Things I Never Knew: Chapter Seventeen
Chapter 17: Christmas Plans
“So you spent the Hogsmeade visit with a couple of First Years?” Hermione asked Harry skeptically as they waited with several other students, outside the Potions classroom for class to start.
“Keep it down. But, yes.”
“Oh, I’m sorry Harry. We didn’t mean to leave you out or anything. Next time we’ll all go together.”
“Hey, Doorn!” a voice boomed behind Harry. Harry turned his head to see Ernie Macmillon confronting Darius Doorn. “What the hell is this?”
Harry turned back to Hermione, trying to ignore the conversation behind him. “It wasn’t so bad, actually,” he told her. “Of course, I would have rather been having a drink at the Three-Broomsticks with you and Ron, but Caydon and Lydia are pretty funny.”
Ernie’s voice rose behind Harry again. “I ask for your help and this is what you give me?”
Harry strained his ears, trying to hear Darius’ response, but the Slytherin spoke far too softly for Harry to hear him.
Hermione frowned. “Oh?” she asked Harry distractedly.
“Yeah, it wasn’t so bad. If Snape ever finds out that I helped get Caydon into Hogsmeade, I’ll be snake food, though.”
This time it was Seamus Finnigan’s laugh that drifted across the hall to Harry. He wondered, vaguely what Seamus was doing down here, as he didn’t even take Potions anymore.
“Maybe that’s the best essay he could write, Ern,” he said, mockingly. “I always knew he wasn’t as smart as people said he was . . . I mean he looks like he wouldn’t know how to tie his own shoes. Muggle expression,” Seamus added at the confused looks he got, “it basically means that he’s a freak.” With the word “freak”, Seamus knocked Darius’ books out of his hands.
“Excuse me, Hermione,” Harry said calmly. Turning, he strode up to the two boys who now appeared to have Darius cornered against the wall. “Hey, you gits want to lay off?” Harry asked, hotly.
“Ooh - hoo, it’s Potter to the rescue,” Seamus said, sarcastically. Several people snickered. “Do you even defend freaks and Slytherins now?”
“I hear that Doorn gives him some special tutoring during evenings, if you know what I mean,” Ernie boomed, loudly.
Harry drew his wand, enraged. “Shut up! Just shut up!” he pointed his wand at Ernie. Ernie looked at him in fear, but Seamus continued to mock.
“What a comeback!” he laughed, drawing his wand. “No wonder he needs tutoring.”
“Mr. Potter, Mr. Finnigan, Mr. Macmillon!” Snape’s voice boomed behind him. “Dueling in the corridors? Let’s make it twenty points each from Gryffindor and twenty from Hufflepuff?” Snape raised his hand to stall their objections. “I’m not done. Twenty points each and two weeks detention, to begin after the Christmas break. And Mr. Potter, see me after class.”
Harry groaned, inwardly, but merely put his wand away. Snape entered the classroom and the students followed, many whispering softly to each other. Harry looked at Darius for the first time and saw that his face was red with anger. He shoved past Harry, rudely, and stormed into the classroom. Harry looked around at Hermione, who simply shrugged at him.
Darius kept his eyes on his desk, throughout Snape’s class. Harry wondered if he were paying any attention whatsoever. Snape didn’t seem to mind. After class, Harry went up to Snape’s desk.
“You wanted to see me, sir?” he asked, dread in his voice.
“Yes,” Snape said, looking down at his hands. He gave a long sigh, as though preparing for an extended and difficult task. He looked Harry straight in the eye. “I wanted to say that that was a good thing that you tried to for Darius. I wouldn’t have thought it of you.”
Harry gaped at Snape incredulously. “Then why did you give me detention?” Harry finally managed to ask.
“You nearly dueled with two other students in a school corridor. How could I help but give you detention?”
“Oh . . .erm, thanks? Was that . . . was that all you wanted?”
“You shouldn’t . . . don’t take it the wrong way if Darius isn’t grateful or . . . or if he’s angry with you.”
Harry stared at Snape in amazement. He had never seen his professor so uncomfortable or so put off.
“Okay, then . . . see you, sir.”
Snape rolled his eyes.
Early the next Saturday morning, Harry was called up to the Headmaster’s office. He was surprised to see Snape sitting in a chair in front of the Headmaster’s desk and shocked to see Caydon sitting beside him. Harry’s heart sank.
“This has got to be about that Hogsmeade visit,” he thought frantically. “Why else would Caydon be here? I am going to be in so much trouble.”
“Aren’t you going to have a seat, Harry?” Dumbledore asked him, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.
“Right, right,” Harry said, taking a seat. Caydon smiled at Harry as though he knew what he was thinking. Harry waited to hear what Dumbledore had to say, but Dumbledore was merely looking back and forth between Harry and Snape, his eyes twinkling. Harry saw that Caydon was nervously picking at his robe and Snape was tapping his foot impatiently.
“Headmaster,” Snape said, as though trying very hard to control his voice. “Can you please tell us what this is about, now that Potter is here?”
"So Snape doesn't know either . . ."
“Naturally, Severus. You see, this morning Caydon here came to me with a rather brilliant suggestion.”
“He did.” Snape looked sharply at Caydon. Caydon sank down further into his chair.
“Indeed. You see, Harry has been having a bit of a problem. He has no place to go for Christmas break.”
“He doesn’t,” this time his pointed glance was for Harry.
“Yes, and I’ve been thinking very long and hard about where I could send him without much luck. This morning your son came to me with the most resourceful suggestion. What do you do to keep him so creative?”
“Oh, I have a feeling that I’ll be letting Caydon take all the credit for this one,” Snape’s voice had become very dry. “Continue.”
“Now, where do you suppose that the best place to hide someone is, Severus?”
“In a dark cave as far away from me as possible. Not in plain sight which will be the next incredible leap of logic that you will wish me to make.”
“Always the one for wit, Severus. But, surely you see the value of hiding something precious in the last place that one would expect, in disguising it instead of secreting it.”
“I’m afraid not.”
“Be reasonable, Severus.”
Snape gave a long sigh. “I suppose that in some completely abstract, hypothetical situation that does not involve Potter spending the holidays with me, that I can see the merit of your idea.”
“Spending the - wait a minute, you’re not serious, Professor?” Harry groaned.
“It’s the perfect solution, Harry,” Dumbledore beamed.
“Absolutely not. He is not spending the holidays with us,” Snape said. “For one thing, holidays are one of my only opportunities to get away from Potter, and for another it is utterly foolhardy. Do you really think that you can hide him right under Lucius Malfoy’s nose? Lucius is no fool.”
“But Lucius, isn’t there anymore, Papa,” Caydon piped up, “and Narcissa never comes into the village.”
“That’s quite enough out of you, Caydon!”
“Isn’t someone bound to recognize me, sir?” Harry asked Dumbledore desperately.
“Yes,” Snape said. “And Draco does come into the village.”
“That’s what glamours are for, my dear boys,” Dumbledore looked exceedingly pleased with himself. “I can put a glamour on Harry to last the course of the holidays.”
“I still don’t think that we’ve addressed the real problem, here. I am not having James Potter’s son in my home!”
“Surely, you want to protect Harry. . .”
“That is what his aunt and uncle are for. . .”
“Harry hates being there. He hates every minute of it and there is no other safe place to send him.”
“We all have to do things that we don’t like, sometimes.”
Harry wondered, briefly, if spending Christmas with Snape would be any better than spending it with the Dursleys. He concluded that it would have to be better. He didn’t think that Snape would lock him in his room and Caydon would be there. Still not his first choice, though.
Snape and Dumbledore were still arguing.
“Okay, you can stop, now,” Harry said. “I get it. No one wants me. I’ll go to the Dursleys. It’s not a big deal.”
Snape looked away from him. Everyone was silent for a moment.
Caydon spoke up first. “Please, can’t he come, Papa? I’ll never get to have a friend from Hogwarts over,” Caydon’s eyes had become very wide, and his lip jutted out, slightly.
“Stop that!” Snape snapped.
Caydon eyes became even wider.
“Headmaster, this idea is dangerous,” Snape said, calmly, trying to ignore his son. “If anyone found out, then both Mr. Potter and my family would be put in serious danger.”
“I have it all worked out, Severus. No one will know.”
Caydon was now looking at Harry with imploring eyes. Harry looked away from him.
“Please, Severus. I know that this is difficult for you, but I would consider it a personal favor if you did this for me.”
“I don’t suppose that I have a choice then, do I?” Snape was tight-lipped.
“You always have a choice,” Dumbledore’s voice was almost a whisper.
“He can come.”
“Yes!” Caydon whispered. They all looked at him. “Sorry,” he said, sheepishly, he was smiling, though.
“I want it on record that I was against this.”
“Hold on, isn’t anyone going to ask me what I want?” Harry asked.
“Well of course, it’s your decision, Harry,” Dumbledore said. “But I have to tell you that I don’t really have any other ideas. It’s either this or the Dursleys.”
“Fine,” Harry said, reluctantly. He looked over at Snape who was positively fuming with anger but seemed unsure of whether to direct it toward him or Dumbledore or Caydon. Dumbledore seemed to sense Snape’s anger also.
“Harry, Caydon, if you two would excuse us, Severus and I have a few things to discuss,” he said.
“Right,” Harry said immediately, thinking that he had “a few things to discuss” with Caydon anyway.
When they arrived outside of Dumbledore’s office, Harry immediately rounded on Caydon.
“How could you do that?”
“You were the one who said that you didn’t have anywhere to go, Harry,” Caydon was very calm.
“I wasn’t looking for an invitation!”
“I thought that it would be nice to have you over.”
“Caydon, you know how your father feels about me. What are you up too with this?”
“I don’t know! It seemed like a good idea at the time. I don’t think my father hates you that much.”
“Hates me? He loathes me. From the moment he set eyes on me he’s . . .” Harry looked at Caydon, realizing that this might not be the time to start a tirade on Snape. “What would make you think he didn’t hate me? It’s so obvious.”
Caydon shrugged. “He never told me not to talk to you.”
Harry was thinking of how to respond to this when Snape came storming up to them. “You,” he snapped, jabbing his finger at Harry, “go to class. You,” he pointed at Caydon, “come to my office now.”