Part 6

The next morning Severus woke up just before dawn, intent on setting his plan in motion before Wormtail rose.

He finished off three helpings of cereal, just so that the box was empty by the time the rat came down, and then he started his correspondence.

First of all he wrote another message to Minerva, on the basis of thanking her for a lovely evening and suggesting they make it a weekly event. Then after sending his disgruntled owl out into the uncommonly chilly morning, he chewed on the end of his quill as he tried to think of who else he could invite over.

He was still trying to think of someone who might actually come to his house when Wormtail came into the room.

He smirked to himself as Wormtail realised that there was no cereal left and left the house in a sulk to go to the muggle grocery store down the road, the nearest shop and the one where he was least likely to be recognised.

Wormtail arrived back with several sticky buns which he closely guarded and clearly had no intention of sharing.

"They'll rot your teeth even more than they are already," Severus warned with a nasty sneer. Wormtail ignored him and continued to stuff himself, the icing circling his mouth.

Severus turned away from the sight and looked out of the window, pleased to see that his owl had made a record flight to Minerva's house and back. It was only when the bird swooped down into the garden and through the window that he realised his mistake.

"Who's that from?" Wormtail mumbled, his mouth still otherwise occupied.

"That's top secret," Severus said as he turned to remove the scroll out of the sight of the prying eyes of the rat.

"I'm one of the Dark Lord's most loyal followers," Wormtail insisted as he tried to look around Severus's shoulder.

"Even if that wasn't entirely debatable it doesn't give you the right to pry into my personal correspondence."

Wormtail scowled and took a large bite out of the last of the iced buns as he went to sit back at the table.

Severus opened the scroll hoping for some important task that would keep him from enduring the company of his unwanted houseguest. What he found was, at first glance, scarcely better than junk mail.

It had been Severus's practice to ensure that his students didn't forget their studies during the holidays and each summer he had set an extremely lengthy written assignment a grade or two higher than was necessary for all his students. Not all of the teachers approved of the assignments he set, but nothing had ever been said, particularly after that time eight years before when he had allowed a student into his NEWTS potions class after his essay over the holidays had convinced him that maybe he had been a little ill on the day of his OWL, and he had deserved an Outstanding grade rather than Exceeds Expectations. Naturally the student had been in Slytherin house.

Most of the essays arrived by owl on the last week of the holidays, some were even at the school waiting for him when he returned. He didn't want any of the little brats knowing where he lived so they were sent to the school and forwarded on by Filch.

But there was one which seemed to arrive earlier and earlier each year, that of the annoying Miss Granger. For her to have got her essay done this quickly she must have been writing it on the train itself.

Severus looked through her work, trying in vain to find something to correct, but the only fault he could see was that either she had been snooping in the restricted section of the library or her parents were very lax about what they let their darling daughter read.

He scowled and shooed the bird away. Unfortunately this one was even more persistent than the postal service one she had used last year and he continued to flap about the room, determined not to leave without a reply.

Wormtail sat at the table grinning at first, then laughing out loud until Severus threw a wet sponge from the sink at him in a desperate attempt to shut him up.

Then suddenly he had another idea, even better than last evening's. Each summer Miss Granger sent her essay back in record time with a note asking for more work. Each year he left it until the last minute before marking it and sending it back, mainly to keep her worrying about what she might have missed. But this year he would do something different. He would invite all the future sixth years to join him for private tutoring through the summer.

It would keep Wormtail out of the way, there were enough students to stretch things out for a few weeks at least, and, despite rumours to the contrary he did enjoy teaching. He would make it voluntary which would ensure that Longbottom, Weasley and most importantly Potter, would not wreak havoc in his home. In fact other than Miss Granger who was sure to attend it was highly likely that only Slytherin students would volunteer at all. It was ideal.

"You're up to something," commented Wormtail as he finished off the last iced bun.

Severus grinned nastily in response and was pleased to see Wormtail turn a rather unflattering shade of green before he dashed out of the room and ran upstairs to the bathroom.

"This day just gets better and better," Severus said as he flicked open a cupboard with his wand and after rummaging around the back of the disinfectants found the chocolate cake he had hidden earlier in the week.