Chapter 8

Harry held up his wand threateningly when a dementor got close enough for him to feel its effects.  He was standing just outside the front entrance of Hogwarts, waiting for the carriages to arrive with the students.  He wasn't quite sure why he was waiting for them.  If his trip to Diagon Alley was anything to go by, the students all hated him anyway, with the sole exceptions of Fred and George if their letters were anything to go by.

The dementor grew closer and he sent a Patronus at it, glaring furiously.  Usually the dementors stayed well clear of him, after one of his Patroni had completely destroyed one of them, but this one was unusually persistent.  He had grown very grateful to Remus, as he definitely wouldn't have survived these past two days intact without his knowledge of the Patronus charm.  As it was, he was chilled to the bone constantly, and had no real hope of it getting warmer anytime soon.

The carriages pulled up and the students got out, heading up to the school.  Those who passed him looked at him hatefully, save for a few who clearly didn't recognise him and likely hadn't read the papers or heard the news from their family.  They're friends would undoubtedly fill them in later.

"Hello," said Hermione cheerfully.  "Are you a new student?  I could help you out if you need it."  Harry almost laughed outright.

"Don't recognise me, Hermione?"  Hermione just looked confused.  "It's me, Harry."  Hermione blinked once in shock, then blinked again.

"Harry?"

"Yeah, that's what I just said."  Suddenly Hermione jumped into his arms, hugging him fiercely.

"Oh, Harry, I was so worried when you didn't write me all summer and then my letters never went through and Hedwig didn't come like she normally does and Ron wasn't speaking to me because I went to Victor's over the summer and-"

Harry snickered, then started laughing at Hermione's hyperactive speech.  Hermione stopped talking and hit him good-naturedly on the shoulder.

"It's not funny, Harry.  And I really was worried about you."

Harry just shook his head, still smiling and they walked inside, the rest of the students having already gone in.

They sat down at the very end of the Gryffindor table, closest to the staff table.  The students around them scooted away as though afraid that Harry would contaminate them.  Hermione looked around at them in confusion.

"Harry," started Hermione, staring at the students around them, all of which were giving Harry murderous glares.  Fred and George (who were sitting in two of the seats that had been left open around Harry) weren't, but Harry had a feeling that they wouldn't have been even if the article had been completely truthful.

"Yeah, Hermione?"

"Why is everyone glaring at you?"

Harry looked at her in surprise, "Didn't you get the Prophet?"

Hermione shook her head, "My subscription expired at the beginning of the summer and I was too busy with other things to renew it."

Harry reached into his pocket and pulled out the article.  He didn't know why he had taken to carrying it around.  It had been a hunch for the most part.  He handed the article to Hermione and watched as her eyes flitted back ad forth across the page.  Then they flicked back up to the top of the article and her eyebrows furrowed in what appeared to be either thought or concentration.

About the time when everyone quieted down, waiting expectantly for the hat to sing, Hermione's eyes widened, "That bitch!"  Half the hall jumped at her sudden outburst, and those who knew her stared at her in shock.  Hermione never swore.  She dug in her bag (Harry spared a thought to wonder why she was carrying a bag to the opening feast.  Term hadn't even started yet) for a quill and parchment and laid the piece of paper out flat on the table.

She wrote out the name Kari Reteste then started rearranging the letters.

KARI RETESTE

RITA SKEETER

Harry stared at the paper in shock.  "Hermione-"

"It was her!  She is in so much trouble now!  If she thought that I wouldn't keep my word then-"

"Hermione!" shouted Harry, grabbing one of her shoulders roughly.  "Calm down, everyone's staring."  Hermione noticed this for the first time and blushed, though she didn't look quite ready to finish her tirade.  She was silent for a long moment, then opened her mouth to say something, but the sorting had already started and she didn't want to interrupt.

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Tom was rather annoyed.

No, annoyed wasn't quite the right term.  He was angry.

Tom idly waved his hand, making another moving crystal statuette (this time of a unicorn) fly against the wall and shatter.

Oh, all right, he was pissed.

He had been trying to get Harry's attention for weeks.  Weeks!  He had tried everything he could think of.  He had started with writing a note.  The moment he so much as hinted at his situation, or even existence, unbearable pain would shoot through his ethereal body.  The same thing happened no matter what he did, except for those times when his effort had no chance of working.  Tom thought back and wondered why he had thought, even for a moment, that standing inside Harry's body and shouting as loud as he could would possibly work.

No matter.  It hadn't worked, and he wasn't going to try it again anyway.

He had even tried to use a quill to point at words in whatever book Harry was reading.  He hadn't even managed to lift the quill.  It was as though this magic, or whatever it was, knew when he was trying to communicate something to someone.  It had never been a problem with animals.  Then again, Tom mused, animals weren't capable of the magic that would rid his body of Voldemort, and free Tom.

Harry was at the feast now, and Tom was too frustrated at the moment to go on with his new habit of tailing the boy everywhere.  Though he imagined that the tension between Harry and the rest of the students might be entertaining enough to watch.   He considered joining the boy in the Great Hall, but decided against it.  He could amuse himself watching classic human stupidity tomorrow.

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"Mr. Potter," said a voice from behind Harry.  Harry looked up, stopping in mid-sentence.  He had been answering one of Hermione's questions.  There had been quite a few of them over the evening, as Hermione interrogated Harry over exactly how much of the article was true, what he had been doing all summer, and various other topics.  Dumbledore had left earlier on during the feast, and it was almost over now.

"Yes, Professor McGonagall?"

"Come with me, Mr. Potter.  Your presence is required in the Headmaster's office."  Harry shot her a puzzled look, but when no explanation came forth he just sighed and got up.

"I'll see you in the morning, Hermione."  She exchanged a similar sentiment and Harry left, following McGonagall out of the Great Hall.

Harry yawned.  He was tired.  Surely whatever this was could have waited till morning.

They reached the stone gargoyle and McGonagall said the password, "Gummy bears."  She then turned and gestured for him to ascend the stairs.  He did, and she did not follow.

Harry knocked on the door before entering, and stopped dead, blinking in surprise.   Fudge was there, as well as two of the Aurors Harry recognised from around the school.  So was Snape, and of course, Dumbledore.  Harry looked around wondering what was going on.  It obviously wasn't going to be a cheerful meeting, judging by Professor Snape's expression, and the fact that Fudge was present.

"Sit down, Harry," said Dumbledore, gesturing towards the one empty chair.  Harry sat, looking at the people around him, waiting for an explanation.

"We're here to discuss the conditions for Mr. Snape's continued education," started Fudge abruptly.  Harry spared a thought to wonder what the hell Fudge was talking about before he realised that he was Mr. Snape.  Fudge handed Dumbledore a list, then started to speak again.

"He will be confined to Hogwarts grounds, where the dementors can keep watch on him.  He will not be permitted to sleep in Gryffindor Tower.  He's too much a danger to the other students.  He will-" Fudge kept talking, but Harry wasn't paying attention.  He was too busy trying to figure out which frustrated him more, the Minister having complete control over his life, or the Minister talking about him as though he wasn't there.  He finally decided that it was the Minister himself that was the worst.

"- and there is the subject of his name."

Harry looked up, "What about my name?"

Fudge looked rather peeved about being interrupted.  He had been able to recite the conditions without any embarrassing fumbling because no one had interrupted, and now the boy had disturbed his train of thought.

"Harry Potter is the name that the wizarding world associates with a false legend.  I will not have you currying favour for something that you did not do." [1]

When the meeting finally ended, Harry was nodding off in his seat.  Professor Snape stood, grabbed various bundles of paperwork, and motioned for Harry to follow him.  Harry followed him down multiple flights of steps, and eventually was led to a bed, which he collapsed upon without bothering to change out of his robes.  His last thought before he fell asleep was that he just knew he was going to regret not paying attention in that meeting sooner or later.

And with his luck, it'd be sooner.

Author's Notes:  I am a bad, horrible, awful person.

Why?  Because this chapter has been up on my Yahoo group since 2-9-03 and the reason I didn't post it here is because I was feeling too lazy to answer my reviews…  ^^;;  umm…  **runs away, hoping her reviewers won't kill her**

[1] Fudge is referring to the article, which read "The Auror's Association suspects that Harry Potter truly did die along with his parents, and the younger Snape, who's true first name is still unknown, was places on the scene so that he would appear to be a saviour, giving the boy, and the Order through him, undue fame and power over the wizarding public."  Fudge's reasoning here is that when Harry is no longer Harry Potter, but Somebody Snape, he will be less in the spotlight, and Fudge will have little or no opposition to anything he wishes to do to Harry.  After all, as Harry Potter, there might still be people who are loyal to him and would rally behind him.  As some nobody, and a Snape no less, Harry has much less credibility and a lot less fame.  People who see, say "Alexander Snape" in the Prophet are a lot less likely to care than if they saw "Harry Potter."

Also, I need a name for Harry.  Something something Snape.  (I just pulled Alexander off the top of my head, as it seems a fairly common Snape-name for Harry, which is a reason I don't want to use it.)  So, any opinions?

Replies to Reviewers:

LoMaRiBa- **grin**  I'm pretty sure that most people hate Fudge, or at least they think he's an idiot.  Do something about him?  **looks entirely too innocent, despite the black clothes and spiked armbands and collar**  Like what?  Hehe, Harry doesn't need to request a permanent bed.  He already has one.  It's got a plaque hanging on it "Reserved for Harry Potter, since we just know he'll be back before we want to see him".

Amanda- Thanks.  OOPS!  Er, let's just say that Harry didn't, and that he forgot with everything else that was going on.  ^_^'  heh.  As for Hermione, I answered that in this chapter (which I was actually planning to do before you pointed it out).

Kateri- Thanks, here's more.

'Mes- **grin**  **snicker**  Silly Sevvie **ducks a curse reflexively**, he can't stand the idea of being paternal to Harry.  **gets hit by the curse that Sev fired right after the first, looks down at her tail while swivelling the ears that seem to have migrated to the top of her head, grown fur, and gone pointed.  **coughs, smiling**  Good thing Sevvie isn't any good at transfigurations, eh?  Else I'd be a cat now.  **watches Sev head towards the refrigerator, frowns** Now what…  SEVERUS!  STAY AWAY FROM MY FOOD WITH THAT POTION!  **turns back to the computer, blushes** Sorry 'bout that…

Of course he got Harry up at five in the morning.  I've seen it, though that's only because I've stayed up that late, rather than got up that early.

Heh, and just think.  If there wasn't enough in the way of Harry and Sev's "father/son" bonding  **gets glared at**, imagine having Harry-as-a-werewolf put in the way as well.  ^_^  I'm evil, it's so fun.  As for him and Damien.  **smirk**  Oh yes, they just adore each other.  There's a reason for their hatred though… or well, there's a reason for Sev to hate Damien.  Damien just has a really huge anti-death eater prejudice (which is also justified, but that's not the point).

Of course Harry can't buy a break (he's tried, but I'm un-bribe-able).  As for the dementors though… there is a solution, coming up soon hopefully.  As I said, of course I'm evil.  It's fun!

Ah, the breaking of the fireplace.  That was rather random, but I thought that it worked well.  He's powerful, has a temper, but is able to keep control of himself after a fashion.  It ties into the Sev/Damien hatred as well, which hopefully I'll be able to work in later.

Tom's in this chapter!  See?

Captain-Emily- Thank you!  I liked Petunia in this fic.  I thought I'd give her reputation a break for once.

Kitala- Thanks, here's an update.

Idigo Ziona- **grin**  I was in a humorous mood as I wrote that.  **grin**  I'm glad you like the werewolves.  Scary?  Maybe, maybe-not.  But hopefully it'll be interesting, and Harry won't enjoy much of it.

Saavik- You and me both!

shona 3000- Thanks!  Here's the next chapter!

HuntressAngel-  Nope, not one of Snape's school enemies, and they didn't actually first meet at Hogwarts, though that's where most of their interaction has happened.  And… Snape and werewolves just don't mix well,  I'm afraid.

Sarah-  thanks, and I am continuing, really!

kiara malfoy- I'm continuing, I swear!  It's just… slow.

Vede-  Oh, probably.  And yes, Harry will get a new name, as soon as I figure out an acceptable and not too cliché one.  Really, you have faith in me?  Amazing, since I certainly don't…

Hyperbole- I like the whole Harry-Petunia interaction thing too.  No, there isn't a relation between the age Tom was when Voldie stole his body and the Death Eater children becoming Death Eaters at fifteen.  Actually, I hadn't even made a connection there before you pointed it out to me.  Yup, poor Remus.  Hell, poor everybody…

Japanese Girl- **blinks** Heaven?  Erm, here's the next chapter…

Diiniam- Thanks.  Here's more Tom!