Death Eater Takes a Holiday

Chapter 29






Chapter 29 Formalities, Close
Calls, and a Secret

The halls of Hogwarts were abuzz with students talking of the seventh year
formal and the summer ahead. Harry noticed the girls discussing their
dress-robes, and how they wanted to do their hair. Some boys were still working
on getting a last minute date. Harry on the other hand was looking forward to
an earlier date, his tutorial with Professor Snape. As it always seems to do
you you want it to pass quickly, time was slowing down to an agonizing pace. Harry
couldn't wait to see Severus in his lab when it wasn’t class time. He couldn’t
wait to be out of school and in his own place. Free to pursue Severus with
fervor.

"Butterscotch" Harry said when he arrived at the entrance to
Albus' office.

"Come in," greeted Albus with a smile. "I see you've got the
bounce back in your step," he said merrily, his fingertips pressed
together in a contented gesture. Harry
sat down across from Albus. A tea tray appeared, Harry poured. He felt more
like family and less like a guest when pouring for Albus. The old wizard
inhaled deeply, taking in the scent of the hot beverage. "Just the way I
like it," he said after a sip.

"Mr. Jennings, my new landlord, said I could move in any time, so it
will be all ready for me when I finish school."

"Wonderful, I have the invionsions for you Warding ready. Would you
like to see them now?"

"Invitations?" Harry asked, unsure of what it was that a Warding
involved.

"Traditionally, one would ask the three or four most powerful wizards
in their family to put up the wards in a new home. I received this invitation
from a niece last month to put up wards in her and her new husband’s home.
Commonly, a couple would chose two from each side of the family, but that's
usually to keep the peace amongst families." He said with the ever-present
twinkle in his blue eyes. "You may
chose whomever you wish, but if you were to need a little direction…"

"Why don't you just make this easier and tell me who I'm
inviting." Harry said with a smile. "Wait, let me guess. You, and
Professors Snape and McGonagall."

Albus chuckled, and a few crumbs from the biscuit he was eating fell to the
desk. "Close," he said holding up three invites. "In addition to
myself, I suggest you invite Filius Flitwick and Severus Snape."

"Why not Professor McGonagall? Being my Head of House, I thought she
seemed more like family. Is Professor Flitwick a more powerful wizard?"

"I wouldn't say that he is more or less powerful than Professor
McGonagall. He is excellent with charms, and has always assisted in the warding
of the school. Professor McGonagall is the Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts. She
and I almost never leave the school at the same time. It would leave Hogwarts
vulnerable."

"Oh," Harry felt a little dumb for not realizing that. "Who's
the third invitation for?"

"It's for whomever you would like. Not everyone is invited for his or
her magical ability. A balance of energies for the wards best protects a home.
Professor Flitwick can create a most intricate weave of magic protecting your
home. He's not the Charms Professor for nothing. Professor Snape offers not
only his very powerful magic, but also the deep understanding of dark magic,
combined with the desire to protect you. You may invite someone solely by what
that person represents to you."

Harry thought about that for a while. He drank tea with Albus in a
comfortable silence. At last Harry put down his empty teacup, stating his
decision. "I'm going to invite Mr. Weasley." He received a pleased smile from Albus.
"My first thought was that he represented what a family should be like,
but, living alone, it isn't like I need to worry about family values. I've
always felt welcome at the burrow, and that's how I want my friends to feel,
like they are always welcome to my home." Harry hoped that was what Albus
meant by 'what a person represents to you'. Judging by the smile and the
twinkle, Harry had gotten it right, or at least close. Albus charmed the last
invitation to have Author Weasley's name on it. The words were written in a fancy
script with purple ink.

Harry heard someone coming up the spiral step rather fast, and a sharp knock
on the door. "Come in Professor McGonagall," said Albus to the closed
door. 'How does he do that?' wondered Harry. The door flew open; sure
enough it was Professor McGonagall.

"Albus, you must come right away. Oh, excuse me Mr. Potter; I didn’t
see you there. At least you have a solid alibi for this one."

"What has happened, Minerva? Harry should know what he's grateful to
have an alibi for."

McGonagall wasn't pleased with the Headmaster making jokes at the moment.
"Someone has strung up Mr. Nott to the highest quidditch hoop; he’s
wearing nothing but a rope around his ankles. There are several objects
believed to be invisible bludgers that are charmed to fly at Nott whenever
someone gets close enough to attempt a rescue."

Harry coughed to hide a laugh. He just missed the twitch on Albus' face.
Harry was instructed to go to lunch, while they went down to the Quidditch
pitch for crowd control and to get the miserable boy down.

In the Great Hall the Gryffindor table was almost empty, as was the
Slytherin table and about half of the rest. Harry could just imagine the
pandemonium that was going on right now on the pitch. Two guys in particular
stood out. Dean and Seamus were the only other seventh year boys at the table.
Harry caught a little of their conversation as he approached. "’E'd been
up there a good two 'ours ‘fore anyone knew ‘e was missing. Bet ‘e's nice and
sunburned by now," said Seamus with a laugh. Dean almost sprayed pumpkin
juice from his mouth.

"How would you two know how long he's been up there?" asked Harry,
making them jump. They hadn't seen him walking up.

Dean's eyes widened, but Seamus was always quick with something to say.
"Dean and me didn't want to leave school without at least one great prank
under our belt. Can't have two from our own dorm attacked without proper
consequences, right?" Seamus finished with a wink. Harry bowed and thanked
them for gallantly revenging the attack on Ron and himself. Dean laughed; it
was fun to see Harry acting silly, he was in a good mood. "Remember all
this later when I use you as a reference while applying for a job this
summer," said Dean. Harry grinned, and tucked into his lunch.

 

The last class of the day was Charms. Ron still had a few bruises from the
fight that had broken out on the quidditch pitch during Nott’s rescue. Harry
had the feeling the invitations went out after lunch because Flitwick announced
they would be working on placing wards today. It was a good class, and almost
everyone was able to put up a good ward on their book bags and desks. Hermione
confessed to using wards on her book bag for the last year and a half. No one
was going to copy her notes, no one, that is, beside Harry and Ron. As
the class ended and students began shuffling out, Filius asked Harry to stay
behind a moment. Harry saw the familiar purple ink on a crisp piece of
parchment placed on the desk where the small wizard was standing. He was surprised when Filius bowed to him.

"It is a great honor you have bestowed me. I humbly offer my services
in the Warding of your new home," said Filius formally.

"Thank you sir, it means a lot to me," Harry said returning the
bow.

"You may call me Filius," he said, before sending Harry off to
catch up with his friends.

Ron and Hermione were sitting in the common room when Harry caught up to
them. They appeared to be having a nice conversation, but their red and puffy, 'just
been kissed' lips gave them away.
Harry told them about inviting Filius to the Warding, and tried to
remember what he had said. "I think it was 'I'm honored to offer my
services in the Warding of your home' something like that."

"He said," Hermione began. "It is a great honor you have
bestowed me. I humbly offer my services in the Warding of your new home,"
she s smi smiling at Harry's open mouth. She explained to him that if Harry had
sent formal invitations to his Warding, Filius had followed wizarding
traditions when giving his response. Hermione went to her room, returning a few
minutes later with a book for Harry to borrow. ”It's the book you'll get when
you start your summer class, 'Wizarding traditions and customs’. There's
a whole chapter on Wardings, it includes everything from the positions the
wizards stand in during the casting, to the food most commonly served by the
host." Once again Harry's mouth was hanging open. "Didn't Professor
Dumbledore explain any of this?"

"I think he would have, but when we were talking about it, McGonagall
interrupted." Harry snorted. "She said Nott was only wearing the
ropes he was tied up with." Ron let out a hearty laugh. "It was good
of Seamus and Dean to pull it off, but I'm surprised they came up with the
charms to get the bludgers to do that." Harry didn’t notice Hermione
blush. Later, Harry was glad that
Hermione pointed out a few things in the chapter. He now knew the ritual answer
should anyone else respond formally in person.

Harry couldn’t wait to finish dinner so he could change and go down to the
lab for his tutorial with Severus. He knew the blond Ravenclaw girl was going
to be making a special potion she needed to get the apprenticeship she wanted.
"I don't know what Colin Creevey is going to be doing there," Harry
said to no one in particular.

"I 'idn't know Snape took on apprentices," muttered Ron through a
mouthful of food.

"You're a pig," chided Hermione, at Ron's offensive table manners.
"He doesn't, Gwen is hoping to get her apprenticeship with a Potions
Master in France."

"Who's Gwen?" the boys chorused. Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Don't you think it would have been wise to find out something about
the student Severus spends a lot of time with? You do want to get to know him,
don't you?"

"How am I supposed to know what he does in his off time. It's not like
I've ever been asked before now. How did you know?" asked Harry, glancing
over at the next table for a glimpse of the blond.

"She's a prefect; as Head Girl I get to know all the prefects. I think
it's a wise move for anyone to get to know the prefects. They are a chosen
group for a reason. Most of them are smart and responsible. Not a bad bunch to
be familiar with," she said, with a little too much attitude for Harry's
liking.

"Tom Riddle was a prefect you know."

"I didn't say they were all good to be friends with, but certainly good
to be familiar with. You know what they say, 'Keep your friends close, and
your enemies closer'."

"You sound like Mad Eye Moody," teased Harry. "Not that I
don’t think you've got a good idea, ‘Mione, but since the year is just about
over, why don't you inform me on the who's who of Hogwart’s wizarding
set?"

"What, do you think just because you’re gorgeous you can be obnoxious
like that?" she kidded him.

"Hey," protested Ron at his girlfriend calling Harry ‘gorgeous’.

"Yes I can, it works every time," said Harry

"Fine, you may as well leave to get ready. I'm going to have to spend
the next half hour convincing Ron that you're not half as cute as he is,"
she said with a wink.

"Hey!" griped Ron again. He didn't really mind her talking that
way, but when he made a fuss, she usually made it up to him in a very nice way.


Harry left them to bicker. The faster they got to the argument, the faster
they got to the make-up sex. He wondered if it would ever be that way with him
and Sev. Then it occurred to him that their first time seemed to start out that
way. The walk to his room to change and head down to the dungeons was a blur.
He thought of Severus the whole time. Harry knew he wasn't going to be alone
with the man, but at least he would see him out of class, and out of the
infirmary. For a while those were the only places Severus seemed to exist. He
didn't count meals since Severus still had appearances to keep and wouldn't
give him the time of day in the Great Hall.

The first thing Harry noticed as he entered the potions lab was Colin
Creevey set up at a workstation close to the door. Harry found he tensed as he
waited for the inevitable 'Hi Harry' that he got almost the second after he
thought it. Colin's voice had finally broke last year, but it still was an
annoying sound that Harry thought would one day drill a hole straight through
his eardrums. Luckily, Colin was busy with his book bag, and Harry slipped
away.

"Creevey, need I remind you, no photography in my lab? Put the camera
away, and for God's sake lower your flame before that boils over," Severus
said, with a glare in his eyes. Colin jumped, grabbing his wand to lower the
flame, resulting in only a small spill of potions down the outside of his
cauldron.

Harry noted that the Ravenclaw girlas ias it Gwen?’ was also set up
at a workstation. She was very close to the front of the room. By all
appearances, she had been working for a while. Harry approached Severus.

"Am I late, Professor?" asked Harry, praying he didn't get the
time wrong, putting him off to a horrid start.

"You are," Severus paused and looked at a clock on the wall,
"Right on time. I have you set up over here in front of Miss Jennings.
Your start times have been staggered to better suit my needs. Miss Jennings'
potion will take hours. Also, I have timed it so neither of you should need my
assistance at the same time. Creevey, I start early, so I may be rid of him
earlier."

Harry nodded, and tried not to laugh at the comment about Colin. He checked
the table Severus had set up for him. The scales were like new. The mortar and
pestle were also immaculate. He turned to see the potion brewing behind him; it
was a color he had never seen before in a potion.

"Could you back away about a foot please?"

"Oh, yeah, s&quo" said Harry, backing up a few feet.

"Sorry to be rude, but my future as a Potions Master is brewing in this
cauldron," said the blond, not looking up until she stirred three more
times and set down the ladle. "I'm Gwen. Nice to meet you," she said
with a warm smile.

"I'm Harry," he rolled his eyes and laughed softly when she said
'I know.' He hated stating the obvious.

"Hermione speaks very highly of you," she said, and he felt
br.
r.

"Your name is Jennings? Any relation to the Mr. Jennings who has an
apartment to rent in town?"

"He's my uncle," she said, eyes widening. "You aren't renting
there, are you?"

"Yes," he said hesitantly. "Why? Should I be nervous?"
his tone was light, but he was still unsure of what she was getting at.

"Oh, no it's just that he was asked not to tell who it was until the
Warding. He bet me a galleon I couldn't guess who it was. I was going to guess
a visiting Ministry guest, but now, this changes everything. Thanks for the
galleon, Harry."

"If you're quite finished sharing the wealth, you have a potion to
start, Mr. Potter. You will come with me for your ingredients."

Harry hadn't heard so many words from the man's mouth in a week, and the
rich tenor made him want to swoon. Harry had enough sense not to puddle onto
the floor, but as he was heading for the supply closet, Severus was going the
opposite direction. He double-timed it, hoping Severus didn’t notice.

"Dittany," Sev spoke the password and a cabinet opened on the
wall. They were partially hidden behind the large door that opened up. Whatever
Harry thought Severus was going to say next, he hadn't expected what he heard.

"It is a great honor you have bestowed me. I humbly offer my services
in the Warding of your new home," Severus raised his head again. Their
eyes met, and the younger wizard hesitated for only a moment before returning
the bow.

"The honor is mine. I am grateful for the magic that is uniquely yours,
and is always welcome in my home." Harry was so pleased with himself for
remembering it properly that he totally missed the expression on Sev's face. It
was a mix of surprised and impressed. By the time Harry had looked back up from
the deew thw the look was gone.

Severus collected all the ingredients needed for Harry's pain potion, while
explaining the importance of good quality and freshness in potion ingredients.
He told Harry that most Masters will share a recipe, but won't necessarily tell
you if there is a necessary change in measurements to accommodate the change in
weight of dried ingredients compared to freshly picked ones that always weigh
more. It's a way of ensuring that no one makes the potion as well as the
original brewing Master.

Once Sev left Harry on his own, he went back to Gwen's workstation. Harry
had wished he could have been alone with Sev, but now he got a chance to see
something he hadn't expected. While Sev had spoken to Harry regarding the
potion and the ingredients, he was more or less instructional. Harry did like
to see him enthusiastic about his craft, but with Gwen it was different. He
spoke, and she understood. It was more like Master and young protégée, than
Master to student. Harry thought, if times had been different, Severus would
have enjoyed having an apprentice. Sev would say something Harry didn't catch,
or perhaps he had just made a noise, but Gwen understood and acted accordingly,
whether it was a change in slicing a root, or the angle at which she stirred.

Harry hadn't realized Sev had turned around to face him until he heard that
voice at his shoulder. "If you slice that root on an angle it changes the
ratio of core and outer skin." Severus placed his long slender hands over
Harry's and adjusted the angle of the blade. Sev didn't miss the shiver that
ran through the younger man’s body. He stepped away from the heat that radiated
off of Harry. They both wanted to be together, but Sev was adamant that Harry
should truly know what he'd be getting into. He was going to keep his distance.
Perhaps tonight he would have some Sweet Dreams.

Colin Creevey had finished his film-developing potion that made the pictures
move. Severus was checking his potion before he left. Harry asked Gwen why
Colin was even there, since he seemed to make the potion mostly without
assistance from Snape.

"He had been making it in his dorm, and after the second fire, the
Headmaster required him to do it here. He makes it a lot. He must take a ton of
pictures." she said. Harry winced at the thought of him being the subject
of so many pictures. He had noticed that a few times that evening, Colin had
obviously wanted to get out his camera. It was the first time he would get a
picture of Harry in a classroom setting. Harry wondered if he would grow up to
be a great photographer or a stalker.

Harry's potion was cooling; he was disappointed to have to leave so soon. It
was fun. More so after Colin had left. At one point in the evening, both Harry
and Gwen's potions needed to simmer for 20 minutes, and they had a talked.
Mostly it was Gwen talking about her plans to study in France where she hoped
to be next month. Severus told them about his own apprenticeship. It didn’t
sound as much fun as what Gwen had planned, but it was interesting to hear of
some of his past. Severus didn’t say it of course, but Harry thought the Master
that taught Sev potions might have been a Death Eater, or at least a supporter.


Harry started cleaning his workspace when he felt a tinge of pain in his
scar. He braced himself on the worktable for a second before looking up at Sev.
Severus did not flinch despite the deep pain emanating from his Mark, but his
dark eyes locked with Harry's, full of meaning. Severus quickly checked the
stage of brewing Gwen was at. She was almost finished, and could easily
continue without him. Severus walked briskly to his desk, retrieving something
Harry couldn’t see, and headed straight for the supply cupboard. He called to
Harry to bring him an ingredient from the cabinet on the back wall, and
continued filling a large pouch full of vials. As soon as Harry entered with
the ingredient, Severus rambled off a small list of things he wanted Harry to
find, and told Harry to stay with Gwen after he left, in case she needed a
hand, then he went off to make up an excuse to her for his abrupt departure.
Harry carefully packed the vials, making sure each lid was closed tight.
Concentrating so hard on his task, he barely registered the touch on his face.
The gentle hand pulled his face around. Harry eagerly looked up, waiting for
more instructions, when soft lips met his own. Severus was kissing him. For
only a brief second, Harry's mind went in several directions, but he was soon
lost in the kiss. When had his hands wrapped around my head, cradling me
tenderly? He felt so safe in those hands. Severus gave him a slow and
tentative kiss, it was meant to be short, but meaningful, or at least he
started that way. Harry let out a small sound, a cross between a whimper and a
moan, and Severus ravaged his mouth.

When Harry finally began to more eagerly reciprocate, Sev remembered he had
somewhere to be. Harry stood, head tilted, mouth slightly open. When his eyes
fluttered open, Severus grinned. It had been some time since he’d seen Harry
look well kissed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Half an hour later Gwen was finishing her potion.

"Let's test this out, shall we," she said enthusiastically. Harry
nodded eagerly, sharing in her enthusiasm. Gwen had cooled off two vials of the
potion, leaving the rest to simmer. "Take a good look at my face,"
she said. Harry didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary. She was pretty.
What was he supposed to see? Colin came back into the room for a bag he forgot
as she downed the vial in one go, and held up a mirror. The two boys watched,
looking to see some dramatic change. A small brown mole appeared on her cheek. "See
it?" she said beaming.

"Um, you brewed a potion for hours to make a mole?" Colin asked
incredulously. Harry thought the same thing, but wouldn't be so rude as to say
so. Gwen snickered.

"No, silly, I had the mole. Professor Snape placed a very powerful concealing
charm on it. I know it sounds like some cosmetic potion, but it has other
benefits, too. When vain witches and wizards began paying other people to place
stronger cosmetic charms on them, they didn’t realize the charm went more than
skin deep. That could affect medical treatment. It's now common practice to give this potion in hospitals when
the patient is unable to confirm if they used concealment charms. The Ministry
uses it on people in custody." She was so proud.

"Smile," called Colin. Harry was used to this, but the flash took
Gwen by surprise. Harry saw the open vial of lemongrass fall from her hand.
Harry tried to catch it; his hand darted out so quickly one would think he was
catching a snitch for England. Harry caught the vial, but the lemongrass
spilled out and his hand went into the potion up to his wrist. The potion was
ruined.

Guinivere watched her dreams slip away with the lemongrass. She screamed at
Colin, who ran from the dungeons, and then she slumped into a chair, a tear
running down her face.

"Can't you make it again?" asked Harry, optimistically. "Come
on, you just did it, it's fresh in your mind. I'll assist," he pushed. She
expressed her fear of asking him to help because the potion took hours, and it
was already past nine-thirty. She also needed ingredients from the Potion
Master’s private stores. "What kind of Gryffindor would I be if I didn't
aide a damsel in distress?" he said lightheartedly, and held out a hand to
help her up. Gwen reached for his hand
and gasped.

"Your hand! Let me see it!" she said, grabbing his arm to get a
closer look. He had burned it when it submerged in her potion. "Sit here,
I'll be right back," she called as she was already half way to the supply
cupboard. Within ten minutes she mixed up a yucky looking orange colored paste
that she spread over the burned skin. Harry noted her hands were soft and
gentle. He could see the attraction, but preferred Sev's strong, yet gentle
hands. He thought maybe it was that he liked being mothered by her. She was very
kind. I like being mothered by a seventh year, and kissed by someone my
Mum's age. That's a scary thought. At times it did make him think, ‘What
was he getting into?’ but most times he couldn’t imagine being with anyone
but Sev. He thought about the kiss, and the fact that by now those same soft
lips had probably kissed the hem of Voldemort's robes tonight. Harry flinched
at the thought. "Does that hurt?" asked Gwen as she finished wrapping
his hand. Harry shook his head no, still thinking about what Severus was doing.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Severus was thinking about what Harry was doing. He thought about the kiss,
the look on Harry's face. How he wanted to see that look again. Severus felt a
tingling sensation just below his belly, but the potion he took kept him from
getting an erection. Perhaps tonight was the perfect time for some Sweet
Dreams. He could dream about his Harry,
and wake up clean. Severus casually looked up when he heard someone standing in
the doorway. In walked the Dark Lord, closely followed by Lucius Malfoy.
Voldemort was holding a crystal sphere.

"What are you brewing, Severus?" asked the Dark Lord, knowing the
answer already. He was holding the sphere.

"Poison, my Lord," answered Severus quicker than he had planned.
Voldemort nodded. His red eyes glistened.

"Your expression was one of content, Severus. What were you thinking
about before you knew I was at the door?"

"Harry Potter, my Lord," Severus' face remained cold and
emotionless. He was one of the few who could lie to Voldemort undetected.
Harry's name came out of his mouth without a second thought. What the hell
was that sphere?

Voldemort smiled. "I like that you think about Harry Potter while you
brew poison, Severus. With any luck, you may administer it personally one
day." After Lucius and the Dark Lord left, Severus adjusted the potion
slightly. It would still kill, but the fragrance was more potent, making it
more obvious if slipped into food or drink. Anyone who knew what to look for
had a good chance of detecting it before ingesting it. Too bad he couldn’t give
it to Nott. The little bastard.

"Hello Severus," said Lucius. His voice like silk, he walked like
silk too, strolling into the room. "What did you think of the new toy I
found for our Lord?"

"Scary," Sev answ, ag, again too quickly for his blood. Lucius
must have it in his hand. He was standing closer than usual. Lucius had been
put off by the lack of attention Severus paid to his hair, and didn't hide it.
"What were you thinking before I came in, Sev?" Severus thought now
would be a good time to test the sphere, to see if he could tell a selective
truth.

"Nott, revenge." Not bad, but leaves much room for improvement.
Sev told himself. "Don't call me Sev."

"Go ahead Sev, try to fight it. It makes it more fun this way, like
when we were kids." Lucius gave him a sardonic smile. Severus didn't
always do well against Lucius, but they were no longer kids, and Severus could
hold his own, and Lucius knew that. Never the less it was fun to challenge Severus.
Lucius always liked the game. "Draco tells me you had a talk with young
Nott….

Things went on like that for a while. Severus managed to get around the
truth. Luckily the truth wasn't that hard to manipulate. He just wished Lucius would tire of the game
so he could finish the damn potion, and get back to the castle. As it turned
out, the sphere was a rare gift a Death Eater came across on holiday in India.
Since Voldemort could tell when someone was lying, he gave it to Lucius.
Severus didn't want to think about what Lucius would have to do later to show
his gratitude.

When Severus finally apparated back to the edge of the Hogwarts grounds, and
dragged his tired arse to the dungeons, he was about to enter his personal
rooms when he noticed the light on in his lab. He cautiously opened the door to
find the lab clean, Guinivere Jennings finished potion bottled and on his desk
with a note. When he walked around the desk he spotted Harry asleep on a cot
near the corner. He decided to read the note.

Professor Snape,

There was a mishap with my
potion. Harry was kind enough to assist me in brewing the potion again. I
needed supplies from your private stores. Harry remembered your password from
earlier, and opened the cabinet for me. Please don’t be mad with Harry, I
couldn’t have done this without his help. If you do feel the need to get
aggravated I could suggest a certain photographer. Unfortunately Harry was
burned in an attempt to save my potion, but I treated him with the burn paste,
and I expect it to baledaled by now. Knowing the clean up would take a while, I
begged him to go, but he refused to leave me. He's so sweet; too bad I'm not
his type. I transfigured a chair, and told him to sleep. If you're reading this
I've finished cleaning up and didn't want to wake him for at least another half
hour when I willcheck his burn.

Sincerely exhausted,

Guinivere

Severus dropped the note, and
knelt by Harry. Harry had gotten up earlier to use the loo, and removed the burn
paste himself. Not a mark was left. Severus was looking for the bright orange
mixture, not finding any. He ran a finger across Harry's brow moving the hair
out of his face. Harry sighed in his peaceful sleep, rolling over, exposing his
neck, and long band of scar tissue that began somewhere around the back of his
neckto behind his right ear. The door opened, Severus stood up. Gwen padded in.
She picked up Harry's hand inspecting it for any signs of the accident.

"The paste worked wonders
I see. The burn had been such an angry looking red. I had no idea what a great
guy Harry was. I guess with all the fame, you think you know a person. We
talked so much." She had gotten so over tired; relieved the potion was
complete, that she was getting punchy.

"Did you say, you thought
the paste worked wonders?" he said in disbelief. "There's a terrible scar that seems to wrap around his whole
head, and you don't think he should have gone to the infirmary?"

Severus didn't see Harry
wince.