HARRY POTTER, Old Magic, Chapter 40

Chapter 40: Morning Confrontation

It was an exhausted young man who finally dragged himself into the Gryffindor common room after a stop in the owlery.

Hedwig had greeted him with a small hoot. He sighed in relief as his examination of her body and wings showed she had suffered no damages. Giving her a caress, he murmured softly, "I'm glad you're alright. I was very worried there when that panther took a swipe at you."

His owl made comforting sounds and butted her head against his hand telling him in her own way that all was alright and that she loved him too. He smiled and gave her a treat before bidding her goodnight and escaping into the night air again.

He hurried along the open pathway toward the door leading back inside. He was cold and wanted warm as soon as possible. By the time he reached the Gryffindor common room he was dragging. Smelling of owl dung, dried sweat and covered in leaves and forest debris from his exertions of the evening, all Harry wanted was take a bath and get into bed. Unfortunately, there was still one more task he needed to take care of.

Reaching into a hidden pocket of his cloak, Harry wrapped a gentle hand around his familiar and drew forth Wine who had ridden within the pocket the whole way from the forest to the owlery and now back in the dorms. It was the kneazle's turn for a little TLC. The boy laid his pet on the bed and spent several minutes examining the little body. The sleek fur was nearly unmarred except for some already healing scratches on flank and right cheek. None of them were dangerous or needing care. Sighing in relief, he picked Wine up and placed him on the plump pillow. Giving the kneazle a quick caress and receiving a sleepy murr in return, Harry could now take care of his own needs.

Barely able to move, he stripped off his clothes, tossing them down the chute meant for them then grabbing a towel and toiletry kit, he hurried off on silent feet to the bath. In under fifteen minutes, he returned feeling clean at last. Climbing into bed, he pulled the covers over himself and used a tiny bit of magic to close the curtains around his bed. He was asleep the moment his head laid on the pillow.

All too soon it seemed, a hand was shaking his shoulder and calling urgently to him.

"Oy, Harry! Get up or you'll be late for breakfast," Ron said.

Groaning, Harry growled, "Leave me be. Not hungry."

Ron stared down at his friend in surprise. "Are you okay? It's not like you to miss a meal," he said, concerned.

"Fine … just soo tired. Want to sleep a little more …" Harry mumbled into the bedding.

Still frowning, Ron shrugged and closed the bed's curtains. Hurrying off to do his own toilet, he warned others off his friend. Harry might not be hungry but he was starving.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

Sitting down at the Gryffindor table in the huge hall, Ron was immediately inundated with questions as to where Harry was and all the boy could do was shrug his shoulders. Hermione was definitely not happy with that response.

As she filled her plate with pancakes and fruit, she told Ron, "I think you should take some food to him and insure he's up for class in time. It wouldn't look good if he late or missing."

Ron rolled his eyes and sighed but agreed. "He didn't look or sound sick, Hermione but I'll take him some food and make sure he gets to class," he promised. "Can't figure why he's so tired though. We all went to bed nearly the same time last night."

Hermione could only shake her head and look worried. She made a note to herself to ask Harry what was going on with him, the first opportunity she had.

Across the room at the Slytherin table, another set of eyes also showed concern. Draco tried to ignore all the noise and attempts to speak with him as ate his breakfast and stared worriedly at the empty spot at the Gryffindor table. Wondering what Harry's absence could mean, he ate with little appetite.

I do hope he's alright. Last night had to be very dangerous. Just as he was thinking that, the sight of a tall, lean figure just walking in, captured his attention.

Looking a bit tired and moving rather stiffly was his Godfather who took his seat at the high table and immediately served himself up food with more gusto than was normal for the taciturn man. Except for his limp, Snape looked alright.

Draco sighed in relief. If he's alright, then I'm certain Harry is too. Maybe he's just too tired like my Godfather looks, to come down to eat. After what may have gone down last night, I can't really blame them. Hope I can get a word with Severus or Harry to find out what happened and if the Dark Lord is gone at last. Oh I do hope that's true. More at ease, Draco finished his meal with more energy. He had a feeling today was going to full of excitement.

o~o~o~o~o~o~

Ron's plans to wake Harry never got accomplished as others seemed to have decided to have that honor.

As the boy-who-lived tried to catch a few extra minutes of sleep a persistent knocking on his mental shield caused him to groan aloud but before he could answer that summons a second request for his attention was licking his cheek with a very rough tongue.

"Ahh … stop … I'm up!" He said both aloud and in his mind. Wine desisted and gave the boy a satisfied look before deciding to groom himself.

"Excuse me? I know you've not had enough sleep young man but yelling is hardly necessary ..."

"No, sorry professor … Wine was just trying to get me up at the same time you were, is all," Harry hurriedly apologized.

"Ah, then you are forgiven. However, now that you are awake and since you failed to appear for breakfast where I could speak to you, I'm using this method to warn you Hagrid and I are presently heading to Dumbledore's office now. You should arrived soon thereafter so get up and hurry, young man, understood?" Snape said mind to mind.

"Oh … right! On my way." Closing his shield, Harry shoved his bedding off ending up covering Wine who meowed a complaint. Ignoring that, the boy grabbed some clothes from his chest at the foot of the bed and ran for the bathroom. After a sketchy toilet, Harry pulled his robe over his head, grabbed his wand then ran out of the dorm making for the headmaster's office.

o~o~o~o~o~o~

Snape had not said much to Dumbledore when he paused to speak with the headmaster as they walked to their table at breakfast except to say he had something very important to discuss with the man. Dumbledore frowned in puzzlement but agreed to the meet with one request.

"Would it be alright if Minerva joined us?"

Snape paused in thought before responding. It might be wise if she was included as she was next in command and would hear about it anyway. Probably best she get it direct rather than second hand too. Sighing mentally, he nodded.

"Yes, she will need to hear this too but no one else, please. You'll understand when you hear what I need to tell you, that is ... what Hagrid and I need to tell you."

That addition made Dumbledore's eyebrows rise to his hairline with surprise. However, before he could ask any questions, Snape raised a hand and shook his head. The headmaster subsided and said nothing but it was obvious he wasn't happy.

Now, with breakfast ended and the children off to their first classes, he gestured for the headmaster to precede him but did not follow immediately. That gained him another frown but Dumbledore made no comment as he walked out of the great hall, only pausing a moment to speak with McGonagall before the two of them disappeared amid the throng of youngsters.

Hagrid walk up to Snape's side and eyed the man questioningly.

"Minerva has been added to the meet," Severus said rather tersely.

"Ah … makes sense. Shall we go? Wont be pleasant no matter how slow or fast we get there."

Snape snorted but lead the way out of the main hall.

At the gargoyle statue, Snape called out 'Cadbury' and watched the statue jump aside. As they climbed the stairs, he commented, "Wasn't that the code just last week?"

"Aye. Headmaster seems to be getting a mite lax with security."

Snape shook his head. With their main threat disposed of he supposed that wasn't too concerning but Dumbledore didn't know that and should have been more security conscious so what did this mean to them? He didn't know but decided to keep his eyes and ears open for other problems that might not be immediately visible. Sighing, he thought, So what else is new?

At the oaken door he knocked.

"Come," was the immediate response from within.

Giving Hagrid a 'here we go' look, Snape took a deep breath then let it out before opening the heavy door and stepping through. Hagrid ducked his head as he too stepped into the large office, closing the door securely behind him.

Dumbledore was sitting behind his desk watching them alertly as the pair crossed the tiled floor.

Snape flicked his gaze to the other person in the office. McGonagall was standing straight and tall beside one of the huge windows. The morning sun cast her form in shadow while at the same time illuminating the room to show off all the intriguing things Dumbledore had collected in his long life. Even the Phoenix, sitting on his perch, shone with even more brilliance than normal under its warm light. That warmth wouldn't last, he knew and sighed within. A low buzz of sound told him the portraits of all the former headmasters were awake and gossiping among themselves about why the two were there. They were in for a shock this morning, he thought in sour amusement.

Returning his attention to the others in the room, Snape noted the confusion and concern reflected on McGonagell's aged but still graceful face. He sighed mentally again. She was soon going to have an expression of outraged shock in those eyes when I and Hagrid drop our bomb.

He wished he was anywhere but here right now. He hadn't wanted his true part in all this known as he felt it would only create more problems. However, he'd been persuaded that this action actually would start him on the road to a better life.

He remembered what Magorian had said recently to him, "You more than any here should be allowed a normal life. Ye've lived under a shadow for more than a decade worth of years. The wizarding world needs yer special gifts with potions and ye can't give yer full attention to those gifts if ye're still hiding."

"That may well be true but revealing my part in this will only make many think that evil still taints me and I'll be tarred with the brush of spy and death eater for the rest of my life." Snape had said tautly.

The centaur leader clapped him on the back. "Aye that might be true, but once Harry begins his crusade, all that will be forgotten and the public will have a new target to follow or vilify, eh?"

Snape frowned in thought. "That's certainly true. Perhaps you're right. Our futures will be changing and this just might be the first volley in a very long revolution. And, besides, the boy will need all his allies if he's to succeed."

"Well said. Keep yer wits about ye Severus and don' forget, the forest dwellers will be standing behind ye all the way. And I promise, we won't betray ye."

That more than anything else convinced him to do this but standing here at this moment still made him wish to run far away. Dumbledore brought Snape's attention back to the room and the fate that awaited him.

"Please have a seat everyone. Would anyone like a sherbet?" Dumbledore asked, as always. Holding the tin of candy out. Both men shook their heads as they closed in on the headmaster's desk.

However, they both paused near the Phoenix.

Hagrid cooed, "Good mornin' there Fawkes. How ye be?" The gold and red bird trilled a sweet note in response and allowed the half-giant to caress his head. Hagrid smiled then gave the bird a gentle pat in farewell before moving on.

Snape also greeted Fawkes. "Good day old friend," he murmured, gently giving the bird a caress down its back then a scratch under its chin. Fawkes was ecstatic, rubbing against Snape's hand a moment and trilling again. When Snape made to move, Fawkes suddenly uttered some odd chirps that sounded like a genuine attempt to communicate.

Dumbledore, McGonagell and the portraits all gasped in shock when Snape uttered similar sounds in response. No human should have been able to produce such sounds but there was Snape doing so. Whatever the potion's master had said caused Fawkes to nod his head and wear a look of satisfaction. Snape left its side and ignored the gobsmacked looks as he took one of the two seats Dumbledore had made appear for them.

Neither the headmaster nor his second in command could speak for a moment. Then McGonagell came to herself and transfigured a seat for herself from a nearby potted plant. She sat prim and proper but her face still held numerous questions and a new wariness around Snape.

Dumbledore's world had just been upended. He had known there was something special about Snape and had always known it had to do with some member of the Snape family mating with a magical creature in the past. But it had been suspicion only and never what it might have been in the gene pool. However, he had a vague idea he knew what it might be given what Snape had just done.

That knowledge disturbed and unsettled him. He realized Snape might well be much closer allied with the forest dwellers than he had first imagined. But that revelation would have to wait for a better time. Something else was going on here and the sooner he focused on the here and now the sooner he'd have some answers. Though, he had a feeling he wasn't going to like those answers at all.

Sighing mentally, he stared at the two men, waiting but neither seemed to have the desire to speak. Wanting to roll his eyes, he resisted the urge. His mouth was just beginning to open when there was an unexpected knock on the door. Frowning at the pair, he called out, "Yes?"

"It's Harry Potter, sir. I'm expected."

The headmaster blinked in startled confusion turning to Snape in question. The potion's master simply nodded gravely.

"We've asked him to be here as it pertains to him."

Forcing his expression to one of imperturbable patience, while internally seething with curiosity and a touch of annoyance, he called again, "Come in, Harry."

The boy slipped inside. Keeping his eyes lowered, Harry hurried across the floor but paused when Fawkes chirped at him. He paused and gave the bird a questioning look. Fawkes simply stared at the boy.

"Beware … stay alert … with you I am ..." came the staccato method of mind speech the bird used with only the rare people he trusted.

It had been a very startled Harry who had learned the bird possessed very human-like intelligence when it contacted him that first time they met after Harry's arrival at Hogwarts. It had been an amazing revelation speaking with the old bird. Fawkes had warned Harry to keep his wits about him and that he could seek his help at anytime. That last Harry had never abused. That didn't mean the two had regular conversations. That wasn't Fawkes way. Only when he had something urgent and important to impart did he deign to speak to anyone.

Back in the here and now, Harry acknowledged the message with a brief nod of his head and a gentle caress of the bird's head before heading toward the waiting group.

So intrigued and confused by what was going on, Dumbledore failed to conjure Harry a seat. He was even further discomfited when, in the next moment, Hagrid, himself, did the deed, making a padded stool appear beside his own chair. Harry nodded his thanks and sat down, hands clasped in his lap waiting for what was going to happen next.