads of people down there, but we only saw their backs as they walked by most of the time. We were hiding at the top of the stairs until Mum saw us and chased us away. Fred and George are going to try to listen in again." She gestured to the Extendible Ear, which Hermione had finally retrieved.
"No," Harry said, shaking his head. "We can't."
"Don't you want to hear what's going on?" Fred asked. "This is a big one, Harry! Half the Order's here. Maybe all of them."
Harry bit his lip. He did want to find out what was going on, but Snape's lecture last time was going through his head. "I can't," he repeated. "We'd be breaking security, and besides, I got in humungous trouble last time."
"Yeah? So did we. What's the big deal?" George said. "Don't you want to know what's happening?"
"Of course, I do!" Harry said. "Snape caught us, though. He knew we were listening. He would have taken precautions."
Fred was clearly considering this, but George shrugged. "We'll never know unless we try it," he said.
That, Harry, had to contend, was true. He nodded and accepted the pair of Extendable Ears George was holding out. Then he was stopped on the way to the hallway by a light hand on his arm.
"Harry," Hermione said. "Are you sure you want to do this?"
"I have to know, Hermione," Harry said. "Snape is in danger. I have to find out what is going on."
While Hermione did nod, she didn't seem convinced. However, she accepted her own Extendable Ears and followed them into the hallway. The group huddled at the top of the stairs as before. Hermione grabbed Crookshanks and disappeared, presumably to lock him away in her room.
"Let's do this," George said as if they were the heroes of some adventure movie.
As with before, they set out the Extendable Ears and waited. Harry was beginning to think that there was a problem with his receiver. He removed it from his ear and inspected it.
"Nope, that's not the problem," Fred said. "They're not working."
"None of them?" Harry asked.
Fred shook his head. "I'll Apparate down there and check to see if they did something to the door."
"Are you crazy?" Harry said. "You'll get caught!"
"Nah," Fred said. "No one will know I'm there. It will be fast. They're all in the meeting."
"What if there's a guard?" Harry asked.
"Against who?" Fred asked. "Us?"
Harry had to admit he had a point. A moment later, Fred was gone. Harry was still getting used to seeing him do that inside the house. He thought he might agree with Mrs. Weasley that it didn't seem entirely safe. Even he realized that Apparation required precision.
By the time Fred popped back, in the exact same spot, Harry knew it was not going to work. The twin was shaking his head. At least Harry felt somewhat vindicated in being right.
"They put an imperturbable charm on the door," Fred said. "Sneaky!"
Harry resisted the urge to say, 'I told you so.' Instead, he handed his Extendable Ears back. Snape was unlikely to catch him at any moment. Still, he didn't want to be seen with incriminating evidence either way.
"There's no other way to get in there," George said, "not tonight. Next time, though."
"What?" Harry asked. Then he realized what they were thinking of. "No! It won't work, guys. Isn't Dumbledore always in the meetings? He can see through my cloak."
"He isn't," George said. "Not always. We'll just have to find out when he won't be there."
"I know how," Ginny said.
"How?" Harry demanded. "Walk up to him and ask if he'll be at the next meeting."
"No," Ginny gave Harry a withering look to let him know what he thought of that idea. "I'll tell Mum I am going to make treats for the guests next time, with Dumbledore's favorite biscuits. He really likes these honey-lemon creams I make. I'll tell her I'm making them especially for him, to thank him for all he's done for Harry and us."
"You say that, and she'll smell a troll for sure," Fred said with a snort.
"No, she won't," Ginny assured him. "Mum loves Dumbledore. She thinks he's great."
Harry nodded. He had to admit that Ginny was right. He remembered Mrs. Weasley going on and on about what a 'great man' Dumbledore was in the first summer he'd spent with them. It seemed like as good a plan as any.
"Alright," he said. "I'll do it. I'm going to get in loads of trouble when Snape finds out, but it'll be worth it to know what they're saying in these meetings."
"That's the spirit, Harry," Fred said, clapping Harry on the back sharply.
"Besides," George assured him. "You won't get caught."
Harry doubted that but decided not to belabor the point. All he cared about was finding out what was going on. No knowing where Snape was or who he was with was killing him. He was sure that his guardian was in grave danger or could be at any time. Thinking about Snape and the meeting gave him an idea.
"Even if we can't listen in on this meeting, we might be able to do something almost as good," he told the kids assembled at the top of the stairs.
"What?" Fred asked.
Harry didn't want to stand there any longer in the open. He gestured to them all to follow him and went back into his room. It was a tight fit with all of them on the two beds, but they all sat down and waited for him to share his idea. He looked around, glad to have such good friends, but it reminded him that Ron was absent and why.
"We get someone from the meeting to tell us what they talked about," Harry said.
"Tell us?" George hooted. "Who would be daft enough to … oh!"
Apparently, it had dawned on George who Harry meant. Harry gave George a pointed look at his choice of descriptors but otherwise nodded. He was pretty confident they wouldn't have any problem at all if they approached it the right way.
"Wait now," Fred put in. "What makes you think that both Dumbledore and Snape haven't threatened him within an inch of his life to leave you out of it?"
Harry bit his lip. He hadn't thought of that. Sirius had become much more responsible since working for the Order, or maybe since his truce with Snape. Dumbledore and Snape might exert a measure of control over Harry's godfather after all.
"Well," Harry said thoughtfully. "Dumbledore's rarely here, and Snape's not here at all. That gives us plenty of time to go to work on him."
"Sure," George nodded. "You just give him your innocent puppy dog look, and he'll fall for it."
"What innocent puppy dog look?" Harry demanded.
"Oh, come on! The look that was on your face when we all got caught with the fireworks," Fred said. "Like butter wouldn't melt in your mouth. And did Sirius wallop you?"
"Well, no," Harry admitted. "But I wasn't trying to manipulate him, I swear."
"Hey, we get it," George said. "It's all survival. We can't get away with the innocent act, but you should definitely play it up while you can. After all, you've already got the drowned urchin, Oliver Twist look. Except … he eyed Harry appraisingly, "you dress much neater these days. We can't use that anymore. Did you bring any of your old clothes by any chance? If so, definitely wear them. That look's golden."
Harry was horrified but trying not to show it. He had no idea if they were kidding or not. It really didn't seem like they were. They were serious and not teasing or insulting Harry. He decided that since they had no idea the effect their words were having, he would do his best to laugh it off and end this conversation as quickly as he could.
"Uh, no, sorry, I don't," he said. "Snape got rid of all of those. Look, I'm really tired. Maybe we should go to bed?"
Hermione was exchanging worried glances with Ginny because she, at least, was aware of the effect the twins' words were having. She practically sprang up when Harry spoke and edged Fred and George out the door. Ginny turned to Harry with an apologetic frown.
"Sorry, Harry," she said. "They're just prats. Don't listen to them."
"It's okay," Harry said. "Really, it is. Just … whatever. It doesn't matter."
When Hermione tried to close the door, it was pushed back open. Harry looked up, expecting the twins to come back in. Instead, Ron stuck his head in.
"What are you doing in here?" he said with a frown.
"What do you mean, 'what am I doing in here'?" Harry asked. "It's my room. For now."
"Not you," Ron favored Harry with a glower. "You!" He pointed a shaky finger at Ginny.
"Excuse me? I am hanging out with my friends!" Ginny told him coolly.
"Oh, so he's your 'friend' now?" Ron spat, putting a particularly nasty vehemence on the word.
Just as Harry was ready to get up and start a right good fistfight with Ron, regardless of Snape's warnings of dire consequences for doing so, Ginny's claws came out. She rocketed across the room to her brother and slapped him across the face, hard. He landed against the doorjamb with a hard crack that reverberated around the room. Harry and Hermione froze, deciding to let the siblings duke it out.
"How. Dare. You?" she hissed. "Harry has been your friend since the train first year, supposedly, and yet you abandon him every chance you get, for no reason at all. As far as I can tell, you're mad now because Snape adopted him. That's all you talk about. So, Snape is a Slytherin. Big deal? He cares about Harry, and Harry cares about him. Harry needs him. If you knew one thing about being a friend, you would know that this is when you should be supporting him, not becoming jealous of him for getting a big house, another title, and more money. Harry doesn't care about those things. You know that! What does Harry care about? He finally has a father! That is what Harry cares about. He would give it all up for that."
Ron stood there, staring. He opened his mouth, looked at Hermione, and then closed it. For a minute, Harry thought he would say something—apologize, defend himself, or something. Yet, Ron said nothing. He just stood there and closed his mouth again.
"And another thing, Ronald Weasley," Ginny continued, apparently getting her second wind since Ron hadn't taken the opening. "You have NO right to tell me who to be friends with. I will be friends with whomever I damn well please and, incidentally, so will Harry! If he has any sense at all, he'll drop you like a tonne of rocks, but then, there's no accounting for taste. Now. Get. Out!"
Ron didn't need telling twice. He scrambled for the door like there was a dragon on his arse. Harry couldn't help but grin at the scene, which reminded Harry, again, not to take Ginny for granted—or get her angry. The girl could definitely take care of herself.
