Chapter Fifty-eight

"You're kidding!"

Harry, his mouth slightly parted, looked at Nathaniel in surprise. The older boy had casually come up to Harry, as if it were nothing, and had informed him that Severus wanted Harry out of the house for a while.

"Does this face look like its kidding?" Nathaniel said in all seriousness. He was right, though. Harry studied his friends face for any sign of telling a lie, but he didn't find one single trace. Nathaniel was serious.

"Why—why does he want me out of the house?" Harry finally asked. "Am I bothering him?" Harry was on his bed, his back was leaning against the headboard. He tried to grasp firmly onto what Nathaniel was telling him, but he didn't seem able to. Why did Severus want Harry out of the house? And for how long?

"I don't think you're bothering him," Nathaniel replied, looking thoughtful. "He's just really busy with something and asked me if I could take you out and entertain you. Well, he didn't say 'entertain', but that's the impression I got. Snapey just needs to do something that is very imperative."

"I'd understand better if I knew what 'imperative' meant," Harry said in annoyance. Why did Nathaniel have to use words that he didn't understand? Couldn't he just say what he meant in a smaller, understandable word? "I just don't see why I have to leave! It sounds to me like he thinks I'm …"

"A nuisance?" Nathaniel offered, but after he saw Harry's look, he pinched his lips together tightly from saying anything else. Then, he released his lips and said, "Sorry, I was trying to be helpful. Anyway, he doesn't think you're a nuisance, he just has something important to take care of. It's … due today."

Harry raised his eyebrows. "Due? What do you mean by 'due'? Wait … do you know why Severus wants me out of the house?" Seeing Nathaniel's expression, Harry's eyes widened. "You do! Nathaniel—please—why does he want me to leave?"

"Oh, don't be so dramatic!" Nathaniel exclaimed, frowning. "It's not forever, Harry. This is important, and you can't be around while he's doing this. But, really, you'll see after. Don't get so worked up about it."

Harry scowled. "I'm not."

"Listen," Nathaniel said, more gently than before. He stood up from the chair he was sitting in and extended his hand to help Harry up. "Let's just go. You'll see later on, believe me. I wouldn't lie to you, not unless it was completely necessary. And in this case, it is."

Harry eyed Nathaniel's extended hand warily before accepting it, then he got off the bed and followed Nathaniel out the door, still wondering what was going on, and why Severus wanted him out of the house. He hoped that it wasn't because he was a nuisance and was getting on the Potions Masters' nerves.

"Shouldn't we tell Severus where we're going?" Harry asked as Nathaniel led him out the door. Nathaniel laughed and shook his head. Harry stopped to close the door behind him, but then continued on down the driveway.

"He doesn't need to be bothered. Besides, as long as I've completed my mission successfully, everything will work as planned," Nathaniel said happily, a smile gracing his face. He quickly cast a glance at Harry, hoping that what he just said wasn't too obvious.

"Your mission?" Harry repeated, a smile dancing on his lips before he laughed. "Nice choice of words. Can you please tell me what's going on? He's been acting weird lately. Ever since … oh, I don't know when it was … Well, he's been acting sort of …"

"Distant?" Nathaniel offered again. "He was just doing something—do I have to finish this sentence? You know what I'm going to say Harry, so I see no point in completing it. Would it make you feel better if I told you that it's about you?"

Harry looked up at Nathaniel and scowled, mumbling, "No, not really."

Nathaniel looked up ahead of him. "Maythers Park?" he looked down at Harry, who gave a nod of agreement, but otherwise kept silent, trying to figure out why Severus could possibly want him out of the house.

"How long has Snape been acting 'distant', did you say?" Nathaniel asked, his words laced with sincere curiosity.

"Er—" Harry paused, biting his lip in thought. "Uh … Oh, about maybe … Honestly? I don't know, but I think it was when you had lunch with Amaryllis that time."

Nathaniel raised his eyebrows, smiling. "And what time would that be?"

Harry laughed. "Good point. When the door got stuck when Severus and I were making a Potion. Did I tell you about that? I think I did."

Nathaniel nodded as they continued to saunter towards the park. "That was … twenty-two days ago. That's a pretty long time for being distant, especially because of … well, you know. Oh, wait, you don't know, do you?" Nathaniel gave his head a small shake, and offered Harry a smile. "Sorry. I'll drop it now. Let's find something else to talk about."

Harry grinned back, nodding. "Sure. But—" he paused, hesitantly. "Can you just tell me this? I'm not in trouble or anything, am I? It's not any like that, right? That's not why Severus, well, kicked me out of the house?"

Nathaniel laughed, noticing that the park was getting closer. "What do you think, Harry? Do you think that you're in trouble, and that Snape kicked you out of the house for a bit of today because you're constantly annoying him?"

When Nathaniel caught Harry's eye, Harry saw that they were brimming with amusement. Harry looked down at the ground as they walked in embarrassment.

"No. I think … I think that Severus has a good reason for doing this, and I'll do what he asks without question," Harry said firmly, lifting his head up.

Nathaniel studied Harry for a minute, keeping quiet. "Your parents would be proud of you," he said quietly. He pushed the gate open to the park, and offered Harry a small smile as they stepped in. "You're a good friend. A good person." he chuckled. "After all, what boy would allow a strange snake into the house and let it stay there except for you?"

Then, seeing Harry's confused expression, Nathaniel shook his head. "Sorry. I know it was a weird thing to say … just out of the blue … but I think it's true. I think they would. Don't you?"

Harry shrugged his shoulders as he walked through the park alongside his friend. "I … don't know."

Nathaniel looked at Harry curiously. "You don't ever wonder about that?" Harry shook his head. "Sometimes I do."

Harry glanced at Nathaniel. "And what do you think? Do you think your parents would be proud of you?"

Nathaniel laughed before saying, "No. They wouldn't."

Harry smiled faintly, looking forward again. It was a nice thing what Nathaniel said, that his parents would've been proud. Harry knew that Nathaniel had just said that because Harry felt confused, and hurt that Severus 'kicked' him out. But it still made Harry feel good.

As they passed a large, tall tree, Harry tried to get Nathaniel to tell him why, exactly, Severus wanted him out of the house. Nathaniel didn't break, but smiled and shrugged, to Harry's disappointment.

"How long did he ask you to keep me out for?" Harry asked casually. They walked past the waterfall, where Amaryllis, Alexander and Harry had had their picnic.

Nathaniel shrugged, looking happy. "He didn't say, but I know it shouldn't be that long. Well … maybe a bit long." Nathaniel gave Harry a small, gentle push. "Don't worry so much. It's really nothing at all to worry about."

Harry didn't say anything. Wordlessly, he stepped off the path and onto the grass, moving towards a tree to sit underneath it. Nathaniel followed.

"You look sad," Nathaniel observed after Harry sat under the shade that the tree offered. He studied Harry a bit more. "What's wrong?"

Harry kept his eyes straightforward. "Nobody remembered what today is. I—I'm used to it, but I just thought that—No. Never mind. It's stupid."

Nathaniel squatted down beside Harry, looking at him gently. "What did you think, Harry? C'mon … you can tell me. What day is it today that's important to you, and that nobody remembered?"

At first, Harry made no effort to reply. He stayed silent, taking in the air that, somehow, smelled different to him. He knew that air was just air, but the park air just seemed said different. Then, he forced a smile on his face, and looked into Nathaniel's eyes.

"Today's my birthday," he finally said, a smile still dangling on his lips. "Happy Birthday to me," he added weakly with a small laugh.

Nathaniel offered a sad smile, and he himself looked a bit guilty. "Oh … I'm sorry, Harry. I did forget." he sighed. "I really am sorry. Happy birthday?"

Harry's smile disappeared, and he shook his head. He changed from forced cheerfulness, to … hurt, Nathaniel noticed, instantly becoming silent. He knew that what he had said was the wrong thing to say.

"It's nothing," Harry reassured. "Really. It's just another day of the week. It always has been." Up until my last birthday, Harry silently added to himself. The first birthday party he ever had was his tenth birthday, with Remus.

Remus. Remus Lupin. Harry said the name over again in his head. It sounded unfamiliar. That was probably because he and Remus hadn't talked in a while. A long while. But a lot had been going on. Somewhere, deep in Harry's gut, he almost felt guilty for not forgiving Remus. But, the circumstance... how could he ever really forgive Remus after giving Sirius to Dumbledore? Nobody had listened when Harry insisted that Sirius was innocent though...

"I really am sorry," Nathaniel said in a quiet voice. He stood up. "I'm not a good one with dates—not the romantic kind, by the way—and birthdays. Come on Harry, let's continue walking. Sitting here is getting tedious. We sit enough at Snape's."

Harry looked at the trees, grass and plants that were around him, then glanced at Nathaniel. "I like sitting here. We don't have to walk, do we? Can't we just sit and talk or something, or just sit?"

Nathaniel opened his mouth as if to argue with the boy, but instead closed it and sat down. "Fine, we can sit. I just thought we could walk around, because sitting is sometimes boring. Just sitting … in silence … Very uncomfortable. But, you are the birthday boy, right?"

Harry grinned faintly, nodding. "Right." His eyes skimmed over the park once more. He liked it here, it seemed so placid. He could really see himself sitting underneath the shade reading a book, or just thinking. He must do that sometime.

For a while longer they sat in complete silence, the only sounds were the waterfall and some people talking to each other as they passed the two. Then, Nathaniel found that he couldn't sit still anymore and be so quiet. To him, it was too quiet.

"I like biscuits," he said suddenly, turning his head to the right to stare at Harry, who was looking straightforward until Nathaniel spoke. "Do you like biscuits? I like scones as well … and treacle puddings. Those are good."

Harry raised his eyebrows in Nathaniel's direction, wondering where the sudden topic of food appeared from, but let Nathaniel continue on.

"I don't like fish anymore. That's all I've ever eaten, ever since I stayed a snake. Fish, fish, fish. It was good when I was a snake, of course, but now that there's scones and biscuits and treacle puddings … I don't see how I could eat fish. It seems disgusting now."

Harry shrugged his shoulders, plucking a blade of grass up from the ground and twirling it around with his fingers. "Fish is good. I eat fish. You're probably sick of fish because you ate it so much."

"True," Nathaniel said. "I still can't eat it. I don't think I'd ever be able to eat another piece of fish again. Even just a piece!"

Harry gave his eyes a swift roll. "Knowing you, you'll probably start eating fish again by next week. You can eat anything, Nathaniel. As long as it's food, you'll eat it."

Nathaniel looked proud. "True, that's very true."

Then there was silence, just as before, and instead of Nathaniel being the one breaking the silence, it was Harry.

"Do you think we can go back to the manor now?"

Nathaniel bit the bottom of his lip, wondering whether it would be all right with Severus if he brought Harry back to the manor or not. Then, he decided that he should keep Harry out a while longer.

"Erm … I don't think so."

Harry emitted a sigh and leaned back into the tree, deciding to give in and wait … For now, at least.

-

Finally, sometime around or after lunch (or so Harry thought), Harry and Nathaniel started back to the Snape manor.

"Wait," Nathaniel said suddenly, grabbing Harry's shoulder once they stood on the threshold. Harry looked at Nathaniel curiously, wondering why he stopped him from entering the house.

"What's wrong?" Harry asked.

"Just a second," Nathaniel replied, letting go of Harry's shoulder. They both waited, standing still, for one or two minutes before Nathaniel reached forward and opened the door, slamming it extremely loudly after they stepped inside.

"You could've slammed it louder," Harry teased.

Nathaniel grinned. "I had to."

Harry didn't bother to question. Instead, he walked towards the staircase to go up, but Nathaniel held him back. Harry looked at him questioningly.

"Come on, I have something to show you," Nathaniel said, a grin playing on his lips. He tugged on Harry's arm, but Harry didn't move. He just looked at Nathaniel rather cautiously, almost as if he didn't trust him.

"Oh, Harry!" Nathaniel said, pretending to look hurt. "You look like you're scared of me. What did I do to make you scared? Stop it! You're looking at me as if I'm Aureus, and I'm not her. At least … I hope not."

Harry swallowed, pulling his arm out of Nathaniel's grip. "I didn't say you were Aureus," he said warily. "So why did you bring it up?"

"I brought it up because you looked scared of me. Like I was Aureus in disguise," Nathaniel said, a frown now replacing the smile. "Oh—Wow. You do think I'm … You think … Wow. Why do you think that I'm—?"

Harry looked embarrassed, and didn't seem to be cautious around Nathaniel anymore. "Sorry, I don't think you're her … I don't know what I was thinking. It's not my fault that I'm … cautious …," Harry explained, emphasizing 'cautious' because Nathaniel had just muttered 'paranoid' at the same time.

"Well, when you're finished with your wariness, can you follow me to the living room? By the way Harry," Nathaniel said with a playful glare. "Aureus is in Azkaban. Repeat that to yourself. She's not gonna hurt you, Harry." Nathaniel shook his head. "Now come on! I have something I need to talk to you about. It's important and cannot wait another minute whatsoever."

"Tell me?" Harry raised his eyebrows. "Before you said you had something to show me, not tell me."

Nathaniel rolled his eyes. "Telling, showing—it's the same thing! Just follow me, OK?"

"Sure," Harry said, stepping down off the stairs. He trailed behind Nathaniel, who led the way, rather curiously. "What do you want to talk to me about? Please don't tell me that it's treacle pudding, because all morning we've been talking about treacle pudding. I haven't even ate treacle pudding, and I'm already sick of it—"

Harry barely entered the living room before a loud "Happy Birthday!" echoed throughout the room. He stumbled backwards, bumping into the wall. He was gobsmacked, and all he could do was look at the people in the room, and then at Nathaniel, who was laughing hysterically.

"I … I can't … can't believe you!" Nathaniel said through peals of laughter. He grasped onto Harry's shoulder, trying to stop his laughing, but found that he just couldn't. "You truly thought that we forgot your birthday? Really? Harry!"

Harry still tried to utter something—anything. Possibly even an incoherent mumble, or gasp, or any sound at all—but none came out. How many people were there? He didn't have time to count, he was actually too shocked to do anything, but saw that there was some of the staff, Draco Malfoy, Alexander and Amaryllis, and of course Severus and Nathaniel.

"Come on," Nathaniel said encouragingly. "Say something! People are waiting for a response, Harry."

"My back hurts." Harry rubbed the spot on his back where he hit the wall, and Nathaniel snorted. Harry ignored Nathaniel, his eyes deviated from the guests to Severus, who was looking particularly satisfied. As the guests started to come around Harry, he gave the Potions Master a smile.

He looked up at Dumbledore, who had something in his hand, and with a gentle smile handed it to Harry. Harry glanced at Dumbledore before taking the envelope, and went to go set it down on the table before the headmaster stopped him.

"Open it now, Harry."

Harry hesitated before he ripped the envelope open, his eyes skimming over the letter.

Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore
(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,
Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)

Dear Mr Potter,

We are pleased to inform you that you have a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.

Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl no later than 31 July.

Yours Sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall,
Deputy Headmistress

The grin on Harry's face expanded, and his eyes flew from the letter then to Dumbledore. "Thank you, sir," Harry said, glancing down at the letter one more time. Dumbledore smiled softly, his eyes looking as soft as his smile.

"Happy Birthday, Harry."

Harry watched as Dumbledore turned and left, then started to re-read the letter. He was actually going to Hogwarts, as a student …

"Harry."

Harry looked up, smiling as he saw Draco standing in front of him. "Hi, Draco."

"Hi. It's been a while since we last talked, hasn't it? Happy birthday, by the way," Draco said. He noticed the letter that Harry had in his hand. "Is that your Hogwarts letter?"

Harry smiled and nodded. "Yeah, it is." He glanced at Severus, then looked back at Draco. "I'll be right back."

Draco nodded. "Sure."

Harry smiled as he approached the Potions Master. "So this is why you've been acting different these past few days?" Harry paused briefly. "Thank-you, Severus."

Severus's eyes scanned the room before he looked down at Harry. "Why don't you go over to your guests? I'm sure Morwen will have the cake ready in a while."

Harry nodded. "OK." He regarded Severus for a second time. "Thanks again."

-

Harry followed Severus up the stairwell, prodding the Professor with the same question as he had ever since the invitees had left a while ago: "How many times did I tell you thank-you?"

"Ever since the guests left? Or during? Altogether I'd say twelve or thirteen times, perhaps more," Severus replied, leading Harry to his bedroom.

"Twelve or thirteen?" Harry looked horrified. "You deserve loads more than twelve or thirteen!" he paused. "Severus?"

Severus stopped in the middle of the corridor as they headed to Harry's bedroom. "What is it?" he sounded exhausted.

Harry smiled. "Thank-you."

Severus gave a low, almost inaudible groan. "Am I accurate when I say that there is no chance of you going to sleep now?"

"You are!" Harry replied, nodding his head quickly. As he and Severus stopped in front of his room, he looked at it in disgust. He was too awake to go to sleep. "I'm not tired. How about we have supper, and then I go to sleep?"

"If you don't remember, we've already had supper. It is now time for you to go to bed."

Harry frowned, reluctantly walking into his room. "It's my birthday!" he pointed out, crawling into his bed. "Can't I stay up just a bit later?"

Severus surveyed the boy. "Haven't you had a long day? I'd expect that you'd be tired by now."

Harry tried to decide whether or not he was sleepy, and soon decided that he wasn't, but that he'd go to bed anyway to think about how the day went.

"Severus," Harry said quickly before Severus left. With a sigh, he turned around again, saying, "If this is another thank-you, then—"

"No," Harry said quietly, shaking his head. "Thank-you again though! But, I just wanted to ask you... that, did you... invite Remus Lupin?"

Severus stared at Harry silently for a moment or two before he replied. "I actually didn't. I knew you were not speaking with him, so I didn't think it best. Did you want—?"

"No," Harry interrupted again quickly. "I just... wondered."

After saying goodnight to Severus, Harry lay his head on the pillow and looked up at the ceiling.

Along with his Hogwarts letter, Harry got other gifts that he loved. This was his second birthday party ever, and he appreciated every minute of it. Severus got Harry a few things that he would need for Hogwarts for his birthday, but they would still have to go to Diagon Alley to pick up some things that Harry still needed.

As Harry continued to look up at the ceiling, he thought of how amazing Hogwarts would be. He knew that he'd see it in a new light, because he'd be a student at Hogwarts, and not just somebody who stayed there because their adopted father was the Potions Professor.

Soon, he'd be starting Hogwarts.

Harry closed his eyes, the world fading around him as he did. Harry could hear Nathaniel in the corridor. He was really loud when he walked. But, pushing that out of his mind, the only thing Harry thought about until he fell asleep was that he'd be starting Hogwarts soon enough …

-

A/N: The next chapter IS going to be the epilogue. So… should I post the epilogue today, since I won't get a chance to update tomorrow (Saturday) or Sunday, so the next update WOULD have to be Monday—or would you all rather it now? Hm… :-P Thanks to everybody for sticking around and taking the time to review. You're awesome!