Harry Potter Junior Level: Year Two

Ch. 29

Repercussions

"Thank you for inviting me to come along to the meeting today, Sev. I had no idea the community felt so strongly in the possibility of You Know Who managing to re-form in France. The signs they spoke of are worrisome. Then the fact that his followers are meeting is also disconcerting."

"Sirius, you are aware he has followers in England. Lucius was one, remember. He was grooming Draco to be one also. He had already established some of the behaviors that followers exhibit in the child. It's been a struggle to get Draco to behave in a more respectable manner. I want my child to grow up to be a well mannered, respected person not a bully like Lucius. It seems that lately, Draco has shown he still has many of Lucius' teachings to overcome. No matter how much talking I've done on the topic! I admit to you, I find parenting to be much more difficult than I imagined it would be. I thought it was similar to teaching Potions. You lecture on the topic, lay out your expectations, provide guidance if needed and that was it. I'm finding out I was wrong on that idea. Lecturing and guidance doesn't seem to be working well at this time."

At Sirius' bark of laughter, Severus says "I don't find my words all that amusing."

"I'm sorry. You are doing an excellent job with Draco. He's much more relaxed now than I've seen him since he was five. Maybe it's because he is more relaxed that his other side is showing. Lucius took control over his rearing around that age, if I recall what Cissy told me once. The part that amused me is when you said "Parenting is much more difficult than you imagined." I've only been raising Harry two years and I agree with you, it is difficult. I was lucky enough to be around James and Lily enough to know some about raising a child but even that doesn't help enough. For me, it's that I second guess myself. I constantly worry I'm too strict with him or not strict enough. I worry over his magical ability and don't want to put too many controls on it but he's so strong I have to limit him. I want to give him the freedom to roam and be with friends but I want to keep him close to keep him safe."

"Thank you for the vote of confidence. I believe you are doing well with Harry also. I haven't known him as long as you have but he seems well adjusted to me. As for the magic, that is what Hogwarts is for isn't it? To teach the young to control their magic as well as technique? Look, over there. Something is going on and we need to check on it."

Walking over to the group of people who seem to be wandering around dazed, Severus asks "What has happened? Is anyone in need of a doctor?"

"We don't know what happened. The snow just seemed to explode and then was sliding. Some panicked and though it was an avalanche. I believe the lift operator is in need of assistance. He's there by the booth." A man replies.

Looking around, Sirius sees signs of a blast in the snowpile. Walking closer to examine it, he feels the tingle of magic in the area surrounding the blast. As he looks up he sees Henri walking nearby.

"Henri!" Sirius calls, walking quickly towards the young man. "Where are the boys? I thought they had a ski lesson at this time."

"They did not tell you? We scheduled the lesson for earlier today. After we finished we sent them back to your cabin. I assume they are there."

"No, they didn't mention an earlier lesson today. Thank you for telling me. Were you here when the snow event occurred?"

"No, I just arrived a few moments ago. Good day, sir."

"Good day." Sirius responds as he hears Sev calling him to come to him.

"Yes, can I help you get something you need?" Sirius asks walking up to the two men crouched in the snow.

"Sirius, this is Monsieur Depardieu and he is the lift operator. He tells an interesting tale of what occurred. Mr. Depardieu, please repeat what you told me."

"There were two boys wanting to ride the lift. One was dark blonde and he was the forceful one. Demanded I let him on, he did. I told him the rule is only sixteen or older can ride without accompanied by adult. No adult, no ride. Then his brown haired friend came over and they argued. The friend pointed at me and told me to be confused and I have been up until a few moments ago."

"Sir, what did the one who pointed at you say to you, can you recall?" Sirius asks, frowning now.

"It sounded very much like confrune. I thought it meant confuse but then the snow blew apart and people were running screaming. I don't know what happened. I did see the two young boys jump on the lift with their skis. This lift goes to the most advanced slope. They looked much too young to be going on that slope."

"Thank you sir, for the information. Severus? May I speak with you a moment?" Sirius asks.

"What do you make of it?" Severus says as he joins Sirius.

"I believe the boys are involved. I sensed traces of magic in the snowbank and from what he told us, it could very well be a blasting charm. It would most likely be my child's work as he has the ability. When I get hold of him he will lose the ability to sit comfortably, I tell you! I spoke to Henri a few minutes ago. The boys had their lesson early this morning and didn't tell us. I believe they are on the advanced slope from what I heard, don't you?"

"Yes, I do. Will you go after them? I'll stay here and monitor Mr. Depardieu until help arrives. If you aren't here by then, I'll wait at the cabin. We have two young boys who need their bottoms tanned for going into forbidden territory even if they are not responsible for this!"

"I'll find them and meet you at the cabin. After this evening, they won't be enjoying this vacation any longer." Sirius replies.

While Sirius and Severus are being detectives, the boys are enjoying the new slope. Having no one with them, they practice their ski lessons on the slope. Draco teaches Harry to move both skis at once in a downhill slide. As the boys practice, they notice several adults watching them. One young man skis over to them.

"Hello there, boys. You two are better than most boys your age. I've been watching you for the last ten minutes and I'm impressed. How long have the two of you been skiing the advanced slope?"

"What advanced slope?" Harry asks. "We've been taking lessons for the days we've been here. Draco could already ski but I'm just learning."

"Why this one, of course. This is the most advanced slope here at the resort. Where are your ski instructors or parents? They must be here if you are."

"Oh, of course! Our parents are right inside the lodge. We've been here for three days and our instructors are pleased with our progress and let us come to this one." Draco quickly informs the man.

"Well as long as you have adults with you then you may continue. Just stay on this side of the slope. It gets very dangerous with many twists and jumps on the other side of those cabins."

After the young man has left, Harry whispers "Draco! You told a lie! We don't have permission to be here and you know it!"

"I never said we did. I said our parents were in the lodge and they are, just not this one. I said our instructors are pleased with our progress and that's true also! Quit scolding me, Harry! " Draco whispers back before saying "Come on, let's practice the side to side skiing again. Let's race to the bottom to see who is fastest!"

"Fine, but after we climb back up, I need to get something warm to drink. I'm cold!"

"We'll go inside and get some hot chocolate or something. Get ready and I'll count us down. We'll go on three."

After the boys practice the skill a few times, Harry motions Draco to stop.

"I'm ready to warm up. Let's go inside now. We can do more later."

"Alright. We'll have to charge our drinks to our account as I don't have money. Do you?"

"No, I don't have money, Draco. I hope we don't run into problems the way we did last time you tried that."

"Dad set up an account for us to charge things now, remember? It's going to be fine. I'll be polite so don't worry." Draco answers as they walk to the lodge.

As the boys are being served their drinks, Sirius comes walking in. Stopping to question the receptionist, Sirius spots the two he's looking for.

"Thank you Mademoiselle, I see the children I am looking for. My son and my nephew are not to be on this slope. I'll just collect them and be out of your way."

Striding angrily over to the boys he says furiously; "Harrison James Black! Draconis Tobias Snape! Both of you come with me right this second!"

"Dad! What are you doing here?" Harry asks in shock.

"Looking for you! Let's go! Both of you, NOW!" Sirius replies causing both boys to grab their jackets and follow him outside.

"We need to pick up our skis, Uncle Sirius!" Draco complains when he's led away from the ski stand.

"You won't be needing ski's any longer." Sirius tells the boy as he takes him by the arm. "Your Dad is most likely waiting at the cabin for us. Let's not make him wait longer. Come boys, we're going to get on the lift back to our side of the resort. While we ride, you two start thinking very hard about an explanation as to why you were on the forbidden slope! For your sake, it better be extremely good!" Sirius all but growls at the two children.

The boy's second ride on the ski lift is much less exciting than their first. As the two jump off at the end of the lift, Sirius takes them both by the hand.

"Dad! We don't have to be held by the hand, you can let us go." Harry complains.

"Unless you want me to smack your bum right here in front of everyone, young man, you keep quiet!" Sirius replies after bending down to his child.

Exchanging a worried look with Draco, Harry just allows himself to be walked or more likely, pulled, to the cabin. His Dad is more upset than he remembers him being in a long time.

Ushering the two children inside, Sirius instructs, "To your room! Change into inside clothes and stay there until told differently! GO!"

Walking beside Harry, Draco slides his eyes over to look at his cousin. Harry's bottom lip is trembling and Draco can see he's very close to tears.

Closing the door to their room, Draco asks "Why are you so upset? We haven't been punished."

"Not yet. Can't you tell he's furious with us? I've not seen him this angry since he found out about the dragon. We're in huge trouble, Draco! Can't you see that?"

"Maybe not. Maybe he'll calm down. We just went to a different slope. I don't see why that is so awful. I wonder where my Dad is. I thought he'd be here." Draco answers.

Just as he finishes whispering, the boys here Severus' voice. "Did you find them? Are they alright? Did you ask them about the incident we observed?"

"Yes. Yes. No, I didn't ask. I waited for you so we could do it as a team." Sirius answers. "Shall I call them out of their room?"

"Boys! Come Here, please." Sirius calls out as Severus nods agreement.

Exchanging a worried look with Draco, Harry opens the door and walks out to the sitting room. Draco is right behind him.

"Sit down. We have some things to say and you are going to listen!" Sirius instructs glaring at the two boys.

"Sirius, you need to calm down. You have the boys terrified." Severus whispers in his ear. "Let me talk first while you get control." At Sirius' nod, Severus says "Boys, we would like to know why you left this side of the resort. What made you go where you have been told not to go? Draco?"

"We wanted to try a different slope, Dad. Both of us are really good at skiing now and wanted a challenge."

"How did you get to the other side? I know you can't ride the ski lift without an adult along. How did you get the operator to let you on?" Severus asks watching the two squirm at that question.

"He let us ride, Dad." Draco answers as Harry bites his lip worriedly.

"Harry?" Sirius asks sternly, "I sense you have something to add here. What do you know about this?"

"The lift operator wasn't really watching and we snuck on. We're sorry we didn't stay on this side. We won't go there again."

"Oh, you can be sure of that, young man! Harry, we both talked to the lift operator as well as other skiers in the area. It seems there was a small explosion and the lift operator remembers the two of you being there at the time. Now is the time to explain what went on. We know you did magic so don't even try to get out of this. I want to know what you did and I want to know right now!" Sirius commands his now sniffling son.

"I'm sorry, Dad. We wanted to ride the lift and he wouldn't let us so I confungo'd him. Draco told me to do it and said if I didn't he'd tell everybody I slept with a plushie! I didn't want to use magic but I had to!" Harry answers as Draco gives him a baleful look for tattling.

"Draconis Tobias Snape! Did you blackmail Harry into using illegal magic? I know you understand what I mean by blackmail so don't even try to pretend you don't!" Severus asks, eyes snapping.

"I had to or Harry wouldn't help me. I just wanted to go on the lift to go try the other ski slope. That man would not let us get on and I needed Harry to make him confused so we could slip on. It didn't hurt anything." Draco answers, lower lip beginning to tremble at the look on Sev's face.

"Young man, you are quite wrong in the statement where you say it didn't hurt anything! You caused an explosion of a snowbank, terrified many people and caused the lift operator to be injured. I'd say it hurt people, wouldn't you Sirius?" Severus asks angrily.

"I agree. Harrison James, tell me exactly what spell you cast. Did either of you have a wand with you?"

"No, Dad. I don't have my wand here and I didn't use anyone else's either. I cast confrungo without the wand."

"Did you intend to cause the damage?"

"No Sir! I didn't want to hurt anyone. I was trying to just confuse the man so we could ride the lift. I don't know why the snow blew apart the way you say it did." Harry answers.

"Harry! Confrungo is a combination spell! You combined confundo meaning to confuse with confringo which is the blasting curse. Your mistake could have cost people their lives, son! I have repeatedly warned you about the use of unsupervised magic and by supervised, I mean ADULTS. You are a ten year old and you do NOT have enough control over magic to use it alone! Your disobedience is going to cause us to leave the resort. We are leaving in the morning to return to our homes. Both of you boys are grounded from friends and your brooms for the rest of the holidays. When we return to school, your brooms will remain grounded for two weeks. Now, Harry, you and I have further talking to do in private. Go to my bedroom and wait." Sirius tells the children.

"DAD! Please! I apologize. I won't ever ever ever use unsupervised magic again. I promise!" Harry pleads as Severus says "Draconis, you are as much at fault as Harry. You go to your room. I will be there to have a strong conversation with you in just a moment."

"Harrison James! No begging. Obey my instructions!" Sirius tells the boy giving him a strong swat on the seat of his pants to get him moving.

As the boys do as they were instructed, Severus turns to Sirius.

"I apologize for Draco's behavior. Harry wouldn't have used magic this way if Draco had not ridiculed him the way he did. After tonight, he will think hard before blackmailing someone else. I'm going to confine him to the room for the night as well as paddle his bum! He'll have to eat there and stay in bed afterwards. He despises being forced to stay in bed."

"Harry knows very well not to use unsupervised magic. This is not all on Draco. Both were attempting to use magic and other means to do something forbidden. Don't forget they went on the advanced slope knowing full well they were not allowed to go there. That's been the rule since we arrived. They also misled us this morning by letting us believe their ski lesson was not over until lunch. I talked to Henri earlier and neither instructor gave permission to go to the advanced slope. I'm telling you in case it comes up in your discussion. The lesson was early this morning and over by ten o'clock. The boys were told to come back here and didn't."

"So, we also have lying, defiance, disrespect, blackmail, using unsupervised magic in a muggle area, and using harmful magic. Does that cover everything?" Sev asks.

"I believe that sums it all up, counselor. Are you ready to face the accused?" Sirius asks, not being able to keep from teasing Severus for his list of misdeeds.

"Yes, stay strong and don't let the big eyed, tearful looks sway you, Sirius. They did wrong and they know it." Severus answers.

Walking into the room where Draco waits anxiously, Severus sits on Harry's bed.

"Come here and sit by me, Draco."

"Nuh Unh. You're going to spank me!" Draco answers shaking his head no.

Standing up, Severus crosses the room to sit by the boy. "We're going to talk first. Draco, why was it so important for you to cause all of this trouble just so you could disobey instructions and go to a forbidden slope? Can you explain this to me?"

"I don't know why. I just really really wanted to try that slope. Jacques and Henri said we were really good at skiing for our age and that made me want to try something really hard. The ski lift operator wouldn't let us on and it made me mad."

"You did many things wrong today, Draco. You lied by misleading Sirius and myself into thinking your ski lesson was the same time it usually is, defied orders to never use magic without permission or to harm innocent people, deliberately defied the rule to not go on the ski lift without an adult or to cross to the advanced slope. Draco, if you or Harry had been injured at all, we wouldn't have known where you were. Then there's the blackmail. Influencing someone to do what you want by force is not the way to hold on to your friends. You also sleep with a plushie, if I'm not mistaken! Would you want me to threaten to stand up in the Great Hall and announce to everyone about your toy dragon, just so you would do as I wanted?"

"No, Dad. You won't do that will you?"

"No, Draco I don't believe in blackmail or bribery. That's exactly what you did to Harry, though. You blackmailed him into doing something dangerous just to get your way. Isn't this true?"

"Yes, but I didn't use magic Dad. You said I did but I didn't. That was all Harry's doing not mine. I can't do wandless magic but he can."

"When you are standing there telling him to do it, in my opinion, it's the same as doing it yourself. You were there, you told him to do it and did not stop him from attempting a spell! All of these behaviors lead us to where we are now. I told you that one more problem would earn you a paddling. You passed the 'one more' several times today. Drop your trousers and underpants."

"Daaaad!"

"Count of three, son. ONE!"

By "two" Draco has himself bare bottomed over Severus' lap knowing that a count of three would mean three additional hard swats.

In Sirius' bedroom, a very similar discussion is taking place between Sirius and Harry.

"Harry, you did many things wrong today. I would like you to tell me what you believe they are. We have already discussed your lying by not telling us of your rescheduled lesson."

"I used wandless magic, went where I wasn't supposed to go and worried you. I'm really sorry for that. I wouldn't have done any of it if Draco hadn't said he would tell everyone I cried for you to tuck me in the other night and that I slept with a plushie. He said I was a baby. I wanted to show him I wasn't a baby and did the spell only I said it wrong."

"You are young and I do understand how a friend can convince you to do something wrong. That doesn't make this acceptable, there is only one person who makes your decisions and that is you. Other people tell you things but it is you who decides whether or not to do it. You knew you were breaking the law and our family rule when you cast the spell. You deliberately broke one rule to be able to do something else disobedient, going on the forbidden lift. You knew you were not to ride the lift. I've told you, the ski instructors have told you and the lift operator told you not to ride it without an adult. You defied me today, Harry. You cast a spell that injured other people! Not only that but you put yourself in danger! Both by using unsupervised magic and by going somewhere forbidden. What if you or Draco had been injured on the slope? We would not have known where you were or been there to help you."

"I know and I'm sorry Daddy. I won't do it again. Not ever! I'll only use magic when you say I can." Harry answers with his best big eyed teary look.

"The look isn't going to work. I do accept your apology and know you will try to behave better. Alright son, stand up."

Harry, blinded by tears, finds himself turned over his Dad's knee and his pants at his feet.

"Hearing his Dad conduct a spell he's familiar with, he cries out "No! Not the paddle! Dadddddyyyyy, No!"

"You broke our agreement son. You remember what I promised would happen if you ever used unsupervised magic or put yourself in danger again. This will be over soon." Sirius tells the already sobbing boy as he picks up the small round table tennis paddle. He's modified it just enough to fit Harry's bottom and cause a little more sting than normal.

After being tucked into his bed for a nap, Harry whispers to Draco.

"How bad was it?"

"Awful. He used that flat backed hairbrush on my bare bum. I got twelve! TWELVE! Can you believe it? It feels like I sat on briars. What about you?"

"The same only I feel like a swarm of bees attacked my bum. I got that horrid little ping pong paddle on my poor bare bum ten times. I hate transfiguration."

"Why? What's wrong with transfiguration?" Draco asks.

"Everything. That's what he uses to make this paddle. He transfigures his shoe into it."

"His SHOE?"

"It's always with him too! I hate the paddle, Dragon!"

"Are you mad with me? Maybe not since you called me Dragon."

"No, you're my brother in all ways except the real way. I'm not mad." Harry answers before falling asleep.