AN: Once again, Yen has given up her own time to improve my writing. She even took my too tired to think sections and made them worth reading. Enjoy! Ree
What to do?
Gary Sanders looked at the young man for a long moment before speaking. "You want to work here part time?"
Harry nodded, his gaze never leaving Sanders'. "Your sign says that you need a dishwasher. I have a week before I head off to Uni, and then I will be able to work in the evenings, and a day on the weekend. Would that fit what you need?"
"Have you ever washed dishes?" The last person Sanders had hired for the position hadn't bothered to mention that he was a stranger to dish soap.
Memories of long days in Aunt Petunia's kitchen and Severus' cauldron cleaning detentions flew through Harry's mind. "I've washed dishes, but I've never used a machine to do it. I've done them all by hand."
Sanders frowned at him a moment longer before nodding to himself. "Come on back so we can get the paperwork squared away. Do you have time to start today?"
Harry followed the shorter man back towards the kitchen area. It was the same restaurant where he and Severus had had their first lunch out together. As he passed the place this morning, he had noticed the help wanted sign so he went home, cleaned up, and came right back out. "I can start today, sure."
It took no time for the forms to be filled in and then Sanders walked him to the back of the kitchen area. There was a wall of sinks with a small commercial conveyor dishwasher in the middle of them.
"Okay, you scrape the food off the returned dishes, or the empty pots and pans, rinse them and then put them into the rack. Silverware goes into these holders. Then make sure that is has soap in the tank and push the rack into the machine. When the dishes are clean, they'll come out the other side and you need to check them for any damage. If they are damaged, they go over into this stack, if not, they go over here. If they are not clean, then you need to wash them by hand. Easy enough?" Sanders watched Snape's nephew to see if any of that had gone over his head. It looked like he understood it well enough.
"Recap – scrape it, rinse it, rack it, push it, soap check, dishes check, sort according to condition." Harry tipped his head when he was done. "Right?"
Nodding once, Sanders waved Harry towards the sinks. "Get busy then."
Turning towards the kitchen proper, he called out to the Head Chef. "Petters! Potter is starting today, he's handling the dishes."
The heavier set man waved from his position at the stove and Sanders headed back out front.
Petters called back over his shoulder as Sanders left. "Potter, get them caught up."
Harry shook his head, turned to the overloaded sinks and started. It took a bit to get caught up, but it wasn't hard. While he was waiting on the rack to make its way through the machine, Harry started cleaning up the area. He could hear Aunt Petunia going on about the state of the sinks in the back of his mind, swiftly followed by Severus, in full dungeon bat mode, pointing out all the areas that needed to be polished up, no magic allowed. Aunt Petunia was back as he inspected the dishes, but the moment a large pot came through with some burnt sauce stuck at the bottom, he heard a hissed 'Potter!' that landed him in the middle of a past cauldron cleaning detention. Scrubbing the pot, Harry decided that he would rather hear a hissing Severus to Aunt Petunia any day.
When he finally had all the lunch dished caught up, the dinner rush began.
Petters watched the new kid as best he could while running the rest of the kitchen. What he saw impressed him. When closing time rolled around, he watched Potter cleaning up the last of the dishes and then proceeding to wash up his work area. Petters didn't lift his gaze even when Sanders stopped next to him.
"So, how did Snape's nephew do?" asked Sanders.
"Real well. Once he got the backlog handled, he kept up fine. He even cleaned up the back some when he had a moment. He's here permanently? Full time?"
Sanders sighed at Petters' hopeful tone. "Part time, he is going to Uni in a week, commuting so he'll be here in the evenings."
Petters shook his head as he looked at his boss. Of course Snape would push his nephew to go to Uni, the man was a teacher. "So, what are we doing for lunch?"
"I'll get one of the waiters to handle it periodically and Potter can catch them up when he gets here. That'll have to do until we fill the position."
Petters nodded, it was the best they could do. "Potter!"
Harry hung the towel up and turned towards the two men. "Chef Petters."
He caught Sanders' grin at that and Petters' eye roll.
"You will be here at around eleven until you head for school, right?" Petters looked between Sanders and Potter to confirm his guess.
"I'm going to be off Sunday. I'm off once a week to catch up with school work." Harry leaned back against the sink as he answered, not taking his eyes off of either gentlemen.
Sanders nodded. "That was the agreement. We'll see you tomorrow. Head on out. Has your uncle left already?"
Harry stopped for a moment, wondering when they had met Uncle Vernon before he remembered. "You mean Severus? Severus isn't my uncle, but yes, he went back to school yesterday." Heading towards the door, Harry wondered what was there to make for dinner at home.
Petters and Sanders looked at each other for a moment. There was no doubt that Snape was Potter's uncle. This denial must be because he just wasn't used to it, or because Snape was only a half-uncle or whatever you wanted to call it.
Suddenly, Petters' eyes widened. "He never stopped for a break this evening."
He noticed that the kid was almost out the door. "Potter!" he called while Sanders crossed over to one of the preparation tables, pulled out a to go box, and started filling it.
Harry looked back over his shoulder. "Yes?"
"Here." Sanders handed Harry a bag . "You didn't get to eat dinner tonight, Petters said you worked straight through. It's just bread and salad, but better than nothing. Tomorrow, don't let them starve you."
Accepting the bag, Harry smiled. "Thanks."
Bread and salad was a good dinner since he didn't need to prepare it.
o-o-o-o-o
It was Friday and business was moving at a fast clip. Lunch had barely started and Petters was almost at his wits end. Karla had called in sick and Sanders had one of the waiters trying to work her station, the salads, as well as covering a few tables. The problem was that MacDonald kept trying to get out to the floor to help there, and he would fall behind on the salad prep. Also, Petters didn't like have the salads pre-made; they should be made as the order came in.
Tearing his glare away from MacDonald as the latter headed to the front again, Petters checked the rest of the kitchen. His eyes landed on Potter calmly handling the dishes while keeping as much of the kitchen as clean as possible. Calm, that was the best term to describe Potter. Nothing seemed to ruffle him. Narrowing his eyes he came to a decision. "Potter."
Harry set the last of the plates in the warmers before turning to see what the chef needed. "Yes, sir?"
"Do you know how to follow a recipe and use a knife?" Petters watched as Potter almost laughed, but restrained himself. That almost laugh told him all he needed to know.
"I've done both, but not in a professional setting." Harry knew he was about to be put on salad prep. He had watched as the waiter mangled more ingredients than he used. MacDonald should be grateful that this wasn't Severus' class although Harry would have enjoyed hearing the scathing diatribe without being its focus.
"Come over here." Petters gestured to the prep table. "These are the two main types of salads. If the customer orders an entrée salad, we'll handle it. These two cards here," he pointed to two laminated sheets that were hanging off of the upper shelf of the prep table, "show the ingredients, their amounts and a picture of the final product. Think you can handle it?"
Harry scanned over the lists and decided that they were no worse than some of the potions that he had had to master, and they looked better. "I can try, but what about the dishes?"
"Do what you can with them, but the salads come first, got it?" Petters gave a tight grin when Potter nodded. "Get busy, we need three house salads and five Caesars."
Picking up the knife that was lying on the cutting board, Harry out of habit checked the edge. Dull as could be. Remembering where the sharpener was, he lost no time putting an edge on the blade, cleaning it and starting in.
Petters checked the salads before they headed out and smiled. Yes, Potter could follow a recipe just fine and knew how to prep ingredients correctly.
Sanders watched as food kept coming from the kitchen, and noticed that MacDonald, who he had assigned to help back there was still out on the floor. Frowning, he headed back to find out what was going on.
A quick glance showed his dishwasher making salads. "Petters," he stopped next to his chef as the man plated out an order. "Why is Potter making salads?"
Petters slid the plate he just finished up for take out and looked at the ticket that was just passed in. "Potter, two house, one Caesar."
Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted the kid put two plates under the house salad's card and one under the Caesar's. Turning his attention to Sanders he quirked a half grin. "Cause the kid knows the handle from the blade of a knife, knows how to mince, dice and chop, and how to read a recipe and follow it and make it presentable. To top it off, the dishes aren't too far behind either, he'll be able to catch them up when the rush is up. Dinner time you might want to have one of the waiters help load them though."
"MacDonald was supposed to be helping." Sanders checked out how bad the back up on the dishes was. Petters was right, they were behind, but no worse than the day before he hired Potter.
"MacDonald wanted to be on the floor so he was doing a poor job back here, rushing the salads so he could leave. Let me keep Potter there, and you can have MacDonald load the racks later, if need be." Petters hoped that Sanders would see it his way.
Nodding, Sanders sighed. "It's working, and I can't argue with that. Hopefully, Karla will be back tomorrow."
"If not, Potter starts on the salads."
Taking in the look that accompanied those words, Sanders shook his head. "If that is what you want. It's your kitchen."
o-o-o-o-o
Severus closed the door to his quarters and leaned against it. It had been a long week, full of meetings, taking inventory, paperwork, and nosy new professors who hadn't yet learned not to bother him. Last year's Defense and Muggle Studies Professors had left when the term ended.
The students had seen too much -done too much - to accept some of the ways that the Defense Professor approached teaching. The my-way-or-the-door method that the man favored had didn't work. The students expected that the Defense Professor would be incompetent like Quirrell or Lockhart, or attempt to hurt them like Umbridge. What they did not expect to do was to be taught fairly, even though Lupin had done a decent job. The different expectations, the professor's desire not to be questioned and the student to not trust, had led to some interesting power plays which in turn had led to a new Professor this year. Professor Morris also decided to retire after several bouts of spontaneous paranoia, convinced that teaching was not for him.
Sighing, Severus ran a hand over his face. He had started this week in a decent enough mood, but it had deteriorated the further the week progressed. 'It is because I know Harry is home by himself, nothing to do but study or work that new job he mentioned. I want to be there, too. I miss seeing him at meals. I want to talk to him, even if it is only about school things and dunderheads. I want to ...' He blocked the rest of that thought before it could fully form in his mind, but he wasn't fast enough to prevent the phantom touch of Harry's lips on his and the resultant shiver racing through him. He missed the closeness between them even with letters exchanged. 'It didn't help when the two new professors noticed my mood change and kept asking what was wrong. No matter how much the rest told them to leave be, they wouldn't.'
He pushed himself off the door and walked three steps before stopping, his eyes widening. This was their last weekend of freedom since school would start next week and the next long break was the Winter Holidays. Many professors were going home tonight and returning Sunday evening.
Spinning about, Severus headed out. He was going home for the weekend.
o-o-o-o-o
Standing in the living room of his Spinner's End home, Severus wondered where Harry was. For just a tiny moment, he thought that Harry might have moved out, but then he caught sight of the notebook on the coffee table and a book next to it. The rest of the place was as neat as it had been all summer. 'So, all the house cleaning wasn't just for show.'
Heading into the kitchen, Severus hoped that Harry had marked his calender. A quick look showed that his partner was still at work. He remembered when Harry's letter had arrived midweek during breakfast. Reading about Harry enthusing about washing dishes at Sander's had almost ended with Severus hexing the new Defense Professor, Andrew Dexter, who had tried to read over his shoulder. Luckily, Hooch noticed and pulled Dexter into a conversation, allowing Severus to enjoy his precious letter in peace.
Choosing a book from the bookshelf, Severus settled into his armchair to wait.
o-o-o-o-o
Harry unlocked and opened the door with one hand, his other holding a large bag of dinner that Petters had made him as thanks for taking the salad station over. The bag almost hit the floor when he saw Severus walking over to greet him.
Blinking, he stared for a long moment, attempting to decide if this was a hallucination or if his silent wish had been answered.
Severus quirked up a side of his mouth at the searching look. "You can touch me if you want. I won't vanish."
The sound of that velvety baritone slid over Harry, drawing him closer until his fingers brushed over a solid chest. Looking up into the almost grinning face, he smiled. "What are you doing here? Surely McGonagall didn't send you home."
Severus took a deep breath, taking in Harry's scent mixed with various foods, and felt all his irritation of the past week wash away. "This is the last weekend of freedom, and I opted not to spend it at school this year."
Harry's eyes widened. "You're home for the entire weekend? But I've got to go into work tomorrow." His disappointment was clear.
Severus pulled Harry into his arms. "I saw your schedule. Go on to work, I'll be here waiting on you."
Moving the bag out of the way, Harry brushed a kiss across Severus' lips. It quickly changed from a light kiss to a sizzling one that left them both breathless.
Much to Harry's embarrassment, his stomach growled the moment their lips parted. "Sorry, I haven't eaten yet. We were shorthanded so I worked through."
Severus plucked the bag out of his hand and headed for the dining room. "Then it is about time you ate. How is it like working there?"
"It's okay. I like Petters and Sanders. Don't know most of the others yet, I'm typically in the back cleaning up." Harry chuckled as he got them both drinks and silverware, pleased that Petters had packed extra tonight. "I'm putting all those detention skills I learned to good use. Have you eaten yet?"
Severus settled at the table after setting the boxes out. "I had a light dinner."
The Muggle Studies Professor, Viola Zimmer, had sat next to him and proceeded to chatter all through dinner. Filius had finally saved Severus from doing something that Minerva would disapprove of by distracting Viola with a question about a Muggle torchlight, but by then, Severus' appetite had been ruined.
"Good, you can help me with this. There is too much for me to eat on my own. I was going to save some for tomorrow, but I like sharing it better."
Accepting the fork, Severus watched as Harry split the contents of the two boxes evenly between them.
Picking up his fork, Harry flashed a smile at his dinner companion. "I got to use all that stuff you've been teaching me these last several years tonight."
Severus blinked. "Not Defense, I hope. How were you able to use potions in the kitchen?"
"They put me on the salad station, and so I cut, diced, sliced and measured all evening. The recipe was simple compared to some of the stuff you had us brewing."
Harry chuckled along with Severus before eating a forkful of pasta.
"So, tell me about what's been happening at the school."
Severus took a delicious bite of the ravioli before starting in on his week. This was why he had come home, so that he could see Harry, eat and talk with him and savour the anticipation of climbing into the same bed with him later and making love before falling asleep in each other's arms.
The next two days passed faster than Severus wanted them to, except for the hours that Harry had work on Saturday. Before he knew it, it was Sunday evening and he was heading back to the school while Harry was preparing to head into the Auror Training program.
o-o-o-o-o
Harry gave Ron a significant look, positive it would be interpreted right. When Ron gave a tiny nod back, he left the training room.
Three months had passed since he started Auror Training, and Harry had come face to face with the unexpected. He had made a tentative decision but he needed Ron's perspective.
Harry was glad that Sanders had given him the evening off. The man had taken one look at him yesterday – a particularly hard training day- and declared that they could survive without him on Thursday.
An hour later found Ron and Harry sitting in Grimmauld Place, bottles of Butterbeer on the table in front of them and take out curry.
Okay, Harry, what is it?" Ron took a bite of fish curry, watching the bright green eyes cloud over.
Sighing, Harry took a bite before starting in. "They aren't accepting us."
Ron nodded slowly. "They seem to be very upset that we opted to finish school instead of accepting their offer to join last year."
Harry frowned slightly. What Ron said was true. On their first day itself, the other trainees had said it was about time. Then the trainers had started in with comments about how Harry and Ron should have been through the program already. Compounding it all was the assumption that both of them should be more skilled than any of the other trainees.
Two weeks ago, Auror Simmons had split them up, and then the harassment had truly started in earnest.
"It feels like second year and the Slytherin heir all over again." Harry took a swig of his drink as he watched Ron's reaction.
Ron shook his head, his answer almost muffled by the curry that he had scooped up with a roti and was taking a bite out of. "No, more like fourth year. They just need some Potter Stinks buttons. Only this time, I'm not being a fool so I am being treated to the idiocy as well. So, instead of that button alternating between Cedric and Potter, it needs to alternate between Potter and Weasley, but both would say stinks."
"I don't want to work some place that they people treat me like that. I mean, I had to put up with at school – no choice there - but not for my career!" Harry flopped against the back of his chair. "The Confringo curse they threw at you today wasn't a school yard prank. If I hadn't blocked it..."
"Thanks for that. Simmons watched it happen and not a thing was said or done," growled Ron before he gave Harry a thoughtful look. "All we know is what the other trainees and the trainers think. The rest of the Department might not be like them. We need to find out. Then we can make a decision as to what we want to do, for I agree with you - school we had to deal, but not now. Also, it will let us know if there is any reason we should complain about the harassment, or just leave."
Harry ran a hand through his hair as he watched Ron devour his curry. "Tomorrow, I'll get there early and use my cloak to slip into the department to see what is being said."
"It'll take more than one day, but that sounds like the best plan. If you don't mind me borrowing the cloak, we can alternate days. I say a week or two should give us an accurate idea," said Ron.
Harry raised an eyebrow at Ron. "Of course I don't mind. I trust you."
Instead of a smile, he got a searching look from narrowed blue eyes.
"If you trust me, tell me where you stayed all summer. Who are you seeing?"
Harry blinked. Then he took a deep breath and gathered up his courage. He might as well tell Ron and see what would happen. "I'm seeing Snape. Well, not right now – he is at school and I'm in training, but we are together. I spent all summer at his place. He asked me to stay there during the school year since I didn't want to come back here, and we weren't getting a flat."
Ron stared at Harry for a long moment, mouth agape, before snapping it shut and folding his arms across his chest. "Nothing happened during school, right?"
Those were not the words that Harry expected to hear. "I spent the mornings in his office working on my books. He answered any questions I asked, typically by telling me what book to look in."
Ron nodded, clearly waiting to hear more.
"I didn't even think that I was attracted to him until a nightmare sent me to his office door late one night… in October, I think it was -right around Halloween. I dreamed that the Fiendfyre from the Room of Requirement was burning the Shrieking Shack with Severus in it. I woke up before I could save him."
Ron cut in. "So, you had to rush to him to make sure that he was alright. Makes sense. So that helped you notice that you were attracted to him?"
Harry searched Ron's blue eyes, looking for disapproval. Instead, he spotted curiosity and protectiveness. "This goes no further. Not to another soul, living or dead. Not even Hermione, not till I am around to fill her in."
Ron sighed. "What a time for her to be gone for a month long training on specialties. There isn't any way to state your relationship much less where you are staying, into a letter. You never know who will intercept the post. I won't mention it without you around. You might as well be there to answer all her questions."
Harry's eyes widened before he chuckled lightly. "Okay, that is almost a scary thought." Shaking the image out of his head, he continued. "Severus didn't let me into his office, instead he let me into his personal lab. It was there that I told him about the nightmare, and all the fear came rushing back."
He paused for a moment, a tiny smile curling his lips as he recalled that night. From Ron's raised eyebrows, he knew he was blushing, but he didn't care much. "He hugged me. Just held me tightly until I calmed down. When he let go, he said I could sit in the corner of his lab – there is a sitting area there – and take a calming draught or have a cup of tea. He then went back to brewing something. It was then that I realized that I was not repulsed by Severus, but was attracted to him."
"Just like that?" Ron's skeptical voice was reasonable considering the tumultuous start of his relationship with Hermione.
"No, but yes. I think it had actually started over the summer last year when I kept visiting him in St. Mungo's, but I hadn't realized it. Even after that, I had to think long and hard about it. Then I got jealous of Professor Morris who just wouldn't give Severus any space. Later, we had a talk in the Forbidden Forest while harvesting fungi…"
"Fungi?"
When Ron's eyebrows climbed even higher, Harry felt his smile grow.
"About why nothing could happen or even be acknowledged while I was at school," he elaborated before shaking his head and giving a long sigh. "There was a lot of waiting until summer."
When Ron stayed silent, Harry quirked a nervous grin at him. "You don't care that it is Snape?"
"Call him Severus, you've been doing it this entire time." Ron took a sip his drink and then grinned lightly. "I can't be upset. You've been happy this past summer. I knew something was up, but waited for you to come clean. He makes you happy, that is all that matters. How are you holding up since he's back at Hogwarts?"
A wave of warm relief washed through Harry. "Okay... and not okay. I wish I could talk to him about this, but it is our problem to solve. I don't need to dump it on to him yet."
Ron's eyes had been narrowing until the 'yet'. He remembered that conversation when Harry had talked about interdependence. It had made him think about how things were between him and Hermione, and to make adjustments. He wanted to be someone she could rely on. If Harry wanted interdependence then he had to rely on Snape, too. "If he is your partner, when do you plan on bringing him into this?"
Taking a large gulp of Butterbeer, Harry answered, "When I have all the facts, and have choices to decide between. When are you telling Hermione?"
"When we have most of the facts and need her perspective." Ron grinned at Harry's head shake. "You know that she will want to give it."
Their eyes met over the table as they agreed with each other's plan.
o-o-o-o-o
Petters watched as Potter worked through the large pile of dishes. The calm that he normally associated with the kid had slowly been vanishing the longer he was at Uni. Today it was at an all time low. It was time for a talk.
He leaned against the sink, absentmindedly checking the dishes as Potter rinsed them off. "What is going on, Potter? You've been having problems at school?"
Harry glared down into the sink full of plates. It was two weeks since he and Ron had had that talk at Grimmauld Place and today was the clincher in their investigation. He and Ron had brought together all their observations and discovered that over half of the Aurors held the same opinion that Simmons did- that they should have already been trained. There were a number that seemed to think that several injuries could have been prevented if they had. Harry had hoped that it had been a secluded incident and that it would blow over. Neither of them wanted to chance being partnered with anyone that believed that they were wrong for finishing their education first.
Looking up at Petters, Harry sighed. For some reason, Sanders and Petters had taken on the role of guardians since he started working there. He wasn't alone in this adoption though, all the younger crew were included. He had come to respect the chef over the last couple of months, and didn't want to dismiss the question. "There is a long story with more details than I want to give, but I will try to make it short for you."
Petters glanced at the empty kitchen, glad that they were closed for the evening. "Take your time - I'll listen."
Harry started loading the dish rack as the words came out. "There was a murderer out for me for years. It was kept really hush hush since they didn't want to cause much of a stir, but my two best friends and I had to be careful for most of my secondary school career."
Petters felt his heart stop, the casual way Potter said it was too telling. It was as if this was normal.
"Well, during my seventh year it was too dangerous for me and them – since the murderer had started targeting them as well- to go to school, so my friends and I ended up working with a team to find him – kind of on the side. We caught him. It took a lot of risk and work, but we did it. If it weren't for my friends and I, he would still be at large. The department that was hunting the man down wanted us to join them immediately." Harry pushed the rack into the washer with more force than he intended to. Luckily, nothing happened to the dishes and Petters kept silent.
"Well, Severus and Hermione both thought we should go back to school for our seventh year to try and learn all the stuff that we've been losing out on throughout the years I'd been hunted." Harry started rinsing the next load. "I agreed, and got my other friend to do so as well. It was a fun year. I'd never had a year quite like that one even though…"
Petters took note of the wistful happiness in Potter's voice and the slight blush that accompanied it. "I'm glad you had a good year, and such good friends."
Harry looked up at Petters and smiled softly. "I am, too." He sighed and shook his head. "My problem is that now that we've finished our seventh year, Ron and I decided to apply to train to be part of that department. The training's been okay, a touch harder than I thought it would be, with all the rules and regulations, but the worst part is that the people training us are holding it against us that we didn't join the first time they asked."
Petters waited a moment to see if Potter would say anything else that would shock him. He now understood why the kid calmly took in the chaos that was the kitchen. He couldn't imagine knowing that someone wanted him dead -was actively hunting for him, and then face his upcoming superiors' disapproval for a good decision. "Are you going to let them run you off? Do you truly want to join them?"
Harry pushed the last rack into the washer and sighed again. "I don't know what else I can do. I've spent so many years hunting this man, it is the only thing I think I know how to do, hunt people. But I know that I don't want to work someplace where I am already being judged."
Petters started checking the dishes from the first rack and putting them away. "You can stay here, but I don't think that you want to. Why not get together with your friends and ask them what they think you can do? They probably noticed skills you haven't."
Harry frowned before nodding. "You are most likely right, they would. Thanks for listening, Chef Petters."
Petters sighed. One day he'll get the kid to drop the Chef title, no matter if he had earned it. "Go home, call your friends and get some rest."
"Once I've finished. I know better than to leave a mess in the kitchen."
Both of them worked to finish the clean up.
o-o-o-o-o
It had taken another two weeks to get everyone to meet up at the small apartment George and Ron shared above the Weasley Wizard Wheezes shop instead of Grimmauld Place. Everyone had arrived except for Hermione who had sent her Patronus to say she was on her way and the meeting wasn't to start without her.
Meanwhile, Harry and Ron continued their Auror training, working hard, passing tests and guarding each other's backs to the best of their ability. They had met up every Sunday since the first week of training to review the material that they had to learn, and then Harry taught him the additional Defense stuff that he had learned over the summer. These last two weeks, though, they had worked even harder on their long range defense spells. It helped since they were typically placed across the room from each other.
Hermione finally rushed in with apologies. She looked at the crowded sofa where Neville, Seamus, and Dean were sitting on with bottles of Butterbeer in their hands and perched on a chair at one end, nodding and smiling at everyone. George stuck his head in, took one look at the gathering and transfigured himself a seat near the door.
Harry looked at the group and drew a deep breath, it was time to explain. "Ron and I have something to tell you, and I have something to ask."
Hermione settled back, she knew what this was about. Ron's letters had explained what they had been facing and told her that they would be seeking her advice. She had pushed and studied as hard as she could to finish up early in France so she could get back to the UK.
Ron started speaking. "You know that Harry and I are training to become aurors right now."
The others nodded, and George's eyes narrowed. He had seen the condition that Ron had come home in, and heard some of the spells that he and Harry were practicing.
Ron caught George's look. "Well, I am dropping out. Harry is as well."
Seamus gasped before exclaiming the question on everyone's lips, everyone except the trio. "Why? What happened?"
George leaned forward, waiting to hear the answer. He knew he would be reporting to Mum later that evening when he let her know where Hermione was staying.
Harry looked at the group, prepared for any sort of reaction. "The aurors in the training program, including the trainers, and about half the department aren't pleased that Ron and I finished out schooling."
Ron's snort caused Harry to crack a self-deprecating grin. "Okay, displeased is maybe too mild. It feels like I am in a mixture between my second year and fourth year at Hogwarts. We decided that we didn't need to work in that kind of environment. That is why we are leaving."
Seamus frowned. "Honestly, you just finished getting the requirements for the position – what's their problem?"
"What have they done?" George's eyes gleamed, his expression showing that not answering wasn't an option.
Ron grimaced, hoping this conversation wouldn't end up at the Burrow. "Harassment, hexing, cursing, and general bullying. They let everyone else choose who to partner, but they separated me and Harry and then our partners took the opportunity to make us do everything and refused to guard our backs during training."
Harry chipped in. "Sometimes they are the ones attacking. It's been that way for the last several weeks. Those hexes and curses aren't the basic pranks either."
Ron nodded. "So, since the group that we were training with was so enthusiastic about us being there, we opted to see how the rest of the department felt – unobserved, of course. You heard the results of that. Some of them even blame us not being there as the cause for injuries that happened last year."
Dean frowned. "They're all idiots. So what are you two planning on doing now?"
Ron looked over at Hermione before answering. "I'm going to get my Care of Magical Creatures Mastery and then travel with Hermione collecting unique plants and animals for multiple uses."
Hermione smiled brightly, holding herself back from lunging at Ron and snogging him. That had been her suggestion in her last letter, and she was thrilled that he had accepted.
George's eyebrows shot up before he nodded. Mum and Dad would fuss, but accept it. Of course, Mum was going to insist on a wedding before they head out. He shot a questioning look over at Harry, waiting to hear what he had decided.
Settling further into his seat, Harry searched the faces of his friends. "My problem is that I have no idea what I should do now. I have no idea what I am good at besides taking down bad guys. That is what I want to ask all of you, what do you think?"
Hermione gave him a long and considering look while the others jumped in.
"You could run a shop somewhere." Dean grinned broadly. "You name would make it a success no matter what you sold!"
"You could go for Professional Quidditch," Neville suggested.
Ron stared at Neville before shifting his eyes to Harry. Harry was good at the game, but he wouldn't like playing professional. No, it would take him away from home too much. 'Snape is part of this equation. There is no way I can see Snape being a Quidditch spouse. It is just not his thing, and Harry wants their relationship to work. The shopkeeper thing might work, except Harry would much rather hide from his fame than use it. Maybe if he was in Hogsmeade. The people there have known him since he was young, and it is close to Hogwarts and Snape. No, there will still be some hero worship. The only place where that isn't likely to happen is at Hogwarts, but can he get a position at the school?'
"Maybe a professor, Harry." Seamus studied Harry's reaction. "It doesn't have to be at Hogwarts. You could go teach at a Wizarding school like Durmstrang or Beauxbatons or somewhere else. You did a good job when you taught the DA back in our fifth year."
Hermione nodded. "A professor might be a good option. Perhaps Muggle Studies – you at least would know what to teach them."
Harry nodded. "That is a good idea. I could also teach Defense if the current Professor leaves. I want to do something that will help people."
George tapped his knee lightly before adding his two knuts worth. "You don't have to teach. You can get your Defense Mastery and become a freelance practitioner. You can use your name to help with business, but you can be picky about who you deal with. You can go to people's houses and clean up the dark artifacts like we did at Grimmauld Place. Not everyone had access to skilled wizards like Snape, Lupin, and Dumbledore like we did to help them out. If you get a curse breaker addition, you would be really marketable. Or, you can get a masters in Care of Magical Creatures like Ron and go work with hippogriffs."
Ron grinned. 'The freelance thing would work, he could live with Snape and then go out for a job when he wanted. Hippogriff farming isn't going to happen though. They would be separated.' It was time to weigh in with his opinion.
"I think you should get your Defense degree or Care of Magical Creatures, or even both. Then go to Hogwarts and become Hagrid's assistant. Then you'll be there when the Defense position opens up. Or, you can be Hooch's assistant and teach flying. You shouldn't play professional Quidditch, you wouldn't like the pressure to win. I mean, you like the game well enough, but I don't think you like it enough to deal with people thinking that you should be perfect all the time. I think you just like flying more." Ron trailed off as the others stared at him. It was then that he realized that they had all thought he would support the Quidditch idea.
Harry searched Ron's eyes for a moment, glad that his best mate had taken Severus into account. He was positive that that was the reason for not pushing Quidditch, and for suggesting being Hagrid's assistant. "Those sound like good ideas."
George nodded. "So, you will get a mastery or two, and then decide if you wish to teach or if you want something else."
Harry grinned, Petters had been right, asking his mates was a good idea. George left after giving Ron a meaningful look and the others soon followed, leaving Ron, Hermione and Harry alone.
The three looked at each other, soaking in the comfortable silence that came from being with good friends. Then Hermione came to sit on the sofa, nearer to where Ron was.
"Harry, I was wondering if I could stay with you for a while?" She rolled her eyes as Harry stared at her in disbelief.
It was Ron who explained. "It's Mum. She will not allow us to be alone for the night unchaperoned, and she says that George doesn't count. I got an earful last summer when she heard about our accommodation while we were camping."
Chuckling, Harry answered, "I guess you can use the guest room, but I need to check first."
"Check? Who do you need to check with? Kreacher?" Hermione looked between Harry and Ron.
Ron handed Harry a parchment roll and a quill before nodding at a cluttered table in the corner. "Inkpot is there, go ahead and write Snape. You need to set up a time to tell him all that we decided anyway. You can ask him about Hermione crashing there while she is in the UK. Does he have to remain at the school for Winter Holidays? If not, I'll take Hermione with me to the Burrow, Mum will be fine with that."
"Snape? Harry, why do you need to ask Professor Snape? What's going on?" Hermione knew she sounded as puzzled as she felt. There was something – a lot of somethings – these two weren't telling her, she could tell from the looks on their faces.
Even as Harry opened his mouth to explain, Ron pointed to the parchment. "This is a rush job. Pig can only fly so fast. I'll explain what I can, and you can be grilled later. Write."
Sitting at the table, Harry dipped the quill into ink and started writing.
Ron gestured Hermione a little away. "Harry has been going out with Snape since the beginning of summer, and has been living at Snape's place for a while. Snape asked him to stay there while we were in training." He stopped and braced himself for the questions to begin.
Hermione's eyes widened. Harry is gay? Harry was with Snape? Professor Snape? Since the beginning of summer?
"Well…" She floundered for a bit. "The beginning of summer? That was quick."
"Go ahead and tell her everything, Ron. I'm almost done here. Where's Pig?" Harry didn't look up as he considered how to word his request of when to meet up.
"He is down in the workroom." Ron turned back to Hermione and started to tell all he knew.
Harry finished his letter and found Pig downstairs. "Take this to Severus Snape at Hogwarts, Pig, and wait for a reply."
Heading back up the stairs, he prepared for the inquisition he was sure was coming.
"Harry, you're happy,right?" Hermione barely let him get the door closed before she asked.
"With Severus, or right now?" Harry plopped back onto the soft chair that he had used earlier.
"With Professor Snape." Hermione's tight tone showed what she thought of being left out of the loop.
A soft smile filled Harry's face. "I am. We just came together, and it works."
Hermione searched the happy expression and goofy smile, looking for any clue as to what had happened. "But Harry, he was our professor and he was… well, hard on us. On you, most of all. Are you sure he didn't use being an authority figure to convince you?"
Snorting, Harry shook his head. "Not likely, Hermione. He insisted, and I agreed, that we needed to learn how to be equals before we entered a true relationship. If anything, him being my professor slowed us down."
Seeing what she was looking for, namely the contentment in those bright green eyes, Hermione smiled at last. "Then you succeeded in finding and getting on with the one of the few people who will not fawn over you because you are Harry Potter. I'm happy for you." She watched as both Ron and Harry stared at her in disbelief, fighting to stay in her seat. When Harry relaxed, obviously believing that she wasn't going to do more, she jumped to her feet and rushed over to wrap Harry in a tight hug, laughing happily. "See I told you that one day you would find the right person! So, what is his place like?"
Harry laughed as she released him and went to sit next to Ron.
"Spinner's End? It is in a Muggle town, no Wizarding section at all. If Severus says yes, then we all can go, and I'll show you the house. We can go to Sanders' for dinner. He and Petters would love to meet you two."
Hermioned frowned, looking curious. "Who are they?"
Ron just grinned. "We get to eat at your workplace? Cool! I get food that is hot and fresh from the kitchen? Not leftovers? Mate, even if Snape says no to Hermione staying, can we still go?"
When Hermione huffed in frustration, they told her all she had missed while she was focused on her studies .