บท 7: Chapter 7
The next morning Harry was woken up by Snape sharp at 5.00 with a magical alarm that almost made Harry deaf and woke him up from a nice dream in which he was having Dumbledore at wand point and Moody's magical eye in his left hand and yelling at him. There was a weasel that had a red tuft on top that Hermione was holding in her hand and scolding it as it looked miserable and tried to escape and Ginny was standing in a very comical stance on one leg and her hands joined together in prayer over her head and chanting 'sorry' all over and over again.
He jumped out of his bed and the alarm disappeared. Harry drew the curtains apart and saw a disgustingly fresh Snape and went straight to the bathroom after taking his fresh set of clothes.
He returned feeling and looking a lot more awake and alert and went straight to put the kettle on.
Making the tea Harry sat down opposite Snape and slowly sipped his tea thinking that he had had a lucky escape yesterday and hoping he would escape to day as well. As if Snape knew what Harry was thinking, he told him sipping his tea, "Do you have any books on Occlumency?"
"Yes Sir." Harry told him apprehensively.
"May I see them now Potter? Bring them to me please."
Harry got up as Snape cast a warming spell on his tea an action that made Harry start and then frown with surprise at the concerned act and then noticing Snape looking at him, Harry hurried to his trunk and removed four books on Occlumency and Legilimency and came back and handed it over to Snape.
Snape looked at the texts, all of them were excellent and he nodded his head in mild approval.
"How much have you read from all of this?' he asked Harry softly, "Were these books the ones you got from Diagon Alley the other day?"
"Yes Sir. These along with a few others, I have read the How to close your mind and How to probe your mind two times already, while I am half way through Mind and its Protection :: Revealed ."
"You may read these texts today and ask me if you have any doubts. In the afternoon we will have a practical class and assess how much of the theory and my explanation of yesterday you have understood."
Harry hesitated still scared about the veritaserum said very politely, "Sir I am not really prepared, please could you give me a little more time."
Snape shook his head making Harry feel very apprehensive, "No Potter, we really do not have the time, in the next seven to eight weeks I wish to teach you a lot of things and it will not do to get stuck with Occlumency. Let me evaluate where you stand today and then we shall take it on from there. I will be down in my potions lab, if you have any doubts. The staircase is hidden behind that wall. Point your wand at it and say 'belladonna' and it will open."
Snape set his cup down on the table and left leaving behind a resentful Harry who glared at his retreating back. Sharp at half past five Harry started practicing Occlumency like there was no tomorrow. While so much came easily to him, even Legilimency was so easy now, the stupid art of Occlumency was something he still had to get a hang of. Harry gritted his teeth, as he knew such thoughts would only make him commit more mistakes and he resolutely started checking his shields and building them up.
He had decided to built walls, big stone walls like that of Hogwarts from bottom to the roof of his mind and he kept strengthening it with some good and many bad memories, like winning the Quidditch Cup, the fight with the basilisk and so on. He had placed his most vulnerable memories of the last three weeks behind this wall and prayed it might be enough.
The whole morning went in this way and when an alarm sounded for Harry to start breakfast and then for lunch, he would get up and do them, Snape appearing always at the right time and then disappearing after having his meal.
Sharp at four the wall that was to the extreme left of the main door opened and Snape came out and went to stand behind one sofa his wand in his hand gesturing to Harry to take his position.
"Are you ready Potter? Then on the count of three," he said softly looking at Harry with an unreadable expression on his face, "three, two one Legilimens," Snape said as Harry looked at Snape in the eye for the first time since the Department of Mysteries.
Snape held his wand as he came up against the shield that Harry had been building and then slowly started pushing. He pushed through the first barrier and saw the battle at the Department of Mysteries where Sirius and Bellatrix were dueling. Harry saw him there and he pushed back fiercely. Snape reeled back with the force of the attack and went crashing down.
"Merlin, I am sorry Sir, are you hurt?" Harry ran to Snape who was picking himself up and groaning slightly.
"I am fine Potter." He snapped, feeling very curious inside at the power Harry had exhibited. He had kept Snape away from his mind by simply using his power to throw him out. While it was a very mild attack, still Harry had never been able to resist him before, except for that one time in his fifth year.
Snape walked back to the position he had been standing originally and asked Harry to take his position as well.
"Good Potter." He said, shocking Harry out of his wits, since when did Snape go about giving compliments? "This time I will push harder into your mind, Potter. Try and push me out as you just did without the help of your wand, if you can."
"But Sir, what you just did was pretty tough. Are you saying you will probe harder than that?" Harry protested. Snape nodded once and raised his wand.
Harry held his wand tightly as well when Snape's countdown and his whispered 'Legilimens' came. But this time the power behind Snape's push was enormous and Harry was not prepared. He tried his best to resist and push Snape out but Snape was going a bit too fast for Harry to realize what he was doing.
Suddenly Snape put some extra power and without warning and breeched Harry's defenses completely and saw Ron reading a letter about going to the Order meeting at half past ten when he was simply blown away.
Snape was thrown away across the room and fell against the wall. "Protego." Was the last thing he heard as he dashed against the wall and fell unconscious. In his desperation to ward off Snape, Harry had used all of his power and now Snape was almost blown away. Harry stood gaping in shock for a moment when he realized Snape was unconscious.
Harry ran to Snape bent down and cried softly, "Sir, Sir, Snape!" the last word came out as a shout as Harry saw the blood that was dripping on to the floor. Harry's heart almost stopped for a minute until he heard Snape's shallow and labored breathing and came back to life.
Harry quickly leviated him and almost ran into the potion master's bedroom, kicking the door open with his leg and placed Snape on the big bed. Snape was bleeding from his nose and from the back of his head and Harry had heard at least three breaks and he suspected one of them could be the spine.
He ran back to the bed for the book on healing that he had from the book case of Artemis Canogahn and ran back to the room where Snape was lying awkwardly, telling Harry his bones were broken in more than one place.
Harry quickly looked through the book and soon came to the place where there were specific instructions to stop bleeding from the head, nose, limbs, chest, back and stomach. It needed a potion to ingest along with a spell. Harry could have cried. He followed the book's instructions and first ran a diagnostic spell on Snape.
That read four bones broken, one right wrist, right knee, right ankle and pelvic. The bones had crumbled and in Snape's hips as well as in other places there was extensive bleeding. Harry was horrified at that and then the spell ran saying that there was internal bleeding from the nose and the back of his head where his head had cracked.
He studied the book as Snape by this time was beginning to look blue so Harry put him under the stasis charm as the book suggested and then calmed himself down as Snape retained that sickly blue color and did not deteriorate. The one advantage in all this horror Harry thought was that his spells were spot on and worked at the first try so that the stasis charm held at once instead of needing fifteen tries by which time Snape might have died.
Harry shuddered at the thought that Snape might die or be maimed for life. He ran to the potions lab forgetting in his terror that he could have contacted Hermione and asked her to get the Order.
He went into the lab that was so well stocked that Harry was relieved. He looked at the potion specified in the book and realized he did not have the method. Desperately Harry looked around and saw a lot of books in one corner and ran towards them. The third book had only healing potions and Harry easily found this potion merantaga and started assembling the ingredients and strictly followed the procedure and soon had it bubbling away. It had to boil till it became clear and Harry had time to wait as the book said that would take at least an hour.
In that time Harry raided the lab and added the pepper up potions, skelegrow, he had forgotten about that as the spell said that the bones in his pelvis were crushed, they would need to be re-grown and some other general healing potions that Snape had labeled so neatly and ran up with an armful of them and placed them on the desk in Snape's room.
Then Harry rushed back again and waited impatiently for the potion to finish. In the meantime Harry studied and memorized the spells to remove the crushed bones and other healing spells and then when the potion was ready Harry carefully poured it into the bottle never even thinking that he had been making potions so effortlessly, potions a subject that was his worst and a subject that he hated as much as the person who taught it and it was that man who was here so ill.
He went up to Snape's room and arranged the potions carefully, removing their tops and pouring them into convenient vials for Snape and went with great trepidation to the bed and removed the stasis charm. The blood immediately started flowing and Snape was convulsing, when Harry cast the first healing spell, stopping the blood flow from the head and the nose and cast the petrificus totalus on Snape.
Then Harry removed Snape's outer robes and cut the robes generously where the bones had broken. He saw with horror the scars that seemed to be covering almost every inch of the exposed skin and swallowing and concentrating hard he slowly removed all the bones in the pelvic and wrist and then wanting to be on the safe side removed all the bones in the injured places.
Going to the bed and slowly holding up Snape a little, Harry leviated the vial and wandlessly moved the vial towards Snape's mouth and poured the potion down his throat. He waited for Snape to swallow it and then he started with the skelegrow and the other healing potions ending with the sleeping potion and made sure Snape would swallow by the simple process of holding his nose. Snape spluttered and spilled a little but swallowed everything that Harry gave him and went into a healing coma.
Harry cast a monitoring charm on Snape like the book said, so that he would know when he awoke and then crashed on the comfortable chair that was by Snape's bed. Harry got up only to use the bathroom and hurriedly make something for him to eat and drink. He sat there by Snape's side all the time. The skelegrow had worked as Harry felt the bones that grew overnight in the places where he had removed the bones.
All the other injuries had closed properly and had stopped bleeding afterwards. How much he had healed would be known only when Snape got up. Harry did not study or wander the entire time Snape lay unconscious. He was so anxious and terrified that he may have killed the man he was actually thinking Dumbledore had a point in wanting him dead.
Snape's body was so full of scars; Harry felt for the man as he saw some of them were very old scars and realized that Snape must have had them since childhood. He must have had a terrible childhood and dreadful School years where he was tormented by Harry's father and Sirius and most likely ignored by his House mates, Harry thought with a pang, as he understood how lonely Snape must have been and without anyone to be with him and advice him or care for him, he must have joined Voldemort for the power that would give him over others who had lorded over him all through his life.
That was when he remembered Hermione and the parchment and he rushed off to write to her. He asked her to get the Order or do something. She was horrified as she read what Harry had written and she was going to agree and send a letter to the Order when she re-read the parchment and paused at the words 'I simply blew him away and I am afraid he saw Ron and Ginny reading the letter from Fawkes. He has broken bones and had so much bleeding but I was able to heal him with the book on healing that I had from Canogahn."
She had to get the Order without alerting them to the fact she could and was communicating with Harry through an enchanted parchment and at the same time she had to alert the Order about Snape as from what Harry had said, Snape was probably subjected to the full raw power of Harry and it must have hurt him very badly.
Harry could not afford to have another death on his head and she knew it would destroy him. She clutched her head in her hands as she thought fiercely about just how to do this without alerting anybody to what they were doing or arousing their suspicions.
Harry, first of all you must check your aura to see if it has the same color, if not make sure it is blue. The second thing is you have to pretend that you do not know what happened as Snape was viewing Sirius's fall into the veil and that you shouted 'Protego' and Snape just crashed into the wall. The third thing is you must make sure all your books are well hidden except common ones that are safe so that Dumbledore does not suspect you have been reading too much. Cast the anti-magical eye spell on the trunk so that Moody cannot see into it.
Fourth tell them you checked the healing spells book in the potions lab and did your best. I am going to say, you used your galleon to alert all the members and that it was on my table and I saw the date changed and at once alerted the Headmaster. I will not know more than that, so play it carefully. Do all that I said and change the date on the galleon.
Even if anyone else alerts Dumbledore along with me, it will only prove that I am saying the truth and I really have no clue about your whereabouts, except that you are with professor Snape as you have told me that on the train and asked me to refrain from writing letters. That explains about the lack of letters to Ron as well. That's all Harry. Now hurry so that I can tell Dumbledore. Do all that I have told you and change the galleon. The moment you do so I will floo Mrs. Weasley at Grimmauld Place and inform her, and also ask if Ron's coin has been changed and act hysterical. Bye Harry and take care.
Harry read the letter with great relief and hurried to do as Hermione had instructed. He checked his aura and took care of everything else and then with a huge sigh activated the fake galleons and changed the date and the time and wiping the parchment clean, put it away safely and went to sit by Snape, who was still sleeping.
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Albus Dumbledore was sipping hot tea and discussing with the Weasleys, McGonagall, Remus Lupin, Moody, Shaklebolt, Tonks and Hestia Jones about the war and Harry.
Molly was very worried and very unsure about Snape's treatment of Harry and she made sure all of them knew it.
"I still think it was wrong of you to send Harry to Severus. Merlin knows that man has a chip on his shoulder when it comes to Harry," she was cut off by Dumbledore.
"And Harry makes it impossible for Severus to be normal while dealing with him, you know that Molly. And Harry while being polite and nice to us will run rings around us. Besides Severus is very proficient at Occlumency and as a master at that subject, he would be the best teacher for Harry. It would also divert Harry from the pain of losing Sirius."
Molly looked dubious at this, while Ron and Ginny looked at each other and did not say a word in defense of Harry.
Remus was sitting in silence, thinking he had failed Harry in some way. Snape's and Molly's words had cut him to the quick and it had hurt him as he knew that what they said was true, but the wolf in him was still grieving for Sirius and it would be some time before it reconciled with the man in him that was telling the wolf it was not Harry's fault.
"Mrs. Weasley, Ron, Ginny, anyone home here?" came a shout at that time from the floo connection in the drawing room. All of them rushed with their wands at the ready to find Hermione's face sticking through the floo looking very anxious.
"Miss. Granger!" exclaimed Dumbledore. "What happened? Are your parents quite all right?" he asked her very concerned.
"Yes Sir," replied Hermione breathlessly as Ron came over grinning at her. Just for a second Hermione's eyes hardened then she smiled, "Hello Ron. How have you been? Can you see if your galleon has been activated? Mine has," turning to Dumbledore she smiled once again and added, "Sir these galleons were our way of telling everyone about the meetings of the Dark Arts. Today as I was reading an advanced book on charms, I saw it vibrate on my desk. I saw that the date had been changed and so was the time. I thought may be Harry was trying to say something."
Dumbledore's eyes changed from concerned to alert. "May I see it Miss Granger?" turning to Ron he added, "Mr. Weasley may I see your galleon as well?"
Ron grinned at Hermione who gritted her teeth as she realized that he had to yet ask after her or about Harry and scrunched up her face as she noticed Dumbledore looking at her, "Sir it is really uncomfortable one the floor. May I be excused to get a pillow?"
Dumbledore's face cleared and he nodded as Ron came running down, "Hey Hermione, where are you going?'
She did not answer as she had already withdrawn her head and standing up went to the bathroom to scowl and let off a few choice words. If she felt this bad about facing all of them from the safety and security of her home through the floo, she thought with a pang about how Harry must have felt about dealing with all these goons and not letting on more than he was supposed to know.
She went back quickly and taking a pillow put some floo powder into the fire and put her head once again into the floo smiling and putting her shields right up. She had taken to studying Occlumency right from the moment Harry had shown her the memories and she had done it openly to encourage Harry while they were in School.
To Harry's jealousy and envy which he professed to have in large quantities as he told her sourly, when she had told him organizing her mind was so easy and she had got the hang of Occlumency quite nicely. She had grinned at him and whispered that his secrets were now safe and no one could pry it out of her, he had been only slightly mollified.
"Sorry Sir," she smiled at everyone including Ron who grinned back at her. He and Ginny had got the news from Mrs. Weasley and the others who were there and no one noticed the look of shock and horror on McGonagall's face.
"Miss. Granger, I am afraid that I really do not know just where the place is. I know it is called Rose Cottage but where it is, Severus has always guarded it most jealously and I really do not think he has invited anyone there. It is his sanctuary and he has taken Harry there only so that Voldemort will not be able to harm Harry there."
McGonagall's face turned white with horror but as all of them were gasping as they understood what Dumbledore was saying once again no one noticed it.
"But Sir, what can we do? What if Harry is in danger there?" she asked anxiously noticing the look of jealously on Ron's face.
Dumbledore smiled at her, "Nothing until Severus approaches us my dear. If you get any more notice on your galleon you may tell us and then we shall try to do something if it continues for more than a day or two. But for now I really do not think there is cause to worry as Severus would have used the Order's means of communication and would have informed us of anything untoward. Let us not think of the worst and let us relax." Dumbledore smiled at her gently and she nodded looking obviously relieved that Dumbledore was in charge.
She then spoke to the others quite as usual and gaily waving to Ron who also told her that Snape was a git and Harry had probably hexed the greasy bat and he had punished Harry. "Tough luck for Harry, but with Snape you really cannot expect anything else. Just when are you coming Hermione?"
"Next week and you make sure that you finish your holidaying by then so that we start with our NEWTS potions. Have you decided what you are going to take?"
Ron shook his head and Hermione smiled, though her eyes looked very strained, "No matter, Ron. We will discuss when I come there." Hermione left Grimmauld Place and sank down on the floor crying as she thought of Ron and his betrayal. All for some money, she thought bitterly.
Dumbledore and the others had gone back to the kitchen and were discussing this latest news about Harry. As usual Molly Weasley was worried.
"Albus don't you think you should make an effort to see why Harry has alerted the others? Remember he has not taken his owl there and there is no other way he could communicate to anybody else."
"Severus has not sent word Molly," Albus told her patiently. "Severus may be harsh, but willing to harm a boy in his care? No Molly I don't think so and it could be something as simple as Harry playing with the galleon, not realizing that Miss. Granger or Ron would have seen it and rushed to you or to me. We will wait for Severus's message to inform us if anything is remiss at the cottage. I will send him a patronus asking him to answer if Harry activates the galleon again as that might tell us there is a problem but I really do not think there is any cause to worry."
Dumbledore shook his head as Molly Weasley pleaded once again, "I really do not know what kind of wards Severus has placed there. Once he is there he does not communicate with anyone in any manner short of a catastrophe. We will wait for a day for an answer before thinking of horrible thoughts."
Dumbledore got up before Molly Weasley could pester him more and left smiling at one and all. Slowly all the others too left leaving the Weasleys and Lupin in the house.
McGonagall flood to Hogwarts along with Dumbledore pleading a headache and went into her private rooms and warded the door. She went into her bedroom asking a house elf for a cup of tea and after it went away she carefully warded the door and cast many spy spells and also many wards to ensure that no one would even want to come in and took a pinch of floo powder and threw it into the fire in her bedroom.
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Hermione was could have cried with anger, she was so furious at the callous treatment of Dumbledore, Ron and the Order. She wondered how Harry and she had been so blind to all of them. Well, she conceded reluctantly everyone except Mrs. Weasley, only no one listened to her.
She did not know what to do as Harry would have put his parchment away and would be waiting for the Order. She took out her parchment and sat down by her bed and patiently waited for Harry to write and ask her why no one had come.
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Harry was waiting with fear, anxiety and a host of other contradicting emotions as he looked at the peaceful face of Snape who looked so relaxed and young as he slept there. Harry on the other hand was not so relaxed or peaceful as he fidgeted continuously wondering if he had done the right thing and praying that Snape be all right and he had not done lasting damage to his potions professor.
An hour later the fire in Snape's room turned green and McGonagall stepped out and looked at Harry and then at the still figure on the bed and her eyes widened in concern.
"What happened here Potter?" she asked crisply.
"Oh good professor, you got the message I sent through the galleon. Who told you, was it Ron?" Harry asked her relief in his voice. "Professor, we were practicing Occlumency and professor Snape was probing in my mind and I wanted to somehow push him out and I cast the 'Protego' charm and suddenly he went crashing into the wall behind him." Harry was looking down in sheer guilt and he missed the look of amazement on McGonagall's face as he recounted what had happened.
"You mean the professor went sailing and hit the wall? How far was the wall and where did he get hurt?" she asked him, running her wand over Snape and waiting for the diagnosis.
Harry did not answer flushing with guilt and fear. McGonagall looked up at him and was about to say something when the diagnosis only said Snape was in a healing sleep and all his vitals were functioning properly and his wounds had closed properly and were in a healing process now. She looked as if she wanted to question Harry about the severity of the wounds but she did not say anything.
"Professor Snape seems all right Potter." Harry heaves a huge sigh of relief as he grinned at his Head of House truly happy that nothing terrible had happened to Snape and nodded his head as she continued to speak, "He is a healing sleep that is all. Ask him to call me when he awakes" She turned to leave and then hesitated.
"Potter," she began quietly, "professor Snape gave me the secret password of the floo on the condition that I inform no one about the fact that I had access to this cottage. No one, not professor Dumbledore or any other member of the Order or anyone else knows I have come here. All of them have assumed that you are merely playing with that galleon of yours when Miss. Granger told us it had been activated."
Harry gaped at this and then flushed angrily, "Professor isn't it silly to allow us to be here with no outside connection whatsoever? How could Snape," at her glare Harry hurriedly corrected himself, "I mean professor Snape do this? What if he had been injured seriously and I had no way of contacting anyone?" he demanded indignantly.
McGonagall's lips thinned as she glared at the sleeping Snape. "I really have no answers to your questions Potter. But you may be rest assured that I will make sure that this is not repeated again. Ask him to call me when he awakes. I must leave now and please make sure you do not tell anyone I have been here." She looked straight at him and raised her eyebrows, waiting for confirmation.
"Yes, professor, I will not tell anyone." She nodded her head once sharply and throwing a pinch of the floo powder left for Hogwarts once more.
Harry waited until she had left and then checking after Snape hurried to get the parchment so that he could tell Hermione what had happened. Snape and McGonagall were friends with each other so much that Snape gives the secret to her and not even to Dumbledore. There was something so very wrong about that and on top of all that McGonagall asks him not to breathe a word to any one about her visit meaning Dumbledore and the Order primarily of course.
Harry wrote all this and waited for her answer. It came fast and from a very relieved Hermione.
Oh good she came Harry. The idiots except Mrs. Weasley said you were playing with the galleon and I was so worried. How can Dumbledore be such a fool? How dare he just send you off like this? I am so happy McGonagall came and I agree with you that it looks all very suspicious and very cloak and dagger. Snape trusting McGonagall is nothing short of amazing.
Harry, I have been called to spend the rest of the holidays at Grimmauld Place and I will be going there and I will try and find out more, especially just where the rest of the Weasley family is and well, anything I can. The only problem would be to act very friendly with Ron and Ginny and look up to Lupin both will test my acting abilities to the maximum. I hope I can pull it off and get some useful information in our fight.
Harry read all this with a smile especially when he saw she had called Dumbledore a fool.
If you are going to Grimmauld Place remember to act normally and make sure you do not give away anything to anyone.
Harry and Hermione chatted to and fro for a long time about anything and everything and then after they said their goodbyes. Harry was amazed at how easy he found it to chat to Hermione and he smiled feeling a bit foolish as he thought of how eagerly he was waiting to talk to her again. He put his parchment away carefully as did Hermione who went down to have a late dinner with her parents and Harry sat down to wait for Snape to get up and kill him.
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