Chapter 30: Contraband

"Mr. Potter, the Headmaster would like to see you in his office after class."

I sighed. I've only been back for two days! I can't be in trouble already! "Yes, Professor."

I watched solemnly as McGonagall retreated to the front of the class and began the lesson. Why can't we learn the Animagus transformation? That would be much more useful than learning to turn dust bunnies into spoons.

"Mr. Potter, if I could have your attention?"

I sighed. "Sorry Professor."

Xxx

"Lemon Drops."

The statue just stared at me. Bloody fucking Dumbledore! I've been standing here for ten minutes

"Blood Pops."

"Sugar Quills."

"Ice Mice."

Nothing, nothing, and more nothing.

"Cockroach Clusters! Chocolate Frogs! Ginger Snaps! "

The statue smirked.

"Aaarrg!" I scream in frustration. "Bloody fucking… Gummy Worms!"

The statue moved.

"Which was it – the bloody fucking, or the gummy worms?"

"Five points from Gryffindor for vulgarity unbecoming a student, Mr. Potter."

I whirled around to face Snape with a particularly nasty retort on my tongue, and then decided that it wasn't worth a detention. Not this early in the year at least.

"Sorry, Professor. I'll watch my language from now on."

"See that you do." He replied, gliding off down the hall to torment some other unsuspecting student.

"Bloody Snape and Dumbledore…" I muttered, stomping up the spiral staircase and knocking on the heavy wooden door.

"Come in."

And you were in here the whole time! Why was I playing' Guess That Sweet' if you were here! You could have just opened the door!

I took a deep breath and reigned in my temper. "You wanted to see, Professor?"

"Yes. Have a seat." I sat. "Lemon drop?"

"No thank you."

"Ah well, I shall have one."

We sat in silence as he finished his candy. Finally I couldn't stand the silence anymore.

"I see you fixed up your office. It looks… the same."

"Yes." Dumbledore leaned forward and peered at me over his half-moon spectacles. "It has come to my attention that you are in possession of a bit of… contraband. Do you know of what I am speaking?"

"No sir." I said honestly. I had a lot of contraband in my possession – the Marauder's Map and Plunderer's Parchment being just the tip of the iceberg.

"No? You are not aware of the portrait you have hanging in your room?"

"I wasn't aware that we weren't allowed to decorate our rooms, sir."

"You are allowed to decorate your rooms anyway you wish, just so long as you stay within the guidelines."

"I wasn't aware that there were guidelines, Professor. Rumor has it that a group of Hufflepuffs have decorated their room with fairy lights. Are family portrait any less acceptable?"

"I told you that you couldn't bring it, Harry."

"Malfoy has one."

"Malfoy's circumstances are… special."

"Not more 'special' that defeating a Basilisk."

Dumbledore sighed. "Harry, you cannot have a portrait of your family in your dorm room."

"Why not? Because they might tell me about how their will explicitly states that I should never be left with the Dursley's?"

"Harry…"

"I wonder what Rita Skeeter would say if she found aout that you violated my parent's will, 'for the greater good'?"

Dumbledore blanched. "So you finally read Hogwarts, a History?"

"No, I read Dark Times and Darker Arts. Tell me Professor, how many Horcruxes have you made?"

"I never!"

"Like hell you didn't!" I yelled, standing fast enough to topple my chair. "You had that mysterious falling-out with your brother after your sister's even more mysterious death!"

"I never made a Horcrux, Harry. And if I did do something so heinous as murder my own sister, do you really think that I would be fool enough to put part of my soul in something that could be destroyed?"

"Of course not. You'd put it in something indestructible and everlasting, something you could keep with you at all times, something that no one would suspect."

"Nothing lasts forever, Harry."

I sneered. "Fawkes will last forever, Headmaster."