As Harry stepped out of the house for the first time in nearly a week he shoved his thoughts into his white room and made sure to turn the key. He found Snape watching him as if he would explode as soon as he stepped outside. If this was any other situation Harry would have laughed but at the moment he didn't think he could even if someone but a wanded gun to his head and told him to. They had to walk a fair way from the house to be able to apparate because of the wards Snape himself had set.
Harry was shivering uncontrollably by the time they were almost out of Spinners End. It was then that Snape finally pulled Harry towards him again and apparated them both away in a matter of seconds. Harry landed on his feet and then promptly fell over, his stomach revolting as if it wanted to throw up. At least he hadn't left his stomach behind.
When he finally sat up and looked around he found that they were standing in front of a tall iron gate. Beyond it was a large expanse of lawn with hedges cut in the shapes of different animals. Show-offs. Harry thought. About half a mile beyond that was the manor, glinting in the afternoon sunlight. It was obviously not as impressive as the first sight of Hogwarts but Harry still found himself gazing at it in awe. It was enormous, with turrets and towers spiralling up from its depths.
'Come.' Snape said with a hand on his back, pushing him gently into the courtyard.
During the walk up to the manor Harry could only stare around him in wonder. Although his first impression was that it was a bit showy he still couldn't deny the fact that it was beautiful. They walked past a large pond with different types of fountains rising up from it at different times. It reminded Harry of a place Hermione had mentioned that was in Las Vegas. He vaguely wondered why Snape lived in such a run-down little house and not a manor like this but then he remembered that Snape was not a pure-blood like most of the other death eaters were.
When they reached the big double-doors Snape rapped on it twice and then stepped back slightly, Harry made sure to stand next to him, his heart thumping so fast that he kept on feeling he would choke on it.
The door was opened by a surprisingly well-dressed house elf, which Harry should have realised but he had still imagined that it would be opened by Nott himself.
'Good evening Sirs.' The House Elf said. 'I am Shikra I will show you to the dining room. Follow me.'
With that the elf started walking off with Harry and Snape following on his heels. Again Harry was slightly awed at all the rooms, staircases and pictures they walked past. He was staring wide-eyed up at the ceiling at the most magnificent chandelier he had ever seen, not that he had seen that many, when he walked right into the back of Shikra
The elf didn't even bat an eye, only opened the set of double doors they were standing in front of into a magnificent dining hall.
'Mr Severus Snape and Master Harry Snape.' He called out to those already assembled in the hall.
Harry couldn't help but shudder at the name he was given and vaguely wondered how the House Elf knew his name. He walked into the hall with Snape, his legs trembling so much he could hardly walk straight.
The room was a little smaller then the Great Hall in Hogwarts. It was well lit with more chandeliers and with lots of paintings on the wall. There was a long banqueting table spanning the length of the hall and a small stage at one end. At the other end there was a rather elaborate drinks cabinet and a table with almost any drink Harry could think of on it.
Snape pushed Harry slightly in the back to move him along into the room and Harry managed to stumble first, almost tripping over his own feet before righting himself.
He looked around at the people, trying not to look anyone in the eye. There was about thirty people in all, most of them around Snape's age but there were a fair few his own age and younger. There were three toddlers playing together in the corner, closely watched by their mothers who were talking near them.
Before Harry could check if there was anyone he knew a young woman with long dark hair came over and hugged Snape, actually hugged him! He didn't seem to mind though and Harry found out that this woman was actually Mrs Nott. It was then that she noticed Harry.
'Ah, you must be Mr Potter … although you're not a Potter now are you.' She laughed, a soft tittery laughed and Harry decided he didn't like her very much.
'Just call me Harry.' He decided this was the easiest thing to say and avoided other questions. Mrs Nott was about to say something else but fortunately she was interrupted when some more people came over and started shaking hands with Snape. A few of them also said hello to Harry but most of them just stared at him strangely as if they were not sure what he was.
'Avery.' Snape greeted a ratty looking man who tried to make himself look more presentable in a cream coloured robe. He looked fairly old and his face was mostly covered with a scruffy looking beard and moustache.
'The last time I saw you was when you were hanging in the air by your arms.' Avery said to Harry. 'I'm glad to see you've made a bit more of an effort this time.'
You can talk. Harry thought resentfully. Instead he smiled as genuinely as he could manage. 'I'm sorry. I sometimes get a bit grouchy when I get dragged out of my bed in the middle of the night. I'll try to look a bit more presentable next time that happens.'
Avery actually laughed at this. 'You can tell he's your son.' He said, turning back to Snape.
As the two carried on talking Harry managed to quietly shuffle away from them and ended up with his back against the drinks cabinet. He turned round to look at all the drinks and found a bottle of wine he recognised from one of his dinners with Snape. He quickly looked round at the others in the room and found that most of them already had drinks in hand. Shrugging to himself he turned back to the drinks and helped himself to a large glass of the wine. At least that would give him something to do with his hands.
As he drunk, which was faster than normal, he discreetly glanced round at everyone present, trying to find people he knew. He found Crabbe and Goyle junior and senior, but then they were never very hard to find. The two boys were busy poking and teasing a little boy who looked to be about six or seven.
He also caught sight of the young Theodore Nott who, like his father was walking around with his head held high, as if he owned the place. Harry had to hold back his amusement as he started shaking hands with all the adults he met, trying to look and act older than he was.
There were others he recognised from school, although he could not say their names. Some of them were in the younger years of Slytherin and others like Marcus Flint and Adrian Pucey had already left. But he also recognised a few Ravenclaws and even a young Hufflepuff. But when he cast his mind back he was sure this was the girl that everyone assumed would go into Slytherin and were shocked when she hadn't.
Harry tried to keep himself unnoticed but there were a few people giving him odd glances and looking for his scar, which Harry had made sure to hide beneath his hair. Some, it seemed, were even trying to seek him out. Obviously some people already knew that the famous Harry Potter/Snape was going to be here.
Dinner couldn't come soon enough and after a few minutes a soft bell chimed, which Harry found was the cue to sit down to dinner. He wasn't sure where he was supposed to sit, he had glanced at the table briefly to verify that there were no nametags to tell you where to sit.
After hopping about from one foot to the other in nervousness he decided that the best thing would be to just hang back a little and wait until everyone else had taken a seat, then there would only be one left for him. Mentally patting himself on the back for such a good idea was interrupted by Snape as he took Harry's hand and led him to a seat on the left side of the table.
'Sit.' He said. Harry sat with a shrug. This was good too.
He realised that he was sitting with the others of his age. He could see Crabbe and Goyle sitting together near the end of the table, sniggering at the wine glasses in front of them. Harry couldn't see what was so funny. He finished the rest of his wine and set his own glass down. Theodore Nott was sitting a few seats down on the opposite end of the table, Harry was glad he wasn't that near.
The boy sitting next to him he recognised as a Slytherin who was in the year above him, he would have finished Hogwarts now. He was having a conversation with the boy he was facing about quidditch brooms.
'Father says he'll get me a new one for Christmas though, like a Firebolt XP or the new Xracer.'
'The new Xracers are good, aren't they?' The other boy was saying. 'They went downhill in the 70's, no aerodynamic control, and then the whole company sort of crashed, didn't it? But now this new guy's taken over- what's his name?'
'Hayver Haversham.' Harry said, remembering reading about it in Which Broom 1998-2000.
'Both boys turned to stare at him as if he had suddenly sprouted two heads.
'What?' One of them asked in astonishment.
'His name was Hayver Haversham.' Harry replied. 'He came in from America, won loads of money on the Crups and decided he'd buy out the Xracers because he remembered having one when he was little.'
The two boys were still staring at him open-mouthed.
Harry shrugged and turned back to the table. At least he'd tried, he thought as he rested his elbows on the table and then quickly took them off again, remembering his manners. He still kept listening to their conversation as he had to admit it was interesting.
'I tried the Wronski Feint at home a few times but every time I did I crashed into the ground.' The boy with dark hair and a pointy noise was saying.
The other boy Harry recognised laughed.
'It was the broom, okay.' The first boy said defensively. 'It was one of the old Comets and it could never pull up or turn around quick enough.'
'I had one of them but it kept on veering off to the left like some of the school brooms do. I couldn't believe Father let me have such a shit broom but then he bought me a Nimbus when I started Hogwarts so I couldn't complain.'
'Yeah, my father finally got me a new broom when I broke my nose for the third time. I remember hexing one of the Hufflepuff brooms while they were playing against the Slytherins so that it would always veer off to the right. It was so funny to watch him 'cause he had no clue why it was happening and was checking his broom all over as if it had a weight on it or something.'
'Cool, where did you get that jinx from?'
'Warrington told me but I don't know where he got it from.'
At this point Harry felt he had to intervene again. 'He must have got it from The top 100 cheats used in professional Quidditch and how to use them effectively. That's number 69.'
Again both boys looked at him with their mouths open but instead of ignoring him this time the dark haired boy replied.
'You've got that book?' He asked in astonishment.
'Well I used to.' Harry said bitterly. 'I don't know where it is now. Sn- uh, Severus collected my things from my relatives but I never got the book back.'
'Have you asked him?' The boy said.
'Well no, it's illegal so he probably confiscated it.'
'Severus wouldn't do that.' The other boy said, he had lighter sandy coloured hair and a much fuller face. Harry was surprised he used Snape's first name.
'But maybe Severus didn't want you using the book with Gryffindor.' The dark haired one replied.
'Well if I go back I won't be in Gryffindor anymore.' Harry replied.
'Then ask him.' They both said.
Harry had to laugh.
'I'm Martin Moon by the way.' The dark haired boy said.
'And I'm Steven Lacy but I've left Hogwarts now.' The other said, holding out his hand. Harry shook it in a bit of shock at the sudden turn of events.
'So what other cheats are there?' Martin asked eagerly.
Harry smiled. 'Well my favourite is the Illusion charm. It makes an illusion of the snitch appear. I suppose I only like it because I'm a seeker and it distracts the other seeker, sending them off on a wild goose chase.'
'Wow.' Steven said.
'Unfortunately it only lasts for up to two minutes depending on the strength of the spell so you have to do it at the right time. Like when you spot the real snitch and so on.' Harry continued.
'What else is there?' Steven asked.
Harry couldn't help grinning like an idiot at this point. He didn't know why he wanted sons of Death Eaters to like him but he did, and that was all that mattered at that moment.
'Well there's a spell that makes a bludger go after the same person over and over again.' He replied. 'Like what happened to me in second year.'
'Yeah, I remember that.' Martin said. 'So who cast it on you?'
'Uh, I never found out.' Harry said quickly. For some reason he really didn't want to say that it was a House Elf, it just seemed too embarrassing. He had wandered when he'd read about the hex if Dobby had also found the book.
'And another one I really like is the colour-blind charm.' He continued. 'It makes the person it is cast on see the opposite colours on all the other players robes, which I think is cool because everyone's usually zooming around so fast you can never see peoples faces so you rely on the colours players are wearing to tell whether they're on your team or not.'
'So that person will be passing the quaffle to the opposite team.' Martin said in wonder. 'Or even better, hitting the bludger towards their own team mates.'
All three of them laughed, earning a few looks from the elder people at the table. As Harry caught Snape's eye he was sure the man was trying to hide a smile.
'I'm sure if you just ask Severus he would give it to you.' Martin said. 'He is your father after all.'
Harry sighed. 'I had thought about it but I figured that if he had wanted me to have it he would have given it to me. Also I didn't know him that well at the beginning anyway, he can be quite scary.'
The other two boys started sniggering again.
Just then there was a soft clap and food appeared on the table.
'Cool.' Steven said ogling the different starters in excitement.
There were lots of different platters all along the table and Harry himself couldn't help his mouth watering. There were asparagus sticks, salad items and dips, breaded mushrooms, stuffed mushrooms, stuffed peppers, onion rings, corn on the cob, chicken wings, ciabatta bread and different kinds of soup. That was just on the part of the table he could see!
Harry had to physically restrain himself from taking anything before Mr Nott did, he was sitting in the middle of the table. After he had filled his plate and put the first bit of food into his mouth there was suddenly a mad rush for the food and Harry found it quite funny as a lot of the social etiquette went out of the window for the youngsters for a few minutes until everyone had filled their plates.
Harry also made sure he had a bit of everything.
'Oh go on, ask him.' Steven said, his mouth full. 'I'm sure he'll let you have it now, especially if you're showing it to Slytherins.'
Harry sighed. 'I'll ask him later.' He said.
'Ask him now.' Steven replied. 'He won't care.'
'What here? Now?' Harry scoffed. 'No way. He'll bite my head off and I don't want any more attention on me.'
'Oi! Severus.' Martin hollered across the room. Harry paled and started choking on an onion ring.
Snape looked around, an annoyed expression on his face. 'What?' He asked in irritation.
Harry slid down further in his chair in an attempt to make himself invisible but it was all for nothing after Martin's next comment.
'Harry's got something to ask you.'
Harry groaned low in his throat as all eyes turned to him. Snape raised an elegant eyebrow. 'Oh.' He said in a fake polite voice.
'It's nothing.' Harry whispered. Steven kicked him in the shin. 'Ow.'
'For Merlin's sake spit it out now. You've turned enough attention to yourself.' Snape said.
Harry nervously cleared his throat. 'Well, um … I was just wondering if maybe…' Harry licked his dry lips. 'When you collected my stuff from … my relatives, did you happen to find a … um … book?'
'I happened to find quite a few books.' Snape replied evenly. 'The potions book looked so new one wouldn't thought it had been opened at all. But then that fits in with the standard of work I've seen these last few years.
A lot of the elder people laughed at Snape's joke.
'Yes, um, you gave me back my schoolbooks.' Harry replied, now red with embarrassment. 'This one wasn't a school book, it …'
'You don't happen to be talking about a certain book that is banned in 52 different countries, do you?' He asked in a sugary sweet voice. Some of his companions laughed. Others stared at Harry in wonder.
'Well I didn't realise it was quite that many.' Harry replied. 'Is one of them England by any chance?'
'Yes.' Snape replied.
'Oh.' Harry gave a fake laugh. 'Well there's a surprise. No one bothered to tell me that.'
A few people laughed and Harry actually started to enjoy himself.
Snape smirked at him. 'I'm sure. So why do you want it?'
'We want to look at it, Sir.' Steven said quickly. 'He was going to show it to us Slytherins, you know.'
'Really? Well in that case I may be able to find it somewhere in my bookshelves. Given the right motivation.' Snape shook his head in amusement and went back to his dinner. This was the sign for everyone else to start asking the million-dollar question.
'What book?'
----------
'Severus? If it pleases Mr Nott may I leave the table?' Harry asked politely, following the lead the other children had taken.
Snape glanced at Mr Nott who nodded his head slightly in acquiescence. 'Yes, you may. But be back here when Shikra calls you.'
'Yes Sir.' Harry said in a relieved tone and followed the other children out of the hall. As he was exiting through the big double doors someone tripped him from behind and he only managed to stay on his feet by grabbing onto the edge of the door as he fell.
'Oh I'm so terribly sorry.' Theodore Nott said as he walked past him. 'Didn't see you there, you're so small.' And then he was gone out in front.
Now it could have been purely accidental, but Harry seriously doubted it.
'You all right?' Steven asked, coming up behind him.
'Yeah, I can deal with arseholes like that.' The two boys laughed and followed the others up two flights of stairs to a large room at the back of the house that was filled with armchairs, beanbags and cushions. It was done predictably in green and silver but was rather cosy and chilled.
Harry followed Steven and Martin to a comfy looking couch in the corner. The two of them almost fell into it and Harry followed suit but he had only just got himself comfortable when he felt a strange tickling, wet sensation in his ear.
He shot out of his seat so first he almost tripped over his own feet. When he had got his breath back he realised there was a girl about his age sitting where he was only a moment ago. She was quite pretty but Harry couldn't tell how much because her face was plastered with make up. She had long dark hair and had on the most enormous earrings he had ever seen.
She sat there looking up at him with these big doe eyes. 'Didn't you like it?' she asked in a childish voice.
Harry could hear both Martin and Steven laughing in the background but ignored it in favour of watching this strange girl. 'Who are you?' He asked.
'Lily-Ann Banks.' She replied. 'I've heard so much about you.' She gushed. 'I just had to come over and say hello.'
'By tonguing my ear?' Harry asked, still staring at her in disbelief.
She shrugged. 'Didn't you like it?' She asked again.
'Well I…well I mean…it was different.'
Lily-Ann laughed again. 'No one's ever done that to you before, have they?'
'Well I can't say that they have.'
'But you liked it didn't you?'
Fortunately Harry was saved from answering by Lily-Ann's friend who called her over to look at what seemed to be some kind of crystal ball. 'Lily-Ann went skipping by without even a backwards glance at Harry.
Harry blew out a long breath in relief and turned to get Steven and Martin's reaction to the display but they were busy talking about racing brooms and not the least bit interested any more in what had just passed.
My Granddad gave me his old broom a few years ago.' Steven was saying. 'You know those … silver bullets?'
'Silver Arrows.' Both Harry and Martin said together.
'Yes, those. When they came out it caused a right stir, my Granddad says. It was the fastest broom ever brought out- 70 miles an hour with a tail wind.'
'But the Firebolt can go to 150 miles in less then ten seconds.' Martin said.
'I know that but at the time the Silver Arrow looked pretty amazing. They didn't have the spells we know nowadays that helps with the tail twigs and control.'
'Can you lot talk about anything else but Quidditch?' Lilly-Anne called, now from the other side of the room.
'No.' All three of them said together.
Martin got out a packet of cigarettes from his pocket, he gave one to Steven and took one himself before offering one to Harry as well.
Dragonsbreath. They were called. Harry didn't even realise there were Wizards cigarettes. He shook his head slightly at the offer and Martin just shrugged as he lit his own with his wand.
'I think Lily-Anne likes you.' He said after he had taken a long drag. The smoke that came out was a dark green colour and smelt worse than normal cigarettes did.
'No she doesn't.' Harry said, going slightly red.
The other two laughed again. 'Believe me, massaging someone's ear with her tongue is not her usual greeting.' Steven replied.
Fortunately Harry managed to steer the conversation away onto what they wanted to do when they finished Hogwarts. Steven was already working at the ministry in the Magical Creatures department. He knew Charlie Weasley quite well and even seemed to like him, to Harry's great amazement. He also knew Macnair very well who worked for The Disposal of Dangerous Creatures department. Steven seemed to like him as well, to Harry's great disappointment.
'Well for a long time I have wanted to be an auror.' Harry said.
'Really?' Martin said in awe. 'You need top marks for that. It's so hard to get into and the training is supposed to be a form of torture.'
'I know and I'm no stranger to torture, believe me. But I don't know if I want to do it anymore. I don't think I want to work for the ministry at all.'
'Yeah, becoming an auror is like signing your own death warrant.' Steven said, lighting another cigarette. 'It's suicide, what it is.'
Says the boy who's feeding himself a form of cancer. Harry thought.
'Well it's not like I've got a long life expectancy or anything.' Harry replied. 'I don't suppose I'll live to see the end of this war.' Harry suddenly shut his eyes in horror. He was not supposed to talk about this.
Shit, shit, shit. Was all that was running through his brain. Please, please don't ask me about the war, which side I'm on, Voldemort…'
'Yeah but not anymore.' Steven said with a sly smile. 'You're on our side now.'
SHIT!'Yeah but that doesn't really matter.' Harry said, thinking quickly. 'Whichever side I'm on I'm fucked because the other side will want me dead. If Dumbledore was still alive I bet he'd have killed me if he found out what I was. He'd rather that than let me fight against him. I'm supposedly too powerful.'
This was very dangerous water and all Harry seemed to be doing is sinking deeper.
'Don't blow your own trumpet or anything, will you?' Steven said with a chuckle.
Harry smiled wanly.
'Oi! You three.' Nott called across the room. 'Are you gonna stay in your private little group or are you going to come and join in our game?'
'What are you playing?' Martin asked.
'Oh just a little game young Harry might have heard of. Truth.'
The word shit started floating through his brain again.
'Sure.' Steven replied as the two of them practically dragged Harry towards the group in the middle and joined the circle.
A glass was pushed towards him and someone filled it up with Firewhiskey. Harry knew that this was one of those times Snape was talking about. He could not get drunk. He had to be able to lie all of the way through this.
'Okay.' Nott said, almost cackling. 'Let's all have a drink to say we are all part of this game.' Everyone raised their glasses and drank, Harry followed suit.
'Oh, and did I tell you Harry.' Nott said, rolling the name around his tongue. He seemed to use Harry's first name in a mocking way, as if he was acting friendly but obviously being the complete opposite. 'Once you've drunk to say you will play it is binding.' His mouth curled up into a nasty smile. 'And it means you have no choice but to tell the truth. That is the slight difference of the wizarding version.'
Shit seemed a little bit of an understatement now. Harry had frozen solid, not knowing what to do or how he would get out of this room alive.
'Now I'm going to start.' Nott said. 'And I will choose … hmm…' his eyes starting roving round the circle and predictably landed on him. 'Harry.' He said softly.
'Um, actually I don't want to play. I really, um…need the toilet.'
Quite a few people laughed at that.
'No go Harry. You will find that you have to answer my question. So … how many people have you fucked?'
The relief that Harry felt showed just how bad he thought things could have been. He certainly did not want to answer this question but it was better than being asked about sides or Dark Lords.
'None.' He said, the rules of the game making him speak without his wanting.
Quite a few people laughed. Nott was the loudest. 'Aw, poor little Harry never got it on with anyone.'
'Aw, poor little Theo never got it on with anyone his dad hasn't paid for.' Harry replied in the same babyish voice Nott had used.
Everyone laughed this time. Lily-Anne and her friend were actually rolling around on the floor in hysterics. Nott's face had turned a bright shade of red and he looked angrier than Harry had ever seen him. And all Harry could do was laugh even louder.
It looked like Nott was about to jump him when Lily-Anne quickly intervened. 'Your turn now Harry.' She said excitedly, sticking her tongue out suggestively.
Harry grinned back at her and felt a burst of self-confidence and Gryffindor daring.
'Okay. Lily-Anne.' He said. 'Who in this room do you think is the most shaggable?' Two can play at this game. Harry thought to himself.
Lily-Anne laughed. 'You darling, of course.' Harry's heart swelled. 'With those pretty green eyes, pinchable arse and that virgin cock of yours, who could ask for more?'
At this Harry went so red his cheeks felt like they were on fire. Yet again he wanted the ground to open up and swallow him but he had to admit he had asked for that one.
A few people laughed at his embarrassment. Nott didn't, he looked like he had just eaten a lemon.
The Gryffindor daring came back. Harry winked at him.
----------
It was about an hour later that the group made their way back into the main hall. Harry was trying his hardest to avoid both Nott and Lily-Ann Banks. She had spent the rest of the evening simpering at him and giggling in his ear as well as making very suggestive movements towards him.
Unfortunately for Harry he realised that he found her very annoying and just could not seem to get rid of her. He had to ask himself if it was worth all this trouble just to get back at Nott. Then he decided that it probably was.
Half way through the game Lily-Ann had suggested adding Dare to the game which everyone agreed with. She then waited through the next half hour before it came round to her, just so that she could dare Harry to do something, probably something sexual and to do with her.
But when Harry had realised that all people had bee asking others were sexual things he believed it would actually be safer for him to stick with truth. That was until she asked him if he wanted to fuck her. The hole just kept on getting deeper and finally Harry said that he wouldn't mind it but not right at this moment. Fortunately all this got was another round of laughter and Harry could breath again.
The party was starting to wind down as the group of teenagers entered the hall. There were a few couples on the dance floor who looked as if they were doing everything except actual intercourse. Snape was talking with Avery and a few others that Harry recognised at the other end of the hall. He had a drink in one hand and Harry was surprised to see that he was smoking a cigar.
He was feeling very tired all of a sudden and dropped down onto one of the couches near the door. Steven came over with another glass of firewhiskey and although Harry accepted the glass he made the decision not to drink it as he believed the sudden tiredness he felt had something to do with the amount of alcohol he had already consumed.
'Do you want one?' Steven offered a cigarette to Harry again as he got one out himself. Harry was about to refuse when he saw Snape was watching him out of the corner of his eye.
'Yeah, okay.' He said, accepting it. He didn't know why he felt the need to have something he had despised ever since he realised Dudley had them, just because Snape was watching. He thought that it might just had been that he had wanted to shock him for once.
He let Steven light the cigarette with his wand, careful not to breath in the smoke and start coughing. He couldn't help wrinkle his nose up at the smell but he at least managed not to choke on it. Unfortunately it all seemed to be in vane as Snape didn't seem to care less and only took a large puff of his cigar, blowing out a couple of perfect smoke rings. Harry made sure to take a few more pretend puffs before discreetly stabbing it out on the floor and pushing it under the chair. Never again.
---------
It was past four in the morning when Harry and Snape made their final goodbyes, Harry making sure to kiss Lily-Ann goodbye right under the younger Notts nose. He smirked to himself when he saw Snape kiss Mrs Nott a little more passionately than was proper, just because the elder Nott was standing next to her.
It seems we do have more in common than I first thought. Harry wanted to sick up at that last thought.
There weren't that many people left by this time and Shikra led them back out of the manor towards the apparition point. He left them with a curt bow and then disappeared with a pop.
Harry sighed with relief. 'Well that wasn't too ba—'
He was cut off from finishing the sentence as Snape grabbed him and quickly apparated them back to the beginning of Spinners End whereupon Harry threw up his chocolate mouse.
Snape laughed, Harry glared and they started walking towards the house a few feet apart from each other.
'I suggest you go straight to sleep once we get in. I feel you have had a little more to drink than you should have had.' Snape said as they reached the door.
Harry yawned in agreement and stumbled into the lounge. 'I need a shower first.' He said on his way to his room
'Fine but be quick.' Snape swung his cloak off and hung it up on a hook behind the door. 'And I would like your robe back before…'
Snape never got to finish his sentence as just at that moment a body promptly fell out of the fireplace.
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A/N: I'm so sorry about the wait. Not only was I finding this chapter very hard to write but I was also suffering from a disease called Laziness, but I'm all better now.
One other thing, can someone tell me why when I put an A/N at the top of the page it comes up on the same line as the chapter title even though it is on the line above it in Word?