He had to admit though, that as dunderheaded and insanely dangerous as it had been, the stunt had also brilliantly accomplished its task. No one - students, staff, or portraits - could possibly fail to hear about it, or to question Harry's absence from the dorm. And Harry had carried off the entire act flawlessly! He had appeared convincingly frightened when Snape had descended upon him, and his howls of protest as he was dragged through the corridors had made Snape's ears ring. It was clear that it had all been an act though, given Harry's strident demands as soon as they were behind his personal wards. Who knew that the little brat could be so duplicitous? Snape would have sworn that even Dumbledore had been fooled by Harry's performance. It wasтАж positively Slytherin.
The realization made Snape's mouth twitch upwards, and though he quickly hid it behind his teacup, Harry caught the fleeting smile of approval and basked in its warmth. See? His professor was pleased with him.
That made it all the more unexpected when his professor ordered him to his room immediately after the meal. "What! But why?" Harry whined. "I want to sit out here with you for a while."
Snape quirked an eyebrow at him, hiding the glow of pleasure the boy's words gave him. "Indeed, Mr Potter? Perhaps you have forgotten your little exhibition in the Great Hall, but I assure you I have not тАУ nor the fact that you have not yet been punished for it."
"You smacked me!" Harry yelped.
"I healed you," his guardian countered.
"You took my broom," the boy tried.
"Yes, and now I am sending you to your room, where you may consider your foolishness at length."
Harry scowled. " 'S not fair."
"It is entirely fair, Mr Potter. You took a not-unacceptable plan of your godfather's and unilaterally embellished it to the point of reckless idiocy. An evening spent alone in your room тАУ" Snape carefully avoided using terms like "locked in" "- will help you reconsider the wisdom of such actions. Stupidity," he said sternly, "will always be punished, as will putting yourself in jeopardy."
Harry pouted, but he couldn't help squirming a little. Some of those turns had been a little tightтАж
"What is more, I expect that any minute the first of a long line of students and staff will be knocking on our door to ensure that you have not been strung up by your thumbs and tortured with hot coals." Harry had to snicker. "It would hardly do our little fiction any good if you were found comfortably settled on my couch nibbling biscuits when you are supposed to be in serious trouble."
"But I don't want to go to my room," Harry tried one last time, doing his best impression of Dudley's whine with his own patented "puppy dog eyes".
Snape's eyes narrowed, then he shrugged. "Then by all means, Mr Potter, you can remain here."
"I can?" Harry perked up.
"Certainly. If you are adamantly opposed to being confined to your room, you may spend the evening standing in the corner over there, where all of our visitors can witness and appreciate your disgrace."
Harry choked in horror. Stand in the corner? Like a disobedient toddler? Where people could see him? "No, no, that's okay," he babbled hastily, backing away. "I think you're right to send me to my room. It's a very good 'dad thing' to do. I'm going, I'm going!"
Snape smirked after the fleeing boy. Gryffindors тАУ they pose no challenge whatsoever.
TBC...
*Chapter 36*: Chapter 36
It was less than ten minutes before the first knock came. "Good evening, Severus," Minerva said calmly, stepping past him into the room.
"Do come in," Snape said sarcastically, bracing himself for what was sure to be a noisy tirade.
"I trust you have explained the error of his ways to Mr Potter?" she asked.
"Indeed."
"And he remains generally intact?" she continued.
Severus rolled his eyes. "Potter! Reassure your Head of House that you are still among the living," he called out.
"H'lo, Professor McGonagall." The reply floated out of the back bedroom and came тАУ Snape was pleasantly surprised to note тАУ in tones of extreme melancholy.
McGonagall nodded briskly. "Good work, Severus."
Snape goggled. "I beg your pardon?" he managed to gasp out.
"Your reaction made it extremely unlikely that any other student will ever be foolhardy enough to emulate Mr Potter's prank," she explained. "We can hardly have students flying through the halls on broomsticks. Now then," she changed the subject while Snape was still blinking in surprise, "about Mr Potter's punishment..."
Ah. Good. This is what he was prepared for. "Since the other little idiots obviously cannot resist teasing The Boy Who Lived," Snape said, sarcasm dripping off the title, "and Potter is too proud to ignore a dare, he is not to re-enter his dormitory until his behavior improves."
"Yes, yes," Minerva waved her hand impatiently. "I'm not here about that."
"You're not?" Snape paused in mid-rant. "Oh. Well, if it's about my disciplining Potter in the Great Hall," he began, recapturing his belligerence.
"Severus, try to concentrate," McGonagall sounded exasperated. "I am hardly going to interfere between a parent and child over a single, well-deserved slap on the bottom."
Snape shook his head, trying to clear his ears. He could not possibly have heard McGonagall say what he thought she had said.
"No, I am here about something important." She eyed him meaningfully. At his look of utter confusion, she sighed. "His broomstick, Severus. For how long did you confiscate it?"
Snape managed not to snort. It wouldn't be good for his image. "Quidditch." He really should have known.
"Exactly," she nodded, pleased that he had finally caught on. "As Harry's Head of House, I must insist that if he is removed from his dormitory, then he is permitted to continue playing Quidditch as a means of maintaining his ties to Gryffindor."
"And the upcoming game against Ravenclaw has nothing to do with it," Snape observed drily.
McGonagall merely raised an eyebrow at him. "Well?"
"Oh, all right," Snape gave in with poor grace. It wasn't like he wanted to be annoyed by the little wretch moping about his quarters, whinging about missing his games and moaning about wanting his broom back. Both professors ignored the muffled cheer from the back bedroom. "I will also allow him to go to classes and take his meals with the other students, but he is not to enter the Tower until he has shown that he truly regrets his actions."
McGonagall nodded once, crisply. "Understood. Good night, Mr Potter," she called as she made her way to the door.
" 'Night, Professor!" Harry called back, his tones significantly happier than before. Snape huffed in annoyance.
Before much longer, Dumbledore, Flitwick, and Hagrid had each come by, urging Snape to be merciful towards the miscreant. To Snape's surprise, Dumbledore didn't attempt to overrule him on the issue of punishment, but he did encourage Severus to "give young Harry things to do to show he is earning your trust, my boy, and thus earning his way back to his friends in his House." Snape had grudgingly agreed to this тАУ there was no reason not to do so and it made the Headmaster happy.