The Friday Boy

CHAPTER 40

“Stop fidgeting.” Harry straightened himself on the small milking stool as Snape circled the dingy little store they currently stood in. With it’s unorganized chaotic fabric racks, the faceless dummies and off cut covered floor the place might have been mistaken for Madam Mankin’s Robe Shop in Diagon Alley but it certainly wasn’t the fresh faced old witch that owned this place.

“Are you sure he can’t see me?” Harry whispered a little too loudly as Snape passed him in his slow perusal of the shop. Harry looked down at the old wizard knelt on the floor at his feet, currently flicking his wand at the heavy thick material Harry was draped in. Snape rolled his eyes as he watched the wizard currently making Harry’s robe glance up. The sight of the man’s milky gaze made Harry swallow in disgust. Where a pair of blue sparkling eyes might have been a long time ago, now a milky silvery pair of irises stared up at him unblinkingly.

“I’m positive.” Snape flippantly remarked. Harry knew the obligatory ‘Potter’ was added onto the end of the sentence, even if Snape hadn’t verbalized it. No one spoke of names in this part of Diagon Alley and Harry was at least comforted that he was anonymous beneath the safety of his invisibility cloak. “Gerald Flint is a traitor, and as such was punished for his crimes.” Harry swallowed hard as he watched the older wizard at his feet sigh heavily at Snape’s cold regard. Harry knew the Flint’s, had run into Marcus Flint on more than one unpleasant occasion at school. Never would Harry have imagined Marcus’ father would be so labeled, when Marcus himself enjoyed the company of Draco, Crabbe and Goyle.

“Master of the Manor must be holding his first party of the year Professor, I have made six of these in the last few days.” Gerald Flint hauled himself up from the floor satisfied that he’d cut the right length of fabric to suit his client’s needs. Harry watched on in aw as Gerald walked easily around his cluttered shop, not a sign he had lost his sight.

“The Ministry spoil all our amusements.” Snape commented coolly as he helped Harry off with the cut fabric and laid them out on the counter that Gerald was now standing behind.

“Your partner professor seems very fine, I am envious of how you come by such gems?” Harry raised a surprised eyebrow at Snape who merely sniffed indignantly and dropped a small leather pouch of galleons onto the counter top.

“Sixteen as agreed, I will expected them delivered tomorrow morning.” Harry knew Snape was irritated by the shopkeeper’s inquisitiveness and so pointedly avoiding answering the question aimed at him. Harry watched as Gerald groped blindly on the counter top for a second before his hand clamped over the money pouch, which was quickly squirreled away from view. Harry grimaced as he watched Gerald smile his teeth crooked and mangy, like old tombstones covered in moss.

“Enjoy the party Professor.” Snape nodded at Harry as he strode towards the door, quickly Harry flung his invisibility cloak around himself before scurrying after Snape and out into the dark unsavory street that was Knockturn Alley. Snape having pulled up his own cloak hood strode confidently through the uneven coble street until finally he emerged onto the bustling metropolis of Diagon Alley again. Harry looked longingly at the shops as he followed Snape as the man strode through the crowds towards the apparition point. Harry would have dearly loved to do a little shopping but Snape was neither welcome nor willing to enter any of the shops. Automatically clutching at Snape’s waist as they stepped up onto platform, Harry sighed as he felt the tug of apparition before Diagon Alley was gone in a swirl of colour.

Harry winced as he landed, feeling decidedly ill and his stomach aching in the way it had been for the last three days. Pushing the feeling aside though Harry called after Snape.

“I can not believe I’m getting death eater robes. Dumbledore can’t have agreed to this.” Harry pulled off the invisibility cloak as soon as his feet hit the damp grass of the front lawn before Hogwart’s castle gates. Snape had already taken off abruptly back towards the castle and Harry had to run to keep up with his lover’s long strides.

“Perhaps he doesn’t agree but he knows it’s essential. Besides the fact this will provide the perfect opportunity for you to get close to Voldemort. If we decide to trial the Severance Potion, these parties would provide the opportunity for the potion to be administered.” Snape was already climbing the stairs of the front entrance as Harry came scrambling up the path behind him, one hand clutching his invisibility cloak the other rubbing his stomach in pain of the run. “What on earth are you doing?” Harry came to an abrupt halt as Snape spun around in the foyer and glared at Harry, who was panting and wincing at the same time as he held his stomach in pain.

“I told you I think I’ve stretched a muscle or something.” Harry muttered as he straightened himself up and let his hand fall away from his stomach.

“And did you take the muscle relaxant like I told you and the pain potion I offered?” Snape accused pointedly, his arms folded across his chest as he watched Harry lean heavily against the statue of Godric Gryfindor beside him.

“Yes.” Harry snapped sharply as he threw his invisibility cloak at Snape before he bent over double to try and ease the ache in his belly. “And neither of them did anything! I probably got cold in it; you don’t half hog the blankets at night. Or I could have pulled a muscle dusting the top shelves of your bookcase on Monday.” Snape rolled his eyes as he turned to continue on down to the dungeons. Harry obediently followed hissing in pain as he took the stairs gingerly.

“It’s my bed Potter, I have not had to share it with anyone for at least 25 years and if I choose to ‘hog the blanket’s’ as you put it, I shall. I warned you to get the house elves to give you another. As for dusting my shelves, I didn’t ask you to do that, you did it just because it was irritating you and you were bored, when you should have been reading the diary.” Snape waved his wand over the empty portrait in the dead end corridor and Harry stepped through into the warm lounge room after Snape. “Perhaps it is wise to owl Madam Pomfrey, she maybe able to shed some light on your ailment, as it seems none of my cures are helping.” Snape hung both Harry’s invisibility cloak and his own cloak up on the hat stand by the door before turning to face Harry who was now slumped on the couch, still rubbing his stomach. “I’m going into my lab, I don’t wish to be disturbed.” With a curt nod in Harry’s direction Snape had disappeared into his workroom, the door slamming closed behind him. Harry sighed heavily as he glanced at the coffee table where the diary sat. Harry had memorized the bizarre rules and have even gained a little insight to what this party on Friday was all about. With a sigh Harry got up and moved over to the little desk under Snape’s old Potion’s Masters Portrait. Scroungining around in the clutter Harry found an ink well, a quill and some spare parchment. Harry would take Snape’s advice and owl Madam Pomfrey but not before he’d written to Hermione first. What ever was wrong with Harry had to be a muggle condition if none of Snape’s potions were working.

TBC>>>>>>>>>>