Title: Love and Honesty
Author: RavenEcho
Disclaimer: How many times do I have to tell you? I'm not J.K. Rowling! Now stop stalking me!
Chapter 19
Harry woke up instinctively at 7:30, used to Severus' breakfast at 8:00. The teenager glanced around his dorm. Everyone else's hangings were still tightly shut to keep in the nighttime darkness. Harry eased out of bed and slipped downstairs. The common room was deserted, still clean as no one stayed up late making a mess the first day back. The teenager left the common room and quietly made his way out to the lake for a jog. Harry had gotten into the habit of running at Snape Manor, where Salazar had forced fitness upon him.
Forty-five minutes later, Harry walked back into the common room, wiping sweat off his brow. He walked into his dorm unnoticed, everyone there was still asleep. Harry grinned at their innocent sleeping sighs. They slept with sureness, showing a sense of safety. Harry himself hadn't slept so easily since the dreams of Voldemort had begun.
The Boy-Who-Lived grabbed a towel from the cupboard in the bathroom before turning on a hot shower to wash away the sweat from his morning workout. Fifteen minutes later, he walked back into the dorm, already dressed in his school robes, towel-drying his messy hair. He dumped his jogging sweats into his trunk, grabbed his bag, and went down to the common room to meet Ginny and Hermione.
When Harry got downstairs, Ginny and Hermione were waiting for him in the chairs by the fire. Harry sat on the arm of Ginny's chair and put his arm around her shoulders.
"Ready to go to breakfast, you guys?" Hermione asked.
Ginny groaned. "I don't wanna move. At the Burrow, I'd be asleep for another three hours!"
Harry grinned. "I've been up for about an hour already," he said. "At Snape Manor, breakfast was always served at 8:00, so I've gotten used to getting up early. Yes, Hermione, let's go on to breakfast. I'm starving."
Hermione nodded an agreement, and the two hungry teens pulled a draggy Ginny out through the portrait and down through the castle to the Great Hall. The cavernous room was almost empty, but as Hermione, Ginny, and Harry began to eat, there was a slow trickle of students into the Hall. As the other sixth year Gryffindor boys began to arrive, looking tired, Harry kept an eye out for Ron, hoping his friend's opinions had changed miraculously over night. Unfortunately for Harry, when the gangly red-head walked in and saw Harry with Hermione and Ginny, he looked just as furious as he had ever been about their newfound friendship.
Harry shook his head ruefully and ate another bite of sausage. Ginny poked him in the side to get his attention when an owl appeared in front of them on the table.
Harry looked at the owl and recognized it as one of Severus' own. He pulled the letter from its leg and unrolled it with a feeling of curiosity. It read:
Harry,
I suppose by now you have taken the potion and now know the facts. I believe a discussion is in order, so please remain after class today: your last class is potions with me.
Thanks,
Severus
Harry smirked slightly at the curt note that was so typically Severus and pulled out a quill to scribble a quick assent to his potion master's request.
After he had tied the note to the owl's leg and it had flown off again in the direction of the dungeons, Harry looked up to see questioning looks on both his friends' faces.
"It was Severus," he said, as if that was enough explanation.
Hermione stared at him expectantly. It was Ginny, however, who probed him further, saying, "Well?"
"We're meeting after class today."
Ginny was about to ask another question, but was interrupted by Professor McGonagall coming over to the Gryffindor table to pass out schedules.
Harry and Hermione immediately began to compare schedules. "Great, we have Herbology first thing," Harry said. "I love being outside in the morning."
"Yeah," Hermione agreed. "While you're in Potions, I have Arithmancy."
"Are you not taking Potions?" Harry asked, surprised.
Hermione shook her head. "Not the N.E.W.T. level. Professor McGonagall made me lessen my course load some. I'm still in the class; I have it on Tuesday and double potions on Thursday, see. And you have it Monday, Wednesday, and Friday."
Harry nodded. "Yes, I see now. Ginny, how's your schedule?"
Ginny smiled at him. "It's good; it's pretty balanced out so I won't have too much work at once. Hey look, we all have this class, Healing Magic, on Fridays. And we're together. I wonder how that worked out."
Hermione frowned. "I think I remember Remus mentioning that class to me. He said it was taught alternatively by Madame Pomfrey and Professor Snape. It's not a N.E.W.T. level class, see, it doesn't say it's advanced or anything."
"Well, we'll see come Friday then won't we?" Harry said in a tone of voice Hermione hadn't heard before. It was rather infuriatingly like Snape's voice was sometimes.
She scrunched her nose at him. "You sound like Professor Snape," she said accusingly, though not in a mean way.
Harry looked at her with one eyebrow raised, looking even more like Snape. "Hmm… I wonder why I look like Severus. Maybe because he's my father," he hissed sarcastically across the table.
Ginny giggled. "You do realize that when you get all smart-mouthed you sound even more like him, don't you?"
"The thought had crossed my mind, yes. Now, if you two are quite finished with your breakfasts, Ginny, I do believe you have a Transfiguration class to attend. If we leave now, Hermione and I can walk up with you and still make it to the greenhouses."
Both girls agreed and pushed away their clear plates. "Let's ask Neville if he wants to come," Hermione suggested, leading the way to where Neville sat.
A few minutes later, the group of four were walking out through the entrance hall and up the stairs towards McGonagall's classroom. At the Transfiguration room, they all said their good-byes to Ginny before turning back and going downstairs and out onto the grounds towards the greenhouses. It was time for their first N.E.W.T. class.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I know, I know, a short chapter… I'll update soon, I promise! I plan to make Ron come to his senses eventually... but until then I'll have fun playing with him... muahahaha... Anyways... while you're waiting for my next update, check out my new story"Touch Me" or my best friend's story"On Fire." My story can (duh) be found on my profile, and "On Fire" can be found in my favorite stories. Thanka dears!
THANKS TO: padfootslover, Meggplant, oracale, KC, Medicated Drama Queen, luvbug080688, Ceris Malfoy, EternalEcho, starangel2106