Harry's Search For Love

Chapter 2

Before dawn Mrs. Weasley, who had a plate of bacon sandwiches levitating in the air by her side, shook Harry awake. "Wake up, Harry. You need to get dressed and eat in a hurry. It will be dawn soon." Harry sat up, wiping the sleep from his eyes, and reached for his glasses.

Ron moaned from the other bed. "Is that bacon I smell?" he asked, coming awake.

Mrs. Weasley looked down at her youngest son fondly. "Yes, it's bacon you smell. But these sandwiches are for Harry. Get up and help Harry bring his bag down to the kitchen. I'll fix your sandwiches after everyone has left." Mrs. Weasley turned and left the room, leaving the door open on her way out.

Harry got up and handed one of the sandwiches to a groggy Ron. "Come on, Ron. Eat up. We don't have much time." Ron munched on the sandwich while he watched Harry get dressed.

After he had placed the last bite of sandwich into his mouth, Ron spoke. "I wish I could go with you. It's going to be boring without you here."

Harry looked at Ron, smiling. "I'll be back in a few days. While I'm gone, why don't you see if you and Ginny can visit Hermione?"

Ron brightened at the thought. "Good idea, Harry. I just might do that." Ron carried Harry's bag downstairs and into the kitchen.

Charlie and Thomas were sitting at the table drinking coffee. Dirty dishes from breakfast were pushed to the side. Charlie looked at Ron and Harry when they came into the room. "Ready, Harry?" Charlie asked rising from the table.

"All packed. Is the Portkey here yet?"

Mrs. Weasley, who was preparing breakfast, turned and handed Charlie a battered tennis racket. "Here, Charlie, it arrived late last night. Albus said it would activate at dawn." Mrs. Weasley looked at Harry. "Now you be careful at Remus'. The first sign of trouble, you Floo back here." Mrs. Weasley gathered Harry into a hug, as tears welled in her eyes. "I'm going to miss you, Harry."

Ron rolled his eyes, and pulled Harry from his mother's arms. "Mum, Harry is going to Remus' house. Not to the moon. He'll be back in a couple of days."

Charlie reached for the bag and groaned. "Good Lord, Harry, did you pack a hippogriff?"

"No, just my Potions school books. I might as well get my assignments started while I'm gone."

Mrs. Weasley sniffed. "That is very responsible of you, Harry. Ron could take a lesson from you."

At this Ron groaned. "Mum, I was wanting to see Hermione while Harry was gone. We could study together, if I can."

Mrs. Weasley looked at her youngest son, smiling. "We will discuss this later, after everyone has departed."

Looking out the window, Thomas said, "Dawn is here. You had better get ready."

Harry walked over to Charlie and placed his hand on the tennis racket. A few seconds later he felt the familiar tug in his belly, and was pulled toward Remus' house.

Only seconds later, Harry and Charlie were standing outside a house that looked like it had been abandoned. The grass was high, the paint peeling, and shingles were falling off the roof. What was left of the front porch was rotting. Harry looked at Charlie uncertainly. "Are we at the right place?"

Before Charlie could respond, the door opened and Severus was standing there. "Good morning, Charlie. Right on time, Mr. Potter. I was just sitting the ingredients out for the Wolfsbane Potion. Remus hasn't gotten up, but he has prepared the first room on the left, at the top of the stairs for your use. Take your bag up, and then meet me in the kitchen. We can get started on the potion."

Severus moved aside to let them enter the house. Harry was amazed to see that while the outside of the house showed neglect, the inside of the house was warm and inviting. As Charlie walked through the door, Severus touched his arm. "Charlie, can I have a word with you in the kitchen?"

"Sure, Sev. Harry, do you think you can find your room without me?"

Harry snorted with disgust. "Yeah, I think I can. I'm not five, you know. I can follow basic instructions."

Severus glared down at Harry and sneered, "That, Potter, is debatable."

Harry quickly went up the stairs and unpacked. Not knowing if he would need his Potions books he grabbed them and headed downstairs. He walked down the hall to the back of the house and stopped at the door of the kitchen. Harry saw Charlie and Severus standing at the kitchen sink, kissing. He smiled at the look on Charlie's face. Severus had to be blind not to see how Charlie felt about him.

Harry cleared his throat so they could separate without being too embarrassed. Placing his books on a shelf, he commented to the room in general, "If you two people are going to shag, could you please do it in another room? I have to eat in here, you know."

Severus' normally pale face went pink with embarrassment, and he started moving away from Charlie. Charlie grabbed his lover's hand and pulled him back close. "Sorry, Harry, I just couldn't resist the moment. We don't get a lot of one on one time together."

Severus, not used to public displays of affection, especially in front of students, looked mortified at Charlie. When his brain kicked in he spoke rather shakily. "Potter, excuse us for a moment. Just don't touch anything until I return."

He pulled Charlie out into the hallway. "Potter knows about us?"

Charlie pulled Severus to him and kissed his forehead. "Yes, he knows about us. He knows you make me happy, Sev. Now relax. Go back in there and get started on the potion. I honestly believe you will find for yourself that he approves of us. We will talk more about this later. If you need me, I'll be in the living room reading the paper."

Before Charlie could pull away, Severus reached up and held Charlie's face in his hands. "I'll always need you, Red," he said, kissing Charlie gently on the lips, his face still slightly pink.

Severus, still mortified that Harry knew about his relationship with Charlie, slowly walked back into the room and over to the table. His mind was spinning wondering how he was going to deal with Harry now that he knew something so personal and private about him. He knew that since Harry had seen into his personal pensieve over a year ago, Harry had been treating him with more respect and had not been arguing with him as much.

Harry looked at Severus, and quickly decided to give him a break. "Look, Professor Snape. I have known you for six years now. I know you're a very private person. I won't say anything to anyone. I promise. What I know about you and Charlie doesn't change our relationship. You're still my professor for one more year. You can still run my arse through the ringer at school, okay? You have to, for all our sakes."

Severus looked down at Harry thoughtfully, surprised that Harry wasn't even hinting he was going to use the information as a source of blackmail. "You really have matured over the past year. Thank you, Potter, for understanding the situation and your discretion. I'm grateful. But we aren't in school now, and considering the time we are going to be spending together this summer, I will allow you to address me in private by my name, Severus."

Harry looked up at Severus with a twinkle in his eye. "Why can't I call you Sev, like Charlie?"

Severus frowned. "Because we aren't that close."

Harry laughed at the look on Severus' face. "I was yanking your chain, Prof.... um Severus."

"Well, I don't like having my chain yanked by a student. Let's get started on this potion."

Harry worked alongside Severus all morning, preparing the ingredients for the potion. When they had sliced, diced, and measured all the ingredients needed, Severus magiked a quill to write as he told Harry exactly how to create the potion. Around lunchtime when the all the ingredients had been added to the mixture, and it was simmering in the pot, they heard footsteps coming from the hallway. Remus entered the kitchen. Harry, who was standing at the sink cleaning up, smiled when Remus said his name.

"Harry, I'm delighted to have you here in my home. Are you hungry?" Remus asked, walking slowly into the kitchen. His every step seemed to show exactly how much discomfort he was in.

Harry, seeing Remus for the first time, was startled at how thin he had become. He shook his head. "Why don't you sit at the table and let me fix you something to eat? Mrs. Weasley packed some of her homemade vegetable soup and bread for us to enjoy, since she knew we were going to be spending most of the day working on the potion. I'm almost finished cleaning up from making the potion. It will be ready in just a moment."

Harry quickly finished cleaning the dishes, and pulled out the soup and bread. He put it on the stove to warm. After a few minutes, Harry carried the bowl to Remus. "Here you go, Remus. I heated it up a bit. See if it's warm enough for you."

Remus sampled the soup and smiled up at Harry. "It's perfect, Harry. Come eat with me so we can catch up."

Harry looked at Severus, who was standing at the cauldron stirring the potion, watching as Remus took small bites of soup. "Professor Snape, would you like something to eat?"

"Thank you, Harry, but I'm not hungry right now. However, I do need to discuss something with Charlie, in private."

Charlie appeared at the door and sniffed, the scent of the warmed soup drawing him in. "Did someone say my name?"

Severus looked at his lover, smiling slightly. "Yes, I did. Can I see you upstairs? I need to discuss something with you, in private."

Harry rolled his eyes and turned to retrieve a bowl for himself. "I'll take care of Remus. When you get finished with your talk, you can heat your lunch yourself."

Charlie smiled at Harry, realizing he wasn't fooled for a minute why Severus wanted to discuss something with him in private. He looked back at Severus. "Okay, Sev, let's go talk."

Harry waited until they were on the stairs before calling out, "Please don't use my room for your talk. I'll be sleeping in there."

Remus, who had just taken a drink of water, started choking. He was shocked that Harry knew about Severus' relationship with Charlie. He looked at Harry with a twinkle in his eye. "I take it you know about those two?" Remus asked. At Harry's nod, Remus sat back in his chair. "Well, well. Sev is slipping."

Harry looked up at Remus, puzzled. "Slipping? Why would you say that?"

Remus picked up a slice of bread and started buttering it. "Severus is a very private person. If you know about his relationship with Charlie, he must be more in love than he wants to admit." He looked at Harry thoughtfully. "Who else knows?"

"As far as I know just Thomas, myself, and you. Why? I promised them both I wouldn't tell anyone." Harry picked up his spoon and looked into Remus' bowl. "Eat Remus, you are going to need your strength tonight. And Mrs. Weasley's cooking shouldn't be wasted." The two men ate their lunch in companionable silence.

While Harry was cleaning up the lunch dishes, he told Remus about the chant he was going to be doing during Remus' transformation that evening.

Remus got up from the table, and walked to stand behind Harry. He placed a hand on his shoulder to get his attention. "I want to thank you for wanting to help me tonight. I'll be okay with just taking the Wolfsbane Potion. I have been injured like this before, and other than discomfort from the transformation slowing down my healing, nothing bad has ever happened."

Harry turned to look at Remus. "Don't be ridiculous, Remus. The chant is really cool, and I'll be perfectly safe. The potion will keep you calm. The chant, as I understand it, will help you during your transformation back and forth to be as pain free as possible, until you are back to new. If you'll excuse me, I need to start on some of my homework."

Harry grabbed his Potions books that he had brought down with him earlier that day. He turned at the door, looking back at Remus who was still standing at the sink. "Remus, I know you aren't feeling well. Please go take a nap. Let me take care of you for a change. Okay?" Harry smiled to take the sting out of the words. He headed into the study, to start working on his Potions homework.

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A little while later Charlie and Severus came back downstairs. Charlie headed towards the kitchen for food. Severus, who had noticed Harry in the study working on his potion assignment, stopped and leaned against the doorframe. Still unsure if Harry was plotting some kind of blackmail, he softly spoke when Harry didn't acknowledge his presence. "Harry, it's good to see you are being productive with your time here."

Harry, who was completely engrossed in his work, looked up at Severus. "Uh, huh. Yeah I am, Prof..." He corrected himself when he saw Severus raise an eyebrow. "Severus. Can I ask you a question about Potions?"

Severus, with an amused smirk on his face that caused Harry to stare, walked into the study and sat down in the only vacant chair in the room. "What's your question, Harry? Keep in mind, I won't help you with your current assignment."

Harry turned in his chair to look at Severus. "No it's not about this. Just something that I have been wondering about since finding out I was a wizard, and I started learning Potions."

"Okay, Harry, what's your question? What's troubling that mind of yours about Potions?" Severus asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Cauldrons, sir."

Severus, with a puzzled expression on his face, asked, "Cauldrons?"

"Yes, sir. When I purchased mine, I had to buy a pewter one. But I saw all kinds of different types. You were even using a gold one to make Remus' potion. What's the difference?" Harry asked looking intently at Severus.

Severus shook his head and sneered. "I can't believe you are still in my Advanced potions class asking that question."

"Seriously, Pr...S...Severus. What's the difference? I may have known the answer to this if I had been raised in a magical home. But, I wasn't. You know that I was raised in a Muggle house, with people who hated magic."

When he saw the scowl forming on Severus face, he held his hand up to keep him from interrupting. "I'm not using that as an excuse, really. I've only had you to guide me through this during the school year. And to be bloody honest, I quit trying to ask you questions years ago when I was uncertain about something. Anytime anyone asked you a question you took their head off, if that person was of Muggle parentage and House points away. I have checked the schoolbooks for an explanation and I can't find anything. And all we have ever used at Hogwarts is the pewter cauldrons."

Severus frowned as he listened to Harry. "Harry, I'm sorry. I never realized how much you were up against. I have wrongly assumed since you were James and Lily's son, you would naturally know certain things. Why don't I give you a crash course in Potions basics while we're here taking care of Remus? I can bring in additional cauldrons and we can brew a simple calming draught in them. That way you can see the difference that using different types of cauldrons have on to the same potion."

Just as Harry was about to thank Severus for his help, suddenly his scar started hurting and Severus grabbed his arm. Knowing from past experience that Voldemort was summoning his Death Eaters whenever Severus grabbed his arm, Harry called out for Charlie.

Charlie came quickly into the room, saw Severus holding his arm and Harry holding his head, and went to Severus. "Go, Sev. Do what you have to do. I'll make sure all goes well tonight."

With a grimace Severus Disapparated.

Charlie stared at the spot where Severus had been standing, a lost look forming on his face. Harry, still rubbing his scar, stood up and touched him on his back. "Charlie, he knows what he is doing. If he knows you're worried about him, it could make him careless."

Charlie sighed, grateful Harry understood what was going through his mind. "I know Harry. It's just that I have never felt for anyone like I feel for Sev. It's good to have someone to talk to about this. Thanks, Harry, you're quickly becoming a great little brother."

Charlie managed a smile and looked at Harry. With a gleam forming in his eye as he mentally shook himself out of his dark mood, he started rubbing his stomach. "I'm starving. Shagging always makes me hungry. Come on and join me for an afternoon snack?"

"Ugh!" Harry stepped away from Charlie. "Charlie, now I'm going to have that image of you and Severus shagging in my head for the rest of the day. Thanks a lot, mate." Harry looked at the man disgustedly, but he couldn't resist asking, "Did your Mum send a batch of her cookies?"

"Better. She sent a double chocolate cake."

"All right! Let's go eat," said Harry and he dashed toward the kitchen.

"Teenagers." Charlie said shaking his head and following Harry back to the kitchen. He was happy that Harry was being so supportive and understanding concerning his feeling toward Severus.

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Late in the afternoon, Harry went into the kitchen and got a goblet and poured the potion into it. Harry walked into the living room, and looked at the man that was the last link to his parents. He knew that Severus and Dumbledore were also links to his parents, but Remus had a bond unlike anyone else. Remus had loved his parents.

Remus was sitting in a recliner with a blanket draped across him, his eyes closed. Without opening his eyes he frowned. "Is it time for me to take that dreaded potion?" Remus opened his eyes and reached for the goblet. He quickly swallowed the drink. "I think Severus intentionally makes that potion foul tasting just to spite me."

Harry smiled down at Remus. "Remus, I helped make the potion this time. I can assure you nothing was added in, that wasn't necessary."

Remus shivered as he removed the blanket. "I need to get moving and prepare for the moon. Can I help you with anything, Harry, before I go?"

Harry shook his head as he offered the man a hand getting up. "No, I have everything waiting in the kitchen and Charlie is my backup." He walked with the older man to the stairs. "You go get ready. Meet me in the kitchen when it's time to begin."

Harry walked into the kitchen and saw Charlie placing blankets in the corner near the fire for Remus to lie on during his transformation. Charlie glanced up when Harry walked in. "Are you ready to start?"

Harry sat down at the kitchen table. "Not quite. I'm waiting on Remus. He took the potion and went upstairs for a minute. Charlie," Harry looked up at Charlie, concerned, "have you ever seen Remus transform?"

Charlie sat down across from Harry at the table. "No, not Remus. But I've seen the transformation process. A co-worker of mine was bitten and he didn't have the potion. We had to lock him in a cage. It was the cruelest thing I've ever witnessed. I contacted Sev about getting the potion, but the man couldn't deal mentally with the curse. Before Sev could arrive the man took his own life." Charlie smiled slightly at the memory. "Actually, that's when we started seeing each other. It started out as us just talking, then I took a chance and kissed him."

Harry started to ask Charlie a question when he heard Remus coming back downstairs. Remus slowly walked into the room. Charlie jumped up and went to his side, placing his hand on Remus' arm for support. "Remus, are you okay?"

Remus patted the hand smiling sadly. "I'm just fine, Charlie."

Harry sat there watching them, concerned about the discomfort Remus must be in.

Remus smiled at Harry, when he saw the expression on his face. "Are you ready to start this Indian chant?"

"Whenever you're ready."

Remus looked over at the fire, noticing the blankets lying on the floor. "You didn't have to put blankets down. I'm used to the floor."

Charlie smiled slightly. "You have never been taken care of by a Weasley then."

Remus sat down on the blankets. He looked Harry in the eye, who was now sitting down in front of him. Remus nodded his head once, and closed his eyes. Charlie squeezed Harry's shoulder for support and stepped to the back of the kitchen.

Harry started the chant. He watched with amazement as Remus slowly started growing hair and his facial features contorted to that of a wolf. He could not believe that Remus went through this forced transformation on a monthly basis. Which was obviously extremely painful since his body was obviously fighting the transformation, without a complaint.

When Remus had transformed and was safely asleep, Harry stood up and walked into the living room, yawning. Seeing Severus and Charlie snuggled on the couch together asleep, Harry walked quietly to the chair Remus had been napping in earlier. Pulling the discarded blanket over him, Harry leaned back and quickly fell asleep.

Unbeknownst to Harry, Severus wasn't asleep. Severus opened his eyes and sat watching Harry as he fell asleep. His face completely masking his thoughts.

Charlie, sensing in his sleep the tension in his Severus' body beside him, stirred. "What's wrong?" Charlie murmured, snuggling into Severus' shoulder.

Severus got up and put his finger to his mouth for Charlie to be quiet. He pulled Charlie up from the couch and into the study, closing the door behind him. Severus sat down in the chair, and Charlie leaned against the door. "Sev, is something wrong?" he asked again, yawning.

Severus looked at Charlie, puzzled. "Harry seems to have taken our situation really well. Maybe, too well."

Charlie chuckled and sat down on the arm of the chair that Severus was sitting in. He leaned down and kissed Severus' forehead. "Don't worry about Harry. There's a logical reason for his acceptance." Charlie went on to explain the situation with Thomas and the conversations that he'd had with Harry before coming to Remus'.

"I want to be open with Harry. I had no one to talk to when I was his age. I have to ask, do you think you would you be willing to talk to him, if he needs to talk? I know you have to project your disdain for Harry. But I don't want him floating alone at Hogwarts, when I have to go back to Romania. He's as close to family to me as he can get, without being blood. And without hesitation, he accepted me and us. He's the only one of my family that knows."

Severus sat and thought about Charlie's reasoning, and his own path to self-awareness. "I'll try to talk to Harry in the morning. I don't think Harry will want to talk to me. However, I understand what you want to me do. The least I can do is let Harry know that I'm available to talk while he's at school. However, Harry needs to keep this journey he's making to himself at the present time. I know there are people out there who will jump at the opportunity to use this against him."

Severus smiled and pulled Charlie onto his lap. "You're making me soft, Red. I never dreamed I would be sharing confidences with anyone, much less a student."

Charlie pulled back a little from Severus and slowly slid his hand down Severus' chest. "You don't feel soft to me," Charlie said, smiling slyly.

Severus grinned wickedly at Charlie, quickly threw up a locking and silencing charm, and started devouring Charlie's mouth.

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About an hour before dawn, Charlie and Severus exited the study hand in hand. Harry was snoring softly in the chair, his glasses hanging on the edge of his nose. Charlie walked over to him and gently shook him. "Harry, wake up. You have a couple of minutes before you need to start the chant again."

Harry blinked and pushed his glasses back onto his nose. "Okay," Harry said, yawning, "let me use the bathroom and I'll start." Harry stumbled into the bathroom. He made quick use of the facilities, and splashed cold water on his face. Semi-awake, Harry walked into the kitchen, seeing Remus stirring, he started the first part of the chant before sitting down.

Harry sat and watched while the wolf became Remus again. Just like the night before Remus slowly transformed forcefully from a wolf back to a human. Harry timed the chant to end perfectly when Remus' transformation was complete. Severus, who was standing at the door watching, quickly summoned glasses of water and gave the glasses to Remus and Harry.

Severus knelt down to look at Remus. "Are you all right, Remus?"

Remus sat the glass down and stretched each leg and arm, smiling. "I haven't had that easy and painless a transformation since I was a young man." Remus looked at Harry and winked. "Harry, that chant of yours is truly a blessing."

Harry smiled, pleased that Remus was okay. "I just followed instructions. Thank Thomas when you meet him. He's the one who taught me."

Charlie, who had come in during the transformation to watch, was sitting on the edge of the table looking at Harry. "Good work, Harry. Mum will be proud. Now, get upstairs and get a couple more hours sleep."

Harry went upstairs, closed his bedroom door, stripped his clothes off, and slid naked into his bed. He hadn't had this personal luxury since leaving the Dursleys last summer. Even though he knew a couple of his roommates did without hesitation sleep nude, he felt uncomfortable doing so with a roomful of guys.

Just before noon, Harry was awakened by a knock on the door. Harry reaching for his glasses and croaked, "Come in."

Charlie opened the door and walked in. "Good afternoon, sleepy head. Sev is back and he said you two had a project to do today."

Harry drew a complete blank for a minute. "Oh yeah, right. I forgot."

"Well if it's not important, I can certainly put Sev's time to use," Charlie grinned, wiggling his eyebrows for effect.

"Ugh, Charlie. Come on. He's my professor." Spying a mark at the collar line on Charlie's throat, he asked, "What is that on your neck? Is that a hickey? How did you...? Ugh. Get out. I'm naked under this sheet and I need to get dressed."

Charlie, his eyes sparkling with mischief, turned as his hand touched the door handle. "Oh really? I seem to be learning as much about you as you are about me. Can I stay and watch, or help you get dressed?" he asked opening the door.

Harry, throwing a pillow at Charlie's head, bellowed, "Get Out!"

Charlie grabbed the pillow before it hit him and flung it back towards the bed. "Missed me!" Charlie teased closing the door.

"Gosh, what a pervert. I tell him one little thing, and I get sucked into his demented world." Harry laughed as he climbed out of bed.

Thirty minutes later Harry was freshly showered and dressed in jeans and a t-shirt. Walking downstairs he heard voices coming from the kitchen, so he headed towards the back of the house. He watched as Charlie and Severus teased each other as they put lunch together.

Seeing Charlie lean over to kiss Severus, Harry groaned. "Does the words get a room ring a bell?" Harry asked, plucking the now completed sandwich from Charlie's plate as he passed them, heading to the fridge to get a drink.

Charlie scowled. "That was my sandwich, Harry."

Harry looked at Charlie, his green eyes twinkling, opened his mouth to show the half chewed bite and asked, "Want it back?"

Severus snorted, unable to hold the laughter back. Charlie looked at his lover still scowling. "Don't encourage him," he said, and plucked Severus' sandwich from his plate.

Severus, realizing he was now without a sandwich, reached for the bread muttering, "I'm going daft. I just let a grown man take my lunch."

Harry shook his head, still unable to believe the difference in Severus when he was around Charlie.

Severus quickly fixed another sandwich and the trio sat down to eat. When they were finishing, Harry heard Remus coming downstairs. Harry called out to him. "Remus, we're in the kitchen."

Remus walked in and looked at Harry, his eyes twinkling. "Harry, you've forgotten that I have exceptional hearing, and smell. I knew where you were."

"Oh, sorry. I forgot about that," Harry said, rising from the table. "Would you like me to fix you something to eat? We still have the soup left."

Remus shook his head. "Thank you Harry, but I'm actually feeling unusually well. I'll fix it myself."

Severus looked at Harry. "If you're wanting to be useful, get the calming draught ingredients out that are in the crate by the fire. We'll start your experiment."

Remus, with a steaming bowl of soup in hand, looked at Severus. "I'll get out of your way and take this to the living room. I have some paperwork to go over. Have fun. Just don't blow up my kitchen."

Severus sneered. "I do not blow up kitchens." he said to Remus' retreating back.

Remus turned back with a smile. "Oh, really? I seem to recall an incident when you were in school."

Severus interrupted with a bellow, "You know damn well Sirius threw something in my cauldron to cause that explosion."

Charlie interrupted with a laugh, "Wait a minute. I want to hear this in detail. Where did you blow up a cauldron?"

Severus turned and saw the looks on both Charlie and Harry's faces, and realized that he wasn't going to be able to avoid telling this embarrassing chapter in his life. "I was working on a potion for a friend and Sirius found out and contaminated my potion causing an explosion and slight destruction in the Potions classroom."

Harry interrupted, "You blew up the classroom?"

"It wasn't my fault!" Severus sneered at Harry.

Charlie laughed. "Relax, Sev. We understand it wasn't your fault. We just think it's funny, considering how uptight you are about Potions that you allowed it to happen."

"I didn't allow it to happen. I was distracted by James," he replied, slightly snippy.

Charlie stood up from the table. "You two have fun. I'm going to catch up on some reading."

Harry and Severus worked together slicing and measuring the ingredients for the calming draught. When they started mixing the ingredients into the cauldrons, Severus gently reminded Harry, "Stir counter clockwise."

"Why counter clockwise? I've heard you say that before. Plus, I have read in our Potions books to stir one way then another but I've never really understood why."

Severus looked at Harry and laughed. "I'm really going to have to change my teaching style. I never realized that my attitude towards Mudbloods was actually causing a learning issue with my students. I always assumed that they were using their lack of magical background as an excuse." Severus went into a detailed explanation of why with certain ingredients you changed the direction in which you stirred.

When the calming draught was mixed and brewing, Severus motioned for Harry to sit in a chair. Pulling a chair next to him, Severus sat so he could look him in the eye. He took a deep breath to calm himself, and started. "Harry, I've never had to have this conversation with anyone before. And I honestly don't know exactly what to say. I know we are not even remotely close, but Charlie has made me aware that you're having questions regarding your own sexuality. Harry, you're aware of my own troubled youth. I just want to make certain you know you can come to me when you're at school, if you need to talk. I also want to stress that while you experiment, you please do so quietly. If Voldemort finds out he'll try to use it against you. Being attracted to men isn't a weakness. I, myself, think you will be stronger for it. But don't put yourself out there in the open until you're sure."

Harry sat listening to Severus quietly. He was surprised that he was even offering. But, keeping his conversations about Severus that he had with Charlie, he knew that in his own way, Severus was trying to reach out to him. He slowly nodded his head. "Thank you, sir. I don't know for sure what is going on. But, I'll take your advice and think on it. It's weird. I know you're gay, but I'm not the least attracted to you."

"I should hope not." Severus scowled.

"But, when I'm around Thomas, my stomach knots up. I know he isn't gay, so I don't understand my response."

"When you figure it out, please let me know. I can't tell you the number of men my stomach knotted up over who were straight." Severus got up and looked at the potions. "We need a test subject. Come, look at the different appearance the potion has when it's brewed in another type of cauldron."

Harry walked over and looked at the two cauldrons. "Why is the potion in the gold, pink?"

"It's a reaction to the combination of ingredients to the gold. You know what the potion made in the pewter does to a person, correct?"

Harry nodded.

Severus reached for a test tube and drew out the pink mixture. "Let's take this to Charlie and observe his behavior."

They found Charlie in the living room talking to Remus. Remus, seeing the potion in the test tube in Severus' hand, scowled. "It isn't time to take that awful mess, is it?"

Severus shook his head and handed the tube to Charlie. "No, I needed a test subject for Harry's experiment. Drink up, Charlie. I need some amusement."

Charlie reached for the tube and looked at Harry. "This is the calming draught, right?" Harry nodded. Charlie swallowed down the mixture.

After Charlie had swallowed the drink, Harry smiled slyly. "Yes, Charlie. It's the ingredients of the calming draught. But it's the one I mixed in the gold cauldron."

"You prat!" Charlie said reaching out to slug him in the arm. Harry watched as the draught took effect. Instead of just relaxing, Charlie's eyes began to get glassy. Harry spent the next hour watching his reaction to the draught, amazed. Severus left the room while Charlie was entertaining Harry and Remus, returning with a goblet in his hand.

Remus sighed when Severus handed him the goblet. "I guess it's my turn." Remus quickly downed the potion. "If you'll excuse me, I'll go get ready."

Harry went into the kitchen. He saw Severus had cleaned up the experiment. He quickly fixed a sandwich and straightened up the blankets for the chant again.

Harry looked up and saw Severus at the door. "Do you need any assistance?" Severus asked.

"No, I have everything under control. Would you like to learn this?"

Severus smirked. "The pupil teaching the professor, Harry?"

Harry rolled his eyes. "There is a first time for everything, Severus."

Remus came down and sat on the blankets. Harry walked over and kneeled down in front of the man. "Are you ready to start?"

Remus looked Harry in the eye, nodded once and closed his eyes. Harry crept back until there was plenty of room between them. Harry looked up and saw Severus was leaning on the wall. Raising an eyebrow, Severus nodded for Harry to begin. Harry started the chant. When Remus had transformed and was sleeping by the fire, he stood up.

Severus walked with Harry back towards the living room. "You're doing a good job, Harry. I've been thinking about what we discussed earlier, about me assuming everyone should know the basics of Potions. I'll make it a point to go over basic Potions knowledge when school starts for every class, and to be a little more detailed when explaining the potions. In the meantime, I have something for you." Severus picked up a book lying on a table by the door.

Harry read the title out loud. "Potions, An A to Z Guide Every Wizard Should Know."

"Read it. I'll be calling on you to answer some questions during your first class."

"Okay," replied Harry, already thumbing through the book.

When Harry walked into the living room, he noticed Mr. Weasley's head floating in the fireplace. "Harry, I heard you're doing a great job up there. You'll be back before the weekend, correct? We're having a little party. Percy just got engaged. Severus, we want you to come. And tell Remus, if he feels up to it, we would love for him to come, also. See you soon, boys!" Mr. Weasley's head vanished from the flames.

Seeing Mr. Weasley's head vanish reminded Harry of the spell that Thomas had taught him before he left. "Oh, Severus, that reminds me."

Severus, who was now sitting down on the couch beside Charlie, raised an eyebrow. "Percy's engagement reminds you of what?"

Harry gave Severus a look that said he thought the man was completely mad. "Not the engagement. The disappearing head."

Charlie, who was already familiar with the spell, turned so that he could watch Severus' face.

Harry, with a gleam in his eye, faced Severus who had an amused smirk on his face. "Watch." Harry murmured the word and was gone.

Severus sat there on the couch, dumbfounded. He turned to Charlie who was smiling. "When did Potter learn to Apparate?"

Harry laughed, causing Severus to look back and pull out his wand. Charlie reached for Severus' hand. "Easy there, Sev." Charlie looked in the general direction of where Harry was standing last. "Okay, Harry, you might want to appear now so you won't get hexed."

Harry quickly reversed the spell and stood in front of Severus and Charlie, grinning from ear to ear. His green eyes twinkled with laughter.

Severus looked from Harry to Charlie. "He didn't Apparate?"

Harry nodded and Charlie replied, "You are correct."

"But his body vanished without an Invisibility cloak."

"Correct again, Sev."

Severus looked at Harry and he snapped his fingers. Is this the Invisibility Spell that the new member, Thomas, is suppose to show us?"

Charlie nodded.

"Amazing!"

"Wow, I never, in my wildest dreams, thought I would hear that word coming out of your mouth. Would you like to learn this so you won't hex me for being smarter than you?"

Severus snorted. "You will never be smarter than me. But yes, student, teach the professor another lesson."

Harry and Charlie spent the next few minutes showing Severus the Invisibility Spell.

After they had finished, Harry curled up in a chair with the book Severus had given him. "Harry," Severus cautioned, "I don't have to remind you to not show anyone this and to be careful using this at school. If the wrong people found out about this we won't be able to use it and I could be discovered."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Do you thing I'm really that slow? Unless Dumbledore gives me the okay himself, I'm not even telling Ron and Hermione, even though Thomas said I could. And I won't use it at school, unless necessary." He returned his attention back to the book, and read for a couple of hours. He had almost fallen asleep when his scar started hurting.

Harry cried out in pain. Severus, who was dozing on the couch leapt up. "Harry, what's wrong?"

"My scar is hurting. That's what's bloody wrong," Harry replied, rubbing his hand across his forehead. He stopped when he realized that Severus wasn't holding his arm. "Are you not being summoned?"

Severus frowned. "Apparently not. But this will be a good time to try the Invisibility Spell in action. I'll be back."

Harry walked down the hall to check on Remus, to see if he was still sleeping. He got something to drink and was heading back down the hall when he heard Severus shouting. "Harry! Charlie! Come quickly!" Harry ran down the hall to the living room, and Charlie came running down the stairs trying to pull his pants back on.

Harry entered the living room ahead of Charlie. "Severus, where are you?"

He heard muttering.

"Bloody Hell! I'm still invisible." Harry snorted as Charlie came into the room fastening his pants. Severus quickly reversed the spell.

"Sev, what's wrong?" Charlie asked when he appeared.

"They know you're here. They're planning to attack at dawn. We have to get out of here now. Get your stuff together quickly. We leave in five minutes."

Harry turned around, headed for the door, and stopped to look back. "What about Remus?"

Severus glared at Harry. "I'll take care of Remus. Go!"

Harry quickly ran up the stairs and entered his room. He quickly grabbed his clothes and shoved them back into his bag. He crossed the hall and entered Remus' room. Quickly he grabbed some of Remus' clothes and shoved them in the bag. Turning around to leave the room he spotted a picture on the wall. Looking back at him was his parents, Sirius, and Remus. Harry quickly plucked the picture off the wall and put it in his bag as well. Running back downstairs, he grabbed his books, and shoved them in the bag. Severus and Charlie came into the living room dragging a very groggy Remus, who was still in his transformed state.

Charlie looked up at Harry and gave him a reassuring smile. "Are you ready to go?"

"How are we leaving?"

Severus grabbed a battered umbrella. "We'll use Remus' emergency Portkey to go to Hogsmeade. Everyone grab hold." Severus let go of Remus and looked at Charlie. "Can you handle Remus?"

"Sure."

Severus pulled out his wand and tapped the umbrella, activating the Portkey.

They felt the familiar pull in their belly that always accompanied Portkey travel. When they had all righted themselves, Severus looked around to make sure no one was staying in the house.

Once he was sure the house was secure, Severus looked at Charlie. "Take Harry to the school. You can contact your parents and get Harry safely back to the Burrow. I'm going back to Remus' to see what damage my friends will do when they realize they missed Harry, yet again."

Charlie grabbed Severus' hand. "Be careful. Won't they wonder why you're there?"

"Perhaps. I'll go to Voldemort and make my presence known. He has wanted me to find out Albus' plans. I'll be back as soon as I can. But, don't wait for me. Get Harry to safety." Severus took the hand that Charlie was still holding up to his face. He turned Charlie's hand over, placing a gentle kiss in his palm. "I'll see you soon. I promise." Severus dropped Charlie's hand and Disapparated.

Harry who had been getting Remus settled again, looked up at Charlie. "What are we going to do with Remus?"

Charlie turned around to look at Harry, rubbing his hand through his hair. "He should be okay here for the remainder of the night. But, the bigger question is, how are we going to get out of this boarded up house and up to the school without being seen?"

Harry smiled, reaching into his bag to retrieve his wand. "That's easy. We'll take the tunnel."

Charlie looked at Harry, puzzled. "What tunnel?"

Harry headed out of the room towards the back of the shack. "Come on. I'll show you. Dumbledore had this tunnel made when Remus was a student here. There are several different tunnels that come out in different places around Hogsmeade. This particular tunnel ends at the Whomping Willow." Harry led the way through the tunnel. When the tunnel started heading up, Harry picked up a stick, and turned to look back at Charlie, behind him. "We won't have long once the tree is disabled to get out of range. Let's go ahead and make ourselves invisible in case anyone is on the grounds."

They quickly performed the spell and Harry used the stick to push in the knot, to disable the tree. They quickly scrambled out of the hole and got out of range of the tree limbs. As they were walking up the steps to the main entrance, movement on the edge of the forest caught Charlie's eye. "Hang on a minute, Harry. Someone is out in the forest. Don't open the door yet."

They watched as the person grew larger. When the person exited the forest, Harry sighed. "It's just Hagrid. Let's go find Dumbledore." They quickly went through the front door and through the halls to the statue that hid the moving staircase to Dumbledore's office and chambers.

Harry quickly reversed the Invisibility Spell and looked at Charlie, when he reappeared beside him. "I hope he hasn't changed the password since school let out. Jelly Beans," Harry said, holding his breath. The statue moved to reveal the staircase. Charlie and Harry quickly stepped into the passageway to ride the steps up towards Dumbledore's office. Charlie knocked on the door and heard Dumbledore give permission to enter.

Dumbledore, who was on a ladder with a book in his hand, looked down, surprised. "Harry. Charlie, why are you here? Has something happened to Remus?"

Charlie shook his head. "He's fine at the shack at Hogsmeade. The Death Eaters discovered Harry was at Remus' and are preparing to attack. Sev went back to gather information. We came up here so we could contact my parents to get Harry home."

Harry interrupted, "I'm not leaving Remus."

Dumbledore came down the ladder and stood in front of Harry. "Remus can stay here at Hogwarts until it is safe for him to go home. You, my boy, need to stay safe. Charlie, you and Harry go up to the Gryffindor Tower and get some rest. I will see that Remus is brought up to the school. And I'll contact your parents, Charlie, to let them know you're safely away from danger."

Harry's shoulders sagged with defeat. "What about his transformation back? I don't want Remus to think that at the first sign of trouble that I'll abandon him."

Dumbledore turned Harry back towards the door. "Go get some sleep. I'll send Dobby to you when it's time for Remus to change back. And Harry, just so you know, Remus would never think you had abandon him."

Harry and Charlie left Dumbledore's office and went up the entrance to the tower. Harry gave the password and the Fat Lady sleepily opened the door. Harry went up to the room that he had used since his first day at Hogwarts. He pointed to the bed that Ron used. "You can take Ron's bed." Harry lay down on his bed fully clothed.

Charlie threw himself onto Ron's bed and sighed. "This is a bloody mess."

Harry rolled onto his side to face Charlie. "What is?"

"The whole situation. We're up here safe. Sev is who knows where. Remus is at the shack. I just wish...never mind," he finished weakly.

Harry hesitated for a second and realized that he couldn't put into words anything that would comfort Charlie. So going with instinct, he got back out of his bed and lay down beside Charlie. He pulled Charlie to him and cradled the man in his arms. "Me too," Harry whispered.

Charlie at first was shocked that Harry had climbed into bed with him. When he realized that Harry was only offering him comfort he relaxed and fell asleep in the warmth of Harry's arms.

After what seemed like only a few minutes of sleep to Harry, he was awakened by Dobby who was shaking his shoulder. "Harry Potter, wake up. Professor Dumbledore is waiting for you in Professor Snape's chambers. Wake up, Harry Potter."

Harry groaned. "Give me a second, Dobby." Harry untangled himself from Charlie, who was still sleeping soundly.

Charlie opened his eyes a crack, when he felt Harry move from his side. "Harry, what's wrong?" he asked sleepily.

"Go back to sleep, Charlie. I'm going down to help Remus. We will be in Professor Snape's chambers when you get up," Harry replied.

Harry followed Dobby downstairs. He made a quick stop by the bathroom and practically had to run to keep up with Dobby, who was hurrying down to Severus chambers.

Dumbledore was sitting by the fire, reading, when Harry came into the room. He looked up when he heard Harry come in. "Ah, Harry. Did you get any sleep?"

"A little," replied Harry, sitting down in the floor.

Dumbledore looked at Dobby who was still standing by the door. "Dobby, can you get us something light to eat? There will be four, possibly five, people eating."

Dobby bowed down. His long nose touched the floor. "Of course, sir. Happy to be of service, to you and Harry Potter, sir." With a quiet pop Dobby was gone.

Harry started the chant. When Remus had transformed, he looked around puzzled at the change in the room. One of the bad side effects of the transformation was that Remus was never able to remember what happened while he was in his transformed state. When he saw Dumbledore sitting in a chair looking at him, he asked, "Did I miss something?"

"Yes. It appears that Voldemort's followers discovered Harry was staying with you, and were planning an attack. You were taken to the Shrieking Shack and I had you brought here." Dumbledore got up and walked to a table that was now loaded with food. "Are you hungry, Remus? It seems that Dobby has outdone himself this morning."

Remus got up and stretched. He offered Harry a hand and pulled him up off the floor. "Actually, I'm famished. Come on, Harry, let's eat!"

Dumbledore watched with amusement as Remus fixed a plate overflowing with food. "It appears that Thomas' chant has returned your youth back to you, Remus. I haven't seen you eat this much in years."

Remus smiled over his coffee cup. "Yes, I do feel better. I look forward to meeting Thomas to thank him in person for teaching Harry such a wonderful spell."

"You'll get to meet him in a couple of days," replied Dumbledore. "I have scheduled a meeting with the Order this weekend."

Charlie appeared at the door, and Dumbledore greeted him. "Good morning, Charlie. Please have a seat and dig in. Severus should be joining us shortly."

The four ate in companionable silence. When they all had their fill, Dumbledore looked at Harry. "Is the chant the only thing Thomas has shown you?"

"No, sir. He showed me the Invisibility Spell. I did show it to Severus...um Professor Snape. But no one else."

Dumbledore chuckled. "It's okay to call him by his name outside of school, if he has given you permission to do so. Just remember to use his title in public places."

"Yes, sir," Harry replied nodding his head.

Severus walked into his chamber. Spying the group sitting at the table, he stopped. "Albus, good morning."

Dumbledore look at Severus, concerned. "Is all well?"

Severus walked over and poured himself a cup of coffee. "Yes. They were furious that no one was there this morning. But they left the house intact and have placed someone to watch the house for Remus' return. Voldemort wasn't pleased with them. I, of course, informed them if they hadn't been so eager, and had notified me before hand, I could have confirmed their source. All in all, a rather entertaining night," Severus replied, taking a sip of his coffee and plucking a couple of grapes out of Charlie's hand.

Dumbledore stood up. "Well, that settles it. Remus will move back to the school earlier than the start of term as Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. Harry can return to the Weasleys for the summer."

Harry, who had been listening to the conversation, interrupted, "Remus is our Defense Against the Dark Arts professor again?"

"Yes, it seems, yet again, our Defense Against the Dark Arts professor has resigned from the school."

"Cool!" Harry responded, smiling from ear to ear with the news. "But, Professor Dumbledore, what about the full moon? I don't mind staying here. I've always considered Hogwarts home."

Dumbledore looked into Harry's eyes. "Very well, Harry. I'll talk to the Weasleys to inform them of the change in plans. Dobby should have brought your bag up from town. But Harry, don't leave the school grounds. You're protected here."

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

Harry went out to see Hagrid after breakfast. He found the burly man working in his garden behind his hut. Harry leaned against the fence until Hagrid noticed him. "Hello Harry! This is a surprise. What are you doing here?"

Harry smiled and opened the gate and walked in. "Hello, Hagrid. Did you miss me?"

"Like a tooth ache," replied Hagrid, smiling. "What're yeh doin' back so soon?"

"Some Death Eaters found out that I was staying at Remus' so we came here last night. Do you need any help?"

Hagrid pulled Harry over to where he was working. "Sure could. I'm makin' a bed of cumbkins, so the new animals I'm goin' to introduce this comin' year has a treat." At the concerned look that flickered over Harry's face, Hagrid laughed. "They're harmless. I promise. I figure yeh have enough 'xcitement in yer life without me bringin' in a new creature."

Harry worked side-by-side Hagrid all morning filling him in on his summer. He intentionally left out the arrival of the newest member of the Order, not knowing if it was common knowledge that they had received assistance from America. When the sun had reached its highest point, they went inside to get something cool to drink. Harry, who was sitting facing the window, saw Charlie come out of the school. "There's Charlie." Harry stuck his head out of Hagrid's door and asked, "Are you looking for me?"

Charlie walked into the cool hut. "Yes, I was. Sev was wanting to know if you would like another Potions lesson?"

Hagrid interrupted, "It's a holiday, Charlie. Harry doesn' need to have lessons in the summer."

Harry laughed. "It's okay, Hagrid. I've actually been enjoying the lessons. Let me go inside and clean up, Charlie. I'll meet you two down in the Potions classroom."

Harry hurried inside and ran up to his room, finding his bag lying on his bed. He removed Remus' clothes and picture from the bag, and found a change of clothes for himself. After a quick shower, Harry took Remus' clothes with him down to the classroom. The door was locked when he tried the latch. He shifted his load and knocked. Charlie answered the door a few seconds later, slightly disheveled. He handed Remus' clothes to Charlie. "Make yourself useful, Charlie. Here are Remus' clothes that I grabbed last night. Will you please take them to him?"

Charlie got control of the bundle of clothes. "Sure thing. Have you had lunch?" He asked, walking out the door.

Harry smiled sheepishly. "Actually, no. You saved me from having to eat Hagrid's cooking."

"Your welcome. I'll stop by the kitchen and get Dobby to bring you something to eat." Charlie turned and headed down the hall.

Harry turned, saw the two cauldrons sitting on the tables, and looked at Severus who was pulling items from the Potions cupboard. "Are we doing another experiment?"

"No, I had to destroy the Wolfsbane Potion last night so you need to make another batch. I have an assignment from Voldemort to make something for him. Did you bring your notes with you from Remus' house?"

Harry nodded as he turned towards the door. "Yes, sir. But I left them upstairs. I'll be back in a few minutes."

Severus held his hand up. "Stop. When Dobby brings your food you can send him to retrieve your notes. Come here and start slicing these roots into ½ inch pieces." They worked together cutting their ingredients.

A few minutes later Dobby appeared in the doorway carrying a tray loaded with food. "Harry Potter, sir. I heard you haven't had lunch, and was hungry. I didn't know what you were wanting to eat, so I fixed a little of all your favorite foods."

Harry looked towards the small elf carrying the tray towards him. He pointed to a table in front of him. "Thank you, Dobby. You can set the tray down on that table there."

Dobby sat the tray down and turned to face Harry. The tips of his ears were barely sticking up over the edge of the table. "Is there anything else I can do for you, Harry Potter?"

Harry looked up from his work. "Actually, there is. I left my Potions books and notes on my bed. If you're not too busy, do you have enough time to get them for me?"

Dobby bowed. "It would be an honor, sir, to get your books." Dobby ran out of the room.

Harry walked over to the tray and picked up a sandwich. "Have you eaten, Severus? Dobby brought enough food for an entire Quidditch team."

Severus walked over to the tray and selected a ripe apple and bit into it. He raised an eyebrow as he looked at Harry. "You have a very faithful house elf."

Harry glared at Severus with annoyance. "You know he is a free house elf. He is not my house elf. He works for Dumbledore. He's just thankful that I was able to trick Malfoy into releasing him."

Severus snorted, his dark eyes dancing with amusement at Harry annoyance. "Oh yes. He is thankful. But he only works here at Hogwarts to be close to you. When you move out on your own, and establish your own home, Dobby will work in your house. Just so you know, having a loyal house elf isn't a bad thing. They keep all your secrets. They cook, clean, and pick up after you."

Before he could comment he saw the door opening and Dobby walking back in.

Dobby carried the books to the table Harry had been working on, and placed them on a clean spot. "Here are your books, Harry Potter. Is there anything else I can assist you with, Harry Potter? Was the food okay? Would you like something else to eat?"

Harry shook his head and started looking through his notes for the copy of the potion. "No, thank you. These books were the only things that I needed. The food is fine. Leave the food. I'll eat as I work," he said briskly, still upset over Severus' comment.

Harry located his notes on the Wolfsbane Potion and finished preparing the ingredients. When he had the potion brewing he walked over to look into the silver cauldron in which Severus was placing ingredients.

"What have you got going on here?" Harry asked, looking at a few ingredients lying on the table that he didn't recognize.

Severus replied, rather distractedly, "I'm combining the Wolfsbane Potion, and the Calming Draught Potion. Along with a couple of ingredients that Voldemort has requested that I try, to see if I can create a potion that will block the transformation of the physical body of a person during a full moon."

Harry opened his mouth to speak, looked at the silver cauldron again, and questioned, "But this is a silver cauldron. Won't that be dangerous to take?"

Severus grinned at Harry wickedly. "Oh, will it? Damn, must have made a mistake somewhere. And that is so unlike me. Oh well, if I was truly to create a potion that could block the transformation of a person to a werewolf it would be dangerous to everyone, Wizards and Muggles alike. I'm going to let this brew about an hour more and then transfer the potion to a bronze cauldron to neutralize some of the effects of the silver cauldron. I don't want to actually kill the werewolves in Voldemort's presence. I assume, from you being over here asking questions about my potion, yours is finished?'

"Yes, sir. I followed the steps as they were written. It looks exactly like it's suppose to."

Severus walked over and stirred the potion. "Very good, Harry. We'll let this brew a while longer. Why don't you go rest in my chambers for a while? I'll come get you when it's time. This will be the last night you will need to do the chant. You can go back to the Weasleys in the morning."

Harry stretched and gathered his books. "Are you sure it's all right that I sleep in your chambers? I can go back up to the tower if you and Charlie want to be alone."

Severus draped his arm over Harry's shoulders and pulled him towards the door. "Thank you for being considerate, but I think we can behave ourselves for a little while."

Harry fell asleep on the couch with a Potions book he found on a shelf in Severus' chambers laying on his chest.

Severus and Dumbledore walked back into Severus' chamber with a goblet of potion a few hours later. "Oh, it looks like Harry is out for the night," Dumbledore said, spying Harry asleep on the couch. "Don't wake him, Severus. We'll handle Remus tonight."

Severus shook his head. "I know Potter. He finishes what he starts." Severus walked over and shook Harry's foot. "Harry, wake up."

Harry sat up with a start, throwing the book onto the floor. "Oh sorry, sir. I didn't mean to fall asleep."

Dumbledore chuckled. "Nonsense, my boy. You had a busy day with very little sleep the night before. We still have time before Remus needs his potion."

Harry got off the couch and picked up the book and returned it to the shelf. "I'll be ready to go in just a few minutes."

After he had walked out of the room, Severus went to the shelf and withdrew the book that Harry had been reading. "Oh, dear."

Harry made quick use of the facilities in Severus' chamber and walked back into the living room. "Sorry for making you wait, Professor Dumbledore. But, I'm ready to go now."

Before they exited the room, Severus lightly touched Harry's arm. "Um, Harry, can I ask why you chose this particular book?"

"Well, it had the most interesting title, to be honest. Is something wrong, sir?"

"No, Harry, just in the future, if you want to review a book from my personal collection, please let me see it first. I want to make sure that you understand exactly what you have in your hand. After you read it, we can discuss it if you like."

Harry smiled at Severus. "That would be great. I did have some questions on some of what I was reading."

Severus nodded his head. "For now, take the book with you. Let me know when you have finished this book and we will schedule some time to review and discuss any questions you may have."

"Thanks, Severus." he said reaching for the book.

Dumbledore watched the exchange with an amused look on his face, and when Severus looked at him he just smiled.

They exited Severus' chamber and went up a couple flights of stairs, down a hall Harry had never been down before and walked through an opened door. Harry saw Remus and Charlie sitting by a window playing a game of Wizard's Chess.

Remus, upon seeing the trio standing at the door, sighed. "Okay, Charlie, I'll give you a break for now. We'll finish this game later. It appears to be time for my potion." Remus got up, stretched, and walked over to Severus. "I believe that is mine, Sev."

Severus raised his eyebrow at Remus and handed him the goblet. "Remus, you seem to be in a very good mood."

Remus downed the potion. "Yes, I am. I can't believe the change in me. I feel up to challenging you to a duel."

Dumbledore chuckled, his eyes twinkling. "Okay, Remus. We will address your challenge at later date. But, for now let's get you through one more night."

"I'll go get ready." Remus turned towards Harry. "Thank you for grabbing my clothes, Harry. With them watching my house it would have been impossible to retrieve them."

"Not a problem, Remus. I was just thinking on my toes."

Remus squeezed Harry's arm. "I'll be just a few minutes."

Harry quickly set up for Remus' transformation while Severus, Charlie, and Dumbledore talked quietly on the couch. When Remus came out, Dumbledore rose. "Remus, we will leave you in Harry's capable hands. Harry, we will be having a staff dinner in the dining hall that you are welcome to join, after Remus is settled, of course."

Harry nodded as he was settling down on the floor. "Thank you, sir. I'll be down shortly." Remus settled down and Harry began the chant.

Afterwards, Harry went into the dining room and sat down beside Charlie. While Harry was filling his plate, Dumbledore asked, "Harry, are you ready to go back to the Weasley's in the morning?"

Harry looked up. "Yes, sir. I mean no, sir. I need to repack my clothes, but I'll be ready to leave when Remus transforms back in the morning."

"Good, good. You can start enjoying your summer until the next full moon."

After dinner, Harry made his way to the Potions classroom and discovered that everything had been cleaned up and his books and notes were neatly stacked on a desk. Harry gathered his books and left the room. When he had arrived back at the tower, Charlie still wasn't in the room. Harry laid out his clothes for the next day, placed his dirty clothes in his bag, along with his Potions books. He stripped down to his underwear and climbed in bed with his book. He read until he fell asleep in the quiet room.

Dobby came up and woke Harry before dawn. Harry yawned, stretched, and retrieved his glasses that were lying on the pillow. "Thank you, Dobby. I'm awake now. Could you please fix me a sandwich? I'll use the facilities and be dressed in a minute."

Dobby bowed and vanished to do Harry's bidding. Harry quickly got dressed and carried the bag down to the bathroom.

When Harry exited the bathroom Dobby, was standing there with a sandwich and juice. Harry charmed the bag to follow him, and grabbed the sandwich and juice. He smiled at Dobby. "Thank you, Dobby. You keep this up and I'll be spoiled. Mrs. Weasley has a stiff competition with you around."

Dobby smiled and bowed. "I would be happy to go with you when you leave today."

Harry choked. "No, Dobby. That won't be necessary. Dumbledore needs you here. I'm fine at the Weasley's. I'll see you during the next full moon here."

Dobby bowed. "Yes, sir, Harry Potter," he said, and disappeared.

Harry muttered to himself after Dobby had left. "Bloody hell, Severus was right. Dobby will follow me when I leave the school."

He walked through the halls to Remus' chambers in silence. Harry was wiping his fingers and face with a napkin that Dobby had given him, when he opened the door. Seeing Dumbledore sitting in a chair reading, he knocked on the door as he entered. "Good morning, Professor Dumbledore. Have you been here all night?"

Dumbledore closed the book and looked up at Harry. "No. I only came down a few minutes ago myself. Dawn is approaching so please go ahead and get started. I'll just sit here and watch. I'm curious how Remus will be feeling this morning."

Harry sat down once more across from Remus. When he saw Remus begin to stir he began the chant. Harry was amazed at how much faster Remus went through the transformation this time.

When Remus, who looked fully rested, sprang onto his feet, Dumbledore spoke. "Amazing. The chant seems to not only eliminate the discomfort of the transformation, but also to restore a person's vitality. Professor McGonagall will be excited to hear this when she returns from her trip."

Remus, who had been stretching, smiled. "I don't think even the word amazing is accurate to describe the way I feel. It usually takes me a week before I feel anything close to normal. And with me being hurt, I was concerned I wouldn't be ready when school starts." He turned to Harry, who was still sitting on the floor. Giving Harry his hand, he pulled him up. "Ready to go back to the Weasley's, Harry?"

"Yes, sir. But, where is Charlie?"

Standing at the door Charlie replied, "I'm here, Harry."

Harry turned to look at Charlie. He was standing at the door in what was obviously Severus' robe, which was a few inches too short for Charlie's frame. Harry, whose eyes were dancing with laughter, remarked, "Nice robe."

Charlie snorted. "Yes, well I had to make do. Are you ready to go home?"

"Yes, but how are we leaving? If we use the Floo network, Voldemort will know where we went. Do you have another Portkey?"

Dumbledore reached into his robes and pulled out an old newspaper. "Here you go, Harry. But, you will need to go outside of the school grounds to use it. I have blocked all Portkey travel into and out of the school after the Triwizard Tournament two years ago. Use the new Invisibility Spell and no one will see you leave. I'll send your bag to the Burrow by owl."

Harry took the paper and stuck it in his back pocket. "Thank you, Professor. Remus, will I see you this weekend?"

At the puzzled look on Remus' face, Charlie smacked his head. "Sorry, Remus. I forgot to tell you. Percy got engaged. My parents are having a small party this weekend and they want you to come."

Remus smiled. "Percy is getting married. Tell your parents to count on me being there. Harry, I will see you in a few days it seems."

Harry and Charlie left out of Remus' chamber and headed back down the stairs. As they were walking, Harry asked, "Do you want to fight the Whomping Willow or use another tunnel?"

"I have no desire to fight that tree this morning. Where is the other tunnel?" He replied, laughing.

Harry led Charlie through the halls until he reached the statue of the one eyed witch. Harry gave the command and the statue opened. Harry climbed into the statue and slid down. Charlie followed quickly after him.

They lit their wands for light and crept through the tunnel. When the tunnel started heading up, Charlie got in front. Charlie quietly opened the trap door. Seeing the storage room was dark, he quietly scrambled out and pulled Harry up.

They closed the trap door and Harry pulled out the paper. Holding onto the end of the paper, he held it up so Charlie could grasp the other end. "Okay, Charlie, let's go home."

Charlie tapped his wand onto the paper and they were both pulled into the Portkey.