When I stepped into Grimauld Place, I was assailed by a cacophony of noises. There were people talking, a kettle whistling, and the footsteps of the dozens of visitors that were currently squatting here.
I followed the discord of voices up the stairs and into the drawing room, where an Order Meeting was well under way.
"I'm telling you, he's not just going to leave them there!"
"He might, Minerva. He is a sadistic bastard."
"But Malfoy is his right-hand man!"
"No, Minerva, that would be me."
"Hem, hem." I said, clearing my throat in a very Umbridge-like way to get attention. The room grew quiet for a moment, and then everyone began to speak at once.
"This is an Order Meeting!"
"No children in here!"
"Young man!"
"Harry, aren't you supposed to be at the Dursley's?"
"SILENCE!" Dumbledore bellowed. His wish was immediately granted.
"Mr. Potter, what are you doing here?" he asked, astonished.
I rolled my eyes. "It's my house. What are you doing here?"
"Arrogant as ever I see." Snape muttered.
"I'm not being arrogant, I'm merely stating a fact. This is my house. Sirius left it to me."
"Well, Mr. Potter, much as it pains me to say this –."
"With all due respect professor, shut up. This is my house, and you will not disrespect me in it. If you do, you may just find that I am… less charitable to the Order than I once was."
"You --."
"Severus, that is quite enough." Dumbledore said sternly. "Harry, my dear boy, what brings you here?"
"I live here. Well, I do now. I've moved out of the Dursley's."
"May I inquire as to why?"
"Certainly. I'm tired of being abused by them."
"Abused?" Dumbledore echoed, frowning slightly.
"Yes. They were starving me, had been since school let out. I got so desperate, I had to summon Kreacher to bring me food."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. You can ask him if you'd like. I wrote Hermione and Ron about it, asking them to send me food. And that's not all they did."
"There's more?"
"Sadly, yes. They physically abused me as well. My uncle and cousin routinely beat me, for no reason at all. My aunt withheld food and water from me. I had to sneak a sip of water while I was in the bathroom or doing the outdoor chores."
"Really."
"Yes. They kept me locked in my room, and before I came to Hogwarts, I didn't even have a room. I had a cupboard."
"Oh my. Is there… anything else, you need to tell me?"
"Yes sir, but not about the Dursleys. I want to have Godric's Hollow restored. And I've had my scar removed."
"Have you now?"
"Yes." With that, I lifted my fringe to show him my smooth forehead. "I went to a Muggle cosmetic surgeon. I paid for it myself."
"What made you decide to do such a thing?" Molly Weasley asked, aghast.
"My scar makes me a target. When people look for Harry Potter they look for two things: the scar, and the hair."
"So why not simply dye your hair?" Tonks inquired.
"Because even if my hair was different, I'd still be recognizable by the scar. It's what people notice most readily. I figured that if I didn't have the scar, people would just think I looked like Harry Potter. And besides, I could always die my hair later."
Dumbledore nodded sagely. "I think it was a brilliant idea. The scar is what you're famous for, so if you didn't have it, you'd be in less danger."
"Exactly."
"I think that you should dye your hair as well. Just to be safe."
"Actually, I was going to do you one better. I have an appointment with an eye surgeon. I'm going to undergo a type of Muggle surgery known as laser eye correctional surgery. In a nutshell, they correct my vision so that I don't need glasses at all."
"Really!" Mr. Weasley said, his eyebrows disappearing into his hair. "How marvelous!"
"I'd still dye my hair, if I were you Harry." Tonks said.
"I don't think I'll dye it. What if I just lighten it? You know, bleach it."
"Wouldn't it be gray?" Minerva asked.
"I didn't think of that. I just don't want to go blonde or something. It'd be too drastic, I think."
"What about a brown rinse?" Remus asked. "That's close to black."
Dumbledore nodded. "I think that you might just be onto something, Remus."
"I agree."
"Well," Snape said, interrupting, "Now that we've decided what Potter will look like, perhaps we can decide where he's going to live."
"Quite right, Severus." Dumbledore agreed.
"Why can't the boy stay here?" Moody demanded.
"Too many people know of this location." Molly said, "It's not safe."
"Any ideas as to where Harry can stay?" Dumbledore said, surveying the group.
"Actually sir," I said, causing him to turn towards me, "I have an idea."
"Well…?"
"Perhaps I could stay with Professor Snape for the summer? I need to learn Occulmency anyway, and I'd be in the company of an Order member more often than not."
"Hmm…" Dumbledore stroked his beard thoughtfully.
"Albus, you cannot be serious. I loathe the boy!" Snape said, dismayed.
"Perhaps it is time that you set your differences aside, Severus."
"I agree," I said, surprising everyone, "it's in the best interest of the Order that we put our differences aside and work together. How can we fight our enemy, if we are busy fighting ourselves?"
"He has a point Severus." Minerva said. "We cannot expect to win if we cannot work together."
Snape folded his arms and huffed angrily. "Fine, but you will do as you are told without complaint, and you will stay out of my way, and out of trouble."
"It's settled then," Dumbledore said, clapping his hands, "Harry will stay with Severus for the remainder of break."
Yes! My plan was going along perfectly.
"I'll need a few days to prepare for my… charge."
"I can stay here until you're ready for me to move in." I said, practically jumping for joy.
"Yes well… try not to look so bloody happy about it…" Snape grumbled.