kbinnz - Harry's New Home

"We can thank Merlin that none of the children were harmed," Dumbledore said soothingly. "The potion accident was obviously just that: a dreadful accident." He clapped his hands. "And now I think it's time for the students to hurry along to their next class. Under the circumstances, the prize giving will have to be canceled, don't you agree, Severus?"

"Alas, yes," Snape replied calmly.

The children, knowing an order when they heard one, even if it was gently phrased, gathered their books and started to file out, widely skirting the puddle of slime and gristle that had been Pettigrew.

Harry paused by his guardian on his way out, stopping to look up into the man's dark and fathomless eyes. "Run along, Potter," Snape said firmly, but the hand that dropped to the boy's shoulder was gentle. "I will see you tonight in our quarters."

Harry relaxed and nodded, following Hermione and Ron out the door.

"Remus, perhaps you will escort Miss Skeeter to my office so she can floo to the paper? I'm certain she has a busy afternoon ahead of her," Dumbledore twinkled.

Skeeter didn't even look up when Remus gently took her by the arm and steered her out the door; she was too busy dictating the story to her automatic quill. At this rate, she'd be a shoo-in for Journalist of the Year!

"Goodbye, Headmaster. Goodbye, Professor." Every inch the proper young pureblood, Draco nodded politely as he passed in front of them on his way out of the classroom.

"Mr Malfoy," Snape replied, his tone neutral. He exchanged a special, knowing look with the boy, whose timely outburst of aristocratic arrogance had been extremely convenient. Draco's expression didn't change one iota тАУ Lucius had taught him well тАУ but his silvery eyes gleamed.

"A moment, Mr Longbottom." Snape halted the stocky boy as the last student made ready to leave. "Given the fact that your potential for unintentional destruction has reached new heights," he said acidly, "I will be contacting your grandmother later today to suggest that you are excused from regular potions class, effective immediately. Instead, I will suggest to her that you study privately, one on one, with a special remedial Potions tutor. Perhaps individual instruction, coupled with a curriculum that emphasizes the close ties between Herbology and Potions, will ensure that no one else perishes during your training."

Neville's eyes grew huge with delight. "Really, sir? Will you?" He caught sight of Madame Bones and abruptly muted his response. "Erm, yes, sir. Sorry, sir." He was unable to conceal the happy skip to his step as, clutching Trevor, he fled the classroom, hopefully for the last time.

Shacklebolt, as the junior-most Auror present, had gloomily accepted the unpleasant task of collecting what Moody had termed "Pettigoo", and Bones and Moody got ready to depart.

Madame Bones paused on the threshold of the classroom and gave Snape a speculative look. "About my niece's performance in your class," she began slowly.

"Susan?" Snape said mildly. "An excellent student. I'm sure she will do very well this year."

"Hmmmm." Bones' expression grew even more pensive, but she departed without another word.

Moody started to follow her, then paused, glancing from Dumbledore to Snape and back again. Unexpectedly, he reached out and shook Snape's hand, saying. "I hear you've done well by the Potter boy."

Snape blinked incredulously. A kind word from Moody was nearly as much of a shock as Black's apology had been.

"Reckon you'd've given the Artful Dodger some competition!" the Auror commented obscurely, then limped away after his boss.

The Headmaster stared after the old Auror for a moment then turned and gave Snape a very sharp look. The Potion Master returned the look blandly, and after a moment, Dumbledore sighed.

"I hope you know I am not the enemy, my boy," the older wizard said sadly.

Snape nodded silently but he thought, Not being the enemy doesn't necessarily mean being a friend, Albus. You should have learned that lesson from the Dursleys.

Dumbledore sighed again. "Sometimes, my boy, I worry that you see everything in such black and white terms. Please remember that we all deserve mercy." With one last look at where Shacklebolt was gingerly mopping up the last of the dead Gryffindor, Dumbledore departed.

Snape glared after him; it had been a long, difficult day and it would have been nice to get a little acknowledgement of how brilliantly he had pulled the whole thing off. But what could he expect from a non-Slytherin?

Anyway, Dumbledore was just too committed to the notion of happy endings тАУ his greatest weakness was his refusal to admit that some are beyond redemption and helpтАж and to act accordingly.

No one knew better than Snape that redemption hurts, and few people were willing to put in the hard work and pain that it required, no matter what they might wish and/or say. He turned a hard look onto Pettigrew's remains. Whatever Albus' preferences, Snape wasn't about to risk Harry's welfare in the hopes that that someone who had already proven his enmity might be turned back to the Light. If that made him тАУ a grateful beneficiary of the Headmaster's mercy тАУ a hypocrite, so be it. He was prepared to accept that label if it meant that Harry would be safe.

Snape knew perfectly well that Dumbledore hadn't wanted Pettigrew dead, any more than he desired the death of any other Death Eater тАУ hence the Order's reliance on spells that subdued but did not kill. And that was why he had no intention of ever revealing to Albus just how much plotting had gone into today's "dreadful accident". But if the Headmaster imagined that Snape would willingly leave such an obvious threat to Harry alive and kicking, he was well and truly senile.

Snape watched dispassionately as Shacklebolt tried to scoop Pettigrew into an evidence bag. Bits kept dripping off the sides, much to the lanky Auror's disgust.

Dumbledore could be a powerful ally, but it would have to be on Snape's terms тАУ not his own. Snape could no longer blindly trust the Headmaster, not only because of the older wizard's past mistakes тАУ from the Dursleys to Sirius тАУ but also because it was obvious that he had a completely different opinion as to how best to prepare and protect Harry for the battle ahead.

Snape knew that he had chosen a long and lonely road for himself, one on which there might be allies, but none with whom he could share the big picture. He trusted no one to take as good care of Harry as he himself would, not even those who were truly devoted to the boy, such as Sirius or the Weasleys or possibly even the Headmaster. No, only he was willing to do whatever it took to protect the boy тАУ whether that meant ruthlessly eliminating a threat like Pettigrew or depriving Harry of some of the dubious pleasures of childhood, such as innocence about his ultimate role in Voldemort's downfall.

Still, it would all be worth it if, at the end of the day, Voldemort was vanquished and Harry was alive. He would deal with his conscience at that point, and pay whatever penance he had to pay. So long as Harry survived, it would be worth it.

TBCтАж

*Chapter 40*: Chapter 40

Late that afternoon, Snape was correcting papers at his desk in his quarters when Harry burst in. Snape rose to his feet, but before he could scold the brat for his noisy entry, Harry tossed his bookbag onto the couch and grabbed him around the waist. "We did it, Da!" the little monster yelped in delight. "We got him! Your plan was brilliant! Did you see how the snakes chased him around the room? Did you see how s'prised everyone was? What was the spell you used to turn him back into a human? I didn' even hear you say it! Did you see I did what you told me and stayed out of the way? What happened to Neville's potion? He said you said he doesn't have to take Potions any more, is that true? Did th' Headmaster figure out what happened? Wasn't Moony great? Madame Bones is scary, isn't she? For a minute there, I thought she was gonna hex you! Why doesn't she like you? Did I do a good job? Huh? It was good that Draco got kinda huffy, wasn't it? Did you know he was gonna do that? What happens now? Will Padfoot be able to come here to Hogwarts to visit us now? Didn't I do a good job? Did you see how I didn' do anything тАУ not even when he tried to grab me? I just stood there and acted s'prised like everyone else!"