"Or guilty parties," Harry had to chime in, stressing the plural. "Right?"
"That sounds like a rather pointed hint," Shacklebolt commented, his earring glinting in the light as he tilted his head. "Is there something you'd like to tell us?"
Harry raised his chin slightly and just for good measure, Occluded his mind. Not that he thought that Shacklebolt would Legilimize him. He actually didn't think that. But in some strange way, it helped him concentrate. He reminded himself to remember that the next time he had to take a Potions test. "You'll hear it soon enough so you might as well hear it from me," he announced. "Somebody has it in for Draco Malfoy and they're trying to make it look like he's the killer. But he's not. There's a conspiracy against him, people who don't like it any too well that he turned his back on Voldemort. Just keep that in mind, that's all."
"Harry," Snape interrupted. "It's time to let the Aurors do their job."
Harry translated that to mean stop talking before you let slip something best kept secret.
"All right," he easily agreed. "I've got a quite a lot to do, anyway. I'm finally back to classes day after tomorrow. Enjoy your press conference," he added, slanting a tiny grin at Tonks.
"We'll be talking with you later," Shacklebolt nodded, just before the headmaster led them away towards the bailey, where, Harry supposed, the reporters were waiting.
"Let's get back home before some bloodsucker from the Daily Prophet spots me," Harry urged, tugging a bit on his father's sleeve. "And speaking of home, you know how you taught the door to recognise me all those month ago? Could you go over again how to open it from the outside? You know, the finger tapping thing... oh, and you said you'd tell the door to require magic from me, remember? Unless... well, once I'm living in the Tower again would you prefer me to knock when I come visiting? Or, not knock I guess, but stand outside until you hear the--"
He stopped talking when Snape gave him an impatient look. "Does Mr. Weasley knock when he goes home to the Burrow? Do you suppose for one second that Draco used to knock for entrance to his family's estate?"
"No," Harry admitted. "Sorry. I didn't mean to insult you. I just thought it might be polite to offer."
The Potions Master glared for a moment longer, then relented. "Well. I haven't forgotten that those Muggles preferred to conceal from you the key to their house."
That time, Harry waited until Snape had taught him the way in, and they were safely behind closed doors, to say, "Could you please not call them Muggles in that... awful tone of voice? They were awful, yes. I admit it. But Muggles in general aren't like them. Hermione has a perfectly pleasant family from what I can tell. And I think... well, listen. I know you don't think Muggles should all be killed or something, but you make it harder for Draco to get over his prejudice when you... uh, display your own."
Snape narrowed his eyes, but all he said was, "I shall take it under advisement."
As far as Harry was concerned, that exchange could have gone a lot worse. Snape was probably trying to reward him for waiting until they were alone. "Speaking of Draco, is he still all right?"
The Potions Master glanced at the spy-glass in his pocket, something he had surreptitiously been doing throughout the day. "He's still asleep."
Harry bit his lip. "Are you sure he hasn't... um, taken something to make him sleep so long?"
"The potions in the cottage are now warded, as you surmised earlier," Snape volunteered. "Draco hasn't dosed himself except to deaden the pain of his burn."
"I guess he's just depressed, then. Who wouldn't be? Think we can go have dinner with him?"
"I think," Snape carefully said, "that by then he'll be in the headmaster's office being interrogated. In which case, it's just as well he'll be fully rested. It's likely to be quite a strenuous evening."
Harry couldn't help but stare. "The Aurors won't hurt him, not now that a proper one is in charge. And anyway, you said you wouldn't leave him alone, not after what happened last time. Um... what exactly did happen last time?"
"Enough to put you off all notion of becoming an Auror yourself," Snape darkly muttered.
"I think I'm entitled to a little more detail than that--"
"Draco asked me not to speak of it to anyone, particularly you," his father interrupted. "And so I won't. But as for what I meant by strenuous... being questioned, even when the exchange remains entirely verbal, can be a singularly unpleasant experience."
Harry thought of Rita Skeeter and winced. "Yeah, I think I know what you mean."
"I hope to Merlin you never find out what I mean," Snape quietly corrected. "But you might, I suppose, when the Aurors come to question you."
Harry wrinkled his brow. "Well, we're talking Order members now, assuming they come without the other ones. So should I still lie my head off? About Draco never leaving the rooms, and how the burn can prove that? About how Dubby stole the button and planted it and Draco never got a letter from Pansy at all? Oh, those are blank so I guess he can say he got them." Rubbing his head, the Gryffindor boy admitted, "Keeping it all straight is getting to be a strain."
"And imagine, you aren't even being questioned yet," Snape pointed out with a knowing look. "But to answer you: yes. I think we had best all maintain the story we devised this morning. I had an extremely brief firechat with Albus while you were fetching your glasses earlier and he has not in fact alluded to the amulet yet. He liked the misdirection about what caused the burn and agreed that the wisest course would be to insist that Draco was safely ensconced in my quarters throughout the entirety of the murder."
"He doesn't trust Tonks and Shacklebolt? Um, I mean Miss Tonks and Mr. Shacklebolt--"
Snape looked amused. "In her case, Harry, I suppose Tonks will do. It is her preferred mode of address. But as to not trusting them, nothing could be further from the case. However, they do have to report through official channels, and Albus would prefer that Draco's name remain completely above suspicion throughout the Ministry. Insisting that Harry Potter himself can vouch for his whereabouts will help with that."
"Only until next time the Minister decides I'm cracking up."
"That's unlikely to recur," Snape demurred. "Harry, Floo the kitchens. You need to eat, and then you should do a bit of reading on deafening potions. I'll direct you to a few articles that should be of use. The whole topic is a somewhat obscure so I doubt that Tonks or Shacklebolt will know enough to challenge you, provided you acquire a decent amount of background on their formulation and particularly, how one can get them wrong. Come see me if you have any questions; I'll be in my office researching why the Eyesight Elixir might have stung you so."
Harry appreciated that, all of it, but he still had to say, "You need to eat, too--"
Snape got that look on his face, a look Harry recognised. I hardly need a sixteen-year-old to regulate my mealtimes...
What the Potions Master said though, was, "So I do. Order me a sandwich, will you?"
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Coming Soon in A Year Like None Other
Chapter Seventy-Four: Return to Gryffindor
Chapter 74: Return to Gryffindor
http://archive.skyehawke.com/story.php?no=5036&chapter=74
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A Year Like None Other