Walk the Shadows

from the travesty of a Transfiguration essay, trying to figure out if he could salvage anything from it at all, Harry turned to Snape, who was reading in his chair near the fireplace. Harry had tried to work by the fire, too, but his gaze kept wandering to the flames and an hour would go by between words he read or wrote, so Snape had made him come over to the writing desk instead.

'I don't know.'

'No? Which one are you working on?'

'Transfiguration.'

'Mm.' Snape put a marker in his book and rose from his seat. 'I seem to recall that one being a bit . . .'

'Horrifying?'

'I was going to say a bit of a challenge to get through. But yes, it could be classified as such.'

'Thanks.' Snape lifted an eyebrow, and Harry's face heated. 'Sorry.'

Snape waved away the apology, but he came to stand over Harry, next to the desk. 'What seems to be giving you trouble?'

Harry shrugged, but when Snape kept staring at him, he said, 'I'm having a hard time focusing.'

'Any particular reason?'

'I . . .' With a sigh, Harry decided he might as well say what was on his mind, otherwise Snape would haunt him for hours. Days. 'I'm kind of nervous about school starting again.'

'Mm-hm. What about it makes you nervous?'

'I'm not used to other people yet . . . all those people . . .'

'Have you spoken to your Miss Granger and Mr. Weasley yet? I assume they would be willing to run interference for you.'

'No . . . I haven't heard from them. Not since the end of school. Do you . . . do you think they don't want to be friends with me anymore?'

Snape's eyes narrowed. 'Why would you think that?'

''Cause they usually write. I mean, I didn't hear from them after first year, 'cause Dobby was stopping my letters, but all the other times, they have. I just thought . . . I mean, do you think they know?'

For a moment, Snape was quiet, as if deciding something, and then he shook his head. 'As I have told you, the only ones who are aware of what happened at Topsham are myself, Madam Pomfrey and, to a lesser extent, the Headmaster.'

'To a greater extent, now.' Like he'd told Snape, he had pushed all of his memories of Topsham through that weird link to Dumbledore. The Headmaster probably knew more about what had occurred there than anyone else.

'Well, yes.'

'So why haven't they written?'

Snape's mouth twisted, like he tasted something sour. 'I cannot speak for Miss Granger, but as you know, Mr. Weasley's parents are members of the Order, and so they know you were captured, at least. When we escaped, the Headmaster asked that no one 'bother' you with correspondence. It did not occur to me before, but I imagine that request has been ongoing.'

'Dumbledore is holding my mail?' Harry hated the squawk like sound that had come from his mouth, but really! It was his mail!

'Only until such time as he determined you were up to receiving it. I'll see him about that, shall I?'