Heat, Light and the Properties of Plants

Chapter 13 Mixed Messages

Harry, his trunk emptied out onto the floor, was supposed to be packing. Actually, he was sitting on the end of the bed, thinking about that last night with Snape. How his harsh face had taken on new lines of ecstacy as Harry had pleasured him. How his hands had felt, moving over every inch of Harry\'s body. How...

\"Come on, Harry, we\'re all waiting!\" Ron shouted from the landing.

Harry jumped up guiltily, and quickly stuffed a few clothes into his backpack. He pushed his Invisibility Cloak in on top and fastened the straps. \"Coming!\" he called, picking up the bag and heading for the door. He snatched up the wizard photo of Snape and tucked it into his jacket pocket.

They all clustered round the fireplace in the sitting room. Remus took a small jar of Floo powder from the mantlepiece and passed it round for everyone to take a pinch.

\"I\'ll go straight to the Ministry,\" said Tonks, walking up to the fireplace. \"See you guys later.\" And she tossed the powder into the flames, saying clearly \"Ministry of Magic.\" Green flames leaped up and engulfed her and she vanished. As the flames died down, Remus also stepped into the fireplace. \"And I\'m for Knockturn Alley,\" he said. \"I\'ll meet you at Grimmauld Place tonight.\"

After Remus had disappeared into the Floo flames, the others looked at each other. \"After you, Harry,\" said Hermione.

************************

\"Kreacher? Kreacher! Where the hell is that elf -\"

There was a crack! and two house elves appeared, one holding the other by one of his hairy batlike ears.
\"Here he is! Dobby is very pleased to see Harry Potter!\" and Dobby, beaming all over his face, pushed forward the other elf, who was still, in spite of everyone\'s efforts, wearing just an extremely dirty rag slung round his loins.

\"Greetings, Master,\" Kreacher croaked, bowing deeply; then, his huge, bloodshot eyes fixed on the ground, he continued in a grumbling undertone without taking breath \"Last time Master was here we thought he was to marry that redheaded Weasley chit, one of that snivelling brood of traitors but at least a pure blood but now it turns out Master is a nancy-boy shirt-lifting pillow-biter and not even with a pure blood, oh no, Master is the tart of a half blood renegade oh what would my old mistress say...\"

Ron, who had scowled at the mention of his sister, now started sniggering uncontrollably. Hermione coughed and looked uncomfortable. Harry, blushing furiously, said loudly \"That\'s ENOUGH, Kreacher. Go and get some rooms ready for us.\"

\"And will Master\'s, ahem, \'friend\' be joining Master in his bedroom?\" asked Kreacher, then continued in his plainly audible undertone \"no doubt they will disport themselves with shameful couplings on my mistress\'s bed, alas, defiling it with their disgusting lust oh the disgrace, and befouling her sheets with their unspeakable orgies ...\"

\"SHUT UP KREACHER! Just do it, right?\"

Kreacher bowed sullenly and Disapparated.

\"Dobby does not think these nasty things sir,\" put in the other house elf anxiously. \"Dobby wishes Harry Potter every happiness.\"

\"Yeah, thanks Dobby,\" Harry said. \"Look, you\'d better go with him and make sure he doesn\'t put spiders in our beds or something. Catch up with you later, okay?\"

When the house elf had disappeared, Harry looked at his friends, biting his lip. \"Well, here we are then, welcome to my happy home!\"

Hermione put her arms round him and gave him a reassuring hug. \"It won\'t always be like this, Harry,\" she said. \"You\'ll see, one day you and Severus will have a house of your own - with no dark memories attached.\"

And no stroppy house elves!\" grinned Ron. \"Well, not Kreacher, any way.\"

\"I think I\'ll send the lot of them to Hogwarts, Kreacher too,\" said Harry. \"That worked before. Dobby and Winky can pop back here every now and then to make sure the house is okay.\"

\"I\'ll go back with them and explain what we\'re doing to Professor McGonagall,\" said Hermione. \"I\'d like to look up a few books in the Hogwarts library, too.\"

Ron gawped at her. \"Hermione, this is no time to study for your NEWTs!\"

Hermione gave him a pitying look. \"That wasn\'t the idea.\"

*******************************

Harry reluctantly climbed the stairs to the bedroom he normally used at Grimmauld Place and dumped his backpack on the floor. He glared at the bat-eared snouted house elf who was fussing about pretending to clean the room.

\"Still here, Kreacher?\"

\"Master told Kreacher to prepare his room but Master still has not said if his man friend will be joining him -\"

\"No he won\'t Kreacher, this is fine thanks -\"

\"Because if he is, Kreacher could bring in some more mirrors (they will wish to see their perverted acts reflected as they shamelessly pollute their bodies with degrading and unnatural - )\"

\"STOP IT, KREACHER!\"

\"Or would Master like Kreacher to bring in the dragonhide rug, for them to sprawl on in their disgusting nakedness as Master lewdly presents his wanton buttocks for that half blood wizard to defile -\"

Mercifully Harry was starting to see the funny side of this at last. \"Oh, I see,\" he said sarcastically, with his best impersonation of Severus Snape. \"It\'s the half blood part that really gets you, isn\'t it. You\'d be happy for me to lewdly present my wanton buttocks for defiling by an entire Quiddich team of pure blood wizards, preferably Dark ones... but just because Snape is a half blood - and not a Death Eater any more -\"

Kreacher stuffed his wizened hands into his huge ears. \"Kreacher will not listen, no, oh my poor mistress what would she have said -\"

\"Well thankfully we\'ll never know, Kreacher, and I\'m ordering you to shut up and go away -\" Kreacher turned away but not before Harry had caught the triumphant gleam in his eye. Harry quickly added \"But you\'re not to leave this house yet, okay? I need to arrange about the Hogwarts house elves. Get them all to meet me in the drawing room in - oh - half an hour.\"

\"Kreacher obeys,\" the house elf muttered grudgingly, adding as he left the room: \"but hopefully Master will soon die of some loathsome disease resulting from his unnatural acts of sexual depravity and Kreacher will be free of him at last.\"

\"I wouldn\'t look forward to my death too much,\" said Harry coldly. \"I\'m leaving you to Hermione Granger in my will, how\'ll you like that?\"

Kreacher threw up his hands in horror and hastily left the room. Smirking, Harry pulled Snape\'s wizard photograph out of his jacket pocket and put it on the bedside table.

Dobby Apparated beside him and joined him in studying the photograph.

\"Professor Snape is very distinguished looking, sir,\" Dobby said. \"Dobby is happy for Harry Potter. All the Hogwarts house elves wish Harry Potter well.\"

\"Err, thanks, Dobby,\" said Harry. \"Do all the Hogwarts house elves know about me and Snape, then?\"

\"Oh yes,\" Dobby said happily, \"we are knowing everything that goes on at Hogwarts, and when Harry Potter spent the night in Professor Snape\'s rooms... \"

\"Ah, yes, of course,\" Harry blushed, remembering that night. \"But hang on Dobby, weren\'t you at number twelve, Grimmauld Place then?\"

\"Oh yes, Dobby has to make sure that Kreacher does not damage Harry Potter\'s house, but Winky has gone back to Hogwarts. Winky tells Dobby everything.\" They both contemplated the photograph. \"Of course Professor Snape does have a wicked tongue,\" continued Dobby a bit doubtfully.

\"Yeah, he does,\" breathed Harry, a reminiscent smile on his lips. \"Oh, I see what you mean. Yes, he can be a bit caustic at times. I\'d love to see him take on Kreacher, insults at twenty paces. Who do you think would win, Dobby?\"

Dobby shook his head noncommitally.

\"Anyway, how is Winky, Dobby? Is she getting over, err ... \"

\"Winky does not drink as much now, sir, she is getting used to being a free elf but it is still difficult for her.\" Dobby picked up the photograph, obviously wanting to change the subject. \"Did Professor Snape give this picture to Harry Potter?\" And when Harry nodded, \"It is good to receive gifts from those you love, sir, Dobby still treasures the sock which Harry Potter gave him.\"

Harry took his keepsake dagger out and showed it to Dobby. \"Yeah, he gave me this, too.\"

He tapped the handle of the dagger with his wand and murmured \"Severus Snape\". The fiery letters of the inscription appeared in the air; Dobby clapped his hands. \"Oh that is wonderful for Harry Potter, to be loved so much.\"

\"I wonder if he still loves me\" said Harry gloomily, as the fiery letters thinned in the air above them.

\"I wonder if he ever loved me...\"

The letters were just a faint glow.

\"I wonder what he\'s doing now...\"

The letters disappeared.

*******************************

The pallid morning light filters reluctantly through the grimy windows of the Silent Witch revealing an ill-looking Snape, strands of black hair plastered across his pale sweaty forehead, his eyes dark pools of pain.

\"What the hell was that stuff we were drinking last night?\" he demands hoarsely.

\"Oh, a concotion the barman gets in for me when I want to enjoy a long night\'s fucking,\" Corvid tells him.

\"Well let me concoct it next time; we won\'t feel like death warmed up the morning after.\" Snape presses the tips of his long fingers against his temples and closes his eyes.

\"Caw. You gave those two knob jockeys a good seeing to anyway.\" Corvid laughs coarsely. \"Shall I get us fresh meat in for tonight?\"

\"Urgggh,\" groans Snape. \"Maybe tomorrow night... I might have recovered by then. Anyway, enough of this frivolity: have you contacted Fenrir?\"

\"Yes, he\'s interested in your proposal, but wants to see the goods. Can you lure the Potter brat here?\"

\"Oh yes,\" replies Snape. He smirks. \"I\'ve been in his head as well as up his arse. I know how he thinks. He\'ll come here at once if he thinks I\'m in danger.\"

\"You are in danger!\" sniggers Corvid. \"In danger of your dong wearing out with all the action it\'s getting!\"

Snape groans again ...

*****************************

\"And what keepsake has Harry Potter given to Professor Snape?\" Dobby asked.

\"Uh - nothing,\" admitted Harry. \"When he sent me his photograph he told me, um, \'not to bother to reciprocate, he didn\'t want a James Potter lookalike sneering at him from his mantlepiece.\' Something like that, anyway.\"

\"But Professor Snape must like how Harry Potter looks now,\" argued Dobby. He looked closely at Harry. \"And Harry Potter\'s hair does look different.. \"

Harry self-consciously passed his hand through his hair, remembering how Snape enjoyed stroking it, how he had clenched his long fingers in it as Harry sucked him, how... He came back to the present with a jolt.

\"... get one done in Diagon Alley,\" Dobby was saying.

\"Uh, sorry, Dobby, didn\'t quite catch that; get what done in Diagon Alley?\"

\"A wizard photograph, sir, there is a good photographer in Diagon Alley,\" replied Dobby. He looked dubious. \"Or there is one in Knockturn Alley, but they is NAUGHTY photographs, sir!\"

\"Naughty photographs?\" said Harry. He smirked. \"Maybe one of those would be more appreciated...\"

Dobby gave him an uncertain look. \"The barman at the Leaky Cauldron would be able to give Harry Potter directions to a photographic studio, sir.\"

\"Fine,\" said Harry. \"I\'ll call in there when I go to get some cash from Gringotts. Anyway, we\'d better sort out sending all the house elves back to Hogwarts; would you and Winky mind popping back here every so often to keep an eye on this place for me?\"

\"We would be honoured, sir,\" squeaked Dobby.

The rest of the house elves were delighted when Harry told them they were all to go back to Hogwarts. Harry quickly ordered Kreacher to shut up and go with them, before he could start up his muttering again. \"And Hermione will go with you all, make sure you\'re settled in okay,\" he finished. \"Alright, Hermione?\"
She nodded, and smiled at him. \"It shouldn\'t take me long; I\'ll be back by this evening.\"

\"Shall I come too?\" Ron asked her.

\"No, Ron, somebody has to get some food for us all tonight; there won\'t be any house elves to do it.\"

\"Why me?\" Ron grumbled, as Hermione and the house elves Disapparated. \"She\'s so bossy, I think she\'s trying to turn me into a house elf!\"

\"Never mind,\" Harry said unsympathetically \"if she does then she can promote your welfare!\"

The friends grinned at each other, remembering Hermione\'s erstwhile obsession with her Society for the Promotion of Elvish Welfare (known to her schoolfriends, with much sniggering, as SPEW).

\"Oh well,\" Harry said. \"I\'ll leave you to your house elfly duties - \" he dodged a punch from Ron \"- must go and get some readies from my Gringotts vault.\"

**************************

Harry walked up to the bar in the Leaky Cauldron and greeted the old barman. \"Hello, Tom, how\'s things?\"

Tom looked up from polishing a glass, and recognised Harry. \"Hello Mr Potter! We haven\'t seen you in here in quite a while.\" He put down the glass and reached out to shake Harry\'s hand. \"May I just say how honoured I am to know you sir, truly honoured. You\'ve rescued the wizarding world from a horrible fate.\"

\"Oh, well, it wasn\'t just me,\" muttered Harry, feeling embarrassed.

\"Will you be wanting a room here, sir, or are you just passing through?\"

\"Well, actually, I\'m on my way to Diagon Alley,\" said Harry. \"And, er, I was told you might be able to direct me to a wizard photographer?\"

\"Oh yes, there are a couple in Diagon Alley,\" said Tom. \"What sort of photograph did you have in mind?\"

Harry blushed. \"Um, well, it\'s for a special friend... err, a picture of me, um, of an, err, adult nature if you know what I mean?\"

Tom looked shocked, then chuckled indulgently. \"Well, well, you are of age after all. Who\'s the lucky young lady, if I might ask?\"

Harry\'s eyes widened, hadn\'t he heard? Maybe the Leaky Cauldron house elves didn\'t have any contacts at Hogwarts...

\"Er, it\'s a secret for now,\" he said. He couldn\'t quite bring himself to tell Tom that the lucky young lady was in fact a sardonic older man. \"Can you help me?\"

\"Yes, yes, I know the sort of thing you want, and there\'s a photographer with quite a reputation for it... he\'s got a studio in Knockturn Alley. Here -\" reaching for parchment, quill and ink bottle - \"I\'ll write down directions for you.\"


TBC >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>