Author's Notes: I wanted the trio to act like teenagers. That's why there's craziness like the one portrayed in this chap. They're human so I cannot make them perfect and almighty from the beginning. They'll learn little by little. Hope it doesn't offend anyone. I like to always use a bit of humour combined with everything else. So far I haven't gotten any mistake pointings. -Shiemi is amused and blinking in disbelief.- Remember to please point me any possible mistakes. I only re-read once. Sorry in advance.

Thanks to the reader that reviewed.

Short chapter ahead.

Song: 'Happy People' by Skoop on Somebody (from Bleach)

Ch. 6: Bad Judgment

In the morning Harry decided to go alone to Grimmauld Place, but his friends stopped him. They wouldn't let him go alone, but after a few minutes of squabbling he convinced Ron and Hermione. Snape didn't intervene as he frankly didn't care. Harry Apparated to Grimmauld Place hoping that there was no way the Ministry would detect it had been him. He quickly scanned the area and smiled faintly as he confirmed there was no evidence of the previous day's fight against the Inferi. He then went to the car, got inside, and started the engine. It needed a bit of gas so he would have to make a stop on his way to the Rental Center.

At the gas station, everything was fine and soon Harry was on his way to his destination, but he had a bad feeling something would happen. Pushing the thought aside, he turned on the radio trying to relax. He thought he was being paranoid and tried to think of happy memories. Immediately Ginny came to his mind as if attracted by a magnetic reaction, but he decided that thinking about her wasn't the best option. In the end it would only make him feel miserable or tempt him to go to her, which was a risk he couldn't take.

At the Rental Center, everything seemed alright and after completing the transaction of handing in the car he was out of the Center and two people grabbed him. At first, he thought he would have a heart attack, but breathed some relief when he recognized the two Aurors. They were Kingsley Shacklebolt and Alastor Moody, who had returned temporarily to work due to Voldemort's reappearance and furthermore, Dumbledore's murder. Harry automatically voiced the question: "How in Merlin's name did you find me?"
Shacklebolt smiled: "You look different without glasses, Mr. Potter, but even in Muggle clothes we could detect it's you. You're lucky it's us. The whole Ministry is looking for you. As an answer to your question, the Ministry has been investigating Muggle transactions and that's how they came up with your name after the Minister apparently found out something from your aunt. You had rented a car in this place and they had no doubt it had been you. For three days now there have been Aurors posted here waiting for you to hand in the car. If you had come here yesterday you would have been doomed as the Aurors that were here then are part of our Minister's 'pets'." The black man smiled sympathetically and sighed. "Mr. Potter, we are supposed to take you to the Ministry of Magic for your own protection."

Harry felt very sick and furious as he considered the dirty trick Scrimgeour had used to find him. The Minister had obviously seen that aunt Petunia had provided him with a credit card and that he no longer had glasses. The Minister of Magic had obviously known a little about Muggle transactions and had somehow located Harry through the credit card. "I won't go! I can't go! I won't be Scrimgeour's puppet! You will have to let me go, Kingsley!"

"I don't think we can do that, Potter! How are we going to explain that you handed in the car and escaped under our noses?" Moody seemed upset as he asked.

"You can make up any story, but please let me go! I have very important things to do!" Harry almost pleaded hoping they would reconsider.

The two Aurors stared at their young captive for a minute or two and loosened their grasp on him. The black man with a single hoop earring warned him though: "We will let you go now and I know the perfect excuse to make up for your escape, but try to be more cautious. Next time we won't be as nice."

Harry thanked them and left, glad that he had been lucky, but worried about Scrimgeour wanting to almost kidnap him. The Minister had to be truly desperate to attempt such a thing. After reaching his friends and ex-teacher at the mill, he told them what had happened and Snape scowled. He was furious with Harry. "You have too much to learn, brat! At this rate one of the two sides will get you and with your amazing luck it will probably be the Dark Lord's side!"

Harry automatically exploded at the way Snape kept treating him. "What do you care anyway? The only reason why you are with us is because Dumbledore wanted it that way and I can't bear the thought of dishonoring a dead man's wish, you git!"

Snape in anger suddenly grabbed Harry by the neck making Hermione and Ron pull out their wands. Harry only stared at the man's eyes as if daring the man to actually strangle him. Severus scowled again and freed the delicate neck that he knew he could have easily crushed. Ron and Hermione lowered their wands in relief, both swallowing hard.
Ron tried to change the mood: "Can we go to the mall or something? To relieve stress?"

"I do not have Muggle clothes, Weasley." Snape's reply sounded odd.
Ron smiled a little: "I think we are almost the same size... I can lend you some."

Ron was quite tall at the age of seventeen. He was about Snape's height and Snape was tall himself. Harry had grown taller too, but he was more of an average size for his age, like a 5'7" approximately.

Severus looked at Ron in disbelief. "You cannot possibly expect me to wear teen clothing, and worst of all, teenage Muggle clothing, Weasley!"

Severus lost though and soon he found himself wearing a red long sleeved t-shirt with yellow smiley faces and dark blue baggy jeans. His black wizard boots were alright. Hermione brushed the man's black hair and held it in a ponytail. Snape looked younger that way and the three teens found themselves controlling a strong urge to laugh. To complete the image Harry gave Severus the shades he had been wearing for days after the eye surgery. Snape looked so different that there was no way a wizard would recognize the most wanted Death Eater.

The four Apparated in a secluded area close to a mall and easily merged themselves with Muggles in the crowded place. The three teens easily got loose, but Severus was uptight the whole time. He soon started to ask them how in the world they could relax in a place where people could brush against you. The last thing a fugitive like him would have wanted was to be in a too crowded place and there he was.

The teenagers bought a little bit of clothing, and against Snape's complaints, Harry bought him clothes too. Snape could stand using the same clothes all the time, but that didn't mean his young companions approved. In one store, Severus stayed outside waiting for the three friends and he noticed some women pointing at him and laughing. It made him wonder if they were making fun of him thanks to Weasley's clothes. A 38 year old in teen clothes had to be a very funny sight. He probably looked childish. The women looked like they could be in their early thirties and one of them approached Severus.

"Are you one of those kids' father?" The other women were giggling in the background.

"I don't have any kids. I am their teacher," Snape tried to sound pleasant, but his voice still came almost like a growl.
The woman seemed taken aback, but smiled at him: "I see you don't have a ring so I guess you are not married. Do you want my phone number? I am single too."

Severus was trying to work in his mind what a phone number was. Even though his father had been a filthy Muggle his mother had done her best in giving him a complete wizard upbringing. As he wasn't going to humiliate himself in front of a Muggle by asking what a phone number was he came out with a polite refusal: "Right now I am not interested in getting into any kind of relationship."

The woman pouted: "What a pity. You're not too old yet, but the years will pass, you know? Good luck!"

Right then Harry, Hermione, and Ron came out of the store and noticed the woman leaving. They all stared at Snape and he spoke with a menacing voice: "Don't ask."

XxXxX

After spending most of the afternoon in the mall, Ron decided to come with another idea: "Harry, have you ever drank before?"

"What do you mean, Ron?" asked Harry confused.
"I mean if you have already experienced alcohol. After destroying that Horcrux and all, we should celebrate!" Ron was grinning.

"The only kind of beer I've ever had is butterbeer, Ron. The Dursleys would have never given me anything alcoholic. Only Dudley drank occasionally with uncle Vernon in front of the TV, but I was never invited of course..." Harry felt strange speaking about the Dursleys, especially at mentioning the dead uncle's name.

"And that's how it should remain!" interrupted Hermione giving Ron a glare. "Butterbeer is great, but alcoholic beverages are a complete no-no. What do you think you are doing trying to introduce Harry to alcohol, Ron? Plus we are seventeen, not eighteen! And we are supposed to be hiding, not getting drunk!"

"Come on, Hermione! Don't be boring! It will be fun! We can go to a Muggle bar! No one will find us in a Muggle bar!"
"They will probably want IDs!" Hermione kept trying to snap Ron from the devilish idea.

"We can create fake IDs!" Ron stated raising an eyebrow.
Snape couldn't believe the Weasley boy could be such an idiot, but he decided against intervening even though he knew the idea was mad. He was very wary and getting nervous. Hanging with those three annoying Gryffindors could in the end cost him his life.

Hermione was furious, but at nighttime they did find themselves in a Karaoke Bar that was full of college and university students, probably from summer studies. A woman dressed in waitress' clothes approached their table and asked Snape: "Are you their guardian?"

Severus' face contorted and it almost looked like he was going to yell at the woman, but he composed himself and politely replied: "I suppose so." The woman smiled and soon took their orders. Hermione was going to have her dinner with a couple of beers, Ron asked for 'tequila', and Snape said that he only wanted water, gaining a strange look from the waitress. The woman then asked Harry and he sent a questioning look to Ron. Ron then said that his friend wanted a taste of everything. The moment Weasley said that, Snape felt a knot forming in his stomach and Hermione glared at Ron yet again. The woman was smiling when she brought several shots for Harry and he did start to taste everything.

"Harry, really, you shouldn't... There can be poisoning when you mix drinks, you know?" Hermione was very worried about her friend. From the start, she hadn't agreed with ending up in that place. She would have wanted Snape to say something, but the older man just followed them instead of guiding them, seemingly lost.

Ron didn't seem affected in anyway by his 'tequilas', but Severus was keeping an eye on Harry to his disgust. He would never admit that he was worried about the Potter brat. After some time, Hermione stood up to go the ladies' room. Snape did the same afterwards and told the remaining two he had to go to the restroom. When Ron and Harry were left alone, two college girls and a college boy got on stage and music started. Harry looked ecstatic and stood up: "I know that song!" He had listened to the song a lot during the weeks he had spent with aunt Petunia and knew it by heart. The girls and boy on stage waved at Harry for him to join them and in seconds he was on stage with them. Harry constantly joined one of the girls on stage in the singing and even held her hand. She sang looking joyful and constantly smiling at Harry. The girl was a redhead.

Ron started to laugh hysterically when he saw Harry singing with the three college students and almost flirting with a Muggle girl. Weasley didn't have to be a genius to figure that his buddy was completely drunk, but did know the song. Ron wondered how Harry knew that song, but then remembered Harry had lived with Muggles.

Snape came from the restroom first and noticed only Ron on the table: "Where's Potter?" The man was trying not to sound too concerned, but his voice had somehow betrayed him. Ron, still laughing hysterically pointed at the stage. Severus swore fluently. They were supposed to be hiding and the boy had to be possessed by his fame craving syndrome and desperately wanting the spotlight.

Hermione then arrived too: "Where's Harry?" Noticing the four eyes locked on stage she also looked that way and shrieked: "What in God's name is he doing? Talk about remaining hidden and he puts himself on stage!" Snape couldn't have agreed more with the little know-it-all.

After Hermione said that, Snape suddenly felt a chill running down his spine and scanned the place in a nervous fashion. He noticed figures in different areas and registered their number: '5'. He concentrated feeling their magical auras and frowned: "Four Aurors and one Death Eater. Probably other wizards too. We have to get out of here." Severus didn't think twice after making his statement. The song was just finishing and he ran towards the stage. Just then, the music ended and he could see the Aurors coming from both angles. In a flash, he got on stage and caught Harry, separating him from the giggling fiery haired girl. "What the hell are you doing? We have to flee now!"

"You git! Just leave me alone! I'm having some fun here!" Harry snapped at the Potions master, which infuriated the man. Snape didn't want to show that he was a wizard so stupefying the drunk teen was out of the question. He opted for the Muggle option. He punched Harry just below the lungs, knocking the boy instantly, jumped from the stage, and ran for it with Harry over his shoulder.

Hermione and Ron had become nervous when Snape had told them that they had to leave, but soon noticed what he had seen. Hermione paid everything as quick as she could and even tipped the waitress before starting to run outside with Ron. Snape was already outside with an unconscious Harry Potter when they came out.

They couldn't Disapparate in front of so many Muggles so they kept running trying to find a secluded area. The Aurors were tailing them, having to run too because of the many Muggles there. One of the Aurors yelled at them to stop, but they knew better. As soon as they had entered a building with an empty aisle, they Disapparated on Snape's lead just as four stupefying spells were flying their way.