Harry shrugged. "The other guys say he sounds really cool." He paused. "I wouldn't mind meeting him, but it's not really that important," he said, carefully casual. The last thing he wanted was to make his professor think he preferred some stranger to him.
"Fine. I'll consider arranging it. Now get to your Common Room тАУ your restriction isn't over, and if I find you out here again, you'll regret it. Or do you need a smack to remind you of the importance of obedience?" he threatened.
"We were just walking back from class when Draco showed us his paper," Harry protested, but he quickly fled to the Tower before his professor could reconsider his leniency. Snape scowled after him, then went to complain bitterly to Minerva and Albus about what the Prophet was stooping to print these days.
Unfortunately, far from commiserating with him, McGonagall had ambushed him with her demand that he supervise her lions' restriction, and now here he was, his Evil Bat reputation in tatters, his boyhood nemesis the toast of Europe, and his ward confidently expecting him to arrange a meeting with the most notorious wizard in Britain. Could his life get any worse?
"Oh, Severus?" Albus put his head around the doorframe. "Did Minerva mention your appointment to the Inter-House Friendship and Holiday Decoration Committee?"
TBCтАж
*Chapter 28*: Chapter 28
Thank you, everyone, for your votes! I am utterly thrilled with the wins in Round 2 of the Quibblers and greatly appreciate your support. As mentioned in my Profile, your enthusiasm for this story has convinced me to continue it until the final defeat of Voldemort. That means that there's quite a bit more to come... though I should warn you that, as you might imagine, with a Slytherin plannng Lord Vol-au-vent's downfall this time around, it will take place quite a bit before Harry's seventh year! (hint hint) Anyway, I hope you continue to enjoy the tale!
"Hey, mate тАУ what's wrong?" Ron asked, throwing himself down on the Common Room sofa next to Harry.
His friend shrugged. "Nothing."
"Oh, come now, Harry," Hermione coaxed, seating herself on his other side. "You've been out of sorts for a few days now. What is it?"
"Restriction's nearly over тАУ you should be happy," Ron reminded him, trying to cheer Harry, but the other boy just nodded.
Hermione studied him. Was Harry sulking over the punishment? He would hardly be the first person to begin to chafe under a week-long ban. She had expected Ron to start complaining days ago, but he was still so chuffed over his new wand that he really hadn't noticed much of anything else. But no, Harry didn't seem like the type. But then what was it? "Did you and Professor Snape have an argument?" she hazarded a guess.
He huffed. "How? I practically never see him these days."
Ron's face creased in confusion. "Huh? But we see him in Potions and he just supervised us the other night and тАУ"
"I never see him alone any more," Harry clarified. " 'S'not like we're gonna have an argument in class."
"Oh. Right," Ron nodded.
Hermione nodded too. "You miss him," she said knowingly.
Harry turned scarlet. "Do not! You think I'm such a baby?" he demanded angrily, uncharacteristically short-tempered.
The girl was taken aback. "No, Harry! No! I just meant that тАУ well, you and Professor Snape haven't had much time to get to know each other. It's only reasonable that there are a lot of things you still want to talk about. I didn't mean that you were тАУ were homesick or anything like that." Ron watched, wide eyed, as Hermione anxiously tried to placate their friend.
"Okay then," Harry muttered, mollified. He stared moodily into the fire for a few minutes, while his friends exchanged nervous glances above his head, but his conscience wouldn't let him keep silent for very long.
"Sorry," he mumbled guiltily, not looking at Hermione. It really wasn't fair to take out his bad mood on either of his friends. Hermione just had to figure out any puzzle in front of her, and just because he was a little embarrassed about missing Snape didn't mean he should snap at her like that. And Ron had been his first friend ever тАУ though Harry doubted he'd stay a friend if he kept ignoring him like that.
" 'S'okay, mate," Ron answered for both of them, throwing an arm around Harry's shoulders. "It's like Hermione said, we've had eleven years with our folks тАУ it's not such a big deal for us to be away from 'em. You don't miss the Dursleys, do you?" Harry shuddered and shook his head. "See? It's just that Snape's new. That's why you miss him. Totally reasonable, yeah?" he asked Hermione.
"Absolutely," she agreed, glad to see Harry now smiling shyly.
"Thanks," he said, grateful to have such wonderful friends. " 'S'just that when I've gone down to see him the last few times, he's been too busy to talk. I mean, I can go stay in my room if I want, but he won't let me stay with him, not even to cut up potion ingredients." His shoulders drooped. "Maybe he's gotten bored with me."
"Nah, mate!" Ron disagreed. "Why'd he do that?"
"I dunno. But it's not like I have anything interesting to talk to him about. He's always doing something really important, like remember the other day, when the Headmaster put him on that committee? He always is busy with stuff like that. An' he's been working extra-hard on some project latelyтАж" He shrugged again, despondently. "What do I do 'cept go to classes?"
"I don't know that you're being very fair to yourself, Harry," Hermione pointed out, as usual the voice of reason. "I mean, we've been on restriction for the past week. He would have been angry if you had done something interesting."
"Yeah. Once you're allowed to fly again, then you'll have plenty to talk to him about!" Ron said encouragingly.
Harry still looked doubtful. "I guessтАж 'Cept he's not really that interested in Quidditch."
Ron looked horrified. "Not interested in тАУ Are you kidding?"
Harry and Hermione exchanged an amused look. "Well, I mean, he wants his House to win the Cup an' all, but it's not like he spends lots of time reading the Quidditch scores in the Prophet or anything like that."
Ron shook his head in amazement. "Blimey."
"Well," Hermione said, ever practical, "why don't you do something that he would find interesting?"
Harry perked up. "That's a great idea!"
"Yeah! ...Uh, like what?" Ron asked after a moment.
"Well, you could do an extra credit research project in Potions," Hermione began animatedly. "Or maybe тАУ"
"Nah," Harry brushed aside her ideas excitedly. "We'll solve a mystery!"
Hermione looked apprehensive. "What mystery? You'd better not be talking about the third floor -"
Harry rolled his eyes. "No, Hermione. I'm not stupid, okay? Pr'fessor Snape would kill me if I went up there after the Headmaster told us all not to an' said it was dangerous an' all. An' even worse than that, the Headmaster might decide to send me back to the Dursleys for disobeying him."
"But what other mystery is there?" she asked blankly.
"Professor Quirrell!"
"There's a mystery about Professor Quirrell?" Ron echoed, confused.
"Sure!" Harry's eyes were shining. "I mean, Pr'fessor Snape can't stand him тАУ he's always giving him The Look тАУ an' that's got to mean something. An' now he's been in the Infirmary since the Quidditch match тАУ that's got to mean something too!"
Hermione rolled her eyes. Boys! Always trying to find a secret when there wasn't one. "It means that the poor man fell down the stands in all the excitement. The Headmaster announced that he'd been badly hurt and would have to stay there for a while, remember?"