章 10: Chapter 10
Harry woke up to the aroma of tea, toast, roast potatoes and stew, all mingling together and making his mouth water. He woke up to see Snape busy preparing a huge meal. Harry cast the tempus and saw it was almost afternoon. He jumped out of bed and raced to the bathroom shouting a good afternoon to Snape who answered with a 'come soon, food is ready'.
Harry was out clean and fresh in ten minutes. He did not go to the table where Snape was waiting for him, but to the trunk to remove the parchment and came back to the table. "To write Hermione, I will not tell her anything of yesterday, Severus, but that I did not get into trouble with you and I am on my way to understanding Occlumency and you."
Snape nodded his head, eating his own meal, his eyes shining with amusement at Harry's enthusiasm when he spoke of the Granger girl. So there was something there. He put it away to tackle him about it later and watched as Harry wrote on the parchment, eating well, chomping his food away at the same time.
How had yesterday happened in the first place astounded Snape? But he was not going to look into that. He was going to be immensely grateful for the lifeline and another opportunity that life had given him and make sure that this time around what had happened with Reg would not happen with Harry.
Harry in the meantime had written a short note to Hermione reassuring her he was fine.
Hey, I am sorry I could not write all of yesterday as Snape had woken up and I was busy with him. Snape was not angry at all, he was very surprised though and Hermione you will be shocked to know that Snape and I understood each other pretty well. He is on the up Hermione, I will tell you more in person, but I know you are going to think I am under the imperious or something, but Snape is very decent and he has promised to teach me Occlumency in a way I will master it easily.
I will write later, all right?
Harry waited for about two minutes before the words started appearing.
Merlin Harry, I have been having kittens here. Thank god, thank god really that you are fine. I have been imagining all kinds of things the worst scenario being that Snape had found out and dragged you off to Dumbledore and the best was that you had made Snape unconscious once again giving perhaps three more days. Now I am relieved and I can start studying again. Don't do this again. If not anything from today onwards I want you to write 'I am okay' when you go to bed, if you don't have time to write during the day. I will read that and will know you are fine. Okay?
Harry read all this aloud to Snape whose suspicions were more or less confirmed.
"She really has you where she wants you doesn't she Potter?" he asked Harry smirking at him, amusement shining in his black eyes that were full of warmth.
Harry blushed as he understood the implications of what Snape was telling him and scowled at him. "You couldn't be more wrong Snape," he tried to drawl, but it came out very awkward and Harry sounded silly even to his own ears, as he blushed more. Snape could not control himself as Harry huffed and he laughed aloud, making Harry scowl at his warped sense of humor and he hastily scribbled a 'fine, will do that got to go' on the parchment and got up as stately as he could and went to keep it safely.
"It is not very funny, you know, she was attracted to Ron in that way not me." Harry told him sternly wondering why he felt so bad about it. She was his best friend that was all wasn't she? Then why did he feel so bad about her thinking of Ron in that way?
Snape was still smiling as they washed the dishes together in a companionable silence.
Snape thought as he washed and dried the dishes along with Harry that he was smiling in a way he never had after Reg and he realized how much he had missed this kind of conversation in the last so many years. He looked at Harry who seemed to be deep in thought, most likely about Hermione Granger and called him down to earth to start off on everything.
"While you were sleeping," Snape told him as they went to the sofa and sat down, well, Snape sat down on the sofa and Harry threw himself on the ground, resting his back on the sofa opposite to where Snape was sitting, "I took the liberty of calling Minerva to come here and discuss the next step in your training and also talk about the Order, the death eaters and the Wizarding World in general."
Harry nodded. "Yeah," he said and then curiously, "What were you planning to teach me?"
Snape smiled, "All the things I wanted to teach you before now Harry, only now I will do it in depth and before Minerva comes there are two things I wish to do. One is to see your books, especially by this Canogahn, as I do not recognize the name and nor does Minerva. The second thing which we will do first, that is now is to finish your Occlumency lessons."
Harry pouted, "Please Severus, I swear I will start with the stupid Occlumency from tomorrow. Please, please give me an off today." Harry begged him, looking hopefully at Snape.
"Silly, I haven't finished. What I was going to say before I was interrupted was that if you will not mind I will create a mind link with you and build your walls. Then all you have to do is to strengthen them continuously by meditation, which I will teach you. With constant practice, the shields will become a part of you and will start operating subconsciously sensing your need at any given moment."
Harry blinked at that. Then he smiled.
"What are we waiting for?" He grinned at Snape who rolled his eyes, "well now we don't have to wait till tomorrow for the stupid Occlumency hmm?'
St they started. Snape instructed Harry to look straight into his eyes. "Now Harry," he said softly wanting to impress on the boy how important this was, "Harry you must promise me that you will make a sincere effort at occluding your mind. While what Dumbledore said was in very bad taste the meaning of what he tried to imply still holds good. The Dark Lord will stoop down to any level and I wish for you to make sure that what happened before will never happen ever again."
Harry nodded seriously. "Yes, I will Severus. You just tell me what to do and how and I will practice whenever I can, day or night."
"Good." Snape smiled satisfied at Harry's answer and he whispered, "Legilimens."
Snape was very easily in Harry's mind and Harry was there as well. "May I start with the memories? Come to me and let me hold you, some of them may be painful after all." He ordered Harry, who immediately went to his side and Snape had his arm around Harry's shoulder.
"Now how would you want your memories separated? Good, bad and ugly would be one way. Home, School and other would be another. Order, death eaters and other would be still another way."
"What about Order, death eaters, Hogwarts, Dursleys and others?"
Snape smiled sadly at Harry. Apart from 'others' the rest was purely bad memories. He nodded his head, not saying anything and got to work. He asked Harry to contribute to the art work and they began. Harry turned his mind into huge caverns like his vaults at Gringotts and Snape started sifting through his mind.
They went through the relatively less painful ones of his time with the Dursleys and Snape wondered at the endurance the boy had. With all this baggage he should have already been a Dark Lord, instead here he was struggling to put his pain away, getting up on his feet and still working to defeat Voldemort and trying his best to be happy with what he had, which was very little.
A surge of protectiveness swept Snape away for a minute as he tightened his arms at Harry who was looking rather sadly at his younger self as he was being yelled at by his aunt and trying to dodge her pan at the same time.
They worked together for almost three hours, before Snape noticed Harry trying hard not look upset by what he was seeing, which was his aunt brushing off the large bruise he had from Dudley hunting on his elbow that was bleeding rather badly.
His aunt was accusing him of being whiney and told him very brusquely to clean the wound with water from the bathroom as the blood was making a mess on the floor. "You come back straight here and clean the mess you have made on this floor, boy."
Harry's eyes looked shocked and full of hurt as he replied softly, "Yes Aunt petunia."
They had come up to his seventh year and it was taking all of Snape's restraint not to yell at the Dursleys. He decided he had a visit to make and he would take Minerva along with him. Yes, he was sure he could do something to make the punishment fit the crime. Harry was so small and the things they had made them do, well Snape was itching for his wand.
He hugged Harry who smiled at him self loathing evident in his voice, "I am being such a wimp aren't I?"
Snape brushed the untidy hair off his face, "No, Harry. They are the pathetic ones. They have lost a wonderful person. Well their loss is my gain. You would not have bonded with me if they had been nice to you would you?"
Harry almost crushed him with his hug. All he said though was, "Thanks Severus." with a brilliant smile on his face and Snape smiled back as he went out of Harry's mind, though not before telling Harry and teaching him the basic exercises to do.
Both of them opened their eyes to see McGonagall sitting on the other sofa and watching them happily. Harry saw her and he smiled at her a little shyly. "Thank you professor," he said looking down for a second and then looking up and smiling slightly at her, "for willing to resign your job, and wanting custody of me and willing to take care of me when my parents' died."
She was amazed, "Harry how did you know? Oh," she turned to Snape with more amazement and astonishment. When had Severus and Harry become so close that Severus would reveal information of this type to Harry. She made a note to self to ask Snape later as she smiled at him.
"I would have loved to take care of you Harry. Unfortunately I failed not only you but your parents and your grandparents in allowing you with those muggles. I was convinced at the time that living with them was in your best interests as you would be protected by your mother's sacrifice. Now," she paused not knowing how much Snape had revealed.
"Yeah, I know professor, Severus told me though not in detail." Harry nodded to McGonagall and turned enquiringly to Snape. McGonagall's jaw hit the floor and Snape was actually laughing at her shock. Harry looked bewildered as he hadn't realized he had called Snape by name.
"What, did I say anything funny?" he asked Snape who chuckled once more as he shook his head.
"You called me by name." Harry looked blank for a minute and then he smiled at McGonagall and shrugged, "Well he told me I can do so when we are alone and when you are there. Sorry if I shocked you."
McGonagall grinned, she actually grinned wickedly at Harry, "Now why should I mind you calling him by name. It will do him a world of good to smile and laugh a bit more. It is very apparent he cares about you." And she laughed as Snape scowled at her remarks which in his opinion were a bit too mushy for him. Looking at Harry who was looking very embarrassed, Snape knew that he too felt the same.
Snape spluttered with indignation, "Minerva I am very afraid you are delusional. Old age has finally caught up with you. Severus Snape doesn't do caring for Gryffindors' Golden Boys, pah!" He said as loftily as he could and Harry was reduced to giggling at his professors. Snape glared at Harry and as Harry continued to smile widely, he too smiled reluctantly at him.
McGonagall looked at the display of pure affection in Snape's face and the answering response in Harry's and felt choked with happiness as two of her students'; former and present had found each other. Both of them had been abused and lonely and had been denied so much. She prayed that the happiness of today would last all their lives and together the three of them would triumph over all obstacles.
She had wanted to take Harry in, but it looked as if Severus had already let Harry into the core of his being.
"Harry would you like to call Granger as well? The four of us know everything and I would like her to be adept in Occlumency as well. It would be most important and she could learn along with you and be well prepared."
Harry's grin that stretched from ear to ear was the answer. He ran to the trunk to fetch the parchment as McGonagall looked at Snape raising her eyebrows. Snape gave a slight nod and turned to Harry as he returned with the parchment.
Hermione are you there? I want to ask you something terribly important.
The answer came almost at once as Hermione was reading in her room and had spotted the words on the parchment that was in front of her.
I am very much here Harry. What is it?
Would you like to come over and study with me? Snape knows everything and McGonagall is also here and are willing to help us. Don't panic and it is very much on the up. What do you say?
There was no answer for almost five minutes and Harry was getting very jittery when the answer came.
Of course Harry. I will come. I went to ask for permission and mother says it's all right provided I return home for dinner.
Great Hermione, Snape will open the floo to your home. I will pop in first and then bring you over here. Is that fine with you?
Fine, Harry. Come right over.
Harry waited only for Snape to adjust the wards and then, threw a pinch of the floo into the merrily crackling fire and put his head inside. Hermione was waiting with a gun that pointed straight at his face, her hands and her whole body trembling with her eyes full of terror. He gaped and stared at her open mouthed at that.
"Hermione," he gasped incredulously and then suddenly he came out and fell into her room as she ran to him and pulled him through. She immediately ran to him and hugged him, "Oh Harry, did Snape torture you through Legilimency. Don't worry. We can go and hide in one of your houses until you train and oh Harry I am so glad you escaped."
"Wait, wait Hermione," Harry was so bewildered by the hysterical friend in front of him he did not know what to do. "What are you saying? Why did you point that gun at me? What happened to you?"
"She got scared that you were under the imperious or something you git." Snape's voice came very dryly from the fireplace, where he and McGonagall were uncomfortable perched, watching them with great interest.
Hermione squealed and went to stand in front of Harry, protecting him as she heard Snape's voice and it was her turn to gape open mouthed when she saw McGonagall as well and she stared unable to understand anything at both her professors whose heads were poking through the fire. It was a bit too much for her as she had thought that Harry had been brainwashed or put under the imperious by Snape and was prepared to shoot her way out and rescue him.
Both the heads withdrew and before Hermione could turn to Harry, McGonagall came through the floo and explained everything briefly to her. She blushed as she thought of the gun and she turned very sheepishly to Harry. "Sorry," was all she said before Harry hugged her and held a second longer than he had to, "That was brilliant of you Hermione. Brilliant. Thanks a lot."
"That was why I took the time. I could not use a wand, but I could always say later that the murder was in self defense." She shrugged, still embarrassed by her actions.
Harry looked at her a gamut of emotions running through him, amazement, gratitude, admiration and so many others and together with all of these emotions he felt very humbled as he realized she was willing to kill a man to save him. He hugged her once again whispering his gratitude to her. She blushed prettily and smacked him on his arm.
"Oh do keep quiet Harry. It was no big thing. I know you would have done this and more for me. Now you go back and I will call up my parents' and then come with you."
Hermione called up her parents' and told them everything and they agreed to let her go and she was soon in the cottage and sitting on the floor with Harry.
McGonagall started the conversation.
"Tell us about the wards, Severus? Will Voldemort find out about it if he comes looking and will Harry be safe there?"
"As I told you Minerva, blood wards need an acceptance that has to be voluntary. You told me Harry was left on the steps in the night; a whole day had passed where we do not know where or with whom Harry was. It could be the day Dumbledore bound Harry's powers' and gifts and left him on the doorsteps with a bloody letter." Snape's lips thinned with anger.
Albus had not the courtesy to even ask the Dursleys or inform them in person of the Potter's deaths. McGonagall scowled as well as she thought back to those days.
"We do not know what was written in that letter. Probably Albus went back later and placed a compulsion spell on them or forced them by frightening them to take charge of Harry. But they are not blood wards. Harry would have been safe in any of his own properties or with you with a blood ritual, there were so many alternatives."
All of them were silent as they thought of the fact Harry had spent so many years abused and unwanted on the whims of one man. Snape especially was very angry as he had just seen what Harry had gone through with his so called blood relatives. He cleared his throat once again bringing all of them out of their thoughts.
"Now what I think is we must take care of the Dark Lord first, his death eaters next before dealing with Albus bloody Dumbledore. We need the Order much as we dislike it to help us in dealing with the death eaters and then ultimately Voldemort. In that time we must change many things, first of all the perception that Harry is Dumbledore's man only. We have to make Harry independent and also ensure that he is forever out of the loop of the manipulations." Snape frowned thoughtfully as he spoke turning various things in his mind.
"Dumbledore will never allow for it Severus," Minerva was at her most disdainful, "allowing Harry to be free, away from his control? Never and if he even suspects something, he will take action against us and Harry. From now on in fact, Severus you should make sure that everyone is always assured of the fact that you dislike James's child. If Albus ever suspects otherwise, he could threaten you with the dark mark. He could throw you to the Ministry, he could and now we know he would do anything." She finished bitterly.
Harry nodded his head vigorously, looking very startled and worried at that. "Severus, we must not do anything that could make you the scapegoat. That will never do. What professor McGonagall says is also true. Dumbledore will never allow me to go far away from him and at this time I am not very wise to go against him."
Hermione looked startled as did McGonagall, but Snape was looking very thoughtfully at Harry. "What do you mean Harry?" he asked looking very interested in the answer Harry would give.
"Severus, at this time I think we should not give any clue or suspicion to Dumbledore or Moody about my aura, strength or that our group here knows everything. In fact that way I think we may be able to gain more time. He said he will not allow the final clash with Voldemort to occur till I reach seventeen and take formal control of my vaults and his, well I mean him, Sirius." He stopped there a bit choked up and then valiantly continued,
"So he will try and break me as much as possible to get my magic all worked up and at the next time I meet with Voldemort once I am seventeen, he would probably come along with me and release my magic at the last moment and then watch with a sad smile as both of us went down."
"Only the Dark Lord won't go down as he has created horcruxes and unless we destroy them he will keep coming back." Snape finished as McGonagall gasped in horror.
"Severus what are you saying? You-Know-Who has created horcruxes?" she was actually trembling with fear as Snape nodded his head. Harry turned to Hermione and told her about then and she too was filled with horror and fear as she realized just how enormous their already huge task had become.
"Minerva, get your self together. How else did you think a dead man could come to life after thirteen years?" Snape asked her sharply.
She shook her head as if trying to come out of the fear Snape's words had given her, "I am sorry Severus. I was totally unnerved and just about lost it there for a second. How did you know?"
Snape's lips tightened for a second as he thought of Regulus and his wasted life. "I overheard Minerva, not now but before the Dark Lord fell. The Diary that Harry destroyed in his second year was one of them. That was how it managed to get possession of the Weasley girl. Another one was destroyed as well. I… heard about it too; it was a locket belonging to Slytherin. Now what I do not know is if he has created more or we have only three more to destroy before killing him as he was to have made the seventh with the killing of Harry and we all know how that went."
McGonagall put her hand over her mouth at the enormity of the task in front of them and they were only four of them here who were up against the Light, Dark, the Ministry and well, against everyone. She looked at Severus, her eyes conveying the concern about the task that lay upon this boy who was destined to fight all of these people with only two witches and one wizard to help him.
Snape nodded his head as he understood what she was so worried about. But this was not the time to panic. At least they had been given some vital information and the time to train Harry and plan their moves. Also they knew about the horcruxes; that was a plus. He turned to Harry.
"You are absolutely right Harry. In fact we should do all the things I said before, but in secret and bide our time and deal with the Dark Lord first. Let me finish Minerva," as McGonagall was about to interrupt again, "Harry must learn and learn fast not only about offensive and defensive magic but also wizarding politics and work his way up the ladder so that he not only knows how to recognize manipulation but also to deal with it swiftly and efficiently."
McGonagall nodded thoughtfully. What Snape was saying made a lot of sense.
"The debacle at the Department of Mysteries where the Dark Lord failed to kill Harry and Albus has made him very frustrated. He has sent all of us away; those in the public eye, like me, Rookwood, McNair, Avery and Malfoy. That was how I have got almost two months to spend here. Well, we must not waste a minute more and do as much as we can before the Dark Lord starts calling and I am not able to be here continuously."
All of them nodded at that and Hermione went back to her home with McGonagall to talk her parents' into taking a holiday in France, where Hermione had been before and she could manage any questions that may arise about her trip.
The Grangers' had been planning to go on a holiday when Hermione left for Grimmauld Place and so not much persuasion was needed to make them go a bit early. Hermione would live with McGonagall in the night and come everyday to the cottage with her and learn along with Harry from Snape and McGonagall.
McGonagall herself finished her duties in School in about two days and casually went off for a well deserved holiday. She had created a special room that was off her bedroom for Hermione and had completely sealed that room. That meant there was only the wall if anyone would by chance happened to enter her bedroom.
Though the chance of anyone doing that was highly unlikely, she was not taking any risks. There was a floo in Hermione's room that connected her to the cottage and that was the only way in and out of that room. Not even McGonagall could enter Hermione's room from her bedroom once she had sealed the door with a wall. That way she ensured no one would know of her presence even if they flood to her house and happened to enter her bedroom at any point.
Satisfied with all the arrangements made so far and after Hermione came bag and baggage to her 'room'; she would fine going to the cottage in the morning and staying there through the day and going beck to her room late at night.
Snape and Harry had been busy working out schedules and had already started their studies. They continued with the Occlumency lessons and Snape felt wanting to meet the Dursleys and show them the real reason of why a muggle had to fear a wizard. He also kept trying to persuade Harry to stop giving the money to them, but Harry was adamant about it.
Occlumency was practiced for about three hours a day and the rest of the time Harry started studying about his gifts and harnessing his magic. Snape, Hermione and even McGonagall had drooled over the book case of Artemus Canogahn and Snape had straight away asked Harry to start with four subjects at once.
The Dark Arts, Blood Magic, Runes and Parsel Magic were the subjects Snape asked him to start off on. He added aura sight to it as well, though Harry would get to practice only on three persons at the present. What Harry and Hermione did in the evening practical class with a wand, Snape asked Harry to try it at once wandlessly? He did not stress Harry to get the wandless spells right away as he knew that would be difficult if not impossible at present, but he asked Harry to try so that he would get the hang of it.
As Harry was practicing first and second year spells with McGonagall wandlessly, he would soon get these spells as well. Now it was merely to understand the incantations and the flicks and also try the various spells mentally and without flicking his hand.
The unlocking of his magic and gifts made Harry read, memorize and understand everything much faster than usual. His capacity for retention was also so much better than before and soon he would be able to come on par with Hermione.
They started their day early in the morning and fell into their beds late at night, completely exhausted, but learning so much and the closeness that all of them shared and the purpose for which they were putting in so much effort made everything worth their while.
McGonagall still attended meetings in Grimmauld Place and came back with all sorts of news. Harry had received the information that Remus was like this because of the wolf grieving for Sirius and the man in him could not reconcile with the wolf and was desperately trying to convince the wolf, very impassively, but felt just a little bit better inside, as he realized that Remus had spoken like that because of an uncontrollable creature that was in him. Snape though had snorted and had muttered something uncomplimentary about werewolves and their stupidity.
Harry could understand that Remus was not in control of the wolf inside him and be able to forgive him but the wound that had been created by his words had cut a bit too deep and it would take Harry a very long time, if never to look at him as he did before.
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