The rest of the week passed swiftly, Harry and Severus spending little time with each other outside mealtimes, Harry busy with studying and Severus working on updating things in his laboratories so that he could start on some potions for Poppy. It was now Tuesday and Dumbledore was expected sometime soon.
Harry had suffered a couple of nightmares, but was trying to cope with his losses as best he could. He was fine for the most part, only breaking down into tears a few times. He spent most of his time getting his essays for Muggle studies out of the way. He had worked his way through Poe's poems and short stories, and his biography. He was now writing his essay on the American author and had started reading The Hobbit. He had already finished his homework for Divination, making up the entire summer's worth of work in an hour.
/Give Trelawney a few dire predictions and some death threats and the woman practically comes in her robes./ Harry thought bitterly. /I've never seen someone get off on another's death before. Kinda perverted if you ask me./
He had also finished all his notes, reading and essays for Defense Against the Dark Arts, Charms, Care of Magical Creatures, and Transfiguration, but he still had Potions to go through. He wasn't in a hurry. The fact that he didn't do Potions first was annoying Severus to no end, and Harry liked watching the Potions master seethe at him. It was really very sexy, though it definitely was not Severus' intention to appear so.
/I may just have to put off Potions for another week or so. Might be nice to see Severus blow a gasket./ Harry chuckled.
"And what is so funny, Potter?" Severus asked, looking down at Harry, who was lying on his stomach in front of the sitting room fireplace.
"Oh, nothing. And quit calling me 'Potter!" Harry said, throwing a shoe in Severus' direction.
"Resorting to violence? How very Gryffindor of you," Severus said, picking up the shoe and flinging it back at Harry, hitting him in the ass.
"I think that's more of a Slytherin trait," Harry shot back, rolling over on his back and looking at his teacher upside down.
"Either way, it seems you are damned, Mr. Potter, since you would have been a Slytherin if not for that Hat."
"When are you going to stop with the 'Potter' thing? How long before you simply refer to me as 'Harry'?"
"When you decide to do your Potions homework I will call you Harry."
Harry sniggered. "That long, huh?"
Severus glared. "Really, Harry, you should take more interest in Potions. You could do really well, even more so than Granger if you applied yourself."
Harry grinned. "You called me Harry."
"Oh, bloody hell! I give up. I didn't come here for this." Severus sat down on a chair next where Harry was lying on the floor and looked down at him. "Albus owled me this afternoon. He will be here tomorrow morning. Apparently you are the wonder of the wizarding world, big surprise there-"
Harry stuck his tongue out at him.
Severus rolled his eyes and continued. "And the Ministry is curious as to how you exactly went about destroying Riddle. I will not allow that moron Fudge or his imbecilic staff members onto my personal property, so Albus is authorized to conduct the interview for the Ministry."
"The Ministry knows where I am?" Harry asked worriedly.
"No. They know Albus is aware of your whereabouts, and they wanted him to transport them here secretly, but Albus convinced them that their deaths would be imminent if they set foot upon the lands of your benefactor, me. They know what Albus' friends can be like and they don't want to risk it." Severus said, chuckling.
Harry sighed in relief. He didn't want to see that fool Fudge. "Did Dumbledore say whether or not he's found Sirius?"
"No. I'm sure he's waiting to tell you himself. There's been nothing in the Prophet this week." Severus had kept the newspaper away from Harry, only showing him the front-page public apology for Skeeter's abhorrent article. "You'll just have to wait until tomorrow."
"I'm sure you're just as worried about Sirius' well-being as I am," Harry teased.
Severus scoffed. "The day I care about that mangy mutt is the day I walk into class sporting a pink tutu."
Harry curled up into a fit of giggles. "Oh lord, Sev! Mental picture! Mental picture! Humor overload! I know you don't really mean it, deep down. About Sirius, I mean. I'd really like to see the pink tutu!"
"I wouldn't bet Hogwarts on my supposed feelings for Sirius. Albus would be quite sad to lose his school. I'm so glad you're amused. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a potion to finish. Here." Severus handed Harry a vial of Dreamless Sleep potion. "Use this tonight. You'll need the few wits you have tomorrow." Severus snorted at Harry's indignation and walked out the door.
* * * *
The next morning Harry came down to find Albus Dumbledore sitting in the dining room with Severus, drinking a cup of tea.
"Good morning, Professor Dumbledore. Morning, Severus."
"Good morning, Harry." They replied simultaneously.
Albus stood up and enveloped Harry into a tight hug. "How are you faring, my boy? How has your stay been so far?"
"I'm doing okay. It's been hard at times, but Severus has been helpful. I've done most of my homework-"
"Ignoring Potions just to spite me."
"-and I've been practicing my sword fighting and archery. Severus has a nice area at the back of the house perfect to set up targets," continued Harry, ignoring Severus' mutterings. "I've also done a lot of swimming. Sev has a great pool in the gym. I've also had time to practice that Mozart piece on the piano. I'm getting better at it."
Albus smiled. "Very good. I'm looking forward to hearing it. Well, shall we eat? Then we can get through all these pesky questions, and then we can get down to more important things!"
* * * * *
"Now, Harry, the Ministry is interested in what exactly happened that night. More specifically, they are interested in how you killed Voldemort. To tell you the truth, so am I. I can't figure out how exactly you did it, but you didn't just destroy Riddle's mind. You also destroyed his soul. He can never come back."
Harry laughed bitterly. He, Albus and Severus were sitting in the living room downstairs. Severus sat on one couch, facing Albus and Harry, who were sitting on the other. "Voldemort didn't have much of a soul left. What little there was left was complete and utter evil, nothing more. I don't really know what to tell you."
"Just tell me exactly what happened." Albus said.
"I was upstairs reading my Potions homework, getting ready to write one of my essays when I heard a commotion downstairs. My scar started burning and I knew. I sent Hedwig away and grabbed my wand. Three Death Eaters, one of them Lucius Malfoy, came up to get me. They took me downstairs where Voldemort was holding my family. I told him to let them live and he and two of his cronies cast the Cruciatus on them. Then I was drug outside and Voldemort incinerated the house." Harry stopped for a moment to gather the courage to go on, tears sliding down his face. "I could hear them scream, and I snapped. I realized that despite the way I was treated, the way I was ignored, no matter how much I disliked them, they were my family and I loved them, just a little but more than enough. It made me angry, I've never felt so livid. I just acted on instinct alone. I gathered within myself every single moment of anger I had ever felt in my life, all the injustice, all the wrong that had been done to me, to my parents, to the Dursleys, to Sirius and Remus, to Severus," Harry told Albus, ignorant of the shocked expression on Severus' face at being included in that list, "to you and my friends, to Hagrid for the whole Chamber of Secrets thing that got him expelled. I gathered all of the pain that Voldemort had caused in my life. I took all of that and focused it on the thing before me. Voldemort may have been human at one time in his life, but that hasn't been the case in a very long time. I centered all my anger and pain onto that one object of hatred, and blew him away. I don't know how I did it. I don't know if I could do it again. I thought I hated before that night, but I didn't know what hate was. I didn't truly find out until Voldemort killed the Dursleys. I realize now that every time I thought I hated someone-Sev, Malfoy, the Dursleys-it was nothing more than childish anger. I don't know what else to say. You saw what happened when I attacked Voldemort. You know about as much as I do."
Harry broke down, sobs wracking his thin body. Albus gathered him up into his arms and held him for a long while. "That's fine, Harry. There's nothing else I need to know. It's over now. There's nothing else you have to do. It's over. It's over."
Fifteen minutes later, Harry was all cried out. His mind came back to a more pressing question he needed to ask. "Professor Dumbledore, what about Sirius? What's going on with that?"
"Oh, forgive me, Harry. I should have told you first thing. Sirius has brought himself into the Ministry at my insistence. He's being held there, but in the utmost comfort, I assure you. I made sure of it, and the Ministry won't dare risk your wrath. His hearing is set six days from now, on Monday morning. Peter Pettigrew has already been questioned with Veritasirum and his testimony has been recorded and will be admissible. Trust me, this is merely a formality. They will put Sirius under the truth serum and once he confirms his side, they will release them."
"I want to be there."
"I figured that you would. Actually, it's a necessity. They want your take on what you heard in the Shrieking Shack."
"I won't use a truth potion. There are others that can get hurt or punished from that incident, and I won't let them."
"I told them you wouldn't want to. After many threats, they agreed. Don't worry. On Sunday evening, I will bring a portkey and that will return you to Hogsmeade and you will spend the night at Hogwarts, and I will take you to the trial. Severus will meet us there."
"Okay," Harry said, still snuggled in Albus' warm loving embrace. * * * *
That night Albus tucked Harry into his bed after Severus gave him a dose of Dreamless Sleep. They put out the fire and went downstairs, secure in the fact that Harry would have no problems tonight.
"How is he really doing, Severus?"
"He's not great, but he's handling it as well as could be expected. I've kept an eye on him during the nights that he refused to take the Dreamless Sleep potion. He's had nightmares, but that is to be expected. Albus, don't let the Ministry push him too hard. I just hope Black gets out."
"Mm. I'll bet. Will you really be that glad to get rid of Harry?"
Severus gave Albus a dirty look. "That's not what I meant. I said Harry was welcome for as long as he wants, and I meant it. I meant that if Black for some reason isn't released, I don't know what Harry would do. He's pretty high strung, though you can't always tell it. He hides his emotions well, most of the time."
"Yes...kind of like someone I know," Dumbledore teased, his eyes twinkling mischievously.
"Hmm. Do I know him?" Severus said innocently.
Albus laughed. "Very well, actually. Almost as well as I do." The two sat in silence for a while, sipping on their tea.
Albus was gone in the morning when Harry woke up.
* * * *