
Chapter 17
‘You have to behave yourself Harry, especially when the students return.’
‘I will but it’s just my friends Sev.’
‘Alright, now what I meant before was I could watch once you tell her which spell to try. You did teach the DA, you know what is needed for each year. Horace can test her potions skill if it is a class she wishes to take.’
‘I don’t mind helping Sev, I enjoy helping.’
‘That’s settled, now I wish to tell you that after your three years with Horace that a master has offered to take you on.’
‘Oh, great, who, even though I probably wouldn’t know the name?’
‘You know him Harry,’ Severus smirked, ‘That would be me.’
‘Really?’ Harry’s eyes lit up, ‘You mean I get to stay here, live in my home for the next ten or so years?’
‘You’re home?’ Severus’ eyebrow furrowed.
‘I always called Hogwarts my home, it’s the only home I knew, here or the Burrow with the Weasley’s.’
‘Then yes, you get to stay here. If you do well, then if Horace retires again, maybe you might end up as the potions master, if you want to teach that is.’
‘I loved teaching the DA, but I think you should wait to see if I’m good enough.’
‘I know you’re good enough Harry.’
Everyone heard the change in Severus’ voice, it was deeper, slower and what he said was not what he meant.
‘I’m not going to win with you, am I?’
‘No, I am older, wiser and know exactly which buttons to push. I have known you for a long time Harry, and watched you very closely over the years.’
‘I think we’re going to have some fun, a lot of fun behind closed doors.’
‘Yes, we will, but now all of you eat then I will see to Miss Potter,’ Severus brushed his lips against Harry’s then walked off.
‘Come on you lot, let’s eat, I’m sure all you Weasley boys are starving.’
‘I’m always starving and not always for food,’ Charlie grinned.
‘Hands off Charlie, Harry’s with Severus, good win Harry,’ Molly hugged him.
‘Thanks Mrs. Weasley.’
‘We’ll leave you lot to eat while we speak with Minerva,’ Arthur patted Harry on the shoulder before walking off with his wife.
Everyone sat around Harry which was down from the Potters, ‘Hey Fred, you wanted to go on my team when Angelina picked me, is something going on there?’
‘Yep, Ang and I are together.’
‘It was a few years ago you went to the yule ball together, I wasn’t sure you two still liked each other.’
‘We did and have been seeing each other properly for a while now. So how did you and Snape end up together and why is he so different?’
‘All that was an act Fred, it was so Voldemort thought Severus was his and to make sure the Slytherin’s never reported back to their parents that Sev acted different especially towards me. We spoke until late last night, about everything.’
‘Yes, Harry stayed in professor Snape’s rooms,’ Hermione said looking suspiciously at Harry.
‘I said nothing happened Hermione, don’t you trust me?’
‘Of course I do, but I also know what you’re like when you want something.’
‘I did want something but he said no, it was too soon. You’ve told me I was stubborn, Sev’s worse. But Charlie, are you heading home to play with your dragons?’
Everyone laughed, ‘I don’t play with dragons saviour, I handle them, I could have handled you.’
‘He’s not going to give up that easily,’ Bill said.
‘I know a lost cause when I see one, but to answer Harry’s question, yes, but not just yet. I’ve been helping around Diagon Alley, so many people are turning up every day to help out at one of the shops, like your friend Luna.’
Harry turned to look at Luna, ‘Are you helping Mr. Ollivander?’
‘Yes, he’s still so frail. If you Hermione and Ron never got caught I’m sure he would have died within a few days, he was growing weaker by the minute.’
‘Even though we helped get you out Luna, we didn’t mean to get caught and taken to Voldemort’s headquarters, I’m glad we found you though. If Mr. Ollivander needs anything, let me know.’
‘I will Harry, but you’ve done enough, we’re all helping now.’
‘I’m at St Mungo’s, helping with the damage there, gran’s at the ministry,’ Neville said.
‘How are your parents Neville?’ Harry asked.
‘The same, I never give up hope that something can help them.’
‘It’s because of your parents why I want to become a potions master. After seeing them and when I was told what Bellatrix did to them, I want to help anyone that suffered because of that arse hole.’
‘Language Harry,’ Hermione slapped Harry’s head again.
‘Yes mother,’ Harry smirked then kissed Hermione’s cheek, ‘Oh look,’ Harry stood as Remus walked in who handed his son to Harry, ‘Hey there, how’s my godson.’
‘He’s good Harry, growing fast. It’s the full moon in a few days, I was hoping you might spend some time with him at Andromeda’s while I’m gone?’
‘You know I will Remus.’
‘Great, will you be okay with him for a few minutes, I need to speak with Severus about the wolfsbane potion?’
‘I’ll be fine and when I become a master I can make the potion for you.’
‘Then I know I’ll be in good hands,’ Remus put the baby bag down, hugged Harry, kissed his son then walked off.
‘If I didn’t know whose baby that was I would think it was yours Harry.’
Harry turned, ‘Hi Kingsley, he’s a metamorphmagus like his mother. But I pity my kids if they end up with my hair, I could never get it to lie flat, Hermione tried so often.’
‘Nothing worked, I used so many charms, but Harry’s hair stuck up all over the place.’
‘So what brings the minister for magic to Hogwarts?’ Bill asked.
‘Just some business I need to speak with Severus about. But I heard a rumour that you do not want to be an auror anymore, please explain, I was hoping to get you on the squad mate.’
‘I realised I just didn’t want to fight anymore, been doing it so long.’
‘And from a young age, alright, I get that and auror work is dangerous. I had a lot of close calls as an auror. What about you Ron, still want to be an auror?’
‘Yep, as soon as I’m done here I’ll be there.’
‘I want to be an auror as well. Helping here, running the rebellion and the DA, I found myself enjoying causing that bastards trouble.’
‘You did good Neville, you’ll make an excellent auror, all the DA would. I know I won’t get Hermione in that department, but I could probably name a dozen departments that would take Hermione in a heartbeat.’
‘Thank you Kingsley, I’m still deciding, but no, I do not want to be an auror even though I know I could do the job.’
‘You could do any job Hermione, you’re the smartest witch around. Harry and I would have failed all our tests if it wasn’t for your brain,’ Ron said.
‘If you would have spent more time studying instead of quidditch or just fooling around with gobstones or exploding snap you would have.’
Harry and Ron looked at each other than Hermione, ‘Yes mother,’ they said together making everyone break into loud laughter, all except the Potters who had been watching Harry and his friends, and they did not know he was friendly with the minister for magic. But they did realise that what they had been hoping was not going to happen, Harry will never allow them to be part of his life and none of their friends would go against him or even try to talk Harry into forgiving them, so they had a lot of thinking to do because they realised they would not get any support as their son seems to be very popular and liked and right now, they weren’t.