Enjoy!

Harry awoke the next morning, a small smile gracing his lips as the realization that he was in his room down in Snape's quarters washed over him. He had truly missed being down with his guardian and he was glad that things had been worked out.

Slowly he sat up, stretching slightly, before reaching over to his bedside table and picking up his glasses. He slipped them up his nose as he kicked his blankets off, his bare feet hitting the ground a moment later.

He was glad it was Saturday and although he was sure that Ron and Hermione were looking for him, he was hopeful that maybe he could do something with his guardian before he went off to find his friends.

He stepped into the kitchen a moment later, a small grin appearing as he spotted his guardian at the table, his face concealed by the morning's issue of The Daily Prophet.

"Morning." Harry slid into his seat as his breakfast appeared before him. "Is Remus still asleep?"

"Good morning, Harry." Snape's paper lowered to reveal the man's face. "Remus stepped out; I believe he went on a morning walk."

"Do you have work to do today?" Harry cut a piece of sausage before taking a bite of it.

"I have some grading to do as well as lesson plans to complete." Snape's paper raised once more, his eyes going back to the article he had been reading.

"Oh," Harry replied. He hoped that the disappointment that he felt was not evident in his voice. He knew that his guardian had to work.

Snape paused in his reading as he took in his child's tone. "I also need to make wolfsbane for Remus, perhaps you could help me do so this morning."

"Really?" Harry questioned in a hopeful voice. He knew it was a complex potion. He also did not forget nearly a year earlier when his guardian had let him try to help make it and he had accidently destroyed it.

Snape gave a nod despite his child not being able to see him do so behind his paper. "If you would like to help, though it goes without saying that I expect you to take the task seriously. Remus is depending on this potion."

"I will," Harry quickly agreed. He was thankful that the man hadn't brought up the fact that he hadn't done so the first time.

"Finish your breakfast, get dressed for the day, and then you may help me."

Harry grinned as he ate a large bite of his breakfast.

"Do you have any homework to complete this weekend?"

Harry shook his head as he swallowed his food. "I did it yesterday with Ron and Hermione. We were in the library for hours after dinner."

Snape gave a soft hum at the words. "There is an Order meeting this evening. I would even be willing to allow you to go earlier to spend time with your godfather if you would like."

"Yes, please!" Harry instantly replied. "And I can stay for the whole meeting?"

"You may stay as long as the topic at hand is appropriate." Snape turned the page of his paper. "As always, Harry, it is at my discretion should I feel as though you need to leave a bit early."

Harry frowned at the words. He was about to voice that he felt as though it was unfair when his guardian spoke once more.

"And should that occur, I expect you to behave much more maturely than you did the last time."

Harry felt his ears warm at the words. "I will. Promise."

"Very good. Now finish your breakfast so that we may get started on the potion."

Harry didn't reply but rather concentrated on eating his eggs and sausage.

"Sit please." Snape tapped the stool that was in front of the large cauldron.

Harry quickly moved across the room, instantly obeying his guardian, and sitting down. He was not about to make the man regret allowing him to help.

Snape's hand moved, tapping the underside the of the boy's chin a bit firmly, wordlessly commanding Harry's attention.

"Hm?" Harry turned his head and looked up to the man.

"I want to remind you that this particular potion is extremely fickle. It is very difficult to make, it is exceptionally advanced. I need you to follow instructions very carefully, Harry. Even the slightest mistake will destroy it. It can also be very dangerous. I expect you to concentrate on what you are doing and listen to instructions. Failure to do so will result in you being an exceedingly sorry child. Am I understood?"

Harry nodded the moment his guardian stopped speaking. He could feel his cheeks prickling with warmth at Snape's threat. He did not doubt that it was true either. "Yes…yes Sir."

Snape gave the boy a serious look before he gave a small nod of approval. He motioned to a jar containing dark leaves. "Those are leaves from a wolfsbane plant, you may count out seventeen of them and add them to the cauldron."

Harry reached out for the jar and carefully opened it before he reached in and began pulling out leaves, careful to count correctly. Once he had counted exactly seventeen, he dropped them into the cauldron. "What next?"

"The juice of two mandrake leaves." Snape was bent over, adjusting the temperature of the cauldron. "You will find them in the jar to your left, it is marked as such."

Harry took in a breath as his eyes scanned the jars to his left. He quickly spotted the correct one and opened it, pulling out two of the leaves. He was glad that he had paid attention last year when his guardian had taught him how to juice mandrake leaves, he was sure Snape wouldn't be amused if he said that he did not know how to do so. "I can put it right into the cauldron?" Harry asked as he prepared to start juicing the first leaf.

"You may," Snape gave a nod as he stood up straight and picked up a vial of dragon blood.

"Can I ask a question?" Harry allowed the juice from the first leaf to fall into the cauldron.

"Hm?' The man raised a curious eyebrow.

"How often does Remus have to take this?"

"He must drink a goblet full of it each day for a full week preceding a full moon," Snape explained before bending over to adjust the temperature once more.

Harry made a face at the words. He hated taking potions. He couldn't imagine having to drink a full goblet full for several days, even if it was able to be flavored.

"And when he takes it, he keeps his brain while he's a werewolf right? Remus is still really Remus then, just his body changes?"

Snape resisted the urge to point out that had the child paid better attention to his studies the previous year he would not be questioning the affects of the potion. "That is correct. It does not cure lycanthropy but rather it eases the psychological symptoms. Remus taking this potion allows him to hold on to his mental faculties after he transforms. Wolfsbane prevents Remus from turning into a dangerous beast and instead he transforms into an ordinary, sleepy wolf." The man observed the potion for a moment as Harry dropped in the last of the juice from the mandrake leaves. "You need to add one powdered moonstone." The man motioned across the table to the jar holding the ingredient.

"And he still transforms in the Shrieking Shack?" Harry reached across the table, picking up the correct jar.

"He does." Snape hoped that this conversation was not going in the direction he feared it was. He could not explain to his child why he was so uncomfortable around Remus when he transformed. Not without effectively damaging the relationship that the boy had with his godfather and Snape was not about to do that.

"But if he is harmless after taking the potion, why does he have to be alone?" Harry added the powdered moonstone to the cauldron. "He's probably lonely out there."

"He has been doing so for quite some time without complaint." The man adjusted the temperature on the cauldron slightly. "Remus is fine. Take the wooden spoon and stir the potion three times clockwise."

Harry let out a low sigh as he picked up the wooden spoon. "If he is harmless though, he could just stay down here with us, couldn't he?" He stirred the potion three times before looking to his guardian.

Snape picked up a vile containing syrup of hellebore. It was clearly marked as poisonous. He added two drops of the blue substance to the cauldron before clearing his throat. "You need to add three murtlap tentacles and be careful when you remove them from the jar, they are rare and expensive."

Harry gave a nod as his eyes located the jar on the work table. He carefully opened it and removed the first tentacle. He hated the feel of them. He was trying to be patient about Snape ignoring his suggestion regarding Remus. He didn't want to ask again. He didn't want to annoy the man.

"Remus is fine in the Shrieking Shack, Harry." The man adjusted the temperature of the cauldron once more. "If he was not, I am sure he would mention it."

"Yeah, but Snape, he is all alone out there and the shack is cold and creepy. He could stay down here with us if he is harmless. It would be fun."

"I do not think that Remus would refer to his condition as fun." The man gave the boy a stern glare. "Pick up the jar of sopophorous beans, you need to add the juice of seven of them."

"What if I talk to Remus and he says he would rather be down here?" Harry picked up the jar, carefully unscrewing the lid.

"You will do nothing of the sort." The man's tone grew stern despite his best efforts to refrain it from doing so.

Harry held his breath for a moment, unable to stop the look of hurt that swept across his face. He hadn't wanted to upset the man. He nodded once in reply to the man's words as he counted out seven of the beans.

Snape did not miss the distressed look on his son's face. He took in a breath, already regretting the words he was about to speak. "I will think it over and when and if I decide it would be appropriate, I will speak with Remus on the matter."

"Okay," Harry breathed as he began extracting the juice from the first bean. He glanced up at his guardian for a brief moment. "Sorry."

"There is no need to apologize," Snape replied after a long moment. "As I said, I will think it over."

Nearly an hour later Harry stepped into the Gryffindor common room and almost directly into Ron.

"Where have you been?" The red head questioned. "You never came up to bed last night."

"I ended up going down to see Snape and Remus." It wasn't a lie. He had ended up going down and seeing both of them. As far as Harry was concerned there was no need to ever reveal to his friends just how angry Snape had been about the article.

"Did you get the map then?"

"Huh?" Harry asked absolutely confused by Ron's question.

"The map, mate. Remus' map, for the lessons," he had lowered his voice several octaves despite the fact that no one else was around.

Harry felt his stomach drop at the words and he hoped that his face didn't match his feelings. He had somehow completely forgotten about the lessons. Not even twenty-four hours ago he had promised his guardian that he would stay out of trouble. He had sworn he would follow the rules and not draw unwanted attention to himself. He had said he wouldn't be out of his dormitory after curfew but he couldn't imagine when else the lessons could reasonably take place. He was nearly positive that holding secret meetings to teach his friends defense was the exact opposite of every word he had promised.

"You forgot," Ron said in a knowing tone.

"I didn't forget," Harry quickly replied. "I just couldn't get it last night. I will though." He knew stealing was wrong and the last thing he wanted to do was steal from Remus. The map did make the most sense though. They wouldn't get caught with the map and Harry certainly couldn't risk being caught. He was sure his guardian would go absolutely mental if he was.

"Soon," Ron gave his friend a look. "Hermione has the first lesson scheduled for later this week."

Harry felt his heart stop at the words. He had no idea how he was going to get the map. He would have to go into the guest room and through Remus' things to find it. The mere thought of doing so was enough to make his stomach flip over itself.

Harry gave a nod at the words as he followed his friend back out of the tower and into the hall. "Hermione was in the library but she wanted us to meet her down by the lake," Ron explained as he led the way to the staircase. "Maybe we can talk her into flying or something."

"Maybe," Harry replied. The last thing on his mind was flying. He was racking his brain trying to think of a way in which he could get the map without being caught.

"I heard that your guardian wasn't pleased with your interview."

Harry felt his cheeks prickle with warmth as he turned his head, trying to hide his face from his godfather without making it obvious. He had been at the man's house for all of five minutes and there were still fifty-five minutes until the others would arrive for the meeting.

"Not especially," Harry finally answered as he slowly turned his head back and then allowed it to drop. He felt the heat from his cheeks spread across his face as the thought that Remus could have told him exactly what had happened passed through his mind. He sincerely hoped that wasn't the case. It was bad enough that it had happened in front of Remus, he didn't want Sirius to know about it also.

"I read the interview you know." Sirius leaned forward slightly as he tried to see his godson's face. "I thought it was quite good."

Harry wasn't sure why he expected the man to scold him but he felt his embarrassment passing as Sirius' words registered in his brain. "You did?" He slowly looked up at the man.

"Mhm." The man nodded. "I thought you handled yourself well."

Harry gave the man a small smile at the words. "Thanks." He paused a moment before shrugging a shoulder. "Remus was furious too you know."

"Oh, I know," Sirius replied. "And I suppose I can understand his reasoning regarding the Ministry. I am certain that they would be bothering you either way though, so you might as well get your truth out."

"That's what I think too!" Harry sighed softly after he spoke. "I've gotten tons of mail too…people who believe me."

Sirius grinned widely at the words. "I'm proud of you, Harry. It takes a great deal of bravery to do what is right even if it means going against your guardian."

"Thanks," Harry said softly. While he was glad that Sirius wasn't cross with him for the interview, he couldn't help but feel as though the man going completely against his guardian wasn't right either. He hated to admit it to himself but Sirius likely should have been just a bit upset with him for disobeying the man.

"How are your classes? How are your friends? What else is new with you?"

Harry leaned back on the couch, his head resting comfortably on the cushion as he looked over to his godfather sitting beside him. "My grades are good, so are my friends. I'm excited for quidditch to start soon."

The idea of confiding in Sirius about Dumbledore's Army crossed Harry's mind for a moment. He was sure that Sirius would know how to get the map and might even be able to help him do it. He couldn't tell the man though. It wasn't that he didn't trust him, he did. He knew that if he told Sirius the man would likely praise his actions and he wouldn't tell a soul, not even Remus. But if he told Sirius and Snape found out it would only give his guardian more of a reason to dislike the man.

"Nothing else is really new," Harry finally settled on. "Nothing exciting anyway."

"Your stomach hurts?" Snape raised an eyebrow at the words. He had seen the child eat two helpings of breakfast less than an hour prior. "When did this start?"

Harry shrugged at the question as he laid back on the couch, closing his eyes. "Maybe a half hour ago."

Remus was gone for the day. The man had gone to visit with Sirius and had said he wouldn't be back until before supper. If he could convince Snape that his stomach hurt and the man let him miss Potions, he could be alone in their quarters for just over an hour. Plenty of time to find the map. The first meeting was to take place that night and without the map they were basically doomed.

Snape leaned down, placing a hand on the boy's forehead. "You don't feel warm at all."

"I don't feel like I have a fever," Harry replied softly. "It's just my stomach."

"Do you feel as though you are going to be sick?" Concern entered the man's tone.

Harry shook his head. "No, it just hurts."

Snape was silent for a long moment as he mentally went over the child's schedule for the day. Allowing Harry to miss Potions was not an issue, the man could easily have the child brew the potion from class at a later time. He did have History of Magic later in the day though, and his child barely scarped by in that class as it was.

"It really hurts," Harry spoke once more. "You told me to tell you when something is wrong." He felt a small pang of guilt at the way he was manipulating the man.

Snape let out a low sigh before giving a slight nod. "You may rest and miss Potions, however, if you feel better this afternoon you are going to History of Magic, understood?"

Harry nodded in agreement. "Thanks, Severus."

"If you need something you will ask Minka and if you need me, you will ask her to fetch me," Snape instructed as he waved a hand causing the boy's pillow and blanket to appear.

Harry nodded as he sat up, allowing the man to place the pillow behind him. He laid down and a moment later Snape covered him with his blanket.

"Rest," the man instructed as he reached out a hand, placing it on his child's forehead once more.

"I will." Harry allowed his eyes to close once more as he tried his hardest to appear as though he was about to fall asleep.

He felt Snape's hand ruffle his hair before the man moved away from him and towards the door. "I will be back after my class has ended. Feel better, Harry."

"Thanks," Harry muttered softly as he rolled over, bringing the blanket up over his shoulder.

Seconds later he heard the door open and then close. He stayed where he was for a full ten minutes before he slowly rolled over, his eyes scanning the room as if he expected his guardian to still be standing there.

Harry let out a shaky breath as he moved the blanket off of him and slowly stood. He could do this. He had to do this.

He moved quickly through the parlor and down the hall to the guest room. He had less than an hour to find the map, hide it in his things, and get back on the couch before his guardian would be back.

He took a deep breath before opening the door to the guest room. He almost closed it behind him but decided at the last minute to leave it open so he could hear if anyone else arrived in the quarters.

His eyes scanned Remus' room as he tried to decipher where the man would have put the map.

Quickly he stepped across the room and opened the top drawer of Remus' dresser. He couldn't shake the feeling of guilt that was running through his body and he absolutely hated it. Several times he reminded himself that getting the map was necessary. There was no way that they could succeed without it.

He made his way through all of the drawers of the dresser feeling his panic rise. He had wasted at least fifteen minutes and he was no closer to finding the map than he had been at the start.

His eyes scanned the room once more before he quickly moved over to Remus' bedside table. He held his breath as he opened the top drawer. He moved aside several peppermints wrapped in shiny paper, grinning slightly at the idea of Remus enjoying the candies. His breath caught in his throat as he spotted the corner of the map, hidden under a book.

Harry moved the book to the side, pulling the map out of the drawer. He quickly moved the book back to its original resting spot and closed the drawer before hurrying out of the room and across the hall into his own room.

He opened his school satchel and shoved the map inside one of his textbooks. He would feel better when Snape returned. He would go to History of Magic and then to his dormitory where he could hide the map in his trunk.

He wouldn't get caught. He just wouldn't.

"You're sure that your stomach is feeling better?" The man sat on the edge of the coffee table, his knees touching his child's as he reached out a hand resting it against Harry's forehead once more.

"Mmhmm," Harry nodded. "I feel much better." His satchel was sitting on the floor, resting against the leg of the coffee table. "Good enough to go to lunch and to History of Magic. I promise."

Snape gave a nod of approval as he let his hand fall away from the boy's forehead. "I need to discuss something with you before you go."

Harry felt his heart stop at the words. His guardian suddenly looked quite serious. His thoughts went to the man questioning Kermy or even Minka and the elf having no choice but to tell him exactly what they had seen that morning. He was sure if that was the case he was absolutely done for.

"Okay," Harry finally breathed, his breath shaky.

"An announcement was made this morning, one that you missed due to your stomachache."

Harry felt his body relax at the words. He wasn't about to be murdered or even walloped. Still, an announcement didn't sound good. "What kind of announcement?"

Snape let out a low sigh at the question. He absolutely hated to be the barer of bad news and he hoped his child took it better than he expected him to. "Effective immediately, quidditch has been cancelled indefinitely."

"What?" Harry felt as though someone had just sucked the breath right out of him.

Snape gave a small nod. "All student organizations, quidditch included, are forbidden without Umbridge's approval."

Harry felt his anger rise at the words. "What? How can she do that? How can Dumbledore let her do that?"

"It appears as though Professor Dumbledore does not have control over this situation. The Ministry has more of a say than he does at the present moment when it comes to this particular matter."

"That's bullshit," Harry replied before he could stop himself.

"Language." The man's hand moved, his fingertips firmly tapping against the side of the boy's knee.

"But it is," Harry mumbled as his face flushed slightly. "You know it is."

"It is unfortunate and unfair." Snape decided after a moment of silence. "I know how much you look forward to the quidditch season, as do others. Hopefully she won't be here much longer and this new rule will not last."

"She's horrible." Harry frowned at the very idea of quidditch being snatched away from him. "What right does she have?"

"She works for the Ministry and the Ministry wants a stronger presence at Hogwarts. I do not disagree with how you feel, however, for the time being I do not believe that there is much that can be done about it."

"She's a bitch," Harry spoke angrily.

"Language!" The man said for the second time, his tone now stern as he tapped the side of the boy's leg once more. "I do not want to tell you again."

"Sorry," Harry muttered. He knew better than to repeatedly curse in front of his guardian but he could hardly help the anger he felt over the situation. He hadn't been able to play quidditch last year due to being home all year and he had really been looking forward to this season and now it was just gone. "But it's not fair, you know it isn't."

"It is not," Snape agreed, allowing his tone to soften. "But we both know that life is not always fair."

Harry nearly rolled his eyes at the words but somehow refrained. "First, she sacks Remus and we aren't learning anything in Defense and now she takes away quidditch? What's next?"

Snape let out a low sigh at the words. "Hopefully nothing. With any luck, as I said, she will not be here much longer and the Ministry will no longer be involved with the ongoings at Hogwarts."

"Everyone at the Ministry is just a right arse."

The man's fingers tapped against the side of Harry's leg firmly once more. "This is your third warning. There will not be a fourth. If I hear that language even once more you are going to receive a proper smack to your backside, am I clear?"

Harry felt his ears burn at the scolding tone. "Sorry. I'm just angry."

"You can be angry without speaking in such a way."

"Sorry," Harry repeated.

Snape was silent for a long moment as he turned his head, glancing at the clock on the mantel. "You need to go to lunch so that you have time to eat before your class. If your stomach begins to hurt again, I expect you to come back down here."

"I will," Harry nodded as he stood before leaning over to pick up his satchel. He threw it over his shoulder before he turned back to his guardian, still sitting on the edge of the coffee table. "Maybe tomorrow we can have dinner together?"

"That would be fine," Snape nodded. "Have a nice afternoon and keep yourself out of trouble."

Harry couldn't help but smile as he looked around the Room of Requirement. He had started with teaching his friends the smokescreen spell and now they were working in pairs, practicing it, and mastering it together.

He had hoped that he had picked a spell that wasn't too hard to learn and it appeared as though he had chosen correctly.

His smile widened as he watched Neville successfully cast the spell, hiding Seamus in a cloud of smoke.

It was late, well past curfew but he was sure that with the map they would be fine. Despite that, he couldn't deny the fact that his guardian was weighing heavily on his mind, as was Remus. He was sure Snape would bloody belt him he knew where he was and what he was doing right in this moment. And even worse than that, he had stolen from Remus. The guilt that action alone was causing him was almost unbearable.

Still, the rate at which his friends had learned just one spell told him that he was doing the right thing. His friends were learning more than they had in week's worth of class with Umbridge. They were learning to defend themselves and this was really only the beginning. He couldn't stop the meetings. Regardless of what anyone else believed, he knew that Voldemort was back and that the threat was realer now then it had ever been. It was adamant that they knew how to defend themselves and if they weren't going to learn in class than it was up to them to take matters into their own hands.

Even if his guilt was slowly eating him alive.

TBC...