Chapter 54:

Dogvisit

2 ½ weeks later…

The first frost of autumn was already covering the land, the trees had shed their leaves, and the sky seemed to constantly hide behind a thick, dampening layer of grey clouds.

Late fall used to arouse ambiguous feelings in Harry. On the one hand, it was at this time of the year that his parents had died, but on the other, this particular season with its calmness and the promise of the coming cold also held something comforting to him. At the moment, however, he perceived the cold as nothing more than that: cold.

Fingers-and-toes-numbing-and-constantly-making-him-shiver-cold.

That he was about five meters above ground riding a broom, the cold wind whipping his face, did not help much. He shot a look at Ron, who was hovering two meters away from him, his determined gaze fixed straight ahead. The redhead was clutching the handle of a school broom, which also had seen better days, trying with all his might to keep his teeth from chattering.

And they hadn't even been on their brooms for five minutes yet, hadn't begun with their warming up exercises, and the balls were still locked securely within the wooden chest.

This was sheer madness.

Determinedly, Harry steered his broom alongside Ron's.

"Hey, Ron, let's postpone the training. It's too damn cold," he said in an encouraging and comforting tone; at least he hoped it sounded encouraging and comforting in spite of his frozen cheeks and quivering lips.

"N-n-no, I w-won't g-g-go b-back t-to h-her!" answered Ron through the clatter of his teeth.

Harry sighed. Obviously, Ron did not take the cold any better than himself, quite the contrary, but his infamous Weasley stubbornness refused to admit it.

"It's not that bad, really."

"T-that's w-what y-you s-say. S-s-snape here, S-snape there. You could believe she was i-infatuated with the g-greasy git." His seething anger seemed to help Ron keep his stutter somewhat in check.

"And someone could think you were jealous," teased Harry.

"W-wha ...? I ... SURELY I'M NOT!" Ron roared indignantly. "And Snape of all people? Yikes, the thought alone is more than disgusting."

"She is simply worried about what Sirius said. Me too, if I'm honest. After all, the whole thing was our fault."

Ron wrinkled his nose in disgust. "Now, don't you start with that worry-thing, too, mate. Dumbledore said he was all right. That's it. End of discussion. Stop mulling over it all the time, already."

"Dumbledore is not without ..." Harry began, but interrupted himself when Ron suddenly gasped, his gaze directed at the stands.

"Is he suicidal?"

Harry followed Ron's alarmed gaze, and indeed, on the stairs leading to the bottom gallery sat a huge black dog, looking up at them with big puppy eyes and wagging his bushy tail carelessly.

Just in time, Harry managed to keep himself from crying out the name of his godfather, and instead, he looked around nervously. What if there was somebody watching? What if one of the Aurors caught sight of the dog? But the stands were empty except for Sirius who, now that he had their attention, stood up, wagging his tail even more enthusiastically than before. Harry was not sure to which degree the dog instincts took over when Sirius transformed, but it looked suspiciously as if he would start barking happily any moment now.

Before this could happen, Harry steered his broom towards the ground and landed beside the dog, closely followed by Ron.

"Sirius, what are you doing here?" he whispered and looked around nervously. The huge black dog was hackling and panting happily, seemingly oblivious to the danger.

"Shush, be quiet, or somebody will see you. This place is crawling with Aurors," cautioned Harry, laying an imploring hand on the dog's muzzle.

"We better clear off, guys. Let's go hide somewhere," urged Ron.

Harry nodded. "Hagrid's hut. It's not far, and the Aurors never go there."

"No wonder, now that he is raising the Skelties there," mumbled Ron.

Harry grimaced. Hagrid had found the young Skelties wounded and dying, and now it was held in an enclosure next to his hut. Although the animal was tied securely and Dumbledore had cast a spell over the enclosure that kept it under control, the beast was so ugly and terror-inspiring that everybody, who had a choice in this matter, wisely kept away from it. Except for Hagrid, of course, but Hagrid even considered gigantic spiders like Aragog beautiful...

"Okay then. But careful, Ron. You go ahead a few meters and check whether the coast is clear. I'll follow with Snuffles."

Ron nodded, tucked his broom under his arm, and together the two students rushed down the stairs, the dog close by their side.

Having reached the ground, they paused for a moment hiding behind a pillar draped in scarlet cloth.

"Nobody there," whispered Ron, nodding to Harry, and then the gangly redhead began to cross the lawn with wide strides, heading into the direction where, as Harry knew, Hagrid's hut was situated in a little valley just behind a shallow hill.

Since November was unusually cold and unfriendly this year, Ron did not really expect to meet anybody. Nobody would go outside voluntarily if he could help it.

Sirius gazed after the youngest Weasley boy who was hurrying away, and then up at Harry before starting to follow Ron. Harry quickly grasped inside the dense and fluffy fur around the dog's neck and restrained him, something the Animagus answered with an indignant whine. "No, Snuffles. Wait. We don't know yet whether there are Aurors around."

At that moment, Ron had reached the top of the hill. He looked around carefully, and then signalled that all was clear.

"Come on, Sirius," Harry said, releasing the dog from his grasp. He jogged over the lawn towards his best friend, who was still on the lookout.

Sirius followed Harry enthusiastically, though his ears were twitching nervously and he held his nose high into the air as if searching for telltale scents. Apparently, he, too, was finally aware of the danger. Harry made a mental note to ask his godfather about some details of being an Animagus, especially about the changes to his human intellect, as soon as the opportunity arose. Sometimes, he had the impression that Snuffles was aware of everything that happened around him and that his human intelligence and his ability to make decisions were fully at work, but then, the very next moment, he simply appeared as playful and careless as any other dog.

He reached Ron who nodded to him again, and together they hurried towards Hagrid's slightly crooked hut that was now visible in the valley close to the Forbidden Forest.

Beside the house, where usually the enclosures holding all kinds of magical creatures for Hagrid's classes were located, a three-meter high wall made of raw planks had been erected instead of a fence. Harry frowned, but preferred not to ponder on this too much. Most probably, it was another security measure.

When they approached the hut, they were greeted by an eerie, screeching howl that emerged from behind the wooden wall, reminiscent of a dying horse. Suppressing a shudder, Harry quickened his steps.

Even before they had reached the door, it swung open and the half-giant emerged in the door-frame, holding a club in one of his enormous paws, his black eyes flashing maliciously.

"What d'ya want now, ya bloody blood-suckers ... Oh, 'tis you guys. Thought the Aurors ... But jus' come on in, folks."

Harry, Ron and the dog squeezed past Hagrid who had retreated from the door a little. Inside the hut, Harry stopped short. They were not the only visitors. Sirius barked in happy surprise at seeing Remus sitting at the round table. The werewolf smiled at them, and Dobby, who was kneeling on a chair beside the former Defence teacher so that his nose and mouth were just visible over the edge of the table, grinned broadly, the corners of his mouth almost reaching his ears.

"Harry Potter!" the tiny creature exclaimed excitedly, jumping up from his chair and rushing over to Harry, merrily grabbing both the boy's hands. "Me is so happy to see Harry Potter, sir!"

"Let the poor lad breathe, Dobby," grumbled Hagrid and shooed the house elf back to his seat. "You folks are jus' in time for tea," he said, nodding at the two teenagers.

"And to what do we owe the honour of your visit, pray tell?" asked Remus with a meaningful and not too pleased glance at the huge black dog.

Harry looked down at the Animagus. "That's what I'd also like to know, Sirius. Do you realise at all how dangerous this is?"

Sirius was decent enough to change into his human form; however, he ignored Harry's question. With a deep sigh, he walked up to a chair and slumped down on it back to front. Crossing his arms on the backrest, he looked up at his godson, irritated. All semblance of the joy he had radiated as a dog was thoroughly gone.

Harry noticed the dark shadow around his godfather's eye sockets and the overall exhausted impression he gave.

"That's right, just you go and make life difficult for me, too, Harry," Sirius complained, glaring at his godson.

"What's wrong, Sirius?" Remus asked carefully.

Sirius buried his face in his arms. "Snape," he simply said as if the name alone explained all the secrets of the universe.

"Pestering you again?" Ron asked with a sympathetic grin.

"When does the greasy git possibly not peeve everybody around him to death?" Sirius asked back, thus drawing Remus' reprimanding glance, which had been directed at Ron, upon himself instead.

"Hmm, well ..." Hagrid said slightly uncertain. "D'ya want tea?"

Harry was just about to answer when Sirius suddenly jumped to his feet and began to pace the small room, something that turned out to be far from easy since the room did not provide nearly adequate space with all the tubs, traps and containers Hagrid kept standing around there.

"I cannot stand this much longer," Sirius ranted. "Albus said we would soon be able to transfer him to headquarters, but in the meantime the stupid idiot is falling to pieces. For weeks I've tried to convince the headmaster, but he, of course, refuses to see it. Snape is finished, and Albus expects me of all people to help the git recover and get him back on his feet again..."

Remus had risen, too, and now stepped into his friend's way, halting his agitated pacing with a hand on his shoulder. "You better calm down now, Padfoot. Relax, sit down, and have some tea."

Sighing once more, the Animagus lowered himself onto the chair again, this time the proper way round. At Hagrid beckon, Harry and Ron followed his example and sat on the two remaining chairs while the half-giant turned around to tend to the kettle suspended over the merrily burning fireplace.

"Sirius," began the werewolf carefully. "Are you absolutely sure about Snape?"

Sirius glared at his friend angrily. "You don't believe me, either, do you?"

"That's not what I said, Sirius. It would be only too understandable if Severus broke down after what was done to him and his magic, but it's also true that many ugly things happened to him in his life and he seems to have shaken them off quite easily. He's someone who reacts with anger, not resignation. He's always done that. For him, there are only two opinions or possibilities, his own one and the wrong one. Snape is the epitome of pride and has never shown any self-pity as long as we've known him. Moreover, when I saw him last, he didn't exactly make the impression of having lost himself to depression. He lashed out verbally in all directions pretty much as usual."

"An' Professor Dumbledore said he was a'right," said Hagrid without turning away from the fire. "Dumbledore knows best."

"Yes," nodded Dobby, his large ears flapping. "Headmaster Dumbledore always knows what is best."

In spite of feeling like an intruder upon Snape's privacy whilst listening in on the grown-ups' discussion, Harry's curiosity was roused, and he kept quiet so the adults would not suddenly realise what they were doing and throw Ron and him out or change the subject. A sidelong glance at Ron revealed to him that his friend was sitting on the edge of his chair, like him hanging on the adults' every word.

"Dumbledore is not all-knowing," Sirius insisted. "And neither are you. I've known Snape for many years now, and I tell you, he's finished. Oh, he's just as mean and insufferable as ever, but besides this, something about Snape's behaviour is just wrong. Something I cannot put my finger on quite yet, but it's nagging at my thoughts whenever I talk to him. Snape's just not Snape anymore. Physically, he's still present to be sure, although damaged quite a bit there, too. But his entire behaviour has changed. He answers venomously but without any subtlety, let alone his trade-mark sarcasm, or he withdraws into himself completely. And then there are the nightmares..."

"Nightmares?" asked Hagrid, glancing over his shoulder.

Sirius nodded. "The git doesn't admit it, of course, and snaps at me when I wake him up, but he almost never sleeps soundly. He moves around a lot, all the time murmuring unintelligible stuff in his sleep."

For a while, neither Hagrid nor Remus said a word, and something akin to the first signs of doubt showed on their faces. Could it really be possible that Sirius was right about Snape? After all, Harry had first-hand experience that Dumbledore did err occasionally.

Only Dobby was as convinced as ever. He shook his head vehemently, making his ears flap wildly around his head. "If Professor Dumbledore says Professor Snape is okay, then Professor Snape is okay, me knows it."

"Please, keep an eye on him, Padfoot, all right?" Remus finally said in a low voice. "That's all we can do at the moment. If it turns out that you are correct, then we must help him through somehow. Unfortunately, professional help is out of the question since he is still a runaway murderer, officially."

Sirius had lowered his gaze looking at his lap and nodded with a frown. "This is getting better and better. Now I'm promoted to babysitter. Shall I hold his hand, too? Why doesn't somebody Avada Kedavra me already and release me from my sufferings?"

Remus chuckled softly. "What about his magic?" he asked then, serious again.

Sirius shrugged. "Better, I suppose. Now, we make it all the way to the door before there is a reaction. But then, it's really bad."

"Huh?" asked Ron.

Sirius was about to answer when he was interrupted by Hagrid who put three mugs with steaming tea on the table in front of the newcomers. Contrary to his habit, he did not ask whether they wanted cookies. Apparently, he, as well as Harry, thought the discussion too important to distract Sirius more than necessary.

"As you all know, the effect of Voldemort's curse is fading away of its own," the Animagus began.

"Unfortunately, we do not know how fast. Therefore, we started testing Severus' reaction to magic," Remus continued. "Beginning with a simple Lumos, we entered the house with the magically active wand while Poppy was monitoring Snape's condition. Over the last weeks, we've been able to come closer to his room steadily before he reacted to the magic. The whole thing is very nerve-wrecking and stressful. Especially for Severus. As soon as the magic becomes too much for him, his circulatory system runs amok. The magic affects his heart. At the moment, Poppy still treats him with Muggle medicine, but she says that she's going to try potions again as soon as he can tolerate magic in the immediate vicinity."

"Meaning that we'll be able to bring him to headquarters before Christmas, hopefully, so Harry and I can have a real Christmas together. And if not, we two will spend the holidays in the hut," Sirius said, gazing at Harry. "You'll visit me during Christmas break, won't you?"

Ron opened his mouth, but Harry was first to speak. "I already promised Ron to go to the Burrow with him," he said contritely. He really did not want to hurt or disappoint his godfather, but the "Oh" and the sagging shoulders indicated only too clearly that he was doing exactly that.

"But we can spend some time together after Christmas," he said quickly.

Sirius sighed and nodded, still somewhat disappointed. "What about you, Moony?" he turned to his childhood friend. "Are you coming at least?"

Remus shook his head regretfully. "It's the full moon on Christmas, and without the wolfsbane potion..."

An uncomfortable silence settled about the occupants of the hut, the only sound audible being Ron's nervous shuffling with one of his feet.

Harry knew just how disappointed his godfather was. Apparently, he had counted on Harry spending the holidays with him. The man's disappointment was almost palpable, and he hated failing to fulfil his godfather's hopes and expectations. After his many years in Azkaban, Sirius had, probably more than anybody else, a need and surely also a right to company and a sense of belonging. However, he had promised his friend, and he would not break his promise.

"Perhaps they'll already have transferred Snape by then, and you can join us at the Burrow, right Ron?" he asked quickly, earning himself a vague nod from his best friend.

Sirius forced a smile. "It's all right, Harry. We still have many Christmases and other holidays coming that we can spend together. Most probably, Snape won't be well enough for transport anyway, and with him in the house it wouldn't be that much fun after all."

Harry knew that he himself looked at least as unhappy as Sirius.

Ron cleared his throat. "Perhaps you should join Sirius for Christmas, mate," he said softly.

Harry looked at him amazed. "No, Ron. I promised you and your mom."

Ron shrugged. "Whatever. Mom will understand. And we see each other almost every day all year. I'll survive, even though it would mean I'll be the only victim for the twins' pranks," he grinned.

Harry wondered whether the grin was just an act, but it seemed open and genuine.

"Come on, mate. You really should have the opportunity to get to know your godfather a bit better. But ... could I borrow your Invisibility cloak over the holidays? I'd love to have the upper hand over Fred and George for once and let them swallow a piece of their own medicine." He winked at Harry mischievously, his grin widening into a contagious laughter. Harry couldn't help but join in.

"Deal. But make sure you bring it back safely. And I want details, 'kay?"

Ron chuckled an "okay", and then turned to Sirius. "And you tell Harry all about the pranks you played on Snape back when you were students. I want something to laugh at , too."

Sirius only grinned, bent forward a bit and mimed a slight bow. "It will be an honour for me, Ron."

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TBC

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I have to make a small correction. I've been telling you guys that two people would learn about what happened to Snape and that two major characters would die in this fic. Well, that's not quite true. Three people will know and three people will die. (Forgot one:-P)