kbinnz - Harry's New Home

Harry had thought his guardian wouldn't give him an Uncle Vernon-style smacking even for such a well-deserved reason, but he'd been mentally preparing himself for a harsh tongue-lashing about how only dunderheaded little boys jumped to conclusions. He hadn't really relaxed until the fat man had abruptly appeared on Professor Snape's desktop.

But while Harry had felt intense relief that he had been correct in his identification, he'd just assumed that it meant he wouldn't get scolded. He never imagined he'd be rewarded.

"A тАУ a treat?" he echoed incredulously. "An' I get to choose?"

Snape rolled his eyes, furious with himself. What are you, a Hufflepuff? You already hugged and praised the child! You are going to spoil the brat with such open-ended offers! Merlin only knew what kind of extravagant treat the little brat would now demand! "I said so, did I not?"

He shuddered mentally, imagining what kind of treats Weasley or Malfoy might dream up. Obviously he had to get an answer from Harry before he could consult with the other boys. "Well?"

"C- could weтАж" Harry trailed off uncertainly, dropping his eyes. Too much! It would be greedy to ask for something like that!

Snape's temper rose at the boy's obvious self-censorship. As if he didn't have better things to do than sit here and wait for the little snot to think up ever more elaborate presents. He already regretted his largesse, and if the brat thought he'd spend the rest of the day trying to coax an answer out of himтАж "What do you want, Potter?" he demanded harshly. "Speak up!"

Harry jumped in surprise. "ErmтАж I don't know," he stammered, taking the easy way out.

To his surprise, he felt strong fingers under his chin, forcing his eyes up to meet his da's.

"I will not tolerate falsehoods, young man," Snape said angrily. "It is quite apparent that you have thought of something. Out with it!"

Harry gulped. He was going to sound so greedy and ungrateful! "Erm, well, I тАУ I just wonderedтАж if it wouldn't be too much troubleтАж if you had the time, could weтАж I mean, it's okay if we can't!"

"WHAT?" Snape demanded, his patience at an end.

"Couldwegoforicecreamagain?" Harry blurted, his eyes downcast despite the fingers under his chin. He really didn't want to see his da's annoyed expression when he realized how demanding Harry was.

Snape blinked. That was the boy's request? Another trip to the ice cream parlour? That's all he wanted? And with him? Didn't most children of this age want to avoid being seen in public with their parents?

Snape refused to show how touched he was by the boy's request. "Very well, Potter. You and I will go on an outing to Diagon Alley and enjoy Mr Fortescue's ice creams again."

The boy's shining eyes fastened on his own. "Thank you, Da!" Harry breathed. Merlin, but his da was good to him!

"You may attend tonight's Farewell Feast, though I understand it will be somewhat muted, given today's events. Tomorrow, you will take the Hogwarts Express with your friends as they go home for the winter holidays, then I will meet you at the station and take you on the outing before we return to Hogwarts."

"Thank you!" Harry would have wriggled in delight, except he was still Stuck to the cushions. Now he also got to take the train ride with all his friends!

Snape consoled himself with the thought that he could always pick up some potion ingredients that the stores in Hogsmeade didn't stock. The brat had demonstrated on their previous trip that he was unusually patient during such errands. "I will expect you to conduct yourself with decorum," he warned sternly. "Any mischief or hijinks on the train, and I will bring you straight back to spend the rest of the day writing lines."

"Yes, sir," Harry acknowledged obediently, but internally he scoffed. As if Jones and the other prefects would allow any mischief on the Express! Besides, Christmas was coming up and their parents awaited them at the station. What student would be foolish enough to risk a report of bad behavior under those circumstances?

"Very well." Snape gave the suspiciously compliant boy a sharp look, but he couldn't find a reason to issue more dark threats. He paused. "Are you able to sit properly now?"

"Yes, sir." Harry held still while his da waved his wand, then wiggled a bit тАУ just enough to confirm that his bum was unStuck. "Erm, DaтАж"

"Yes?" Snape eyed him forbiddingly. What now? A complaint about being subjected to a Sticking hex?

Harry looked suddenly serious. "Did you know what was going to happen today in class? To Pettigrew, I mean? Did you know he'd end up тАУ like that?"

"You mean dead?"

Harry nodded soberly.

Snape considered. How much to reveal? He wanted the boy to learn to think like a Slytherin тАУ since it was widely acknowledged that Gryffindors didn't think; they just screamed and leapt тАУ but at the same time, Harry was only eleven. Wasn't that too early to explain how one went about plotting someone's death? "What do you think?"

"Well," Harry said carefully, "I was thinkin' about what you said before."

"AboutтАж?"

"About how if someone's comin' to kill you, you need to wake up early an' kill them first. And, well, Pettigrew was sort of coming to kill me, right? I mean, when Voldesnort comes back тАУ " Snape was pained to realize Harry accepted the Dark Lord's return as a given. He was correct of course, but it still gave the Potion Master a pang to hear the boy speak of it with such resignation " тАУ then he would've done his best to help him kill me, right? 'Cause they're still mad that I didn't die when I was a baby, yeah?"

"I have no doubt but that the Dark Lord continues to seek your death," Snape said as gently as he could. "And that he will enlist the aid of his followers to achieve that goal."

Harry nodded. "So you got up early an' killed Pettigrew before he could kill me," he said simply.

Snape nodded in confirmation, watching the boy closely.

"This way there'll be one less person there to help Voldesnort hurt me." He sighed, looking downcast. "I wish they'd just leave us alone. It's not like I want to have to fight stupid old Volauvent. I'm just a kid!"

There was a sharp pain in Snape's chest as he once again grasped Harry's chin, forcing the boy's gaze to meet his own. "I will not let anyone harm you!" he said fiercely. "I will take whatever steps are necessary to ensure your safety."

Harry looked at him, startled. "Oh, I know that, Da. I just hope that next time poor Neville isn't caught in the middle like that. He was really upset afterwards."

Snape blinked. He hadn't actually thought about what the Longbottom boy's reaction might be to having been labeled the unwitting agent of Pettigrew's demise. Considering how high-strung he was already, the child might actually require some sort of mind healing. "He was upset?" he echoed, wondering a bit guiltily if he needed to speak with the boy's grandmother and suggest a visit to St Mungo's.

"Yeah, he said that if he'd put his potion on Trevor an' it melted him, he'd've felt just awful."

"Longbottom was concerned about his toad?" Snape repeated stupidly. "Not about Pettigrew?"

Harry looked at him oddly. "Why would he worry about Pettigrew? Don't you know what happened to Neville's parents? He hates Death Eaters."

"Longbottom told you about his parents?" Snape knew he sounded like an idiot, but he couldn't seem to stop himself from restating what Harry had already told him. At the start of the year, Dumbledore had told all the faculty that the Longbottom boy apparently refused to talk about his parents with anyone. His grandmother said he was practically phobic about the subject and broke into tears when it was even indirectly broached. That was why, for all of his many snarky comments to the moron, Snape had been exceedingly careful never to so much as allude to his parents, tempting though it had been to inquire whether Longbottom's idiocy was genetic.