Resonance

Chapter 20 - Settling In

Ron had to be dragged to class the next morning. He sat in his seat between Harry and Hermione with his back hunched. Snape strolled in on the hour and looked them all over. "Well, some of you that I thought I'd gotten rid of," he stared pointedly at Ron and then Neville, "I seem to have back again. A side-effect I hadn't considered, I admit, when I asked to teach this subject." He picked up the class list and glanced at it. "Well, one cannot have everything," he breathed.

He tossed the list aside on the front table and unrolled another parchment. "As all but the least astute of you know, this is Defense Against the Dark Arts. It is optional. If you do not intend to work hard, you should not be here right now. This class is for those who intend to take the Defense N.E.W.T. at the end of this year. I will expect everyone to do exceptionally well on it if they stay."

His eyes took in the silent room again before he looked over the other parchment. "These . . . are notes left by your previous instructor, Mr. Grey. He felt obliged to . . . warn, I suppose one could say, the incoming teacher about certain students." Reading now, Snape went on, "Mr. Weasley, he states, is the most accident-prone student he has ever taught. Ms. Patil cannot demonstrate a spell without giggling first. Mr. Potter, he writes . . ." Snape glanced up at this point with a chastising look. "Is arrogant, presumptuous to the point of distraction, and apparently feels he should be teaching the class."

Harry winced a little, but held Snape's gaze. When Snape started rolling up the parchment, Harry raised his hand.

With a raised brow, Snape said, "Yes, Mr. Potter?"

"There are no comments about . . . students from any of the other houses?" He'd almost said Slytherins, then thought better.

While continuing to roll the parchment tightly, Snape replied, "I believe it says Ms. Abbot shows promise, but she is unable to focus."

Hannah, who had been gazing out the window at the clouds, snapped her head around at that, eliciting a chuckle from the class.

"Other questions, Mr. Potter?" Snape asked with a unusual underlying tone. No one else seemed to hear it.

Ron raised his hand. When Snape's questioning look turned his way, he said, "Professor Grey didn't like Harry and me. His comments are unfair."

"He wasn't as bad as some of the others," Hermione countered. "He didn't try to kill Harry, for example."

"Yes, he did," Ron retorted. Harry slapped him on the arm to shut up.

Snape took that in. "Explain that, Mr. Weasley," Snape said sharply as he stepped to the edge of the platform.

Ron's mouth fell open and he hesitated with a drawn-out, "Ah . . ."

With a frown Harry bailed his friend out. "He got really angry one day and challenged me to a duel. Which we had. Just inside the Forbidden Forest. I don't think he was trying to really do me in though; the spell Ron is thinking of was just some kind of variant of a Blasting Curse that I ducked."

"Yeah, but the tree behind you just exploded!" Ron insisted and then slapped himself on the forehead and muttered, "Shit."

With another dirty look at his friend, Harry went on. "Basically, I beat him easily after that one shot and he left me alone after that."

Snape looked dangerous. "I presume that you didn't inform anyone else of this, Mr. Potter?"

"No, sir," he admitted quietly.

"Stupid boy," Snape muttered and went back to the table, where he put the comment parchment back down, crumpled from his hand gripping it.

"I'd think you'd be happy to hear that, sir," Ron said accusingly.

"Ron," Harry said in a low tone as he grabbed his sleeve. Snape was giving Ron a dangerously dark look, making Harry's heart race a little. "You are not starting out the term well at all here." Ron pulled his arm out of reach and refused to look at his friend. Harry sat back with a sigh and crossed his arms.

"Stay after, Mr. Potter," Snape said as he flipped through his copy of the textbook.

"Yes, sir."

Snape smoothly moved on, "I will assume you have all read Chapter One. Who can tell me the six crippling curses?"

At the end of class, Harry hung back. Hermione dragged Ron out before he could try to stay after as well. Malfoy stalled too but a sharp look from the teacher sent him out. When they were alone, Snape said, "Mr. Weasley needs to learn to think before he speaks."

"Tell me about it. He has the First Years terrified of me."

"That isn't far from awestruck, in any event," Snape commented as he stepped off the platform and over to Harry.

Harry met his gaze before dropping his again. He felt worse about not telling his friends the truth. He waited for Snape to say something about that. Instead, his teacher after a long pause said, "I am going to report the incident, so expect to get called to the headmaster's office to explain it."

"You think it's worth bothering Dumbledore for?" Harry commented. "He isn't teaching here anymore."

"It will undoubtedly be Professor McGonagall who questions you. This is for you to know, only, for the moment, but you are going to be assigned a new Head of House, probably at the end of the month. McGonagall is taking over more of the headmaster duties and does not have time for both."

At Harry's sad expression, Snape said, "It is inevitable, I am afraid."

Harry swallowed hard. "Do you think it's all right if I go up and visit Dumbledore sometimes?"

"I am quite certain that he would rather welcome that," Snape said. "The password is Rumplestiltskin." Snape stepped back to the table. "Do you need a note for your next class?"

Harry hoisted his rucksack. "No. It's Transfiguration." He gave Snape a sly smile and departed.

"Sorry, Professor," Harry said as he stepped into Transfiguration in the middle of the roll call. "Professor Snape kept me after."

She lowered her parchment and studied him over her glasses. "I am going to assume your are not in trouble already . . ."

Harry paused in setting his bag down on the floor under the table. "Uh . . ." At McGonagall's disapproving look, Harry explained, "It is for something that happened last year." He glared at Ron. "Something someone should have kept their mouth shut about. I've been informed, ma'am, that I will be explaining it to you at some point."

"In my copious spare time, Mr. Potter," she commented.

"It wasn't Harry's fault," Ron muttered.

"Ron," Harry and Hermione said in unison. "You've helped too much already today," Harry finished softly.

At the end of Transfiguration, McGonagall stepped over to Harry as they collected up the crickets they had been transforming into crockery. "Stay after, Mr. Potter. I would rather miss lunch then add anything to my schedule at this point."

"Yes, ma'am," Harry said.

The door fell closed behind the last student. Harry hefted his bag onto the table and left it there. McGonagall was storing the crickets in a large cage by the wall. He helped her empty out the boxes, sometimes having to prod the clingy black insects from the inside of the lid.

"I have to admit, Harry, that I haven't managed to locate the right paperwork to record Severus' conflict of interest, shall we say. Nor have I had to time to determine which policy applies to punishment." She shut the cage and hovered it to the top shelf. "If he sent you to me, he presumably doesn't want to punish you for it himself-"

"You misunderstand, ma'am. He just said he wanted it reported."

She stopped straightening things up and looked at him. "Wanted what reported?"

Harry swallowed hard and said, "Professor Grey's attempt on my life, ma'am."

McGonagall's eyes lifted to the ceiling. "You had to have a full set, didn't you, Harry?"

"I personally don't count the incident with Lupin," Harry said defensively as he crossed his arms.

"Everyone else does," she said. "So what happened?"

Harry summarized the events, pointing out that Ron thought the spell more violent than he did.

"What night was this? Do you remember the date?"

"I could figure it out from my study notes, I remember what he was trying to teach that week."

"Figure it out. Write out what happened. Sign it. Have Ron read it and sign it. Give that to me. It would help me a lot." She picked up her books from the front desk. "I admit it is much simpler now that he isn't here to be kicked out. If you can at all help it, don't get into a duel with another teacher for at least the next few months," she said stridently.

Harry followed her toward the door. "What about Severus?"

She put her hand on the door handle and gave him a soft grin. "You are on your own there, Potter."

"I am all right with that, ma'am." Harry grinned back.