Love of a Monster

Part 2: The Plan...


As Headmaster of Hogwarts, I've seen just about everything a wizard can see and more when it comes to accidents, mishaps, screw ups, and misadventures among my students. That was before one Harry Potter started attending.


I looked on to the young man in question now sitting quietly across from me and smiled just a bit. It would seem young Mr. Potter had in fact manage to surprise even me this time. After hours of grilling both boys by Severus and Poppy it was discovered that Mr. Longbottom's potion was indeed behind our current problem. It would seem, Longbottom had mistakenly added the shards of a gargoyle's heart instead of the horn as the potion had called for.


After the initial shock of being told what had happened and that there wasn't anything anyone could do right now for the boy, I have to say some part of me was intrigued by the matter in a morbid sort of way. Stranger still, was Harry just sitting there sitting quite calmly while listening to the whole situation as if we were talking about the weather. It was quite perturbing.


I glanced over at the other boy in the room. Poor Neville, he really didn't mean any harm but this wasn't the first time he'd been in my office for this sort of thing. I couldn't get angry with the boy, I never could really. I felt sorry for him, he was so green he made Trevor look pale and Trevor was a frog. As McGonagall jumped into the fray of things Neville grew greener, if that was possible, looking to toss his cookies at any second now.

"Gummy bear?" I asked to break up the argument that was currently ensuing between my Professor of Transfiguration, Potion Master, and the School Physician. The question had the desired disarming affect I knew it would. The three adults looked positively vexed at my question.


"Yes, please." Harry's changing voice sounded like a mixture of his own and someone else thrown in.


As I watched the boy turn gargoyle pick out the pineapple and mint gummy bears from my candy dish, I couldn't help being fascination as Harry's large hand swiftly accomplished it's task. He seemed to have taken to his new form frighteningly quick. Slightly amused, I couldn't help but smile at him. After all, it isn't everyday one wakes up and finds out that your favorite student now has wings and likes sit on the roof at night.


"Thanks. I missed breakfast and lunch." the boy explained and shot me an weary smile.


"Well, why don't you go back to ..." I trailed off as several things whirled through my mind at once. The first and foremost being safety, as a halfling, Harry was now extremely vulnerable. As a gargoyle he had no clan to protect him and I most certainly couldn't let him go back to the tower with his fellow Gryffindor. I feared that word would spread amongst the student body to be passed on to parents. This would result in Voldemort getting wind of it and assuredly mean Harry would be in mortal danger.


"... Hagrid's and we'll see about getting you something a bit more substantial than candy for your dinner." I picked up after only a split seconds thought. Truth be told, Hagrid's was the only place I could think of under such short notice that the boy would be safe for the time being.


Hagrid loved Harry as if he were his own son and would take excellent care of the boy. Besides with every other animal and creature the giant man was know to house, what was a gargoyle amongst a long list in Hagrid's menagerie. Hopefully no one would be the wiser. "I'll walk you there. We will make arrangements later for you while your enduring the this transformation."


Looking to the adults, "Minerva? If you wouldn't mind, please keep Mr. Longbottom company here until I return. Severus? Poppy? Please continue your efforts to rectify the problem. Thank you." I said to them as I parted with Harry in tow.


Well past two in the morning, darkness had long since fallen within the hallways. The students who normally roamed the halls, had by now made their nightly rounds that broke curfew, were snug in their beds. Which was a blessing I think. Harry and I walked in silence down the hallways. Both of us lost to our own thoughts. As much as I hated to admit it, I was going to have to lie to the students about Harry and that wasn't going to be easy. I was going to have to keep Longbottom quite. Easy enough really, a simple forget spell would do the trick. As for the adults involved, I knew they would keep this secret. They all knew what was at stake if they didn't. It wasn't long after we had stepped outside into the courtyard that the silence between Harry and myself was broken.


"So, now what? You and I both know I can't go walking around Hogwarts like this. Not if I don't want to be killed." The voice from the dark sounded very old and very tired, kind of like what I felt.


"No." I said. "You can't and I'm afraid, I'm going to have to come up with some explanation that everyone is going to believe for your absence. One that your friends, Mr. Weasley and Miss Granger, wouldn't think to dispute and start nosing around for clues."


Harry stopped me half way to Hagrid's cottage. "That won't be easy. Hermione is very suspicious in nature and will be the hardest person to fool. But if we can get it past her and Ron, the others won't think twice about it."


Pondering, I stared at Harry for a moment in the darkness. It was getting harder and harder to remember that this young man was only seventeen. He sounded older beyond his years, more so now that his voice was deeper, due to his change. From the way the raven haired student was talking it sounded like Harry had already come up with a plan. "We should keep it simple. Let people draw there own conclusions and fill in the blanks for us." I hinted evasively, hoping to prompt him to reveal what he had in mind.


"How about an exchange student program devised by the Ministry. I've been selected because it involves learning gargoyle magic and defenses. The gargoyles sent one of their own to learn some of the wizard's magic. The exchange will be similar to the one they did in the 1800's. I wrote to the Ministry last year about the idea. Hermione should remember it since she was the one who helped me word the letter I sent. The Ministry liked the idea and is hoping to enlist the help of the gargoyles against Voldemort. By instigated the program, as I suggested in my letter, the Ministry hopes we will find some common ground between our two races once again. This will allow me to continue with my classes while hiding my identity. I could owl Ron and Hermione on a constant bases to keep down suspicion." he paused, I could tell there was more so I waited for when he continued, "The only thing I can figure that will bollix everything is that no one will see me leaving. That alone will be more then enough to send up warning flags for Hermione and Ron."


Amused, I laughed. I couldn't help myself really. "We've been busy, I see."


"Well, I've had plenty of time to think about it since this afternoon. I'm mean when Madam Pomfrey explained there wasn't anything she or Professor Snape could do for me, my mind just kind of started the crash mode scenarios." the flummoxed teen quipped.


Confused, I asked. "Crash Mode Scenarios?"


Chuckling, Harry explained, "It's a muggle thing. On muggle aircrafts, before taking off there are these people called stewards that explain ‘In case of an emergency and we start to crash this is what you do.' and then they tell you how to survive different crash scenarios."


"Ah!"Though I did know what an aircraft was, I wasn't familiar these procedures Harry spoke of, however, I did get the idea. "So, during your crash scenarios, you remembered the letter you wrote and went from there. Correct?"


"Yeah. My mind is kind of like that sometimes. Guess its from dealing with Voldemort so much." Harry shrugged in the moon light.


"Well, Mr. Potter, we seem to think alike then. We will go with your plan and as far as every one seeing you leave that will not be a problem. I believe your familiar with a certain Polyjuice Potion. "


Hesitantly, the gargoyle teen said, "Um... I'd like to go on record that I have no idea what your talking about. Off the record, how will that work in my current state?"


All that thinking and he missed the obvious, I wonder if he really knew how vulnerable he truly was right now. "We'll just get some hair from your brush and go from there."


"Couldn't I just drink the Polyjuice during the day? We wouldn't need any explanations at all if we did that." Harry reasoned.


I was already ahead of him. "I'm afraid that would be out of the question. Severus tells me that it won't work without causing permanent damage to you."


Harry started walking to Hagrid's again. "So who is going to be me then?"


Smirking, I answered. "Why, Severus of course."


He reacted right on que. "WHAT!?!"


My smirk turned to a grin at his squawked exclamation. "I'll have you know, Mister Potter, that Severus Snape is an excellent actor."


"If you say so, but you won't mind if I go ahead and start writing the ‘I'm sorry, I was such a jackarse' letters now." he grumbled.


Unable to stop myself, I laughed at a Snape version of Harry Potter. We arrived at Hagrid's home and Harry knocked and moved to the shadows, as I tried to control myself. I always felt years of difference when I was with Harry. Sometimes, like now, I found myself feeling younger and talking to a best friend, an equal. Other times, however, he made me feel as if I were all of my friend Nicholas's six hundred years.


A burly eyed Hagrid cursed and yeowled as stubbed his toe on the door when he answered. "Effin' door! What do ye... Professor Dumbledore, sir?"


"I'm truly sorry to have to disturb you at this late hour, Hagrid." I apologized. "But, Harry and I need your help."


"No need'in to be sorry. I'm ah always happy to help Harry and ye, sir. Please come inside." He said as he stepped back to let us in. "I'll just be puttin' on some tea an..." Hagrid's eyes grew the size of dinner plates when Harry stepped out of the shadows. "Gulpin' Goblins of Gringotts! Harry, what on earth happend ta ye!?!"


I answered for him. "Its part of the reason why we are here, my friend. Perhaps it would be best if we were to all sit down and discussed this over tea." I smiled and indicated the chairs near the fireplace.


While I began to fill Hagrid in, Harry quietly ate the stew and flat bread Hagrid had given him. Time passed quickly and as we settled down warming by the fire sipping our tea, I finished up explaining the situation. "... since he has no clan, you were the first person I thought of who could protect Harry. No one would find it odd if he stayed here with you ."


"I'd be right proud to have Harry here with me for as long as he be wantin' to stay." Hagrid told us happily. It was almost like someone had just told him Norbert, his dragon son, was coming home to stay for the holidays. "I just have one question tho. What ye going to do about yer scar there Harry?"


The teen reached up and touched his scar. "I forgot about that. What can I do? Its not like I can just cover it up with a charm or something. Believe me I've tried."


"Hmmmm, a Relocaus Potion should take care of that but I'm not sure what impact it would have on you as a gargoyle." I thought out loud. "Keeping in mind that if it does work, Harry, that it would only temporarily relocate the scar not rid you of it."


"How long does it work for?" Harry yawned.


*Good question.* I thought to myself. "I'm not sure, but I'm sure Severus knows or can find out."


Another yawn from the boy and my giant friend arose from his chair and tugged on Harry's hand. "Up and off to bed with ye now. Plenty o' time to work this out later." Hagrid said softly.


"Mmm?" In a sleepy dazed Harry allowed himself to be pulled up out of the chair and guided over to Hagrid's rumpled bed.


Hagrid was as gentle with the boy as if he were a new born. Tucking Harry in and stroking his hair Hagrid hummed a soft lullaby. His kindness was some times surprising even me after all these years of knowing him. He was so large and yet I'd seen him pet and nurse a baby catbird back to health. I still smile when I remember the small feminine ball of fur and feathers Hagrid named Roberta. Harry would be safe here. There wasn't one doubt in my mind of that.


The sun was rising in the horizon when I finally started to leave and try to catch a nap myself. At the door I turned and looked at the sleeping form on the bed. "Sleep well Harry Potter." I whispered and walked out the door into the dawn.


~~~~~~~~~~~~TBC~~~~~~~~~~

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