Better Be Slytherin!

'Damn you, Albus,' Snape muttered so softly that Harry was pretty sure no one was meant to hear. Then his head came up and he gave Harry a measuring look. Harry frowned back a little, confused, and not sure what Snape was trying to figure out. He just hoped whatever it was, he was doing it right. Then, to Harry's amazement, Snape mouthed the words, 'I'm sorry,' before he turned back to the Headmaster. Snape had apologized? To him? The last time, he had understood why, at least. This time . . . Harry's frown deepened as he gave his attention back to Professor Dumbledore, too.

'Very well, Headmaster,' Snape said, more formally than he'd spoken before. His face was back in the blank mask that Harry knew so well, and for some reason, that alone was enough to make the hairs on the back of Harry's neck rise. 'I will teach him. But I want a concession from you, as well.'

The Headmaster's smile was absolutely radiant. 'I will see what I can do, Severus. What is it you require?'

'If I am to teach the boy Occlumency, at his age, then I will need to have access to him year round. The Art is too delicate to leave to such an otherwise constrained schedule. That means we will work during holidays, too, both winter and summer, and I will not call upon him in that Muggle hovel. It is an inappropriate learning environment.'

Harry held his breath. Not go to the Dursleys during the summer?? Was it possible for him to get that lucky?

The Headmaster was nodding before Snape even finished. 'Winter holidays, of course you may work together. I imagine Harry, here,' and Harry jumped, startled, at hearing his given name come from the Headmaster's mouth, 'will be staying in Hogwarts then, regardless.'

'Naturally,' Snape said, in almost a snarl. Harry wondered why. Snape knew, at least somewhat, why Harry didn't want to go to the Dursleys. Did the Headmaster know, too?

'But the summer holidays . . . I'm afraid that is out of the question.'

'Unacceptable.'

'Severus, you know the Board of Governors does not allow any student to remain in Hogwarts over the summer holidays.'

Snape swung around on his chair and pinned the Headmaster with the Look that made his students quail. The Headmaster did not seem ruffled. 'Not even Harry Potter? Not even if you informed the Governors that his life will be in danger if he returns to their loving care?' The amount of sarcasm dripping from the Potion Master's mouth was nothing short of awe inspiring.

Harry watched the two of them battle it out -- over him! -- for another few minutes, hearing various things like 'blood wards' and 'statutes' and 'continuity of instruction' before the Headmaster sharply interrupted Snape mid-sentence, saying, 'We will discuss this more at another time, Severus. I believe Mr. Potter needs his sleep more than he needs to hear our disagreements.'

Snape drew himself up, obviously not used to people interrupting him -- recalling his one experience at doing so filled Harry with a fair amount of fear -- and nodded once, a mere jerk of the head. 'As you say, sir.' He rose from his chair and turned to Harry. 'My apologies, Mr. Potter, for keeping you from your rest. Good night.'

He turned in a swirl of robes and left the Infirmary in several long strides. The door swung shut behind him with a soft sound, leaving the room in silence. Harry stared after the professor, wondering if he had just been abandoned to the metaphorical wolves. No. Snape wouldn't do that to him. Probably.

The Headmaster caught his stare and smiled benevolently. 'I'm sure we'll work it out, Mister Potter,' he said, not unkindly. 'Professor Snape will come around. We don't want you to have a vision while you're up on your broom, for instance, do we?'

Harry barely kept from rolling his eyes. He wasn't a baby, for pity's sake. 'No, sir. Of course not.'

'No, of course not,' Dumbledore repeated and nodded, seemingly to himself. 'I'll let you get your rest now, Mr. Potter. Sleep well.'

Before the Headmaster could reach the doors, however, Harry called out to him, 'What about the unicorns, sir?'

Dumbledore cocked his head a bit as he looked back at Harry. 'What about them, child?'

'Who's going to protect them, you know, from You Know Who? What if he tries to kill another one?'

'Don't you worry about that,' the Headmaster said, smiling his kindly smile. 'Just get some rest. Everything will be just fine in the morning.' With that, he was gone, and Harry was absolutely furious, at having been condescended to. Again.

The next day, after he was released from the Infirmary, he sought out Millie and Teddy as soon as he could. He told them about the weird vision he'd had, and about other unicorns being killed in the forest, which had been confirmed by Hagrid. And he told them how he was almost certain that the creature killing the unicorns was going to try to steal whatever it was that the cerberus was guarding. Not immediately, but soon. Though he didn't say so to his friends, he had gotten a strong sense about the creature's plan, while he had been watching through the creature's eyes.

'So . . .' Teddy gazed at him through narrowed eyes. 'What do you want to do about it?'

'I think we have to find out what it's guarding and figure out why You Know Who wants it. I'll wager it has something to do with keeping him alive.'

'I don't know, Harry,' Millie said. 'I don't really like dogs all that much.'

Harry smiled grimly. 'Hopefully it won't come to us having to go in that room. But I think, if we can figure out what he wants with it--'

'Harry,' Teddy interrupted. 'Why don't you just tell Professor Snape about this?'

Harry gaped at him. 'Tell the professor?' he asked after a moment.

'Yeah. I mean, if he's helping to guard whatever-it-is, he'd want to know that creature's going to try and steal it, right?'

'I . . .' Harry frowned. Tell a teacher? Tell Snape? 'I don't know, Teddy.' What if they told him and Snape didn't care? What if he laughed at Harry's fears, or didn't listen, or worst of all, just blew off