kbinnz - Harry's New Home

Snape had to admit this seemed to solve the problem handily. "Fine. And you will join us at Hogwarts in the next few weeks?"

Both nodded. "You'll be all right until then?" Remus asked. "It's clear that the Death Eaters are still after Harry."

"I'll start the boy's summer lessons once we get back. That will keep him too busy to worry."

Sirius shuddered. "Summer lessons! You really are a bastard, Snape!"

The Potion Master smirked proudly. He still had it.

TBCтАж

*Chapter 54*: Chapter 54

Snape took Harry back to Hogwarts the next morning, and within another week most of the other faculty had returned as well. Then Black and Lupin arrived, much to Harry's delight. Severus was secretly pleased as well, as the chance to practice new spells on his overly tolerant godfather made Harry a very eager pupil. So eager in fact that Snape began teaching him spells that he really shouldn't have.

The other professors were at first amused, then bemused, then finally resigned as over the next several weeks, Sirius ended up with green hair, pink hair, purple skin, donkey ears, and other interesting physiognomic changes. Then came the abrupt changes to his clothing, impairments to his abilities to walk, talk, hear, and see, strange compulsions тАУ such as clucking like a chicken every time a house elf appearedтАж the list went on and on.

Sirius was delighted by the evidence that his godson had inherited the Marauder talent for mischief and seemed not to have noticed that he was Harry's only target. Severus was gleeful at his ability to exact an indirect revenge for every meticulously remembered affront during his schooldays. Remus was extremely relieved that he did not have a similar target on his forehead. Albus was eager to take the pranks as proof that Harry's "high spirits" had not been irrevocably crushed or twisted by the Dursleys. Harry was thrilled that everyone seemed to be pleased with him.

And Minerva was growing quietly livid.

Matters finally came to a head when Snape was striding down one of the castle corridors, pleasantly plotting what he could encourage Harry to do next. Abruptly, a small, coal black puppy came skidding around the corner and hurtled towards him.

Snape stopped in surprise. The dog must surely belong to Hagrid, but it was surprisingly cute and harmless for one of his creatures.

Snape's opinion of the little beast changed as the puppy reached him and immediately began worrying his pantsleg, complete with fierce puppy growls. "Stop that!" Snape ordered sharply, pushing the little creature away with his foot.

He was careful not to kick the puppy тАУ he might be an ex-Death Eater, but even he wasn't that nasty тАУ but he did give it a sharp nudge. "Bad dog!"

The puppy looked up at him and barked, as if making a rude reply, then dove for his ankle again.

"No! Bad dog!" Snape thundered as he heard his trousers tear, and sure enough the puppy smugly lifted his head, a long strip of black material dangling from his tiny jaws.

Snape cursed and grabbed for the slippery creature, which managed to evade his grasp then caught a mouthful of his robe.

"NO!"

Too late. Another rending noise and then the puppy was dancing away, leaving the edge of Snape's favorite robe in tatters.

"You horrible little тАУ " Snape thought briefly of hexing the pup, but in the end merely seized him by the scruff of the neck and hoisted him aloft.

The puppy yelped in surprise as Snape gave him a brief shake. "Bad, bad dog!" he snarled through gritted teeth before tucking the dog under his arm. "I could use puppy parts in several potions, you know," he told the little cur as he set off again, this time heading for the castle doors and Hagrid's hut.

The puppy howled as if he could understand the threat, and Snape snapped, "Silence!" He put one hand around the dog's muzzle to quiet it, and let out a yelp of his own as needle-sharp puppy teeth closed in the webspace between fingers and thumb.

He swore loudly and imaginatively, even as he snatched his hand free and once again grabbed the puppy by its scruff. Then he smacked it soundly on its hindquarters. "BAD DOG!"

The puppy howled as if it was being disemboweled, and he smacked it again. "QUIET!"

"Da!" Harry skidded around the corner. "You found him!"

Snape turned a furious glare on his ward, ignoring the yaps and squirming with which the puppy greeted the new arrival. "Do you know who this flea bitten mutt belongs to?"

Harry burst into laughter. "That's not a mutt! That's Padfoot!"

Snape stared at the small dog. It was unquestionably a puppy тАУ and a cute one at that тАУ bearing no relation to Sirius' animagus form of a grim-like creature. "What?"

Harry nodded, still snickering too hard to speak.

Snape gave the creature another shake. "Well then, turn back, you cretin! What are you waiting for?"

The puppy growled and yipped at him, making a very credible attempt to bite his hand. This time he managed to draw blood, and Snape responded with another, rather enthusiastic smack. The puppy's yowls echoed off the stone walls.

"Shut up, you melodramatic тАУ"

"Severus Snape! Are you harming that poor little dog?" Minerva McGonagall demanded in awful tones.

Snape froze, instantly regressing to an 11 year old who had been caught out after curfew. "I тАУ I тАУ It's - " He finally managed to regain some of his composure and reminded himself he was now an adult and a colleague of the admittedly scary witch. "It's Black."

"Of course, it's black, Severus," Minerva scolded. "I can see that. Whose is it?"

Harry began to laugh again, but quickly regretted it when Minerva's gaze fell upon him. "And just what is so amusing, Mr Potter?"

"I тАУ erm тАУ Nothing, Pr'fessor," Harry gulped, deciding maybe it wasn't such a good joke after all. "It's just that Da wasn't talking about his color. He m-meant that that's Sirius."

Snape blinked. Had Harry just been foolish enough to reveal Black's animagus form?

McGonagall's jaw dropped. "That puppy is Sirius Black?" she repeated, leaning over to examine the dog more closely. Sirius snuffled at her appealingly and wagged his tail.

Harry nodded. "Yes'm. I тАУ erm тАУ I sort of Transfigured him into a puppy dog."

"A cocker spaniel, if I'm not mistaken," Minerva observed absently, still looking over the now quiet puppy. Then her attention focused sharply on what Harry had just said. "You did this, Mr Potter?"

"Erm, yeahтАж"

Her eyes narrowed and she gave Snape a sharp look. "With your father's assistance?"

Snape glared back, affronted, even as Harry shook his head. "No'm. All by myself."

"And did your godfather give his permission?"

Harry darted an anxious glance at the puppy. "UhтАж not exactly," he reluctantly admitted. "It was sort of a тАУ a тАУ surprise. "

Snape and McGonagall exchanged a guarded look. That sort of spell тАУ involuntary animate to animate transfiguration of a mature and powerful wizard тАУ was hardly something your average second year student could do. Snape hoped McGonagall wouldn't point that out, as Harry's self-esteem was still fragile enough that if he thought he shouldn't be able to do something, then he would lose the ability. If Minerva told him that only extraordinarly strong wizards could do such controlled, focused magic, the boy would immediately decide that he therefore couldn't do it.

To his relief, Minerva didn't say anything of the kind, though her lips grew even thinner as she regarded the nervous boy. "If you don't want me to give you a surprise, Mr Potter тАУ and a highly unpleasant one at that тАУ you will Transfigure your godfather back to normal this instant."

Harry swallowed hard and hastily drew his wand. "Yes, ma'am."