Chapter Nine: Keeper of the Keys

Friday morning brought an end to the reprieve from morning classes; after Forms the Slytherins would be headed off to Herbology with the Ravenclaws once more, and the Gryffindors would go to History of Magic with the Hufflepuffs. Then the two sets would swap places for second period. After break would be the first Potions lesson for the Gryffindors and Slytherins, Horatio had learned from Hannah and Susan that the Hufflepuffs would have their Potions lesson after lunch with the Ravenclaws. The best part about the whole schedule was no Defense Against the Dark Arts for either him or Horatio, so they would both be free after lunch.

The post owls arrived in the Great Hall as usual and Hedwig landed gracefully between the marmalade and the sugar bowl. She appeared faithfully every morning with the other post owls even though there were no messages to deliver. She would greet him and have a nibble of something from his plate before flying back to the Owlery to sleep with the other post owls. Harry reached out to stroke her back in greeting, and realized there was a scroll tied to her leg. He freed it and smoothed the parchment on the table, reading the untidy scrawl.

DEAR HARRY,

I KNOW YOU GET FRIDAY AFTERNOONS OFF. WANT TO COME AND HAVE A CUP OF TEA WITH ME AROUND THREE?

HAGRID

He asked Hermione to borrow a quill and responded on the back.

Thanks for the invite. I'm looking forward to it, see you later.

Harry

He met Hedwig's amber eyes "Can you take this back to Hagrid for me?" She blinked, taking the scroll in her beak, and took flight again. He smiled watching her fly across the sunny Great Hall.

Then he remembered that Hagrid had originally invited Ron to come along. Scanning the Slytherin table, he spotted Ron sitting with himself and Draco. He told his friends, "I'll be right back." Harry crossed to the opposite side of the hall. A few students looked up as he walked along the gap between the Slytherin and Ravenclaw tables, but he paid them no mind. He came level with Ron and the others and said, "Hey Ron?"

The redhead swallowed the bite of fried egg he had just taken, "Hey Harry, I didn't expect to see you here."

Draco turned to Horatio and said, "Second inter-house visit in two days. You and Weasley are popular."

Horatio adjusted his glasses and said, "We do have class with the Gryffindors today. It is possible that Potter wants to talk to him about that."

Harry shook his head, "No actually, I was invited to go to tea with Hagrid this afternoon, and when the offer was first made Ron was invited too."

"Oh yeah," Ron chewed his lip. "Do you think Hagrid still wants me to come?"

Harry shrugged, "He didn't say otherwise, so I'm assuming nothing has changed."

Ron still looked unsure, "Alright, what time did he want us to come?"

"Around three this afternoon." Harry waved farewell to the Slytherin first years as he headed back along the isle, "See you all later."

"Making friends in Slytherin?" Craig asked as Harry sat back down at the Gryffindor table.

Harry refilled his goblet of pumpkin juice as he explained, "We met on the train and are keeping up our friendship."

Craig chuckled, "I wish you luck on that when the Quidditch season starts. The rivalry between our two houses is incredible."

Harry took a sip of his juice, "I think we'll manage somehow."

"I admire your confidence, Harry." Craig scanned the table, "Before I forget the first year Gryffindors will be in Classroom One for Forms from now on. It's the first door to the right of the marble staircase." He walked down the table telling the rest of Harry's classmates.

Binns droned on with his lecture in History of Magic, oblivious to the inattentiveness of his students. Harry managed to stay awake because he was excited for his first potions lesson—granted it was a class he would have with Horatio which typically complicated things—but it was also a class taught by his godfather. Furthermore, it was a subject he wanted to prove he was good at. Harry had not forgotten their conversation while flying back from the shack Vernon had drug them all to; he could remember the sea spray falling away from his glasses and being wrapped in the warmth of Severus heavy cloak. They had talked of Quidditch and of Harry being like his father. Severus sounded hopeful that Harry would be like his mother with potions. Harry compared potion brewing to cooking and mentioned helping Aunt Petunia in the kitchen. He did not admit the full truth; that he had been doing most of the cooking and other chores for years.

When the lesson ended Hermione turned to him, "I'm trying to decide if I'm glad you managed to stay awake, or cross that you didn't at least take your own notes."

"I'm sorry," and he really did mean it. She had been sharing her History of Magic notes all week, and he had copied them down dutifully in the common room on Monday and Tuesday night, but he simply could not stay awake through the doldrums of Binns lectures.

"Harry, it's alright." She smiled exposing her prominent front teeth. "I could tell your mind was elsewhere, and it was a happy place."

Harry blinked in surprise, "You could? You can't read minds by any chance?" He was only half joking as they headed to the door.

"No don't be silly, I saw you smile." She continued thoughtfully, "There is a branch of magic that deals with reading the mind, and another one that counters it, but both are highly advanced and natural practitioners of the two are rare."

He knew about legilimency and occlumency from his lessons over the summer of course, but he knew that Harry Potter the boy who was raised by the thoroughly mundane Dursleys would not have this knowledge. He asked, "So someone can just hear what I'm thinking if they're trained in this mindreading stuff?"

"It's called legilimency," she shook her head, "and it's not as simple as that. You must have eye-contact with the subject for one thing, and you can only see what he or she is thinking at the time unless you delve deeper into their mind. That's where occlumency comes in; you can learn to defend your mind from that kind of intrusion"

Neville weighed into the conversation, "I bet Gran knows how to do it. She always knows what's going on in my head."

"Nah," Seamus' sandy hair fell into his eyes as he shook his head. "That's mother's intuition that is. It doesn't matter if it's your mother or your grandmother, or even an aunt. If you're doing something, you're not supposed to they'll know. They always know." He moved ahead to catch up to Dean whose longer stride had carried him a bit ahead of the group.

Harry thought back to all the times Aunt Petunia seemed to know he had done magic even before he handed her the notes from school. He remembered one occasion when he had turned his teacher's wig blue somehow, she had taken one look at his face, and stuck her hand out for the note. Scanning it with her beady eyes, she sent him to his cupboard before Vernon had gotten home. That evening Vernon shouted at Harry through the locked door and told him he could stay there—except for school—until further notice. Harry came back to himself in time to see Hermione and Neville exchange a concerned glance.

Ever since they shared a compartment on the Hogwarts Express, Hermione and Neville had been looking out for him in their quiet way. They had even hung back from entering the castle while Hagrid spoke to him and Ron. Then he thought of his invitation to take tea with Hagrid that afternoon and decided that if he could cross the Great Hall to extend it to Ron, he would do the same for the two of them. Glancing around he noticed that Theo was hanging back a few paces behind the group. His head was down, and it struck Harry that the "mother's intuition" remark might not have set right with him either. Harry stopped walking to allow the sullen boy to catch them up and his two friends looked at him quizzically.

"Would you three like to come to tea this afternoon? Hagrid invited me and Ron the first night to visit him sometime, and he wrote me this morning asking me to come to tea."

"If you and Ron were the only ones invited, I wouldn't want to intrude…" Hermione frowned.

Harry shook his head, "it didn't say we had to come alone. I invited Ron and now I'm inviting you three."

"If you're sure Hagrid won't mind? I mean he seems like he could be really scary if he were angry." Neville shuddered at the thought.

Harry shrugged, "He seems like he's just lonely. I bet he'll be happy for the extra company."

Theo lifted his head though he did not meet Harry's gaze, "Granger and Longbottom I get, but why are you inviting me?"

"Because you're one of us; like Neville you were raised by an older caregiver, like me your childhood was…" Harry faltered for a moment searching for a word that wouldn't cause offense, "less than ideal."

"And what about me?" Hermione asked, "How do I fit into your misfits theory?"

Harry answered gently, "You're an only child and you said yourself that you didn't have many friends growing up." Surveying his three classmates he asked, "So will you all come?"

Neville nodded, "I accept your invitation."

"I'll come," Hermione gave him a one-armed hug but disengaged before Harry could become uncomfortable, "and thanks for including me Harry."

The three of them looked at Theo, who averted his gaze and nodded, "I'll be there."

Harry started walking again, "Good, it's at three o'clock this afternoon, so we can meet in the Entrance Hall at a quarter till."

The tardy bell rang and the three of them raced downstairs toward Greenhouse One. When they arrived, Professor Sprout muttered something about telling Cedric Diggory to resume escorting the first years to class the following week. Then she set the four of them to work at the same tray. Harry followed the motions of tending the plants just as he would in the garden of 4 Private Drive. Unknowingly Aunt Petunia had prepared him well for one of his Hogwarts classes. They were repotting honking daffodils today which made for a noisy task but gave the four students a chance to discuss their upcoming potions lesson. All of them had vastly different concerns for their next class.

Hermione gently smoothed the soil around the base of her first repotted plant, "For me it is a question of completely rethinking the properties of many herbs and plants. Things I grew up knowing were poisonous are essential in potion brewing."

"Really, like what?" Harry asked

Hermione had an answer ready, "Aconite," she winced as the next flower honked loudly in protest as she removed it from the smaller pot. "A woman in West London killed her former lover with it and tried to kill his new fiancée."

Harry remembered the so called "Curry Killer" and how the case had sparked many antiimmigration discussions between Vernon and Petunia. He asked, "So what is it used for in potions?" Harry had read through his books extensively in the month he stayed at Malfoy Manor, and brushed up on both Magical Drafts and Potions, and One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi the night before. He could not possibly remember everything both volumes contained.

Theo cut in, "It's known as monk's hood, but more commonly by the name Wolfsbane, and it is the key ingredient in a recently developed potion that helps werewolves keep their minds on the full moon."

"Wow, how do you two know all this stuff?" Neville asked as he set aside his fourth rehomed daffodil.

"I read about them," they said together.

Harry shook his head with a bemused smile, "I read too, but you both have an uncanny way of remembering what you read."

"Well I don't," Neville filled another pot with dark compost, "and that's what I'm afraid of. I'm going to drop something or spill something, or worse forget a step in the brewing process and ruin things."

Harry gestured to the nearly finished trey of seedlings, "This has steps too and you do alright."

Neville sighed, "Yes but these make sense, one follows the other in a simple order."

Hermione suggested, "Then take each brewing step the same way. Focus on the task at hand before you move on to the next phase."

"It's like following a recipe," Harry explained, "you prepare ingredients, then combine them in a particular order, heat them for a specified amount of time and the result is a meal."

Neville cringed, "Don't tell me it's like cooking. The few times I was allowed in the kitchen to help… went very badly."

Professor Sprout came by their workstation at that moment, "Less chatter you four and more work. These flowers won't repot themselves you know." She surveyed the work they had been doing and smiled, "You all are doing good work so far, but try to remain on task."

"Yes Professor," the four coursed and contritely resumed their work without speaking for a time. They were still done before many of their classmates and resumed their conversation.

"Longbottom, I agree with Potter." Theo brushed soil from his robes. "Your best bet is to take things one step at a time."

"I'll do my best," Neville sulked. "Do you think Professor Snape is as bad as some of the stories say?"

Theo shrugged his thin shoulders, "I've known Master Snape almost my whole life. He and my father run in the same social circles. I've never seen him as a teacher, but he can be… mercurial. Yes, that is the word, brilliant and witty, but also volatile and unpredictable at times."

"Didn't he bring your Hogwarts letter and explain things to you and your Aunt and Uncle?" Hermione asked Harry.

He thought back to that night and the word "explain" was not exactly how he would have put it. Harry nodded to Hermione, "He was fair, he answered all my questions, and gave me a balanced assessment of the four houses. He even explained why we need pewter cauldrons, and why cauldron thickness is such an important but overlooked issue." Harry focused on Neville, "I think he takes his subject very seriously, especially student safety. So, my advice is if you're not sure about something ask before you do it."

Theo snorted, "Master Snape might be an acerbic arse if he's in a foul mood, but Potter has the measure of him."

Harry normally would have turned back during break, but today he was too eager for the next lesson. He told himself that he would go through classes, and perhaps even tea with Hagrid before turning back. The bell rang through the courtyard to signal the end of morning break and the Gryffindor first years headed down to the dungeons. As their eyes adjusted to the torchlight the students glanced about for some sign or indication of where they should go next. Footsteps approached and a slight figure came into view with black spikey hair, and a prefect badge above her Slytherin coat of arms. The first year Slytherins were following in her wake.

Gemma Farley waved to the young Gryffindors, "Hello there, little cubs. Some of your year-mates have convinced me to be your guide as well this morning."

"Cubs again," Seamus groused, "why are the other houses always calling us that?"

Gemma pursed her lips thoughtfully, "Think of it as a term of endearment. You and the Hufflepuffs are both cubs, these are our wee snakes, though sometimes they are also called hatchlings, and the Ravenclaws are hatchlings, or fledglings." She smirked before continuing, "It could be worse you know."

"How is that?" Seamus asked.

Her hazel eyes danced with amusement, "We could always call you kittens."

Seamus wrinkled his nose in distaste, "I like cubs better if you must call us one of them." Some of the Slytherins laughed and even a few of the Gryffindors chuckled.

"Good," Gemma twirled on her heel and beckoned for the first years to follow. As they fell into step behind her she explained, "Now I'm going to take you to Dungeon Five. You all are going to take your seats and behave yourselves while Master Snape is not there. I won't spoil it for you, but he gives this greeting to each of his new first-year classes. He doesn't bandy idle words either; so remember what he says, and if you can't remember write it down."

Harry glanced around the quiet dungeon; the walls were lined with creatures preserved in bright liquid. A large blackboard stretched across the wall behind the teacher's desk. Groups of scrubbed wooden tables were spaced around the room and black marks discolored the stone from centuries of magical fires. Water poured from the mouth of a stone gargoyle into a long stone basin for washing at the back of the room. He was sitting beside Hermione opposite Neville and Theo at the same scarred table.

The door to the dungeon opened and two figures stepped inside; Draco and Horatio headed to the only unoccupied seats near the teacher's desk; they sat across from Daphne and Tracy. Harry was surprised to see them so nearly late to class and wondered if he caused it by waiting to use the Time-Turner. A quick glance told him that Ron was sitting with Crabbe, Goyle, and Selwyn. He could not believe he had not realized they were missing before but supposed he had trained himself not to look for them.

A brisk set of footsteps in the corridor was followed by the classroom door being flung open. Severus swept up to the front of the room and retrieved a scroll that presumably held the class roster, "I have counted twenty-two students sitting here and there are the same number of names on this list. I think we shall assume you all are accounted for and begin our lesson." He replaced the parchment on his desk and addressed the class, his rich voice filling the quiet dungeon though he spoke in hardly more than a whisper.

"You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion-making. As there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses… I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death — if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach."

Silence filled the dungeon after his speech though Harry did not know if it was because his classmates were impressed or intimidated. Hermione was sitting on the edge of her seat intent to prove she was not a dunderhead, a sentiment that Harry shared though secretly. Across the table Theo shrugged as if to say, Yep, that's Master Snape for you. Neville gulped nervously and rested his quill back in his ink pot. He had taken Gemma's suggestion to heart and written down their professor's words.

Severus resumed speaking, "I need to ask you all some questions to assess your general knowledge of brewing—and for those from muggle backgrounds—how well you have read the material to this point." There was an isle that split the classroom from Snape's desk to the wash basin. He strode down it, his eyes flitting from face to face in case a student had the answer he sought. "Who can tell me what I would get; if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?" Hermione instantly raised her hand and he nodded to her, "Yes Miss?"

"Granger, sir." Hermione explained, "Powdered root of asphodel and an infusion of wormwood gives you Draft of Living Death, the most powerful sleeping potion known to wizard kind."

"Correct Miss Granger," Severus nodded and turned away from their table, "Five points to Gryffindor for a correct answer." Hermione glowed with pride.

Harry lent toward her, "Remember what we talked about. You don't need to prove anything to anyone. Besides, you just got five points from the Head of Slytherin house and you're in Gryffindor."

She nodded, folding her hands on the desk to stop herself from raising them. "I'll only answer if no one else does."

"Next question," Snape continued, "Where would I go to find a bezoar?"

Near Snape's desk a hand raised, it was Daphne Greengrass. Snape nodded to her and she spoke, "It is a stone taken from the stomach of a goat, it is the basis for most antidotes, but in a pinch you can use it alone to save someone from poison."

Severus noticed some of his Slytherins surreptitiously checking their books, but the last question had been given without the aid of the text, "Very good Miss Greengrass, five points to Slytherin." Both houses had now been awarded five points, and the natural competitiveness in the two groups ensured he had the entire class' attention. "Who can tell me the difference between Monk's Hood and Wolfsbane?"

Harry looked across at the other two boys, Neville was already nudging Theo to answer. Theo shrugged, "All three of you know the answer."

"Yes, but you told us, so you knew it first." Neville reasoned.

"Oh alright," Theo thrust his hand in the air.

"Mr. Nott," Severus gestured for him to continue.

"Monk's Hood and Wolfsbane are two common names for the plant Aconite; which in some applications can be poisonous, but is also an essential ingredient to the so named Wolfsbane potion; that helps werewolves keep their minds during the full moon."

"So, they say," Selwyn scoffed, "but I still wouldn't invite one to dinner." Several of their classmates tittered, taking Dominic's words as a witty joke.

"it is quite true," Snape faced the table where Ron and the others were sitting. "Damocles Belby is a dedicated researcher. I have read his published works on the potion in The Practical Potioneer, and Brewer's Digest. The lycanthrope's features remain wolfish, but their mind remains their own. It is a significant step forward in preventing some werewolves from attacking magical people and muggles alike and should in future make the lives of those who suffer with the condition more bearable. However, at present it is not cheaply nor easily made and in our current political climate quite unattainable for those who might benefit from it."

"I'm sorry, sir." Dominic tried to suppress the revulsion in his voice. "I still don't trust it."

He nodded, "You are entitled to your opinion Selwyn." He returned to the front of the room, "In fact I encourage each of you to think for yourselves. A potion maker can be good if he or she follows brewing instructions with precision and accuracy, but the ability to find a better way to prepare an ingredient; to add, remove or substitute one for a desired effect, or to mitigate an unpleasant interaction is the mark of a true potions master. That will be five more points to Gryffindor for Mr. Nott's thorough answer, and five to Slytherin for Mr. Selwyn's thought-provoking comment."

A surprised murmur swept the classroom for the last assignment of house points. Severus continued as though he noticed nothing, "Now, I have the instructions for a simple cure for boils." He drew his wand from the pocket of his robes, and the words appeared on the blackboard as though he had just written them. "You will be working in pairs, and the brewing will require most of the time remaining to us. Do not be hasty and read each line of the instructions with care. Pay close attention to the final step; if handled badly this potion can lead to unpleasantness for yourself and your nearby classmates." He pointed his wand again and a cupboard near the front of the room sprang open, "If any of you require ingredients they are there, and I trust that Professor Flitwick has taught you the basics of the Incendio charm and its attendant dangers. I have burn paste on my person in case of emergency but would prefer not to need it."

There was a flurry of motion as the class gathered their supplies. Most took their ingredients from the ones that had been provided, but a few had brought their entire potions kits in preparation for the lesson. Harry overheard Lavender Brown say, "I didn't expect we'd be brewing the first day." Apparently, she and Parvati were borrowing Dean Thomas' cauldron and he was working with Seamus at the same table. Hermione went to gather the ingredients while Harry began preparing the cauldron. He said, "Incendio" lighting a fire beneath it. He had already filled it halfway with water per the first line of the instructions. When Hermione returned, they divided up the tasks. He crushed the snake fangs and stewed the horned slugs while she weighed the dried nettles and counted out the required number of porcupine quills. He held out a hand to stop her from adding them.

"Wait, let me take it off the fire first." He nodded to the writing on the board visible through the steam rising from eleven cauldrons.

She reread the last line and gasped pulling her hand back, "That could have been a disaster."

Suddenly there was a hissing sound and clouds of acid green smoke filled the dungeon. It seemed to be coming from the Slytherin side of the classroom. He and Neville exchanged worried looks and Harry squinted for a sight of Ron or Draco. Theo was likewise trying to peer through the smoke for a sign of his friends. A foul-smelling liquid seeped across the floor, and in no time at all half the class were standing on their stools. Severus waved away the spilled potion and roiling smoke with two waves of his wand. Now Harry could see; one of the cauldrons at Ron's table had been reduced to a twisted heap of metal. Ron appeared to be mostly unharmed, but his robes were burned through in several places and the edges were smoking. He was supporting either Crabbe or Goyle—Harry could not tell which because of the angry red boils that were erupting all over the exposed skin—the large boy had been drenched in the potion.

Snape took one look at him, "I suppose you didn't take the cauldron off the fire before adding the porcupine quills." He sighed noting the boy's obvious discomfort, "We will speak of this later, for now Hospital Wing Goyle. Go with him Weasley and have Madame Pomfrey see to your injuries as well." He addressed the rest of the class, "Those of you who have been exposed, come up to my desk for treatment." Several people limped up to Snape's desk, the spilled potion had eaten holes in their shoes.

Harry was shaken after the events of the first potions lesson, and he could not understand why he had not done more to stop it from happening. Throughout lunch he wondered where Horatio and Draco had been before class, when he could have been warning Ron and Greg to be more careful. He breathed a sigh of relief when Ron appeared halfway through the meal. He was wearing another set of robes but physically looked normal. As if he could sense Harry's thoughts on him, Ron turned and headed toward the Gryffindor table.

George intercepted his younger brother, wrapping an arm around Ron's shoulders, "Not lost are you, Ronnie?"

"Yeah," Fred chortled, "the table you want is way on the other side of the hall."

"Ha ha," Ron shrugged out of George's hold, but Harry caught the grin he tried to hide. "I'm just here to ask Harry a question."

"Mister Harry Potter is very busy," George mimed opening a book in his hands. "Let me see if you have an appointment." He stage-whispered, "Fred ask Harry if Ron has a reason to be here."

Fred turned to him with quizzically arched eyebrows, and Harry shrugged, "No one needs an appointment to come speak to me."

Sensing that now was not the time for jokes, the twins cut the theatrics. Fred grinned, "Alright, alright, we were just teasing."

"Good to see you Ron." George cuffed his brother on the back of the head and made to walk away, but turned back, "I do have a question for you little brother."

"What's that?" Ron asked.

"What did Snape say to Percy on Monday morning?"

Ron blinked in surprise, "Do you know how much has happened since then?" He shook his head, "Percy came along and told me Dad was coming to Hogwarts, and I was supposed to meet him in the Entrance Hall. I knew that already because Mum wrote me a letter too saying the same thing. Then our sixth year girl prefect comes up and accused Percy of running to Mum with my sorting. He got all puffed up and started in on her, when Professor Snape turns up and asks if there's a problem."

"Oh, I heard that girl can be nasty when you cross her." Fred said darkly.

Ron shrugged, "Gemma is pretty cool. That day she and Percy both tried to tell Snape what was going on, and he told her not to antagonize other students, then she went back to handing out the timetables. When Snape was done talking to Gemma, he told Percy that he was dismissed. What really set Percy off though, was when Snape threatened to tell Professor Flitwick that Percy wasn't doing his job as a prefect or something. You know how Percy is, he tried to save face and then he left."

"Nice when the old bat of the dungeons is on your side eh?" George asked.

Fred nodded, "He's always had a soft spot for his own house over the other three." He grinned, "but as it's Percy, who cares."

Ron shook his head, "He seemed pretty fair in class to me. He even gave Gryffindor and Slytherin each ten points when Hermione, Nott, and Daphne answered his questions."

"I know math might not be your best subject," George pointed out, "but that's only fifteen points and Gryffindor comes out ahead by five."

"He gave Selwyn points for… what was it?" Ron's brow creased as he tried to remember.

"For starting a thought-provoking line of discussion," Hermione recited.

"Well," Fred shrugged, "seems like he was just trying to keep the scales even to me, but still he gave Gryffindor points, so that should count for something."

"And we'll have to send him that Christmas card if he manages to make Percy explode in future." George concluded.

The twins took their leave and Ron shook his head, "Those two…"

"So, you wanted to ask me something?" Harry prompted.

"Oh yeah, sorry mate. I was wondering where to meet you to go to tea?"

Hermione answered, "We're meeting in the Entrance Hall at a quarter until three."

"So, you're coming as well?" Ron asked.

"Yes, Harry invited us; me, Neville, and Theo."

Ron checked his watch, "Alright, see you all then. I'm going to go get lunch before somebody else thinks I'm lost." He waved and headed back toward the Slytherin table.

After lunch Harry had an hour to decide what he would do next. He longed to talk it over with Uncle Sev or Draco, but the former was teaching, and it would seem odd for Harry to seek out the blond Slytherin. His restless feet carried him to the Owlery. Harry was so grateful for the tour his godfather had arranged with the other three heads of house earlier in the week. He entered the drafty tower with its glassless windows. The hay-covered floor was strewn with pellets, and high above wings rustled and here and there a round-pupiled eye peered down at him. Hedwig immediately glided down to perch on his shoulder where her weight was a welcome comfort. An owl hooted above him, Harry glanced up to see a familiar pair of fiery orange eyes before Pollux put his head beneath his wing, but he was sure the owl was only pretending to sleep. Harry settled against the stone wall peering down at the grounds far below. Near the edge of the forest he could see a large hut that he guessed was Hagrid's home.

On the one hand he desperately wanted to try to prevent what had happened with Goyle and Ron's potion, but everything he had experienced with the Time Turner so far told him it would happen no matter what he did. On the other he really was looking forward to tea with his friends and getting to know the gentle giant who had nearly come to get him from the Dursleys. So, he decided to wait out the day, choosing instead to limit his number of trips back in time. He would turn back after dinner and Horatio would start his day.

At half past two Harry said goodbye to Hedwig and headed down to the Entrance Hall. When he arrived, Ron was already waiting but Harry's housemates had not arrived. The redhead waved in greeting as Harry descended the marble staircase to join him.

"Hey Ron," Harry greeted, "I meant to say earlier, but I'm glad you're alright after potions."

"I'm more worried about the state of my robes at this point. It hurt a lot when it happened, but Madame Pomfrey healed me in about a second. It was a bit trickier with Greg though cause he got it in the face." Ron cringed at the memory, "She's keeping him overnight to make sure he's all patched up." They both looked up at the sound of footsteps and waved as Hermione, Neville, and Theo came into view.

"Sorry we're late." Neville said, "we were actually waiting for you, Harry."

"Really?" Harry furrowed his brow.

Hermione nodded, "You usually take a nap after DADA, so we thought you'd be in the dormitory."

"I checked about five minutes ago, and we realized you weren't there." Neville pointed to the stairs behind him. "Then we had all those staircases to climb down."

Ron raised his eyebrows, "Where is Gryffindor anyway, my brothers always said it was a tower but not where."

"The seventh floor," The four Gryffindors said together.

"Blimey sometimes I'm glad to be in Slytherin." Ron pointed to the staircase that lead down to the dungeons. "We're just down there."

Harry checked his watch and saw it was five minutes until three o'clock. "I don't think we'll be late. I saw Hagrid's hut from the Owlery window, and it's not that far."

As the five students headed outside Hermione asked, "Oh were you sending a letter?"

Harry snorted, "Who would I be writing to? I was just spending time with Hedwig. We spent a lot of time together while I was with my relatives and I wanted to check on her."

When they arrived at Hagrid's hut Harry knocked on the door. The other four were ranged nervously around him since they were not quite sure they were invited. Several booming barks answered, and heavy paws scrabbled against the wooden door. Hagrid's voice could be heard from within, "Back Fang, back!" When the door opened, he was holding tight to the collar of a massive black boarhound. His bushy eyebrows raised in surprise at the number of students on his doorstep, but he chuckled and beckoned them all inside, "I'm going to have to get more cups from the dresser." When he let go of the dog's collar Fang bounded forward making Neville shy away and started licking Ron's ears.

A sturdy wooden table and chairs dominated the center of the one room hut, and a vast bed with a patchwork quilt lined one wall with a basket for Fang in the corner. Other similarly proportioned furnishings lined the walls and there was a massive fireplace with a merrily crackling fire, above which a large copper kettle was boiling. Hams and pheasants hung from the rafters along with bundles of dried plants, and a skein of what looked like unicorn tail hair. The five students took up places around the table and Hagrid returned from the dresser with several odd chipped mugs.

Harry began the introductions pointing to each of his friends in turn, "You already met Ron, these are my friends Hermione Granger, Neville Longbottom, and Theo Nott."

"Pleased to meet you all." Hagrid's eyes crinkled at the corners as he smiled. "I don't think I've had these many guests at my house before."

"Sorry I—" Harry began.

"Don't apologize," Hagrid began piling homemade rock cakes on a plate. "I wasn't complaining about it." He added tea leaves to each of their cups before retrieving the kettle from the fire and pouring boiling water into each. "So how was your first week at Hogwarts?"

They took turns telling him their accounts of the week. Ron spoke of Flint's offer for him to join the Quidditch team next year, and about the run in with Filch he had with his housemates Horatio and Draco. Hermione talked about how interesting the lessons had been, and about her friendships with Esme Vane and Izzy MacDougall. Neville spoke of how much he enjoyed Herbology and Charms and how he was having trouble with his toad Trevor staying in one place. Theo even supplied an anecdote about Peeves accosting the first years on their way up to bed that first night.

They all laughed when Hagrid called Filch, "That old git, and as for that cat Mrs. Norris, I'd like to introduce her to Fang sometime."

Hermione looked horrified, "Oh Hagrid you can't."

"No, I was only joking." He gently patted Hermione's hand with his own. "I'd never sick Fang on another animal, even if I can't stand her." He offered another round of rock cakes as he explained, "I'm allergic to cats, and I've told Filch this about an hundred times, but he still has her follow me whenever I go up to school."

"That's awful Hagrid," Hermione commiserated with him, but tried to defend the cat, "but Mrs. Norris doesn't understand you're allergic."

Hagrid grumbled, "Suppose not, but Filch puts her up to it."

Ron put down his mug, "I dunno Hermione, that is one smart cat. She took one look at me and shot off like her tail was on fire."

"She went to get Filch, didn't she?" Neville asked. "I've seen her do that before."

Ron shook his head, "Me too, but this was different. She sort of hiss growled at me, but before that she was staring down Draco and Horatio. I don't think she had made up her mind to go for Filch yet. Besides none of us were doing anything wrong. Draco thought it was because I smell or look like my brothers"

Theo looked up at the mention of his friends, "Its possible." He nodded toward Hermione, "Weren't you saying that cats can tell a lot about people by their smell?" Hermione nodded.

"I wouldn't worry about it too much, Ron." Hagrid patted the boy on the shoulder so forcefully that he almost went face first into the table. "Now, about that toad of yours Neville…"

Harry, searching for something to talk about that had not already been discussed spied a news clipping on the table. He began to read while Hagrid made suggestions to Neville about caring for Trevor. The article was about the break in at Gringotts the others had mentioned on the train. Apparently, the vault in question had already been emptied that same day. Harry flashed back to his meeting with the goblins and Severus discretely tucking a small package into his black robes. He wondered if that had anything to do with the article he was now reading. "Hagrid, would you mind if I kept this clipping?"

"Sure," he scratched his shaggy head. "Don't remember cutting it out to be honest."

Harry folded the scrap of newsprint and tucked it away in his robes. Something hit his leg under the table, and he glanced down to see that it was Fang's tail; the dog had settled his head in Theo's lap and the boy was playing with his floppy ears. Harry smiled to himself glad he had brought Theo along. Ron was now telling Hagrid about Charlie's work with dragons in Romania, and Harry was content to sip his tea and munch on a rock cake. They were shapeless lumps but soft in the middle and the chewy raisins were bursts of flavor.

"Hagrid, is there cinnamon in these?" Harry asked.

His dark eyes beamed with pride, "Yep, ground it me self this morning." He pointed to an enormous mortar and pestle sitting on the dresser.

Harry grinned at the giant, "They're really good, Hagrid."

"What was that news clipping about?" Hermione asked, Harry had noticed her eyeing it curiously across the table.

"The break in at Gringotts on my birthday. They said the vault was emptied that same day, but they didn't say what was in there."

"I should ruddy well think not." Hagrid grumbled, "The Prophet has more chance of reporting that Dumbledore became Minister of Magic than finding out what's in one of them vaults. Clever as they come goblins but never expect a straight answer from one." He sat back in his chair, "Mind you there's no better place to keep something safe, except perhaps Hogwarts."

Theo's hands stopped stroking Fang's head, "Are you saying that whatever was in that vault is here at Hogwarts?"

"No, I'm just saying cause its true…" but Harry noticed that he did not quite meet their eyes when he said this.

When they all left an hour had passed, the kettle was depleted, and they loaded their pockets with the last of the rock cakes. Harry's head was buzzing with questions about what had been in that package, and he needed to turn back to relive the day. The Gryffindors said goodbye to Ron in the Entrance Hall and headed back up to the common room together. Neville was going to write his grandmother about a terrarium with a heating charm for Trevor. Hermione planned to spend time with Esme and Izzy. Theo shrugged and muttered something about getting a start on McGonagall's homework. When he realized Theo would be on his own Harry offered to join him in the library.

"Sure," Theo glanced down at his robes. "Just give me a few to change. I'm covered in dog hair and drool." He headed for the door to the boy's dormitories.

"I'll meet you in the library," Harry shifted on his feet as if he were uncomfortable. "I had a lot of tea, and well…" he trailed off letting Theo assume the rest.

Theo made a shooing motion with his hand, "Go on then."

When Harry arrived in the disused bathroom on the sixth floor, he checked that there were no other occupants. Then he changed his robes in a stall and took a precious sip of the wakefulness potion Severus had given him. Energy zipped through him, but he knew after this he would need a good night sleep. Then he checked his watch which read 4:15pm. Harry switched his watch from one wrist to another, changing its appearance and his glasses with two taps of his holly wand. Then he drew the hawthorn wand from the mokeskin pouch and felt the thrum of magic flow through his body. Horatio Prince placed the Time-Turner around his neck and prepared to turn back time, drawing in a breath to call Woody to his side.

A/N: Hello readers, I hope I did not disappoint with Severus return to the scene, and that you all enjoyed the first potions lesson. You all may be wondering why Harry/Horatio didn't answer any of Severus questions, but they are trying to remain under the radar in lessons until Harry works out which of his persona's will be better at a shared subject than the other. Next chapter will be a look at Horatio's Friday, including an answer to the mystery of his and Draco's lateness to Potions class. I will also include Harry doing his homework with Theo in the library and reaching out to the quiet bookish boy. I may even show Goyle returning Saturday morning from the Hospital Wing, and how our young Slytherins are taking the incident.

Disclaimer: The characters, settings, and recognizable plots are the property of J.K. Rowling and all others who have the happy power of claiming the Harry Potter series and expanded Wizarding World. I do not claim any rights or profit from this work of fanfiction. it is for entertainment and exploring an alternate course of events.

Update 9/28/20:I have been suffering from a major case of writer's block for the past couple weeks. If I try to force myself to write I am not happy with the result, so I delete it and must start over. I made some progress today, but the chapter will not be ready by tomorrow. I will try to be ready to publish next Tuesday, and I'll keep you all posted if anything changes.