Standing Against the Tides

Last time I looked at my driver’s license, it did not say J. K. Rowling. Yep, it’s just me, an unpaid and unknown aspiring writer. The characters of the Potterverse do not belong to me and I am making no money from this endeavor.

A/N: Spoilers through OotP. As I am still in denial, I refuse to acknowledge the events of HBP or DH at this point.

Unbeta’d as BabyGurl is busy with her own life.


Chapter 7 Building Alliances

Harry approached the door to Snape’s bedroom, preparing to dismantle the wards he had earlier placed, only to find the door swinging open of its own accord. Frowning, Harry cautiously moved forward, wondering how he was going to explain everything to his professor. Looking up, the young wizard was surprised to see not only Professor Snape watching him, but also Dobby.

“What happened, Potter?” Severus asked quickly. He had felt the surge of power emanating from the next room a few minutes ago and when his door had swung open he noted that the young man had seemed shocked.

“I, I don’t know sir,” Harry quietly answered. “I just wanted the Headmaster to leave, and then he was gone. And, sir? I am sorry, but I seem to have lost the door to your chambers.”

Snape snorted. “Potter, it may have escaped your notice, but you are a wizard. I am certain that if you use that mass that sits between your ears you may indeed deduce how to bring back what you have so carelessly misplaced.”

Harry ran a hand through his hair, trying to figure out just what he had done. Honestly, he couldn’t think of how he could have done what he seemed to have done… He shouldn’t have been able to do what he seemed to have done… Harry opened his eyes when he felt an insistent tugging on his robe. “Harry Potter, sir. Dobby is thinking he is knowing what is happening.”

The house-elf was literally bouncing on his heels in his excitement. Harry knelt down and placed a hand on the bobbing house-elf, trying to calm the creature who seemed to be in danger of jiggling itself to pieces. “Dobby, please tell me what you suspect,” Harry pleaded.

“Oh, Harry Potter, sir. Dobby is thinking that the castle is helping Harry Potter.” Huge, luminous green eyes gazed up trustingly into the confused eyes of the young wizard. Smiling, Dobby placed his hand over one of Harry’s. “Dobby is thinking that the castle is wanting you to be its master. We house elves is being noticing that the castle is not wanting to listen to the Headmaster. Dobby is thinking the castle is choosing you, Harry Potter, sir, to be the next Headmaster.”

Now two pairs of eyes stared in disbelief at the diminutive and obviously crazed creature. Harry tried to speak, but only a high-pitched squeak emerged from his uncooperative mouth. Or maybe it was his brain that wasn’t working…

Severus Snape decided he had never heard anything so ludicrous as this and his snort aptly communicated his thoughts on the matter. The very idea of Harry Potter being the next Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was ridiculous, absurd, impossible, obscene, frightening, terrifying. The Potions master shook his head to clear it of the nonsensical and disturbing thoughts swirling through his mind.

“As comforting a thought as this is,” he sneered, “we still have the immediate problem of the current Headmaster to confront.”

Snape’s naturally acidic personality drew Harry out of the fog Dobby’s words had created. “Sorry sir, it’s just that that was not what I was expecting to hear, but now that I think about it, some things have been happening lately, but I didn’t know why,” Harry frowned as he recalled some of the ways the castle had been ‘helping’ him lately.

“Well, I for one, have no intention of believing anything that obviously deranged house-elf says. The very notion is nauseating,” Severus Snape finished with a huff.

Harry sighed, “Why don’t we eat now and try to figure things out later, sir? Whatever the reason, it is obvious that the castle is now working with me. And you are right, we do need to figure out what to do with the Headmaster.” Turning to the still bobbing Dobby, Harry smiled. “Dobby, would you mind keeping an eye on Professor Dumbledore for us? I want to make sure that he cannot harm anyone.”

“Would Harry Potter like Dobby to keep Dumbly in his office, Harry Potter, sir?” Dobby asked excitedly. He truly wanted to help his wizard friend in anyway he could. And if that meant that he had to keep the wayward Headmaster in line, then so be it.

“That would be fine, Dobby,” Harry answered.

“Before you go,” the Potions master interjected, “I would like you to quietly search the Headmaster’s office for a potion. If my suspicions are correct, you may find it with his tea service. Once you have found it, bring the potion here.”

Seeing his Harry Potter nod in agreement with the older wizard, Dobby snapped his fingers and popped out of the room.

The Potions master pulled back the covers and carefully got out of his bed. Harry pulled a dressing gown out of the large wardrobe and helped the professor into the garment. Slowly, the still recovering man crossed the room to sit gingerly on one of the chairs by the fire. Harry followed and put together a plate of the delicious smelling food for the older man before getting his own food.

The two thoughtful men sat by the merrily crackling fire, both eating quietly as they pondered the happenings of the past twenty-four hours. Severus was uncomfortably coming to the conclusion that his life had just changed irrevocably and that he must now figure out how to work with the very same young man he had spent so much time gleefully antagonizing over the past several years.

Harry found his mind wandering to all the recent times when the castle had opened doors, stilled staircases, and provided what he needed just when he realized the need. Could it possibly be true, he wondered? But, why him and why now? After all, he was still a student himself. And even though the idea of returning to Hogwarts to teach had a certain appeal, there was still that minor problem of a certain self-described Dark Lord named Voldemort out there. Oh, and let’s not forget a few dozen Death Eaters who would also love to have Harry’s head on a stick. Unable to help himself, Harry just had to snigger at the idea of that particular treat for sale at Honeyduke’s Sweet Shop.

Dinner was quickly finished as neither man wished to interrupt it by speaking and Dobby came back to clear away the tray. Nodding solemnly to the Potions master, the diminutive elf carefully pulled out a potions vial and handed it over to the stern professor. Dobby then turned and smiled at his Harry Potter before popping back out with the used tray.

Facing the man he would likely be working with for the foreseeable future, Harry steeled himself for more discussion. “Sir, what are we going to do about the Headmaster?”

The Potions master was swirling the liquid in the vial he had been handed. He wore a thoughtful expression as he unstoppered the vial and sniffed the contents. Apparently satisfied that he had indeed correctly identified the potion, the older wizard replaced the stopper and set the vial off to the side. Only then did the Potions master look over at his student. “It is as I suspected. The potion the Headmaster has apparently been using on us is the ‘Convertere cor cordis’ potion.” At the confused look from the younger man, Severus sighed. “The name means ‘to alter the heart’,” the Potions master explained, with more patience than might have been expected from the often irritated man.

Brow furrowed, Harry looked over at his professor, “So, he was trying to manipulate us then.” Harry couldn’t go on as the enormity of what the man they had both trusted had seemingly done to them. Sorrowful green eyes gazed at the older wizard, who found his breath catching in his throat at the sight.

Clearing his throat, Severus attempted to ignore the warm feeling that began in his chest and was seeping out into the rest of his body. Sternly he reminded himself that this was a student and beyond approach. “Indeed, Mr. Potter. The why still needs to be determined, but it would appear that we have at least part of the answer as to the how. At this point, I believe it would be beneficial to call the Deputy-Headmistress in and inform her of these developments. It would be to our advantage to have Professor McGonagall on our side in this.”

Harry absently nodded. He knew that his Head of House was a strict educator, but he also knew that she was fair and open-minded. Surely she would listen to them and help them figure out what to do.

The deep voice of his Potions master drew Harry out of his musings. He blinked to see that the older man was fire-calling Professor McGonagall and asking for her presence in his chambers. Standing back up, Severus Snape turned to his student and said that the Transfigurations teacher would be arriving shortly. Raising an elegant eyebrow at the younger man, Severus proceeded to inform him that the Deputy-Headmistress would be arriving via Floo since he seemed to be still missing the door to his chambers. Smugly, he noted that the brat had the grace to blush in embarrassment.