kbinnz - Harry's New Home

"Albus, please try to control yourself," he said awkwardly, stationing himself at the wizard's other shoulder and emulating Harry's comforting pats. "You are upsetting Potter." He fumbled in his robe, desperately hoping that, in addition to the healing potion, he also had a calming draught in his pocket.

He summoned a house elf and ordered tea, then added a large dollop of calming draught to the cup before handing it to Albus. By then, the Headmaster had managed to regain his composure and was smiling weakly at a still-worried Harry, who remained at his side.

"Thank you, my boys. I truly do not deserve your compassion," he said softly. "I have failed you both so terribly."

"Erm, well, we could just pretend to start over," Harry offered, hating to see anyone as dreadfully unhappy as the Headmaster clearly was. "I mean, you won't do it again, right?"

Snape muffled a snort тАУ Typical Gryffindor! тАУ while Albus smiled at the boy. "No, my boy, that I won't. I rather think Professor Snape will hex me to pieces if I were ever even to think of such a thing."

"So you won't send me back to the Dursleys?" Harry asked, just to be certain. "Not ever?"

Dumbledore smiled and shook his head. "Not ever, Harry. You will never again see them, unless you choose to do so. I give you my Wizard's Oath that I shall never send you back there."

Harry relaxed and blew out his breath in a whoosh. "Good!"

"Do you remember that your professor made me promise him that same thing on the very first night he brought you here?"

Harry blinked. "He did? Y'mean that first night I had detention with him?"

Albus nodded, ignoring Snape's scowl. "Yes. After he learned of your relatives' treatment and brought you here, he said to me, 'I assure you that, blood wards or no, he will not be returning there again.' He would never have permitted you to be returned to the Dursleys. Not by me or anyone else."

Harry glanced back at his da. He didn't recall that, but to be fair, a lot of that night was kind of a blur. He'd been in such pain, even before the knock on the head, that he wasn't really paying a lot of attention. Wow! That proved that even before he had agreed to be Harry's guardian, Professor Snape was already looking after him.

"I hate to intrude upon such a nauseating stroll down Memory Lane," Snape said forbiddingly, "but we still have the issue of Madame Umbridge's charges to address."

"Oh, yes." Albus looked pensive. "Harry, do you know how your teacher's notes ended up in your satchel?"

Harry shook his head vehemently. "It wasn't me!"

"That wasn't the question," Snape scolded. "No one is doubting your veracity, foolish boy, we are trying to solve the mystery of how the scroll was placed there. If you didn't do it, then who had access?"

"Oh." Harry relaxed again and thought hard. "I dunno, Da. I mean, we were all walking together. I guess someone could've slipped it into my bag before we got into class, but how would they have had the notes then? An' I don't see how they could've done it after we got to class. My bag was right next to me at the desk. I would've seen someone reaching into it or levitatin' a scroll to it."

"And yet they were placed there somehow." Snape's frown deepened. This was sounding less like a schoolyard prank and more like a serious threat against Harry.

Albus patted the boy gently on the shoulder. "Don't worry, Harry. We will discover the truth. In the meantime, try not to let Professor Umbridge upset you. After all, whoever tricked you tricked her as well, but I suspect she is less willing to admit her error."

Harry scowled, looking remarkably like Snape. "Y'mean, she's still gonna go around saying I'm a cheat?"

Dumbledore sighed. "I will speak with her and tell her that the matter was explained to my satisfaction, but I imagine she will remain unconvinced. After all, Harry, she does not know you personally, and you must admit the evidence was rather incriminating."

"I guess," Harry agreed reluctantly. "But I'm not gonna be punished, am I?" he added anxiously as the thought struck him.

"No," the Headmaster assured him firmly. "I will inform Professor Umbridge that the matter is closed."

"Okay." Harry figured it was the best he could do. Umbitch would doubtless go on making snotty comments about him in class, but she would have done that no matter what. At least he had learned he didn't have to fear the Headmaster, and he now knew to go to his da when he was in trouble тАУ no matter what kind.

"Would you like a lemon drop, Harry?" Dumbledore invited. Snape rolled his eyes; obviously the Headmaster was feeling better.

"D'you have any chocolate?" Harry asked hopefully, then squeaked as his father's hand clipped him lightly on the bum.

"Manners, Mr Potter!" Snape scolded.

Albus laughed. "Now, Severus, it is perfectly all right for Harry to express a preference. Just because I like lemon drops doesn't mean everyone else does." Snape snorted as Albus searched through his desk drawers. "Now where is that box of frogsтАж? Ah, here we go."

Harry happily accepted a chocolate frog, avoiding his da's gimlet gaze.

"No pudding tonight," Snape ordered sternly.

Harry nodded agreeably. "That's okay. It's rhubarb crumble tonight," he explained to the Headmaster, wrinkling his nose.

Albus wrinkled his in return. "Oh dear. I don't really care for rhubarb either. Perhaps we should see what else we can find in my desk."

Snape glowered as the two candy-lovers happily explored Albus' stash. He knew trouble when he saw it.

TBCтАж

*Chapter 46*: Chapter 46

Following what Albus referred to as a "little snack" and Snape considered "a sugar binge", a happily stuffed Harry was sent back to class.

"Oh, Severus, I have been such a fool," Albus said mournfully, his shoulders slumping. "What I have done to you and Harry..."

Snape squirmed uncomfortably. It was one thing to have Harry weep all over his robes, but he really didn't think he could stand Albus doing the same thing. "The boy will be fine, Albus. I will see to it," he said quickly, so desperate to head off another tearful breakdown that he didn't realize quite how much he was giving away about his own emotional attachment.

Dumbledore wiped his eyes and twinkled at him. "That I can well believe, my boy."

Snape rolled his eyes. "Now then," he said firmly, getting down to business, "about Madame Umbridge. Surely this episode demonstrates her complete unsuitability тАУ"

"Now, Severus, this was not precisely her fault."

"What!" Snape barely managed to avoid shouting at the old idiot. "She terrorized Har- Potter to the point where he was running away in a blind panic! She тАУ"

"She had excellent reason to believe him guilty of attempted cheating," Albus pointed out gently. "She is a new instructor, and perhaps that is why she feels she must establish herself as a stern disciplinarian. With time, I am confident that she'll learn that such tactics are inefficient, but for now we must be sensitive to her understandable insecurities."

"Insecurities!" Snape scoffed. "She's too stupid to be insecure. That would require a degree of insight and self-awareness wholly absent in that cretinous toad!"

Dumbledore hid a smile. "There is a rather unfortunate resemblance," he admitted, "but that is all the more reason we should be tolerant. I am certain that the students have also noticed the resemblance and that perhaps gives Dolores even more reason to be somewhat strict with them."

"Albus, you are being deliberately obtuse! That witch has no business teaching children! She threatened Potter with expulsion!"

Albus raised his eyebrows. "And you have threatened students with evisceration," he pointed out.

Snape couldn't precisely argue with that. "She openly states her support of corporal punishment!"